Where are our lives?
If there is no dream
Where is our home?

We don’t know how
There will be a way
Out of the storm
We will find home
– Kate Bush, “Lyra,” The Golden Compass

We went to see The Golden Compass at the UA theater at the end of our street, which theater we never go to because it’s twenty years old, and doesn’t have stadium seating, but since we were away during most of the December movie watching period, and the alternative was to drive to a theater in Dallas, which neither of us was inclined to do since it wasn’t an IMAX movie, we chose this. When we got there, we were pleasantly surprised to find that all shows between 4 and 6 are only $4. So hey, cheap tickets, nearly empty auditorium, and clean bathrooms all added up to a decent experience.

The movie itself was…well…I didn’t hate it, but even though I’ve only read the first book in the series, and even though that was six months ago (it seems) I was a bit disoriented by the shuffling of scenes. As many other readers of the novels are, I’m also disappointed that the last part of the book was chopped off, leaving the movie feeling incomplete.

Editing issues aside, I don’t have a major issue with the composite characters replacing a few of the originals, and I like the casting and the CGI animals, but it drives me crazy when movies that really aren’t childish are packaged as childrens’ films. This could have been better done.

After the film, we made trips to Barnes and Nobel, where I got books two and three and some comforting TrekFic, and Taco Bell, for weekend junk food. We watched last night’s episode of Stargate Atlantis, and now, I’m curled up with dogs and pillows and cold medicine and a comfort book, and Fuzzy’s upstairs playing computer games, and while this isn’t a very exciting evening on the surface, it’s good that we both know where home is.

A few weeks ago, kids from a local scout troupe were door-knocking in our neighborhood, asking if they could rake leaves for $5 / bag as a fund-raiser. Sadly, we have a gardener armed with rakes and a leaf blower, and had no leaves to offer them, so I gave them a donation of $20, and wished them luck. I’m not particularly pro-scout, though I was a brownie when I was a kid, but I think kids who are doing anything for a cause should be encouraged.

Besides, they’re so cute and eager at that age.

It got me wondering about the stuff I did when I was in grade school. The Scholastic Book catalogs, the candy sales, the M.S. Read-a-thon. Does anyone still do read-a-thons? And if they do, are they still raising money for research and treatment of multiple sclerosis, or is the cause more modern now. Are kids reading in support of treatment for malignant mesothelioma instead?

I participated in the read-a-thon for several years, but my favorite was the year we lived in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a cute beach-front town, just up the shore from Asbury Park. I’d solicited all the neighbors, but one of them said he’d only sponsor me if I came and gave a brief report of each book I’d read. I thought that was fair.

I’m a fast reader, so every couple days I’d visit and give overviews of what I’d read so far. I think the neighbor was impressed, at first, and a little concerned for his wallet, by the end, but he kept his part of the bargain, as I had mine.

I kind of miss the days when picking up a book was a way to promote change.

Folks, I’ve just posted my first author interview over at my bookblog, Bibliotica.com.

The author is Patricia Klindienst, the book is The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture & Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans, and part one of the five-part interview is here. (The other five parts are already posted, and links at the bottom of each take you backward or forward. Alternatively, you can go directly to Bibliotica, and work backwards. )

I’m eagerly awaiting my en route order from BPAL despite the fact that I tallied my collection of imps a couple weeks ago, and found that I had 96 different scents, plus bottles of a bunch of Limited Edition and Lunacy scents, plus one General Catalogue scent - Intrigue - and then today I found a handful of little tubes I hadn’t tallied, had not, in fact even removed from the last box, which was still sitting on my dresser from when I pulled “Singing Moon” out of it a few weeks ago.

If there was a sort of drug rehab equivalent for perfume, I would probably be an excellent candidate. At this point, I’m spending almost as much at Black Phoenix as I am on books. And we all know about my addiction to books.

Actually, I’m very proud of myself for ordering a mere three bottles from the last release, though my next bunch of blog money will probably be spent on some of the Halloween scents.

Yesterday I wore Intrigue.
Today I’m wearing Thunder Moon.

I find these perfumes to be incredibly inspiring - the descriptions as well as the scents.

I just got off the phone with my mortgage company. They’d sent a letter that made me panic momentarily, but the woman I spoke with straightened everything out and reassured me, and was extremely warm and outgoing, and we actually had a real conversation, for which I hope she doesn’t get in trouble.

I know it sounds weird to say that I had a delightful conversation with a person in a call center, but you see, we talked about books. I mentioned that I’m a writer and that I love my job, but had been frustrated because of my wire not showing up until after Labor Day - not my boss’s fault, the bank cut short their wire hours - and stuff like that.

She asked, “What do you write?”

I explained what I did and she shared that she writes romances and mysteries, and asked me for my web address, so that she could leave a note and tell me who she is, and I hope she does because she seemed like a really interesting person, and I’d love to know if I’ve read her work and maybe interview her for Bibliotica. She is also a former employee of that big financial company whose name rhymes with Pretty Tank.

I told her that I was working on getting my cafe series ready to query agents with and told her a bit about it, and she seemed really receptive to the concept, which is good, because it’s one thing to hear such things from your friends and family but quite another to hear it from a total stranger.

And so, with renewed vigor, I am writing reviews this afternoon, and later tonight, I will eat steak and salad, and work on my own writing, after taking for the dogs for walkies, which I’d planned to skip today because my knee is a bit sore, but the weather is divine, and being outside should not be missed.

Okay, time for more coffee.
Then, back to work!

Received the book via Amazon at 2:30 this afternoon, but only got about 300 pages in before we had to get ready to go to ComedySportz, where we started with only ten reserves, and ended up with a full house. I wasn’t playing tonight, but had made arrangements to shadow the Sound person, because I want to learn sound.

Afterwards a bunch of us went to dinner.

And then we came home and I had to give the dogs attention, and dinner, and Miss Cleo who tries to eat fingers when we attempt to clip her nails had ripped her dew claw apart digging up carpet, and we were just talking about dosing her with benadryl and clipping it, when she chewed it off.

So I just finished it about fifteen minutes ago, and I’m still digesting it, of course, and in a day or so there will be an actual review at Bibliotica but for now, I’m only going to repeat what I told my husband, which was that there were a few things I’d have preferred to be different, but overall it was immensely satisfying.

And then I just read almost the same words in one of the livejournals on my f-list.

I’ll admit my eyes are wet, and have been since a chapter near the end, and much of what happened was predictable, but…still…it was satisfying.

And with that, I am going to bed, and if we wake up before Monday, we’ll go see Hairspray.

I’m beginning to think someone somewhere really wants me to fall in love with BPAL’s scent called “Aureus.”

I say this because not only was it among a mystery pack I ordered from the forum, but it was a frimp (that’s free imp, or free sample) in my first BPAL order, as well as in my 3rd, which just arrived today. And this isn’t bad, exactly, except that it’s a bit to light and happy for me, and I keep giving away the imps I have of it, only to receive another.

The actual order was a bottle of Intrigue, and imps of Dee, Eclipse, Jolly Roger, Queen, Queen Mab, and Thaleia. Frimps (in addition to the afore-mentioned Aureus) are La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente, and Thalia.

The excitement of a new box of BPAL, btw, has boosted what started out as a great weekend. First, despite being in a blue funk, I fought through it and we had a great show last night. Then, last night over spinach and mushroom omelettes at IHOP, the waitress complimented my hair, and this morning, not only did I get to have a relaxing facial but I had my free eyebrow waxing, and Jennifer did an amazing job, though I’ll miss Monica.

Following that, I hung out at Barnes and Noble in Cedar Hill, nibbling on a cheese and tomato panini and sipping an iced latte - yay for the return of sun and mild weather. I also bought books, which will eventually appear over on the bookblog, including two which were signed by their respective authors, who were in the store celebrating Black History Month. Both were warm gregarious people, and invited me to email them with my thoughts, after I’d read their work. In a perfect display of balance, one author is male, the other female, one book is non-fiction, the other a novel. And then there was the OTHER $84 I spent on books.

There was a side-trip to Bath and Body Works, where I bought four bottles of antibacterial hand soap for $10 (total, not each), and, there was also the aquisition of pink lip gloss (’grapefruit’) from Aveda while I was there.

Back at B&N, I also bought the latest offering from the Gipsy Kings, one of my favorite musical groups ever, because they always sound so soulful and lusty in that loving life and sexy but not particularly sexual way.

I’m off to shower now, and then will go help out at CSz.

Yay sunshine, yay weekend, yay music, yay perfume, yay improv, yay me!