Category Archives: Favorite Movies and Scenes

Thanksgiving and Side Dishes…..

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I have posted before about being startled the first time I went to my husband’s family gathering for Thanksgiving in Georgia. Not the 30 people by the time you added everyone up because my family was similar at it’s peak. Traditional turkey and ham as the meats were also the same and of course dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce, plus desserts. The unexpected part was also regular green beans, broccoli coleslaw, potato salad (yes), macaroni and cheese, corn casserole, collards, and seems like at least one other. Not that lots of food wasn’t required; I simply wasn’t familiar with that many different extras. I finally asked Hubby about it and he said people had certain favorites and the tradition seemed to evolve with everyone bringing those as well as the “regular” dishes.

We are hosting this year here for friends – a small group – and since others really do want to bring something, I am going to be smart about it for a change. One friend will do the green bean casserole, another has a wonder roasted brussel sprouts dish, and the final one has this delicious cranberry relish. I will handle the dressing, mashed potatoes, lots of gravy and rolls, plus  apple pie. The cranberry relish person also does lemon curd cheesecake. Since I don’t have to do much with sides, I’ll come up with some kind of nice appetizer. I’ll do something different from the ones we do for our New Year’s Eve party. BJs tends to have some fancy, frozen appetizers they are probably stocking and we do have a three-rack oven to use.

Progress and Other……

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In the on-going tussle, the promised aide to give my sister a shower did not show up yesterday as promised. Hopefully she will come today as will the promised PT. On the other hand, using the walker is becoming easier and I think we’ve worked out a way to position a chair in the master bath where she can sit to be able to brush her teeth.

I did use their wonderful pool the other day. It also has the soft chlorination system as we have which is a great feature. It is a huge pool with an actual deep end and a shall “sunshelf” which serves two purposes. At only a few inches deep, it is perfect for certain leg exercises and for simply lying down to have water under you and relax in the sun if you are that type. The two dogs also love it as they walk back and forth in it. The custom design of the pool was to combine fitness training with recreation.

 

Family Afternoon…

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First night at home for my sister went better than expected and they had already planned a “Glad You’re Home” lunch with the grandchildren. Although I have seen the photos of them growing up, I’d never actually met them. Grandniece is starting sophomore year at parents’ alma mater Baylor and her brother is about to be a senior in high school. They are quite fun and do look more like their dad than their mother. Their dad prepared quite the feast with a favorite for each of them plus a little. It was definitely a “mixed grill” kind of meal and not surprisingly, he prepared extra for them to have leftovers to take with them. Oh, grandniece is not only majoring in pre-med, she has spent her summer training to be an EMT. She’s close to completion although I’m not sure she’ll have time to finish certification before she has to return to college.

I did have time to go for my walk along the lake again and there was a different mix of people out.

Interesting TV Show…..

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I don’t recall how I ran across the show of “Bar Rescue”; a cable TV show I will provide warnings about if you decide to watch. John Taffer, according to the intro, has saved hundreds of bars during his 30-plus year career and he goes all over the country. The warnings before I explain why I watch it. Taffer is a quintessential New Jersey/New York guy; big and burly, an in-your-face, profanity-laced, stop-lying-to-me-and-making excuses approach. The bars range from bad to appalling and in many cases, family dynamics are involved; a bit heartbreaking at times. Some of the debt racked up is hard to imagine.

Herein lies the fascination for me. Someone involved finally acknowledges they need drastic help – the only kind he provides. Ninety-five percent of the time, at least one individual who is an owner and/or manager is highly resistant and initial intervention is required to even get started. Skipping forward, Taffer brings in a mixologist and chef to analyze the problems and provided solutions. Taffer is extraordinary in his understanding of every aspect of the bar business. For example, in one case in renovating the bar he added five stools. He explained in that market, those five should bring in $5,000 revenue per stool per year. Another example is differentiating between the profit margin of cocktails, draft and bottled beer and types of food items. Matching potential profit to the specific market is where he starts.

The pattern of the show is understandably why he’s there, tearing into everyone for like 45 minutes. One of the things I would like to know, but it’s not the drama part, is how costs are covered for the huge amount of physical renovation that takes place. (Many of the equipment items such as appliances or furniture are donated in exchange for promotion.)

The end results may include changing the name of the bar for re-branding and the renovations are often extensive. The shift in attitude and dynamics are of course key to the show and how initial resistance is overcome. At the very end, there is usually a “Six Weeks Later” text shown. In most cases, sales are up, relationships are repaired, and debt is being lowered. At times, problem employees have been fired; some however, are redeemed. In a few cases, the impression is despite all the efforts, bad habits will probably return.

Really Early Christmas Morning…..

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This is one of those rare occasions when my insomnia strikes early. I barely made it for two hours and am obviously on the computer with my mug of chamomile tea at 1:02 a.m. Christmas morning. I am a little concerned that one of the neighbors a few houses away is still blaring music and there are lots of voices singing, etc., Not that I want to be “Grinchy” and  I am awake anyway, but I’m thinking of other people. Ah well, I suppose if someone wants to have security remind them of the accepted noise “cut-off” of whatever the time is, they will.

Anyway, TBS is running, “A Christmas Story” back-to-back for like 24 hours. While it is not one of my favorites, it is for many. Right now, the really old version of, “A Christmas Carol” is on and I imagine they will run the different versions. As I have mentioned before, my favorite is with George C. Scott as Scrooge, although the take-off of, “Scrooged” with Bill Murray is good, too.

Today’s schedule will be a bot odd as I go at 3:00 to help a friend get ready for the rest of the guests at 4:00 with meal planned for about 5:00. Back when we grew up, noon was always the big meal. I don’t recall the early Christmases, but except for those occasional years we went to my paternal grandparents in Arkansas, the holiday was with my maternal grandparents in Louisiana. Only once did we live more than half hour from them and that was a two-hour drive for a few years. Dressing is (or was) more common in the South than stuffing and my grandmother’s was really good. Another of those family recipes that wasn’t written down and my sister spent years later trying to replicate it. She did get close enough to write it out and I’m not sure what happened to it after that. I’ll try and remember to ask her.

Anyway, I’ve finished my tea and hopefully will get back to sleep soon. Not sure about those neighbors; they’ll have to call it quits at some point.

 

Unplanned Gap…

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I can’t get into the situation now, but let’s just say I’ve had some unexpected commitments.

It’s an exciting weekend for Hubby though as the NASCAR playoff races are here. He’s at the Homestead-Miami Speedway again today; was there yesterday afternoon into the evening and two races are today. He left out early as there are all sorts of other aspects he’s photographing and capturing for his pieces for the paper. The third and biggest race is tomorrow. Mother Nature did mess with them a little yesterday although the fairly light rain cleared off and it has been lovely, plus should be again tomorrow.

As usual during this weekend, traffic anywhere near the area is jammed and they bring in extra police and alter the flow to accommodate the thousands who come in. Even though the races end tomorrow, we learned the first year that traffic doesn’t actually clear out until almost noon on Monday. Most of the folks who come in RVs to stay at the Speedway, plus the big haulers and many of the crew members don’t depart until then. Fortunately, everything I need to do Monday takes place where I can stay off those roads.

I have a couple of deadlines I’m working for the one non-profit because it’s the time of year where we have to submit a substantial report to the County. I have multiple parts to complete and while I spent several hours previously, today was another big chunk. The next phase is coming up soon, too, and I try to have a few days in between since it’s easy to mix up the documents – another of the lessons I learned the first couple of times I did these. Among the volunteers I don’t have and need is an individual to help with this part. It is also one of the most complicated, does require a special level of skill and therefore, is one of the most difficult to get help with. Ah well, maybe one of these days.

 

Masterful Movie……

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No, it’s neither new nor classic as it was made in 2002. Road to Perdition is a dark period piece set during the Great Depression about gangsters. Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, and Stanley Tucci are the big names. It is a violent, tragic movie and having Tom Hanks play the role of a killer for mob boss Paul Newman is not the norm for either of them. The acting, however, is masterful and the manner in which the movie is filmed. I am not a student of cinematography and am not certain of the proper terms to use.

In the final phases, there is one incredibly powerful scene between Newman and Hanks and then two scenes that take approximately five minutes where there are only four lines of dialogue. The expressions from the veteran actors and actions tell the story in a taut way. The remaining part of the movie contains a final tragedy and from a philosophical perspective the question remains as to, “Can a man who undeniably does wrong still be a good man?” The other underlying question is, “How much is a man shaped by his circumstances?”

It is similar in tone to LA Confidential if you’re familiar with that one. While I prefer Newman and Hanks to play good guys – or at least not criminals – I could see the appeal of this movie and the roles for actors who wanted to portray complexity. Even though it was violent, it was not marred by graphic violence which I find to be utterly unnecessary. Definitely not something to watch if you’re looking for light entertainment, but well worth it if what you want is a well-crafted movie from all aspects.

When Not Winning Isn’t Losing…..

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Musing content alert. I was watching an episode of “Brokenwood Mysteries” the other day – I watch DVD while I’m on the exercise bike – and it was centered around the murder of the local rugby team coach. As always, there was more than one story line. A somewhat catalyst (although not the true motive) for the murder was the fact the team had lost fifty straight games. In teasing one of the players, his comment was, “Hey, us not winning doesn’t mean we’re losers.”

That sets up the duality of, “It’s isn’t whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that counts,” as opposed to, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

Competitiveness runs the gamut from individuals who feel no reason to compete/are afraid to, to the far end of those who will do anything to win. The saying (more or less) of, “The first automobile race occurred ten minutes after the second automobile was produced,” speaks to the human nature to compete. It motivates and allows/encourages people to reach for a higher level in whatever. As with most things in life, balance and moderation are key. Team sports teach much to an individual; such as how to do your best and how you can often do more than you think. Training and practice can improve your performance (again in whatever). In many situations though there can only be one winner. That’s the valuable lesson of understanding that not winning is not the same as being a loser.

From another context, the idea of “participation trophies” and not keeping scores comes with the risk of not learning that valuable lesson. I firmly believe in participation acknowledgement and instilling in the “winners” the need to do so graciously.

D-Day To Remember……

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Someone should be running “The Longest Day” today; the movie that until “Saving Private Ryan” came along was arguably the premiere movies about WW II. I still prefer, “The Longest Day”, but that’s merely an age-and-time thing. I only have it on tape so will record it although I should just go ahead and buy the DVD. Anyway, by telling the story from both the Allied and German perspectives, there are intriguing points made (many historically accurate) and marvelous moments encapsulate the extraordinary day that shifted the war. Yes, it was almost another year (May 1945) before the war was over and thousands died in the battles following June 6th; yet that day was the “beginning of the end”.

The cast of the movie included virtually every major American male actor, a number of British ones, some German, and a few in minor roles who would later become iconic such as Sean Connery.  For those who need a quick history lesson, the planned invasion (Operation Overload) was indeed the largest force assembled in modern history and there was always the issue of crossing the channel at the narrowest point – the logical approach – or taking a greater risk of selecting another path. The German defenses were formidable and in deciding on the riskier Normandy option, a major deception campaign with multiple pieces was developed and launched; all designed to reinforce the belief that the invasion would occur near Pas de Clais. In the movie, as events begin, that continues to be the core issue. When paratroopers make their mostly successful drops (despite the horrific cost at Saint Mare d’Eglise) and members of the French Resistance play their parts, a few German officers draw the correct conclusion. In one of the memorable lines, a highly placed German commander says, “No, no; Normandy is a diversion. The invasion will come where it has always been expected.” He does plan to shift the reserves German tank battalions (Panzers) as a precaution. This is denied by Berlin. Would the outcome have been different had the Panzers been added into the fray? Perhaps; perhaps other factors would have offset that.

In any case, there is another scene I can watch endlessly. The order is given to launch the Allied forces and there is a shot of the armada moving through the pre-dawn hours. On board one of the Navy ships, the Captain stands with one of his officers, looking at the blips on the radar screen. He says something like, “The biggest armada the world has ever seen. You remember this; you remember every bit of this. The world is going to talk about this day long after we are dead and gone.”

Diving into My Gap…..

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Although my goal is to post three times a week, as anyone who follows the blog knows, I have gaps. The lapse is generally due to extra hectic days and this week it was sort of that. I had a couple of afternoons where I had to link together additional tasks or meetings which took me into the evening hours and quite frankly I ran out of energy.

Yesterday was slightly different as I was able to get out to dive. The situation though was it was a crowded boat (it is that time of year) and that generally causes things to be somewhat delayed, then there was a major downpour on the way home, plus a wreck being cleared to further delay things and a couple of other things thrown into the bargain. That took care of me being able to post yesterday,

Surface conditions going out to the dive sites were almost flat and there was basically no current on the dives. While there weren’t many “big things” – that means turtles, rays, eels, sharks, and so forth – there were a lot of fish that I enjoy. Visibility was better on the first dive which was on one of the sections of French Reef, then we moved to the wreck of the Benwood; the genuine WW II wreck I’ve written about before. The visibility was down which is a common occurrence on the wreck because there can be lots of particulate matter in the water from rotting wood, bits of marine vegetation breaking loose, and other factors. Hubby did find a large puffer; always something to enjoy. He apparently also found an eel, but I didn’t know that until later. He had to work the afternoon dive which meant we didn’t get to share a leisurely lunch after, but again, it is starting the time of year when diving is the best and most popular. Oh, they did get hit with that thunderstorm on the way out the the Spiegel Grove and moved out of it as they neared the site for good weather the rest of the dive.

In two opposite of sizes, mature puffers are large and the bright blue chromis are only a few inches long, but are really pretty.

Two puffers from previous dives; don;t remember when.

Chromis are seen on most of the local reefs.