With Cat-Like Tread

With cat-like tread,
Upon our prey we steal.

Silent be,
it was the cat!

Newspapers

As I'm a graduate student in a journalism program, for many of my classes I'm required to subscribe to the local daily paper and occasionally the New York Times. My teachers insist that we go the old school route and get hard copies delivered rather than just reading online. As a result, my apartment spends most of the year buried under piles of old newspapers.

And I Find Strength in Pain

I've recently become completely and utterly enamored with Mumford and Sons' music. Especially this song, "The Cave". Everything about it speaks to me and I love the singer's voice. I particularly like this acoustic version as opposed to the official smoothly made music video. This one just seems more real and raw, like a real person with real feelings is singing it instead of some digitally perfected finished product with all the emotion edited out.

Is not that strange?

I've never really been a huge fan of Valentine's Day. Most people would probably leap to the conclusion that it is because I'm single, and as such I must be lonely. Not true, although it does somewhat contribute to my dislike of the holiday. However, the main reasons why I don't like Valentine's Day are 1. because of the obvious heavy commercialization that seems to be the driving force behind it and 2. because I don't think you should need an arbitrarily chosen day to show your affection for your significant other just because Hallmark wants to sell cards and chocolates.

On the other hand, Valentine's Day is always a good excuse for me to watch my favorite movie, "Much Ado About Nothing." The 1993 film is directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as Benedick. Obviously, it's an adaptation of the play by William Shakespeare and Branagh has kept it fairly true to the original play, which is just one of the myriad reasons why I like it so much. Shakespeare was a genius and his work requires no help to be amazing. The play/movie has some of the most romantic and tender scenes ever portrayed between one of the most successful relationships in fiction's history. Here is one of my favorite scenes that gets me every time. It always makes me tear up a little..

A Strange Love
Much Ado About Nothing at MOVIECLIPS.com

Apart from this scene, the play has some other great lines as well.

Beatrice: "...But for which of my
good parts did you first suffer love for me?"

Benedick:"Suffer love! a good epithet! I do suffer love
indeed, for I love thee against my will."

Also, at one point Benedick proclaims, "for I will be
horribly in love with her!" which is just a fantastic line.

Benedick claims that he and Beatrice "are too wise to woo peaceably," which I love.

Benedick just generally has some great lines throughout the play. His are usually the best, and often the funniest. Towards the end they tend to be the wisest as well, especially regarding love.

Danish Maid

Staircase to Somewhere

Stained Glass

Hometown Travels Reflected

Finding Art in Shapes and Shadows