August = Bad Hair Days

In DC, the most humid time of year is August. It's horrifying. The dew point kind of creeps up to about 70% and sticks there. Permanently. You step outside and two seconds later, your shirt is stuck to your back, and you're sweating.

For me, the humidity means bad hair. Very. Bad. Hair. No matter what products I put in, my hair frizzes. No matter how long I go between washings, my hair frizzes. I've said before, my hair, when it's not too humid has pretty good curls and holds a straightening by th flat iron well, but the slightest bit of humidity breaks apart any curl and causes me to have a halo of hair all around my head. It's incredibly frustrating.

My friend Rach recommended this product called Jessicurl to me, but I haven't gotten around to buying it yet. But given how atrocious my hair has looked the last couple of days, I think it might be time.

In the mean time. I'll revert to the only thing I know helps. The magic of the pony tail + hairspray.

Slow On The Uptake

I've been listening to a lot of music lately. Not necessarily what everyone would classify as "good music." But hey, I've said it before, I loves me some pop music. Don't necessarily care whether it's "quality" pop music (is that an oxymoron?!).

When watching the Concert for Diana a few weeks ago, I rediscovered Fergie. Of course, I knew her from the Black Eyed Peas, but hadn't really heard any of her own album. It'll come as no shock that I love most of it. Her songs are about frivolous things, silly things. They make me chuckle, and they have a good beat. And really, being deep as a puddle musically, that's all it takes to make me happy.

Her latest song being played on the radio is "Big Girls Don't Cry." Don't know why, but I love this song. I caterwaul along with it in the car, and can barely contain myself from singing along with my iPod on the Metro. Like I said, it may not be good music, but I like it.

What are you listening to this summer?

Business Time

Seriously, I laughed my butt off at this. Hilarious.

Thanks SBs for the video.

**Not entirely little kid friendly or work safe**

Was it good for you?

Movies Related Questions

1- Have you ever either snuck into a movie, or gone to see one movie and then snuck into a movie theater to see a second one?

2- Have you ever snuck food into a movie (Sara, Amy, I'm looking at you)? If so, what kind of food and how did you get it into the theater?

3- Have you ever rented a movie and just not returned it?

My answers:

1- Well, I've bought a ticket to one movie and gone into another.

2- The only time I ever did was when I went to see Chicago with my sister and we stopped at 7-11 before the show. Usually I just buy food at the theater.

3- No.

A New Meme

Four jobs I've held:

1. Customer Service Representative

2. Sales Person

3. Executive Assistant

4. Meeting Planner


Four movies I can watch over and over again:

1. Pride & Prejudice (the most recent one)

2. Almost Famous

3. A Few Good Men

4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding


Four places I have lived:

1. London, England

2. Chicago, IL

3. Charlotte, NC

4. Vienna, VA

Four t.v. shows I watch:

1. Grey's Anatomy

2. LOST

3. Friday Night Lights

4. Heroes

Four places I've been on vacation:

1. Disney World

2. Greece

3. Paris

4. Holden Beach, NC


Four favorite foods:

1. Chicken Fajitas

2. Filet Mignon

3. Strawberry Shortcake

4. Shrimp Creole


Four websites I visit: (blogs)

1. Romance: by the Blog

2. Speaking of Simplicity

3. Stacy's Place on Earth

4. Gmama


Four people I'm tagging

1. Sara

2. MeghanDev

3. Stacy

4. ???

Taking on New TV

I think by now, it's a well established fact that I am a pop culture junky. My favorite medium is television, followed very closely by movies, although at $10 a pop, I go far less often than I used to.

In the last couple of years, several television shows that I watched regularly have gone off the air, or I've had to break up with because they were just bugging the crap out of me. I recently broke up with Jack Bauer (24), even though I love me some Keifer, the show was really making me nuts.

Anyway, I took on a bunch of new shows last year: Brothers & Sisters, Heroes, Friday Night Lights, and most recently, thanks to iTunes (and Vivi), Battlestar Gallactica.

I know for sure that I'll be taking on at least a couple more this Fall: Private Practice, which is the spin-off of Grey's Anatomy, which I've watched from the first episode, and Pushing Daisies, which is getting a lot of critical buzz.

With the advent of TiVO, I no longer have to be in front of the TV at an appointed time. I can just watch when I want, and without commercials. It's magic.

So, what new shows will you be watching this Fall? What shows are you looking forward to coming back? Anything you think I should be watching that I'm not?

EW Ranks the Top 50 Love Songs

Entertainment Weekly Magazine has ranked the Top 50 Love Songs Ever. I won't bore you with the entire list, but here's the Top 10:

10 - In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
9 - All I Want Is You - U2
8 - Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns and Roses
7- Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones
6- I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston
5- Let's Stay Together - Al Green
4- A Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin
3- Something - The Beatles
2- Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
1- God Only Knows - The Beach Boys

Now, I'll agree with some of these, In Your Eyes, Natural Woman, God Only Knows (although I'm not sure about the #1 thing). But Etta James' masterpiece At Last only ranked #14. Which is a crock. How the heck does Sweet Child O' Mine beat out At Last??

What do you think is missing from the Top 10??

Are You Ready?????

I'll spend Friday decked out in my Redskins gear at work. Why? Because my favorite time of year starts on Friday. The Redskins report to training camp, and for a few weeks, all things are possible.

Now, as a Redskins fan, I'm accustomed to heartbreak. Honestly, my team very often reaches the height of mediocrity. I spend a lot of Monday mornings answering the question, "What happened to your team yesterday?" with the reply, "Well, they're not a very good football team." But...during the preseason, all things are possible. It's a fresh slate. As a fan, my hopes soar and I look at them performing and I think, "You know, we might be an OK team this season." On paper, the 'Skins are a playoff caliber team. The reality is very often something else. But for the next few weeks, hope springs eternal.

It's my favorite time of the year.

For Rach...

At 3:00 today I walked over to National Geographic and walked their gardens and then sat on a bench next to the most gorgeous bank of Daylillies. I never even met Hannah, but as I sat there, I could imagine her pointing out to me the fact that they have a gorgeous daub of red in their centers and that they don't really smell too much (after I'm sure she would have stuck her nose in to see if they smelled), and the fact that the stamen on the flower was long and yellow. And perhaps counting how many there were in the bank.

They were surrounded by pink and white impatiens. And I could imagine her asking why they were called impatiens, and me asking her why she thought they might be called impatiens (because of course I don't know, and that's what grownups do), and then telling her that when we got inside we'd look it up and find out.

I prayed that God would wrap his arms around Rachael, Brien and Lily, and that He would bathe them in the love that Hannah felt for them. And that Rachael would continue to find joy in Lily's antics and the unadulterated wonder that a 19-month old finds in every single thing. I prayed that God would give them peace about the accident and help them grow together as a family, rather than apart. And that Rachael and Brien will take solace in each other and the strong foundation in love and faith that they have.

It was a beautiful half-hour. Stay strong, Rach. I love you!

Of Angels, Monkeys and Fairy Wings

Tomorrow I will wear pink.

At 3:00, I'll pause from my day at work and walk across the street to the National Geographic Society and walk in their courtyard, which has a gorgeous garden. I'll sit on a bench, and I'll pray for my friend Rachael, who lost her daughter Hannah so suddenly this week. I take small comfort in the fact that because of a wonderful network of Bellas, those who hang out at Romance: Buy the Book, there will be people literally all over the world, who will join me. Taking a moment, and possibly wiping a few more tears as we mourn with Rachael, her husband Brien, and their daughter Lily.

Life is so busy, sometimes I forget to take a moment and appreciate those that I love. This week has taught me that I need to hold closer to those I love. To make those relationships a priority. I don't ever want to be reminded in this way again.

Tragic News

Those of you who have been reading my blog, know that one of my best blog supporters is RachD. She consistently posts and her posts always have a picture of one or the other, or both of her daughters in it.

Yesterday, on an outing with her girls at the beach, Hannah, her five year old, was caught in a riptide and drowned.

I'm not a parent, but I've been told that outliving your kids is the worst thing that can ever happen to a parent. Rach has always been a terrific friend to me, and even though we've never met in person, I consider her to be a true and very close friend. She's beyond hurting now, but already seems to be taking comfort in the fact that Hannah is in Heaven with her Papa. Thank goodness for tiny blessings.

The photo is of the water lily that Hannah saw growing outside of their house. Hannah took her mom to see it yesterday morning, exclaiming, "Mama, do you want to see something very beautiful?" It is indeed.

I love you, Rach. And I'll keep praying for peace for you and Bri. I can't imagine your pain.

The Academy Gets It Right

There's very little that I feel like the Television Academy did right this year. But among other things, they nominated the video above for "Best Original Song." I laugh hysterically every single time I watch this.

Timberlake at his very best.

Do you recognize this man???

Emmy Noms

This morning, the Emmy nominations were announced. While I'm thrilled that many of my favorite shows and actors were nominated, I'm thoroughly bummed that one of my very favorite shows, Friday Night Lights, received no MAJOR nominations. I'm not sure what the implications will be for this incredibly fine hour of television, given that the show is already pretty low rated, and while it's a critical darling, it got basically NO love from the Academy. Bummer.

But in the mean time, the actor who I think carries an entire show on his back, Neil Patrick Harris, was nominated for his role as Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. HIMYM is one of the funniest half hours on TV. It's brilliantly cast, and consistently hilarious, but NPH makes the show. His character, Barney, is a tour de force character who gets the funniest lines, the most hilarious set ups, and has more "LEGEN-wait for it-DARY" lines than anyone else. He's up against some other major actors, including a couple from THE OFFICE, so I'm not sure he'll win, but he deserves it.

Overall, I'm kind of meh about the nominations as a whole. But it should be a good show, anyway.

Comfortable Shoes

One of the many, many signs that I am getting old is that I think about my feet a heck of a lot more than I used to. Seriously, I can barely think when my feet hurt. It's been known to cause terrible tension headaches for me when my feet hurt. It's pathetic.

Last year, my friend Beth came over to our house one day wearing the cutiest flip-flops. They had multiple straps and were small, not big clunky flippies. I loved them right off, but at the time had already bought two pairs of flip-flops, which really is my allotment for the summer. So this year, when it was time to shop for flip-flops, I went to LL Bean, who makes really cute flippies, and found Beth's flip-flops! They are Tevas, and are made of some sort of mysterious squishy rubber on the bottom, and are so incredibly comfortable. Plus, I got the vote of confidence one day when I went over to Sara's and Lauren said to me, "Are those Teva flip flops? They're SO cute!" Look at that, I'm WAY cool Aunt Kati again. I love when I get an endorsement from one of my nieces, who always look adorable...and never hesitate to tell me when I look like a goober. Anyway, I loved my first pair so much, I had to order a second. I'm thrilled to have them, and honestly, wear them pretty much everywhere. They're comfortable, and look relatively cute. Really, my only two requirements.

How 'bout you? Are you all about comfort or looks when it comes to shoes?

More Pictures from the 50th

The reason for the party, Mom and Dad.

(L-R) - Sara (sister), Michelle (S-I-L), John (brother), Chris (brother), Mom, Dad, Me (looking at camera)

Denise (on bottom), Conor (middle) and Jackson (on top)

Rebecca (back), Erin (middle), LeeAnn (front)

Erin (left) and Abby (right)

(L-R) Lauren, Abby, Me, Meghan

Thanks, Denise for sharing all your wonderful pictures with me!

The 50th!

My family convened this weekend in Shepardstown, WV to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. We had one of those crazy, busy weekends that are loads of fun, while still exhausting.

We got to the Bavarian Inn at about 4:00, and had time to unpack and get situated before we had to meet for dinner at about 6:30. Everyone get dressed up for the evening, since it was Mom and Dad's anniversary. We took a few minutes to celebrate Rebecca's 17th birthday, and then had a delicious dinner. The highlight of dinner though was the this fantastic DVD slideshow that my niece, Meghan, put together for my mom and dad. It had about 120 pictures of our family throughout our lives and was set to music. It was incredibly moving and fun to watch. Great job Meg-Egg!

On Saturday we got up and had a yummy German breakfast and then a bunch of folks went over to Antietam to walk the battlefield. Meg and I opted to stay back at the hotel and read. We ended up next to pool watching the younger grandkids play in the pool. After a while, the troops came back from the battlefield and we ended up going into Shepardstown for lunch. We went to the Blue Moon Cafe and waited close to an hour for our meal. Despite my sister going to say that my Mom was a diabetic and we needed to get some food into her, they just didn't seem particularly concerned. It was really the only low point of the weekend. We got back from lunch and a big group of us headed out to Butt-Tubes, Inc. A tubing company on the Potomac. Our group opted to do a two hour float. We had a terrific time. The water was warm, if a little grungy, and we had a great time navigating the rapids and just floating along. Sometimes the river did get a little slow and we ended up having to paddle, but that was OK, we had fun anyway. Back to the Inn and upstairs for dinner. Another amazing dinner punctuated by funny stories and lots of teasing. I went to bed early, although the "big kids" (older grands) stayed up late visiting.

Sunday morning, we got up for breakfast, and then met our photographer, Adrienne, who worked with us to take a variety of family photos. The shot above is my folks with all of the kids. We're really looking forward to seeing how the shots turned out! After the pictures, we all checked out and headed home.

It was a really wonderful weekend. Full of laughter and teasing and jokes. I hope Mom and Dad enjoyed it as much as we did.

Bringing the Bitchy

It's coming up on one of my favorite times of the year...Awards Season.

Every year, my roomie and I host a Red Carpet party. While I adore the major awards shows: Oscar's, Globes, and Emmys, I watch for the fashion.

Our Red Carpet parties are girls only. They generally involve wine, dinner, dessert and a whole lotta bitchy. We jump back and forth between TV Guide and E! and criticize what the actresses wear. We do everything from jewelry to dresses to hair and anything in between. We love the inane questions the Red Carpet hosts ask, we love the vacuous answers the actors give, but mostly, we love it when a major star makes a MAJOR. FASHION. FAUX. PAS. (See picture of Vanessa Williams).

This Thursday, the Television Academy will announce its nominees for this year's Emmys. Now, my reaction to the nominations will be based one what shows I watch and who I think deserve to win based on merit. And you can trust that I'll be talking about my reactions on Thursday.

But my excitement is for the Red Carpet.

How 'bout you? Do you watch the Red Carpet? Or do you only care about the actual awards?

It's a Mystery to Me

I'll be blogging later about the weekend. I've been reading this weekend HIGH NOON by Nora Roberts. It is a total mystery to me how she can put out at least four excellent products a year. I rarely read a book by her where I'm not completely in love with the hero. HIGH NOON is absolutely no exception.

I'd like an order of Duncan Swift (the hero), with some fries on the side.

She rocks. Seriously.

???

Soooo....what exactly is Prince Charles doing here???

Packing

In my former job, I traveled alot -- at least 3-5 days out of every month. So I've become a bit of a packing expert. Also, I've become a bit of a suitcase snob. I ogle everyone else's suitcases admiring things about them that I wish I had, and mentally designing my perfect suitcase. It's telling that in the last two years, I've spent over $300 on suitcases. But hey, when you travel as much as I do, it's justified.

I'm getting ready to start packing for my parent's anniversary weekend. For most weekend trips I'm shoving a couple of pairs of shorts, some t-shirts and a bathing suit into a duffle, but this trip is more complicated. Mostly because we have a dressy dinner tomorrow night, the actual day of the anniversary, and then another dinner Saturday night, and Sunday morning we're having a full family picture taken, so that's another outfit. I have a feeling I'm going to end up looking like I'm going on safari by the time I'm done packing.

There are a couple of things that I never travel without. Ever. First is my flat iron. I have naturally curly hair that frizzes in humidity. My flat iron helps with that problem. Sadly, my curls aren't pretty, they're generally a big frizzy disaster sitting on top of my head, so lots of product and the flat iron helps.

Second, I never travel without sleeping pills. I'm not a good sleeper under the best of circumstances. I sleep lightly, and if I'm in a bed I'm unused to, it could take hours for me to go to sleep. But a Unisom will knock me right out, and that way at least I get some sleep in. Thank goodness.

Third, I never travel without lotion. Hotels tend to have very, very dry air blowing through them and my skin, which is dry and icky on a good day gets absolutely parchment like if I don't lotion it up. I always bring my own because most hotels heavily perfume their lotions and I end up stinking if I wear theirs. Chapstick also helps keep your lips from getting really chapped.

My other thing about packing is that I do it far in advance. I'm not a last minute packer. I tend to start thinking about it a couple of days ahead, and I get most everything into a suitcase usually 48 hours before I go. That way, I can add stuff as I go if necessary, and all I might need to add at the end are the essentials that I use daily. For me, it reduces stress, but I know alot of people have a really hard time with that. My roomie is one of them. She packs last minute, but has such a great method about it, she rarely forgets anything. Plus, I think her attitude is kind of, "If I forgot it, I'll buy it." Not me, I want my brand of stuff. I think they call that anal retentive.

So how 'bout you? Know any good tricks for packing? Are you a pre-planner or a last minute packer? Do you have any stuff you can't leave home without?

Amazing Love Stories

Given the approach of my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, I've been thinking about great love stories.

I'm a movie junkie. I love old and new love stories, and am a great one to heave a big satisfied sigh at the end of a movie.

Every single time I see Matthew McFadyen striding across the field through the mist with his great coat billowing in Pride and Prejudice, I do a virtual swoon. It's just such a dreamy moment. I love the end of When Harry Met Sally, when Harry finally realizes what a jerk he's been and races to the New Year's party where Sally is so he can tell her. In Sense and Sensibility, when Edward finally visits the Dashwood cottage and Elinor realizes that he's not married, and breaks down in the most inelegant tears ever and he tells her "My heart is, and always will be, yours", I sigh. How 'bout in The Sound of Music when Maria and the Captain realize that despite all of their faults, they're meant to be together. And he asks her if there's anyone he should speak to about asking for her hand in marriage, and she replies, "Well, we should probably ask the children." It's a lovely moment.

How 'bout you? What's your favorite romantic movie? What is it that makes it so romantic?

50!

This Friday is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. Amazing, huh? They were married on July 13, 1957. My dad was 21 and my mom, 19. They had my brother, Chris, just two years later.

Throughout my life, they have presented a united front. In my recollection, they never fought in front of me, or my siblings. Bickered, yes. But never a big fight. They've shown us love and understanding and support throughout our lives.

Their enduring love for each other has been a terrific example for all of my siblings and I.

Congrats Mom and Dad. I love you guys, and am so proud to be your child.

Colleen Gleason

If I'm lucky, maybe two or three times a year I stumble onto a new-to-me author that I just go ga-ga over. In the last week or so, I've been reading Colleen Gleason's Gardella Chronicles.

Frankly, I'm very, very late getting to the party. Gleason's first book came out last year, and it created quite a buzz in the romance community. Her second, Rises the Night came out earlier this year.

Here's the thing, I read a lot of paranormal romance. A lot of it. And basically, in most cases, about 10% of it is actually worth the money. I guess imitation is the highest form of flattery, but what tends to happen, is an author comes out with an innovative, interesting premise. It's a hit. And within a year, there's a glut in the market of books that follow more or less the same premise. The result is that it can be challenging to plow through what's "good" and what's not so good. Don't get me wrong, I have enormous respect for the tireless effort that goes into creating a world and writing it down, pitching it, and getting it published. But not all of what's out there is necessarily good.

Anyway, to get back to Colleen Gleason, I meant to pick up her books, I really did. But something held me back. First they're historical and paranormal, which is normally not my bag. Plus, everyone who recommended it to me kept saying, "You love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, don't you? (Yes, I do.) You'll love these books." So, that said to me that it was probably an homage type of thing. Another turn off for me.

But, my good friend, Michelle Buonfiglio, who is an established expert in Romance, sent me a copy of Rises the Night, the second in the series, so I decided to go ahead and buy the first, The Rest Falls Away, and see what I thought.

I was absolutely blown away.

These books are fantastic (both literally and figuratively). Gleason creates in Victoria, her heroine, a strong young woman, on the cusp of her debut, who is informed after having a reoccurring, disturbing dream about killing a man, that she is in fact a Venator. Her family legacy requires that she go into the business of killing vampires. All while trying to navigate the equally challenging arena of the ton, England's elite. Victoria gamely takes on the challenge, and finds herself meeting three intriguing men, Max, a fellow Venator; Sebastian Vioget, who continues to appear in her life unexpectedly, and who for reasons that surpass Victoria's understanding, she allows great liberties; and Philip, Lord Roxley, a man from her past with whom she forms a great attachment.

It is a beautifully written, well conceived story. The prose, setting and dialog all snap sharply with both wit and sympathy. It is an incredibly engaging series.

I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a pair of books this much. Now to my regret, I'm going to have to wait until February of 2008 to read the next in the series. In the mean time, if you haven't read them, I strongly recommend you try the books. You won't be sorry.

Kathleen Woodiwiss

I got home from a weekend break at the beach today to learn that Kathleen Woodiwiss passed away.

Most of you won't know who she was, so I'll tell you. She was a giant who literally helped lay the foundation that the romantic fiction genre was built upon. She wrote such classics as The Flame and The Flower, Shana, Ashes in the Wind, and my personal favorite, A Rose in Winter.

Her writing style was emulated by many, many romance authors and she is considered to be an "old school" author in the very best sense.

I feel a profound sense of sadness about this news. The Romance industry has lost a giant.

Hairspray

Meet Zac Ephron. He's one of the stars of the new movie musical, Hairspray, which is opening in just a couple of weeks. Isn't he adorable? He's just the kind of star that I would have been completely in love with when I was 11 or 12 years old.

He also starred in High School Musical which is this hilarious, fun, silly Disney musical that is a huge hit with the middle school set, due in no small part, I think to Zac. Course two of my closest 35 year old friends own the HSM DVD too. What does that say about us?

H. and I went to New York a few years ago, and saw Hairspray with it's original cast, which included the incomperable Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur. The story is fun and empowering all at the same time, and the music is wonderful.

The movie musical will also, I'm sure prove to be just as much fun.

I adore movie musicals, and have seen, loved, and now own most of the musicals that have been released in the last few years. My dog, Roxie, is named after Roxie Hart in the movie musical Chicago, which came out just as I got her. Hilariously, she's very like her namesake, strong willed and manipulative.

What movie musicals do you love? Or do you hate them?

Dress Shopping

My friend Megan is getting married in a few weeks (August 4th) to Joe. We love Joe, but that's a whole 'nother post. Anyway, between Megan's wedding and my upcoming cruise, I've decided I need to buy a new dress. Generally, I'm not a dress or skirt kind of girl. I don't really like them. Especially in the summertime, mainly due to the nasty phenomenon of chub-rub. You know what I mean? I know you do.

Annnyway, I've been shopping for dresses, and have been quite pleasantly surprised by how many incredibly cute, reasonably priced dresses there are out there. I've about decided that I'm going to get the dress pictured (course I won't be wearing a size 0 dress like the model), which is from Ann Taylor Loft. I have to say again how thrilled I am to be able to walk into a store like Ann Taylor Loft and actually fit into anything they have.

I like the dress very much. It's a light cotton material, but nicely lined, so I don't need to worry about a slip. Also, the A-Line is very flattering on me, since I seem to carry most of my weight in my lower abdomen. But beyond that, I'm thrilled that the dress is a size 12. That's just beyond exciting for me.

Now I've just got to find cute shoes to go with it. SIGH. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Ladyhawke

I'm s'posed to be working today, but since I'm one of about 30 people out of 120 here today, I'm pacing myself. Yesterday, my bud Stacy did a genius post about best kisses in movies/TV/books. Instantly, I thought of Ladyhawke.

The movie is one of my all time favorite romances. It's brilliantly shot, has a compelling, mythical story and one of the most rockin' 80's soundtracks (by the Alan Parson's Project) ever. But what makes the movie is the genius chemistry between the leads, played by Rutger Hauer, a luminous Michelle Pfeiffer, and the brilliant Matthew Broderick as Phillipe the Mouse.

The gist of the story is that Phillipe Gaston, a young peasant fugitive has escaped from the dungeons of Aquila and is on the run from the Bishop of Aquila's men. He is saved from near capture by Etienne de Navarre, a knight who dresses is black, rides a giant destrier and travels with only a hawk as his companion. Navarre is headed back to the fortress of Aquila to wreak vengeance on the Bishop against whom he holds a great grudge. His plan is to kill the Bishop during the annual jousts at the stronghold. Navarre and Phillipe begin an uneasy alliance where Navarre manipulates Phillipe into helping him break back into Aquila so that he might kill the bishop. Along the road, Phillipe notices that at night Navarre disappears and a beautiful woman with a great familiarity with Navarre's things takes his place. One day, while travelling toward Aquilla, Navarre's hawk is injured by the Bishop's men. Navarre charges Phillipe to take the hawk to Imperius, a monk who lives nearby, and Imperius will know what to do. It is while Phillipe is with Imperius that he learns the truth about Navarre, and the mysterious woman.

The movie is exquisitely shot, with Italy doubling for France. While it was made in the 80s, the movie truly stands the test of time, and is still one of the most romantic and enjoyable movies I know.

How 'bout you? Have you seen Ladyhawke? Did you like it?

The 4th

As it says in my profile, I live in the DC area. You'd think that living in the Nation's capitol, you'd want to go downtown to enjoy the gorgeous fireworks shown on the Mall.

Oh. Hell. No.

Seriously, there will be over 1 million people on the Mall tomorrow. I'm guessing 80% of them will be out-of-towners. The 20% that are from DC, are there with out-of-towners. Trust me on this. DC residents despise the 4th on the Mall. It's crowded, hot, sticky and generally horrible. Since September 11th, the Capitol police are (rightly so) very, very strict about what you can bring down, and you actually have to clear metal detectors to get onto the Mall. The Metro is slam-packed full of sweaty, smelly people who have decided to avoid the parking nightmare by Metro-ing in. Seriously, it's awful.

Now, the fireworks are gorgeous (see photo, (c) Declan McCullogh), but I'd far, far prefer to stay home and watch Pops Goes the 4th on PBS. I'm totally serious.

Tomorrow, we'll have a crowd at our house during the day to play in the pool, but by about 6:00, our house will have cleared out, and it'll be my roomie and me, and possibly her folks.

At 9:30, the fireworks will start at the country club nearby, and I'll have a shaking, terrified dachshund on my lap. By 10:15, it'll all be over with, and we'll have survived another 4th...not on the Mall.

Hope everyone has a fun, safe and cool 4th holiday!