I'm a book reviewer now!

     So after a conference with a fickle wifi connection, 8 hours on the road, a massive headache that left me incapacitated, and a penchant for watching Ugly Betty on Netflix until 4 in the morning, I'm finally back for one of my final posts.  I'm the worst at keeping up with a schedule.  So here's an informal annotated bibliography for the sources I used and books I read during this project.

1. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
...We already know how I feel about this.  A great book for character development and fantastical worlds, but little in the way of plot.  Not my favorite in the adaptation world of WOZ.

2. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Graphic Novel adaptation by Eric Shanower with art by Scottie Young
     I adored this as an adaptation of WOZ.  It was a beautiful imagining of Baum's original vision.  I believe it would be incredibly useful in a variety of settings, especially in a classroom.  It remains true to the plot, without leaving much out and would be so great for those with any kind of learning disability.

3. Film Adaptation and Its Discontents: From Gone with the Wind to The Passion of the Christ by Thomas Leitch
     This book was a little bit hard to read through as a sit down book, but it was incredibly eye opening to the adaptation process.  Leitch is a film studies professor at the University of Delaware, and his book focused mostly on the process that is adaptation.  He references a variety of films which span the genres.  There are many direct comparisons between original sources and their adaptations, focusing mainly on the problems with adapting a text.

4. A Theory of Adaptation by Linda Hutcheon
    Hutcheon's book on adaptation was a much easier read.  Her style of writing had a little less jargon and some personality.  While Leitch focuses on the problems of adaptation, Hutcheon suggests that adaptation is a necessary part of storytelling.  Adaptation has become a process that is innate.  We must continue to tell these stories as they are a part of our psyche.  She even discusses Campbell's monomyth! Yay!  She not only discusses film adaptations but the multitude of possibilities that new media brings to the adaptation table.
5. The Wizard of Oz as American Myth: A Critical Study of Six Versions of the Story, 1900-2007 by Alissa Burger
     This was my FAVORITE book throughout the whole term.  I haven't been able to find any confirmation for the thought, but I have the feeling that it was a doctoral thesis/dissertation.  Burger is now a professor at Bowling Green State University and her specialty is literature and cultural studies.  This book focuses on the most popular adaptations of the WOZ world, being the MGM version, The Wiz, Wicked the novel, Wicked the musical, Tin Man.  Rather than focusing solely on how the adaptations compared to Baum's original story, Burger focuses on what each adaptation says about the culture in which it was produced.  Which, if you hadn't noticed, was exactly what I was wanting to explore!  She focuses on a variety of topics, such as the concept of home and feminine depictions.  I loved this one even though it was a little hard to slog through at times.


And that's it guys!  My book reviews.  I hope they're helpful.  Have fun reading!

-M.

Ease on down the catwalk.

     I'll start with one of the earlier adaptations of WOZ, which would be the infamous The Wiz.  And if I'm being honest (and you know I always am) it was a hot mess.  I acknowledge it's place as a cult classic and a highly successful Broadway production, but the film version attempted to do to many things and became less about the concept of home and more about just being whoever you want to be.  Which would be great, if only the movie could figure out what it wanted to be.
    The concept of Wiz is amazing and poignant.  It was written to be an all black re-imagining of WOZ in the wake of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's, showcasing the art and diversity found in Manhattan, New York.  What the movie turned into was nepotistic, overly-stylized, jumbled, 2-hour long self-help training video.  And while I'm not quite insightful enough to say I could see that instantly through the wardrobe choices for the film, when learning more about Sidney Lumet's film, I could see how these issues translated into every visual component of the film, including the costuming by Tony Walton


Dorothy played by Diana Ross 

    A seemingly simple outfit, Ross's outfit is an ill-fitted mess.  It's much too large for her petite, slender frame and hangs on her much like it would if she were a hanger.  At the time of filming, Ross was in her mid-30's playing a 24 year old kindergarten teacher.  She was also recovering from anorexia nervosa.  Ross forced herself into this roll, promising Michael Jackson for the production if they would cast her.  This simple tunic and skirt ensemble reeks of an attempt to make her look younger despite her apparent aging.  The bland, monotone of the outfit is obviously meant to reflect her timidity in her loud, boisterous NYC home, but it lacks any time of punch.  I do, however, appreciate the lack of gingham.  It was a ballsy move.  Unfortunately, it didn't quite work.  But she does get to rock some awesome silver pumps throughout the movie.  So, there's that. 

Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow

The unbelievably talented Michael Jackson is my favorite part of this movie.  His song "You Can't Win" is by far my favorite, and the story of the Scarecrow becomes incredibly poignant knowing the turmoil in Jackson's life at the time of this movie.  He's being pushed around and told he can't do something-get down from his post.  And because he's been told this, he believes it.  Whether it be the director's decision, the costume designers, or MJ's himself, stuffing the scarecrow with book pages was by far my favorite part of this movie.  A man craving knowledge is literally stuffed with it.  My least favorite part of his costuming has more to do with the makeup.  As a movie attempting to honor the African-American tradition, I find it troubling how they emphasized his nose so much, especially considering Michael Jackson's famous issues with his nose.  It just seemed insensitive.  BUT, apparently it was meant to resemble a Reese's wrapper.  That didn't translate into wide shots very well.  

Evillene played by Mabel King

     Evillene is the Wicked Witch of the West.  And though there's no green skin anywhere to be found, the witch is certainly portrayed as someone green...with envy.  This character is created to represent greed and power, along with laziness.  Her costume is made to look like random trinkets and knick knacks have become attached to her; her things have become part of her.  Evillene manipulates those around her to do the work for her while she takes in everything she can.  The symbolism is ripe, but I, as a chubby girl myself, find their representation of greed offensive.  Her size becomes a symbol of her inner character.  She's fat because she's selfish.  Her throne is constructed to look like a toilet.  If that's not offensive, then I don't know what is.  She literally becomes waste when Dorothy defeats her.  

     But despite my rants about fashion choices, this movies greatest problem has nothing to do with wardrobe.  The Wiz, as previously mentioned, was written to become a voice for the African American population, a way for black actors and actresses to become stars of mainstream media.  The problem is that the African American voice was controlled, in this film, by white producers, writers, directors, etc.  Every important person behind the scenes was white, including the costume/production designer Tony Walton.  So, though the stars are black, it seems that the voice is actually that of an old white man.  Maybe the reason The Wiz was critically murdered because it was hypocritical. 

     The Wiz took 2 steps forward to only take 3 steps back. 

-M. 

Fashion 101

     First off, sorry about not posting yesterday like I said I would.  I got caught up in the "blizzard" we had yesterday.  AKA.  I just became lazy and decided to watch the snow for a couple of hours rather than touch anything electronic.  But I'm back, and feeling good.  So you may just get two posts today.
     I know, calm down.  You're excited.  It's okay.
     So, before I get started talking about all the adaptations I've encountered, I figured I'd start with my own.  If you need to know anything about me, it's that I'm obsessed with fashion.  I may not look like it all the time.  For a matter of fact, I'm wearing sweatpants right this very moment.  But there's just something about a new Marchesa gown on a red carpet that makes me feel all warm and tingly on the inside.    Following that passion, I decided to create a small collection of what a modern WOZ fashion show would look like.  And now I will show you.
     Keep in mind that I can't draw.
     And with that.
     Drum roll please.

    And there you have it.  Now.  If only I knew how to sew.  Alas, I cannot.  And my WOZ creations are forever relegated to paper.  It's probably best that way.  The world can't handle my ability to make it work.  

     As for adaptations of WOZ, to keep my blog focused and less ranty (a la my rant on how Gregory Maguire's Wicked sucked all the life out of me), I'm going to focus on my favorite part of visual adaptations-wardrobe.  Wardrobe choices can explain a lot about a character's personality without any dialogue as well as reveal challenges in the adaptation process.  Often times, the adaptation source leaves very little detail on the wardrobe, with details such as a character wearing pants being the only description given.  Or, the difficulty may be on the other extreme, as in Hermione's Yule Ball gown in the fourth Harry Potter.  In the book, she is wearing blue dress robes, but in the movie she is seen wearing a pink gown.  Fans were up in arms about this, but the wardrobe designer for the production argued vehemently for the pink gown.  The Yule Ball was a moment of revelation for Hermione; she was finally seen as a feminine force rather than just one of the guys.  The traditionally feminine pink dress offered a greater opportunity for this rather than blue dress robes. 

    Who woulda thunk that a dress could say so much?

   

     So, my plans for this is to do a separate post for each because, if you're like me, you get visually overwhelmed by a lot of text.  I'm going to talk about Tin Man, The Wiz, and Oz the Great and Powerful. 

I hope you enjoy this foray into costume design.  I know I will. 

    And now I leave you with the two cutest flying monkeys ever. 

-M.  

      

P.S.  I have two Boston Terriers, and I'm totally doing this next Halloween.  

Dorothy, grab the phone! Adventure is calling!

     It's been awhile since last we spoke.  I'm sure you're all as heartbroken as I am (unless you're the Tin Woodsman because, well, you wouldn't have a heart to break). 

     I've watched a ton of movies and a ballet, read a couple of books, taught a couple of classes, and drawn and redrawn my personal WOZ fashion show.  In the last few days of this month and Independent Study project, my goal is to post a blog everyday.  I will provide a review of the texts I read, which will basically become an informal annotated bibliography with possibly a dash of humor thrown in.  

    But for today (er...tonight) I'm going to be talking some more about Dorothy as the archetypal hero of the monomyth. 

 For those of you who couldn't tell, I'm a bit of a visual learner, so to start off my informal analysis, I'm going to provide a chart that has helped me organize my thoughts. Also, for more visual stimulation, I'm going to include images from the amazingly beautiful graphic novel version of WOZ produced by Marvel Comics.  

    

      The Hero in his natural environment: We meet Dorothy in the boring, gray Kansas, where she lives on a farm with her Uncle Henry and Aunty Em.

     Call to action: Dorothy is taken by a twister into the Extraordinary World-- The Land of Oz.

     Meeting the Mentor: Dorothy arrives in Oz, and she meets Glinda the Good, the Witch of the North.  

     Refusal of the call:  When Dorothy meets Glinda, she is told she will have to live in the Land of Oz as she has saved the Munchkins from the Witch of the East, but Dorothy only wants to return home.  Generally the refusal comes before meeting the mentor, but in Dorothy's case, meeting Glinda causes Dorothy to feel isolated.  She is overwhelmed by this new land in which Glinda is settled on her staying.  In her refusal to stay in the Land of Oz, she is told she must go to the Wizard, for he is the only one that can possibly get her home.  This is marks the beginning of her journey, and her...

     Crossing the threshold: When Dorothy begins following the Yellow Brick Road, she marks the beginning of her heroic journey home.  

     Trial and first failure:  Yeah... Dorothy doesn't really have that.  She's, like, 8.  She can't be put through stuff until she comes to the part of her journey that is...

     Meeting allies and enemies:  This is it!  We've made it to the part that's my favorite.  Meeting all of her companions.  It can't be safe for a young girl to travel in an unknown land all by herself, so of course she needs some fantastic sidekicks to help her throughout her quest.  Here we meet the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion.  

     Growth and new skills AND first success:  I'm lumping these two steps together because they happen so quickly for Dorothy.  As she and her pals are meandering down that ol' road, she is faced with hunger and lack of shelter, and her friends take care of her.  The gang then encounters a conundrum.  There's a big gap in the road with a huge cliff in between.  This is for the first opportunity where we get to see the qualities that the team think they lack.  Lion is brave enough to jump over the gap while Scarecrow is smart enough to come up with the order as to which will guarantee everyone's safety.  And ol' rusty just kind of stands there and acts supportive.  This is a big win for team Emerald City because it's their first in a line of many.  

     Grand trial and Revelation and insight: Dorothy's grand trial is her encounter with the Wicked Witch of the West, and her insight is that the great and powerful wizard of Oz is actually just a normal human man.  These two experiences cause Dorothy's world view to change.  After the "wizard" explains that everything they need is inside of them, she is gaining the insight that will prove her way home.  That she had the power all along.  Which leads to her

     Discarding of the old self, accepting the new role, and the journey back:  Dorothy, while still wanting to return home, begins embracing her adventures in Oz.  She proudly announces the freedom to the Winkies, and she begins to see the depth of those around her.  She notes the brittleness of those in the china town.  She is fully present. She marches to the land in which Glinda governs.  She is able to proudly ask for her return home. 

     Stepping up to the final challenge-success:  Dorothy must say farewell to her companions.  She realizes that while she had the power to return home the whole time, she had to complete her journey through Oz.  If she hadn't, she never would have met her companions, and they would lack the knowledge of their own talents and strengths.  

     And finally,

     Restoring order and taking place into the new world:  Dorothy's return to home and Aunt Em marks the conclusion of her journey, in which she learns that everything one could ever need is inside her from the very beginning.  Home is where your heart is.  And unlike the film version, Dorothy knows that her adventures were real, and she proudly declares her adventure.

     And that's that, folks!  It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't academic.  It's JanTerm.  I'm not about that life.  But just because I didn't get caught up in all the jargony-jargon of Campbell's monomyth doesn't mean I didn't learn a ton.  

     My natural tendency with Joseph Campbell is to think of The Odyssey.  I worked a lot with that epic, and I could even go into the more spiritual/magical elements if I so desired.  But it's late, and right now I don't. 

     So, until next time (hopefully tomorrow), where I'll probably talk more about a few more of the adaptations I viewed, it's goodbye.  

-M. 

P.S.  Margaret Hamilton got BURNED doing that stunt.  Apparently, we were all wrong.  Beauty isn't pain.  Being a bad bitch is.  (Sorry Mom!)

     

Something "Wicked" This Way Comes

   

     As I began figuring out which adaptations I wanted to tackle in this project, Gregory Maguire's Wicked was my first choice.  I knew it had to be included.  As I loved the musical, which was loosely based on Maguire's Oz tale, I knew I would love this book. I always wanted to read it, but as an English major with two jobs as well as a strong desire to watch Netflix all day long, finding time for pleasure reading was incredibly difficult.  Then in comes the opportunity to design my own JanTerm class based solely around something I've always loved, The Wizard of Oz.  I was excited to start this project.
    I started reading the book with the mindset that it was going to be extremely different from both Baum's original WOZ and Schwartz's Wicked.  I hate it when people complain about adaptations being different than their base.  Of course they're different!  Different mediums require different types of stories.
    But that's a rant for another day.
     I knew going into this that it would be a completely different side to Oz than I ever expected, and I was pumped to discover it.  But then I started reading.
    We've already discussed my ridiculously slow reading pace, and that's been a bit of a struggle in trying to read this 400+ page monster in under two days.  Match that with my surprising disinterest in the plot and it's become quite a bit of a challenge.  That's why I'm writing this blog now rather than trudging my way through the last quarter of the book.  I'll get back to it once my brain has cooled off.
    No offense to Maguire lovers out there, but I do not like this book.
    There!  I said it.  I, McKenna, do not like Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

     I'm just as shocked as you are, fellow readers.  I had the highest hopes for this novel.  And who knows, maybe these last 100 pages will change my mind and make me totally regret having ever written this.  But somehow, I doubt it.  The characterization in the novel just doesn't make sense.  And let me tell you why.

    Elphaba is a rebel, but she never actually does anything.  The whole novel is supposedly building up to this point where Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch of the West that we all know and love to hate.  The thing is, nothing she does is wicked witch worthy.  She just kind of hides away from every thing and every one and gets ridiculously quiet when, for some reason, that method doesn't work.  There's no growth.  There's no adventure.  It's just all very morose.  

     The beginning of the novel is wonderful.  The descriptions are vivid, and you're placed into a world that seems ready for action.  And then there isn't any. 

     Glinda never grows, Fiyero just "disappears," (he's dead, y'all), and Elphaba has a son, but she never actually tells us its her son, we're just to assume.  That's another problem with this book.  Maguire relies far too much on his reader's ability to make inferences.  Honestly, inferences can be fun, but not when the whole book relies on them.  

    Also, there seems to be a political agenda in this novel, but it doesn't actually make any sense.  Political and religious undertones are ripe throughout the novel, but they never actually point in any direction.  Baum's world of Oz clearly pointed to his idea of a utopia.  Maguire's world of Oz just seems like a jumbled mess, a world created by someone who probably made a C in his World Politics course in college.  That is, if he ever took one.  

    And another thing is that this book borders on lewd.  I understand the desire to create a stark contrast from the children's story version that Baum created, but there is no need to be vulgar.  There's offensive language, explicit sex scenes, and just nastiness.  And it doesn't even serve a purpose.  It is just gratuitous.  

    On the whole, I feel like Maguire brought up a lot of questions.  He questions religion, politics, love, morality, the nature of evil, etc, without ever providing any semblance of an answer.  Not even an opinion.  As one reviewer on Amazon, Omeed Dariani, put it, " Nietzsche's famous phrase "gaze long into the abyss, and the abyss gazes into you" gets closer to explaining evil in eleven words than Maguire does in 400 pages." 

     Dariani goes on to conclude his review, summarizing everything I've been feeling through my reading of this book.  He says "You know how when you read most books, as you get closer to the end, you read faster? Some books, you can't even put them down. With this book, I had the opposite experience. The closer I got to the ending, as I realized there was nothing the author could do to salvage this train wreck, and there was no way for me to reclaim these precious hours of my life, I had to stop often - and could only read a page or two at a time. When I finished, I actually literally physically threw the book across the room."

    Thank you random Amazon user for making me feel less alone in this.  I thought I was the only one.  

    And for all you hardcore Maguire fans out there, I found an image for you.

     I may be a huge fan of the musical, and I am sorry if that will forever make me less in the eyes of those Maguirehards, but the book was just not my cup of green elixir.  

    Next, I'll be venturing more into other adaptations of the Oz world as well as the implications that are left by adaptations.  As a budding film nerd, I'm excited to (slowly) read the books I borrowed about the struggles with adaptation and what it means for the audience as well as the writers.  I'm nerd pumped!
    With that in mind, I'll leave you with a visual adaptation of Oz, starring Keira Knightley in Elle Magazine, photographed by the AMAZING Annie Leibovitz.  (Amazing's not actually in her formal title, but it should be)

Ta-ta for now my lovelies!

-M

Joseph Campbell was onto something

     First things first.  I have confirmed my suspicions.  I am officially the slowest reader on my college campus.  It's taken me since my last post to read two books, with very few other things to do in my life.  That being said, I finished the original WOZ book, the Marvel graphic novel version, and read a ton online about the hero's journey.

     When I was in high school, I had an English teacher who was obsessed with Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth, and she taught us all about the hero's journey.  We did countless worksheets and essays on the hero's journey, or the monomyth, attempting to prove Campbell's point that this journey can be found in most narratives despite differences in cultures.   Throughout reading Baum's first Oz book, I could connect everything Dorothy experiences to a similar experience in the hero's journey.  While some may be a bit of a stretch, I tried to connect every experience to a step in the journey, and I think I did a pretty good job.
    But no one wants to read about that nerd experience, so I'm just going to write about my reactions to this book that I thought I knew so well when in reality, like many adaptations, the movie proved to be a little of a let down when it comes to plot accuracy.

     In the book, while the Wicked Witch is extremely powerful, she is not the reason behind every bad thing that happens to Dorothy.  In the movie, she constantly has an eye on Dorothy and her gang, but in the book, the witch is just another obstacle for Dorothy to battle so she can return home.  The book also is much more empowering of Dorothy.  Not only is the Dorothy in the book much younger than Judy Garland's Dorothy, the book version actually seems to learn lessons along her journey home.  Those lessons are cemented by the fact that, in the novel, Oz is a real place, where, in the movie, it is a fictional dreamland for Dorothy to work out some unresolved issues.
     In thinking about the book versus the movie, I realized that the book was much more about fighting the battles within yourself and finding confidence and pride.  Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman, and the Lion, though they tried to gain it from others, were only able to get what they desired once they found it within themselves.  Though the movie suggests that idea, the challenges come from an enemy.  The obstacles become attacks rather than challenges.  The movie came out during a time of unrest and pre-war anxieties.  Maybe MGM had a motive.  Maybe they subconsciously feared that their homes were about to change.  I don't know.  But Baum's story is a lot more empowering.
     He was a feminist after all!

-M

My Fellow Ozians...

     Hello everybody (meaning you, the sweet, sweet soul who was kind enough to stop by my personal vacuum of all things Oz)!  This blog will act as a record of the short, yet mentally exhaustive in-depth study of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, along with many of its adaptations.  Rather than a long, mildly-paced run through this beloved story, I will be sprinting down the yellow brick road in hopes to learn a lot and have a darn fun time doing it.  (Do people actually have fun while sprinting?  Is that something one should find enjoyable because I don't.)  Okay, I'm changing the metaphor.  Rather than a sprint, this blog will document the fast-paced conga line down the yellow brick road.

      As I embark on this journey, I feel the need to share with you lovely people my map.  Unlike Dorothy, I'm not heading down this road completely unprepared with no clue as to what lies ahead.  As I have not lived under a rock my whole life (or a mid-western, wooden house if we're keeping this tied in with the topic), I have been aware of and interacted with The Wizard of Oz since I was a kid.  (Sidebar: I think I will start referring to the book as WOZ because that title gets ridiculously difficult to repeatedly type)  Very few people go the first 20 years of their lives without seeing the ever-popular MGM production of LFB's famous children's book.  I cannot recall when I first saw it, as I feel like it was ingrained in my psyche long before I was capable of making memories.  It was just there, and I didn't care much about it.  It wasn't until high school when I became infatuated with the land of Oz, but it wasn't because of Dorothy and her rag-tag team of misfits.  It was because of the Wicked Witch and her troubled past as written by Gregory Maguire and adapted into a Broadway musical.
     Like most people would say of themselves, I wasn't the coolest kid in high school.  I loved to read and was obsessed with all things show tunes.  Through this obsession and theater audiences' lack of propriety, I found tons of illegal footage on YouTube of the music from Wicked, starring Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth.  It was love at first grainy, shaky view.  The story of a misunderstood girl trying to find her strength was incredibly touching to a chubby and awkward adolescent me.  And as I've gotten older, the spell that the musical cast on me (pun intended) never weakened.  Idina and Kristen are still flawless, the story still touches my heart, and the music still moves me to tears.

 10 years later and they still look perfect.  (Thanks to EW for feeding my obsession)

     Since my introduction to the musical, I have become emotionally invested in the characters of this make-believe world.  I went to every McDonald's within a 30 mile radius this past October to make sure I got every part of the special 75th Anniversary toy set.  I spent money that would have been better spent on something practical just last week on tickets to go see WOZ at the Peace Center (What was I really going to buy instead that was more practical?  Snow tires?  Definitely better spent feeding into the consumerist culture that has become American theatre.  Definitely better spent.)  But despite all this passion, I've never sat down and read the original book along with its sequels.  Be it because, as an English major, I have very little time to spend reading anything that is not required or simply because I am scared that reading the original may some how change or degrade my view of something I love so dearly, I am not sure.  But the time has come for me to get to know this story and these characters that I love so much.  So here's that map I promised a long time ago.  I hope you're still with me.

     Along this journey, I plan to read L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and a few others from his series.  I will also read Gregory Maguire's Wicked.  I'm going to be taking a look at a graphic novel version of WOZ.  I will also be reading secondary sources regarding the concept of film adaptations, literary adaptations, the social context of the original novels, interpretations of the adaptations, and basically anything else I can get my hands on.  I will also be viewing the MGM version of the story along with Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful, Universal Picture's The Wiz, SyFy's Tin Man, and probably a lot of clips from the musical version of Wicked. Basically, I want to read and watch as much as I can, and this blog is here as a journal of sorts, where I will write about my thoughts, discoveries, questions, and whatever else I experience through this journey.  This process is going to be a lot of work and a lot of fun with incredibly low stakes.  It's an experiment in learning for the sake of learning, and I couldn't be more excited.  

     With that, I will leave you with some parting images, the best the internet can offer.  I love to laugh, and I love WOZ, so sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr keep me constantly entertained.  But CAUTION: some of these images have curse words.  I do no condone cursing, but I also do not condone being a stick in the mud.  So go on, laugh!  I won't tell anyone if you don't!

Because Harry Potter is great, and this will always be funny.

Jay-Z couldn't have said it better himself.

Dorothy may need some ice for that burn.

Glinda has loads of sass and bright fuchsia blush

Alright, that's all for now guys.  I'm outtie.

-M