johnny has left the building!

Whatever am I going on about in that title?
This.

Johnny Harris Restaurant is closing.
First established a little better than ninety years ago, the joint has served barbeque to Savannahians. That was more than thirty-five years before Carey Hilliard's came on the scene.


These days, a restaurant closing its doors is not generally regarded as news. Many would-be entrepreneurs in the food business think all they need is a location and a dream and folks will come running to fill their coffers. They fail to plan to have a two-year business plan, and a minimum two-year financial support in place, to allow for word of mouth to generate a consistent flow of traffic through their doors.
Sad, but certainly not news.
There are also places that close because of life issues for their owners. Leoci's Trattoria, for example, is a recent example of the price of divorce to the food business. That's unfortunate, as I have enjoyed their food at several events at the Lucas and elsewhere.
However, when a long-established restaurant closes its doors to diners, that does, and should, make headlines. One of my long-time favorites, Juarez Mexican Restaurant, closed up shop right before the end of the year. Located just two blocks east of the Trustees Theatre, I enjoyed bouncing down there during a long day of film-watching.
However, their business has been off for the past few years. Even though they are downtown and just two blocks from the ice cream shop, they seem to be off the beaten path for the tourist dollars that feed many of the downtown establishments. A lack of boutiques in those two blocks, coupled with a construction project that forced would-be diners into the street as they wended their way in an easterly direction, led to a serious decline in business for too long.
That's too bad, really. The only other Mexican restaurant downtown is all the way down on the westside.

Back to the business at hand,
shall we?
This is the building that Johnny designed back in 1936.
What a beauty, right?
But it is to be demolished.
When the new developers move in to construct their multi-store space, this iconic structure will be gone.

Because the new buyers have opted to demolish it?
Oh, no.
The long-time owners of the Johnny Harris brand have decreed that the building will be destroyed at their command, rather than be incorporated into a new shopping complex.
Perhaps they don't want this beautiful star-lit dome to be utilized by others.
For seventy-nine years, generations of locals have dined and danced in that beautiful, old-fashioned space.
My stepdad and Mama enjoyed going there for a night made special with dinner and dancing.
I have even dined and danced to jazz there a time or two as recently as last year!
But soon, no one will ever do so again under that night sky.
Despite a grass-roots movement on social media to preserve the landmark, it will be razed to the bare ground.

Enjoy it while you can, folks.
This party is drawing to a close.

deniro and efron

I have to wonder what demographic they were trying to target.
Yesterday, I went to the super bargain matinee of "Dirty Grandpa".
Sure, I had been attracted to the film because Robert De Niro is in it and I usually like his comedic work.
Plus, Zac Efron provides nice eye candy.
And I really wanted to chill out with popcorn and have a few laughs after a long day that started way too early.
So, I went.
Within fifteen minutes, I was sure I had made a big mistake.
I stayed, hoping it would get better.
Nope.
The level of crude was unbelievably coarse.
The language, the humor, the story.
What a waste of talent.

Again I ask: what demographic were the makers hoping to attract?
Fans of De Niro?
Not likely. I can't imagine any of them staying through the entire film. In fact, I would guess they would be asking for their money back.
Fans of Efron?
Not likely. This is most definitely not for the women (or men) who find him attractive or likable. There's about five minutes in the entire 102 minutes of footage in which he could be said to be attractive and likable.
Well, then, maybe they were looking for fans of Seth Rogen?
Please. Those guys are at the bars, not in the cinemas.

Bear in mind that I am no shrinking violet, easily offended by rude language or such.
I was in the US Navy for almost eight years.
Shrinking violet?
Not hardly.
Easily offended?
More likely, once upon a time, to have been the one uttering those kinds of words and making other sailors blush.
So, for me to complain about gratuitous coarseness, it's got to be seriously offensive to most folks.

What a waste of talent.
It purports to be a story about a grandfather reconnecting with his grandson.
Okay, I'll give it that.
But it could have been a wonderful story about grandkids acknowledging that it's okay for their grandparents to still have sex.
It could have been a fabulous story to open discussions about sex between generations.
Instead, it concentrated its energy on showing that sex was dirty and creepy and fueled by drugs.
What an absolute waste.

soup party 2016!

Hooray!
For this year's Soup Party, I was just one of the "tasters" of other folks' creations!
As you may recall, I was one of the four chef-testants last year.
No stress on me!
Between courses, we did something a little different this time around.
Sure, we had the Soup Trivia game (which I lost badly).
But we also did something life-affirming. Dawn would start us with a question and then we each answered, being careful to not repeat what another had said.
Very interesting and enlightening!
The first question concerned new year's resolutions.
Of the eleven of us there on Saturday night, I was one of the last three to get to reply. That meant that the usual types of resolutions concerning diet modification, exercise modification, and the like had already been voiced.
No concern to me! I don't resolve to follow such doomed courses, as you well know.
My resolution for 2016: to attend the Georgia Elvis Festival.
That was certainly a change of pace for the group! It led to a bit of discussion about the upcoming event, too. Very nice! Maybe some of the women will join me there.
(smile)
Then we ate soup!
That was followed by another question, asking about things that make us happy.
This time, Dawn started the round of answers with me.
I think she was interested in what direction my teacher-brain might lead the group.
She didn't have to wait long!
I went for an answer none of them would have chosen - film festivals - then shared with them the FOUR this month!
Which four, you ask?
Well, besides the two in the letter to my youngest brother, there is also the Jewish Film Festival and the Gray's Reef Ocean Film Festival. What incredible riches!
Everyone was amazed!
And I think Dawn was very pleased at my response.
Good.
She is special to me and she recently lost a dear friend to cancer. In his honor, she decided to go ahead with the Soup Party, knowing he would have wanted it that way.
Here's hoping her grief will soon be replaced with bright memories.

As for the soups proffered this time around, my favorite was a recipe from a mother-in-law. Dolores' Hodgepodge tasted so familiar to me, but I couldn't place it until someone asked, "Does this have Worcestershire Sauce in it?"
Click!
That was how I knew it!
Mama used to make it, but she called it Hungarian Goulash. She also served it over rice.
Hey, you have to make meals stretch when you have four kids!
I'll make that sometime soon.
Maybe I'll even invite some folks over to help me eat it.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I'm heating the can of Greek chicken and lemon soup that I received at the party.
And I'll be finishing off the last of the olive bread that Dawn gave me.
Tomorrow, I'll dine on the black bean soup, adding some diced tomatoes and serving it over rice.
Thanks, Dawn, for the free and easy meals!
Later, y'all!

new year, new letter 2 tony!

January 23, 2016

Dear Tony,

Hey! Got your letter yesterday!
School has been keeping me very busy! Sadly, I found out the pay is about half what I had expected - ouch. Still, everyone there has been very helpful and they even boosted my pay by $1000 to help me out. Meanwhile, I'll have to wait until the end of February to get my first check from either school. Dagnabbit!


January 25, 2016

I'm baaackk!
Didja miss me? :-)
These past two weekends have been so busy with film festivals!
The weekend of the 16th and 17th was Strange But True Documentary Film Festival. Strange But True they were!
There was one about a hillbilly tapdancer who had been on "Roseanne" back in 1994!
There was one about racecar driver and designer Mickey Thompson!
There was even one about a painter who went to sea in a 12 1/2-foot boat that he made himself! He never returned, of course, but his boat eventually washed up.
The rock band Thor even had a documentary!
Overall, very good film fest!

This weekend was the Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour Savannah Film Festival!
Lots of films about snow skiing, surfing, skateboarding, and other sports!
One of my favorites was about a skateboarding cat - fun!
Also, the one about the one-legged skier - amazing!

Okay, it's Monday and I need to move my silly self towards school stuff.
later!

Stay warm! I had frost on the ground today!

with my love!

spamalot, y'all!

Yes, deliberately with a blue tinge!
Advertised for audiences 13 and older to avoid offending those who object to "shit", "ass", and fart jokes!
Hahahaha haha!
What a total blast!
I've made sure to invite everyone I know who love Monty Python to this show! I've even invited folks who just need a good laugh!
The Savannah Children's Theatre have hosted this fabulous production of "Monty Python's Spamalot"! Hooray! They saved me the trip to New York City to see it!
Ever since I first heard about the Broadway show, I have so-o-o-o wanted to see it!
Then, last year, John Cleese was here in town and I was unable to go to see him. Oh! So sad!
But I did get to see "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" as well as "Life of Brian"! Yes, I did, on that glorious silver screen at the Lucas!
Based on "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", this musical was incredibly funny! I can certainly understand why it won a Tony!
And the cast?
WOW!
I think I'm in love with Les Taylor and Chris Bass! They were King Arthur and Sir Galahad, respectively, and I cannot imagine the play with better-suited Pythonesque talent!
Now then, before you think I'm talking about kids, think again! This is a "mainstage production", so the cast is a mix of ages. The two fellows who caught my eye are probably my age or older. Fair game, I say!
(smile!)
I do hope to see them again before the show leaves.
Ooh la la!

films + kids + sports = fun!

Wow!
Sixteen films in two hours for only five bucks!
Totally awesome!
True, I had already seen three of them, two last night and one at the Savannah Film Festival. Still, it was good to see them again, as well as 13 that were new to me!
One of the coolest things about this film festival are all the sports which are highlighted. Plus, with the advent of easy to use handhelds, anyone can, and will, make a movie of something true to life.
Which sports?
Biking, skateboarding, surfing, swimming, soccer!
"Submarine Sandwich" even featured several sports that would have been left out! Slices of a catcher's mitt and a boxing glove and a football as meat, playing cards as cheese, even a purple Slinky as the red onions! Very cute bun, too!
The biking crowd were represented in the same crazy one from last night as well as another one which was almost as crazy. The difference? "Dark Woods BMX" featured single riders in Wales who were not endangering anyone else. Both should have come with disclaimers: Don't try this at home, kids.
Snow skiing - with people only - were featured in two films. One was about the one-legged skier, seen last night. Very nice to see it again in this audience of children!
The other starred folks in light suits, skiing in the dark down the snowy slopes in Alaska. "After Glow" was akin to a laser show with filled-in graphics - awesome!
Surfing also had two films, though with different emphasis. In "The Right", it was all about the waves and trying to catch the right one the right way. "Sammy The Explorer", though, focused on a little boy who wanted to know everything in his world. One day, some "island people" came and he watched them surf...while they were also constructing a fresh water source for his village. After their task was done, they left. But Sammy's world was just getting started!
"The Scared Is Scared" featured swimming, of all things! This was a story of Asa Bear and Toby Mouse, in the words of a little girl. Her real message? When you feel afraid, think of things that make you happy because hose things scare "the scared" away. Nice story, too! I had seen this one at the Savannah Film Festival and liked it then, too.
Girl power was the message in the skateboarding film "Gnarly In Pink"! Calling themselves the Pink Helmet Posse, these three middle-school-aged girls even bring their pink ponies and wear their pink and purple tutus when they're taming the concrete ocean! I really enjoyed this one! It made me miss my nieces Dylan and Riley in San Diego - they're roller-derby girls, ya know!
Another film I totally enjoyed was "Bounce - This Is Not A Freestyle Movie"! Soccer, baby, done all over the world with all kinds of people! Such great tunes, too! This video is guaranteed to lift your spirits! The guy was so enthusiastic, he reminded me very much of Matt Harding, who had again been brought to mind during the Savannah Film Festival's "Globe Trot" video. Hooray!
The third film that I truly enjoyed was "A Toy Train In Space". Why? Well, it tickled my scientific funny bone! Here, the dad attached his son's favorite toy, Stanley, to a weather balloon and sent it skyward, using GPS to chart its flight. Great video! Great science, too!
"Rabbit Island" didn't focus on any one sport. Rather, it preached about the importance of leaving a place to be wild, forever. Where better than this Michigander island in Lake Superior? Never developed, the owner intends it to stay that way. Come to canoe or swim or hike, but expect no amenities. Beautifully filmed video!
What next to say?
Oh, yes! Dogs and cats and bears, oh, my!
Those animals were the stars of several of the films!
"Sun Dog" was about Conga and her love of chasing after her master as he skied the mountains in Chile. Not to be outdone, the felines were represented in "Didga the Skateboarding Cat". Amazing! You can see the dog and the cat for yourself!
"Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, 3" was about a singing snail that had gotten locked out of the house. For real!
(smile)
Well, not really real.
But you could tell a little girl and her dad had fun making this!
The folks at National Geographic had fun working with a bear in the Gobi Desert. "Gobi Grizzly" addressed the plight of these ancient-lineage beasts that are down to a population of less than forty. This arid and mountainous region is the only place they exist on Earth.
Don't think there aren't endangered species locally. One of the coolest things to come from the festival this year is a compilation of the "Endangered & Threatened Species" for Georgia's Coastal Plain.

The research for the flora and fauna on the list came from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Southern Environmental Law Center, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Amazing work, y'all!
Thank you for bringing this to the attention of all of the festival attendees this year! Believe me, that's a big impact. Now that this film festival actually has a following, maybe the message preached will reach a wider audience than the choir of sixty or so that came out for the first few years.
Keep singing that song!
Mother Earth needs every voice to be raised!
Thanks for joining me today, Carolyn!

every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man!

Woo-eee!
ZZ Top sure did nail it that time!
I had sent the above photo of Tyrone Hayes to my niece, for her to relay it to my email, as my phone has lost that ability again.
You can't really tell from this photo, but he was quite the snazzy dresser! Just look at this video and you'll agree.
I had also accidentally sent it to my friend, Carolyn.
Oops!
But that led to a lively exchange!

her: Oh, it looks like you are having waaaay too much fun. Well, a bit more fun than me. Enjoy, and I do mean, ENJOY!

me: LOL! I thought I might have sent that pic to you! Am at Telluride Mountainfilm fest!

her: Yes, I can see that you're having a man-fest. You go, girl. Hope you are enjoying the fest, both of them.

me: Thank you! If I play nice, can I keep him? LOL!

her: Yes, and if you play "dirty", you can keep him for sure!

me: :-)

her: I would appreciate it if you could manage to wipe that smile off your face by the next time I see you, that way I may not be too jealous. Maybe?
her: I would say go ahead and "rub it in", but methinks there may already be rubbing involved.

me: :-) :-) :-)
me: I'm going to the matinee at 2 at the Trustees. Only 5 bucks for about ten films. You interested?

her: Hell yes!

me: Major coolness!

her: Meet you in front between 1:45 and 1:50 tomorrow. Bring all the guys you want. I will take all of the ones that are too old and infirm to keep up with you.

me: He he he! :-)

her: Actually, that would be about 75% of the population of Savannah. I know because I see them all at "Old farts R Us" getting senior discounts on their coffees. Ain't Life Grand/ or Grande? :-) :-)

me: Girl, you so funny! See you tomorrow! :-)

And now, I must get ready to do that very thing!
Bye!

thoughts of friends at mountainfilm fest

Thanks, Ellen, for the free ticket!
And thank you to the young man working the ticket office who graciously gave it to me.
What a blessing!
Did I know either of them? Nope. But together, they saved me fifteen dollars. Again, thanks, y'all! And my thanks to The Universe for setting that up tonight.
After a day spent cooped up in the house, making two versions of two tests for two CHEM1211 classes, listening to rain most of the day, I was definitely ready for some relaxation!
I have been looking forward to the Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour Savannah for about two months...or is that three? I had missed the opening because of class on Wednesday night. And I will miss the closing because I have a months-in-the-making Soup Party to attend!
But Friday night, and Saturday afternoon, are mine, all mine!
The really interesting thing about this festival so far?
The majority of the films brought immediate thoughts of friends who would have enjoyed them.

Honestly, it isn't uncommon for some films to cause me to want to refer them to friends or family. But here, viewing this slate of films, almost everyone of them brought someone to mind.
It was actually a very nice feeling!
Perhaps it was because I have spent the week by myself. Teaching full-time again has not yet left much time for socializing. I definitely need to work on that!

The first film, "Leave It As It Is", was a love song to the Grand Canyon. The first panoramic views brought my cousin Bev to mind. She and her husband went there this past summer, celebrating 60th birthdays and their 40th anniversary. Beautiful!
The second one was also centered on the Grand Canyon, but was a story of a son trying to get to know the younger man his father once was. "The Important Places" had me misting up with thoughts of my own father in his younger days, grateful that I was able to spend so much time with him during his last year of life. I'm sure Forest Woodward is glad he has this film, too, documenting his nearly month-long trip to the Grand Canyon with his father - his dad died early last year.
"We Are Fire" followed a member of the Gulabi Gang. If you pictured young men in black leather coats, you're on the wrong track! Champa Pal, a young widow, wears flowing pink saris, as do the other women in this gang. Their mission? To be a voice for silenced women, to teach others how to earn their own money for their families. Hooray! You can watch the video here.
"The Reinvention of Normal" invited us all to view the world through a child's eyes - a world where anything is possible! You know, like door-books, which open up when you close a door. Or headphones which feed sounds on your right to your left ear and sounds on your left to your right ear. Or a sound-proof balloon-popping chamber. Fun stuff! See this new perspective for yourself!
My friend Jo sprang to mind while I watched "I Am Able". The story was narrated by Frederick Ndabaramiye, now in his early 30's. In 1998, the 15-year-old Rwandan's hands were chopped off by rebels. Today, he helps others who are differently abled to learn new skills at the Ubumwe Community Center, a place he co-founded.
Why did I think of Jo? She works with our young men and women who have returned from war, missing parts of their bodies and minds. I'll have to recommend the film to her. Maybe she will be able to show it to her clients for inspiration.
"Eddie Masters Gets Fat" was all about love for fat bikes and fat-bottomed girls! What a hoot! Here's a link so you can giggle, too!

What next?
An intermission, of course!
(smile!)

Then, a brief "commercial" about something which "has been shown to relieve the crippling symptoms of modern life". What magical elixir is this? "Nature Rx-1"! Brought to you by good ol' Terra Mater herself! Hahaha haha! When Henry Lystad introduced it, he made it seem like some corporate bigshot had demanded it be shown. Very funny! Watch it for a great laugh...then, at least look out your window!
Then came a "don't try this at home" piece about a guy on a skateboard traveling at a reckless speed on a mountain highway. And the final film of the festival screenings tonight was another "don't try this at home" piece about a guy on a bike traveling at a reckless speed through narrow lanes in a town in Mexico.
Seriously.
All it would have taken for those to end badly was a raccoon or a stray cat to wander into their path.
Totally insane and inane.
Fortunately, sandwiched between those bits of lunacy were three very worthwhile pieces!
"Vasu Sojitra: Out On A Limb" followed the young man down the slopes of snowy mountains. On one leg. Not as a reckless daredevil, as in the two films above, but because his left leg is all he has. The right one was amputated before he even learned to walk.
Somehow, he found he has a true love for snow skiing. How remarkable to watch him! And what a great sense of humor he has! His friends say they even forget sometimes that he is only one-legged because he is so talented on the slopes. Very nice.
Of course, I wondered about JinHi and skiing. I'll have to ask her about that the next time I see her!
The very next one brought Robb, one of my friends from my high school days, to mind. Titled "The Fisherman's Son", it was actually about surfing! Well, mostly. Again, we had the story of the love between a father and son, this time in Chile. But, we also had the story of an activist, Ramón Navarro, fighting to save the surf for future generations. Beautifully filmed, lovingly narrated - I'll watch it again!
How very nice that he has his dad and his grandmother in this film, so he can enjoy seeing them alive. Not only that, but the fisherman was also very proud of his son for his actions to save the coast - a pride forever captured in this film.
The San Franciscans, Paul and Cathy, came up in my mind next! Tyrone Hayes, a biologist at UC Berkeley (where Cathy is) was the focus in "What's Motivating Hayes?", a film about pesticides, people, and frogs. Yeah, you heard me: frogs. Like canaries in coal mines, the small amphibians serve as a living alarm system for us humans.
Tyrone is originally from Columbia, SC, and is a Southerner, like me. At one point in the film, he's tromping around barefoot on his home turf. Apparently, that really made an impact on folks in the audience, with one person asking why he was barefoot there! He has such a great sense of humor about that sort of silliness!
Okay, time for bed!
Tomorrow - um, later today! - I have the family matinee of shorts. And Carolyn will be joining me! Hooray!

yonder come balleilakka, my girl!

Savannah Sings!
Scratch that.
Savannah children sing!
Many thanks were heaped on John Tisbert this time around, too. He is, and has been for at least the last decade, the choir teacher at Garrison (Middle) School of Visual and Performing Arts.
Tis, as I know him, recognized years ago that this town was blessed with a wealth of young singing talent... with no showcase for those voices except in the school auditorium. He was the one who initiated the Invitational Youth Choir Festival so that youngsters of varying ages could all celebrate the joy of singing and share the experience with each other.
Amen to that! The options have certainly changed since I was a girl in Glee Club! Hooray for Tis!

Savannah Sings 2016! Savannah's Youth Choir Festival was held at the Lucas Theatre. Hooray! That meant I was able to be there for the show again as an usher!
Such a wide range of ages! From first-graders to college students, all were there! From Savannah, Richmond Hill, and Statesboro they came! With parents, younger and older siblings, and teachers they came!
Such a fabulous variety of music, too!
The first-graders, part of the Apprentice Choir of the Savannah Children's Choir, did one of my favorites this time around. With great enthusiasm and energy, they performed "Yonder Come Day"! Joyous!
Another favorite performance came from the same group I had so enjoyed last year: the Windsor Forest High School Troubadours. Titled simply "On Stage with the Temptations", their medley included one of my top songs ever! "My Girl" always makes me smile and sing along and tap my toes and think of Mama! The song, which came out in 1964, has been dear to me for as long as I can remember!
The Savannah Arts Academy Chorale then brought a new favorite into my world! I had never even heard of "Balleilakka" before, but I could certainly picture it as music which should have been in "The Fifth Element". Instead, it's from a Bollywood film - no wonder it appealed to me so much!
Thanks, y'all!
Keep up the great work!

pinkies

I had only been there once in the last fifteen years or so.
The place was a favorite for some of the PFSS's Wednesday night film followers. Back in August, when I was so desolated by the damage to my car and my psyche, those friends carried me to this watering hole after a film noir evening.

I knew my ex had some fond memories of Pinkie Masters bar. So, when the news broke about the place closing down, I sent the article to him.
Why was it closing?
A current bartender and a former one had come to blows one night, over who knows what. The upshot of it was the former bartender (Catfish, the same guy known at the baseball stadium) was suing the other bartender and the bar as a whole.
They closed before the new year, to keep from having to pay the $5000 for a new liquor license.


me: Did you get the story about Pinkie Masters closing?

the ex: Yes, I did, thank you! You know I went inside that place maybe 3 times in my life. One of them was with cousin David when he wanted to explore the "magnificent dives" around Savannah, sort of like our family's old Sunset Cafe in Hamtramck.

me: Yeah, I thought you would find it of interest. All because two bartenders couldn't get along.

the ex: That same night we also went to Jim Collins Bar' where Caroline the former receptionist from Z102 was a volunteer bartender. We then went to McDonough's and saw Monica McDermott and her teacher friend Jennifer there.

me: I remember.
me: David thought you were magic. :-)

the ex: Then there was Dee Shurling hostessing at Huey's the next day. Yeah, I think David got a new respect for cousin Jeffrey that trip. :-)

me: I'm sure he did! All grown up and knowing all those women everywhere you went. :-)

the ex: I miss him.

me: I know. Hard to think about TN and not instantly bring him to mind.

the ex: I'm sure this is something I've said a few times in the last decade... Although Brian and I are about the same age and were quite close growing up, as I got older I was bonding more with David. Maybe it was the Tennessee connection, maybe we were just two rapscallions that grew to realize we had more in common than we could have guessed.

me: Plus, by the time you and he were growing closer, Brian had little kids to deal with.

the ex: Could be. Proximity, too. Could have been a lot of things.

the ex: Christopher and Stephanie love them some cousin Jeffrey. I think I remind them some of their dad.

me: Sure thing. You are looser than Brian. He tries to come off as loose, but he doesn't hit it.

the ex: He's quite organized and driven. We went down to the gulf of Foster Falls during David's funeral weekend. We had hiked down there during summer camp. I had no idea we were going to be going down the slippery rocks and what not, 40 years later. I thought we were just going to peer into the gorge from the top!

me: Crazy! No way I would have done that. The girls tried to get me closer to the lip of the cliff behind the house they had rented. Nope!

the ex: I only did it because we had done it so many years ago and well, if Brian was taking Lily and Nikolas down there...

me: :-) I know I have always been a klutz. I try not to let myself be put into a position where the tendency might put me in a hospital. Ya know?

the ex: I was worried myself but couldn't let it show!


Nice stroll down memory lane for both of us.
(smile)
Now, I'll have to tell him about Juarez and Johnny Harris closing...
Sure they're just two restaurants, but they were part of our lives and Savannah's history.

butt dials and booty calls

Hahahaha haha!

In the comic, an older woman is standing in her kitchen, on the phone with her grown son.
(Actually, it could be her grown daughter, but I pictured a son. All we see are the words from said grown child, so it's non-gender specific.)
The words were: "Ma, it sounds the same. Still, a "butt dial" is different than a "booty call." You didn't booty call the gerontologist."

Hahahaha haha! Right?

Of course, if she didn't have one of those flat, featureless phones,
she wouldn't have even had that conversation concerning confusion
about the meanings of new jargon.
Sure, butt and booty are synonymous terms for the rear-located sitting down part of the human anatomy.
In other words, not the lap.
And dial and call are synonymous, too, as a means of making contact to another person by phone.
You know, to 'reach out and touch someone", as Ma Bell once said.
So I can understand her confusion.
Maybe she doesn't have grandkids or younger friends to help her keep up with lingo.

Maybe, she just needs a different type of cell phone.
With a flip phone, like mine, an unintentional phone call to a recently dialed number, i.e., a "butt dial", simply never happens.
Never.
Never ever.
In the eight years that I have had a cell phone, not once have I ever butt dialed anyone.
Not
even
once.

Booty calls are another thing, though! My phone has made a few of those, from time to time, at my behest.
You know, to share my milkshake.

Hahahaha haha!

strange but true film fest!

This month, there are four film festivals slated.
Well, four that I know about! It's certainly possible that I have missed one or two along the way...but I doubt it.
Jim Reed's Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah got the show started this weekend.
The Strange But True Documentary Film Festival provided seven films over a two-day span. Whew! And I was there for every single one of those films!
I lived on popcorn, sweet & salty trail mix, and ginger ale!
True story!
With every movie ticket, a free concession item was included.
I went ahead and bought the Gold Pass, which wasn't really golden in hue.
It was invisible, actually.
No physical representations of it existed, sadly.
The image above?
I manufactured that as a keepsake from a promotional photo in one of the interviews about the event.
Just in case you thought it looked professional.
(smile)
The Gold Pass brought the cost of the seven tickets - and seven concession items - down from sixty-seven buckaroos to a mere fifty dollars. What a deal!
What types of people were highlighted in the documentaries?
Three films featured musicians, but there were three others about an artist, a dancer, and one racer.
Then there was "Eurocrime!: The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the 70s" - that was the one I came to see!
As well as featuring interviews with a wide range of actors from those action-packed films, we were even treated to a post-film Question & Answer session!
Which actors were highlighted? Henry Silva, for one. Franco Nero, for another. And in between, John Saxon, Fred Williamson, Richard Harrison, Antonio Sabato, and even some directors! The amount of information was almost overwhelming!
The Q&A was with Mike Malloy, the writer/director/interviewer/editor of the four-years-in-the-making documentary. This was the second time he had come to town for one of his movies. Very nice!
What to talk of next? How about the dancer! Tap-dancer Jesco White even made it to an episode of "Roseanne", after the 1991 "Dancing Outlaw" became a widely-swapped video sensation. Incredible! Even more incredible? That May 1994 episode also featured my man, Joseph Gordon-Levitt! He was so young then!
"Dancing Outlaw" and the short 1994 video about Jesco's time in Hollywood (and his triumphant return to West Virginia) were shown as the last screening on Saturday. Plus, it was a "mystery" documentary, so no one knew what to expect. Well played, Jim, well played!
The artist was the focus of the first film of the festival. "Here Is Always Somewhere Else: The Disappearance of Bas Jan Ader" was about a 33-year-old Dutch artist who used gravity in his works. No, really! His videos feature him falling off roofs, falling onto a ladder, falling off a bike into a river. Then, in 1975, he forsook his wife to go to sea in a 3.8 meter sailboat. Sad, really. Watch the entire video here.
Next up, here at least, will be the documentary about Mickey Thompson. The man could drive any wheeled vehicle, especially those which he designed himself! "The Man In The Iron Cage", from 1984, had captured his attempts, and ultimate win in 1982, of a fierce off-road race, the Baja 1000. The man was killed two years later, but the tires and wheels he designed live on. Amazing what I have learned at, or because of, this "strange but true" film festival!
Here's a great video, narrated by his son, about his dad's innovative skills and racing dreams. Or should that be innovative dreams and racing skills? Either way, the man was amazing. Drag racing, land speed records, funny cars, indy cars, car design, truck racing in stadiums... wow. And he was only 59 when he died. Imagine what else he could have brought to the world of racing!
Now, what about the musicians whose tales were screened? Oddly, they all seemed to be of the same age: mid- to late-50's.
The one on Saturday, sandwiched between the Italian gangsters and the dancing mountaineer, was "My Name Is Jonah". Born John Washnis, the man's name changed after a voluntary stint in the military, possibly in Vietnam, in the late 1960's. [sidebar: I had a friend who underwent a similar transformation after his first stint aboard ship. He went from Karl Unterbrink to Ray Gomez. Seriously.]
Perhaps he felt a kinship with the character in the Bible? I don't know, but I know this: he was the oldest of four in a religious family.
Now, he is known simply as Jonah, a self-professed red-hot, all-man, superhero, fantasy barbarian, rock star adventure wizard. He even stars in five free comic books. And, when not fighting crime, he plays a pretty mean harmonica!
(smile)
Sunday saw two men of music after the film about the racer. The first was about Jon Miki Thor and his same-name band. "I Am Thor" contains footage from his early years, as a hunky blond bodybuilder who could really sing! Astonishing and talented eye-candy he was, too! Over time, their following here in the States had really fallen off. Then, a few years ago, he and the band agreed to a three-concert gig over in Europe... and truly found their audience. Packed concerts! Enthusiastic fans! How gratifying! Watch the trailer here.
The second music film, and the final film of the festival, was "The Source Family", which followed the rise and fall of Jim Baker, lead singer in a psychedelic rock band.
Eventually renaming himself Father Yod (get it?), the tall, charismatic man managed to convert lost youth on the Sunset Strip into purveyors of health-food, makers of music, and members of his commune. The fundraising activities came under fire when he "went through the change" and became focused on "balling" the commune's young women more so than anything else. Forced to leave California because of the under-age sex going on, the group settled in Hawaii. Over the course of five years, the 143-member clan had more than fifty babies.
That had to be trying for a man who just wanted to play God. I think he tired of the responsibilities of truly being a family man with so many children looking to him for guidance. One day, he decided to man a kite...and crashed from the sky, much as Icarus had. His death led to the dispersal of the family, until several of them reunited years later.
What a story!
What a film festival!
What a weekend!

Thanks, Jim, for broadening my horizons!

casting my (odd) lot with my first niece!

This was a special Friday edition of Odd Lot - hooray!
Sandy and Barbara and I were already lined up to go, so for sure I was going!
Then my first niece texted me: Was I coming to the Muse?
Yes, yes, I was!
I sat with her and Amanda, her colleague from TVR.
Why was Odd Lot having this special session?
Two reasons, actually. First, it was Jessica Savannah's birthday! (She's beloved for laughing louder than me!) Second, it was a fundraiser for SWAHT, a cause dear to her heart.
Me?
I was there to have fun on a Friday night con mis amigas!
When Jason Arons, acting as emcee, called for a volunteer for "Sound Effects", I looked around to see if one of the young ones might want to participate. Nope! No takers anywhere, it seemed. So, when he caught my eye again, up I jumped!
The scene? A boat on the ocean.
Coolness!
I made seagull squawks, fog horn moans, telephone trills, and "Wah-wah-wah Wah-wah" voice on the other line ramblings! Thanks, Thomas and Lynita for playing along!
After a few more skits, the call again went out for volunteers to participate.

The skit this time was
"Moving Statues".
Bless Pete if Christina Ann didn't jump up to take part!
Hooray!
Here she is, making Lynita
do her bidding!
What fun!

When the emcee asked for
"Kill Shot" participants,
he got the birthday girl,
another woman, and...
that first niece of mine!
Good for her!!!
I didn't even have to urge
her that time!
(smile)


Seriously, life is so much more fun when you participate instead of waiting to be entertained.
Try it sometime!

hangin' with the bfe's old lady

So, I agreed a few weeks ago to tend to Chloe the Cat while the physicist went off to Colorado for a week.

Yes, this was also the very first week of classes, with me having a new schedule to work out, too.
That's okay. I would just pop in on her every couple of days, pet her a bit and give her some treats and a can of wet food. Definitely doable.

He left on Sunday morning.
That evening, I'm at the reception for the free music at Asbury Memorial. "A Winter Concert - Music For The Heartstrings" was the annual piano offering from Sanford Jones, this time accompanied by fellow pianist Marvin Keenze, violinist Effie Mydell, and the ever-lovely singer, Kim Michael Polote.
My favorites, of course, were the tunes penned by Johnny Mercer: "P.S. I Love You", "Autumn Leaves", and "Moon River". Kim has such a great voice for jazz - all were very nice!
Of course, more classical pieces were also present - oh, yes! Brahms, Bizet, Bloch, and Gottschalk were all represented in the form of a violin-piano sonata, a child's ball, poems of the sea, and a creole-flavored danza!
There was even a set done to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Marian Anderson's repertoire for her farewell performance. Kim started with "Let Us break Bread Together", a song we do there for communion, from time to time. That was followed by "Deep River", a spiritual that I may have heard once before. Very lovely piece. The final song was "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" - and I challenge you to find anyone who doesn't know that one!
After the 2 1/2 hour concert, I was enjoying the punch and cookies - and truffles! - in the social hall and chatting with others about the wonderful music. Effie's mom even came up and apologized for talking during one of the songs! How very nice of her!
Then, I get a text.

him: Hey, Faustina, the Chlo has an infection...when you see her, one side of her face is engorged and there is a wound.
him: She has some antibiotic that we made yesterday. Could you give her 2 ml with her wet food?
him: The antibiotic is in a mortar and pestle next to her wet food in the kitchen.
me: Um...give it to her by just putting it in her food? How often?
him: Once a day would be fine I think, and in her wet food would be perfect. I hate that she is not well and I had to jet away. Give her good loves for me. Also just monitor how she is doing. She is eating and drinking and she wants loves. Give her some good pets for me.
me: Has she had the meds today?
him: Yes, I gave her a dose this morning.
me: Tomorrow is going to be very busy for me until after 8 pm.
me: Should I go now and give her another dose?
him: I think she is ok and can wait until tomorrow.
him: Thanks for offering. I really appreciate.
me: OK. I will see her as soon as I finish at Armstrong.
him: :) thank you so much.
him: It just sucks, just losing Tess.
me: Don't worry. I love her too.
him: Thank you so much Faustina. That really makes me feel better.
me: Heard.

Of course, I went to check up on the old girl. She was pretty wobbly, but gobbled treats readily enough. I sent him a photo of her doing that. Then I went ahead and opened a can of food and dosed some treats for her.

me: She has been on my lap nonstop. She was a little antsy for a bit, but has settled down nicely.
me: I put some meds on some treats on the box and she is eating them now. Good! Ate them ALL! Good girl!
me: I have explained to her that she has five more nights until you return. Then I explained to her that I would come every night so she could count down.
me: She is napping while the Simpsons are on. I told her I have to leave after that. She said ok. :)
him: I bet she either purred it or squeaked it!

On Monday, true to my word, I went to see her straight away after a full day with two lectures and a lab.
She was still wobbly, but greeted me at the front door.
Time for treats!
Time for pets!
Time for a photo to the bfe to show she is still alive!

me: She seems to be in better spirits tonight!
him: Oh very good! I am very happy to hear that.
me: She is def feeling better. Been grooming herself for the last thirty minutes.
him: That cat has been crazy grooming herself for a couple of weeks.. I worry she has a bit of OCD!
me: She seriously sat on my lap for a solid thirty minutes doing that.

Tuesday, after that crazy-early lab and my two lectures, I went home to get her something special: canned tuna. It's the cheap tuna I bought when I was feeling especially poor a while back.
She loves the stuff - the smellier, the better!
Of course I sent a photo of her digging into it, meds and all!

me: Tonight, I brought her smelly tuna. She loved it! Dove right in without getting pets first!
him: That's wonderful to hear! I was worried about leaving her but things seem to be good!
me: I tell you, this has been the most excited I've seen her about food. :-)
him: Yeah, she wasn't feeling so hot last week if you remember. She mainly slept like a rock.
me: She has good energy too and is not as wobbly as she was on Sunday.
him: I figured it was the flea medication.
him: Seems like it was a bit more. :(

I didn't mention that she was cold and shivered when she was on my lap.
I finally managed to turn on the heat and turn off the overhead fan in the living room. By the time I left three hours later, the shivering had stopped.

Wednesday, I didn't make it to see her until late.
PFS was showing the 1967 film "Die Wang Jiao Wa", also known as "Operation Lipstick" at the Sentient Bean, so I headed there first. What a funny Japanese spy movie, featuring a singing thief and her hapless brother!
By the time I arrived, Chloe wanted food!
But first, a photo for the bfe!

him: ha ha! A familiar face!
me: Seriously, she is so much better tonight!
him: I am sure your visits help too!
me: The Chloe says good night!

Thursday, by the time I was done with my two lectures and lab, all I wanted to do was to go home.
I resolved to go see Chloe today, during the day, and so I have.
She was not happy with me.
The food, yes.
Me, no.
She was done with getting pets from the wrong hands. I sent him the photo of her sitting beside me on the couch with her back to me.

him: I know she is in good loving hands with you.
me: She says I don't pet her right. She wants to know how much longer until you return.
him: Ha ha! Thanks so much for looking after the Chlo! I will be making my triumphant return to Savannah tomorrow!
me: That is what I told her. She is truly a one-man cat.
him: Ha ha! I love my kitteh. I hate leaving her. If I get sabbatical I will have to take her with me.. I can't be away for 5 months from my cat.
me: Most definitely not. She would become a recluse.
him: My cat!!! She can't become a recluse living like Luke on his isolated planet in The Force Awakens!!!! Where is her metal paw?
me: :)
him: Thank you for looking after my baby.

What a relief it will be when they are reunited!

ashes to ashes, funk to funky

On Monday morning, as I was driving to my first day at the new school, I found myself in tears.
David Bowie was dead.
The news took me totally by surprise.
One moment, I was listening to music.
The next, I was crying, having just heard the news.
Every time I thought about the great loss to this world, I cried.
He was barely 69 years old.
David Bowie was special to me. His lyrics made me think, made me smile, made me dance! Such a remarkable voice and mind! And although his voice remained unique, his music and style were in constant flux.
Surprise!
Change was his modus operandi.
He continually morphed into new genres, new personae, always skipping ahead to light the way for others.
Change was always good.
Perhaps, this latest change was into an aged Starman, longing for home.
The last video, for "Lazarus", ends with him entering a space we could not view, closing the door on this world.

Then, tonight, I was working online and had the television still on, having not bothered yet to turn it off.
A talking head came on, one of the late-night desk jockeys, for a show I never watch.
"What a week it's been for male Brits," he began.
I paused to see what would follow.
Alan Rickman was dead.
What???
I burst into tears.
No more mischievous twinkle in his eye or sly henchman's smile? No more mellifluous baritone filling the air, making you wish his bad guy character might actually prevail?
Even my ex knew how much I adored the man. He recently texted, saying he had just seen my "buddy Alan Rickman" in a movie filmed here in Savannah.
I wish I could have seen the actor when he was in town. I doubt I would have been able to say anything. Then again, perhaps I would have had a similar encounter as with Alan Ruck at 2009's Dragon*Con.
No way to know now.
The man has died.
His age?
69.
Just like David Bowie.
Actually, not quite.
Alan Rickman would have been 70 next month.

As I searched for solace on the British Broadcasting Corporation website, a headline kept vying for my attention.
"Colossal star explosion detected", it read.
A star had become a supernova and was being billed as possibly the "most powerful ever detected".
That definitely had my attention.
At its peak, it shone "with 570 billion times the brightness of our Sun".
I kept reading.
Guess how the star was detected?
ASAS-SN.
That brought a smile and a happy thought.
Perhaps the man who had played one of the most memorable hitmen ever was joining forces with the Starman, who had also enjoyed a turn as an incredibly memorable hitman?
I could imagine them being good friends in the next world, as both had been such compassionate, cheerful souls on this Earth.
Most definitely.
And with that reassuring image, I am off to bed, to dream of better mornings in my once upon a time.

Wait up a second! What's with the photo?

That was the result of another happy thought, as well as a mighty fine coincidence.
The photo appeared on the upper part of the front page of my newspaper on New Year's Day.
Yes, that would be the newspaper I still happen to subscribe to, even though I keep saying I'm going to stop doing so.
(smile)
When I first glanced at the photograph, I had to do a double-take.
Was that a robot celebrating some occasion?
Was it an alien coming to Earth in a burning vessel?
Nope, neither one.
It's the Palace of Westminster's Elizabeth Tower, also known as Big Ben, with celebratory fireworks still exploding over the River Thames seven minutes after the start of the new year.
In other words, a photo of an icon in England.
How very fortunate for me that I had kept the photo for this blog entry, to mark the passing of these two fine men, men who were also icons of England.

i thank You, God.

Elvis is IN the building!

Ever since the new year began, Elvis has been keeping me company.
He's my Teddybear, loving me tender in the garden and in the ghetto, while Kentucky rains keep falling on blue Hawaii.
Quite a life we lead, I tell you!

Poor fellow, it's about time he was able to strut his stuff! He's been languishing in the Ocean Room for almost three years.
Three years.
I am so glad to have freed him from cellophane bonds!

You see, 2016 is promising to be the year of Elvis!
Sixty years ago, on June 25th, he was alive and well and performing in Savannah, Georgia. The city was part of a tour circuit to promote the new singer's work, prior to his September appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, when his music, and his hips, rocked the nation.
We would all never be the same.
Elvis Presley was only 21 years old.
That same year, a photographer five years his senior was following him everywhere, capturing his life. As it would turn out, Alfred Wertheimer was the one and only photographer ever allowed that privilege.
Now, those photographs of one young man, taken by another young man, will come to this town. Titled "Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer", the exhibit will be at the Jepson Center for the Arts in April, lingering for multiple viewings until October.
Elvis on the train. Elvis in the pool. Elvis with his family. Elvis with his fans. Elvis in the recording studio and on television.
Elvis, not as The King of Rock and Roll he was to become, but as an ordinary young man, not yet discovered by the world at large.
I intend to visit that stage of his life often. I intend to try looking at him as my mother did, as a contemporary young person of Southern origin, with a gospel background.
She was only 18 years old then.
No wonder she fell in love with my father, with his Southern charm and dark, wavy hair. By the time Elvis came to Savannah, Mama and Daddy had already been married for almost two months.
I wonder if Elvis' tour had taken him through Augusta? I wonder if Mama had a chance to see Elvis live and in person on that 1956 tour?
I wish I could ask her.

This year, I plan to attend the Georgia Elvis Festival again, too, down in Brunswick.
It's been three years and that seems to be one of my periodicity factors for such things.
Three years between my trips to Las Vegas.
Ten years between my trips to Italy.

I'll look forward to seeing Austin Irby again in Brunswick.
This Elvis Tribute Artist rocked my world when I saw him before, as he so beautifully represented the 21-year-old singer. Such a great shimmy shimmy shake!
Now, he'll be three years older.
I hope he'll still be able to capture the romantic innocence of that young man, just venturing onto the world's stage, not quite aware of his effect on the music scene, still dreaming of things to come.

Of course, I'll look forward to seeing ETA Michael Chambliss, too. He represents the Las Vegas-era Elvis and does so amazingly well! In fact, he was the 2013 Georgia Elvis Festival Champion! I saw him in several of the competition rounds and found him to be quite impressive. Yes, quite impressive!
I'll look forward to meeting Tim 'E' Hendry, too. He's the 2015 Georgia Elvis Festival Champion. I don't recall him at the 2013 events, nor is he mentioned in any of my photos from then, but perhaps he was one of the early performers before the final two days. An older ETA, he represents the Elvis most of us these days know and love.
I'll have to remember to pack a couple of Peanut Butter Elvis Melts for the trip. Or maybe the university will make some for me...
Maybe they will!
(smile!)

love story, danish-style

So, we three chicas went to see "The Danish Girl" this afternoon.
What a beautiful love story!
Forget about "The Titanic", in which the two lovers knew each other for less than two days. That's lust, not love.
A true love story requires that the two people have been exposed to each others dirty laundry, bathroom habits, and general daily routines and still find each other to be the light of their lives.
There were several times I found myself in tears throughout this movie. Every time, it was because of the love evinced by the wife for the husband she had married six* years earlier. Every time, it was because she was being asked to allow him to change, knowing she would lose the person she loved - and yet, she did as he asked of her.
Every time.
That's some powerful love, folks.
Gerda is truly the hero of the movie.
She repeatedly put her own needs on hold for her husband's happiness.
Moreover, she did so unselfishly and without reproach.
Perhaps she blamed herself for his choices. There is one point when she asks him if this change in his demeanor was because of something she did, if it was because she had asked him to wear the stockings and women's shoes so she could finish her painting.
Of course, that was not what made him the person he truly was. He was already that person. But the favor for her painting did allow him to show his real self to her, his real self that had been hidden from everyone since he was young.
He tried to reassure her that the favor for her had no role in his change, but how to know if she ever believed that she was not responsible for releasing Lili to the world?
How to know if she ever believed that she was not responsible for the loss of the man she loved?

I just wish the movie had made it plain that they were married for twenty-six years, not the six* years given in the movie. That six year mark is important, as that is when Gerda had asked the favor of Einar and he had agreed to do it for her. That six year mark is important, as that is when Gerda became aware of Einar's self-identity, Lili.
But they were married for another two decades after that.
They were married until the Danish king, in 1930, dissolved their marriage. Einar had already begun the physical transformation (through a total of four surgeries), from man to woman, and same-sex marriages were not allowed.
At that time, the couple were in their forties, not in their youth.
That makes a big difference.
These were not young people making rash decisions. These were people in their midlife years, making decisions after more than a decade of consideration of options and search for medical intervention.
That makes a big difference.
Gerda had remained by Lili's side, supportive, loving, giving, for another two decades after learning the truth. Gerda had remained by Lili's side, as she could not bear to lose the person she loved in addition to the man she loved.
That makes a big difference, too.
That is what makes this a love story.
A true love story.
Well, "true" except for that 'poetic license" taken with the timeline.
I do hope Alicia Vikander gets an Oscar nomination, in addition to the Golden Globe and SAG nominations she has already received.

greens, greens, greens!

This year has started well!
I had turnip greens and black-eyed peas and cornbread still warm from the oven for breakfast! Oh, and for luck, two slices of ham from the family gathering! What a fabulous - and healthy and filling! - way to begin both my day and the new calendar year!

Mid-afternoon, I ventured to the fundraiser luncheon my friend Marjorie was promoting.
Held at a local veteran-owned brewery,
and benefiting Stop Soldier Suicide,
it very much appealed to my former-military self.
What a nice lunch my tenner bought, too!
Two large slices of roast pork loin!
Collard greens seasoned with molasses!
Black-eyed peas and white rice!
Bacon-enhanced cornbread!
Thanks, Marjorie, for the heads-up!
I passed the word along, of course.
Gotta share the joy!

One of the things I liked about the site was a huge blackboard. On it was emblazoned the question "HOW DO YOU SERVE?"
I took up a piece of purple chalk and wrote "GIVE BLOOD!"
Later, I saw someone else had also written that response. Nice!
"Nursing" appeared a couple of times, too.
I liked "Willingly and humbly", too.
"CASA", "Coastal Pet Rescue", "Hospice Savannah", "DEEP".
Community theater volunteers.
"Foster parents do it!"
"Voting to ensure a safe and prosperous Savannah".
"I supply chemicals for your water purification and aluminum can recycling."
"Science in the national interest".
"Educate the youth in STEM."
Lots of teachers on the board, too!
Good for Service Brewing Co. for supplying this outlet!
How reassuring to see many of the things I hold dear listed on the board!

After, I went back home to work on my online materials for Chemistry 1151. (Educating the youth, and adults, in STEM, y'all!)
For dinner, I made a stew from BEP, greens, and ham - tasty! I also polished off the Starfox Barrel Roll and fries from the Chromatic Dragon - still tasty, especially dipped in the stew!
I had hoped to go see "Star Wars" on the IMAX with Barbara, but she was ill. Poor girl! We'll have to catch that another time this year. No worries - I don't know if it'll play as long as the first one did (forty weeks!), but I'm sure it'll be in the cinemas for a while!
New plans for the evening?
Work on the 1151 homework assignments! That will be several hours well spent, I assure you!