All Hail Ms. Hepburn!

Katharine Hepburn is my absolute favorite actress. A rebel in so many ways, she was a feisty, upper-class lady who lived on the edge and didn't let society to dictate who she was or how she should behave. She had an attitude. Say what you want about her, but she was original and intriguing... and one can't hold their tongue when they have as many interesting things to say as she did.


I have loved her for quiet some time, but just finished her autobiography titled, Me: Stories of My Life. It is written in such a way that you can just hear her talking in the background, with her Bryn Mawr accent and her non-stop chatter. She's a riot in so many of her movies and consistently portrays an independent sort of woman with class, dignity, and humor...and looks good doing it.

You should read it if you have the chance...but only after getting to know her a little bit in the following movies, my favorites so far. The ones with the asterisk are the BEST and you must watch them!

Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story*,
Woman of the Year, Adam's Rib,
The African Queen, Desk Set*

Life and Death in a Tank

Life in a tank was good for my betta. Roger and I go back to September 2006, only 8 months ago, when I thought it might be nice to have a small life to care for. He was a sweet guy, as bettas go. He ate his freeze dried bloodworms like a good boy and swam around in excitement when I would return from a long day's work. I cleaned his tank regularly and tried my hardest to make sure the water was the right temperature, between 72-82 degrees, etc. etc.

Roger took a turn for the worse a about a month ago. He seemed bored and lethargic. He would just sit there, like nothing even mattered anymore. I started coming home to a bum who took no notice of my entry. His water was clean, he wasn't fed too little or too much... the right chemicals and conditioners had been administered to his bowl.

It must have just been his time to go. I left Chicago Friday night for Easter after feeding him with the expectation that I might be coming home to a dead fish on Sunday. Bettas can have complicated digestive tracks, or so I have read, so occasionally you are supposed to give them a day off from eating to allow them to clear things out. Sweet Roger. When I came home after the weekend he was face down and convulsing, trying to burrow himself into the river rocks below. This nut still convulsed for a while before I finally decided to euthanize him in the most humane way i knew how (believe me, I read up). I put him and some of his water into a small glass tea light holder several times bigger than him and put him in the freezer. This slowed down his heart rate so that he eventually fell asleep - while, at the same time, turned him and his water into an ice cube.

Rest in peace, buddy. You had a good life. You were the best - and only - fish I ever had. I won't replace you with another. I know you are in fish heaven feasting on real bloodworms and swimming in 82 degree crystal clear waters. Glad to have known you.

One

We spent this past weekend in Detroit celebrating TK's nephew's 1st birthday. It's crazy how much a person grows in only a year. Ryan got some books, clothes, some bath toys, a stroller, a firetruck to ride on, and - most importantly - a Cubs tee-shirt from his favorite uncle!

Calling All Book Lovers

I just found the most wonderful online tool I have ever come across. It is called LibraryThing and it rocks the casbah. LibraryThing helps you easily organize and catalog all of your books. Not only can you input all the books you own into your account, you can tag them by whatever headings you want, view information about your collection, get recommendations, and connect with other users who share the same books. I'm addicted!

Creating an account is simple and free. There are several ways that you can easily add titles, but I have found an ISBN search to be the most accurate. LibraryThing searches the Library of Congress, all five national Amazon sites, and more than 60 world libraries. Once you enter a title, the cover art and book information magically appear and low and behold you have a glorious bibliographic record in seconds! You can look at your personal catalog in either a "list" or a "cover" view. Each title has a book information page which gives you library-quality data that you can edit at your discretion. You can access your catalog from anywhere and so can anyone else who has your catalog's URL. (You can also keep your account private.) Check it out and create your own LibraryThing catalog today!

Here are a few articles where you can read up on LibraryThing:
St. Petersburg Times: Bibliophiles Unite!
PC Magazine: LibraryThing
Wall Street Journal: Social Networking for Bookworms
Library Journal: LibraryThing

I am working on a separate account for DVDs too, but click here to link to my book account so far.

National Library Week

Guess what! This week is National Library Week and it is a time to celebrate your library!

At the library, people of all backgrounds can come together for community meetings, lectures and programs, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to get a job or to find homework help, to gain access to adult and youth education programs, and to READ! Public, academic, school and special libraries transform their communities and play a vital role in supporting the community's quality of life. Librarians help people of all ages and backgrounds find and interpret the information they need to live, learn and work in the 21st century. Libraries are places for opportunity, education, self-help and lifelong learning. Today, libraries bring you a world of knowledge both in person and online.

I don't know about you, but growing up, my mom and dad encouraged us to be avid users of the public library. We would check out books upon books and enjoy them for weeks on end. I can't wait to show my children the wonders that the library will expose them to, but there are so many more things your library offers besides children's books and storytime. Take a trip to your local library and see what programming they offer for adults, and you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Special guest speakers, art galleries, discussion groups, cultural events, and other educational opportunities thrive at public libraries that are alive in their communities. (If your library isn't flourishing, it might be because they are lacking the funding they need to create growing opportunities for the community, so get out there and vote in their favor during your next local election!)

I encourage you to visit the library this week - and every week - to take advantage of the wonderful library resources available and thank your librarians and library workers for making information accessible to all who walk through the library’s doors.

"There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration."

~Andrew Carnegie

Easter!

For the past few years Amy, Andrew, TK and I have spent Easter weekend in Princeton, IL with the Johnsons. This year Hauna and Dustin came too and it was wonderful. When in Princeton, one simply eats, plays games, watches movies, eats, chit chats, sleeps, eats, laughs, and... did i mention eats? A special thanks to Joyce who prepared and hid some Easter baskets for a rousing outdoor hunt. Here are some pictures from the great weekend spent with dear friends.

Rule #1: Spend All Your Free Time in Church

In honor of Holy Week, I thought it would be 'appropriate' to share some videos a friend of mine just showed me... maybe you have already seen them. They were made by a church in North Carolina a few years ago to take a satirical look at some people think Jesus was like. They are pretty hilarious, but I am glad Jesus was far from the likes of this character. You can play all four videos through the links below.

Jesus Speaks with the Crazy Man


Jesus Shares with His Followers


Jesus Talks to His Disciples


Jesus Goes to the Temple