Ghost Rider Smells

Rented Ghost Rider tonight. Thought it would at least be mindless entertainment. It got the mindless part right. Too awful to sit through. I might as well have taken my $5 and set it on fire (pun intended).

Ever have one of those days that's just perfect. A rainy day here in beautiful downtown Edmonton. We've had weeks of miserable, dry, hot weather. Today was a godsend. Hung out with the dogs. Read. Did laundry. No phone calls. It was a great day. Even stinky Ghost Rider couldn't ruin it.

Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and rainy as well. The plan is to paint. A picture. That's the plan.

You'll thank me for this

Run, do not walk, and buy President's Choice brand Caramel Cheesecake Crunch cookies. Life altering.

Evening....folks

Saw the movie "Evening" tonight with my dear friend Fern. "Evening" reminded me of "Wit" in that it is about someone at the end of their life and having regrets. Whereas "Wit" is about a person realizing what they did not do, "Evening" is about a person who fears her life was predicated on a mistake made in her youth. She realizes ultimately that there are no mistakes.

"Evening" features a stellar cast: Vanessa Redgrace, Glenn Close, Meryl Street (both in small roles), Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter), Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson (Vanessa Redgrave's daughter). Talent of this calibre could elevate a shopping list to poetry. I suspect the script is actually quite average -- though in many ways the key messages of the film should be a manual for life given to every young woman when she reaches the age of majority.

A bridge in Mississippi

collapsed during rush hour traffic, plunging at least 50 cars into the Mississippi River. Apparently, a school bus is hanging on by a thread. According to news reports, the bridge was under construction. Perhaps city officials should have waited until the bridge was finished before opening it to traffic. Just a thought.

Can you imagine...just a poor schlub on his way home from work when the bridge beneath him disappears and *ker splash*. Then the agonizing wait for the pressure to equalize in the car, which means staying calm until water fills the inside of the car. Then having the presence of mind to open the door and swim to the surface. It's one of those disasters that's all about a few people's numbers being absolutely up. Tickets, please.

A bike ride

I went for a bike ride tonight for the first time in I don't know how many years. It was just like...well,...riding a bike. It was a beautiful evening and it was great to get out and feel the wind in my face. It will, however, take the rest of the evening to pry the bike seat out of my ass.

New on The View

So, Whoopie Goldberg has been tapped to replace Rosie O'Donnell as moderator on the view. It's a smart choice for lots of reasons....particularly because it brings some racial diversity to a show that has been very "white." Elizabeth gives me a pain in the crease. I find it so alarming to see someone so young buy the Bush agenda hook, line and sinker. It's as though she has no ability or desire to question, to look beyond the public relations. In short, I think she's a Republican Stepford wife.

It will be interesting to see if parameters are put around Whoopi, who I suspect has the potential to be as opinionated as Rosie. I suspect, however, that she can also separate her opinion from her person. This was Rosie's downfall. She felt it all too much.

Rosie has an incredible blog, which is like crack cocaine. She responds to questions from her blog community. Apparently she gets in excess of 3000 comments and questions a day, ranging from vitriolic abuse to over the top love and affection. The questions range from banal to hilarious. It's good reading and she's pretty up front about controversies related to her. Have a look.

I stopped taping The View when Rosie left. I may start again now that Whoopie's on.

Let the blogging begin

I bought the movie "Wit," and HBO movie starring Emma Thompson. It was adapted by a Pulitzer Prize winning play and has that feel about it. Emma Thomspon and Mike Nichols wrote the screenplay. It is the story of a professor of 17th century English poetry (John Donne, specifically) who is diagnosed with "stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer." "There is no stage 5," the character (Vivian Bearing) tells the audience directly. It's a movie about many things, not the least of which is about how the medical profession treats patients, about the ripping away of dignity. It's also about fear, having regrets, about the illusion that we are in control of our lives.

Emma Thompson won an Emmy for this role, I believe. I find her acting sublime and she is no less so in this. Also, the actor who plays her former English professor is a revelation as well.

I had to order my copy through http://www.amazon.ca/. Not sure if it's readily available to rent.