So, did I tell you that I went to the movies the other day? Oh yes, I did. I saw Quantum of Solace 3 and a half times! It was good the first 2.5 times, and then I just sat watching Daniel Craig prancing around in those tailored clothes. Lord have mercy.

Anyway, I was there doing a blind check of the patrons, and I was thinking how much better one those tally counters would be, as opposed to the little tick-marks I was making on paper. That wasn’t very, umm, subtle, was it? I was surprised to see these today when I searched for industrial knobs at Reid Supply. They don’t look very knob-like, do they?

Back to the movie: Craig makes a very convincing Bond. He’s not as slick as Pierce Brosnan and not as sold as cold as Connery. The ladies are plentiful and lovely, and the movie is edge of the seat after the first idyllic 15 seconds. I’m wishing after reading the review I linked above that I had seen Casino Royale.

I’m hoping to get a few more of these count-people-at-the-movies assignments. Days spent in the quiet dark, just knitting and watching are mighty appealing just now.

We just watched Edward Scissorhands. You know, the one with Johnny Depp, from the early 80s? Yes, that one. Best love story, ev-ar. Except that Johnny Depp is so painfully thin, that it looks like he spent 6 months taking diet pills just to get ready to make the film. It’s funny to think that he is my age, and I have watched him mature on screen, yk? And isn’t it amazing how much men change in the years between 18 and 25 after they have “stopped growing”.

The movie starts with a young girl asking her grandmother to tell her a story, and the story starts with the Avon lady finding Edward abandoned in a castle at the top of the hill. She brings him down to suburbia, and he carves (haha) out a niche for himself and tries to fit in. It works for awhile, but eventually things disintegrate and Edward retreats back to his castle, and the story doesn’t end. There’s more, but I am not telling. Just remember that Tim Burton directed and so even though the story unfolds at a good clip all through, it is the last five minutes that contain the essence. This movie should be watched once a decade, and you should make sure you forget as much about it as possible in the interim. You will never look at snow the same way again.

Do many of you watch Dexter? My friend Colleen told a group of us about it, and I blew it off since I don’t sub to Showtime. Due to the writer’s strike, though, it’s airing on network tv, and I am enjoying it. It’s the story of a serial killer who is also a police officer. Dexter’s running dialogue with himself is … eerily similar to my own. Well, minus the murder parts, but I do talk in my own head a lot.

There is one thing that I have been chewing on for a bit now: in the second episode, Dexter’s dad explains that when you kill a person you aren’t just killing them, but you are killing everything they would have done or achieved in their lifetime. The context was that Dexter should think carefully about what he was doing, and not just be killing people willy-nilly. I’ve been chewing this, and trying to take the long view of my actions. It’s not just murder, not just bad things, that have a lasting effect. When you build someone up, it also effects them–and the people they will affect throughout their lifetime.

I picked up the latest Woman’s Day at the store this weekend. Nothing jumped out at me as far as this issue went. There was a little blurb on how vitamin D helps prevent heart issues and such, but I knew that already, and there were some tips on how to save time cleaning, but I didn’t find them very practical. Since this was why I purchased the mag, I was a little disappointed. You might like them, though, so…

And this week, I have listened to a SLEW of podcasts. I am subbed to several knitting and history podcasts, and I am enjoying the freedom of listening away from the computer. I’m looking to add a cooking show, and maybe some free audiobooks.

OH! One more thing! Carla had recommended A Thousand Splendid Suns to me and I am pleased to say it came yesterday. It’s next on the TBR pile. Perhaps I will sit on my patio furniture to read it. If you can call a lawn chair on the back stoop “patio furniture”.

I had that movie on VHS, and we just about wore it out. It was a very rough time in my life, and I so connected with the outcast Edward, and his outward ugliness and the pain he sometimes caused those he loved combined with that inner artistic beauty. How he could create both beauty and pain with those non-hands…it makes an interesting metaphor for the power of the human tongue, doesn’t it? I should get it on DVD and share it with my kids. That whole scene in the end where he’s carving and it’s snowing, it’s magical still. And I just opened several mental worm cans that I’d rather not exam tonight, so let’s move right along to my next favorite Depp movie, which is What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

It was my oldest daughter who introduced me to this Depp film. It was released in 93, but I was totally unaware of it until she asked for it while she was here. I have not talked about her much here, and I won’t do it just now, either, but…watching this movie with her was incredibly poignant, and when Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape walked out of his mother’s house and burned it down behind him, it was all I could do to keep from sobbing like a small and wounded child, because in the end, he loved his mother enough to burn his past, just to preserve what shred of dignity she had left. It was…it felt like…a gift, to watch this with my daughter. I guess of the two this would be my favorite scene because of the emotional associations I have with it.

So, now, Depp has a new film out, and you can visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace or you can visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site and catch the trailer. As I watched it tonight, I glimpsed Edward and Gilbert both in there, and of course, that led me down memory lane. There was also something else that I wasn’t quite able to pin down, so I am curious to see the movie. And also?? He sings in this movie. And he’s pretty good at it. Mmm-hmm. That’s hott, ya’ll.

There is very little celebration of the passing of a date Sept. 17, 2007: the belated Birthday of the Signing of the Constitution. And the Federal Convention that ended its business on Sept. 17, 1787.

It seems unfortunate, since we should be celebrating the people who gave us right to speech, right to assemble, right to bear arms, etc.

Except they didn’t. When the constitution was signed, these fellows voted down a Bill of Rights. It was only later, when the plan had to be sold to the state of Virginia, that a Bill of Rights was promised.

Yet, these fellows did create the Constitution, so they are Founding Fathers, correct?

That leads to a question. Who is a Founding Father? Common wisdom would say the Founding Fathers would be anyone who helped craft the Constitution. Yet famous names such as Tom Jefferson and John Adams were not there for the convention that met in 1787 in secret to craft a new government. George Washington was there, but as the chair he was silent while debate went on. Ben Franklin was there but as an aging celebrity he took a symbolic role and his ideas of having multiple Presidents or unpaid Federal officers would not be taken seriously.

Indeed the Constitution was created by little-known names like James Wilson, Charles Pickeney, Rufus King, and William Paterson.

We address the question of who is a founding father and how the Constitution was written, and where the Bill of Rights came from.

My History Can Beat Up Your Politics is a podcast that looks into the history behind the politics of today. The podcast can be found on iTunes or at (www.myhistorycanbeatupyourpolitics.com)

Bruce has a soothing voice, and a quirky outlook. He brings a passion to a subject that many mistreat. Of course, it is a passion that I share. *grin* I guess this mean that you know what I’ll be doing tonight. Bruce Carlson and Brenda Dayne, I’ll be here around 9pm. We’ll have coffee and crocheting, ok?

One last thing–is it blasphemous if I crochet while listening to Cast-On?

No, I didn’t get all that sewing cabinet done yesterday. After the book Book. Book. Book.

BOOK!

They have several shirts to choose from, and *cough*, I even saw customizable underwear. I played with that for a little while, too, but I just didn’t think I could bring myself to post a picture of drawers here, ykwim? But, “Bloggers are Hawt” underwear would be kinda rockin’.

The voice of the author is a perfect match for Mike, whose personality is reminiscent of stiff leather. Mike ends up in Virginia City, Mt. due to car problems, where he meets up with ex-showgirl Mary Carter, who has left Las Vegas in a hurry on the run from the mafia. She reels him in like a black widow, and he heads to Vegas to help her out of a jam. In her haste, Mary has left a bag behind, and must get it back. Mike gets noticed by The Capo, and he leads the mob back to Virginia City, and that’s when the problems really start.

This book is definitely not one to share with children, due to language and sexual content. The combination of suspense and romance will appeal to many readers, though. This is the author’s first novel, and if you enjoy meeting Mike Driscoll, you’ll be pleased to know that this is the first in a planned series.

Technorati Tags: The Capo’s Mistress, Richard Harris

I listened to several songs today, and they were delightful. I have to admit I was surprised by some of the language Wally used, but his history lessons were very intriguing. It’s always interesting to me to find out the story behind the story. He had quite a bit to say before Mrs. Jones, and I had to chuckle as he was talking– Wally, I’ve always heard it as “young, dumb and full of bubble gum.”

I’d really like to be able to hear the show when I have time to listen, since I can’t keep the headphones on for very long while the kids are awake. A podcast would be an awesome addition to the regular show, even if it were just the first hour. Having the show repeat would be an even better option in some ways, because then I could catch the whole thing later at night.

Technorati Tags: Wally Swinton, Rhythm and Blues radio