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!

who has the meats? i do!

Smitty came by with ham and fried turkey and smoked turkey from the Thanksgiving feast at his and Mary's. He had all three of their kids and all of the grandkids, too, including baby Ava, daughter of Zach and Krystal. Very nice! I know because he sat and talked with me for about an hour! That was a lovely gift to me!!!

So, not only did he bring a container slap full of meat, but he also brought me enough low country boil leftovers that I can have it for three meals! That wasn't something he cooked. See, we didn't have the S&K Friday Fiesta yesterday, as the Georgia Bulldogs were set to play at that time. He and Mary were over at Mark and Paula Norman's, and they are the ones that went crazy cooking low country boil. In that photo, that was my dinner tonight. I've still got enough in the fridge for at least one more time. Wow!

I had leftover dressing, gravy, and turkey from Tony and Laura for breakfast today. It was so very good! Then, for lunch, I dined on Laura's pasta salad with some of Smitty's ham. And I've had Choco-Flan for dessert with all three meals! How blessed am I to have had dessert with my breakfast!!! Christmas seems to have come early, that's for sure! I'm glad I straightened up the living room and had my tree set up before my brother got here. That way, he knows I have the holiday spirit!

I've even done a little 'Black Friday/ Cyber Monday" shopping this afternoon. I've needed a new GPS ever since I returned from Tallahassee, so I'd started looking at them online. After Smitty left, I bopped over to Best Buy, as I'd ascertained that they had them in stock. I was there just in time to grab the last Garmin Drive 53 on the shelf. Perfect timing! Even my odometer agreed! i thank You, God. (smile!)

four cousins at thanksgiving!

"Four? Were you in Hinesville this year?"

 

Nope! I was at Tony and Laura's again! He had invited me over.

 

"Wait... I thought you'd been invited to your cousin's house in Waycross?? Was that not correct?"

Well, that had been the plan, but I never heard anything more from Linsey or cousin David about doing that. I don't know what happened on their end, but it's all good! I'm pleased to be with Dood this time! You know what he said to me? I'm come into the back yard where he was smoking the turkey and when he saw me, he lit up! Then he thanked me, right in front of Damon, for being there for him for so many years when he was in Summerville. I tell ya, we were both nigh on to tears as we were hugging. Right place, right time.

 

"I am so happy for you! What a wonderful moment with your youngest brother on this special day of thanks. What all do you have on that plate?"

 

Smoked turkey, dressing with gravy, mac'n'cheese, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes... oh, and two desserts! Quite a feast!

 

"You and your 'dessert with your meal' thing! Is that the pumpkin pie from the Bananas? Did it have any of that fruit in it?"

 

Yes, that was the pie, alright! And it was just a standard pumpkin pie. If there was any other fruit in there, none of us detected it. That's Sebi, Hope's 12-year-old, tucking in to that piece. He ate every bite!

 

"I'm sure he did. He's almost a teen and probably eats anything and everything. What was that other dessert on your plate?"

 

Oh, that was Choco-Flan! Hope made it, as it's a favorite of her kids. In the photo, she's explaining to Tony that it's upper part is like flan, and the lower is chocolate cake. Get this: it's all combined together when it's mixed, but then density is what causes the two different parts to separate. Density!!! She used chemistry to explain it!!! How great is that??? And she even made it with Bert, her 9-year-old, and he understood about the different densities!

 

"How very cool!"

 

Right?! When it cooks, the lighter cake portion floats to the top of the pan and the heavier custard sinks to the bottom. Then, when it's turned out of the pan, the light-colored flan is on top, like a frosting. I really liked it and took a huge piece home! You eat both sections simultaneously, as the custard sweetens the cake.

 

"That's rather different than most American desserts."

 

That may be part of why I liked it. Now, here's a photo that shows Carissa with her two male cousins. She turned 16 in May, the day before my birthday.

And here she is with her brother, Dylan. He surprised all of us when he came today!!! He's so tall and grown-looking! He's 18 now and should have been graduating from high school this year, but he's dropped out. At least Tony serves as an example of an adult who saw the value of that degree, getting his GED while he was locked up.

 

"Oh, I do hate that Dylan has dropped out!"

 

He's got a girlfriend and is talking about marrying her, but hopefully that will wait. I told him about me getting married at 19 and how that was over in just 3 years. Then again, I know folks from high school who have been married since graduation. It all depends on the people and how much work they want to put into the marriage.

 

"That's for sure. Well, I'm thrilled for Tony that he had both of his kids and most of his grandkids there today. I know that means a lot to him."

 

You're right, this was surely a blessed day! i thank You, God!

parade highlights for me

The first thrill was the appearance of Huntrix.

I still don't know the band, but 'Lisa Simpson' sure did!

Bart even made sure the whole family had tickets to see the concert... what a nice brother!

The second was Taylor Momsen, with a solo song.

Remember her?

Little 'Cindy Lou Who' is 32 years old now!

Yes, indeed, that rocker was the little girl who helped a heart to thaw and grow.

After her number, the Grinch was right there to applaud her, too!

That movie celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

I choose to believe Jim Carrey was in that suit, braving the cold to show his support.

(smile!)

25 november '25: tina tuesday, too!

Such a busy day it has been... and that's been great!

My outing ended with dinner at Olive Garden with my first niece and her two daughters! 

Kayleigh was along, too, but she made sure Christina sat across from me - thank you!

I had the eggplant parmigiana, in honor of my friend Roy Wood.

That's always his favorite. 

That really hit the spot, along with two bowls of Pasta e Fagiole soup.

We came for dinner straight from the AMC and we were all pretty hungry after the long movie.

Comcast rewarded me with two free tickets to be "Wicked For Good", so I used those for Christina and Miyah.

Mine was with my A*List and Chloe's was from my AMC Rewards, which also paid for some of our cameo specials!

Then Kayleigh used my A*List membership to get her ticket for the musical, and the cameo special, too.

At dinner, I sat right beside Chloe, but not for the movie.

In the cinema, I sat right between Christina and Miyah.

Everybody wanted to sit by me! 

But Miyah did something extra special: she had drawn and colored a picture of a loggerhead turtle for me!

Magnificient, isn't it?

That piece of art wasn't the only gift I received today, either.

I made a special trip to Grayson Stadium earlier, following the explicit map sent by the Savannah Bananas.

Because I had a season ticket package this year, they gave me a free pie for Thanksgiving.

I'll be taking that pumpkin pie to Tony's, as well as the Cool Whip they included.

Very nice, even though I have left Banana Nation.

As for other gift transactions, I gave Christina the 99 items for her school store.

The gift bags with the twins' birthday gifts stayed at home.

I want to see their faces when they open them, to give them big hugs and let them see my face, too.

Soon, I hope!

gambler's lament?

Not by me!

I took myself to Music Bingo tonight, as I haven't seen those friends for a couple of weeks.

I sat across from Marcia, specifically so I could sing with her!

Well, it was also because it was the only corner chair still empty.

Sandy and Elissa were already there, as well as Elissa's son, Isaac.  

Amanda, however, was late, so I took the seat she usually took across from her mother.

Yeah for me!

That made it so much easier on my right hip!

(smile!)

This week, the game had changed again.

A new group, Mix Tape Music Bingo.com, is in charge of the play slips and songs used, though Robert is still supposed to be the bingo jock.

He was not there tonight, but the young man who was ran the game the same as he would have.

That meant a free pitcher of draft beer was the prize for the first game, the "Yacht Rock Mix #1", which even had "The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys" - love that song!

None of us, thankfully, won that, as none of us drink beer.

(smile!) 

Game 2 was the "Old School Club Mix", which certainly wasn't from the era when any of us were clubbing - lol!

We had to ask the phones for the titles of almost every tune! 

None of us won the prize - free cocktail or appetizer - from that one, either.

Not that the losses kept us each and every one from ponying up $5 for the third game, "Stars & Stripes Mix #1", a country feast.

That's the only game not free, as its prize is the pot of money received from all the players who pay the ante.

That would have meant $215 in hand!

But not for any of us.

By this time, the grumbling among the more competitive in our midst began.

Time for the final game, "50's & 60's Mix #1 - New".

It promised a $50 gift card to Midtown Sports Grill for the winner! 

All that was needed was a double bingo - horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

In the meantime, we had all this great music to enjoy!

"At The Hop", "My Girl", "Summertime Blues", "Respect", "Mr. Tambourine Man"!

That last song had been one of two I'd been waiting for to complete my double!

I only had one song that I needed to simultaneously complete the top row and the "G" column - wow!!!

However, it was not to be that I'd get "All Shook Up" by Elvis!

(Nice little inside joke with that one line!)

Someone else in the restaurant got their double first.

That's okay, though - we all had fun, listening and singing along as we danced in our seats and hung out together!

And, as I told the others, wasn't that the point?

(smile!)

I already knew I was a winner anyway... AARP told me!

Every day, I go to the site to amass Reward points and to spend them, too, mostly on the sweepstakes and these Instant Win games.

This morning, I won a $10 gift card to Jersey Mike's Subs!!!

I just may have to give that to Dawn - she loves that place.

(smile!) 

fb flashback: 24 November 2011

Let me set the stage.

It's been two years since Daddy died, and this was my second year of going to my paternal cousin's home for Thanksgiving.

Amazingly, I'd managed to talk my middle brother into going with me.

Amazing!

We even made it a two-fer, visiting our maternal cousin while there.

What a trip that had been!

So, here's the slide show!

We began our visits in North Augusta, SC.

Here's Ronnie with our cousin, Sharon, younger daughter of Mama's brother, our Uncle Jimmy, and his first wife, Aunt Janet.

Ronnie had pose time with Susan, too, Sharon's not-yet-official wife.

They've been together since college, more than twenty years earlier.

Sharon's brother, Ricky, will be coming over later, as well as Ashley, daughter of her sister, Valerie.

Meanwhile, it was time to head south to Augusta, GA.

Our paternal cousin, Bev, was awaiting us and she'd made sure to have plenty of my favorite food: the cranberry-sauced oranges!

Math joke: I ate some pie! 

Another joke: the time of this post!

Here's Bev's mom, our Daddy's one-and-only sister, Aunt Barbara and her third husband, John.

Bev's dad was Aunt Barbara's first husband, Bill.

And just why was Aunt Barbara standing?

All that talk of pie had whetted Ronnie's appetite for some dessert!

Would he prefer pecan or pumpkin?

"Both, please!," was his reply.

Everyone got a kick out of that and followed his lead!

After, we all hung out and chatted.

Ronnie even let Lucas test drive his hat!

Lucas is the son of Tyson, son of Bev and Allen, and his wife, Jenny.

Bev and Allen's younger daughter, Terri, was there with her husband, Mike.

Bev and Allen's other two children, Robbie and Leeman were absent that day; she had to work and he lives (still) in Korea.

Our other two paternal cousins, Bonnie Clark and Becky Ferguson, were missing, too.

The first lived in Hawaii and the other resides (still) in Texas.

What a marvelous time we had with them!

I'm so grateful he chose to go with me that day.

i thank You, God. 

bodies, bodies, bodies

It's been at least twenty years ago that I saw "Bodies: The Exhibition".

The traveling science show was in Atlanta and my BFF had invited us to come see it with her family.

Science!!!

Jeff likes the macabre, so we went.

I was fascinated by all the anatomy and the different ways the physiology of the human body had been displayed.

One display had just the nervous system, with no bones or musculature.

Amazing!!!

Then there was a room with bodies that had been sliced either vertically or horizontally, allowing one to see the relationship of the organs to each other.

Amazing!!!

I recalled being fascinated by the body when I took physiology in high school from Mr. Bill.

That exhibit in 2005 brought it all to life!

So why bring that up now?

On the 18th, I had a long-awaited CT scan at the Savannah VA Center to determine what was causing the intense pain in my right thigh.

Janet, the radiology technologist, was very kind and mindful of the pain I had been experiencing for the last three months.

The entire scanning session took only about fifteen minutes.

She told me that my new PCP, RN Tiffiny Duchene, would have the results later that afternoon.

However, I would not be able to discuss those with her until December 10th, and that would only be a phone appointment.

Say what?

So, today, I logged in to the VA website and looked at the Computed Tomography scans taken that Thursday.

I looked at all 580 of them.

Each scan was a reconstruction of the internal structures of my body, based on the angles of the X-rays bouncing through those structures, whether they were skin, organs, or bones.

Amazing!!!

The images reminded me of the physical cross-sections I'd seen at that exhibition so long ago.

I studied the images, trying to understand what they revealed.

I've selected three sets of six that show what has happened to me.

In this first group, focusing on the right thigh (on the left side of the images), there is nothing that seems out of order compared to the left thigh.

In this second group, here is something extending upward on the right thigh that is absent on the left thigh. 

In other words, there is an extra mass there that should not be.

This final group shows a clear breach extending from the right side of the abdominal cavity all the way to the top of the right thigh.

Might that weakness in that abdominal wall have anything to do with repeated surgeries on that side of my body?

Might that have anything to do with adhesions formed within my intestinal area from air exposure during surgeries?

The imaging provider at the Charleston SC VAMC, Jeffrey T. Waltz, signed off on the images on November 18th at 1:32 PM, just 90 minutes after I had the CT Scan here in Savannah.

Amazing!!!

His diagnosis was my body wall had a "fat-containing right inguinal hernia".

That isn't anything which will resolve itself; surgery is the only option.

But I'm not even going to be able to discuss this with my PCP for three weeks?

I've sent an email to her and to the group in Charleston.

I've already been dealing with this pain since mid-August.

Acetaminophen is my only option for pain relief, because I'm on a blood thinner (Eliquis), but that drug is toxic to the liver if taken over an extended time.

How much longer will I have to wait until surgery?

I need help now.

Right now, the option of having to wait until after the new year begins to have this resolved is very depressing.

I hope my doctor will contact me soon with a better option.

sunken treasure no more

Remember where I was going the day the shifter cable collapsed?

 

"Um, what? Wasn't that the start of October?"

 

That's right.

 

"Well, let me think. You were going to Pooler for a movie?"

 

No, I was going there to Miller's Coins, as they are listed at the Better Business Bureau site as a reputable place to exchange and sell coins and foreign currency. I had all that money from Panama, Okinawa, and Europe that I wanted converted into US dollars.

 

"That's hardly worth the trip, is it? Wasn't it like 20 Euros and about 2000 Yen and not even 1 Balboa? What would that be, maybe 30 bucks?"

 

Honestly, I was hoping the age of the coins might make them more valuable. After all, the ones from Panama and Okinawa and Hong Kong are more than 40 years old. I realize the Euros aren't that old, nor are the Loonies of Canada. I just wanted to get them exchanged for money I could spend here. I need to buy some clothes, in particular long pants, and I'd like to do that without using my credit card.

 

"Gotcha."

 

I'd even emailed Joey, the man in charge, before the trip then, to make sure he'd take the foreign coins. I also wanted to see if he'd buy the Atocha coin. I figured I might need an appointment to sell that one. However, he'd replied the next day, with it okay for me to come any time. So, that's what I'd set out to accomplish that day.

"Good deal! Wait... did you say that piece of silver jewelry you'd bought at Reeds Jewelers so many years ago?? You wanted to sell that piece of world history from that Spanish galleon?! Why not hang on to it and see if someone in the family wanted it?"

 

Ever since I closed the safe deposit box out, I've wanted to get rid of its contents. That's why I gave Mama's pearls to Christina. Most of the stuff had been papers, like insurance policies and that sort of thing. The box at the bank had just been a "safe place" for me to keep them and not lose them. That pendant was made in the 1990's by Mel Fisher's group from the silver real minted at the Potosi mine of Bolivia in the late 1590's to early 1600's during the reign of Phillip III. I had really wanted it when I saw it, but I have to admit: I mostly liked the emeralds. However, due to its worth, it spent most of the time at the bank. In the thirty years I've owned it, I bet I only wore it five or six times. I even made a point of wearing it one time for my passport photo! That way, I'd be able to flash it every time I traveled.

 

"And now, you no longer own it."

 

That's correct. It's to be in the case with other Atocha coins and jewelry, items bought by others during that show in the mid 1990's here in Savannah. Actually, Miller's Coins has three display cases with that stuff.

 

"Was it worth the trip out there?"

 

It was, not just financially, but also for peace of mind. I had to force myself to go there today and I finally realized the reason for my delay. It all hearkened back to that ripoff by the fake DEA agent several years ago. I found myself mentally paralyzed this morning by the dread of getting ripped off by this coin dealer. It was after 1 PM before I finally left home. But the trip went well and no one tried to pressure me into anything. The place had a steady stream of folks selling to Joey, a lot of them repeat customers. I took that as a good sign. And now I have money to buy a few things I need, like another GPS. I've felt a bit stranded ever since my Garmin Nuvi died back in April.

 

"Yes, you really need a new GPS. 'Stranded' is not your style at all."

 

Agreed. Maybe I'll find a new one for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I want to make sure I stretch that windfall! I'm earmarking some of it for travel next spring, too. I plan to be there with cousin Penny and cuzn Jeff the next time they're at St. George. (smile!)

jazz with kids

The best part of the Winter Jazz Concert at Savannah Country Day?

The absolute pride the two teachers had in their students!

As a retired teacher myself, I recognized that joy evidenced by Alyse Hudson and David Elliott there on the stage.

How wonderful!!!

Here's Ms. Hudson with her 8th graders, bouncing around almost as much as they did!

She started out tonight with 32 students, all in the 6th grade and fairly new to playing their instruments.

They'll get better with experience, but their renditions of "When The Saints Go Marching In" and "Ode To Joy" were still recognizable.

Next up she had 18 students, in the 7th grade, so they were in their second year with their saxophones and trumpets, flutes and trombones.

Yes, their pieces were much smoother and, although I didn't know "Grooved Pavement Ahead" or "Orangutango", I could definitely appreciate them!

Then came her last bunch, the 11 she's having for her 8th grade class.

She put them to work clearing the stage, then had them stand to perform!

And their music?

Such a wide assortment, from the fierceness of "Brass Attack" to the familiarity of "Favorite Things" and the newness of "Back In The Day" - I loved it all!

And she just beamed the entire time, so proud of 'her' kids!

(smile!)

Then it was time for the Upper School Jazz Band to take the stage with their 2 keyboards, 7 saxophones, 6 trumpets, 3 trombones, and rhythm section of bass, drums, and vibes.

Impressive bunch!

Mr. Elliott made sure to note the new instruments that were supplied by the school's fundraising group - kudos to them!

These students really knew how to play them, too, and all seemed to enjoy not only their music makers, but the music they were playing.

Trust me, due to their enthusiasm I was dancing in my seat for "Low Country Shuffle" and "Mas Que Nada"!

I will gladly stand up and dance the next time they perform!

Thanks for the free concert, y'all!

Now, it's time for my free dinner from cousin Penny and Panera.

I'd ordered it on the way, intending to eat at the school's parking lot, but the restaurant was abnormally slow, so I settled for only eating the chips.

I'd kept the bag shut tightly, so the Ciabatta Chicken Pesto Dipper and sauce were both still warm when I got home - nice!

Now, to settle in for "Ghosts" and "Elsbeth" while I dine...

what a busy, different, day I've had!

(smile!)

pre-vening with veterans

It's been a few months since Post 36 of the American Legion has met. 

Even though the construction crew had promised to make Two Firsts a priority...

they couldn't control the city's schedule for inspections during the busy spring and summer...

nor could they control the delivery schedules for all the furniture... 

nor that of all the kitchen equipment.

So when Doug Anderson invited us yesterday to meet, I made it a priority to be there.

He and I and Carl were the only ones to come.

Better three than none!

As the Post 36 Historian, I made sure to take plenty of photos to document the changes.

Kudos to Post 500 for assembling the chairs and stools and tables - excellent work, y'all!

Now, time to hire a staff to operate the bar and kitchen before a hopeful opening on 13 December.

The Certificate Of Occupancy is for 60 patrons and Doug told us there are already people waiting at Hunter Army Air Station for the doors to open.

This has been such a long road!