Blue Monday: August Blues

Blue Monday is hosted weekly by Smiling Sally.
To see more offerings, or to participate yourself,
please head on over to her blog.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Well, as I've said before, I'm running out of blue stuff around this place. And this may be my lamest Blue Monday post yet: the August page from my kitchen calendar. Because August is on its way outta here, and I just don't really want to believe summer is almost gone! And the calendar does have lots of blue on it – all that blue sky and water making such a nice background for those cute Kliban kitties. And even the refrigerator magnets holding it up have touches of blue.

This calendar doesn't usually hang on the front of the fridge – I had to move it to take the photos. The little Pennsylvania Dutch-style magnet hook holding the calendar belonged to my mother. I know it looks sort of green in the photos, but it's actually a nice 1970s shade of turquoise.

Also looks like it's taken quite a beating over the years.

My mother had dozens of these refrigerator magnets at one time, but when she relocated from San Antonio to Fort Worth late in life, she only took a few with her. So I suppose this one could have had some sort of sentimental meaning to her, but I don't know what that might have been. Or maybe it just got thrown into one of the packing crates at the last minute, for no particular reason. Strange, isn't it, how many silly things you suddenly realize you'd like to ask your parents after they're gone?

Shadow Shot Sunday: The Walk to the Beach

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Shadow Shot Sunday is a weekly photo meme hosted by Hey Harriet.
To see many, many more shadow shots or to contribute some yourself, head on over to her blog.

Oh, Happy Day!

Many long eons ago - on a planet far, far away - two young people who didn't know what they were getting themselves into stood up in front of a Presbyterian minister and a congregation of their friends and relations, and promised to love and support each other til the end of time, amen. In sickness and health and for better or worse, and all that stuff.

It was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well. . . . Well, one of us was a teenager anyway.

Today, M and I are celebrating another wedding anniversary. There have been many others since that day back in 1960-something when we got hitched. That day was, literally, one of the happiest days of my life. Even though the dress was too hot for August in Texas, and the florist delivered the wrong flowers, and it had rained the night before and the humidity was almost unendurable, and everyone (except M and me, but including, I think, the minister) wept all through the ceremony. I got the guy of my dreams, and I've still got him, and I love him even more now than I did then (although I wouldn't have said that was possible). The wedding may have been a near-disaster, but the marriage has been something like a miracle.

Happy anniversary, Sweetie!

Friday Fill-Ins #191

I know I say this every Friday, but I'm saying it again: Where the heck did that week go? Does it seem to anyone else that this was a really, really short summer? But I guess as you get older, all the seasons seem too short. Hmmmm. Depressing thought, that. Anyhoo – it's already time for another round of the definitely-not-depressing Friday Fill-Ins, so here we go:

1. You do your thing; I do mine and sometimes maybe we can do each other's. (That didn't come out right, did it?)

2. Not much is what's been on my mind on and off all day. (But the day is still young, and I'm still having my first cup of coffee.)

3. Remember when times were much simpler? (No, neither do I.)

4. My computer, my books, and my hubby (not necessarily in that order) are three of my favorite obsessions :-) (and a fourth is ridding the world of emoticons).

5. During the last year I have, officially, turned into an old broad. (And a nasty one, at that.)

6. Waking up on Monday morning and realizing I no longer have to rush out to the Metro puts a smile on my face.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing up the book I've been trying to get through this week, tomorrow my plans include doing a little anniversary celebrating with the hubby and Sunday, I want to maybe spend a little time by the pool, watch the new episodes of "Rubicon" and "Mad Men," and get some reading done!

Sky Watch Friday: Shenandoah Sunset

Sunset, Shenandoah National Park, VA
July 2007
(Click on image to enlarge.)

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White Wednesday #62

White Wednesday is hosted by Kathleen at Faded Charm.

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Old white gloves and lace hankie. The gloves are from the 1950s and were sold by Sears. Don't know the exact age of the handkerchief, but I've had it since the late 1960s and it was old when I got it. I carried it at my wedding as my "something old." I've never worn the gloves; I acquired them more recently, at a local thrift shop. I have a small collection of gloves from the 1950s and '60s, and if they didn't make my hands itch, I'd still be wearing them!

Blue Monday: Big Fish

Blue Monday is hosted weekly by Smiling Sally.
To see more offerings, or to participate yourself,
please head on over to her blog.

Another photo from our trip to the beach earlier this summer. I've been seeing this big wooden fish sculpture at Rehoboth every summer for the last few years, but this year his shop had moved to a different location and I noticed they've got Mr. Fishy chained down now. Must have been wandering off. Now I know he's not a blue fish, but he does have a blue-ish eye, and he's surrounded by some nice bright blue awnings. (There was also a reflection – in one of the windows – of me taking the photo, wearing a blue T-shirt, but I've craftily cropped me out!)

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Friday Fill-Ins #190

Friday again! Another week just flew by. Time for another round of Friday Fill-Ins. So here we go:

1. Laughter is the way to my heart. Or at least, that's what my husband always says.

2. "Hi. Thanks for" are the three words that started off the last email I sent.

3. What I'm most looking forward to today is flying to Paris for lunch at one of those little bistros on the Champs Elysees. (What I'm actually going to do is return some books to the library, then do the grocery shopping and laundry. My life is very exciting.)

4. Seeing M coming home from work puts a smile on my face.

5. Where in the world will we be in a year's time?

6. This new Mac computer is just what I needed!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with the hubby and maybe doing some grilling, tomorrow my plans include the usual shopping and errands, if the weather cooperates, and Sunday, I want to watch the new episodes of Mad Men and Rubicon, and also get some reading done!

At the Movies

Sherlock Holmes
USA/UK, 2009

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.

Directed by: Guy Ritchie

Written by: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg (screenplay); Lionel Wigram (story)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong

Synopsis:

Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey, Jr.), along with his trusted ally Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), investigates a string of brutal ritualistic murders in this 2009 effort from British director Guy Ritchie. When Holmes and Watson arrive upon the scene just in time to prevent the aristocratic villain, Lord Blackwood, from doing away with his latest victim, the evil lord warns them that death has no power over him. And, seemingly, he's right about that: After Dr. Watson witnesses Blackwood's hanging and pronounces him dead, Blackwood reappears in London and continues on his murderous path. Scotland Yard is flummoxed, but Holmes is back on the case. And as they search London for Blackwood in order to put a stop to his evil shenanigans, Holmes and Watson are involved in a world of dark arts and dangers more deadly and surprising than any they've faced before.

My Thoughts:

Boring movie, really; nothing but special effects – and extremely annoying special effects, at that. The characters of Holmes and Watson were completely unrecognizable, but since the film was aimed at an audience that obviously had never read the Conan Doyle stories, I guess that really doesn't matter. I suppose the fact that the movie was based on a comic book version of the Holmes tales (by Lionel Wigram) should be a good indication of what to expect. I know I'm fighting the entire trend of the 21st Century here, but I really long for the days when movies had real sets, real locations, and real actors.

And about those real actors – Robert Downey was as watchable as ever, but even his performance couldn't save this one. And Jude Law seemed to have abandoned Dr. Watson in favor of a sort of stiff-upper-lip portrayal of Wilde's Dorian Gray. I'm afraid the rest of the cast wasn't very memorable, but then they had all those special effects planted firmly between them and the audience.

We watched this one on DVD, so maybe the experience of seeing it on the big screen might have improved my opinion. But I doubt it.

Nutshell Review: The best thing about this movie was the poster.

At the Movies

Ten Items or Less

USA, 2006

MPAA Rating: R for language

Written and Directed by: Brad Silberling

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega, Bobby Cannavale, Anne Dudek, Jennifer Echols, Jonah Hill, Jim Parsons

Synopsis:

Once a world-famous movie star, Morgan Freeman's character (called only "Him" throughout the film) is now an aging actor who finds that his fear of failure has brought his career to a standstill. Now he's considering a role in a low-budget independent movie and, ever the professional, he's doing research for the role by spending a day in one of L.A.'s Latino community markets. While there, he's taken with the fiery young clerk (played by Paz Vega) in the "10 Items or Less" check-out lane, and when he's abandoned by his driver and can't remember his new home phone number, Scarlet agrees to drive him to his home in another part of the city. But Scarlet, who's hoping to get away from her dreadful dead-end job in the market, has a job interview scheduled, and as he rides along, the Movie Star gets involved in her plans. Their trek through Los Angeles takes them through unexpected situations and personal revelations, building an odd but compelling relationship that affects both their lives.

My Thoughts:

Wonderful little film, produced by Freeman. Funny and heart-wrenching by turns, it really should have gotten more attention. I'm a big Morgan Freeman fan – he never turns in a less-than-stellar performance, and he's amazing in this one. But the rest of the cast is pretty amazing, too – especially Paz Vega (a young Spanish actress I had never seen before although she's apparently a pretty big star in Europe) who plays Scarlet, and Jim Parsons (of The Big Bang Theory fame) doing a campy turn as a ditsy building company receptionist. Anne Dudek is also noticeable, as Lorraine, another check-out clerk; I kept thinking she looked really familiar but just couldn't place her until I found out she played Francine, Betty Draper's pal in Mad Men (my favorite TV show right now).

This one is definitely worth seeing. The DVD we watched also included a documentary about the making of the film which is also interesting if you're a film fanatic – it's almost as long as the movie itself, and very detailed. As M said, it's like a little tutorial in the making of low-budget independent films. But for us normal folk, it can get a little tedious – maybe your time would be better spent watching another Morgan Freeman movie.

Window Views and Doors Too!

M and I stayed in this Holiday Inn in (I believe) Jackson TN back in 2008, on our way to visit family in Texas. I could tell a long, strange tale about the breakfast we didn't eat there, but it's really boring too, and not a good advertisement for the hotel. Interesting design, though. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

For more window and doorway views, please visit the web site here.

Blue Monday: Magnetic Blues

Blue Monday is hosted weekly by Smiling Sally.
To see more offerings, or to participate yourself,
please head on over to her blog.

Well, I know this is stretching it a bit, but I'm running out of blue stuff around here.

We used to have a refrigerator covered in refrigerator magnets. Don't know how I accumulated all of them – I think they were mostly gifts, but I have to admit to buying a lot of them, too. Then one day, I decided I had to cut down on some of the visual noise around the place, and the fridge magnets had to go.

But for some reason, now we've got them all over the filing cabinet in the study. And (you've no doubt noticed) some of them are BLUE!


Not the same variety I'd stick on the fridge, of course. These are mostly advertising magnets that people have sent us. Except for the guitar magnet – I believe that was a gift from a friend who knows about M's love of the instrument (he tends to accumulate guitars the way I accumulate magnets!).

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Friday Fill-Ins #189

Wow, that week went by fast, didn't it? I'm beginning to get those end-of-summer blues even though we've still got several weeks of August to enjoy. But it's Friday and Friday Fill-Ins always cheer me up. So, here we go!

1. Music rocks.

2. Seeing my hubby is what I like first thing in the morning. (That, and a big cup of freshly brewed, strong, hot coffee.)

3. The first thing I said this morning was: "If you are." (M asked if I was getting up.)

4. Beef; it's what's for dinner tonight. (According to the commercials, anyway. Actually, at our house tonight, soup and salad is what's for dinner.)

5. It's all been _____ (Hmmmm....taken care of? a bad dream? a pointless effort? done before? more than I can take? right where I left it all along?)

6. Curling up with a good book is what I feel like doing right now. (Of course, that's what I feel like doing most of the time.)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with M, watching "Eureka" and maybe some preseason football, tomorrow my plans include shopping and running errands (if the weather cooperates) and Sunday, I want to maybe spend some time by the pool (if the weather cooperates - seems to be a theme developing here), and get some reading done!

Special Day!

Today is 8-9-10!

One of those once in a lifetime days. But then, aren't they all?

Do something memorable!

******

Blue Monday: Smarty Blues

Blue Monday is hosted weekly by Smiling Sally.
To see more offerings, or to participate yourself,
please head on over to her blog.

I'm always amused by the special license plates (or "vanity" plates) that people put on their vehicles. M and I have our own vanity plate, with just our individual initials on it; obviously we're too unimaginative to come up with a clever message or snappy slogan. But I spotted this one on a recent road trip, and loved the combination of the "Smarty" plate with the little blue Smart car sporting it.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Sorry the plate is a little blurry in spots – I was trying to take out any info that might make it easily identifiable. Don't want the blog police coming down on me too hard.

Shadow Shot Sunday: Happy Hour Shadows

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Shadow Shot Sunday is a weekly photo meme hosted by Hey Harriet. To see many, many more shadow shots or to contribute some yourself, head on over to her blog.

Friday Fill-Ins #188

Can you believe we're already a week into August? This summer, like all summers, is slipping by much too quickly. I wanna slow down! Before you know it, the kids will be back in school and we'll be getting out those winter coats and cleaning up our snow boots. But I really don't want to think about that right now, so here goes another Friday Fill-Ins:

1. Life is not at all like a box of chocolates. Darn it.

2. This amazingly hot weather just seems to keep going. On and on and on and on and on and...

3. My last text message (or IM) ended in these three words: _____. I really don't have an answer for this one. I don't do texting or IM-ing or whatever you call it. I think I've sent maybe two or three text messages, and I don't store that kind of stuff on my phone, so I have no idea what the messages said. Probably something like "Hey, I'm txtng!"

4. Grilled tuna with M's special homemade salsa garnish is what I'm thinking about for dinner sometime soon. It's really delicious. So wonderful to have a hubby who can cook.

5. On the 1st day of August the poplar trees out front started dropping yellow leaves. They're always the first to go, every year. Makes me know that fall is on its way.

6. For an old broad elderly person, I think I'm still quite lively and energetic.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to just relaxing at home, preferably without any massive thunderstorms to terrorize us, tomorrow my plans include some errands, some shopping, and probably watching one of our Netflix DVDs ("Sherlock Holmes" is next up – I'm a big Robert Downey Jr fan) and Sunday, I want to maybe do a little grilling (see no. 4, above), watch the new episodes of "Mad Men" and "Rubicon" – and get some reading done!

You can MadMen yourself at the AMC website. This is the MadMen me (well, one of several versions of me):

Outdoor and Wordless Wednesday: Sailing

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Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. To see many, many more outdoor photos or to post some of your own, please visit her blog.

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