TBC, One Year Later

Our Teen Book Club has been up and running for a year now, and we're beginning year two! I can't quite believe that. We've had a great year, and learned quite a bit. We've got a new reading list for the next year all picked out, and I'm totally excited for it! We'll be reading:

Little Britches by Ralph Moody -- October
Julius Caesar by Shakespeare -- November
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott -- January
Hamlet by Shakespeare -- February
The Odyssey by Homer -- March
The Virginian by Owen Wister -- April
St. Joan by Mark Twain -- May

The kids did the selection of these titles, all chosen from our list of 400 classic titles in several genres. I'm excited! This is a great list with quite a variety of titles.

If you know anyone, ages 12-18, who like to read and would like to discuss books with some like-minded kids, contact me! We'd love to have new additions to our group.

Don't Worry...

...I haven't lost my mind. What I did was put tickers on my blog for both my dogs' ages. I guess that makes me weird and dog-obsessed, but they're mildly fun, and why not? Besides, it's not like you readers don't hear about them, anyway. If you're looking at this poor, neglected blog in the first place, it's not a revelation to you that I'm way into my doggles. They are smart, fun, affectionate and, it must be said, gorgeous. They break the cute barrier every day of their furry little lives. So, they get permanent placement on the blog with some low-tech graphics. Worse things have happened.

Things are weird in Juli-land; having no YW obligations this summer has left me just a tiny bit at sea, wondering what I did with myself before I had Mia Maids to worry about. It was a good seven years, though, so I'm not complaining. Just shifting gears. Who wants to go to the movies on Wednesday nights? I'm free. :)

Crunchy and Delightful

These are my current obsession. My co-workers are wondering what the munching sound is, coming from my cube. You guys now know. Why can't I enjoy quieter snacks?

Book Into Movie

Jane Eyre has been at the top of my list of favorite books for lots of years. Love it. What I haven't loved are the poorly-done film adaptations of the book that I've seen over the years. Inevitably, some fool screenwriter tampered with the story enough to kill it, and no actors measured up to my imagination's conception of the characters.

Suddenly, a new hope arises...

I've read several good reviews of this newest film version of the story. A.O. Scott of the NY Times even said, "Reader, I liked it." ZING!

My hopes are foolishly high, but I can't help it! I love Jane. I love Mr. Rochester. And I'm hoping to meet them on the cinematic plane, with all their magical qualities intact and rendered vividly beautiful. Yes, I want seeing this movie to be as satisfying as reading the book was. I know, it's quite a bit to hope for. Wish me luck.

UPDATE: I absolutely recommend that you see this, if you love the book. It's pretty true to the story, and the feeling of it is perfect; brooding, solitary, bleak, punctuated by glimpses of what's going on in the characters' minds. The music is good, too. But please, please, read the book first. It's the best, and as great as this movie is, it's just an interpretation of the original. So go get it, read it, and then call me so we can talk about how genius it is.

Yes.

I want this, and more of this. SNOW, PLEASE.

Recommendation

Best. Lotion. Ever. Get you some, ASAP. If you can't find it at a store, try here.

Tribute

Friends, you know me. I'm steady, reliable, down-to-earth. I'm not given to ridiculous obsessions. Much. And I'm certainly not some crazy pop culture-focused type, though I do follow most of what's going on in the world.

Yeah. Whatever. I'm just going to put something out there that very few people know about me, right here, right now. Get ready.

I love Duff Goldman. The shlubby, goofy, intense, kind of immature STAR of Ace of Cakes. Yes, he's allegedly romantically linked with the frizzy-haired, old French lady (uh huh, I said it) that works in his bakery. Yes, he's four years younger than I am. And yes, he's a celebrity and I am quite literally nobody. But I would TOTALLY marry him. Tomorrow.

Not for the money, friends. You know I'm not all about that. And certainly not for the fame. No way. Let's count the ways it would totally work out between us.

1) He's funny and goofy, but smart. Killer combo.

2) He's a musician. I'm not saying I am one, just saying I like musicians. And music.

3) He LOVES fireworks and fire. I've seen him put many kinds of fireworks IN cakes on his show. There's just nothing sexier, friends.

4) He's really attractive. Not everyone's going to think so, but I am INTO that shaved head and those big brown eyes.

5) He's Jewish, and I'm fine with that. Mazel tov, I say.

Ok, we can't list all the ways he's great. Let's sum up. The impression that I get is that he loves life and runs around having a good time and being happy and enthusiastic about everything. He's not too cool to be charmed and delighted by life; he is the opposite of disaffected and disillusioned. I dig that, big time.

So...his show is over. The Food Network cancelled it. What am I going to do without being able to watch him run around like crazy, being thrilled about cake and good times? I don't know. But I know he should move to Washington and marry me. His show's over. Looks like his schedule's wide open.

Get a move on, Duff Goldman. You'll love the Seattle area. We eat cake here. I'm sure that between the two of us, we can figure out what non-celebrity qualities I (literally) bring to the table. We're a couple of crazy kids, but we can make it.

Duff + Juli = True Love 4-Ever