Obsessed! (And you will be, too.)

Have you ever heard me talk about This American Life, that most glorious radio show, which would surely make it onto my desert island list of necessities? You really ought to listen to it. Each week, they take a theme and produce a variety of stories relating to that theme. It’s truly wonderful, every single week. Now they've made a spin-off called Serial. Instead of telling a story during one episode, the way This American Life does, Serial tells a single story over the course of a season of episodes.

This inaugural season, it’s the story of Hae Min Lee, a high school senior who disappeared in Maryland in 1999. Her strangled body was found buried in a park a few weeks later. Authorities soon arrested her ex-boyfriend, a 17-year-old kid named Adnan Syed. Adnan was well-liked in the community, very popular at school (he was crowned Prom Prince), and had lots of friends, all of whom were shocked when he was arrested for Hae’s murder. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in a Maryland prison, where he has been for the past 15 years. He claims he had nothing to do with her murder.

The host of Serial, Sarah Koenig, examines reams of evidence, trying to decipher a case with loads of twists and turns (Why was a witness who claimed to see Adnan at the time of the murder never called to testify? Why was Adnan supposedly in one place when his cell phone was pinging a cell tower 45 miles away?). You will swing from “He’s definitely innocent” to “He’s definitely guilty!” and back again, with plenty of “Oh, I just don’t know” along the way. It is so compelling.

The Serial episodes can be downloaded as a podcast or listened to from the website here. The website also has photos, maps, letters, call logs, and other evidence you can peruse should you become completely obsessed (you will).

So far, there are six episodes out with a new one each Thursday. The only way they could make it better is if they dropped all the episodes, House-of-Cards-style, all at once so I could binge-listen to them. I keep telling myself I’ll wait and let a few accumulate, but then Thursday rolls around and I need my ear candy.

Go listen!

Blazing, beautiful autumn.

This weekend, I headed up to Harpers Ferry for one last taste of autumn. (Until Virginia tosses summer right back in my face this week, that is. 80 degrees? Really?) The weather in Harpers Ferry, however, was perfect; just spectacular.

I climbed all over the ruins of the Shenandoah Pulp Factory...

...and walked through the beautiful woods and along the sparkling Shenandoah River.

What are men to rocks and mountains? -Jane Austen

Overheard in the restroom line at the Ren Faire...

A young woman was talking to her mother about how her son has hit the terrible twos and she's certain he gets his bad behavior from his father… 

Young Woman: Did I throw fits all the time?

Her Mother: Yes. All the time. I used to have to call your dad at work to talk to you.

YW: But that's not because I was horrible; it's because I wanted my daddy.

HM: You were horrible.

YW: I was sweet, though.

HM: Honey, you put a puppy in the oven.

The Niagara of the South

On Friday, I went to visit Great Falls National Park and what a beauty it was. Had I waited a week or two, the leaves would have been more colorful, but the weather was so fine I couldn't take the chance of missing out.

There were some really beautiful trails along the canal.

And the trees, despite being more green than orange or red,
were really beautiful.

The first overlook reminded me of Devil's Den in Gettysburg,
with lots of big rocks to scramble over.

It was a lot of fun. Also fun? Watching people in dress shoes
trying to navigate these boulders.

The falls are gorgeous and also really powerful. It's hard to tell  from
 a still photo, but the water rushing over those rocks was ferocious.

Also, the Potomac River apparently drowns people left and right. Tucked into my national park pamphlet was a warning card, letting me know that the river was lying in wait, hoping to claim any victim foolish enough to pass too close to its shores.

Try not to drown, okay?

Then, as I walked to the first overlook, I saw this sign:

Seriously, you guys, please don't drown.

Finally, on the way to the second overlook, this huge poster plastered across the footbridge reminded me that the Potomac was desperately trying to murder me.

This is not a drill. We have both capitalized and underlined
the word "deadly."

Deadly and beautiful.

This is how I spend my free time.

On Monday night I attended a make-believe trial involving fictional Shakespearean characters, presided over by a panel of actual judges, including two justices of the United States Supreme Court.

I daresay that's the nerdiest sentence you've read all week.

It was marvelous.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was witty, but
Justice Stephen Breyer was downright hilarious.

Blorft

Blorft (adj.) – Completely overwhelmed, but proceeding as if everything is fine, and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.

TM Miss Tina Fey

And why is this being posted at 10:53 at night? 'Cause I just got home from work.

A thousand times Wes.

I just got back from seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel. It was wonderful.

Wes Anderson's films are polarizing. People usually adore them or loathe them. I fall into the former category. I think he's a rare talent. His films are always so beautifully art directed and shot, and I love that you can look at one of his films and immediately tell it's a Wes Anderson.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is perhaps his most gorgeous film yet. It was filled with lots of beautiful images and stunning shots. And the characters and story were great, too. I was delighted from credits to credits.

A key component of the unique Wes Anderson aesthetic is his ubiquitous centered shot. They're so beautiful. I love when he centers a shot and then swings the camera around 90 degrees to another centered shot. There are lots of those in Grand Budapest Hotel, and indeed, in all of his films. Check it out, and note the double 90-degree pan around from Moonrise Kingdom at the 25 second mark:



I have always been drawn to symmetry.

And finally, if you do treat yourself to a viewing of Grand Budapest, you will surely leave the theater craving the scrumptious pastry that plays a pivotal role in the film: Courtesan au Chocolat. Happily, you can click here to learn how to make it.

And make one for me while you're at it.