And good job, Team Netherlands. Way to make the boys in navy work for it.

So until 2014, viva España!

Sometimes, I wish life were as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And it is, sometimes.

Lately, however, life’s been pretty exhausting. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually, I’m exhausted.

I’m just a simple sinner who received God’s good grace, somehow.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

#1 Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

#2 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

#3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

#4 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

#5 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

#6 Holes by Louis Sachar

#7 The Giver by Lois Lowry

#8 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

#9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

#10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

#11 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

#12 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

#14 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

#15 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

#16 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl

#19 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

#20 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

#21 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

#22 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo

#23 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

#24 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

#25 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

#26 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

#27 A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett

#28 Winnie-the Pooh by A.A. Milne

#29 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland /Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

#30 The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

#31 Half Magic by Edward Eager

#32 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

#33 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

#34 Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

#35 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire JK Rowling

#36 Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

#37 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor

#38 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

#39 When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

#40 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

#41 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

#42 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

#43 Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

#44 Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

#45 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

#46 Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

#47 Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

#48 The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

#49 Frindle by Andrew Clements

#50 Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

#51 The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright

#52 The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

#53 Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

#54 The BFG by Roald Dahl

#55 The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

#56 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

#57 Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

#58 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

#59 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

#60 The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

#61 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

#62 The Secret of the Old Clock (The Nancy Drew mysteries) by Caroline Keene

#63 Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright

#64 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

#65 Ballet Shoes by Noah Streatfeild

#66 Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary

#67 Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

#68 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

#69 The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

#70 Betsy Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

#71 A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

#72 My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

#73 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

#74 The Borrowers by Mary Norton

#75 Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

#76 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

#77 City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

#78 Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

#79 All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

#80 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

#81 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

#82 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

#83 The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

#84 Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

#85 On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

#86 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

#87 The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg

#88 The High King by Lloyd Alexander

#89 Ramona and her Father by Beverly Cleary

#90 Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

#91 Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

#92 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

#93 Caddie Woodlawn by C. R. Brink

#94 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

#95 Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

#96 The Witches by Roald Dahl

#97: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

#98 Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston

#99 The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

#100 The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

I remember graduating from high school in 2001 and thinking that the century seemed still so new, and now here it is, 10 years old.

Anyone got some resolutions they want to share?

I’m planning on running the Los Angeles Rock and Roll half marathon (13.1 miles) in October.  My runner guru Sheryl told me that I should tell tons of people my plans so that I can’t back out.  She’s right – I’m already groaning and whining that I’ve told people, because now I have to do it.  But it’s a great motivator to get out there and train.

So, cyber world, my goal is to run a half marathon in October. Wish me luck and hold me to it!

“The Twelve Days of Pirate Christmas”

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me …

12 ships to plunder,

11 cannons firing,

10 crewmen leaping,

9 sharks a’ swimming,

8 rum-filled bottles,

7 lusty wenches,

6 jolly rogers,

5 gold doubloons,

4 eyepatches,

3 earrings,

2 wooden legs,

and a parrot for my shoulder – Arrr!

In reading all these magazines (mostly Premiere and Entertainment Weekly), I came across an interesting article.  Here it is, in it’s entirety.

Enjoy.from Premiere magazine, the January 1988 issue.

LOVE IN HOLLYWOOD, by Lynda Obst (who was, at the time, a producer at Walt Disney Studios)

Emotion in Tinsel Town is based on the fact that you never know who is about to become indispensable to your career.  Today’s producer is tomorrow’s producer.

1. LOVE AS COVERING YOUR BACK: This is a very common form of love in Hollywood. You never know who is about to become indispensible to your career, so you must play it safe, just in case. Today’s waitress is tomorrow’s hyphenate (writer-director, writer-producer, producer-director, etc). Arrogance is very expensive and must be doled out carefully, with considerable forethought.

2. LOVE AS MILD INDIFFERENCE: At a screening, Hollywood etiquette prevails. That is, if you absolutely abhor a picture and you cannot bring yourself to lie, you must find socially acceptable compliments. “I loved the cinematogrpahy” implies that you didn’t like the movie, but covers your derriere. Other handy phrases include: “It’s all up there on the screen,” “Only you could have done this,” “It’s gonna be huge,” ad nauseam.

3. LOVE AS CIRCLE JERK: This is when mutually self-interested individuals sit around and amire each other shamelessly. The most common form of mass adulation in Hollywood, it can be recognized by the wild hyperbole that characterizes it. It is always practiced in a group, because the confirming presence of others indicates that you’re in the right place at the right time. If you are the object of a circle jerk, you must not mistake what is said to you as any measure of either your status or your talent. These affections are subject to next week’s box-office results.

4. LOVE AS UNRESTRAINED ENEMY: Mildly disguised hostility packaged in a backhanded compliment is, oddly, a real compliment. It means you may actually have achieved something, if only the envy of your peers. (In Hollywood, as on Wall Street, envy itself is an achievement.) The least likely people – often your friends, as in this case – are unhappy with your success and perfect strangers delight in it. Lovely, isn’t it?

5. LOVE AS CURRENCY: One person’s heat is another’s career boost. Old dalliances are suddenly and vigorously renewed in anticipation of your success. Beware: no relationships in Hollywood are innocent. Yesterday’s one-night stand is today’s development executive.

6. LOVE AS SELF-LOVE: It is simply mind-boggling, the degree to which affection is self-reflexive in HOllywood, the American capital of narcissistic personality disorder. Hollywood players see images of themselves wrapped around everyone else’s triumphs. It is not the director’s brilliance, nor the depth of the characters created by the writer, nor the actors’ perfect performances; if the picture is a hit, it is the studio head’s enormous distribution apparatus that is responsible (the only metaphors in Tinsel Town are sexual ones.) Conversely, if the picture flops, it is because of the director’s lack of talent, the writer’s mindlessness, the actors’ shallowness, etc. Self-love knows no impediment.

7. LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER: As Jim Morrison sang, “People are strange.” Even in the era of AIDS, a groupie’s admiration is still the ultimate accoutrement of public success. Old friends are old business, because you already know what they have to offer. Everything that is new is fabulous, because you haven’t been disappointed by it yet. In modern Hollywood, the mark of a hot writer is the beautiful girl on his arm. Very modern. But beware: Yesterday’s M.A.W. (model, actress, whatever) is also today’s development executive.

8. LOVE AS NEVER HAVING TO SAY YOU’RE SORRY: Directors never have to say they’re sorry. If they insult you, they know that for the right price, the studio can get you back, and if it can’t, there are thousands more of you out there dying for the job. So hold it in, and they become monsters. But don’t forget – you’re the lout, they’re the genius. If your picture is a hit, it’s their success. If your picture is a flop, it’s you’re failure.

9. GENUINE LOVE: If you are lucky, eventually, in the midst of all the horrible and exquisite hype, you will learn who really loves you. There are not very many, and the circle only gets smaller. Your wife, if she married you before your success, loves you. Your siblings probably love you, if they’re not thwarted – and envious – themselves. And most of all, your parents love you. Back home, your triumph is their triumph. Or, on second thought, this is just another example of mutual self-interest, the most common form of love in Hollywood. No? It only seems that way because, in the midst of accelerated hype, everyone’s motives are temporarily suspect. Two weeks after your movie opens, you will finally realize that you have a coterie of people who truly are rooting for you. Root for them in return. You will discover that this is not mutual self-interest, but a much sweeter thing: genuine love.

I’ve read  lot of discussion about how The Mentalist is a rip-off of Psych.  And on paper, I agree – sort of.  They have pretty much the exact same premise, but there is a slight difference between the two shows though.

Where one show has the fake psychic readily admitting he has no real psychic powers (The Mentalist), the other show has the fake psychic conning the police and only his dad and best friend know the real truth (Psych).

To the best of my memory, The Mentalist has never even remotely referenced the tv show Psych. It’s not their way – it is a more serious crime show and serious cops probably don’t start their day discussing who got voted off last night on America’s Next Top Model.

But Psych, ah, beloved Psych.  It’s a fun, goofy show that’s thoughtful, engaging, and educational.  I’m serious – it is!  Tonight I learned what to do when held captive in a trunk, being chased, or tied to a chair.  Very useful stuff, especially living in LA.

My favorite part, however, from the season premiere of season four, is when Shawn and Gus (played by  James Roday and Dulé Hill, respectively) blatantly accuse The Mentalist of ripping them off.

Here’s the dialogue, verbatim:

Shawn: (talking to a Canadian police officer) Here’s the thing, Robert.  The thing is this.  I am a psychic.

Gus: We work for the Santa Barbara Police Department.  We’ve solved over 47 cases. I’m also a pharmaceutical representative, if that means anything to you.

Shawn: You’ve seen The Mentalist, right?

Robert: Yes!

Shawn: It’s like that.

Gus: Except that guy’s a fake.

Shawn: Right.  If I was a fake psychic, it’d be eerily similar.

Gus: Exactly the same.

Shawn: A virtual carbon copy.

And the punchline?  Shawn is a fake psychic.

Cue rimshot.

So no matter who came up with the idea of a fake psychic helping the police solve crimes, both shows are individuals in their own right.  Both have a season pass on my DVR, which in the world of electronics means that they both have their own place in my heart.

Beautiful southern California weather.