Advice From a White Belt: Try It!

by Jennifer Struzziero We call it training. Not because we are training for Jiu-Jitsu. But because we are training for life.  Chris Matakas A visit from an old library pal, a controlling micromanager and a new self-care routine introduced me to Martial Arts. Spring 2021, post-vaccination, our friend, who was a Dean of Libraries at a midwestern college, near a corn field somewhere south of Chicago, had been looking forward to some...

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The Spotlight: My Summers with The Boss
Apr18

The Spotlight: My Summers with The Boss

Now those memories come back to haunt me  they haunt me like a curse  Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true  Or is it something worse  that sends me down to the river  though I know the river is dry     That sends me down to the river tonight   – Bruce Springsteen, “The River” My first memory of hearing Bruce Springsteen’s music occurred on a late summer evening; darkness reigned outside the window in...

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Take This Waltz
Feb23

Take This Waltz

Take This Waltz 2011 116 mins. Rated R. Margot: “I’m afraid of being afraid.” Daniel: “Sounds like the most dangerous thing in the world.”   During a recent girl’s night, I was faced with the dreadful, if not tired, question: “Who is YOUR girl crush?!” (Yick)! It occurred to me I had no idea. My incredulous friends replied, “But come on… Mila Kunis, Angelina Jolie?”...

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Straight Time
Feb23

Straight Time

1978 114 minutes. Rated R. “Please God, don’t let him get caught!” I debated whether or not to include a review featuring Dustin Hoffman. These days my  feelings for him, amidst the recent allegations against him, caused me to reconsider this post. In fact, I debated whether or not to publish this review at all.   Hoffman comes from another generation. A generation that lauded movies about white dude characters.  The lack of...

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Premium Rush
Feb23

Premium Rush

2001 91 minutes. Rated PG-13. “Brakes are death.” Premium Rush gives viewers an inside peek at the adrenalin-pumped world of Manhattan’s bike deliverers. With popping triceps and the endurance to qualify for a Ritalin script, the main characters ride (“Like Hell”) freely through the unpredictable city streets, earning cash along the way. The main character, Wilee, (played naturally by the...

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