my review of the John Cusack movie The Raven. (possible spoilers)

Last night I ventured to the Lowe's cinema for the 7:50 showing of The Raven.. starring John Cusack and Luke Evans ..  Cusack as Poe and Evans as inspector fields of the Baltimore city police....The general plot is that a serial killer is using Poe's macabre stories as inspiration. that plot seemed amusing enough to me as a fan of both suspense movies and Poe. Unfortunately for me , I forgot to suspend disbelief and my knowledge of history of Poe and of ol baltimore . The movie played a little loose with the legit facts of ol' edgar's life and for that reason alone I could not lose myself in the film. Cusack did an admirable job portraying Poe .. I only wish the writers would have given him more of a chance to be the Poe of historical note and not a two dimensional character playing off a stiff and bland Evans as Inspector Fields... If you decide to see The Raven... Suspend your knowledge and disbelief ... And enjoy the story
You will have a far better time

a page from my journal

The smooth  cool tile of the shower stall was a welcome counterpoint to the driving hot streams of water cascading against her neck and back . She stood there letting the steam , heat and water wash away the fog inside her head. Slowly she was coming back to herself, breaching the surface of the night's events . With a small exhale and a shiver despite the warmth of the shower she could still taste him on her lips , the could still feel his touch on her skin , the feel of him inside her.  The haze of lust and the exhilaration of the forbidden was clinging to her like gossamer threads of silk . The first cold fingers of reality began to claw at her mind and soul as the florescent bathroom light buzzed over head and made her close her eyes against its  brightness .. intruding through the shower curtain. Regret , shame .. the truth began to mingle in her mind as the water began to cool and the steam abate... Fuzzy moments slowly coming into focus ..grabbing the soap to scrub away his scent , his touch ... her emotions...  "conquest" she murmured  to herself .. then let a cynical chuckle escape her throat as she ran her finger gingerly across a bruise on her thigh ... the soreness bringing her completely back to herself.  Stepping out  of the shower .. wrapping her hair in a towel and easing into a bathrobe .. she  says to her barely visable reflection .. "Next time .. next time it will be different".

Cold weather jolted the corners of my mind

As I sat freezing on the bus stop this fine spring morning . I was looking up the hill at the elementary school on the next block. In my mind I flashed back to my days there in kindergarten. I had no wavy lines or tinkling chimes to signal the trip .. Just the frigid nip of an abnormal spring nor'easter.

It snowed at the end of April the year my brother was born. I was in kindergarten and it was the day my mom and brother came home from the hospital. I suppose it was almost as  good as bringing a puppy to show and tell ; my mom and dad brought my new baby brother to school to pick me up after class. It had been a cold spring and the trees bloomed late. As we got into my dad's dodge van it began to snow giant , wet, fat flakes. I remember my dad pushing me  into the van as I looked up into the sky letting the flakes leave wet stinging across my face. As I sat on the floor of the van ( no seat belts or even a seat ... just sitting on the floor) . I looked out the windshield at the park at the bottom of the hill . Thinking to myself how pretty the frilly blossomed trees looked against the gray sky and the giant snowflakes.