This and That

First
Was it just me, or were the Academy Awards incredibly boring and uneventful? Other than...



hearing the stars of the amazing little indie film, Once, sing their nominated song. You can watch the video of the song here. It's wonderful. And then seeing them win! And then having Jon Stewart bring her back after the commercial break to say her own thank yous! I'm getting goosebumps just writing it. That's the real deal. Just charming.

Second
Luckily, even though the Oscars were uneventful and boring, the eclipse from earlier in the week was EXCITING.


We went out at about 6:50 and it was totally cloudy. But we went out 20 minutes later and the low layer of clouds was drifting quickly enough for us to catch glimpses of the moon with our own shadow creeping across.

You can imagine Claire and Benjamin in the foreground of this picture skipping up and down the sidewalk in their pjs. We went out every 20 minutes until about 9 pm. We talked about how frightening it must have been for people thousands of years ago before they knew the ways of the universe.

Third

I see Joshilyn Jackson's new book The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is now available on Amazon even though it's not supposed to be released until March 4. I just may have to give the local Barnes and Noble a call to see if they have it because it will be quicker to go buy it than to wait for it to be shipped. Her first two books are so outstanding that I won't even hesitate to pay full price even in hardback. That's saying something.