Thor and an incident with a Porsche

by oBelIX

I saw Thor the other day. It is definitely one of the better movies I’ve seen this year. It sticks to a very standard formula that is executed to perfection. All the actors are most competent barring Natalie Portman who is a tad under par (for some reason, ever since I saw that rap video of Natalie Portman I’ve come to expect great things of her).

The story follows Nordic mythology. Fortunately, my Scandinavian fanbase is non-existant so I stand to offend no one with my “interpretation” of the movie and the mythology. Thor, the big dude with a hammer, strong, powerful etc etc is stripped off his powers after a foolish adventure with some other big dudes and exiled to Earth to grow, blossom, and learn how to rule. His dad, the big man, Odin himself goes into a pseudo-coma/limbo state and then his brother does some fancy thing-a-majig.

If you go in, expecting a wonderous assault on your senses, hoping to enter nirvana for two hours and watching a masterpiece then you will come out sorely disappointed. Treat this film as it is, a fun, action packed, formulaic summer bonanza, with few weak performances and only a couple of scenes that make you tear your hair out and you will have a rewarding afternoon.

And finally, I learned that MJOLLNIR (the thingie in dota that grants chain lightning) is pronounced myollneer and not majjollinir)

the incident with a Porsche

Occasionally, I pull out my trusty bicycle and go out on a ride. This particular Saturday was unusual; no-cloud-in-sight, perfect weather. I met up with a bunch of guys and we decided to go cycling. We were going about at a slow pace …

<fast forward to interesting part>

… and I reached back home, tired and content.

<whoops – skipped over the incident. rewinding>

As I turn off the 520 trail and onto Northup way, the road is a not-so-gentle, downhill slope. A welcome slope indeed because the last couple of miles have been a slow-tortuous-when-will-this-bloody-hill-end climb. I shift the bike into the highest gear and begin pedaling furiously, speeding up, enjoying the wind in the ears.

I round a bend and I am greeted by one of the most exquisite sights I’ve had the fortune to witness. Now, I’ve seen quite a few nice cars (including some F430’s and a Nissan GTR) but this was the perfect combination of sunlight hitting the chrome and a line of view that showed off the near-perfect curves and lines. A jet black Porsche whose engine was at the RPM that made the most perfect melody came into view.

Someone yelling “asshole” knocked me out of my reverie. It was like a beau being caught staring at the bosom of the waitress while trying to make small talk with his date. It might have even been the first time I blushed. The sound came from the driver of the Porsche (that beautiful beautiful thing). A quick glance revealed an Auntie, an Auntie whose girth would require inches, nay meters to measure. An Auntie, whose face betrayed a lifetime of not saying no to that extra cheeseburger. An Auntie who at that moment was telling me to bugger off with her fist clenched and middle finger standing tall.

I was flummoxed and assumed the logical. She had misconstrued my blatant-google-eyed awe at her car for a leering jeer at her person. The thought of turning the bike around, catching up to her and explaining crossed my mind but was dismissed as soon as I realized that my 0.01 brake horsepower would not be enough to catch up with her Porsche.

So, dismayed at my inability to clear that up, I continued on, down the slope, till I hit the next traffic light. At that point, I realized, a bunch of cars were coming right at me. Comprehension dawned. A little late. It was like the proverbial cartoon light-bulb going off on top of the head. In my happiness at finally having reached the end of the 520 trail and seeing the downhill slope, I’d turned left onto the wrong lane and was pedaling like mad on the wrong side of the road.

——————

tl;dr: not just drive but cycle on the right side of the road as well; thor is worth watching once.

PS: Yes, many more such incidents have occurred

PPS: MOO?

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