"Werewolves are a disease!"

So I made good use of my third consecutive Snow Day yesterday, and saw The Wolfman on opening day. I really was prepared to love everything about The Wolfman, but here's the sad truth: if you like long shots of Benicio Del Toro traipsing around the misty moors in a top hat and fur-lined cloak (and I do), then there is something for you in this movie. However, when moors-traipsing is the best thing about a movie, there is a problem afoot. The fact that no two characters have even remotely similar accents reinforced my impression that I would soon be wanting my $8.50 back. I think Anthony Hopkins knows it, too, because he raced through his lines with zero inflection / commitment to character, and the subliminal message seems to be this: "Rent was due, get off my back."

And when is someone going to realize that when the monster lurks just outside our range of vision (or the gypsy camp, whatever) the monster is actually frightening. When the monster looks like Anthony Hopkins in a werewolf costume: not frightening. Not frightening!

My primary gripe re: The Wolfman concerns a missed opportunity for a Hugo Weaving in-joke. It is pretty awesome when Agent Smith (Weaving's character in The Matrix) intones, "Humans are a disease." I kept waiting for someone involved with The Wolfman to capitalize on the fact that, HEY, Hugo Weaving's on the set! It would be so fantastic if at some point his detective character casually mentions that "Werewolves are a disease!" You know, casually but with an exclamation point.

It is also curious that every character saves up all of their nighttime errands and pub-goings for the full moon. They collectively stay huddled up indoors during the safe times, and then head out en masse once they hear some howling on the moors. Oh, those moors again! And I'm not even going to get into Emily Blunt's character except to say: How did "Lawrence Talbot" (come on, I know it's you, Benicio!) know where your antiques store was located? Hmmm?

He's got that Boom Boom Pow

When my friend Debi D. visited in December, we decided to document our week together with a photo-diary of all the places we went, and all the things we did, featuring Debi's Edward action figure. You know, Edward Cullen, the vampire from Twilight? With the unforgettably awkward "anaphase, prophase, your hands are so cold, did you get contacts?" getting-to-know-you scenes between Edward and Bella? Exactly, that Edward!

Here he is surveying the lay of the land in Media and getting ready for an exciting night on the town.
We also gave in to some good old-fashioned Rob-session. The segment of the photo-diary that documents this aspect of the visit will obviously include this photo:
The world just isn't ready to see the whole photo gallery all at one time because of its dangerously high awesome factor, so the photos will be rolled out little by little. It will be like a Daily Edward (more likely a Biweekly Edward, which just doesn't have the same ring), interspersed with Twilight quotes that bring the happy. So let the Daily Edward commence!

Adventures in Plastics

For the past couple of days, I'd noticed a strong smell of melting plastic emanating from my beloved Honda Accord. The smell would get more noticeable as the car warmed up, and on the rare occasion that I ran the heater (I tend toward hot myself) it would become overpowering. I'm convinced that I even stunk up the entire parking lot at the local public library – well not me, but my car. And after driving for more than a few minutes, I would feel a strong headache coming on. It would also take an hour or two after getting out of the car to shake a general feeling of queasiness.

So I zipped over to see my favorite mechanic on Friday afternoon, not sure if they were still open. He said they're always open for a pretty girl (oh my stars!) and after I collected myself he took a look under the car with the benefit of a flashlight. Not a moment later he pulled a half-melted scrap of plastic out from under the car. At this point the smell was almost enough to make a person pass out, and I was already lightheaded from getting such a sweet compliment. And my point is thus:

Ego boost notwithstanding, all of this mayhem was caused by one plastic bag. And not even a trashcan-sized one, either. Just a garden variety grocery bag. Think of the chemicals that go into the creation of this one bag, and the side effects those chemicals caused when they came in contact with my li'l Accord's catalytic converter! And the chain reaction set off by putting a plastic bag, one of trillions and more, back into the trash or recycling. Yes, even the recycling plant has to do something with all those chemicals when the plastic bags are made into other kinds of stuff.

As a result, I am revising my stance on plastics. No more! No more plastic shopping bags, no more plastic water bottles, no more plastic lids on my to-go coffee from Wawa. For a while now I've been fairly diligent about using my cloth grocery bags, and I only need to expand this one good habit out to all of my on-the-run practices. I'm not sure yet how to proceed on the trashcan-liner front. I will keep you posted!

A Literary Smorgasbord; Or, I like books with covers that are red!

Over this holiday weekend, I've enjoyed catching up on a number of literary odds and ends that have been weighing down my bookshelf for a while now. First up, The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. Oh, Philippa ... your The Other Queen took a few hits on True Blue Media Gal back in May, but all is now well between us. The tale of Catherine of Aragon and the lie that changed the course of English history kept me going through many a treadmill mile! Luscious historical fiction at its best.
I then had something of a 1980s moment with a viewing of Adventureland and a reading of Huge by James W. Fuerst. (Next stop: stirrup pants?) Twelve-year old Eugene "Huge" Smalls fancies himself a hard-boiled detective in training. When someone vandalizes the sign outside his grandmother's nursing home to read "Oakshade Retarted Home," Huge is so on the case – 1980s New Jersey petty vandals better duck, cover, and wear protective gear. Huge has a custom-built Cruiser (on display on the book cover), an anger management problem, a plush sidekick named Thrash, and a pair of homemade ninja shorts. What could possibly go wrong?
And finally, I indulged my Tudors obsession a little further with The Raucous Royals by Carlyn Beccia. Yes, that would be Mary, Queen of Scots, bogarting Queen Elizabeth I's crown there on the cover. It's written for a middle-school audience, and it just makes me happy. Plus, I learned that William Shakespeare invented the word "gossip." I just know that li'l tidbit will come in handy one day.
Finally, I caught up on reading the latest issues of Entertainment Weekly, Vegetarian Times, and Vanity (yawn) Fair. Oh, and it's possible that all of this took slightly longer than one holiday weekend. Like maybe all the time since my last post (and that would be an – ack! – a month!).

Action Shot

Here is a moment in my career if ever I saw one! Please note that my desk is not typically this messy - this must have been a crazy day, as also indicated by the pinched facial expression. Many of the tools of my librarian's trade are in evidence here: coffee cup, date due cards, stack of books waiting to be read, and several boxes in the background waiting to be dealt with. The "First Lines" bulletin board in the background is, indeed, the same tired-out display that I bragged about back in August. Clearly it just hasn't made it to the top of my to-do list yet, plus I'm waiting for all of the youth book awards to be announced in January so those books can be the focus ... Eh, forget it. I'll just buy the Twilight and New Moon READ posters, grab the staple gun, and call it a day.

Now I know what's going on my Christmas list!

This is the stuff that Christmas dreams are made of! Jessica Bendinger, the screenwriter who brought it with the cheer-tastic Bring It On, has just published her debut novel! Here is the cover of the sure-to-be-glorious The Seven Rays:
And here are three things I already love about this book:

1. The cover proudly proclaims that it's by the writer of Bring It On and Stick It.
2. It received a rating of "a perfect ten" from American Cheerleader Magazine (they review books? I can almost hear Sue Sylvester's commentary).
3. Both Deepak Chopra and Greg "He's Just Not That Into You" Behrendt have nice things to say about it: "a journey of mystery, magic, and adventure," and "teen-tastic and freaky" respectively. Current TV likes it, too, and if Al Gore is on board that's good enough for me.

Now you know what will be in MY letter to Santa this year!

A Daily Coyote Shout-Out!

One of my very favorite books of 2009 was The Daily Coyote, by Shreve Stockton. Adapted from her blog of the same name, this book chronicles a year spent with Charlie, an orphaned coyote pup, in a tiny Wyoming town called Ten Sleep. The book is a standout in every way, but my hands-down favorite bits are the captivating, full-color photos of Charlie. After reading the book, I became a regular visitor to Shreve's blog, where she posts daily photos of Charlie and a weekly caption contest (every Monday, for those interested). Inspiration doesn't always strike, but when it does I enter a caption or two to accompany the picture. I've never had the winning caption, nor the accompanying prize (Charlie calendars, petrified squid and other Wyoming goodies, paperback copy of The Daily Coyote, etc.). But today I scored something just as good: a spot on the list of runners-up! I couldn't compete with "Yawn of Uncivilization," the winning entry for this photo of Charlie's epic yawn, but Shreve recognized both my entry and the reasoning behind it:

“Show me whatcha got / Show me your teeth!” — “Teeth” by Lady Gaga
(somehow I think Charlie would appreciate Lady Gaga!)

I am positively giddy! So in the spirit of all things Lady Gaga, here are some photos of yours truly along with my friends Cas Q. and Kristine C. at the Lady Gaga concert last Thursday. Do spend some time checking out the motley crew behind us in the second picture!
Well, I suppose the Christmas cards aren't going to write themselves. Must dash.

Here's one from my brag book

Incommunicado

I've been a little bit incommunicado recently, and it's time for some true confessions. First, I've given in to the hype. I am reading New Moon, and I am loving it. Although the first 200 pages do make you revisit a traumatic break-up or two. "I don't want to break up with you, I just want a hiatus for ski season" is one zinger that pops into my mind (and that person knows exactly who he is although he is most likely not reading this blog...his loss all around).

Second, I've been busy perfecting what I like to call The Best Recipe Ever, pictured here:
This recipe hearkens back to another recipe that was featured on True Blue Media Gal last May. I spruced it up a little and now it's even better, so simple and tasty:

• Sautee a chopped onion in butter and olive oil
• Add a jar of prepared pesto
• Crumble in a log of goat cheese and stir until it starts to melt
• Stir in any leftover marinara sauce (at this point the recipe will briefly look quite gross but persevere!)
• Stir in as much chopped spinach as you can fit into the cooking vessel, and cover so that the spinach wilts from the heat of the sauce
• Stir in some cooked, peeled, de-veined shrimp (it's not really a vein, you know, so the removal of said "vein" is key)
• Heat through, invite the neighbors, and enjoy!

Third, I've been trying to figure out when My Beloved James Franco will start appearing on General Hospital. And thanks to the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, I have a date: Monday, November 23, 2009. He's going to portray a mysterious artist named ... (my beloved) Franco. Let's show him some love!

How does she stay so youthful?

On November 14 Mattie LaMew celebrated her "1st birthday"! Actually, it was her 5th birthday but her 1st anniversary as my cat. Can't you just see the joy in that little kitty expression? I picked up a cupcake so that we could celebrate in style, but Mattie wasn't particularly interested in it. I actually had to lure her near the cupcake with her squeaky catnip mouse, also pictured here:
This photo captures the most exciting moment of her birthday celebration; it was followed by yours truly enjoying the cupcake, which was just delicious. The whole day included extra spoiling for her: fresh catnip on her scratching box, extra playtime with her string, and of course no shortage of kibble.