Movie Weekend

The holidays have begun.  Still no sign of  my favorite seasonal movies, "Christmas in Connecticut" and "The Bells of St. Mary's" on cable, so I opted for a trio of intensely provocative titles instead.  Perhaps I'll appreciate the fluffy stuff even deeper into the season.

"In a Better World" a Swedish film- yes with subtitles - stars one of the best young actors I have seen in a long, long time.  His convincing performance of a teen whose grief turns to anger with potentially fatal results is no less than riveting.  Not that bullying is ever excusable, but seeing it from this perspective helped me to understand why there is so much antagonism among kids today.  This poor guy was dealing with complex emotions brought on by circumstances he could not control.  His rage is understandable.

I followed that with an equally well done, albeit disturbing, version of "Lord of the Flies" the survival/dystopian democracy story.  Not much to say there since you all know the story.  Reading it is one thing, but it's tough to watch the fear and frustration of the boys swell into senseless quest for power.  For these boys, this isn't a game of "Survivor" but rather a fight for survival.

Sunday ended with a viewing of "The Passion of Ayn Rand."  Rand, of course if that enigmatic author of "The Fountainhead," and bearer of the name nobody  quite knows how to pronounce.  According to the film, I-An is correct.  Rand believed that the world should be experienced objectively leaving emotion, spiritually, and to a degree ethics, at the door.  When an objective decision turns emotional for Rand, and she fails to maintain a hold on her philosophy, life get real messy for her.  She falls in love with a man 25 years her junior; what started as a diversion supposedly to spark her creative juices, led a full our challenge to her core beliefs. 

That completed my weekend of anger and angst.  Now on to more cheerful endeavors!

What am I reading?  A fun play called Here We Sit.  It's all about theatre audiences.

Slow Down

Come on, admit it.  You had leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast.

If  you're out doing some local looking, stop by and say "Hi". 

I totally enjoy roaming up and down the isle of various stores. looking for the perfect gift for everyone on my list.  But, although this will appear counter intuitive,  I think we should all band together and start a revolution. 

A revolution? 

Yes, an anti-shop till you drop revolution.   I know I'm in retail - in a small way, at least - and yes, I appreciate every time my door opens.  But, these weeks leading up to Christmas have so much more to offer than jockeying for a parking spot, fighting crowds, and grabbing lots of this and that, much of which may turn out to be the wrong size, color, shape or volume.  And how about those public bathrooms?

Instead,  try spending more time smelling the cider, listening to carols, and sharing a friendly chat with others on treasure hunts similar to your. 

Let's shop till we're done, not till we drop...and then enjoy.

Thank You

We appreciate your continued support. 

Stop in and say "Hi"...we're happy to see you with or without a purchase

Hey You...Thanks!

...and so it begins...the string of holidays that provide little taps on our shoulders reminding us to take stock, to be grateful, and to share our gifts.  My reasons for gratitude are no more significant than yours, so I won't go into a long lost.  Rest assured, had I made a list, your name would be included!

What I have been thinking about is all the traditional events in our lives.

     .....Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, 4th of July....

     .....then there are the holidays created by the gift industry - Grandparents' Day, Sweetest Day, Bosses' Day   -all good and worth noting

     .....add to that birthdays, weddings,  anniversaries, graduations

Then there are the random, fun, personal special days.  You  know what I'm talking about.  Getting a driver's license.  Being asked to prom.  Loosing a tooth.  Buying a house.  Getting a dog.  Winning a bet.  Opening night of a play.  Closing night of a play. Doing charitable works.  Seeing a baby smile for the first time.  Making a new friend.  Playing your first piano recital piece flawlessly.  Winning the football game.  No tax increase.  An "A" from Professor Crabby Appleton.... Insert your own ideas here.

To some, that list might seem daunting, overwhelming, and just plain foolish.  I look at it and think that if I tried just a tiny bit, I could come up with a celebration for each day of they year.  Some days might even have two or three reasons to celebrate. 

Now, that is worth being thankful for if you ask me. 

Thanking you for your continued support, laughter, and friendship 365 days of the year.  Now, go eat turkey.

This advance copy of Tom Maltman's book has been shared with several people, with a range of reactions.   You already know how I feel about this book - good things are on the horizon for Tom.  My humble prediction is that, although he loves and respects both teaching and his students, Tom will not be a full time professor much longer.  Sooner that later, he will enjoy the privilege of being a full time writer.  Just watch.

One friend posed this question,  "What kind of person can write such a dismal book?"  When I opened LaDeDa 16 years ago, I never knew that one of the perks would be actually sitting down, talking with, getting to know, and yes, befriending, some amazing writers.  So, to some extent, I can speak to that question. 

Yes, Tom's book is dismal; Tom is not.  However, I do see much of Tom reflected in Little Wolves.  His love of t family, the land, family, history and  language, resonate, as a well as a spiritual  reverence that is ever present but not ostentatious.  I think what makes Tom a wonderful and effective teacher is his desire to know people in ways that surpass the superficial.  That, too, is reflected in his characters.  By the time you finish a Maltman book, you know his characters, and sometimes question their actions, as we do even with those we know best.  His characters are flawed - making them totally human.

Mike Perry is sardonic and quick, like his essays.  But this guy is so terribly shy.  We don't see that in his books.  Mary Casanova is all heart; gentle and generous.  Kate DiCammilo, author of The Tale of Despereaux and much more, chews gum  like she's getting paid for it.  This fast-talking, sprite fills her children's stories with energy.   Unless I'm imagining it, she still hides anytime she and I are in the same room due to an unfortunate encounter a few years back which I believed may have  emotionally scarred both her and her publicist.

Jerry Apps is warm and jolly.  Justin Isherwood - philosophic, but cocky.  I can't even share the contents of a note he sent me recently!  If you want to talk dismal, let's talk Larry Watson.   This guy is intensely chilly, and yet he displays fierce humanity in his novels.

I could go on but and on.  What I am learning is that writers can't hide between the pages of their books  but  intentionally or not, they offer us readers small glimpses of who they are, and what they deem significant.  Putting style, plot, language, themes, symbolism, all aside, I believe it is these glimmmers of each individual writer that draws us to the books we choose. 

Who would I like to meet?  Ralph Waldo Emerson would be high on my list along with David Sedaris.  Throwing back beers with Hemingway would be fun, and pizza with Jane Austen....now that sounds like fun.  Gotta go befoe this explodes into a full out party of one nerdfest!

What am I reading?  I have to knock off 50 pages a day of My Name is Mary Sutter in order to be ready for our book discussion group on Friday.  Story -good.  I just don't like her style.  Oliveira's  sentences are too long, and she often buries the main idea in the midst  prep phrases, intro clauses, and other complex structures that slow things way down.  This is a war story.  It should be rapid fire.  Instead, I feel  like I am being dragged through the mire of a cow pasture to get somewhere.   that is harsh, I know.  Personally, I was wishing for more story and less trying so hard to let us know that she is a writer with a bag o' tricks. 

Thanks for stopping by.

It seems trivial and so very wrong to spend time today talking about what I'm reading instead of acknowledging  two events of greater significance - storm relief, and the election.  News coverage of the storm's aftermath has been relentless.  Hard to take my eyes off of it.  There are those who say this hyper coverage causes desensitization.  How can anyone look at these pictures of city streets gone, homes destroyed, charred belongings now undefinable and turn away without empathy - without at least once questioning what we can do to help?  Then there are the faces of the tragedy, people left homeless, left without food, water, heat and answers. 

A few winters ago, we had a big storm, and for a single night, I had no light or heat.  I was pretty wimpy about it all, playing the "Oh poor me" card.  Imagining the months ahead for those who lost everything is unfathomable.  How do you even begin to pull your life back together knowing that there are many more like you in the same circumstance, all deserving of immediate attention and help?  And what of the emergency workers and organizations who have to make choices on who gets help first, and how much help they will get?  And now, we hear weather reports of another storm swirling around the coast.

Please, do what you can to help.  Most reports are telling us that sending money through a reputable agency such as The Red Cross is the way to go.  The Red Cross will help determine where the greatest need is, and determine which supplies are the most logical to deliver.  We all have the holidays on our minds right now; and we all know that those days get tiring and expensive.  But, maybe this will give us all the chance to remove some of the obligation we often feel about gift giving.  Maybe we can give modest, yet meaningful gifts to friends and family, and still be able to help those who are facing the coming months with great challenges before them.

The election?  Well, I will be happy when the robo-calls and the negativity ends.  I'm not politically savvy, but I anxiously await the final numbers rolling in on Tuesday night.  What is appropriate for my life, and my needs may not be right for you and yours, but I hope that whatever the result, the two parties will share a vision of working in harmony for the next four years.  No more stubborn stand-offs.  No more lies.  Now more name calling....just a unified direction with the interests of everyone in mind. 

So, just for the record, I'm still plugging through Frankenstein.  I also started my discussion group book, My Name is Mary Sutter.  So far so good.

With the holidays approaching, I'll still try to write a bit on Mondays, but I'm not promising.

Hey Steve...no more JD screen saver.  I now open my computer each day to find the handsome Nathan Fillion smirking at me. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Remember...send to The Red Cross if you can.