Years that ask questions

This quote has been one of my favorites ever since reading Their Eyes Were Watching God in high school (gosh, I miss those classics sometimes...)

I truly can't believe 2013 is upon us. I've always felt that time was rushing forward -- that the days and weeks and months and years were lunging past me uncontrollably -- and this year especially seemed to fly right on by. But time did stop on a few occasions for a few brief moments. Like this one. :) And those moments I cherish. 2012 taught me many things about myself, about life, about love, about starting a career. 2011 was a year of questions, but this year gave me some clarity, some definitive answers. Maybe that was true for you as well, or maybe your year was more uncertain. I have a feeling 2013 will bring many more challenges, questions, answers and great memories. 

How are you celebrating the close of 2012? We're going to watch the fireworks over Tower Bridge in Old Town Sac tonight. Happy New Year, everyone! See ya next year. ;)


*Photo from that dubious summer 2011 in Torrington, WY 

On kindness and Christmas

There's a nice man who works at the ticket booth in our parking garage. Whenever I swing by to leave work for the evening, he's there with a smile, a nod and a "have a good night!" It's a simple gesture, but it's become something familiar and pleasant. Sometimes I'll pick his line of cars at the exit just to wish him well and have him send me on my journey home. I don't know much about him. All I know is that his simple kindness makes a big difference... 

And speaking of kindness, our mantel (well, cabinet) with cards from family and friends reminds me how blessed we are. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! Andrew and I spent the weekend before Christmas in Los Angeles, visiting my aunt MaryAnn and her boyfriend Dominick and cruising through the crowded streets of Hollywood and Beverly Hills in her new car. We held a party (Kim came over!), went on a hike near Dodgers stadium, ate Mexican food on Olvera Street, browsed the Redondo Pier fish market and went on a long walk in Marina Del Rey with Andrew's brother Tony and his wife Jana. It was my first time meeting them and I couldn't have been happier to have an afternoon together! We spent Christmas in Grass Valley, opening presents, eating way too much as usual and watching "The Christmas Story" -- my favorite. :)

Life of Pi

I once read that you judge whether or not you'll like a movie within the first three minutes of watching. But even after the first 30 seconds of Life of Pi, with it's simple yet creative opening credits, I was spellbound. Andrew and I stopped to see it in 3D in Davis over the weekend.

Based on the novel by Yann Martel (which I now want to read), the story follows a young boy named Pi and a tiger named Richard Parker. And that’s all I’m going to say.

Other than the fact that it’s so visually scintillating, it kept me intrigued for the entire 126 minutes. This time, paying the few bucks more for a 3D experience was worth it.  Ann Hornaday from The Washington Post put it well when she said, “In a year when 3-D has added little or nothing to the films it nominally enhanced…'Life of Pi' arrives just in time to breathe life and possibility into an otherwise moribund marketing gimmick.”

And get this – a make-shift movie theater (above) was created inside an indoor swimming pool in Paris called the Piscine Pailleron, which was featured in the film. People watched from lifeboats swaying in the water. Leave it to the French!