On a day when my banner ads are repeatedly touting anti-ant weapons, I drove Rick out to Allegan to see the Formica exsectoides whose company I so enjoyed last week. Annoyed them, got bitten again, chased some butterflies, netted (and released) some huge cicada-killer wasps, and generally had a good time. Take that, banner ads.

Since Rick is developing a major interest in film and video, I'm trying to get over my general dislike of movies, or at least of most of the ones made since about 1980. Last night Joyce, Rick, and I went to see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which Joyce and I found mildly entertaining because of the literary references, but Rick didn't seem to like much at all. Okay, it doesn't have much of a plot, but since plotlessness usually suits me fine (movies are more relaxing that way), I could sit back and sort of enjoy its strange premise. I guess in a way the premise of that one was the entire plot, although it was disturbing that the character I immediately liked most turned out to be the mole and an all-around bad guy. Oh, and I'd like to know where and how the hell Sawyer got hold of the car, too. Fun to watch, but it made absolutely no sense.

One critic (who liked the film) praised it for actually having an ending that seemed to preclude a sequel. (This was a critic after my own heart; I have an especially dim view of sequels, unless the film is based on an actual book series that existed before the film was made.) Don't know about you, but it's been a long time since I've seen a film with an ending that left a more blatant opening for a sequel, except maybe The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, which, perversely, ended with a screen that promised a sequel, and then confused everyone by not having one.

On the up side: Since I managed to sit through an entire Sean Connery movie without barfing, and even enjoy it somewhat, I guess I've finally forgiven him for Zardoz. Who knows -- maybe in a few years I'll even be able to tolerate Harrison Ford.