Boston in a Day and a Half

Luke and Vanessa on Ferry

So yesterday Luke took Vanessa and me to the market place at Faneuil Hall. I bought a Boston sweatshirt and hat and picked up some souvenirs for Jen, Parris and Jaden. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and we all ordered the Legendary Burger and the Vanilla Shake. After that we took a tour of Boston Harbor on a ferry and I got some amazing photos. Then we took the trolley through town and saw the historical sites.

Cityscape from Ferry

For you history buffs, Faneuil Hall is located near the waterfront and has been a market place and meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams and others who encouraged independence from Britain. It's also known as the "cradle of liberty."

Faneuil Hall Market; Crowd Watching Street Performer

The Market

The trolley stopped near a park where they were making a movie. Our tour guide said that most of the famous TV shows set in Boston were actually filmed in Hollywood: Cheers, Boston Legal, Allie McBeal, State of the Union.

Making a Movie

Despite the heat and humidity, we had a great time. We went back to Faneuil Hall before heading home and watched Magician Mike, a street performer. A funny guy. See more photos of Magician Mike at My Theatre Blog.

Magician Mike Street Performer

This morning, Hubby, Vanessa and Luke went on a helicopter ride over the city. So amazing!

I Love Boston!

Boston on the 4th!

That's right, gang. We are in Boston Mass on the 4th of July! People lighting fireworks everywhere! We're on the beach at Hull and the party has started. I'm spending the day with my FAMILY!!! My son Lucas (cool, funny geek), my daughter-in-law Liz (beautiful cat woman), my granddaughter Lily (age 5 cute little princess) and Vanessa (age 16 sweet and totally cool). Of course hubby is along for the ride.

There also a few animals in the family. Four cats (Jill, Tom, Ben and Baby) and a dog named Harley. Harley is a corgi mix and likes to chase rocks. In fact, HE rocks!!!

More later.

Going to Boston!

Hubby and I will be in Boston all week visiting Luke and family! We're flying out on Saturday. I went shopping with Alison and bought some vacation togs. Any excuse to shop, right? She suggested a picture book for Lily -- "Ladybug Girl." SO CUTE!!!

We'll get to see Vanessa, too -- our 16-year-old granddaughter who is flying out from California! Woo Hoo!

Best vacation EVER!!!

Stay tuned...

Butter Dish Dilemma

Hubby has butter fingers. Literally. He broke our charming porcelain white butter dish.

So I ordered a new one from amazon. I wanted something a little jazzier than plain white and I found a beautiful Fiesta scarlet butter dish. It arrived today. Along with three others exactly like it. Now I have four Fiesta scarlet butter dishes.

Moral dilemma: amazon did not charge me for the extra butter dishes. So do I send them back? If I do, do I have to pay for shipping? Do I keep them and give them to needy persons? Another factor to consider is that these are fairly expensive butter dishes...about $21.00 each. So, what do I do?

Attack of the Killer Mosquitos

Okay. So I go for a walk the other night wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It's summer in Wyoming and the weather is fabulous. I get to the end of the our block which leads to a semi-rural road in a quiet neighborhood. As always, when I'm walking I daydream. On that day I was was thinking about baking cupcakes, mentally going over my lines for an upcoming play, and wondering if I have the stamina to train a puppy.

All of a sudden I find myself in the middle of a mosquito ambush. I panic. I have two choices. Go home and spray myself with toxic pesticide OR forget the walk all together and watch Hell's Kitchen. I choose the latter.

The next day I'm ready for them. I refuse to wear long pants, despite hubby's insistence. It's summer! I'm not wearing long pants, okay! I have no choice but to use the bug spray. I'm careful to spray my legs and arms and keep it away from my face and neck. I go for my walk, rejoicing that I have outsmarted the mosquito hordes.

I enjoy my walk, singing "One" from "A Chorus Line" and basking in the beauty of neighborhood irises, the coo of doves and silent bunnies lurking beneath sidewalk shrubs. I'm almost home when I feel something on my leg. I look down and the little "buggers" have been sucking the blood just above my sock line. The bug spray must have worn off. YIKES! I smash the mosquito squadron, smearing my leg with blood. I'm in full retreat, running the rest of the way home.

The mosquitoes may have won the battle, but they haven't won the war. I have not yet begun to fight!

Killers

It's Father's Day and hubby and I decided we'd go bowling this afternoon. But alas. His knee is still bothering him and he can't bowl! No fun for him just watching ME bowl, so we went to the movies. Of course, nothing was playing that we wanted to see except "Robin Hood" (the Russell Crowe version). Unfortunately, there was no matinee for "Robin Hood" and we never pay full price at the cinema. So it was either "Karate Kid" or "Killers." I wanted to see "Karate Kid" but hubby didn't think it would be that great. Nothing compares with the Ralph Macchio version. Absolutely NOTHING!!!

So we went to see "Killers." I'd have to say it's one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. Yes, Ashton Kutcher was adorable. In fact, he was the only thing that made it possible to sit through (especially the scene where he meets Katherine Heigl for the first time...in the elevator... shirtless...in Nice, France... "Bon jour"...sigh!)

The best way I can describe the movie is "disconnected." Nothing made sense. The characters' motivations were inconsistent, to say the least. Mom was a cliche drunk, the neighborhood assassins were ludicrous, the car chases and explosions were pointless.

To give credit where credit is due, Tom Selleck was superb. His character had a little bit more depth than then others, and he was funny as the overprotective father/spy.

Take my advice:

If you're going to watch this movie, drink a lot of wine coolers first.

Sex and the City Revisited

Finally saw the movie. Definitely Style over Substance, but it was -- in Samantha's words -- "Fabulous"! I got a kick out of Big watching "Deadliest Catch" because hubby and I watch that show, too, as we snuggle together on the couch in lazy-evening mode.

Carrie didn't listen when I told her NOT to tell Big that she'd kissed Aidan. "Big" mistake. HOWEVER, the fact that she told him turned out for the best. Of course.

Fave scenes:

Carrie running into Aidan at the market

The ladies hurrying to pack up their stuff to leave the hotel

Carrie's "newspaper" dress

In fact, all the dresses!

Boston Performance

I've been practicing piano to prepare for a Boston gig. The audience is my family and the concert will be performed at our son's beach home in July. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

My repertoire includes:

Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata, first movement: Coming along nicely, just need to work on keeping the rhythm smooth. The ending also needs work.

Bach's A-minor Invention: Like all Bach pieces, this is very difficult. I've been working on it off and on for YEARS! I have the middle section memorized. Eventually I want to memorize the entire piece. But that won't happen before this performance.

Joplin's "Pineapple" Rag: I'm learning only the first two sections. All memorized! I used to know it but had to re-learn it. My favorite Joplin rag. The composer's notes say "slow march" which sounds so much better than blasting through at 90 miles an hour.

Linus and Lucy: Yep, the "Peanuts" theme song. I have an easy version which I've memorized. So much fun!

I can also play the opening bars to "One" from "A Chorus Line"!

Thank you. Thank you very much.
(Elvis impersonation)

The Tooth, the Whole Tooth, and Nothing But the Tooth

Granddaughter Lily's tooth came out!

Sex and the City 2

No, I haven't seen it yet. Just the movie trailers. Carrie and the gang in Abu Dhabi. Okee dokee.

There were some bad reviews. Okay, fine. It's not "Citizen Kane" but who cares? You've got beautiful, smart women, fabulous clothes, exotic locations and handsome hunks. What else can you ask for?

Personally, I'm a fan of John Corbett (Northern Exposure, Serendipity, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Raising Helen). So even if the movie is as bad as they say, watching John in a few scenes will be totally worth it. So there.

Stay tuned...

Iron Sharpens Iron

I've always been a fan of Robert Downey Jr. His screen presence is incredibly dynamic, even if he has a small part in a scene, there is something compelling about him that draws you in.

Iron Man 2 is your classic super hero film with lots of action, explosions and clashing metal. I really enjoyed Don Cheadle's performance as Iron Man's sidekick.

I think the first film was better. I'm not much for sequels. Only two exceptions: Rocky III and The Empire Strikes Back.

Best lines:

TONY STARK: I have successfully privatized world peace.

And let's not forget Hammer Time:

JUSTIN HAMMER: I'd love to leave my door unlocked at night, but this ain't Canada.

Day of the Living Dead

You may have noticed I've been absent from my blog lately. The reason? Total and complete exhaustion!

I've increased my work load which means more money, but less time. Also, my avocations have taken on a life of their own. Art, music, drama, event planning, baking, gardening, renovating the house, reading, Bible study, blogging, making movies, writing. Not enough hours in the day.

Not to mention the weather is beautiful and and I don't like being indoors working when I can be outside in the sunshine and fresh air.

The first step in handling the chaos is to set priorities. Which is what I'm doing. I make a list. I check it off. It's exhilarating to check things off a list. I don't if there are any other list-makers out there, but if you're one, you know what I'm talking about.

Future events?
May 21 -- working front-of-house for community theatre production of "Private Eyes"
May 22 -- church garage sale
May 30 -- VBS planning meeting: I'm the director this year so I'm "in charge"
June 6 -- church drama performance of sketch "The Finest Church in America"

Goals?
Take some classes in web design, photoshop and video editing.
Create a painting of poppies for my bedroom.
Re-learn Joplin's "Pineapple Rag"
Run three days a week.
Get video editing software and make a movie.

That's all. For now.

Ron Howard Films

I'm a fan of Ron Howard's films. I haven't seen them all, but the ones I've seen I've really enjoyed. My favorites are: Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and Gung Ho.

I've noticed he doesn't do romantic comedies. In fact, he's not much into comedy at all. Or action films. Most are straight dramas. He also seems to like historical themes.
 Here's the filmography:

 Angels and Demons (2009)

 Frost/Nixon (2008)

 The DaVinci Code (2006)

 Cinderella Man (2005)

 The Missing (2003)

  A Beautiful Mind (2001)

  Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

  Edtv (1999)

  Ransom (1996)

  Apollo 13 (1995)

  The Paper (1994)

  Far and Away (1992)

  Backdraft (1991)

  Parenthood (1989)

  Willow (1988)

  Gung Ho (1986)

  Cocoon (1985)

  Splash (1984)

  Night Shift (1982)

  Grand Theft Auto (1977)

A Day in the Life

Got a lot done today. Sewed curtains for the bathrooms (dark green with leaf print). Finished chapter 8 in my XHTML book. Updated Carly's blog and website. Studied Windows Movie Maker tutorial so I can learn the program; want to make a real movie. Watch out, Spielberg!

House work was a top priority. It's the only day of the week I can get it done (vacuumed, swept floors, etc.) I made meatloaf and asparagus for dinner.

Worked out on the elliptical while watching "Supersize Me," the documentary about the guy who ate McDonalds three meals a day for a month. Great movie! You'll never eat fast food again.

This afternoon I went for a walk and encountered a mean dog. Thanks to the Dog Whisperer I knew how to react: calm, assertive energy, no talk, no eye contact, no touch (as if!)  The creature backed off. Thank God!

I watched a little TV. Frost/Nixon again (recorded on DVR) and tonight saw Gabriel Iglesias on Comedy Central. Looking forward to Last Comic Standing this summer.

I didn't check off every item on my list. I still need to update my business blog and write the bio for my website. I had planned to go for a run, but I woke up to a blizzard. Spring in Wyoming.

I'm really missing my runs. I used to run about 15 miles a week. Then in 07 I hurt my knee, which cut down on my running for at least six months. Not long after I started up again, I hurt my foot. Plantar fasciitis. Again no running for several months. 

During that time off, I started to wimp out. I used to run at 6:00 a.m. in the dark, in freezing temperatures. It never bothered me. But now the cold is a problem and I don't like to run in the dark. The elliptical machine is a life saver. I use it almost every day but it's not like running.

This past Wednesday (April 21), I ran for the first time in MONTHS. It felt wonderful. My goal was to run for 30 minutes and I made it. Just barely. I want to work up to running three days a week for 45 minutes, and do the elliptical the other days.

Speaking of goals, I'm looking forward to taking classes at the college this fall. It will be so exciting learning website design/development. I'm getting my feet wet with the XHTML book and photoshop.

Life is an adventure. But it's also very frightening. I trust God to lead me and guide me. He never lets me down.

Male Prima Donna

Yeah. I like it. I like it a lot.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=249131969764&oid=2204598188

Home Improvements

Okay, so we decided instead of buying a house, we are going to stay in our fabulous mobile home for another year. We've also decided to do some much-needed renovations. We started with new windows.

This is the new window above the kitchen sink.

Hallway.

My office.

Detail of window and trim in bathroom.

We are also building a new garden shed, which is still in progress.

As for other improvements, I will be painting every room in the house.We are also getting new kitchen flooring and carpet for all the bedrooms and the living room. We're having a back porch built, rennovating our deck and putting up a back fence. Whew!

Kindle

Loving the Kindle ads on TV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PERiTMZ626M&feature=related

The Cheese Situation

For years, our family cheese of choice for sandwiches has been Kraft Deli Deluxe American Cheese Slices. Delicious flavor, thick slices and perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches.

Well, hubby's been doing the grocery shopping lately and when he saw the price of our favorite cheese slices compared with the cheaper brands, he sort of freaked out. So he bought the cheap stuff --  individually wrapped slices that taste like thin sheets of salted plastic.

Now it was MY turn to freak out!

ME: What is this?

HUBBY: Cheese slices.

ME: Why didn't you buy the good stuff?

HUBBY: Too expensive.

ME: I'm not eating this. It's gross.

HUBBY: But it's cheaper. The other cheese costs almost five dollars? This was only two-fifty.

This "discussion" continued, but in the end, quality won out. The taste test put an end to the argument. I guess it's not a total waste. Maybe he can use the plastic cheese for fish bait.

Casey James!

Okay, so I'm totally loving Casey! He's always been in my top three along with Crystal and Andrew, but I have a feeling he will make it to the end. I'm predicting a head-to-head with Crystal.

My dad is a fan of the show. This is the first season he's been watching. All along he thought Casey was the best. We have a lot to discuss.

Loved Lennon/McCartney week. As a die-hard Beatles fan, I had a blast watching the performances:

The Long and Winding Road (Aaron: no change in arrangement, pretty dull)

Let It Be (Katie: her best performance to date; relaxed, confident, connected w/audience)

Can't Buy Me Love (Andrew Garcia: not that great, but he had a lot of energy)

Eleanor Rigby (Big Mike: fabulous)

Come Together (Crystal: found the soul and totally rocked it)

All My Loving (Tim: his best performance to date; and with that hair, he even looked like a Beatle)

Jealous Guy (Casey: BEST OF NIGHT! I'd never heard that song before. He played acoustic guitar accompanied by cello...wonderful)

Across the Universe (Siobhan: not good; rather boring)

Hey Jude (Lee: FANTASTIC...brought in a bag pipe player at the end...very strange but cool)

So who will go home? Hard to say, but I think Tim, Andrew and Siobahn will be in bottom three.

HTML Report

I'm starting chapter five of my HTML book. I can't believe I'm actually learning this stuff. Can't wait to get the basics down so I can create with color, fonts and design. But like Forest Whitaker said in "The Great Debaters," you do what you HAVE to do so you can do what you Want to do.

I finished chapter four last night and learned about domain names, root folders, relative and absolute paths, HTTP (hyper text transfer protocol), URLs, linking to web pages, destination anchors, and the target attribute.

So much to learn! And I'm just at the tip of the iceberg.

Dwight says:

I hitched my wagon to a horse with no legs.

Everybody Dance Now...

"You all took a life here today. The life of a party."

-- Michael Scott

O What a Tangled Web We Weave

So I'm planning on taking some courses this fall in website design. Some people have learned this on their own, but I need STRUCTURE: a real live teacher, books, lecture, labs, etc. That's just how I am. I do not have the "computer" gene. But that won't stop me. I'm an eternal optimist. I CAN AND WILL LEARN CODE!!!

My goal is to be able to create websites for myself and others, and possibly work for a company or become a consultant. As an artist, I understand the aesthetic element in website design, but I'm really lacking in the technical aspects. Hence, the course work.

In preparation, I'm getting a head start studying on my own with a book called "Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML." I finished chapter three yesterday. Unfortunately, the copyright for this book is 2006 so it's outdated. However, hubby is a computer genius and plays around with computers pretty much all the time except when he's eating or sleeping.

Dwight's New Girlfriend

Isabel Poreba! The Angela-smacking, Amazon Princess of Scranton. She loves meat. She's O-negative (universal donor). She has birthing hips. Dwight's dream girl.

New Blog Design

Spring is here and it's time for a change. Fortunately, Blogger has made it easy for me by providing new templates and updated design features! Totally loving playing around with colors, fonts, layouts, etc. I've also incorporated more Wizard of Oz pics. After all, it IS Emerald City.

There's no place like home.

Alice and Charleton

So yesterday my good friend Jodi and I spent the whole day together. It was Sunday, so of course we went to church. She plays guitar and sings with the praise band. She's an amazing soprano and can sing harmony at the drop of a hat. Not me...I have to practice the alto part for weeks before I can sing harmony and even then I'm off key. God did not mean for me to be a singer, but that doesn't stop me from trying.

I am now the "announcement lady" at church, which means after the service I give the announcements of upcoming events. This week we're promoting the Creation video mini-series from Answers in Genesis and the Beth Moore bible study. At the last minute, the pastor asked me to announce that the church will be showing the movie "The Ten Commandments" starring Charlton Heston. It's a three-hour movie so we'll be showing it in installments over the next couple of weeks. When I do the announcements, I like to jazz it up a bit, maybe crack a few jokes or whatever, so I mention that Charlton Heston was my grandmother's favorite actor and every time I see him in a movie, I think of grandma.

Anyway: after church Jodi and I had lunch at Applebees. I ordered the half-size Santa Fe Chicken Salad and Jodi had the Chicken Fried Chicken. When the server brought the plates to our table, I noticed that my half-size salad was enormous and Jodi's chicken "steak," covered in white gravy, was the size of a steering wheel! I kid you not! It was enough to feed three people and a St. Bernard.

For the record, I've been watching Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay and he says restaurants shouldn't show pictures of the food on the menu. He's also against gigantic portions. Applebees is guilty of both, but since it's not a gourmet restaurant, I guess they can get away with it.

After lunch we went to the theatre to see "Alice in Wonderland" because we're both HUGE fans of Johnny Depp. Two thumbs up! We saw the 2-D version because I HATE 3-D movies (don't get me started). My favorite character was Bayard the bloodhound who had been captive by the Red Queen and separated from his wife and pups. When they were reunited, I wept for joy. I also enjoyed the scenes of Alice in warrior garb slaying the Jabberwocky.

When the movie was over, we headed out to Starbucks to get a cup of java. I had a dark cherry mocha latte (DELICIOUS! Best latte EVER!) and Jodi had a cinnamon mocha latte - special ordered. I've noticed that she's pretty high maintenance when it comes to ordering food and drink. Reminiscent of Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally."

During our coffee conversation, we talked about classic Disney cartoons. I learned that Jodi's favorite is "Sleeping Beauty" and she learned that I only like the Disney toons that feature animals: "Lady and the Tramp" and "101 Dalmations."

So at 4:30 we were in the auditorium at church watching Charleton Heston and Yul Brenner hash it out in "The Ten Commandments." I must say, Chuck and Yul had tans that would give George Hamilton a run for his money. After the movie, we stayed for the evening service. Jodi and the pastor played guitar and led the singing, then the pastor began our study in the book of Judges. (I've got homework...love it!)

I got home at 8:00, ate a hot dog and watched "Hoarders: Buried Alive" on TLC.

Day Done!

The Office this week

MICHAEL: Let's just follow the chain of events. Jo likes Michael. Jo invites Michael to house. Jo doesn't like Michael anymore. Hmmm.

Crazy About "Crazy Heart"

If you haven't seen "Crazy Heart" yet, stop everything you're doing, get to your local cinema and watch it right NOW!

It was Jeff Bridges' performance of a lifetime. I've always been a fan of Jeff. He can do comedy and drama equally well...very versatile. My favorite Jeff Bridges films include: The Fabulous Baker Boys, Sea Biscuit, Arlington Road, The Muse, The Big Lebowski, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Fearless, The Fisher King, King Kong.

The beautiful landscapes were breathtaking. I don't know where the movie was filmed, but the Western setting (New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Colorado) brought back memories of my childhood. I grew up in New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. Yikes! I'm a nomad!

I'm not a huge fan of country music, but I loved the music in this movie. The bluesy, country sound really spoke to me and I wanted to go out and buy the soundtrack.

So what's the movie about?

IMBD says: "a faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him."

Rotten Tomatoes says: "thanks to a captivating performance from Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart transcends its overly-familiar origins and finds new meaning in an old story."

Moviefone says: "Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet Bad can't help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean, a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician."

I say: this is one of the best films I've seen in a long time. The transformation of Bad Blake is inspiring. He's lived a tragic life and tries to make amends for all the "bad" things he's done. He has many regrets and many sorrows. He reaches out to the adult son he never knew. He falls in love with a woman who gives him a reason to change. And through it all, he finds inspiration to write songs again.

Favorite scenes:

The fishing trip with Bad and his friend Wayne (Robert Duvall).

Bad calling his son on the phone wanting to meet with him.

Bad looking for Buddy (the little boy) in the mall.

Bad talking to Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) after going to AA.

TWO THUMBS UP!!!

Andrew is SAFE!

Watching American Idol results last night, I was thrilled that Big Mike, Andrew, Lee, Crystal and Siobhan made the cut. Of course, I wasn't worried. They are the best imo.

Surprised Katie is still in the game. Hmmm....I don't think she'll last long, though. Glad Didi made it; she won me over with "Rhiannon."

I'll miss Lilly. I would have liked seeing more of her in the following weeks; she always surprises me with her unique interpretations and quirky voice.

Prediction: Next to go (Lacey or Katie...Tim or Aaron)

Katelyn and Katie Have Got to Go

On American Idol this week, the final 12 will be revealed. That's when the hard-core competition really begins. Genre weeks, pointers from the pros, Ford commercials, group routines...oh YEAH!

Katelyn sang Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move." Total karaoke. Nothing unique. No passion. No connection. Sure, she's a cute girl, but not "star" material.

Katie sang "Put Your Records On." She is just too immature. In a few years, she will definitely be a major contender. But not yet.

Tonight we hear from the guys. GO ANDREW!!!

The Office "Baby Cecilia"

Congrats to Jim and Pam Halpert on the birth of their baby girl Cecila!

Memorable scenes:
Pam nursing the wrong baby
Michael setting up Erin and Kevin
Andy hiding behind the plants.
The male nursing coach helping Pam nurse the baby while Jim looks on.
The cop pulling Dwight over and calling him by name.
Michael throwing the car keys into the bushes when told he can't park in front of the hospital.
Pam trying to tell Dwight on the phone where the key is to the house.
Dwight demolishing Jim's and Pam's kitchen.

Alice in Wonderland

Mad Hatter

As a fan of Lewis Carroll and Johnny Depp, I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'm totally loving these delicious images of Carroll's delightful characters.

Red Queen

Alice

Red Queen

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

My Favorite Bullas Painting

"Rabbi..."

Will Bullas and His Amazing Art

Okay. So I'm surfing online art galleries and clicked a local hangout called The Link Gallery. While admiring the artwork, I came across some amazing paintings by Will Bullas. Of course, I clicked on Will's website and got up close and personal with the most delightful paintings I've seen in years.

His works feature whimsical animals exhibiting human behaviors. I love his use of color and detail. Takes my breath away! The titles of his works are charming puns that are as much a part of the paintings as the images themselves. Enough with the chit-chat. Feast your eyes on the genius of Will Bullas!

Do Zebras Dream in Color

Bad to the Bun

Polar Ice Cap

Duck Tape

The Capybara Club

Don't Know Jack?

Jack Be Nimble
Jack Nicholson
Jack of all trades
Jack Sprat
Andrew Jackson
Jack Black
Jack Bauer
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack London
Jack Tripper
Jack Kevorkian
Jack and Jill
Jackson Five
Jack Sparrow
Stonewall Jackson
Jack Lemmon
Jack Russell Terrier
Jack O'Lantern
Jack Frost
Little Jack Horner

I am probably...

...the only person in America watching "What Not to Wear" instead of the Super Bowl. For me, Stacy and Clinton are much more interesting. Today the dynamic duo helped a frumpy film editor named Amanda dress her age (36) and add some color to her life. Her new style is vintage 1940s with a modern edge. Her makeover was awesome, thanks to Stacy and Clinton!

Searching for the best...

...creamy potato soup in the universe. Went to Applebees for dinner a few weeks ago and ordered the creamy potato cheddar soup. FANTASTIC! Ever since I've been wanting to make my own. I've been searching recipes online and found a couple of possibilities.

My sister-in-law Marsha is the family soup queen. She makes soups of all kinds and they are delicious. When we saw her in January (she lives in PA we live in WY), she made some chicken noodle soup that really hit the spot. Nothing like hot soup on a winter's day.

Movie Date

Hubby and I usually go on a date at least every other week. Dinner and a movie. Our favorite theatre is the Capital 12 and we always sit in the back row on the far right. Since we go to the movies during the weekday (hubby works weekends and I have afternoons off), there aren't many people in the theatre; usually less than ten. The only time there was a full house was when "Doubt" was playing starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. (Excellent film, btw...we also saw the play at the OpenStage in Fort Collins...WOW!)

This week we're going to see "Dear John." (solider falls in love with a college student while he's home on leave). Better than the alternative: "When in Rome" or "Edge of Darkness." I've read bad reviews about "Rome" and I'm not in the mood for a Mel Gibson action flick.

Overboard by Chip Dunham

Men of a Certain Age

Am I the only one who likes this show? None of my friends or family have ever heard of it. I've been watchng since it started a few weeks ago. Stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula.

It's about three guys in their 40s who have been friends since they were kids. They live in L.A., hang out at the local diner, go for hikes and deal with personal issues. Joe (Ray) is separated from his wife, has two kids and owns a party store. He's a compulsive gambler. Owen (Andre) works at his father's car dealership, is married with children and has issues with his overbearing father. Terry (Scott) is an actor, never-married, a charming ladies' man and the poster boy for the Peter Pan Syndrome.

It's obvious the audience for the show is SUPPOSED to be men (advertisers include Jim Beam Whiskey), but I think women would be more likely to watch middle-aged men struggling with life issues. That's just me.

I told my sister-in-law about it and she's watching it, too.

This week had some sad moments: Terry applied to be a Big Brother but was turned down

Hopeful moments: Joe helped his father get a part-time job in a hardware store so he would feel useful again.

Funny moments: Owen had to make a car commercial with his father.

Vince Vaughn Won Me Over

I finally got to see "The Breakup" with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. Didn't think I'd like it, but I did. I've never been a Vince Vaughn fan since the mega-bomb "Dodge Ball." For the record, I was forced to see that film with my grandchildren; otherwise you couldn't pay me enough money to watch it. Totally not my style. That movie almost turned me off Ben Stiller, as well. But how can you not totally LOVE Ben Stiller?

Anyway, Vince was terrific in "The Breakup." Surprisingly, as a woman, I was on his side in the the scene where they have their first fight. Jennifer the Super Nag. It was like looking in a mirror. It struck a chord with me because I realized that I sounded just like her. My poor hubby sure puts up with a lot...oy! That movie made me realize that I needed to stop nagging my hubby so much. Give him a break.

I liked that Vince's character changed, but was disheartened that they didn't get back together.

All About Aniston

Did anybody see the Jennifer Aniston movie marathon on Lifetime last weekend?

I watched "Derailed." Surprise ending. The good thing about this was that Clive Owen got to kill the bad guy TWICE. Jenny was a bad girl.

I'm going to watch "The Break Up" (if I can stomach Vince Vaughn).

Saw "Marley and Me" a few weeks ago on MAX. Loved it. Marley should get the Oscar.

Liked her in "Bruce Almighty," "Along Came Polly" and "Love Happens."

Question of the Decade: How did Jennifer Aniston's hair become an American phenomenon?

Reading Max Lucado

Time for a spiritual boost. I went to the library to check out some books to read on our trip to Pennsylvania. Max Lucado's writings are just what the doctor ordered. I've got "Facing Your Giants," "Cure for the Common Life," and "Every Day Deserves a Chance."

Here's an excerpt from "Every Day". . . try this on for size:

We sabotage our day, wiring it for disaster, lugging along yesterday's troubles, downloading tomorrow's struggles. Remorse over the past, anxiety over the future. We aren't giving the day a chance. How can we? What can we do? Here's my proposal: consult Jesus. The Ancient of Days has something to say about our days.

Saturate your days with GRACE: "I tell you the solemn truth," replied Jesus, "this very day you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

Entrust your day to his OVERSIGHT: "Give us day by day our daily bread." Luke 11:3

Accept his DIRECTION: "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me." Luke 9:23

Grace. Oversight. Direction. (G-O-D).

New Year and a New Book!

I'm happy to announce that one of my short stories was recently published in a book called "Laugh Your Shorts Off!" available at amazon.com

Compiled by Margie Culbertson, the creator of our writer's discussion group, the book is an anthology of short humor featuring stories by the winners of her writing contests.

My story is a Cinderella parody play called "Rock and Roll Fairy Tale" featuring Peggy Sue as Cinderella, the Duke of Earl as Prince Charming and Elvis as the King.

Losing It Under the Dome

I'm reading Valerie Bertinelli's book "Losing It," before I read her new release "Finding It."

The book goes into her family history, career, romances, marriage, issues with weight, etc. Also includes some terrific photos of her and her family. I had no idea she was a book club aficionado. She's been in a book club for years. So cool!

I'm also reading Stephen King's new book "Under the Dome"...Holy COW! The story is about a dome that seals off a city. I'll be so glad when Big Jim and Junior get their come-upance! Also wondering where the dome came from. On edge of seat...

The Perfect Gift

I've been taping Christmas movies on my DVR over the last few weeks and finally got around to watching "The Perfect Gift."

Awesome! Finally a movie about the "real" story of Christmas.

Tag line: What if the world threw you a birthday party...and you weren't invited?

Plot: A spoiled school girl, her overworked executive mother and a disillusioned young minister each receives an uplifting message about friendship, commitment, and the truest meaning of Christmas from a friendly drifter.

The film was released in November 2009 and is part of the "Perfect Stranger" series by Jefferson Moore.

And there were in the same country...

...shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men."

Luke 2:8-14

Is it Christmas yet?

So what have I been doing this week? Here's the low-down:

Baking Christmas goodies (chocolate peanut clusters, bourbon balls, Russian tea cakes, sugar cookies; taking them to work so I don't eat them all)

Watching Christmas movies (The National Tree, Mr. Saint Nick, The Christmas Choir, The Christmas Card, The Homecoming, Charlie Brown, just to name a few)

Reading "A Christmas Carol" (I read it every year; I'm at the part where the ghost of Christmas present takes Scrooge to the Cratchit home)

Today I'll be walking in the snow! (So happy we're having a white Christmas this year)

Received 25 Christmas cards as of yesterday.

Drinking eggnog.

Listening to Christmas music (Barbra Streisand, Perry Como, Dean Martin, John Denver, Ella Fitzgerald, Neil Diamond, Vince Guaraldi)

Learning lines for a Christmas play.

Playing Christmas carols on the piano.

Lighting candles and watching the Christmas lights on the tree.

Reading about the birth of Jesus in the Book of Luke (Jesus is the Reason for the Season)

God bless us, everyone!

Six Chix

Josh and the Hot Dog

So I'm sitting at the breakfast table eating my cornflakes and reading the paper when I turn the page and there it is. A photo of my nephew Josh, age 7, with a hot dog stuffed in his mouth. I could tell it was him by the black hair and sparkling brown eyes.

This wasn't just a small black and white blurb in the local section. It was a huge full-color spread! Josh was at the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne where members of the Wyoming National Guard fed more than 100 kids a dinner of hot dogs, chicken, baked beans and cookies.

When Josh and his family come to my house for dinner, I serve Josh's favorites: mashed potatoes and anything with sugar in it. It would be an understatement to say that Josh is hyperactive, but he moves so fast he makes a hummingbird look like a turtle.

The cool thing about Josh right now is that his front teeth are missing and he has two fangs that lend him the appearance of a vampire. But those teeth are perfect for biting into a hot dog.

Way to go, Josh!