tina tuesday (on a wednesday)

I had some good advice yesterday: plan myself a nice day for today.

So, that's exactly what I've done!

The day did, indeed, stay in tune with the weather song forecast by WSAV, so that was quite reassuring!

Highs in the mid-50's for today and tomorrow, and near 60 for Friday!

See, all it takes are a few temperatures which are appropriate for this latitude and my entire disposition becomes cheerier!

How to tell?

The preponderance of exclamation points, of course!!!

So, off I went for a 1 PM matinee of "Hamnet", to see that period piece about William Shakespeare's family life once again!

That makes it the third movie for this week's A*List, so I'm quite satisfied about that.

I saw "Zootopia 2" again on Friday, to get me out of the house before the Friday Fiesta with my brothers...

then, I saw "Hamnet" on Saturday afternoon, to get me out of the house before the Soup Party festivities...

both times because I know it's more likely that I'll go to an evening event if I'm already out of the house when night falls...

especially when that night is to be chilly.

(smile!) 

So, even if I see naught else, I've gotten my three movies in, and that's a fine position to be in.

It helps that I really loved those movies.

It helps that others really love those movies, too, so I was not watching solo in the screening room.

In fact, the Shakespeare movie has done quite well in the cinema, causing it to be carried over for next week - that's amazing!

I will say that I am grateful to have had Dr. Joseph Killorin was third-quarter English, as his specialty was The Bard and he made sure we understood the nuances behind the specific words chosen by the writer.

That was made evident in this movie, when the playwright is trying to get the man acting as Hamlet to truly feel the words, not just say them and certainly not paraphrase them in any way.

I knew those words, as I must have read "Hamlet" at least five or six times during Killorin's class, concentrating on not only the dialogue, but the characters and their interactions throughout the course of the play.

However, the movie drives home Shakespeare's rationale for those words and characters: they are an outpouring of his grief over the loss of his son.

Love and loss and remembrance are the core values in the movie.

I do hope it will win the Oscar for Best Movie.

(smile!)

Afterward, I filled up the car with gas, which was $2.63 today.

Not a bad price at Murphy's!

Then, off to Applebee's I went, to pick up two dinners!

Nope, I'm not expecting company, I'm just tired of soup and want something that I have to use a fork to eat!

Thanks for AARP Reward Points, I had $15 in gift cards, so the "2 for $25" special only ran me an extra $11 and change!

Tonight's dinner began with the House Salad, with the Lemon Vinaigrette.

Then I dined on the Fiesta Lime Chicken.

That's been my absolute favorite thing on the menu for years! 

Tangy and tart from the lime, spicy and festive from the salsa, both of which I always mix into the rice - yum!

And the chicken... so moist and flavorful and cheesy!!!

Tomorrow, I'll have the Caesar Salad, then the O-M-Cheese Burger.

It looks pretty danged delicious, right, with that bacon topping and the cheese sauce to pour on top of it?

At least I opted for mashed potatoes instead of the french fries.

(smile!)

I know, I know: what's with me eating beef lately?

Wait, that's not quite right, is it, as I generally have the 'crunchy beef tacos' on those Fridays with my brothers, right?

However, burgers are not usually my choice...

but for the second time in less than a month, I'm having a burger.

I do hope it's as good as it looks!

Meanwhile, let me check the telly and see if I can catch something of interest to finish up this mighty fine day...

so good to have been out of the house! 

(smile!) 

white stuff on its way... and i don't mean snow

I am so aggravated about the weather that I can hardly stand it. I've been looking forward to a weekend of musicals for over a month, and what happens? Saturday's forecast is now calling for "rain to snow". Fecking freezing sleet, that's what we'll have, that some are gonna mistake for snow until they find it's ice.

"G'friend, are you still raggin' on about winter? 'Cause, you are aware that December 22 was the official start of that season, right?"

Just look at that hourly forecast for today, would you? It's past noon, and the temperatures aren't even up to 40 F yet!!!

"Yes, but that's because it's had to crawl up from the low 20's that it was this morning. As a scientist, you know that takes a lot of energy."

 

I am only too aware of that deficit of thermal input. What is causing me to be so disgruntled is this: today is Tina Tuesday. But will I be going out to movies, or anywhere else for that matter? No, I will be keeping my warm heart in this not-so-warm house because it is too dangerous for me to go out. And that sucks. At least by this time tomorrow, the temperature will be ten degrees warmer. And why is that?

 

"Oh, I know! It's because the low at dawn tomorrow will be ten degrees higher than the low at dawn today. That's shown in the first weather song."

 

That's correct. That's why tomorrow will serve as my substitute Tina Tuesday. I'm glad that AMC has their cameo popcorn special on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. At least I won't miss out on that. 

 

"And it looks to be warm enough to probably see "Grease" on Thursday night, so that's doable. Then, on Friday night, which will be even a bit warmer, you could go to the Savannah Stage Company season opener party, even if you only stay an hour. That should still put you home before the next round of hell descends from the sky."

 

I sure hope so. Really makes you wonder why folks think Hell is below us when it clearly comes from above.

 

"You hang in there, sunshine. Get yourself a nice day planned for tomorrow and just try to enjoy whatever blue skies you can get." 

2 more movies, 1 more carolyn!

Here she is, smiling from dinner last night!

I'd suggested OD Crab House after our movie and, as neither of us had been there in about three years, that's where we went!

We could have walked from NCG Cinema, but it truly was too cold for that...

truly!

The temp had already dipped to the 40's.

She loved the prices, by the way, and said she'll be back!

Her shrimp and flounder plate was about $7 less than over at Carey the H.

I was thrilled with my 15-piece fried shrimp basket - such delicately floured seafood, not caked on batter!

I ate every bit of it, too!

Yes, even though I'd gotten the free popcorn for National Popcorn Day!

Carolyn was not yet a member, so she missed out on that.

We have that situation rectified now.

See, she could have had reward points for her ticket and drink purchase.

She'll make sure she does next time!

Like me, she plans to hit all seven in the Rom-Com Film Festival.

Last Monday, we watched a young and tanned Elvis Presley crooning all over Hawaii - very nice!

This time, we had a rambunctious "Girls Trip" to NOLA!

Funny, not one single person talked about beignets during the entire movie - LOL!

Honestly, the two times I went to New Orleans, no one talked about them, either.

True, that was more than 40 years ago... but, still, weren't they a 'thing' back then?

Nope, they were not.

Emeril had not yet made the scene. 

Timing, timing!

Timing - that's important with the weather, too.

A few days ago, yesterday and today were both to start in the mid-to-upper 20's, making for a slow crawl to the upper 40's before a fast drop after sunset.

That's not to say it wasn't still miserably cold in the wee hours both days, because it most def was.

But the sun was able to warm us into the 50's range, so I escaped the house again today, as this is Tina Tuesday.

(smile!)

As I've seen everything new at AMC that I care to see, I widened my scope to this little cinema in my 'hood.

Wonder of wonders, NCG had a movie that AMC did not!

Moreover, it was an animated film with Owen Wilson lending his voice!

Let me say, "Charlie The Wonderdog" may have started as a sketch on an Australian TV show, but the movie has a lot of heart.

It's about a human boy and his beloved Golden Labrador retriever...

but also about an alien queen and her beloved space-exploring pet.

By the end, I was wrapped up in thoughts of my Toffee, my dear, sweet, Heinz 57 dog that I'd first fallen in love with in Panama.

Nothing quite compares to the love for, and of, a pet...

and that was the message in this little movie.

Good music from Bryan Adams, too! 

(smile!)

definitely not sushi

Imagine a deconstructed sushi roll.

Now, remove the part that makes it 'sushi'.

That's the rice, jsyk.

Finally, roll the other ingredients gently into a ginger salad.

That's what I had for dinner tonight at Sushi Hana.

That's were I met the physicist, for his very first time eating there.

Surprising, right?

After all, he lives and works close to that new restaurant.

He loved it, by the way!

He even had leftover veggie tempura to take home.

Even the appetizer had been vegetarian: Age Tofu.

I know his folks have gone vegetarian, because we talked about how his Christmas dinner with them had been.

I definitely had the much better time with my brothers and the prime rib beat what he had, hands down.

I think I definitely had the better meal tonight, too.

Just look at that beauty!

The menu calls it Tuna Avocado Salad.

I had expected something more akin to Edomae chirashizushi, with chunked up pieces of the fish and fruit.

This was decidedly not that!

It truly was as if a tuna avocado roll had been unrolled, with the rice removed, and then gently placed over a salad with ginger dressing.

Simply gorgeous...

and a delight to eat!

I'll definitely have that again, or maybe the Salmon Avocado Salad...

and I bet the bfe will, too. 

Excellent choice for my second time this year, and third time overall!

Now, time for the new season of "Will Trent" - glad I taped it so I don't miss a minute!

tina tuesday at home

That's because the weather song has taken a turn for the worst.

Again.

That's okay, I knew it was coming.

I'd taken the leftover tortilla chips home with me last night.

Good call!

That meant I had them to perk up the Campbell's Chicken Tortilla Soup that I had for lunch.

Definitely added some needed crunch!!!

I'd saved "The Best Of 2025" that aired last night; nice to be able to zip right through it and catch some news items I'd missed.

Like, what's up with some weird-looking toy that no one in my family breathed a peep about but that the world went crazy for?

One thing that surprised me was the death of Michelle Trachtenberg.

She'd been the little sister, Dawn, on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", in and out of trouble as litle siblings are.

She was only 39 when she died in February.

After that show was over, I wanted something a bit lighter and more positive; "Genie" on Peacock certainly was the right ticket!

Very nice to see it again!

Now, I'm going to continue my feel-good vibe with "Sing 2"!

Thanks to Comcast making it mine, I can watch it any time I want.

Yep, time for that musical to tap my toes!

That should keep them warm.

(smile!) 

chicken parmigiana with beauty and the beast

"I thought the Savannah Children's Theatre were doing..."

 

This has naught to do with them. This pertains to the free show the Rambam Day School kids performed this evening. The musical selected was "Beauty And The Beast: A Chanukah Tale" and it was great fun!

 

"Oh, good, you did go to it after all! I know you had some concern yesterday, as the weather was so cold. Even though the day climbed up to the mid-50's, it was going to drop back toward the 40's with nightfall."

 

Very true. Fortunately, my warm heart seems to be working nicely, so Dr. Cobb may be right. The A-fib may be gone. That would be wonderful, though I'm still avoiding the colder temperatures because I don't like cold feet. As long I have this inguinal hernia, I cannot bend my right leg to put a sock on my right foot. Even so, I did bounce out for the show tonight and have done well! Hooray! Plus, I got to spend time with Marcia as she enjoyed her three grandkids in the play. Hooray! Plus, I had dessert in the form of donuts after the show! Hooray!

 

"I'm so glad you had such a good time there! But, wait... you called the donuts 'dessert'. Did you dine out?"

I did! Carolyn and I met up at the AMC to see "Ella McKay", which turned out to be a political fairy tale. The lead character manages to effectively revolutionize the world for pregnant women and small children, even though she's in office a scant three days. LOL! But at least we both got to cross that off our A*List!

 

"That makes just one that you've seen this week, right?"

 

Correct. That's okay. The point was, mi amiga and I were able to cross paths for the first time in a few weeks! That warranted us going out for slunch post-movie! Olive Garden was her choice and that was fine with me!

 

"She looks great in the photo! And is that one of the necklaces you bought on your trip to Italy with the nurses?"

 

Carolyn does look good, doesn't she? She's still on a string of antibiotics for her lungs, but she doesn't let it slow her down. And thanks for noticing the necklace! That's the one which looks like it has little gifts tied all over the string. I just know Mama and Grandma would have been enchanted with it!

 

"Hey, I recognize that food, too! That's your favorite soup, right?"

 

Yep, that's pasta e fagiole! This time around on Tina Tuesday, I had the chicken parmigiana. She had the eggplant version! And we talked and caught up and had a lovely time! Then she was back to AMC for a Tollywood film that I hope to catch tomorrow. It's only screening at 6 PM and won't get out until about 9:30. Wish me luck!

"Hey, it's gonna be in the 60's tomorrow. You got this!!!"

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.  

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!

stella and tina time, Veterans Day

"I'm actually a little surprised that you didn't say 'Tina Tuesday' instead."

You know that didn't even pop into my head. First and foremost was the thought of how to get some of those free meals I look forward to as a veteran on this special day.

"Ah. But you were still hanging out with the dog, so FOMO was upon you."

Fear of missing out was not "upon me", dearie. Most important was making sure that Dawn and Chris would actually be arriving back in Savannah, and not suffering through the airport delays that have plagued so many during this Trump-inspired government shutdown. So many air traffic controllers have become so disillusioned that they are retiring at the rate of hundreds per day. Yes, they're still showing up, even though they haven't been paid for weeks, but they have taken steps to make sure they won't be caught like that again. Good for them, though it sure is going to interfere with holiday travel later on.

"And their flight proceeded as planned?"

It did, much to the delight of Stella and myself! Bless her heart, she knew something was up this morning, but she didn't know just what. "Change" was coming, she knew that much. I tried to reassure her, but she wasn't having it. I let her have some fun in the sun, but I stayed inside where it was warm. That meant she wasn't out long, but at least she had some of her normal routine.

"And what did you do?"

I wrote in their guest book!!! That's a thing they have everyone do when they stay overnight. How sweet, right? I wrote about sleeping in the "Death Room" with the fossils! I wrote about breakfast on the porch one day, and feeding the fish with Susan and Terry! I wrote about having the reverse of AA and AAA time with the ghouls! I made sure they knew I'd had a little vacation while I was dog-sitting their Stella!

"Oh, that sounds very nice! I know Dawn will love that!"

I do hope so. I also washed my clothes that Coco had slobbered on. Then I took a shower and washed me. Lastly, I washed the dishes I'd used. Then I put my bag of recyclables into my car, as well as the last of the groceries I'd bought. And, as soon as Dawn texted that they were in the car and headed for home from the airport, I loaded up the rest of my stuff and went home, giving Stella one last pet and a few more treats. (smile!) 

"You didn't wait for them to get home??"

Listen, it was already after 5:30 PM, and darkness was well on its way. I knew my house would be freezing, and it was. So I turned on the heat, offloaded the car, and headed out to Cici's Pizza for my free dinner. Hallelujah for Veterans Day!

"Good for you! How long were you there? Where did you go next?"

I was there for almost an hour and a half. I'd have a few slices, then sit a while, enjoying the music of my youth. Then I'd have a couple of slices and repeat. It really was a relaxing time for me, and I got to have so many different types of pizza! My favorite is their pan pizza style - very good!

"And then you went..."

Then I went home. I thought about going to Chili's or Chicken Salad Chick, but, honestly, I was satiated and ready to be at my own house. It had warmed up to 62 by the time I got home.

"Only 62? How cold had it been???"

Oh, it was 53 when I first walked in the door. That was why I was in no hurry to get back, so I stayed a little longer with hot pizza and cool music.  I've already turned on the heated mattress pad, as I know that will take a while to get going. It'll be okay by the time I go to bed. At least Comcast has given me STARZ to watch for free this week! I've already found a 2001 Steve Martin movie to watch. It's called "Novocaine", though it has naught to do with the movie of the same name that Jack Quaid was in this year.

"Wow! A Steve Martin movie! Laura Dern and Helena Bonham Carter, too! That looks like it will be great fun!"

I concur! But here's a little tidbit that makes it even juicier: he plays a dentist!!! LOL! I wonder if he'll be a bad-ass like he was in the 1986 musical I so love? I guess I'll see! Right now, I have the movie cued up and ready to go, so, you know what that means...

"Later!!! Enjoy!"

six movies this time, with five for a*list!

... not that anyone could tell from the AMC results.

I'm accustomed to the A*List not being correct, but usually the listing of tickets is a true representation of what happened for me at the cinema.

Nope, not this week!

In fact, the A*List does correctly show the movies I watched as part of my movie-lover's monthly package, though two of the films are grouped together.

Also, it may seem that they have erroneously listed two movies as the same when they should be different, but that is correct as shown.

What is not correct is the doubling of the movie set in Hawaii in the sixpack of movie tickets that are given.

That may have happened when the manager changed the movie time.

I'd bought the ticket for the 4:55 PM show, but then it was shifted to 5:15 PM, and I think perhaps my ticket was "replaced" by the one with the new time, though I only watched the movie once.

Of course, that's "Lilo & Stitch" I'm talking about.

See, I wanted to use my AMC e-gift card to have pizza -

you know, so I could eat pizza with Lilo and Nani in a scene in the movie -

a scene I know from my familiarity with this little monster story - 

and the only way I know to pre-order food is to also pre-order the movie.

Got it?

I knew I wanted this movie to accompany my second viewing of "Stitch Head", so then I would have a grand theme for my first Tina Tuesday of November.

Both have the word "Stitch" in their titles - check!

Both have monsters/aliens in them that scare "normal" people, but then charm them - check!

Both have singing and dancing - check!

Both have dogs - check!

Both have animation and both came out this year - check!

That made them as perfect as a pair could be.

Then I thought to see another pair of movies that AMC was offering as a single A*List selection...

two that were both psychological thrillers...

two that were both foreign-made...

and so I took them up on that offer!

"Vincent Must Die" came out in 2023 and was very well made, even if the title is a bit misleading.

It isn't just 'Vincent' who gets attacked when he catches the eyes of some strangers, but also people like him who call themselves 'Sentinels' and try to steer clear of society.

But is the viciousness transmittable to others?

That gave it a science-fiction flair that I truly enjoyed!

The other film in the 2-for-1 package was "Hallow Road", which starred Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys was parents called to come to the rescue of their teen daughter when she calls in the wee hours.

The problem is, the girl claims to have run over another girl in the woods.

But, did she?

It was a parent's worst nightmare, with quite a twist at the end.

Good science fiction!!!

That made a total of four movies on Tina Tuesday - wow!

As for that first "Stitch Head", that was seen on Halloween.

And I was supposed to see the 40th anniversary showing of "Back To The Future" this afternoon with Carolyn, but she was sick.

I'd already reserved the ticket online so I went...

but the little plastic grommet that held the two pieces of my new shift cable together chose to disintegrate shortly after I got off Truman Parkway...

leaving my car in second gear...

so I'd managed to coax my Saturn to Rincon Transmission on Mall...

as I knew they did not close until 5 PM... 

where they had immediately verified the problem and rectified it by judicious use of a little metal circlet to rejoin the shifter cable pieces...

and I'd chosen to go home rather than to a movie I was an hour late for.

Good choice.

i thank You, God. 

this just in: the last a*list of the month...

I figured that as long as I was here, I might as well write this up, too.

Otherwise, who can say when I might get to it?

(smile!)

So, where to start?

Oh, yeah: the order shown is not correct.

It starts off just fine, as the first one I saw was the Japanese anime, last Saturday.

I think I'm going to have to start letting these go by unseen.

"Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc" was paced so fast that I had a problem keeping up with the plot.

I probably should have opted for the dubbed version.

The thing is, I enjoy hearing the spoken Japanese.

Perhaps I should deign to watch the dubbed one to catch up on the story.

(smile!)

Now, here's where AMC's listing gets screwy.

The second movie I watched was "Regretting You", and that was on Tina Tuesday.

Maybe AMC got confused because I only wrote about the heart-throb heart doc appointment that I'd had the day before?

I thought the movie was a bit of a heart-throb, but packed with a good story.

I also liked seeing McKenna Grace again, all grown-up from her days of being "Gifted" at Tybee Beach.

True, that was in 2017, so she truly is an adult now.

And her teen-age love interest was none other than Mason Thames, who I've really enjoyed in several films now, not just as Hiccup.

(smile!)

Then, as I mentioned in an earlier post, came "Good Fortune" in the line-up.

That had been the only one that I saw with Carolyn.

Our schedules have been a bit off, but hopefully we'll get back on course during the next week or so.

Maybe I'll even manage to see all four of my allotted A*List films! 

(smile!)

3rd tina tuesday of october'25

What did I do on this third Tuesday of October?

I saw three movies... and all were wonderful movies I'd see again!

So, let's check the receipts for this fun day, shall we?

Yes, let's. 

First was a trip to NCG Cinema for a French animation film, "Falcon Express".

That would be "Pets On A Train", as it's known in the USA. 

Why the name change?

I don't know, as this wonderful Christmas-time story received no press.

I loved it, of course, and even more so as it was a holiday movie!

Take one raccoon, nicknamed Falcon (not Rocket!), trying to make sure his friends get a good feast for the occasion.

He hooks up with Hans, an ill-tempered badger, to hijack a train loaded with lots of goodies, including gifts, plus lots of people's animal babies.

Not just "fur" babies, either! 

There were two birds, a pair of expectant hamsters, a cat, a greyhound, a chihuahua, a boa constrictor, a retired police dog, and even a fish!

The people are forced to leave the train - some malfunction - which is why only the critters are aboard when Hans sets it to running full tilt boogie down the track, trying to derail it on a rickety bridge - oh, horrors!

(smile!)

I loved, loved, LOVED the "Die Hard" riffs sprinkled throughout!!!

Even the bad guy was named 'Hans' - perfect!

Yes, I'd gladly see this again!!!

(smile!)

Afterward, I popped over to Aldi's for cheese and fruit.

I got three kinds of cheese (Gouda, Muenster, and Swiss) and 3 apples.

That cost $7.06, leaving a Senior SNAP balance of 35 cents - whew!

[I'm mindful that the ongoing government shutdown - proof positive of a weak POTUS - will be over before the month's end so SNAP will continue.] 

(smile!) 

I had two delicious slices of the Muenster for lunch - so good!

I haven't had that cheese for well over a month!

Then it was off to the AMC cinema for a double header of two that were on my A*List last week, but that I didn't see.

The first was "Good Fortune", the new one with Keanu Reeves - loved it!!!

He wasn't a killer this time, just a low-level angel with aspirations of finding a 'Lost Soul' and earning himself a pair of big-boy wings...

only, he's a bit like Clarence, indulging in human vices like drinking and smoking...

and he manages to royally cock up the situation.

Very funny!

I even liked Seth Rogen in this.

This was a very good debut by Aziz Ansari, who wrote and directed the piece, as well as starred in it. 

(smile!)

My second choice was "Roofman" again, last viewed a week ago.

To my amazement, I found I had missed a full forty minutes of the movie during that first viewing...

and yet had enjoyed it and found no harm to the story.

I still don't recall ever hearing about the real Jeffrey Manchester, though.

Perhaps the Savannah news simply hadn't carried that tale.

More likely, though, is that I wasn't watching the news.

After all, why would I start that bad habit? 

(smile!) 

I made sure to fill up the Saturn's tank before leaving that side of town.

Gas was just $2.539/gallon, so that's a deal!

I found out I'm still getting good mileage: 31.1 miles per gallon.

Pretty good for a vehicle that's 24 years old!

(smile!)

What a good Tuesday this has been!

one of these dances didn't happen...

Look carefully at this AMC A*List, please.

 

"Okay, I'll play along. I see six movies for... wait... that isn't two weeks. That's three weeks, isn't it?"

 

Yes, you are correct! The lower row is for three days - 29 and 30 September, plus 1 October - and are all pre-shift cable disorder. The upper row is for a double header for Tina Tuesday, 14 October.

 

"Plus one movie yesterday!"

 

No, that didn't happen. I ended up on the phone with UHC about a snafu on their part, when I was switched without my consent to an "Essentials" plan instead of the "Patriot" plan I chose in August. That call lasted over 90 minutes, making me miss "Good Fortune", the new one with Keanu Reeves. The worst part is I paid for that one, so as to get the 4000 Bonus Points. At least I'll still get those.

 

"Oh, no. I am so sorry that happened."

 

Here's the worst of it: I didn't catch that they didn't fix the problem. Yes, they got me enrolled in the "Patriot" plan I wanted, but for next year, not this year. That meant my Social Security was still going to lose money for that unwanted "Essentials" plan. This afternoon, I spent over 2 and half hours on the phone with UHC, getting transferred to six different people. After the sixth person told me I was stuck with "Essentials", I told them to cancel it. I would just do without Medicare until the new year. They were shocked, but they did as I asked. I'll call the medicare mothership on Monday and tell them the same thing. Meanwhile, I missed dinner with my brothers. Really ticked me off.

 

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I know they were going to be at Jalapenos this time, too. I'm so sorry you had to miss that."

 

Me, too. Really did make me sad.

 

"Well, let's talk about something happier. Tell me about those A*List movies you saw, okay?"

 

Okay.  That will actually be shorter than you expect. See, I'd already seen "Freakier Friday" and "Downton Abbey: The Finale", so the only new one that week was "One Battle After Another". I know Carolyn had really liked it, but I did not. It was about political activists and just wasn't what the previews had advertised. Like, at all. I did like seeing Leonardo DiCaprio on the silver screen again, but I'll not see this one twice. Nope!

 

"And on your Tina Tuesday...?"

 

Well, that didn't go quite as planned. You see, I'd gone to the Savannah VA to get the flu shot, thinking I'd be in and out. Well, that mistake was on me. I'd let Lisa, my nurse for the past few years, know about the knot in my right leg for the last two months. She went ahead and took my vitals, shared the info with my new PCP, and gotten me a consult with radiology for a CT scan. She gave me the flu vaccine, too. So, that was good.

 

"That was good! And..."

 

And the whole thing made me miss the first thirty minutes of "Roofman", the new Channing Tatum flick that's based on a true crime story. I came in at the time when he's living in the Toys'R'Us store... and thought it was a wonderful movie! I do wonder what that extra thirty minutes of footage was, though, so I'll have to see it again sometime.

 

"I'm so glad you liked it! Maybe you should just let it be the way it is."

 

No, I wouldn't mind seeing it again. For real. And I wouldn't mind seeing "Tron: Ares" again, either. Jared Leto was excellent in this! He can play some creeps, but here he's just fabulous. You remember how much I love Ryan Gosling's character in "Blade Runner 2049"?

 

"I do! I know you were enchanted by the android who wanted to be a real boy."

 

Yes, indeed! Now, let's take that concept a step further. Instead of an android, Ares is a computer program that can be manifested in physical form, but only for 29 minutes. Then it times out and goes back into dust. Ares hears rain falling and wants to 'feel' it on his skin, but doesn't have time to do so. The movie is about his quest for "permanence", even though that would make him mortal. Really good science fiction!

 

"I'm glad to hear that! I know how much you like that genre."

 

Thanks. Now, I'm going to chill out. Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day, as Jim Croce would say. He'd be correct, too. Just look at that forecast!

 

"It's already getting into the 50's at night? Yikes."

 

That's okay, I've got the space heater in my bedroom and that helps. Plus I have flannel sheets and two comforters on the bed. I'm also putting the heated mattress pad on the bed for tonight, so that'll be cozy. I was feeling like a wienie for doing all that, but other folks her in Savannah have assured me on fb that they have done the same thing. Not that it matters what others are doing, but it's still nice to know. Ya know?

 

"I do, dearie, I do. You are not alone."

tina tuesday with taenzer @ skio

So good to have these science lectures back on track!

Yes, it was an Evening at Skidaway, this time with a post-doc speaking.

Lucas Taenzer has been at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography for some few months and already he's been called into action!

 

He spoke on "Hidden Paths Beneath The Waves: How The Open Ocean Shapes Coastal Waters", which was certainly based more in physics than anything else.

I guess I should have invited the physicist to come along!

I'll just have to make sure he sees the video.

Most of the talk concerned the very distinct layers of water which separate the deep, Golf Stream-warmed, Atlantic Ocean from the shallower - and cooler - waters near the eastern shore of the United States.

Those distinct bands act as an invisible, permeable, wall that exists at the edge of the continental shelf.

I was interested in how those bands came into play during hurricane activity.

However, that isn't something that lends itself well to experimentation and observation, as the waters are far too rough then. 

 

This photo is one of the coolest things, though!

Taenzer apparently thought so, too, as he had included it in his slides, though not in his actual talk.

Anyway, the image on the left is of phytoplankton activity, with green being most active and prevalent.

The image on the right shows the lights of a fleet of squid boats out fishing... and they are exactly in the "red" line, where phytoplankton are absent.

What I liked, though, were the lights along the coast, limning in precise detail the curves and inlets shown in the left image - very nice!

I do love how black and while photos contain so much detail!

back for another hit of hamilton!

"You went to that musical again?"

Of course I did! I told you last week that Carolyn and I were going to go again, didn't I? But she and I were not alone! Robin of AsbMemCh came along with us on this Tina Tuesday! She saw my post on fb about it and immediately wanted to see it again!

"Again??? She's already seen "Hamilton" on film, too?"

Even better: she has seen it FOUR TIMES live and in person!!! Once was even on Broadway with much of the cast that's in the 2016 filmed production! Plus, she's seen it in San Francisco and two other places while it was on tour!!! She says it's her favorite modern musical... and I totally believe her! Get this: she even sat on the front row, like I did!

"Wow!!! I do hope you get to go to more plays with her! She does seems to enjoy plays and musicals almost as much as you do."

I hope for that, too. You know, she only discovered the joy of theatre when her son became an actor in high school. That was about 25 years ago. So, she's been trying to make up for lost time ever since! She's really looking forward to God On Broadway next month. I'll be surprised if she doesn't get featured in at least one of those four shows!

"Very good! And did she sing along with the songs in this one?"

Of course she did! So did the little girl several seats down from her. Robin said the girl sang along with every single song!!! I bet that child was only about 13 or 14, so she must have been watching the musical on Disney+ for the last five years. Amazing!!!

"Wow!"

Her mom was just glad we didn't mind. Mind? We were singing along, too! What an incredible show!!!

"I'm thrilled you got to see it again! Did you ladies go off for luncheon after?"

Nope! We went to slunch! Hahahaha! I had hoped for us to go to Geneva's, but that restaurant was closed for vacation. Drats. So, we popped down to Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway instead. As it turned out, Robin had just been there earlier in the month for the Sisters In Faith luncheon.

"Isn't that the new women's group at Asbury?"

Yes, it is. I've already got plans to be part of that on Thursday. I'll be sure to let you know how it pans out. Robin said it's been going for about two years. I'm a bit peeved about being excluded from it all this time. Anyway, that's neither here nor there! I'm focusing on today!!!

"That's the right attitude, dearie! And just how did Robin and Carolyn get along?"

Swimmingly! Both of them have so many stories and both are more girly than I ever was, so they naturally kept a conversation going. It was very cool to watch! Carolyn is 79 and Robin is 64, but they hit it off quite nicely. That was good! I do need to remember that Robin is allergic to all seafood, but that shouldn't be an issue, really. Almost all the restaurants in this seaport have plenty of chicken and steak options for landlubbers.

"No seafood? Not even fish?"

That's correct. So, she had the chicken wings, Carolyn had a hamburger, and I ordered the barbeque pork plate. Something different for each and none of it from the Atlantic Ocean or nearby rivers!  

"Looks like you tucked into that pretty hard."

I ate all of it, I did! Then I went over to the Purple Planet of Victory to get a little treadmill action in to work off some of it. Well, and to limber up my hip and knees. Ever since that sound bath, I've had sore knees. Never going to do that again! They're getting better, though, slowly but surely.

"You know how it is. You're older, so things don't heal as quickly as they once did. Remember having to fasten your bra in the front and twist it around? That went on for a year after you pulled muscle in your right arm. That happened on one of your flights out to California."

True. Then, one morning I woke up and that arm was just fine again, as if it had never had a problem! I'm ready for my legs to follow that example. I do feel better after walking on the treadmill, then using the leg curl and the hip abductor.

"And I see that your odometer liked that you did that, too. Right?"

You're correct! That mileage of "243156" makes a perfect straight! That confirms that I was right place, right time, all day. Hooray!

musical, concert, musical... all at a cinema!

What a marvelous time I've been having at NCG Cinema this week!

I have been there for three days in a row - that's unprecedented!!!

Monday was just a 'mystery' movie a la Jim Reed's PFS, right?

Tina Tuesday was a double header with Carolyn, which was a great treat!

I'd invited her and Sandy to come see "Hamilton" with me at the matinee... and Carolyn responded to my invite!

Hooray!!!

I've wanted to see this musical for five years.

I know so many of my theatre friends who subscribed to Disney+ that first year of the pandemic, when the filmed Broadway show was released in July of 2020 on that streaming service.

I'm so glad to have seen it on the silver screen!!!

I felt like I was right there at the Richard Rodgers Theatre where the original Broadway cast was filmed over three performances in 2016.

WOW!!!

Lin-Manuel Miranda is so incredibly gifted!!!

He wrote the lyrics, the music, and the book for this historical, modern, musical, about events that actually occurred from 1776 to 1804, when the United States Of America was a brand-new country made up of immigrants from around the world.

How incredible to have finally seen this Tony-winning production as the 250th Anniversary of that start approaches!

My very favorite song was "Hurricane" - that one scene captured beautifully both the fury and the energy that represented Alexander Hamilton.

WOW!!!

Utterly astounding!!!

I could watch that one scene over and over and over and still be captivated.

Carolyn was as taken by the musical as I was.

We both intend to see it again next week!

Meanwhile, we  popped out for some Zaxby's, as it was across the street, then back into the NCG Cinema for a bit of silly fun.

Yes, I'm talkin' 'bout "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" with those wacky musicians from forty years ago!

 

There's Michael McKean from that 1984 farce, "This Is Spinal Tap", when he was 37 years old.

 

And here he is from his turn as Lenny in "Laverne & Shirley" at 31 yo.

 

Plus, he was that dispicable Area 51 agent, Morris Fletcher, whose body gets switched with that of Fox Mulder.

McKean was 51 years old in that 1998 episode of "The X-Files".

 

And now he's 77, back to being David St. Hubbins, lead singer of the band.

His 78th birthday will be October 17th.

Except for the increased wrinkles of human aging, he really hasn't changed, has he? 

Of course, Christopher Guest is 77, too, while Rob Reiner is 78, and Harry Shearer is the oldest of them all and will be 82 in December.

Yet, when they perform their classics - "Big Bottom" and "(Listen To The) Flower People" and "Stonehenge" - the movie really pops!

I was so amazed how familiar I was with those songs, even though I doubt I've seen the original movie even once in about two decades.

T'was very nice to see, and hear, Sir Paul McCartney (83 yo) and Sir Elton John (78 yo) performing with the band, too.

What a totally twee Tina Tuesday... and for just $12 total!!!

 

Then, today, I was back again at  the NCG for their 'Wicked Wednesday' $5 treat - that 1986 musical that I so love that I've done one of its songs in karaoke on multiple occasions: "Little Shop Of Horrors"!!!

Apparently I share that love with Jimmy Fallon - major coolness!

Plus I've seen - and danced in my seat! - to the live musical versions at least twice during the last decade, including once in a TV show!!!

Yes, I have been well and truly blessed this week by NCG Cinemas - and they have just started two discount movie festivals this week.

Many thanks, y'all!