Hello. How was your weekend? Mine was great, thanks. Friday night I finally went and saw Cold Mountain. I declare it flawed but good. Worth seeing, I say. I was super thrilled when the shape-note song started playing (during the turkey-shoot scene near the beginning of the film), and extra super thrilled to see Nicole and Jude singing a shape-note song a little later. Both of those songs I've sung numerous times. The movie is beautiful and suitably horrible at times. I was happy when Phillip Seymour Hoffman showed up unexpectedly, playing a sinful preacher. In smaller roles, Natalie Portman did a great job, as did a surprisingly-good Jack White (from the White Stripes). Besides that, I hated that the climactic tragedy had been so clearly foreshadowed that it held no drama for me, but I did really love the little tacked-on afterword scene at the end (which was not in the book, I heard). I still think Nicole is a little too pretty for the role (even when she was supposed to be at her grungiest, her hair was perfectly tousled and clean) but she acted well. Renee was great. My hatred of her might be thawing a little. Jude is gorgeous and did a fine job here. Both he and Nicole have perfect asses (I think his is even dimpled).

On Saturday I shopped at some second hand stores with A and T. They both found interestintg and perfect-fitting vintage dresses for cheap. I bought an apron. More about this on Craftytown.

Then Saturday night was the Spanish for Hitchhiking and School for the Dead show at PACE. This Easthampton venue used to be just a big open gallery with folding chairs, but in the past few months they got a bunch of AMC movie theater chairs donated and have built a genuine theater out of the space. It was very quiet in there, and the audience refrained from applause until the last note of each song had faded into air. Spanish was excellent; transporting, beautiful, and heartbreaking. I loved the new arrangements of some of their older songs, and the new songs are fabulous. Play out more!

SFTD was great, I always love seeing them play. The full five-piece was there which is always a pleasure. They had some new songs as well, and all were great and alarmingly well-rehearsed. School also has new shirts for sale, this time in ladies' sizes. I am psyched. The stage banter was particularly funny that night. Also, I do know the "It's so funny, how we don't talk anymore" song, though like Brian and Ken I do not know anything before or after that particular line. What amazes me about Ken is that when he's asked to play a random song, he doesn't simply play the melody, he plays the keyboard part of that song. So for "Holiday," he doesn't play the melody that Madonna sings but the synthesizer part that starts off the song. And he goes right into it without pausing and taking a moment to remember how it goes. Ken is a robot.

After the show I went over to my old house to hang out with M and A, and showed new guy M around. He liked the house and was sad on my behalf that I didn't own it anymore. I don't feel sad; I am happy that very good friends of mine own it now. It also looks much better under their care than it did when I lived there.

As for Sunday, you will have to check out Craftytown.