Last Night's Lost Episode

Wow! Last night's Lost episode had me on the edge of my seat. We learned what happened to Michael (and a bit about Walt) since he made it back to NYC. Really freaky that he couldn't succeed in killing himself...hmmm...didn't think the island's powers would continue once people had left. The other freaky thing is how 'Mr Friendly' appeared in NYC without any problems. Was the sub their only way off the island? We finally learned that Penny's father is behind much of the treachery: digging up dead bodies in Asia, procuring a jet and then a freighter to drop it all in an ocean trench so deep that no one can retrieve it to identify the bodies. So, Ben is correct in his assumption that these people didn't come on a rescue mission, rather they are there to kill everyone on the island! Yikes. The episode ends with Rousseau and Alex's boyfriend being shot and Alex surrendering. Just can't believe that we must wait another month for the finale. Oh, the agony of delayed gratification.

Save Edith Wharton Monument!

The only monument to writer Edith Wharton is facing closure. The Mount, the mansion Wharton had built in 1901, is facing foreclosure unless enough money can be raised by March 24. Please visit The Mount's website www.edithwharton.org for further details on how to contribute to keep the doors open to the public.

I was first introduced to Edith Wharton's work during high school when the novel Ethan Frome was required reading in our English Lit class. As a grown woman I have come to love some of her other works like House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence, and one of my favorite books The Buccaneers. Hubby and I had the pleasure of visiting The Mount in August 2004. At that time only a couple of rooms had been restored, and the garden was brilliant. Edith Wharton's books are a wonderful reflection of New York society at the turn of the twentieth century, much like the way Candace Bushnell's novels reflect current New York society. So, was Edith Wharton the Carrie Bradshaw of her day?

Help save the only monument to this great American writer at www.edithwharton.org.

Texas in March

Texas has to be at its most beautiful during the month of March. Aside from the extreme changes like snow one day and patio weather two-days later, it's all par for the course. Hubby and I have enjoyed Sunday brunch out on the patio of one of our local taverns for the past three weeks. The birds are chirping (very loudly some mornings), red buds are blossoming, daffodils are out, and the leaves are finally emerging on trees. Dallas is awash in green.

Disney Disappointment

March is the month of birthdays for my niece and nephew. Since we are in the US and they are in Canada, slipping money in a card and mailing it is not an option, not to mention wrapping a present and sending it. So, we decided to send them Disney gift cards as they are going to Disney World in April. I emailed Disney last month to make sure they would mail the gift cards to Canada, and they emailed back reassuring me that they would indeed mail them to Canada. So, last Friday I placed the order online and received a confirmation. Unfortunately, I received an email yesterday telling me that their legal department did not allow the gift cards to be mailed to international addresses. That's fine, but I really wish someone at Disney would have informed me of that when I originally made my inquiry, then they could have sent the gift cards to me and I would have sent them to Canada via Fed Ex. But, since my niece's birthday is the beginning of next week we had to scramble and wire money to my sister. Unfortunately, I do not think I will be shopping with Disney again.

Texas Snow Day

Hubby just phoned to say that everyone was leaving early this afternoon from his workplace due to the forecasted snow fall. That would be two to three inches of snow falling. Meanwhile, back in Canada that would be laughed at. Seriously. These Texans get their knickers in a twist a the mere mention of snow falling on the roads. Perhaps it's due to the rarity of such events, or maybe it's because of the extremely tall highway overpasses/interchanges that are constructed here (with such nicknames as 'the Dallas mixmaster' and my fave 'the High-Five'). Anyway, it's a partial 'snow day' for Hubby.

Clinton Surprise

I am still surprised that Clinton won the Democratic Primary in both Ohio and Texas yesterday. Stayed up late watching the results on CNN and was certain that Obama was going to take Texas, but Clinton pushed through towards the end. CNN called it for Clinton close to midnight Central Time, and by that time Hubby had gone to bed and I was glued to the television. Still can't believe she pulled off those two victories. Maybe it's time she takes off the kid gloves with Obama. But, I'm still thinking that the turning point in this Democratic run-off was the whole Canadian Consulate/NAFTA fiasco with Obama. It all comes down to doing one thing and saying something else.

New Clinton Ad

I really like the new Hillary Clinton television advertisement. You know, the one showing the mother checking in on her sleeping children, and feeling safe because someone with experience is looking after the country. It's subtle but sends a strong message underlining her strength, and it invokes an emotional response. Big pat on the back to the creative team behind that one. Brilliant. (Someone did their homework and studied the 1960s LBJ ad with 'the girl and the daisy' which cuts to the atomic bomb, which also created an emotional response against Goldwater.)

Let it Snow

Apparently it's snowing at the moment in parts of the DFW metro area. Haven't seen any snowflakes in Uptown yet, but you never know. Funny that it was 85F two days ago, but that's Texas for you.

Get Booked Up

Instead of sleeping in last Saturday morning, Hubby and I crawled out of bed at 7am. (To clarify, I crawled blurry-eyed since I am not a morning person, Hubby was bright-eyed.) Crazy, I know, but we decided to take a day trip to Archer City, Texas, home of the -- what can only be described as -- the world's largest used book store Booked Up. It's so big that it takes four buildings to hold all the books. Yes, that's right, four buildings. As an avid book lover I was overwhelmed by the number of books I really wanted to purchase. Both of us really had to limit the number of books we bought, but somehow we managed to drop some serious cash at this shop. I found signed books by Susan Sontag, Antonia Fraser, and the Duke of Bedford (which they had missed, perhaps because it was a personal inscription to an employee). I think they had more books than the library at the university I attended. Next time we go I think we'll make a list of the books and/or subjects we would like to find. Booked Up is my mecca.