Austen it isn't

So, who's read/seen "Vanity Fair"? I watched the first episode of the A&E version, and wow, that was odd. Are the characters really such stereotypes in the novel? Interesting. I'll keep watching, of course. I chose this over the Reese Witherspoon version since I heard it completely veered from the novel, though at lease the Mira Nair film would be pretty. This one so far is very, very brown. Hmmm.

Not the capital of Alaska

I finally watched "Juno" and that was a great film! I loved that everything didn't go perfectly! And while Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner were perfectly cast, as a former West Wing junkie, I ADORED Allison Janey as a nail tech stepmom!!

My favorite line from the movie, thanks especially to Allison Janey's delivery: "Somebody else is going to find a precious blessing from Jesus in this garbage dump of a situation."

Sadly, some of the teenage banter went totally over my head. Even when I WAS a teenager, I probably wasn't up on all the lingo, but wow, at 30 I'm clueless.

The first time down the aisle

My little girl took her first practice run down a wedding aisle last weekend as flower girl for the wonderful Smitties. It was a beautiful wedding and a great time with dear, old friends. And of course, there were pictures.

Here she is in her beautiful yellow dress, which like all the dresses, was made by the bride.



This could be counted as her "first dance" if she does indeed marry Wyatt, the 3-year-old nephew of the groom. As far as they were concerned, they were married with the Smitties. Poor little Wyatt, it broke his heart leaving Abigail.


And these are her "aunts."


The happy couple was happy and glowing and in their finest, but sadly my pictures were all out of focus. Hopefully someone will come to my rescue.

Oh, and I should add the middle two aren't even mine. Other friends had a much better camera and a much better vantage point!

Almost well rested

And with this Monday morning, Spring Break ends. Abigail was at the beach all week with Nana, and was I productive? Of course not. Well, I was with the magazine, but not with the house. I read a book -- in one night. The husband and I went out to eat and saw a movie in a place called a "theater". I napped a lot. I slept every morning until at least 8 a.m. I call that a good vacation.

The book was "My Sister's Keeper," and it was surprisingly good. I'm giving my book club till the end of spring since they're nice ladies, but the book selections leave something to be desired. But this was actually good. It tackled lots of interesting ethical dilemmas and didn't try to say one side was right or wrong -- which really, in the cases presented, there wasn't a right, just varying levels of wrong and painful but necessary. The writing was decent, though not many amazing passages, but it was a compelling story. I just wish the author hadn't copped out finally and ended an otherwise complicated story with something too pat, too "deus ex machina."

The movie was "Stop-loss." It was pretty good, some flaws in continuity and some unbelievable side stories, but definitely a powerful view of the torment soldiers may be going through. And it was interesting to hear Brad's thoughts as a man, about under what conditions he would fight and why.