a*list and the garden of olive

"Oh, nice! I do so enjoy that Pasta e Fagiole soup!"

Me, too, g'friend, that's why I suggested the Olive Garden to Carolyn.

"Oh, good! I know y'all must have seen a movie together, right?"

You know it! I'd texted her around 1 PM to see if she wanted to get "Caught Stealing" in the Big-D at 4 PM and she certainly did! What a fabulous movie to finish out my A"List dance card this week!!! I even filled it up with four movies for the second week in a row!

"So I see. And these were all new to you again?"

I had thought they were going to be, but I slipped up. I didn't recognize that I'd seen "Ne Zha II" already until I'd bought my ticket to see it on the Big-D and was in my seat. I was a little disappointed, but it was still a good movie, so I sat right there and enjoyed it! Plus, this time it was dubbed in English, so I caught a few actions I'd missed whilst reading subtitles in the spring. 

"Well, that was good, then! What about the Jackie Chan movie? Did it have subtitles or was it all in English?"

No, that one was mostly subtitled, but the film was action-centric so not a lot of words were needed. Know what I mean? I don't know why they called it "The Shadow's Edge", though. The Chinese title translates to "Chasing Shadows" and that would have been just fine. Jackie got a chance to work alongside Tony Leung Ka-fai, someone he's been with in multiple films ever since "The Myth" in 2005. I could tell they really enjoyed each other's company, even though they were enemies here. Probably not the first time they've done that!

"Coolness! I know you like it when the actors bring a backstory with them!"

I do! And I loved all the complexity woven into that film! In a way, it reminded me of "Sneakers".  So much intrigue! In fact, all four of these dances were full of complex steps that demanded full attention to keep from getting tripped up - magnificent!!!

"You're saying that "Relay" and "Caught Stealing" were intrigue, too?"

I most certainly am! One of the things that hooked me with "Relay" was the use of a telephone relay station for the calls between 'the helper' and his 'client'. I've used that system before! Back when I was teaching chemistry to a deaf student, he would phone me through an intermediary and they would give me his typed messages and then type back my responses to him. That was back in 2016. What a cool memory! And what a perfect way to keep one's phone from being traced, too. Very cool!

"Oh, that sounds like a very different type of movie - nice! Lots of tech, but not anything that wasn't already developed by others. Just a new way of making use of it. I really like that. And I see it has Lily James, the woman who was the diner waitress in "Baby Driver". How was she this time?"

Let me tell you, she was a totally different character here. I don't know that I would have realized she was from that 2017 movie if I hadn't seen it this week on Bounce. She was part of an incredibly twisted ending that I didn't see coming until it was almost there! Loved that! And I loved Riz Ahmed's broken character, too. Then, in "Caught Stealing", Austin Butler was a pretty broken person, too, having lost his best friend and his chance at major league baseball when he'd crashed his car years earlier.

"Wow. That's a lot to unpack for a character."

It sure was! We first saw him working at a bar, then, via a nightmare, we start getting the backstory. What was really cool, though, was the baseball short before the opening credits. A man is at bat when another player comes sliding into home plate, while the catcher is scrambling to catch the ball just pitched and get the player out - how intense!!! And the man who stole home... was safe!!! Thrilling!!!

"Lol! I know you just ate that up... and the metaphor, too!"

You betcha! I'll be seeing that again next week, and Carolyn has already told me she wants to be with me for that repeat! Yes! Plus, I pretty well have to see it again. My man Griffin Dunne was in it and I didn't even recognize him!!! He was 'Paul', the bar owner. Yes, I need to see him in action, knowing who he is now.

"He was in "After Hours", right? With Teri Garr in a beehive hairdo, driving an ice cream truck and chasing him down?"

That's right! Hard to believe she's dead. Last year, shortly after her death, the episode of "Star Trek" she was in, "Assignment: Earth", aired and I caught it. She was just 23 years old in that 1968 show, and she was just fabulous! I'm so glad the Universe brought me that episode with her!

"Right place, right time!" 

Most certainly! Monday night, I saw another recently-dead celebrity in "The X-Files". They had the episode "Sleepless", with Tony Todd featured as 'Preacher', the super-soldier from the Vietnam War era. The actor was 40 years old in 1994, which was a little younger than his character, 'Augustus Cole', would have been as a real veteran of that war. Still, he comes across as a pretty tortured soul, trying to set things right. Truly an excellent episode!

"Well, good for you! Timing really is important, isn't it?"

Most def, dearie, most def. (smile!)

waiting for the electrodes...

Yeah, you heard right: electrodes.

That little heart monitor is a bit too heavy when placed vertically on my chest.

I have enough weight in that area as it is, if you catch my drift.

I'd moved it to that location on Tuesday morning, after my shower.

That's when I removed the horizontally-aligned one that nurse Robin had put on me and that I'd been able to keep on for the mammogram on Monday.

When I removed it, the hypercolloid adhesive took with it a layer of epidermis - OUCH!!!

So, placing it back in that position was not an option.

Vertical it would go, right up against the sternum.

Yeah, that was a mistake.

I woke up several times Tuesday night in a panic, convinced that a hand was pushing down on my chest.

Honestly, it was like the A-fib was trying to come back on me! 

Then, all day yesterday, the heart monitor's phone repeatedly alarmed to let me know I had "poor connection" between the monitor's pad and my skin.

That was no doubt because the area itched like crazy, as my sensitivity to the adhesive had finally kicked in.

Just after 11 PM, I called the BodyGuardian hotline for help.

The thought of trying to sleep another night with the monitor weighing heavily on my chest was weighing heavily on my mind. 

Sherry was amazing, speaking in a calming voice throughout our 54-minute session and reassuring me that others also had these issues.

She had first suggested a "bridge" for the monitor, but she thought that might lead to the same problems I'd already experienced, as it used the same adhesive and the same placement areas.

The winning solution was to revert to electrodes.

Only two would be needed and they would attach to a connection point on my right chest, with a USB port for the monitor to plug into and dangle.

Meanwhile, she told me to go ahead and remove the vertical strip, remove the monitor and leave it on the charger, and turn off the monitor's phone.

Help would be forthcoming in two or three days.

Let my skin heal and let me relax, she told me.

So, that's what I did.

Yes, four days have been added to the length of my study, so the end date will be more like September 21, instead of the 17th.

That's fine.

At least I had a peaceful night's sleep last night.

late 70's greek, please

 

Here's part of the reason I enjoy Music Bingo: tunes from my past!

For about thirty minutes, I was treated to songs from my first two years after high school, from my first two years in the Navy.

I'm talkin' 'bout 1977 and 1978!!!

When "Hotel California" was a "Brick House" that had "Dust In The Wind"...

that's when I "Heard It In A Love Song" that "We Are The Champions"...

hanging out in "Copacobana" and "Margaritaville" with the "Barracuda"...

oh, yes, "I Love The Nightlife"!!!

And those were just the ones that happened to be on my bingo card!

There were at least that many more songs that I heard for that game.

Then there were far more I heard during the two hours of the four games that Jade played all those tunes for us!

Sometimes I even got up and danced to the same ones she did!

I feel sure Elissa had dancing feet, too, but she stayed seated, as did her friend Leeann, there for her first time.

Marcia sang along with me, and sometimes Sandy did, too.

However, Amanda did not, nor did her friend Sara or Sara's hubby, Sam.

He's Army, based at Hunter Army Air Base right now.

It was nice to talk a bit of military stuff with him!

He and Sara left during that third game; 0530 comes mighty early!

(smile!)

And now for something that added another bit of extra to my night -

I remembered to bring a Lactaid tablet with me!

That meant the side Greek salad was mine!!!

Trust me, it was every bit as delicious as I'd hoped!!!

It arrived during the first game, when the songs were from 1968 and 1969.

I was only 10 and 11 then, like Alyssa and Leila, but, like them, I was up on all that then-current music!

There were just a couple of songs that stumped me.

I can't say what they were, though.

After this photo was snapped, I poured the dressing onto the salad -

and it promptly ran off that tomato and onto the play slip!

What a mess!

I continued to play with that 'bingo card', not just to finish out the first game, but through the second game on the back.

Did I win any of the games?

No, but that's okay, as I didn't expect to, not with two newbies there.

Surprisingly, Leeann and Sam didn't win, either!

All the newbies win their first time with us!

Not this time, nor did any of us win except Marcia, and that was the last game.

Amanda really had wanted to win a free drink!

Better luck next time for all of us!

(smile!)

blessings so far in 2025!

This dining room wall, with the painting of the Wormsloe Plantation gifted by step-sister Susan (for my wedding to Jeff back in 1992), is where I always begin posting the programs and tickets from events attended.

Amazingly, I paid for only eleven of those events I attended between January and April.

Several of the free ones are from events at the Telfair or Jepson museums, courtesy of my membership to those cultural sites.

Some are free events I found on fb.

And quite a few are from volunteer stints for the Savannah Music Festival (SMF36) or the Savannah VOICE Festival!

Plus, the Savannah Jewish Cultural Arts Festival and the Black History Month events were all free this year, too.

That pink mesh bag?

That's a party souvenir, as well as a memento of my trip to Tallahassee!

This smaller bit of dining room wall, graced with a framed bit of embroidery done by my one-and-only Grandma, has the next set of blessings.

Those events, between mid-April to mid-June, include six that cost money.

Technically, the week-long vacation to Orlando with Christina and her daughters also cost money, but Christina covered the gas and food expenses, so I consider it fairly even.

But that meant I had two trips, in fairly quick succession - hooray!

Then there's my third dining room wall on which I post event mementos.

That's the wall with the painting I bought in Italy for less than ten Euros.

I had actually resisted putting anything up there for almost a month.

I was a bit blue then and thought I'd just forget about that wall.

Then came the second party at Bonnie Blue's little blue house and I taped all the programs and museum lecture notes and such right on up there!

Amazing what that did for my mindset!

Four events had a fee attached, but that was all.

Then I had volunteer duties for eight glorious events with SFV13!

Now, that wall is full... and life is good.

I am surrounded by the proof that I am not missing out on fun!

Hooray for retirement!

taco tuesday on a friday!

Wanting something other than a game show with breakfast, I dipped into the stash of movies that Comcast has rewarded to me.

Oh, yes, "The Lego Movie" would work!

It did, too, with its lying promise from President Businessman to give the people tacos on a Friday, just like it was Taco Tuesday - but then he sprayed them with adhesive to glue them in place so they couldn't move.

Such a dastardly act!

However, it did help me decide on what I wanted to order at the Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta at Jalapenos of Sandfly!

Then I went on AARP to rack up some Reward Points for playing games.

Here's what I chose for "Song List"!

I'd started with the one word - "tacos" - and found those three songs.' 

Thanks, Spotify, for helping me win some more points!

Woohoo!

When it was the new time - that would be 5:30, not 5 PM - for the weekly dinner with brothers and others, I arrived after everyone else was already there.

Just the usual eight of them this time, as Addison was back at UGA for her last year and Laura's two grandkids were back in Missouri.

Alrighty then!

Just the two high-top tables for us!

And when all was said and done and the orders had been placed before us, three of us had tacos!

I had a trio of "crunchy beef tacos" with cheese and lettuce...

Laura, to my right, had soft tacos with shrimp and cabbage...

and Smitty, two up on my left, had soft tacos with carne asada...

all having made different choices of the same dish!

Sounds like "right time, right place" to me!

How did I know for sure?

The big rain that had been forecast didn't arrive until after we were safely in our cars afterward and headed for home.

Hooray!

I truly loved getting my opera fix for the last two weeks, but I certainly have missed this face-time with Smitty and Tony.

I had missed the birth of Ava, a new grand-daughter to Smitty and Mary, as her parents are Zach and Krystal.

Smitty and Zach met her for the first time yesterday.

I think he said she was born on July 27th.

Here's the thing that really got us talking, though.

Ava is the baby sister to Olivia, Tony and Laura's youngest grand-daughter, who was born to Damon and Krystal.

Yes, that's for real.

Smitty and Tony have sons who have dated the same woman. 

Krystal has been the girlfriend to either Zach or Damon over the last eleven years, at least, with her having gone back to Zach a year or so ago.

As Zach and Damon are cousins, does that mean Ava and Olivia are sisters as well as cousins?

No, actually, as the two men would have to be brothers for that. 

Still, it all sounds akin to what our maternal-Uncle Jimmy did.

He had three children with Janet (in Augusta), one with Mary (nurse in Atlanta), two with Pearl (in Waycross, plus the two she already had in Indianapolis), and one with Pearl's daughter (though she was grown and in her twenties by then). 

That's a grand total of seven kids for him over a quarter-century span. 

That's why our cousins from him range in age from early 60's to early-40's.

Damon's kids with Krystal have a ten-year span of ages, but the only one not adopted out is Olivia. 

That illustrates the reason why it's still a good idea to have a blood test before marriage - 

no one wants unknown siblings having incest!

Even so, that family tree would look pretty tame compared to the one for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

I had bopped over to the CDC site to see what was going on, as folks from out of town brought it here for SVF13.

I was met with that genealogy map of the parent strain.

Rather much of a beast, isn't it?

In just five years, the virus that causes COVID-19 has evolved over and over, creating new strains each time it mutated with new hosts.

Some of the new lines petered out, thankfully; some are only found in limited locations around the world.

However, that hot mess at the top of the tree has been worldwide and is still very much alive and killing people.

It spreads as easily as the common cold, its distant cousin, and takes the same three days to show its presence to its victims.

Unlike its cousin, though, it still puts those with weak immune systems or compromised health into the hospital and still has some coughing to death.

I'll say this: I'm going to make sure I use my arms to open doors and that I wash, wash, wash my hands anywhere I go.

And, as soon as the latest anti-COVID booster shot comes out this fall, I'll be right there, in line, to give my immunity all the help it can get.

five dances, and all new to me!!!

"Seriously? You actually maximized the full potential of the AMC A*List this time?"

Seriously, I did! Of course, that was after getting only one movie in last week. Remember I had predicted that "Freakier Friday" would be the limit? Well, it was. Good thing that it was a movie I really enjoyed! It could have been such a train wreck, but they managed to keep it on the rails. Carolyn had not liked it, though. Ah, well.

"Oh, did the two of you see it together?"

Nope, but we do text back and forth about them, as we always do. I keep expecting to run into her at the cinema, but it rarely happens. I thought for sure she would have been there on Sunday, as I knew she came into town for church. Alas, I did not see her before or after the two dances I had that day, nor all week.

"So, you did your double header on Sunday???"

I did! I needed to be out around people, but not too close. You see, some of the folks who'd traveled in for the SVF13 opera tested positive on Friday for COVID-19. Dumb, wealthy, idiots. I makes me crazy that folks act like that coronavirus is gone and they can just carry on however they want. (sigh)

"Oh, no! That's terrible!"

Yeah, we had to break out the masks and hope for the best. I had planned to go over to Tony and Laura's on Sunday, hang out with the family for Bert's 9th birthday. However, I abstained, as I didn't want to be giving the boy an unwanted gift of illness, not to mention everyone else there. So, I went to the cinema, knowing I could sit well away from anyone else... and that's exactly how it turned out. I watched "Shin Godzilla 4K" first, not realizing it was from 2016. Odd, right? But that movie perfectly displayed how slowly government works, with none of the elected officials wanting to take responsibility for expensive decisions - pretty funny! That movie also went through the monster morphing into four forms, each worse than the other, with the people having to change their plans each time.

"Hahahaha! So, a Japanese two-step, was it?" 

You got that right! Then I was off to "Weapons", billed as "horror" and "dark comedy". It was neither. "Fantasy" would have been more apt. I had been concerned about children getting hurt in it, but none of the 18 were.

"I thought there were 17 kids that went missing..."

... and 1 that did not. The poster and promos didn't mention 'Alex', the only classmate left behind. Nor was his Pennywise-esque 'Aunt Gladys', who had suddenly started living with the child's family. I will say that Amy Madigan was suitably creepy in that role! But her presence didn't make this "horror". She certainly wasn't the only odd character, either, as the teacher was plenty creepy, too. Kudos to Josh Brolin as a bereaved dad with an analytical mind! I very much appreciated his methodology as he tried to find out what had become of his son, 'Matthew', and the other 16 who vanished.

"Very good! I'm glad you took a chance on that one."

Me, too. It isn't anything I'd watch again, but it was well made. I liked the nonlinear story arc, too, with "chapters" dealing with key characters, giving some back story. That rather reminded me of "Cold Pursuit", though without the body count. (smile!)

"Yes, dear. I'm betting "Nobody 2" more than made up for that lack!"

Not surprisingly, it did. LOL! The whole finale at the theme park is just fabulous!!! I'm planning to see it again just for all the shenanigans there! Oh, and for Christopher Lloyd!!! The 86-year-old man stole every blessed scene he was in... and never once removed his sunglasses! What a great trick, having him play the Grandpa of the family! Actually, it was nice to have the other family members get some character development this time around. I really liked this one so much more than the first one.

"That's wonderful! And you saw that one on Tina Tuesday, I see."

I did, as a treat after I became a part of the Borg collective. This sequel will most def be seen again! Maybe I'll run into the hat-wearing young man and his mom who were also there - that would be nice! I had quite the chat with them after the movie!

"That's even more wonderful!"

And I had another long post-movie chat after today's film! That was "Honey Don't!", about a lesbian dick trying to find out why her clientele keeps turning up dead. Trick and Tara were there, too!!! Sitting in the front row, too!!! How wonderful to see them again!!! Both of their daughters have given them grandchildren now. I bragged on their son, Skylar, too, providing the great tunes during a dinner with friends.

"Hold up, g'friend. The movie was about who doing what?"

A lesbian... oh, I see what's tripping you up. Maybe I should have said 'private investigator' instead of 'dick', is that it? Hahahaha! Trust me, when you see the movie, you'll know why thought of that with 'Honey'!

"Oh, I see, you were trying to be cute about it, slip in a pun. Gotcha! So, Trick and Tara are grandparents? I guess so. It's been three years since you've even seen them."

Hey, as I told those two former Odd Lot folks, this one had the same "Modern Western" feel to it as "Americana." did last night. I didn't know any of the actors in either one, but found both to be very well done, with solid acting and solid stories. I'm hoping that 2023 film seen at NCG Cinema might show up on Peacock someday soon! Plus, I liked the bumper sticker on one of the trucks: "My heroes have always killed cowboys." Trust me, that's a perfect joke on Indian land! And guess what? That movie seen off the A*List only cost $3.52, as I had little balances on the two NCG gift cards I brought in! Hooray!!!

"Well, I am glad you have had such a satisfying week of movies! I'm glad you managed to fill that dance card, too. Best of all, I am very glad that none of these were repeats for you! You have had plenty of that of late. Nice to have new movies filling the screens!"

Heard that, sister! Let's hope that trend continues a little, but not totally. I do want to see some of this week's movies again! Now, let me wrap up this post before I lose power again during this thunderstorm. It wasn't out long, but that was long enough!

big rain come soon...

... that meant I had to make hay while the sun was shining.

Literally.

I mowed and collected grass clippings, rather than letting those lie.

They're dumped in a barren area just inside my back yard, near the fence, where the sun never shines.

I started with the back yard on Tuesday evening, about 7:40 PM, going until the battery on my Ryobi mower gave out.

I made sure to cut diagonal areas to allow moisture to escape, as it was so thick that it was sodden, even after two days of no rain. 

The bag to catch the clippings had to be emptied three times. 

Then, on Wednesday evening, about that same time, I repeated the process, mowing until the little light on the front of the Ryobi was just not enough to continue.

That time, I was in the front yard.

I had to empty the bag of clippings four times over forty minutes. 

This morning, knowing rain was forecast for evening, I was out in the front yard again, this time by my Japanese magnolia.

I had hoped the shade from that dear tree would be helpful, and it was, but it didn't help as much as it would have had I started mowing at 11 AM.

Instead, I overslept and didn't get in the yard until just about noon30.

I had to dump out the clippings bag at least four times.

Still, I managed to get the walking circle re-established.

I also cleared the path from the curb for the mailperson to reach my sidewalk.

Both of those are good things.

Plus, my front yard has a bit of a sculpted look to it now.

That wasn't on purpose, mind.

Pure serendipity that I achieved that classy touch.

Maybe, next time, I will get even more creative.

That forecast I used on Tuesday changed abruptly yesterday, with the rains starting a day earlier than expected.

Thunderstorms are to begin just about 7 PM this evening, wrecking my mowing time.

They are to rock on throughout the weekend.

That's okay.

I'm fine with stopping the mowing now.

I do have one question, though.

Wonder what all this activity has meant for my heart monitor data?

I'll find out in October, I guess!

(smile!)