Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Live At 9, CIS Stuff The Bus, and More….
Speaking of the School Stuff Campaign……This weekend is the Tax Free Weekend and Communities In Schools will hold our annual School Stuff Campaign. What is this? Glad you asked……Office Max is working with CIS as the sponsor of this event. This weekend, Office Max is putting all their school supplies on sale – BIG sale – and they have brought in additional stock from a Raleigh store so that parents can buy their kid’s back to school supplies at great prices with NO tax added!!!! Imagine how happy your kids will be to get that nice new back pack, pack of pencils, and box of crayons!!! Then, imagine all the kids who’s parents can’t afford to buy them the supplies they need to start the school year. Imagine their embarrassment and lack of feeling like they “belong”. YOU CAN HELP!!! And it won’t cost you much at all —- while you are out picking up school supplies for your own kids (or for yourself), pick up a couple extra items to donate to the School Stuff Campaign. As sponsor, Office Max will have a Lee County school bus parked in the parking lot for generous shoppers to “STUFF” with school supplies! Local Girl Scouts will be there to help you stuff that bus! We will also have donation barrels and volunteers at WalMart and KMart – look for the Communities In Schools signs and barrels! OR – wherever you buy your schools supplies from – bring a few extra by any of the three locations and drop them off!!! All donations are sorted out and given to counselors at all the Lee County Schools to be made available for Lee County children who need supplies! All donations stay in Lee County!!! The campaign is from 9:00-6:00 on Saturday and from 1:00-5:00 on Sunday and, again, the locations are Office Max, WalMart, and KMart! Come out and support this great event!!! Also – this is the second year in a row that Office Max sponsored this event — their support by paying for the advertising, promoting the event at their store, and allowing us to park the bus at their store is greatly appreciated!!!
SPREAD THE WORD — we really want that bus stuffed to the rafters this weekend!!!
Other CIS news:
Our Executive Director, Alison Poole, had her baby this past Friday morning!!! Baby Aiden Poole arrived about 8:00 am and weighed in at a little over 8 pounds! Alison will be leaving CIS in the fall when she takes an exciting job at Lee County High School……we wish Alison the best of luck with her new baby and new job!
We are actively interviewing for two positions at CIS – Executive Director and Program Coordinator.
We are also busy working on plans for our 3rd Annual Gala Benefiting Children to be held on October 10th at the beautiful home of Mark and Ruth Stewart. Pentair Water Pool and Spa is our major sponsor for the second year in a row! Live entertainment will be provided by Jackie Gore Entertainment Group (formerly of The Embers). On of the most popular features of the gala each year is our “Taste of Lee County” with samples of signature dishes from many of our wonderful local chefs — so far, we have confirmed Amy’s Confection Company, Bella Bistro, Cafe 121, Chef Paul, El Rancho, Fresh Choice Cafe, and Smith’s Mountain Bottled Water. We also have a FABULOUS silent auction – the local businesses out-do themselves with great items for our guests to bid on! The income from the gala represents 50% of our annual operating budget, so it is an important fund raiser for us each year! Tickets are $100 each. Sponsorships range from $250 – $5000. Of course, any size donation is always welcome! If you are a Lee County restaurant and want to participate, if you want to reserve a ticket, or if you want to be a sponsor, please call the office at 919-718-5426 or you can leave a comment here with info on how I can reach you!
We are always looking for volunteers, too — you can volunteer to help in a wide variety of ways! Mentor or tutor a child, participate in our Careers At Lunch programs where you can speak to students in the high schools about your career during their lunch period, help out in the Teacher Resource Room, help out in the office, help us with our web site, proctor a test, assist a teacher in their classroom, or provide a variety of services that the schools may need.
Speaking of the Teacher Resource Room — this is a great program! Communities In Schools has a trailer located at Lee County High School that is FULL of great stuff that teachers can get free of charge to help them in their classrooms. Local businesses, industry, and individuals donate slightly used items that can be used to help teachers avoid paying for some of the things they need out of their own pockets. Things like slightly used file folders, binders, office furniture or equipment, scrap items that can be used for projects (carpet scraps, empty paper towel rolls, cloth, yarn, wall paper, etc – you name it, they can use it), little trinkets the teachers can give to students for incentives (stickers are extremely popular). You wouldn’t believe how creative and resourceful teachers can be with things that someone else might have thrown out, but are still usable!!! If you’re cleaning out that attic or switching out your files and want to donate to the Teacher Resource Room, call the office at 919-718-5426.
OK – I’ve plugged CIS enough for now —- but, you’ll hear a lot more about this as we get closer to the Gala!!!
Don’t forget this weekend’s School Stuff Campaign at Office Max, WalMart, or KMart!!!
Get Rid of the Pig!!!
I’m talking about that total eye sore humongous pink pig on Horner Blvd!!! I was happy to see they made them move it from where it was first located cause it violated a code for the way it was positioned. But, they just put it on a trailer and moved it to one of the busiest sections of Horner Blvd – now, apparently it meets code because it is on wheels and movable!
My issues with it are this:
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It is an ugly, in your face, eye sore in an area that already needs some serious beautification efforts – this adds to the problem!
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After the first few days, it lost its novelty factor and is now just something that is trashing the scenery along Horner Blvd.
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You can’t read their message, anyway, unless you take your eyes off the road for much longer than you should on a busy street! I have no idea what the pig says cause a quick glance wasn’t enough time to read it and I won’t sacrifice safety to get their message!
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Which brings me to my concern with safety – I witnessed a near accident at least twice since its been there where someone was gawking at the pig and almost rear ended the car in front of them!!! In one case, I believe if I hadn’t tooted at them, they might have plowed right into the back of the poor guy in front of them! Will it take an actual accident to get them to realize they aren’t creating a positive marketing opportunity? Or don’t they care about the safety of their fellow man? Maybe all they care about is the novelty of finding a freaky way to advertise!!!
I have no issue with their right to make a point – whatever that may be!
MY point is — its ugly, it doesn’t paint a pleasant picture of the people responsible, and it should be replaced with a more appropriate sign to get their message across — it might even be more effective advertising!!! And, don’t think “gee, must be working cause we have people talking about it” — its not a good reflection of what they want to accomplish! I think it is a ridiculous display of “we don’t care about making your city better, we only care about our message regardless of the consequences to public safety and city beautification efforts”!!!
Get rid of it!!!!
OK – I put my soap box back in the closet for now!
French Toast and more stuff to talk about….
I’m so excited this morning — I see in the Herald that the Yankees beat the Red Sox and the win put them just 2 games away from taking over the second place spot!!! I am disappointed that I missed seeing the game!!! I take pride in saying “I told you so” and “you heard it here first” — like I said in a post when they were struggling at the beginning of the season, they are truly the come back kings!!!!
If you haven’t read Billy Liggett’s editorial on page A6 of today’s Herald, go read it!!! But, have a box or two of tissues available – you’ll need them!!! His topic today was a wonderful letter from a man named Brad Miller who was on the scene of the accident that killed Barry Butzer. I won’t go into any details here so that I don’t ruin the experience of reading it for yourself! Suffice it to say that it is touching and should touch everyone deeply — it sure did me!!!!
Sunday Morning Thoughts – Bagels and More….
Here’s what is on my mind this morning:
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Bagels ‘N Stuff — I did a post back in June about the new bagel shop in Sanford called Bagels ‘N Stuff located next to Cafe Vesuvio (click here to read the post and comments). At the time I hadn’t been able to get in to give it a try, but was excited about going!! I realized this morning that I never followed up on that post to talk about my experience! What made me realize it this morning? Well, I got a comment on that post from the owner – Lenny – saying that he found my blog and wondered how I liked his bagels! How cool was that? I decided I needed to fix my oversight right away!!! I have only been for lunch (so far), but the times I have popped in for lunch were VERY enjoyable!!! I was able to get my old standby – warm corned beef on an onion bagel with onions and mayo. They didn’t have horseradish the first time I went and I have forgotten to ask for it on subsequent visits. The macaroni salad and pickles are very good, too! They have a wide variety of NY Deli favorites – lots of flavored cream cheeses and lox for bagels, deli meats, rolls, salads, knish, pastries, and, of course, bagels – just about any kind of bagel you can imagine! It is a very friendly little shop – everyone is so nice and welcoming – and it is very bright and cheery – great service – and a very nice owner who obviously cares what his customers think (as evident not only from seeing him talk to his customers, but also from his comment on my post)!!! I had a couple other very positive comments on the post and have heard folks talking about their food! Check it out — you won’t be sorry — then, spread the word!!!
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TJ Maxx – Believe it or not, I have never been to TJ Maxx before! I understand that might be bordering on shoppers blasphemy, but I just never went!! Until yesterday! I met some friends for breakfast at the Dairy Bar. Afterwards, Lisa wanted to go in to TJ Maxx to find a new purse for the fall/winter season – she said they have designer bags at discount prices! So, I decided to go with her to check it out! We spent quite some time there looking at purses – Lisa picked out 3 or 4 that caught her eye, but didn’t settle on any of them and ended up leaving without buying anything. I, on the other hand, did buy a new purse! I figured I would need one for while my very expensive Guess bag with the broken zipper is in getting fixed (when I find a place to fix it) and having an alternate is nice, too. So — the one who isn’t that interested in purses found a good buy, but the one who is actually quite the purse hound didn’t find anything she liked!!! Go figure! BUT — the one I got is really cool — it is a Linea Rosetti — red corduroy type cloth with alligator look vinyl accents — lots of good pouches outside and in — hobo style — and only $24.99!!! I thought I remembered it was less than that, but I looked at a couple and this one was $24.99! Can’t beat that with a stick!!! OMG – am I turning into a purse freak????? Here’s a shot of it:
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We also went to Pet Smart while we were in Cary — I got some food, treats, and new toys for the girls! They were really happy when I got home! Lisa got a bunch of stuff for her crew there, too.
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I rarely go in to Cary – I don’t like the traffic and crowds, but I have been to Cary THREE times just this week!!!! I went Weds evening for a dinner with a large group – we went to Mythos, a Greek restaurant on the corner of Cary Parkway and Trion Road. I had an amazing pork chop dinner and an incredible traditional Greek dessert that was like a lemon pie with roasted pie nuts on top! All the other meals looked scrumptious, too!!! It is a little pricey, but if you are looking for a really nice, yet different, dining experience for a special occasion, I recommend Mythos!
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Yesterday was an incredible experience for me — not just cause I made my first visit to TJ Maxx and got a nice purse, but also because I was acutely aware of the significant progress I am making with my health issues!!!! I think that Peggy at the Family Doc has finally figured out what has been wrong with me! I say “finally”, only because I have been dealing with this problem since before Christmas – but not because Peggy has been trying to figure it out for a long time — she actually has only been working through tests and exams for about a month (I switched to the Family Doc in June because I felt I may be in need of someone who specializes in some of the problems I have been having and because they are located close to my home and work). In general, I have been experiencing severe joint pain. It started rather suddenly between Thanksgiving and Christmas and has progressively gotten worse ever since. If I stand or walk more than a few minutes without being able to sit down, all my joints – ALL my joints, start to ache and my back goes into cramping and spasms – sometimes just to the point of being extremely uncomfortable and sometimes to the point of excruciating, can’t breathe, can’t straighten up, can barely force myself to a place to sit, bring me to tears, pain!!!! And everywhere in between. I have good and bad days, so some days I can do more than others. But, I have gotten so that I don’t trust it and don’t know when a good day will turn into a bad day with no notice! So, I don’t stay very long anywhere that I may not be able to sit (hence the reason I didn’t stay at the Fourth of July and Children’s Carnival events very long) and I don’t go to the store unless I know exactly what I want and where it is so that I can get in and out quickly and ALWAYS push a cart to lean on even if I’m only getting one or two little things (a cart has saved me many a time when the check out line is long and slow)! Then, fighting the pain ends up being so exhausting that when I finally get home, I can barely get up the steps to get in the house and I collapse on the couch and fall asleep!!! Anyway — yesterday I went shopping with my friend Lisa and was beginning to get nervous when I realized she was going to look at every single purse at least once and some more than once and there were several racks of many, many purses!!!! But, we were there for quite some time – maybe close to an hour – and NO pain!!!! We went from there to Pet Smart and stood to watch the dogs playing in the day care area for a long time and then wandered all over the store – still NO pain!!! I took Lisa home and went to WalGreens and made a few more stops! When I got home, I carried all my bags into the house and put everything away, took care of the girls, and stood out on the back deck watching them play for 15-20 minutes or so!!!! STILL NO PAIN!!!! I have not had any one day since before Christmas that I didn’t have some level of pain and exhaustion and here I was with a VERY full and active day with NO pain at all!!!! Peggy has checked me for just about everything that can be checked for — rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, heart problems, bone scans, etc………….she found some normal things that need some attention (I’m just getting old…), but finally found the one thing that “could” explain the pain problems — my uric acid level is very high — I found after doing some research that, among other things, this can be caused by taking low dose aspirin, diuretics, and some blood pressure meds!!! Since a point between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I have been taking a low does aspirin every morning and have been on a blood pressure medicine that contains a diuretic – it looked to me like I was begging for trouble!!! About a week ago, I stopped taking the low dose aspirin and Peggy changed my blood pressure medicine. I started noticing little differences about 1/2 way through the week — and then there was yesterday!!!! I am not naive enough to think it is all over – I realize it may take a while to get my system back to normal, but I was so thrilled about yesterday that I felt like dancing in the streets — and I believe actually COULD have danced in the streets!!!! And I never got all tired out and in desprite need of a nap, either!!! WOO HOO!!!! I used to have so much energy and it has been very frustrating to have NO energy and to be in so much pain and tired all the time!!! I am really hopeful that this is the answer and that I will soon be able to do so much more!!! I’m relieved!!!! And I owe it all to Peggy – after I tearfully asked her “if all my test results are coming back so good, why do I still feel like this” and explained in more detail what has been going on, she did a full rheumatoid and autoimmune work up and found the uric acid level out of whack!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I know it is just one extremely good day, but I am convinced that it is the first of many extremely good days!!!!
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Megan is a big fan of “Greatest American Dog” – the new reality show on CBS about dogs! I haven’t watched it – I know, you would think it would be my favorite show as much as I love dogs!!! But, I just haven’t remembered to check it out and haven’t gotten hooked on it. But, this past week, I was flipping around and caught part of it! The squeaking toys and dog sounds caught Megan’s ear and she sat up on the hassock and watched the TV with intense interest!!!! She sat there and stared at it and was mesmerized!!! When a commercial came on, she laid down and lost interest, but as soon as the show came back on, she sat up and watched and watched!!!! It was so funny — it really held her interest and attention like no other show I’ve ever seen her watch! They all like Animal Planet and watch some of the shows that catch their attention, but they don’t usually hold their attention long —- this one sure did!!!! Katie and Amy – not so much – they just slept through it all and didn’t pay it any mind at all……..
Well – guess that’s it for now — gonna go read the Sanford Herald and watch Sunday Morning on CBS! Happy Sunday!!!
Arms
I have a rough time, sometimes, when I am trying to get comfortable and fall asleep – it seems like everywhere I try to position my arms, they are “in the way” or get in a position that cuts off the circulation, causing discomfort and sometimes makes them “fall asleep” and go numb!!! It would be so nice if I could just remove the one that is causing the problems, lay it on the nightstand, get a comfortable night’s sleep, and put it back on in the morning when I wake all refreshed and ready to go!!!
Another time the thought crossed my mind was when I was a teenager, just starting to learn about the wonders of “necking”! OK, so here I was with all these thoughts running through my head — is my breath fresh?; eeww, I wish I had some gum to give him!; what if he tries to use his tongue?; where are his hands and what do I do if he tries to put them where they don’t belong?; does he think I’m a good kisser?; is this what all the fuss is about?; and – darn, my arm is falling asleep, how do I move it to be more comfortable without spoiling the moment?
As you can see, I’ve always had a problem with having a lot of useless info on my mind!!!!
Closing The Gap!
My Yankees are on a roll and closing the gap between the top 3 spots in the AL East!!! The race is getting exciting!!!
The Purse Saga…
I was in Macy’s a couple months ago and walked past the purse section on my way to find an outfit for a special occasion. I wasn’t planning on looking at purses and actually barely glanced in that direction as I sashayed on by. That quick, nonchalant glance was all it took! A purse caught my eye and I uncontrollably stopped to get a closer look. I personally like the “hobo” style purses – you know, the big soft bag like purse with lots of room and little or no structure! This one was that style. It was the most amazing shade of weathered brown leather – like the old aviator jackets! It was soft and smelled incredible!!! It had zippered pockets on the outside that were the perfect size for my cell phone and pager, a heavy braided leather strap, and impressive silver hardware accents and buckles. It was gorgeous!!! I fell totally in love with it! I had to have it! But – I was sensible and looked at the price tag before I just blindly took it to the cashier. I almost fell over in utter shock! It was all a blur and I don’t remember the exact price, but suffice it to say it was WELL over $100! Not being “into” purses, I didn’t recognize that it was a designer bag – a Guess bag, to be specific – no wonder it was the most incredible leather bag I had ever seen. In a daze, I put the purse back on the shelf and walked away – on to finish the task I had driven to Cary to accomplish.
I found an outfit suitable for the occasion, it was on a good sale, and I had a coupon good for all purchases that specific weekend. So, I was happy – I got what I went for and it didn’t cost me a fortune – in fact, it ended up costing quite a bit less than I had planned on spending! It was a successful trip!
On the way down the escalator, I thought about having to walk past the purse section again on my way out the store! I wondered if I should go in a different direction and leave using a different entrance and walk around the outside of the building to where my car was parked. I decided that was totally silly! I’m a grown woman with a will of my own and definitely not a slave to fashion — I could certainly walk past a purse that was way out of my budget and not give it a second thought! But, then again, I remembered that I still had that coupon good for all purchases that weekend – maybe I should see what it would cost if I used the coupon…..
So, I stopped to look at it again and melted over how perfect it was! Then, I noticed the sign — it was actually on SALE!!! I hadn’t noticed that before!!! I was able to use the coupon on a sale item upstairs, maybe the lack of restrictions would apply here, too! I asked the sales lady if I could use my coupon with the sale price and she said I could AND that if I used my Macy’s credit card, I would ALSO get another percentage off on top of the other incentives!!! WOW!!! That was it — the purse was MINE!!!! I got it for about 2/3 the regular price – still FAR more than I thought I would ever pay for a purse, but not at a price that put me into shock!!! I was soooooooooo happy!!! I had my first designer bag and I justified it by telling myself that it would last much, much longer than those regular purses that I paid much less for, but had to replace far too frequently because they just plain didn’t last!
Everywhere I go I get tons of compliments on it — people who tell me what a great purse it is, some who offer to take it off my hands if I ever get sick of it, etc…. I love it – it looks great – it feels great – it actually makes me very happy!
But – the saga continues….
Saturday, I took a package to the post office to mail my Mom’s birthday gift out to her. I used the 24/7 mailing station. I entered all the info and was ready to swipe my debit card and the zipper on my purse wouldn’t work!!! I fiddled and played with it and found that the cloth from the lining was very deeply caught up in the zipper! I tried to get it to slide open enough to reach in for my wallet, but it just wouldn’t budge! I was trying to work the cloth out of the zipper, thinking that if it tore, I could easily fix it, when suddenly, the pull on the zipper came off in my hand and the teeth in the zipper broke loose and the purse opened up!!!! The zipper totally broke!!! OMG!!!!
Now I can’t close my beautiful purse!!! I was heart sick!!! It took me a while to realize that I shouldn’t be so upset — after all, I actually rarely ever zip it shut!!!! I’m not really sure why it was zipped shut on Saturday! So — no bid deal!!!! It is still a gorgeous, albeit slightly damaged, bag! The only problem is that a zipper I rarely ever used isn’t usable anymore! ha-ha-ha-ha And – if I find a good leather person, I can always have it repaired.
So, there you have it…….
Sunday Morning Brain Dump
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Yesterday’s Family Carnival held by Stepping Stones Children’s Center was a great success! I popped in to see Emily and Lindsay and to place some bids on their silent auction items and found a nice sized crowd of kids having a blast!!! It looked like the silent auction items all had a good start on bids that were sure to bring in a nice amount for the fundraiser. And the dunking booth was in full swing with some very wet participants who volunteered to be dunked for charity!!! I was really pleased to see the event so busy! I hope they were able to reach their goal and I look forward to hearing the results — AND — whether or not I won anything in the raffle or if any of my bids lasted through to be the final bid!!!
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I met fellow blogger, Joe Jon, at the Stepping Stones event yesterday — that was very nice!
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I had all my finger nails removed yesterday!!! No – it isn’t as gruesome as it sounds! I had acrylic nails for a couple years a few years ago, but haven’t in a long time – until recently. About a month and a half ago, I had a full set put on and have been maintaining them since. I finally realized why I stopped doing it before – they are high maintenance (have to go for fill ins every 2 weeks) and they are blunt (hard to pick things up and can’t get a nice sharp scratch going to ease an itchy spot)! So – I went in to Love Nails yesterday and said “take ’em off”! I’ll have thin, weak, soft nails for a while until they recover, but at least they’ll be mine! I hope I don’t forget that, although acrylics look GREAT and don’t break so easy, I really prefer my own nails!
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I’ve GOT to get up and out of the house earlier on Saturday mornings — I keep getting to the Farmer’s Market after everything I’d like to get is all gone!!!! I was able, though, to get some baked goods from the folks set up for CARA. Whoever baked the cookies and brownies I bought makes good stuff!!! And I am always pleased to support CARA!
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Back in August, I wrote a post about dancing bugs in my front yard! (click here to read it) I never found out what they were or why they were there. BUT – I had someone from Miami, Florida find that post through a google search with the key words “bee like flying bugs swarming my grass”! It made me curious about their experience – I wish my stat counter would tell me who they were so I could contact them, but it doesn’t…… Anyway — as I sat looking out the living room window out to the BACK yard this morning, a zillion of those bugs are doing their dance all over a section of the back yard! This is the first time I’ve ever noticed them in the back yard! They aren’t bothering the girls and they don’t seem to be noticing them! But, I wonder what is attracting them to that spot! The whole thing really “bugs” me — and it looks like it is bugging someone in Miami, too!!!
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One of the segments on CBS’ Sunday Morning show this morning had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes!!! It was a short piece with Mo Rocca talking about the things a potential President should consider when choosing a running mate. He included tips like don’t choose “someone who compounds a weakness” or “someone who wants to hurt you in any way” or a “Vice Presidential Buttinski” (to which he offered his opinion that Hillary might fall into this category for Obama). But the part that cracked me up was his warning to not choose someone who’s name sounds funny with your name – here is a cut and paste from the CBS Sunday Morning web site: “Most importantly, don’t choose somebody whose name is going to sound funny with yours. This is why Obama should not choose Arizona’s Governor Janet Napolitano: Obama-Napolitano sounds too much like a coffee drink (“I’ll take a venti Obama Napolitano with soy, thanks”) or like a Rosemary Clooney song (“O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma Na-po-li-taaaaaa-no!”). Likewise, McCain cannot choose Rep. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma. “McCain-Fallin” … and he can’t get up! At that point you’re just throwing the game.”
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On the same show, critic David Edlestein talks about Mama Mia – he didn’t like it! No surprise there – it really isn’t a “guy movie” and it really isn’t a “critic movie” – and everyone is entitled to their opinion! Also – like I said in my review – it definitely won’t appeal to everyone — you’ll really have to like this type of hokey musical comedy to get any enjoyment out of the movie (I just happen to like “hokey” and found it to be “fun”). BUT – the reason I am bringing up his review is that it cements my belief that critics “think too much” when they go see a movie!!! In fact, he actually said that you should “See “Mamma Mia!” if you’re prepared to work very hard to achieve a state of anti-enlightenment.” Maybe if he didn’t try to think about it so much and just sit back and have fun, he might have liked it – well, probably not “like it”, but my point is that critics always want to find the deep meaning or theatrical genius in every movie they go see! If all movies were made to satisfy those who want cinematic perfection and theatrical genius in telling a profound story, then where would the “fun” come from in going to the movies? One point Edlestein makes that I totally agree with: “…Pierce Brosnan, whose voice in song is the closest a human has come to a water buffalo.” – I wouldn’t have been that harsh in my description, but – yeah – they shouldn’t have let Brosnan sing! ha-ha-ha
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I have a strange habit when I type — if I make a mistake and notice it after typing several characters or words later, I back space everything from the point I notice it back to the mistake and then retype it all……instead of just putting the cursor over the mistake and fixing just that mistake! How inefficient is that???? I hate inefficiency and, yet, I sit here and build major inefficiencies into my typing!!! Of course, it could be worse — I am a fast typer, but if I were the “hunt and peck” kind and I corrected my mistakes in this manner, I’d be here typing a simple sentence all day long!!!! ha-ha-ha
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I’m thinking about making a PetSmart run — I wonder which dog will get to go with me??? hhmm — I’m thinking Katie!!!
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I had a corporate visitor in this week to meet with me, so I took her to Mrs. Lacy’s for lunch and Bella’s for dinner! Both were very nice. I had the BEST duck dinner at Bella!!! It was incredible and perfectly done! It comes with Parmesan grits, which I can’t eat (allergic to cheese, but also cause I just don’t care for grits), so I had them substitute garlic mashed potatoes and it was perfect! My guest got a pork chop dish and another manager that went with us got the special – NC Red Grouper! All were fantastic!!!! She comes down about once a quarter to meet with me and I try to take her someplace different every time she comes — last time, we went to Renalds (now known as Cafe 121) for dinner!
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The Yankees had a GREAT game against the Oakland A’s — 12 innings that lasted over 4 hours in over 90 degree heat!!! AND THEY WON!!!! They are still in 3rd place, but they are only 5 games behind 2nd place Boston – anything can still happen!!! They are at 52 wins, 45 loses! GO YANKEES!!!!
Well – I guess that’s all that’s on my mind this morning (except a renewed recording of Mama Mia replaying over and over in my head – thanks to CBS Sunday Morning!)……I’m off to start my day!
Chuckle
Yesterday’s Dennis The Menace cartoon gave me a chuckle. Not because it was particularly special in any way (it was typical Dennis), but because it reminded me of something that my niece once said to me. Brittany – my brother’s youngest – was, at the time, about 4 or 5 (she is now about 20) and they were going to travel from their home in Charleston, SC to ours here in Sanford for a Christmas visit. It was their first time to our Sanford home. I was talking to her parents on the phone about the plans and she wanted to talk to me. She got on the phone and I asked her if she was excited about coming to see me. She didn’t respond with a yes or no – she responded with a question (I guess she needed that answer before she could decide if she was going to be excited about the trip or not). Her question was: “Is your house clean, Aunt Kim?” I was in shock by the question and replied with “yes, Britt, my house is clean!” to which she replied “oh good, where will I sleep?” and the questions of her accommodations and what food I would have available for her went on from there……ha-ha-ha…….the things that go through the minds of young children!!! Anyway — Dennis just triggered that memory and I thought I would share it!
Movie Review = Mama Mia
I’ll bet no one is surprised to read that I just couldn’t wait to go see this movie later in the weekend…….in fact, I couldn’t even wait to see it at the usual Friday evening shows!! I went to the 5:15 show!
The ads began to tease us about the opening of this movie back in the first few months of the year! From the first time I saw it on the previews of another movie at the theater until 5:15 this evening, I was excitedly looking forward to the time I could actually see it!!! Lately, the songs and clips have been EVERYWHERE – I haven’t turned the TV on any time in the past 2-3 weeks without seeing something about the movie! The anticipation built to extreme levels – I began to wonder if the hype would over shadow the actual experience – would it end up being a huge let down?
I couldn’t imagine being let down, so I eagerly went to the theater tonight. Was I disappointed? Absolutely NOT!!! I was entertained by a movie that totally lived up to all expectations!! Was it funny? YES! Was it fun? YES! Was it hokey? YES! Did I care that it was hokey? NO! It added to the fun……… I would not recommend this for EVERYONE — it won’t be the type of movie that will be universally enjoyed! You have to be a musical comedy fan and you have to be an ABBA fan — if you are, you’re gonna love it!!! If not, don’t go – it will only irritate you and give you another reason to hate musical comedies! I, personally, really enjoy musical comedies! The hokier the better! And this one didn’t disappoint me!
I always like Meryl Streep – the range of this actress is incredible! From roles like the tormented woman trying to overcome her memories of living through the holocaust in Sophie’s Choice to a lonely farm wife in Bridges of Madison County to a woman caught up in a hysterical twist on vanity and desire to stay young forever in Death Becomes Her to the powerful fashion magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada to Donna in Mama Mia and every role in between — she can do it all — drama, comedy, romance, and now musical comedy! Her characters are always memorable! This one is no exception! Her portrayal of Donna is full of emotion and fun! She’s not a singer or dancer, but that didn’t stop her from taking the character on and doing a slam dunk job! I was surprised to see how well she did – will she win a recording contract for her singing talents? Um – no — but she wasn’t bad and she tackled the role with enthusiasm and energy! I thought she was quite enjoyable!
I also enjoy Pierce Brosnan, but wasn’t sure about how I would react to hearing him sing! My apprehension had some merit — his singing left a lot to be desired — BUT — he tried and he wasn’t “terrible”! He was a good choice for the role, just probably not the best choice for the solos – they should have gave him songs that he was just one of many voices! But, that’s OK — he did a good job!
I would have liked to have seen more of Christine Baranski — she has sang and danced her way across Broadway for years and they could have used her talents more! But, she was perfect for the character they cast her in. The other one of Donna’s best friends was good, too.
The story was cute – the music was great – the dancing was fun – the experience was entertaining! I liked it!!!! But, like I said, not everyone will…….
Silliest scene: There was one dance number where all the young men on the island run out on the pier wearing swim trunks and flippers and they sing and dance and jump around on the pier with those flippers — it is funny, but really silly!!!
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