On Yore Side

I always love to hear stories about animal heroes, and would like to congratulate Winnie the Potbelly Pig for saving a family and their home from a fire…even if she did lead her owner to it only because she was cannibalistically hungry for the burning hambone that had initiated the flames in the family’s kitchen:

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=3D73A04B-D1E4-4382-9347-0EE0F7EAF96E&f=00&fg=copy&GT1=9951

Last night I went to see the Spiderman Premier and loved it! The series isn’t losing momentum as sequels are produced, and I daresay the plot and dialogue is at least as good as either the first two movies as well as being far superior as far as the special effects go. Thomas Haden Church did a great job as Sandman, although I thought that Topher Grace was somewhat lacking as Venom. I thought the director did a great job handling several somewhat complicated plot lines, some of which had their beginnings in the earlier movies, but found the coincidence of Topher being in the same church where Spiderman was shirking his suit to be a little too contrived.  It was refreshing to see the “Dark Side” of Peter Parker, and the almost risque developement of the Spiderman/MJ/Hobgoblin love triangle was bold and lent depth to the plot. The effects on the Sandman and Venom were marvelous, and complicated emotional twists having to do with the fine line between right and wrong did much to breathe new life into the franchise.  Don’t wait for this on DVD: you’re going to want to see it thrice on the big screen.

  The theatre was so packed that Tammie and I had to sit at the very front with our necks cocked back at a 125 degree angle, so I’ll definitely be going back again when it’s thinned out a bit, but still hasn’t been moved to a smaller screen in the theatre.

  I just finished the four articles I’m writing for Richmond Hill Reflections magazine, and just had to do a little more on the ol’ blog before calling it a day.

  One of the articles is about the Savannah Sinfonietta, which Tammie and I got to see performing their concert “Fibonacci Goes Baroque” at the Richmond Hill United Methodist Church last week. Another is about the Coastal Empire’s 200 Club, which raises funds for the area’s fallen and wounded policemen and firefighters, and still another is about a new outdoor excercise program by the author of the “Lazy Person’s Fitness Guide,” Derek W. Frazier. The final article covers the Grand Opening of Richmond Hill’s very own Dixie Outfitters, owned and operated by my very good friends Gail and Lynn Speegle.

  If any of these topics interest you, pick up a copy of Richmond Hill Reflections and check them out! The photography in the magazine is always incredibly well-done, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with for my stories!

Also I’d like to remind everyone that this week and next week are both “Be Kind to Animals” weeks, so be sure to throw a dog a bone where you can!

In celebration of the occasion, we are currently donating 50% of the royalties from online sales of “The Other Side of Yore” to www.AmphibianArk.org; check my last blog entry for details!