Buds prepare for the next step.

It’s probably pretty mean to put a song in your head today.

This bud looks like it’s about to burst.

But when I looked at the bushes in our front yard yesterday, something became very clear to me.

Soon this rosebud will open.

Things look swell! Things look great!

One lonely rose . . . so far

It’s obvious that everything’s coming up roses!

Sorry.

An overturned canoe waits for passengers along a nearby lake.

My iPhone 4S came in handy for snapping a couple photos last Sunday. Both remind me of still life paintings . . . not that either will be hanging in an art museum any time soon.

When I saw the canoe resting by the lake during my morning jog, I felt compelled to document it. It sure looked lonely.

It’s hard for the Mister to hide in an empty theater!

Later that morning, the Mister and I went to see “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” When we got to the theater and saw more cars than usual at 10:15 a.m., he became anxious, believing that all the people were there to see the same movie (we try to avoid crowds; that’s one reason we go to morning matinees . . . well, that and being cheap, of course).

As you can see, he was wrong. As I laughingly took the photo, I couldn’t help but compare the Mister to that old, battered canoe. Both of them seemed so isolated and in need of companionship.

The canoe will have to wait for its passengers. The Mister? He had me . . . and eventually about 10 other people scattered around the theater.

This rusty, old pay phone has seen better days.

Relic!

Beautiful in pink

Is spring around the corner in the Houston area?

This rosebud growing in my front yard seems to think so!

Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) learns to deal with loss and grief.

Do me a favor: Don’t be dissuaded by negative reviews and not see “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” If so, you’ll have missed a unique, surprisingly uplifting experience. It’s a wonderfully acted movie (you can rarely go wrong with Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Tom Hanks, and Jeffrey Wright) that helps us see how people cope with the loss of a loved one and the desire to always stay connected with that person.

Thomas Horn does a terrific job as Oskar Schell, whose beloved father, Thomas (Hanks), dies in the World Trade Center on 9/11. A jeweler, he, unfortunately, was attending a business meeting at Windows on the World on that fateful day. This is Horn’s first acting job; he was discovered when he excelled in Teen Jeopardy.

Oskar shares a strong bond with his dad (Tom Hanks).

Some reviewers are put off by Horn’s character, who probably has Asperger’s Syndrome, complete with all kinds of anxieties and phobias. But that’s how he’s written in the book the film is based on (I’m reading that novel by Jonathan Safran Foer now; it’s really unusual). Oskar’s father wants his son to move out of his “box,” so he gives him reconnaissance expeditions in Central Park that force him to talk to people and solve riddles.

After Thomas Schell’s death, Oskar finds a key hidden in a vase in his dad’s closet. Believing that it’s linked to something his dad wanted him to find, the preteen journeys through New York City’s five boroughs, facing his fears one step at a time. Will the key unlock a way for Oskar to always remember his father?

Mom Linda (Sandra Bullock) comforts her son.

Bullock has the unenviable role as a grief-stricken wife who doesn’t connect as well with Oskar as her husband always did. (I really related to this, because my younger son has such a strong bond with the Mister.) She seems detached from Oskar when he needs her the most. I was dabbing my eyes with a tissue when this was resolved. The ending is simply wonderful.

Go see this fine movie!

My older son confers with his friend Tanner during a break in the filming.

During his month-long winter break, my #1 son read 10 books (eight from the library), played Team Fortress 2 (an apparently addicting online videogame) for hours and hours, ate, and slept. His only real worthwhile moments?

The writer, producer, director, and star smiles.

Producing two videos for his video production company, Stickless StickShift, both of which he wrote, directed, and starred in. Our “third” son, Chase, helped him with the first silly one, Holiday Skittles.

Tanner and my younger son are ready for a fight.

For the second video, which pokes fun at actor Steven Seagal (it’s called “Steven Seagull Stars in: Taking Out the Trash”), my creative collegian enlisted the help of his always-handy sidekick younger brother, as well as his good buddy (since the third grade) Tanner. They had a great time flubbing their lines, falling all over the place, and just basically acting like the goofy kids they are.

My sons and Tanner enjoy watching their handiwork.

Besides enjoying watching them have so much fun, I got to help out by occasionally turning the camcorder on and off (I gots skillz!). My older son also had me do a voiceover as Seagull’s wife asking him to take out the trash. However, he decided not to use it, because he said I sounded too much like a mom.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

Yep, vinyl is back!

As I walked down the rock music aisle at Fry’s last week on my way to buy a printer, something unusual caught my eye. I stopped, looked to my left, and immediately was transported back to a kinder, gentler era of no reality television or nonstop F-bombs in movies.

I was mesmerized by a small collection of what we old fogies called “albums.” When I was growing up in the 1960s and ’70s, vinyl was the name of the game when it came to music. I would listen to those LPs on my suitcase turntable every night when I went to sleep. They were wonderful, lyrical companions.

Vinyl co-exists among the CDs.

Of course, I haven’t bought a record in years (I had no idea they still were being sold, in fact). Cassette tapes were easier, and then CDs seemed even better. Now, almost all my music purchases are of the digital nature. It’s nice that you can think about a song, go to iTunes or Amazon.com, and quickly download it to your computer. So convenient!

The Beach Boys’ 1966 epic “Pet Sounds” was a breakthrough album.

One album on Fry’s shelves I immediately remembered: “Pet Sounds” by the Beach Boys. It looked exactly the same as it did in 1966 . . . well, except for the price tag. Back then it was about three bucks. Now it’s $16.99 plus tax. Ouch!

In 1966, I didn’t have extra cash to buy “Pet Sounds,” even though I really wanted it. And now I’m not about to spend 17 bucks . . . especially when I can download it for $9.99 from iTunes and easily put it on my iPod.

Although I’m firmly committed to the digital music world, it’s nice to be reminded of one’s younger days every now and then . . . even if it does happen when you’re looking for a printer.

Which was known as a “typewriter” during that wonderful vinyl era.

My older son returned to UTSA Monday morning after his month-long winter break.

Bye!

Meryl Streep IS Margaret Thatcher!

If you’d like to learn more about British history, then “Iron Lady” is a must-see. If you want to watch the most-brilliant actress of her time—Meryl Streep—absolutely transform herself into Margaret Thatcher, then this is a don’t-miss biopic. Just don’t expect this movie to be nearly as good as “The King’s Speech”; it crawls along at a very slow pace.

Sidebar: Even though I recently railed against a certain American (Robert Downey Jr.) for (poorly) playing a Brit, I can’t imagine a British actress who would’ve done a better job than Streep. No American actress nails an accent better than her (watch “Sophie’s Choice”).

The “Iron Lady” tells the story of Thatcher’s rise and fall as Great Britain’s prime minister (1979-1990) using a narrative that switches between what she might be like now—slowly losing her mind to dementia—and pivotal past events. It’s a somewhat-confusing technique that only someone with as much talent as Streep can flawlessly pull off.

The young Margaret Thatcher ponders her political future.

Helping Streep to carry the movie is Alexandra Roach, who plays the younger version of Thatcher. She and Streep look remarkably alike, thanks to prosthetics, and both did a great job executing Thatcher’s distinctive diction.

Denis (Jim Broadbent) and Margaret Thatcher celebrate her victory.

Before seeing the film, I had no idea what Thatcher was like—what motivated her to run for political office (she was greatly influenced by her father, a grocer who also was mayor of their small town); how she placed public service above her family; how her humble upbringing helped her understand what ordinary Brits were going through; and how she had to make the tough, often-hated decisions as prime minister. She obviously was a very-complex woman.

I especially liked some of her quotes. One favorite was: “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” Another, which was said in the movie by young Margaret when Denis Thatcher asked her to marry him, was: “One’s life must matter!”

Yes, Margaret Thatcher, your life has mattered! And now we can see the good and the bad of it in the “Iron Lady.”

There are lots of runners in front of me as we heard towards the starting line.

Except for needing some kind of mechanical lift to get me out of my office chair, I’m feeling pretty darned good after finishing my seventh Aramco Houston Half Marathon yesterday morning. As usual, my feet took a pounding from all the concrete, and my neck hurts from looking down so much as I tried to avoid tripping and falling.

Doing a faceplant in front of thousands of runners and spectators? Definitely not priceless.

Plenty of runners are STILL ahead of me as we come off the evil Elysian Viaduct.

Yesterday was a great day for running: 43 degrees at the start (plus Beatles music was being played; always a favorite); in the 50s when I finished. They call it a “no-excuses” day, but I’ve yet to meet a runner who doesn’t have a bagful of excuses ready just in case. Mine begin with “slow running DNA” and end with “didn’t train hard enough.” I seem to repeat those every year, unfortunately.

Fortunately, there were lots of noisy spectators, music, and some great signs along the course that kept us entertained as we motored along. My favorite posters read “Chafe now. Brag later.” (I did the former but not the latter.) “Run faster! He farted.” “Run a better race than Perry.” (Ha ha!) “I thought you said ‘RUM!’”

She told me she was praying for me during mile 11 . . . and I needed it then!

What really helped push me through the 13.1 miles along the uneven, hard Houston streets was remembering who I was running for: Sheri, Janet E., and Rob T. I mentally hoisted my gal pals on my shoulders right at the start, while Rob “joined” us at mile 10. Whenever I saw the prayer stations, I prayed for good healing vibes for my trio as well as others who I know are ailing. This really lifted my spirits!

It was an honor to run for my friends—they are true warriors. They made the pain bearable.

A medal is a great fashion accessory!

Of course, the finishers’ t-shirt and medal are great pain medications, too!