This was never on my magic refrigerator but my book is going to be in the MTV Movie Awards Celebrity Gift Suites thanks to Mike's daughter, Nicole! So if you happen to be surfing, the MTV Movie Awards are June 3 and How My Magic Refrigerator Sent Me to Paris Free, 7 Rules to Make Dreams Come True might appear in the pre-show.

     Another magical happening, thanks to Willee and Finlay Lewis and Kay and Rod Heller, was the fabulous book signing party they hosted for me in the Lewis' beautiful home in Washington D.C. (I had ran into Kay Culberton Heller, my ‘big sister' at Mary Baldwin College, 30 years later at the National Gallery of Art where I first met Willee and Finlay at a donor event.) I was thrilled to see many old friends and to meet interesting new friends. Thank those of you who came to celebrate on that gloriously sunny Sunday in April.

Books, Movies, Trivia~

     All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren is stupendous. I had on my list to read something by Robert Penn Warren but this was my first (but not last) time to pour over the jewels of Warren's masterful writing. This Pulitzer Prize winning novel follows the life of former Louisiana governor Huey Long in the character of Willie Stark. We earlier had seen and enjoyed the movie starring Sean Penn (playing Willie Stark), Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, and Kate Winslet. Now I plan on viewing the film again. YBD on both the book and the movie.

     Speaking of jewels, Blood Diamond about the dehumanizing effects of greed and the high risk diamond trade starring Leonardo DiCaprio is worth watching. PYE

     Three films hard to watch but provocative are Crash, Monster, and The Departed. I could not watch any of them straight through but renting and viewing at home has the advantage of stopping and resuming later. Crash peels back everyone's prejudices and leaves no one untarnished. But there is redemption in the end, if you can make it there. Monster stars Charlize Theron (although she is hardly recognizable) as a lonely, desperate woman who is abused and then starts killing her male aggressors. It is no wonder that Charlize won the Oscar for her sympathetic portrayal in this true story. The Departed starring Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio has an interesting psychological set up but is just too violent for my liking. PYE for all, mind expanding but dark.

    As we move into summer, I hope you will find time to read a great book, and/or see a good film. They are rich manifestations of God's creative force in the world. Let me know of the treasures you find.

    On this Memorial Day, remember to remember that the liberties and freedoms we enjoy everyday were secured not by politicians, preachers, or business persons, but by warriors.

YBD- Your Bounden Duty    PYE- Part of Your Education (acronyms à la Archibald Edwards)
                                   MNH- you Might Need a Handkerchief (à la LA)