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 My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| The growing fiasco in Hollywood and the entertainment industry raises a lot of questions. One is how many women gave in to the demands and pressures? Are they that desperate for fame and fortune? How did so many creeps get away with it for so long? What finally broke the dam of secrets? Isn't this the stereotype that a lot of us had in mind anyway? Did the women encourage or silently allow it? Were there no decent men who were aware of these antics who were willing to be real men and stand up to them? Are some of these women willing to admit that they never would have gotten the part if they hadn't given in to some creep? Are there some better actors who were turned down because they didn't submit? How did these men get away with it for so long, without fear of reprisal? Did some of the women encourage or tease the men into thinking they had a chance? No doubt, it will take a long time to sort it out. Think of all the movies where women allowed themselves to be exploited on camera. They didn't have good roles; they were just willing to be naked or fondled, almost as a backdrop, but not essential to the story. What were the men wearing? What were they doing? They weren't exploited, for sure. These movies were made, directed, filmed by men, for men. The women who participated weren't helping women or women's rights. They were just getting a paycheck. Pardon my prudishness. I think it's time to reconsider what we want to see in movies, how we let the men treat the women in the movies, and how women are viewed. In turn, movies and TV influence the culture. Despite women's lib, and attempts at equal pay and representation, women are objectified in entertainment and our culture as much, if not more, than ever. One issue to consider is how women dress. The red carpet look is not the every day look. Newscasters don't need short skirts or low cut tops to report the news. If the men are in business suits, the woman should wear something of a similar nature. If three sportscasters are wearing tie and jacket, why would the female reporter be standing there in an evening dress with a slit up to her hip and her leg poked out in front? If a man wore a tight tank top, sandals and tight shorts, we'd be repulsed at the news or weather or sports. Why should a woman do it? Situation comedies don't need to do so much body shaming or revealing, unless it involves a fashion show or ball room dancing. Jack and Will need to spend less time talking about or touching Grace's boob, and prove they have other issues in their lives. Since Hollywood moguls and criminals can't control themselves, women need to cover up a tad more and be more wary of story lines as well as wardrobe. Hopefully, the general public will wake up and objectify women less. Maybe more women will get into those positions of power, unseating the men. Encourage your daughters to become directors and producers, not just actors and rock stars. Let them dress appropriately for where they are going. Strangers don't need to be gawking at their bodies. Let something good come out of this mess. |
| There's a show on INSP that I love to watch. It's a half hour show devoted to a different state each week. Taylor Hicks, a singer, is the amiable host. They try to pick out the most iconic food from each state, starting with an appetizer, and ending with dessert. Taylor samples the dishes, helps to prepare them, and sometimes to fish or hunt for the ingredients. For example, last season California was featured. I can't remember all categories, but they showcased avocados, almonds, and artichokes. I guess they got stuck at the beginning of the alphabet. Almost all artichokes in the USA come from California. Taylor had to go to the fields and harvest the artichokes, which involves tossing them into a pack on your back. Various cooks prepare each dish, so you only see them one at a time. There is never a whole meal at once. In Oregon, the main dish was the Dungeness crab, which he had to fetch himself. A side dish involved hunting for truffles which are buried in moist, sandy soil in the woods. These truffles are mixed into a macaroni and cheese. In maryland, the main dish was the blue crab, steamed, not boiled. The side dish was oyster stew. This is served with beaten biscuits. The dough has no yeast or leavening. It is beaten literally until it rises. Minnesota featured a strange mushroom, that we can't get in my part of the world. They promise it has a hearty, earthy flavor. They saute it in butter and use as an appetizer. The side is a potato batter flat bread from Northern Europe. It's cooked on a griddle like a pancake, handled carefully, and rolled up. It's eaten plain. Taylor had to make his own, and it took a lot of practice. Today I watched the Washington state episode. The appetizer is made of geoduck (pronounced gooey duck-that's how they tell if you're a stranger). It's a type of clam (a bivalve) that has been planted in the mud along the ocean.When they're a few years old, you have to dig elbow deep into the mud and feel around. This weird looking thing comes up out of the mud. There are lots of recipes for it, cooked and raw. For the state plate, they sliced up the clean geoduck and mixed it with salad greens and edible flowers. The main dish was salmon. There are several types in Washington. They catch them as they swim back from Alaska. Each has a slightly different flavor. The fisherman feathered favored the coho, which is what Taylor hooked from the boat. For the side dish, he picked apples from this cool place. A city bought a small orchard that was about to be closed. Now it's a public orchard and park, featuring concerts, cider pressing, and fairs. They have several varieties of apples, which they mixed to make stewed apples outdoors. It sounds like the recipe my grandmother used on the east coast, apples, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. That was the side dish. Dessert was a cream tart with freshly picked raspberries. Taylor showed us how to pick a good raspberry. Washington produces about 90% of America's raspberries. To go with the tart, he showed how to make expresso one cup at a time. Washington is known its blends of coffee and pressing specialties. There's even an art to how you add the milk. I would love to have a book with all 50 states. Not only do you get some food ideas and recipe overviews, you learn about your country the way you never did in school. I'm already guessing what he'll feature for my state. |
| Yes, I am one of those people who lets the answering machine screen my phone calls. Most of my calls are just sale calls, so I don't want to talk to them. There's also the drug store just calling my dad to let him know his prescription is ready. I switched to text messages on my cell for my drugs, so that's reduced a few calls. I'm tired of all the Medicare supplement calls, the mortgage calls, election polls,charity drives, etc. We have our insurance handled. No one here has any credit card debt. The mortgage has been zero for over a decade. I discovered that when you give to a charity, they are never satisfied, but will call you every six weeks or so for more.I'd rather have junk mail, but that costs the beggars more than automated calls. I can choose my own charities without random calls. For voting matters, I'd prefer to have something in writing, so that I can think about it. These calls tend to come at inconvenient times and always last too long. I have become a person who hangs up, not only on computerized calls, but even live callers, no apologies. If it's someone I with whom I want to talk, like the doctor's office, I'll pick up. If I miss the call, and there's a message, and I'll call back. I want the insurance people, the credit card companies, the debt companies and other solicitors to back off. Phone solicitation is one of my pet peeves. I never give out my cell phone to anyone but friends and doctors (and the drug store). Yet, most of my missed calls are from long distance unknown callers--solicitors who don't know me. I'm just a random number. At least the home phone is on some sales list for home owner, retailer, age related, or political party. (Like everyone over 50 needs a security tag, insurance, a reverse mortgage, or incontinence products.) If you call me, identify yourself and wait: I might run to the phone before you hang up. |
| For cat lovers, change that to More Purr, Less Hiss. I heard that's a bumper sticker. Doesn't it make sense? We live in a glass half empty world. It feels so much better when someone comes along and reminds us that the glass is half full. How uplifting! Everywhere we turn, there are negative reports, negative attacks. No one can say anything without being taunted, or someone reading something else into the remark. I've seen a change in our culture in my lifetime. I remember when Cheers was a popular new TV show. I didn't like it when I finally saw it. The characters were always insulting one another, and the audience laughed at the rude remarks. The public loved it, and the show was a mass hit. Eventually, I saw enough reruns to realize there was camaraderie beneath the surface. However, TV writers kept going. Everyone became fair game for attacks, with no warm, fuzzy feelings in the background. Since those days, we have advanced in cell phones, everyone has email access, and the social media has blossomed. Snide remarks, or snarks, are commonplace throughout society. The Cheers characters were "snarky" before the word existed. With modern media, we make our snarks without putting our faces to it, and it gets easier each time. We are able to bully people without any personal risk. We're reaching the point where snarks are the norm, not the exception. Late night comedians hold no one sacred. Prime time shows, with school children still up, are setting the norms for behavior. Being rude and insulting is socially acceptable. We complain constantly and look for problems where none exist. We are becoming extremely whiny, maybe globally. The rich and the pampered are not exempt from the complaining. Wouldn't it be great to hear a professional football player say, "Hey, I'm really happy. I'm lucky enough to be well paid for doing a job I love. I have a lot of fans who want my picture. I get to take care of my family. I love life. I'm happy to play by the rules and live up to my fans' expectations because I get so much in return." I'd like to hear any celebrity admit that they don't always agree with our leaders, but that he or she feels privileged to live in a place where he can voice disagreement and have some input, instead of tearing things down. I'd like to hear some immigrants or naturalized citizens say that they are thankful to be in a place they feel safe and free; maybe they're homesick, but they're glad to be away from the oppression and the danger. We all could use a little more wag and less bark. In the workplace, the market place, the home, or on the campus, we could use more cheer and less griping. We need a lot more forgiveness, more grace, and understanding. Our social media could stand a little more purring and less hissing. |
| All the stores now feature Christmas lights. Before purchasing, notice where they are made. Almost all are made in China. You might want to think about taking that bargain. These lights are made with child labor. No volunteer labor, or after school jobs, but all day long for six or seven days a week under hard task masters and for very little money. Our bargains are being paid for with the forced labor of children. If you don't like this idea, you might want alternative lighting or forego them altogether. Lights made anywhere else are very expensive and hard to find. Proper storage of lights you already have could eliminate the need to replace them so often. When making your holiday plans, be sure to list some local charity for money, toys or clothes. And don't forget the food bank, not just for the holidays, but all winter. When canned peas go on sale, buy a case and take to the local food bank, for example. This not only makes you feel like a part of the community, but it sets a great example for children and grandchildren. Some communities have a shoe drive, or a drive for hats and gloves. You might have given up Christmas cards or only do it for business associates because of postage rates. But consider all the people you know who are sick or elderly. A card could go a long way for a relative you haven't seen in ages, or the person in the neighborhood who doesn't get out much any more. Personally, I'm going to contribute gifts to the Women's Correctional Center through my church, and participate in my neighborhood association in playing Santa to several children in the local schools. I support the food bank with a check so they can buy in bulk, and a few other things through various groups. I'm planning now, so that I won't miss any deadlines. As for the lights, I love to look at them. I was dazzled by Kansas City where the white strands are on all year long. But I just can't bring myself to buy lights that are made in China. |
| I have on occasion done my weekly goals here at WDC. It's harder going back on Friday to note how I did. The end of the week always seems so much more rushed and hectic. I probably accomplish more early in the week trying to get ahead of the bog down, unless I'm sick or hurt. For WDC, I try to concentrate on goals that are at least indirectly related to writing. I focus on writing, reading, computer maintenance, organizing my work space/desk, and anything that could hinder or enhance my writing accomplishments. For example, if I have to clean the furniture before company comes, or if I've committed to baking something for some organization or person, then those things take away my reading and writing time.They go on my WDC goals. If those things are only because I want to do them, or they can be delayed, they don't go on my WDC list, but on my private list. If it's time to clean out the linen closet, that goes on my private list because I can put that off. I don't include routine things like choir practice on either list. I'm trying to spend a little more effort on my private list. I include things like not eating in front of the TV, although I do like to drink tea or water while watching. I'm trying to substitute fruit for snacks instead of crackers or cheese. Increasing exercise time or repetitions, weeding the flower beds, these are my private goals. Thinking positively whenever I start to worry about something is a private goal. I try not to think of the goals list as a "to do" list. That's for holiday prep or shopping errands. My private goals are about taking care of me and/or my surroundings. Many sources tell you to write down your goals, including the Mayo Clinic. I have found that I need two categories, one for short term, and one for ongoing. The WDC goals are a Monday through Friday deal. My short term personal goals are more like Sunday night through Saturday night with daily additions or mark-offs. The longer term are more obvious, like finish a novel, lose ten pounds, lower cholesterol, complete an on-line class, glean out more old stuff from closets, or whatever. I bought some notebooks at a cheap sale (the kids keep using all my paper to draw), so one is by my bed just for goals or other notes to myself. I'm sure I'll keep refining the process. One of the goals in keeping goals is to be more organized and feel on top of things. I don't want to stagnate. |
| We had a community gospel jam at my church last night, with a potluck supper. It was the smallest crowd of our evening concert series. The others had performers, both classical and family oriented. This one was just a singalong or playalong. However, no one brought band instruments or guitars. We did have some tambourines and percussion. We did requests with one guitarist and harpsichordist. The potluck was great. Better than a lot of restaurant buffets. Pies, bread, and drinks were furnished. The decorations were outstanding. I got so many ideas. Each table had a unique centerpiece(s). All the serving tables had special decor. I came home inspired, wanting to bake and to decorate. Of course, we had no need for baking, and no one to eat it. But I turned to decorating. I had a glass block like the ones the decorators used, but I have done anything but use it as a odd shaped vase (It's a glass block for walls, like a brick.) They had one filled with yellow cellephane strips and a fall themed bow on top. Another had something orange in it, with pumpkin eyes and a mouth glued to the front. I washed mine, crumpled a sheet of burnt orange tissue paper in it, and shoved in some autumn colored fake roses I've used before. Then I found some new potpourri, apple scented, in the gift wrap drawer that has been there for years. I used that to fill in around and above the tissue paper and to prop up the roses. The fragrance is fading but not gone; my hands smelled great after handling the potpourri. I think it looks cute. I rearranged the mantle in the dining room, putting my vase in the corner, three scarecrows in the middle, other little pumpkins and flowers along the length of it. In the other corner, I put a clear glass candle holder with a scary looking Halloween creature on top. It balances out, and I'm pleased with the final affect. I have a soft bat hanging from my dining room curtains, a ghost hanging from a living room lamp, and a plush ghost on top the clock case. I hung the skeleton in its usual spot on the garage door in the foyer, and another bat on the inside of the front door. I already had plastic spiders on the covered entry way and inside the foyer. So I'm prepared for children and adult visitors alike. I was sorry I ran out of supplies and figurines. I was ready to go all out. Of course, my mother's voice rings in my ears. You can't decorate until you have it clean. So doors, windows, and furniture were cleaned first. I'm up for weeding and raking next. It takes so little to make me happy. |
| The movie marathon was a disappointment. The very first one was one I had seen only a month or two ago. The true star was Richard Burton, and Eastwood a sidekick with little acting to do. Where Eagles Dareis a World War II story set in snow covered Alps with a lot of unexpected twists. I just didn't want to watch it again so soon, so I found other things to do. The next one is the very familiar Kelly's Heroes. Granted I didn't see it until it was an oldie, but I encountered it a few years go and it has been run frequently on cable. In it, Donald Sutherland plays a hippie type character who seems more typical of the 60's than the 40's. Dad had it turned on for a few minutes before supper, and I could hear his voice in the kitchen. I knew exactly what was going on; so I was glad I wasn't watching that one either. We watch Jeopardy almost every night. So by the time I tuned into the marathon once more, I caught the end of Dirty Harry. You know the lines about the Magnum 44 and "You have to ask yourself if you feel lucky." Long pause "Well, do ya? (pause)Punk?" The lines are so often quoted that they are easily recognizable. They become the opening lines of Magnum Force without the punk question. So that one I watched in its entirety. It wasn't a bad story. It wasn't a great story. There wasn't a lot of great acting. It obviously captivated the viewing public. He played a good cop (he may have been brutal and didn't play by the rules, but he was honest). I think at the bottom line, we want to see the good guy win, even if he's no saint. We want to see good triumph over evil. Maybe we have degrees of good and evil. Hal Holbrook, the boss, was a corrupt cop, which we don't find out until the end. David Soul is a bad cop, and we suspect that the moment we first see him. Tim Mattheson is a bad cop, but he comes across as so sweet and kind that we don't want to believe it until we know for sure. When he was killed/sacrificed, it made me sad, because I have learned to like him for his cowboy roles. Since he was charming and amiable in this role, it felt like a loss. The last one in the marathon was The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, which I feel like I know by heart. So the only movie I watched was Magnum Force. However, I was caught up in my crocheting and had a tangle in my yarn. I turned off the TV and sat in the quiet for hours rolling a large skein into a ball and fighting knots. After all that, I ended up cutting it with the scissors. The fibers had gotten entwined somehow and it was threading through itself. I was getting cross-eyed and tired, but was determined to get it straight. It gave me lots of time for thinking about a lot of topics. Apparently, I am at peace with my own company. |
| I am newly retired. It's been one week, but the first week, my back was out and I could hardly move. I spent my time in pain, so I'm not counting it. Now I can get in and out of bed without screaming or using a cane. I can do some household tasks carefully. As long as I avoid sudden jerks or turns, I'm okay. You don't realize how much you use your back until you hurt it. Even reaching for the salt shaker makes your spine hurt. (I have two vertebrae rubbing together, pinching a disc right at my waist.) Yesterday, I did make it to church and a large committee meeting. At home, I only had to warm up the food I prepared the day before for company for a late lunch or early dinner. There were three children there, all misbehaving at some point. I managed much better than I did the week before, but had limitations. So retirement has started slowly, not as happily as I had planned. Today, the Sundance channel is running an Eastwood marathon starting at one. I've never been a fan, but I have been interested in westerns in the last few years. I'm afraid the movies running today are not timeless or westerns, but are very dated fluff pieces. I hope the chimpanzee movies are not included. I don't know if enough time has passed for shows from the 70's and 80's to be interesting. I never cared for Dirty Harry or shows like that. However, I'm going to try today. I'm going to watch the clothing styles, free swinging lifestyles which already seem outdated, and crazy hairstyles. We lived through those flashy shallow things, so it shouldn't be so hard to watch them now. To prepare for this and be guilt free, I have answered all my email, swept and mopped, and have dinner planned. I'm going to crochet while I watch. My break will be for fresh raw vegetables, no salty snacks.I will become a connoisseur of old movies, even bad ones. Hopefully, this is just a slow start to a new chapter in my life, and not indicative of how I will be living. |
| Okay, I watched a movie in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. And I don't feel guilty about it. It is an old movie, but I had never seen it before, which is hard to believe. "A Fistful of Dollars" did not ring any bells for me; none of it was familiar, so I'm certain that I have never been conned into watching it by my ex-husband, a pretty big Eastwood fan. I've seen many others, but not this one. And I was surprised by how much I liked it. My first thought early in the movie was that they certainly made a handsome man look ugly. I know it's stage make-up, but in real life, you'd expect someone who looked that bad to smell bad, too, not considering cigar smoke. Then I wondered if he did his own stunts or some of them. As he hauled himself over a wall and came over the other side, I thought, 'It had to be a pretty tall stunt man.' Then, I noticed all the bad guys in those famous close-up shots Leone is known for. The setting was south of the border in Mexico. They all had blue eyes and beautiful white teeth. What a great dentist in that poor little town. All the criminals had straight, even white teeth. They could have been models, tall models. But, of course, it was a spaghetti western. The bad guys (almost all the characters were bad guys) were Italian, German, or Spanish. Only the barkeep bore some resemblance to a Mexican who may have had some Indian blood. The casket maker was the only merchant in town making money and he looked like a real working man, not handsome. We never saw his teeth. Those two were the closest to sidekicks to the Man With No Name, the "Americano". They both helped him; however, neither had a strong role like his sidekicks in the sequels. There was no good guy. The leading character was a drifter who stirred up the feuding families and led them into killing each other off. He did do a favor for a small family who had been victimized because they reminded him of someone else. In the end, he rode off without the money he had given away. The undertaker did call out "Joe" a few times near the end, and I couldn't decide if he was calling Eastwood's character or not. This was a revisionist western, in that the lead actor is not really a hero, and a lot of violence is depicted. There are cold-hearted and ruthless actions which suit today's audiences. Revisionist westerns did not replace traditional westerns as people thought at the time. In fact, today there is a renewed interest and following of traditional westerns. Those traditional movies, the John Wayne type, were not meant to portray accurately American history, but to be morality plays. Audiences want to see good conquer evil. They want to know what the ideal is. There is a place for both kinds of westerns, and they should exist side by side, for the thinking public. The music for this one is good, but not as overpowering and legendary as it becomes in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. |
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