You're welcome, good buddy.
I've saved t-shirts for as long as I can remember. Truly since infanthood. Finally, someone (probably my Mom) had the idea that some of the shirts could be made into a quilt. We put my Grandma on the job of finding a quilter, which she did in her town of Canton, PA, and yesterday I received the quilt. It is truly an amazing piece of work, featuring t-shirts from birth through college, representing places I've lived, schools I went to, churches I belonged to, and activities I participated in. Here it is:
You know what's been pretty good lately? Survivor. I have a rule about Survivor, I only watch the second half hour. That's more than enough to get the gist of what's going on. This season has been pretty interesting, though, lots of scheming and the challenges have been a little more interesting than recent seasons. At this point, I have to say, I'm rooting for Rob because a) he's a dork and so am I and b) he's keeping things interesting.
I recently upgraded to digital cable, so I'd have HBO and could watch Six Feet Under and added some other channels while I was at it. Because of that, I've gotten hooked on Changing Rooms on BBCAmerica. How fabulous! I love that the episodes are a half hour, instead of the drawn-out hours of Trading Spaces on TLC, and I adore Carol, the host (or "presenter" as she's billed). I may never watch Trading Spaces again!
In anticipation of Easter this weekend, I present to you a link to the most current Peep Research on the internet.
(Be sure to check out Peeps and Smoking)
I was able to catch Spirited Away this weekend, just before it came out on DVD (today). What a remarkable film. I probably would have missed it entirely had my parents not impressed the need to see it upon me. Written and directed by Japanese Animation revolutionary Hayao Mizayaki, Spirited Away is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. It conjured up the same feelings in me that I felt when I first read the Harry Potter books (the movies were done so traditionally that the unsettling feeling of suspense that the books provide is sanitized), as well as when I read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. The world that Mizayaki created is truly gripping and odd, but in the best kind of way. I kind of wish I could have seen it subtitled instead of dubbed, but I do think that reading subtitles would have been a distraction from the remarkable animation.
After the downer that was Heaven's Coast, I decided it was time for something less challenging. I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallfower by Stephen Chbosky. I have a soft spot for Young Adult novels, and this was an excellent one. It's similar to my favorite of the genre, Robert Cormier's I am the Cheese, though lacking some of the gravitas. Nevertheless, it's bound to resonate with readers for years to come. The book takes place in 1991-1992, and the character is the same age as I was then, give or take a little. If I had read this when I was a freshman in high school, it would have had a huge impact on me. An extra perk for me is that, while it Chbosky never explicitly states so, the book obviously takes place in Pittsburgh, PA, the closest major city to my hometown and someplace I spent a lot of time in high school. A quick read, enjoyable, and affecting without being preachy or trite, a true accomplishment for a YA book. There are a couple things about the ending that I would maybe tweak if given the chance, but that's my only complaint, and a mild one at that.
A photo I took of Michaelangelo's Moses statue in Rome in 1997. I'm a fan of this picture because the only thing in the frame is Moses, and the because of that, this color photo looks like a B&W.
More on the statue is here.
In spite of snow in the northeast and a chilly rain here, I celebrated by getting a bike! If only it would stop raining...
An interesting article on the minefield that is stating a favorite book when running for office.
Over the weekend, Empire was rented. It's an action movie, starring John Leguizamo, about a drug dealer (Victor) who tries to go straight. Now, I rarely, if ever, watch action movies, but once in a while I'm in the mood for a good one, and within the confines of the genre, this one ain't bad.
Leguizamo is likable and the story is pretty interesting. Denise Richards is tolerable (a major victory for her) and I found the cityscape of New York to be a strong supporting character. The subplot about the tension between Vic's old life and his new life is kind of silly, but that aside, this movie is relatively quality. Definitely worth a look if it's on tv or a rental.