Tops in December

Here is a report of all of my "tops" for December for Subjective Soup. I reported my "tops" for my other blog Communication Exchange yesterday.

My Top Dropper (as indicated by the widget on my sidebar) is Susan at My Life. Thanks, Susan, for visiting so often! It's like having a friendly neighbor. I am sending you 100 EC credits in gratitude.

My Top Commenter (also as indicated by my widget) is Flit at several different sites I visit, particularly Flitting on Fiction. Flit is working on a graduate degree and she records her travails and successes on her sites as well as her thoughts about school, students, education, and a host of other interesting topics. I will be sending Flit 100 EC credits too. Thanks, Flit, for contributing so much to this site!

I should also note that during December, 42 of you who visited Subjective Soup actually left comments. The most comments were left on December 31 for my post entitled "Old Fogies." I love your comments and read and savor each one (just like I savor my favorite soup). Please don't stop!

(photo by bene @ www.flickr.com)

Sophisticated Doggie

Do our pets morph into the roles we create for them? Somehow, our little Pom Coquette seems to be becoming a true sophisticate. She so thoroughly enjoyed getting all dolled up for Christmas and, of course, appears to love being photographed (notice how she likes to pose for the camera).

Now, I have discovered a new penchant of hers--lattes. I have posted on my blog before about my constant craving for Caribou Coffee lattes and my struggle to create a comparable sensation at home. I am becoming fairly successful using a hand milk foamer and now each morning I create a lovely latte with foam towering sky high.

Well, it turns out, I'm not the only one in the family who loves latte foam. Coquette whimpers whenever she sees my cup with the froth on top. I gave her a taste of it and she was hooked (no actual coffee--just milk foam, for those of you concerned that I might be caffeinating my pooch). Unfortunately, she cannot lick the foam without making a mess on her face, as you can see in this photograph.

My, oh my, how sophisticated can one animal get? My little latte doggie.

I Have Doubt

I have doubt about many things, but not about the amazing new movie Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. My husband and I had seen Valkyrie, Benjamin Button, and Slumdog Millionaire (all excellent flicks), but Doubt is, without doubt, the best of the lot.

Of course, if you attend movies to witness mass murders, wild chase scenes, explosions, and hordes of disgusting-looking aliens invading the planet, then Doubt is not for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoy movies that make you think, feel, and wonder--this is the one.

Is this the same Meryl Streep who was singing and dancing with such wild abandon just a few months ago in Mama Mia? I would never guess. In Doubt, she is a martinet Catholic school principal, driven to ousting the parish priest from his post because she suspects he might be abusing a student. Keep in mind, this is only a suspicion. The audience is never certain. We are never told. All we can do is suspect, just as she does.

We also see the situation from the eyes of the priest, eloquently played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. He experiences true agony and we in the audience recognize this; we are simply not certain of its cause. My husband and I argued about this for hours after the movie.

Add to this mix, the sublime naivete of a principled young nun who teaches at the school. Amy Adams enlivens this simple role (much differently than how she enlivened Enchanted) and allows us to experience her doubt as she vacillates from believing in first the principal and then the priest.

Other wonderful performances abound. My absolute favorite (and I typically do not remember cameo roles) is Viola Davis, who portrays the mother of the student in question. Her scene with Streep has to go down has one of the most thoroughly engrossing moments in film. I don't know if her role is large enough to qualify her for a supporting actress award, but she should win something!

All in all, a thought-provoking script with stunning directing and cinematography. You will love this movie; I have no doubt.

(photos from the Doubt website)

Old Fogies

New Year's Eve! Bah! Humbug!

My husband and I do not celebrate New Year's Eve. All that alcohol, partying, unsafe driving, wild carousing! Not for us. We prefer to stay home safe and sound and watch the crystal ball fall in Times' Square on television. That's not even true, because that would require that we stay up until midnight which we would never do.

We do, however, wish you all a wonderful new year. Let's hope that 2009 is much better for all of us than 2008 was.

Best wishes from two old fogies.

(photo by Seattle Jack @ www.flickr.com)