A World of Pure Imagination

After finishing up our reading of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last week, and with their expressed desire to see the Johnny Depp version of the movie sometime soon, I thought it important that the kids see the Gene Wilder version first. So tonight we watched, and I was transported back to my own childhood with them. It had been... damn, I don't know HOW long since I had seen it last.

What a great movie... although the opening chocolate montage nearly did me in. My mouth was literally watering, and it took all the willpower I possess not to break into the chocolate chips that - even now, hours later - call to me from the kitchen with their wicked siren song.

And how I love Gene Wilder. Adore. The. Man. The only other actor that compares to him on my pure love meter is Dick Van Dyke. I tell you - when those two pass on, I might not be able to get out of bed for a few weeks.

But I digress.

What I loved most about tonight was that my kids wanted to watch the whole movie again, immediately. When that wasn't possible (it was already nearly 9 o'clock and a chapter of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator awaited), what scene did they choose to see, when the option was offerred up? Yup. The scary boat speeding through the tunnel with disturbing images scene.

How cool is that? I have freaky freaky kids.

Antici...

pation!

Tomorrow at 11:59 p.m, William and I will be at Barnes and Noble queued up to buy our copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. As of this post, that is only 39ish hours away. Is it possible for one to die of anticipatory excitement?

If so, I might not actually see midnight.

squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Is It Me You're Looking For?

Boy it's dusty in here.

So perhaps you've noticed I've been on a bit of a blogbreak. I probably should have mentioned that I wouldn't be around for awhile, but honestly I had no idea it was coming. Let's call it a mini-breakdown, that wasn't really a breakdown at all... I just let most communication come to a screeching halt. Maybe I just didn't have anything I wanted to say. Maybe I was just lazy. My own personal June Gloom.

For nearly a month now I just haven't felt like writing, either in the blogverse or e-mail, and I also haven't kept up with the blogs I like lately (I have lots to catch up on). Apologies all 'round. But I think that the break has been good for me. I'm feeling ready to jump back into it.

So what have I been doing?

• I took a week off and Stephen and I worked on the house. We now have new baseboard and a lovely green room that is sans all traces of icky wallpaper. And now there is just so much MORE I want to do.


• I missed (and am still missing and am preparing to miss) my travelling friends... one in Africa (home tomorrow!), one in Hawaii (home Friday!), one in New York (home in a couple of weeks!), and one heading off to Amsterdam (home on the 17th and promising me a birthday visit).


• I worked my tail off (including evenings and vacation days) to push some work out by the required deadline and felt pretty good about it. I might not love my job, but I like the folks I work with and I'll do most anything to come through as needed in the clutch.


• I watched the Tigers and Mariners slide away from the brink of respectability as they both hit long, painful losing streaks. Oh, the pain.


• I finished 3 books and am cruising through another right now and in doing so remembered that I love to read. Love. It. I need to make sure I make time for it, just as I need to make time for writing here, no matter what.


• I thought about what I want to be when I grow up. I know, what's new? But I also made a baby step, put some energy out there, pink bubbled an idea and set it free to see whether anything might come of it.

There was more, certainly. And there are quite a few half-started-but-never-finished blog posts and even more half-thought-but-never-written-down ideas that may someday see the light of day in some form. Or they may not. Life moves so fast.

Hello.