The week in culture: April 14-20

Watched:
Lots of Monk
The Ten (goofy Ten Commandments comedy from the writers of the skit show The State. very hit or miss, but pretty entertaining throughout.)
Dear Frankie (rewatch of this cute one with Gerard Butler and Emily Mortimer)
You Kill Me (biopic about a ninja stand-up comedian -- not)
The Care Bears Movie (I do have a little brother, after all!)

Read:
America: The Book by Jon Stewart and the Daily Show crew - I am so behind the times here, but I really liked this one. What dorky fun! Who knew you could make so many clever, knowledgeable jokes about the history and politics of our great nation?
The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth by James N. Frey - bought this one about six years ago, I think, and finally got around to it. Frankly, I'm not sure we should take Mr. Frey's grandiose, overblown advice in this dumbed-down Cliffs Notes version of Joseph Campbell. On the upside, it was a quick read.

Heard:
As I mentioned long ago, one of my absolute favorite songs is "God Give Me Strength" from the movie Grace of My Heart. To give you some indication of how much I like it, it was one of the very first songs I ever downloaded from iTunes. Unfortunately, the version iTunes had available wasn't the one from the movie -- it was some watered down version later recorded by the same singer. I'd never been able to find the original film version, which I loved...but finally I tracked it down and a kind soul emailed it to me. I listened with delight. It is mine, all mine.

Celebration of the week:
Passover! I'm not Jewish, but I'll celebrate with just about anybody as long as it involves perfectly cooked green beans (delicious!) and flourless chocolate cake (crazy delicious). Maybe one of these years it'll actually be my turn to recite the ten plagues in Hebrew. That should be a riot.

Highlight of the week:
Bought super-cute shoes -- and they're comfy to boot.

Lowlight of the week::
Migraines. I don't get them very often, but I got two pairs this week -- especially disorienting bouts that completely knocked me on my ass. I get "classic migraines", which means that the standard head pain is accompanied by blind spots, numbness in my face and hands, nausea, dizziness, and mental confusion (particularly trouble finding words). Classic or extra-crappy? You be the judge. I am at least lucky in their infrequency. This week, though, they weren't exactly infrequent. Thursday I had to head home for a mid-day nap to kick one set before returning to work. Then Friday night I was about to bed down when another set kept me awake and queasy till the wee hours. By "set" I mean that I develop one on one side of my head, then when it goes away get an entirely new one, with the full range of symptoms, on the other side. A fucking tea party it is not.

The week in soccer:
I totally dragged after my migraines, and definitely did not give the game my typical level of hustle. I'm pretty sure we lost, and I didn't even care that much. Next week should be better -- for a variety of reasons. Just you wait!