Category Archives: Favorite Movies and Scenes

Of Books and Such…..

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I think most who follow the blog may also be on Facebook and saw that “Shades of Remorse” is finally out in paperback. The Kindle version will be another couple of weeks which continues my annoyance with the new publisher. Since the primary reason I went with them instead of the one I’ve used for the last few books is they include a marketing package. We’ll see if that does anything for me.

As I mentioned in a previous post, writing from three different Points of View was a first for me and I don’t plan to do that again. Not only did it take me a long time to decide how to approach it, I had to re-sequence a number of things in order to get the flow the way I wanted. I did also modify the ending a bit after I decided my original intent was a bit too dark. I’m not sure what I’ll do next. I have a stand-alone I’ve been considering for several years and may play around with that for a while. I do have a short story collection and I might check the market and see if there is much of an audience for that genre these days. It seems to come and go. I actually had a niche publisher interested in it several years, but they didn’t survive in what is a competitive business.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas. I picked the kids up yesterday afternoon and it will be a busy few days. They are staying one day longer than usual and so far, the weather looks promising.

Two Series Finales……

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Well, these are TV series, but falls into the same general category. For those who watch family dramas, Blue Bloods and Yellowstone could not be more different in practically every way. Both, coincidentally ended their series in the same week. Blue Bloods on a Friday and Yellowstone on the Sunday.

In keeping with their respective differences, the endings were such that new seasons could be written if another network picks up Blue Bloods which ran thirteen seasons. The case wants that and I know millions of fans do as well

As part of the significant difference in Yellowstone with violence or tragic death, sometimes multiple, in each almost every episode, there could be short-run spin-off series. Indeed, the two short-run series, 1883 and 1923, were developed with powerful casts to serve as “origin of Yellowstone” stories. The creator and writer, Taylor Sheridan already has another series, Landman,  started which is at the time available through streaming, and we don’t get that service. They did show the first two episodes on the regular Paramount channel.  While it deals with a major oil corporation in Texas, the themes and types of characters are similar to Yellowstone.

Back to Blue Bloods though. Many of us were surprised CBS kept it going as the network tends to be anti-conservative and the Regan family in Blue Bloods depicts strong family relationships – not without periodic differences to be resolved – and adherence to conservative principles. The stellar cast and superb writing deserve at least another few seasons under a new network. We’ll see what happens.

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.