Lately I've read some entirely unique and/or absolutely stunning turns of phrases that are worth celebrating.

From Small Favor, the latest and greatest Harry Dresden book by the uber-talented Jim Butcher, come some real gems worth savoring.

About navigating a stream of thought, Dresden says:

"I kayaked down a logic cascade as I spoke." [Wow! I mean, wow! -- KLR]

About Dresden's first encounter with his half-brother's Hummer:

"He took the monorail to the other side of the Hummer's cab to unlock the passenger-side door. I showed up eventually ..."

"I squinted around the truck. 'Do TV shows start an hour later in the backseat than they do up here?'"

About Dresden's observation of another key character after a particularly nasty fight with big bad monsters:

"Kincaid, evidently exhausted himself, drew a gun, took the safety off, placed it on his chest, and went to sleep too. 'It's cute,' I whispered to Murphy. 'He has a teddy Glock.'"

Isn't this great stuff? Stuff that makes me laugh. And makes me jealous. And makes me inspired.

Music: I practiced my harp.

Community and politics: I went to an open house for Election Officers because I'm working on Nov 4.

TV: I wrote a blog entry at flickfilosopher.com about the "Robin of Sherwood" DVD set. I re-watched "Saving Grace" from last night during lunch. Pretty rockin'. And I kept on doggedly dubbing old VHS tapes to DVD via this nifty little SONY machine that does transfers.

Dog Agility Training: I watched my neighbor run her sheltie through an obstacle course on the grounds outside our building.

Sweat equity: I jogged this morning in the sticky heat.

Pet care and feeding: I brushed my cat.

Communications: I put in a day of work for my client via about 8 million emails, two telecons, 8 versions of a "to-do" spreadsheet and one RSVP to a farewell pizza party for tomorrow.

Creativity: I wrote in my journal this morning and I'm writing this and working on my script treatment right now at my coffeehouse.

Household maintenance: I washed the dishes, vacuumed multi-grain chips from the living room carpet, and rescued a spider to be put outdoors (I think that last one qualifies as Pet Care, too).

Driving: Between all those afore-mentioned locations outside of my domicile.

Welcome to my world.

Iron Jawed Angels is an HBO film that every human being should see. It's the story of the group of women who, in the early 1900s, picked up the decades-long battle for a constitutional amendment giving women in the U.S. the right to vote. It's a story of courage and conviction beyond anything most of us could ever imagine having today. Courage and conviction that I dare hope are on their way back in as we work to restore our nation.

The film was shot in my home state of Virginia and features a female director, female scriptwriter, plus some really fresh, creative editing and a fantastic music score. Share it with your mother and sister and daughter and niece. 

Bottom line, Iron Jawed Angels  is about the basic rights we deserve as human beings. That there really is just one human being and that one being just happens to take many different paths.

Hilary Swank, who portrays lead suffragette Alice Paul in the film, sums it up in one scene where she is asked by a psychologist to "explain her movement."

You ask me to explain myself?

I just wonder what needs to be explained.

It should be very clear.

Look into your own heart.

I swear to you, mine's no different.

You want a place in the trades and professions where you can earn your bread?

So do I.

You want the means of self-expression, some way of satisfying your own personal ambitions?

So do I.

You want a voice in the government under which you live?

So do I.

What is there to explain?

Synchronistically enough, Senator Hllary Clinton talked about these same suffragettes in her campaign-closing speech this past Saturday. She reminded all of us that we must not forget the sacrifices of those women before us and we must not take for granted the freedoms we enjoy because of those sacrifices.

Seeing a film like this gives me hope that this incredible strength and wish for something better is still inside all of us -- the best possible "sleeping giant" to be awakened.

Something's up with Gaeta. Jump!

Holy frak. What an episode.

Oh, and what the frak has happened to Oprah? She's gone way to the dark side. If I see one more second of another "favorite-things" type show with gussied-up women having Hannah-Montanna shriek fits over all the expensive useless materialistic crap they're going to get for free, I will just hang my head and weep ... for ten more minutes, because I've already been doing it for 15.

If an Oprah "Favorite Things" show isn't the absolute proof of what's wrong in our society, I don't know what is. What happened to shows with thoughtful discussions about global issues and responses to catastrophes in other countries and things that really matter? I'm so embarrassed.

My friend Alesia and I talk on the phone every Friday night after Battlestar Galactica airs. If it's really good, we call each other during the commercials. I've heard that other people do this, too. Reminds me of that gloriously free time during college when I played backgammon over the phone with a friend in another dorm. Anyway, other people do this, too, but other people, I'm sure, don't have my friend Alesia.

Alesia is a counselor. The kind who sees a lot in her job and, therefore, sees more deeply than some of us ever will.

Case in point. After last Friday's episode ("Faith"), we're discussing the scene on the base star where Sharon lies dying, reaching for comfort from fellow-Eight Athena. Athena backs away, but Sam reaches in and in a very touching, solid-Sam way, comforts Sharon in doing the thing Cylons never do -- actually and finally die. While our fav BSG reviewer, Jacob at Television without Pity, atypically glossed over this scene saying only that Athena "didn't have the strength"  to  comfort Sharon, my friend Alesia stepped up with this: "Athena couldn't help Sharon because she didn't know what to do. She couldn't know what to do. So she pulled back."

But then Sam stepped in. In the show, he took Sharon's hand and only said, 'I'm here with you.' But my friend Alesia said he was really saying 'Hey, I'm here. I will show you how we do this.' Meaning, we humans know how to do this. Here was Sam, the human-cum-Cylon, reaching out to guide another Cylon through a previously humans-only experience. Reaching out in compassion, understanding.

My friend Alesia says somebody at this show knows about life because the series always has characters going through "development stages." 

I just loved this insight. I'd felt something "special" had happened in this scene the first time I saw it. Wasn't sure if it was just the actor or the acting. But my friend Alesia put her finger on it. Are we to learn that Anders' special gift as a Cylon is this ability to comfort as the one race becomes more like the other, and the other less like itself? Transitions, if you will? That'd be kind of cool. Someone to soothe the very rough and raw edges of all the new wounds sprouting up in so many people and places around both fleets.

I wish for all of you to have a friend like Alesia on the other end of the line, and someone like Sam Anders holding your hand at the end. For all kinds of reasons. :)