One of us has changed

It must be me, because poor young Regan is frozen in 1973. But no matter how you look at it, things aren't the same between us.

When I first saw The Exorcist, I had already read the book, knew what to expect, and yet it still scared the crap out of me. But this evening, when I happened upon it on AMC, it was just ... well ... funny.

And it was The Big Scene that I saw tonight, too. Father Damien asks our girl Regan/Satan to prove she's all that by coming out with his mother's maiden name. Regan responded with a steady stream of green vomit. Yes, I tuned in just in time for The Pea Soup Scene. Somehow, this time around, it was just goofy. The next scene -- Mom folding Father Damien's freshly laundered tunic -- was kind of a hoot, too.

Every time I think of him, I always catch my breath

And yes, there's a storm raging through my frozen heart tonight.

My best friend has been incommunicado since Thursday night/Friday morning. We've exchanged emails, but I probably won't get to hear his voice again until Wednesday afternoon. I hate this.

But I ain't missing him.

The John Waite song that I feel I'm living was recorded in 1983. That's the thing about classic oldies, isn't it? They tap into emotions so universal that eventually, each of us feels like the song was written specifically for us.

I'm sure it's lovely, but ...

While not the "hot ticket" my niece's birthday party is (see below), TomKat's impending nuptials are getting a lot of attention, too. And according to this evening's news reports, they are going to tie the knot in Mussolini's getaway place.

As if his image isn't already domineering and more than a little spooky. Tom, Tom, Tom ... what sense does it make to get married in the preferred hideout of a dictator?

I wonder what happens to Katie Holmes if she tries to escape?

Happy news

My niece called me at dawn this morning. Her 14th birthday party will be celebrated en famille this Saturday. (Friday will be spent with her posse.) She sounded so happy and I'm so glad.

Her mother, my baby sister, is busier than any woman with two children has ever been. (No, really, just ask her.) And she has an unfortunate tendency to restrict access to her children as a way to exert power. (If I wasn't working hard at remaining cheerful, I would wander down memory lane to the kids' recent baptism and then my nephew's recent birthday.) Little Sis has things to work out and she'll either work them out in her own way or she won't. But ...

I just hated my niece thinking that we didn't care about her special day. 14 can be a delicate age. She deserves special consideration and I'm glad we're giving it to her.