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Coffee, dark, brown brew that doubles as my elixir of life, with or without the actual caffeine, though the unleaded kind does nothing to combat the congestion in my chest. I’ve been drinking the stuff since childhood, in one form or another – two table spoons from my mother’s cup stirred into my milk, most often – but it’s also my favorite ice cream flavor (especially with a scoop of coconut served along-side), even more than chocolate.

Coffee is my writing drink, and tea is my reading drink. I wonder if it’s because the blend of chamomile and peppermint that I favor is responsible for my different mental processes, or if it’s force of habit. Probably both.

Coffee makes me think in music as well as words, and I have images in my head of jazz trios made of flute, cello, and piano. One thought leads to another, the cello stays, but this time it’s on a cello stand, and there’s a table nearby with an empty mug, and sheet music with hastily scribbled notations – up-bow here, down-bow there, – and a post-it reminding me to practice more in extended positions.

I am pulled from the images in my head as one of the dogs claws at my wrist, catching a tiny toe on the wristband of my watch. Chronometers. I remember that in early Star Trek novels they always had chronometers, not watches. I remember also, that my cello teacher made me remove my watch during lessons. I always felt naked without it, and I made more mistakes because I was uncomfortable, but didn’t have the words for the feeling then.

The dog (Zorro) has had his ears scratched, and now curls up on his pillow. He clearly wants to go cuddle with Fuzzy – he’s a chihuahua, bred to be a sleep companion, and his favorite spot is crunched between us in the bed. I want to go cuddle with Fuzzy, too, but I can’t make the decision, yet, to crawl back into bed.

Fuzzy’s name is my favorite C-word, even more than coffee: Christopher understands me, loves me, supports me. We spend cozy evenings surrounded by the incessant hum of our computers, holding hands across the spot where the couches touch, watching dvd’s, and laughing. Lately, we’ve taken turns sending each other floor plans of houses in Colorado, Texas, Florida. Our next destination still isn’t set.

Coffee. Cuddling.
I think the latter wins this time.

Last night, Fuzzy and I went to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

First things first – the movie experience:
The line was the longest I’ve ever seen at the Century theaters. Down one row of cars, around and all the way up the next, and then part-way around the theater building as well. But thankfully it was the 10:15 show, so there weren’t that many children there.

The crowd, was pretty cool, really. A sold out show, of course, and no fistfights over seats this time. (We opted for the top wings, where the angle of the seats and the curvature of the screen let you feel almost like dead-center, without fifty people climbing over you to get to their seats. Two beach balls were in circulation as we waited for the previews to roll. The energy was good.

The previews:
A Series of Unfortunate Events: Jim Carrey plays about half the characters, and it looks suitably creepy. I’ve never actually read the Lemony Snicket books, but now I’ll have to.
A Cinderella Story: Not on our “must-see” list. I have a feeling we’ll end up watching this on DVD with our nieces, come Thanksgiving.

Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: This will be a concession to my inner teenaged girl. I love the first movie, this one looks like it will be charming and funny as well.
The Polar Express: This is one of my favorite children’s books, and favorite Christmas tales, of all time. I’ve known about the film since last November, and even though I’m anti animation (in any form), I still want to see this.
Spider-Man 2: Yeah, it’s on our list for summer. Isn’t it on everyone’s list for summer?
Catwoman: Another on our summer movie list.

And the movie itself? That’s “below the fold.” If you’ve read the book, then plot spoilers won’t bother you; if you haven’t, read with caution. And if you’re a stickler for seeing movies with NO preconceptions, you might want to stop here, anyway, but know this: I LOVED IT.
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