The Good: Batman Begins. We just watched it for the first time last night. LOVED it! While Christian Bale’s voice—especially while in Bat gear—grated, this movie rocked. It lacked the overt cartoonish feel of the other Batman movies, but managed to be dark and chilling nonetheless. Throw in a delicious-looking Liam Neeson who didn’t have to spout the crap written for him in the Star Wars movie and it’s a winner.

The Not as Good as I’d Hoped: Lisey’s Story by Stephen King. I’ve been a loyal SK fan since I was old enough to sneak his books, but this one…I’m not getting it. One of the things I love about him is his eclectic, natural, relaxed storytelling voice, but this one is a little too disjointed. It reminds me of Rose Madder and I detested Rose Madder. I’m up to page 80, but only because it’s SK and I WILL finish it. I haven’t given up hope. But I HATE the word “smucking”. I get it as a characterization tag and a peek at the inner language of their marriage, but it annoys the crap out of me. And it’s used a LOT.

The Not as Ugly as it Used to Be: While I might bemoan my children getting older so damn quickly, there is one bonus. The evil stomach crud doesn’t affect my laundry pile the way it used to. It may be a small silver lining, but at this point I’ll take any glimpse of silver I can get.