why 2005?

Oh, what a beautiful day!

 

I might have thought I was

in Oklahoma 

had I not known better.

 

(That's an inside joke for those 

who know musicals!)

After letting all that lovely warmth into the house, out I went to get the third movie for this week: the remake of "The Running Man". 

 

I must say, Glen Powell is certainly a handsome 37-year-old man, with all the right bits in all the right places, to paraphrase Meghan Trainor.

However, he's already done that shtick in his movies.

The man best be careful lest he be typecast as eye candy and not a person of substance.

Without Edgar Wright at the helm of this latest version of the story, Powell's antics might well have derailed the scifi movie into comedy.

In fact, none of this week's A*List dances have been quite in step.

"Die My Love", though well-acted, was a bit jumpy in its presentation, which could have been a cheap shot at reinforcing Grace's post-partum descent into madness.

"Now You See Me: Now You Don't"  was certainly full of the magic I love, but it seemed a bit rushed, like they were determined to cram too much movie into too short a running time.

One thing all three movies shared: a fabulous supporting cast, even though many of those actors with street cred - Nick Nolte, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy, in these three films - had hardly any screen time.

Enough already!!!

Time for Thanksgiving this evening!

Yes, this was the last Wednesday Night Supper of the fall and that meant: turkey!!!

Plus there were mashed potatoes, green beans, an cranberry sauce!!!

Several folks at Asbury Memorial supplied the desserts, like Danny Lewis and his pumpkin pound cake - so good!

I sat with Pam and Walt again, as well as Lynn Hoerlin and her son and granddaughter, both visiting from Ohio.

I really enjoyed talking about Las Vegas with Meko - she was a delight!

I sure am going to miss these meals with other Asburians!

 

And when I checked the time, 

I found out I could still 

do laundry after all.

 

The last wash at Suds Laundry 

has to be started by 7 PM, 

and it was 6:47 

when I pushed the button.

How very fortunate I was! 

 

This has been a very messy two weeks for me, so messy that my long pants and my fuchsia sweater were both rendered unwearable.

 

As good fortune would have it, the weather has been in the upper 70's, allowing me to wear shorts today.

 

All the more reason to do an emergency wash - 

and go ahead and do the bed linens, too.

 

As I was waiting for the flannel sheets to come out of the dryer, I spotted a penny on the table by my basket.

 

It was not there while I'd been folding clothes.

 

Right place, right time.

 

i thank You, God.

 

Now, time to watch "Wicked" on ABC!

concert w longhorn

Hallelujah!

I didn't feel up to going to church this morning, but I did watch from fb.

I also told Carolyn about the Fall Concert by SING! scheduled for 3 PM.

I also let her know it was free... yeah, that worked for both of us!

I was glad Asbury Memorial was quite full for the three choirs' performance.

I just loved "On Top Of Spaghetti" - the take-off of "On Top Of Old Smoky" - and it was clear the K-2 singers loved it, too!

Not to be outdone for humor, the 3-5 grade singers were sure to ham it up for "Trolls" - rawrrr!!!

Then the Illuminate Choir, made up of middle and high school students, sang and performed two dance numbers!!!

Yes, very much a welcome event at the church!

After, she and I went off to Longhorn Steakhouse for a nosh.

That was her suggestion, as there was a strawberry Greek salad she liked.

I paired the Spicy Chicken Bites appetizer with the House chopped salad and made the absolute perfect meal for me!

She got a kick out my using slices of the House Bread to make little sandwiches - yum!

We spent two hours there, indulging in each other's company and good food.

Hallelujah! 

damn... what was in that covid booster?

Thursday, while I was over at the Savannah VA Center, I decided to go ahead and ask if they had the COVID booster in yet.

Amazingly, they did!

So first I talked with my nutritionist - who was pleased that I've lost 3 pounds, even more so when I told her the hitch in my giddy-up has kept me from the Purple Planet, even more so though I haven't been tracking my food intake.

Elizabeth said that meant my "intuitive" sense has taken over and that's a big step.

She was also pleased at the "fortune cookie slip" I pulled from her jar: "I am free to eat what I want, when I want, and how much I want."

I thought that was quite appropriate with Thanksgiving coming! 

(smile!)

Then I talked to PACT Team 10 - those with my PCP - about getting this year's COVID-19 booster.

I had to wait about thirty minutes, but I got it!

Ariana gave it to me in my left shoulder.

Ouch... I definitely felt that.

Then I was back home, forgoing a fourth movie for my A*List.

I had STARZ in my eyes, with more movies to indulge in!

Then there was Bonnie's party outside, with the fire pit - nice!

However, within an hour or two of being home, I was feverish and having chills.

Of course I'd work my cold-weather shawl there, but something was amiss.

Might it be a repercussion from the booster???

So I got my bed nice and toasty and crawled in earlier than usual.

Friday, I was most definitely sick.

No Friday Fiesta for me, no popping off to AMC for movies, none of that.

i thank You, God, that the weather was warmer, that I had plenty of soup to eat, that I had almost 500 movies to watch from STARZ, and that I had nowhere I had to be except home.

Today, I work up feeling a good deal better, but still with a sore arm.

It's another warm day in the forecast, so I'm going to throw myself out of the house and head south side to the AMC.

They're showing "Die My Love", a film Cinema Savannah has scheduled for next Friday, and, even though I wasn't planning to see it, a review has changed my mind.

Let's hope Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson have chosen well.

bonnie blue is 41!

And you know what?

I didn't get a single picture with her in it at her party!

How that happened, I have no idea.

She invited folks over to her and Don's little blue house, to eat chili and hotdogs and s'mores, with her supplying all the food.

I arrived shortly after the start at 6:30 PM, giving me a chance to speak with her and Don.

That was very nice!

Missy and Levon were already there, as was Joe Buttner.

Good to see that fellow volunteer again!

We talked about Lois and her death, as well as volunteering at the Savannah Music Festival and us only running into each other once this past year.

He's doing volunteer shifts for the Savannah Philharmonic and encouraged me to do so.

Who knows, maybe I will!

In the above photo, he is talking with Genie Lawson. 

Then, in this photo, Genie is talking with Jason Arons, who was making himself a bowl of Bonnie's chili.

Genie made sure to chat with everyone there, as she spends a lot of time pet sitting, giving her little time around other humans.

I totally get that: Barbara was like that, though it was too much time with children that made her so very chatty.

Here's a photo of a group around the fire pit, shortly after it got an infusion of wood.

Stand back, folks! Hahahaha!

That's Jason Arons on the far left, sitting and talking to Levon in his shirt and tie.

Roberta is the one standing, right there in the center.

The one to the right is Missie's husband, and the person with their back to the camera and face to the fire is Don, I think.

Honestly, I just snapped the photo and kept on with what I was doing!

I'm pretty sure that was catching up with Joe! 

Then Genie came over and we started a conversation about Roberta. 

Genie was interested in the pronouns used by the tall person with the longish hair and mannish facial features.

I told Genie they were "she/her', as I'd learned years ago at a panel discussion.

Then I called Roberta over so Genie could ask whatever she wanted.

That went on for about fifteen minutes!

However, it was Michael Chaney that sparked talk for me. 

I was sitting beside Roberta at the fire, which Bonnie was stoking again, when Michael arrived.

I'm glad someone said his name, as I never would have known who he was!

I started off talking about the Zoom meetings he'd been part of during the pandemic and he was surprised that I remembered them!

As Reverend Billy Hester had been part of that, too, the conversation segued over to the changes in his ministry at Asbury Memorial. 

He suggested that I might be interested in J.U.S.T., so we had a talk about advocacy and my being active in several social causes... and my absolute refusal to get involved in politics.

I talked about the lack of youth attending the church these days, as they have segregated over to Wesley Oak.

I clearly need to have a heart-to-heart with Billy, don't I?

(smile!)

And, I'm not sure, but that very well may be Bonnie in that photo!

She's the only one sporting ponytails at the party.

Happy birthday my friend!

Thanks for including me at your party!

turning japanese at asbury memorial

"Girlfriend! No you didn't!!! At the church???"

Don't get your panties in a twist. I just wanted to reference the song by The Vapors that I so enjoy! But of course I didn't masturbate there during Wednesday Night Supper. Hold up, I can see you getting in a tizzy! Just calm down. If there has ever been any of that going on there, it certainly hasn't been by me. Better?

"Yes, better. It's just too weird to hear the words "masturbate" and "church" juxtaposed so. I'm not understanding the song choice at all."

Well, it all started with the movie this afternoon. To finish up my AMC A*list, I chose "Little Amelie or The Character Of Rain". All I knew of it was that it was French anime, so I made sure to select the screening with the spoken French. To my surprise, I also was treated to spoken Japanese, as the Belgian family in the story had a stint in Japan. How wonderful!!!

"That does sound very nice."

It was! Amelie is the baby, who believes herself to be a god, since everyone spends their time attending to her needs. When she is two years old, she is further convinced that she is a god, since she can make flowers bloom and rain fall. Hahahaha! I've been saying for decades that every child thinks they are the center of the universe! This delightful movie depicts that so well!

"Hahahaha!"

Even her older siblings, a brother and a sister, kowtow to her needs! Well, until she turns two, then her brother starts teasing her. But its her Grandma that the baby adores. Grandma introduced her to the joy of chocolate!!! Like I said, it truly is a delightful story. But what I liked best was the relationship the child had with the Japanese nanny, Nishio. That's when I recognized that the child's name, Amelie, had something in common with a film festival I attended a decade ago. That had been called "Ame No Hi" -  "A Rainy Day".

"I remember that! A SCAD student had organized it as her departing gift to Savannah! As I recall, it just happened to fall on a very rainy day indeed."

You recall correctly! That had been so much fun! I even learned the Japanese symbol for "Ame" - "rain" - is a window with four diagonal raindrops, one in each pane. Very cool! And the nanny taught the baby how to write her name in Japanese.

"Nice! So, you went out for  French film, but got a Japanese anime along with it. What a great bonus for you!"

Hey, right place, right time, truly. You see, I knew the WNS dinner tonight at Asbury Memorial was to be Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki, a Japanese dish. How splendid to have started my afternoon with that language in my ears!

"Awesome, my girl! And whose company did you share this evening?"

I sat with Pam and Walt again! There was also a couple I didn't know, named Bob and Carol. Naturally I brought up the 1960's movie, "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" - which they knew of but didn't think they'd ever seen. Of course, I have to wonder if that was an inside joke on Bob's part, as he is blind. (smile!) All I can say about the movie is that it had Elliott Gould.

"Wasn't that about swinging couples? That's an odd one to bring up at church."

Hey, train of thought. The two couples at the table with me are both older than I am, and I doubt they have led sheltered lives. No one took umbrage, so no harm. It was, as I said, just part of a train of thought.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time with them tonight and met some new folks."

Me, too! It's so nice to sit with people I know, but part of the reason I go these suppers is to meet new people, too. Hey, let me wrap this up! Rob Lowe's show, "The Floor", is about to come on and I want to see what topics come up this time. Such a lively show! 

stella and tina time, Veterans Day

"I'm actually a little surprised that you didn't say 'Tina Tuesday' instead."

You know that didn't even pop into my head. First and foremost was the thought of how to get some of those free meals I look forward to as a veteran on this special day.

"Ah. But you were still hanging out with the dog, so FOMO was upon you."

Fear of missing out was not "upon me", dearie. Most important was making sure that Dawn and Chris would actually be arriving back in Savannah, and not suffering through the airport delays that have plagued so many during this Trump-inspired government shutdown. So many air traffic controllers have become so disillusioned that they are retiring at the rate of hundreds per day. Yes, they're still showing up, even though they haven't been paid for weeks, but they have taken steps to make sure they won't be caught like that again. Good for them, though it sure is going to interfere with holiday travel later on.

"And their flight proceeded as planned?"

It did, much to the delight of Stella and myself! Bless her heart, she knew something was up this morning, but she didn't know just what. "Change" was coming, she knew that much. I tried to reassure her, but she wasn't having it. I let her have some fun in the sun, but I stayed inside where it was warm. That meant she wasn't out long, but at least she had some of her normal routine.

"And what did you do?"

I wrote in their guest book!!! That's a thing they have everyone do when they stay overnight. How sweet, right? I wrote about sleeping in the "Death Room" with the fossils! I wrote about breakfast on the porch one day, and feeding the fish with Susan and Terry! I wrote about having the reverse of AA and AAA time with the ghouls! I made sure they knew I'd had a little vacation while I was dog-sitting their Stella!

"Oh, that sounds very nice! I know Dawn will love that!"

I do hope so. I also washed my clothes that Coco had slobbered on. Then I took a shower and washed me. Lastly, I washed the dishes I'd used. Then I put my bag of recyclables into my car, as well as the last of the groceries I'd bought. And, as soon as Dawn texted that they were in the car and headed for home from the airport, I loaded up the rest of my stuff and went home, giving Stella one last pet and a few more treats. (smile!) 

"You didn't wait for them to get home??"

Listen, it was already after 5:30 PM, and darkness was well on its way. I knew my house would be freezing, and it was. So I turned on the heat, offloaded the car, and headed out to Cici's Pizza for my free dinner. Hallelujah for Veterans Day!

"Good for you! How long were you there? Where did you go next?"

I was there for almost an hour and a half. I'd have a few slices, then sit a while, enjoying the music of my youth. Then I'd have a couple of slices and repeat. It really was a relaxing time for me, and I got to have so many different types of pizza! My favorite is their pan pizza style - very good!

"And then you went..."

Then I went home. I thought about going to Chili's or Chicken Salad Chick, but, honestly, I was satiated and ready to be at my own house. It had warmed up to 62 by the time I got home.

"Only 62? How cold had it been???"

Oh, it was 53 when I first walked in the door. That was why I was in no hurry to get back, so I stayed a little longer with hot pizza and cool music.  I've already turned on the heated mattress pad, as I know that will take a while to get going. It'll be okay by the time I go to bed. At least Comcast has given me STARZ to watch for free this week! I've already found a 2001 Steve Martin movie to watch. It's called "Novocaine", though it has naught to do with the movie of the same name that Jack Quaid was in this year.

"Wow! A Steve Martin movie! Laura Dern and Helena Bonham Carter, too! That looks like it will be great fun!"

I concur! But here's a little tidbit that makes it even juicier: he plays a dentist!!! LOL! I wonder if he'll be a bad-ass like he was in the 1986 musical I so love? I guess I'll see! Right now, I have the movie cued up and ready to go, so, you know what that means...

"Later!!! Enjoy!"

stella and tina time, Monday

That Stella!

She is such a crazy dog!

She insisted this morning that she gets TWO scoops of food in her morning meal and TWO scoops of food in her evening meal, not TWO scoops for the whole day.

Dawn said to me, "Don't let her con you!", when I told her.

I gave Stella a chewy bone instead of an extra scoop and she was fine with that substitute.

(smile!)

Meanwhile, guess what I found?

An October 2024 special edition of MAD magazine!!!!

I had not noticed it before in the bathroom and was just thrilled!!!

I was even happier when I found that this collection of special bits from past issues had a pristine back page.

Remember, that "fold-in" page - recalled so fondly from my youth - was the inspiration for the design of the first part (dealing with the Representative Elements) of my invention, the tactile Periodic Table For Blind.

The question asked was, "What special spirit seems to inspire today's nutty fashions?"

As this was not my magazine, I could not leave creases at marks "A" and "B", as I would have done in the past.

Instead, I had to carefully move the page so the two marks would align temporarily...

and the answer was revealed!

The smiling face of the Jack O'Lantern, with its orange, peach, and green tones, had been the basis of those harlequin fashions! 

I am just so thrilled to have found this magazine in the house - many thanks, Chris the Koz!

Back to work I then went this afternoon on de-animating the ghouls around me.

I had noticed others in the dining room and the front foyer, so into the "operating room" they went for their battery-ectomy!

For some, I let them have one last hurrah before rendering them lifeless, as I loved their dancing, but none were reprieved.

Now, here they wait on the living room floor for Dawn to put them into bins.

From the walking Frankenstein at the far left to the dancing mariachi man and the trio of prison escape artists on the right, these were added to the list of once-again dead.

Bwah ha ha, my pretties!!!

(smile!)

Then I did something totally out of character for me:

I went outside.

On purpose...

to hang out with other people...

also out there on purpose...

in weather in the low 50's...

just because it was 5 PM.

Susan had showed off the fire pit yesterday and this time we put it to good use!

Not only did Terry stay the whole hour, but so did Ken.

And what did these ex-Northerners talk about?

Ridiculous amounts of snow!
(smile!)

Now, Stella is back inside from her play date with Coco during my hour with the neighbors...

my Red Baron Meat-Lover's Pizza is hot and ready from the oven...

and "Name That Tune" is about to come on.

That'll have to be an adequate substituent for "Music Bingo", as I've had my social time for this Monday and am definitely not leaving this warm house again.

This has certainly been a better day of cold than I had expected, that's for sure!

i thank You, God!