Brittany Murphy in Ramen Girl

Hubby and I were shocked to hear that actress Brittany Murphy died over the weekend. Just a week ago we rented a movie in which she starred -- The Ramen Girl.

We picked it up on a whim at Blockbuster. It sounded quirky and fun and we were both surprised by how much we liked it.

In it, Murphy moves to Tokyo. She goes to the city because she's following her boyfriend who is working there. Except as soon as she arrives, he decides he's feeling crowded, packs his things and leaves her there alone in his apartment.

After wallowing in self pity for a few days, she eventually plucks herself up and explores her neighborhood. She ends up in a local ramen shop eating what she thinks is the best bowl of ramen she's ever had.

Soon, she is deciding that her goal in life is to learn how to make the perfect bowl of ramen. She convinces the grumpy ramen chef to take her on as an apprentice and the movie unfolds from there.

We both agreed The Ramen Girl was more entertaining than the other movie (a Renee Zellweger flick) we'd rented along side it.

As winter sets in, perhaps you'll find yourself looking for a movie to help pass a cold Friday night. The Ramen Girl will give you several laughs and a taste of another culture to boot. Plus, you'll pause to realize the bright, smiley woman who starred in it is no longer with us.

Hello Kitty is 35 !!!!

Hello Kitty turned 35 years-old this month! Yikes! She's younger than me!

A friend sent me a link to an article in the LA Times about Hello Kitty that details this famous Japanese cat's creation and her ascent to global domination.

I had no idea Hello Kitty was on the verge of such a momentous birthday when I decided to review a book of Hello Kitty haiku on Haiku By Two, my haiku blog.

And thanks to my haiku'ing partner, Alison, I now know all about a blog called Hello Kitty Hell.

It's a funny read written by a man who's wife collects Hello Kitty do-dads and gizmos, which she then resells somewhere online. Her Hello Kitty stuff has taken over their house, causing him to live, therefore, in Hello Kitty Hell.