“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”
– Anais Nin

Mary and I met James and Julie almost 7 years ago when we moved from Tulsa to Kansas City. Introduced by mutual relations Julie was generous enough to watch Tori after school until I could get off work. My earliest memories of what would become a wonderful friendship are of me going to pick up Tori and reducing baby Lydia to tears just by looking at her (yes, friends, my countenance is that hideous!) This of course just made me want to hold Lydia even more so I inevitably went out of my way to make her cry every day. I’m sure Julie wondered what act of wrong she had committed earlier in life to warrant such annoyance!

From the very beginning we knew we would be good friends with this clan. They are a very sweet bunch, starting first and foremost with Julie. Her warm smile and infectious laugh pull you in and make you feel right at home. After moving away from 11 years in Tulsa it was a true blessing to find such wonderful friends.

Not only does Julie have the strength to handle 4 girls under the age of 8, she also manages to keep up with her own blog, scrapbook, take wonderful photographs (which you will no doubt be seeing very, very soon), make amazing food (her apple crisp is to die for), and keep James in line…no small task indeed! 😉 What Julie is famous for, however, is the ability to get any stain out of any item of clothing. We have called upon this great talent more than once. She is a marvel. She also is the most keen garage saler in the Midwest. She can find the most amazing stuff at yard sales. And she frequently comes home with great items that she manages to get for free! I think a book with photographic reference should be in her future!

Happy Birthday, Julie! I hope you have a wonderful night of celebration followed by a wonderful weekend of more celebration. Your friendship is a cherished gift.

I will leave you this gift: Ambrose Bierce is a famous American satirist and short story writer. Bierce is most famous for his short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge but he also wrote a very funny, sarcastic book called The Devil’s Dictionary filled with 996 quotes/definitions. Julie, since you also have a talent for finding marvelous quotes I thought it would be fun to end this with a few silly ones from Mr. Bierce since he shares your birthday.

“Beauty: the power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband.”

“Sweater : garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.”

“There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know”

“Life: A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay”

“Forgetfulness : A gift of God bestowed upon doctors in compensation for their destitution of conscience”

” Future: That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured.”

“Here’s to woman! Would that we could fall into her arms without falling into her hands”

Happy Birthday!!!

Forgottenmachine tagged me with this and so here are my answers. As always please feel free and know that you are strongly encouraged to answer any or all these as well on my site or your own. (and I haven’t forgotten that I owe Abby and Jenn See 5 Questions)

10 Years Ago: I was working at a mental health outpatient clinic and living in Tulsa, OK. Tori was 3. I had been married 6 years. I hadn’t purchased my first PC yet. As in any year there were dumb things that I hadn’t yet done and I was enjoying my life though hating Tulsa summers. It was right around this time that my friend Scott introduced me to Neil Gaiman via Sandman and my life has really never been the same. I became a comics geek, discovered the man who would turn out to be my favorite author, and many of the things I like now were spawned with the discovery of Sandman.

5 years ago: I had been living here in the Kansas City area for almost 2 years. We were renting a house. I was still on the bottom rung in the mental health agency were I currently work. We were just starting to get comfortable with frienships that we were making here.

1 year ago: I was gearing up for the last run at the fireworks stand with my wife’s cousins, something we did every year for extra cash. I was enjoying one of the mildest spring/summers I’ve ever seen. We were finishing up our 3rd year in our new home…or was it the 2nd…(great memory! 🙂 ). I did some landscaping in our backyard that desperately needed done and planted a few new trees.

Yesterday: Comic book store, Hellboy #1, new Conan comic, Death Jr. #2, several other great comics, ate out with the guys and watched Batman Begins for the second time. Blogged and played a little Painkiller on the PC.

Today: Meetings all day, read comics before last meeting while waiting for it to start, blogging now, on my way to (hopefully) fix Abby and Mike’s computer, hopefully some more Painkiller tonight (I’m enjoying this game even more the second time around).

Tomorrow: Work double shift. Plan to read some more of The Bloody Crown of Conan and finish some comics.

5 Snacks I enjoy: Dark chocolate (star wars) M&M’s, sugar birthday cake letters on top of vanilla ice cream, frozen grapes (try it…they’re amazing!), sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

5 songs I know all the words to: The Best of Times (Styx), Come on Eileen (Dexy’s Midnight Runners), I would walk 500 miles (The Proclaimers), Man, I Feel Like a Woman (Shania Twain), Vindicated (Dashboard Confessional)

5 Things I would do with $100,000,000: Church/Charity, make sure my dad could quit working now and enjoy the rest of his life with his hobbies, take art/computer art lessons, search the world for first editions and rare editions of authors/classics that I love, take month long vacations in Italy, Ireland, France, etc.

5 locations I’d like to run away to: New York City, Italy, Ireland, London, the Moon.

5 bad habits I have: Procrastination, poor spending habits, staying up waaaay too late, not having the courage create, and procrastination.

5 things I like doing: hanging out at the comic book store on Wednesdays, buying new books, taking walks in wealthy neighborhoods, watching home improvement shows, spending quality time with Mary.

5 things I would never wear: a one piece jumper, a speedo, a thong, chaps, an all-latex outfit.

5 T.V. Shows I like: Generation Renovation (HGTV), What not to Wear, any Nigella Bites cooking show, As Time Goes By (reruns on PBS), Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

5 movies I like: (I’ve posted several times about specific movies so I’ll try to name new ones this time) Better Off Dead, 12 Monkeys, Twelfth Night, Donnie Darko, You Can’t Take it With You.

5 Famous People I’d like to meet: (alive) Neil Gaiman, Lisa Snellings, Meg Ryan, Nicole Kidman, Frank Frazetta…(dead) Audrey Hepburn, Robert Heinlein, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Jim Henson.

5 biggest joys at the moment: reveling in new and old frienships, blogging, Frank Frazetta, my marriage, having a teenage daughter who is alot of fun.

5 favorite toys: My PC and PC Gaming, the internet, Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture game, Limited Edition LOTR Anduril Sword, Han Solo replica blaster.

5 people to tag: You’re all it. I love to learn about everyone, its fascinating!

And like the 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse we descended on the local AMC Theatre to see Batman Begins…of course for me it was Batman Begins …again… er…whatever. Actually it was more like 4 guys who could stand to lose a couple pounds, at least 3 of whom had bellies full of Mexican food, pulling ourselves up the aisle briefly before a visit to the snack bar.

Anyway, and this is no surprise, Batman Begins was just as entertaining on a second viewing. I enjoyed seeing it with James, Tom, and Jeff. All regular readers/commentors and good friends. Jeff pointed out something I missed the first time around and that was the nod to Jeph Loeb (the commissioner was named Loeb). For those of you who aren’t comic geeks, Jeph Loeb has written some of the best comic stories over the last several years, many about Batman.

The Long Halloween with artist Tim Sale and the Hush series with Jim Lee are 2 excellent Batman sagas.

Another excellent Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale comic series is Spiderman: Blue which tells, in remarkable fashion, the story of Peter Parker’s first love, Gwen Stacey, and his second love, Mary Jane Watson.

I’m not a huge Superman fan (I’m only 5’6 and 1/4″ tall….sorry that was bad) but another great Loeb/Sale combination is Superman for All Seasons. Jeff owns an original piece of artwork from this one and it is very cool.

All great comic reads that can be purchased at your local comic shop or checked out from the local library…purty pictures and purty words…ya can’t beat that!

Thanks guys, I had a great time tonight.

And last but not least on this post-comic book Wednesday, and the reason for the title of this post, Mike Mignola’s 2 year hiatus has ended and Hellboy: The Island #1 came out today! I can’t wait to read it! As HB himself would say, “BOOM!”.

June 21st. Summer Solstice. The first day of Summer. The longest day of sunlight. And this evening will bring Midsummer’s Night.

Lisa Snellings-Clark and Bob Podrasky have issued a challenge to do short stories that are 100 words long. You cannot repeat any word and it has to be a story, not a poem or part of a story. The title does not count as part of the 100 words and you can reuse words for the title but they encourage you not to. The rules are all here. The plan is for Bob to pick out those he likes and for Lisa to do illustrations in various mediums for each story. The challenge is to just do it. The winning isn’t in being picked, its in just making the attempt. So in honor of this magical day I decided to get off my creative bottom and take on the challenge.

Here is my effort:

Shakespeare’s Lament

June twenty-first. Summer Solstice. Twilight lingers.

The path appears and I walk into lush forests. “Come… follow…”, say twinkling, dancing lights. Pixies, sprites, out for their one evening of mischief. After seemingly endless travel, we halt.

Sound fades. Darkness falls. Time stops.

Then it begins, almost imperceptibly, as distant luminescence. His fairy procession, moving ever so slowly by. They are on parade. Oberon, Puck, Peaseblossom, Mustardseed… all Pan’s children alight under glorious moonlight.

Heads turn. Voices cease. Breath catches.

Titania. Queen. Beauty most radiant. She promises kisses, my lips acquiesce. Dawn awakens me, disappointed.

Twas but a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

_______________________________________

I haven’t written anything in a long, long time so this was a fun exercise and I’m proud of myself for the attempt. (If I’ve repeated words, let me know. I’ve reread it so many times my eyes are crossed! Contractions, like ‘Twas’ for ‘it was’ are allowed)

Summer Solstice and particularly Midsummer Night is supposed to be a magical time. This was traditionally the time of First Harvest, when herbs planted on the Vernal Equinox (March 21st, the first of Spring) were harvested for food and medicine. The prominence of June weddings ties in to the traditions of this time of year with its themes of life, renewal, and growth. It is said that dreams that are dreamt on Midsummer’s Night will most certainly come to pass…Shakespeare acknowledged this idea in his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

If you have not read it, go to your local bookstore or library and pick it up. It is wonderful. If moving pictures are preferable to the printed word, here are brief reviews of my 3 favorite interpretations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

This 1968 Royal Shakespeare Company version of the play is a real treat. It stars Ian Holm, Judi Dench, and youngsters Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) and Helen Mirren. Helen Mirren and Diana Rigg are quite cute in their 60’s attire and the whole production is quite quirky and bizarre. Its great to see so many famous actors and actresses when they were much younger.

This 1996 DVD is a highly faithful adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s mid 90’s interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I saw this company perform this on Broadway and it remains one of the most fantastic live performances that I’ve seen. The colors of the sets and costumes were bright and vivid. The sets were sparsely populated and the designer used umbrellas and bare, glowing light bulbs hanging down over the stage to create this fairy enviroment. It was stunning and is recreated perfectly on the DVD. It was fun to see that cast again when they released this on DVD.

Last, but not least, is Get Over It. This is a “play within a play” version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Like the play itself, the movie is about a love quadrangle and the characters work out their romantic issues through the high school’s musical version of Shakespeare’s play, directed by a zany Martin Short. If you like the other teen movies based on classic literature (Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You) then you will enjoy this. This is a fun movie with some great music and may be the easiest introduction to Shakespeare if you’re not familiar with his work.

To close, if you’re in the Kansas City area starting tonight through July 17th, the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival is performing my favorite Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. Its free. Its in the park. Its a fun way to experience Shakespeare.

Remember as you lay down to sleep this magical night to dream, and dream well….

Vacation has ended.

It is Monday.

It is the last day of Spring.

The only thing that makes it all bearable is that I can say “Happy Birthday, Nicole Kidman!”

Nicole Kidman, while possibly the most famous actress from the land Down Under, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 20th, 1967. She was 3 years old when her parents returned to their native land. There is a nice little biography on Nicole here that will suffice if you’re in the mood for more details.

Nicole Kidman is quite possibly my favorite living actress, only eclipsed by the late Audrey Hepburn for favorite overall actress. I enjoyed her earlier films, especially Far and Away. That film has great personal significance because my wife’s one and only ‘false labor’ moment came around the time that this movie was being released and I recall reading an article in Preview magazine about Far and Away while we waited to see if our child was ready to enter the world. Far and Away was also the first movie that our darling Tori attended at the ripe old age of 4 weeks! She was so precious and was quiet throughout the entire movie.

As I said, I had enjoyed previous Nicole Kidman movies but it was the advent of Moulin Rouge that propelled her to the top of my list.

I love musicals and have many treasured musicals that I like to revisit again and again. Moulin Rouge is one of the best. I’ve seen all the films in Baz Luhrmann‘s Red Curtain Trilogy and I think each one is unique and magical. Many tend to think of Baz Luhrmann as either a genius or a hack. I consider him a genius. What he did with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge was amazing. The first time I saw it I was in awe.

Those of you who have acted in theatre on any level and enjoyed it probably experience the same things I do when I see a play, musical or otherwise. I’m transported back to past experiences…a good musical draws out those cherised memories and dreams and gives the viewing experience added depth and dimension. As I sat watching Moulin Rouge for the first time and the moment came when Ewan and Nicole were singing “I will always love you” and the camera was spining and white lights burst behind them I was in esctasy! During the final number as the song reached it’s crescendo and Richard Roxburgh strode down the aisle, gun in hand, screaming “My way! My way!” I wanted to jump to my feet and give a standing ovation! I feel this way every time I watch Moulin Rouge (I frequently stop the movie after the curtain falls and before the tragedy strikes so that I can pretend that they live happily ever after).

Nicole’s background of ballet and drama were put to good use with this movie and I was astounded at both her and Ewan’s vocal ability. The writing, the music, the rich color, the lavish costumes, the tragic romance…this film has it all in spades and Nicole is simply marvelous in it.

Another Nicole Kidman favorite is The Others. This is actually my favorite movie in the ‘scary movie’ genre. Alejandro Amenábar created a suspenseful, atmospheric ghost story of the kind that are not made anymore. The Others hearkens back to gothic tales of suspense and mystery and horror. This is another movie that gets repeat viewings and I enjoy the look and feel of it everytime I see it. Nicole Kidman does a masterful job as does the rest of the very solid cast.

Nicole’s latest, Bewitched, is a film that I was initially interested in only because she was going to be in it.

The newest trailer has me very excited about this movie. I hadn’t paid attention to the fact that Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail) was the writer/director for Bewitched and I didn’t know that it was a romantic comedy. I’m a sucker for “chick flicks” and am really looking forward to seeing this. I also enjoy Will Ferrell so this has become a must-see for me.

Nicole Kidman is an extremely talented actress and her beauty, poise, and choice of roles reminds me of the film stars of yesteryear.

She appears equally at home in both serious and comedic roles. I love the fact that she has almost singlehandedly brought back glamour to Hollywood with her choice of outfits and hairstyles that recall the spirit of legendary starlets. She brings an air of class and sophistication to celebrity and yet still seems to have great fun trying new things.

One of Nicole Kidman’s recent ventures has a very Moulin Rouge feel to it. She is currently promoting Chanel No 5.

Clicking here will take you to the IFilm site where you can watch the short film/commercial for Chanel No. 5.

To conclude I will direct you to the very best Nicole Kidman fansite in existence, Nicole’s Magic. Jess has the most complete and exhaustive site imaginable. Images, videos, sound clips, forums, reviews, trivia…this site has everything and is a truly great site to visit simply for inspiration for one’s own site.

Happy 38th Birthday, Nicole! And bon voyage to Spring, everyone!