what's the perfect amount of ice, ice, baby?

What else would be on my mind on such scorcher summer days?

Remember, Savannah has lots of humidity, so add 10 degrees to those highs.

I run that dining room air conditioner at night, which manages to get the living areas of the house down to about 77 F, which is fine by me.

That means those areas get to the mid-80's in the afternoons.

Again, that's fine by me, and keeps my electric bill below $100 each month.

But part of the reason it's fine by me is I drink a lot of iced fluids.

Ivan Shreve, my fellow member of the League of Savannah Bloggers, posted the above meme on fb to take a poll about that.

"What's the perfect amount of ice?"

In true form as an analytical chemist, I didn't give him just one number. 

"2 usually, sometimes 3, unless it's cold outside. Then it's 1."

He liked that response.

Why not 4 as one of my preferences?

That's too much ice, making it difficult to drink without getting liquids running down my chin or onto my clothing.

Speaking of "perfect", tonight at Music Bingo, Andrew, the new bartender, took my drink order at the table.

Marcia was already in the booth, and the others had not yet arrived.

Andrew asked what I wanted and I said "water", as that's my usual.

He asked, "With or without lemon?"

"Surprise me," I responded... and he did!

I was the only one at our table of 4 that had both lime and lemon!

Sandy and Elissa ordered their drinks from our waiter, and just got lemon.

(smile!) 

None of us won any of the games tonight, but we sure had fun!

"House Party Mix" and "Modern Country Mix #2" were both good music, but it was that first game, with the "Covers Mix", that had us all pleasantly surprised.

Fergie sang Heart's "Barracuda"?

The White Stripes covered "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself"?

Diana Ross singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was a cover?

Like I said, it was a fun evening with my friends!

Now, it's time for "The Quiz With Balls" and guess who they have tonight?

Star Wars Nerds versus Models - that should be good for a few laughs!

greek gods, mere mortals...

... the thing is this: love is love.

On this Arthouse Theater Day, I chose the one film that best encompasses that duality of both the stage and the silver screen.

I said two days ago that I'd already been three times for "the sad song, the old song, the love song" of "Hadestown: The Musical".

I also said then that I might got for a fourth viewing...

but I had not decided for sure.

I have Cinematique of Daytona Beach to thank.

The email this morning from this favorite place from my not-so-distant past reminded me of the importance of this date as Arthouse Theater Day.

 

How could I not venture into the crazy heat for such an important day?

How could I not venture off to "Hadestown" when the weather feels like I'm already there?

All week, the highs have been in the 90's, plus a double-digit heat index. 

Not ever on the cruise was it this hot and humid!

At least the storm forecast yesterday by the weather song never came.

That's made today slightly more tolerable, without the sauna effect.

In other words, it was perfect for sitting in a very cool cinema...

once more enjoying "a love song, an old song, a sad song"...

singing along, dancing in my seat, crying in all the right places.

Let me leave this post with words that are not mine.

This is what Orpheus said early on in his toast.

"Here's to the world we dream about...

and here's to the world we live in now."

Amen, and amen.

rainy 4th ahead?

I sure hope not, but the WSAV weather song has that tune playing.

I hope the rain will hold off, as it's hard to have fireworks if they're wet.

This morning I had my last viewing of the musical reward from Comcast.

'Mary', 'Franklin', and 'Charlie' will become the three "old pals", but now, in 1957, they are newly forming a fast friendship and sealing it with a pinky swear.

They're up on the roof of the apartment building, having just watched Sputnik 1 make its way across the night sky above them - wow!

Nothing can stop them now... except for the inability of 'Franklin' to say "no".

"Merrily We Roll Along" starts off in 1976, at a hangers-on party at the ritzy home of 'Franklin', now twice-divorced, estranged from his two "old pals", and wishing he could have a second chance so he could do it right.

Then the musical proceeds to work backward from that moment to pivotal dates when he made a decision that changed his path financially forward, but away from those two "old pals".

One of the things I really liked was the use of key songs, sung by a different singer, to be reinterpreted and signal a big change.

"Old Friends" was one of those, as was "Growing Up" and "Not A Day Goes By", with each making several appearances as the twenty years elapse.

I wonder how many of my theatre friends have seen this one?

I'll have to ask around.

It would be nice to be able to talk about it to others.

ice cream as summer nears!

First, let's start with the dessert, shall we?

Most assuredly, YES!!!

Mickie Townsend was holding the bowl with three scoops of vanilla ice cream as I approached the table.

Yes, please!!!

Farther down, someone was waiting with caramel syrup and chocolate sprinkles.

That's perfect!!!

There were other choices, but those two toppings, and that flavor of ice cream, were exactly what I wanted.

I even made sure to bring little Lactaid pills with me for the occasion! 

This was the first public performance for the VBS kids and the ice cream social was to lure in folks who weren't their family.

A free musical at Asbury Memorial Church?

Of course I was there!!!

I even clapped along with the "Snowball Mountain Challenge" songs.

Next year, I intend to be a volunteer again.

I've missed being part of VBS! 

And I did mention something about summer coming up, didn't I?

Well, that's for real, as the WSAV weather song confirms.

It's practically a monotone, but there are some slight temperature shifts.

I guess that makes it more of a chant than a melody!

Speaking of chanting, the physicist is off doing that right now!

He calls it "Sesshin" and it's in Minnesota/Wisconsin, which is confusing, as I am sure it is only in one state.

He'll be going from that Buddhist retreat to his gal in Ohio, so I won't see him until sometime in July.

Meanwhile, I've busied myself with errands today, like depositing an actual check in the bank. 

I don't get many of those!

This one was from a settlement that AARP had with someone in California about video privacy protection.

Thanks for including me and others in that suit!

That $96.56 doesn't sound like much, but it will buy me entrance to four plays or musicals or concerts.

Thank you!!!

While I'm expressing my gratitude, let me give a shout-out to Zaxby's!

They gave me 50% off on any order and I used it for this Grilled Chicken Zenzations Zalad.

Talking to my stepmom last week about Conner's graduation brought to mind our meetings at the Zaxby's or Wendy's in Bluffton from time to time.

This salad was one of our favorites.

Trust me, it fills the take-out box; I took out half for tonight's dinner.

Yes, that means I had my dessert first!

(smile!) 

That ice cream sure was good as an appetizer!!!

(smile!)

5:30 would have been ideal

If I had arrived for a 5:30 screening of the movie, I would have been on time for the 84th anniversary of the events as they unfolded in the movie.

As it stood, I was four hours too early.

The final planning stage for D-Day, 1944, began when Captain James Stagg of the Royal Air Force arrived to meet with General Eisenhower to discuss the weather forecast.

Stagg was almost 44 years old, with more than 15 years of experience as a meteorologist for the English coast.

Even though Eisenhower had his own American meteorologist, Colonel Irving P. Krick, who he had worked with many times, but had called in Stagg as the specialist for that region of the world.

The movie, "Pressure", dealt with the rivalry between the two weather men over what the forecast might be for 5:30 AM on June 5, 1944, 72 hours after Stagg's arrival.

I caught the difference in demeanor of the two men.

The American was everybody's friend and the charmer of all women; the Brit was a married man expecting his first child any minute.

The American was determined to provide a rosy forecast that would line up with what the General wanted for the invasion; the Brit was even more determined to supply a realistic approach based on the truth of the storms in the North Atlantic.

Which man would win the ear of Eisenhower?

Of course, all of us in the screening room already knew that answer.

We all knew that D-Day was actually on June 6 of 1944, one day later than originally planned, but we did not know "the rest of the story", as Paul Harvey would have said.

I really liked Brendan Fraser in the role of the future POTUS; like Eisenhower during that time frame in history, he is in his mid-fifties, adding some makeup-free gravitas to the role.

Afterward, I saw an absolute bit of frivolity!

Remember, this is Tina Tuesday, and I hadn't known what to expect for "Pressure" or how it might affect me.

In case it bummed me out, I wanted something that would liven the mood!

(If I had known it was based on a play, that might have made a difference.

All I knew of "Pressure" is that it was a piece of war history.) 

So the bottom game of this double header was "The Breadwinner", featuring Nate Bargatze (who also co-authored the script).

To be honest, I prefer "Mr. Mom", the 1983 movie with Michael Keaton - in his first role! - as the stay-at-home dad for three children.

Keaton just has so much more charm, right?

I've watched the TV show Bargatze hosts, "The Greatest Average American", a couple of times, but it just hasn't grabbed me.

That said, the movie is a lot of fun for those new to the dad-at-home genre, especially with the 'pony' that runs amok.

As for those two empty slots on my A*List dance card, they may very well stay that way.

Nothing at AMC is drawing me in, not this week.

I guess I'll have to wait and see.

(smile!) 

birthday cake from the universe!!!

It's a real beauty, too, that's for sure.

As Marcia said, I've been dreaming of this dessert for quite some time.

It's called Milky Way Cake and it is some kind of scrumptious!

Far too rich to have on a regular basis, but it certainly was perfect tonight as I continued the celebration of bday68.

This outing for Music Bingo with Sandy and the J Crew was also a perfect ending to my birthday weekend!

Elissa was absent, but Marcia had two daughters (Amanda and Donna) and her 11-yo granddaughter (BatSheva), so that was perfect, too!

Russ was dropping music that I loved all evening, starting off with "Dad Rock Mix #1", like "Learn To Fly" by the Foo Fighters, which would have given me a bingo in that first game.

That was followed by "Bar Favourites Mix #7", which would have yielded me one of two bingos if "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie or "Like A Prayer" by Madonna had either one hit the air. 

He ended the night with "90's Party Anthems #1", giving us "Macarena" and "Ice Ice Baby" and "I Like To Move It" - lots to sing and move to!

Very nice!!!

What a wonderful way to start this month of my 68th year!

 

I had a wonderful ending to the month of May, too.

Last night, my youngest brother took me out for dinner!

Tony and Laura and I went out to Tubby's Tankhouse, as they know I love seafood - and they were right!

I ordered the Tuna Tacos and they were fabulous!

They should have called them "Ahi Tuna Tacos", as the sashimi-grade fish was perfectly prepared and beautiful.

Oh, yes! 

Even in the rain, dinner out with family is a good idea! 

 

Fortunately, the rain had held off for the S&K Friday Fiesta.

Smitty and Mary surprised me with dinner not at our usual haunt but at a seafood place: Driftaway Cafe in Sandfly.

Even with Tony and Laura absent for the Bloomingdale concert, we still had enough for the party table out back!

That's because Addison was there, with her new boyfriend, plus Becca, Robin, and all three of the regular Kamerons.

I changed up my menu, choosing the Jerk Salmon Spring Salad, as it's been a while since I went Caribbean... and I have a cruise coming up at the end of July with Christina and her family... so I had that taste in my mouth and on my mind!

Most excellent choice! 

What a fabulous way to spend the weekend!

Happy birthday to me!

(smile!) 

happy birthday from Smitty!!!

There he is, making my front yard look shipshape again!

It's been more than two months since it was last trimmed.

I'd mentioned to my brother, Smitty, that I needed some help with it... and he showed up about 11 AM, weed whacker in hand, to take care of it for me!

"Happy birthday, sister!"

He not only trimmed up the front, but he got the back yard looking better, too.

What a wonderful bday68 gift from him!

(smile!)

Hopefully, that will keep it straight for the next few weeks.

The Universe is trying to counter the drought we've had, to restore a bit of humidity to the air for my birthday.

I do appreciate it, but that's several days in a row to try to make up for several months.

The weather song may change, though, as it tends to do.

But I don't mind if the days are rainy.

I like the rain.

(smile!)

musical monday!

Get this: it all started with the WSAV weather song.

I kid you not.

Just look at those notes trailing up and down the scale!

Taking a cue from the song in "The Sound Of Music", I figured it out.

Starting with today's high and following through the week, here goes!

LA -- DO -- MI  -- SO  -- MI -- SO -- LA

Very raggedy tune fragment, but there you have it.

I followed that with a music documentary on PBS, "Looking For Cole".

Wilfried Van den Brande was inspired to make this documentary about Cole Porter after singing "So In Love" with Kim Criswell.

That duet was in 2007.

Seven years later, the film was completed, full of the music of the man that Van den Brande regards as "the greatest American songwriter".

I loved that Porter's journals were included in this!

All those notations about "Love For Sale", "Anything Goes", "Night And Day"...

his life in Paris with his wife, Linda, the only woman he loved...

spending his inheritance from his grandpa on fun in the sun with men...

what a vibrant life he led until a horse-riding accident in 1937.

I'm so glad that PBS gave this slice of his life to me!

(smile!)

Then I was off for something different: a concert film at AMC!

"Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour" was even part of the A*List!

That meant it was free for me, perhaps as a bday68 gift from the Universe.

See, Barbara Nixon was a fan of the young American, perhaps because of her math students, so I went to the movie in memory of my friend.

The Universe was looking out for me.

I'd chosen the 2 PM, 3-D, movie time, but that had been a mistake in the schedule and wasn't actually a thing.

However, Brooke set me up with my very own private viewing...

and I could feel Boo's presence with me as I watched the 24-year-old singer/songwriter bounce all over the stage in Manchester, England.

I only knew four of her songs - "Bad Guy", "Ocean Eyes", "Birds Of A Feather", and "No Time To Die" - and that was rather glancingly.

Not so for her fans!

They knew every single word of every single song.

I should note that no one in that concert audience was my age.

The vast majority were females, in their teens and twenties, with a few male sprinkled in, as well as a few moms.

I came away knowing Billie to be a good role model for her peers, emphasizing knowledge and not sex appeal.

No wonder Barbara liked her music!

Then I finished up this day with Music Bingo in the company of our mutual friend, Sandy, as well as Marcia.

I opted for the Chef Salad at Midtown Sports Grill, topping it with the peanut vinaigrette usually reserved for their Thai Salad.

Wow, what a flavor sensation!!!

That used up the last of my winnings, too, from two months ago.

Sandy was the only one of to win this time, taking the free-appetizer prize for the second game, which was, appropriately for her, "80's Mix #2 - New"!

She does so love that era!

My card was pretty useless for that game, as well as for the first game, which was all about country music.

However, for the last game, that music was more the speed for me and Marcia, and I was only one song away from that 50-dollar prize card!

All I needed was "Feels So Good", by Chuck Mangione.

Better luck to all of us next time!

What a day full of music, and friends, for me!

i thank You, God!

vacay in georgetown, with rain and no birds

Into each life some rain must fall...

but yesterday the weather song said that would be over the weekend.

At some point overnight, that all changed.

Well, let me amend that: the weekend will be wet, but also today.

Fortunately, it was only the morning that was soggy. 

 

That was good, as I was a bit tired after playing Goldilocks with beds.

That's usually my one peeve on vacations: the bed.

I am so spoiled by my latex mattress!

So, the first thing I did was changed the orientation of the bedding, so I could enter from the right and sleep on my right side. 

That was on Monday and seemed to work well...

but Tuesday night found me tossing and turning so much...

that I even tried their bed to finish the night.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, no.

So, last night, I flipped the mattress over, so the bottom was now on top.

That worked much better!

I'll have to remember to do that when I come in June for more Stella time.

 

I next caught a 2 PM matinee movie over at the AMC.

For whatever reason, they had "Normal" back on the silver screen, and I made sure to see that new Bob Odenkirk film!

He doesn't look like a bad-ass, but he sure does well with those roles!

This time, he's a substitute sheriff for a small town with a big secret.

Think western with a healthy shot of Asian martial arts, set in winter.

Really entertaining, and a great ending for my A*List!

I'd started it off with the one on Tuesday, remember?

"But what about that one in the middle," as Otto would say.  

I didn't actually go to that, but I did want to acknowledge it, as I'd seen it on April 30th with Sherry Giddens.

It was her treat, as she is a member of Angel Studios and they gave her two tickets to do with as she wanted.

I was glad to see it with her... but this "Animal Farm" was definitely a Seth Rogen vehicle, as I suspected it would be.

Still, as he did with "The Muppet Show" recently, he kept it true to the original (which is why I'm glad I recorded it to enjoy over and over!).

Good for him!

As for the party on the patio, we were the early birds this time! 

No other birds of any kind joined us, but we did have Susan and Terry come, bringing Coco for the play date with Stella.

Ken even wandered over from next door and hung out with us!

And there was not a drop of rain since the early morning, so the patio furniture was nice and dry.

What nice weather, so comfortable, with no mosquitoes or gnats around!

Perhaps the geese had eaten them all?

One can only hope!

As for TV tonight, I have my usual shows: "George & Mandy's First Marriage", "Ghosts", and that dingbat "Elsbeth".

That will keep me busy after I wash dishes!

(smile!) 

vacay in georgetown with birds and bananas!

Day 1, Friday

I checked in to Stella's Place about 3 PM.

I had been concerned about the light rain having an ill effect on the afternoon gathering, but it did not!

There's Susan, giving the Rhodesian Ridgeback some love.

She was also trying to distract her from some visitors in the canal.

Such a lovely little family, aren't they?

It's a pair of geese, with four goslings!

The quartet of little ones are so very young that they just have fluff instead of feathers. 

Coco got hold of one of them last week and carried it in her mouth, but didn't hurt it.

Glad I didn't witness that!

Stella and I stayed at the party on the patio with the neighbors for an hour.

That means she still had an hour until her 7 PM dinner bell would chime...

but I made it early for this first night.

It's a special recipe!

One scoop of dry food, four or so green beans, and a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin is what the doctor ordered!

That bit of fiber prevents her anal glands from needing to be expressed by the vet.

A little bit of fiber is good for all of us!

Just ask these two!

Miyah and Chloe both enjoy salad, especially the way it's made at the Olive Garden.

That's where I met them for dinner after their visit to Venita, who is still at Memorial Hospital.

I'm glad I still had a Friday Fiesta with family!

Thanks, Christina, for thinking of me, so we could share this late meal together.

Then I went back to Stella, and watched "50 First Dates" on Comedy Central.

Earlier, I'd watched the back end of "Night At The Museum at the Smithsonian" and the middle part of "Pulp Fiction" on Nickelodeon and FX, respectively.

I don't have access to any of those channels at home...

so this is definitely a vacation!

(smile!) 

Day 2, Saturday

So... today was rainy.

As I tried to explain to Stella, I still cannot stop the rain.

She really does not like to get wet.

Perhaps her breed's homeland of Rhodesia was a drier country before it became defunct in 1979?

All I know for sure is this: to get her to go out and pee, I had to resort to throwing dog treats into the yard.

Seriously.

Even when the precipitation was a mist, as it was in this photo in the late morning.

She was most unhappy about it.

She was even more unhappy when her play date with Coco - i.e., the party on the patio - was canceled due to rain.

She proceeded right then and there to pitch a barking and whining tantrum that any three-year-old child would envy.

Seriously.

Still, I was able to enjoy my vacation anyway!

The cable channels gave me "Up" and "The Bourne Ultimatum", then "50 First Dates" and "The Devil Wears Prada", all with no political 'mercials.

Hallelujah!

Then ESPN surprised me with a little baseball action!

Well, kinda sorta baseball, in the form of the Savannah Bananas taking on the Texas Tailgaters at Kyle Field.

That stadium seats 102,000 people... and it was sold-out!

It was also the largest crowd yet for Banana Ball.

And the home crowd was able to watch their Tailgaters win, too!!!

Good game out there on the diamond... and much more enjoyable to me as it didn't have all the shenanigans and noise in the stands.

(smile!)

final friday fiesta of march

I was the last one to arrive, and, somehow, that put me at the other end of the table... I wonder who might have orchestrated that?

My guess is it was my sister-in-law, Laura!

See, this time, I had to sit down by Mark.

Get the picture?

I wanted to make sure she knew I was onto her conniving!

That's why I ordered the Tacos Pancho, the dish she has ordered many times over the last two years.

Grilled shrimp, cabbage, and a great sauce - very delicious!

However, it was also $5 per taco, so the joke was on me!!!

That's okay, I needed to talk to Mark anyway.

See, two weeks ago, he'd been absent because he was helping his boss replace stadium lighting for a high school football field in Bluffton.

That's what he told me last week, right?

So, tonight, I made sure to get the business card for Kintz Electric.

I got the info for Jimmy's boss, too, at OECI. 

I'm passing that along to AMC in the survey that's waiting at home for me.

Hopefully, those dark parking lots at the cinema will become a thing of the past and I'll feel safer about going to night-time A*List movies.

I bet those lights have been out for as long as I've had this hernia!!!

Speaking of which, I checked the weather for next week.

The WSAV weather song shows a dip for tomorrow, but that's followed by steady increases in the temperature.

By the time the hernia repair surgery date arrives on Wednesday, I'll be blessed with blue skies and warm days!

i thank You, God!

Now, I'm going to watch a movie reward from Comcast.

Yes, it's time for me to have a $1 Movie Night again!!!

I wonder what I'll find to catch my fancy?

(smile!) 

one foot for the driving

"That's correct, if you have an automatic transmission. The right foot handles both the gas pedal and the brake, as only one of those is ever in action at a time. If you're using your left foot for the brake, you're driving wrong."

I'm so glad you're aware of that! It's startling to me how often someone will have a foot going on both the gas and the brake simultaneously. Don't they know they're burning up their brakes, wasting gas, and straining their engine??

"For sure. Is that why you put that title? And what's with the photo? Wait a minute... your room heater and the fan are both plugged in to the power strip! Now, that's wasting energy!!!"

Ah. It's only wasting energy if I have both engaged at the same time. However, I do not. Only the heater is on. See it's little light?

"Yes, now that you mention it."

Well, I turned it on earlier to take the chill off the bedroom.

Now, I've turned on my heated mattress pad to do the same for the bed itself. Here's the funny thing: last night I had to use the fan to cool off the room!

"Holy shiite! Look at that thirty-degree dip in the weather song!!!"

Exactly. Monday's high was almost 90F. That's right: 90!!! The heat in the attic came down into the house and made it nice and toasty, so much so that I needed a fan to cool my room down enough to sleep. Then the high today, barely hit 60F.  All that lovely heat I'd let inside yesterday has dissipated and the temperature inside is back to about 67F. Hence, I've turned on the heater to warm my room back up to 70F, thrown the extra blanket on the bed, and turned on the mattress pad.

"Wow. I guess that's why you told Yvonne that the weather is going through puberty. She had said menopause, with hot flashes, but those cold dips don't fit that theory."

Exactly. Plus, as I told her, the changes are much more in line with a boy going through puberty, complete with sperm sprayed all around! She and Cathy thought that was hilarious! and just look at this latest weather song, would ya? We'll have almost 90F again on Friday, then it'll drop back into the forties overnight!!! Crazy kid needs to get a handle on those raging hormones!

"Hahahaha! Yeah, I wish you luck with that, dear. At least these spring bouts of fluctuating hormones doesn't last but a month or so. Real puberty goes on for much longer. Your nephew Michael is getting a taste of that with his girls. Alyssa has already started menstruating, hasn't she? And Hope probably is having boy issues with Sebi."

Yep! If they didn't have gray hairs before, they will now. I'm so fortunate to have missed out on raising teenagers. Thanks, Dr. Pacifico in Okinawa, for granting me that tubal ligation when no one else would. It probably helped that we had a rash of unplanned pregnancies in the barracks at the time. That prompted all of us having to undergo education classes about sexual health and birth control methods. That's when I started asking for that procedure, and, after nearly a year, he agreed. Right place, right time for me.

"Indeed, it was. If you hadn't been in the Navy, I doubt that would have ever come to pass."

Oh, I know it wouldn't have. The rule was that a woman had to have already had two babies before she could be considered, and that's if she was single. If she were married, then her husband had to consent to the surgery before she could have it. How antiquated that all sounds! But we're only talking about the early 1980's. That's only two generations ago.

"Do you know if that rule has changed?"

I have no idea, but I hope so. A woman should always be able to control what is done with her own body, and that includes her reproductive body parts.

rainy day catchup on a*list

See what I mean, jelly bean?

It's definitely been a rainy morning, with a cold front pushing the temps about ten degrees cooler than they've been.

No movies for me today means my AMC a*list capped out with just two.

Those were the double header of new ones seen on Tuesday.

"Hoppers" combined Frankenstein and environmental issues, featuring a university professor who could transfer people's minds into robotic animals.

Now, add in a college girl who's very attached to an endangered pond destined for demolition by a freeway project.

Combine thoroughly with the girl making off with her brain inside the robotic beaver as she attempts to save the pond beloved by her and her grandma.

Pretty good, but it's a message not aimed at me.

Like I told Carolyn, I've been in that choir for decades!

I do want my great-nieces and great-nephews to see it, though.

I had followed that on Tina Tuesday with "I Can Only Imagine 2", which has debuted almost exactly 8 years after the first one.

However, this is set more like 20 years after our first encounter with MercyMe.

This time, like that time, the focus is on a father-son relationship, though it's between the singer and his teen son, rather than the singer and his dad.

I really liked the dynamics here, as well as the 'life on tour' setting.

 

The week before, I managed to see what has been my usual trio.

"Undercard" was a sports movie, featuring 62-year-old Wanda Sykes in her first serious role as 'Cheryl "No Mercy" Stewart', a once-famous boxer now working as a trainer and hoping one of her students will be the next champ.

Honestly, that's the movie in a nutshell.

Fame had led her into drugs and alcohol abuse, as well as the loss of her son to his grandmother's care.

Boxing isn't one of the sports I tend to watch, but the movie was good.

That had been early last Wednesday, before yet another meeting of Two First Posts Of Georgia.

The next day, I did indeed see a double header, but one of those shown above is not correct.

I did buy the ticket for "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die", as I wanted to see it again... but something was amiss with the audio in that screening room.

That was fine, as "The Bride!" started at the same time, so I took a chance on that one.

What an amazingly good choice that was!!!

Set in 1936 Chicago, we find 'Frank' with a bad case of the blues.

After decades of watching 'Ronnie Reed' musicals - movies which don't actually exist, but that I'd watch gladly!!! - he has become only too aware of how lonesome he is and how much he wants someone to love.

He's in Chicago to talk a mad scientist into fashioning him a 'Bride', and a recently deceased entertainer suits the bill just right!

So, science fiction, mingled with dance musicals, and the draw of rom-com and intrigue of murder mysteries... if that wasn't meant for me, what is?

I'm so excited about seeing it again!

What else was there?

Oh, yes, "Psycho Killer", billed as a horror that featured Malcolm McDowell, star of , "A Clockwork Orange", one of the best horror-scifi movies ever (and one that I've seen multiple times since 1981).

Ahem, back to the movie at hand, shall we?

I'd rather not, as it missed out on being great.

First, the man of my interest had a bit part as a satanic cult leader who also had hedonistic sex parties at his house.

Second, not once did it use the song by The Talking Heads, which, given the cult leader's bent, could have been a nice inside joke for music fans.

Oh, well. 

Not that those were the only movies I saw, nor that AMC was the only venue visited.

So, here's how that all played out.

On Friday, 27 February, I attended my second movie ever at Smart Senior, a group run by Memorial Hospital.

Elizabeth, the manager at the 65th street center, has bags of popcorn and drinks for those who sign up for the near-weekly movies.

The cost for using the facility and attending events there?

That's just $20 per year - wow!

That day, I watched "Tower Heist", from 2011, an ensemble film with Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Michael Pena, and Matthew Broderick as hotel workers out to win back their pensions from the evil Alan Alda. 

All in attendance laughed and had fun at that one!
(On the first Friday, I'd seen "Loving", based on the true story of an interracial couple in 1958 in Virginia, banished from their home because their marriage was illegal there.
We all watched it, hoping for the best as their case went to trial in 1967, but there was no laughter from us folks who had lived that history.) 

Back to last week's movies: I had two on Tina Tuesday at NCG!
This was from the one I'd been most excited to see: "E.P.i.C." (the abbreviated title for "Elvis Presley in Concert"), which I had thought would be footage from his residency in Las Vegas.

Nope, that's not what Baz Luhrmann delivered.

Instead, the director had pieced together previously unseen footage from two movies from the 1970's ("Elvis: That's The Way It Is" and "Elvis On Tour") and sandwiched those between overdubs from his own movie, "Elvis", from 2022.

I enjoyed the concert bits, but certainly not enough to ever sit through this new amalgam again.

Before it, and right after my appointment with Dr. Whipple, I went to "How To Make A Killing", a nice murder spree flick with Glen Powell.

Surprisingly, he keeps his clothes on in this one!

LOL!

I had hoped Carolyn would join me for those two, but she was ill.

That's why I had dinner solo from Zaxby's, caught between the movies.

I really like their Zensations chicken salad!

Yes, it did come with an eggroll, but I'd already eaten it, as well as part of the salad, before I thought to take the picture.

I did so to send to my stepmom, Bonnie, in memory of all the times she and I would meet at that Zaxby's in Bluffton.

I really do want to go see her this summer...

it's been too long!

Maybe there will even be a good sports movie or nature documentary for us to see... that would make it just like old times for us!

disparate singers, but winners for me!

What do Barry Manilow, DMX, Cheap Trick, The Alan Parsons Project, and Phil Collins have in common?

No, seriously, I'd like to know how those five entities wound up on my "Bar Favourites Mix #12" card at Music Bingo tonight.

Perhaps this is some kind of British joke, right, as the only unifying factor is that they were all American artists.

Regardless of why they were on my card, let me just say this: THANK YOU!!!

This was the last game of the night, which is usually a "blackout" game that nets the winner a $50 gift card to Midway Sports Grill.

That's what I thought we were playing, too, until I pointed out "my first bingo" and Elissa said, "You've won! Get up and let him know!"

So I did and she was right!!!

Holy mixed bag of songs, Batman!!!

Wow... I have FIFTY DOLLARS for MSG... wow!!!

I almost didn't come because I thought they might already be leaving.

The meeting of Two First Posts had run until 7:30, so I didn't arrive until 8.

Monday had clocked in with a high in the low 80's, as forecast last Friday, so the weather was perfect for sandals and shorts.

This would be my first time at Music Bingo this year, due to issues with weather (me) or Jewish holidays (them) or American Legion meetings (me).

How wonderful to see Marcia and Sandy and Elissa again!!!

How wonderful to sing along with my friends to so many songs!!!

And how wonderful that the Bingo DJ had technical issues that delayed the games for almost 40 minutes, allowing me to arrive while the first one was still in progress... wow.

I'm taking this odometer reading as a right place, right time sign.

Is it a palindrome?

No, because 245146 is not what the reverse reads.

Is it a poker straight, perchance?

Nope, 'tis not, as those numbers only yield a pair of 4's.

Then what's my deal-i-o with this mileage???

I like the way it sounds when I say it: two four five, one four six.

It's a nice mixture, just like those five artists on my bingo card.

(smile!)

my left foot

No, that isn't a reference to the 1989 movie with Daniel Day-Lewis.

I can't even believe that sprang to mind, as long ago as it was.

Perhaps my mental jukebox keeps track of movie stuff, too, to cue up for me when a stray phrase drops a quarter.

At any rate, I'm literally talking about my left lower appendage.

Kindly ignore for the moment that it's wearing a sandal in February.

Notice the toenails, please.

See how nicely trimmed and neat-looking they are?

Now, take a gander at my right foot, also sandal-clad.

Again, focus on the toenails.

These are all different lengths and not nearly as nice as the ones on the other foot.

That's because I can easily bend down and take care of my left foot.

Not so for the right side, as the inguinal hernia prevents that flexibility.

I did manage to contort enough to catch that middle toe, though, by standing with my heel down and my toes all straining upward to the clippers.

However, when I tried to get to the toe between that one and the little toe, the clippers only succeeded in nicking the toe and making it bleed.

That's why I was so grateful for a warm day so I could wear sandals.

Yesterday had not quite been as warm, nor will tomorrow be.

But the weather song had predicted the low 70's and it's actually been better than that for this Thursday.

Most excellent!

That allowed me to go wash clothes in shorts and sandals, again.

I had known it must be time... I was almost out of panties!

Remember: I have a drawer just for them!

Now, all of those will be clean, as well as all the long pants and my favorite sweaters, as well as a few socks.

Well, the ones for the left foot, at least.

I'm so looking forward to seeing the surgeon about that hernia!

The appointment is on Tuesday and I am so ready for it!