Ladies Night

Last Saturday, Pam and I hosted trivia. I understand our questions were a little tricky. I guess they don't SEEM difficult when you KNOW the answer. Maybe people were just confused by our stunning good looks and impeccable taste in obscure music. Well, here's a tip for all you would be trivia players.... we host again in August. Brush up on your ABBA.

I Do Love Fireworks.

Everyone's Wild About Harry

With a world gone mad for the 7th Harry Potter book, I am out of the loop. Though I am still reading my book club book for July, I thought it might be fun to read the 5th Harry Potter and try to catch up a bit. Maybe see the latest movie. Sure the book is 870 pages long, but everyone assured me I would fly right through it. Well, with that in mind I started reading last Tuesday and though it's Sunday now I've not managed to get any farther than 397. I feel like I'm letting down the team.

*** I finally finished just before midnight on Monday night. Only seven days of reading!

Weisman Art Museum

Molly Roth
I am So Happy You are Here
Knit wool, weights, 2005

Housed in a striking stainless steel and brick building designed by architect Frank Gehry, the Weisman Art Museum offers an educational and friendly museum experience. The museum's collection features early 20th century American artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe and Marsden Hartley, as well as a diverse selection of contemporary art. A teaching museum for the University of Minnesota and the community, the Weisman provides a fresh, engaging arts experience through an array of programs and a changing schedule of exhibitions.

The current exhibit is on Seasonal Affective Disorder and it was rather intriguing. I particularly liked the piece pictured above (found on their website).

SAD features nine Twin Cites-based artists-Ana Lois-Borzi, Jan Estep, Theresa Handy, Chris Larson, Charles Lume, Molly Roth, Andrea Stanislav, Piotr Szyhalski, and Katherine Turczan-whose work is evidence of this impulse across a range of media, including video, installation, painting, photography, and sculpture. Meant not as diagnosis of the artists or the specific culture, SAD instead offers a view of ways in which artists interact with and illuminate particular environments and atmospheres and engage ways in which we understand human subjectivity. As with the age-old tradition of landscape painting, the artwork in SAD addresses a sense of place focused not on land, but on the qualities of light and atmosphere, and the sense of time to which those elements relate. Furthermore, the works in SAD all assert the connection between physical and psychic space, speaking to how our surroundings affect and define us.

Our group took a little side trip through the museum after lunch on Wednesday before we returned to our work at the Kerlan. Since I've always meant to go to the Weisman, I was thrilled with this opportunity, despite the brevity of our visit.

So Much for Downsizing.

Well, it happened again. I went crazy in a pair of Half Price Bookstores, Barnes and Noble, and Wild Rumpus. I already have more books than I know what to do with and I just bought 17 more. Seriously!

Seven of them are for my classroom. Two of those I already owned but I lost one copy and the other is a favorite I FEAR losing. Three of the other books are biographies: Jim Henson, Beatrix Potter, and P.L. Travers. Two are book club picks for upcoming months. Eat, Pray, Love is on recommendation of Marci. Three Cups of Tea is on recommendation of Muriel. the Miranda July book is one I knew I wanted. The Francine Prose book is all in the spirit of the class we just did since it's about reading like a writer. I love anything Nick Hornby writes. Probably would read his grocery lists if it wouldn't earn me a restraining order. Maybe he should write a children's book and they'd probably accept those documents AND his grocery lists for the Kerlan Collection (some of Karen Hesse's work was written on the backs of envelopes and lists too).

The best bookstore in the world has to be Wild Rumpus. I've talked about this store before. I realize this. On Thursday we got to visit with the owner and hear the history of her store that has managed, in 15 years, to earn a national reputation. It's a visual delight and a very hands on place. Part of its renown has to be the animals.

Meet Alice. She was our pal for most of the visit. All the animals are introduced into the store at birth and so they are used to the activity and little children chasing them around the store. All of their cats are Manx cats because of their temperament. As you can see from these images, the crowds don't seem to bother them one bit.

Of course their range of animals also extends to a tarantula, a chinchilla, a chicken named Elvis, and some rats who live under the floor where kids can watch them through clear panels and see them playing. They see the animals as "coworkers" and are protective of them, but also want the store to be a place where no one is shushed or scolded.


Wild Rumpus is a treasure for more reasons than atmosphere. The collection of children's books extends beyond what many chain bookstores carry. They have the standards one would expect to find in any bookstore, but they also carry many new titles carefully selected and everyone who works there reads and recommends. The store has a little purple door for kids within the main door. And the ceiling looks almost like a cracked egg opening up to the universe beyond. Quite deliberately the store takes on an increasingly wild appearance the deeper one goes in. A visit to Wild Rumpus is a memorable experience from start to finish.

The Kerlan Collection

This week I attended part two of an institute devoted to studying authors as mentors. Our overall objective as teachers was to explore ways to use published authors' works in our teaching as exemplars for our students and even as a way to aid our own writing. Part one involved four days in the classroom and Part two was a field trip to Minneapolis to visit the Kerlan Collection in the Anderson Library on the University of Minnesota campus. For three days we studied the collected artifacts in a variety of authors' files.

The Kerlan Collection presently contains more than 100,000 children’s books as well as original manuscripts, artwork, galleys, and color proofs for more than 12,000 children’s books. One-eighth of the books are inscribed by the author or illustrator. The Collection includes books that are significant in the history of children’s literature, award books, classics, and representative books from Great Britain, Australia, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany and others. Also included are over 300 periodical titles and more than 1,200 reference titles as well as many other items including letters, posters, toys, photographs, audiovisuals, publishers' catalogs, and even a figurine collection.

I started my exploration by examining a few of the files of poet Eve Merriam. Next I discovered Margaret Sutton, author of the Judy Bolton books, a girls series similar, if not superior, to Nancy Drew. In her collection I found mainly letters to and from her editor. Notes on her books. Plot outlines. Original drawings. A mock-up for a book complete with fragile typed strips pasted in the pages and loads of images cut from magazines for the illustrations. It felt like a treasure. Mary Roger's Freaky Friday galley proofs and original manuscript and analysis by the editor was another treat, but getting to see and hold (with gloves of course) Carol Ryrie Brink's Newbery Award for Caddie Woodlawn was seriously cool.

I saw some original drawings by Beatrix Potter. A storyboard for an animated version of William Steig's Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. An 1895 correspondence between Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and someone named Winnie. Later I read editor's notes on The Giver, a book by Lois Lowry and found some initial analysis by the editors and revisions the author made which definitely affected the tone the book. There was also a file of 31 different images for the cover art of the book Gathering Blue (a companion novel to The Giver) and it was cool to discover the title was almost Blue Yonder or The Gathering. I also looked at several drafts of Kate di Camillo's Because of Winn Dixie and could see evidence of revision even in the first page of each draft. Finally, the folder that seemed to have the biggest wealth of material was the Karen Hesse one for the book Out of the Dust. This is a 1930s novel written in verse and it turns out that nearly EVERYTHING in that book was based on a real event. Hesse had tons of notes and newspaper clippings from the 1930s that she used to work into the story. She had many more poems than actually appeared in the book and the only problem I had was in not having read the book recently enough to spot all the adjustments. I would love to return to Anderson Library and dig deeper.

We toured the facilities as well. All the archives are stored in two large climate controlled underground caverns carved out of limestone and lined with concrete blocks. Each cavern is 600 feet long, 70 feet wide and 25 feet high. The caverns are lined with 400 precast concrete panels. (each panel is 10 feet wide, 25 feet long and 8 inches thick) The ceiling consists of a thin layer of shale topped with 10 feet of reinforced limestone. Each cavern holds approx. 1.2 million volumes. In order to find the materials you would like to see, researchers can go online to their website and use the finding aids in the Author and Illustrator Holdings and Links category . Or if you are at the facility the most updated versions of their collection can be found in a set of red binders.

The Kerlan collection is just one of the collections housed in the caverns. In fact, it's part of the CLRC (children's literature research collection) which contains six core collections and several smaller collections. They are the Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature, the Hess Collection of Dime Novels, Story Papers, and Series Books, the Paul Bunyan Collection, the Laura Jane Musser Collection of Oziana materials, and the Illustrated Treasure Island Collection. All the material is accessible to anyone, who needs to consult it, but use by readers is confined to the reading room, where attendants bring requested material.


For folks who treasure children's literature, are interested in the process of publishing, or in author's personal journeys with a particular book, I would highly recommend spending a day exploring the Kerlan Collection.

Browsing Bonanza

Today I found myself with a wee bit of time to browse... here are some of the fun little things I discovered.

this rather funny doormat.

this book, which I pulled off the shelf at Waldenbooks a couple days ago because of the great cover. Today I read a review on a blog that praised it and I have to say I am intrigued.

another sewing book is calling my name and I've not actually sewn anything in months. I need to get a grip.

you can create your own Simpsons avatar here or upload a picture of you and get Simpsonized!

if you are depressed easily, don't read this article on plastic.

how cute are these? I do love fortune cookies!

Miranda July. No one belongs here more than you. What more can I say?

Chop Chop

It turns out that owning a "chopper" of sorts is a very good thing. Suddenly recipes are much easier. I got this Tupperware Quickchef for my birthday from my friend Marcia and it's revolutionized my cooking attempts. Well, maybe that is too strong a word. But it's sure helped. Here's the sauce recipe I made today and used the chopper to aid me on my way.


Baja sauce
for tacos, chalupas etc... ala Taco Bell

1/4 of a red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 large jalapeno, chopped in half
2 tablespoons diced Spanish onions
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash cumin

1. Using a food processor, puree peppers and onion.
2. Mix 1 cup mayo and 4 teaspoons of the vegetable purée in a bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Chill for several hours to blend flavors.

Bruise-free Apple-y Fresh Beauties

Okay, I am in love with these cute little apple sweaters. Though someone pointed out they aren't on quite right... the leaf and that opening should be on top. I wouldn't know, I didn't make them. But I think they are quite sweet and they look like a fun little knitting challenge. Rumor has it there's a pattern in Funky Knits. Well, if you must have one for your fruit, you can buy them here.

Eating My Way Through Summer, One Recipe at a Time

About a month ago, I went from writing group to a Norwex party with Marci and bought a few cleaning products that I still haven't used (haven't cleaned, since!) but our hostess served some snacky things that had me ooohing and ahhhhing...

Since, I have made both recipes. The dip for just me and Emma one evening (foolish since it makes enough for an army) and the Brie I made for our last wine club gathering. Like most recipes I attempt, I had questions and it seemed like I was doing something wrong. In the end, both turned out and were delicious!

Coffee Flavored Fruit Dip

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 20 Minutes
Yields: 32 servings

"This is a creamy, luscious, coffee-flavored dip for fruit -- strawberries, tart apples, pineapple, grapes, etc. It's perfect for bridal or baby showers, and it's quick and easy to make."

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1 (8 ounce) container frozen
whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS:
Place cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar and coffee-flavored liqueur in a medium bowl. Blend together with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in thawed frozen whipped topping. Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Servings Per Recipe: 32

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 83

* Total Fat: 5.7g
* Cholesterol: 11mg
* Sodium: 28mg
* Total Carbs: 6.5g
* Dietary Fiber: 0g
* Protein: 0.8g

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baked Brie with Mushrooms and Almonds

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

"Delectable Brie never appeared more elegant than when bathed in a brandy sauce with mushrooms, almonds and tarragon. Serve this appetizer warm with baguette slices."

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 (8 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 (8 ounce) wedge Brie cheese, coating removed

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in garlic and almonds, heating until almonds are lightly browned. Stir in mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Cover with brandy and sprinkle with tarragon.

3. Place Brie in a small baking dish. Pour the mushroom and brandy mixture over Brie. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Servings Per Recipe: 8

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 142

* Total Fat: 11.6g
* Cholesterol: 36mg
* Sodium: 327mg
* Total Carbs: 2g
* Dietary Fiber: 0.9g
* Protein: 6.8g

both recipes found on Allrecipes.com

Les Miserables

Last night, when the rest of the world was lining up for the final copy in the Harry Potter series, I was attending a student version of Les Miserables. Having never seen it before and therefore having nothing to compare it to, I will say it was quite well done. It was also a wee bit long. I am not sure I can fathom reading the 1400 page Victor Hugo book. I have seen the film made a few years ago and so I guess I knew the story. I think I sort of mix it up with Count of Monte Cristo or one I've actually read. I was a bit disappointed in that it didn't elicit much emotion from me. I know when I saw Man of La Mancha for the first time I actually cried a bit. This one seemed almost "too dramatic" and sappy. Still, the music was good. And my favorite songs were the ones with the full cast/chorus type numbers. One I loved was "Master of the House." The lyrics are a riot and the scene, great fun. In fact, as I write this brief review I am listening to a few of the songs:
ABC Cafe--Red and Black
Master of the House
Do You Hear the People Sing?
At the End of the Day
One Day More

You can find them on the Les Miserables website.

Deadlines.

Deadlines will be the death of me. I’ve had all month. Ideas percolated but time was running out. Finally springing into action last week, Wednesday, I found my focus, scheduled an interview, 2 pm Monday, emailed my questions, spoke to my editor, made a careless promise—drunk on summer time, forgetting my life.

Thursday.

Friday.

Then, “You’ve got mail.” Uh-oh. Monday meeting turns to Tuesday. 2 pm. Time seemed abundant. Somehow, I’d forgotten about the RRVWP Advanced Institute, oops. The demo I had to prepare for Wednesday, oops. Reading Caramelo for Thursday’s book club, oops.

The interview was lovely. Coffee, conversation, laughs and more material than I can squeeze into 600-800 words. Time to write. But. Then there was a friend’s back trouble, my own heart trouble, cell phone trouble, car trouble, should I travel to visit a friend who is visiting trouble.

Cindy calls Tuesday. “I’m visiting my folks, in case you want to visit.” I said yes. She’s here till Friday. I figure I can move some things around. She’s only here twice a year, and there’s a new baby. She lives ten hours away. I could leave Thursday after the institute, canceling my curriculum planning session with my pal Eileen both Thurs. afternoon and Friday morning. But now I remember my check engine light is on, my airbags light is on, and my headlight is out. And suddenly I remember that Thursday is also book club. I try to call Cindy back and I can’t do it. I can’t call anyone, my cell phone isn’t working.

Then when it does on Wednesday. I forget to call. Demo is fine. Supposed to be done with the young adult book, The Giver…. Am still reading. 24 hours later I’ve not looked at the rich interview material begging to be sifted through. I haven’t committed one word to paper.

On Thursday as the Institute ends, the relationship band-aid’s in place but time is needed for tending that wound, Caramelo is a lost cause, but I’m determined to read to at least Part Three. My cell phone got rebooted, Tuesday during mid-demo packet preparation. My article deadline is actually tomorrow. Visit Cindy? I need to call her—she still thinks I’m coming. What was I thinking?

I guess I didn’t need to go to Wed. Night trivia last night. Somehow it didn’t seem like an option. Like eating, it’s just something I do. Then after, I went to Borrowed Bucks for the line dancing competition championship. After seven weeks of domination I was present to see my friends Victor and Tyler’s heartbreaking defeat. No Las Vegas trip for them. It wasn’t my desire to be there, despite the free drinks (I had water) and the party atmosphere. No, it was a duty of love. Of neighborliness.

Thursday morning. Awake at 7. Stopped at the library. Stopped at the Amoco station. Off to the Institute. Still not done with The Giver, Caramelo, or my article. It will get done.

But the agony. Deadlines.

A Berry Good Day

I love raspberries. Fresh picked. Tart. Topping vanilla ice cream. Turned into jam. They are my favorite fruit.

I took for granted the raspberries we grew on my father's farm. They were always there. Full of fruit and begging to be picked. If anything I resented the hassle of the scratchy branches and the hot sun. As a child, I got to eat them even if I didn't help pick them. Now, I look longingly at the tiny expensive baskets of them at the grocery store and never allow myself to give in to the temptation. Today I was given free reign in a friend's raspberry patch.

Mmmmm.... Raspberry goodness. O Happy Day.

postage stamp, blackout, hard way bingo babes

Bingo brings back memories of Tara and Erica, two friends who used to be Thursday evening bingo junkies back when they were 16. You have to be 18 to play and so if they ever bingo-ed they would have to talk their "neighbor" into claiming their winnings for them. I was afraid we were going to have to do some fancy work if Emma won when she, Pam, and I went tonight. Since she's not a citizen, is she allowed to win the big bucks? Hmmm.... we weren't sure. At any rate, the 1000 dollar prize went to some other lucky devil. I have NEVER won at bingo and I'm sure I probably never will. Good news. If I did I might actually get "addicted" and start playing on a regular basis. Instead, I get my kicks doing this every couple years just to remind myself of this bizarre world. This world in which a monotone man with a speech impediment calls out the numbers and also the instructions that no one pays attention to, except us frantic and lost relying on the board and the yellow program for the night.

Wine Time

To begin with, not only did I not have a wine rack, I didn't have a clue. That didn't stop me. Since we started wine club last November I've been slowly daring to buy bottles of various wines--ones with fun names, ones that come recommended. Still I'm not morphing into any sort of wine wise girl; if anything, I'm more confused than ever. I thought I preferred white to red, sweet to dry. I realize I might prefer reds and be more "middle of the road." The good news is I like far more varieties of wine than I ever thought I could. In fact some I've enjoyed are quite different on the sweet/dry scale. I guess it's my trademark mercurial side manifesting itself once again.

At any rate, I bought a wine rack to hold 12 bottles, many of which I picked up at the penny sale last March. I now have more wine than fits in the rack. I finally put away the never-used coffee pot and surrendered the space to the pretty bottles. The sad thing is that I am ever reluctant to open a bottle for myself and I'm always trying to entice others to join me in a bottle of wine so I can actually sample some of the bottles I've purchased.

Mission accomplished. Last night, we broke out a bottle of Fat Cat Pinot Noir. It was nice. That's the extent of my descriptive ability. The label claims it has a crisp refreshing finish and it boasts a melody of rich fruit. I found little about this wine online. Probably not a good sign. All I know is it was delicious and I'm wishing I had another bottle on hand.

Film Savvy

Inspired by my evening of good pizza, fat cat wine, and a rousing game of Scene It, I decided to feature a former favorite site or game or whatever you may call it. Invisibles. There is a category on the board game that is just like this and many moons ago my friend Rebecca pointed out this website.


I guess it should come as no surprise that after scanning about ten quizzes these were the only two that were OBVIOUS to me. (Are they for you?) I got a few other guesses right.... but not many. Check it out. See how you rate.

Reading Watching, Listening..... June in Review

What I Was Reading in June
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Feed by M.T. Anderson
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Take Joy: A Writer's Guide to Loving the Craft by Jane Yolen
Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry by Jeffrey Wilhelm
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
Good Poems by Garrison Keillor

It feels like I've not read nearly enough this month, yet when I look at this list and realize I've managed to complete all of them, except the poetry book. I chose to read a number of these books because they relate to my job as a teacher. Two are young adult books that I didn't love--Feed and Monster. The language in Feed was a bit distracting. The concept was interesting and I think some students might enjoy it. It does tie into all those books and films that are about that rotten and self-destructive future we are headed toward.

The Importance of Being Earnest is one I will teach in the fall. I've seen the recent film version but had never read the play. It was a breezy read and very entertaining. Now, to convince the kiddies.

Take Joy is one I've been reading in an effort to "love the craft." I think I gleaned a few things from Yolen's book, and if nothing else it has rejuvenated my desire to write. So, there you go.

The Wilhelm book had a lot of great ideas and I think he's in the right direction with this one. The thing I felt it lacked was the nitty gritty.. how does this REALLY look in the classroom. Seriously. It's like I wanted a video that demonstrated for me, the reader and teacher, how I could actually use this in my classroom and make it work. I have ideas, but I'm not sure about the balance. Maybe I need to read it again or just jump in and try it. Who knows?

Good Poems is full of 'em. All sorts. I am only a fraction of the way through this book, but I already think I need to return this to the library and just buy the book.

Saving Fish from Drowning was my book club book for June and I have to say I didn't love it. I have always enjoyed Amy Tan's books, with The Kitchen Gods Wife being my favorite. But this book, wasn't quite as good for me. Maybe it's because I didn't really find a sympathetic character in the whole lot of them. It was a bit too much of the Ugly American for me to feel good about the book or about what transpires. It really just bummed me out.

What I Was Watching in June

On TV
Studio 60

In the month when everything else is in re-run, I have to say I was pleased to discover four new episodes of Studio 60. I do enjoy this show. Amanda Peet is great. I wonder if they will be canceled and if that is why the last few episodes didnt air until there was nothing left to air? Hmmmm.... Truly this month is all about the re-run. The good news is that I'll gladly watch The New Adventures of Old Christine again and again. And I find that I can work out well to the tune of Two and a Half Men...

On DVD
Two Family House
Because I Said So
The Good German
Dreamgirls
Freedom Writers
Murder My Sweet (1944)
Houseboat (1958)
Fried Green Tomatoes
Pleasantville
Jeeves and Wooster Season Three
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker

In the Theatre
Knocked Up

One of my favorite accents in the world belongs to Kelly Macdonald. She was on an episode of Alias, appeared in Gosford Park, Nanny McPhee, Tristram Shandy, starred in Girl in the Cafe, and in the film Two Family House. The film was average. I didn't mind it, didn't love it. But I do love Kelly.

Two films I didn't much enjoy were The Good German and Because I Said So. The Good German promised to be interesting and cool with the black and white and period look to it. Emma said to be fair I wasn't fully paying attention. Because I Said So is that Mandy Moore and Diane Keaton, hysterical mom comedy that got better as it went on, but ultimately is one I would warn others against. It featured inappropriate and false conversations between mother and daughters and it seemed poorly edited and contrived through and through.

My quest to see all the Oscar nominated films of the year is the reason I chose to watch The Good German and Dreamgirls. For some reason, I had little urgency to see Dreamgirls but I was wrong. It was great. I don't know a lot about the background of the musical but I am not blind to the Diana Ross and the Supremes association. I thought the costumes and the actors were all about perfect.

In my mind Freedom Writers was slated to become a new "Dangerous Minds" and I wasn't sure I coudl even picture Hilary Swank as a teacher. It turns out I could. I cried a ton while watching this one perhaps because it's so hard to see kids the world has given up on... maybe because I work at an alternative school, maybe because so many people have preconceived notions of what that means. It was a heart touching story but it's also depressing in that it was one teacher and one group of kids and after only a few years she stopped teaching and there are so many more kids and so much room for more teachers like that.

Murder My Sweet is a film version of the Raymond Chandler book--Farewell, My Lovely--I read last month and I liked the book and enjoyed the film too. It had a number of differences and some of them distracted me, but overall, I thought it was well done. Houseboat starred Sophia Loren as a sort of Mary Poppins to a brood of children belonging to Cary Grant. It was charming and rather sweet especially when it turned into more of a Sound of Music plot as far as the "nanny" was concerned.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Pleasantville were both films I revisited. I remembered loving Fried Green Tomatoes and its celebration of friendship and while I wasn't blown away by watching it again, it was a pleasant experience. Pleasantville was too.

I only watched the first episode of Jeeves and Wooster's third season. In this one they travel to New York and it is great fun seeing Wooster's style outside of Britain. It's hilarious, as they all are, and I loved the prohibition bits.

My next two Bond films were The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Both featured the same evil henchman working for differnt bad guys.. Jaws. I was amused by him and his change of heart in Moonraker. It's funny how accustomed one gets to the Bond before you... for me, I was heart set on Sean Connery and I'm not saying that's changed.... but I am quite alright with Sir Roger Moore as well.

I saw Knocked Up at the theatre with Pam a few weeks ago and I wasn't expecting to like it at all. I was totally wrong. It was hilarious. A must see. I was only a bit put out by the unecessary use of all the f-bombs and other bad language. A few other scenes could have been shot or editted in a slightly different way and they could have avoided the R rating altogether. I guess there was a fair amount of drug usage in it, but still. Ultimately I found all the characters quite likeable and the story to be rather endearing. If anything, the sister was the biggest downside to the film.

What I Was Listening to in June
White Stripes
Martin Sexton
Joan Jett

.... and a random sampling from my MP3 player shuffles for June
June 2

What Goes On by Elizabeth Mitchell
We're Gonna Make It by Little Milton
L-O-V-E by Natalie Cole
Town Called Malice by The Jam
Out of the Woods by Nickel Creek


June 20

Not Dark Yet by Bob Dylan
Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
I Turn My Camera On by Spoon
It's Still Rock N Roll to Me by Billy Joel
Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go by Wham

Vespa-licious.

In Winnipeg, during their Canada Day celebration at The Forks, vendors lined the paths selling necklaces, henna tattoos, fair trade goods, sunglasses and Vespas. The local Vespa dealer had some on display and I fell in love with a shiny red number that seemed to be the answer to my quandary-- my disdain for bicycling and my refusal to buy gas when it was so expensive and when my pedaling power was free and good for the environment. I hate motorcycles so I'm not sure why I think a Vespa is a good idea--I suspect it had something to do with the shiny red and cool mirrors. I can be sucked in by flash and fashion. They just seem so cool and convenient. I suppose they aren't great for winter driving and they can't really travel out of town, and they still use gas (though you can get hybrids), but for all that in town transportation, what more could I ask for? Yet, the buses are working out and I need the exercise more than I need to look "cool." Sigh. Farewell, Sweet Vespa... you were a dream for a day.

God bless America.

I have always loved fireworks. Not so much the sort one buys and tries to set off at home. Those are typically disappointing. I love the big city fireworks displays one might see on New Year's Eve or on the Fourth of July. In truth, I even got to claim some fireworks were being set off in honor of my birthday because the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics often coincide with my special day. Many thanks to the Chinese.

As a child I remember waving sparklers and trying to write my name in the dark sky with the trail of light. I remember firecrackers and little black snakes that left dark marks on the pavement. I remember chasing the parachutes and even a junior high bottle rocket fight some town kids engaged in at Mitchell's that scared the bejeezus out of me.

Perhaps it's an American thing? This notion of associating fighting and fireworks? Our national anthem seems to sing of that very thing "And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there." Now, I realize they aren't talking about fireworks, but sometimes there is this spirit of battle, the riotous explosion, when fireworks go off. Maybe it's the sound. Maybe it's the fact that we are at war and in ten days one of my former students will be starting his 18 months in Iraq working as a gunner, sitting in a tank, exposed from the waist up as he travels daily with convoys. I am terrified for him. Wondering if we've had our last face-to-face conversation? Wondering if he'll survive this next year and a half. Knowing he'll be changed no matter what.

When I went with Pam to the fireworks store, I was prepared to load up on whatever little goodies I could find for my whopping ten dollar gift certificate. I was expecting to find cleverly named fireworks and I did find a few that made me smile: Pretty in Pink, Unexpected Pleasure, Pandora's Box, Happy fireworks. However, I was not prepared for this or this..... or this....

All of these fireworks, the names and concepts, seemed to be in such poor taste. I was horrified of the yet another, not even subtle way, our youth culture is being sucked into this desensitizing era of war, violence, hatred, revenge. Then I was struck, once again, at how this attitude reflects a side of American life that I ashamed of--the whole George Bush-Toby Keith-Kick some ass- mentality. If I never hear the phrase "evil doer" again, it will be too soon.

What the Mantra Ray Told Me....

Happy Canada Day!

On Sunday, I was part of a Geography 900 field trip group to Winnipeg, MB. We explored The Forks and toured some neighborhoods with our final destination: Assiniboine Park. Though the bus with its roaring loudness made me a bit weary and I actually managed to go to Winnipeg without stopping at Baked Expectations, it was a good trip. Here are the highlights:

The Forks

Oodena -- Celebration Circle

Living history -- tee pees

Canada Day Spirit -- Flags in Food

Mmmmm..... my favorite Winnipeg bakery


Assiniboine Park

The Palm House -- The Conservatory

The Pavilion -- Outdoor restaurant seating

The Crowds for Canada Day -- The Lyric Theatre

English Flower Gardens

Leo Mol Sculpture Gardens