Happy Easter!

Bunny

Finding Neverland

finding neverland

Call me cynical but I found this movie to be extremely manipulative. The brave widow and mother of four (or is it 5?) loveable rambunctious boys is befriended by a whimsical failed playwright. They are all gorgeous and happy until the bravest mum in the world is stricken down by an unexplained illness. I seethed with anger as the playwright neglected his beautiful and supportive wife and chose instead to roll about in the garden with the young fatherless boys. I suspect he was hoping to touch them where they wear their bathing suits. It was a very pretty Edwardian period movie and then there's Johnny Depp - he's also pretty. Am I jaded?

My Friends are Grandparents!

Jack Anthony

....and they're younger than me. Are we shifting places in the generational sandwich? We used to be the filling and now we're the bread. Eek!

I Have to Have One!

Young foxes, or kits, scamper in a cage in Siberia, Russia, where they are part of a 45-year research project to domesticate foxes. Each generation has been selectively bred for tameness—fearlessness and non-aggression toward humans. By now the foxes in the project behave like pet dogs, barking and wagging their tails at humans. Also like pet dogs, the domesticated foxes can "read" human cues (pointing, for example) much better than their wild cousins or even tame chimpanzees, according to a new study. The study authors call such behavior social intelligence. They say its appearance in domesticated foxes may help us better understand how intelligence developed in humans and other animals. (Note the uncanny resemblance to  George Rodrigue's Blue Dog)

Blue dog or tamed fox?

  

Spring is on the Way

winter aconite
Things are starting to happen in the garden - flowers are coming up, the snow is melting and our old spaniel, Katie is eating her own waste as it emerges. I didn't take a photo of that - it's so disgusting. It must be senility as she's never done it before. I hope I don't develop that habit as I age (the ones I have are bad enough).

Happy St Patrick's Day

St. Patrick

432 - St. Patrick arrives in Ireland offering 25 cent chicken wings and 2-for-1 taps all night long.
Check out The Onion's Irish Timeline.

Even Better the Second Time

The Office

I just love this take on the work-a-day world and I'm ever so glad I don't work there. David Brent's outrageous, politically incorrect attempts to ingratiate himself with his staff make me cringe but I keep wanting more. Finally got to watch the special and it provided a very satisying ending. I understand that there is a new American version coming out and I imagine it stinks.

Let's Hear It For The Girls on International Women's Day

Maggy Hendry has co-edited the third and fourth editions of the Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography alongside the original compiler and editor, Jenny Uglow. In honour of International Women's Day, she has chosen her top 10 women from the latest edition of the Dictionary, which was published at the beginning of the year.

Incident at Loch Ness

Incident at Loch Ness

Who would have guessed that Werner Herzog has such a sense of humour? The premise is that Herzog goes to Scotland to film a documentary on the Loch Ness monster. Zak Penn and Herzog play themselves and the conflict between art and Hollywood garbage is the theme. There are some really funny bits in this mockumentary about the filming of a documentary. The self parody is clever. Herzog fans may take offense but maybe they should just lighten up.

Nag Jr's Back and There's Going to be Laundry

Nag Jr. in Venice

Doggie Bag!

doggie bag
Mr. Nag put an empty dog food bag in the back yard, fully intending to take it to the garbage, I'm sure. When I let Katie out later last evening she thought she'd died and gone to heaven. She didn't want to get out of that bag until she'd gotten every last crumb. At one point she manoeuvered her way inside and it looked like the ProPlan demon had possessed our back yard. I had to wrest the bag away from her and she was one determined little spaniel.

Citizen of the Year

Citizen of the Year
Looks like it was a good night for Catherine and she deserves it - she's given a lot to her community. I guess she's forgiven me for not attending her event - we'll meet for lunch soon and I'll show her around Willlowbank.

When To Stone Your Children

That's it, buddy!
Posting this may or may not have something to do with the fact that Baby Nag is home for a few days. Honest, it's just a cute link!

More Snow

more snow

How much snow is enough to cancel out on a friend? My buddy, Catherine, is Fonthill's Citizen of the Year. The dinner is tonight and I said I'd go but it looks like the roads are icing up and it's a long drive (about an hour in good weather) and some more snow is coming (although maybe not too much) and it's dark. I sent a last minute email full of (genuine) regret and am feeling pretty guilty.