ita,

I have been hearing amazing things about Cloud Atlas and I don't know how to parse it. I am very skeptical the movie is as good as some of the critics make it out to be, but my skepticism is based on nothing concrete.

I happen to find Hanks okay in general. I don't have a Mel Gibbs-like hate on for him, so he would not be the reason I would want to avoid the movie. Halle Berry on the other hand...

And then was really angry that other people seemed to know? DUDE. MOTHER. GLASS EYE. How did you not notice???)

My mother reportedly didn't realise her father had a moustache. Until my father pointed it out to her.

I do not remember the last time Hanks either disappeared into a role or entertained me by being his nifty self throughout the movie--if you're headlining, I need one or the other, you know? He seems to be a great guy--I'm only bothered by him insofar as he's in the movie I want to watch--I don't want to buy tickets for his movies because that will encourage him to make more. As opposed to deliberately filling the coffers of a Gibson or a Sheen offensive type, who also don't sink into the character, and are instead an oily film on top of whatever they're in, which is an adamant principle by now.

My mother reportedly didn't realise her father had a moustache. Until my father pointed it out to her.

Okay, that's pretty blind. Was she hurt by the truth?

Okay, that's pretty blind. Was she hurt by the truth?

She seemed to have adjusted, though it did reportedly lead to this conversation with her father:

M: "How long have you had that?"
Grandpa: [quizzical] "All your life, Dearie."

To her credit, it later only took her a ten-minute face-to-face conversation, finding an electric shaver by the bathroom sink, and me telling her, to realise when I shaved off my beard.

A small child riding with me would pick up a terrible vocabulary and say "Drive it or park it" a lot.

At 4, Olivia, when asked what Mommy calls people who pull out in front of our van, would reply in her sweet, childish voice, "Jackass."

YAY OAKLAND!

t dances a jig

Nice jig, Consuela.

The Silent Auction for CJ's search and rescue team went really well. We made just over $20k. Our annual operating expenses are about $30k, so this went pretty well.

Special thanks go out to Val for donating a quilt and Nicole for helping me get beer donations from her work. Buffistas are awesome.

I am so exhaused. Or I was until the A's pulled that game out and now I'm wired.

Cupcake party was delicious. If a bit obnoxious since all the women knew each other from running club so most were very skinny. Humph. Mine did not win, though they got a few votes. Winners were a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing ( good, but mostly because it was not pumpkin) and a pumpkin one with an amazing cinnamon icing. Notably, no one voted for the vegan cupcakes...

Your cupcakes sound fantastic, meara.

I assume these are streets, otherwise you are in a tough Sears store.

That's a little further west on Lawrence.

Hey, wasn't Taye Diggs on Private Practice [spoilers]

Yes, and yes. In case you were still wondering.