You won't let those robots defeat me

Well, I'm officially past my probationary period, which I think most of the people I know in real life are polarly--is that a real word?--split over in opinion (either "I knew you'd make it all along!" or "WHO ARE YOU? VAT HAFF YOU DONE VIS ZEE REAL LAWRENCE?"), which is a good thing, since it means that I can do things like trip out to Flaming Lips and update the blog occasionally after work if I feel like it. Especially when I'm waiting for the LAST EFFING REPORT OF THE DAY TO COME IN

It's not going to be a real huge update, though. My aunt and uncle and one of my cousins and his family are visiting from Germany, so it'll be as brief as I can make it.

Geneva's been good this time of year, alternating between I'm-melting-whadda-world hot and I'm-melting-whadda-world wet, and still remaining bearable. I've been spending a goodly amount of time outside with Smiljana, Astrid, and Gabriel (when he can get away from his internship), hanging around on the beach or the Bois-de-la-Bâtie and stuff, though this is the month when each of us goes away for a week or so (except for Gabriel, who I suppose technically is away, since his family's still in Spain and he's gotta go back after his internship).

I've managed to, after seven or so years of living here, check out Cinelac for the first time ever. It is most definitely worth the seventeen francs asking price. It's got a spectacular view of the lake, a huge-ass screen, great sound, and Migros offers a free ice cream with every ticket. I felt like a VIP up to the moment I tried to get a central seat and was told that they were reserved for VIPs. Oops. That explains all the "La Poste" stickers on the seats; the Swiss can't live without their mailmen.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith was the first movie we watched, and it quite frankly kicks ass. It wins at both being a hilarious domestic comedy, and for just over-the-top enough action sequences to be fast and frenetic without being confusing or over-bloated a la Batman Begins (please note, I loved Batman Begins and was grinning madly throughout the whole movie, but its action sequences were too quick-cut to be comprehensible). On top of that, Angelina Jolie was in top form, both acting-wise and physically. I wasn't a big fan of her in her Lara Croft Boobtastic outfits, but in this movie, my hormones nearly kicked me out of my seat. I crack up whenever I picture her delivery of the line, "I don't understand that question." But anyway.

A few days later, I ended up watching The Interpreter with Kerstin, one of my friends from the ITU. Also a good movie, and surprisingly engrossing. Nicole Kidman as Silvia Broome was stunning as usual, and Sean Penn's Tobin Keller is one of the most incredibly sympathetic performances I've seen recently. This movie is also notable in that, despite the chemistry between the two leads, they don't force a romantic angle on them. For that, it also deserves credit. There's one moment where Silvia rests her head on Tobin's shoulder, and he just holds her protectively, and you can't help but think about how sweet that was.

I'll be going to the States in a week and a half; maybe I'll update sometime after that. In the meanwhile, I'm finally free to leave, so!