Now, the big question: is that a private junior high school reading level, or a public junior high school reading level? Hmm.

HT: Foma*

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Maybe I’m tired and cranky, but here’s what I thought of the much anticipated “Battlestar Galactica: Razor”, a two-hour movie event purporting to tell the story of what happened to the Battlestar Pegasus following the Cylon sneak attack on the Twelve Colonies and the reuniting with the Galactica.

Okay. Here we go.

Blah!

It’s sort of like the Star Wars prequel films. It feels unnecessary. We know Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, so why’d we actually have to see it on film? Pretty much just so George Lucas could have Stormtroopers in colorful armor and Jedi against green-screen backgrounds. Meanwhile, the bulk of Razor is events we’d been told about: Pegasus escaping the Yard, Cain executing her XO, the shootings of civilians on military orders. All of these were events referenced in the “Pegasus/Resurrection Ship” arc in BSG’s second season, and seeing them on screen was, to me, gratuitous.

Meanwhile, all of this is framed into what could’ve been an episode of the series proper (and is set in the latter portion of the second season — Lee has just assumed command of Pegasus, and reference is made to the episode Epiphany): a Raptor has disappeared on a research mission, and Admiral Adama transfers his flag to the newer Battlestar to oversee the rescue operation. Major Shaw, who turned into a cold hard bitch under Cain’s command, then found herself peeling potatoes in the mess, leads a rescue operation onto an ancient Cylon basestar with a tie to Admiral Adama’s past, and the old Cylon centurions (from the original series) show up and say “By your command.” In other news, Starbuck moves her “Bitch” act from Kat to Shaw, and it’s pretty much Galactica as usual, with most of the show’s regular cast making guest appearances (Tyrol, Callie, Baltar, Helo, and Dualla are absent).

I can’t admit to being much impressed. Maybe I’ll feel different when I can view the unedited DVD (December 4), with about fifteen minutes of footage not included in tonight’s broadcast. I hope so.

Meanwhile: season four premiering in March, according to the promo I saw. For those wondering about the season three DVDs, all the scuttlebutt I’ve been hearing is that the season set will be released just prior to the fourth’s premier.

1. So this was probably the biggest Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever been at. Usually, back when my dad’s folks were still alive, we’d alternate years going to the Farm, or up to Pennsylvania to my Aunt Peg’s house with my mom’s family. At the Farm, it’d be me, my sister, my folks, my grandparents, and my dad’s brother Bill and his wife. In Scranton, my family, my Aunt Peg, Grandma, Aunt Anne and her family: husband Bill, cousins Mag & Will.

1. (part two) This year, we had about twenty-plus folks in Connecticut. Me, my folks, (my sister’s in India), Aunt Peg, Grandma, Aunt Anne and her family, and from her husband’s side of the family, both of his sisters, his brother, his family, and most of their families: one husband, one wife, five cousins. Twenty-some people, total.

2. They’ve got a big house, in Connecticut. It’s actually getting a two-room extension off the back so Bill’s dad can move in (they sold his house in Olyphant), and so that they have room for Grandma when she comes to visit. It looks like it should almost be done: the foundation is in, the roof is up, the siding is in place, and the electrical looks done (all that’s left is to finish the bathroom, put up insulation and drywall, paint, and carpet.) My arrangements were to sleep on my cousin Will’s bedroom floor. Funny story: because of where the addition is going in, his window would be looking into it, so they closed it up. They’re going to put a new window in on the other wall soon, but until they do, his room is very much a cave. Anyway, the plumbers came by at way-too-fucking-early Friday morning to do something to the bathroom (probably involving plumbing) and the loud boom-boom-boom of hammers woke me up thinking Will’s bedroom was coming under artillery fire.

3. I get pressure headaches: whenever I travel over mountains, I get killer headaches. Got one the first night I was in West Virginia back in September, and, yep, my head was splitting Thursday night. Probably didn’t help that as soon as I got in to Connecticut, I took my Uncle up on his offer of a “Sam”: Sam Adams, necessary New England drinking. I followed that up with a second. All of this on top of four hours sleep (went to sleep at 1:30am Thursday morning, woke up at 5:45am to get ready for my parents to pick me up at 6:30am), a few scattered — restless! — hours in the car on the way up. No surprise: I passed right out after dinner.

4. Aunt Linda (who really isn’t my Aunt, I don’t think, as she’s Bill’s sister-in-law) made a mean sweet potato casserole, the way Grandma makes it: with marshmallows on top. It was so very good.

5. Linda’s younger daughter attends Pratt Institute, which is apparently famous for the cats which wander its campus and sit in on classes or whatever else their feline selves wish to sit in on.

6. Word Press finally has some sort of spell checker working. SWEET!