ending on a high note!

And tomorrow, I'll be doing it one more time!

I speak of my AMC A*List trio, which will be done for me until next year.

Of course, "next year" is only as far away as this weekend, so... no big whoop!

That title is a pun, by the way.

The second of the two movies seen today - and the one destined to be seen in the company of my first niece and her toddlers - was "Sing 2", and it was phenomenal, beginning and ending with two different musicals!

Seriously!!!

The first was "Alice In Wonderland", at the Moon Theatre, with them hoping to impress and win a slot in the competition at Redshore City, a Las Vegas-style place that only further encouraged my desire to go there in 2022.

(Hey, it's been four years and that's my periodicity for that locale.)

The second musical performed was a delicious bit of science fiction titled "Out Of This World" (though its flavor reminded me of "The Little Prince" opera).

That came complete with aerobatics and interstellar travel and Bono!!!

Yes! That famous singing Irishman, Bono!

(smile!)

Truly one of the best movies I've seen this month!

"Journal For Jordan" was also magnificent, tracking historical events from the first part of this century, as well as containing life lessons from a father to his son. I think Michael B. Jordan just may have already had a special place in my heart, and this cinched it.

So, that's 2 for this 4th week of December's A*List, with another "Sing 2" to close it out.

What about the rest of this month?

Well, that's been a lot of "miss", more so than "hit".

Sure, I've seen my trio of freebies for three of the four weeks.

Sure, I've seen some good ones that I might well revisit in the lean weeks to come.

But, for sure I've seen some that were hugely disappointing.

"House Of Gucci" and "Spencer" fall into that latter category, with both being utter failures in my book, giving their leading ladies naught more to do than pout and pose.

Seriously... what rubbish.

To add insult to injury, Kristin Stewart was in a movie that sounded and behaved like it was a horror fest, not a tale from the book of a Princess.

What a ghastly bit of nonsense.

As for Lady Gaga, all she did was show that she can act like Italian trailer park trash.

What a misuse of talent.

"True To The Game 3" was a soap opera, following the lives of a drug-dealing family - entertaining for one viewing, but not to see again.

"National Champions" was a bit of football fiction about college athletes - that would have been more compelling if it was based on fact.

Speaking of football, "American Underdog" was actually a very good film, tracking the rise of 'Pop' Warner, who had taken a break after college, losing his momentum toward his dream of going pro, but who managed to keep hope alive until the breaks came his way.

Hey, getting that Super Bowl XXXIV ring was a big deal... and I saw that game!

Well, on tv, of course, at one of several Super Bowl parties I attended, back in the day.

(smile!)

So, that's two fashion faux pas, two football flicks, and one drug family.

There was also "West Side Story", but I've covered that one.

That means there's only the third week of December remains for its tale to be told.

(smile!)

Well, that started off well, though quite dark, with "Nightmare Alley"... which has already had its space in this blog.

(I'm not adverse to seeing it again, mind, especially if my nephew Zach wants to go. We spoke of it at Thanksgiving, so I know he'll like it.)

The next one, "The King's Man", has also received words here, and I have zero intention of ever, ever, ever watching it again.

The third of that third week's trio was "Spider-Man: No Way Home", which is wrongly titled in several regards, not the least of which being that Peter Parker is just a teen boy and so should be called 'Spider-Boy', at least until he's 18.

Seriously.

It was pretty cool to have the multi-verse pulled into this live-action Marvel film, rather than just in the animated world, but that raised a lot of questions for the after-effects of the major changes made to people before they were returned to their home timelines.

The first part of the movie made me glad to have never had teenagers in my life, but it also made me a bit frustrated with the dumb decisions being made.

The last part of the movie was quite touching and showed the importance of surrounding yourself with people who know and love you... and the extreme loss when those people are no longer present in that capacity.

Nice touch to have Tobey Macguire in this one!

I'll try to see it again... but I may not.

It's another stupidly long movie, for no good reason.

I tell you what: give me the editing shears and I'll be glad to trim it up to a fair fighting weight, rather than the ungainly heading-to-3-hours mass it now has.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: movies don't need to be more than two hours.

Now, "Masters Of Illusion" is on and I want a bit of magic in my life!

(smile!)

finding a bit of peace with Mama

i thank You, God, for ghosts.

Let me rephrase that.

Rather, allow me to add a bit of punctuation to make my point.

"Ghosts" is a new situation comedy on one of the regular networks, a show that brings me laughter and ease and distraction.

How did I even get started with it?

"Free Guy".

Yes, I credit the movie I saw 9 times with my attraction to this show.

How so?

That was my introduction to Utkarsh Ambudkar, aka 'Mouser' in the movie I so love, aka 'Jay the chef' in this new favorite show.

I loved his computer-nerd character in the movie, but I even more love his straight-man character in "Ghosts".

Here's the setup: his wife is able to see, and communicate with, the spirits inhabiting this old mansion bequeathed to her, but he cannot... until this time around.

In this week's episode, Jay gets mildly electrocuted in the presence of Heddy, a prim and proper matron who's been dead since the 1890's, and that enables her to 'share' his body.

Add in that Enrico Colantoni (the photographer in "Just Shoot Me") is there as a wedding planner, checking out the mansion before approving it as a wedding destination, and that includes sampling the planned menu that Jay will present to at the reception.

Heddy goes full-tilt boogie crazy from the aromas and starts sampling every food in the house! That's because, as a ghost, she hasn't been able to taste food for more than 130 years... and she takes full advantage of his taste buds!

It was hilarious!

Her new favorite food?

Cheetos, aka "liquid sunshine", which just so happened to be the favorite food of the killer in the episode of "Psych" I watched on Tuesday!

Right place, right time, twice!

I enjoyed this episode so much, I watched it twice, back to back.

And just which episode was it?

The 10th one, of this first season.

The 10th.

Most def right time, right place.

 

Then I gathered up birthday gifts and went to Greenwich to visit Mama.

She would have been 84 years old today.

Instead, she is permanently 63, the age acquired at her last birthday, the age I now am.

I had looked forward to singing The Beatles' song with her, the one about "When I'm 64", but that time didn't come quickly enough.

Today, I brought her the purple-striped pinwheel, to allow her to communicate - talking, laughing, singing! - through use of the air.

(smile)

The 'permanent' metal flower, with the red core petals surrounded by an outer ring of orange petals, was also a gift to her.

Someone else had brought the Christmas decor, as well as moved the seashells over to the left side of her marker.

I very much like it.

I'll have to remember to bring a plastic bag with me the next time, to gather up the bits and pieces of neighboring flower displays.

Nice and tidy is how she always liked things.

(smile) 

After the cemetery closed, I made my way southside at a leisurely pace.

She and I had a movie date.

Today was the opening of the remake of one of her favorite musicals!

Right place, right time, again.

Get this: Rita Moreno had a featured role in this new one, too, as well as a song she performed solo!

My thanks to Steven Spielberg.

He had stayed true to the feel of the 1961 "West Side Story", making it quite a bit grittier this time around, as well as rearranging the song order... and I liked it.

Two of the songs in particular - "Cool" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" - I thought worked even better in their new placement later in the movie, as well as the new settings for the tunes.

I'll be seeing this one again, I know.

And just what is that wrapped around my shoulders?

It's my shawl from Panama, purchased more than forty years ago.

Somehow, it felt like the right one today, even though I haven't worn it in many years.

I tended to save it for special occasions... and today was certainly one of those.

I love you, Mama...

now...

still...

always.

ambigram - that's a word?

Yep, as much of a word as ambivalent or ambidextrous.

That "ambi-" is from the Latin "ambo", which means "both", as in someone who is ambidextrous uses both hands equally well.

As for "-gram", that would refer to a something visual, such as a written word or drawing.

This particular prefix and base were not combined as a single, unique, word until 1983, when the physicist philosopher Donald Hofstadter did so to describe his art.

Therefore, the word "ambigram" is the same age as my first niece (Christina), my eldest niece (Christy), and my first nephew (Stephen).

(That helps to put it into perspective for me.)

So, why the fuss today over such a thing?

Well, here is the reason: today's date, in numeric form with the year fully expressed and with month and day expressed in two-digit format and excluding any punctuation, is not only a palindrome, but is also an ambigram.

It doesn't matter how one reads it - left to right, right to left, right-side up or upside-down - the numbers come out with the same exact meaning.

Admittedly, the font does matter, and using a sans serif helps make it true.

Take a little time, play with it, even set it up to read vertically instead of horizontally.

The result is the same: 12 02 2021 = 1202 20 21, spaces inserted to make my point.

How did I mark the occasion?

For my dinner, I created an Italian favorite, using a favorite Greek soup, as well as leftovers from Tuesday!

First, I heated up the Progresso Chicken With Orzo & Lemon, which is a pretty quick and easy version of Avgolemono soup.

I added some chopped spinach - 'cause I love them veggies! - and more lemon juice, to brighten the taste.

Then I tore the two pieces of bread from Truffles into pieces that were about one inch square.

When the soup was boiling, I threw in the bread, stirred, and turned off the heat - it was done!

Ribollita was my reward, as it had been when I first supped on it in Siena - magnifica!

And what did I do for entertainment?

I watched "Annie" 'with' Christina!

'Tis the holiday season and so the local channels are wooing our attention with fabulous specials... and this beloved musical, with its current Broadway cast, was on ABC - hooray!!!

I could certainly sense Mama's presence, joining in with us as we texted back and forth.

I'm sure she approved of this stage version, even though some of its songs were different from those in the movie that had Carol Burnett.

A musical is a musical is a musical, and this was certainly that, especially with Harry Connick, Jr., as Daddy Warbucks!

What a sweet surprise when I realized the older, stouter, bald, man was that crooner!

Guess how I finally knew it was him?

I had closed my eyes to listen to the voice and thought it sounded like that of Mel Torme, though I knew he had died years ago.

And, justthatfast, I had the correct identity!

Very nice, very nice!

So glad that first niece was able to join me tonight!

i thank You, God.

vcrs lvng thru aunt t, vol 4

Nothing like a hearty meal to fuel the day's adventures, eh, matey?

And nothing like mixing it up between two cultures to stoke me engines for the fun in store!

That be Chicken Teriyaki from Asian shores, surrounded by a sea of Italian green beans - aye, and mighty filling it was!

The movie of the day was "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan", a tale of a swashbuckler if ever there was one!

Then, off in search of the Self Family Arts Center!

Oops, that would be the Performing Arts Center, as it now be known, and that Jamaican lass down by the road is guarding the entrance.

No fears, my name be on the list of those allowed, granting my dear blue Saturn safe passage!

Now, to retrieve my ticket for the night's musical, then seek other entertainment betwixt this moment and show time.

And there it be, not ten minutes away by foot: Pirate's Island Adventure Golf!

Would ye look at that mighty ship, stripped down to its bones, with naught but bones to steer it!

Of the two routes at hand, Blackbeard's Original Adventure was the one for me, beckoning me toward its many green-jeweled tiers and the treasure that lay all about - aye, that's the one for me!

What, ho, why is that butterfly-bedecked bag atop the post?

Oh, aye, that be with me, in case my spectacles be needed later tonight.

On to the mini-golf adventures at this Pirate's Island in Shelter Cove!

Here, Blackbeard lore and history abounded at each hole, with tales to shock and amaze!

This be the sight after the fifth hole, of the man lost to the perils of going over the waterfall in a barrel - perhaps not of his own will, eh?

Aye!

And the sixth hole was on top of the waterfall!

Oohs! Aahs!

Not to be outdone, Lucky 13 had a few loopy hills for thrills.

Aye, that be my little pink ball on the green, and it went into the hole with just two strokes, too.

That meant I had par for three holes in a row!

And what be here?

No, me wee lass, that was not mickey mouse incognito!

Perhaps it was a tattered heart of a battered pirate?

Or, then again, maybe it was simply hole 14, with a Par 2 rating... which was made with aplomb by yours truly!

That be a mighty fine first shot, was it not, that landed me 'tween the hard place, the rock, and the cup?

That made a fourth par, with a fifth on the next, and birdies on the 16th and 17th!

Aye, I was feeling mighty full of meself by this time.

No wiggle room on this last hole, though!

That cannon doubled my strokes - ack!

Even so, my score on the last half of the course was four strokes better than that of the first half.

Then 'twas time to bid farewell to the good Captain and thank him for the use of his land.

How kind of his henchmen to have scattered those bits of lore hither and yon, to brighten the knowledge and perhaps even scare children to behave - bwah ha ha!

Now, time to slip on those Kinky Boots and meander back over to where my car held my spot.

Show starts in thirty minutes and I have a protein bar to wolf down to tame my hunger!

No refreshments will be here and face coverings are to be worn at all times to keep the actors and crew safe from harm - bravo to that fine lot!

And would ye look at that lovely sight!

I had thought when I bought the ticket that there would be a row in front of me... but I am right there at the edge of the stage!

No blokes in front of me to block me view!

And doesn't it look like that backdrop just stepped out of the movie for this busy, vibrant woman?

It truly does, doesn't it!

How blessed I am to have this fabulously-scored musical drop into my lap for my last day of  vacation on Hilton Head!

i thank You, God!

a breath of normalcy

I wasn't sitting in the second row, as I have in years past, but I was still right there, at the Savannah Children's Theatre, for their annual production of "A Charlie Brown Christmas".

I had been seated about six rows back, in the middle of the row, with no one near me for at least two rows or six seats...

and we were all wearing our face coverings the entire time, as were the cast members on stage.

After all, the pandemic still rages all around us, twice as fiercely as it did during the summer's height. 

What great joy to have this little musical being performed as always at this time of year!

What a great blessing to have this night as one of those in the schedule!

What a wondrous coincidence to have been seated at a space for two...

not the one they knew was coming...

so I could feel Mama's presence there with me.

After all, today was her birthday.

She would have been 83.

After the play, which included, as it always does, the sing-along with Christmas carols afterward, I waited for most of the others to disperse.

There was no crowd of people in the lobby this year, waiting to greet the little stars and take them home.

However, the manager was giving out parting gifts: a jar of ingredients for hot cocoa, a tree ornament to decorate, a wrap bracelet with a holiday-style Snoopy, and a craft kit...

all the things that would have been part of the pre-show merriment during a normal year.

(smile!)
My many thanks, y'all, for helping make my season bright...

and for saving a space for my mom.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

not the elf you're looking for, on skates

How nice to be treated to a new musical - and on network tv, to boot!

Of course, that meant 'mercials after every musical number, so there was that.

Nonetheless, "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical" added a different cheerful note - yes, pun intended! - to this day spent wrapping gifts for my Alabama kin!

The story unfolded as a tale narrated by the Grinch's faithful mutt, Max, now an old dog.

It began fairly true to the original 1966 holiday classic, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", with the sight of the cheerful Whovians and remarking upon the green one's distaste toward the Whoville residents.

(Remember, this all unfolds inside a dandelion wish-puff first found by Horton.)

Soon enough we're seeing the Grinch done up in his Santa suit, huge horn attached to poor Max's head.

However, this time the reason isn't some abstract hatred of the Whos and Christmas, but due to a kindness gone awry.

Little Cindy Lou made a banner to make him feel included: "MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIEND".

Unfortunately, the wind had knocked loose the 'R' in that last word, so he read "MERRY CHRISTMAS FIEND" instead and took umbrage, setting out to ruin the season for those in the village.

And he is well on his way to doing so, too, replete with the classic "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" song running alongside during his exploits.
Then, Cindy Lou awakes as he is taking away the faulty tree "with a light out on one side".

She sings a sweet ballad of inclusion to the solitary creature, as Max cowers under the table, then she toddles back to bed and the wrong-doers finish their work and ride off to Mount Crumpet to...

well, to dump it...

hahahaha!

 

Only, just as in the book and the televised tale from my youth, the Grinch doesn't trash their stuff.

Just as before, he hears joyful singing on that Christmas morning, after a dawn that revealed the loss of the toys and decor and foodstuffs.

Why were they singing???

Max knew, of course!

No one needs stuff to make a celebration sweet - you just need the company of those you love!

Amen, little dog!

Now, what was it about elves - rather, creatures who weren't elfish - on roller skates?
Well, that was during this post-epiphany scene, after he'd returned all the stuff he'd taken and the grateful Whovians invited him to partake of their celebration!

I'm not sure what type of creatures the two in red were - I'd say Oompah Loompahs if their skin had been orange - but they are most def not elves.

Pretty sure about that!

(smile!)

carpenters, cobblers, and cops, oh, my!

This is how I'll be ending this evening: in the company of police officers Al and John, of the LAPD and the NYPD, respectively.

And why wouldn't I?

The two cops have been my boon companions for the last two nights, perking up my spirits and putting me into a holiday frame of mind!

Before that, I'll have a visit with a cobbler trying to save his father's shoe factory by joining forces with a boxing champion cum drag queen.

No, seriously, that's the plot!

I had never even heard of this musical until I watched it at Asbury Memorial - was it just last year? maybe longer ago? - on a movie night in the community center.

So looking forward to having it on the silver screen at my druge AMC!

(smile!)

(Inside joke for the ex to enjoy!)

Speaking of AMC - the church, I mean, not the cinema - I was sure to be 'there' this morning.

It's the first Sunday of the month, so that means communion!

I had my shortbread cookie - saved since last month's first Sunday - and cup of coffee ready to go!

The service was a bit off for me, though.

I liked that it was about Joseph, the carpenter stepdad of Jesus, but there was a misstep.

Joseph wouldn't have read the Bible - that did not exist, and would not for several hundred years.

Joseph would have been reading the Torah, as he - like Jesus - was Jewish.

It would have still been unusual for a layperson like Joseph to read that religious document, as the rabbis were the ones who did so.

So, to have talked about that point to accentuate the different mindset that Joseph had compared to others of his time would have been a very valid point.

To repeatedly say that he "read the Bible" was untrue.

I think I'll have to take that up with Reverend Hester.

But not right now.

I have a musical to watch... and it will start promptly at 3 PM!

Later!

to watch or not to watch, that is the question

I've been working on a themed film festival at home, just a little something to pass the time and engage the brain, right?

But one of the movies has had me tripped up.

It's not as if the movies all have to be fiction -

no, I already have one documentary viewed and a pseudo-doc in line.

It's not as if the movies all have to contain a central character -

several deal with ensembles with no one person carrying the show.

It isn't even as if the movies all have to have only famous actors -

several that I've watched have had actors I've never heard of and that I doubt anyone in the USA would know.

With so much flexibility, why should any movie give me doubts about its inclusion?

But there was something about "Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby", something that called to me, but also something that pushed me away.

I had even lined up a replacement to use in its stead and had decided not to do so after seeing that one's bad ratings...

which is not something to which I generally give heed.

So, what was the issue with this film?

I remembered having caught bits and pieces of the Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly flick over the last fourteen years since it came on the scene, but not the entire movie.

I very much like John C. Reilly and have enjoyed most of his movies; however, Will Ferrell has been more miss than hit, though I loved him in "Elf".

Might it be the car-racing theme that held no allure for me?

No, that certainly isn't the case.

I've been to car races, locally and elsewhere, and enjoyed them.

"The Art Of Racing In The Rain" was all about such things and I saw that one multiple times, loving it more with each viewing.

Hmm... what about the comedy film was bothering me?

So, I set the puzzle aside and kept it on the list, but still had not watched it.

Tonight, while intermittently washing the dishes and working a cryptogram, I finally realized why I was so reluctant to watch "TN:TBORB".

I have to thank Sally and Jack for helping my brain work through the conundrum.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my favorite movies, one that I have watched countless times since seeing it on the silver screen in 1993.

Part of the draw then had been Danny Elfman, born on my birth date but five years before me.

I was familiar with his band, Oingo Boingo, back in 1983 and 1984 when I was stationed at Imperial Beach in California.

("Weird Science" was one of their most popular tunes.)

If he was doing the music, I was most definitely in!

The other draw for me was Tim Burton, born just three months after I had been.

I was a huge fan of his work, both animated ("Frankenweenie") and live-action ("Beetlejuice", "Edward Scissorhands", and "Batman" as well as "Batman Returns", with Michael Keaton as the very best Dark Knight ever. Period. But that is a discussion for another time.), so I was primed and ready for the long-awaited tale of the overlap of Halloween and Christmas.

Oh, yeah!

I had seen it last night, returned to the big screen this weekend by AMC.

I was blessed to be in the company of the bear and Carolyn, who had never ever seen it.

I went on fb for the first time in more than a week, mostly to post about the movie being in the cinemas.

My Canadian Sue (sort of an outlaw 'sister') told me she had never ever seen it.

(She closed by saying she'd find it and watch tonight.)

This afternoon, good fortune granted me a second viewing, at the other local AMC, this time in the company of Michael and the twins...

and we were not alone in the screening room, either!

I'm glad so many others love this romantic, musical, dark comedy!

I sang along with every song both times, sotto voce of course.

After all, I'm not riffraff.

(Hey, that's an inside joke for the bfrb.)

Michael and the girls dropped me off and I've been home since.

I watched one of the films for this film festival I've scrapped together, but it wasn't "TH:TBORB".

I had meant to pull up that one, I had, but changed my mind, yet again.

Then, moments ago, I realized why I had not watched it.

It all goes back to the day I found out my husband was cheating on me again.

(Yes, I said again, but I don't want to go back to the 1996 episode.

This post has already become quite long enough, thank you.)

That day, the Savannah Sand Gnats were having an away game at the home of the Charleston Riverdogs.

The Gnats had arranged a bus to carry the season ticket holders (which included me!) and their spouses (which included Jeff, who was also the Gnats' announcer) to the South Carolina site for the evening game.

Hooray!

The game actually got rained out, but we still had the trip out of town, with no driving duty for either of us.

Hooray!

But no sooner had we arrived home than Jeff told me he needed to go out to the radio station to take care of something.

It was already after midnight, I asked, couldn't it wait for morning?

No, it could not.

Well, that was okay, I'd ride out there with him, keep him company.

No, I didn't need to do that.

I just want to be with you, baby, I told him... and he relented.

And while he went and did whatever in the control room at the station, I waited for him and sat at his desk...

and saw the fruit-scented whiteboard markers by the landline phone...

and saw the cell phone box under his desk, where I'd kicked off my shoes...

and when I asked him about them, he told me they were a gift...

a gift from a woman in the office, a person he would not name.

I had him take me home, then I told him to find somewhere else to go.

I had known something was amiss, but had thought he had been preoccupied with the recent death of his mom, had hoped that was the reason.

That night had been the beginning of the end of our marriage.

And the movie that had played in the background on the bus, during the three hour drive back to Savannah earlier, had been the one with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

I wonder if, deep in my mind, I associate the divorce with that film?

Maybe that's a reason to watch it, to lay that demon to rest.

'Tis the season for such things...

but I'll wait for the bright light of day.

That's best for dispelling ghosts.