Recap '08

It's snowing here in CT. I'm flying back to LA from Providence tomorrow assuming the white stuff does not keep me prisoner. Watched Kung Fu Panda and Prince Caspian last night. In a year without Wall-E I would have been quite impressed with Kung Fu Panda, though I think the latter translates better on the small screen. I like the palette. I read the Narnia books half a lifetime ago (more maybe), and I didn't remember much of Prince Caspian. I think I found him quite dull originally, but I liked the movie. Ben Barnes' accent is frightful, and the movie--hell, the story--is not really a children's one when you think about it. And it's hardly clear that what the children and Caspian are doing are right. It's great that they want to bring the Narnians out from hiding, but is it right to do so by attacking one's home? I don't know. There was something not quite right about it all. I think I preferred The Silver Chair.

Watching Caspian also dredged up old memories about the Susan problem, which apparently has bothered everyone else too. And here I thought it was just me. In the last book SPOILER ALERT all the children die in a train accident, except, presumably, Susan. I don't remember if it was clear whether Susan died and just didn't get to go to Narnia, or if she survived. And if she survived, would she get to go to Narnia later? I was kind of under the impression that Susan had stopped believing. Which is great if you're writing a Christian fable, as Mr. Lewis was, but still, did anyone really buy that Susan would have stopped believing in Narnia? Narnia was always a little bit bigger than what it was supposed to represent, and I (and apparently lots of other people always felt let down because of the Susan problem. Sadness.

Christmas was good. Went up to Mass as usual, had some good food, got a few decent gifts and some money to keep me from total poverty. Went to Philly on Sunday but was feeling quite sick, and then was in New York on Monday--had a swell time, but now I have something wrong with my ear and it's exquisitely painful. Ibuprofen helps a bit.

It's been quite a wild year, I think, and I hope the next one is a lot more chill. I have my doubts, what with the economy and this mess in Gaza and basically the majority of the people in the world sucking hard, but maybe it'll turn out all right on the end.

And now my sister insists on rewatching Caspian in our messy living room, which is where I'm typing this, so I'm going to jet. See you on the flip side.

I wish I lived here, but LA's good too.

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Saw this on the NY Times' book blog, Paper Cuts. Lovely.

Happy Christmas Eve, y'all, from snow-covered and recently-rained-on Connecticut!

I Capture(d) the Castle

Fan-friggin-tastic book. The plot may be formulaic and obvious in a way, but it's just written so beautifully and the main character, Cassandra, is an exquisite first-person narrator. Highly rec'd, particularly for Anglophiles and/or girls. And that the book cost me $1 at the dollar bookstore in Burbank just makes it even better.

Sidenote: Dodie Smith wrote 101 Dalmatians and had a dog named Pongo. I didn't realize the movie was an adaptation. You learn something every day. Or, in my case, two months.

Did you know...

there's a bird called a godwit?


Isn't that fantastic news?

questions we've all asked ourselves

Why don't they just friggin' make Justin Timberlake an SNL castmember? Huh?

and

The sky in Joshua Tree was a such a rich and vibrant blue, I felt like I might be in the Caribbean, hanging upside down from the sky over the cerulean sea.

Need to write. Need time. Need to not be hassled by stupid things like the brace in my mouth coming off, or potential life-threatening disease, or fights in the neighbors' parking lot, or weird tax things. Need to be amazing and amazed, really.

Need money. Fret.

Made paper snowflakes today and bought a fake Christmas tree and decorated it. Ate potentially undercooked chicken. Sleepy now. Good night.

Joshua Tree, Palm Springs

Boy did I pack in a lot yesterday. Had a physical, finally using my health insurance. Lumps in my breast, apparently, so everyone knock on wood and cross their fingers that it's just like sand or something that got in there and not the c-word (either of them).

After that, I took Smita and Cornelia to Joshua Tree in my crazy large Toyota Avalon rental. The car's a friggin' boat and it scares the Mahatma out of me. Ironically, the standard Enterprise car is a Chevy Aveo, but I got a free upgrade (that I would have preferred not to have) to the damn Avalon. My grandparents have this car. It is intimidating.

Anyhow, Joshua Tree was cool. Nothing in bloom. Lots of crazy rock stackings. Gorgeous view of the San Andreas Fault. But it's the Mojave. It's desert. And it's not African desert. It's desolate Eastern California desert.

But I got to see the windmill farms. Super-cool during the day. Kinda thought they might turn into zombie monsters and attack us in formation on the way back.

Went to Palm Springs for dinner. Ate at Boscoso. My friends are vegetarians, I am not, and each one of us had the BEST Italian food ever. It was so good I wanted to cry, and all I had was your basic spaghetti and meatballs. Cannot recommend it enough. You know, if you're already out there.

Just thought I'd wish you...

Happy Official Recession Day!

Frick.