wildlife refuges and misfit toys

"Those two things don't seem to go together."

 

Just hang on there! I've not even started talking and you're already making remarks. Can you just chill for a second?

 

"Can do! Carry on!"

 

Thank you.

Tonight, One Hundred Miles had its first event in Savannah since June. Wait, I take that back.

This was their first lecture here at this local office since April. There have been two early morning events - hikes - but I didn't make it to those, of course.

 

"Of course. being somewhere at 8 AM is not your jam."

 

Correct.

So, I'd been awaiting this Naturalist 101 lecture for months. 

Other options came up for my time tonight, like another meeting at Two Firsts and a choral concert at Savannah Country Day, but I stayed true to OHM. 

So many choices at this festive time of year!

 

"For sure! You had several choices for yesterday, too, but you opted for the family gathering for Annaleigh's birth instead. Very good decision!"

 

Thank you... I'm so glad I was there for that! 

If Christina had not called when she did, I would have been downtown for opera, as I have been in the past. Though that would have been nice, being at the hospital for a one-time event was most def the right choice. 

I still have no clone, you know. 

Perhaps I can get one from Santa!

 

"Hahahaha! Yes, dear. Your Polar Express seems to have jumped the track. Now, what was this lecture about?" 

Oh, yes, the science event!

Titled "Our Coastal Refuges", I was expecting Matthew Emmer to give an inspiring speech to encourage us to go out and enjoy the seven wildlife refuges we have at hand.

Well, maybe not right at hand, but all within a 100-mile radius.

See what I did there? Worked in a reference to OHM?

 

"Yes, my girl, I caught that."

 

Good!

He did talk of all the different refuges that are part of the Savannah Coastal Refuges umbrella. I had not realized that included the Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge, Blackbeard Island, an area of Tybee Island, or Wolf Island. I did already know of the Savannah Natural Wildlife Refuge, located in South Carolina, as I have been there. I also knew about Wassau Island, though that is only accessible by boat. Pinckney Island is another with limited access, and that's down to once a week. That may become even more limited, thanks to the current POTUS. The budget cuts imposed by the White House this year have left only 200 employees to manage 573 wildlife refuges throughout the United States.

 

"Oh, no. Well, that just means unmanned visitor centers, right?"

 

Not just that, my dear.

It also means a lack of protection for the flora and fauna of those many refuges. Without people there to monitor the lands, invasive species can move in and take over, eradicating the existence of the natural species. Think of kudzu and how prevalent it is. Now, imagine our marshlands overrun with Chinese species of grasses transported unwittingly on ship exteriors. That's the future if the situation doesn't improve.

 

'Yikes! I'm sure the POTUS doesn't have a clue, blind as he is about science. I doubt he cares, either, as he has a limited shelf-life remaining on this planet."

 

Sad, but true about the 79-year-old man.

 

"Well, I hope the whole lecture wasn't a downer."

 

No, it wasn't, but I was glad to have chosen to watch it on fb instead of IRL. That meant that afterwards I was free to watch "Georgie & Mandy" and "Ghosts", both of which were very good! Then I caught Jimmy Fallon's "Christmas Seasonings" special and enjoyed his brand of zaniness and all his musical guests, like the Jonas Brothers and the Rockettes. Very entertaining!

 

"Most excellent! Good to get your spirits back up!"

 

Then I chose to watch "Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune", mostly because it had Taye Diggs as a contestant. I've felt much closer to him ever since he was part of "The Real Full Monty", that TV special Anthony Anderson put together last year. Him and Ethan Hawke especially impressed me with that fundraiser for prostate cancer awareness.

I also recognized Sebastian Maniscalco. Did you know he and Ryan Seacrest are both 51 years old? That means they're within a year in age of the physicist!

 

"Yes, he was 52 last month."

 

Correct!

I don't usually tune in for "CWOF", but I'm glad I did this time.

As they were guessing the puzzles to determine who would go first for the last round, "On The Map" was the category.

Taye Diggs got every one of them, including the third, one that's close to my heart: The Island Of Misfit Toys.

Right place, right time.

(smile!) 

 

"Most definitely. (smile!)"

you are the sunshine of my life...

Dearest Mama,

Happy 88th birthday!!!

That Stevie Wonder song naturally sprang to mind, only partly because of the change in the weather.

Today has been the first with sunshine in five days!

I'm so glad the Universe brought this light for your special day!

I wore your Christmas tree pin today, too.

The occasion warranted me to dress a little nicer than I usually do, you know?

This shawl-necked sweater was certainly a step up from my older v-necks, but it needed something more.

This pin, which has been up by your photo in the living room since last Christmas, was perfect.

Glad it was close at hand!

(smile!) 

After all, I was off to meet the first niece when I left home.

She and her two girls had called to say they were coming to town: Chelsea was having her baby!!!

Annaleigh Pippin arrived just before 1:30 PM, weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds, 13 ounces!!!

She was also almost 21 inches long.

I took Miyah to meet her around 4 PM and I think the littlest girl was expecting her to be the size of a doll.

Nope, Annaleigh is about twice that size!

I'm so glad she'll be sharing your birth date.

This was also the birth date of Christina's maternal grandpa, David, who would have been 87 today.

She's fortunate to share her birth date with you and him!

I'm grateful to Christina for calling me to be there.

As I told her, Melinda and Matt, Venita, and Dillon's parents and grandma, we are blessed to have been reunited at Candler Hospital for this joyful occasion!

with much love always!

so many choices... but i chose asbury

I wanted to try out a new venue for me...

Johnson High School, once attended by my niece Emily and nephew Jason...

as it had a 5:30 PM event that was holiday-themed and promised music...

billed as a "Winter Spectacular"!!!

There was also another new venue for me...

Hesse Elementary School, once attended by my nephew Damon...

as it had a 6 PM event which promised several stories in one show...

billed as "Folk Tales"!!!

Then the date for the annual meeting for the members of Asbury Memorial and Wesley Oak had been announced at the beginning of December.

No time had been announced, just the date.

That would again be on Tina Tuesday, a day I reserve for fun.

I hoped the meeting by ZOOM would either be early enough for one of the other events, or late enough to not interfere with either.

Instead, the time was set at 6:30 PM.

That meant both of the new events at the new venues were out.

As a member, my choice would have to be with the church. 

As it was, I was a little late to the ZOOM.

The link sent yesterday had not worked, so I had to check my email to see if a new one had been sent today; yes, of course, there was a late change.

Still, I was there, as can be seen here.

I'm in the top row, second from the left, right next to Rev. Billy.

I was right in time for the report on 'Property', that spoke of the deal the church got on the solar panels installed on the roof.

It also mentioned the need for work on the windows that face Henry Street.

No one mentioned the elevator that had been on last year's agenda.

As the meeting was drawing to a close, I brought up the topic; that led to a lively discussion with Roy Hill of the Finances committee and Tim Steinhauser, with the upshot being that the reason driving its need had been - movement of theatrical props and set pieces from the second floor - had been resolved.

That was because the cost had doubled for the elevator to be retro-fitted to this historic old building.

Good to know!

I also found out the church finances have been bolstered, both by Miss Virginia Holliday's gift ($190 K) and judicious investing of $500 K with Charles Schwab.

Good to know that, too!

All the staff received nice raises and we have a new assistant minister position which is costing about $50,000. 

In fact, the majority of the church's expenses seem to be payroll.

I had not realized that before.

Apparently, it was good that I was there, along with 57 others.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.  

back to back winner at msg!

Nope, that wasn't me scoring at Music Bingo - it was Sandy!!!

She won the last game last week, then the first game this week!

That netted her fifty bucks credit for her dinner tonight at Midtown Sports Grill, plus a free cocktail.

She celebrated that new win at once with a Bay Breeze!

Good for her!

I've tried to impress upon my teammates that it was rather absurd how often our table used to win.

After all, there are only four games played each session, yet there are at least twenty people playing on these Monday nights.

We used to represent at least two of those wins each week.

That's ridiculous and against the law of randomness.

Now, we have a winner - like, one, singular - every couple of weeks.

That's much more probable!

I celebrated being out and about by having Totchos as my meal!  

Why'd I say I was celebrating?

Because a cold front moved straight in after the rain clouds left, sprinkling a bit of hell into the weather.

Yet, I was still exercising my privilege as a busy, vibrant, woman to be in the company of friends!

I'd started my day with an 11 AM meeting at Two Firsts Post.

All told, five of us showed for that American Legion scheduled event, but we had a good time in that warm space!

There was me and Joe Cetti for Post 36, outnumbered by Post 500's showing with Sabrina Scales, John Parker, and Eddie Robinson.

We stayed for an hour, waiting for others, chatting.

Good times! 

I'd even been at the cinema for a double header...

seeing "100 Nights Of Hero", a fabulous fable in a similar vein as Scheherazade and her stream of Arabian tales...

then the raunchy comedy, "Fackham Hall", that was in a similar vein as "Airplane!" even though it mocked "Downton Abbey"...

with the two having a common theme: women aren't allowed to read.

Nice to have had an unexpected theme!

Right place, right time!

I'd also gone to Publix for a few items and found this treat!

Just look at all that sushi, made up to be prettier than it needs to be!

I dined on that leftmost roll, with its beautiful topping of diced tuna and avocado, for lunch before the movies.

The rest will likely be lunch and dinner tomorrow, as a treat for being in.

The high in the 40's is just a bit much to draw me out.

All the more reason for me to have joined Sandy and Elissa tonight!

Timing is more than a belt in a car!

Hahahaha!

front porch of the jea!

This was meant as a gift for members of the Savannah JEA, but they opened up the comedy show for any and all... so I accepted the invite!

I tried to get a few others to come, including my Monday-night crew, but they had other plans... so I took myself there!

After all, 'tis the season and I love gifts!

I was amazed by how much talk of Christmas there was by the children at the Jewish Educational Alliance!!!

Right place, right time!!!

Front Porch Improv had five members of their troupe present.

I never caught the name of the keyboard man, but the others are Jesse, Abby, Beth, and Ava, and they put on a fabulous hour of fun!!!

I was delighted that they used two of my lines in the comedy skits, too!

The first of those instances was in the second sketch, with Abby and Jesse over at Grayson Stadium playing baseball on the diamond, kinda sorta like I have done there as well as when  I was in Iowa. 

Jesse had just hit the ball, then he pulled the slip out of his pocket and said, "Are we there yet?" - hahaha!

He told her it was his catchphrase... was that a baseball pun?!?!

I'm saying it was!

(smile!)

The next skit that used a suggestion from me was near the end of the hour.

Jesse was up again, this time for "Press Conference", where he had to guess why he was being lauded.

The other troupe members asked him questions and he found out he was a swimmer who had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, pulling an elephant, with Barney as his travel companion... very funny!

And that bit about the elephant... that was mine!!!

Wondering why that would have been on my mind?

A couple of skits earlier was all about asking the audience for jokes.

Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite!

Why was the bee's hair spiky? He used a honeycomb!

Hahahaha!

I was going to tell one of Mama's elephant jokes, but missed the chance.

Nice that I got the elephant in there another way.

i thank You, God!

Now, I've been home again, watching the Grand Prix ice skating highlights, aired instead of football by one of the local stations.

Guess what I just saw?

My man, Yuma Kagiyama, winning another silver medal at this event!!!

He's 20 years old now, and still just delightful to watch!

Right place, right time!

(smile) 

rudolph, front and center this time!

I should have been getting ready for church, but knowing Communion wasn't being held led to other plans this wet, chilly, morning.

Breakfast had found me missing Charles Osgood, so I decided to watch "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer", recorded a couple of days earlier.

The bin with my Misfit Island gang was already out of the closet... time to place them into view!

The space in my entertainment center needed its Christmas cheer!

So, I started out with Sam the Snowman, then added Rudolph, placing him in the center of the area.

Very nice!

I added Hermie, Boss Elf, and Tall Elf, as they appeared in the story.

Oh, yes, that was coming together nicely!

Time for Yukon Cornelius and the Bumble then - right!

Then the scene came with the toys "that nobody wanted"...

the little speckled pig...

the airplane that went under water...

the train with the square wheels.

Into my display they went!

That's when I caught that my train was not the one in the movie.

Mine is red with green trim; the movie version is shades of blue.

I must say, I do prefer mine!

It's more Christmas-y!

I placed King Moonraker, as well as the other two Misfits I own - the jelly-shooting water pistol and the cowboy on the ostrich - in the scene.

Something else was needed.

That's when I added the gold chain with the little gold hearts, making sure to end with a puddle of shiny at Yukon's feet.

Yes, that's just perfect!

what if the internet was down for a week?!

That's the premise of "The Day The Internet Died", the latest offering from the middle school thespians at Garrison Arts Academy.

I made sure the cold and rainy day didn't stop me from bopping out to Yamacraw Center For the Performing Arts to partake of this play!

Only $10, too - so, Merry Christmas to me!

And what a fabulous, bright, program, printed on card stock, for my middle blessings wall!

In the program was each scene in the two acts, with each titled and listing the actors.

That's how I found out a Meece and a Padgett were up on the stage!

In fact, that's Maryn Meece, sitting in the chair with the side profile, as one of "The Unusual Suspects".

As a person obsessed with getting friends to 'like' her photos, she was being questioned by the sheriff (Bailey Flowers).

The kid in the paper bag (Lott Byrd) is an internet troll and the other person (James Deacon) is a punk prankster.

All three are fairly crazy since they lost their 'ether' security blanket! 

They all had their own scenes in the first Act. 

Emma Padgett shows up in the second Act, playing an IRL customer service rep for the internet company.

She's so shocked when a customer (Christian Henriquez) actually tracks down the physical office that she has it burnt down!

That lands her in the second trio that gets grilled by the sheriff. 

That includes a Tweeter (Bella Davis) so desperate to get her messages out that she takes over a newspaper stand, as well as the Boss of an IRL meeting (Asa Boothe) who seems to think they're all in a Zoom session.

By the end of the week, some of the townspeople have adapted well to the IRL, all the time, way of life.

Others are having withdrawals from the lack of social media and email so much that they try to use the Post Office for passing their messages!

On the last day of the outage, the mayor (Hayden Epperson), a man obsessed with his image and his hair, announces that he was behind the lack of internet!

Along with the rich guy (Ethan Brandon), they were running an experiment on the town to see how people would react.

Ah ha!!! 

The sheriff had suspected the mayor was involved, but had no proof.

Suddenly, the room was in an uproar of recriminations!!!

Then, a familiar sound interrupts the mayhem... the internet was back!

And the room went quiet as all checked in to the ether they had missed. 

Wow...

beautifully done!!!

Thanks for this wonderful gift! 

Christmas gifts from Mark Kameron!

I guess I should have gone to the Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta yesterday, but I knew I'd have to leave early for "The Nutcracker".

I'd texted Tony to let him know not to expect me at Jalapenos.

"I have 'the nutcracker' dance @ Sav arts academy tonight!"

He'd replied, "Poor guy, here's a hint. Nobody wants/likes their nuts cracked."

I shot back, "Maybe they just haven't met the sugar plum fairy!"

"Maybe...", he'd said.

LOL!

Just a few minutes ago, my youngest brother came by with a bag of gifts from Mark.

The first was this new ornament!

He's a big fan of the Georgia State University's Bulldogs and he's trying to convert me into a football fan.

Good luck with that! 

Still, I do like this new Santa design and I know he'll look very nice with the one he gave me last year.

(smile!)

The other gift was this beautiful fruitcake!

It's truly a wonderful treat, with big pieces of candied fruits and pecans, reminding me of the Christmas Cakes that my stepdad used to make and give out at this time of year.

I sure miss Frank's cakes.

They were so good any time, but especially for breakfast on Christmas Day.

I'll have to make a point of going to the next Friday Fiesta so I can thank Mark.

(smile!)

i still like the little bo-peep...

"You've been to something else with fairy tales?"

 

Nope, and you have a misconception there. That character is actually from a nursery rhyme. However, she appeared in a ballet tonight, along with four of her little lambs. I meant to take a photo but I was busy eating ice cream in the back of the auditorium. Leopold's has Vegan Vanilla, made from coconut milk, and it was quite tasty! Very satisfying, too, even on a chilly evening. I've been craving ice cream.

 

"Let me see if I can figure out where you were. Okay, we have Leopold's and ballet that features Little Bo-Peep... oh, I know! You were at Savannah Arts Academy, weren't you?"

Very good! Yes, I was, for their dance program's 5th annual production of "The Nutcracker". Oddly, there were no printed programs, so I have no idea who the dancers were. However, I do believe the young man playing the magical uncle is the same one who was so impressive when I saw it before.

I think that's true for the two who did another favorite sketch in this ballet. Those would be the very strong snake charmer and his tall snake. I guess that makes them graduating seniors, so new folks will be dancing next year. I do wish a printed program, not a QR code, had been available for this show! At least Savannah Children's Theatre made a weblink available for their programless production.

"Oh, my. You'd think if they wanted you to thank the sponsors, they'd provide that. Especially as the dance instructor tonight made sure to ask folks to do that very thing." 

 

Exactly! Without a program, the sponsors get no recognition. She didn't even say their names when she was introducing the show. Even worse, the picture of the QR code didn't even list the website it referenced. I could understand if this had been a free show, but it wasn't.

 

"Perhaps you need to find out beforehand if there will be printed programs. There's no sense in paying to attend if you're not going to have a souvenir for your 'blessings' wall."

 

Um, that's "walls", plural. Remember? This busy, vibrant woman needs multiples, not just one, to handle her social calendar!

 

"LOL! Yes, dear!"

this is how we do it...

We had another emergency meeting at the Two First Posts site, but this time it wasn't just us chickens.

There were five members from Post 500 of the American Legion, our brothers in this venture, as well as five from Post 36.

We had all lost our physical meeting spaces three years ago. 

Plus, we had a guest, Savannah of the construction folks, sitting in to offer any help.

So, what was the rush for this 5 PM meeting?

The USO wants to rent out the ballroom for a Christmas-themed event for about 100 children and Santa. 

We don't even have a building manager yet or any staff!

That's why we'll be meeting again for the next two weeks to at least fill that managerial position with a temporary person.

I'm glad I was there - right place, right time, as per my odometer!

That mileage of 244111 was when I was home from the meeting.

I don't know just what the pattern means, but I like it!

I'd finished up my AMC A*List just before I went to Montgomery Street.

I'd watched "Predator: Badlands" again on Monday, as I'd wanted a laugh.

I even mentioned that to Paul, when I called him for his birthday58.

He had found that to be an odd choice for me until I explained about the poor lonely pants! 

"Eternity", though, is brand-new one and poses an interesting question.

Set in the hereafter, it asked: do you choose life everlasting with the one that got away or with the one you had for several decades?

I'm talking about husbands, with all parties dead at this point.

She had to make a choice between the first one, who died in the Korean War, and the second one, with whom she had 65 years, children, and grandchildren.

I thought it odd that they were all young, like in their twenties.

Only the first husband would have died at that age.

When I left the cinema, I'd stopped over at the southside AutoZone.

When I'd replaced the windshield wiper on the driver's side a year ago, I'd made the choice to leave the other in place.

Well, the one on the other side has been shredded - and not in a good way - for several months.

Lots of rain is in the forecast and my passenger-side needed help.

Plus, I'm tired of hearing that shredded piece flapping on the windshield. 

I'm thinking I'll go ahead and replace the driver's side, too, as it's starting to show a bit of wear.

Meanwhile, it's time for "Georgie & Mandy" and dinner!

It's been a drizzly day, overcast and gray, so comfort food, please!

That means Mama's salmon stew, amended to Tina's tuna chowder, served in my Donburi bowl from Okinawa. 

So glad I had the oyster crackers on hand, too!

happy birthday52 to the physicist!

"Wait! His birthday is still in Jeffvember, right?"

Correct you are, but he was off in o-HI-o to celebrate it, and Thanksgiving, with his girlfriend, Jeannette. She's definitely gotten his spirits up! So that's a very good thing. But between his trips there, her trips here, and his teaching and Buddhism schedules, he and I haven't seen each other since the pancake luncheon.

"That's been a hot minute!"

Actually, just a few months, but I'd become accustomed to seeing him every six weeks or so. Nice to see the smile is still in his eyes!

"Hey, are y'all at the Longhorn???"

We are! It had been his suggestion, but I'd quickly seconded the motion. I wanted to try that French Onion Soup that Carolyn had the last time I was there. Mighty tasty it was, too! And it paired well with the Crispy Brussels Sprouts! 

"Very nice! And I'm glad the weather was nice for y'all today."

Me, too! Both of us were hobbling along, him due his neuropathy in his legs, me because of the inguinal hernia in my right leg. I guess we're not as young as we were 13 years ago... but who is? We're still getting where we want to go, and even to a few places, perhaps, that we have to go. We even talked again about my trip to Iowa! (smile!) He's even talking about moving to Ohio in a couple of years. That would be very good for him. He needs love in his life! I had not realized how hard life with the 'Cole had become during the last part of their marriage.

"I'm glad he has the pet-sitter in his life, too. She seems to be pretty well grounded, if she's been able to impress upon him the importance of wills and Power of Attorney documents and that sort of thing."

I know! I had started talking to him about that stuff about a year ago and he had flat out said he didn't need them. Wrong! What would become of Emily The Cat if anything befell him? Sometimes, I swear he's still a 14-year-old boy. (smile!)

"Oh, yes, I can see that. He's got more in common with Sheldon Cooper than he thinks. It's all part and parcel of him being a pie-in-the-sky theoretical physicist.

"Hahahaha! You said it!"

Now, I'm going to watch "The Night Before", about a bunch of stoners ISO the ultimate New Year's Ever party: The Nutcracker Ball. I wonder if the bfe has ever seen this? I imagine he has, as it has Seth Rogen in it. I'll have to ask him 'bout that! (smile!)

yes, virginia, winter is coming to this latitude

At least the weather is trying to break it to us gently.

The highs will be hovering near 60 and the lows promise to not drop below 40.

I can do that!

I was out for 'lonely pants' earlier and I'm home now after Music Bingo with Elissa and Sandy!

I dined on grilled chicken, crispy fries, and delicious salad!

All in all, a very good first day of December!

Now, to finish it off with the two Janes and "The Night Before"!

(smile!) 

19 movies, thanks to football!

Actually, thanks to Comcast for thinking of all of us who don't live for televised sports during this Thanksgiving season!

My gratitude for this MGM+ Film Festival, and its wealth of good movies that I'd never even heard of, is overflowing!

Correction: I had heard of one of them before.

In fact, it was the very first one I watched. 

"Planes, Trains, And Automobiles" is one I try to catch every year.

Hey, that looks and feels like a pun, doesn't it?

(smile!)

Also, I have one more clarification before I start my summation.

Not all of the movies were on MGM+, so I extended the "+" to include them.

That symbol is made for being inclusive!

(smile!) 

Now, on to the show, and let's begin with "Best In Show" from 2000.

After all, the kennel club dog show will soon be on, and this movie is a great send-up on that tradition!

Written/directed/starring Christoper Guest, it was slap full of names I knew!
Fred Willard as the dog show emcee -
Ed Begley, Jr. as Hotel manager for the event -
Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara -
Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins as a gay duo -
Christopher Guest (and his bloodhound) -
Jennifer Connolly and Jane Lynch, for the lesbian crowd -
Larry Miller and Linda Kash -

Wow, what a cast!

It just couldn't help but be funny! 

Continuing on the 'holiday comedy' theme was "Pieces Of April" from 2003.

I admit, it was the fact that it had the same name as the 1973 song I knew that first caught my attention, but I'm glad it did!

Not that it had anything to do with the Three Dog Night hit, but, still.

'April' (Katie Holmes) is the family fuckup, charged by her father (Oliver Platt) to host the 'perfect' family feast for the dying mom (Patricia Clarkson).

But her oven is broken and she has to seek help from multiple neighbors in her apartment building while the family is en route.
Hilarity naturally ensued! 

For the next duo, on the next day (Wednesday), I changed the theme to science fiction romance.

"Stardust", of 2007, is based on Neil Gaiman's fantasy book.

Claire Danes is the Star that falls from the land of Faerie to the land of Wall.

Soon, she has a passel of people trying to capture her! 

'Tristan' (Charlie Cox), the boy born of both worlds, is after the fallen Star as a token of
love for desired girlfriend, 'Victoria'.

'Lamia' (Michelle Pfeiffer) is one of three witch sisters after the fallen Star's heart, seeking returned youth and beauty.

Septimus (Mark Strong), the 7th son of the king (Peter O'Toole) of Stromhole, wants the Star's heart, too, so he can rule forever.
Robert Deniro has a fun role as 'Captain Shakespeare', the cross-dressing leader of pirates
who harvest lightning - LOL!
Nice to see a young Henry Cavill as 'Humphrey', the fiance of 'Victoria'.

I'd definitely see this again! 

The same can be said of "Every Day", which had an interesting premise.

In the 2018 movie, a spirit inhabits a different body every morning, but just for the one day, and has done this all its life.

Now, the spirit is 16 years old and has leapt into the body of 'Justin' (Justice Smith), leading
to an impromptu day of hookie from school with his girlfriend, 'Rhiannon' (Angourie Rice), leading to an intense connection, something the spirit has never had before.
But just before midnight, the spirit is out of that body and 'Justin' is back to being the self-absorbed teen jock he was, recalling none of that day.
The spirit bounces from one teen to another, trying to reconnect with 'Rhi' through the new bodies it inhabits, and eventually tells her of this spiritual-physical disconnect that it has.

She realizes that first day it had with her, in the body of 'Justin', was what she wanted to have more of, so the two of them manage to have a relationship, kinda sorta. 

Really nice "what if" movie!

Time for a theme change: small town films!

Both had an old-time feel, too, though one was much older than the other.

The holiday-themed "Prancer" came out in 1989, whereas the musical Western, "Rawhide", is from a full half-century earlier.

Both had names that drew me in: Sam Elliott and Lou Gehrig, respectively.

I'm glad they were name droppers!

In the first, Sam Elliott is the widowed dad of a son and a headstrong daughter, 'Jessica', who is convinced she has found an injured reindeer who is Prancer and that she must return him to Santa by Christmas Eve.
Cloris Leachman, at 63 years old, plays the rich old lady the girl works for to buy oats for the animal.
Abe Vigoda is the local vet the girl talks into healing the animal.

Michael Constantine as the store Santa she talks into passing a letter to Santa about her returning Prancer (only he takes it to the local newspaper as a 'feel good' story for the town's readers).
And there's a surprise for me: a young 14-year-old Johnny Galecki (TBBT's Leonard!!!) is there as 'Billy', one of her teasing classmates!
Very nice!

Now, let's address why the baseball player was in a Western, shall we?

The year was 1938 and Lou Gehrig had been 'The Iron Horse' for the New York Yankees for 15 years. 

He was the first athlete pictured on a Wheaties box and had not yet begun having the disease that would kill him at age 37.

"Rawhide" was an opportunity for him to portray a man ready to retire from the sports world, ready for a quiet life on a cattle ranch.

I'm glad his publicist pushed him into the one and only film he ever made!

He even sang a number ("Drifting") with Smith Ballew, the lawyer ('Larry Kimball') he engages to fight against the Ranchers Protection Association, an extortion group that rivaled any in New York City.

Yes, I'm glad I found this one!

There wasn't any baseball, but it was wonderful seeing Gehrig still in his prime, healthy, shape.

Then I bopped over to meTV and caught an oldie from 1969: "A Boy Named Charlie Brown". 

It's been years since I saw this, but I hadn't remembered how much bullying that 7-year-old child received from his classmates and others. 

(My great-nephew, Bert, is 9 years old and he was bullied around by his 12-year-old brother and 16-year-old cousin pretty hard over at Tony's on Thanksgiving. Tony, Laura, and I all got onto them about that, too.) 

Good thing 'Charlie' had 'Linus' to cheer him along!

Then, as football was eating up the night, I bounced back to MGM+ to catch "City Of Ghosts", a 2002 international suspense written by/directed by/starring Matt Dillon.

In it, he's part of a sham disaster insurance company (based in New York City) that's been found to be penniless when a hurricane strikes Florida and the claims come rolling in.

He manages to convince the police that he knew nothing, then he flies out to Asia to seek out his partner (Stellan Skarsgard) and dad (James Caan), ending up in Cambodia.

That's when the lies and deceit really hit the fan.

Rather telling when "Both Sides, Now", sung in Khmer, plays as the end credits start rolling!

It wasn't until afterward that I realized that both of these movies had something in common: the use of frequent, moody, instrumental interludes between the spaced-out bits of dialogue and action.

If not for seeing them both so close together, I never would have picked up on that.

Right time, right place, amazingly enough.

Black Friday dawned and I kept my silly self home!

I started with two thrillers, one set in the ocean, the other in the sky.

"Run Silent, Run Deep" is a phrase familiar to all Naval personnel, whether or not they ever had submarine duty; I was born the year it was made. 

It starred a 57-year-old Clark Gable as 'Cmdr Richardson', the one whose sub was destroyed a year earlier at Bungo Strait in Area 7.
Now, he's commanding a new sub and heading right back there to try to find and destroy the vessel that sank his sub and every other in that area.
Burt Lancaster is 'Lt. Bledsoe', who first disagrees, but comes to believe in the Commander.
Don Rickles (32 years old) is great as a wise-cracking sailor on the crew!

"Red Eye", from 2005, starts off with Lisa (Rachel McAdams) and Jackson (Cillian Murphy) having a meet-cute at the airport when their flight to Miami is delayed.
That premise is furthered when her seat turns out to be right beside his!

She's a hotel manager, and he's a manager, too, but of political assassinations and that sort of thing - that's why he targeted her, as he needs a politician to be moved from his usual room to one with bayside access, and he has her dad as leverage to make it happen.

Good flick, and the action scenes benefit from Was Craven as director.

Then came Saturday, and Craven's name had me going to his home base of 'horror', just nothing too bloody or creepy. 

I found two that were perfect for me!

The 1940 "Beyond Tomorrow" was 'horror' because it had three ghosts.

It's set in NYC, where 3 wealthy men - 'Michael', 'Chad', and 'Charlie' - get stood up for Christmas Eve dinner, so they throw their wallets into the street, vowing to take in any honest people who return them.
Enter 'James' of TX and 'Jeannie' of NY, two sweet young people who end up falling in love until his singing voice leads him away.
The three rich men die in a plane crash, but return as ghosts to help the two.
Really was a wonderful movie, with great singing by Richard Carlson ('James').
I especially liked "Jingle Bells" with everyone, from the cook and maid to the butler and valet singing in their native languages! 

"Night Of The Comet", from 1984, mixed its 'horror' of zombies with the material-world antics of valley girls in Los Angeles.

'Reggie' (Catherine Mary Stewart) spends the night inside a cinema, only to find the city totally deserted, except for piles of clothing where people should be.

Concerned, she goes home to find her sis, 'Sam' (Kelli Maroney) alive, but no one else there, just piles of their clothes.
The radio station is still on air, so they go only to find it was all recorded, without a live DJ or anyone else except 'Hector' (Robert Beltran), a trucker also drawn to the station.
A group of scientists (led by Geoffrey Lewis) come to town to round up any survivors, hoping for a cure before they become zombies like all the others who didn't vaporize when exposed to the comet's radiation.
Nice touches of humor! 

As TV still was overloaded with football, football, football, I decided it was time for more movies and I chose documentaries!

Actually, "Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen" wasn't so much a documentary as it was a recording of a live show.

Filmed in 1988, I was surprised to find how tame it was!

I was also surprised to find I only knew two of the comics: a 23-year-old Chris Rock and 35-year-old Tim Allen.

Wow.

The others featured were Monty Hoffman, Larry Scarano, Stephanie Hodge, John Fox, Thea Vidale, Otto Petersen, Joey Gaynor, Bill Hicks, Steven Pearl, and Jackie Martling.

Even though I looked them up, I still don't recall ever seeing them.

The other documentary, "Danica", was all about Danica Patrick and her life behind the wheel of race cars, up until 2017.

She started with go-cart driving in 1992 at age 10, because her sister was into that sport.
By the time she was 14, Danica was winning every race.

After training in England for several years, she found a sponsor and became an Indycar driver, eventually winning at that in Japan in 2008 at age 26.

Then she decided to go for being a NASCAR driver.

At the film's end, she was a 35-year-old entrepeneur of Somnium wine, Warrior clothing, and exercise videos and books.

I found this look at the life of a woman in a man's field very relatable.

Sunday came, the final day for me to enjoy MGM+.

Both of my choices were dark comedies, favorites of mine!

"Pocket Listing" was an insight into high-end real estate, written by and starring James Jurdi, a charming fellow who reminded me very much of Bruce Willis during his years "Moonlighting".

In this 2015 movie, he's 'Jack Woodman', a slick hustler working for Burt Reynolds until he's found doing sales for himself, not the company.

Out he was tossed, stuck managing a slum project he'd just bought to flip, until Euro-trash mobster Rob Lowe shows up wanting him to sell his $20-million estate on the beach for $12-million, because he needs the cash.

Lots of back stabbing and betrayal, lots of humor! 

(Sadly, nothing about James Jurdi since 2018.)
"Hawks" has two favorite actors in a movie reminiscent of "The Dream Team".

In this 1988 film, Anthony Edwards is an American football player on an exhibition tour in Europe when he falls terribly ill.

He comes to in a hospital in London, sharing a room with English lawyer, Timothy Dalton, who is currently in remission.

The lawyer decides the footballer needs something to perk up his spirits, so they steal an ambulance and head for Amsterdam to visit Paradise, a favorite brothel.

On the way, they meet Hazel and Maureen and have an adventure -
truly a lovely movie, with the most fun I've ever seen Dalton have! 

(I may recommend this one to JinHi, who has had a break from chemotherapy for the last few months and is now starting a new regimen.)

Now for the final two, both holiday movies and neither on MGN+.

I should add that neither are new to me, either!

"The Story Of Santa Claus" (1996) was a gift from meTV, featuring the musical stylings of Ed Asner and Betty White as the Claus couple, with Tim Curry as Nostros, the wizard elf.

ABC was the source of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town", from 1969.

This was also an animated holiday musical, featuring songs from Fred Astaire (as the mailman with all the answers!) and Mickey Rooney ('Kris Kringle').

Those were well worth including in this film festival!

Now, I'm off to turn on the heated mattress pad!