Cedarwaxwing.wordpress.com's blog

Coming Clean

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone named Nikki who praised me about my review of The Queen and said that since I wrote about that film that I might like to write a bit about Showtime's The Tudors.

I did. Here and on my Blogger space. I am sorry.

I am ashamed to have done so. I told myself that it was ok since I was excited about it. But knew, deep down, that it was akin to selling my soul. Well, a part of my soul.

So sorry to anyone who read those posts. I promise never to do it again.

And I didn't even get the Tudor related goodies in the mail that Nikki promised I would.

Sincerely,

Cedar Waxwing

PS I am sure it was not the same Nikki who is my Vox Neighbor.

Vox Hunt: Things Left Unread

Book: What book are you most ashamed you haven't read?
Submitted by Byrne.

1984 (Signet Classics)

George Orwell

I tried to read it before 1984 but just couldn't get into it.  Oops.

QotD: Terms of Endearment

What is your favorite term of endearment? 
Submitted by lostdwarf.

sweetie

The past month

Time flies.

I've been spending a lot of time on Revish - something I've mentioned here before. They opened to the public a little over a week ago. When we got back from our trip to Savannah I found a Revishing t-tshirt waiting for me. That was pretty cool. I don't think I did much to help out with the testing, but Dan seems to think so.

Revish has renewed my interest in reading. I'd kind of given up on it, except for book group books. I now have a tall stack of books I plan on reading in the next few months and am really looking forward to them. I'm enjoying The Eyre Affair right now.

I've also been busy with work. I've been made task lead on a project and have been putting in quite a few hours a day doing that.

The 365 projects have been keeping me busy writing for fun and a kind of therapy. It has also been fun reading other people's posts.

I spent a bit of time planning our spring break in Savannah - we went last week. The hard work paid off, because we had a great time. It was relaxing and fun. We went with some friend who have kids in the same grades as mine, so everyone had people to hang out with. The weather was ideal the first four days - then it got cold, but was still sunny. Saturday night was way too cold though - and the bathroom had no heater. The only other place to shower/bathe was in the beach showers. They were fine in warm weather, but not so comfortable in the cold weather.

Clare visited SCAD. She's been talking about going to college there for years, so we thought we should stop by for a visit. It was nice - but it is an art school. I'd like to see Clare in a university. Not that I think art is not useful, I'd just prefer she get a more rounded undergrad experience -- then maybe go somewhere more specific for her graduate degree. She loved what she saw though, and wants to go there even more.

So, I've been busy - but in a good way.

Happy Pi Day

Pi Day Pie

Don McLean - American Pie

QotD: MmmCookies

Did you order Girl Scout cookies this year?  What kind?

We don't order anymore now that they are often sold in front of grocery stores.

After being the mom of a girl scout - the cookie thing just doesn't seem the same as it did before. Even the cookies seem less flavorful.

But we did buy thin mints and samoas.

Follow up to my last post

I didn't expect a lot of people to be at Dinaw Mengestu's book signing on Friday. I thought there would be maybe 30 or so people, so was surprised that the 50 or so chairs were nearly filled when we arrived early at Olsson's in Penn Quarter in DC.

I immediately recognized Mengestu when I walked in the front door of Olsson's. He turned around and looked at us, I said, there he is. That's the author. He immediately walked over and shook my hand as I lamely said, "I read it! I loved it!" to which he smiled and said thank you.

We ended up sitting in the front row. He was introduced and read a chapter from the book, then took questions. I asked if Judith's house was red for a reason, he said he'd love to say it was symbolic, but it was just by chance he chose the color red. (I thought it might symbolize the Red Terror). 

After the reading Mengestu signed his books. The 50 people had turned into maybe 150 by that time, and the line was rather long. When it was my turn, I told him I'd finished it and then turned around again and began reading it over again the next day. He thanked me again. I told him my first name, so he could inscribe the book for me. He asked my last name - I was surprised, normally authors just write one's first name - but I told him. He paused, looked up and said are you the <my name> who wrote the review on Amazon? I said I was, and that I'd written a longer, better one elsewhere - that he'd probably see it sometime.

He thanked me for my "great" review and support in the inscription. Pretty cool, huh?

QotD: Totally Obsessed

What is your current obsession(s)?
Submitted by eijsr.

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

Dinaw Mengestu

I got a chance to read this before it was released and found it to be one of the best written books I've read in years. The author writes as if he's conversing with a friend. No flowery language and no SAT vocabulary words.  His descriptions leave me with vivid pictures in my head of people and scenes from the novel.

It is the story of an Ethiopian expatriate and convenience store owner who is content to read all day in his store and serve his customers until the house next door to him is purchased and restored by a white woman and her bi-racial daughter. He becomes friends with his new neighbors and thinks beyond his little store for the first time in fifteen years.

The story discusses such issues as gentrification, revolution, and assimilation.

The fact that this is Mengestu's first novel is amazing. I'm hoping there are many more after this one. He is a brilliant writer.

I guess I'm obsessing on it a little because it is the first book I've read that I was expected to review. That someone thought enough of my skills to trust me to review it is pretty empowering. Not only all that, but the author is reading from his book this evening not far from where I live, so not only did I get to read and review this book, but I get to see, and maybe even meet, him in person.

The Tudors

So who's looking forward to The Tudors on Showtime in April? I sure am, and so is my daughter. I don't watch a whole lot of television, but when I see something that interests me I tend to obsess on it.

I was like that with Twin Peaks, Lost and Desperate Housewives (I even tried to make Wisteria Lane on The Sims 2 until I realized how much time I was wasting).

Well, perhaps my new obsession will be The Tudors. I've always been a bit of a closet Anglophile and the whole Henry VIII thing has fascinated me since my early teens. Imagine being so powerful you could change the whole religion in a country, let alone divorce or "legally" murder two-thirds of your wives. (did I do the math right?)

This program seems to focus on a young, handsome Henry - something I never really thought about. I've never seen early paintings of him, only the ones where he looks like a well-dressed refrigerator. It will be interesting to see him as a young man, and to perhaps develop some sympathy for a historical figure I've always disliked.

While Clare is looking forward to watching the actor that plays Henry, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, I'm partial to Sam Neill, who plays Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. I've liked Sam Neill in most everything in which I've seen him. And who is that hot guy in black sitting next to him? Looks a little like Neil Gaiman, actually.

A kind soul sent me a link to a pretty interesting video about the Showtime program. I'd embed it here, but the still that shows on the YouTube screen is not family friendly, I'll post the link instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w0aNWHLUOU

So, if you have Showtime, check it out. It starts April 1st.

QotD: First Celebrity Crush

Who was your first celebrity crush?
Submitted by Glory.

I had a crush on the Artful Dodger played by Jack Wild. I discovered yesterday, while watching the Academy Awards, that he died last year. He wasn't very old, really. Throat cancer, according to IMDB.