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 |  I've maxed out. Closed this blog. |
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This is a way of making myself write something coherent and grammatically correct almost every day. I'm opinionated and need an outlet. I'm also prone to flights of fancy. Thanks for stopping by. |
| Maybe my destiny was to watch old TV reruns. I wouldn't enjoy it if it weren't so! I caught myself watching 5 minutes of Beverly Hillbillies, one of the episodes with all the animals back home. I don't know why I became so snobby about it, like it was lower class TV. The canned laughter, the easy humor, I just thought it was beneath me. But now it's like finding vintage goods in a second hand store. Things just like my mother used to have, but in mint condition with a whopping big price tag. Actors in these old shows and movies did some better things, some worse things, but now they're part of entertainment history. I know their names and faces, and I'm thrilled to see them in something I haven't seen, doing a different role. I saw a movie in black and white, already half over, but with the familiar face of Lee J Cobb. He was about 15 years younger than what I was accustomed to seeing, but he was still much the same. The movie was Johnny O'Clock, which I had never heard of, so I'm sure it wasn't a biggie.It was made before I was born. Some actors get typecast, or frozen in our minds as one character. Take Yvonne DiCarlo, for instance. We all loved her as Lillie Munster, the funny wife in a silly comedy. But she was quite beautiful, and was a guest in serious roles on many TV shows, including Bonanza. So I try to justify my excessive TV viewing as educational. As long as it doesn't prevent exercise, housework, chores, or job, I can squeeze it in. Oh, a little social life, maybe. At least, I don't have NetFlix. |
| Once I filed with the Employment Commission to find a job, all these job agencies had access to my info. That was a rotten thing for the state to do. Now every day I get phone calls and dozens of emails from places trying to help me find the right college or degree program to get a better job. The only classes I'm interested in are not career-oriented. A lot of the emails will say "local jobs", so I open them up only to find insurance sales pitches. Totally misleading. Uber contacts me about 10 times a day to be a driver. Most of the local jobs which are "matched" to my resume are for 18 wheelers, or CDL classes, nursing jobs--I have no CPN, LPN, or RN licensing--or even physicians. They're so carefully matched to my skills! If I wasn't afraid of unforeseen medical expenses, I would just retire early, but not collect SS until I'm eligible. As sure as I just say I'm dropping out of the work force, I'll need every penny I have for medical reasons AFTER insurance. In fact insurance is my major ongoing expense. By the way, "local" could be two hours away. I'm not commuting that far. And I'm not willing to relocate again at this stage. Those agencies should have a map built in their system. So I have to keep wading through the garbage, taking tips, and going to places I hear of, to see if I can find something tolerable for a few more years. |
| Up until tonight, all of my knowledge about Ricky Gervais was from Sesame Street. When my first great niece was little, she loved Elmo. She would sit in my lap at the computer and we watched Elmo short videos over and over. One had Katy Perry. One featured Ricky Gervais singing rock music to Elmo just as he was about to fall asleep. I knew about Katy Perry and recognized her songs on the radio. I had a grown brother with a crush on her. But I had to ask around about Ricky Gervais. I've seen him since on quick cameos on TV. Tonight I saw him starring in a move from 2009 or 2010. I can see why I hadn't heard of the movie before. It was a pretty shallow story. Rob Lowe was cast in a role he does so well, self-centered pretty boy. Tina Fey had a short obvious role. Gervais wasn't bad as the quiet, reserved fellow with low self-esteem. In the end the short chubby guy gets the pretty girl, and everyone lives happily ever after. Only the girl's character is developed, and not very deeply at that. The premise raised some questions though. What would it be like to live in a world where no one understands lying and just can't do it? No one would cheat on his time card or his taxes. Someone would always tell you when you have spinach in your teeth. If you're having a bad hair day, someone would tell you. If your new pants make your butt look wider, half a dozen people would tell you. They wouldn't tell you the dog ate their homework. They would answer all your questions accurately. No one could lie about the ding in your car fender. On the larger scale, they couldn't lie about nuclear weapons or taking bribes. Would this mean that politicians would cease to exist? The movie's story didn't rule out all "bad things"; that's the phrase from the movie. Only the concept of lying was removed. So detectives wouldn't be necessary, since all the criminals would be confessing. It was just a silly movie. But it does give pause to ponder. |
| Every day, as I walk or drive or sweep, I argue in my own head or preach, and I think, "This is what I'll blog about tonight." Then I sit down before the keyboard, and my mind is a total blank. I can't remember what I spent so much time organizing in my brain. It was so clear at that moment. The same is true for stories I want to write. I've got the basic premise worked out, the what-if's, the setting, the basic characters. But in my head it's not detailed in order. I work out a scene that comes near the end or in the middle, but haven't gotten the beginning yet. I have finally learned to write things down, so I don't have to go back to basics, but dialog and details go back to the drawing board. That brain just deletes everything, and I have to start the mental document over. One of the things I like about WDC is that it gives a place to store your ideas. When you move, you still have your cyber memory or even your PC memory. But back when I had everything on paper, I lost a ton of stuff, poems, a book, stories. I don't have poetry in me any more. That's never coming back. The stories are gone. I might be able to recreate the book because I spent so much time on it. But storing your unpublished works is a big deal. Things have gotten better for writers. Meanwhile, I keep pushing myself to be more disciplined on a day to day basis and find a system that works for me. |
| Not counting baby boomers, the older generations don't like using modern media in church or other such learning places. I've seen it in several types of settings. I used some videos from films with different interpretations that I thought were excellent and stimulating. People only a little older than me didn't like them and were put off by them. For instance, a stage production of the Cotton Patch Gospel really put off some folks, maybe 10 years older. I couldn't tell if they hated the Gospel interpretation in southern terms or the staged acting and rowdy display. I liked it a lot. I thought part of it had to do with educational backgrounds, maybe, and love of theater for another. Generally, after that I found they didn't like film as part of the lesson. Tonight at choir, we used a soundtrack for accompaniment because it had marimba and shakers and tambourines. I loved it. So did a lot of them. But a few hated it. They'd prefer live music, not canned. A live version of that, by volunteers, would sound pretty awful. I have seen a number of older folks get into the I-pads for reading the Bible. Maybe they can locate a passage with the ap that doesn't require knowing where it is, like with a real book. So they're not against all technology or media. Older folk still want to learn, are still willing to question their beliefs, and what they've "always" thought. It's a great sign of wisdom, being able to recognize they don't know it all. Using whatever means available to get through or to open new windows is worth a shot. |
| The garden is plowed! Not very deeply, but at least it's cleaned, raked, and turned over about 2-3 inches. We will go a little deeper when the neighbor isn't home. I'll trim more weeds about the yard tomorrow. Tomatoes will be first. We like green peppers and zucchini, too. We have chives on the back porch in several boxes. We usually have parsley and thyme. I'll have to work on that. My taxes have been refunded. I got a whole dollar back from the state! The tax preparer said he's never seen it come that close. That's out of the way for one more year. I even have an appointment for 2016 with the tax guy. I took a big box of old things to Good Will today. Another box is in the laundry room, clothes only, about 2/3 full. I've got two more boxes ready for the church yard sale, but they don't want them until May 1. We've got a bag of old clothes for the Vets to pick up. They sell theirs for rags, so we give them the unusable things, shirts missing buttons, etc. I've rearranged the dining room to make office space for my father. He uses it like an office; then when company comes, there are papers everywhere. He complains if I move anything, but I have to be able to set the table. So now he has a basket, a pencil jar, shelf space, and a drawer with all his supplies, including address labels. He seems to be okay with it. I even moved some files around in my computer, to folders where I might find things a year from now. These are all such minor things. But they add up to a feeling that I've made some progress. My mental check list has cleared off some things. I've even had time for reading and writing. |
| It's spring again. If I had not seen the daffodils and tulips, now gone, and the current azaleas and tree buds, I would know it's spring. Stink bugs have arrived. I don't know where they came from. I never saw them the first half of my life. In fact, I only recall seeing or hearing of them in the last ten years. They'll be here until fall. Then, we have tiny ants. They're everywhere. Bumble bees, carpenter bees, and hornets buzz around when we go out. Mosquitoes, I'm told, are out, but I haven't seen or heard them yet. I'm like a magnet to mosquitoes, so I don't want to notice them yet (or ever). Crickets are invading. The place is going buggy. And there is some larger creature, more like a groundhog, residing under our back shed. It won't belong before we get a few butterflies, and lots of other things, like the deer that eat our lilies and vegetables. Squirrels are a year round problem. They're just tree rats. The good has to have some bad with it I suppose. So this mixture of critters will arrive whether we like it or not. |
| The weather forecast was for rain. But I planned to go to the neighborhood "Spring Fling" anyway. I made a big batch of brownies yesterday to carry with us. Instead of the Elks Club just up the road, we used the public park next to it.The sun was shining, but it was really cold. The turnout was better than last year. We didn't have any politicians speaking or any updates on construction in our vicinity. We're on a mountain top next to a river. Instead of a catered dinner which usually runs short, they had two local food trucks, who were able to bring more than needed. It was good advertising for them. They'll get more business from our neighbors when they see the trucks about town or for catering. And it was fast and easy for us. The kids always have a great time. We chatted with lots of people we knew, and met a lot more. It was a nice neighborhood get together. We have a good area. The neighborhood watch guy is very active with emails. He alerts us not only to suspicious activity, break-ins, etc., but keeps us informed about things that affect us like cell towers. He keeps us up on local activities, school plans, and activities of residents in our subdivision, like musicians or artists. He also lets people advertise furniture for giveaways, or missing dogs and cats. It keeps us close and informed in a very positive way. It's a very pleasant and short dalliance with people we hardly ever see or don't know, but are within blocks of us. Worthwhile event. |
| Still my favorite night for TV. I re-watched one of favorite episodes of The Virginian tonight. It gets better every time. The woman looked prettier than I recall. The hero wasn't quite as pretty. But it was still very romantic in the end. True love, pure love, all that corny stuff that makes you feel like the world is a happy, wonderful place. The true wild west may not have been quite like that, with a few exceptions. This story actually takes place about the time Wyoming was becoming a state. Women got the right to vote there before any other state. They also had the first woman governor. The cattle drives were just about at an end by the time of this story. The railroad had pretty much covered the country. The range wars were still going on. There was a stark contrast between the big cities and the ranches and small towns. Tonight's episode had some outlaws who hid out with cow punchers, like outlaws work in construction these days--no background checks. But the true story was about a woman living on her own land without help, and a deaf mute. Both were alone and lonesome, misunderstood and proud. They needed each other. They were hard-working and honest. He asked her to marry him, not in words, of course. They made each other happy. She talked enough for both of them. He aroused empathy without making so much as a grunt. She seemed like a genuinely decent, caring person. Three times through it, and I still enjoyed it. It gets five stars from me. |
| I finally caught the movie The Forbidden Planet from 1956. It was on TCM and was halfway done when I found it. I was in time to see the famous brain of the planet and super subway system with the innovative special props for that time. They're mild by today's standards, but they worked. The surprising part is that the story actually makes sense. It was not as far-fetched or corny as I expected. It is still a classic Sci-Fi movie. I really wanted to see 22 year old James Drury, who is now 81. But he must have been killed off early. Or he could have been killed in the battle I witnessed, but didn't know which he was. I did see Anne Francis. She was just window dressing; you know the pretty blond in the short skirts, innocent, but not an intelligent participant. Leslie Nielsen was the commander. I wouldn't have recognized him, if I hadn't been looking for him. He's one of those blessed men who got better looking with age. Walter Pidgeon was the mad doctor who dies in the end. I highly recommend it, if you like Sci-Fi or the history of film. I hope they'll run it again, so I can see the first part and young Drury. |
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