This week's prompt is "invite to dinner". Who have I found in my family tree that I would like to invite to dinner? She didn't say if it was limited to one person so I might have a loophole!
I have a few people I am so curious about and have very little information on, so I am going to go with them.
First up! We have my 3rd great grand father who was a carpenter and was found stabbed to death at the age of 42. He left his 30 year old wife behind and 4 small children, including an infant. I have called the county library where he died to find records and they have only what I already know. So I searched out the local newspapers and lo and behold, there was a fire and the records from that time period are lost. I have tried searching through his siblings to see if there are any letters, any mentions of him and his children in wills, and all to no avail. Yes, I would love to have dinner with him and see what really happened.
And remember the axe-murdering ancestors I mentioned earlier? Maybe their mother would be a good one to have to dinner.
I have a great grandmother and a great grandfather from the same era, both of whom had their mothers die when they were infants and were raised by an aunt and a grandmother, respectively. Those 2 mamas who died after birthing their babes were really only babies themselves being 15 and 16 years of age when they married, gave birth and died. Talk about someone who has no records to follow! I would love to talk with them and hear their hopes, and dreams. What a tragedy to die so very young and not really to have lived at all. The only consolation I see in this is that they both fell in love and were able to leave a legacy with their babies.
It is my firm belief that every single person has a great story. Someone just needs to ask them to tell it. And dinner with these 4 seems like some fabulous conversation.
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Friday, January 26, 2018
Thursday, January 18, 2018
52 Ancestor in 52 Weeks - week 3
This week's prompt is longevity. Like the longest-lived person on your tree or how long you have been doing genealogy, that sort of thing.
The only interesting thing I could come up with for this topic is that I have one branch I have followed and fleshed-out (disclaimer here: all my work is to be considered a work in progress) that goes back to early 1500s England. That's Henry VIII time, people. I had to let that sink in for a while.
This makes them my 14th great grand parents. Boggles the mind it does. And here's the thing about ancestry; as much as this excites me to find these things it is no where NEAR as interesting as those that are 4 generations back that I can find absolutely nothing on. That kind of mystery is really something that draws me in. When someone appears in my tree with the marriage to someone I already have and then after 2 census records drops dead with NO HINTS as to previous life and where they came from, now that is why I do this. To find the previously un-find-able.
But the longevity thing is nothing to be sneezed at. I had a British friend here visiting last week and she said her DNA showed she shares DNA with 40% British while mine is 68% combining England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. I know I have a lot of work to do to confirm everything I have on my tree. Let's hope I live long enough to do it all! (See what I did there? I hope I have the longevity.)
The only interesting thing I could come up with for this topic is that I have one branch I have followed and fleshed-out (disclaimer here: all my work is to be considered a work in progress) that goes back to early 1500s England. That's Henry VIII time, people. I had to let that sink in for a while.
This makes them my 14th great grand parents. Boggles the mind it does. And here's the thing about ancestry; as much as this excites me to find these things it is no where NEAR as interesting as those that are 4 generations back that I can find absolutely nothing on. That kind of mystery is really something that draws me in. When someone appears in my tree with the marriage to someone I already have and then after 2 census records drops dead with NO HINTS as to previous life and where they came from, now that is why I do this. To find the previously un-find-able.
But the longevity thing is nothing to be sneezed at. I had a British friend here visiting last week and she said her DNA showed she shares DNA with 40% British while mine is 68% combining England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. I know I have a lot of work to do to confirm everything I have on my tree. Let's hope I live long enough to do it all! (See what I did there? I hope I have the longevity.)
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Let's take a walk down memory lane
The other day my daughter the fabulous Rachel Pie was here and as she is studying Chinese medicine and acupuncture she was working on me. The next day we were heading out and about and I pulled out a winter pair of shoes that are kind of a stone colored suede Earth shoes to wear. That evening I noticed that my arthritis in my knee was much better and whether to attribute that to my acupuncture treatment or to the wearing of the Earth shoes I did not know. Maybe both?
That got me to thinking maybe I need more Earth shoes in my closet, not just the suede winter ones. I used to have a fabulous pair of red Earth shoes that I wore constantly but one of my asshole dogs chewed on one and ruined them and out they went. So I looked online to see if Earth shoes has something nice, cute, and available. Which led me down some rabbit holes of 1970s footwear. Which I am about to share with you!
And now, let's take that walk down memory lane and see if you remember these beauties:
First up, the ever popular desert boot or Chuka boot as we called them. They STILL make these things!!
Then the tennis shoes that were also jogging shoes, basketball shoes, track shoes, pretty much anything athletic you did you did in these. Whether they were Converse or PF Flyers this was the shoe. I had red ones that I put purple laces in and I wore them to marching band practice for YEARS. I kept those shoes until just a few years ago. Loved those shoes.
And then came Candie's. Iconic shoe right there.
Jellies!!! I loved my jellies! Mine were root beer colored, not regular clear. Lord, I loved those shoes.
Now, I would have never been caught dead in this shoe. But my mother wore the hell out of these in many different colors. Grasshoppers.
And who remembers shopping at Thom McCann? Might have been one of the first mall stores I shopped at, along with Casual Corner and the 5 7 9 shop.
Check out these wooden platforms! You know you had a pair.
When I was in high school some of my best friends worked at Kinney Shoes together and we went in there all the time. Kinney Shoes. I wonder when that quit being a thing?
Yoyos!!!! Do you remember Yoyo shoes? I swear I had these shoes right there.
And here they are, the original Earth shoe. Most people considered these ugly. I looked at these and thought "OMG, there is a shoe shaped like my foot! It might feel good! It might not even pinch or hurt or be uncomfortable." I have been in love with the Earth shoes ever since.
Famolares!!!! Such a ridiculous concept that we all bought in to. Wavy shoe bottoms, what the hell were they thinking!
Here's a nice platform shoe. If you are a 1970s pimp, maybe.
And even more decorative platforms.
It was an interesting time in footwear, wasn't it? Makes me wonder which of today's choices will be laughed at in 20 or 30 years time.
Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!
That got me to thinking maybe I need more Earth shoes in my closet, not just the suede winter ones. I used to have a fabulous pair of red Earth shoes that I wore constantly but one of my asshole dogs chewed on one and ruined them and out they went. So I looked online to see if Earth shoes has something nice, cute, and available. Which led me down some rabbit holes of 1970s footwear. Which I am about to share with you!
And now, let's take that walk down memory lane and see if you remember these beauties:
First up, the ever popular desert boot or Chuka boot as we called them. They STILL make these things!!
Then the tennis shoes that were also jogging shoes, basketball shoes, track shoes, pretty much anything athletic you did you did in these. Whether they were Converse or PF Flyers this was the shoe. I had red ones that I put purple laces in and I wore them to marching band practice for YEARS. I kept those shoes until just a few years ago. Loved those shoes.
And then came Candie's. Iconic shoe right there.
Jellies!!! I loved my jellies! Mine were root beer colored, not regular clear. Lord, I loved those shoes.
Now, I would have never been caught dead in this shoe. But my mother wore the hell out of these in many different colors. Grasshoppers.
And who remembers shopping at Thom McCann? Might have been one of the first mall stores I shopped at, along with Casual Corner and the 5 7 9 shop.
Check out these wooden platforms! You know you had a pair.
When I was in high school some of my best friends worked at Kinney Shoes together and we went in there all the time. Kinney Shoes. I wonder when that quit being a thing?
Yoyos!!!! Do you remember Yoyo shoes? I swear I had these shoes right there.
And here they are, the original Earth shoe. Most people considered these ugly. I looked at these and thought "OMG, there is a shoe shaped like my foot! It might feel good! It might not even pinch or hurt or be uncomfortable." I have been in love with the Earth shoes ever since.
Famolares!!!! Such a ridiculous concept that we all bought in to. Wavy shoe bottoms, what the hell were they thinking!
Here's a nice platform shoe. If you are a 1970s pimp, maybe.
And even more decorative platforms.
It was an interesting time in footwear, wasn't it? Makes me wonder which of today's choices will be laughed at in 20 or 30 years time.
Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Random thoughts
I have had so many different things swirling in my head that I thought I would get some of them down in black and white. Here goes!
1. My son has a lovely girlfriend who has 2 little boys, so they are like my almost-grandchildren. I went and picked up the 5 year old and spent the weekend with him. He had finished kindergarten on Friday and had his very first graduation. We played Legos, colored, drew pictures, read books, swam, counted fireflies, and made homemade ice cream.
1. My son has a lovely girlfriend who has 2 little boys, so they are like my almost-grandchildren. I went and picked up the 5 year old and spent the weekend with him. He had finished kindergarten on Friday and had his very first graduation. We played Legos, colored, drew pictures, read books, swam, counted fireflies, and made homemade ice cream.
It was a pretty perfect weekend, actually.
2. This whole debate in social media about the child who climbed into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and the gorilla was shot and killed is horrific. Everyone is vilifying the mother of the child. From the accounts I have read BOTH parents were there, why are we blaming just one? I don't like the blaming and judging that goes on from women on other women and their parenting. We are all guilty of it. My first thought was "why did the mom allow her child out of her sight?" I took a step back and can see all sorts of judgment and blaming in my own mind. It's a fucking tragedy with enough responsibility to be spread around. Let's hope all the parents who know of this will now educate their children on how to act appropriately in a zoo setting, and that the zoo officials will find more ways to keep the animals safe from this happening again.
3. While thinking about this zoo/gorilla/parenting debacle I have been going over and over in my mind how would I have acted. What would I have done differently so that my kids would not end up in that life threatening situation? I don't know. I do know that I was really strict and clear about what behaviors were appropriate in public venues. I see friends and family who parent differently than I do/did and I try not to compare. But we all want to justify and validate our own decisions so some comparisons are going to happen. My hard and fast rule with little ones was always if I am not touching you or holding your hand we have to be able to see each other's faces. If you can't see my face you are too far away. I think for me this came from living in a city on the border where we were told on the news damn near weekly about children being abducted from under your nose and taken across the border before you could blink. So a fair amount of paranoia and fear were at play here. I hope like hell that my kids don't feel scarred and smothered by this. They haven't ever said so and they are both pretty great and well-adjusted adult people now. That's the thing with parenting, you really just have to go with your gut and good intentions and hope that the love and care come through.
4. Are any of you watching Outlander on Starz? Season 2 has been confusing me mightily so I have started reading the books. I am now on book 2 which seems to be different than the show. Jamie is fantastic, both in the books and the show. Why Claire would think twice about that dry, boring Frank especially knowing his psychopath great grand relative Black Jack is beyond me. But Claire does bug, irk and annoy me.
5. And while on the Scotland topic I am doing more and more research on Ancestry.com. And Scotland and Ireland are both difficult countries to do deep research on. I need to get more details on names, locations and dates so that I can plan a trip to see what all I can find. I am more than a little afraid that I will get to Scotland or Ireland and never want to return. It does call to me.
6. After getting my DNA done on Ancestry I came up with a vision of a tattoo I would love to get. I keep picturing it in my head of what the components are and how to do it. Then I get on Pinterest and what do I find? A whole bunch of people have come up with similar visions! WTH??? I was so thoughtful on what I imagined as a very original idea. Good Lord. Now I am unsure about it. I don't want it to be what everyone else has since I may be chicken and it could very well be my one and only tattoo.
7. It's been a month since my good and dear friend Jon died. It seems like yesterday. The pain and grief are still so very fresh and my feelings so raw. I need to find a positive way to honor him and deal with my sadness. Any ideas?
That's it for now. This is my closing thought.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Reading
I just finished a fantastic book. And since I am always on the lookout for new reading material I thought I might share with you in case you are doing the same.
This is the 3rd of her memoir books. And let me just say that if I had Mary Karr's gift of stringing words one after the other and creating the most amazing mental pictures I would die happy. So many times I read a book/article/poem/whatever and nothing, no emotional response. But Mary Karr's work? Well, that is something else entirely.
Here is what the cover of her first book looks like:
The one in the middle between these two chronologically is called "Cherry". Also amazing.
There are very few writers who by their very words can reach in and touch your heart. There are even fewer who grab your heart and twist it into pieces and rearrange it in a way you never knew was possible. Mary Karr is one. Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood also do this for me.
If you are not familiar with these books, take my recommendation and give Liar's Club a try and work your way through to Lit. Then come back and thank me. I sincerely hope you enjoy her books.
This is the 3rd of her memoir books. And let me just say that if I had Mary Karr's gift of stringing words one after the other and creating the most amazing mental pictures I would die happy. So many times I read a book/article/poem/whatever and nothing, no emotional response. But Mary Karr's work? Well, that is something else entirely.
Here is what the cover of her first book looks like:
The one in the middle between these two chronologically is called "Cherry". Also amazing.
There are very few writers who by their very words can reach in and touch your heart. There are even fewer who grab your heart and twist it into pieces and rearrange it in a way you never knew was possible. Mary Karr is one. Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood also do this for me.
If you are not familiar with these books, take my recommendation and give Liar's Club a try and work your way through to Lit. Then come back and thank me. I sincerely hope you enjoy her books.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Quilts!
I saw a banner hanging across the road that was announcing the local Quilt Guild annual quilt show. And it was this weekend. So I went!
I was so excited by the cover photo on their website showing the quilt they are raffling off. Check this out:
Now tell me you wouldn't want to win that beauty. Gorgeous. So much applique and gorgeous quilting. It was perfection.
They gave me a program with a little ballot to fill in with the number of the quilt that I think deserves to win the Best In Show prize. And I wandered and wandered through the area with all the quilts up for the award. My God in heaven, there must have been close to 1,000 quilts of all sizes, shapes, colors, etc. I was about halfway through when I saw people taking pictures. So I started taking some photos of some of these exquisite works of art. Here you go! Enjoy!
Look at that! Wizard, space and extraordinary color squares! Just gorgeous.
And would you look at this! It looks exactly like those crocheted hot pad things I make with the metal bottle caps!
Here's a close up view of the little hexagons and the quilting.
Look at the quilted Aztec calendar!!
Good Lord, will you look at those colors! Just spectacular.
The ABCs of winter in quilt form. Could you just die from the sweetness?
This one is like the drawing that goes from fishes to flying ducks above. Very clever.
Would you just look at the quilting on this beauty?
This sunflower quilt was about as big as a wall. HUGE! And vibrant and beautiful.
The next couple of quilts are from 1930. Depression era creativity.
This thing was so 3D that I had to walk up to it and walk away and keep looking at it to see that the flowers were appliqued on a thin piece of netting overlayed on the quilt and it truly was 3 dimensional. Just breath-taking.
Can you even believe the loveliness here? I couldn't. It was like looking at a Tiffany glass window.
This quilt was HUGE. Just HUGE. And those squares were about 1/2 inch square. Teensy tiny little things. I would have gone blind just trying to cut so many different fabrics that size. Amazing.
This is the 12 Days of Christmas. Just beautiful.
And which one did I choose for my personal pick of the Best in Show? This one. Although they were all winners in my book.
I was so excited by the cover photo on their website showing the quilt they are raffling off. Check this out:
Now tell me you wouldn't want to win that beauty. Gorgeous. So much applique and gorgeous quilting. It was perfection.
They gave me a program with a little ballot to fill in with the number of the quilt that I think deserves to win the Best In Show prize. And I wandered and wandered through the area with all the quilts up for the award. My God in heaven, there must have been close to 1,000 quilts of all sizes, shapes, colors, etc. I was about halfway through when I saw people taking pictures. So I started taking some photos of some of these exquisite works of art. Here you go! Enjoy!
Look at that! Wizard, space and extraordinary color squares! Just gorgeous.
And would you look at this! It looks exactly like those crocheted hot pad things I make with the metal bottle caps!
Here's a close up view of the little hexagons and the quilting.
Look at the quilted Aztec calendar!!
Good Lord, will you look at those colors! Just spectacular.
The ABCs of winter in quilt form. Could you just die from the sweetness?
This one is like the drawing that goes from fishes to flying ducks above. Very clever.
Would you just look at the quilting on this beauty?
This sunflower quilt was about as big as a wall. HUGE! And vibrant and beautiful.
The next couple of quilts are from 1930. Depression era creativity.
This thing was so 3D that I had to walk up to it and walk away and keep looking at it to see that the flowers were appliqued on a thin piece of netting overlayed on the quilt and it truly was 3 dimensional. Just breath-taking.
Can you even believe the loveliness here? I couldn't. It was like looking at a Tiffany glass window.
This quilt was HUGE. Just HUGE. And those squares were about 1/2 inch square. Teensy tiny little things. I would have gone blind just trying to cut so many different fabrics that size. Amazing.
This is the 12 Days of Christmas. Just beautiful.
And which one did I choose for my personal pick of the Best in Show? This one. Although they were all winners in my book.
This is the tag that accompanied my choice for the winner. SIX YEARS TO COMPLETE !!! Can you stand it? 6200 pieces of fabric all hand sewn.
Right now I am eagerly sitting by my phone waiting for them to call and say I have won the raffle quilt. I think I might just quit holding my breath. : )
But it was a lovely afternoon seeing all these amazing works of art. Can you even imagine how many millions of hours of work went in to them? I am just gobsmacked.
I can only aspire to doing work this good. My quilts so far are much more utilitarian looking and not so museum-quality.
How about you? Do you love the quilts?
Oh! And I was good. There were strict rules about not touching any of the quilts. And I didn't. I was very careful to not touch even though there were a few that were begging to be caressed. Like the one made from teeny little marquis diamond shapes cut from 100% silk ties (men's neck ties) and had a burgundy wine colored silk velvet backing. Oh my God!!! It was amazing. I don't have a photo of it because I had to hurry and back away before I wrapped myself in it's luxuriousness.
An afternoon well spent, wouldn't you say?
Monday, September 14, 2015
Random Musings
The Random Musings posts are the easiest for me because this is how my brain works, popping from one thought to the next with no regard for connectivity. Here goes!!
Last night I was in bed getting ready tofall asleep play games on my Kindle and Mr. Big Ed was already fast asleep as he goes to bed about 4 hours ahead of me. When all the sudden he started jerking, moving and making sounds (reminds of me how a dog barks and runs in their sleep) and then he kicked me! He KICKED me!! AND DID IT AGAIN! I started trying to wake him up and said "Hey, you are kicking me!" And in his dream fog he replied back "Yeah, I know. I was trying to kick the zombies".
Huh? Zombies?
That was quite the unexpected end to my day! Can't wait to talk to him about this over dinner and see if he remembers any of it.
A few days ago it was one of my sister's birthday. She was turning the Big 5-0. I did that just a few years ago my own self and wanted to come up with something fun to mark the occasion for her. So I turned to my friend Google, and speaking of Google let me say this: I do NOT like the new Google logo thing. But back to the Googling adventure. I asked Google about what products were put on the market the same year that she was born, 1965 and got a nice long list of really fun things. Then I set about trying to find some of them.
Here's what I got:
The Sound of Music - they had a 50th anniversary edition available
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella - similar 50th anniversary edition
Mattel's See n Say, the Farmer says - This was a reproduction and it was the very first toy she was ever given as a Christmas gift so I was really happy to find one.
Operation Game - vintage with all the parts, money, even the original rubber band.
Mystery Date - reproduction of the original.
Spirograph - Be still my heart! I loved the Spirograph so much!!! This is an original one with everything still in the box minus the green pen.
Barrel O Monkeys - old, vintage, original. Cute!
Spaghetti-Os - brand new can
Honeycomb Cereal - of course, new.
I found really fun brightly colored striped and polka-dotted giftwrap papers and wrapped them and set them out in a big pile in my family room because she happened to be in town this weekend. She and her friend and friend's son all came over for dinner last night and I had her open them and try to figure out the connection between all these things. I think the "50th Anniversary edition" on the damn DVDs gave it away but it was still lots of fun and I hope she likes them.
AND we broke out the Mystery Date game and played. That was lots of fun. We had dinner and I made a birthday cake which we were all too full to really enjoy.
This is the week leading up to the premiere of the new season of Doctor Who. The 52nd season as a matter of fact. And months ago they announced that there would be a showing of the first episode for this season in the movie theaters. They did this last year and I got tickets and we all went dressed in our best Doctor Who outfits. So the minute I saw this was happening again this year I snagged 2 tickets. I have been beside myself about this ever since!
Until last week when I watched the trailer about the theater showing and see that it is actually going to be THE LAST EPISODE FROM LAST SEASON with a "special preview" of the upcoming episode. WTF??
Are they kidding me? What complete ass whistles. That was a really crappy thing to do. And guess what? The new season starts this coming Saturday. And this coming Saturday I will be at my mama's house at a family birthday party for my sister. The one who was here.
Well, sonofabitch. Now, not only do I NOT get to see the episode beforehand in the theater in 3D, but I also don't get to watch it on Saturday with the rest of the world. I will get to watch it off the DVR much later then everyone else. Goddammit.
In other news, fall is shaping up to be absolutely gorgeous around here. The sky is such a beautiful shade of blue, the birds and other critters seem quite happy. And I have started decorating for fall/Halloween/Days of the Dead. By decorating I mean I have hung Days of the Dead wreaths on my front doors and put out a package of Pumpkin Spice Kisses and some Halloween flavored Peeps. But it's a start!
Hope your fall or spring depending on your hemisphere is shaping up nicely!
Last night I was in bed getting ready to
Huh? Zombies?
That was quite the unexpected end to my day! Can't wait to talk to him about this over dinner and see if he remembers any of it.
A few days ago it was one of my sister's birthday. She was turning the Big 5-0. I did that just a few years ago my own self and wanted to come up with something fun to mark the occasion for her. So I turned to my friend Google, and speaking of Google let me say this: I do NOT like the new Google logo thing. But back to the Googling adventure. I asked Google about what products were put on the market the same year that she was born, 1965 and got a nice long list of really fun things. Then I set about trying to find some of them.
Here's what I got:
The Sound of Music - they had a 50th anniversary edition available
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella - similar 50th anniversary edition
Mattel's See n Say, the Farmer says - This was a reproduction and it was the very first toy she was ever given as a Christmas gift so I was really happy to find one.
Operation Game - vintage with all the parts, money, even the original rubber band.
Mystery Date - reproduction of the original.
Spirograph - Be still my heart! I loved the Spirograph so much!!! This is an original one with everything still in the box minus the green pen.
Barrel O Monkeys - old, vintage, original. Cute!
Spaghetti-Os - brand new can
Honeycomb Cereal - of course, new.
I found really fun brightly colored striped and polka-dotted giftwrap papers and wrapped them and set them out in a big pile in my family room because she happened to be in town this weekend. She and her friend and friend's son all came over for dinner last night and I had her open them and try to figure out the connection between all these things. I think the "50th Anniversary edition" on the damn DVDs gave it away but it was still lots of fun and I hope she likes them.
AND we broke out the Mystery Date game and played. That was lots of fun. We had dinner and I made a birthday cake which we were all too full to really enjoy.
This is the week leading up to the premiere of the new season of Doctor Who. The 52nd season as a matter of fact. And months ago they announced that there would be a showing of the first episode for this season in the movie theaters. They did this last year and I got tickets and we all went dressed in our best Doctor Who outfits. So the minute I saw this was happening again this year I snagged 2 tickets. I have been beside myself about this ever since!
Until last week when I watched the trailer about the theater showing and see that it is actually going to be THE LAST EPISODE FROM LAST SEASON with a "special preview" of the upcoming episode. WTF??
Are they kidding me? What complete ass whistles. That was a really crappy thing to do. And guess what? The new season starts this coming Saturday. And this coming Saturday I will be at my mama's house at a family birthday party for my sister. The one who was here.
Well, sonofabitch. Now, not only do I NOT get to see the episode beforehand in the theater in 3D, but I also don't get to watch it on Saturday with the rest of the world. I will get to watch it off the DVR much later then everyone else. Goddammit.
In other news, fall is shaping up to be absolutely gorgeous around here. The sky is such a beautiful shade of blue, the birds and other critters seem quite happy. And I have started decorating for fall/Halloween/Days of the Dead. By decorating I mean I have hung Days of the Dead wreaths on my front doors and put out a package of Pumpkin Spice Kisses and some Halloween flavored Peeps. But it's a start!
Hope your fall or spring depending on your hemisphere is shaping up nicely!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Starbuck's Simpsons encounter
So I go into my local Starbuck's as you do and ordered by Veinte sized Iced Passion Tea non-sweet. The perfect drink to keep you hydrated on these hot horrible droughty days.
The barista grabs my cup, asks my name and starts to write. When I answered Lisa, she started singing this song.
I loved this episode of the Simpsons so much! The barista and I both laughed and she went on singing and I left her a bigger tip. : )
The barista grabs my cup, asks my name and starts to write. When I answered Lisa, she started singing this song.
I loved this episode of the Simpsons so much! The barista and I both laughed and she went on singing and I left her a bigger tip. : )
Sunday, April 15, 2012
I'm back and flitting from topic to topic. Do try to keep up!
Hey, it has been a while. I was on a pretty impromptu roadtrip with my sister so that was fun. We sang along with Adele and the Backstreet Boys, because that is how we roll. Ha!
So, today is 100 years since the Titanic sank and in honor of that the History Channel is showing a fabulous memorial tonight with lots of never before seen due to new technology just now finding it kind of stuff. For those of us that are obsessed with Titanic and all the horrific sadness, this is a goldmine. Be sure to set your dvr or tivo to record this bit of history.
Also, in t.v. update news! Are y'all watching anything right now? Let me tell you what all is on my dvr.
The Borgias - Showtime channel, fabulous series about the infamous family that ran the Vatican and Rome. And you have to know anytime you can have Jeremy Irons playing someone evil it is gonna be good.
The Big C - Also on Showtime. I think this is the 3rd season of this wonderful, thoughtful series starring Laura Linney and Oliver Platt.
Nurse Jackie - Showtime, yet again. Showtime has some great series. If you don't get this channel, why the hell not?
Game of Thrones - HBO - o.m.g.!!! Watch it.
Eastbound and Down - HBO, Kenny Powers with a mullet!
Top Shot - History Channel, Colby Donaldson, cool guns, nice looking men, really cool blowing up of stuff, and Colby Donaldson, enough said.
Modern Family - ABC, Best. Flipping. Show. Ever.
Survivor - CBS. What is more fun than watching idiots trust the wrong people and disaster ensues?
Amazing Race - CBS. See above comment about Survivor.
Real Time with Bill Maher - HBO, I can not go more than a week without seeing his New Rules at the end of the show. Awesome.
Jeopardy! - CBS. Love Jeopardy! and I also love yelling "Can it, Trebek! or Suck it, Trebek! or It's HUN-DRED you morons, NOT HUNNERD!" They may be able to pass the Jeopardy online quiz but they still can't pronounce hundred. Idiots.
I can't think of what else my dvr records for me. Sparky also has his shows recording, like Aqua Teen Hungerforce, Family Guy, Metalocolypse. When they are on we don't miss It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League. Those are both on FX.
Oh! Also we watch (although this will be the final season coming up) Breaking Bad on AMC.
Quick! Changing subjects.
Someone, I don't know who, recommended the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy to me. Whoever it was, obviously doesn't know me. I barely made it through book one.
It is such trite crap I could NOT believe it got greenlighted, or green lit or was given the thumbs up. Holy Moly, is it bad!
Please don't be taken in by the hype or the fact that book one has already been optioned for a movie. I can not even imagine how they will make this be not a boring, repetitive piece of porno trash.
There are not enough descriptive words to tell you how much I hated all the characters. The female lead was so fucking annoying and stupid I couldn't even believe it. The male lead? Warped, controlling, and so strange it defied all logic that she would be soooo attracted to him that all her common sense would go right out the window.
What I'm saying is unless you are looking for s&m bondage porn laced with the worst and most repetitive dialogue, you don't want to bother with this piece of crap.
Did you try the brown rice crusted quiche recipe yet? Please do. I am sure you will like it.
What else has been going on around here that I wanted to talk about?
Oh! I know what I have been trying to remember to tell you about!
Have you seen this ad?
I was watching this and thought to myself, "Self, if they took a whole shirt and made a dickie out of the top part, this is what is left over."
IT'S A DICKIE FOR YOUR ASS!
Where do they come up with this stuff? And why, oh why, are we gullible enough to buy it?
Trendy Top, indeed.
Have a great day and I will be here to discuss some more ancestry.com findings in the next few days!
So, today is 100 years since the Titanic sank and in honor of that the History Channel is showing a fabulous memorial tonight with lots of never before seen due to new technology just now finding it kind of stuff. For those of us that are obsessed with Titanic and all the horrific sadness, this is a goldmine. Be sure to set your dvr or tivo to record this bit of history.
Also, in t.v. update news! Are y'all watching anything right now? Let me tell you what all is on my dvr.
The Borgias - Showtime channel, fabulous series about the infamous family that ran the Vatican and Rome. And you have to know anytime you can have Jeremy Irons playing someone evil it is gonna be good.
The Big C - Also on Showtime. I think this is the 3rd season of this wonderful, thoughtful series starring Laura Linney and Oliver Platt.
Nurse Jackie - Showtime, yet again. Showtime has some great series. If you don't get this channel, why the hell not?
Game of Thrones - HBO - o.m.g.!!! Watch it.
Eastbound and Down - HBO, Kenny Powers with a mullet!
Top Shot - History Channel, Colby Donaldson, cool guns, nice looking men, really cool blowing up of stuff, and Colby Donaldson, enough said.
Modern Family - ABC, Best. Flipping. Show. Ever.
Survivor - CBS. What is more fun than watching idiots trust the wrong people and disaster ensues?
Amazing Race - CBS. See above comment about Survivor.
Real Time with Bill Maher - HBO, I can not go more than a week without seeing his New Rules at the end of the show. Awesome.
Jeopardy! - CBS. Love Jeopardy! and I also love yelling "Can it, Trebek! or Suck it, Trebek! or It's HUN-DRED you morons, NOT HUNNERD!" They may be able to pass the Jeopardy online quiz but they still can't pronounce hundred. Idiots.
I can't think of what else my dvr records for me. Sparky also has his shows recording, like Aqua Teen Hungerforce, Family Guy, Metalocolypse. When they are on we don't miss It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League. Those are both on FX.
Oh! Also we watch (although this will be the final season coming up) Breaking Bad on AMC.
Quick! Changing subjects.
Someone, I don't know who, recommended the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy to me. Whoever it was, obviously doesn't know me. I barely made it through book one.
It is such trite crap I could NOT believe it got greenlighted, or green lit or was given the thumbs up. Holy Moly, is it bad!
Please don't be taken in by the hype or the fact that book one has already been optioned for a movie. I can not even imagine how they will make this be not a boring, repetitive piece of porno trash.
There are not enough descriptive words to tell you how much I hated all the characters. The female lead was so fucking annoying and stupid I couldn't even believe it. The male lead? Warped, controlling, and so strange it defied all logic that she would be soooo attracted to him that all her common sense would go right out the window.
What I'm saying is unless you are looking for s&m bondage porn laced with the worst and most repetitive dialogue, you don't want to bother with this piece of crap.
Did you try the brown rice crusted quiche recipe yet? Please do. I am sure you will like it.
What else has been going on around here that I wanted to talk about?
Oh! I know what I have been trying to remember to tell you about!
Have you seen this ad?
I was watching this and thought to myself, "Self, if they took a whole shirt and made a dickie out of the top part, this is what is left over."
IT'S A DICKIE FOR YOUR ASS!
Where do they come up with this stuff? And why, oh why, are we gullible enough to buy it?
Trendy Top, indeed.
Have a great day and I will be here to discuss some more ancestry.com findings in the next few days!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Dark Shadows!
Have you seen the trailer to the new Dark Shadows movie?
Oh Lawzy, it looks like fun!
I will be first in line (cyberly) to get tickets! Yes, I am that excited about this.
p.s. Fabulous soundtrack, don't you think?
Oh Lawzy, it looks like fun!
I will be first in line (cyberly) to get tickets! Yes, I am that excited about this.
p.s. Fabulous soundtrack, don't you think?
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
News of a titanic discovery
Go read this article
It's about all new sonar mapping of the Titanic wreckage and it is very cool.
They will be having a 2 hour special on the History Channel on April 15 the 100 year anniversary of the sinking.
Set your dvrs! This will be some t.v. worth watching!
It's about all new sonar mapping of the Titanic wreckage and it is very cool.
They will be having a 2 hour special on the History Channel on April 15 the 100 year anniversary of the sinking.
Set your dvrs! This will be some t.v. worth watching!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Almost Valentine's Day . . .
and really? Do I care?
Not so much. I don't have a pretty crepe-paper covered shoebox all decorated up with heart doilies and glitter for all my friends to put their Valentines into. I guess if my kids were little I would have more fun with Valentine's Day. When the kids were little I used to decorate the house. Actually, because Rachel Pie's birthday is 3 weeks prior, I used to put up pink and white streamers and balloons and stuff for her birthday and then afterwards I would add in the red and the Valentine's decorations. It was fun for me to have lots of seasonal decorations up.
But now? Not so much. Not that I am bitter or sad or anything, it's just another day and I hope that I do a good job letting people know I love them all the other days of the year and don't need to save it up for just one day.
Did any of you watch the Grammys last night? Holy Smoke, there's nothing like the Grammys to make you feel like an old fart! Who were all those people? I hate it when I realize how uncool I am and how much I don't know about the new kids on the block!
Here are my thoughts on the Grammy Evening:
1. LL Cool J - looked smoking hot in his tux. He was a fabulous host.
2. Starting out the evening with Bruce Springsteen, awesome move! He was great.
3. There was a commercial for Mastercard, one of those "Priceless" ones, showing an older couple in Buenos Aires shopping and taking tango lessons and then actually getting out on the dance floor at the end with the professionals. It was a perfect ad! Loved it. Do you think I can find it on youtube to share it with you? Nope. When I do find it, I will post it.
4. Adele!!! She was wonderful. Loved her.
5. Katy Perry looked better with pink hair than the blue.
6. Did you see the ad with Willie Nelson singing the Coldplay song? It was so good. Here, watch this:
I don't know what any of this has to do with Chipotle, but it's a great little film/commercial nevertheless.
7. Nicki Minaj - W T F ??? I don't really know what to say about her attire or performance. And she sooo out-Gagaed poor Lady Gaga sitting there with a bird cage on her face. But if that's the best Nicki Minaj can do, well, I have no hopes of seeing her at any future award shows.
8. And believe it or don't, another ad!!!
9. And the BEST thing on the Grammys . . .
THE CIVIL WARS!!!
O. m. g. I fell in love listening to them. Beautiful voices, perfect harmony, it was soul-stirring.
Here's a link to the official video of the song they performed:
Have a happy Valentine's day or a happy Tuesday, whichever works best for you tomorrow!!
Not so much. I don't have a pretty crepe-paper covered shoebox all decorated up with heart doilies and glitter for all my friends to put their Valentines into. I guess if my kids were little I would have more fun with Valentine's Day. When the kids were little I used to decorate the house. Actually, because Rachel Pie's birthday is 3 weeks prior, I used to put up pink and white streamers and balloons and stuff for her birthday and then afterwards I would add in the red and the Valentine's decorations. It was fun for me to have lots of seasonal decorations up.
But now? Not so much. Not that I am bitter or sad or anything, it's just another day and I hope that I do a good job letting people know I love them all the other days of the year and don't need to save it up for just one day.
Did any of you watch the Grammys last night? Holy Smoke, there's nothing like the Grammys to make you feel like an old fart! Who were all those people? I hate it when I realize how uncool I am and how much I don't know about the new kids on the block!
Here are my thoughts on the Grammy Evening:
1. LL Cool J - looked smoking hot in his tux. He was a fabulous host.
2. Starting out the evening with Bruce Springsteen, awesome move! He was great.
3. There was a commercial for Mastercard, one of those "Priceless" ones, showing an older couple in Buenos Aires shopping and taking tango lessons and then actually getting out on the dance floor at the end with the professionals. It was a perfect ad! Loved it. Do you think I can find it on youtube to share it with you? Nope. When I do find it, I will post it.
4. Adele!!! She was wonderful. Loved her.
5. Katy Perry looked better with pink hair than the blue.
6. Did you see the ad with Willie Nelson singing the Coldplay song? It was so good. Here, watch this:
I don't know what any of this has to do with Chipotle, but it's a great little film/commercial nevertheless.
7. Nicki Minaj - W T F ??? I don't really know what to say about her attire or performance. And she sooo out-Gagaed poor Lady Gaga sitting there with a bird cage on her face. But if that's the best Nicki Minaj can do, well, I have no hopes of seeing her at any future award shows.
8. And believe it or don't, another ad!!!
9. And the BEST thing on the Grammys . . .
THE CIVIL WARS!!!
O. m. g. I fell in love listening to them. Beautiful voices, perfect harmony, it was soul-stirring.
Here's a link to the official video of the song they performed:
Have a happy Valentine's day or a happy Tuesday, whichever works best for you tomorrow!!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Hilarious Ad
You know how last week I ranted and bitched about a few ads that I hate?
Here's one I think is just too damn funny!
Bahahaha!!
Here's one I think is just too damn funny!
Bahahaha!!
Monday, December 12, 2011
What's going on over here
I thought I would take a minute to let you know what has been going on with me. I have been so irritated with the Christmas lights situation that it was completely ruining my holiday spirit. I have a couple strings of the really old lights that use the big bulbs, you know the ones I mean. But this house is so darn big out front that these strings would not really cover very much, so I have not been using them. Anyhoo, all this is to say that there was a time when Christmas lights were made well. Made to last, in fact. Everyone knew the bulbs would burn out and that's why you bought spare bulbs.
But over the last 5 years or so, maybe even 10 years, the lights (and I am speaking here mostly of the interior ones for going on the tree and such) are of lesser and lesser quality and don't seem to make it through more than one or two seasons. Why is that? Did people forget how to do it right? Or is it more likely that there is some "cutting of corners" going on in the factories? I am sure someone came up with the bright idea that they could make more money selling replacement strings of lights rather than a few bulbs.
But what happens to all these dead strings of lights? Did no one ever consider where they go? Or how will they break down?
On top of all THAT! a couple years ago I was testing and unwinding lights to put on the tree and happened to look down at the plastic tags attached near the plug end of the strand and it said something along the lines of "Warning! light strings are coated in lead. Be sure to not put your hands in your mouth and wash hands thoroughly after handling! MADE IN CHINA"
Huh?
Wtf?
Lead? Really?
So I started researching and found that the ones that say LED on the box are supposed to be a much better, and safer product. Not only that they claim that they never burn out. Now, that's a claim I can get behind! And of course I expected to pay a lot more for this product. Gradually, as my strings of lights kept burning out and I would very guiltily throw them in the trash, I was replacing them with the more expensive counterparts of LED lights.
And you know how they said "never burn out"?? That's a big, fat ass lie. Not only do they go out, but there is no possible way to just replace that bulb and move on. The whole damn expensive strand of lights is now expensive landfill that will probably leach toxic shit into the water.
I am just disgusted and irritated and totally out of the holiday spirit by now. And I did what I always do when faced with this kind of situation.
I asked myself, "Self, what did people do BEFORE the strands of lights?"
I know, you are going to say candles, and that they are not safe.
But surely there was something in between the days of candles and burning down the house and today's life-threatening lead-coated pieces of crap???
And I remembered seeing something from the old days that I thought would fit my needs perfectly.
Yep, I have gone old school.
We here at Chez Lisa Pie will be rocking the aluminum tree with the color wheel!
The color wheel is an all metal item that is from the 1960s and is still working. One thing to plug in rather than 6 inferior pieces of crap that will decide to quit working.
I am soooo excited to get this thing here!!
I will keep the crappy lights that I have now and do my best to keep them working until the day I have to send them to the landfill, but I have my way out of that consumer loop now.
I did try to post the pictures of my exact tree but couldn't. So when it arrives I will photograph the whole process of opening the box and each of the 151 branches that go on it. Woot!!!
In other news, it was my birthday last week. We went out last night to celebrate by eating at our favorite restaurant, Lüke and then going to The Majestic Theater to see Fiddler on the Roof. Everything was first rate. The food, the company, the wine, the weather, the show. The evening could only have been made better by the participation of the precious Rachel Pie, who sadly will not be here with us until this coming Saturday. Yay for Saturday!! Yay for Rachel Pie coming home!!
Rachel Pie's lovely partner who has not given me permission to use her name so I will call her Partner of Pie will be going to spend Christmas with her family. One of these days we will have to get all of Partner's family here with all of our family so no one has to pick and choose who to be with and who to leave. Anyhoo, what that means is that I get Rachel Pie all to myself for a few days. Oh, the slumber partying we will do! All the snuggling! The staying up really late playing cards! All the tamale-making! It's gonna be a fun time here at the house! Yes, indeedy. Maybe Rachel Pie and I will get really cute matching Mother-Daughter Christmas sweaters or something?
Yeah, like that would ever happen. Hee!!!
But over the last 5 years or so, maybe even 10 years, the lights (and I am speaking here mostly of the interior ones for going on the tree and such) are of lesser and lesser quality and don't seem to make it through more than one or two seasons. Why is that? Did people forget how to do it right? Or is it more likely that there is some "cutting of corners" going on in the factories? I am sure someone came up with the bright idea that they could make more money selling replacement strings of lights rather than a few bulbs.
But what happens to all these dead strings of lights? Did no one ever consider where they go? Or how will they break down?
On top of all THAT! a couple years ago I was testing and unwinding lights to put on the tree and happened to look down at the plastic tags attached near the plug end of the strand and it said something along the lines of "Warning! light strings are coated in lead. Be sure to not put your hands in your mouth and wash hands thoroughly after handling! MADE IN CHINA"
Huh?
Wtf?
Lead? Really?
So I started researching and found that the ones that say LED on the box are supposed to be a much better, and safer product. Not only that they claim that they never burn out. Now, that's a claim I can get behind! And of course I expected to pay a lot more for this product. Gradually, as my strings of lights kept burning out and I would very guiltily throw them in the trash, I was replacing them with the more expensive counterparts of LED lights.
And you know how they said "never burn out"?? That's a big, fat ass lie. Not only do they go out, but there is no possible way to just replace that bulb and move on. The whole damn expensive strand of lights is now expensive landfill that will probably leach toxic shit into the water.
I am just disgusted and irritated and totally out of the holiday spirit by now. And I did what I always do when faced with this kind of situation.
I asked myself, "Self, what did people do BEFORE the strands of lights?"
I know, you are going to say candles, and that they are not safe.
But surely there was something in between the days of candles and burning down the house and today's life-threatening lead-coated pieces of crap???
And I remembered seeing something from the old days that I thought would fit my needs perfectly.
Yep, I have gone old school.
We here at Chez Lisa Pie will be rocking the aluminum tree with the color wheel!
The color wheel is an all metal item that is from the 1960s and is still working. One thing to plug in rather than 6 inferior pieces of crap that will decide to quit working.
I am soooo excited to get this thing here!!
I will keep the crappy lights that I have now and do my best to keep them working until the day I have to send them to the landfill, but I have my way out of that consumer loop now.
I did try to post the pictures of my exact tree but couldn't. So when it arrives I will photograph the whole process of opening the box and each of the 151 branches that go on it. Woot!!!
In other news, it was my birthday last week. We went out last night to celebrate by eating at our favorite restaurant, Lüke and then going to The Majestic Theater to see Fiddler on the Roof. Everything was first rate. The food, the company, the wine, the weather, the show. The evening could only have been made better by the participation of the precious Rachel Pie, who sadly will not be here with us until this coming Saturday. Yay for Saturday!! Yay for Rachel Pie coming home!!
Rachel Pie's lovely partner who has not given me permission to use her name so I will call her Partner of Pie will be going to spend Christmas with her family. One of these days we will have to get all of Partner's family here with all of our family so no one has to pick and choose who to be with and who to leave. Anyhoo, what that means is that I get Rachel Pie all to myself for a few days. Oh, the slumber partying we will do! All the snuggling! The staying up really late playing cards! All the tamale-making! It's gonna be a fun time here at the house! Yes, indeedy. Maybe Rachel Pie and I will get really cute matching Mother-Daughter Christmas sweaters or something?
Yeah, like that would ever happen. Hee!!!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
I want to do this
You may or may not know of my love of AC/DC.
Here is the list of the Top AC/DC inspired Christmas light extravaganzas.
Enjoy!!
This one is my favorite, not just because it's my favorite AC/DC song, but because it's THREE HOUSES all synched together to the music. How awesome is that??
Any one think The Colonel and Miss Betty want to team up with us for an AC/DC themed Christmas?
Merry Christmas!
Here is the list of the Top AC/DC inspired Christmas light extravaganzas.
Enjoy!!
This one is my favorite, not just because it's my favorite AC/DC song, but because it's THREE HOUSES all synched together to the music. How awesome is that??
Any one think The Colonel and Miss Betty want to team up with us for an AC/DC themed Christmas?
Merry Christmas!
Friday, November 4, 2011
You put what? where? Reeeeally?
Here is the story David Sedaris told us the other night. Now, you and I both know that it was WAAAAYY funnier when he told it, but I will do my best.
It seems 30 years ago a friend of DS told him this story. The friend was dying to go to the bathroom and his father called. So he answered and was talking to his dad.
But he really had to go.
So David Sedaris said to his friend, "so what did you do?"
To which the friend replied, "I shit in my hand." Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
David was shocked and taken aback. But the friend was adament that this was not such a big deal. It was 30 years ago. And we were all tethered to the wall with our phone cords and such.
So years later he is telling this story to a woman friend. And instead of being shocked and taken aback, she says . . . .
"Well, OF COURSE he did! I always shit in my hand. Well, not always, but you know, when I am in a public restroom".
Huh???
"Yes," she went on, "when you are in public you don't want that loud splashy noise going on, so you shit in your hand and then gently drop it in with NO loud splash. Why? Don't you do that?"
*We were all about to fall out of our seats laughing at this story.
Then he goes on to say that he could not believe that everyone shits in their hands and he was the last one to know about this. So when he is on book tours and such and around a lot of people to ask, he now asks people if they shit in their hands. And a couple of days ago he was telling this story and asking someone about their experience with shitting in their hand and the lady behind that person pipes up with this contribution, "Well, if she is concerned about the plopping sounds she should just take a large wad of toilet paper and put it in the toilet first. You know, like a landing pad."
This is one of those stories that no one except David Sedaris, could really tell and have it be hilarious and not disgusting. Or maybe it was hilarious BECAUSE it was so disgusting?
Anyway, I am here to tell you that I have never shit in my hand. If the situation ever arose that I was in a public restroom and worried about making plopping sounds I would rather that strangers overheard the noise than I have a handful of shit. Sorry. But I have drawn a line in the sand on this one!
It seems 30 years ago a friend of DS told him this story. The friend was dying to go to the bathroom and his father called. So he answered and was talking to his dad.
But he really had to go.
So David Sedaris said to his friend, "so what did you do?"
To which the friend replied, "I shit in my hand." Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
David was shocked and taken aback. But the friend was adament that this was not such a big deal. It was 30 years ago. And we were all tethered to the wall with our phone cords and such.
So years later he is telling this story to a woman friend. And instead of being shocked and taken aback, she says . . . .
"Well, OF COURSE he did! I always shit in my hand. Well, not always, but you know, when I am in a public restroom".
Huh???
"Yes," she went on, "when you are in public you don't want that loud splashy noise going on, so you shit in your hand and then gently drop it in with NO loud splash. Why? Don't you do that?"
*We were all about to fall out of our seats laughing at this story.
Then he goes on to say that he could not believe that everyone shits in their hands and he was the last one to know about this. So when he is on book tours and such and around a lot of people to ask, he now asks people if they shit in their hands. And a couple of days ago he was telling this story and asking someone about their experience with shitting in their hand and the lady behind that person pipes up with this contribution, "Well, if she is concerned about the plopping sounds she should just take a large wad of toilet paper and put it in the toilet first. You know, like a landing pad."
This is one of those stories that no one except David Sedaris, could really tell and have it be hilarious and not disgusting. Or maybe it was hilarious BECAUSE it was so disgusting?
Anyway, I am here to tell you that I have never shit in my hand. If the situation ever arose that I was in a public restroom and worried about making plopping sounds I would rather that strangers overheard the noise than I have a handful of shit. Sorry. But I have drawn a line in the sand on this one!
Monday, October 31, 2011
News for the week
News flash #1: It's Halloween! Yay!! We get to see all the little neighbor kidlets running around in costume. We always sit out front with our giant tub o'candy and make them walk the steps up to our front door to get said candy. I know, it seems mean to make little kids go the extra mile but hey, it's either them or us. And they are young and floating on a sugar high. We are old and need our strength.
News flash #2: Wednesday we have tickets to go see David Sedaris! Yay again!! But even more yay!!! I just adore him and I am thrilled to get to see him live.
News flash #3: If seeing David Sedaris isn't enough goodness and excitement, guess who else I get to see next Monday?
Here's a hint: it's another author.
Here's another hint: he's world famous and fabulous.
One more hint: he has written one of the Top Five Books Ever Written.
Ok, last hint: He is the only author out there with a fatwa issued against him by the Ayatollah of Iran.
Yes, indeedy, I will be in the presence of Salman Rushdie one week from today.
In honor of that I am now re-reading The Satanic Verses. This book is just so damn amazing I find it hard to believe it was created by a mere human being. Mr. Rushdie must be on a whole 'nother level of creativity and genius than the humble plane I live on.
It's really easy to be humble when you are going to be face to face with both these creative, clever geniuses.
News flash #4: Sparky has auditioned for and gotten a role in a new play, kind of a one-act show, at his school. Yay for Sparky!!! Which means in addition to all the school work, work study work, other work, meetings, etc. he gets to add daily rehearsals to his way too busy schedule. He's young. He can do this. It's only for 6 - 8 more weeks till the semester ends.
News flash #5: My sister and her very best life-long friend and the friend's sisters and nieces are all going to do the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk, sleep in pink tents, and raise money event this coming week in Dallas. She and the very best friend have been working all year long to build up and be ready for walking 20 something miles each day. They have been so dedicated to this. I am really proud of what they have done. The actual walk will just be icing on the cake.
News flash #6: Today is laundry day. Today is take down the noisy, crappy, old, metal mini-blinds in the bedroom that Angus MacPhee rattles and I hate with a white hot passion. Today is wash those windows behind the blinds and then hang the new and lovely and even better . . . quiet shades. Hurray for quiet shades and clean windows!
News flash #7: The planning for the Thanksgiving feast has begun! We are making lists of the contents of both freezers and going to plan the next month's menus around those items to get rid of them and make room for the turkey. Turkey dinner, it's a beautiful thing.
News flash #2: Wednesday we have tickets to go see David Sedaris! Yay again!! But even more yay!!! I just adore him and I am thrilled to get to see him live.
News flash #3: If seeing David Sedaris isn't enough goodness and excitement, guess who else I get to see next Monday?
Here's a hint: it's another author.
Here's another hint: he's world famous and fabulous.
One more hint: he has written one of the Top Five Books Ever Written.
Ok, last hint: He is the only author out there with a fatwa issued against him by the Ayatollah of Iran.
Yes, indeedy, I will be in the presence of Salman Rushdie one week from today.
In honor of that I am now re-reading The Satanic Verses. This book is just so damn amazing I find it hard to believe it was created by a mere human being. Mr. Rushdie must be on a whole 'nother level of creativity and genius than the humble plane I live on.
It's really easy to be humble when you are going to be face to face with both these creative, clever geniuses.
News flash #4: Sparky has auditioned for and gotten a role in a new play, kind of a one-act show, at his school. Yay for Sparky!!! Which means in addition to all the school work, work study work, other work, meetings, etc. he gets to add daily rehearsals to his way too busy schedule. He's young. He can do this. It's only for 6 - 8 more weeks till the semester ends.
News flash #5: My sister and her very best life-long friend and the friend's sisters and nieces are all going to do the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk, sleep in pink tents, and raise money event this coming week in Dallas. She and the very best friend have been working all year long to build up and be ready for walking 20 something miles each day. They have been so dedicated to this. I am really proud of what they have done. The actual walk will just be icing on the cake.
News flash #6: Today is laundry day. Today is take down the noisy, crappy, old, metal mini-blinds in the bedroom that Angus MacPhee rattles and I hate with a white hot passion. Today is wash those windows behind the blinds and then hang the new and lovely and even better . . . quiet shades. Hurray for quiet shades and clean windows!
News flash #7: The planning for the Thanksgiving feast has begun! We are making lists of the contents of both freezers and going to plan the next month's menus around those items to get rid of them and make room for the turkey. Turkey dinner, it's a beautiful thing.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Exciting News from Broadway
You know how every one who has ever recorded more than 3 songs now has a musical production being made with a storyline of their music?
Jersey Boys.
Rain.
Billy Joel. (what was the name of that one?)
Mamma Mia
etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I just read in the news that there's another one coming down the pike. Yay! It's gonna be a good one.
Any guesses as to whom?
Well, his name starts with John and ends with Denver!!
JOHN DENVER!
Here is what the article had to say: "A Moment in Time" follows the story of a mortally wounded marine in Afghanistan who recalls a happier time with his family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The project was developed by five-time Tony Award winner Stewart F. Lane, who was recently honored with the 2011 John Denver Spirit Award."
John Denver.
Has there ever been a more universally-loved performer than John Denver? Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in the 1970s had someone sing "Annie's Song" at their weddings. That is one of my all time favorite songs. I could listen to it on repeat for hours and hours. (And I have. And I still do!) The emotion always overwhelms me and I end in joyous tears.
The only redeeming thing about that shitty Pauly Shore movie "Son-in-law" was John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy".
And as far as I am concerned there is nothing that says "Hey, it's Christmas time!" like John Denver and the Muppets singing the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Jersey Boys.
Rain.
Billy Joel. (what was the name of that one?)
Mamma Mia
etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I just read in the news that there's another one coming down the pike. Yay! It's gonna be a good one.
Any guesses as to whom?
Well, his name starts with John and ends with Denver!!
JOHN DENVER!
Here is what the article had to say: "A Moment in Time" follows the story of a mortally wounded marine in Afghanistan who recalls a happier time with his family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The project was developed by five-time Tony Award winner Stewart F. Lane, who was recently honored with the 2011 John Denver Spirit Award."
John Denver.
Has there ever been a more universally-loved performer than John Denver? Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in the 1970s had someone sing "Annie's Song" at their weddings. That is one of my all time favorite songs. I could listen to it on repeat for hours and hours. (And I have. And I still do!) The emotion always overwhelms me and I end in joyous tears.
The only redeeming thing about that shitty Pauly Shore movie "Son-in-law" was John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy".
And as far as I am concerned there is nothing that says "Hey, it's Christmas time!" like John Denver and the Muppets singing the Twelve Days of Christmas.
John Denver took us to the tops of the Rocky Mountains. He took us all under the sea with Jacques Cousteau. And it was his dream to go into space. If he could imagine it, he could sing about it and take us there.
I will leave you with an absolutely gorgeous live version of "Annie's Song" to make your heart swell and send you on your day with joy.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Lockout Schlockout
Dear NBA,
We, your adoring and ardent fans, beseech you to get your shit together. Enough is enough. Everyone knows it's always the fault of the other party when 2 sides can't come together in peace, love, and harmony.
But, who is really paying the price for this dick-measuring debacle? While you are waiting for the other side to flinch, blink and say Uncle, who is losing out? Hmmm?
Would it be us, the fans?
Why yes, it would!
And here's a little heads up for you:
If you keep this shit up you are going to LOSE fans! Left and right, people will quit caring.
Right now, do I know where any of my beloved Spurs are? Nope.
Do I care? Just a little. And a little less than I cared last week. And less than the week before.
So, as a mom I have this to say, "Get back to work. Get back to doing what you signed up to do. Quit being greedy bastards. And if there are less asses in the seats for your games when you do start up again, that is the price you will have to pay. And there will be major sucking up you will have to do to help your fan base remember why they liked you in the first damn place. I will say this one more time, Get. back. to. work. Enough is enough, already."
Most sincerely,
Lisa Pie who finds herself less and less of a fan as time goes by
We, your adoring and ardent fans, beseech you to get your shit together. Enough is enough. Everyone knows it's always the fault of the other party when 2 sides can't come together in peace, love, and harmony.
But, who is really paying the price for this dick-measuring debacle? While you are waiting for the other side to flinch, blink and say Uncle, who is losing out? Hmmm?
Would it be us, the fans?
Why yes, it would!
And here's a little heads up for you:
If you keep this shit up you are going to LOSE fans! Left and right, people will quit caring.
Right now, do I know where any of my beloved Spurs are? Nope.
Do I care? Just a little. And a little less than I cared last week. And less than the week before.
So, as a mom I have this to say, "Get back to work. Get back to doing what you signed up to do. Quit being greedy bastards. And if there are less asses in the seats for your games when you do start up again, that is the price you will have to pay. And there will be major sucking up you will have to do to help your fan base remember why they liked you in the first damn place. I will say this one more time, Get. back. to. work. Enough is enough, already."
Most sincerely,
Lisa Pie who finds herself less and less of a fan as time goes by
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Another quick t.v. update
I know, two posts about t.v. in a row. Three if you count the SNL video clip. But sometimes you gotta go with what you got!
Did any of you see the finale/cliff hanger of The Big C?
I really hate to ruin it for you in case you haven't. So consider this your
***SPOILER ALERT***
What on earth are they doing to us? Last season they killed off Marlene. This season they have let Rebecca miscarry with a whole big funeral hullabaloo afterwards, then Lee died. Oh, and I really liked Lee. What's not to like? Gorgeous, witty, hilariously funny, very centered and a bit of a wine snob. He was perfect!
Just dying of cancer. And so they killed him off.
So I am rocking along thinking everyone else on this season is safe. They have already had the prerequisite death scene(s). And I actually didn't even think of it as the season finale when I was watching it. Which means I was completely caught off guard for what happened at the end.
Cathy is running a marathon in Lee's name. In St. Paul. On New Year's Eve. It's colder than cold and she is suffering and just not doing well. Her cute oncologist and her son are there cheering for her. And then Sean shows up. And they see her coming to the finish line. They are all clapping and cheering and waving her on.
She looks up and sees this and then sees Marlene near them. (she has seen Marlene many times over the course of this season so nothing new there)
But then Lee walks up next to Marlene. Awww. It was so touching to see her two best dead friends there together.
Finally, her husband (played by the imcomparable Oliver Platt) gets there (he has been over at the insurance company arguing with them over not covering all of her bills. Seems that he hasn't done very well getting them to honor their obligations what with yelling at the claims lady and calling her a C*nt, so he decides to go bust in on their New Year's Eve party). So he gets there and is standing next to the son, the brother, and the handsome doctor. She waves and says "You all made it!" To which Adam, the son, says "Except for dad. Where is he?"
Cathy is all confused. Why does Adam think his dad isn't there? He's right there! Can't he see him? And she looks over at the two dead friends that she knows no one else can see, and looks at Paul.
And realizes no one else sees him either.
Holy Shit!
That face says it all. Paul thinks he has just arrived to watch her finish. Paul thinks he is still alive. Paul is just about to realize that he didn't make it out of the insurance office. And that Cathy is the only one who can see him.
I think Marlene and Lee see him but I couldn't tell if Paul had seen them yet. Or if he could.
O.M.G. people! I swear to you I had tears streaming down my face through out this whole scene.
This is Cathy's face as she is seeing all the men in her life there cheering her on. Just before the big realization oozes over her.
This could not be a more moving and emotional season 2 finale. I am sitting there crying and Sparky looks at me and says, "I am sure he's not dead. They are probably going to be able to revive him."
Isn't that sweet? He didn't want me to be sad for the next year till Season 3 starts up. But even I am not gullible enough to think they could pull that one off.
This is a fantastic show. And even if they kill off one of my favorite actors, with this show, they keep bringing back in the dead folks, so I won't cry too much.
Did any of you see the finale/cliff hanger of The Big C?
I really hate to ruin it for you in case you haven't. So consider this your
***SPOILER ALERT***
What on earth are they doing to us? Last season they killed off Marlene. This season they have let Rebecca miscarry with a whole big funeral hullabaloo afterwards, then Lee died. Oh, and I really liked Lee. What's not to like? Gorgeous, witty, hilariously funny, very centered and a bit of a wine snob. He was perfect!
Just dying of cancer. And so they killed him off.
So I am rocking along thinking everyone else on this season is safe. They have already had the prerequisite death scene(s). And I actually didn't even think of it as the season finale when I was watching it. Which means I was completely caught off guard for what happened at the end.
Cathy is running a marathon in Lee's name. In St. Paul. On New Year's Eve. It's colder than cold and she is suffering and just not doing well. Her cute oncologist and her son are there cheering for her. And then Sean shows up. And they see her coming to the finish line. They are all clapping and cheering and waving her on.
She looks up and sees this and then sees Marlene near them. (she has seen Marlene many times over the course of this season so nothing new there)
But then Lee walks up next to Marlene. Awww. It was so touching to see her two best dead friends there together.
Finally, her husband (played by the imcomparable Oliver Platt) gets there (he has been over at the insurance company arguing with them over not covering all of her bills. Seems that he hasn't done very well getting them to honor their obligations what with yelling at the claims lady and calling her a C*nt, so he decides to go bust in on their New Year's Eve party). So he gets there and is standing next to the son, the brother, and the handsome doctor. She waves and says "You all made it!" To which Adam, the son, says "Except for dad. Where is he?"
Cathy is all confused. Why does Adam think his dad isn't there? He's right there! Can't he see him? And she looks over at the two dead friends that she knows no one else can see, and looks at Paul.
And realizes no one else sees him either.
Holy Shit!
That face says it all. Paul thinks he has just arrived to watch her finish. Paul thinks he is still alive. Paul is just about to realize that he didn't make it out of the insurance office. And that Cathy is the only one who can see him.
I think Marlene and Lee see him but I couldn't tell if Paul had seen them yet. Or if he could.
O.M.G. people! I swear to you I had tears streaming down my face through out this whole scene.
This is Cathy's face as she is seeing all the men in her life there cheering her on. Just before the big realization oozes over her.
This could not be a more moving and emotional season 2 finale. I am sitting there crying and Sparky looks at me and says, "I am sure he's not dead. They are probably going to be able to revive him."
Isn't that sweet? He didn't want me to be sad for the next year till Season 3 starts up. But even I am not gullible enough to think they could pull that one off.
This is a fantastic show. And even if they kill off one of my favorite actors, with this show, they keep bringing back in the dead folks, so I won't cry too much.
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