NOTE: In large doses, caffeine may become a central nervous system stimulant, having the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness.
I'm so excited about the Fourth of July this year. I can't wait to get to picnicing with all my friends and family. It's my first time celebrating the Fourth at home in about 6 years! Hooray for America!
Song(s) of the day: Relient K's new extended play album The Bird and the Bee Sides was released today! Check out the website, where you can follow the scavenger hunt clues to a free song download. The EP features 13 new songs as well as a ton of remixed, re-mastered favorites.
Weekend Plans:
The Annual Salute to the Red, White and Blue festival and fireworks display will be held on Friday, July 4th, at the Elk Grove Regional Park (9950 Elk Grove-Florin Road). The festivities begin at 3 p.m. with lively music, and will feature food, vendor booths and a kids’ activity area. A musical fireworks display will begin at 9:45 p.m. Admission is free; parking is $10 per vehicle.
Also, check out the 4th of July Celebration at Cal Expo. Gates open at 6 with live music and dancing until the fireworks show at 9:30.
Hello again, dear Reader. This week I'm appealing to all of you bibliophiles. You know how seeing a movie before reading the book can kill even the best novel ever? I hate that. So, to save you from a similar fate, here's a heads up to some new movies in the works that come from some of my favorite (or, at least, well liked) books. Read them first!
1. Journey to the Center of the Earth - It's going to be in 3-D with Brendan Fraser. Need I say more? Release Date (or Read Before): July 11, 2008
2. Inkheart - Brendan Fraser again? It's a teen fiction read by German author Cornelia Funke about a bookbinder who can bring characters to life in his books when he reads them aloud. This equals trouble when the villain escapes. I read this book in middle school and I remember liking it enough to read the sequel, Inkspell. There's also a third book, Inkdeath, due out in English in October of 2008. Read Before January 20, 2009.
3. The Giver - You have plenty of time to read this one - it's release is set for 2011. This still has to be one of my favorite books from middle school...about a utopian society that seems perfect until a young boy learns about the true suffering and joys of the "real" world. And Dustin Hoffman!!
4. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown's prequel to the DaVinci Code has just as much controversy surrounding the film as ever. Director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks have been banned by the Catholic church from filming in two Rome churches considered vital to the plot. Crazy, huh? Read before May 15, 2008.
5. Dune - Peter Berg (Hancock, The Kingdom) will be directing the latest attempt to adapt Frank Herbert's popular sci-fi novel. Read before 2010.
6. The City of Ember - I loved this book back in the day (okay, it was 2003). It's a three part series including The People of Sparks and The Prophet of Yonwood. The first in the series is about a city that has always flourished until the lamps that light the city start to flicker and darkness threatens their entire way of life. Two teenagers try to unlock the mystery of their city, have an adventure, and so on. Bill Murray is going to play the mayor and the main character, Lina, will be played by Saoirse Ronan (Atonement). Read before October 10, 2008.
7. Twilight - Considering all the hype that's surrounding this movie, you really have to read the book first. Sure, a film (or book, for that matter) about love and vampires seems incredibly cheesy, but maybe it will stray away from being your average chick flick. Some have compared the popularity of the book series to that of Harry Potter. I don't know if I agree, but I'm willing to give these books a chance - mostly because they are the perfect beach read. The Twilight Saga has four books total: Twilight, Eclipse, New Moon, and the soon-to-be-released Breaking Dawn (August 2nd). The film also looks pretty promising with Kristin Stewart (Into the Wild, In the Land of Women) and Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter as Cedric Diggory, Vanity Fair) playing the lead characters. Read before December 12, 2008.
8. Atlas Shrugged- A powerful railroad executive, Dagny Taggart, struggles to keep her business alive while society is crumbling around her. It's rumored that Angelina Jolie will be playing her. Just to warn you, this is a heavy read. At over 1,000 pages long, it is one of the longest novels ever written in any European language. The book explores a number of philosophical themes Rand would later develop into Objectivism. Atlas Shrugged was voted the most influencial book in reader's lives after the Bible. Read before 2009.
9. The Hobbit - Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) directing the Hobbit?! I'm so there. Ah! And James MacAvoy is rumored to play Bilbo. Sweet! Read before December 2011.
10. The Tale of Desperaux - The tale of three unlikely heroes - a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears - whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle's princess. This film has some pretty big star power: Sigourney Weaver, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, and Matthew Broderick, to name a few. Read before December 19, 2008.
11. The Lovely Bones - Great, great book. The story of a young girl, brutally raped and murdered, as she watches the effect of her death on her family, friends, and murderer from Heaven. Directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong)! Mark Whalberg, Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Wiesz, and Susan Sarandon are all in this one. Read before October 9, 2009.
12. The Time Traveler's Wife - A lovely book, hopefully a lovely movie? It's a romantic drama about a Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, and the complications it creates for his marriage to Clare (Rachel McAdams). Read before December 25, 2008.
13. My Sister's Keeper - Directed by Nick Cassavettes (The Notebook) and starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, and Joan Cusack. Read before 2009.
I love the Tony Awards. Take a look at this year's winner of Best Musical, In The Heights.
Weekend Plans:
I think everyone who lives in the Sacramento area has visited the Crocker Art Museum at least once. Chances are it was in elementary school - that time in your life where you look at modern art, scoff, and think to yourself, I could do that. Well, I think it's time to give the Crocker Art Museum a second chance. With it's current exhibition, The Language of the Nude, the museum unveils 60 of it's rarely seen drawings of the human form. In August, Andy Warhol and American Pop will be the focus of its new exhibition. Also, every Thursday the Museum is open late to host special tours and programs including lectures, classes, and concerts. Highlight tours feature different themes every month and begin at 6:30 PM.
Okay, here is the best part: admission is only $3 with a student ID and FREE Sundays from 10 AM-1 PM. I see some serious inexpensive (yet romantic) date potential here. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM-5 PM. Thursday, 10 AM-9 PM, (closed on Mondays)
NOTE: Don't forget to check out Digital Crocker, the Museum's Online collection of over 500 works of art.
This Scottish singer/songwriter released his first album, These Streets, in 2006. His song, Last Request, was featured at the end of the Scrubs episode "My Words of Wisdom" in Season 6.
I feel a little bit bad for Scarlett Johansson. Her new album titled Anywhere I Lay My Head has this actor-turned-singer covering Tom Waits' songs (nothing new in Hollywood these days, of course) . I was a little excited at first. I mean, pretty people always look like they should have pretty voices. And Scarlett is gorgeous, so that should exponentially increase the awesomeness of her voice, right? Wrong. Her new album, as a "project" of sorts, is a disappointment. The problem seems to be that her songs are overproduced - her whispery voice is drowned by backup vocals and instrumentals. It's not the "alternative" or "indie" sound that I was hoping for - instead we get to hear interesting ambiance instrumentals hide a seemingly average voice. Also, she sings completely without feeling. There is no soul in her songs - a trait that makes Tom Waits' songs worthwhile in the first place. Poor Scarlett. I would say stick to acting, but if you remember her singing "Summertime" from the album Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars the difference in her voice is like night and day. She has a smoky sound that sounds perfect with jazzy, simple tunes like that. Never mind the irony in Scarlett singing about a black woman picking cotton. Fiddle-dee-dee! But why listen to little old me? Listen for yourself.
"Falling Down"
"Summertime"
And just for fun...here's how Tom Waits does "Falling Down."
Song of the Day: M79 by Vampire Weekend is a jaunty, funky song from the debut album. A mix of Western classical music and African popular music makes a genre that the band describes as "Upper West Side Soweto". Vampire Weekend toured with the Shins last year and had the #67 spot on the Billboard Top 100 for their song "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa". Enjoy!
Weekend Plans: Rick's Dessert Diner! Okay, you guys, you guys. Let me just take this opportunity to divulge a not-so-secret secret. I would eat dessert as a replacement for every meal...or at least eat dessert first. So...Rick's Dessert Diner in downtown Sacramento is pretty much my Mecca. Located at 2322 K Street in downtown Sacramento just a short walk from the Crest Theatre, this place is the perfect stop for those with a late night sweet tooth. It's open late - Friday and Saturday til 1, Tuesday-Thursday til 12 and Sunday and Monday til 11. With over 285 treats to choose from and all in a cute, retro diner atmosphere you can't really go wrong.
Coming Soon to Caffeine: Alternatives to the Summer Blockbuster. Yeah, we all love Indy and Batman - but there's gotta be something more! Lots of Love and Chocolate Cake, Caitlin
The pun in the title was intended. Okay! So first post! I feel like it should be really epic - like Narnia or Lord of the Rings...or not. Today marks the official one week mark of summer vacation. So far I have achieved a glorious amount of nothing - which would explain the free time for bringing to you, dear readers, a continuous (hopefully bi-weekly) stream of interesting and exciting posts! I'm thinking book of the week/song of the day and then whatever strikes my fancy. At least that is the plan.
Song(s) of the Day: Endless Song of Happiness and New Soul by Yael Naim
Why you should listen: Yael Naim's folksy pop songs will make you want to dance. PLUS...she's Israeli and she sings in English, French, and Hebrew. Her song New Soul was featured in the latest Mac commercial for MacBook Air...if that's not a mark of brilliance, I don't know what is. New Soul was on #9 on the Billboard hot 100 list...the only Israeli solo artist to ever do so. And, come on guys, she's absolutely lovely! So add this to your soundtrack to the summer, everyone. This one's a winner.
Book of the Week: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Why You Should Pick it Up: Okay, so I actually had to read this book for a class last semester and I'll be honest, I didn't actually read it when I was supposed to (you know, before you actually start talking about it in class...) But during finals week I decided to pick it up again for studying purposes and it ended up being the best idea ever. Not only did I trick myself into thinking I was procrastinating, this book is really, really good. For all of you Bronte fans out there familiar with Jane Eyre, you will find this especially interesting. Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of Bertha (her real name is Antoinette) before Jane and Rochester, on the island of Jamaica, where the untold tale of madness, passion, and loss unfolds. Was Bertha mad or just misunderstood? Fact: Wide Sargasso Sea won the WH Smith Literary Award in 1967. It's a prequel of sorts and I promise you'll like it.
To Do Today: Check out the latest This American Life podcast.
This week's is all about Prom. There's a pretty interesting story about a high school that had a tornado pass through the town on the night of the prom wiping out 1/3 of the town's houses. The students then try to explain why they think the tornado hit where it did. Interesting stuff.
Weekend Plans: Friday Night Concerts in the Park (May 2-August 15)
Song(s) of the day: Relient K's new extended play album The Bird and the Bee Sides was released today! Check out the website, where you can follow the scavenger hunt clues to a free song download. The EP features 13 new songs as well as a ton of remixed, re-mastered favorites. 
