It was a lot better than I expected. Then again, I had such low expectations after episode 2 that a South Park marathon would have seemed brilliant, inspiring, and witty in comparison.

Still, somebody besides George obviously had a hand in the script. It went from the ludicrousness of 1 and 2 to being a little ham-fisted but acceptable. I would even be willing to watch it again.

This isn’t some Kurasawa-style Rashoman “find the truth from all the perspectives,” but a narrative where each of the four major characters handles a bit of the narrative in turn. Nick Hornby’s writing abilities really show themselves off in this book, because each voice is really distinct and consistent.

The story itself is great. It’s both a big and a small story. Small because it is very narrowly focussed on our heroes – not wandering off to find out what minor character “x” is doing or why minor character “y” said what they did. It’s very close and personal, to the point where you feel like you are reading a shared diary.

It’s also a big story, because it is examining why people want to die, why they want to live, and what they do when they don’t know either one. My version sounds a little cheesy, but you really should give it a try.

I’d never had potato pancakes until I was going out with my fiance. The very concept was freakishly unfamiliar, but I really loved them. While we were talking about it, we tried to figure out why I had never heard of potato pancakes. Apparently they are often made from leftover mashed potatoes.

“Leftover mashed potatoes” is another concept I am unfamiliar with. Mystery solved.

I guess this is a chick flick. Although I could appreciate elements of it (scenery was nice, casting was good), I just couldn’t really get into it. Good to know that there’s a line I’m not interested in crossing – I was worrying people for a while.