young men, bad choices

I meant to start my AMC A*list yesterday, but dillydallied here at the house too long.

Sure, I could have had a rare night flick, but the parking lot is still too dark for me after sundown.

Hopefully, not for much longer!

Today, I was determined to see at least one movie, with that being an epic tragedy that I've known for decades.

(Thanks, Mr. Jenkins at Armstrong State College, for having a class that was all about the Greeks!) 

That's when I hit upon a theme!

Just as last week's had focused on females, this one is all about males.

Specifically, it's about young men making bad choices.

That's just as the title of this post forecast!

 

Take the first one on this dance card: "The Odyssey".

I watched it today, in the Big-D screening room, along with more than a hundred other folks.

Honestly, that's the format I'd suggest for it, unless you can get IMAX.

That huge screen really brings the ancient tale to life!

Matt Damon is perfect as the aged warrior who has been away from his kingdom for two decades, first because of the War with Troy, then because he and his men were lost at sea, then because he was too busy staying stoned on lotus leaves to think about Ithaca.

So, what makes him a young man?

At the start of this journey, he was only in his early 20's.

He left behind a young wife and infant son, who we only see as... a young man in his early 20's, plagued by all the suitors seeking his mom's hand for the last decade or so.

So, what was the bad decision 'Odysseus' made when he was young?

How about leaving his wife and child to go fight someone else's war?

Then, on the trip back, his choice to shoot an arrow at the Cyclops, when they had already escaped its cave and were safe?

That creature was the son of Poseidon... and their escape vessel was a ship.

Yeah, not a good decision.

That got them good and lost, sending them into other obstacles, like Charydis and Circe and the Titans, as well as lots of bad weather.

So nice to be reminded of all those adventures!

(smile!) 

And what's that about "Obsession" for later today?

Well, I did get the ticket with my A*List, but I'm not going to see it.

It just fits with my theme, right?

Remember, I watched it last month.

That young man, "Bear", is in his early 20's and uses a 'Wish Willow' to place a spell on his coworker so she has to fall madly in love with him and respond to his sexual advances.

Tsk, tsk, where's the free will in that?

He learns soon enough that there's a price to be paid for such a wish.

Silly young man, only thinking of his own desires!

(smile!) 

Then, to complete the theme, I selected "Young Washington".

Yes, I've already seen it, so I know the story line.

The events in the film were based on real ones when George Washington was a young man, in his early 20s', wanting to become part of the British militia, even though he was born in the Colony of Virginia.

You can't be a Brit if you weren't born in England, right?

Then he volunteered to be part of their militia, and ended up choosing a fort location that led to the deaths of several of his men when they were ambushed from higher ground.

Of course, one of those killed had been a friend who had warned him of the fort's poor location and potential for such ambush.

I guess the good news is he learned from those mistakes when it came time to fight against those very same Brits he'd tried to join.

(smile!) 

So, on paper at least, my dance card is full, even though I shall be on a cruise next week and unavailable for cinema-bopping.

Woohoo!!!

i think the word you want is 'fiasco'

"The word I want?"

Okay, then, the word that would be more appropriate for this episode of the S&K Friday Fiesta than that last one. We all knew that John and Sherry Schomburg would be in town and would be visiting with their friends from the old neighborhood - that is, my brothers and the Kameron brothers and Betsy - at Jalapenos of Sandfly. We knew because Smitty told us last week.

"Oh, how very nice! Always good to see old friends and hear the tales form "back in the day" that seem to come out then!"

You would think so, right? But when Tony and Laura arrived, a fourth table was added to the end and suddenly they were cut off from the regular crowd. They found themselves sitting by the Schomburg's daughter, Ashley, as well as her husband and their two young daughters (ages 4 and 6, as I recall). That was not good. When I joined them, that seemed to add to the unsettled feeling somehow, and Tony and Laura left.

"What? You mean, they didn't stay to eat? Seriously?"

Tony said he felt he'd been disrespected, and i could understand that. This is the only time of the week when he is with men who aren't coworkers. This is his time with his brother and friends he's known since he was a kid. I could understand where he was coming from, as I went through a lot of that when I returned from the Navy.

"Even so, this was a special occasion. John and Sherry were just trying to have family and friends time, so the arrangement was thrown off."

Not quite. The first two tables were as they always are, with the guys on one side and the gals on the other. Where it all fell apart was the middle table with that young family. I feel like things could have been handled better, but, oh well. Then Laura returned, solo, and TOOK A CHAIR - from the third table - TO ADD TO THE FIRST TABLE - so she could sit with the other gals of our regular party - AND THEY MADE ROOM FOR HER. Like, seriously. She couldn't sit with me and the guests for this one meal???

"Oh, this doesn't sound like it's gonna end well..."

So I bounced up to that first table and got onto all the gals from disrespecting Ashley and her family, who were there as guests. They left Ashley and her husband to just sit as outcasts at that third table, as none of the gals were talking to them. Well, God bless Betsy! She picked up her plate and her drink and came down to the fourth table with me!!! She's such a trooper!!! And she ended up charming the little girls and giving Ashley a chance to eat her meal!

"Well, that sounds marvelous! That Betsy, she can carry on a conversation with just about anyone, can't she?"

Yes, she can! As I said, God bless Betsy. I'm glad I have the cruise next week, so I will have at least one week away. Maybe it's time for me to take a break from this. After all, the Schomburgs started it with Smitty and Mary, like ten years ago, so I'm just along because I'm a Smith kid. Maybe I need to start a new tradition, like the second Thursday go out with just my brothers. Something like that. We'll see. But I'm not gonna let it bother me tonight, as the Atlanta Rhythm Section put it. "The world is in an uproar and there ain't no end in sight, but I will not let it bother me tonight, no, I won't." I have a birthday vacation that starts on Sunday and all else can wait until my return.

"Good for you. Don't let it put you off and make you miss it. I know how much you hated missing out on that Las Vegas trip last fall. You go with Christina and her girls and have a wonderful summer holiday together, as y'all have for the past few years. See you when you return... and don't forget the sunscreen!". 

contract signed between TFP and JKLM!!!

After what seems like forever, Two First Posts officially has a manager of the restaurant and bar at this location - hallelujah!!!

I'm so thankful that Doug has persisted in putting his legal expertise into that contract, and that I was able to lend my proofreading skills to it.

Kat had even engaged Brenda to rewrite some portions, but those met with the approval of all there tonight - hallelujah!!!

We actually had a pretty good crowd: me, Doug, and Joe Cetti for Post 36; John Parker, Sabrina, Brenda, and Eric for Post 500; contractor Justin; and Kat and Mike for the JKLM Enterprises team.

Sure sounds like a quorum to me!

The others agreed and once the contract was revised for the last time and printed, both parties for JKLM signed it, as well as the President of TFP (Doug Andrews) and proxy Vice President (John Parker).

Surely opening the doors of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Barbeque & Grill can't be too far distant now!

Justin has the chandelier installed and it looks quite nice!

The tray needs another coat of paint, but it does dress up the joint! 

He's to pour a concrete pad for the dumpster and the grease trap, then install a fence around it to keep out any riffraff.

 

Eric brought in some tasty treats to sustain us during the meeting.

The green ones are key lime cakes, the red are red velvet cakes, and the dark orange are sweet potato cakes.

I had been concerned that they would be crazy sweet, but, to my delight, they were actually quite good and hardly sweet at all!

I had one of the sweet potato and one of the key lime.

Oh, one more thing: Eric and Doug found my NFCU koozie!!!

 

I had left it there about a month ago, at the meeting when Doug had brought sandwiches and Kat had the kids with her.

I had put it down, with my almost empty water bottle, to help clean up.

Then, I'd been distracted by trying to remember to take a photo of the street light pole so I could report it.

And just look at it now!

Such a nice light there in the parking lot, isn't it?

What else was there of interest at this meeting?

 

Oh, yes, the folks from Eagle Global came to give us their pitch!

Brenda and Eric met them at an American Legion meeting in Columbus and was quite impressed with the fundraising abilities of their gaming machines.

So, Craig Franklin, the co-founder of that group, came in with the district guy (Sam) and the local guy (Addie) to talk of the different possibilities.

Here's the important part: Two First Posts gets 43.5% of all income from the gaming devices, free and clear.

The partnership is in conjunction with Georgia Lottery, who gets 13%, with the other 43.5% going to Eagle Global.

All we have to do is deposit the cash from the game players into the TFP account; then, every Wednesday, Georgia Lottery will remove 56.5% (their cut and EG's cut) and we just watch out bank balance grow.

Sounds pretty sweet, right?

We would have to invest in the rental of a minimum of two machines from Georgia Lottery, as a cost of $125/machine/year.

I do hope we'll vote to do so next week, though I've let all know I will be on a cruise, so they'll have to do so without me.

(smile!)

I do feel that we've accomplished so much tonight!

Let's keep that momentum going!

laundry and list done!

That was the carrot to justify my rewards this afternoon.

If I got all the clothes washed and dried and put away, I could have a leisurely double feature, double header, at the cinema. 

So, here are the clothes, in the quadruple machine which I like at Suds.

Sadly, it had a problem with its drain, so there were still suds in the last few items in the washer as I was unloading it.

Ack. 

I had to rinse those by hand, then took them home to dry.

The rest all went into the single dryer, as usual.

I know, I know, it's been almost five months since I was at the laundry!

If not for being able to do small batches during my dog-sitting forays since February, I would have run out of undies a long time ago.

Fortunately, those were spaced out such that those small loads were exactly what I needed, when I needed it.

i thank You, God.

Then, as my reward I finished off my AMC A*List with two more "determined women" films, without realizing I had a theme until I saw the image.

See what I mean?

"Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass" was already discussed.

That leaves the other two, both seen this afternoon and prevening.

I still don't understand why "Moana" was made as "live-action", as it followed the 2016 animated film exactly.

My guess is they wanted to do so while The Rock was still pretty buff.

After all, Dwayne Johnson isn't gonna get any younger, right?

He's 54 years old now, and certainly looks it, but he still looked good enough to stand in for a demigod that had been on a desert isle for 1000 years.

(smile!)

I don't know why they changed out the girl, swapping out Auliʻi Cravalho and replacing her with Catherine Laga'aia, as they are only 5 years apart in age, but there may have been an availability issue.

I'm just thrilled that they kept Jemaine Clemente there to voice that "Shiny"-loving treasure crab!!!

I followed that with a conversation with both Trey and Tom!

The two managers were changing shifts, so it was nice to chat with both.

I found out that parking lot lights should be at least started by the end of this month - hooray!!      

Then I ate pizza for slunch while I watched "Supergirl".

Bless her heart, she was having a rough time on her 23rd birthday, as it seemed to be just another day of getting drunk, like so many others.

Then, of all the bars in that alien world, the little girl walks into hers, seeking someone to kill Krem, the creep that slaughtered her sword-making family.

Kara Zor-El tried to shake the girl, but her dog, Krypto, seemed to like her so the trio seemed stuck together for a while.

That didn't last long before Krem came calling... and reminded her of something her father had told her: to be good.

It was the same message her cousin CLark kept throwing at her.

They weren't telling her to 'behave', they were trying to get her to acknowledge the goodness in her heart.

Pretty good movie!

Maybe I'll be able to see that one again in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, that trio will have to do.

Now, I'm going to watch "8 Days: To The Moon And Back" with my dinner. 

I recorded the 2019 PBS documentary a few days ago and now, when naught is on except FIFA soccer, it's perfect for me!

It promises to have actual cockpit voice recordings, as well as recordings from the Houston Space Center and various news broadcasts, so I'm looking forward to it.

I imagine it'll be much of the same things I heard at the Kennedy Space Center, but, still, that's pretty awesome stuff!

What a moment in history that was for the entire world!

Shhh... it's starting...

sparkle of fireflies

An old boyfriend from high school posted this on his fb page.

"I just learned that a group of fireflies is called a sparkle...

and now the world feels a little more magical!" 

He's Father Michael Kavanaugh these days, and we once wrote letters back and forth as he was in divinity school and I was in my "C" school classes.

One of these days, he and I are meeting for lunch, but not today.

This is Tina Tuesday and I've 

spent it with my first niece!!!

Incredibly, unbelievably, it was just me and her...

no children... 

no boyfriend...

just the two of us!

I have felt so special! 

We began with "Sing" at NCG Cinema, one of the last of its "Summer Camp" films, eating popcorn and singing along!

Then we were off to Olive Garden, naturally.

I had asked if she thought that might be doable and she'd replied, "what a silly question, Aunt Tina!"

(smile!) 

I'm so glad she arranged this island of time with me before our vacation with the family next week!

Wmla, my dearest Christina!!!

last week pics i would have taken

So, last week, when I was unable to make it to the Two First Posts meeting, I missed seeing these completed items.

For instance, there are now two TVs mounted in the bar area...

and there are three TVs mounted in the dining area...

and there's a huge TV on an AV cart in the event room.

Also, the game room has a pocket door...

 

the storage closet has stocked shelves... 

the stoves now have lit pilot flames...

the Budweiser sign with the Clydesdales is mounted above the restaurant door...

the event banquet tables are corralled onto a table cart... 

and Brenda's sign is mounted outside on the building, between the two entry doors, to welcome all.

We all stopped to admire it as we left tonight.

Yes, there was a small group that came out on a Monday night.

Doug had called for this extra meeting, but there were only four of us there - me, him, Joe Cetti, and John Parker.

The upshot of that was nothing could be decided, as we didn't have a quorum.

Wait, did I say nothing?

That's incorrect.

What was determined was that we would be meeting again on Thursday, and that promises to be extra long, as it has a packed agenda.

John called Brenda to request that she specifically invite Kat and Mike, as it is of utmost importance that their contract gets finalized.

It's vital that Whiskey Tango Foxtrot become a reality, bringing folks in to spend money and spread the word.

To that end, Doug has rewritten the lease contract from May 27th, incorporating the changes determined to be needed two weeks later.

A month has elapsed since then, hence the need to get JKLM LLC inked in as the canteen management company!!!

Doug will send Version 8 around so we can check it before then, so that part of the meeting will proceed quickly. 

Here's hoping!

John asked Brenda to make sure Justin will make that Thursday meeting, too, as well as Larry Jackson.

Justin is to talk about the chandelier situation, and guess what?

That one that I like has been selected as the winner!

Not necessarily because of its appearance, but on the basis of cost.

Hey, whatever gets it done... though $1900 is still costly.

Why does Larry need to come?

We want to make absolutely sure we'll be on the City Council's docket next time.

That will take place on August 5, so our ducks need to be not only in a row, but with the i's dotted and the t's all crossed.

Even so, that's for the liquor license, which is not something that should keep the restaurant from opening and making money.

Right?!

We will also have special guests on Thursday, who will be there to promote their fundraising gaming option.

The goal is to have them do their pitch first, then for our meeting to take place immediately after they leave.

Speed is of the essence, as Post 36 of the American Legion has its meeting that night, too.

Busy, busy, busy, though I don't know if any of that counts as vibrant for this woman.

(smile!) 

"Your car is ready!"

What a welcome phone call that had been this morning! Woohoo!!!

"But I thought the part wasn't even arriving until today?"

Me, too, but Michelle of Rincon Transmission said it must have arrived after hours on Friday. So they went to it first thing this morning! I called Smitty right after her call and he was finishing up at his shop and available to come get me to take me to my Saturn. What great timing!

"Wow."

And when Michelle gave me the invoice, the balance due was ZERO. I kept looking at it, waiting for the numbers to change, but they didn't! I've never had a bill from car repairs for zero dollars before. Mind blown! They had even waived the diagnostic charge to verify that the shift cable was the culprit. Wow.

"Wow!"

I went straight from there to the AMC Cinema. I had a little over two hours until my long overdue appointment with Dr. Cobb and I didn't want to go home. I wanted to be closer to his office, you know? So, I watched the 11:45 AM screening of "Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass", as that would put me out in plenty of time.

"Really? And how was it?"

Actually not as inane as I'd imagined, though I doubted that a couple of hairdressers like her and her pal would have the funds to gallivant around like they did. There were quite a few well-known actors in it, too - Jennifer Aniston, Elizabeth Perkins, John Slattery, and, of course, Jon Hamm, her 'celebrity crush'. The part I liked most was the nod to "The Wizard Of Oz", with him as the one granting wishes to the ones in her foursome. The end, with him in a hot air balloon, coming to steal her away from her wedding, was pretty cool, too.

"Sounds like a hot mess, to me, but I'm glad it distracted you."

Me, too. I went straight to the heart doc afterward, even though I knew I would be 30 minutes early. That worked out just fine! They took me in straight away and I was all done, EKG and talk with him, just a few minutes after my scheduled appointment time of 2:30. And to think, I had been so stressed about how I would get to it that I'd slept badly last night.

"Why were you stressed? You know that Christina said she would come from Hinesville to get you there."

Yes, I know, but I hated asking her to do that. It had been such a relief to be able to call her and tell her those hoops wouldn't need to be jumped through. She has both girls going to camp this week, so either her or Anthony would have to pick them up, and whichever did that would send the other to come for me. Just too much hoopla, I thought.

"Yes, but that was her choice to make. As she told you, "I love you enough to come to Savannah any time." She really is the best."

She really is. I am so blessed to have her in my life. Now, I'm going to watch an episode of "Shakespeare & Hathaway" before this last-minute meeting at Two First Posts that Doug has called. Later!