"Quick! What film do you think of every time you hear the beginning of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion”? I think anyone who grew up even close to the era depicted in Dazed and Confused knows how pitch-perfect it is. That younger viewers can appreciate it as a hilarious stoner film, and that older viewers, with the presumed wisdom and perspective that comes with age, can appreciate the often poignant depiction of both the carefree joy and daily traumas of our teen years, is a testament to Richard Linklater’s ability to craft naturalistic dialogue and create well-rounded characters, even within an ensemble cast. The film includes perhaps my favorite use of a song in a film: Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane” over the slow-motion entrance of Pink, Wooderson, and Mitch into the pool hall. The moment really sums up the film for me. It’s a moment that seems to capture the fleeting promise of youth (Mitch) and the weighty permanence of unfulfilled potential (Wooderson). There is an array of great extras on the Criterion release, so there is no reason not to own this one!"

"I recently shared this book with my daughter. Now we both read the affirmations daily. Love your body to make it happy and healthy and whole! Here’s an example of how easy it is to practice these ideas: I love to put my feet up at the end of the day and watch them looking kinda good. In my mind I say to them: ‘Thank you for taking me around for so many years to so many places—with happy steps. You’re the best!’ This is a very practical book. Every page just lists a part of your body and one or two lines of blessings you can repeat. Repeat out loud. When you need it quickly – like you had a rough night, your kidney is hurting, your liver is feeling heavy but you have to go into the subway/the tube as soon as you can – go to the pages in Louise Hay and just bless your liver and kidney before your morning starts. Isn’t that great? Don’t feel guilty if you forget to do it! I forget, too, you know. But my liver and kidney seem to understand me by now, that I do care about them."