Easy Listening (and the Timeless Sherlock Holmes)

Don't know what happened, but my voracious appetite for reading as a teenager has waned dramatically over the past two decades.  Maybe staring at a computer screen for work has made my eyes too tired to read "for fun" during off hours; or perhaps it's just plain laziness.  Regardless of the excuse, I've shifted my "reading" time to audiobooks in recent years and am finding this alternative quite riveting.

It all started when my guy gave me the Harry Potter audio series, read -- or I should say, performed -- by the amazing Jim Dale.  "Amazing" because Mr. Dale created and animated the voices of every character in the books so convincingly that, when I finally watched the movies, I used his voice on the recordings as a metric for the various actors' performances.  Since Harry Potter, I've mainly sought out books that are also available as recordings.

A recent random search for audiobook apps for my phone introduced me to Librivox, an online collection of books in the public domain (i.e., no longer under copyright).  The books are read by volunteers, some livelier than others, and all are available for free.

I jumped at the chance to catch up on "classics," including the original series that I'm currently enjoying, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which inspired over a dozen TV shows and a movie franchise.  Thanks to TBOL3, Kara Shallenberg, and Robin Cotter -- readers of the first three Holmes-Watson adventures that I've consumed so far -- for filling my head with images of clever criminal antics, the tantalizing Irene Adler, and the gritty London scene of the 1890s.  A wonderful companion to the contemporary BBC series, Sherlock, that has captivated our household recently.

I wonder where this acoustic adventure will take me next...

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Photo credit: Google images

Grateful...in Torment

"Click" on the red phone button
The Skype dashboard dims
Terminating our video chat
Thankful for this technology
That brings worlds closer
That brings me closer
To her, my beloved aunt

Remnants of the stroke
Still evident on her slack
But still kind and beautiful face
With closed eyes
I conjure up images
From memorable moments
Shared over a lifetime

She's a different person now
But always loving, caring
Sometimes staring off
Does she remember
How she picked me up
And dusted off  my scraped knees
Held my hand in comforting silence

365-Day Challenge: A Photo Per Day

In September of last year, I committed to a 30-Day Challenge: A Photo Per Day project, inspired by a TED talk by Matt Cutts on "Try[ing] Something New for 30 Days."  Looking back, it was quite a fun exercise to diligently post one snapshot on my Facebook page each day, even on those days when not much happened and I had to think creatively or scrounge up something random -- like the time I featured my often overlooked desk lamp with the beaded periwinkle lamp shade, which I appreciated a bit more afterwards.


Yesterday, I was similarly inspired by this post on the BBC homepage, "Can filming one second of every day change your life?" about a guy named Cesar Kuriyama who recorded a 1-second glimpse of his life each day in 2012.  I was especially struck by his parting line in the clip, "Trying to make the best movie possible is making me live the best life possible," which so wonderfully articulated the feeling that I had during my own 30-Day Challenge.  At the time, I noticed that I seemed to live each day a little more deliberately, knowing that at some point, I was going to capture a representative snapshot from it.  

Kuriyama has decided to continue his video project way beyond a year.  As for me, I'm going to try it for 2013, with a combination of video and photos, and see where it takes me.  Eager to see what the year-end compilation might look like...!

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Note about the photo: The first entry in my 30-Day Challenge, with the caption, "Hand-carved giraffes from Kenya.  New additions to our chopstick collection from Camille, who just returned from Nairobi."

5 Movies for Year 2012-13 Changeover

Thanks to the holidays, we had time to catch more movies in the past 2 weeks than most of last year.  (We mainly watch TV series on Hulu.)  All turned out to be well worth the $0 (Netflix) to $7.50 (theater matinee) that we spent on them.  Here's a quick review:

The Hobbit: Thank you, Peter Jackson, for filling the void that welled up in me at the conclusion of Return of the King.  Martin Freeman's portrayal as Bilbo bumped him further up my list of favorite actors (after having already been elevated by his amiable character in Sherlock Holmes).  Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield was dreamy and Andy Serkis in his reprise as wide-eyed Smeagol was adorable when he wasn't Gollum.  

Les Miserables: I've been hooked since first seeing the musical at the I.U. Auditorium in high school, and after two more captivating live performances -- on Broadway then in L.A. for the 25th Anniversary -- I was admittedly dubious about a film production.  My apprehension was quickly overtaken by excitement, though, a few seconds into the opening scene.  Despite Russell Crowe seeming breathless (literally) most of the time, Anne Hathaway as Fontine and Samantha Barks as Eponine made the movie version a keeper.

Lincoln: What can I say, Daniel Day-Lewis is an Oscar contender once again.  Lots of talking in the 2 1/2 hours, but the heady dialogue kept me riveted throughout.  Ken Burn's Civil War series -- you're next.

Premium Rush: We're on a roll with awesome 3-named actors!  Joseph Gordon-Levitt -- who also shined in a smaller role in Lincoln -- kept up with the exciting pace of this adrenaline-rush flick.  Kept us at the edge of our seats.  Hats off to the bike messengers of the world, and watch out when you open that car door.

Bernie: This random "new release" pick on Netflix turned out to be an unexpected gem.  Jack Black shines in this true story about a beloved mortician's unusual friendship with a millionairess.  Carthage, Texas, I might have to swing by sometime.

With the holidays over, we're now back to features on Hulu and Apple TV...and Downton Abbey, which resumes tomorrow (yay!).  Then what next...?

Tiny Habits

Happy New Year!  Chances are, quite a few of you have jumped on the annual bandwagon of making New Year's resolutions.  And chances are, your list looks very much like ones from previous years.  Am I right?

According to an interesting study by author Rory Vaden about New Year's resolutions, about half of Americans made resolutions in 2012.  Unfortunately, about half of those people fell off the wagon sometime during the year.  Boo...  *sheepish face*

But for those of us with serious good intentions, there's hope:  I was encouraged by a recent NPR interview with New York Times investigative journalist Charles Duhigg, where he talked about the practice of adopting specific, tiny habits into our lifestyle (like "start with a 15-minute walk each day") as being more effective than going for a more dramatic or abstract change (like "lose 50 pounds" or "eat healthier").  The idea is to incorporate the new habit slowly so that it naturally becomes part of our daily routine.  It could start with less than 5 minutes a day, with gradual increases toward the ultimate goal.  Less daunting and more attainable that way.  Oh, and don't forget to give yourself a "tiny reward" for each accomplishment, which helps your brain remember the pattern.  (Read an excerpt from Duhigg's book, The Power of Habit.)   

Okay, so preliminary possibilities for my 2013 "tiny habits" list: devote at least 15 minutes a day to devotional time, exercise, writing, reading, and news; and be on time for every appointment.  (A Kit Kat comes immediately to mind as a potential "tiny reward", but I need to put more thought into that.)  My next challenge: To be careful about not introducing too many "tiny habits" into my life.

All the best with your resolutions -- or tiny habits -- for 2013!

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Photo credit: Google image