"To this end, I had sat well back on the form, and while seeming to be busy with my sum..." ~ Jane Eyre

Thursday's Three Day-Weekend To-Do List:
*originally made yesterday, hence some updates along with some commentary*


1) Freezer Cooking - gather recipes and make various dishes on Monday.

2) Beer (wheat) pickup (*check! I picked up a pack of Sea Dog Apricot Wheat Beer...mmm)

3) Plan Oktoberfest! (*check! I will be celebrating with friends at Zum Schneider in NYC)

4)Plan more dates to attend singles events in NYC in addition to Guggenheim First Friday; send email to the ladies to coordinate Guggenheim F.F. next week.

5) Martha Stewart email RSVP - I got tickets to see Martha Stewart during the last week of October. Martha is the goddess of my domestic diva idolatry.

6) Wedding stuff for J.Sarah - look over lists and calendar

7) Blog!

8) Catch up on emails and phonecalls

9) Gym - size four by J. Sarah's wedding or I wear a potato sack.

10) Clothes shopping - Lord and Taylor

11) Michael's Craft Store - get flower preserves (D.R. gave me the most beautiful basket of flowers last weekend and I want to preserve them; they are, by far, the BIGGEST arrangement of flowers I have ever gotten in my life!)

12) Get frame for "Pluto" sketch - (one of my students is an amazing artist and sketched Poe's "Black Cat" and I want to hang it in my library)

13) Weekend cleaning of apartment

14) Laundry

15) Directions to Coney Island - I am taking my father there for an afternoon as part of his birthday present; he turns 60 next month, so I want to give him a trip down memory lane. He is SO excited to go and that makes me SO happy.

16) Grading, lesson plans, etc.

17) Pay bills - blech. This can just be a real killjoy on any to-do list.

18) Pick up The Palest Eye at Barnes and Noble - this is a fictional story about Edgar Allan Poe solving a mysterious murder during his time at West Point. I am quite anxious to read it after I finish Gates of Fire by S. Pressfield.

19) Phone the Naked Manatee on Sunday to wish him a very Happy Birthday this weekend!

20) Football, football, football, football (Sunday).

21) Yankees, Yankees, Yankees, Yankees (all weekend).

**It would be interesting to hear some other weekend to-do lists from others...
Enjoy the weekend! **

"(She) will smile you a calm welcome, to be sure..." ~ Jane Eyre

In Samarra, Iraq, lies the Spiral Minaret (Al-Malweyya), built around 848AD. The original purpose of the minaret was as a watchtower; it was illuminated each night by bright torches. Now, minarets serve as a means to call prayer. Minarets are known to be the gate between heaven and earth.

Beside my nightstand, Al-Malweyya sits in the form of an etched out image in a piece of glass. It was given to me D.R a few days ago.; our friendship was built six years ago. I am very fortunate to have him in my life, for he illuminates my days. My constant call to prayers was answered over the past five months, and he is finally home after serving in Iraq.

I smile each time I look at Al-Malweyya because I know he never has to look at it again.

"I should, if I had deliberated, have replied to this question by something conventionally vague and polite..." ~ Jane Eyre

Thank you, kind Muses, for your assistance! I appreciate the questions, and I am so grateful for the supportive feedback and help, especially from those of you who commented for the first time! The Q and A continues...thank you for reading.

I. The Queen
Have you ever had a recurring nightmare, and if so, what was it?
Unfortunately, I do. I sometimes dream about the deaths of the people in my life who mean the most of me. Thankfully they are all well and healthy, but I still have the nightmares nonetheless.

II. Bird
Which would you prefer to take tango or belly-dancing lessons and why?
Well, I started taking belly dance classes my freshman year of college at Serena Studios in New York City! (www.serenastudios.com) Although belly dancing is a small part of Armenian culture, it is a part of it nontheless, so I was very excited to learn. Jenna, my teacher, was on the episode of "Sex and the City" when Carrie and crew were taking a "Goddess" dance class or something to that effect!

In what ways are elephants like peanuts?
Because elephants are just as chunky!

III. FrumTeacher
What does your weekly shopping list look like?
I love this question! Skim milk, Dasani water, yogurt, chicken, whole wheat pasta, bananas, 100 calorie snack packs, Skinny Cow ice cream bars, cranberry juice, Luna bars, Honey Nut Cheerios, eggs.

What three projects would you like to undertake with your students, provided you had the time?
I would like to have my students undertake a project where they work as an entire class on turning a Poe short story into a film. Some students would write the screenplay, others would design the set, others would edit, others would act, etc. I would like to have my students do an interview project during a unit on "The Things They Carried" and create a database of interviews with Vietnam Vets who would be willing to talk to them about their experiences. I would want my students to become involved in a kind of email/penpal system with Arab students in the Middle East.

What Seinfeld character do you relate to the most, and why?
Elaine, Elaine Elaine! Besides our long, brown, curly hair...Ms. Benes and I agree that muffin tops should be sold on their own and that we both have Shiksappeal.

IV. Popsicle Toes
What is that quality in a man that could/would make you want to take a relationship to the next level?
In terms of taking a relationship to an engagement, it is hard to pinpoint one quality. If I had to, I think it would be tenderness, as cliche as that sounds. Its just that of late I think many of the men I have dated have been so self-involved that there was a lack of tenderness and empathy when it came to my emotions. Not that it is all about me, but there were many times when it was never about me.

V. J Sarah
As my wedding coordinator, what role do you see Ethel in during the ceremony?
Well, my dear bride-to-be, I think that she ought to do a reading from her novella entitled, "Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying." Oh, I meant to ask, are you inviting Charles to the wedding? Not Charles Dickens, Charles Dikkens? (I hope I got you once again, J. It must be about at least 50 times in the past 10 years!)

VI. Sid The Dog
My question falls in line with a recent project I've started on my blog. Do cats have an afterlife, and if so, what would a cat-centric afterlife be like? I've gotten some good responses from dogs about a dog-centric afterlife, but I'm curious if you have thoughts on what the feline version would be like. Personally, I feel like the cats would just go around flipping each other off all of the time, but that's just my opinion.
I must say that I am not a big feline fan. I see the Cat-Centric afterlife being a space that smells like tunafish, is riddled with hairballs, and is filled with worn out scratch posts! I don't sense a good deal of comraderie, either, so I think you are on target when you say they would all flip each other off!

"I should, if I had deliberated, have replied to this question by something conventionally vague and polite..." ~ Jane Eyre

Thank you, dear Muses, for your assistance! I am starting with the first part of the question and answer posts. Please keep them coming! I am very grateful for the inspirational boost.

I. Work In Progress
Do you prefer your orange juice with or without pulp?
I actually prefer mine with either vodka or champagne! I usually drink it without pulp. I loathed pulp as a child, but now I don't mind it at all.

What is your favorite meal? Can you narrow it down to just one?
Yes, indeed! Thanksgiving! I look forward to the meal each year and believe I could eat Thanksgiving dinner every night. There is a restaurant in New York called Chat-n-Chew that serves "Thanksgiving on a Roll": turkey, stuffing, and gravy all on a roll. A close second is lamb shish kebab with rice pilaf.

Who is your favorite contemporary author?
Anita Shreve.

Are there many plants in your abode? If so, what type?
Sadly, there are not. I am not all that good with indoor plants. I try and get flowers as often as I can, though, when I am at the supermarket.

Do you believe in magic?
No, but I find things magical.

II. Naked Manatee
Describe the most memorable dinner party that you've hosted and/or attended. Details, details!
J. Sarah's parents used to host a New Year's Eve Dinner Party each year. It was a nice way to spend the evening as a teenager - underage drinking of champage with my best friend! It was always a very formal affair and her mother is an amazing cook. J. Sarah's mother and father always liked to prepare a meal based on a cuisine they had whilst traveling. This particular year, the movie "Big Night" was released and in the movie was a dish known as "Timbale." Its basically this huge pasta pie (with a crust and all, baked) filled with all kinds of meats and such. They looked for an authentic recipe for months and finally got one translated from a person who spoke Italian. The meal was amazing. I still have images in my head of that timbale. I think it took days to make.

III. The Sensational Marty
If a wild animal somehow got trapped in your house, what would you do? Scream like a sissy, or yell at the little punk to get the H out of your house?
I would scream and get my landlord to get the animal out...unless of course the wild animal was Jeremy Shockey. He can stay!

If you sat down to a drink with Ernest, what in the devil would you SAY?
"Papa, how about you buy me a drink?"

Would you ever get completely smashed and post here?
I have yet to do so, but I am very open to it! I just hope I wouldn't delete the post in the morning, because that would tend to be what I would do.

Do you ever have the desire to attack men in uniform?
I am going to plead the 5th and thank all of the men in uniform who allow me this constitutional right! ;)

Would you ever coerce J. Sarah to post here?
Certainly, but she even spends to long thinking about her comments, so I don't know if it is going to happen!

IV. Heather
Paper or plastic?Plastic or glass?Glass or crystal?
Paper because coffee cups can't be plastic, plastic because it means less dishes to wash, glass because I break too many wine glasses and would feel bad if they were crystal!

V. Barry
Do you ever post without even thinking?
No, I actually spend a good amount of time forming a post in my head before coming to sit down and write! The nice part about this questions is that I can actually post without thinking, so thank you! Its quite nice!

Who is your craziest friend?
Hmmm. Crazy in a good, fun way? Lime. She is amazingly zany and it enriches my life.

What is that one moment in your life that changed everything?
The moment was when my Grandfather, Krikor, died. I realized then that there is something in the world that my parents cannot protect me from: death and mourning.

Have you ever just took off and traveled?
No, but I really hope to make like Jack Kerouac at some point this year and just do my own weekend getaway. Just me, myself, and some books and crossword puzzles!

Why is there air?
So that I can travel by plane, of course!

"Again I questioned, but this time only in thought..." ~ Jane Eyre

I have much to express, yet I lack the energy of late to do so. Many a new post swirls within my head and heart, yet life at the moment drains me of time and energy. This too shall pass, because the commencement of any school year is always like this, and I know the pressure will begin to dissipate once a full month has passed.

In the meantime, I am incanting Muses who I hope shall assist me with my writing for the next few days. One of my favorite characters in a novel - George Emerson in E.M. Forester's A Room With A View - loves to ask questions.

So I ask that you who read this blog, even if you do not usually comment, please be my Muse? I invite you to ask me anything or ask my opinion on anything in the comment section of this post and I shall reproduce your questions and my answers within various intervals of posts over the next few days. My heartfelt thanks and appreciation in advance, Muses, for keeping this writer afloat for a bit, just as Athena kept Odysseus afloat! Muses, please give me your divine intervention, whether the question be serious or silly!

Efcharisto (that means "thank you" in Pallas Athena's language).

"He was dressed now..." ~ Jane Eyre

As much as I love reading the Women's Fashion of the Times, I equally enjoy reading the Men's Fashion of the Times. The fall 2006 edition was in the paper today and I was quite excited when I got a sneak peak at J. Sarah's yesterday evening. I read it cover to cover this morning as I sipped my coffee and I really like some of the new trends for men, which included jackets with tails!

I must preface this post by saying I am not a firm believer in the statement "the clothes make the man." I tend to disagree for the most part. My grandfather, Krikor, was probably the best man in this world to date, and he wore his pants Urkel style with a belt practically around his waist that tucked in a flannel plaid shirt. Despite my grandfather's fashion faux pas, he did have this hip horn rimmed glasses that were ubercool and quite stylish.

The Metrosexual Male is a man I never really warmed up to despite the fact that so many New York men are dressing as such. I enjoy a conservative "metro male", but anything more than a pink Polo or purple button down shirt with a grey suit is just a bit too much.

Thursday's Top Ten Clothing Articles Recommended for Men:
1) Anything from Brook's Brothers, and I mean anything. There is nothing hotter than a 30 year old man dressing like he is the Millionaire from Giligan's Island in a nice navy blazer, white button down shirt, and khacki pants.
2) I love caps and I think men look wonderful in nice "chappy" caps. Tweed caps are especially my favorite; they are quite classy. If any man is daring enough to wear a deerstalker cap, well, to put it in elementary terms, that is just hot.
3) A suit seems like an obvious choice, but I cannot emphasize enough how amazing a man looks in a suit. Ironically, I think a man looks much more attractive in a suit than he does in a tuxedo.
4) Camouflage seems to be quite "in" this season according to The Times, and I like the pattern both for men and for women. I may have to enlist D.R. to get me some.
5) Long before Burberry became mainstream, I was a fan of the pattern. Whilst I realize they are ridiculously overpriced, I can't help but love that classic plaid pattern. This past summer I saw many men wearing Burberry polos in solid colors with the plaid pattern accented under the color and sleeves; it is one handsome shirt.
6) A New York Yankees baseball cap.
7) The white tee shirt and jeans are like the peanut butter and jelly of men's fashion: they just go so well together. Men who wear this combination are fulfilling every woman's dream of Danny Zucco (or Kenickie if he is more your type).
8) A nice beige rain trench coat is very attractive on a man and makes rainy days much more bearable for a woman walking down the streets of New York City if a handsome man is wearing one.
9) In the wintertime, I find it very sexy for a man to wear a knit cap. Although its a bit Abercrombie, it is still a really nice rugged look for the cold months.
10) Boxer briefs. No elaboration needed. I saved the best article of (non) clothing for last.

Thursday's Top Five Clothing Articles NOT Recommended for Men:
1) Any article of clothing or accessory from one or all of the following sports franchises: Mets, Jets, Rangers, Red Sox, Cowboys, and Eagles. I would rather be out with a man in a potato sack than be seen with him wearing any of those logos.
2) Any shirts that have beer images or beer sayings on it. You drink beer, gentleman, you don't wear beer.
3) Baggy pants are just a no-no unless you are one of my fifteen year old teenage students who is going through his awkward fashion phase at school and wearing chains attached to the aforementioned balloon pants.
4) Socks with sandals makes you look very very very granola. I like granola on my yogurt, not my man. When in doubt when dressing, think "What Would Cary Grant Do?" WWCGD? Chances are, Cary would not do the socks with Birkenstocks.
5) Any shirt that has more than three buttons opened at the chest. Please leave the look to Tony Soprano and the Long Island guidos that surround me daily. Thank you.

"And sundry views from nature..." ~ Jane Eyre

Saturday Morning Sundries:

~ I just purchased three more crossword puzzle books since I just finished another. I bought two that Will Shortz edited for the NYTimes and a Random House collection called "Fall for Foliage," which claims crosswords are great to do as the leaves fall. Right. I am so addicted at this point that I would probably be doing crosswords while the world was ending.

~ Last night I discovered that my new favorite show is now on television. I have not watched a show weekly since "Sex and the City" ended, but that is about to change. "Men in Trees" is a drama written by a writer from "SATC" and its absolutely delightful. The plot seems like Carrie Bradshaw meets rural America - the main character is jilted right before her wedding and ends up in an Alaskan town during a book tour to promote her new self-help guide about dating. Since Elmo, Alaska, is filled with men, she decides to stay there to write her next book and POOF! you have a new series for single urbanite women like moi! At times the script was a bit fromage-y, but Anne Heche is a lovely runner up to Sarah Jessica. http://abc.go.com/primetime/menintrees/about.html

~ I woke up this morning and smelled a Subway Series. I think a World Series between the Yankees and the Mets is in the Autumn air. Mets are about to clinch their division, the Yanks only have 6 more to go, and there is a great chance that the best days of baseball this season lie ahead of us. Whilst I know my Yankees would beat the Mets in a series, just as they did so amazingly back in 2000, it would be quite nice to see Derek Jeter and David Wright battle it out for a bit...and then have Derek kick David to a Bronx curb.

~ Tonight J. Sarah is taking me to the dinner owed to me from our bet! We are heading to Parea, and I am looking forward to some Greek wine and wedding talk over some keftedes. I am working now on some details and just printed out the floor plans of the venue. In two more months I shall be going to look for my dress; J. Sarah ordered hers (a Watters and Watters) and it is divine. It is all lace and so perfect for a wedding on a summer's eve.
http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=33918&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=29

~ Yesterday afternoon I showed my American Lit honor's class the Simpson's scene in the "Treehouse of Horror" when they do Poe's "The Raven." We were all laughing hysterically and as I looked at them appreciate the intertextuality, I thought it was pretty damn cool that I get paid to do this. My favorite part is when a painting of "Lenore" is shown and it is Marge!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLUnmEpxXPI Right now I am working to take the class on a field trip in the spring to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The museum is great, but the students and I agree that the more important event that day would be eating in Chinatown. Ahem.

~ My friend D.R. is finally home from Iraq. I am looking forward to seeing him when he gets into New York. I think he could use an Irish Car Bomb...or three! Before he left we had pints of Guinness, so some stout is in order now that he is back. Speaking of beverages to revel with, I just picked up a few recommended wines yesterday. One is the Barefoot Merlot that I have been drinking since the spring. One I have not tried yet is a Portuguese red wine called Adriano. The third is one I had seen mentioned in a Wine Spectator. It is called Red Bicyclette. Since its an imported French rose, I figured I better try it before summer officially ends.
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/News/0,1145,2515,00.html

"She had better be put to bed soon; she looks tired." ~ Jane Eyre

Work is great, my kids are great, but my eyelids in bad shape at the moment.

I might as well be making partner in a law firm - that is how long my days are at the moment. For the past two mornings, I have woken up before my alarm has sounded. My alarm is set for 5:25am. Edgar Allan Poe is taking up my life this week. I love him, but he is a complicated man who requires lots of attention.

I am looking forward to sleeping late this weekend (until 8am) and then staying in bed to listen to classical music and do NYT Crossword Puzzles for a bit. After that, I am having coffee with my muses for some revivification to my writing...

Until then, please drink some coffee for me. I feel that my average of three cups a day is just not enough and I could use the extra support right now.

Perchance if you are not a coffee drinker...what is wrong with you?

"I must dip my hand again and again in the basin of blood and water..." ~ Jane Eyre

For the second night in a row, the moon above New York is red.

It's as if the moon is cognizant of the calendar, here to harvest another set of tears on a day that seems not five years ago, but rather five minutes ago. That is how raw it is.

So raw it is red.

I stare up at the moon as I did last night, and this time Robert Plant is singing "Baby, I'm Gonna Leave You" as I gaze out of the window of my car.

I just left my baby nephew, Jack, sleeping peacefully. Missy and Ed had gone to celebrate his godparents' ten year anniversary tonight, so I went to him. Jack's godmother was late to work that day and never made it to WTC, where she worked at Morgan Stanley. She was tired that morning and late getting into WTC since it was only a few days after finding out that she was having a baby. The subway pulled into WTC, the doors never opened, and she was taken back out. None of us knew she was alive until well into the afternoon.

Gabby's baby didn't have a father anymore. I knew that when I saw Gabby on the floor at work. 103 and 104: the bloodiest of floors. There he was at Cantor Fitzgerald, where his desk held a picture of his baby girl; the photo fell down 103 floors, as did he.

At the bottom lay the friend of a friend's daughter, dead with blood all over after being hit with falling debris on her head. She made it out of the building alive, but not the area. Within her also lay her unborn baby who was at 7 months. Last summer, this dead woman's husband committed suicide, unable to cope with the loss of his wife and unborn baby.

Until these sick fanatical heathens love their babies more than they hate us, there shall never be peace. In the end, it is their innocent babies who suffer most and who I feel the most sorry for.

And I know that one day baby, it's really gonna grow, yes it is.
We gonna go walkin' through the park every day.
Come what may, every day...

"When I read her letter to him..." ~ Jane Eyre

My first two days back at work has been exhausting. Though I am truly liking my classes so far and I am enjoying my day, I still wonder if this is my final go-round as a teacher. Its my seventh year, and I have the seven year itch to "move into the big house" as my friend Boz puts it!

At the beginning of each year I tell my students that I cannot be their best advocate if I do not know them. I ask them to write letters of introduction to me so that I can know who they are. Its not busywork on my part; I read each and every letter and write back. I have 110 students this year. So far I have a good sense from most of them, and I am already loving my entire 11th grade honors class. If this does end up being my last year, I am determined to make it the best.

I am sharing a few fun excerpts from their letters to me...enjoy!

"I am also a Yankees fan and enjoy going to games if its not too hot out!"

"The Yankees are horrible."

"I visit the elderly with a club because I know if I was old I would want to have company."

"I am a vegetarian, not really for dietary reasons as much as because I am an animal rights activist and I don't agree with the cruel conditions in factory farms."

"I will frolic merrily while savoring a joyous tourney of basketball or soccer."

"My brother just left for college and I miss him...mainly because I don't have rides anywhere."

"I don't like animals or the word moist."

"P.S. I am great"

"When Johnny Damon hit the grand slam in the ALCS I was so frustrated that I punched two holes in my wall, and later experienced even more aggravation from my mother..."

"My dislikes are homework."

"Lastly, I would like to say that I am stubborn and a hard worker."

"I like to sing even though I am a bad singer."

"I like cookies."

"Our family history can be dated back to to the first people who came over on the Mayflower and that makes me a daughter of the Revolution!"

"I want close to 30 snakes (love 'em)."

"If you can read my handwriting, more power to you."

"I am in love with this rapper, T.I., so hopefully in ten years I will be married to him."

"In ten years I will hopefully still be having a good time without a husband or kids yet."

"I have the disadvantage of being the middle child."

"My hobbies include shopping..."

"I have one hobby and that is that I love to cook."

"First off I would like to make it clear that I am not anything like my brother..."

"I'm 16 years old but I wish I was older."

"Thank you for taking your time to read about me."

"Its second rising displayed a more elaborately prepared scene than the last..." ~ Jane Eyre

New York is getting the leftovers from Ernesto this Labor Day Weekend. Now of course I am normally a big fan of leftovers, but not in this case. It is cold, it is wet, it is windy, and it is a total thrust into Fall weather that I am just not ready for.

Still, one of the nice aspects to this kind of weather is that it makes for good movie nights. I normally don't have the time to be a moviegoer (I think the last movie I saw was The Constant Gardener this past Spring?), but luckily I have all the good movie channels on cable here at my apartment.

Tonight, I decided to compose my top ten favorite movie scenes from the *Classics*, complete with typed commentary that is of buttery fingers from popcorn, which really is the best part of any movie. Well, that and the Junior Mints.

1. Stairway to Heaven ~ Lets face it ladies, when Rhett takes Scar-O up the stairs in Gone With the Wind, you are thinking what I am thinking: she is one lucky southern belle who gets to fiddle dee dee with him. I know its not p.c., but hell, its just a scene I am never ever going to forget. By that time I, too, have had just about enough of Ashley Wilkes. He is such a schmuck. Deep down, I always wished that Mellie and Rhett would get together. That would have made for a much better ending than one more Scarlettism.

2. Riding Dirty ~ No one rides dirtier than Messala in Ben Hur. Those spikey wheels on his chariot are so wrong given that he and Judah were once BFF. I love it when Judah wins the race and Messala gets ran over by what could be the entire Kentucky Derby. Poetic justice? Indeed.

3. No Rain ~ I find it refreshing when Gene Kelly gets rid of little goody two-shoes Debbie Reynolds long enough to enter a dream sequence with the amazing dancer, Cyd Charisse, in Singin' in the Rain. I love her green flapper costume, I love the choreography as she holds his hat on her toe and he is on his knees in front of her, and I love the music as they slink together back and forth. Oh, I also love the fact that Miss Charisse is NOT a size four. Or six.

4. I Get Knocked Down ~ No matter how many martinis Nick and Nora Charles consume, the gin-laden olives they eat do not seem to interfere with their excellent detective work in The Thin Man. -"Reporter: Well, Can't you tell us anything about the case? Nick: Yes, its putting me way behind in my drinking. "-

5. Mambo #5 ~ When I was taking ballet classes as a teenager and dancing in the musicals at my high school, I memorized the choreography Anita did in the dance at the gym in West Side Story. It is really damn hard to do without a Bernardo, hence it didnt look quite as amazing as Rita Moreno did as she is doing the mambo in her awesomely sassy purple dress. Actually, my version looked pretty bad. Anyway, each time I hear that music to which the dance-off begins too, my heart begins to race and my feet want to be dancing in high heeled purple shoes to match Bernardo's purple shirt and tie. The Sharks totally won that competition despite Riff's backflips...

6. Rock Lobster ~ Though I have killed many a lobster since last summer when J. Sarah and I did our lobster bake out in the Hamptons, I chickened out on the actual dumping of the two lobsters into the boiling water. J. Sarah took one for the team; I pulled an Annie from Annie Hall. The scene in the Hamptons is a classic, along with one of my favorite lines from a Woody Allen movie: -"Annie, there's a big lobster behind the refrigerator. I can't get it out. Maybe if I put a little dish of butter sauce here with a nutcracker, it will run out the other side."-

7. We Will Rock You ~ Errol Flynn's screen persona rocked my world when I was a little girl and it still does to this day. The Adventures of Robin Hood is definitely one of my Flynn favorites. I absolutely gush over any love scene between he and Miss Olivia as Marion, but my favorite scene is when Robin first appears in the movie, carrying the deer on his back and then brazenly goes to sit down. He puts his feet on the table, grabs a big turkey leg, and establishes that he is, indeed, the man. Prince John should have just given up right there and then.

8. Unbreak My Heart ~ Holly has the right idea to go get breakfast at Tiffany's when she gets the "mean reds." Breakfast at Tiffany's is a favorite story of mine because there is a happy ending despite characters who are jaded, in pain, and a bit lost. Is it a cop out if I say I love every scene? Not just because its Audrey, but because each scene takes place in my beloved New York City? I can't listen to Mancini's "Moon River" without getting all weepy; even when it was featured on Sex and the City, I completely lost it each time I heard it, my huckleberry friends.

9. Teach Your Children Well ~ Though nothing can truly capture the brilliance of Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the film adaptation is one I do like. Gregory Peck embodies the spirit of Atticus, and one of my favorite scenes in both the novel and the film is when Atticus shoots the rabid dog. It is in that moment that Scout sees her father in a different light. As children, we have such a limited view of our parents, and a sign of getting older is seeing their wondrous complexities as human beings. Of course I also love the scene where Scout is dressed as a big ham bone for the school play and Scout comments that the walk home with Jem is the longest journey they would ever take together.

10. Behind These Hazel Eyes ~ It was always surprising to me to see sweet "awww golly gee" George Bailey become the neurotic commitmentphobe Jefferies in Rear Window who lets Grace Kelly go at the beginning of the film. Therefore, I am glad when he re-breaks both his legs at the end of the film before marrying Grace (aka Lisa). I guess the fall brought him to his senses. Anyway, I love every scene with Miss Grace, even as she becomes a burgler, especially because of the dazzling A-line skirts she wears in that film.

Newborn
6 Months

1 Year

"All is real, sweet, and pure..." ~ Jane Eyre

Happy First Birthday to my Nephew, Jack Krikor!

I have sat here for an hour trying to put into words what I know I cannot: the love I have for this child. Nothing I type seems good enough for my baby on this special day. This love is beyond cliches, so instead I shall let actions speak louder than words and go begin work on his homemade birthday cake. Thank you to all of you readers who have commented in the past when I post about him; you truly make my day. I think what bonds us all the most sometimes is the humanity we share as mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. There is no greater love, and my wish for Jack on this birthday is that every child in this world is loved as much as he is, because every child, no matter what ethnicity or religion or culture, deserves such a love.