It's Super Bowl Sunday!

...And that probably won't be acknowledged at any other point in this blog post.
I don't have anything against football, but I am the only person in my family who isn't obsessed with it. I will spend the evening doing make-up homework with classical music blasting in my headphones to drown out the party noise.

Oh would you look at that, I did reference it!

Anyway, I have a lot of miscellaneous, unrelated things to post about today! That's always fun, I think. First, I found this magical video online. A friend posted it on Facebook, and I had to share it. It's beautiful and riveting. I also love the music that accompanies it.

I just love things like this. It's such a powerful way to use media to unite us. I wish we as humans could see ourselves on a global perspective, rather than a country-by-country or person-by-person perspective. We'd see how close we all really ought to be, and what a fantastic people we really are, and the potential we have to be great.

Next up is a random quote from The Great Gatsby that I stumbled upon while re-reading the book this morning:

"High over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life." -The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald is a beautiful writer. His writing is so lyrical. I wish I could use words the way he did.
There is a new movie version of The Great Gatsby coming out next year. There's lots of buzz about it, because of its stars. Personally, Carey Mulligan is one of my favorite actresses, and I love Leonardo DiCaprio (in Catch Me If You Can, of course; never seen Titanic. Go ahead and gasp), so I can't help but get excited about it. However, one of my very literarily-knowledgable (is that a word?) friends pointed out that movie versions of this book never seem to work well, because the novel is so character-driven rather than plot-driven, and the filmmakers struggle to engage a wide audience by adding in action and events. We shall see!

Well, it certainly looks snazzy. I'm rooting for it!

And finally...
I couldn't resist sharing this, especially after my lengthy Downton Abbey post back in January.
This clip is the digital short from last night's episode of Saturday Night Live. I'll be honest, I forgot to record it and didn't even think I would be missing much (except of course for the brilliant music of Bon Iver), but, according to my friends, Channing Tatum proved to be a pretty good host. My friend texted me as soon as this short started. I laughed so much. Perhaps my favorite quote: "Like eavesdropping? Then this show is for you. Anytime anyone says anything, a third person hears it in the doorway." I also loved that they dropped the "Down-town Abbey" line, because any faithful fan of the show knows the aggravation experienced whenever someone inevitably calls it by that name. I suppose this digital short may've been pretty odd to those who have never seen Downton, as all of the jokes were directly related to its characters and content. Well, maybe this will encourage them to watch! The more, the merrier.

Love,
Susan D. Holmes