Yes, yesterday was indeed this blog’s three-year anniversary. I absolutely cannot believe that it has been a year since the last Happy Birthday post. And this isn’t even one of my delusions this time, I can actually prove it.

A year ago I was talking about starting development on the current Temple of Andrex design, which is incredibly coincidental considering I just upgraded it this week, removing iframes and adding automatic PHP/RSS-updating. In that entry I also posted the first image of Batman from The Dark Knight, which is just about 18 days from release. Some things never change. But sometimes… I do look back at myself when I first started this, and it shocks me how different I was.

Speaking of The Dark Knight, I’m getting some IMAX tickets for the midnight showing. I really can’t wait. Like with Spider-Man 3, I’m holding off on spoilers now. While that doesn’t mean I’ve been completely blind to some facts circulating around, and each new TV spot gives away a little more, I’m not worried. I’m not worried because TDK is going to be 2½ hours long. And in IMAX, that’s going to be an incredible experience no matter how many small spoilers you know. There have been two recorded reviews for the film so far, and to quote one:

Dark, grim, haunting and visionary, “The Dark Knight” is nothing short of brilliant, the best and scariest comic hero adaptation you are likely to see this summer season, and perhaps during the whole year.

At least one notch above “Batman Begins,” this follow-up represents Christopher Nolan’s most accomplished and mature work, and mind you, he is one of the few Hollywood directors who have never made a bad picture. Celebrating his first decade as a filmmaker, from the short, small-budget and modest noir” Follow,” through the clever and witty post-modernist noir “Memento,” through the well-acted and skillfully shot “Insomnia,” through the visual extravaganza of “The Prestige,” Nolan has continued to sharpen his skills and now works at the top of his form. He is a unique director for whom bigger scale, larger budget, and more polished state-of-the-art special effects translate into all-around better picture; for most directors, it’s usually the other way round.

Three days after the screening, I am still haunted by some visual images; lines of cynical dialogue, particularly by the sinister Joker, splendidly and scarily played by Heath Ledger, who should receive a posthumous Oscar nomination, if not the award itself (See Oscar Alert). In his dark, macabre humor and malevolent nature, Ledger goes way beyond the Joker that Jack Nicholson magnificently played in the first “Batman” (1989).

Certainly sets the tone, doesn’t it? If this movie is “one notch above Batman Begins”, my favorite film, then it’s going to have to be a pretty amazing experience for me. The film isn’t even an origin story, as most main characters have been established in the previous film, and it’s even longer than BB, which was pretty long on its own. But director Chris Nolan has fantastic pacing, so I’m not worried a bit.

You may notice the banner was changed a week ago to something from the anime Ouran. This anime has been incredibly major in shaping my outlook over the course of my high school life. Maybe it’s because the campuses are so similar (NFA is spread out over several buildings, one with a clock tower and one with a massive spire), but whenever I need inspiration, whenever I need hope, whenever I need a reason behind, I look to Ouran.

The similarities add an additional layer of enjoyment out of the anime for me, and it has enriched my high school experience as well. Now, I mentioned a while ago that Ouran had been licensed and is coming over here to America, with all-new English voicework. While they will most likely not air on any networks and remain DVD-only, I will still find a way to purchase them. Hey, this leads into my next topic, which is…

I am getting a job, apparently. While I mentioned it several times before, it seems this could be it. Some of my objections, like time (nights and weekends yay) and distance/travel (local pizza joint whoo) have been cleared up, and I could use the cash so who knows. But still, meeting new people… I honestly wouldn’t mind and in fact want this to fall through just because of that. The money would come in handy though…

Dyjour, my all-in-one webhost and auto-update solution, has been put on hold for a while. I’m still kind of putting some thoughts into making this stand-alone like I just did for the Temple, but I don’t know if the bugs or work would be worth it. I’d want to retain most of this, and the two reasons I want to get this off of Blogger are becoming irrelevant. Seems this may stay here for another year yet.

Each year that passes, I’m reminded of both changes and similarities. The original idea of chronicling my entire high school existence has made me both more introspective and stronger as I forge ahead. This blog has been to the ends and corners of my mind and back, but there’s still a few trips left to be taken.
-Andrew