Celebrity miss

Yesterday, my coworker I. pulled me over to tell me that a celebrity was in our store. She was first sighted by R., who checked her out because he thought she was really hot. He felt dirty, because she looked quite young, so he looked away. Then, when he looked a second time, he noticed that our store was being graced with a visit from Buffy's little sister.

Apparently I. was in the staff room when he heard that she was in the store. He immediately threw down his fork, smoothed his hair and ran out to the shopping area.

I didn't see a glimpse of her, but apparently she was quite pretty and was wearing her hair in a long ponytail. She was polite to staff, and still looks quite young.

I'm not too disappointed that I didn't see her. If it had been Alyson Hannigan in the store and I'd missed her, the tears would be a-falling.

***
We were talking about past sightings. Apparently, Angie Harmon was once in the store, and every (straight) man in the store was falling down over himself. A few years ago, a coworker was standing outside when he happened to notice a particularly cute little girl in a stroller. He looked up from the baby to see Ms. Reese Witherspoon pushing the carriage.

Good night and good luck

We went to see "Good night and good luck" last night. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it definitely won't take the best picture.

( more, includes some spoilers )

This movie will not take best picture, nor will David Straitharn win best actor. There is definitely a possibility that it could pick up another award though. This wasn't my favourite movie, but I was intrigued, I did appreciate it and afterward we went home and looked up a whole bunch of facts to answer questions we had.

I do have one question for those more knowledgeable in American history. How did Joe McCarthy get so much power and how could one senator have such an impact on the country?

What I've been reading lately

1. Maria Mahoi of the islands by Jean Barman- Read this for Ricepaper. It's the story of a mixed race Hawaiian, native woman who lived on some islands in British Columbia in the late 1880s to early 1900s. Basically, she was a tough lady who married twice and raised a lot of kids. This book shows some of the mixed heritage of B.C. and how one ordinary life can have a huge effect on future generations. Too bad this book was so boring.

2. Small Steps by Louis Sachar- Louis Sachar is one of my favourite kid lit authors. This newest offering by him is centred around one of the characters in "Holes." However, "Small Steps" is not a fantasy book at all. It has elements of relationship fiction, with themes about class, race, friendship and truth. A pleasant book, with a somewhat disappointing ending. I liked it, but not as much as "Holes."

3. Blood Sports by Eden Robinson- This book was good, but unfortunately I wasn't in the mood for it. I was feeling emotionally frail when I was reading it, and just couldn't give it the attention it deserved. I loved that the story covered so many different areas of Vancouver, and that Robinson tried to use many different techniques and styles. This is a very disjointed narrative, and the plot is not always clear. However, Robinson is a punchy writer. She makes her words work for her, and her writing is visceral, occasionally even too visceral. There were some graphic torture scenes in this book, and I just wasn't up for them. Good book, wrong time.

4. Undead and unemployed- MaryJanice Davidson- Yes, I took time out from reading Blood Sports to read a book about a chick lit vampire who hunts things, buys shoes and fights crime. Enjoyable fluff and I have another one waiting for me at the library.

5. Sympathy- Dede Crane- A first novel by a B.C. based writer. I wasn't sure that I would like it at first, but I really did. It's the story of a woman who is catatonic, because of the deaths of her husband and child. THe novel begins when her mother is checking her into a clinic to help her recover. The book takes us through an exploration of pain and suffering, grief, life and redemption. I enjoyed the characters and the themes. The woman who is catatonic (Kerry), is a retired ballet dancer, so there are lots of rich details about dance, and the mind-body connection. I found this book an emotional read, because it was rather heavy. However, I enjoyed it a lot.