just visiting

Odd, but blue-sky days can be the most difficult.

just one look and i fell so hard, oh ohhh

Today, I've had my own little film festival. Three movies at the local multiplexes: one foreign, one musical, and one drama.
Let's just say this day has run the gamut of my emotional range and I am wiped out.

It started early this afternoon. Oh, but first, let me give a little introduction before I launch into my "today".

Early in September, I had found that Bollywood films were coming to Savannah! Well, close enough here for me! I'd gone to see "Raja Natwarlal" at the Royal in Pooler, having missed it on its short run here in town. What great fun! Imagine "The Sting" as a musical, then add lots of jingly-jangly costumes and a healthy dollop of humor - I loved it!!! It was the kind of movie that I would have gladly seen twice, given the opportunity.
Ever since, I've kept my eye (the left one, my "good" eye) on the cinema schedules of the Royal there and the Wynnsong here in town.
Finally my vigilance was rewarded! "Bang Bang!" would have its final screening in town today, before its weeklong run in Pooler.

So, that was my first order of business today. Go get some fresh Bollywood and maybe have leftovers next week! And, oh, am I glad I did! There I was, at 1:00 PM sharp, sitting in the cinema, watching "Bang Bang!" And getting totally hot and bothered. Totally. Lots of action, a plot involving spies and a case of mistaken identity during an internet-arranged blind date, lots of singing, lots of dancing! Lots of Hrithnik Roshan. Oh, my! I found myself on the edge of my seat, trying to get as close to him as I could.
Raawwwrrrr!
Three hours later, I found myself heading straight home to relieve some sexual tension. Straight home. No radio, taking the parkway as much as possible, concentrating only on the mission at hand. Seriously.
What a relief it was, too! It's been a while since I was that ...that ...you know what I mean! A woman has needs, especially after watching that man move and listening to that man talk and sing... oh, my, Y E S!!! And you know what the attraction was? He was built like a real man. Solid shoulders, solid haunches, great hair, incredible eyes... the combination was irresistible to me.
I will, most assuredly, go see this again next week.
Oh, yes, I will.
This definitely rates a trip out to Pooler.

So.. where was I? Oh, yes, talking about the emotional rollercoaster of my film festival today.
Well, that was the giddy high point.
Afterward, I took a little break before heading back southside. I had tried to get my friend Lauri to come with me, as I know she has a soft spot for World War II films, but she had other plans. Actually, I think she backed off when I said it was a musical.
Perhaps she was expecting it would be too lightweight if the players were breaking out in song? Not quite. Tim Rice's "From Here To Eternity: The Musical" was certainly full of pathos and realism. Anyone who thinks all musicals, Broadway or off, are simply farsical fun need to take another look, especially at opera. This work has a lot of serious pieces, more so than songs of mirth, as can be seen in this trailer. Robert Lonsdale and Ryan Sampson were especially good in this theatrical piece. If you ever get the chance, please do watch it.
I was glad I did, but saddened a little by it. My Great-Uncle Sam Grantham was over in Pearl Harbor on that auspicious day in 1941, a day that came to life again in this play-turned-film. I cannot even imagine what impact that had upon him as a young man. He died of colon cancer when I was a teen; I don't recall him ever talking about those days as a sailor in Hawaii. However, this musical brought home to me how great a shock it must have been to go from watching hula girls one day to trying to save your life the next morning.
Well, that was very sobering.

One last movie to finish out the day, I thought. Let's make it a new one, fresh from the West Coast! And in the very same southside cinema as the musical, too. More Regal points for me!
"The Judge" promised Robert Downey, Jr., in a serious role, as opposed to playing Marvel's Iron Man. (Please note: I love the Marvel films, I do! But I wanted to see Downey stretch a little, too.)
No one warned me that this was a father-son film in which the father was dying of cancer. That last little part was left out of the previews.
It certainly did allow for some stretching of acting skills for both him and Robert Duvall. Both were well-equipped for the challenge and did a stellar job. That made sure I would be in tears at the end.
As if I wouldn't have been reminded of my own father's death from cancer, just five years ago.

All in all, one heck of a day.
I'll have to do this again sometime.
It's good for me to stretch, too!

catchin' up the bro

Dear Dood,

Hey! I'm busy with school, busy with my social schedule, busy with yard work. All of that rain has had me mowing the front and back yards constantly. Well, I doubt that is true, but it sure seems that way.

The birthday party for Sebi was quite nice!
I had made a stuffed monkey for him, making sure it was super cuddly.
To my surprise, monkeys are a favorite of his!
Yeah!
And he really liked the toy and everyone else was delighted!





Hope is working at the Chu's store on the main street at Tybee, near the pier, and seems to like the work. Sebi is actually walking, albeit a little hesitantly, and is quickly getting a mouth full of teeth. He has such lovely, curly hair and beautiful brown eyes! I've enclosed the photo I took there. (I made two copies, one for each of us.)

The baby shower for Michael and Melanie's twin girls went very nicely, too. Alyssa and Leila are due in early November. Michael will have his hands full. I don't think he has a clue how tired he is going to be. Plus, he seems to think 3 packages of diapers will last them for about 3 weeks. Nope! That may be enough for one baby for three weeks, but certainly nowhere near enough for twins. He's smart, though, so he should do fine after that first week or so.

See you on October 25th!

with much love!

you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Tonight, I danced with a homeless man in the pale moonlight! Not nearly as dramatic as dancing with the devil, I'm sure, but it certainly had an equivalent impact on those around me.
This was the annual Picnic In The Park, with musical accompaniment by the Savannah Philharmonic and the Savannah Theatre entertainers. That last was a surprise! They were not on the program at all, appearing in the second hour with a medley from "Mama Mia!" and with Gretchen singing "Let it Go" from the oh-so-popular movie, "Frozen".
How did I come to be dancing with the homeless man?
Well, here's the set-up. I had arrived to Forsyth Park about 6:30 PM, to join a meetup group. I've gone to a couple of events with these ladies, some of whom I know from No Kidding!, so that's a plus. Anywho, I was actually a little late, but still well in time for the main event of music. I actually managed to find the group (!), and then, while we were waiting for others to return to our picnic site, I wandered off to admire the decorated tables.
You see, the event includes prizes for best-decor, in keeping with the theme of "Fly Me To The Moon". Nice, right? Even the moon was down with that! The woman who had set this as an event for our group is an artist. Her depiction of folks being flown to the moon, to play among the stars, was the focal point of the floral centerpiece for our table. I was allowed to carry it off, giving the flowers to Boo and Sandy. Sah-weet!
So, as I said, I was off to admire others' handiwork.

From tables laden with plates and bowls brim-full of food...

to simple picnic baskets on blankets...

or table linens set with fine crystal and bone china under soft candlelight...

while some brewed moonshine under the moon's pale glow...

and others invited you to step back in time...

on this flight to the moon and the stars...
(The real moon is between the moon and star in this photo, but my lens did not capture its essence.)

By the time the music had begun, I was still cruising the scenery!
Then, I heard my name... and heard it again! KT! Deborah! Jamie! So I detoured to their tent, enjoying tasty snacks and sandwiches and company for a while. Actually, I was there until intermission.
Oops! Time to rejoin the others!

Off I headed, back to the Pulaski monument, which was serving as the location beacon for the 40+WSN. By now, night was in full swing and trying to find the group took a little longer than I had expected. Oh, no, I thought, had they moved? Gone home early?
Then I found them!
And, right away, I had a man approach me and ask me to dance.
"To this song?" I asked.
"Yes, you just have to dance slowly," he replied.
And, dance we did, turning and dipping and raising our arms to the beat of "The Imperial March", more commonly known as "Darth Vader's Theme". Fun!!!
We received claps from onlookers, then he was off into the crowds.
I returned to my group, to be met with kudos for not being afraid to do anything! Nice to have folks think I'm fearless, right?
Then, I asked who the guy was.
Just someone who had just approached them, wanting to know if they had any wine.
What? They didn't know him??
Heck, I had though he was part of the group! I had even given him a handshake-into-a-hug when I came up.
Would I have danced with him if I had known he was a stranger?
Probably so.
I don't tend to say no to folks who ask me to dance.
Would I have been so free in my style?
Well, again, probably so.
He was being very free in his style, so that gave me carte blanche to follow his lead.
Did I have fun?
Admittedly so!
And, in case you're wondering, I most certainly did dance with him again, later, when he had returned during the "Mama Mia!" medley.
John, I'm only dancing.
(smile)

puns with 13-year-old boys

For the first thirty minutes of this movie, I was truly wondering why I was sitting there.
I seemed to not have a clue why this movie had been made.
Trust me, I had been warned.
At the Feast of Saint Francis party on Friday, John had told me about it. "The Trip to Italy", he said, was good for the cinematography, but the restaurant scenes, with the quips back and forth between the two guys, get a bit stale very quickly.
So, I had an idea of what I was in for this afternoon.
The two actors most certainly spent much of their screen time in mimicry, with nothing that passed for original thoughts ever being uttered.
Then, I got it.

This is the scene that drove the point home.
The two are sitting at a patio table on a veranda, brilliant blue water behind them, lovely trees to the side.
The pretty woman who is the concierge at the hotel walks by.
"She's got a lovely gait," one says.
"Probably padlocked," replies the other.

That's when I realized I was watching two thirteen-year-old boys, in middle-aged men's bodies, off on a jolly trip in the Italian countryside to gather information for a book. So, the banter back and forth, the idle and constant chatter, the quoting in character voice - that's all part and parcel of these two reverting back to their teens after sloughing off the responsibilities of their lives.
I rather enjoyed the rest of the movie.
I'll have to thank the bfe.
He's the only 13-year-old boy I know.
(smile)

delicomb, won't you be my baby, well, delicomb be my own

Pardon me while I paraphrase Jimmie Rodgers' "Honeycomb"! You can listen to it here, if you aren't familiar with it.
No, truly, go ahead.
I'll wait.
It's a right cute song!
Back now?
I know, you're wondering what the one thing has to do with the other.
Well, it's where I had lunch today.
On my way back from Ormond Beach, a place that was 'new to me', I was determined to continue gathering new experiences on this mini-vacation. No stopping at Dave & Buster's this time! I have a deck of unused Shuffle and Dine cards that I've been dragging around for months. Time to try one out!
I had already moved a few of the cards to the front of the deck.
Crazy Fish was first on my list.
Nuvi had the address and off we went!
I ended up on a puddle-beset dirt road, behind a marina. I drove down it as far as I could before the road was too drowned for travel. No sighting of the restaurant.
Drats. Strike one.
The next card up was Da Big Kahuna. In search of it I went!
I drove by the address three times. The restaurant was gone.
The building was there, but not the restaurant.
Apparently, it had closed last summer.
Drats. Strike two.
Having no luck with the cards, and definitely hungry for lunch, I cruised the area to see what else was available.

Honestly, I seem to be ever so much more conscious of bee-themes these days. I'm sure my alter-ego is responsible for that.
Fine by me!
Delicomb was definitely open and is now responsible to turning me on to granitas, or coffee slushies. So yummy!

Just beware of the 'ice-cream headache' if you try to drink it too quickly!
Sit back and enjoy is the lesson!
That is exactly what I did.
The Super Tuna, paired with a side of garbanzo salad, was just what I needed. In fact, half of the sandwich came home with me!
Definitely a home run hit!

goosebumps

I was a little early.
I had thought the shop might open at 9 AM, but the posted time stated 10:00 AM.
The young woman came to the door anyway, recognizing me from yesterday.
"I was wondering if you might have more of those bracelets with the elephants," I asked.
"By the way, it was 'jellybean jar', not 'jellybean tree'. I don't know why I said tree yesterday."
She assured me that she remembered me, and she would look to see if she had any of the bracelets in storage.
Wonder of wonders, she had five!!!!!
Fabulous!!!!
I would take all five so I could give one to each of my great-nieces!!!!!
Caitlyn, Carissa, Ally, Brooklynn, and the twins due in November, Alyssa and Leila.
I decided I would pick up a few other items I had noticed before, to help support the store.
That pretty seashell necklace, for starters. Oh, and that blue and green one, too!
Maybe these other ocean-colored necklaces would be nice, maybe to wear together...
Okay, time to hit the road!
Back to the counter, goodies in my hands, placing them down in groups for her to count.
Five jellybean jar bracelets, six ocean-hued necklaces, one large seashell necklace set, and one sparkly "diamond" bracelet.
And I'm telling her that it's been thirteen years since Mama died and how much I'm looking forward to sharing that jellybean joke with my great-nieces. She's half-listening, keeping up with her counting and ringing up the items.
"That makes thirteen items," she said, "right?"
I caught her eyes.
"Thirteen." was all I said.
She got goosebumps, literally.
And I very nearly stood there and cried.
I could feel your presence in the store.
She did, too.
As she said, you were there, Mama, looking over the situation, approving, reassuring.
Consoling.
I did cry when I reached the car.
Just sat there and sobbed for a few minutes.
I'd be willing to bet she called her mother. That's certainly what I would have done.
That's what I wish I could do now.
Just to hear your voice, Mama.
I am so glad to have found these bracelets to share you with those who will never have the opportunity to know you.
And to remind my nieces of your lovely sense of humor.