Enter the Critics Followed By A Disclaimer

On Friday, my friend Brent will be arriving at the Seattle-Tacoma Aerodrome for a weekend visit. His brother, Kyle, is here in Seattle for the summer and they are both very entertaining people with whom it is always a pleasure to biff around.

We have plans to go to The Mercury on Friday night after Brent arrives in town. For those who haven't an earthly what The Mercury is, I'll explain. The Mercury is a private goth/industrial nightclub on Capitol Hill in Seattle. In order to gain admittance, you must be accompanied by a current member and after going a number of times (roughly three to five - it depends on whether the doorkeeper remembers you), you pay ten dollars as a subscription and you're given right of entry. It's a great nightclub and I enjoy going there. It is blessedly free from such filth as Aberzombie and Fitch wearing meatheads and their poseur pseudo-Goth girlfriends. It is, in short, an oasis in the desert of ghastliness. Besides, the music is great.

Anyway, it should be an enjoyable time. On Saturday, we've discussed going to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I have yet to see the movie and am looking forward to doing so. I enjoyed the book immensely and while I know that for the movie to be successful, parts will need to be excised owing to the massive length of the tome, I hope that the director will handle the story well.

Several of my friends and co-workers have seen the movie already and while I respect their right to form an opinion of the work, I can do without the unsolicited asseverations that 'the movie sucked!' or 'the movie was great!' that have been proferred. I'd like to develop my own judgement based on the merits of the movie without undue influence from others. I think that I am quite capable of forming an opinion of my own without input from anyone else. While I'm sure that it is well meant, please spare me the benefit of your wisdom until I, too, have seen the movie and am able to judge accordingly or unless I ask you directly for your opinion.

My apologies if I sound a trifle liverish, but there it is. If you think I'm directing this at you, you're most likely mistaken. However, should this assertion on my part fail to assuage your wounded breast, I'm sorry.