randomly chaotic and frequently mundane

I love Johnny Depp. He’s been my favorite actor for as long as I can remember. I’ve loved everything I’ve seen him in. Well, except for Cry Baby. I’m of the mind that this is the movie he should have been slapped back into his senses when he agreed to be a part of it. He once described himself as “addicted to losers” when it came to choosing roles to take. It’s incredibly difficult, to be honest, to narrow down my favorite characters he’s played or scenes he’s done. He’s just done so much and so much of it appeals to me. There are so many great scenes, too. In Don Juan DeMarco, for example, there’s this scene with Brando (one of many) where he says, “So, to answer your question, I see as clear as day that this great edifice in which we find ourselves is your villa. It is your home and as for you, Don Octavio DeFlores, you are a great lover like myself, even though you may have lost your way and your accent. Shall I continue?” There’s something about his delivery in that scene that’s just magical. Or in Benny and Joon, the “Buster Keaton” scene in the park — that’s funny and cool and just so amazing to watch. There are so many fabulous scenes in so many great movies that he’s been a part of. I’d be remiss if I didn’t consider Pirates of the Caribbean, but it’s so difficult to decide on a favorite scene in those films. They’re so beautiful and entertaining. Then there are films like Blow and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which I love so much. Yes, that’s it. Fear and Loathing. That’s where my favorite Johnny Depp scene is. When they pull over in the desert and he looks around and says “We can’t stop here… this is bat country.” There’s something about the scene that’s comical and frightening at the same time. That’s where the movie really sucked me in the first time I saw it.

Now there is Sweeny Todd. Well, let’s be proper, it’s Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. A former co-worker used to sing me songs from the musical all the time. We were discussing favorite musicals and Sweeny Todd was his favorite, I hadn’t seen it before so he sang me a couple of songs. Hearing Johnny Depp sing these songs is great. He’s got a good voice for it. I’m about to head off for to visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site. You can hear some music from the move there. It’s awesome. I’ll probably also pop by and visit Sweeny Todd on Myspace. This is one movie that I really want to see in the theater. Here’s hoping.

Ever since they came out, I’ve been thinking how much I’d love to get one of those select comfort adjustable beds. You know the ones that you can make firmer or softer with the press of a button? Oh, I just think that would be so perfect for me. As much as I love a good firm mattress, every now and then, my back yearns for a nice soft mattress. To be able to change the firmness of my bed on a whim would be nice, especially when my back is bothering me. Or maybe I’d be able to find a good mid-range setting that would help prevent the back pain altogether.? Looking at the prices at SleepBetterStore.com, the prices aren’t nearly as bad as you would expect them to be.? I always figured that they’d cost upward of $5000, but they’re not nearly that expensive.? Actually, one of the queens is only about twice what I paid for the queen pillowtop that I have now.? That’s really not bad, especially since the mattress that I got about a year ago is already starting to sag in the areas that we slept on.? It’ll probably need to be replaced in a few months, actually.? Considering the 5-year warranty, I have no doubt that these mattresses will last more than twice as long as the one I have.

It’s that time of year. Actually, it’s coming down to the wire, isn’t it? There’s only about 28 days left before Christmas. How scary is that? Well, close as it is, there are a lot of people out there still looking for the perfect gift. One of the reasons that CollectiblesToday.com has a page of Top 2007 Christmas Gifts for Daughters. Daughters are difficult to shop for, at least that’s what my mom tells me — she’s got 3 of them. CollectiblesToday.com has a lot of great gift ideas for daughters. A number of things that I know I wouldn’t mind getting, whether from mom or from a friend. In particular, they’ve got a really great Eeyore necklace that has Eeyore upside down and it says “some days are better viewed upside down.” There are even matching earrings. I love Eeyore, he’s my favorite character from the Hundred Acre Wood. They also have a precious blossoms teacup and saucer collection that I would love. I know it’s an incredibly girly thing, and there are probably some of you reading this and saying, “Maggie? Girly? No way!” But yes, I’m quite girly when I want to be. I’d love to receive some lovely girly things for Christmas this year — or anytime, really. After all, the site isn’t just for Christmas gifts, some of them can be used all year ’round.

In 2002, shortly before Gage was born, Woody and I decided to step into the “digital age” and get a digital camera. Our first one was a refurbished Sony Mavica. Not a bad camera, to be perfectly honest. We bought flopping disks in boxes of 100 because it took those instead of a memory card. We took pictures of Gage and pictures of some local bands performing. I even got a photo pass and took some photos with it at a Poison concert. Eventually, the size and the need to keep changing the disk every 10-25 pictures, depending on resolution, lead us to buy a newer digital camera. Something smaller that came with a memory card with lots of storage. I don’t remember the model, but it was a good little camera. We liked it so much we got a second one, actually. Now I have an Olympus Camedia. I love it, and I try not to leave the house without it. A little difficult right now, since I don’t have batteries for it. I keep thinking that I’d love to get my mom and Woody’s mom some digital picture frames to load with photos of their grandchildren, Gage in particular. I think they’d like that. The one for my mom could scroll through photos of all her grandchildren, and the ones for Woody’s mom would scroll through photos of Gage. It would be a great gift either way.

I love when cities do artwalks. Especially when they’re free. Personally, I think starting a St. Augustine Artwalk every week is a really good idea. Especially in Florida. No suffering from the cold while you browse the 20 participating galleries. Art, music, entertainment and refreshments in a nice city with beautiful weather and it’s free. It’s something I think is worth checking out when you take a vacation — so many cities do it, and it’s a nice way to expose your family to artwork and culture that they might not normally get exposed to. I’ve been to many first Fridays myself. Checking out a city I’m visiting’s local attractions and seeing if they do a first Friday or similar event is something I love doing. I’ve some lovely artwork that I might never have seen otherwise. St. Augustine appeals to me because it’s such an old city, so rich in history already. It’s also a really beautiful city.? Another added benefit? of the St. Augistine artwalk, is that they have free parking as well as a free sightseeing train and a trolley.? I? have to say, they’re the only city I’ve heard of that? does that.? ? It’s a? little extra something to make it friendly to any budget.? Why should the only people who get to experience beautiful artwork, photography and other works be people who have a lot of expendable income? It’s a great attraction for locals as well as tourists.