Left to my own devices

Today in the mail we received our invitation to the opening gala for the 14th Annual Ebertfest , the film festival held each year in Champaign-Urbana, hometown of Pulitzer Prize winning critic Roger Ebert, programmer of the festival. It's one of the most exciting times of year in the Matt & Ashley household, and we look forward to the festival with great antici....   pation. This year, the schedule of films to be shown at the venerable Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign looks to contain yet more interesting genres and guests.

I love to read. Mostly fiction. Sometimes an autobiography, or biography, but that's rare. Even rarer is non-fiction. Now, this isn't to say that I'm constantly reading. It comes in spurts. I'll go for a stretch without a book in-hand each night (or weekend), but then there will be long stretches where I'll devour a tome, then quickly begin another one. Ashley is much the same way, but is much more well-read than I. Our bookshelves, nooks and crannies are littered with books, both read and unread. And it was while perusing these collections that I realized something. I don't remember half the books I've read.

It will soon be 100 years since the famed ocean liner Titanic struck an iceberg in the Atlantic and slipped forever under the waves. The subject of many books, television plots and films, arguably the most popular version of Titanic's sad story is the 1997 James Cameron film titled, well,  Titanic . And that film is gearing-up for a re-release next month, both to honor the 100th anniversary of the sinking, and to make the studio a bit more cash by having converted it into 3-D. In regards to the re-release, my local paper has a blog post up wanting folks to recollect the first time they saw Titanic .

Actor & model Kellan Lutz turned 27 today. I'd never heard of him before seeing his name listed on the birthday list at IMDB, but that's an oversight that has now been corrected.  Probably best known for his appearance in the Twilight films, here is Kellan modeling some.... attire. Or something.

British actor Theo James is our Pic o' the Week! Some of you may remember Theo from his all-too-brief appearance in the first season of Downtown Abbey , when he played Mr. Pamuk, the young Turk who suffered a fatal heart attack in bed. James has just signed-on to start in a new CBS police drama called Golden Boy . I, for one, can't wait!

"Are you an introvert, or an extrovert?" This question is sometimes posed to folks, by those who do not know them very well. At times, it's a question some turn inward, asking it of themselves. I know I do. Is it really important? Do we really need to ascribe labels to an aspect of our personality? Perhaps. Labels help define us. But are they also a hinderance? If we are considered by others (or by ourselves) to be either shy or outgoing, does that in-turn shut down further avenues about us that could be more deeply explored? Is this why we place such self-importance on what kind of person we are in social situations?

Those of you who know me well are aware of my love for the British music group the Pet Shop Boys . But do you know where that love came from? Or, to be more specific, how I was first introduced to them? It was all down to my friend, Jeff. He was the first gay man I met after officially 'coming out' of the closet, and I cherish the time spent with him to this day.