In Sight, Nov. 18

Ice skating on the Frog Pond in the Common.


A chilly, yet beautiful, fall day on the Common.

See this movie*

"No Country For Old Men," the Coen brothers' new film based on Cormac McCarthy's novel, is one of the best films I've seen in a long time. So much so that I'm going to see it again tomorrow afternoon.

I knew I would like it: I'm a big fan of the Coen brothers, and Cormac McCarthy is probably one of the best living American writers (I started reading his Pulitzer-winning "The Road" last week). But the biggest surprise was Javier Bardem, the actor who brilliantly plays the homicidal maniac, Anon Chigurh. Tommy Lee Jones, always a good bet, is awesome as the haunted Sheriff Bell.

I could go on and on about the West Texas setting, the camera work, the dialogue ... the movie is terrific, and I'm sure it's going to win the hell out of some Oscars this year.

*Only if you like dark, violent, morally ambiguous movies that demand almost as much of you as you of them.

(-30- movie plug)

When the Times picked up a Globe story that I edited, they kept the headline I wrote (and most of my edits). Can I officially call this my first New York Times headline … or am I just huge dork who is making this out to be a lot bigger than it should be?

Whatev. It made me smile this morning. :D

In Sight, Nov. 16

David Ryan shot this photo at the The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.

Bummed

What I won't be seeing in person on Thanksgiving.

I'm unable to go to Chicago for Thanksgiving. I blame that mostly on the fact I have no seniority (then again, it's tough to get seniority among a copy desk that has 40-year veterans). Someone has to put out the paper and the veterans need their vacations.

There is a silver lining, though: I'm going to Jax (again) at the end of this month, so I won't have to go two months without seeing Jenn.

And at least I'll still be able to eat well: The Globe's fête for its Thanksgiving crew is supposedly legendary. And I'll probably head out to Brookline for dessert with Tom and Leslie. So I won't have to cry myself to sleep that night. Heh. Still, I would've loved to see Jenn's family for Thanksmas. (And Chicago is pretty cool, too.)

Next year?

So long, Franco

Franco. He was mine from July 2002 to November 2007.

We went through a lot together, me and him. He took me through the bayou of Louisiana, through the wasteland of western Texas and the great deserts of the Southwest to the shore of the Pacific Ocean — and back. He took me up the eastern coast to Washington, D.C., and, later, up to New England. We were victims of crime, and our stereo was stolen while he slept in my driveway in San Marco.

The car, bought from my grandmother, was nearly perfect, mechanically speaking. I heard Toyotas were reliable, but this was getting a little bizarre: He gave me 70,000 miles and asked little in return.

Unfortunately for him, I started using him less and less. Consider this: from September 2006 to November 2007, I put 6,000 miles on him — 1,500 of those were during the drive to Boston. Why? I started walking or bicycling everywhere while I lived in San Marco and, later, I moved to a great city that was rife with every car's worst nightmare: extensive and reliable public transportation. Some have asked me if it felt weird to not have a car after having one for 10 years, and I can honestly say it doesn't feel weird: I drove him twice since July, and one of those times was driving for driving's sake (I just wanted to see if he'd turn on).

It was time for him to go, and fortunately I sold him to a family friend and not just some non-rhotic-accented Bostonian.

My closest family friend — my second mother, by all accounts — Maria now owns Franco. She and my mom came up to Boston last weekend to visit and pick up Franco.


Maria and Mom in Harvard Yard. (Strangely, there were no cahs pahked there.)

They took their time heading south, stopping in New York in D.C., and I received word yesterday that they arrived Florida. I was told he ran great the whole time.

Damn straight he did, I thought.

This is so awesome …

Mario Kart!