monday or what do you mean, twins?

yep, my nieces are going to stay for a week...15 year old twins. i have no clue anymore about what to do...or even more importantly what not to do!

these are cali girls...hollywood. they've seen every movie out and even some that haven't yet hit the screen. for them, savannah is like one great big period movie set. yeah, i know, marc jacobs has a store here and movies get premiered here, but compared to la...we are really behind the times. now, if they had come during the scad film fest or the savannah music fest...it might have been different! things to do, people to see...you know exciting. . .

the museums, the beach, wandering around town...what else?

any suggestions?

super sunday

yeah, that's right! the euro 2008 is down to the final match in vienna today! spain v. germany at 1430 hrs on abc here in the states. so, i'll be taking a movie/nyt reading/coffee swilling break to watch. my money is riding on spain, in case you're wondering.

~~~~
from bbc:
Spain claimed their first major title for 44 years after winning Euro 2008 with a deserved victory over Germany.

saturday

so have a great weekend! i'm going to have a movie marathon here - all day nothing but chick flicks! starting off with a pancake breakfast and hunt for red october...no idea what will follow that, but i'll update you as the day progresses!

at some point today, i am so going to watch back to school



Diane: Actually, I'd like to join you, but I have class tonight.
Thornton Melon: Oh. How 'bout tomorrow night?
Diane: I have class then, too.
Thornton Melon: I'll tell you what, then. Why don't you call me some time when you have no class?
Diane: [laughs] Alright. Maybe I will.

is it friday already?

once again, i've lost track of time.
or rather, the name of the day. they roll into one another and i am just along for the ride. my refrigerator door is my calendar with email printouts reminding of where i have to be and at what time. right now, there are 4 different appointments hanging there. the first is for a birthday party tomorrow night. a woman i know is turning 50 and has decided to have a luau to celebrate that fact! i don't get the connection, but hey, not my party. anyway, the expected thunder and lightening will provide the fireworks, that's for sure...everything else on my calender is work related and will require a bit more involvement and concentration and sadly, no drinks with umbrellas in them!

i mentioned yesterday about the MITM & #2 son scoring on euro 2008 with spain winning. seems that that scoring also involved money...who knew? yep, the MITM "bet the winner and point spread" and came out well ahead. all friendly wagers and no reportable cash income, in case the irs happens to read this. not that i'm paranoid or anything. . .

friday drive-bys...i'll be back later.

enough!

i feel like the character in love actually the fellow who stands in the mews doing a version of the bob dylan video with cards for keira knightley...point being, i'm done with feeling sorry for myself. enough!

we have a date, he is coming home, things are good and it could have been so much worse. part of my return to the land of the living and sunshine (in between thunderstorms) was just getting over the disappointment, but i did have to acknowledge that the possibility had always existed for delay in his departure, i just found denial far easier to cope with. mr. moose sent a funny video
( http://www.vimeo.com/1211060 ) that made me smile. and all of you, with your kind words joined with our friends here in town saying just the right things (dive: damn, damn, damn! and kathy: well, hell, we'll just have another party when he gets home!)) made me smile. so, thank you, my darlins!

the other thing that really kick started me happened last night...on tv! nova science now absolutely spell binding and humbling. i know, it's a cliché to talk about how small and insignificant we are in the vastness of space, but damn, sometimes we all need the perspective to appreciate the now. (no, i'll not make the obvious joke) anyway, less than a forthnight (yes, i've been rereading jane austen) and the MITM will be back stateside for the rest of the summer. we hope

~~~~~
what a world we live in, quarter past 3 pm here, so it's a quarter past 8pm for the MITM guess what he's doing in deepest, darkest, hottest africa? watching euro2008 - spain v. russia! but it gets better, he's watching the match in a brazilian restaurant with russian expats! even better than that, he got an sms from #2 son who's currently in madrid with his prediction for the final score (3-2 espana)...louis armstrong was right. . . what a wonderful this is!

the game is still afoot. . .

ok, so i had a couple of days to wallow in misery. (too overly dramatic?) i'm ok with it now. well, not really over it but, as i have no control over the situation. . .

but, i am slightly brain dead today, so, this could be my one and only entry today or maybe even the rest of the week, i don't know. this is a small explanation or at least an attempt at one, as to why i skipped the weekend and posted ecards yesterday. or maybe not, as i reread this now...y'all already know....

i counted the chickens before they hatched.

i spent the money before i won the prize.

i left before the fat lady sang.

he won't be home on monday.

it's business, not personal

yesterday

not raining today, but i still feel as if it is. . .

what's the news across the nation?

i'm taking a little break until i know.

midweek madness. . .

never start a countdown unless you're absolutely sure of the results.

because y'all were so good yesterday...

wow, how cool was that? all y'all took the movie meme challenge and left y'all's lists in the comments! i wish there was a way to put them side by side for a sort of comparison.

from captain chaos:

1. One movie that made you laugh: repo man
2. One movie that made you cry: the great santini
3. One movie you loved when you were a child: dumbo
4. One movie you’ve seen more than once: star wars
5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it: annie hall
6. One movie you hated: knocked up
7. One movie that scared you: the shinning
8. One movie that bored you: the kingdom
9. One movie that made you happy: be kind rewind
10. One movie that made you miserable: babel
11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see: Sex in the City
12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with: Vivian Sternwood Rutledge
13. The last movie you saw: the happening
14. The next movie you hope to see: the incredible hulk

That's my list and I'm sticking to it! (and a good list it is, #1!)

and then a new comer to the marshes chazza (welcome, sugar! hope y'all come back soon, ya heah?) left not only her choices, but reasons, too:

One movie that made you laugh:…American Pie (all of them. . I know I’m pretty sad admitting It..lol)

One movie that made you cry:.. Ghost (with every emotion I was a tear bag)

One movie you loved when you were a child:…PeterPan..(glad they did hook some time later..)

One movie you’ve seen more than once:…SaturdayNight Fever (wore the video tape out..)

One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it:…Grease

One movie you hate:…Wizard of Oz (every christmas…every year..noooooooooo)

One movie that scared you:…Birds.. ( I was 12 or 13 when I watched it…never watched it since)

One movie that bored you: ..Blare witch (couldn’t believe we stayed to the end just in case it got better..)

One movie that made you happy: ..Just Desserts. . (all that chocolate..come on. .)

One movie that made you miserable:…Titanic

One movie you weren’t brave enough to see:…Apocalypto. . .(yerr me too…)

One movie character you’ve fallen in love with character:…Dirty Dancing Patrick Swazie..

The last movie you saw:…I cannot remember.. it was some time end of last year..

The next movie you hope to see:…The Happening. . (Looks good. . )

momentary madness aka momo reached way back in the film vaults for his list:

1. One movie that made you laugh: The Passion of Christ.(the Jews did it. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

2. One movie that made you cry: The Champ. (I’m a sap after all)

3. One movie you loved when you were a child: The Tramp

4. One movie you’ve seen more than once The Fisher King.

5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it: Natural Born Killers.

6. One movie you hated: Summer Holiday (Cliff Richard)

7. One movie that scared you: Rosemary’s Baby.

8. One movie that bored you: The Darjeeling Limited

9. One movie that made you happy: Impossible fete

10. One movie that made you miserable: The one when my girlfriend was in the next seat with another guy. (from me: this has to be the best answer so far!)

11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see: Not a Hope in Hell.

12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with: True Romance Patricia Marquette (still in love with her)

13. The last movie you saw: The Darjeeling Limited

14. The next movie you hope to see: No Country for Old Men (when on DVD; anything the Coen brothers touch I’ll watch even if I’m bored like I was with the musical… what a lot of shite, or maybe I was feeling like a lot of shite: happens you know, and next time you think the movie is brilliant. It’s all in the head. (where else would it be)

super nana (who's back blogging again!) joined in with:

1. One movie that made you laugh: clue
2. One movie that made you cry: the great debaters
3. One movie you loved when you were a child: tron
4. One movie you’ve seen more than once: The Great Gatsby
5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it: jerry maguire
6. One movie you hated: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
7. One movie that scared you: The Others
8. One movie that bored you: Dreamgirls
9. One movie that made you happy: Paris Je t'aime
10. One movie that made you miserable: thirteen
11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see: apocalypto
12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with: Lloyd Dobler
13. The last movie you saw: Iron Man
14. The next movie you hope to see: indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull

another list from the other side of the pond came from mago:

1. One movie that made you laugh:
The General

2. One movie that made you cry:
Manhattan

3. One movie you loved when you were a child:
Jungle Book

4. One movie you’ve seen more than once:
Der Malteser Falke / Maltese Falcon

5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it:
Kiss me deadly (Aldrich 1955)

6. One movie you hated:
Paris, Texas (I can not stand this Wenders ...)

7. One movie that scared you:
Nosferatu - Eine Symphonie des Grauens (The original by Murnau 1922)

8. One movie that bored you:
200 motels

9. One movie that made you happy:
Clerks

10. One movie that made you miserable:
Out of contest: Shoa. (After three hours I needed a drink.)

11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see:
Splatter-splitsh-splatsh from mexico, any mondo-shit.

12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with:
Danny Rose

13. The last movie you saw:
Fargo (If I had a shredder ...)

14. The next movie you hope to see:
A light and fluffy one, a screwball comedy.

our man in limerick, bock:

1. One movie that made you laugh:
The Evil Dead

2. One movie that made you cry:
Pokemon

3. One movie you loved when you were a child:
Fistful of Dollars

4. One movie you’ve seen more than once:
Das Boot

5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it:
Under Siege

6. One movie you hated:
Bambi

7. One movie that scared you:
Casablanca

8. One movie that bored you:
There Will Be Blood

9. One movie that made you happy:
Alien

10. One movie that made you miserable:
Madame Butterfly

11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see:
Sex and the City

12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with:
Ripley

13. The last movie you saw:
No Country For Old Men

14. The next movie you hope to see:
Mongol

don't forget to check out dive's entry!

at some point this week, i think jay might post his list on his site. (aside: if you haven't checked jay out, go over there, you'll enjoy it!)

i'm hoping that the doc will share his movie meme.

thanks for playing, m'loverlies and for making me smile this morning!

p.s. mj and anonboxer what can i say, except...

[at the campfire]
Lyle: How 'bout more beans, Mr. Taggart?
Taggart: [fans his hat in the air] I'd say you had enough!

one movie, one movie only, vasily

monday is turning into meme day, thanks to petey-pet!
as you can guess, one movie answer to each question. yeah, i know, almost impossible, but as the guy in the movie said, as you wish! anyway, i know you'll probably have a gazillion answers for each question, but for today, just one, please. as usual, there will be no scores given or prizes awarded! and in my case, no explanations for my choices! ;-)


1. One movie that made you laugh: blazing saddles


2. One movie that made you cry: steel magnolias


3. One movie you loved when you were a child: dumbo


4. One movie you’ve seen more than once: hunt for red october


5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it: alex & emma


6. One movie you hated: evan almighty


7. One movie that scared you: jaws


8. One movie that bored you: traffic


9. One movie that made you happy: the natural


10. One movie that made you miserable: secretary


11. One movie you weren’t brave enough to see: apocalypto


12. One movie character you’ve fallen in love with: captain marko ramius


13. The last movie you saw: the savages


14. The next movie you hope to see: indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull

so, make a list and let me know because you know i won't tag you...bless my heart!

summer of '68

a song for a summer saturday

branford marsalis performed this on his romances for saxaphone cd. here he is with the boston pops orchestra at tanglewood. when fauré wrote this piece it was intended as part of a series of light summer concerts. it's always been a favorite piece of mine.

enjoy your weekend! i'm off to jacksonville, florida for a family party. see you tomorrow or monday. . .

if you're not in the book. . .

today is filled with things to do, or rather, have things done anytime between 8 an and noon. starting with the phone company coming by to rewire a phone jack in the kitchen, a complimentary discussion of landscaping ideas for the back garden area is also on the list. a friend is returning borrowed dvd's before she takes off on vacation (in case the MITM wants to see them while he's home). a package is supposed to be delivered first thing in the morning (or whatever their slogan is). so between the hours of 8am and noon, i am house bound. stuck. immovable. trapped. not that i had any plans anyway, but it's the idea of it all. and it's all confined to a small window in the morning.

ok, i'm just bugged i had to get up early.

i need more coffee.

(and it's friday, the 13th!!)

nothing says summer music like the beach boys. . .





and now in my kitchen...

summer music and birthday parties

a song for the MITM because it's true (17 days)

last night was my mother-in-laws 86th birthday. small dinner party at my sister-in-law's place around the corner. the MITM's mom is an incredible woman. she just retired AGAIN from teaching. i think this time she probably won't look for another part time gig. she just bought a lexus, fully ticked out with a moon window! and signed up at a local gym and already has her summer lined out with activities, as she said, she didn't have time for when she was working! when i left the party, they'd opened the second bottle of champagne (yes, i had a glass before i left) and she was sailing along in all her glory. i can only hope to be as dynamic as she is when i'm 86!

she's a lovely lady and i am most fortunate to have her in my life.

this one is for me. . .

for dr. maroon

oh noooooooo!

mr. bill and mastercard! only in america

lost in a sea of . . .

20 days

music monday

new stuff! check out esperanza

it all started because dive posted a meme about music...list 5 songs that are currently shaping your summer. since he commutes, he listens to his ipod far more than i do mine. i get my music while i'm working from itunes here on my desktop. all of that to say, check out esperanza - i'm buying the cd today! so what am i listening to the most? this week it's si schroeder, daniel lanois, fiona apple, branford marsalis and eddie vedder. yeah, yeah, i know it was supposed to be songs, but that's how i'm rollin right now...

you know who you are!

enjoy your sunday, m'loverlies!

from the pb, esq.

a long hot summer is coming this way

picture by: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

check out this nyt article about dr.john and his new cd about new orleans post katrina. but it's more than just that...(the article has 3 songs from the album) it's his musical questioning of the united states and how far we've strayed. i guess this paragraph from the article sums it up:

Gradually, sorrow turned to resentment and rage. “City That Care Forgot” flings indictments both local and global. “Short version is, we gettin’ mad,” Dr. John sings in “We Gettin’ There,” which gripes about contractors and insurance companies and goes on to tabulate greater costs: “Ask anybody if they know a friend that died from suicide/They gonna say ‘Yeah for a fact.’ ” In the title song, a steadfast slow groove with jabs of bluesy guitar from Eric Clapton, Dr. John sings, “Better get used to that fonky smell/Toxic mold under the fresh paint.” And in the gospel-flavored “Promises, Promises,” on which he shares vocals with Willie Nelson, he sings, “The road to the White House is paved with lies.”

i hope he's wrong and that this time, things will be better.

~~~~~~
afternoon

got a call from the MITM's mom. she'd been watching a local show about preparations for the upcoming hurricane. not that one is on the immediate horizon, but the season has started and it could happen. her first words were, "what are we going to do? do we have plans?" my response was,"about what?" she was not amused. after she told me about the program and chastised me for my cavalier attitude (which, i must add, it was not). i told her that i did, in fact, have a plan of action. in fact, i had 2! 1 in case we had to evacuate - we leave! and the second, if wasn't severe, was that she would come downtown and stay here. we're on higher ground and marginally safer being in the city center. that seemed to calm her, but it did leave me thinking... why did we move from earthquake central to hurricane central?

i think it's time to go out and party!

there is no friday post

into the night

i can't sleep.
i'm tired.
but i can't fall asleep.

i need a meme!

or maybe,


just a small glass of the MITM's lovely port.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MITM!



~~~~~~
update:
the MITM asked me to thank all of you for your good wishes on his birthday! being in deepest, darkest, hottest africa with a really slow connection didn't allow him to post his thanks himself! and a special thanks from me to all of you for making the MITM smile while he's so far from home! xoxo all y'all are delish!!

the next president of these united states, baby!

there will be far more articulate voices talking about barack obama, but i have to add my few words about how joyful i felt watching him last night! his words:

"Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another -- a journey that will bring a new and better day to America"

were stirring and compelling! i can only hope that he will continue in his forward looking political philosophy and not succumb to pressures to take up the past policies of the democratic party by awarding any positions as political favors. i firmly believe there is a wealth of talent in the party to find a strong and suitable vice-presidential candidate who will strengthen and compliment his ability to gain the white house in november and defeat senator mccain.

~~~~~~~
maureen dowd has one of the best op-ed pieces today! i can only hope someone reads it!

i got nuttin

yep, work, work, work, work, work ... work

there isn't a creative thought in my head.

and what's even worse...i'm on the phone with a government agency



i'll be back later...talk amongst yourselves

~~~~~
so, that's done. i still have some stuff to do, but i need a mental break. random stuff in the news today...gotta love the nyt online:
it's not so easy being less rich

cheney apologizing for his "inbreeding" joke...hey, west virginia this is what they REALLY think about you! cnn online has a video of his speech and apology, but hey...

i've got more, but i'm pacing myself today...

today is driveby blogging.

~~~~~~
is anyone else having problems with the "recent comments" widget?

~~~~~~~~
HOW INCREDIBLE WAS BARAKA OBAMA'S SPEECH TONIGHT???? can we talk about being gracious in victory? he raised the bar with his speech and set the democratic tone for the presidential campaign. i haven't felt this hopeful for my country in a long time. we, the people, have spoken and it's on to november 4th and the election of a democratic president of the united states of america!

i really was up early

i wasn't sure what i was going to write about today. woke up with HUGE hair and grumpy and generally dissatisfied with things. for someone who doesn't have the excuse "ok, it's monday, i hate going to work" i take my whining where i can get it, so bear with me. i mean, not even coffee was doing it for me! but now i'm rambling and i just got started, soooo anyway, here's what happened: cellphone sms tone - it's the MITM! i was to call him back ASAP! well, my day suddenly got put in perspective. he'd been trying to message me since last night and none of them had gotten through and he was worried. so, there he was in deepest, darkest, hottest africa with no link to the outside world after a horrible day and then, today is equally as difficult! so, i listened to him rant and rave (all the while reciting, to myself, my mantra: "it's not my fault, it's not my fault"). y'all have read about enough of his experiences here to know, it ain't easy where he is.

AND, then i got a call from super nana...another one having a tough time. she has to go to a funeral service today. the mom of one of her seniors died recently at age 51. it's been a tough year at her school. a young teacher died, incidents with students off campus...the all too familiar litany of events in high schools today seemed to happen almost weekly. not to mention just being a teacher here in the states (don't get me started on "no child left behind")! but, back to the service. for all its immensity as a city, los angeles is just a series of small villages connected by asphalt, so major events in one village happen at the same places. yep, the funeral home and the cemetery are the same places were services for all of our deceased family members were held. so, memories are there. at her age, i know it's there: this could be my mother or my dad. what do you tell your adult child that they don't already know? this is the natural progression of life? don't worry, dad & i are fine? or do what i did, just say, it's tough to grow up, babe, i'm still trying to. i look at the MITM's mom (she lives here in town). she's 86 years old and JUST retired AGAIN from teaching! i can't imagine her not being around and know that it's a blessing that she still is as vibrant and vital as she is given her age.

(don't give up, there is a point to all this rambling)

a few years back, the MITM did a documentary in a far off place and took mr. moose along as his soundman. the place where they were was yet another war zone that had should never have happened and still isn't really settled, but i digress. enough to say, it wasn't a tour of disneyland. communications were spotty and if you watched/listened/read the news anxiety and panic were constant companions. once they finally left the area and were back in the land of stable communications, mr. moose sent out an email that summed it up for me: be thankful for indoor plumbing and cold beer. sound trite? well, take a moment and consider the larger ramifications of those 2 small things and then you'll understand how much we take for granted. yeah, no matter what, we are fortunate.

today i'm going to try and remember that.

make some music

go check out mr.moose. a slice of americana...as in, e pluribus unum