Had an awesome night with Jess and Vuthny; salsa dancing can really hurt your toes, especially when you’re wearing heels, but it’s a pretty sweet workout on your calves.

Midnight strawberry margaritas and crazy discussions now leave me wide awake at almost two in the morning.

Now I’m watching one of my favorite movies for the fourth time this week, and hopefully by the end of it, I’ll be able to catch some zzz’s.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s
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Reality strikes, at best…

I want to begin this blog by offering my deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Heath Ledger, the young movie star found dead this week in his apartment. The point of view of this blog does not in any way intend to minimize the loss, hurt, and emotional suffering of those with whom he was close.However, the amount of media attention to this tragedy does seem excessive to some, while the heroically tragic sacrifices of other talented and brave young Americans go unnoticed. A “Blue Star Mother” (an organization of mothers who now have, or have had, children honorably serving in the military bluestarmothers.org) wrote to me:

“In listening to the recent press hysteria surrounding Heath Ledger’s death, I can’t help but contrast that with the ultimate sacrifice our troops make every day with no fanfare.

My son, a Specialist with the Army 25th ID, is stationed in Taji, Iraq. Last Friday he witnessed the death of his very good friend, Specialist Jon Schoolcraft, age 26, to an IED, not to mention the grievous wounds sustained by others in the same attack. I would ask your listeners to log onto the DoD website (defenselink.mil/Releases/ ) just once to see the names and ages of the brave young men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Better yet, turn off the gossip channels on the TV and Internet and write a letter or send a care package to the troops to let them know they’re not forgotten.

God Bless you, Dr. Laura, for all you do for our troops. I too am a Proud Mother of an American Soldier…Hoo-ah!”

I believe that a civilization is measured in great part by what it chooses to honor.

How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.    Even though this weekend contained many laughs and good times along with the sad ones, one of the very best parts of the weekend was seeing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the eighty gagillionth time on DVD. (If you haven’t seen it yet, I HIGHLY HIGHLY hiiiiiiighlyyyyy recommend it.)

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I loved this movie when I first saw it and I love it with as much love as I felt when I first saw it even when I see it for the gagillionth time. I mean, I really love it on a deep level. Obviously, it’s gorgeous to look at and the convoluted narrative structure inherent in the plot is wild and weird and exciting and confusing and cool, but at it’s heart, this is a simple story.

To me, at least, it asks simply, what would you change if you could? Would you or wouldn’t you? If you could, would you wipe out the bad memories if it meant also wiping out the good?

And when it’s finished and the credits start rolling, I’m left with the conviction that my answer to that question would be a resounding no. And that’s something for my sometimes skeptical and cynical heart. Even if I’ve known that all along, it was beautiful to be convinced all over again while swimming along with this crazy ride of a film as it unfolded before my eyes with so much color and music and light.

It was beautiful, it was magical, and up to now I still hold my breath the entire time. It smashed my heart into little pieces and put it back together again over and over and over, which was, I expect, the point. Because isn’t that what memories do?

Ultimately, I can’t think about this story without thinking about how I felt when it’s all over, which was moved and stunned and still and alive… and lost… and found.

GREAT movie… saw it with Nic and Abigail tonight and I loved the screenplay version as much as Moore’s novel…….

like Nic said, it’s a great mix of Fahrenheit 451 and the Matrix.

I gotta say, I loved the movie’s version of a Guy Fawkes mask, that the character, “V”, sported. And Hugo Weaving played one of the best “anti-heroes” ever put up on screen. Not to mention the incomparable Natalie Portman. She always rocks the casbah
Official Movie Site
School yourself about Britain’s “traitor” Guy Fawkes and the famous 5th Nov
Buy the book by Alan Moore that started it all

CHECK IT OUT HERE!!