I can't believe I cried at the news footage of the Lord of the Rings premiere in Wellington. I can't believe I cried at the news footage of the Lord of the Rings premiere in Wellington. No, seriously...

It occurs to me that I might be ovulating. :)

But it really was so nice. 100,000 people in the streets, and a red carpet half a kilometre long, and Sir Ian McKellen toasting 'the men of Wellington', and Richard Taylor saying that this was 'way better' than winning two Oscars because it was 'at home', and Elijah Wood giving Prime Minister Helen Clark a big bear hug, and Viggo Mortensen 'kiaora'ing and hongi-ing all over the show, and all the stars wearing bone carvings and greenstone and Orlando Bloom wearing an 'I Heart NZ' tshirt... and although you could read it all as pandering shallow cheese (I don't, I think they really all did love it here), and although Sean Astin may have been slightly over the top in calling New Zealand 'a beacon of light and hope in a time of darkness', it was sweet of him to say. And I love Peter Jackson. Love love *love* him. Tom Scott is right. We should reinstate knighthoods, give him one, and then get rid of them again.