I went to see the film the other day, despite the fact that reviewers paned it. What do they know, anyway? Well, I should have known better. After all, Master is a movie critic.

The story is about Mr. Magorium, played by Dustin Hoffman, who owns a magical toy store and is about to depart from this world. He is trying to groom his manager ,played by Natalie Portman, to take over after he is gone. She doesn’t want him to leave, nor does she believe she can fill his shoes. Also in the movie are Jason Bateman as a stuffy accountant (Mutant, for short), and Zach Mills as a friendless young boy who loves the emporium.

My first thought was that Dustin Hoffman is an incredible actor. He managed to steal the show from Robin Williams in Hook. Knowing he played a kooky character, I was looking for something spectacular. What I got was kinder, gentler Hook. His attempt in this movie at a strange lisp kept reminding me of Capitan Hook. The Magorium character was supposed to be eccentric, fun and wise, but instead came out as foolish and silly.

Natalie Portman’s casting as Molly Mahoney, the young manager, was all wrong. Perhaps it was the short hair, but I kept seeing the woman from the movie V for Vendetta popping up. I must also admit that the birthmark on her left cheek also bothered me. Perhaps that was due to the number of close ups, but I felt like I spent two hours looking at a gigantic zit.

Jason Bateman’s Henry Weston was appropriate for the most part, with one glaring exception. Young Eric Applebaum, played by Zach Mills, manages to bring the accountant out of his shell, and they end up playing in Eric’s room. Jason seems to have jumped off the deep end of absurdity in an attempt to show how his character is loosening up. Unfortunately, the leap is just way too big for the audience to make with him.

The one bright spot in the cast is young Zach Mills. With eyes full of wonder, he manages to successfully combine the silliness with just enough believability. It is the target the other actors aimed for but missed.

Still, I spent the afternoon with my son and some people that I work with. It was a pleasant time. My advice, if you are going to see this movie, be sure to see it with good company. The enjoyment will be found in spending time with those you love.

Okay, that expression has been used so much, it’s almost trite. That’s too bad, because it says so much and it’s so important.

Many people think love is an emotion, a feeling. Think of the intense feelings you have for your children. Many, I dare say most, parents have very strong feelings about their kids. It comes with the territory. But, despite those feelings, many parents beat their children. Among divorced families, many parents, both dads and moms, virtually abandon their children. My own ex has not seen his children for more than four years, although he lives 90 miles away. I’m sure he has warm, fuzzy, intense feelings about the two boys he fathered, but love is a verb. What has he done about that feeling? Nothing. Personally, I don’t think of him as their father so much as a sperm donor. Sad, but true. Love is a verb. It is something one does, not simply something one feels.

Similarly, when couples first fall in love, they often have intense feelings for each other. There is a longing, and a feeling of walking on air. It’s a great feeling, isn’t it? But it is just a feeling. Love is a verb. Love is spending time together, listening and talking to each other. Love is being there to lend support. The truth is, some feelings involved with love aren’t so good. I feel frantic when I haven’t spoken to Master because I worry about him. When he is displeased with me, I feel a sick feeling in my gut.

But love is a verb, not a feeling. Love perseveres through feelings, both joyous and painful. Love is a verb. It’s not what you feel. It’s what you do.

I generally think that when you take your leave, it is polite to let others know you are leaving. That makes sense. But how does that translate into the online world?

I am almost obsessive about saying goodbye before signing off when talking online. I think this trait took my Master by surprise the other night. We had been talking on and off, and I told him I wanted to go to bed because I had to get up early. He did not respond. Remember, we had not been talking continuously. Perhaps he was busy, or maybe he had stepped away from his computer. Neither is unusual. When, after 45 minutes or so, I asked if he was still there, he was surprised. I told him I was trying one more time to get permission to go to bed. If he had not answered, I would have said good night and logged off.

When I had dial up, I would often be kicked off. Even if I was done talking, it was not unusual for me to log back on just to say good bye. I hate it when people just disappear, although I’ve come to understand that it may not be due to that person’s bad manners. Nevertheless, I still hate it, and will be sure to tell whoever I’m talking to goodbye before I leave.

And with Master, I hang on just a little bit longer. I want to make sure that if he has anything else to say to me, he has time to say it before I go. Rarely does he say anything, but I like to be available.

Perhaps that is obsessive, but I guess I just think that is proper behavior for his slave.

I am an avid reader and a budding writer. As such, I was browsing ebay, looking at things by my second favorite author, Dean Koontz. I saw a book he wrote about how to write fiction, and I asked Master (my favorite author) for his opinion. He said the book by Lawrence Block was better.

Who is Lawrence Block? Master said that is your next assignment. Find out.

So I have looked up Lawrence Block on the internet. Mr. Block is 69 years old and has written numerous books and won many awards. I was a bit surprised to find he has been so prolific. He has been writing since the late 50s. Some of his first work was described as porn, but much of his popular work has a good guys/bad guys theme. He has created several characters that that have their own series of books, if you will. These include ex-cop/private eye Matthew Scudder, burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, and the assassin Keller, among others.

Master's purpose in giving this assignemnt is to broaden my horizens. He wants me to check out other authors and writing. But the true measure of an author is how his words affect you. I went to the library today and checked out The Burglar in the Rye. As soon as I finish my current read, I will jump into the world (or one of the worlds) of Lawrence Block. I’ll let you know what I think…

Help me! I am being sucked into the gigantic vortex known as Christmas! Although I complain about the early arrival of the holidays, I find myself looking at Christmas decorations and planning how to spruce up my home and work areas for the holidays. I look at the ads in the papers, looking for good gift ideas. As I complain about the fact that homes and cities put up their lights and turned them on, I find myself singing Christmas Carols!

I am losing the battle against Christmas! Maybe it’s time to give up the fight and jump in!