HBP with a cup of tea and cluelessness (7/19/09)

Maybe my blood sugar was low.

Maybe it was raging PMS.

Or maybe it was that Half-Blood Prince is, hands down, my absolute favorite Harry Potter book.

But whatever it was, despite some key perks—Alan Rickman's pitch-perfect Snape, Rupert Grint's continued flawless delivery as Ron, and Daniel Radcliffe's charming stoner scene, to be specific—I have only one word to say about the movie:

Yawn.

Half-Blood Prince: Not my cup of butterbeer.

Moving swiftly onward...

My friend and I did indeed hit Tea and Sympathy for lunch on Friday, and it was adorable, entertaining, and embarrassing. What a fab combo, right? The restaurant is TINY, which is to say that it seats only 23 (23!); actual Brits, complete with adorable accents and vocabularies, go there; and the food was yummy and authentically English. And since I am pickier than a vegan (according to a reputable, meat-and-dairy-shunning source), there wasn't a ton I could eat...but the scones were yummy, as was the vanilla mint tea.

Tea and Sympathy = Yum!

But...I'd never had a pot of tea made with loose leaves before, so let's just say that I was having issues with the strainer. (I tried putting the strainer-rest IN my teacup. FAIL.) And the lid of the King Henry VIII–themed china teapot nearly met its death when I tipped the pot over too far. And the too-old-for-me-but-totally-hot Englishman sitting next to my friend very nearly had to catch it for me. *blush*

On a less humiliating front, I watched Clueless for probably the millionth time last night, and I just want to say this: best Jane Austen adaptation EVER. I'm not saying I don't lurve Pride and Prejudice '95, 'cause I do; I'm just saying that Cher is SUCH a good Emma. And that every line in the movie is perfect and hilarious. And that every character is awesome. And that every actor does a totally rockin' job. And that, in short, Miss Jane Austen would be very pleased indeed were she to see it. (And/or horrified by everyone's general lack of propriety in their manner of dress. But whatever.)

"He said you gave him a toothache!"

And now...back to the couch for cuddling with Fred the kitty and watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I haven't seen Mary and the gang in ages—let's hear it for WJM, y'all. Minneapolis represent!