Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Best Laid Plans and Blah, Blah, Blah
My goal or plans for the weekend were minimal – mostly just to relax and unwind – but there were a couple things on my to-do list. So far, I have the “relax and unwind” part covered, but none of the “to-dos” have even gotten past the “gee, I oughta” phase!
I had a long week, but it was a good one — got LOTS accomplished and felt really good about it! So, the weekend didn’t need to be used to catch up on anything in particular and I didn’t being any work from work home! yippee! So, I slept in this morning (well, sorta – the girls woke me up at 6:00, just like usual, but they were very happy to go back to bed after they went out to do their business) – I got up (for real) about 8:30….REALLY!! I did some puttering around on here for a while, did a load of laundry, and decided what I would try to do with my day. The plans were to go get my car inspected (it runs out the end of the month) and maybe take it by that guy on the corner of Horner and Wicker to give it a good cleaning inside and out. I also considered going to see “Duplicity” – the new Julia Roberts/Clive Owen movie – but I read the Yahoo Movies reviews and the users pretty much hate it! The critics seem to like it with a “B” average rating, but the users all say it is complicated, boring, and a waste of time! But, since I like Julia Roberts and the previews look really funny, I decided to ignore them and go see for myself! I also had to pop in to the grocery store and get a few things.
Well, I finally decided to hop in the shower and get dressed to head out about noon-ish. I made the mistake of laying on the bed for a few minutes to play and cuddle with the girls — two hours later, I woke up!!! Still in my jammies….the matinee movie start times had passed, it is probably too late to get my car inspected anywhere, and I’m fairly certain the car wash guy is closed or about to close!!!! Chalk today up to a lazy wasted day! Hhhmmm!
So, what’s on the radar for tomorrow? I think I may start some spring cleaning…..or maybe I’ll take a nap!!! I’ll let you know how that goes for me!!!
Moonlight and Magnolias at the Temple Theater
I went to the Temple Theater this afternoon to see Moonlight and Magnolias at the 2:00 matinee. I enjoyed it very much! I was happy to see a nice size crowd for a Sunday afternoon, too. It wasn’t sold out, but was probably 2/3 to 3/4 full or so.
As the audience entered the theater to take our seats, there was a screen playing the audition tapes of all the actresses that were tested for the part of Scarlet — that was cool…..
Moonlight and Magnolias is a comedy based on a true story — David O. Selznick was 3 weeks into the filming of Gone With The Wind and the script wasn’t working to his satisfaction – so, he halts production, fires the director, and calls in famed director Victor Flemming (pulling him off as director of The Wizard of Oz with only 2 weeks left of filming), and a screen play doctor, Ben Hect, to fix the screenplay. He literally locked them in his office for 5 days so the three of them could come up with a workable script!!! The problem was that Ben Hect never read the book and knows very little about the story, so Selznick and Flemming go through the entire book acting out all the parts while Hect sits at the typewriter capturing it all……kinda like Gone With The Wind on super fast forward told and acted out by two men who have had no sleep and only bananas and peanuts to eat for 5 days…….it was so funny!!!! There is some additional bantering between the gentleman about their lives and what is at stake if this movie doesn’t get made.
It was also a pleasure to see Peggy Taphorn as Selznick’s secretary – a small, but very enjoyable part!
Go see it — it is sure to entertain and provide a lot of chuckles!
Updates and a Movie Review
So – what have I been up to since I returned from paradise and rejoined the real world? It was a long week with lots going on! Just about every day had something major….
Sunday:
As I was driving home from the airport, I heard a strange sound – a bang and a whooshing sound – almost like a air hose or something like that let loose! I was not too far from Sanford – just a little before the Deep River Rd exit. So, I pulled over and the noise stopped…hhmm! So, I got out and looked at all the tires – all were fine…I looked under the hood – nothing looked odd…I stood back and looked at the front end and found the problem – the air deflector thingy under the front end was hanging down and scraping on the road!!! After driving slow to not cause any more problems, I got home and looked under the front end and it was GONE!!! Well, that’s that, I guess!
Monday:
I made two calls first thing in the morning – one to the Ford dealer to get an appt to have them look to see if there was any more damage before I just ordered the deflector and had Ron put it on; the second to the Family Doc – a couple weeks before vacation, I had a glucose tolerance test and they wanted me to make an appt to talk about the results as soon as I returned from vacation. After finagling times with both, I ended up with a doc appt on Mon and a car appt on Tues. The news at the doc’s wasn’t good – I have Type II Diabetes! I’m now learning all about the drastic lifestyle change I need to make to keep me from having much more serious health problems!
Tuesday:
I went to the appt I made for my car – he said that it was not only missing the deflector, but also another part and the fender was cracked in two places and was loose…..he recommended I go see the guys at Tramway Auto Body for a quote to replace the whole shebang! I went from there to Tramway Auto Body to get the quote – they were very nice and helpful, but the news wasn’t good – $900 and two days without a car!!!! I was assured by both that I’m not doing any damage to the engine by driving without the air deflector – BUT – the front fender is really loose and it won’t take much to cause a lot more damage to that!!! I will definitely have it fixed fairly soon! I just need to figure out how I’m gonna juggle things to pay for it and what arrangements I can make for another car while mine is in the shop!
I decided that if the rest of the week was going to follow suit with the first part, I just wanted to go back to paradise and stay there!!! ha-ha
Wednesday – nothing special happened that I can remember! A much needed break from the bad news!
Thursday:
The week made a big turn when I was able to participate in a great event! At the end of last year, Wyeth donated $1000 to Communities In Schools for a computer scholarship for a Lee County student. The criteria was that the child attend East Lee Middle School because of their focus on Science and Technology, have a high potential in the area of science, and a high need – no computer at home to use for their school work. The criteria was sent to the school and they were asked to nominate a student to receive the gift. They chose Eli Felix! We decided to ensure it was a secret until the presentation – Eli didn’t have any idea that he was going to be receiving this gift! Thursday at noon, representatives from CIS, Wyeth (I wore two hats, representing both CIS and Wyeth), and Eli’s family, pastor, and teachers gathered in the lobby while the principal went to get him from his lunch. It was an amazing sight to have him enter the lobby, see all these people there, and then see the table with a laptop, printer, bag, other supplies, and a balloon with a teddy bear and candy! He lit up like a Christmas Tree!!! Lots of pictures, congratulations, and an article in the Herald later, Eli left happy and with the technology needed to help him excel beyond his already high aptitude in his school work! It was a good feeling!!!
Friday I was planning to go see “Moonlight and Magnolias” at the Temple Theater, but decided to call it an early night, instead. I do need to be sure to see it before the run ends, though!
Saturday:
I went to see “The Last House on the Left” – it was a toss up between this movie and “The Reader”. I like movies that are suspenseful without being horror based. The previews really intrigued me and the write up clinched the deal! I should have chosen “The Reader”….. The basic story was great — all about a family who take revenge on the creeps who brutally rape, beat and leave their daughter for dead! The sickos end up at the family’s home during a bad storm after they did the unthinkable to the daughter and killed the daughter’s friend. The parents offer their guest house to them until they could take them to town the next day. They soon find out what they did to their daughter and give them the same or worse than they have done to others (they were career sickos)!!! Great idea for a movie!!! The problem was that the acting sucked, the scenes were all too predictable, and they went WAY too far with the gruesome acts of violence! It would have been very believable to have the parents get their revenge by killing them in some intense fight scenes – but it went too far — for instance, there is a torture by garbage disposal and a head cooked to explosion in a microwave oven involved – to name just two! YUCK! While I liked the story, the rest brought the whole mood down……so, I only recommend it if you are interested in gruesome violence – otherwise, I’d leave this one alone. My rating: D
Sunday – so far, it has been a lazy day! I am considering several things and have not, yet decided on which one I’ll do — stay home and curl up with a day of Life Time movies, go to the matinee of “Moonlight and Magnolias” at the Temple Theater, or go in to work and get caught up on a few things — or maybe a combination of two or more…..
Have a nice day and week!
Not a problem…
Megan wanted her ball in the den, but it was caught up in the blanket……did that stop her from playing with it where she wanted to??? NOPE – she just brought the blanket with it!!!
A Few Days in Hawaii…
I had a wonderful adventure last week! I fulfilled a dream by taking a little vacation in Hawaii – I joined some friends there and had a wonderful time!!! It was way too short, but long enough to give me a nice taste of Hawaiian culture and incredible views! We stayed on Oahu right at Waikiki Beach — it was great!!!
Here is a diary of my adventure and some sample pictures:
Day One – Wednesday, March 4th
I got up at 3:00 am to make a 6:00 am flight out of RDU. It was 3 hours from here to Houston, an hour and a half lay over, and then 8 hours from Houston to Honolulu. Then, of course, I also “gained back” 5 hours by skipping time zones! So, I arrived in Hawaii at 2:00 pm. I assumed that I would be totally wasted and not able to do much that first day, but I was flying on adrenaline!!
The shuttle driver from the airport to the hotel was a real “surfer dude” type. He said he lived in Winston-Salem for a while and did a couple semesters at Wake Forest. But, he is a west coast kinda guy and couldn’t stay here very long! Too bad – NC’s loss – what a cutie! ha-ha
I got settled into the hotel – the Queen Kapiolani on Waikiki Beach. Very nice location – just a block from the beach! Here is the hotel and the view from my room – I had a view of Diamond Head and partially of the ocean.
I met up with my friends and we went to dinner at Lulu’s Waikiki – just up the street from the hotel and across the street from the beach. It was a great open air restaurant and we had a really nice dinner! The next shot is the view from our table of the beach.
We went to one of the MANY ABC stores – there is one or two on every block!!!! ABC stores are not what they are here in NC – our ABC stores are liquor stores – in Hawaii, they are convenience / gift stores! Lisa and I got flower barrettes for our hair and we got a stack of cheap t-shirts to bring back for gifts for family and friends (6 for $20.00!!!). We talked about going to the zoo, which was right across the street from the hotel, but I was running out of steam so we decided to just go back to the hotel and plan the rest of our trip!
We stopped in at the tour desk and booked tickets for a “whale watching” cruise and a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Day one was done!
Day Two – Thursday, March 5th
Day two was devoted to whale watching and exploring! Ron and Lisa actually started the day MUCH earlier than I did. I got up fairly early and when I called to see if they were ready for breakfast, they said they were hiking and were almost to the top of Diamond Head and would be back soon!!! They told me all about the grueling hike and the beautiful views over breakfast – here is a sample of the photos they took on their hike:
They took this for me cause I have a “thing” for lighthouses!!!
When they returned, we had breakfast in the hotel. Then we walked to the beach and looked around and took some pictures. We walked out onto a pier – it was so warm and windy (but a little cloudy) – what a great day! Here are some beach pics.
We picked up the shuttle to the whale watching cruise about 11:00 am. This is a day cruise that guarantees whale sightings and they didn’t disappoint!!! We had a very nice buffet lunch on board while the captain cruised to where the whales are. Then, we went out onto the decks and looked for whales. The whales travel from Alaska to Hawaii to give birth in the warm waters. They stay in the area from around Dec to April to let the babies get strong enough to travel back to Alaska and stand the cold waters. The sightings are very exciting! We would first see a “blow” – water shooting up out of the water like a geyser – then their backs would arch up out of the water or they would roll and lift their front fins out of the water – then their huge tails would come up out of the water and expand! When we would have a sighting (and there were MANY), everyone would ooooh and aaaah and scream out in delight! The problem was that it would happen so fast that it was very difficult to capture it on camera – so we weren’t sure if we got any good shots until we downloaded them when we got back to the hotel. We looked at about 100 pictures we took between us and were just about convinced that we were not lucky enough to get a good shot!!! And then, there it was — the perfect picture!!! Ron was the lucky one who got the shot – here it is – the one of the fin fully expanded!
When we got back from the cruise, we walked a few blocks to King’s Village and the International Marketplace to do some shopping. Both were great places to go – lots to see and lots available to buy! We got a few things and headed back to the hotel. The following shots are from our shopping excursion:
We went back to the hotel, had dinner, and crashed!!!! It was a long and FULL day (especially for Ron and Lisa cause they started out climbing a volcano before breakfast!).
Day Three – Friday, March 6th
My day actually started with a view I wished I hadn’t seen….. after my shower, I got on the phone to make a few calls. While I was on the phone, I was pacing back and forth from inside and out onto the lanai and back inside – the exterior of the hotel is an “L” shape on the side my room is on – on one of my trips out onto the lanai, I turned towards the wall of windows to my left and just as I did, a man opened his curtains and he was standing there totally naked!!! It was a BIG window, so he was exposed from the knees up!!! Talk about “ugly naked guy” – it was not a pretty sight! Sorry – no photo of this scenery – not exactly what I wanted to capture for my album! ha-ha As soon as he saw me, he shut the curtains — but, the damage was done – I will always associate the lanai in that room with the ugly naked guy across the way…..
The day seemed to be doomed for us — after the ugly naked guy sighting, we had breakfast and then sat in the lobby waiting for the shuttle to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. My phone sounded off with the little tune that signifies an email, so I pulled it out to see what it was. It was a “breaking news” email from the Facebook notification that the Sanford Herald sends with news. I opened it up and gasped when I read the headline – I felt the color run out of my face! Ron and Lisa asked what was wrong and I tried to tell them it was nothing, but it obviously WAS something, so when they pressed, I said “I’m not going to tell you” — well, that made things worse!!! So, I had to tell them – Transmatic announced they are closing on April 3rd — Ron works at Transmatic!!! UUUGGGHHH!!!! He made a couple calls and tried to not let it upset him and ruin his day — but, man, I felt horrible!!!
The day picked up, though…..the bus ride to the Polynesian Cultural Center was about an hour and a half long. Our tour guide – Cousin Billy – made the trip a blast – it didn’t feel like and hour and a half at all….. Here are some shots of the country side on our way to the center:
The above photo is of the North Shore
This was a HUGE pet cemetery!!! The whole island is very “pet friendly” – we saw people walking dogs all over the place – beaches, streets, everywhere!
We arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Center and it was FANTASTIC!!!! We took a guided tour with Cousin Billy and had the best time! The tour included seeing the cultures of all the different Polynesian islands – Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, and others….. we saw hulas, native musical instruments, coconut tree climbing, watched a canoe pageant, took a hula lesson, and so much more!!! The day was capped off with a wonderful Luau and a fabulous night show…..here is a small sampling of the several hundred photos we took between us:
Cousin Billy….our tour guide from Samoa – so funny!
We got back at the hotel at 10:30 pm and were EXHAUSTED – another long, full day — but oh, so much fun!!!
Day Four – Saturday, March 7th
My last day — I decided to just bum around because I had a LONG flight ahead of me. I went to the beach and wandered around some. I took some pictures of the Banyan trees across from the hotel – they were fascinating!!!! There is a large homeless population and they live in the “caves” of the Banyan trees!
The flight back was LONG — not any longer in actual hours than going down was, but we lost all those hours that were gained on the way down — the flight was 8 hours from Honolulu to Houston, a 3.5 hour layover in Houston, and a 3 hour flight from Houston to RDU — AND, in addition to the 5 hours time difference, it was also the night we turned the clocks ahead for daylight savings time!!! So – I left Honolulu at 7:30 PM Saturday, arrived in Houston at 7:30 am Sunday, and then arrived in Raleigh at 2:30 pm Sunday afternoon!!!
I rushed to Sanford to pick the girls up from their adventure at Rae-Zor before they closed at 4:00, came home, and worked to adjust to being back in reality!!!
Ron and Lisa arrived two days before me and stayed two days after I left — some of the things they did that I didn’t do was go to the Pearl Harbor Memorial (I didn’t think I’d be interested in that, but after I saw their pictures, I wished I had planned to do it with them), they hiked to the top of Diamond Head, went to a nearby bay to swim, and Ronald took an airplane ride around the island!
I would like to go back some time when I have more time to spend — but, next time, I think I will plan an island hopping package and spend a day or two at each island to see more than just Oahu! Maybe if I hop around, I might find Frankie and Annette or Gidget and Moondoggie – cause they weren’t on Oahu!!!
That is my vacation…….what a wonderful adventure!!!! Now I’m tired and really bummed to have to reenter the real world…….ha-ha!
Aloha!!!
March…
I turned the calendar page this morning to reveal the month of March! Yes, it is March already – wasn’t Christmas just yesterday or the day before? As I turned the calendar, I discovered that March has a lot to offer – beginning with the lovely and tranquil tropical scene in the picture on the top half of the calendar… Let’s see what else March has in store for us:
First – per the calendar – several days with the word “begins” and “first”:
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March 2 = Eastern Orthodox Lent Begins
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March 8 = Daylight Saving Time Begins (yippee)
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March 9 = Purim Begins at Sundown and Commonwealth Day (UK)
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March 10 = Full Moon
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March 16 = Canberra Day (Australia)
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March 17 = St. Patrick’s Day (Erin Go Bragh)
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March 20 = First Day of Spring (double yippee)
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March 21 = Benito Juarez Birthday (Mexico)
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March 22 = Mothering Sunday (UK)
Personally – this March brings some happy and some sad:
- Some friends and I will have an exciting adventure sometime this month – not telling what/when on here for the world to read (those who know me have heard all about it), but you can be sure I’ll be doing a LOT of telling when it is over!!!
- March 1 = Jen Chapin concert at the Temple Theater
- March 7 = CIS 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament
- March 12 – 29 = Moonlight and Magnolias is presented at the Temple Theater
- March 13 = My oldest step-son’s 38th birthday
- March 20 = The 10th anniversary of my Poppie’s death – Charlie Culmo – my Mom’s husband and the only true “father” I ever had – my hero
There is also an old saying about March that I have always found to be true – “If March comes in like a LION, it will go out like a LAMB” and visa versa! It is raining and yucky here in Sanford, NC (again) today and we are expecting to see some more snow tomorrow and, from what I hear, maybe again next week. I surely hope that means that March will end with some nice calm, spring-like weather!
Speaking of snow in March – one of the “Thumbs Down” comments on this morning’s Sanford Herald Editorial Page mentioned that “Snow in March just isn’t something we’re supposed to worry about…”. It definitely is an oddity here in Sanford. But, where I came from in Western New York, it is expected! You don’t start thinking that there might be an end to the snow until around April and, even then, it ain’t over…. I remember one time in late April (don’t remember the year, but it must have been late 70’s, early 80’s) – it was a beautiful morning, so I left Albion with no coat to pick up a friend in Bergen (or was it Byron?) so we could go shopping in Greece (about an hour – give or take – from my home). We shopped for hours inside the mall, oblivious to what was going on outside. We came out to get in the car and there was a freak blizzard – it wasn’t predicted!!! We could hardly see to get to the car — it was buried in about a foot of snow — neither of us had coats, gloves, hats, etc. We cleaned the car off and headed to Bergen/Byron (whatever) to drop my friend off at her home. The driving was horrible!!! Visibility was near zero!!! We were plowing snow as we went cause the plows weren’t out and we had to get home!!! Just before we reached her house, we thought we saw something in the road – we suddenly realized we were about to hit a COW!!!! The poor thing was standing in the blizzard in knee deep snow in the middle of the road!!! I hit the brakes, which – even though I was already barely crawling – put me in a tail spin and I almost ended up in the ditch!!! Luckily, her house was just a little further up the road and we made it there — but I did NOT attempt to make it the rest of the way to Albion…..I stayed put!!!
So — March (and April) can be very interesting — new beginnings, unpredictable weather, and full of anticipation of Spring!!!
Happy March to you all….
Fire Flies In My Bed?
The morning ritual came with a fancy light show this morning!!! I always knew Amy was a bundle of energy, but this morning she really showed off her electric personality!!! Ha-Ha
About 6:00 am, the fun began — the girls woke me up at 5:00 to go outside, so they took care of all those duties and we went back to bed. About 6:00, they were ready for breakfast, so they started the morning ritual….taking turns wiggling at me, kissing me, laying on me, sitting on me — whatever would get me to rub them and acknowledge that I was awake and able to serve breakfast!
It was still dark in the room — every time Amy would take her turn, wherever I touched her or she rubbed around on the blankets, her fur would become ablaze with flickering lights! She must have had more static electricity in her coat than Progress Energy supplies to a normal household on any given day!!! It wasn’t the kind that crackles and zaps you — neither she nor I were getting shocked! She was just giving off this amazing light show!!!
So – Amy has a new super hero nickname: “Electric Girl”!!!
The Oscars – Play by Play
Movies – you can’t read this blog without knowing that I LOVE movies! I enjoy being entertained – I love to laugh – I appreciate a good cry – I am energized by being kept on the edge of my seat! The ultimate awards show is the Academy Awards (Oscar). Tonight is Oscar night! I’m watching the Oscars – although I am not really sure why! It is usually the one awards show I look forward to over all others! But, this year, there is only a couple movies up for the major awards that I even saw. Here is a “play by play”, of sorts – I am not going to write about every award or every acceptance speech or all the clothes – but I will touch on the major ones and other parts that caught my attention as the night goes on – and, of course, my never-to-be-humble opinions!
First, before I get started (in case you are visiting to get a movie review) — no movie review this weekend! I didn’t go to the theater to see anything cause I’ve seen everything I am interested in that is playing in Sanford. I thought about Slumdog Millionaire, but it just doesn’t interest me enough to spend the time and money on – I’ll catch it on Netflix in a couple months! I looked at Southern Pines and Cary and The Reader was the only one at either that made me think twice – but I just didn’t think it would be worth the drive! So – no movie this weekend!
And the Oscar Goes To:
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I have to say that I really enjoyed Hugh Jackman’s opening production – it was fun and entertaining!
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Most of the women on the red carpet actually looked amazing (unlike recent years past where they looked like they got their outfits from Goodwill)!
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The first award went to Penelope Cruz for Best Supporting Actress! Penelope was stunning in an amazing vintage gown and minimal, very tasteful jewels. She wins my award for best depiction of Hollywood Glamour! I can’t offer an opinion on her performance in this film – I didn’t see it – but she usually does an excellent job! I saw three of the other nominees in this category – Amy Adams and Viola Davis in Doubt and Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I thought Amy and Taraji were very good in their roles!! But, Viola had such a small part (lasted just a couple minutes) that was only memorable because she played a mother who was willing to overlook her son’s possible abuse in order to keep him in a school she felt was good for his future – I’m not sure why she was nominated…..
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Jennifer Aniston did a segment with Jack Black for the animation awards. They had her standing where Brad Pitt and Anjelina Jolie were seated right in the front row! How awkward was that? BUT – her dress was lovely and she looked very pretty – eat your heart out, Brad! Her hair was a mess, though — why do some of these women wear gowns and jewels worth a fortune and don’t take the time to have their hair done to compliment their clothes????
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Sarah Jessica Parker is always touted as a fashionista! I usually disagree and don’t like her outfits (with some exceptions). But, tonight, I must say that she looked lovely – very Princessy and glamorous!
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Hugh Jackman is yummy, as usual…
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OMG – LOL – Ben Stiller is doing a hysterical impersonation of Joaquin Phoenix’s visit to David Letterman earlier this week…
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Jessica Biel’s dress is awful — it looks like she took a satin sheet and wrapped herself in it and tucked all the excess material into the top!
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I’m not sure why they give Academy Awards to short films – the one that just won was a 14 minute film….????
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I love big musical production numbers — the tribute to musicals featuring Hugh Jackman and Beyonce Knowles is a fun example!! And between the opening number and this one, I am convinced Hugh Jackman needs to do a musical — he’s quite the singer and dancer!!! (and did I mention how yummy he looks tonight???)
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So far, as usual, there isn’t a lot to talk about specifically related to awards! The reason for that is they put all the “who really cares” awards in the first couple of hours! They tease us with the Best Supporting Actress as the first award and then fill in with the sleepers….
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To show you how much I am stretching for something to say here: I just saw a commercial for Sandra Bullock’s upcoming movie – The Proposal – that looks really cute! I like her movies!
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Best Supporting Actor – the only performance in this category that I saw was Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt – he always does an amazing job in any role he takes on and this role was no exception! But – the Oscar went to Heath Ledger — come on!!! I didn’t see it, so I can not give a direct opinion on his performance, which may very well have been well deserved — but I can’t help but wonder if he would have gotten the nod for playing a demonic Joker if he was still alive….don’t know – I’m just wondering, here…
- Visual Effects went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!!!! I’m pleased! This usually goes to a big action film with lots of flash – and usually rightfully so! I am very happy to see that it went to this movie because I found it to be amazing to watch the way the age reversal was portrayed! Very good choice!!!
- Make Up and Art Direction also went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!!!! Again, I thought it was well deserved!
- Jerry Lewis received the Humanitarian Award — long over due! (even though he did publically riducule Sanford, NC a couple years ago without bothering to find out the whole story) It was very sad to see someone who has always been so energetic struggling to stand there and get the words out….. ;(
- Alicia Keys’ lavender gown is gorgeous and she looks amazing in it!
- The Memorials…..always tears me up! Tonight – Queen Latifah looked stunning in a beautiful blue gown and sang “I’ll Be Seeing You” to the collage of clips of those we lost since the last Oscar night….excuse me, I need to get some tissue…..
- I usually love what Reece Witherspoon wears – she always looks classy! I am not liking what she is wearing tonight, though — it is kinda pretty, but I think it would have been a LOT prettier without the black straps that looked out of place and other black accents — looked like someone was trying to use up extra material scraps they had laying around….
- Now for the top awards:
- Slumdog Millionaire was honored with the Best Director. Ever notice, the more major the award, the more bazaar the acceptance speeches???? Slumdog’s Director came up bouncing like Tigger!!! Hhhmmm….
- The prevous Best Actress winners they chose to announce the nominees for this category are all amazing and look fabulous! It was especially moving to see Sophia Loren – she is still such a classic beauty! Her gown was so glamorous! She is hard to top!!! And it was fitting that she be the one to talk about Meryl Streep!
- Kate Winslet won Best Actress— she was the odds on favorite! I didn’t see her performance, but heard a lot about it. Her gown is very elegant and her hair looks very “old Hollywood”. Her jewelry is elegant and stunning, as well – diamond earrings and bracelet. The only one in this category I saw was Meryl Streep in Doubt – she was excellent in that role, but I wasn’t sure it was Oscar worthy…..
- WOW – the men they chose as the past Best Actor winners to announce this year’s nominees in this category are incredible, as well!!! To see Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, and Ben Kingsley together on one stage — WOW!!! And Adrian Brody is definitely a nice touch, too — but that hair!!! It looks like he dumped a whole bottle of Wesson oil on it just before coming on stage – what a mess!!!!
- Sean Penn is Best Actor!!! I think he is an amazing actor and have very much enjoyed most, if not all, of his performances — I didn’t see Milk, but from what I have seen and heard, I am surprised this role got him the Oscar….I would have bet on Frank Langella for this category!! But, then again, the Academy usually goes for political statements in films. While Frost/Nixon was a political movie, Milk was more of a political statement!
- Slumdog Millionaire is Best Picture!!! This was no surprise after I heard the Best Director winner — typically, the film that wins in the Director category also takes the Best Picture category! The only film in this category I saw was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, so I don’t have an opinion…..I’ll have to see the other nominees to see if I agree!
- One last thought — what in the world was with Mickey Rourke??? What was he even doing there??? He used to be so cool — but he trashed his life and we haven’t seen anything of him in decades!!! So, he comes out of the woodwork to make a come back movie….and he gets an Oscar nomination???? And comes to the most glamorous night of the year looking like a bum off the street that dug through the trash to find a dirty, wrinkled, mismatched suit and apparently didn’t even take the time to take a shower or wash (or comb, for that matter) his hair….give me a break!!!
So — what movies took home the most awards??? If my count is right:
- Slumdog Millionaire = 8 total
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button = 3 total
- Milk = 2 total
- The Dark Knight = 2 total
Good night — see you at the movies!!!
Updates and a Couple Reviews
I started to write this several times over the past couple of days and just kept getting side tracked! So here are some updates and a review of Confessions of a Shopaholic and Once on This Island! I have a ton of stuff going on, so here goes:
I went to the Temple Theater Friday night to see Once on This Island – it was really good! The talent was amazing and the story was enjoyable. It took a couple scenes to pick up for me, but was well worth the wait! The two young girls who portrayed Ti were incredible — Camille England as “Little Ti” was adorable and absolutely charming! Taylore Woods as Ti as a young woman is a bundle of talent — what a future that girl has!!!! I also really enjoyed Marcus Zollicoffer as Daniel. That doesn’t discount the talents of everyone in the cast — all were exceptional! This Thursday through Sunday are the last showing of this production! If you haven’t been to see it, you really should!
Saturday was my lazy day — I had a late breakfast at Myra’s and got a pedicure…..that’s it!!! ha-ha I really need to learn to speak up when I go for services and things aren’t going the way I want them to go — I stopped going to one pedicure place a while back because they used a shaver on my heels and it resulted in painful heels for weeks afterwards – I thought about stopping him from doing it, but didn’t say anything!!! This Saturday, I had a couple toe nails starting to ingrow – which was the reason I decided to go get a pedicure! Well, they were really busy and she was rushing through it! I could tell she wasn’t looking close enough to see the need to clip the sides of the nails, but (again) didn’t say anything — so, now one of the toes have festered!!! Uugghh!!!
Sunday was the highlight of the weekend! I met a good friend that I haven’t gotten together with in months – we had brunch at Cafe 121, sat and talked and talked – then we drove around a little talking some more waiting for the movie we decided to see to start! It was such a great day! I really miss her — we used to see each other and talk every day at work, but unfortunately, she no longer works with us, so I miss her and our talks! We’ve tried to get together several times, but it hasn’t worked out until this past Sunday! I had a great time and I think she did, too!
The movie we saw was Confessions of a Shopaholic– what fun that was!!! Isla Fisher is hysterical as Rebecca Bloomwood – a girl who just can’t resist shopping and spends WAY beyond her means – even the mannequins come to life and egg her on by telling her how much she “needs” whatever it is she is looking at. The scenes where she is dodging debt collection agent, Derek Smeath, are gems! Isla was great in Wedding Crashers — she shows us in this movie that she can carry a lead role and make it her own! She’s got what it takes to be a top box office draw in comedic roles! We both really liked the movie – it was fun, funny, entertaining, and unique! It was over all very enjoyable!!! I give it an A-!
Progress
I’m loving the transformation the section of Chatham Street between Carthage and Wicker has made! What an amazing difference from before Progressive Contracting started working their magic to the old abandoned historical buildings!
Here are some shots I took over the past couple of years that show the progress:
The first two shots were taken in October 2007 – the only life the street had was Renalds restaurant – a rose between two thorns, for sure:
This next shot was taken in March 2008 – the work was beginning – Renalds was still the only active business on the street, but it wasn’t the only life – the strip was alive with workers renovating every inch:
The following shots were taken today — the store fronts are all finished and ablaze with colors and character! What was previously Renalds is now Cafe 121 and they are joined by other businesses starting to populate the lovely buildings! Even the old buggy factory on the corner – which looks like it still needs a lot of inside work – is beginning to take on an appealing appearance! Amazing transformation to say the very least – you’d never know it was the same street – what was old and depressing is now alive and beautiful!!! I love it!!!
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