The Giver

Had the opportunity to recently attend a signing with the two stars of the upcoming film the Giver.

 

They signed posters and greeted fans and later presented their movie.
The film will be released on August 15th. This gives you plenty of time to re-read the book. I had been hoping that Lois Lowry would have also been present at the signing but alas, she was not.

Sandcastles

Took some photos from a recent sandcastle festival that I wanted to share.
This was the center sculpture:

Some of the other sculptures are shown below:

But my personal favorite sculptor from years past did not return this year. I have included below one of my favorite works that she created at one of the past festivals:

Carousel

This morning I joined a Carousel of Characters.
I've included just a few photos to show the different animals on the carousel, which were all selected by local school children.

The level of detail of each one is just unbelievable.

This owl shown above, is the character that I rode on.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This could quite possibly be the only must-see movie opening this weekend. Though originally thought to be created just to get the fan base from the cartoon out to see it, I've come to the conclusion that this film is so much more.

Master Splinter: the actor that they have playing this part is perfect! I couldn't have thought of a better actor, who is stretching his acting chops. Seeing the turtles from the beginning as just infants, growing and becoming "teenagers" with many, many laughs along the way, just brings back so many memories of watching the show many years ago. A trip down nostalgia lane it will truly be.

But don't take my word for it, get to the theater and watch it yourself.

Bruce Springsteen

It has been quite a while since I have written. It's not that I didn't want to write but rather, it was just that everything seemed so ordinary. That is, until this past Wednesday night. It was on that fateful night that I had but one question: who was this man, this myth, this cultural icon: Bruce Springsteen? I had heard the buzz and read all the reviews I could get my hands on but I wanted to see it first hand. On what started out as an ordinary Wednesday evening, under the auspices of the famed Fenway and its faithful following, I finally got my answer.


For there was a man in our midst who could sing anything- any genre, any song, be it about love or war, hungry hearts or being "born to run." There was a man with the ability to touch the hearts of everyone, regardless of age or ethnicity. Within him was something far greater than a man with a magical musical prowess. It was surely his skills which got him his start but surely not the sole reason behind why he played sold out arenas everywhere he went. There was a story within each show. A story that resonated within everyone. 

Up there on stage, there was a man living to fruition, every little boy's dream. And for an ephermeral moment in time we were all there, dreaming the dream. Perhaps it was transient, but it was real. A moment that you couldn't capture with a camera. A moment that was visceral. We were all there dancing in the rain because one thing was clear: no one was going to rain on this parade. It was out on Landowne Street that everyone had left their worries and their cares behind. It was inside the gates of Fenway that we had found a way to remember some of the things that we had long forgotten. The same way hearing an old song can take you back to a different day or a different time or a different place. It was in that place that we were all connected on that fateful night.

As the fireworks flew over Fenway at the concert's close, the legions of fans poured out into the streets. Out there on Landsdowne, a small bevy gathered to watch as members of the E street band headed into their caravan. There was a hope among the gathering that the boss himself may be heading that way as well. He did emerge, however, he was already safely behind the tinted windows of a dark Escalade. So until next time.