My little runaway

Sometime during the early morning hours of January 30th, my Norwegian Elkhound Bailey (lovingly nicknamed Houdini) escaped from my home and disappeared into the snow storm.

When I awoke on my futon at 3 am to go upstairs to bed, he was still in the house. When I came downstairs at 8 am, I found the kitchen door wide-open, the entryway soaked and my house freezing. (The kitchen door has a tendency to open on its own if its windy and I fail to remember to lock the deadbolt).

There weren't even paw prints in the back yard, so I knew Bailey had to have been gone for quite a while. The only thing that kept me from going into complete panic-mode was that I assumed there wouldn't be many cars on the road due to the snow. That and the fact that I replaced his name tag (with my number on it) at Christmas.

After I ran upstairs to find my water-proof boots, threw on my coat and put Zoe in her crate, I thought to check my cell phone. Someone had already called, I must have missed it while in my closet upstairs. She said Bailey was hanging out in her yard and looked very cold - he is, after all, a domesticized Elkhound!

Bailey had crossed four lanes of traffic to end up about a half-mile away in a nearby neighborhood of town homes. I was amazed - though not for the first time - to find him in the woman's yard with her, unleashed and just sitting there. He immediately recognized my car, perked up and came over to me. He always does this - runs off but then is obviously relieved when I find him. He's such a stinker.

I can't blame him - I'm sure most dogs other than Zoe would exit the house if given the same opportunity. I still can't believe I didn't bolt the door.

Anyway, Bailey was home safe and sound before 9 am. He was caked with ice and snow but otherwise uninjured. I am so grateful, and also mindful of reminding all owners of "wandering" breeds out there to keep their dogs on a tight leash!

A powdery Hill

We'll see. The snow is still falling and isn't expected to stop until late Saturday night.

I've been back in NC for more than six years (after returning from grad school at Michigan State), but I think this is the first time since that I've welcomed snow. Slushy gray man-made icebergs around every corner can easily make a person less than snow-friendly. Anyone who has ever lived north of Virginia should know what I'm talking about.

I'll enjoy this until the plows, cars and melting make it a big mess!

The heater whore

Most of my friends know that I never set my heat above 65, and for the most part I keep it set at 62 or 63. I blame my father. I grew up wearing a parka around the house due to low heat settings.

I have no idea why the space heater was at the bottom of the stairs (good gravy - I guess things can sit at the bottom of the stairs for an entire season!) but I spotted it last night and plugged it in. It took Zoe about 25 seconds to navigate to the front of the air flow and press herself up against it. She was parked there all night.

Her hair gets so hot when she does this that I swear one would think she could ignite - but she sits and sits - completely content and ablaze. Here's to hoping her fur is flame-retardant.

24 predictions, etc.

24 Opening season thoughts/predictions inspired by comments to yesterday's post: (slight spoilers? I don't think of them so, but who knows these days)

1. Suspected bad guy: John Boyd (Arlo Glass) vs. Paul Wesley (Stephen, Kim's husband/boyfriend). I think Wesley is officially out of the running considering IMDB has him listed in only 2 eps of Day 8, and he's too busy trying to be a poor man's Robert Pattinson in "The Vampire Diaries." Arlo is listed in 24 eps in 2010. Bring on the bad boy.

2. Cuthbert (Kim) is also not expected to return (I am basing this on IMDB schedules that do not include Wesley or Cuthbert in episodes beyond the season premiere). Not a huge loss. While she is a beautiful girl, after season 2 she never added a great deal to the plot.

3. Since this is likely the final season, we're gonna see some major players lose their lives. No real guesses yet, but Chloe, Renee, or even Jack wouldn't surprise me at all. We can all hope it might be Hastings, and soon.

4. Looks like we're stuck with Dana don't call me Jenny for the duration. She's credited in 24 eps. I feel a bit mean saying this so early in the season, but my first thought is "Boo hiss."

If this is truly the end of 24, Nip/Tuck and LOST- as has been predicted and reported - then all I have to say is, "Please, someone, bring me something worth my time - and no more reality show crap for the love of all that is holy!"

Jack Bauer's 8th day is looking good

24 is off to a pretty good start. The previous season was good - the one before that was rubbish - so I'm pleased that season 8 appears to have some promise.

My brief observations so far:

• The director of CTU New York, Brian Hastings (Mykelti Williamson), is a bona fide jackass.

• Doug Hutchison, (Davros), is fabulous as a villain. Hutchison played Percy Wetmore in The Green Mile and Eugene Victor Tooms in two episodes of The X-files. He is supremely creepy - even as the cryptic, although not yet proven evil, Horace Goodspeed on LOST.

• Freddie Prinze Jr. might just get out from under Scooby-Doo and She's All That. Even though he's Buffy's husband, he hasn't quite hit the mark in recent years, but he might prove to be capable of more serious roles after playing Cole Ortiz.

• Funny to see Katee Sackhoff, the former Teddy Rowe from Nip/Tuck (replaced by Rose McGowan this season) working at CTU. I won't be surprised if she turns out to be a traitor.

• Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is, as she always has been, devoid of the most basic interpersonal skills.

• The return of David Anders (Julian Sark from Alias) to primetime TV is most welcome.

• I still miss Dennis Haysbert!!!

I am giddy with anticipation of drama. Bring on the next 19 hours!

Hearts Day Bears

I promise - or I think I promise - that this will be the last post dedicated to any variety of tiny bears, bunnies or other animals. These are some of the Valentine's Day bears I made. I'm putting a few in the mail to my niece today - I really hope she likes them!

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants is a great read. I laughed out loud often, felt dreadfully sorrowful more than once and remained intrigued throughout the entire tale.

The book is narrated by the main character, Jacob Jankowski, and oscillates between present day where he is in his early nineties and the era of the Great Depression when he was in his early twenties. The story is largely narrated by the younger Jankowski, but the parts narrated by his older counterpart are a delightful "break" from the central plot.

It's a whirlwind story - Jankowski's life is turned on its head when his parents are killed in a car accident. Afterwards, he is informed that they were broke due to their financing his Ivy League education and his father's willingness to trade his services for things like eggs or milk. His father owned his own veterinary practice, and he and Jacob were supposed to go into business together after he received his DVM degree.

Jacob fails to cope with his loss, runs out on his final boards, and ends up on a train that just happens to be that of a traveling circus.

Jacob manages to make a place for himself on the circus detail and then the peaks and valleys of such a life begin, but he eventually becomes the official staff veterinarian, which allows him to infiltrate the privileged world of those on top of the circus. He falls in love with the woman of his dreams as well as the animals in his care - Rosie the elephant in particular.

Jacob makes many unlikely allies along the way. Perhaps my favorite is Walter (Kinko to most, Walter to only his friends). Walter's terrier Queenie is certainly my favorite silent character, along with Rosie. Queenie reminds me a lot of Zoe!

I read that Gruen did a great deal of research on circuses before writing this book and it shows. Again I say, great read. Highly recommended!

Tiny passengers

As a favor to Kerry, I picked up her kiddies at school yesterday. I was a little on edge when I arrived, only because I never know if Sydney is going to scream bloody murder at the sight of me. Thankfully she didn't - perhaps because I'd seen her the day before when Kerry dropped off the kids' car seats.

It was weird to drive to work with two empty car seats in the back, but as I closed and locked my door I smiled as I thought about Felton and Sydney sitting in them later!

So, back to my arrival at the school. I didn't know where to go, so I asked the woman in the first office by the door. When I announced that I was there to pick up Felton and Sydney, she looked at me like I was speaking Latin - even after I used their last name, too. I thought to myself, "Kerry said these people speak English!" (it's a Spanish immersion school) And they do - I think I just caught her off-guard.

Apparently Felton was playing outside and came in shortly after the woman realized who I was asking after. Felton yelled out, "That's Tracey!" with a huge smile on his face. I was instantly set at ease, and pretty sure the staff was certain I was legit after that greeting.

Then Sydney came around the corner, saw Felton and screamed, "FELTON!" It was too cute. Oh, and I was relieved that when I waved and asked her if I could take her home she said yes. No screaming. No crying. Excellent.

What's better, when we went outside to walk to my car, Sydney pointed at the CR-V and yelled, "Tracey!" I officially no longer feel like the girl is terrorized by me.

Felton talked almost non-stop the whole way home - quizzing me about green lights and car wheels and buildings - all the while assuring Sydney, "We'll be home soon."

When we pulled in the driveway I yelled out - just like my mom did when I was a kid - "home again home again jiggety jog!" and the kids thought that was hilarious.

Kerry ran later than expected, but we were fine. I was so mad I didn't have my camera, and I tried to take some photos with my phone, but those two are wiggle-worms. The photo below is from late summer/early fall 2009. I just love 'em!

Loving The Lovely Bones

I saw The Lovely Bones last night with Jen-AY and my initial reaction is WOW - very well-done. Beautiful cinematography; skillfully executed CGI; excellent set design and many more thumbs up. As a child born in the 70s, I was a bit overwhelmed with nostalgia throughout the entire film. The furniture, the wardrobe, the slang - everything perfectly depicted the period of the story - early 70s in America.

I was particularly impressed with Peter Jackson's dedication to Alice Sebold's novel. Although I found myself questioning certain scenes throughout the film, once it was over I remembered almost everything from my reading of the book in 2002. In fact, Jen re-read most of the book before we went to the theater, and she agreed there were very few differences between the film and the book. From her description - and my recollection - those differences were extremely minor.

I unexpectedly loved Saoirse Ronan as Susie, as well as Mark Wahlberg as Jack Salmon. Stanley Tucci was born to play George Harvey, since he gave me a serious case of the "skeevies." Seriously, if "Chester the Molester" was listed in Webster's dictionary, a photo of Stanley Tucci as George Harvey would certainly be included in that listing.

It's strange how the smallest tweaks can perfect a character. For example, in reality Stanley Tucci's eyes are very dark brown, but as George Harvey he wore contacts of a very clear, blue-green color. They made his creepy eyes the absolute creepiest. : CHILLS :

My least favorite character in the film was Susie's younger sister Lindsey, played by Rose McIver. I can't pinpoint my exact reasoning, but my lack of love was pronounced because Lindsey in the book was one of my favorite characters.

Susan Sarandon - who is gorgeous by the way - was fabulous as Grandma Lynn. She provided a very subtle breath of comic relief; while Rachel Weisz - who I adore - fell a little flat as Susie's mother, but her performance didn't detract from my enjoyment of the movie.

While Jen shed her first tear very early on, I managed to keep my eyes dry, but that doesn't mean there weren't several lumpy-throated moments. I won't list any so as not to spoil the film and/or book for anyone, but trust me, your heartstrings will be tugged upon.

***Side Golden Globe note: Happy to see Up in the Air won for Best Screenplay. Saw it on Christmas day and really liked it. Would love to see Anna Kendrick get out from under her role as Jessica in Twilight.

Danger water bottle, Danger!

Yesterday, a random work-related tangent lead me to pursue a fervent search of all issues regarding water bottles and bisphenol A (BPA).

Although I'm the daughter of one of the greenest men out there, I'm picky about my water - not about the brand of bottled water (that is ridiculous) but drinking straight out of the tap gives me the willies. Therefore, I habitually buy large bottles of water and refill them for at least 10 days to 2 weeks before recycling the bottles. Apparently that is a no no.

I'd heard that the reuse of plastic bottles is believed to cause things like strep throat, but I've been conveniently (by choice) oblivious to the dangers of BPA leaching. An article from Scientific American linked from one of the sources I found online can be seen here.

At the risk of making a fool of myself, I must say that for the most part it appears that plastic bottles containing BPA are only dangerous if one heats them. I do reuse my smartwater, Aquafina, Dasani, etc bottles, but I never heat them, never put them in the dishwasher, never leave them in my car to bake. And by the way, I haven't had strep throat since elementary school.

Nevertheless, I made a new resolution to reduce my carbon footprint - and perhaps my risk of developing cancer - by making use of my stainless steel water bottles when possible. Not to worry, all plastic bottles used in my house are recycled - including the caps (thanks Aveda!)

I own both of the bottles pictured above. They are BILT bottles that I bought a couple of years ago for a fraction of their retail cost via the REI Outlet.

I have a hard time finding acceptably safe water bottles because I loathe "sport" bottles. The flip-tops and the CamelBak bite valves gross me out. I feel like you can never really get those things clean.

For now I'm gonna stick with my BILT bottles and Klean Kanteens and try to break myself from my plastic bottle refill habit.

Help RE3.org recycle plastics

In honor of my father, the KING über-recycler, I feel obligated to pass along this post from Reduce.Reuse.Recycle.

By completing the survey found here, you can help promote the recycling of non-bottle plastic containers in the United States. I invite you to be green!

I'll take this opportunity to remind everyone that AVEDA collects all caps (soda, water bottle, detergent, etc) for recycling as well. I regularly drop loads of caps off at Southpoint, so if you're nearby (within 30 miles of Research Triangle Park) and want to contribute effortlessly, please let me know. I will make arrangements to collect your caps.

xo from your neighborhood tree hugger

Hard Candy

If you only know Ellen Page as Juno, her turn as Hayley in Hard Candy will show you that tiny girls can be amongst the fiercest. Hayley possesses a lot of the same quick wit and humor as Juno, but Hayley’s is deeply rooted in darkness and anger.

Horrifically realistic, Hard Candy makes me want to lock my niece away from all the predators out there, or at least keep her off of the Internet.

Hayley (screen name Thonggrrrl14) and Jeff Kohlver (Lensaman319) strike up a relationship via a chat room and decide to meet in person. Despite the wide gap between their ages (she's 14, he's 32), they appear to hit it off and after a brief initial meeting retreat to Jeff’s apartment. Once there, Hayley mixes drinks for them, which she also drugs, leaving Jeff temporarily unconscious.

When Jeff awakes he is tied up and left to deal with Hayley, who believes he is a pedophile and is determined to make him pay for it.

At a full foot shorter and easily 90+ pounds lighter, Hayley is believably the one in control for the duration of the film. As I stated earlier, she’s quick-witted like Juno, but far more sinister as Hayley.

Hard Candy was directed by David Slade, and while I know there are haters out there I am not embarrassed to say that 30 Days of Night is one of my favorite films. Barring a huge stinking Eclipse bomb, like the previous Twilight installment, I’ll remain a faithful Slade fan.

Jeff Kohlver is played by Patrick Wilson, and for some unknown reason Sandra Oh is listed on the main credits. She’s in the film for about 2 minutes – 3 minutes tops - delivering freakin' Girl Scout cookies for those 180 seconds max.

Bottom line: Whether dark, witty, thoughtful, or vengeful, I think it would be supremely cool to be friends with Ellen Page. Leaning towards reality, I’ll settle for being one of her biggest fans.

Veronica Guerin

I saw Veronica Guerin in the theater several years ago, and hadn’t seen it again until a few nights ago. It aired on the USA network so it was edited and such, but having a DVR makes the omissions and compressed time a little more tolerable.

Guerin is a publicly martyred Irish hero – perhaps one of the bravest female journalists in history.

In fact, it has been said that much like Americans recall the moment they heard about John F. Kennedy’s assassination, all those in Ireland know exactly where they were when they learned of Guerin’s murder on June 26, 1996. She was just shy of 38-years-old.

While writing for the Sunday Independent, Guerin fearlessly exposed those responsible for fueling a drug-riddled Ireland.

At the time, those injecting heroine on a daily basis reached epidemic proportions, with the youngest at age 14.

Guerin was threatened, beaten and shot at several times, and in one instance shot in the leg in her own home, but her drive to expose the drug-pushers and suppliers never wavered.

Cate Blanchett was excellent as Guerin. I’ve always loved Blanchett as an actress, and she is so believable in this role as a crusader, mother, wife, journalist and a hero.

This film made me very angry - while not at the film (if that makes sense) - but at the criminals who so callously spat on everyone around them. It's not the first time I've watched a film and found myself hysterically screaming at the television. My hysteria doesn't make the movie a bad one - in fact, I think a lot more of films that are able to incite such ire. In other words, I'm not much of a romantic comedy girl!

I loved this film. However, such as films like A Perfect Storm or Into the Wild, history has revealed the ending, and it's not a happy one.

Quote of the day

"What makes a legend? Is it what someone did when they were alive or how they're remembered when they're gone?"

- Jake Fischer, The Guardian


Thoughts on that quote anyone? I'm torn. For artists it seems it's better to be dead. It's sad that recognition often follows death. More to ponder.

UNC Bear - Accessorized

I preface this post by admitting that my life is boring - but you know what? I LOVE my boring life!

I give you UNC bear with pom poms. I find her rather cute. Thoughts?

The Lovely Bones

"My murderer didn't understand how much a father could love his child."

Every time I see the trailer for The Lovely Bones, the above line makes me choke up a bit.

I read The Lovely Bones when it first came out in 2002. I know - especially from reading some reviews online - that it is one of those love it or hate it books, but I truly loved it.

I don't know if I'll see it in the theater (I'm lucky if I see two movies in the theater per year) but I'm looking forward to this movie, especially since Peter Jackson directed it.

I was impressed with the interview I read in Entertainment Weekly, where Jackson said he chose to NOT depict the horrific rape and dismemberment of Susie Salmon in the film.

The way I see it, a book leaves the reader with both the expanse and limits of his/her imagination. No one needs to see on film what was described in the book. While not upset with Alice Sebold for what she wrote on paper, again I say, no one needs to see that depicted. In fact, as I read in the EW article, many of the crew walked out during test shots of the horrific scene before it was cut.

Not a big fan of Saoirse Ronan, but I LOVE Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg. Let's hope it doesn't turn out to be a stinker.

I highly recommend reading both The Lovely Bones and Lucky, which recounts the true story of Alice Sebold's rape and the aftermath of said rape whilst she attended Syracuse University.

Lucky is powerful, raw and poignant - almost like the author decided to come clean after successfully publishing a fictional tale much like what she herself survived.

Happy Birthday Chris!

I should've posted this yesterday, as I did in fact remember that it was his birthday, but I didn't get around to it.

Christopher Reuther would've been 37-years-old on January 3rd. Rather than letting it bring me down, I've tried to recall happy memories of him on his last three birthdays since he's been gone.

Those memories easily put a smile on my face, but we all still miss him terribly!

Tar Heel Bunny

Here's the first UNC Tar Heel bunny. Since Easter is in April, I used ribbon around the neck rather than a scarf. I've got several others in the works, some white, some brown like the one pictured here. Some might sport scarves, some might have no neckwear, I never really decide on that stuff until I'm actually finishing off each bunny/bear.

Some of you have asked about variations on the pattern (boy bunnies, different animals, etc). As I am not a master of knitting, I'm pretty much limited to the items I've shared so far.

While it would probably be fun to experiment with different ideas, I honestly just don't have the patience for that. If I happen upon established patterns that could be adapted to the bunny/bear design, I will certainly try them out, but I'm not going to make myself crazy trying to come up with endlessly varying patterns!

It would be cool if I could somehow knit "UNC" or a Tar Heel on the front of the bunny sweater, but again, my lack of patience and knitting mastery prevents that possibility, too. Wonder if I could fashion a makeshift pom-pom out of ribbon?

I'm sure there will be Tar Heel bears made, too. If any of my fellow Tar Heel fans would like a bunny or bear of their own just let me know! GO HEELS!

Quote of the day

"One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things."

- John Burroughs