My friend Zuzia was born in Poland. She and her sister and parents moved to Chicago when she was about 2, and she has lived in America all her life, but she has a very strong connection to Poland and her remaining family there. She speaks fluent Polish and is visiting right now on a three week trip. I miss her a lot and want her to come back soon, but right now I want to share something she wrote to me with all of you. It's about a place in Poland she has always wanted to visit, and it's about a rather extraordinary man whom I have not met, but would like to. So, here's the first guest writer ever at Cloudwrangler, Zuzia Jarzebska.

"Auschwitz is really surreal.

My grandfather was a prisoner there in 1943. He was once given an assignment to paint a picture on a wall in one of the barracks. After the war (he actually escaped from the camp in 1944, but thats another story...) he went back to the barrack, found his picture and signed it with his name and the number he had tattooed on him. The picture is in barrack #8, which is closed because the museum doesn't use that building for anything. But my grandfather called ahead to the museum director (who he is buddies with) and arranged for them to open barrack #8 just for us. So today I saw a painting my grandfather painted as a prisoner 59 years ago. "

Ok, Ok, this is the last Star Wars related crap you're gonna get now that the Review is up.

Maintaining ones integrity, as a writer, as a critic, is often difficult. How does one take something that one is, quite frankly, a fan-boy geek about, and objectively view it as a work of art and then comment on said work in a fair and impartial manner? I think the answer lies in viewing said work with detachment from one's own fandom or obsession. One way to encourage detachment is exposure. To successfully densensitize oneself from emotional attachment, continual exposure, prehaps even over-exposure, is neccesary.

In other words, I think I need to see Episode II a few more times.

(Yippeeee!)

Meanwhile, Mom is a Pez contest winner, again, and the search for Jessica's Prize continues.

Just a few more hours to go, and I have been thinking a lot about Sam Jackson. I'm really glad there's a Black Jedi Knight. How much fun would it have been to be the padawan learner studying under Mace "Shaft" Windu, Jedi Mack-Daddy, er, I mean, Master. How would the Jedi wisdom sound coming from him instead of Yoda? You'd have to remember that Fear, Anger and Playa Hatin' lead to the Dark Side, Yo. Besides, the Jedi don't know Fear, don't no Anger, and he don't Love dem Ho's. Gold trimmed lightsaber, the Kango logo on the hood of your Jedi Robe, chrome trim and hydraulics in your landspeeder. Mace Windu has got to be the coolest Jedi Knight ever. I bet his meditation chamber has a hot tub.

Holy Cow! The Great Day has arrived! Midnight tonight, and I will be there. This review is going right up on the main page kids. Billy, Dave and I recently had a long talk about the path the hero would take in this whole deal. My bet is, He's Darth Vader a lot sooner than we all think he is. Also, it's entirely possible to be both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader at the same time. Always hidden, the Dark Side is. Plus, lightsaber duels, I'm just saying'. I'm so excited I may wet myself. See ya'll tomorrow with the update. (In the meantime, wallcrawlers, Spidey's review will be up sometime today.)

Fortune cookie wisdom :"Upon return from a great journey, your job will blow up in your face." What?

It did, and I never got to post after the Big Event in Houston. It was great to see everybody, and I want to wish Alison yet another Happy Birthday. Also, Mad Mad Props to the Time Traveler for scoring us the best free seats on the planet to the Astros game. After a lifetime of going to games, I finally caught a foul ball, and it's all thanks to him. Nothing better than a day at the ballpark, I always say.

Speaking of giving love to those who desreve it, Look what Jessica did.