Katie’s April.

I never thought I'd say this…  I love Katie Holmes. 

For this one time and for one reason only:  Pieces of April, an indie film where she plays a wayward daughter who invites her estranged family to Thanksgiving dinner.

For the first time, I didn't see traces of Joey (Dawson's Creek, remember?) in her acting.  None of the tilt-my-head-to-the-side, shrug-my-shoulder, smile-my-tired-with-a-slight-grimace smile that has carried over to her portrayal of Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins (she is not going to reprise her role due to scheduling conflicts).  In Pieces, her acting is authentic and honest.  She is just any other troubled girl who has managed to alienate herself from her family through rebellion and addiction, and who has now grown up and is trying to make amends, trying to make things right again especially with her mom who is dying of cancer.

There is never a dull moment in this film.  And even with the formidable truth of the mom's cancer, the movie does not drip with sentimentality.  Throughout the various challenges April (Holmes) had to go through to make Thanksgiving dinner happen, I found myself cheering her on.  And at the end of the film, I felt a lump in my throat, too happy and too relieved I couldn't even move from my seat long after the credits have finished rolling.

I love the Independent Film Channel.  Oh I do. 

Rain.

The rains have come, and with a vengeance too.  This after a bone-dry start to winter. 

Today is our fourth day of rain.

I don't love rainy days.  The rain makes me sad and lazy.  It makes me want to stay indoors.  The sound of rain does not bring me comfort.  Waking up in the middle of the night for my usual trip to the bathroom, I always get a jolt thinking there was a faucet somewhere I might have forgotten to close only to realize that it was just the sound of rain.  Rain that has kept me company through the night, unrelenting… unforgiving.  

Amazing how I forget that in my childhood, I used to dance in the rain.  I used to welcome it and revel in it.  How I made paper boats and watch them sail on the muddy waters.  How I laughed with my siblings, running through the streets, our faces to the heavens.  How I never cared about the dirt that has gotten caught in my rubber slippers.  How it was always sad to have to get back inside, take a shower and dry myself off, watching the rain now from the window.  

These days I drown out the sound of rain with the TV volume full blast on.  I try to ignore it by closing the blinds and pretending that it was sunny outside. 

For the life of me, I can't remember when I started hating the rain.