Twice-Told Mythology

Much to my surprise, it was snowing - and snowing hard - when I got up this morning. I actually rolled out of bed a bit early in order to go grocery shopping, but there was no way I was going out in that weather. I ran Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief while I waited out the storm.

This is yet another attempt at creating a fantasy franchise,  here based after a series of books. Percy, a New York high-schooler, can't seem to catch a break. He's dyslexic and has ADHD. He lives with his beloved mother and abusive, obnoxious stepfather. He's not doing well in school. The only times he's happy is when he's in the water, where he's a champion swimmer, and with his crippled best friend Grover.

Percy's life changes during a school field trip to a museum. He's attacked by a monster who insists he's the "Lightning Thief." Percy has no idea what it's talking about...but after the creature is defeated, he discovers that he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon and a human woman. Grover is a satyr (goat-human hybrid) who has been assigned to protect him. The museum guide is a centaur who is in charge of a camp for the human children of gods. Grover takes Percy there...but Percy's mother is abducted as they arrive. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, go on a road trip across the US to find the three pearls that will lead them to Hades to rescue Percy's mother, and then to Olympus to reveal the true identity of the thief to Zeus.

I heard this didn't do that well, despite it getting a sequel later this year. As with John Carter, I don't understand why. This was a fun fantasy tale with an interesting and creative premise. It also brought O Brother, Where Art Thou? to mind, with it's road trip and Greek mythology updating. This time, the trials of Perseus are seen through the lens of modern teen culture, complete with references to the current recession and High School Musical. Nice cast, too - Pierce Bronsonan is the centaur who acts as a mentor for the kid gods, while Sean Bean is Zeus himself.

I will add that a beheading, mild blood, and some fairly heavy fantasy violence makes this more for older kids and teenagers, despite the PG rating. For kids who liked the somewhat similar Harry Potter and aren't up to the darker Hunger Games, or for adult fans of Greek mythology, this is very much worth a look.

Finally made it to the grocery store around noon. It was still snowing rather heavily...but much to my surprise, the snow was melting even as big flakes floated to the ground around me. There was some snow on the grass, but the roads were just wet.

I was delighted to discover that I had no paycheck waiting for me at work. My direct deposit finally went through! No more waiting in line at the front desk every week to cash my check, or having to go to the bank to deposit it. I could go right into shopping. I didn't really need a whole lot. I mostly need fruits and vegetables - apples, blood oranges, bananas, mushrooms, bagged spinach and arugula on sale. I needed to restock navy beans, parchment paper, peanut butter, cooking spray, and tuna. I found bags of Ricola and Halls cough drops for 59 cents on the clearance shelves - bought two Ricola and one Halls. The Acme is having a big weekend sale, but the only items I needed were two sticks of Secret Deodorant for $1.88 each.

By the time I rode home, the snow was changing to rain...and the snow on the ground was becoming slush or disappearing all together. I spent the next hour putting everything away, making salmon with spinach and mushrooms for lunch, and watching a Bowery Boys movie, the last with original member Bobby Jordan, Bowery Buckaroos.

The rain was letting up a bit as I rode to work. This wasn't reflected at the Acme. It was busy when I was there shopping, and it was busy for the first half of my shift. It did die later in the night, enough that I was able to shut down quickly with no relief.

I emerged to nothing but wet. The snow was completely gone. It wasn't even raining anymore. The dry streets indicated that it hadn't rained in a while. It was too warm, even at night, for the snow to stick around.