There’s no way D.C. has totally tainted you, because you still spend extended hours reading HP and watching quirky movies. The truly jaded can’t enjoy either.

I also went to this absolutely fantastic workshop sponsored by Kodak called Stop By. Shoot Film. If any of you ever have the opportunity to go to one, I HIGHLY recommend it! I got to learn the basics of shooting 16mm film for free! You go out, shoot some film with an expert cameraperson, and in a couple weeks you get a DVD back with all the footage you shot so you can see how it all looks! Everyone got to participate in all the different aspects, be it light metering, “acting” focus pulling, “directing”, etc. A really great experience!

There was a woman participating in the workshop who reminded me of you, Robin. Unfulfilled lawyer whose first degree was in English, always did small acting jobs on the side for fun, and is finally ready to make a change in her life. I don’t think she’d be caught dead in fleece though, sorry.

Tomorrow I’m going to see Sicko, and then to a concert, which I’m very excited about. One of my favorite artists announced a surprise show a couple days ago, and I was lucky enough to get tickets before it sold out!

p.s. When I saw your little dog figure, all I could think about is the Congressional Blue Dogs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Dog_Democrats All the Blue Dogs have big signs outside their offices with the current total of the National Debt, as well as each American’s personal share. Oh, how this town has tainted me.

Michelle, hope you’re having a wonderful time in England (why is everyone getting to travel to these exotic places this summer? Kelly in Scotland, Miri in Australia, now Michelle watching Harry Potter in his native country–sigh).

Readerdiane, a soak and a massage? Ahhhh for you!

(Though may I just say for the record that I had a fabulous time. 素晴らしい休暇/Subarashii kyukaa - wonderful vacation. As it’s extremely close to Japan, or at least closer than we are, most of the signs were in Japanese as well as English. Fun!)

Also, I left with three books (only one of which I actually finished…eheheh), and I came home with…eight? Yeah, we’ll go with eight. Plus I went to the bookstore today and got five more (three manga and the two Harry Potters that we didn’t already have - SS and PoA. Shocking, isn’t it?).

I like books.

I also slept in until noon today. (After staying up until four to do a critique, but I digress.)

Glad to be back. And I just know you’ve missed my offtopic rambling.

My favorite Far Side cartoon is “The Real Reasons Dinosaurs Are Extinct”… and the dinosaurs are all smoking.

I didn’t get to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the 3D Imax, which sounds amazing, but I DID watch it in the oldest theater in England, the Dome Cinema. It even had a balcony!

My nice thing this week is that I am traveling, which I love to do. I am having a great time with a dear friend and seeing lovely sights. I even let myself eat scones with clotted cream and I didn’t count the Weight Watchers points!

I have visited a book store each day. Such decadence!

That’s funny about how the actor imagined he was encased in concrete. Because I remember thinking this was pretty amusing.

I’ll have to watch this movie later when the kids are asleep.

The movie is excellant,regardless of the high tech,but getting to see it on a jumbo big screen with the 3D that truly lives up to the hype,is priceless!