Did you know Charles Dickens was an ass? Well, he was. I love his novels- and because I have been so enamored by his words, I’ve read about him and watched documentaries to find the heart of his inspiration.

He did have a pretty screwed up childhood. He was forced to work before even reaching his teens due to his father’s debts. His father was actually sent to a prison for those with debts, and the whole family (except Charles) went to the prison with him. And after the debts were settled, his mother decided to keep Charles at work because they still needed the money. Yeah, I can see how that would scar a person. And the dissatisfaction he had with his mother for this totally colored his view of women.

When he was a young man, he fell in love with a beautiful young lady named Maria. They exchanged love letters and poetry proclaiming undying love- but her father would hear nothing of it, she was to marry someone of circumstance, no one like this unknown Charles Dickens.

Several years later Dickens married Elizabeth, and they had 10 children together. The first year the marriage Elizabeth’s younger teenage sister moved in with them to take care of the house and help with the baby, and Charles became infatuated with this young sister-in-law. She actually died that year, and in his arms. He spoke words that could not be mistaken as anything other than romantic about her passing. And from this point on, he’d always compare his wife to this young girl- the never changing, never aging, beautiful, supportive 17 year old. How could an aging wife bearing 10 children compare? He turned into one of those people who couldn’t see anything good in all their abundance- constantly thinking about the other side of the fence and it’s greener grass.

He continued to speak of his unhappiness, and years later, received a letter from his first love, Maria. She wanted to meet with him and catch up on old times. Charles was very excited, and polished himself for the visit, but was completely let down when she came and was revealed to look older, and had gained weight. He was underwhelmed, and even used her in one of his books- describing a character (Flora) cruelly in ‘Little Dorrit’ as, “…had grown to be very broad and short of breath. Flora, who had seemed enchanting in all she said and thought, was diffuse and silly.”

He ended up separating with his wife in later years- making her live in solitude and not even allowing her to see the children. He took up with a much younger, thinner lady- who’s only words known spoken of him were years and years after his death, “I loathed the old man’s touch.” Just desserts, I say.

So here we have, these wonderful stories… from a confused and not so nice man. He actually had redeeming qualities in social reform, but his personal life was in shambles. He had an ‘ideal’ in his creative mind, a beautiful mind that told the tales we’ve adored for generations upon generations- and that ideal must have been just as grand, unattainably grand. I suppose it’s easy to spin a dream and hold on to it, one so large all of reality pales in comparison.

I’ve mentioned these kinds of things before… so second verse, same as the first. Anyhow, growing up, and as a young adult- I always identified the following things with intelligence: knowing at least one other language, playing chess, being an avid reader, and playing at least one instrument well. It may sound stupid to some people- but those things in my eyes make a well-rounded person. You can speak about a lot of things, you can understand things from a different tongue, you can be entertained by a game that takes real skill, and you can simply be entertaining.

Growing up, and even today- I am known as a person who knows a little bit about a lot of things, never completely mastering any of those four topics. I know some of several languages (not becoming fluent in any of them), I do read a lot (not nearly enough), I played chess when I was little (then forgot as I grew up), and I sing as well as play a little harmonica. No one encouraged me to do any of those things growing up. The family in my home did not care about my interests and I was always the oddball out. Children were to be seen and not heard, told to get out of the house and go play, and never asked for their opinions on anything. What happened in my head was always a secret world. And maybe that’s why I began writing stories at such a young age- how else would I get all my thoughts out?

I knew things would be different when I had a child. I actually didn’t even think I would ever have one… but after a lot of rigorous fertility treatments with drugs and including artificial inseminations- we had Christopher. And because I know the pain of wanting a child really bad and having faced the reality that it may never happen, my appreciation for him has no bounds. And not only did I receive him, but I got the cream of the crop. He’s just a wonderful person inside and out. He tries really hard, he succeeds, he loves, he pays attention, he has fun, he dreams, and understands in ways I just can’t explain. We share a lot together, and we’re connected like no one else I know.

I have been able to share my four important topics with him and he’s dove into them like a champ. Not only is he actively making sure he’s proficient in all areas- he’s really sincere about his interests in them as well. I couldn’t force things on him he didn’t want. But somehow, I was gifted a child who would mirror me in many ways. He knows a little of a few languages, but focusing on one for fluency. He is the ultimate book worm, he plays chess very well, and he plays two instruments and reads music. He also gets excited about school and craves the opportunities to do reports and projects.

Christopher is usually involved in several books at one time. In his class they must read everyday for 20 minutes, no matter what the material- it could be a comic book for all the teacher cares. But aside from that, they have book clubs where they are assigned novels they must read, and at home- I read novels to him out loud before bedtime.

Yesterday he finished one of the book club novels and told me: “Mom, I really wish you could have read this book, it was awesome.” What was great about hearing that- is that I fknew our love for books and sharing was a two-way street. He also wanted me to know the things he knew, not just me playing ‘mom’- but him desiring even more common ground. That is in fact the way he means it. So last night after he went to sleep, I read the whole book before he had to turn it back in this morning at school We talked about it, and it’s just another thing we now share.

He’s been reading books that are several grades ahead of him. These are the books he chooses to read for his 20 minutes of ‘anything’. They have a program called ‘Accelerated Reader’ where they take tests on the books they read if they are in the system. He’s made between 95% and 100% on each of the books he’s read this year. Yesterday the assistant principal told him to ’stay in your range’ and not read those books. I told him he could read whatever he wanted as long as he enjoyed it. He finishes the books, he understands them, and his test scores prove it. So why not? We will tactfully not listen to the assistant principal.

What is pretty funny is that this morning while waiting for the school bus- he told me, “There was only one word I had to look up from the books I chose to read, and that’s aBURPtly, it means sudden.” HA! I asked, “Do you mean abruptly?” He says, “Ah, if I would have read it like that, I wouldn’t have had to look it up.” Too funny. It reminds me of books we read last year- the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary. In ‘Ramona The Pest’, Ramona enters kindergarten and they sing the national anthem. Her minds eye understands things differently than the reality. When she sang, “…by the dawn’s early light…” she understood, “…by the dawnzer lee light”. She puzzled over these words and came to the conclusion that a ‘dawnzer’ must be a lamp, because lamps give lee light. So at home one day, she thought she’d impress her family by asking someone if they’d please turn on the ‘dawnzer’ so she could read It didn’t go over well.

Anyhow. Lots of rambling later… I’m just pretty excited about my son and our relationship. I talk about him a lot, but that’s just because every day is a day of special things between us. I know that if I were to die tomorrow, I would have zero regrets. I would not be one of those people that was consumed with ‘what ifs’, why didn’t I pay attention, and things of that nature. Every day has been the treasured gift it was meant to be. So no matter how well-known I am or am not, no matter how much money I have or don’t have- my life is successful beyond my own expectations.

I can’t believe another awesome Alex O’Loughlin TV series is being canceled. I was a huge fan of Moonlight, and a fan of Three Rivers. Very different show (I preferred him as a vampire, lol) but I truly enjoyed both shows I’ve actually enjoyed everything he’s been in (movies, The Shield, Criminal Minds). I really am getting pretty sick of CBS at this point. Having a weekly ‘fix’ of Alex is going to be no more… just after I was getting over the loss of Moonlight.

I know it’s not even December- but I like to start the Christmas season right after Halloween Make the most of the decorations.

She posted this on her Facebook page:

The LA Times included a very brave editorial this morning, “Courting Anglicans,” including these words, “supporters of gay rights in particular — many of them Christians — should try to dispel the notion that belief in God is imcompatible with full equality for gays and lesbians.”

And here is the LA Times article:

Courting Anglicans

The pope’s welcoming of Anglicans disaffected by their church’s greater openness only shows how far the gay-rights movement has to go to dispel religious intolerance.

This week’s announcement that the Roman Catholic Church will welcome disaffected Anglicans en masse is of primary interest to members of the two Christian communions. But this religious realignment is also a reminder to supporters of equality for women and gays and lesbians that they must literally preach to the converted if they are to win believers to their cause.

Pope Benedict XVI has offered the Anglicans a special status within Catholicism that will preserve their traditions and allow married Anglican priests to continue their ministry. Those likely to accept are animated by opposition to innovations including the ordination of an openly gay bishop in the United States, blessings for same-sex couples in Canada and the Church of England’s decision to allow female bishops.

Not every dissatisfied Anglican will change churches. Nor will this development drown out voices within the Roman Catholic Church favoring full participation by women and homosexuals. But Benedict’s action is part of a formidable religious backlash against gay rights that isn’t confined to the pulpit; witness the lobbying by some religious leaders against same-sex civil marriages.

Under the 1st Amendment, churches in this country can’t be forced to alter their doctrine or to stop preaching against the supposed immorality of homosexuality. Even so, supporters of gay rights in particular — many of them Christians — should try to dispel the notion that belief in God is incompatible with full equality for gays and lesbians.

Now as before the pope’s action, Christians can be reminded — as they have been by both Anglican and Catholic theologians — that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality and that church leaders, including popes, have changed their thinking over the years about everything from usury to the culpability of Jews for the Crucifixion to the desirability of religious tolerance. You don’t have to be Catholic (or Anglican) to realize that society as a whole would be better off if the church’s views of women and gays underwent a similar evolution.

Wednesday: is a day of the week in the Gregorian calendar. According to international standard ISO 8601, it is the third day of the week. This day is between Tuesday and Thursday.

The astrological sign of the planet Mercury represents Wednesday — Dies Mercurii to the Romans, with similar names in Latin-derived languages, such as the French Mercredi and the Spanish Miércoles. In English, this became “Woden’s Day”, since the Roman god Mercury was identified with Woden in northern Europe.

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You may have read the 10 worst movies of the decade on Yahoo today:

10. Witless Protection (2008)
9. Redline (2007)
8. 3 Strikes (2000)
7. Strange Wilderness (2008)
6. Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)
5. National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers (2004)
4. King’s Ransom (2005)
3. Pinocchio (2002)
2. One Missed Call (2008)
1. Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever (2002)

I don’t know, “One Missed Call” wasn’t the greatest movie in the world… but I am sure there was a worse movie that could have replaced that in the top 10 of the decade.

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Question, have you ever met a person who’s actually received a new laptop, cell phone, or other expensive piece of technology for simply filling out a survey? I haven’t. There’s also this commercial that plays late at night about making tons of money filling out surveys online. The first night I saw it I signed up and spent 2 hours filling out surveys- only to find out that doing it merely gave me the ‘chance’ to win money for doing so. You know what I did get, though? Tons of spam.

I’ll do that from time to time… damn the humanity! Better get used to it, I wasn’t born divine

So how’s everyone? Rock on! Glad to hear it I’ve been keeping busy, writing articles for a group I have elsewhere online, and other day-to-day mumbo jumbo.

I’m pretty upest about the death of Patrick Swayze. That’s definitely something worthy of note right now. As I posted on somewhere else:

For many, their minds will go straight to ‘Dirty Dancing’ and ‘Ghost’, but for me… it goes straight to ‘The Outsiders’ and the awesome TV mini-series ‘The North and the South’. For me, he will always be Darrel Curtis, and Orry Main. I’m so glad I have both on DVD. I will often watch ‘The North and The South’ for a week… every night before I go to sleep watching part of it.

The man was married for 33 years, first and only marriage. They truly loved each other. That’s amazing for anyone, but in Hollywood… wow. So my sympathies are with his wife, and other family members. While I will miss the art, they’ve lost a real person in their lives.

Sucks.

I watched a really good movie this early AM after my walk. If you are interested in watching a vampire film that has a unique story, and goes back to the vampire as a monster and not a beautiful hero- as well as being a very, very different main character vamp… this is totally the movie for you. You just have to be willing to deal with subtitles as it is a Swedish film.

I watched it, because it was recommended by Alex O’Loughlin (’Mick St. John’ of Moonlight). Not, he didn’t personally recommend it to me I read it an interview he gave where he stated that this movie was “F@#$ing Brilliant!” I had to check it out

If you don’t mind foreign films, give this one a shot. It may not be your cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it.

Let the right one in/Låt den rätte komma in: it is also available to watch instantly on Netflix.

Today I wrote to Anne Rice, and her response was immediate. It may just be a simple note, but for me… I just love knowing that Anne was at her computer reading my email, and taking moments from her life to respond directly back:

Thank you for this generous and charming letter. I’m glad you responded positively to my essay. It did seem to stop the questions about denouncing my earlier work. They just stopped coming in, so I think it served its purpose, and I hope it does more than that too. I found your letter interesting, and I wish you well with your writing. You know that the world is crying for new and original voices. Take care, Anne Rice.