Worth a Thousand Words

"The Ermine Portrait" of Elizabeth I, 1585, by Nicholas Hilliard

Happy Birthday, Dear Tom!

That is not a photo of my cake but it looks as if chocoholic Tom would like it ... so we'll see how close I can get to reproducing it with Chocolate Buttermilk Cake and Chocolate Malt Frosting.

Happy Birthday to my dear and darling husband!

Thank You St. Francis and St. Anthony!

For your intercessory prayers ...

Unto us a prodigal daughter has been returned ... after over 24 hours disappearance in the wilds of outdoors, after Rose walked the streets for over an hour yesterday seeking and not finding ...

... this morning she opened the door to the garage and in bounded our wayward cat, Truffles, with her tail held high.

As if we hadn't each looked in that garage many times!

However, no matter where that silly cat was, she is home and all is forgiven. Whew!

Superhero Highlight: The Candy Man

Continuing the stories of superheroes devised by Hannah and Jenny (more about that can be found here as well as the first description)

The Candy Man

Power: Causing candy to explode at the touch of his hand
Back-story: As a child, The Candy Man was never allowed to partake in the delectable confections more commonly known as candy (and handsome candy at that). The inner angst caused by the deprivation of such treats caused anger to fester inside of him for years. The Candy Man committed a youthful indiscretion, however, when he gave into a whimsical lark, deciding to finally have his fill of confectionery delights. However, when his hand first touched the colored, candy-coating of a peanut M&M, all the pent up anger of his childhood years surged through him, causing the small, chocolate-covered peanut to explode. After being released from the emergency room, where his third degree hand burns were treated, he realized the awesome power that was now his and committed the next fourteen years to the honing of his skills. Now that his anger had a productive outlet, he was able to finally hold down a day job, but spent his nights as THE CANDY MAN, serving up sweet justice to the city’s most dastardly of villains.

Cover: Overenthusiastic bathroom attendant (and a handsome bathroom attendant at that)

Cover name: Brett Bretterson

Partner: The String

Introduction to partner: After hearing the distressed calls of those that would soon be deprived of *awful candy* The Candy Man entered a neighborhood candy shoppe to foil the thievery attempts of a dangerous pack of sugar-crazed miscreants. The Candy Man threw wave after wave of jelly beans and sour worms at the hooligans until he heard their cowardly cries of retreat. Upon leaving the now charred and battered candy shoppe, a young dentist, picket sign in hand and floss at his side, began to follow him. After countless attempts to rid himself of this young oral hygiene activist, whom he learned was called The String, proved fruitless, The Candy Man decided to use this nuisance to his advantage. After receiving many a free dental checkup, a dynamic duo was formed, and they have been ridding their fair town of evil and plaque ever since.

Archnemesis: Mortimer Matlock, his number one competition in the world of bathroom attending
==========
Next superhero feature coming: Backwards Man.

Worth a Thousand Words

'Chin Chin Kobakama'
Published by Takezirou Hasegawa in 1925.

Just a couple of the many delightful samples of Japanese Crepe Paper Fairy Tales found at BibliOdyssey.

Watch the Skies...

... or more accurately your in-box. Tor Books is promoting their new website with a free audiobook download a week as well as some other nice things. Via Sci Fi Catholic.

Something new is coming.

A science fiction and fantasy site not quite like any you’ve seen before, mixing news, commentary, original stories and art, your own comments and conversations, and more. A place on the net you may find yourself wanting to visit—and participate in—every day.

Once you register, you’ll receive our newsletter and a link to download a digital book, as well as free wallpapers from bestselling and award-winning SF and fantasy authors and artists. And you’ll receive a link to another new book, and new wallpapers, every week. Additionally, you’ll be entered in our Watch The Skies Sweepstakes to win the very cool Asus Galaxy EEE mobile PC.*

Our current free book is Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder. Next week’s book will be Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest.

So sign up. Stay in touch. And watch the skies.

Worth a Thousand Words

From Flickr Doors Pool. Originally uploaded by dicktay2000

Doesn't this look like a storybook doorway?

Nick, I lost your email ...

Someone named Nick sent me an email about priests and a prolife site ... and I have lost it.

Please email me again!

More Annhiliation Reviews

March Hare gives it 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks over at Catholic Media Review.

My pal Owen sent an email with his wife's review:

I really enjoyed the book - it was well written, I enjoyed the humour, lots of twists, a good attempt at making the angelic relationships and characters strong... I would rate it as very, very good but not exceptional - as in, I was able to put it down without feeling like I had to tear myself apart.

I concur. If you missed my review, you can read it here.

Juno: The "Indie" Movie for People Who Never Watch Indie Movies

We saw Juno this weekend. It was ok.

Like Little Miss Sunshine (which I enjoyed more than I did Juno) it was a "mainstream" indie-style movie that I imagine seemed unique and fresh to people who don't venture beyond regular Hollywood movies.

The acting was great. The directing was great.

It was the screenplay I objected to ... that Oscar winning screenplay. As Tom pointed out, there were no real conflicts. Everything was solved too easily. Juno spent more time being flip and glib than anything and I found it profoundly annoying until the last third of the movie, when we were finally allowed some sort of insight into various characters.

Yes, it was pro-life. Go team. However, the baby essentially acts as a catalyst to get everyone to examine their relationships.

If you want a better movie, a real indie movie that makes points about people and relationships in a much more real way (albeit without any impending baby), rent Eagle vs. Shark.

Worth a Thousand Words

The Sari by Karin Jurick

Click through on the title link to see more of her work.

Worth a Thousand Words

Young Britt Williams from the Library of Congress Photos on Flickr.

Click through on the title link to see more.

Superhero Highlight: The Scrabbler

I love all of these stories but anything that includes the words: "...keeping them preoccupied with her own brand of justice, one that would have made William F. Buckley cry like a little girl" sends it whooshing to the top of my list.

Continuing the stories of superheroes devised by Hannah and Jenny (more about that can be found here as well as the first description)

The Scrabbler

Power: Can make really good words out of leftover Scrabble tiles

Back-story: As a child, The Scrabbler was grossly mistreated at the hands of her evil stepmother, Stella Stairbottom. As the queen of their village, Stella Stairbottom feared that The Scrabbler would one day usurp her power and steal the throne. In order to prevent this, Stella Stairbottom employed the only logical solution: she locked away her not-evil stepdaughter in a tower, with the sparse provisions of Scrabble and a set of dictionaries, and sometimes food. Unbeknownst to the evil stepmother, but knownst to us, The Scrabbler had a fairy godmother. She wasn’t a very good fairy godmother, but she wanted to help The Scrabbler. So after seeing The Scrabbler’s prowess on that rickety old Scrabble board, the fairy godmother bestowed upon her a set of magical Scrabble tiles with the power to draw anyone into a game of Scrabble by entrancing them with their beauty. Unfortunately for her evil stepmother, but fortunately for The Scrabbler, Stella Stairbottom used REALLY old locks, and after eighteen years they fell apart, freeing The Scrabbler. Unsure what to do with her newfound freedom, The Scrabbler decided to use her powers to ensure that no one like Stella Stairbottom ever terrorized the populace again. She spent her days luring criminals into Scrabble games until the local police forces arrived to serve them justice, keeping them preoccupied with her own brand of justice, one that would have made William F. Buckley cry like a little girl.

Cover: Mild-mannered English teacher (and a gorgeous English teacher at that)

Cover name: Ingram Inglebaum

Partners: The Lincolnator, Halfsies

Introduction to partner: Fighting crime is expensive work, so in order to make some cash, (some easy cash, might I add) The Scrabbler would sometimes place a wager on a Scrabble game. In one such instance, The Scrabbler happened to be playing The Lincolnator, who, although a formidable contender in the world of crime-fighting, was no match for The Scrabbler’s skills on the Scrabbler board. As is customary when betting, the Lincolnator began to hand over the agreed-upon sum: a crisp new Hamilton. But the moment the ten-dollar bill touched The Scrabbler’s HAND, a thousand pennies exploded into the air (but didn’t hurt anyone). Upon realizing each other’s awesome power, The Scrabbler and The Lincolnator joined forces, to become a powerful crime-fighting pair, serving justice to the city’s most evil jerkfaces.

Archnemesis: The winner of the national spelling bee, she’s just so darn good at vocabulary
==========
Next superhero feature coming: The Candy Man.

No Coleslaw?

From Engrish.com where you can enjoy all the wacky ways English is misunderstood.

The Endearing Story of Sam the Goose

Sam the goose helps crossing guards shepherd children across the busy intersection of Liberty Grove and Princeton in Rowlett.

Once upon a time, down a two-lane road, past a field with horses and near an elementary school, a big ol' goose lived in a sparkling, blue pond.

Each morning, the goose saw children laughing and talking while walking to school. Two friendly crossing guards helped the children cross a busy intersection to get to class.

He was intrigued, this curious goose. One day in February he left his pond pals, a duck and a swan, and waddled through the grass, past the large rocks, onto the sidewalk, to the intersection. ...

Who would not love this story? Read it all The Dallas Morning News where you can also see the video of Sam working.

Oh the Movies I've Seen

Watched in 2008.

1. The Village***...quiet and different from Shamyalan's other movies but still a very good look at our connectedness to each other, the importance of each individual's finding their own purpose, and also at how we cannot avoid violence in our lives.
   


2. Lady in the Water***...also very different from Shamyalan's other movies but we enjoyed it quite a bit. A fairy story in modern times is how it has been labeled by some but we realized early on that it is urban fantasy a la Neil Gaiman's style of story telling. Again we see the director's common themes of our connectedness to each other and the importance of finding our own purpose in life. This is set against the theme of how it is important to leave behind preconceptions so we can see things for what they really are, as well as conquering fear and self doubt in order to do what we must.
   


3. Helvetica***** ... are you a "typomaniac?" If you come out of this movie with a crush on Helvetica, as Hannah's friend Jenny did, then you know that the answer to that question should be yes! This documentary, done on the typeface Helvetica's 50th birthday, manages not only to tell us about this particular typeface but to remind the general viewer that type is now a design element that is all around us. In the various attitudes and feuds of the type designers that are interviewed, one also gets a glimpse of the passion that art arouses. Yes, even those who practice the art of graphic design. We had to wait for over a month to rent this documentary as it was always out every weekend. Which just goes to show how quirky our neighborhood is, full of designers and advertising people.
   


4. Moliere**** ... a la Shakespeare in Love but much better done. On the point of his triumphant return to Paris, Moliere flashes back thirteen years to remember a pivotal time in his life. This is a very funny movie on several levels and if one knows his plays it is undoubtedly even funnier. As someone who does not know Moliere's work, I can recommend the movie anyway.
   


5. 30Rock - The first season**** ... not a movie but surely logging in all these hours counts for something! Absolutely hilarious and we could kick ourselves for not having watched sooner. Set behind the scenes of a variety show a la Saturday Night Live, this focuses on the writers, actors, and management.


6. Extras - The first season**** ... again not a movie but a truly funny and sometimes poignant British television series. Focusing on an actor who seems doomed to always be an extra and desperately wants to get a line in a production, this character-driven comedy is funny on many levels. Not the least of that comedy is that each episode features a well-known actor who is shown "behind scenes" with humor deriving from the fact that they are playing against type of their well known public personas. This is when you realize what good sports Kate Winslet, Patrick Stewart, and Ben Stiller really are. Doubtless I would realize that about British actors Ross Kemp and Les Dennis except I never heard of them before.


7. Extras Finale movie***-essentially took longer and darker look at the last episode of season 2. A good and thoughtful look at the effects of fame versus standing up for what we believe ... but the funny moments are few and far between.
   


8. Avenue Montaigne**** ... subtitled in French ... light comedy about a young waitress, Jessica, seeking her fortune in Paris. This is an area where the elite work and play. She comes into contact with a concert pianist, an actress, and a widower who is selling his art collection in a nearby gallery. Each character has a primary motivation behind their story which we see developed as the waitress carries trays across the street to where they live and work. Although this movie is handled quite differently from Amelie, the main message is quite similar; one must take a risk to gain what one needs from life. My favorite moments, and those which communicate the movie's sweet heart best, is watching Jessica's love for her grandmother shown through her patience. When her grandmother inevitably asks, "Did I ever tell you how I worked at the Ritz?" Jessica always says no and settles back to listen to the story again. Highly enjoyed by the whole family.
   
   
9. Bourne Ultimatum****-finally another movie trilogy with three good movies to its name (Lord of the Rings being the other). This actually is the second half of the second movie. Well done and clever in the way it overlaps with parts from the second movie. An action thriller with "everyman" Matt Damon playing perfectly to the part of self realization at what he has become and what he wants to be instead.
   
   
10. Once**** - quiet little movie about two musicians who meet and inspire each other. Probably gives the best authentic feel for what it is like to musically create something for those of us who never will.
    
    
11. Death at a Funeral** - a so-so movie that has some very funny moments but that probably isn't enough to make you want to watch it.
    
    
12. Across the Universe****-very good interpretations of over 30 Beatles' songs loosely strung together to tell the musical story of the rebellious Sixties nad an American girl and English boy who fall in love. Think "Shakespeare in Love" a la The Beatles, psychedelic scenes, Vietnam war protest and the like. Much more of a plot than I expected and the choreography for the dance scenes was fantastic. I especially enjoyed the Janis Joplin/Jimi Hendrix subplot. A bit long in places and the war scenes could have been trimmed considerably. However, recommended overall.
    
    
13. No Reservations***-American remake of Mostly Martha (my review) is fairly good for the first two-thirds of the movie. However, due to their dropping an essential plot point from the original screenplay, the last third of the movie is left with nowhere original to go and, thus, "goes Hollywood" with a predictable ending. Not a bad movie, just not equal to the original.
    
    
14. Second-Hand Lions****-a much better movie than the trailers would have had us believe. This successfully pulls off what Big Fish left unfinished ... characters that not only tell a very good story, but do so with a sense of growth and development, as well as closure.


15. Juno*** -my review is here


16. The Sons of Katie Elder** - this western has the star power but not the script or director to make it a great movie. It is really, really long though ... or maybe it just felt that way.


17. The Bone Collector****-Denzel Washington is the forensics investigator who is paralyzed and wants to die. Angelina Jolie is the rookie cop with a natural eye for forensics who he pushes into helping investigate serial murders happening around NYC. Yes, there are some plot holes but I liked it anyway.


18. Sweeney Todd****-The tale of the grief-crazed barber whose insanity turns him to murder. As well as his deluded partner from the pie shop downstairs whose insanity matches that of Todd as she merrily bakes the human remains into pies. This is Tim Burton so the blood is everywhere but this is quite an effective film. Revenge begets nothing but more revenge while redemption comes at the hands of a child.
    


19. Guys & Dolls****-from when musicals were really musicals, this Damon Runyan story adaptation about gamblers hits some very high notes especially with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra as the main two characters. Brando can sing much more than you'd think and he adds an edge of evil to the cynical character he plays. Choreography was done by the same person who did it for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. 'Nuff said.
    
    
20. Iron Man****-Really great look at a comic book character who must reform his dissolute, uncaring life and take responsibility for having had his head in the sand while his company has actively hurt others. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect in this dual role of the rakish, devil-may-care playboy and reformed savior of the people.
    
    
21. Lawrence of Arabia****--much better than I thought it'd be. I imagined something like Dr. Zhivago, long and boring and instead of ice ... lots of sand everywhere. There was sand with fantastically beautiful shots of the desert. This was a surprisingly compelling look at the life of an extraordinary man in extraordinary times. O'Toole did a fantastic job of portraying innocence and enthusiasm with a strange twist (how about that lit match thing?) which then turns into an intermittant Messiah-complex. It was sheer pleasure to watch so many great actors portraying the different roles ... especially young Omar Sharif. What a looker!
    
    
22. Lars and the Real Girl****-my review is here.
    
    
23. Wall-E*****--my review is here.
    

This list doesn't included movies that were rewatched.

Worth a Thousand Words

Lemon Wheel by Duane Keiser

Click the title link to see more of his work.

Approaching Atheists: What Can Christians Do?

This is an interesting project from The Cynical Christian and Jen from "Et Tu?." They very kindly invited me to participate but I have to honestly say that the two sorts of atheists I have encountered have been open-minded (like my friend Toby) or not wanted to talk at all (AT ALL) about God (that would be my mother).

Most of the heavy-duty flack I get comes from those who already are Christian.

The series can be found here at The Cynical Christian. I haven't had a chance to read through everything yet but will be doing so. They may be addressing exactly the sorts of atheists I know.

C'mon and read along with me!

I Just Can't Get Away from Apologetics

Or so it would seem.

I had these thoughts.

Which were responded to by the original thought-provoker in this post.

Which in turn made me notice the definition you see in this book review.

It came up in our scripture study last night. Again. I meant to review a book that I mentioned at that time and that I think is an interesting approach but see that I left it at home. Probably just as well. I need to be working!

For now, I will leave this apologetics advice out there for us to ponder.

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.

1 Peter, 3:16-17

The Divine Protection Racket?

God may be in control, but I don’t think my prayers providing him with lists of things that need to be prevented and rescued really gets his attention.

So I’m having trouble joining in with prayers for God to protect various people from various things, or prayers asking God to straighten out all kinds of problems which I suppose he could have stopped from happening anyway.

In my desire to have a Christ-shaped spirituality, I’m convinced that Jesus didn’t offer his services to “protect” his disciples from bad things. He seems pretty clear that all kinds of bad things are going to happen to them, and he’ll work with whatever comes along.

This article from The Internet Monk could have been written by Tom. He comments to me often about people's expectations in prayer not matching what Jesus said about it in the Bible. We discuss time and again that prayer is about bringing ourselves internally more in line with God and relationship with Jesus than about changing the externals of our situations. Yes miracles happen, but as with Jesus' example, they act as signs of God's power and presence ... Check out the post. It's a good 'un.