T the Wonder Dog!

T's owner taught him to fetch the paper and asked me to keep up the routine if I could while I was there so he wouldn't lose the training. I have only taken care of one other dog that had been taught a trick and it's alot of fun to see. Y would fall over and play dead if you pointed your finger at him and said "Bang!". Now, Y was a rescue dog and came to the current owners already trained that way. I can't say that it was a great trick given its implications, but he loved the attention :)

T's fetching of the paper this morning was so much fun! What can I say, I'm easy to amuse. Right after he had finished eating I started ramping him up, "T, are you ready to get the paper? Let's go get the paper! Paper, paper, paper!" Poor pooch, he was quivering at the door, just vibrating with excitement about getting to go out and get the paper. I opened the door and he leapt out, nose to the ground!

It was still dark outside and I lost sight of him but pretty soon I heard the telltale rattle of plastic and T came charging triumphantly back in the house with his mouth full of newspaper, and he didn't even rip any of the plastic. I squealed and clapped and there was some serious scratching and belly-rubbing going on...he was so proud of himself! C was barking and prancing around too! I dispensed treats all around and I don't think I'll have any problems keeping T fresh on his training. I had fun, he and C had fun, we'll just have to see how he handles the mammoth Sunday paper:)

Adiós!

htw

The HTW Clean Up Effort

Did I relax on my day off? Kick back, watch a movie, maybe take a nap? Nah, I began the massive organizational realignment of my boudoir. Four bulging bags of trash, six bags of clothes waiting to fit again, and ten 10-gallon containers later, my mission is 1/4th complete....it's just as dismal as it sounds folks! The clothes rod in my closet has been broken for over a year now so I can't hang anything up. All my clothes have migrated to various piles around the room. I need a bookshelf, I want new curtains, and I need a bed frame so that I can get over the feeling that my room really belongs to a stinky 12 year old boy!!! I want to decorate with some sort of actual theme, something exotic and Moroccan maybe. Realistically I can't afford it but it never hurts to dream or window shop at World Market :)
I've started a long pet sitting job today, ten days of cable television at my disposal :) T and C say hi! T has some serious gas and is constantly bombing me...I hope I can sleep through it, or at least give him a run for his money :) Hopefully the boys will provide plenty of blogging fodder as they are terrific fun and I haven't kept them since the summer.
I really do love the pet sitting. It's easy and rewarding knowing that I am making what is normally a very stressful time for a loving pet (the absence of the owner) much more bearable! 99% of the time we have so much fun that the owners say the pooches (hasn't happened yet with a kitty, but they're wired differently) look for me for a few days. I do feel quite proud of that :)
Speaking of that, I'm getting the big, soulful, liquid brown "I need to go out" eyes from C so I'll bid you adieu (to the thundering, blaring sound of the 900th train crossing/plane landing tonight....I do so miss Bibb Co. when I'm not there).
Adios!
htw

Break Out Your Togas!

Separated by time but not by subject matter...

A great big THANK YOU to Daxx for the referral to this great new series on HBO, Rome. The second season starts this Sunday at 9pm (not sure of the time zone on that). I OD'd on the first season, watching 5 DVDs in roughly two days...it's that level of greatness. Not for the kiddies on so many levels, but juuuust right for the grownups among us. So tune in Sunday and get to know Vorenus, Pullo, Atia (ick!) and her children the wonder twins Octavia and Octavius(another ick and I'll leave you, dear reader, to figure out why), the vengeful Servilia, the very yummy but shady Marc Antony, and all the rest!

On to this fall's Premiere Event...at least it is as far as I'm concerned!

Showing at the Birmingham Museum of Art October 14, 2007-January 27, 2008...................drum roll, please...........

Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption!

The exhibit will also focus on the areas of Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Terzigno. So Shelby, start reading up 'cuz it's you and me baby! I've already begun checking out some novels and research books so I'll be in the know when this puppy rolls around. It's one of the big reasons why I joined the museum! Junior Patron Membership is only $50/year people, join now! As an aside, museum members get into Art on the Rocks (in looking, the website doesn't seem to have been updated for this year's events but I'm sure they will soon!) for only $5 and it is a rockin' good time! I got to all of them I can get to.

Adiós!

htw

Sorcery and Cinema

I was told today that the library certainly has alot of sorcery on the shelves. I thought real hard (but didn't say) "Guess you're not a fan of Harry Potter...?" I refuse to get into that debate but (and this is for S)...where's my cup?

There is a young child downstairs screaming like an orc....sorry, that's my ADD moment for the day.

On to the cinema.....Pan's Labyrinth! It debuted in selected theaters last Friday and is supposed to have a broad release this coming Friday although viewing the release list on their website it will be February before the movie makes it to Alabama :(

This gothic fairy tale is apparently not for the kiddies as it is rated R for graphic violence and some language. The graphic at the top is one of the creatures featured (!!) in trailers and publicity and is alone enough to hook me in to seeing this movie. Will it give me nightmares?....possibly Will it be the best film I've seen in recent memory?.......I certainly hope so!

KT! Fair warning....I'll do my best to talk you into seeing this one!

KT and I have not had great luck with seeing "good" movies. First, I believe, was Brotherhood of the Wolf. I can't begin to tell you how excited we were to go see this and the depth of disappointment we felt on the way out of the theater. Corndog on a stick! What I remember of the plot was very shaky, the monster was less than terror-inspiring, and the acting was right out of a Massengill commercial! Ick!

Another I remember was The Others with Nicole Kidman. I really liked this one but practically everyone else in the group said they had figured out the twist long before it got there. I just seem to have an overdeveloped capacity for suspension of disbelief. How was I to know they were the dead ones? Looked pretty lively to me!

Next we have Van Helsing....when I learn how to insert sound bites I'll put a good retch in right here. What really ruined it for me was the chick's constant posing. Legs planted, hands on hips, boobs leading the way...that is, before she turned tail and ran right in the middle of her "I'm the defender of my family" speech, which was more often than not cut short by a terrified screech and a plea for salvation to whatever man she was in the scene with. Now I'm not saying you don't sometimes need help...I myself am terrified of spiders. But I don't talk smack about the little arachnid bastards then scream and run when I see one either. I talk about screaming and running when I see one, then follow through on that when the occasion presents itself :)

Let's see...ah, The Village. OK, you've pulled the guilty secret out of me. I Love M. Night Shyamalan! Sorry, can't help it...I'll see anything he does (and for those keeping score, I loved Lady in the Water also!) Anyway, The Village was creepy right up to the twist and I was not disappointed that it was nothing more than a commune for the disenchanted. Sometimes I wouldn't mind having an escape from the rigors of everyday life too...yes, even if it meant making the slide back to outdoor plumbing! I like isolation sometimes. It used to be all the time so I've definitely shown improvement :)

KT and I made a very short-lived proclamation to see all of the Academy Award contenders one year. I lived through one, The Constant Gardener, although I believe KT followed through on more than that. The Gardener was a very sad story, based on John LeCarre's novel of the same name, about a widower investigating the death of his beloved wife. Like most investigations he not only uncovered what he'd wanted to know, but also much more of what he did not. His wife was leading a double life and paid the price for it, a price that the husband will also have to pay for prying. I sniffled, I admit it.

If we've seen any other movies together I don't recall them right now. I LOVE movies and watch them all the time (don't have cable and only one fuzzy local station) but I don't get to the theater for new releases very often. I have to really feel the call of something before I'll shell out the $6-9 to see it on the big screen!

Adiós!

htw

Birthday Toes, Carnage and Tears

Do I have your attention now?! :-)

Now, the birthday toes were (and I suppose, are) fun and beautiful! It was Mom's birthday yesterday but we did our celebrating on Saturday by going to Cracker Barrel for lunch, getting pedi's and mani's, and perusing the selections at my new favorite store, the World Market! The most important part of this day's work was the pedicure at A Nail Shop II in Moody. Go there now! Go there often! Not only are the employees are some of the nicest I've met, but the pedicure chairs will take you off-planet...in a good way :) These are top of the line shiatsu chairs and are like nothing else!

As for the carnage and tears, those were viewed (for the former) and experienced (for the latter). Yesterday's viewing of the movie Children of Men was excellent in IMHO, not sure exactly how T felt about it. In a setting in the not-too-distant future (2027) the women of the world have not given birth since 2008. All the nations of the world have destroyed themselves except Britain and even there, religious factions terrorize each other and everyone not taking sides in the war against infertility. It falls to one mostly broken man to help an inexplicably pregnant girl find refuge from those who would take her baby.

This movie is full of gunfights, splattering blood, and the occasional dismemberment. The scenes were stark and the camera bounced around quite a bit but that made me feel as if I were creeping the streets with them and gave it an almost documentary-like edge. In one particularly violent moment, blood splatters the camera and it is left there for several frames. I got caught back up in the story and don't remember exactly when it was no longer there.

The reactions of the people, soldiers, refugees, and rebels alike when they hear the cry of that baby are so different from what you expect. The baby's cry brought the battle to a temporary standstill as the soldiers gazed with awe at that tiny face. The "shock and awe" of this movie revolves around the birth, not the battle.

I'll say right now that I was entranced by the movie but not the ending and leave it at that. I am not one for spoilers so if you want to know more I suggest that you see it! Otherwise, the Internet will no doubt fulfill the information needs of the lazy!

...wish I'd had more time to post, but on the other hand, you have different fingers :)

Adiós!

htw

A Great Adoption Story!

I have adopted from humane societies many times and it is a wonderful experience each and every time I go in, which is why I don't go more....I don't want to become the old lady who lives in a shoe. My Greater Birmingham Humane Society E-Newsletter had a great story to share today about Koppel the dog.

In other news, I finally, finally, finally got into the class I wanted, Materials and Services for Young Adults! I really believe this class might be helpful in bringing me out of the mental slump I've been in for the past 2 semesters. I can hardly wait to get into all the teen books with which I am unfamiliar. A teen reader looking for a good book is enough to strike fear in my heart! It will be a lot of work, I know, but it will be fun and it will be worth it. This is supposed to be Dr. A's last semester before retirement so I've eked in under the wire.

I'm off for the weekend and am going to fight the obsession to come into work just to post. It shouldn't be that difficult as it is my Mom's birthday (!!!) and T and I are going to see Children of Men, which I'll review on Monday and I am überexcited about Pan's Labyrinth but that won't be out in theaters until next week.

Adiós!
htw

My Kingdom for a Haircut

That's an exaggeration really, my haircut was reasonably priced and VERY well done (Thanks Meesha (sp?) and Misty!)....I'll definitely be going back. For anyone else looking, I had a great experience at Salon on Church this morning! I was looking around and getting a feel for the place, watched the lady next to me getting a perm (and remembering the one I got in the early 90's...Mom, please burn those photos), and noticed a local television news reporter two seats down! I felt myself grinning foolishly and had to tone it down...no need to wear out my welcome on the first visit.

On the reading front, I've just started a novel I found through my newest favorite blog, Cinematical. All things film-related, and I do mean ALL, can be found there and it is the best team of bloggers, very inspirational to this newbie. I use Bloglines for my RSS feed subscriptions and am absolutely addicted to Cinematical. Anyway, Theodore Roszak's novel Flicker is on the docket to be made into a film by the same director who did The Fountain. I'm a mere 31 pages into it and am fascinated. It is much more literary than the books I normally go for but I just find the language so beautiful:

"How diabolically ironic it was that I should have been summoned to the serious study of film by these French and Italian sirens. As I remember them now--Gina Lollobrigida, Simone Signoret, Martine Carol--they brim with the bright promise of love, the insurgent fertility of life. But the hunger of the flesh as I learned it from them was only the beginning of a darker adventure; though I could never have guessed it, beyond them lay the labyrinthine tunnel that led down and down into the world of Max Castle. There, among old heresies and forgotten deities, I would learn that both life and love can be bait in a deadly trap.
Still I must be grateful, knowing that the awkward desire these few fleeting moments of cinematic seduction quickened in me was the first early-morning glimmer of adulthood. Through them, I was learning the difference between the sexual and the sensual. Sex, after all, is a spontaneous appetite; it bubbles up from the adolescent juices of the body without shape or style. We are born to it like all the simple animals that mindlessly rut and mate. But sensuality--raw instinct reworked by art into a thing of the mind that can be played with endlessly--that is grown-up human. It idealizes the flesh into a fleshless emblem (Roszak 20-21)."

From these first few 31 pages, I'm visualizing the narrator as a young adolescent boy evolving into a new, more sophisticated phase of life; leaving behind the old conventions and entering a world were everything is new and not always pleasant. I am excited to follow him on this journey and see what dark, shadowed corners he finds. From the blurb I know the story involves subliminal messages, murder, and worse but it should be a heck of a ride! We'll just have to see as far as the movie prospects are concerned. If it pans out I can use it at the Movie Tie-in meeting of the Reader's Advisory Roundtable!

Roszak, Thomas. Flicker. Summit Books: New York, 1991. ISBN 0671728318

Adiós!
htw

The Crud...

I really would have had a great day but I woke up this morning with an extremely sore throat and a stuffy nose. I know the first thing to come to mind is obviously strep, but the stuffiness mostly negates that diagnosis (based on my oh so accurate Internet research). It has gotten better over the course of the day but I'm just so tired with a little headache threatening behind my eyes. I just don't want it to get back down in my lungs and cause another bout with bronchitis, no way...but enough about that.

I was taken to lunch today by my favorite library family, the G's. We ate at Zoe's and had the best visit. I originally had a hair appointment booked but canceled immediately when that little happy face said, "Miss Holley, we want you to eat lunch with us!" There is always time to get a hair cut but C has to go back to school tomorrow, so sad. After lunch he begged me not to go back to work and to go to the movies with them, but alas, my days of skipping out on work were over about 8 or 9 years ago. I wouldn't have hesitated then :-)

Jumping to another topic...we've been exceptionally busy today! Phone ringing all the time, questions from every direction, a couple of the computers pooped out after lunch, the copier was making random and reduced size copies one minute (for those in the know, it of course had absolutely nothing to do with the user, Mr. Grumpy Newspaper Funnies) and jamming the next.

I'll try to remember to post weird library happenings when they occur as well. It doesn't matter the tax bracket, every library has at least one peculiar patron...most have scores. Take Nasty Coffee Man (NCM) for instance...picture this--it's late, the free coffee is gone, what do you do? If you're NCM, you simply pour all the cold remnants left by the last 11 hours of coffee drinkers into a cup and PRESTO! You have yourself a nice, cold, backwash cup of other people's spit...oh, and there's coffee in there too. I'm not lying folks, other people have had sightings!

The only other rating a nickname is Itchy Butt Man. Now, sometimes your butt itches and you (hopefully) discreetly scratch, but there is a big difference between scratching your butt and scratching your anus...especially IN PUBLIC! He was walking away from S and I at the time he started scratching. Apparently not able to satisfy this particular itch, he proceeded to hike one leg up to the side and his hand disappeared. Maybe it is simply a girl thing, but that is where I draw the line. This person also takes our newspapers, newspapers THE COMMUNITY reads, into the men's room and leaves them in the floor of the handicapped stall. Needless to say I no longer have anything to do with it after that. I'm not stupid and neither are you...come to your own conclusions.

Adiós!
htw

Copy Cat...that's me!

Alright! I admit it! But I loved this as soon as I saw it on KT's Blog so now I'm putting it on mine!
What have you done?
Everything I have done is in purple.
Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphins
Climbed a mountain
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside the Great Pyramid.
Held a tarantula.
Taken a candlelit bath with someone.
Said “I love you’ and meant it.
Hugged a tree.
Bungee jumped.
Visited Paris.
Watched a lightning storm at sea.
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise.
Seen the Northern Lights.
Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards).
Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa.
Grown and eaten your own vegetables.
Touched an iceberg. (to be fair, it was man-made for an exhibit of Titanic artifacts)
Slept under the stars.
Changed a baby’s diaper.
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon.
Watched a meteor shower.
Gotten drunk on champagne.
Given more than you can afford to charity.
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope.
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment.
Had a food fight.
Bet on a winning horse.
Asked out a stranger.
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can.
Held a lamb.
Seen a total eclipse.
Ridden a roller coaster.
Hit a home run.
Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking.
Adopted an accent for an entire day.
Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment.
Had two hard drives for your computer.
Visited all 50 states.
Taken care of someone who was drunk.
Had amazing friends.
Danced with a stranger in a foreign country.
Watched wild whales.
Stolen a sign.
Backpacked in Europe.
Taken a roadtrip
Gone rock climbing.
Midnight walk on the beach.
Gone sky diving.
Visited Ireland.
Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love.
In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them.
Visited Japan.
Milked a cow.
Alphabetized your CDs.
Pretended to be a superhero.
Sung karaoke.
Lounged around in bed all day.
Posed nude in front of strangers.
Gone scuba diving.
Kissed in the rain.
Played in the mud.
Played in the rain.
Gone to a drive-in theater.
Visited the Great Wall of China.
Started a business.
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken.
Toured ancient sites.
Taken a martial arts class.
Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight.
Gotten married.
Been in a movie.
Crashed a party.
Gotten divorced.
Gone without food for 5 days.
Made cookies from scratch.
Won first prize in a costume contest.
Ridden a gondola in Venice.
Gotten a tattoo.
Rafted the Snake River.
Been on television news programs as an “expert”.
Got flowers for no reason.
Performed on stage. (It was impromptu and needs to be forgotten)
Been to Las Vegas.
Recorded music.
Eaten shark.
Had a one-night stand.
Gone to Thailand.
Bought a house.
Been in a combat zone.
Buried one/both of your parents.
Been on a cruise ship.
Spoken more than one language fluently.
Performed in Rocky Horror.
Raised children.
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour.
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country.
Picked up and moved to another city to just start over.
Walked the Golden Gate Bridge.
Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking.
Had plastic surgery.
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
Wrote articles for a large publication.
Lost over 100 pounds.
Held someone while they were having a flashback.
Piloted an airplane.
Petted a stingray.
Broken someone’s heart.
Helped an animal give birth.
Won money on a T.V. game show.
Broken a bone.
Gone on an African photo safari.
Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced.
Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol.
Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild.
Ridden a horse.
Had major surgery.
Had a snake as a pet.
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours.
Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states.
Visited all 7 continents.
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days.
Eaten kangaroo meat.
Eaten sushi.
Had your picture in the newspaper.
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about.
Gone back to school.
Parasailed.
Petted a cockroach.
Eaten fried green tomatoes.
Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey.
Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read.
Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
Skipped all your school reunions.
Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language.
Been elected to public office.
Written your own computer language.
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream.
Had to put someone you love into hospice care.
Built your own PC from parts.
Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you.
Had a booth at a street fair.
Dyed your hair.
Been a DJ.
Shaved your head. (half of it anyway)
Caused a car accident.
Saved someone’s life. (so my mom says)

Wow, I've been busy :)
Adiós!
htw

Happy New Year!

I hope the New Year finds all of my friends and family hearty and hale!

I had a great one myself. D's owner got back into town, I did the Christmas thing and had dinner at KT's, and then I went off to my friend T's house for the New Year's Eve extravaganza! There were fewer of us there than in years past but life intrudes on even the most sacred traditions sometimes :)
I've really got to figure out how to get the photos off my camera....KT's girls got a salon set complete with a tiny hair dryer (1 AA battery produced an amazingly realistic sound) and curlers and they had the best time "fixing" my hair. Mistakenly thinking we were through, I started to stand up at one point and Scout said "Thit back down Aunt Holley, I got thome more hairdo to put on." Good times, good times...especially with the champagne and pizza! For some serious family time check out KT's blog, The Burrow!

New Year's at T's was a great time too. I missed last year so it was treat to get back over there. I behaved myself, didn't maul anyone, and didn't blow up any one's body OR car with fireworks. Several years ago I had a fireworks "incident" (note to self: never drink and light) in which a mortar that was supposed to detonate a football field's length in the air actually went off about 2 feet off the ground. I (and others) will forever see the frozen tableau of people running for cover silhouetted against the brilliant magenta light of an exploding mortar shell...the next year I was forbidden from lighting anything and they got me a kiddie pack to play with...think sparklers and those little white pouches that pop when you throw them on the ground! It was a bit humiliating, but I lived through it...life just seems a better place when you learn that you can't actually die from embarrassment :)

I don't regret missing the New Year's Extravaganza at T's last year (you know what I mean, 2005!). I spent it with one of my very best friends, Dana Dillard. Her chemo treatments had kept her from coming to work for a while and she was pretty much alone so I spent it with her, sitting on the couch, hanging out, and eating popcorn until she fell asleep about 10:30...just too tired to make it to midnight :) Dana died this past November 1st and it was a bittersweet memory yesterday, but one I'll treasure.

Adiós

htw