Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion

Today at the Newberry I spent some time with the microfilm readers. They're on the second floor, with low light so you can see what you're doing. I could hear the whirring of the advancing film, the elevator bell, and the buses braking outside, the mechanical voice announcing the route. I was looking for one name in a sea of payroll records; I almost fell asleep. It was a space of peace in a fairly hectic day; I was reminded of a song I didn't know I knew existed before this weekend, "Enjoy the Silence." I knew Tori Amos' version, which is lovely and haunting, but now I've heard the original by Depeche Mode. By the way, if any inquiring minds wanted to know, "Depeche Mode" means "fashion update" or "fashion news dispatch."

And, as may be visible from the title of this post, I finally saw Donnie Darko. I very much needed to fill that gap in my film repertoire. I don't think I'll adopt it as my new philosophy of life, but it was really good. A good Gyllenhaal quotient, too.

Above: behold a skillful Scrabble game, played on a gorgeous windy day at Belmont Harbor in Chicago. Some plays might be questionable, but doesn't it look great?