1) Patrick and I finally saw Stardust in the movie theater yesterday, and we both loved it. Quirky, funny, visually lovely, and completely magical - definitely the most fun movie I've seen in a long time. Afterwards, as we were driving back home, I said, "Isn't it nice to see a fantasy movie that's good?" And Patrick said, "God, yes. It really is." Because so many fantasy films fall apart, plot-wise, in the last half, or just lose character-consistency or logic or tone - but I love fantasy films more than any other genre, and it's such a gift to find one like Stardust that is genuinely good throughout and has such a wonderfully satisfying ending. This is one movie I'll buy on DVD when it leaves the theaters, and I'm looking forward to re-watching it many times.

2) We watched Becoming Jane on DVD, and I didn't love it, sadly, even though I really wanted to. It was perfectly okay, but just...meh. I don't know if the writers were intimidated by writing about Jane Austen, but I thought her character - the lead role in the movie - was the least convincing and coherent of all the characters in the movie (which was particularly disappointing because the others were all pretty good). I love the idea of making a Jane Austen-style movie about Jane Austen - but I don't think it quite worked in this case. On the other hand, I should also confess that I have unfairly high standards when it comes to Jane Austen, which is probably why I'm one of the few people I know who didn't love the book The Jane Austen Book Club...so take that as you will!

3) I'm almost finished re-reading Sunshine, by Robin McKinley, and I still absolutely love it on my 4th re-reading. Anything that mixes Gothic chills and atmosphere with drool-worthy descriptions of cinnamon rolls and excellent humor is an A+ winner for me!

4) I realized this morning that my photos from Bath all disappeared in the transfer between laptops. Gaaaaahhhhh.....

4) Flytrap Issue No. 8 has been printed! It includes my story "It's All About the Shoes" and lots of other stories by great authors, including Haddayr and Greg. Yay! You can check out the ToC and order it now.