New York City?!?!

Where else would you host an episode of Sunday Morning Live???

Starring Reverend Billy Hester, straight from the Marble Collegiate Church, located downtown near the Empire State Building!

With special musical guest the Asbury Memorial Choir!

Streamed directly to the Asbury Memorial Church at the corner of Waters Avenue and Henry Street in downtown Savannah, Georgia!!!

Featuring opening and closing remarks by Reverend August Alderman!

And welcoming back to the podium to perform the opening prayer, let's hear it for Reverend Bob Townsend!

He's had health problems for a year that have kept him from that duty.

As he said, "This has been a rough year, but I'm not dead yet!"

You and me both, Bob, you and me both!!!

Yes, indeed, this was certainly a show that we got today!

However, Billy's sermon was the briefest ever, running about ten minutes.

That meant that we all took a vote in Holliday Hall for that to be their length from this point forward - hahahaha!

What was going on there?

The 4th Annual Men's Bake-Off, that's what!

I almost missed the whole thing, as I'd waited in line for a hug from August after SML was done.

Going clockwise from that lone dark one, I have 'Into The Woods', 'Peaches and Cream', 'Refrigerator Cake', and 'Pineapple Layer'.

As sweet as they were, I'm glad I just had shreds of them!

I sat with Sherry Giddens, who just had to tell the other two ladies about my 25-year-old Saturn.

I didn't mind the ribbing, though.

My car has been in a movie, and something I did in that Netflix film got enacted by Emily Blunt, so we both have bragging rights!

As I told them, my car shared screen time with that actress for a full count, just to be sure it was on purpose and not accidental.

What a great memory!!!

I didn't mention that my car's twin also had screen time, in one of my favorite television shows.

What a great surprise that had been for me!

I do hope Sherry and the other two will look up "Pain Hustlers"!

Meanwhile, off I go to the AMC 11.

I'm treating myself to a Nicholas Galitzine double header!!!

Woohoo!!!

First up will be yet another screening of "The Sheep Detectives", in which his age is early 20's.

Then, I'm catching him as the mid-20-something He-Man, in all his muscles and manly glory!!!

Yes, that should be a mighty fine time for me!

Later, y'all! 

ain't no stoppin' us now!!!

When the Two First Posts Planning Committee met on Wednesday, the sight in the ballroom was amazing!

Our Building Manager for 5511 Montgomery Street, Eric Bolden, had set up all the event tables and chairs for this coming Saturday.

That will be the 80th anniversary of the American Legion Post 500 of Georgia, brothers with Post 36 in this venture.

Doesn't it look fabulous???

Eric has been there every day, as far as I know.

He's had to put together more than 100 of those Lifetime banquet chairs and twenty of the Lifetime banquet tables over the past two months.

He's had to open and close the building as the new wall was built.

He's been there to open and close for the two new entrance doors to be installed for the building to comply with code.

 

At that meeting, the doors were in place and finished!

That was good as the Fire Marshal was due at 11 AM on Friday.

Well, that inspection went swimmingly!!! 

The Fire Marshal has marked us good to go!!!

Hallelujah!!!

We finally have the Certificates of Occupancy for both the event ballroom and the canteen areas!

On Monday, June 15, the inspection will take place for the Health Permit.

Mike and Kat were at the meeting on Wednesday and they know exactly what is involved for that, so I expect Whiskey Tango Foxtrot BBQ to pass with flying colors... whatever those hues may be!

We are all so excited that an opening is nigh!

By 'we', I mean Doug Anderson, John Parker, me, Kat Hancock, Mike Kajik, Larry Jackson (by phone), Eric Bolden, and Brenda Pough.

Thanks to Brenda, we'll have own own colors!!!

She's quite creative and just look at the sign she has designed!!!

All four branches of the US military are represented, as well as a family group there in the lower right corner!

Doug was so thrilled!!!

I like that penultimate line: "It's Your Turn To Get Served!"

How about that!!!

She has also designed a logo for our business cards and stationery!

I'm so excited about all of this!

Mike and Kat had a couple of changes to make for the contract, but that should be ready to be signed at next Wednesday's meeting.

And we are all going to try to be at the City Council meeting on the first Wednesday of July, looking sharp and wearing our American Legion insignia.

That meeting will concern our liquor license, so it's very important!!!

Now, I wonder where my American Legion pin is?

(smile!) 

 

no friday fiesta, but slunch with hinesville peeps!

And it was a three-hour meal, at that!

Want three guesses where we were dining?

Seriously???

Hahahaha!

Yes, it was Cici's time for my first niece and her girls and her man... but she may soon forego this destination.

She was in town because she's been accepted into a study about a new formulation of a GLP-1 drug.

She's absolutely elated!!

There's no way to know if she's in the control group or one of three groups who will be getting different doses, but the odds are in her favor for getting the weight loss drug in one dose or another.

I do hope that works!

Meantime, she'll be making lots of extra moolah - like $9000 - for being enrolled in the study.

Maybe she should put that aside for keeping on the medication after the study ends in 96 weeks.

I'll have to remember to suggest that to her.

Meanwhile, I gotta jet over to Asbury Memorial!

The Battle Of The Bands concert has already started!!!

So glad I was surprised with so much time with Miyah and Chloe! 

dinner and a movie with Carolyn!!!

That wasn't the order in which we intended to do those things, but the Universe had better plans for us!

I'd called her earlier about a new movie with a bit of burlesque and drag queens about it and she was all in!

Then we got to the AMC Cinema... and the movie was not yet there.

The mothership had been remiss in sending it along, even though they'd posted it as available on the website.

Tom was there, and he assured us it would be up for the later screening.

So off mi amiga and I went to Texas Roadhouse!!!

I had a yet another winner from the SING fundraiser to use, and this time I wasn't keeping all the goody for me.

For this "Dinner For Two" coupon, I wanted to share it with my friend who I haven't seen for over a month.

She was fine with that!

She even picked up the tip... though that may be because she was quite taken with tall, cool, Josh, with the flirty smile.

Yes, he really was good to us!

Then we returned to the cinema... and Tom was good to us, too!

That movie still wasn't done loading up, so he gave each of us two AMC passes to use for any other movie, any time!

What a treat!!!

I convinced her to see "I Love Boosters", with its time-travel antics and bedroom-eyes Lakeith, and she very much enjoyed it!

It was her first time seeing it, so I'm glad to share that with her, too. 

That gave me a third dance for this week's A*List, so that was good.

I've already written about that middle one, but not the one seen last Friday.

That's funny, actually, as I've talked it it with so many!!!

It's all because of the music in it.

Brian May's guitar work absolutely elevates "Masters Of The Universe" to epic level, putting it on a par with "Flash Gordon" in my eyes.

Queen - and, my default, Freddie Mercury - lives on in this new movie!!!

Nicholas Galitzine is pretty cool, too, coming off as a younger, and even nicer, superhero than Sam Jones' version of the King Features comic hero in that 1980 film I love. 

Here's the funny thing about that: Galitzine will be 32 in September.

Jones was just 26 years old when he played Flash Gordon.

Not much difference in their ages, but I was sure the one who just played 'He-Man' was the younger man!

Maybe it's just the way the character is formulated in this movie.

Cast out of his Universe, much as Superman had been...

but at the same age that Peter Quill was when Yondu took him...

'Prince Adam' has abandonment issues the other two did not.

So, when he shows up as a grown man with a job in a Human Resources capacity to resolve workplace issues, it's believable.

That's a very different start for a one-day He-Man...

which, by the way, was the moniker he gave himself as a boy, when he was trying to make sure he didn't forget all the family and others who had been in his life, back in that Universe in which he spent his first decade.

Like I said, younger and nicer... a quality he shares with the other superheroes I adore, like Superman and Flash Gordon and the Star Lord.

Very nice!

catching up at dawn!

"You mean, catching up with Dawn, right? I know darn well you were not up at the break of day to do anything."

 

Hey, you know me! Though I do wake up around that time to go pee. The sun comes streaming gloriously into my personal aquarium to let me know it's there! I usually will take another dose of acetaminophen then, too, before crawling back into bed for another coupla hours.

 

"So your right leg is still painful???"

 

As I tell everyone, it is so much better than it was, but it's not quite normal. But it's better enough that I'm only taking about 2000 to 2500 milligrams of pain relief, instead of maxing out every day at 3000. What I need to do is get my happy ass to the purple planet and start back on the treadmill. Soon, I promise!

 

"Yes, I've heard that before... but that harangue will wait for another time. Tell me about your luncheon with the Georgetown lass!"

 

That was at The King & I, naturally, so we could both get our Thai food fix. Between travels with her sales job and travels with family, she's out of town a lot. So, these luncheons are the one on one time we get every six to eight weeks. Last weekend, she was up in Virginia visiting two of her nieces before sales meetings on Monday. Friday, she leaves for California to meet with some friends before sales meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, she and Chris will be off to Chicago to visit his ailing uncle, her bestie Elaine, and other friends and family. My guess is some of that will be a celebration of her upcoming 62nd birthday.

 

"No doubt. I remember how much traveling you once did at her age! I know that was just six years ago, but there's been a lot of changes for your body since 2022. The A-fib really slowed you down for a while there. Then you had that inguinal hernia issue since last August. It's all conspired to keep you closer to home."

 

Don't remind me. At least I've been getting mini-vacations at her house! Another of those is coming up on Wednesday! It's almost like going to a resort, as they have such beautiful views in the front and back of their house. And I'll be there until Father's Day! Four mornings that I can have breakfast on the back porch with Stella, watching birds on the canal!

 

"I'm thinking you won't have to be like Goldilocks with the beds this time. Now that the urinary tract infection has been cured, your kidneys won't be hurting like they were."

 

Hey, good point! I've been sleeping better at home, too. I was waking every couple of hours, sometimes having to switch to the other side of my bed. Honestly, I was thinking I might need to buy a new mattress! Glad that's not an issue now!!

 

"You never did say what you ate during y'all's two-hour luncheon. Just what dish does that lovely photo document?"

 

It's 'The King & I Salad' and it marries two of the things I enjoy: Nam Sod and a crispy, flavorful plate of veggies! I say 'Nam Sod', but the pork was not ground up, like in that dish. It's still seasoned the same, but in slices. So very good!!! I really should post that in TripAdvisor.

 

"You sure are having a lot of salads these days."

 

I am absolutely determined to never, ever have to deal with an inguinal hernia again. Never, ever. Salads help keep the bowel movements regular and easy, and I've really noticed the difference. Ya gotta give those intestinal muscles something to squish and move along!!

 

"Yeah, okay, I hear you, but I think I'll move along now."

 

Do what ya gotta do, dearie! (smile!)  

spending more aarp money!

I've been shopping like a woman possessed!

Some of these AARP e-gift certificates I've had for three years.

Why have I just been sitting on that free cash?

Let me say, that's coming to an end.

In the last two days, I've used nine e-gift certificates - NINE!!!

Yesterday, I spent a total of $35 on six of those AARP e-gift 'cards', with four used to benefit others and two just for me.

Today, I was out shopping again, this time with those three AARP e-gift certificates for Walgreens.

The impetus was the need for Vitamin C.

Usually I would go to CVS, so I could guerilla-shop.

I kno where everything is, so I can get in, get what I need, get out!

However, I had $20 of e-cash for Walgreens, so there I went, and look what I  found... a package of pretty new ponytail holders!

They were on sale, too.

(smile!) 

i was 1 of 5 again!

"Was there another special meeting at the Savannah VA Center?"

You do realize this is Monday, right? And that I was one of five last week for Music Bingo here at the Midtown Sports Grill?

"Pardon me if I don't count how many folks you list."

It's alright, dearie, I know you have other things on your mind than math. As for me, I like to have fun with numbers. You know this is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America being a country, right?

"Well, of course I know that. It's also the 50th anniversary of your graduation from Jenkins High School, though I haven't heard of a party for that yet."

Nope, neither have I. But I did hear that this was the 150th anniversary of Anheuser-Busch! They're touring the Clydesdale horses around the USA at various historic sites and they were here in Savannah last Saturday. They were at at Grayson Stadium for its 100th anniversary!!! Well, kinda sorta. They were adjacent to the baseball stadium, but the Bananas had a game there, so it would have been too crowded for security of the horses.

"I would think so! And you forgot a personal anniversary for you. This makes 30 years since you got your PhD at FSU!"

You're right! Nice that it falls where it does with these other numbers!

"Yes, indeed. Now, what's this about '1 of 5' for Music Bingo?"

Well, there was me. Elissa came with Sandy. Plus Amanda brought Merritt along. That made five of us, so we were at a table again, instead of a booth. I like that much better, as I can stretch my legs. It also helps for dancing in my seat, which I did a lot tonight! Such great music Russ was playing all night!

"Very good!!! It's always more fun with good tunes!"

This was my card for the first game. Just look at that diagonal!!! What a story that bingo would tell!!! "Call Me" to be "Flirtin' With Disaster" over a Free Space, then there'll be "Dancing In The Dark" while I "Kiss You All Over" - mercy me, I'd have had to go home for a cool shower if those had all come up as a winner for me!

"Hahahaha!!! Yes, I know you would have!!! You can be such a sailor!!!"

Hey, I just can't help it... or just won't... take your pick! (smile!)

"So, did Sandy win again tonight?"

No, she did not. I was the only winner at our table and that was for the second game. It was "New School Rock Mix #1" and had a lot of tunes I was singing at the table. That prompted Merritt to suggest we have a karaoke night some time!!! I know Sandy would be down for that, too.

"Hey, doesn't his band have a gig at Tybee Post Theater this month?"

Yep, but I can't go. It's on June 28th, and, as I told him tonight, I have colonoscopy prep that day and night, so I'll be at home. Certainly can't be spewing body fluids all over town! LOL!

"For sure. So, what did you win?"

The second game's prize is always a free appetizer, so that's mine now! I didn't have food tonight, just a lemonade, made fresh by Chris. Really good, too! Nice and tart, but not sweet, and ice cold.

"That does sound good!"

It was, as was the music. My bingo was on the opposite diagonal to that above, starting with "Glycerine" in the lower right and ending with "Kryptonite" in the upper left. BINGO!!!

"Good one! You've even heard Three Doors Down perform that in concert!"

Right?! It was just perfect! And the couple sitting near us clapped for me! The guy told me I 'deserved to win because I was singing along to all the songs"!!! That really made me feel special!!!

"Well, it sounds like you're doing well at carrying a tune these days. That's very good! I know you've always enjoyed singing. I hope you and your friends will do some karaoke in the near future. That will be great fun!"

Yes, it will, most definitely. Now, I'm going to enjoy my House Salad along with this new "Game With Balls". In honor of the FIFA tournaments, they're using giant soccer balls to bop folks into the water for wrong answers. Tonight, the USA is taking on England for fun and dips in the channel! Later!