Weekly Ramblings

Some odds and ends from the past week, in no particular order. Actually, from the past couple of weeks.

🌼 Well, M and I are back from the Hawaii trip, and pretty much adjusted to being home again. Honolulu is so gorgeous and I do love going there. But the trip from/to Austin is long and exhausting. Of course, when you get there, you get scenery like this.

... and this.

I'm sure I'll be posting more Hawaii photos in the days to come. I took hundreds!

🌼 I had a birthday! Went out for lunch, to celebrate. Just Olive Garden, but hey! — they're just about my favorite restaurant in this area. The Hubs took a photo to prove I was there (I'm usually the one doing the snapping, and therefore often not in the picture). Next time, must remember to remove the eyewear!

So now I'm over 70! Pretty scary. But Google tells me Susan Sarandon, Sally Field, Diane Keaton, Susan Lucci, and Cher were all born in 1946, too. So I'm in pretty good company.

🌼 I got a birthday card!

It's from my cuzzie MLB, and really perked me up. An actual card sent through the mail is a rarity these days, at least for me. No one I know sends "real" cards anymore, and e-cards are sort of going out of style too, what with the popularity of texting and Facebook and all the other social media sites. My husband's aunt usually sends cards — her birthday is in September, too. But she and her family live in the Houston area, and were a little preoccupied this year. (They were all fine, although they did have some flooding.)

🌼 The weather here has been really nice since we got home from the trip. Lots of sunshine, high temps in the 90s and not much rain, although it's been very humid. In fact, we've had so much moisture in the air, we got a very pretty rainbow the other day even though there was no actual rain anywhere around.

Guess that's it for now. More ramblings next week. Maybe.

Willy Nilly Friday

This is my first Willy Nilly Friday post. Hope I'm doing it right. Five random things. I love random!

1. The weather has been truly gorgeous this week. Sunny and mostly clear (although VERY hot).

2. Looks like the garden is just about finished for this season. The heat really got to the tomatoes and dill this year, and the squash never even got started. About the only thing still going strong is the basil— it's parched, but keeps right on growing. I need to make some pesto.

3. What we've been spending all our time on lately. Finally getting bookshelves in the study! Nearly floor-to-ceiling, and white, white, white!

4. And some storage units in the craft/guest room. Also new carpet in both rooms. It's taken us five years (since we first moved into this house) to get it done, but now that we've made a start it seems to be going along pretty smoothly.

5. The Rotunda, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

Designed by Thomas Jefferson, begun in 1822 and completed in 1826, shortly after his death. Charlottesville has been in my thoughts a lot this week. Naturally, I guess. The university campus is so lovely, and I hate to think of any violence taking place there. This shot was taken quite a while back, during a visit in the summer of 2003. I like to believe it still looks the same.

Also linking up with SkyWatch Friday.

For more sky shots, click on the button above.

Random Musings: Monday 8/07/2017

Thoughts for today:

● There should be a law against rain on Mondays. Storms overnight with some really vicious thunder and lightning; then, rain most of the morning. The sun peeked out later in the afternoon, but the early rain had already triggered my seasonal affective disorder blues. Mostly spent the day sitting around, hoping for better weather. And eventually, it showed up!

● Downloaded one of the Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters (pseudonym of Edith Mary Pargeter, 1913-1955) to my Kindle today. It's set in 1139 and that got me thinking — if I'd been born in any earlier time, I would never have lived to be this old. In fact, I probably wouldn't have survived infancy — the whooping cough I had as a baby would have killed me. So thankful for modern science!

Weekly Ramblings

Some odds and ends from this past week, in no particular order.

🌼 All of a sudden (well, in the last couple of months to be exact) I'm finding it hard or impossible to find a bunch of my long-time favorite products. Don't you hate it when that happens? The manufacturers have either discontinued them or "improved" them or just aren't marketing them right now — pushing new products they want to get going. Can't find the makeup, lip balm, hand soap, hand lotion, body wash, or hair-set gel that I've used for years. They've disappeared from the store shelves, and I can't even find them on Amazon or eBay. I'm very loyal when I find a product I like, and also very picky about some products (especially the ones that go on my body!) — so I tend to buy those same things over and over. Of course I've had favorite products discontinued before, but never so many all at once.

🌼 Been having problems with my shoulder all week. Think I pulled a muscle (or three) when I was working out last weekend. Started my weight training exercises without doing the usual warmup routine, and now I'm paying the price for trying to speed things up. It's my right shoulder, and the soreness makes it very difficult to do anything with my right arm or hand. Unfortunately, I'm very right-handed. It's getting better very slowly, but I'm having to take Ibuprofen for the pain and inflammation — which I don't really like to do.

🌼 Got my hair cut short, in a sort of flapper bob. Hadn't intended to have the hair done this week, but since I can't really hold a blow dryer right now, figured it was better to go have someone else wash and dry it for me. And the shorter length is a lot easier to manage. My selfie technique leaves something to be desired, I know. This shot makes me realize how much I do look like my Aunt Linnie, at times.

🌼 Dropped by the local farmers' market after the haircut. They're only open one afternoon a week, and we've been stopping in for the last few weeks to stock up on "Fredericksburg peaches." The quote marks are because these early peaches are actually grown in Pleasanton, apparently. Well, wherever they come from, they're delish.

🌼 I am having so much fun, following the continuing escapades of our hapless new Chief Exec. Generally, I try to keep politics away from this blog, so I haven't said much about the T.Rump and his minions. And I don't intend to say much now, except that they sure are a hoot to watch. Of course, they'd be even more fun if they weren't so darn scary! But even though I voted for her, I have to admit Hillary definitely would not have been this entertaining.

🌼 The Spurs are not doing well in the playoffs. 😞 Looks like this will not be their year to go all the way. M is very disappointed, but is assuaging his disappointment by playing with his model train display. He has added tiny lights to the platform, and they do look very realistic.

So now his tiny people don't have to stand around in the absolute darkness while waiting to board.

Happy Festivus!

Let the airing of grievances begin!

Time Flies

OK, I know retailers need to think ahead, but seriously folks -- it's just too soon for the Halloween theme, isn't it? This is the display that greeted me at the supermarket entrance today.

Are we really ready for this? What about the whole month of September?

Actually, these were pottery pumpkins, and meant to be planters (I think). So I guess they're not just for Halloween. But still....

National Coloring Book Day!

So, after National Hot Dog Day, now we've got National Coloring Book Day.

August 2nd is one of those "who knew?" holidays. But apparently this has been going on for several years now. I'm pretty sure it's mostly promoted by Dover Publications, since they produce so many wonderful coloring books -- including the "Creative Haven" line intended specifically for adults who like to color.

I've always loved to color. When I was a child, it was one of my favorite pastimes. And I continued to love it after I got to be old enough to be embarrassed about buying those enormous boxes of crayons ("Are those for your grandchildren, ma'am?" No -- they're for me.)  And long before it became a national craze. Over the years I've amassed a huge collection of coloring books. Unfortunately, they're all in a box stored somewhere in our garage -- so, no photos! (Bummer.) But these are some of the books I've acquired more recently:

I've noticed that all the current hoopla promoting coloring books for adults seems to play up the "relaxation" and "creativity" aspects of the hobby -- and I think that's a valid claim. Coloring can be almost like meditation, and I suppose it does inspire creativity, in a way. But I've always liked it just because it's FUN!

Please note: I have absolutely NO connection with Dover or any of the other publishers of coloring books shown here. Also no affiliation with any of the promoters of National Coloring Book Day. I just love the hobby.

Cold Saturday

Today's snap is the view from my craft room window:

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Sorry about the blurriness -- the window isn't as clean as it might be. Tsk, tsk.

Bleak, isn't it? It's a view of our back patio/garden area, and it looks so sad with all the flowers and plants gone. And even though you can't really tell from this photo (there's a lot of evergreen out there), it's pretty icy this morning. Cold, cold, COLD.

I hate winter. Can you tell? January is typically our coldest month here in the Texas Hill Country, and every year I have a harder time getting through it. Of course, it's nothing compared to the winters we used to struggle through up in Northern Virginia. But I guess somehow when we moved back down here, I was expecting year-round summertime. Don't know why -- when we lived in Austin back in the late '60s/early '70s, we had some of the coldest, nastiest winters I've ever experienced, anywhere. So I should have been better prepared.

And there's more cold, damp weather predicted for the rest of the weekend and into next week. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the red cedar and mold amping up my allergies and asthma. Bummer.

One question: Why am I not in Key West right now?

Saturday Snapshot is now hosted by Melinda @ West Metro Mommy Reads.

To see more snaps or participate yourself, just head on over to her blog.

A Day for Flags

M put out our flag this morning, for Armistice/Veterans/Remembrance Day. There's very little breeze today, so the flag isn't so much flying as drooping. But I think that's actually fitting, what with the dreary weather we're having today. An arctic front blew through the Hill Country this morning or last night, and the outside temp is only in the 40s right now. Much too chilly for this time of year.

I guess winter really is on its way. 

Bummer.

True Confession

Here's my gripe of the week.

I just don't like Greek yogurt.

There.  I've said it.  Yeah, I know it's supposed to be good for me.  And everyone else on the planet seems to be in love with it.  But it's just too thick and tart for me.  It just tastes like sour cream, which is basically what it really is.  Sour cream with some fruit added.  I like sour cream -- but I can't pretend that sour cream is yogurt.

And why is it GREEK?  I've never been to Greece, but I've eaten in Greek restaurants, and I've never encountered anything that resembles the stuff sold as GREEK YOGURT.

I do like "regular" yogurt. But if you want yogurt that's not "Greek," it seems you're out of luck.  It's almost impossible to find the regular kind anymore.  Even plain ol' Yoplait is getting harder to come by in the grocery stores around our area. 

Stonyfield Farms used to make a wonderful "chocolate-on-the-bottom" yogurt -- a tasty mix of vanilla yogurt with a layer of chocolate to blend in.  It was delicious -- smooth and chocolatey, but not too sweet.  A real treat, and I loved it.  Until it disappeared from store shelves.  I was sad.  But then it reappeared.  I was delighted.  And then I tried the new stuff.  Guess what?  It's "Greek."  Like sour milk with a little cocoa sprinkled in.  Quite a taste experience, to be sure. 

I guess I just don't like Greek yogurt.

But I do like to gripe.  I might make this a regular blog feature.

Linking up with...

Joy Needs Revisited

A few years back, this meme was going around the blogs (I got it from my cousin), and I tried it out.  My husband even had a go at it.  The idea is to do a Google search for your name + "needs" and write down the top ten results.  Well, it turned out to be really funny, so I thought I'd do an updated search. (Yeah, it's been one of those days.)  Here's what I came up with:

Joy needs…

... a miracle (Not really -- it’s just this haircut that makes it look that way.)

... to learn from history, and not be a chicken (Actually, Joy considers herself quite brave. Didn't she move back to Texas with hardly a whimper?)

... to mix a 30% alcohol solution with a 60% alcohol solution (Hell yeah! Bottoms up, ya'll.)

... a forever home (Sorry, Sweetie -- it’s too late to put me up for adoption.)

... help (Well, that’s obvious -- especially after all that alcohol mixing.)

... your help to eat again (No, that must be some other Joy. I NEVER need help eating.)

... Zoey, a specially trained diabetic alert dog (Uh. Well, I'd love to have a dog.  But so far, diabetes is one of the few problems I DON’T have. )

... to exit (But she just got here!)

... a fresh start with fresh owners (My husband just has to have rigged this.)

... her own show on a major network (Right on!!! Now that’s the first statement I can really AGREE with!)

Weekly Wrap-up

I've been meaning, for quite a while now, to try doing a little weekly wrap-up post here at Joysweb.  Lately, though, I really haven't been doing anything interesting enough to need any wrapping.  But I've decided not to worry about that -- if I'm boring, so be it.  It's my blog and I'll bore if I want to!

My biggest thrill this week -- well, one of two big thrills -- is that I'm finally off all pain meds, after my all-summer-long dental ordeal (believe me, you don't wanta know any more about that).  Had my last root canal session this past week, and so far everything feels OK.

Haven't needed the Ibuprofen or the Tylenol for several days now, and I'm almost able to chew confidently on the left side of my mouth again.  How I've missed that!

The other big thrill was getting the news from M's dermatologist that his biopsy showed no signs of skin cancer.  He had a couple of moles removed during his regular checkup last week, and even though the doctor said they didn't look unusual and the test was just routine, biopsies always make me crazy nervous.  So, I was extremely relieved when he finally got the all-clear notice.  Of course, now I'm waiting for the bad news to be delivered -- I always expect disaster to follow hard on the heels of good news.

So it was a pretty good week.  Not spectacular, but pleasant.  On the other hand, the weather has been spectacular.

We even had a bit of rain on Thursday -- not enough to end the drought of course, but enough to perk up the garden and yard a bit. And yesterday, I got to spend some time pursuing one of my favorite pastimes -- book store browsing.  M and I had lunch out and then spent an hour or so in the local Half Price Books -- lovely.  I don't buy that many books anymore, and I hadn't entered an actual book store in months, so it was really a lot of fun.  Bought three books and talked myself out of several others.  M even came out with a book purchase of his own (very unusual these days).  I'd feel even better about all that if we'd been browsing in an independent book store rather than a member of a chain -- but there just aren't any independents within striking distance out here.  Which is kind of sad, but pretty typical now.

OK, that's a wrap, I guess.  I'm trying to get myself back into blogging after letting things slide for pretty much half a year now.  Also trying to break myself of the very addictive Pinterest habit -- I spend WAY too much time fiddling with my boards there.  So we'll see if I can keep this up.

More later.

Maybe.

The ABCs of Moi

I've been neglecting my Joysweb blog lately (shame on me!), and letting real life get in the way. But I saw this over on my cousin's blog (Boyett-Brinkley), and thought it looked interesting, so I decided to steal it. But she borrowed it from someone else, who borrowed it from someone else, who.... Well, you get the idea. It's going around. So here's my version of the ABC meme:

A Age -- Old enough not to feel compelled to answer this one.

B Bed size -- Double, right now. Thinking of expanding to Queen soon. M does a lot of rolling around at night. Seems to be performing Pilates in his sleep.

C Chore you hate -- I hate all housework. I'm thinking of having bumper stickers made with that slogan.

D Dogs -- Don't have a dog at present. Haven't had a dog since I was a teenager. The hubby is a cat person, so a dog in our future is pretty unlikely. But if I could have one, it would probably be some sort of Fox Terrier.

E Essential start to your day -- Coffee. Although lately I've switched to decaf.

F Favorite color -- I don't know if I really have a favorite - I like different colors at different times, and in different situations. But I guess I'm most attracted to shades of green or yellow. And I really don't like orange. Except on oranges and the UT Tower after a winning game. (Hook 'em, Horns!)

G Gold or silver -- Gold. It doesn't require polishing.

H Height -- I've been 5'4" since I was twelve years old. The last time I measured myself (last year sometime?), I was still 5'4". But I expect to start shrinking anytime now!

I Instrument you play -- Never learned to play any instruments (except the air guitar, of course). That's one of my greatest regrets.

J Job title -- Wife. Sidekick. Retiree. Old broad.

K Kids -- None.

L Live -- Virginia.

M My mom's name -- Velma. And she lived next door to another Velma. In Texas, this was not at all unusual.

N Nickname -- Don't really have one. But as a child, I was called Joanie, and my family still call me that sometimes.

O Overnight hospital stay -- Tonsillectomy when I was six. Hysterectomy and gall bladder surgery many years later.

P Pet Peeve -- Wow, don't get me started!

Q Quote from a movie -- I have two:

"You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man." -- Kathleen Turner to William Hurt in Body Heat.

Also "This one goes to eleven." -- Christopher Guest in This is Spinal Tap.

R Righty/lefty? -- Extreme righty. I've never been able to do much of anything with my left hand, and now I have arthritis in that wrist, which makes things even more difficult. Getting old is such a thrill.

S Sibling -- I'm an only.

T Time you wake up -- Well, I usually get up around 8. But I'm not actually awake until around 10 or so.

U Underwear -- Yes, I wear it. That's as much as you need to know.

V Veggies you dislike -- Not crazy about zucchini, unless it's well disguised. Otherwise, I'm a definite veggie lover.

W What makes you run late? Just about anything. I have a problem with punctuality.

X Xrays you have had -- You name it, I've had it X-rayed. OK, that's not completely true, but almost.

Y Yummy food you make -- Other than potato salad and guacamole, not much of anything. I used to make a great pot roast and a delicious pecan pie (my husband's grandmother's recipe), but we can't eat those things anymore so I never make them. Bummer.

Z Zoo animal -- Well, it's been about thirty years since I visited a zoo. And I don't think I actually have a favorite zoo animal. I'm always drawn to the big cats, though. I'd love to pet one of those gorgeous tigers!

Retirement: First Report

Huzzah!!!! Even though it was Saturday and he wouldn't have been at work anyway, yesterday was my husband Michael's official retirement date. Today he is an authentic member of the ex-working-stiff community! (Congratulations, Sweetie!)

Sounds like an event to celebrate, right? So how did we spend the day?

Well, he started off the morning with a chipped tooth. An omen, maybe? He's sure he'll need a crown, so he'll be spending at least part of his first couple of months of retirement seeing a lot of our dentist. Seems appropriate somehow, doesn't it?

But the tooth wasn't painful, so we went out and picked up our prescriptions at the pharmacy, did some shopping for office supplies at our local Staples, and stopped off at Starbucks for a couple of lattes. Forgot all about picking up a bottle of champagne for toasting the occasion, but he did buy himself a little gift of a bottle of Scotch, so he didn't notice the lack of bubbly.

So far, he says retirement feels great. He's not bored yet, and he hasn't been away from it all long enough to miss any of his colleagues or his usual routines. Well, I "retired" several years ago (early and unofficially, but that's another story), and can't say I've regretted it for a minute, so I think he'll be OK. He slept late this morning, which is almost unheard-of around here. And he's spending the day on one of his favorite activities - tending to financial matters!

Will we drive each other bananas, now that we'll be spending all day together, everyday? Good question. The drama has just begun to unfold. Stay tuned to this station.

Organizers

Do you use them?

I'm specifically thinking about Filofax "systems" and their ilk. I've got this sudden itch to own one, but they're rather pricey and I'm wondering just how useful it would really be.

I've always kept a personal diary or journal, and I'll continue to do that. I'm not thinking that the Filofax would replace that. I also keep a reading journal, just to keep track of what I'm reading and the number of pages I read per day. This year I'm using one of the Reading Woman engagement calendars by Pomegranate.


It's lovely, with nice smooth, heavy pages for writing, and reproductions of thirty-two paintings that show women reading. And it helps keep this woman reading - the days I don't do any reading are left blank, and I really hate seeing those empty spaces.


But I'm thinking the Filofax would come in handy for organizing more than just my reading life. This year is likely to be a big one for me: hubby retiring, selling the condo (I hope!), buying a new home, moving, and exploring a new area. My year will almost certainly be exciting, but also hectic and chaotic: lots of work and planning and travel and appointments to keep. So you can see I really need that little leather notebook with all those cute - I mean useful inserts and accessories.

Of course, I could use my iPad for all that. Or my "smart" cell phone. They've both got calendar and planner capacities. But I guess I have to admit that, for all my fascination with the new technologies, I'm really a pretty confirmed pen-and-paper type. There's just something about a hand-written list on a real sheet of paper - something visceral that electronic devices just don't provide.

Basically, of course, it's just that I've been bitten by the Filofax bug and I've just got to get my hands on one. And I find I'm not alone in my fascination. I had sort of assumed the non-electronic organizer was a thing of the past. Not so. After doing a little googling, I found there are still loads of people devoted to their Filofaxes, Day Runners, Day-Times, or Franklin Coveys. There are "fan" groups on Facebook and Twitter. There are even Flickr groups, with hundreds of members who've uploaded thousands of photos of their beloved (and lovingly customized) planners. (See Philofaxy, Filofax Joy, For the Love of Filofax, Filomaniac, and Filofans.)

So, after much dithering and hair-pulling, I've finally decided to take the plunge. Now, of course, comes all the dithering and hair-pulling while I decide on style, size, color, where to buy, etc. That's going to be a problem because there's a lot to choose from and I don't do well when I have too many options. Looks like I've got a little more googling to do.

Cross-posted at Joy's Blog.

Christmas Shopping in the Bizzaro World

Today was a lovely day here in Northern Virginia – cold, but nice and sunny and not too windy. A little cooler than I like it but, hey – it's winter time (well, almost). I should just get over it. M and I drove into Old Town Alexandria this morning, hoping to get a look at the Christmas decorations and take a few snaps. But they were having the annual Scottish Walk (the local Christmas parade), and the place was so packed with locals and tourists that parking spaces were almost nonexistent. Glad to see there was a crowd, though – hopefully, that meant a good day for all the shops and businesses. Unfortunately, it also meant no Old Town photos for us. Maybe next week.

We did get in a little Christmas shopping, although not in Old Town. And I think I may have discovered the perfect shopping routine to keep both myself and the hubby happy. First I hit Tuesday Morning. Spent half an hour or so, browsing and picking out all the stuff I just couldn't resist. Found some great Christmas cards and gift tags and beverage napkins at half price, as well as a really cute little faux suede-covered bucket that would be perfect for corralling all those current magazines and catalogs that I can't seem to throw out right away. Then headed over to pay for all my good stuff and just couldn't face standing in that long, long line to hand over my cash. So I put everything back! Strangely, I didn't feel too bad about it. And M was, of course, delighted.

Then stopped in at the local Borders. Spent another half hour or so looking around. Found some more great Christmas cards (at 30% off this time), plus the couple of magazines I'd been looking for, and a book that would have made a perfect gift for one of the kids on my Christmas list. Headed for the check out line, and once again couldn't face the wait. Put everything back again! Left empty-handed and still didn't feel too bad. I was amazed. And M was, once again, delighted.

As I said, it might be the perfect shopping strategy. I get to pick out everything I want. M saves money. We don't have to stand in line. And I don't come home with stuff I really don't need anyway. How perfect is that?

Not too perfect for all the retailers, of course.

And since we didn't get any photos of holiday decorations in Old Town today, here's a couple from years gone by.

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!

Special Day!

Today is 8-9-10!

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

Do something memorable!

******

The Day the Beatles Broke Up

It was forty years ago today!

April 10, 1970, was the day Paul McCartney made the "official" announcement that the four mop tops from Liverpool would never work together again. A very sad day. Time flies.

Watching Hollywood Watching Itself

We watched the Academy Awards last night. A mistake, and I knew it would be, but there wasn't much of interest on any of the other channels, and I probably won't feel like taking on a movie until I get my new eyeglasses next weekend. So, the Oscars it was. And, as awards shows go, it wasn't really bad. Nobody misbehaved or broke down uncontrollably or made crude remarks (well, if you don't count all that nonsense Sandra Bullock came up with about Meryl Streep). In fact, it was so smooth it was downright boring. There were no gate crashers (at least they didn't show up on stage), no streakers, no protesters. Nothing really to set it apart. In fact, even the "tribute to the dead" part wasn't really as wrenching as usual – it went by so fast, it seemed like there must have been only three or four industry-types who died last year.

I could have done without all that silly preamble stuff – actors telling us about what they think of other actors before the awards were actually announced. Who cares who loves who? Just get on with opening the envelopes, please!

I didn't like the interpretive dance production in the middle of the show, either. What was that all about anyway? It seemed to go on for hours, and I never really understood exactly what they were supposed to be interpreting.

And I didn't care much for all the beautiful teenaged presenters, either. I guess that makes me a curmudgeon, huh? Or just a mean old broad, but that's OK. I know the networks have to try to appeal to the "younger audience" (or think they do) – but it would be nice if the kids could at least look a little more engaged, and a little less bored when they're on stage. Sullen is sullen, no matter whether it's done by an adolescent vampire-movie star or the local McDonald's cashier. And it ain't pretty, folks.

I don't usually watch the show, these days. There was a time when I wouldn't have missed it for anything, but I'm really not that much of a movie fanatic anymore. M and I hardly ever go out to movies (although we did make it out over the weekend – more on that later); and although we do see quite a few movies on DVD (thanks to Comcast and Netflix), our tastes are esoteric and extremely selective. Long gone are the days when we saw every film that comes out during the year, domestic and foreign. So it's not at all uncommon for me to have seen not a one of the nominated films or performances. In fact, of the films mentioned in any of the categories this year, I've seen exactly two – Star Trek and Crazy Heart. I was glad Jeff Bridges won for Best Actor – he was truly magnificent as Bad Blake in Crazy Heart; but not having seen any of the other performances, I really didn't have any other candidates to root for.

It was not the greatest show the Academy has put on. Steve and Alec were OK hosts, but they seemed really reigned in all night, and all but disappeared halfway through. Not exactly two wild and crazy guys. I'm hoping for a return of Billy or Whoopi or Ellen or even Jon next year. Not that I'm promising to be watching next year. About midway through the show, M switched over to the Celtics/Wizards basketball game, and after that we watched the Oscars in bits, here and there. Which didn't seem to detract too much. The game was much more exciting, and everyone involved looked like they really wanted to be there.

*****
Cross-posted at Old Broad On Parade.