MyParty. Finds. A Home.

author: Daniel Keyes
published: 2005 by Harvest Books
isbn: 0156030306 (isbn13: 9780156030304)
pages: 324
literary awards: Nebula Award 1967
description: Daniel Keyes wrote little science fiction but is highly regarded for one classic, Flowers for Algernon. As a 1959 novella it won a Hugo Award; the 1966 novel-length expansion won a Nebula. The Oscar-winning movie adaptation Charly (1968) also spawned a 1980 Broadway musical.

Following his doctor’s instructions, engaging simpleton Charlie Gordon tells his own story in semi-literate “progris riports.” He dimly wants to better himself, but with an IQ of 68 can’t even beat the laboratory mouse Algernon at maze-solving.

Algernon is extra-clever thanks to an experimental brain operation so far tried only on animals. Charlie eagerly volunteers as the first human subject. After frustrating delays and agonies of concentration, the effects begin to show and the reports steadily improve: “Punctuation, is? fun!” But getting smarter brings cruel shocks, as Charlie realizes that his merry “friends” at the bakery where he sweeps the floor have all along been laughing at him, never with him. The IQ rise continues, taking him steadily past the human average to genius level and beyond, until he’s as intellectually alone as the old, foolish Charlie ever was–and now painfully aware of it. Then, ominously, the smart mouse Algernon begins to deteriorate…

AND I SAY:

Its one of those books that pulls you out from the comforts of normalcy. Simply one of the most riveting books i’ve read in my life.

If you’ve seen Robert De Niro and Robin Williams’ Awakenings, the book is something like it - only better.

I love the way it was told from charlie’s point of view - and grammar. A must-read book.

Iingatan ka
Aalagaan ka
Sa puso ko ikaw ang pag-asa
Sa ‘ting mundo’y
may gagabay sa iyo
Ang alay ko’y itong pagmamahal ko
May nag mamahal aakay sa iyo
Aking inay ikaw ang nagbigay
Ng Buhay ko
Buhay na kay ganda
Pangarap ko na makamtan ko na

~~~
Ang aking mga mahal na ina DITO.

I like scary movies. My favorite ones are those that are so well-made and so believable that, after seeing the entire movie, I would get nightmares afterwards (haha!). Anyway, I just saw the trailer of Frontier(s) today and I just know that this movie is definitely going to give me nightmares.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this movie mainly because of the movie’s apparent gore and violence. Well, from the trailer alone, you can already see why this movie is Unrated - axes cutting limbs off, an ugly scary butcher man dragging someone in chains, dead people hanging from meat hooks, among others things. I have the full theatrical trailer for you below, see for yourself.

Unfortunately, for Horror Movie fans like me who prefer to experience the movie on the big screen, Frontier(s) will only be shown on the 9th of May in select theaters in ten cities, none of which is near where I currently am. See if the movie is playing anywhere near you by visiting the Frontier(s) website and browsing the theatrical listings.

The good news however is, the equally unrated and uncut DVD will be coming out three days later on the 12th! Now, if only the DVD would come with earplugs, my husband would love that!

We drove to Naples last weekend and arrived at the very quaint Fifth Avenue South exactly around lunch time. As we were all very excited to hit the beach, we decided on a casual, filling, but no fuss lunch. Since not a lot of restaurants were open for lunch yet, we ended up going to one of the few places that were indeed open: Cafe Luna.

The setting is cozy but not too casual. You can either choose to sit outside where they had cafe-style seating, or inside. Saving our tanning for the beach, we opted to dine inside.

For starters, we had these fried calamari.

Lightly battered, crunchy, and the calamari inside was not at all tough. The marinara sauce was very good, too, and without it, the calamari would have been a little bland.

From the lunch menu, hubby ordered two-slices of pizza which were surprisingly, authentically, good.

A simple cheese pizza with a topping of sausages. It’s too big, it wouldn’t fit on the plate, hehe.

Ninna and I shared a huge platter of pasta alfredo.

Creamy. Cheesy. Yummy. Ninna ate about half of it, hehe.

Ninna washed all of it was washed down with some cool lemonade.

Refreshing! Her best defense against the 87 degree heat outside.

We would definitely come back.

~~~

CAFE LUNA
467 5th Ave. S. Naples, FL
(239) 213-2212
http://cafelunanaples.com/

First Visit Rating: 4 out of 5

~~~

Snapshots of our weekend beach hopping HERE.

You can check out the otherWeekend Snapshot entries HERE.

author: Alan Lightman
published: 2004 by Vintage
isbn: 140007780X (isbn13: 9781400077809)
pages: 144
description: Einstein’s Dreams became a bestseller by delighting both scientists and humanists. It is technically a novel. Lightman uses simple, lyrical, and literal details to locate Einstein precisely in a place and time–Berne, Switzerland, spring 1905, when he was a patent clerk privately working on his bizarre, unheard-of theory of relativity. The town he perceives is vividly described, but the waking Einstein is a bit player in this drama.

AND I SAY:

I love books that explore time and space and this one is my favorite of all. Each “time concept” or “dream” is intriguing. Although some may border on preposterous, many will make you think and say “hhmmmm”. My favorite one is the dream where time stands still as once approaches the center of time. You’d know why i love this and more if you read the book.

Its phenomenal, really.

Mayroong lungkot sa yong mga mata
At kay bigat ng yong dinadala
Kahit di mo man sabihin
Paghihirap mo’y nadarama ko rin

~~~

Isa pang Malungkot DITO.

At last, a Tory Burch tote that appeals to me. I am falling in love with the colors, the sturdy PVC material, and the cute little hanging logo plate. At $175, its well within my budget. Yey!

We’ve been to Baltimore about three times and each time, we would always make room for Obrycki’s. I’ll save you the suspense and tell you that I’m giving them a rating of 5 out of 5 for all two visits. Well, ok, maybe 4.5 out of 5 for one particular visit when the service was less warm than the usual.

We always order the same thing, I mean, what else is there really to order when in Obrycki’s than their fresh, luscious, Hard Shell Crabs, steamed with a magical blend of seasonings.

Served with some clarified butter, the yummy yummy yummy crabs were unceremoniously dumped on our table ready for the inevitable, hehe.

Unfortunately, it did scare the heck out of my daughter, hehe. So I ordered some Fried Shrimp for her (which was her favorite) and everything was suddenly all good in the world.

They are closed for the winter and are open only from March until October (I think). So if you find yourself in that part of the country, don’t ever ever miss this place.

~~~

OBRYCKI’S
1727 E. Pratt St.
Baltimore, MD 21231
(410) 732-6399
http://obryckis.com/

First Visit Rating: 5 out of 5
Second Visit Rating: 4.5 out of 5

~~~

My other WS entry is HERE.

You can check out the other Weekend Snapshot entries HERE.