Hello to all and Happy New Year!

Today I saw something so strange that I had to report it.

In these last weeks here in Italy a TV channel (Rai4) is airing the second season of Angel. On the channel's web site there are posted summaries for each episode. One of them is so out of touch with what really happens that I'm still laughing.

The episode is "Il ritorno di Darla" ("Darla" in the original version) and the summary that they provided is:

[Italian version]
Tara ritorna in vita sotto forma di "Demone-Strega" e vedendo che ormai Sunnydale non esiste più, usa i suoi poteri e scopre dove si trova Angel. A Los Angeles dice ad Angel di voler sapere dove si trova "Warren" colui che nella sesta stagione di "Buffy" l'ha uccisa.

[My attempt at an English translation]
Tara comes back to life as a "Demon-Witch" and, seeing that Sunnydale is no more, uses her powers to find out where Angel is located. In Los Angeles she tells Angel that she wants to know where she can find "Warren", the person that in the six season of "Buffy" killed her.
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I have to say that someone has a really fervid imagination! (Or confused the fanfiction that he/she is currently reading with the episode).

Has someone ever seen a more totally made-up summary? The title gave a pretty good indication about which blonde should be expected to appear in the episode, but the summary doesn't even mention her.

Well, it's been really a long time since my last post!
I'm a lurker by nature, always reading my friends' list but rarely commenting.

However, if someone is reading this and is familiar with Battlestar Galactica (the 2004 TV series), can I have your opinion on it?
My brother has recently acquired the first two seasons (in Italian) and I was thinking of stealing them and give it a try.

My only contact with this show comes from reading a fanfiction, crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "A Bug on the Cosmic Windscreen" by the amazing missmurchison in which Spike finds himself stranded on the Galactica (Go read it if you still haven't done so!).
The characters and the situation seem really interesting so I wanted to see the show to know them better.

Since tomorrow I'll be probably unable to connect, I'm wishing Merry Christmas now to all the people reading this journal (there is someone reading this, right?...).

Aside from the seasonal cheers I wanted to know something: am I the only one that when reading an excerpt or seeing a trailer comes up with theories and pretty definite ideas about how the plot will be that don't have any justification?

Yesterday I was watching again "School hard" (I adore S2 Spike) and I remembered my first thought upon seeing Drusilla. She enters the Anointed One's lair while Spike is bragging and she seems fragile and childlike.
Well, my mind went like this "Ohh, how cute! The vampire with that strange hair  (but what did he do to it?) is in a caring relationship with a human witch!"
Yes, I don't know why but Drusilla in my mind was human and, since she was wearing that unusual white dress, she was a witch.
Sadly this conviction lasted until she went in game face to eat Sheila. 

Anyone else jumps to conclusion this quickly without foundation?

Today is my parents' 32th anniversary, but it seems that it isn't the only festivity.

Happy birthday to two wonderful fanfiction writers: missmurchison and speakr2customrs

Till now I had the 1-5 seasons of Buffy and the 1st of Angel on DVD.
Recently I managed to put my hands on the Italian version of Buffy seasons 6-7 and Angel season 2 (saved from the tv).

I had seen some of those episodes on TV, but my knowledge for the seasons was based for the most on the English transcripts (and fanfictions).

Sooner or later I will see every one of these episodes in the Italian version and post my musings about them, but I think that I'll have to put a section only for the errors in the Italian adaptation.

The worst (I hope, since I didn't see every episode yet) is the fact the the translator used in the adaption of Angel season 2 doesn't seem to know what "slayer" means.

I say this because they managed to take these quotes from the episode "Darla":

1-Dru: "My little Spike just killed himself a Slayer."
Darla to Angel: "Did you hear that?"
Angel to Spike: "Congratulations. - I guess that makes you one of us."

2- Spike: "Don't be so glum, eh? The way you tell it, one Slayer snuffs another one rises. I figure, there is a new chosen one getting all chosen even as we speak. I tell you what, when and if this new bird shows up, I'll give you first crack at it!"

3-Darla: "While Spike - Spike! - was out killing a Slayer you were saving missionaries! From me!"

And dubbed them with this:

1-Drusilla: Il mio piccolo Spike ha appena ucciso uno stupratore di fanciulle.
(My little Spike has just killed a girls' rapist)
Darla: Hai sentito? (Did you hear?)
Angel: Beh, meglio per lui. A quanto pare è di bocca buona.
(Well, good for him. It seems that he isn't fussy about food)

2-Spike: Non te la prendere, amico. Del resto, per uno stupratore che muore ce n’è uno che nasce. Mentre parliamo qualche lurida puttana lo starà mettendo al mondo. Sai che ti dico, non appena sarà diventato un uomo,... mi nutrirò anche di lui.
(Don't get worked up, mate. Anyway, for a rapist that dies there is one that is born. As we speak some filthy whore is bringing him into the world. I tell you what, as soon as he'll become a man, ... I'll feed from him too)

3- Darla: Mentre Spike... mentre Spike andava in giro a uccidere assassini tu mi impedivi di finire dei missionari.
(While Spike... while Spike was out killing murderers you were preventing me from finishing some missionaries)

Seeing that episode filled me with a disgust so big... I have no words!

This last week I had my first vacation in a really long time.
My father, my little sister and I went on an organized tour of Portugal. It was an interesting experience, even if I'm still tired.

The thing that stayed with me was the unusual style of street signs and sidewalks.

The street signs in many towns were made with tiles


The sidewalks were made with small white and black sampietrini (or something that seemed sampietrini). The black ones were used to make mosaics (the image isn't really clear since I was on the bus at the time)


They seem to have a huge amount of sites declared World Heritage, we spent all our stay moving from castles to churches. Our guide was really competent and we learned many interesting tidbits about Portugal and its kings.

All in all it has been a really rewarding experience.

Happy Birthday boschette !

Happy Birthday eurydice72!

Happy Birthday coyote_william !

After thinking about it for a good while I decided to attend the Discworld Convention 2008.

Now I'm alternating periods of giddy excitement (I've read the program for the past convention and it was full of interesting events) with periods of frantic worry (I don't have much faith in my ability to speak English and understand when someone talks in English).

Well, I have another year to practice and improve, I suppose.

My little sister will come with me and probably there will be even a handful of other people from the Italian forum devoted to Terry Pratchett, so at least I'll have someone that understand me if worst comes to worst and my English is really terrible.

Right now I'm really looking forward to this experience! Someone else is thinking of attending?