Lemony Snicket

Tonight we saw the new Lemony Snicket movie. It was a screening to benefit 826 Valencia, one of my favorite places on earth. The movie was visually stunning, and the lead actress (Violet) was very very good. I thought Jim Carey was excellent, too. But overall the movie was disappointing. The thing is, Daniel Handler is such a genius, so perfect in his tone, hovering between humor and despair, archness and pathos, that I suppose it's hard to imagine a director getting this right. Or a screenwriter for that matter. Also, my daughter was pissed off because the heroine does not save the day, like in the books, but rather her brother Klaus is the ultimate savior of his sisters. That irritated Sophie to no end. She felt betrayed since one of the things she loves about the book is the kick-ass female main character.

Still I'm sure it will be monstrously successful, and make everyone involved buckets of money. Since I love very much one of those involved, I'll be happy to see it succeed.

We came home to find our dog gone. It was only after Michael ran frantically out to the street that we realized that she had not run away. No. Fanny the Bernese Mountain Dog was not dog-napped.

I forgot her at the groomer.

I dropped her off this morning and never bothered to pick her up. Michael is convinced that the Department of Social Services (Canine Services?) is now going to put her into foster care and seek to terminate our doggie rights for neglect. I can't believe I did this. What kind of an awful person forgets a dog? I wish I could say I was just too busy, but in all honesty all I did today was story conference with Michael for three hours (working on the plot of his Kung Fu movie, Snow and the Seven) and play with Rosie and Abie. Oh, and I went to pick up my glasses, which were made with the wrong prescription, and took Rosie out for gummy cherries. And Heimliched her. Because you see, three-year-olds choke on gummy cherries. Actually, she choked, turned beet red, I smacked her between the shoulders, and she vomited saliva and gummy into my cupped hand. Not a drop spilled. How 'bout that for competent parenting? I can catch your vomit kids, that's how much I love you. Please don't take my dog away, I forgot to pick her up from the groomer because I was so busy carrying around handfuls of vomit.