J.D.--last of my heroes

Well, I'm sad. Yeah, like...definitely. Speechless. Well, nearly speechless.

J.D. Salinger, brilliant man, writer, superhero, slayer of dragons, all around terrific human--

died today.

I know I didn't know him personally, and Holden hated phonies--

so I'll stress how sincere I am.

Like, he was brilliant. He said many times he liked seeing "movies"--

Not "films"-- "movies."

His favorite was The 39 Steps. Which made me grin to no end when I found out. How terrific is that?

Catcher in the Rye was (and I doubt I'm alone in this) the book that made me want to be a writer. The book that made me realize-- casual writing can be good too-- often has even more truth than other work.

But really, he will be missed. RIP J.D. You were too cool.

Look at Me, Keeping Up-- Or Sundays Can Be Slow

Hey there kids, what's new? You're doing well? That's good to hear. Who, me? Yeah-- it's going pretty amazingly for me too. I've just arrived back at school from winter break, and the first week is over. It's odd-- I love going home, but after a while I actually started to miss the school routine, so was glad to be back.

This semester I've switched rooms, going from a double with 2 suite mates to having a single room all to myself (plus balcony) and only one suite mate. We share a bathroom. Golly gee, it's swell. The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the room were the walls. So bare, they looked. Well, I thought to myself, whatever shall I do?

Just kidding. I had to have posters, of course! Luckily, I'd brought with me a few...

But still, I was woefully in need of more. So, to eBay I went-- and now I eagerly await the arrival of my purchases...

And then last night, when I arrived back at the dorm, there was a poster next to my door with a note that said "To Juliette, if you want it." And then an extension number. And....it was a Frankenstein poster. How freaking cool is that? people here are terrific.

Really-- it's too much fun. I love being able to (yeah, yeah, cliche alert) express my tastes on the walls of my room. But enough about me, what are some new (by that I mean old) movies you guys can recommend? I have entirely too much time to sit and view them now. And it's....bliss. :)

We Meet Again.

Ah, it's been a long time? Too long. And for that, kiddos, I apologize. But there's marvelous news I have for you! Well, marvelous for me...you could probably take it or leave it. Anyhoo, I've just come back from winter break and have had time to catch up with all the movie-watching I so desperately missed at school. Judy, Barbara, Bette (Garland, Stanwyck, and Davis-- respectively) were all high on the list of things viewed, as well as some (relatively) new friends, like Loretta Young, Joel McCrea, and Frances Farmer. Oh, it was swell. And I do believe it's provided me with new inspiration. I was like, "2010! How inspiring!"*

But I digress. The reason I'm really here is to post some pictures. And I haven't a transition for that, not really. So without further ado...

Which reminds me, how was everyone's holiday? :)

*May not have been my actual words.

Sorry it's not edible...

Jean Arthur and friend. :)

Judy eyeing a turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving, kids.

New Leaves, Dead Leaves, Green Leaves, Red Leaves...

Guess who's back! That's right, kids-- it's me. Your sometimes-faithful friend Juliette. 'Member me? Well I'm back, ready to start fresh. If you'll have me, that is. :)

Anyway, first things first...I feel it's my duty as a blogger to dispel any false accusations surrounding a Mrs. Barbra Brolin, aka Babs Streisand, the grooviest faux yeshiva boy around. So let's start with that, shall we?

1) Barbra has never killed a blind panda, with aid of a firearm or otherwise.
2) She has not to my knowledge owned a fake fire insurance company.
3) Though I cannot definitely state that Barbra lets her staff use the restroom for free, I can say that she doesn't charge them ten dollars per use.

As for the other claims, I can neither confirm nor deny their validity, as I'm still waiting for more conclusive results. That being said, I'd like to think Barbra does not grease the handrails at assisted living facilities.

Anyhoo, back to business.

I'm at college, as most of you know. No, the movie-watching hasn't gone any better as of late. But it's okay. I have (get this--) a month off for the Christmas holidays and have recently reactivated my Netflix account. In other words, I'm all set. I am so looking forward to just relaxing at home with Judy, Cary, and all the old gang. Golly, it'll be swell.

And for Christmas, no less! Does anyone have Christmas recommendations? I have Remember the Night, which I've been looking forward to for ages (it does have Stany, after all)-- really though, I'm up for anything new. New to me, that is. Not new as in contemporary. Let's keep it in the 1930-1965 range, hm?

As a parting gift, I leave you with my favorite secular Christmas tune....I know, I know, some fool's gone and spelled "marshmallow" incorrectly. But it wasn't me, I'll have you know. So just relax yourself and enjoy. Hugs and such until next time, which will be soon-- promise. :)

P.S. You'll never know how much willpower it took for me not to quote Eminem in the opening of this post. Like, no joke.

P.P.S. Would it be entirely too late to post Halloween pictures?