Have I ever told y'all that my dog, the bassett hound, really loves ice. Ice cubes are like a treat for her. I usually toss them to her when I am sitting and eating cereal in the kitchen.

I came home yesterday and found a message on the answering machine from my brother. Hello Hilesh. I love you. My brother is physically disabled but a cannonball. He has a wanted sign on his door: Ashish Patel, wanted for having too many wives. Ha! Such a flirt. He is the loudest one on the family. If anyone of you have met me and my sister then you will realize why this is amazing.

We watched To Kill a Mockingbird this weekend. Irene fell asleep so me and Gabrielle stayed up through it. I wasn't sure if she'd like it but she got into it. Those kids are crazy, she told me as she watched them get into trouble. I got to see my favorite part of the movie, besides of course Atticus Finch. The trial has ended and all the people in the balcony are rising. The Reverend says to Scout:
Miss Jean Louise. Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing.

And when Scout comes to her realization at the end and says, Boo.

I watched the dvd extras and heard about Harper Lee's father who was the inspiration for Atticus being utterly bemused that his tomboy daughter would grow up and win the pulitzer prize for stories revolving around him and their town. It reminded me of a Carolyn Forche quote from years ago about how she had picked her father's brain for his, god I can't remember, working experiences and how he found it amusing that his college daughter would be interested in this (was it about strikes?) but at the same time there was a quiet glow of pride too.