Friday Flicks: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

This movie scared my socks off.

Bette Davis is horrifying as Baby Jane Hudson, aging child star of Vaudeville. As the years passed, Jane and her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) would become film stars. Blanche became famous and Jane was so jealous that she ran her over with a car resulting in Blanche living out her days in a wheelchair and ending her acting career. As the sisters aged, Jane took care of Blanche in Blanche's upscale Hollywood home. And Jane just got crazier and crazier. 

Here's the dead rat scene:

Just can't seem to get Devil's Tower out of my head!

A couple of weeks ago we trekked up north to Devil's Tower. It was a fun road trip, listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival, drinking iced coffee and just having a good ol' time in Wonderful Wyoming.

I resisted the urge to build a replica of Devil's Tower with my mashed potatoes, but I was enamoured with it none the less. We hiked around the base of the tower and got some terrific shots. Wish everyone could see this amazing example of God's handiwork.

There it is!





Moving in for a closer look. 







Almost there.. . .



Rock of Ages!





Every nook and cranny.



She's a beauty!



The devil is in the details.




Your's truly.







The amazing Boulder Field at the base of the tower.







All things bright and beautiful

All things great and small

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all



Tuesday Tunes: Fun! Fun! Fun!

Ya just gotta dance when you hear this "fun" song by the Beach Boys! Ever ride in a Thunderbird? I did. It was my parents' car. Copper with cream interior. I liked the insignia design. Also, my high school team was the East High Thunderbirds! Here's the cheer: We are the T-Birds, mighty mighty T-Birds. Every where we go people want to know who we are. WE ARE THE T-BIRDS!

Friday Flicks: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Paul Newman and Robert Redford pair up in this fabulous buddy flick Western that made them both stars. Eye candy for the ladies. As a female, I remember thinking that Katharine Ross was so lucky. Who's your fave? Redford or Newman?

It's a High Fly Ball, Charlie Brown!

Life is full of unexpected surprises.

THE SCENE
Sunday at church. The service is over and everyone is heading home.

FRIEND: Hey, Luana. Would you like to play on the church softball team?

ME: (Stalling) When is it?

FRIEND: The games will be in August until mid-September.

ME: (Still stalling) Well, I'm going to be out of town the first week of August.

FRIEND: No problem. We really need some players.

ME: (Remembering my history in sports) I'm a terrible player. The worst.

FRIEND: That's okay. It's just for fun. Come on! We could really use you.

ME: (Thinking it might be fun after all) When do you need to know?

FRIEND: By the end of the week.

ME: (Seriously considering it) Okay, let me think about it.

So yesterday I'm at church working with kids at Vacation Bible School and the pastor comes up to me with a roster on a clipboard:

PASTOR: (Handing me the roster and a pen) Would you like to sign up for the church softball team?

ME: Absolutley!

THE END

Tuesday Tunes: Suite Judy Blue Eyes

Another song introduced to me by my adoring hubby back in the days when we were falling in love. I love the harmony in this song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Friday Flicks: Lucas

Lucas (Corey Haim) is a 14-year-old who is the ultimate high school nerd. But that doesn't stop him from trying to fit in. He meets Maggie (Kerri Green), the new girl in town, during summer vacation and falls in love. But once school starts, Maggie develops a crush on football star, Cappie. (Charlie Sheen). Meanwhile fellow nerd Rina (Winona Ryder) has a secret crush on Lucas.

This movie has some fun moments, but I was more drawn to the serious side. One scene that really impacted me was the lunchroom scene where Lucas, Rina and the other nerdy kids are talking about a fellow student that had committed suicide. It's a serious, sad discussion. Meanwhile on the other side of the room the football players and cheerleaders are laughing and joking around. The camera juxtaposes between the two groups. It was very powerful.

Tuesday Tunes: You're So Vain

Carly Simon's signature song . . .takes me back to the good old days when it played on the radio. One of the first songs I learned to play and sing when I got my first guitar in 1973.

My Deer!

We were driving up to Cook Lake yesterday and saw
this deer among the aspen.

Friday Flicks: A Few Good Men

Based on Aaron Sorkin's stage play, A Few Good Men (1992), grabs you by the throat from the first scene and doesn't let go. The screenplay (also by Sorkin) is brilliant. I use this movie as inspiration for writing my own screenplays. Would love to see the stage play sometime.

Tuesday Tunes: Hey, Good Lookin'

My mama used to sing this song to me and my brother when we were little tykes running around the house while she was cooking dinner.

Collaboration is like improv

I've learned a lot over the last year about collaboration and have come to this conclusion -- to successfully work with others on a project, you should follow the rules of improv:

NEVER SAY "NO": Say "yes, and. . ."  when someone offers an idea. A positive response keeps the creative flow moving. It just makes sense. When you say, "no," people shut down, confidence falters, people go into survival mode and it's game over.

LISTEN: Don't just wait for your chance to talk. See where they're going and follow them.

TRUST: They want the project to succeed as much as you do. They are not trying to sabotage you.

BE SPECIFIC: Details help others to visualize your idea. Don't say "a man gets into a car" -- say "Raymond Lipton, Attorney at Law, slipped behind the wheel of his red Mustang."

FOCUS: Keep the big picture in mind and everything else will fall into place.

HAVE FUN! Communicating with others and sharing ideas is an exhilarating experience. Enjoy the journey.

Friday Flicks: Horse Feathers

Big Marx Brothers fan here. Gotta share one of my favorite scenes from Horse Feathers (1932).