Guy Ritchie, we need to talk

Because I'm pretty sure you took the amazing literature of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and crapped all over it. Why do I say this? Because of this monstrosity...

What...what is that? I felt sorry for you when Madonna took away your masculinity and coerced you into making the disaster that was Swept Away. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and actually paid to see RocknRolla.

And what do you do? You take the beloved story of Sherlock Holmes and make it into some twisted action movie with bad comedy and worse (looks like at least) plotlines. For the love of all that is sacred and holy, why? Look, I know that SH was a drug user during his time, but that doesn't mean the audience show be required to do the same just to get through this monstrosity of a film.

And it is going to be released on December 25? What, you're trying to kill my Christmas, too? Bullocks to that, mate.

Because you can take your bare-knuckled fisting, bad joke making, wimpy looking, bad accent using Sherlock Holmes and stuff him somewhere that won't see the light of day. Because, my friend - Jeremy Brett is better than you'll ever be. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

A Love Letter

Dear Public Library,

I'm so sorry I've let the love between us die. The siren song of myriad Chicago bookstores led me astray. You've been good to me for years, and what do I do? I leave you stranded on the street corner as I give the cold shoulder on my way to the nearest Borders.

How could I forget all the good times we've had? The years of Book-it where I got to read all I want and earn free pizza. The hot Saturday afternoons where I would enter your air-conditioned halls and pick out books for the summer reading program. You gave me free internet when I had no computer. You helped me prepare for high school, college, and my GREs.

Oh public library, without you I would have never discovered the glory of Leon Uris, the fun of the American Girl Series, the mystery of Victoria Holt, or the beauty of Wordsworth. Sans my library goodness time, I would never had my themed reading summers during college: the Japanese theatre during WWII, the wives and children of Henry VIII, and history of the Jewish population in Europe.

So I'm sorry for all of the lost time - the years we've spent apart. But I am here to make amends. I visited you today, and it was everything I hoped it would be. I can't wait to start my new biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I look forward to renewing our relationship and being the good friends that we once used to be.

I heart you public library, don't you ever forget it.

Love,

Katy

The Wisdom of The Princess Bride

As Count Rugen said in this classic film, before being killed by everyone's favorite Inigo Montoya, "If you haven't got your health, then you haven't got anything."

So true.

Normally this blog doesn't get overly personal, but tonight, my friends is different. I've put on weight since moving to Chicago. A lot of weight...let's not sugarcoat anything. I finally, finally realized this an hour ago as I tried on dresses for our opening gala in a few weeks and nothing fit. And not in the girl way of just finding an excuse to buy something new...literally. nothing. fit.

This gain is due to a lot of factors: eating as a solution to stress; a lot of late nights; having two jobs, taking classes, being involved in the community, and moving - twice; going out with old friends and making new friends; eating on the cheap; McDonald's when it's convenient.

But I'm out of excuses. As well I should be - no more "I'll start eating healthy tomorrow," or "I'll get up early to work out," (when do I ever voluntarily wake up early?), or "I'll give myself a free day to eat whatever I want." Because obviously folks, that's not working.

And if you can't tell so far, I'm pretty angry at myself. At 27, I should be in great shape - instead my clothes don't fit and I have high cholesterol. Stupid, and I know that. In high school I was always worried about being heavier than my classmates, but now I would kill for that body!

So, done. That's it. No more excuses, no more putting it off, in short, no more bull s***. I've always been a strong, disciplined woman and there's no reason to stop now. If I've survived living on two continents, graduating with my masters at 24, moving across the country twice, and working for one of the best orchestras on earth, I can sure as hell put down the donut.

So while this is a battle cry to myself to eat healthy and work out, I am still cognizant of two things 1) I've said this stuff before to no avail and 2) In the morning light, everything could seem fine. But, I feel different - ready for the challenge and eager to prove myself wrong.

So if someone asks me if I'm going to hit up the salad bar, pound the pavement, hit the weights, or take my racquet to the courts, I'll say, "Tell them I'm coming, and hell's coming with me. " (See Tombstone)

Princess Power

So I'll cop to the fact that when I was but a wee girl I liked the Disney princess movies. I watched the Sleeping Beauty, the Cinderella, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. My hands-down favorite "princess" was Belle, though, from Beauty and the Beast. She's wicked smart, a brunette, loves to read, doesn't give in to social pressure, has a good relationship with her Dad, and let's be honest, truly saves the day.

However, I'm slightly terrified of the turn the "Disney Princesses" have taken in the past several years. Disney has grouped them altogether in a pastel pink world where little girls can wile away their days with fancy dresses and dreams of a Prince Charming. Barf. And what about the non-princess heroines like Pocahontas, Mulan, or Esmerelda? Are we stashing them away so Disney can subtly indoctrine young girls with a belief in the class system?

I mean, seriously.

However, recently I stumbled across some artwork that warms my heart that is two sizes too small. While spending sometime on Total Film, I read an article about "6 Dark Remakes Starring Disney Princesses." My hope upon hope that Rob Zombie had somehow gotten the rights to The Little Mermaid turned out to be false, but I was introduced to some amazing artwork that meshes my past-love of Disney and my current love of horror films. All thanks to DeviantArt and DeviantArt regular Jeffrey Thomas. And again, my favorite is Belle - now a more feral version with a badder beast (awesome).

A close second? Sleeping Beauty - now as a vampire (brilliant).

You can see TotalFilm's article here and the rest of the princesses here. Enjoy!

2009 Europe Trip - The condensed version

Due to the following factors: 1) lack of time 2) my immense enjoyment in posting pictures on Facebook and 3) the fact that I have several other things I want to blog about, I have decided to forgo the traditional approach to assigning a blog to each of the cities I visited. Instead in this blog for each of the remaining cities I will post one picture and give you my 5 favorite things from that experience.

If you want to know more about my trip, let's go old school and actually talk to each other live and in person...

Auschwitz
1) Finally getting to see a place that I have read so much about.
2) Witnessing history that should never be forgotten
3) The 1.5 hour drive from Krakow to Auschwitz
4) My amazing tour guide who balanced extremely well the facts and the emotion of the experience
5) Never forgetting


Malbork
1) Standing in a place where the Teutonic Knights once were
2) Dominika's father's "informal" tour
3) Seeing firsthand a medieval castle
4) Walking around in the rain
5) Goofing around with friends


Gdansk
1) Seeing the gorgeous waterfront
2) Communist apartment blocks
3) Walking through the open market
4) Taking pictures in St. Mary's Church
5) Kebobs - the Polish Taco Bell



Kartuzy
1) Spending time with the Fard and Szreder families
2) Witnessing the wedding of two wonderful people
3) Cute, friendly Polish kitties
4) Hunter's stew
4) Vodka, good food, and throwing glass against a rock


London
1) Troilus and Cressida at The Globe
2) Ordering the same sandwich at the same place (from when I was a student in 2003) and having it tasted the very same
3) The Florence Nightingale Museum
4) Cute 21 year olds who ask me to go salsa dancing
5) The 39 Steps


Also fulfilled another goal: 45) See Auschwitz

2009 Europe Trip - Krakow

These past couple weeks I have been on a...wait for it...vacation! I know, me, right? Two full weeks off that didn't involve moving, changing jobs, or a family event. I'm a little closer to being a saint, because surely that is a miracle. The trip consisted of a few different cities, with the main shindig taking place in and around Kartuzy, Poland - the marriage of a close college friend!

On today's agenda - Krakow. What can I say? I friggin' love this city! I had no expectations when it came to traveling to Poland - I am very interested in the history of the country thanks to my Polish and Lithuanian Commonwealth class in college and the stories of Leon Uris. But modern Poland? I knew very little. Thankfully, the city and I got on like a house on fire.

I stayed in a hotel near the old town which is more of a tourist part of the city, but also provides easy access to all the main sights - perfect! First on the agenda was a trek to Wawel Castle - where the country's rulers used to be located for five centuries. Wawel Hill contains the castle, the cathedral and the surrounding land. The cathedral is amazing and beautiful, especially the tomb of Queen Jadwiga. After flying from Chicago to Paris to Krakow, however, Wawel Castle was the only thing I could handle the first night!

The next couple of days consisted of a trip to Auschwitz (more details on that later), a golf cart tour of Krakow, visits to the cloth hall and the main square, yummy Polish food, walking around the city, and taking lots of pictures.

However, my hands-down favorite part of the city was Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter. I find the history of the area fascinating and took plenty of time to explore the area including several synagogues, both active and not. My favorite experience, however, was at the Stara Synagoga (Old Synagogue). Heavily damaged by the Nazis during World War II, the synagogue was rebuilt and is now a museum and conservation center. I attended an exhibit there called "And I Still See Their Faces," which consisted of images and photographs of Jews pre- and post-war. What was amazing was the where the photos came from - family members that had emigrated, photos found in clothing taken at concentration camps, photos and glass prints found hidden in Jewish homes, etc. The experience was somewhat emotional - especially after witnessing images of entire families that had been wiped out in a concentration camp.

But this history buff still managed to enjoy the present as well - watching the fire dancers in the square, shopping for fun souvenirs, eating gelato, trips to several beautiful churches, and basking in the sun while people watching.

Unfortunately, I only got three days there - I could have stayed much longer!! However, I definitely have totes good memories from this incredibly beautiful city.

Summers are relaxing right?

• Find new apartment with larger kitchen, more windows, and non-crappy neighbors - done
• Thanks to above said new apartment, call electric, gas, insurance, and get mail forwarded - ummm...sort of done?
• Actually move to above said new apartment - started, but not close to done
• Deal with a potential life-changing decision - done
• Plan a trip to Europe involving four different cities, three flights, and two hotels - done
• Buy super fun new suitcase for above said Europe trip - done
• Do the loads and loads of laundry that I have - haven't even started thinking about it
• Get an extension on my call to jury duty - done
• Have dinner with my cousin and his wife and their three ridiculously cute kids - done
• Answer all of my outstanding e-mails - thinking about it
• Book trip to Dallas for the weekend before I leave for Europe - done
• Do all of the work that needs to be done for that trip - ugh, I know, I know!
• Stage a Red Bull intervention on myself - hahahahaha, that's funny
• Remember that I have a blog and I need to post - close enough