I am bored out of my wits. My job is getting very, very tedious - but I got my paycheck! YES! *does a victory dance* I'm done now, honestly. But seriously, I spent most of my day trying to figure out if there is some deep philosophical truth in the statement "We all live in a yellow submarine." Yes, I have been listening to the Beatles. Yes, I'm bored. Yes, I'm overworked and underpayed.

Trying desperately to get to the beach somehow ... hmmmm ... Been invited to stay this weekend at the Godbouts' (whom none of you know) ... can't go because of my sisters. Grrrrrrrrrrrr. I just want one bloody day at the beach! *whines* As you can see, I don't do too well when seperated from large bodies of water for very long. Must go to the beach ...

Anywho, that's about it, nervous about senior year, bored, and sea-deprived.

This isn't actually all about the aforementioned Commodore-turned-pirate. Sort of an essay about my insecurities in life, etc. I guess a better title would be "Nice?". I don't know. It's late and I'm in a philosophical mood. So there.

Be Warned: Spoilers!

You all know how obsessed I am with history, the Golden Age of Sail, and, most importantly, the British Royal Navy (Thank you, CS Forester!). I guess that's why I liked Norrington in the first place - he stood for my interest in history. And then when I became obsessed with the movie (thank you, Nancy!) I looked into most of the DVD - including the deleted scenes. Even I thought Norrington was a bit of a jerk in some parts of the movie, but, if you think about it, is made sympatheic because of his (unrequited) love of Elizabeth, and her basically using him to achieve her own ends - for example, manipulating him by promising to marry him if he goes after Will, conveniently forgetting to mention that in doing so the Dauntless will run up against undead pirates who DECIMATE the crew. Death to the extras? Better some poor innocent honest sailors should die than scrubby, cheating pirates. (Hollywood ... ) And then, after he holds up his end of the arrangement, she decides she won't hold up hers. Norrington has the grace to decide that no matter how much he loves her, she loves Will, and will therefor be happier with Will - and she, with his blessing, goes with Will. Not to mention the slightly arrogant "one day's head start". If this doesn't convince you he's a good man, watch some of the deleted scenes - "Accepting the Proposal" and "Happy Endings".

In essence, Norrington as he is written in the first is an upstanding, honorable man, who may be overly proper, occasionally arrogant, but is essentially selfless and willing to put others before himself. Example - "By remembering I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself." That's why, in case any one is wondering why I don't go for Will Turner or Jack Sparrow - it's not just because of the uniform. I find him the most sympathetic character in the series. Because he seems like he's above it all and he's not. He's human. And he's got a pretty uniform ... that's beside the point.

All right, onto Pirate!Norrington. I don't know whether to love him or hate him in Dead Man's Chest, honestly. I swear the loss of the pretty uniform and big ship doesn't have anything to do with it! Norrington, who has, since his generous actions at the end of the 1st flick, lost everything. Lost Elizabeth, his officers and men, the Dauntless, and finally, his comission. When you first see him , he's wearing what's left of his uniform - it should have been a shock, but, for me, it was just sort of tragic, finding out that he's fallen from Commodore in the Royal Navy to a "Rumpot deckhand what takes orders from pirates." Complete tragic hero now - why am I such a sucker for the tragic hero? I'm a Jane Austen fan, for chrissakes! I don't do the tragic hero! That's the Byronic hero and ... yeah. Much better to end up with a safe, stable, loving man (eg, Darcy) than brooding, unstable but passionate man(Charlotte Bronte's Rochester). So by that logic I should like Commodore Norrington better than Pirate Norrington. Okay ... back on track.

The treatment of Norrington's character in Dead Man's Chest keeps me from loving the movie. He's played as the villain, to some extent, where I think, where he only appears villainous because of his fall. Compared to the serious backstabbing other characters get up to in this movie, Norrington shouldn't be all that bad. He just want's his life back and, preferably, not to be hung (Remember the warrant?). The man is finally acting selfish after learning the hard way that nice guys finish last.

Which brings be out of my Norrington essay and into the philosophy of this. I've always associated with Norrington, mostly because I'm just not Jack Sparrow, I'm  not a romantic idealist (anymore) like Will Turner, I'm not a manipulative spoiled brat (hopefully) like Elizabeth, and I, I pray, I am not the bad guy. So I associate with the British naval officer who probably is over-proper at times, can be etraordinarily arrogant and at the same time have no confidence in themselves, and sees things black and white. Understandable? I'm not saying I'm a good person like Norrington is, because, quite simply, I'm not. But now Norrington's changed for the worse - desperate, drunk, a wreck of what he once was. I don't like seeing him like that because, viewing him as a better person than me, I'm afraid I will fall like that someday.

It's the Reaver complex from Serenity, you know? The thing that makes the Reavers so scary is that they were human once. It makes you doubt humanity, seeing our lowest. If people are innately good, how do we turn so bad? The fact is we want to believe that people are good, because we can't face the idea that we are naturally bad. So, what are we? Are we what we percieve ourselves to be? Are we what other's percieve us to be? Is who we are dependant on nature or nurture, from the heart and soul or the blackboard?

A spin on the saying passed around the gang, that we are happily insane - "Better mad with the rest of the world than sane alone." From a deleted scene in Dead Man's Chest, that's up in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-t-ujmyco. It's only a line in the middle, and no backstory given - unless, of course, you're like me and have read too much about the second movie. The backstory to the line is Elizabeth is telling Norrington about the history of Isla Cruces - that the natives of the island were all struck down by a terrible disease and the priest had to bury them all, one by one (explaining the massive graveyard). After the last one died the priest was driven out of his sanity by the tragedy and hung himself in the belfry. To which Norrington responds. I cannot forgive them for cutting that line, or the extended end sequence between Beckett (I HATE THAT MAN) and Norrington when Beckett gives him back his sword and then tells him Elizabeth is dead. Will not forgive editors for cutting that.

Dang, I need to see this movie again!

By the way, filing from 7:30 to 4:00 five days a week blows. At least it pays and the people are nice. Three weeks until that paycheck, though. *smoulder*

I have finally gotten my hands on the DMC soudtrack ... and have been listening for way too long. Track 3 is haunting. Don't listen to it if your upset about something.

Life continues dull as ditchwater on this end. I have writer's block, etc. Must finish reading Jane Eyre. And I want to sea DMC again. I am so obsessed it isn't funny anymore ... well, the rest of my family seems to think it is.

Anyway, writing because I have nothing better to do, it's close to midnight on a saturday and I'm fairly certain none of you are ever going to read this. I have no life. Work starts Monday (filing at 8$ per hour ...). Well, it kills time and gains money.

Been thinking about DMC and the third POTC. Bad feeling that Norrington's going to die. As if DMC weren't enough.

Enough out of me. I'm stuck in Midshipman Harding's Honor, which explains why I'm so jumpy.

Which of the 4 Elements are You?

You are Water!

Water is associated most with emotion. All water dweilling animals are under the Water element.

Water's mythical creature is the Mermaid.

Water is traditionally placed in the West where European folklore told of abundant lands and fourtune. The West represents Autumn or Fall which is also associated with the Middle Age of our lives. The time of day associated with Water is Dusk, that time between true day and true night.

Astrological signs associated with Water are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

The plants are the Moon and Neptune.

Tarot cards that represent the Water element are High Priestess, the Lovers, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, and The Moon.

The Water element's Archangel is Gabriel. The sex of this angel is unknown, some sources say 'he' and others, 'she'. Gabriel is usually clothed in blue robes with orange highlights. Gabriel is considered the angel of birth, death, and transformation. Gabriel is also the angel of the moon, women's cycles and childbirth. Gabriel is an angel of mercy and justice as well.

Gems associated with the Water element are Amethyst, Pearl, Jade, Moonstone, and Sapphire.

Balanced people of Water hold Compassion, Devotion, Forgeness, and Tranquility.

Water bound people are those with deep emotional and mental understanding. They are also usually very intelligent.

Please rate and or message!! I would REALLY appreciate it!

All research from: http://thedance.com/wicca101/water.htm

I am incredibly sore. And bored.

My order finally came! Pride and Prejudice (1995) on DVD!

Okay, so now I'm going to be safely distracted for a while, considering it's 5 and 1/2 hours long. Not quite distracted enough to stop writing, of course. Stop in and review - please! Just kidding, you don't have to.

Still recovering from the shock of POTC: DMC (thank God for abbreviations, there's no way I'm going to write out Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest every time I mention it). Doing a bit better. Have accepted the fact that all characters except Will and possibly Governor Swann behave in a slimy manner. I'm definitely going to see it again soon. Very soon.

http://disney.go.com/disneyrecords/soundtracks/pirates2/index.html

I have got to get the locket theme (note - locket theme is track 3 - Davy Jones - (in a much more subdued manner, like bells) or the clip "Jack Trades Will*)out of my head ...

In other news, family reunion at the lake tomorrow. Tubing! I am going to be so sore Monday ...

Most of what I can say right now is "WTF?" And it's not all with the suprise ending ...

I shall try not to spoil anything, so here's my spoiler free part: As with all great three part installments, the first introduces character and conflict, the second shows our heroes/heroines at the lowest moment, and the third brings the conflict to its height and resolves said conflict in a usually satisfactory and reasonably cheerful manner - reference Star Wars. Pirates of the Caribbean, I think I can say, is no exception, so far, not having seen the third one. The Curse of the Black Pearl was a nice little romp, introducing us to key players, their motivations and whatnot, nice little ride, happy ending ... for most of them (Since you know I'm partial to the Commodore, he doesn't get a happy ending ... but I ramble. What ever Norrington is, or has been said to be, he is a good man, even if it's only at heart. He's human, but he's a good man). And now, we hit our low, some lower than others. And some have definitely hit bottom. The search is on for a chest, the chest of Davy Jones, because whatever's in the chest will get one person his desire - of three fighting over it. Jack Sparrow needs it to free himself from a debt. Will needs it to free him, his father, and Elizabeth. Norrington needs it to get his respect, honor, comission, and life back. And they all play dirty for it. Very dirty. Backstabbing, tripping, sneaking and cheap-shots abound. Which makes for lovely action sequences, really. But honestly. Our characters are at their lowest form, their basest motivations, and weakest moments. People who play honorably lose big time. People not on their guard lose. Only someone who plays lowest will get what s/he wants. This movie is setting up for the bonanza finish - special effects abound, swords flash, wit sparkles, the villains are spookier than the first. I'm dying to see the third, hopefully, characters will do the right thing and bring this mess to an end. As one character says - "Redemption".

*SPOILERS TO FOLLOW. DON'T READ IF YOU DON"T WANT TO HEAR SPOILERS!*

Just to get it out there - Why the hell was this movie so dark!? I wanted to cry at the beginning - the empty wedding - the rain pouring and Elizabeth waiting for Will, only for him to show up cuffed and in company of one Lord Cutler Beckett, of the East India Trading Company. Beckett is one thoroughly slimy character, his motivation through the entire movie is to get as much power as possible. In doing so, he wrecks the lives of quite a few people - Elizabeth and Will, most obviously, but also Governor Swann is stripped of his title, his influence, his position, and his wig, trying to bargain for Elizabeth's life (noble!). Not to mention Norrington, who is the third (Will + Elizabeth being the first and second) wanted for the escape of Jack Sparrow, the penalty for which *gulp* is the noose. Beckett gets Will and Elizabeth, where the heck is Norrington? Seems the chap disappeared after a disasterous chase of the Black Pearl. Anyway, Beckett imprisons Will and Elizabeth, sending Will, with the promise of a pardon for him and his beloved, to get Jack Sparrow's compass, which is revealed to point towards one's heart's desire.

Will gets to Jack, Elizabeth escapes, joins a crew, ends up in Tortuga. By which time, Governor Swann is disgraced, Jack and Co. have consulted Tia Dalma (watch the Monkey! the boots!) and Will, through some slimy actions of Jack Sparrow, is press-ganged into Davy Jones's crew and reunites with Bootstrap Bill, his father. The flogging sequence is touching, really. I wanted - ALMOST - to cry when father had to flog son. Well done. Anyway, prior to this, when trading over Will, Jack Sparrow has to hand over 100 souls instead of his, or else ... So he goes to Tortuga, and picks up a bum crew. One of the men is piss-drunk, slurring all over the place, challenging everyone to a fight, with a very funny hairdo and a costly-looking coat. Look a bit closer and this man is not your average dock rat, apart from how drunk he is. This man is ... was ... Commodore James Norrington, RN. He joins the crew, after insulting Jack and behaving in a very ... interesting manner, which leads to him being clocked over the head by Elizabeth and thrown into the pig pen.

"James, what's the world done to you?" is Elizabeth's reaction. Clearly, he's gotten fed up with being a good person - I point to the end of the 1st movie where he gives up Elizabeth's promise to marry him, and lets her, Will, and Jack walk away free, before that, presumably, removing pirates, who were, infact, murderous thieves and rapists and what-not. So he was a good person. And I can see why he thinks he's been good for nothing. The woman he loves goes with a blacksmith, the last pirate constantly eludes him, etc. After pursuing Sparrow through a hurricane where he loses his crew, he resigns his comission and lives as a drunk dockhand with almost no sign of what he was before. I feel really bad for him. Really bad.

Anyway ... later in the movie. Yeah. Here we come to the backstabbing bit.

Will's father has, to save Will, pledged his eternity to Davy Jones's, royally pissing off Will, who, despite his chivalry, courage, and all around hero-ism, I cannot find it in myself to really like, though he is a good man. Throw in a hairy experience with the Kraken or two, and "we" - Jack, Will, Norrington, Elizabeth, Pintel, Ragetti and some of Jones's crew - end up on the island. Elizabeth, Norrington and Jack dig up the chest, Will shows up with the key, and they - Will, Jack, Norrington - proceed to have at it in a wonderful three-man fight. Lots of backstabbing and dirty moves for the key to the chest - speaking of which, who's guarding the chest? Oh, look, Pintel, Ragetti, and Elizabeth are being chased around the island by the crew who want the chest. Unfortunately for them, Jack's already gotten the contents of his chest - Davy Jones's still-beating heart - which he tore out, tormented by a woman he loved but would not love him back (the lockets are a clue. Look for them!) So everyone ends up at the single lifeboat, fighting for their lives against Jones's crew. Norrington steals the letter of marque - notices something fishy - and then grabs the chest, saying the only way is if someone draws the crew off, and runs. He is caught by the crew, after saving everyone's arse, gives over the chest and gets out of there. Smart. The chest is empty, and Davy isn't too pleased.

Davy Jones goes after who he thinks to be the last man to have his heart - Jack Sparrow. Jack, who is about to pull it out for negociations, realizes, to everyone's horror, that he doesn't have the heart. Then who does? This is when the crap hits the fan. Davy Jones summons the Kraken, which proceeds to shred the Black Pearl, though the ship puts up a spirited defense, led, of course, by Will, Jack Sparrow having gone off in a rowboat. At the crucial moment, however, Jack returns and saves the Pearl. Still with me?

The crew gets into the one remaining lifeboat. Uhoh ... where's Jack? Elizabeth, in order to save her own skin, has chained Jack to the mast, knowing the Kraken is after him. This gives the remaining crew ... 5 at best ... a chance. Right. Very noble of her. No one protests, though they know she's lying when she said he decided to stay behind.

Suprise! Jack Sparrow escapes the cuffs. But it's too late. The Kraken is hungry. Jack has no choice, so goes into the belly of the beast, sword drawn. Is this the last of Captain Jack? I hope not, despite his actions.

Meanwhile, in Port Royal, an East India Trading Company ship has picked up a castaway, carrying a letter of marque. Guess who it is ... Norrington. Very pissed off, but alive. And he can finally settle his debts, clear his honor and regain his name. His bargaining chip, with Beckett? Not money. Not the compass.

Davy Jones's heart.

Norrington has done the lowest - stole when no one was looking - and, under the pretense of doing something noble, did something slimier. Escape.

Wait for the kicker, though. I realize you all don't give about Norrington, but bear with me.

Will, Elizabeth, Gibbs, Cotton, Pintel and Ragetti go back to Tia Dalma's cottage in the bayou. While mourning Jack and drinking a pint, they mention the fact they'd do anything to get him back. Tia Dalma, shockingly, says they can, but they'll have to sail to the ends of the earth. And to do that, they need a navigator. Someone who's been there before. She's already got someone lined up for the job. Just upstairs. Hey ... those boots look familiar.

*EVEN MORE SPOILERS! EVEN IF YOU READ THIS FAR, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO READ THIS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE! REALLY! LAST WARNING!*

So, who's the navigator? Honestly, last man on earth you'd guess. Even after Governor Swann, Beckett, Norrington, Jack Sparrow and George W. Bush. Really and truely!

It's Barbossa! Holy crap, isn't he dead!? All I can say is - WTF? Well, he's baaaack - apple, monkey, hat and all. What the heck is going on here? How's he here? Why is he going to help them? What's Tia Dalma got to do with all this? Okay, I saw the locket on her table matched the one Davy Jones had. Obvious. Is she really Jones's tormenting sweetheart, or did she just come across it? Can we trust her? Trust Barbossa? Trust anyone after the events of the movie?

*END SPOILERS!!!*

Most importantly, will redemption come? For everyone? No one, except, maybe Beckett, does not deserve it (double negative, I know). Jack Sparrow is capable of bravery, though he is selfish - he must have a good heart. Elizabeth just wants to be with the man she loves - alive, preferably. Will wants to save her, his father, and himself. Governor Swann wants to save Elizabeth. Pintel and Ragetti just want to get on with their lives. Norrington wants his life back, after it was taken from him when he did good. Davy Jones, however despicable, is tortured by the thoughts of his past love, and, I think, wants nothing more than no more pain for himself. Barbossa has paid the price for his greed, and just wants to feel again. I'm on a role here, I'm even starting to think that Beckett isn't total despicable - though he is.

Like the sailors cowering before Davy Jones, I pray for redemption. No one's a lost cause - they all good people, at heart.

I'm really posting for my own benefit here, but in case people actually read when they get back *Nancy* - I am going to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest tonight! On opening night! I am so psyched if I'm not careful, I'm going to turn into a squealing fangirl. And no one wants to see that!

Just as a footnote, I would like to add my begging skills are d*mn good. I can't believe I got my parents to take the family on opening night. I am so good. If I were humble, I'd be perfect ... no. I'm really sorry about being a stuck up, arrogant, bragging snob. But I'm good. And on my way to a 6:30 appointment with destiny ... lol. I'll post a review later.

I've given into pressure and joined up at fictionpress.com.

I don't know how much I'm going to end up posting. Some of you may recall Beatrix Blackthorn. She's up, revised and edited. I'm still working on her introductory novel, so I'm posting The Stern Chase, which details her life in 1796 after the Arethusa is sunk and most of the crew perishes in French prison. She's on land and in the pits. There's considerable backstory, but I'll reveal what you need to know as it goes.

My name is Brokenspar. Please read and review! *shameless begging*

My aunt sent me this:

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=NK45031937

I think it's pretty.