 Thursday, December 08, 2005
 You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you will join us
And the world will live as one
25 years ago today, December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed by a crazed fan in front of his New York City home, The Dakota. At the time, I was three. I do not remember the tragedy.
As I grew older, I started to hear about this band called The Beatles.I heard my mom talking from time to time about these four lads from Liverpool, England who, in the 1960's (an ancient time that meant absolutely nothing to me) made such fantastic music that it left girls screaming and swooning, gave even the shyest boy the courage to sing along, and drove the world into a crazy frenzy that could only be described in one word: Beatlemania.
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Wednesday, December 07, 2005
 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli is the story of how Jeffrey Lionel Magee came to be known as "Maniac." He was the fastest runner, the smartest student (although he never attended class), and generally just the coolest kid around. He's a maniac! A maniac! For sure! But when he moves to an all black neighborhood, his cool characteristics are tested and he quickly becomes aware of racial boundaries and sets off to break them down.
Do you have a nickname? Click on "Comments" and share it with us as well as the story behind it.
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Monday, December 05, 2005
Kids! What do you want for Christmas and/or Hanukkah? This past weekend, I started thinking about holiday shopping. (Yes, I know it's late.) On my list, I have my two sons, and I also have a slew of nieces and nephews. I don't know what to get for any of them. But I do know what they don't want -- BOOKS!
I'm talking about kids of all ages, from toddlerhood to college sophisticate. My experience has been that a kid unwrapping a gift and finding a book is about as happy as a kid finding ... I don't know ... socks? underwear? pajamas? No, even those items elicit more joy. Especially if they are plastered with images of Hello, Kitty, or Bionicals, or Kakashi Hatake.
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Friday, December 02, 2005
 Today, my friends, is Lucy Liu’s birthday. I’ve had it marked on my calendar for a few months and had completely forgotten about it—until Bryon pointed it out to me this morning.
“It’s Lucy Liu’s birthday today,” he said. “You wrote it on the calendar with a big exclamation mark. Do you really like her that much?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I laughed, somewhat embarrassed. “She’s pretty cool.”
Ummm… yeah … well, come to think of it … I really don’t know too much about Ms. Liu. All I know is that after I walked out of Charlie’s Angels, I was in awe. I wanted to leap up and slice through the air like her. I felt the same way after watching Kill Bill I. I went home and dreamed I was a mighty martial arts diva—with a pen in my hand.
So, anyway, Lucy Liu’s 37th birthday today got me thinking that in fact, this has been the week of Lucys for me: 
A couple of days ago I went to an advance screening of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (Check back here for a review next week!) … While watching the movie, I was completely captivated by Lucy Pevensie’s character. She’s curious, adventurous, faithful, and courageous. Just like I want to be.
 There’s another literary Lucy who creeped into my life this week—when I was reading Snoopy’s Guide to the Writing Life.
That’s the Peanut Gang's Lucy (Van Pelt)—in many ways, the opposite of Lucy Pevensie. She’s crabby and loud and loves to give unsolicited advice. Just like I sometimes can be. (So my family tells me!)
Hmmm…I guess I have a little bit of many Lucys in me. ....
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