ghirardelli square 7.6.07 - 7

It's a tie between Ghirardelli dark chocolate and caramel squares and peanut M+Ms. I used to eat peanut M+Ms by the handful when I was pregnant with my daughter, buying one-pound bags that I told myself I'd "share with my co-workers" but would really leave in my top drawer and eat as though they were made out of ... what? ... I don't know, the most delicious substance known to humans, whatever that might be.
The Ghirardelli squares are a more recent choice, marking a turn to sophistication, a slight snobishness that makes me hide the M+Ms in the closet, sneaking them as if to say, "I guess I'll eat you, but you better not melt on my cashmere sweater set."

I never really enjoyed superhero movies until I saw Batman Returns at an IMAX theater. Today, I really enjoy them, and Watchmen was no exception. I'm not going to pretend that I've read the graphic novel or that my enjoyment has now extended to now going and reading comics, but I enjoy how these movies deal with bigger issues and help me make connections with what's going on in today's world in a way that isn't necessarily tied to everyday reality.

I can't really tell you if reading the book was worth it, as I HAVEN'T FINISHED it---that's how hard of a read it is. When I saw the delightful Mark Moskowitz film "Stone Reader," I was ushered into the land of immediate reverence for this novel.
The following this novel had, how well the novel was remembered by Moskowitz and others, the finding of the author, Dow, in the house he grew up in---more than mildly surprised people were actually interested in his novel enough to want it back in print. All of these things added up to a dreamy connection with the novel, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.
But then my eyes fell out of my head somewhere around page 20, about the same time the words on the page stopped making sense to me. I am determined to finish this book, and am hoping against hope I find the same devotion and love for it that so encouraged me when watching the film.