Quality time

I spent some quality time with Sydney last night while her parents took her brother to see his new school. She asked me to bring Rusty along and the three of us played chase until we were all pretty worn out.

What a smile!

Music for Fences Benefit Concert

Join us this Saturday for good music and food in support of The Coalition to Unchain Dogs in Durham.

Something I can't wait to see

I think I've watched both of the trailers for Like Crazy at least a dozen times each, if not more. I'd heard about the film before reading about it in my latest Entertainment Weekly, and all the buzz is just working me up into a frenzy.

Here's the plot in a nutshell, compliments of IMDB, "A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa."


I love what I've seen and read about so far. Like Crazy is a tiny budget film starring actors whose performances are so organic - so real - that one wonders how they haven't been starring on screens world-wide for months or years.

Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin improvised much of the script - they were given an outline to go on. She wore her own clothes and did her own make-up. Yes, she is a very beautiful girl, even more so because of how naturally she appears on the screen.

I found the way that they incorporated both Jacob's LA life with Anna's London life artistically dead-on, by depicting subtle backdrops of each in the poster of them on the beach. The United Kingdom meets Los Angeles - or not.

The story is so simple and so heartbreaking at the same time. First Love. It is so exciting, mind-blowing and life-changing. Sometimes those changes don't prove to be positive right away, but I think everyone deserves to fall in love at least once. And when it happens for the first time it is truly astounding - weak in the knees, tummy butterflies fluttering, AMAZING.

Quote of the day

"I am never getting married...or having children..."

-Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon - Rizzoli & Isles)

That Jane/Angie is a woman after my own heart. Doggies will do as children for this woman.

Dead Reckoning

I was disappointed after reading Harris' last Sookie book, "Dead in the Family," but I was pleasantly surprised by "Dead Reckoning."

The previous book was so far removed from the core story that I grew tired of the "new" plot that I didn't give a crap about. "Reckoning" returned to the Sookie tales I love and felt far truer to the story at hand.

Readers will learn more about Sookie's Fae legacy, as well as her family history and also get some insight into Sookie's future - the not boring one - that may or may not include both Eric and Bill.

"Reckoning" is Harris' 11th Sookie book. If HBO's True Blood really follows the book trail then Anna Paquin has a SUPER long future playing a blonde back-country girl. I'll keep watching for as long as Alan Ball creates. After all, he is the mastermind behind my most favorite show of all time! (Six Feet Under).

And it goes without saying that after following for this long, I couldn't really abandon Harris either. I'm sure I'll read about Sookie until her story ends.

Back Into the Wild

I just got around to reading my July issue of Outside magazine tonight, and I was elated to see that it contained a follow-up to Christopher McCandless's epic story first published in 1996.

"Back to the Wild" was recently released via Amazon, and features the photographs and writings of Christopher McCandless during his last years (as Alexander Supertramp).


Outside reports that in March, those closest to McCandless visited the last place he lived - a derelict Fairbanks City Transit system bus - to pay their respects before releasing the last pieces of his life he left behind.

I read the original story and I saw the movie. I both identify with and disagree with McCandless's choices. I've never been able to come completely to terms with what he did - I can't argue against or in support of it. What I can admire is the courage of a boy who set himself on a course with more drive than most could imagine to summon in a lifetime.

I think Chris was on the brink of living an extraordinary life, but his ambition and narrow focus prevented him from surviving.

Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch told his story beautifully in Into the Wild - a movie I think everyone should see!

Vacation Foolery

The Glazener beach week 2011 just wasn't up to par. Todd's illness wasn't the only wrench in the plans. There were way too many deviations from the regular schedule. I'm sad to say that I feel robbed of a vacation. Boo.

I didn't take very many photos either - really - there were very few snapped. Hence this post - I think these of Abby and I are the only ones I took the entire week. Good shots though, as we were surely having a great time!

Beach puzzle

The Glazeners finished this one in a few days on Holden Beach. Dogs galore!