worth getting up at 0330

Please try to bear in mind that I was limited by the capability of my phone to capture images from such a great distance... but I am thrilled to have photos that actually show what was happening!

I had already gotten in bed and was just about to get into snooze position when I realized that I was missing it.

So, I jumped up, threw on pants and shoes, and grabbed my phone.

The time was 3:45 AM.

First, I had to locate the moon, in the sky full of stars.

Ah, there it was, shining down the street as I looked toward my youngest brother's home!

Then I stood, in the cool night air, clicking away as the bright sliver of moon was slowly covered by the reddish brown shadow of my home planet.

Then I stood a while longer, enjoying the view, before misty clouds rolled up and toward it.

I hadn't known anything about the upcoming lunar eclipse until Barbara had mentioned it as we were chatting in the parking lot after the movie.

Hey, I had known this was good timing for me, right?

My odometer had told me so: 220550!

Right place, right time!

But I mistook the mileage as marking a rare outing with mi amiga... and an even rarer, it would seem, filling of my A*List.

I had not hit a trio in weeks.

"Clifford The Big Red Dog" was one I actually watched twice (second time on Wednesday), partly because I missed the start of it that first time on Sunday.

Love all the familiar faces and the "Disney Sunday Movie" feel of it!

"Eternals" was another one I'd missed the start of when I saw it on the 10th. I had found it odd that no one mentioned Ego (from GOTG:V2) as having been a Celestial, but perhaps, as a Living Planet, he was in some different category? I don't see how that could be the case, as he still spilled his seed on the ground of other planets in order to propagate, just as Arishem did. The best part of the movie for me was the reminder of my love of Greek mythology in my youth, as six of the ten Eternals were directly derived from those characters. (Those would be Ajax, Circe, Icarus, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Athena, fyi.)

That third movie was special: a rare Indian film! Here in Savannah and not even screening, surprisingly, at the Royal in Pooler. Beautiful movie, "India Sweets And Spices" is about a mother who has a daughter "just like her" - who reminds her who she once was. And it was actually made in Atlanta!!! I thought that was a hoot!

So, what about past weeks? Why no trios of movies on my AMC dance card?

Well, that would be because of the dearth of new movies shown here.

I made sure to comment about that yesterday, on my latest survey from them.

"The staff always makes feel welcome! They also talked to me about the upcoming movies here in Savannah - hooray!
To me, it's so unfair that tiny Statesboro gets movies that NEITHER of the Savannah cinemas screen. Hope that changes soon! I do not have the time it takes for the 2 1/2-hour (minimum) round trip drive to Statesboro.
Please make sure we are not asked to watch previews for movies that are not destined for Savannah audiences. We have now missed "The French Dispatch", "The Card Counter", "Spencer", and "The Eyes Of Tammy Faye", just to name a few recent movies."

I plan to continue writing such comments on future surveys until change occurs.

We have a total of twenty-one screens here in town - twenty-one!!! - so there truly is no reason why a town with less than 35,000 people is showing popular movies that are not being screened, by the same cinema chain, in a city with nearly 150,000 people.

Come on, AMC, please give us what we want!

Thanks.

This week's roster is quite promising, with four new titles, including this Indian one.

 Looking forward to a full A*List for the second week in a row!

In fact, I'll be seeing "The Youngest Evangelist" in two hours, so I better get a wiggle on and have myself some slunch!

(smile!)

And i thank You, God, for this celestial show tonight, and the company of Boo.

guy and gal with a rock

Oh... and did I mention there was bingo, too?

"No, dearie, you did not."

Well, there was, but it was a little later. You know, this being the first Monday of the month.

"Sure, if'n you say so. Let's get back to the title, shall we?"

You mean about there being Guy and Gal...

"Yeah, that. You were watching two kids playing?"

Hahahaha, that's funny! No, I was watching a movie. It might as well have been a travelogue! First they were in Italy, in Roma. Then the scenery changed, because they'd bounced over to Bali in the next 56 hours, or something like that. Then we were all whisked back to Rome and, from there, to a frozen prison out in Russia. All in less than four days!

"Good Lord, that's a lot of jet lag to get over!"

I know, right? But they went straight from there to Valencia, Spain - which I'd like to see, for its science museums - then into the jungles of Argentina. Oh, and they ended up in Eqypt and a wedding that rivaled the one in "Crazy Rich Asians"!

"Wow, that's a lot of travel going on!"

Yeah, and I think it was all done in less than a week!

"And just what was the reason for all that rushin' 'round?"

They were trying to find some loot from Cleopatra's tomb. It was like some crazy Mad Hatter version of an Easter egg hunt. Really quite humorous!

"Are you talking about "Red Notice"??? Did you go over to Hilton Head to see it after all?"

I am, indeed, waxing on about that one! And, no, it was playing over at the GTC in Pooler. I do so hope that new cinema being built on Eisenhower is a GTC! I am so tired of AMC showing previews that whet our appetite, then never, never, ever giving us the movie. In fact, there are two that fit that description, seen as tasty tidbits on an AMC screen, but not brought for us. "Spencer", about Princess Diana, and "The French Dispatch", from Wes Anderson, are in Pooler at the GTC, but not in Savannah. My A*List last week had only two movies on it, thanks to AMC selling us short.

"Calm down, g'friend, it's gonna be alright."

It's just a bit frustrating. It's especially so when I see that Statesboro has two movies - two! - at its AMC that are not playing at either AMC in Savannah. I'm toying with the idea of driving there for the Anderson movie, even though that's going to add at least three hours' drivetime to the movie venture.

"Let's get back to this post title, dear. A guy and a gal with a rock?"

(smile!)

Well, that's my little joke, you see! And it isn't "a guy" and "a gal", by the way. It's "Guy" - as in Ryan Reynolds, right? And then there's "Gal", last name of Gadot. Last of all, there's Dwayne Johnson, who will forever be The Rock in my book. So... Guy and Gal with a Rock! It was definitely right place, right time, too. My odometer told me so! The mileage had rolled up to 220 330.

"Hahaha! You really enjoyed it, didn't you?"

I did, I really did! It offered a puzzle to be solved, with twists in alliances along the way, and took place in so many different locales! Honestly, it had the feel of "Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard", but without all the coarse language. And like in that one, Guy's character didn't use guns, even when everyone else did. I wonder if that's a personal choice that Ryan Reynolds is pursuing?

"I'd think that would be a hard restriction on the director and the script..."

Hey, just surmising here, don't fret about it! Oh, and one more thing that's similar to the other movie: he ends up on a yacht with the other two! Funny, right?

"Most def! I hope to see that one again some time."

That would be nice. Maybe it'll stay through next week, but we'll see.

"Not to change the topic..."

You're wondering about the B-I-N-G-O games, aren't you?

"Hey, you mentioned it way back when this post started..."

So I did, so I did! Yes, tonight was time spent with the kids in Kansas City, aka the KC Crew. It's still the fastest 90-minute online event ever!

"I'm so glad you have this to look forward to every month! But who's this fellow?"

That's Logan, with trainee Julie off to the left. Logan was new to me, but he caught on that I was an active regular and pretty soon he started reading my chat quips aloud to the other 150 players tonight. Yeah!

"That's a good way to encourage others to have fun, isn't it? To be a participant, not just a wallflower!"

You've got that right! That's me, balls to the wall or not at all! (smile!)

"Hey, I recognize her!"

You should! That's Audrey and she's usually with Katie, but not this time. She even greeted me, saying my name! By the way, she and Logan share a birthday, and she'll be 28 and he'll be 30.

"Oh, they're not that young, then. Yeah, but they're still kids to us, eh?"

For sure. And here's a funny story! She read the trivia questions for that sixth game, and this particular one was "What kind of animal is Bambi?" Well, everyone knew it was "a deer"... but she thought Bambi was a girl! As I told her: "Bambi is a boy and he has a nice rack!"

"Hahahaha! I bet she caught some kidding about that!"

Oh, she did! But it was all in good fun and she took it like a real trooper!

"She's really a sweet girl. I can't imagine she'd take it any other way. Now, what's that you've whipped up for dinner?"

Well, it isn't soup! I've had soup, soup, soup for the last three days and I wanted something I could sink my teeth into tonight! It's that stir-fry Asian I make from the Chopped Salad kits, only I added some broken sketti noodles for crunch. So, you know what's next, right?

"I do! Bye! Enjoy! Later!"

(smile!)

all done, with a day left over

I even managed to see two brand-new movies this time around with my A*List, so, hooray!

"Ron's Gone Wrong" was my Faustina Friday flick and was actually the opposite of the message I had expected. Namely, it did not preach that parents should buy the latest electronic gadgets for their kids. Refreshing, right?

Plus, it was all about the point of being a kid: to have fun, to try new things, to meet new people and learn about others.

Come to think of it, that's the point of being an adult, too.

However, none of that can happen if the curtain of ether is always acting as a wall.

Hey, take it from a chemist: air has mass, too, just as do bricks or stones or wood.

'Nuff said 'bout that.

(smile!)

No movies over the weekend, but that's nothing new for me during the pandemic.

I've found it best to let the non-regulars, i.e., teens, have the run of the joint, especially at the AMC 11, to keep from having them "just drop by" into the screening room I might be in and disrupt my movie.

Yeah, 'nuff said 'bout that, too.

Plus, I had the pumpkin party in the countryside!

(smile!)

Tina Tuesday found me and dos de mis tres amigas in the BigD for the "Dune" movie!

Neither of them had read the Frank Herbert novel, much less the series.

Neither had seen the movie version from 1984, either, but I had... and it was bad: choppy, bad sequencing, missing plot points.

When I'd seen that earlier one, I was very current with the novels; that's been almost four decades ago now, so I was curious how much would come back to me.

Well, let me say this: the 2021 remake is fabulous.

They let you know at the start that this is only part of the story - good move.

They made sure to have all of the key scenes spoken for and a believable sequence - good.

(That was confirmed by Paul, in California, who is much more current on the story.)

The highlight, for me, concerns the casting of the two lead male roles in House Atreides.

Oscar Isaac and Timothée Chalamet were absolutely believable as the father-son pair!

They are both excellent actors, but, even more so, they bear a striking resemblance in their faces, most especially in their eyes.

Perfect!

I'll look forward to seeing it again, even though it is more than two hours long.

(smile!)

Today, after a second two-hour visit with Mister Willie, I took myself to "Free Guy" for the ninth time... just in case it's gone next week.

With my arrival to the cinema mileage at 220 220, I knew I was exactly where I should be!

Thanks, odometer, for the confirmation!

I know I'm going to have serious withdrawals when "Free Guy" isn't an option anymore.

Remember: I used all three of my A*List options on it for its first week.

Totally worth it.

Totally.

I just wish I'd seen it a few more times in the ten weeks that it's been playing...

but maybe it'll stay for a while longer!

(smile!)

Mister Willie, on the other hand, is leaving tomorrow, for sure.

He and Gloria are moving to Westerville, Ohio.

That's where her son, Kevin, lives, and he's been here for much of the month helping them go through the house, deciding what to keep, what to give away, what to lose.

I have the address and Kevin's phone number, so me and Willie will stay in touch.

The good news is the town is a suburb of Columbus... which has professional baseball!

The Columbus Clippers are a Triple-A team, so I that's a couple of steps above what the Savannah Sand Gnats were - he's going to love it!

I took him the three pages of birthday wishes from the Savannah Bananas fans, some of whom have been going to Grayson Stadium for more than two decades.

Those remembrances from the fans really meant a lot to him, especially as we took the time to try to figure out just who those folks were.

He's good with faces, not so much with names.... and he's 81 now, as of Tuesday.

Guess you have to give him that memory slippage!

Okay, time for dinner!

I had stopped for groceries after the movie.

Now that I have milk again - 

as well as tuna and oyster crackers -

you know what that means, right?

Mama's Tuna Chowder!

It's hot and fresh, so... 

gotta go!

(smile!)

the bfe and special mileage for me!

"Well, it's about time you mentioned the physicist!" 

 

Oh, didn't I say anything about our slunch last month?

"Nope, you did not. The last time you two got together was back in August."

 

No, that's incorrect. We dined at Bonefish Grille in September.

"Pray, do tell... cause you haven't yet."

 

Sorry, doll face! 

I hadn't meant to leave you out of the loop.

Yes, mid-month on a Monday, we dined on seafood and spoke about cars.

 

"That's rather an odd topic for y'all."

 

Well, I've been toying with the idea of updating my travel mode for a few months. Last month, Chris - or was it Megan? - posted on fb of their 4th buy from Carmax and how happy they were with that sales place. Next thing I knew, I was talking with Dandy Barrett, who apparently worked their for some few years.

 

"I thought she moved back up north somewhere?"

 

Oh, she did.

The marvel of telephones, right?

(smile!) 

"Haha. And so what did you glean from that talk?"

 

Well, here's the gist of it: their mode of operation sounds very much like that of Saturn, at least as it was back in 2001 when I bought my one-and-only brand-new car.

No fiddling with prices; what is posted is what it is.

No attempts to sell extra bits; what you see is what you get.

No sales geeks looking for commissions; their purpose is to help you, period.

I like the idea of that.

 

"Yeah, I can see how that fresh take is appealing.

Have you bought a new set of wheels yet from them? "

 

No, nor have I bought a whole car there yet.

Bah dumf dumf!

Just a little joke!

I've looked several times, but it's one of those things where if you're not quick on the uptake, someone else snatches the deal.

That part has been a bit frustrating.

 

"I understand. Car payments are a bit daunting.

So...what's with the food photo? "

 

That's the Bonefish House Salad, silly!

Don't you recognize it?

 

"I do, but I thought the topic was cars."

 

Oh, please, you know me better than that.

No, I've posted this because he had not ever had their salad.

I doubt he'll have it again, as he doesn't like olives.

 

Still, I very much enjoy their ratio of olives to grape tomatoes: 1 to 1!

Perfect for combining in the mouth for a taste treat!

 

"Yes, yes, I've even heard that you've enjoyed it as a dessert alternative on late night outings with your amigas, pre-pandemic."

 

So I have, and hope to one day do again.

"You and the bfe talk of aught else but cars?"

 

Of hampster dances, of all things! I'm not sure how that came up, but I know it segued from "love to eat them mousies, mousies what I love to eat, bite they little heads off, nibble on they tiny feet"! Can you believe he had never heard of either of those???

 

"Chances are he was neck-deep in physics schooling at the time."

 

Oh, I hadn't thought of that.

Well, I still need to send him links for the dancing rodents and the Kilban cat song.

Maybe I'll remember to do so next time we meet.

"Sure, that might happen... if you write down the links to give to him!"

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, that sounds like a Beatles song...

 

"It's part of the outro to one. 

Let's get back on track, shall we? 

what say we get to today??" 

 

I can do that!

How about we start with this odometer reading?

I had been on the lookout for it for a few days.

Somehow, when I got in the car this time, I didn't even heed it.

Well, not until I had parked, that is.

And there it was:  220000 -

and there it was.

It came when I absolutely wasn't looking.

What a wonderful surprise!

Right place, right time!

"And just where were you this time?"

 

At Forsyth Park!

He had changed up the date to a Tuesday, so I had suggested Betty Bombers and he had gladly gone for it!

Not a Monday, so they were open!

"Magnificent! 

And 5:30 PM is early enough to beat the dinner diners, too."

 

You got it.

We had the joint nearly to ourselves, so that was excellent.

And I talked of my trip to Hilton Head and my niece Chelsea's upcoming wedding and my talk with the caseworker about the adoption of Miyah and Chloe...

and when I paused, I still had two veggie tacos left and his plate was clean.

"Damn, girl. You're always the slowest eater, but not usually by that much!"

 

I know, right?

I was pretty shocked that he had finished every bit of his.

I guess I should have offered him one of my tacos, but I just didn't think about it.

I concentrated on eating up after that, to give him a chance to talk.

And he did, of an upcoming trip to Atlanta for their symphony, as well as the big trip next September to the Poison and others concert.

"Yeah, that'll be two years he and The 'Cole have waited on that one."

 

For real.

Now, let me put away these groceries and settle in for "Dancing With The Stars".

Tonight, it's all about Disney Villains and I'm looking forward to it!

So, later, chica!

almost mileage after almost errand

Here's the odometer reading: 2 1 9 9 1 1 -

almost a magical palindrome, but not quite.

However, it was right in keeping with the errand I'd been on -

it was almost what needed to be done for me to be saving money on the property taxes for the house.

Oh, I had all the paperwork needed -

I just couldn't find the right place to take it.

A phone call tomorrow will straighten that out.

Meanwhile, taking care of that today was a wash.

Mind, it was something that would have saved me almost half what I'm paying this year, had I had the forethought to file the papers before the April 1st deadline.

That's okay, I'll look forward to the savings next year.

(smile)

That meant I was home when the ex texted about Don Scott's death from COVID.

I remember Don working on the air with Jerry Rogers at WSGA 1400 AM, making sure to remind us teens with "tan tone ZAP ZAP ZAP" to turn over while sunbathing.

That means Don had to have been in his 70's, still on the air at WIXV I-95 FM for the last thirty years as a rock jock, still doing remote broadcasts.

No obituary yet, but that will come; his death was yesterday.

It was past slunch time, so I whipped up some po' girl's ceviche and settled in to watch a rebooted show, "The Wonder Years".

Set in 1968, when the lead character, Dean Jeremiah Williams, was 12 years old, it's not really a show I would watch, ordinarily, but... Dulé Hill plays the boy's father.

I've been a fan of his ever since he was on "The West Wing", with his stint as Shawn's best friend on "Psych" cementing my loyalty to his career as an actor.

That means I've been following him, and his voice, and his very expressive eyes, for more than two decades.

Of course he'd be playing a dad now!

I watched the first two episodes, knowing during the first one that I was in the right place at the right time -

the kids were playing baseball!

That's Dean at bat, about to strike out because he's trying to listen to his dad and to his coach and they're telling him two totally different things!

(smile)

Afterward, I checked the skies.

Nope, those hippy dippy weather people had the wrong forecast yet again.

No rain since yesterday morning.

That meant the back yard just might be dry enough from the gobs of rain on Tuesday to allow me to finish it up now.

Sure enough, that was the case!

Cutting on the diagonal certainly does seem to help the water to escape a bit better.

That doesn't mean the remaining growth wasn't still damp, because it was.

I had to stop mowing three times to clear out the blade bed so the poor motor didn't burn itself out.

Even so, I was done in 40 minutes!

Now, time for some "Quantum Leap"!

(smile!)

what a difference retirement makes

At the end of my fabulous day yesterday, as I left the cinema on Stephenson, I noticed that my odometer was nearly at a special mileage.

By the time I reached home, it wasn't quite where I wanted it, so I circled the block.

Ah, there it is!

2 1 9 2 1 9 

Looks rather nice, doesn't it?

What a wonderful way to commemorate the Sunday I'd been given!

It made me wonder, though, as to how much mileage I may have put on, especially with regards to not only the cessation of trips southward to the university, but also the lack of holidays I've had since the pandemic struck.

So what might have been another occasion marked by my odometer?

How about that night that found me out at the Armstrong campus for the first SERMACS planning meeting that I attended?

Yes, given that the results of that ACS event have been on my mind recently, that occasion will do quite nicely!

The mileage then, on November 12, 2018, was a sparkling 202000.

As I said, that will do quite nicely.

I was actually a bit shocked.

Here's why: 219219 - 202000 = 17219.

Bear in mind, that earlier mileage was almost three years ago.

That means my car has only gone 17,219 miles over a period of 33 months.

The last time I assessed mileage change was last October.

It was sitting at 214400 then.

So, in the past ten months, I've driven a whopping 4,819 miles.

Geico would be so proud of me.

That's an average of less than 500 miles per month.

Sigh.

No wonder my feet are itching to travel.

he said my name, said my name

"You talking about William Shatner again, dearie?"

Nope, and I'm not referring to Alan Ruck, either.

"Oh, nice, new blood in the mix!"

Hahahaha! That's funny, like a little inside joke, just between us!

"You mean my use of the word 'blood'?"

Exactly! This was my day to give blood... remember?

"I can't say that I did. Usually they call or send an email to make sure we don't forget, but not this time."

Yeah, that's what I told Deborah and Tonya. Still I did make it there and even wore my unicorn mask.

"Since you're one of the rare breed that donates blood? Yeah, I caught that joke!"

I was sure you would!

"That looks like a pretty cool mileage. When did that happen?"

At the American Red Cross center. Funny thing is, I didn't notice that odometer reading of 216555 until I was all done and back in my car, trying to figure out where I was going to dine.

"And just where did you treat yourself this time?"

 

Can you believe I drove all the way over to... Carrabbas?! Seriously, I did! I thought about just walking over there, but I was already in my car and I didn't want Deborah to look out the window and see my car still sitting, so I drove literally twenty feet and parked again, this time at the restaurant.

"That's a hoot! Hoot! Hoot!"

Yeah, I thought you'd get a charge out of that!

"And it looks like you had the Tag Pic Pac, too."

Well, remember, they retooled it and so it's called Linguine Positano, but it's still pasta with garlic, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. I love that stuff!

"It's a nice memory of Italy, too."

That it most certainly is! If I close my eyes, I can still feel the chill breeze on that sunny ferry ride from Salerno to that fair part of the Amalfi coast. Good times!

"Very good times."

And now most of those young women are married and have young children. I had thought there might be a ten-year anniversary return to that part of the world, but I don't know. We'll see how things are this time next year.

"You'll have to raise the flag on that thought on fb. The page you set up for photo-sharing of the trip is still up, isn't it?"

Yes, yes, it is, and they're mostly still members of "And we're walking"! Yes, I'll put a feeler out there and see who bites. After all, my passport is still valid!

"Well, there you are then! Sounds like a game plan! Now, what is this all about?"

I needed to feed the car, so that's what I went to do, but the pump was out of receipt paper, so I snapped this. Turned out to be fun with numbers!

"'Fraid you're gonna have to walk me through that."

2.57x = 25.07

"Um, yeah, how 'bout a bit more than that cryptic equation?"

Fine. So, the price of gas was $2.57 per gallon. I always let my tank stop the pump and when it did, there it was!

"Are you going on about the 2, 5, and 7 all being in the same order? You are, aren't you? Of all the silliness..."

Right place, right time.

"... to rattle on like it's some big deal..."

Right place, right time.

"Oh. You were not alone."

 I am never alone. I have to believe that.

"And you are absolutely correct in that belief. Good for you for picking up on that message from the ether."

You betcha. I try to stay tuned in and listening. Like when  I was watching this middle episode of "The X-Files" tonight.

"Is this Special Agent Fox Mulder???"

It is!!! And he said my name!!! Multiple times!!!

"LOL! Nice to have little things to make you happy!"

Amen to that!

sunday groove thing - i hope!

Head 'em up!

Move 'em out!

Load em' up!

Rawhide!!!

I don't know why that song popped up on my mental jukebox, but there ya go!

I snapped this as we were preparing to leave the GTC Pooler, having spent two hours there watching "The Emperor's New Groove".

Hard to believe that movie is 21 years old!

The good thing is both my first niece and my nephew were old enough to remember the voices in it, so that made it a nice walk down memory lane.

I really loved hearing Tom Jones singing one of the few songs!

Oh, yeah... love his voice!

And here's a note to myself for next time: get the seats in a two-row block, rather than everybody in the same one row.

That worked beautifully for separating the four kids from the four adults, as well as keeping all of us well away from anyone else.

Plus, as we were in rows B and C, that made it easy for us to move in front of the screen during the credits to do our dance, do our dance, yeah - word up!

Good to get out some energy before popping into the car for the next big thing!

Plus, it let's everyone else in the cinema safely get out before us - winner, winner!

This is the second time I've danced with the girls after a movie and I love it!

I think that is part of my new groove for 2021; yes, what a lovely habit!

After the movie, we were early enough able to snag a table for eight at Jalapenos.

Most excellent!

That meant shrimp ceviche for me!

Even better - Christina surprised me and paid for my meal!

Muchas gracias, mi corazon!

Here we are, nearing the end of our second hour there, with Grammy Melinda helping to get coats on Chloe, Leila, Alyssa, and Miyah.

We'd already had the bathroom rounds, so with full bellies and empty bladders it was time for all to hit the road...

well, after another thirty minutes or so talking in the parking lot and multiple hugs all around!!!

Now, I am safely home in Savannah again, with my odometer reading a mileage of 21 57 57...

Melinda and Michael have Leila and Alyssa home in Guyton again...

and Christina has Chloe home in Hinesville again.

What's that?

Where's the littlest girl?

She went to Guyton to have a sleepover with her twin cousins.

(smile!)

perfect for today

I had texted mi tres amigas the lure of a movie this afternoon and another tomorrow.

Barbara had said "maybe" for today, as well as Sandy; Carolyn said "yes" for tomorrow's.

I went ahead to the 3:45 (such an unusual, but pleasing, start time) of the 2003 $5 Fan Favorite, not knowing if I might be the only one.

Of course, I was not the only one.

Wait, let me clarify.

As it turned out, mine was the only physical presence...

but, as the odometer attested, I was not alone.

215600: a nice, round, number, just like Mama likes.

I am never alone.

(smile)

"Love Actually" (is all around) was the perfect movie for today!

I had forgotten that it was a Christmas movie, so that made it perfect, too.

I adore holiday-themed tales in the late fall and winter!

This movie had several different tales interwoven, with a sister in this one and her brother in that one; two people in the porn industry shedding a light as well as their clothes; a boy in love and a girl in a lobster costume and another as an octopus for a different telling of the nativity; an aging rock star and a Prime Minister - delightful!

Celebrating love in all its forms - new, old, waning, young, complicated, simple, hopeful, grieving, forming, platonic, brotherly, motherly, sisterly, fatherly, family, friends - it was a reminder that love is not limited to couples.

That was perfect for today.

This date marks the twentieth anniversary of Mama's death.

I am grateful she was there with me in that empty screening room.

She was not the only one, though.

This movie was my 73rd since the cinemas reopened in late August.

That lets me know that Daddy was there, too.

Plus, I had people still on Earth who checked in on me today.

My first niece texted earlier to say I was in her thoughts and I had reassured her that I was well and soon to see a movie with friends.

Mister Willie called earlier, to check on me and see that I was doing well, so I had reassured him that I was, too.

And, truly, I have been well.

Right now, I'm sipping on peppermint tea, having updated my journal.

I had thought about starting a new one for 2021, but, as we are still in a state of pandemic, I'm soldiering on in this one.

It just feels like the right thing to do.

Opening the packet of tea received after Imam Maajid Faheem 'Ali died in 2016 also felt like the right thing to do.

That packet was a gesture of love from his family to all who came to celebrate his life.

I can almost hear his voice telling me that every little thing is going to be alright. 

Perfect for today.

i thank You, God.

winner with a scrambled straight!

Another cold day in Savannah, but I feel such a sense of accomplishment!

I have mailed out the last of the Christmas packages!

Well, not the ones for my first niece's trio, or her brothers duo -

those I can, and shall, deliver personally.

However, the two boxes slated for Alabama were mailed last Thursday.

One of those boxes included the gift for Merritt's 15th birthday.

The package for the Goth girl's daughter went out that day, too.

Today, the packages heading for Port Wentworth, Wilmington Island, and St. Helen were sent on their merry ways.

That first included the quinceañera gift for my oldest niece.

The last had no ornaments, as it was not destined for a child, but my ex.

His 56th birthday will be on Sunday, so I hope it arrives in time!

I think the odds are in my favor.

What makes me believe such a thing to be possible at this late date?
My odometer told me so.

When I returned to my driveway from my errand, this mileage greeted me: 215364 .

How fortuitous!

If I were playing poker, that straight would surely grant me a winning hand!

Right place, right time.

Now, time for some soup!

(smile!) 

where were you for the palindrome?

I was at the grocery store.

"Oh, that wasn't a rhetorical question?"

No, not really.

As you may recall, I had looked forward to this moment occurring on a road trip.

You know, as being part of me 'waking up somewhere different.'

 

"Are you referring to an odometer reading?

That's got to be it.

Strange that you never mentioned that here. " 

What do you mean by that?

I had to have written about!

I very much recall spending most of a day dreaming about it and planning an overnight excursion!

In fact, I've spent more than one day doing that very thing!

 

"Well, buttercup, you never wrote about it.

Never, ever.

Not even an allusion to such a trip. "

 

How could that be???

Let me take a quick look....

there's the post about the mileage hitting 214000...

then, I had this one on the day of gathering information for a two-day trip to Monticello and its walking tours...

and then I wrote this entry after trying to plan just an overnighter in the Darien or Jekyll Island area.

But, you're absolutely right.

I never actually mentioned those possible out-of-town outings.

How odd.

 

"My point exactly.

How unlike you to have not even mentioned that you had spent so much time DREAMING about such things.

Perhaps you don't want to make them REAL? "

 

Oh, let's hope that's not the case.

For my travel jones to have dissipated to a state of nonexistence would be a very sad thing indeed.

I think the real reason is this: my car needs some work done and I don't want to venture too far afield yet.

As long as I still have a spare tire that is useless...

as long as I still have the "BRAKES" light for the leak in that system...

as long as I still have the "Change oil soon" reminder illuminating...

I have a reason to keep my silly self home. 

"I totally get that.

I've noticed an increase in the number of nights per week that you are out and about.

Now that the cinemas have reopened, your need to return to your life as a 'busy, vibrant woman' has been reactivated. " 

My 'need' - that is exactly the perfect word.

I have been following the rules, as is my nature, since March.

I have grown weary of doing so, but I have persevered, attempting to keep the needle in the groove.

I have sought out diversions online and entertained myself with shopping excursions to different stores.

I have even ventured out for a drive-in movie in Jesup!

"Oh, yes, you did!

Okay, that's a sign that you still want to travel!

After all, you've needed a new spare tire since January! " 

You're right again, dearie!

Oh, that is perking me up!

Okay, I need to get these things taken care of for the car...

and what better motivator than a planned trip in the offing?

 

"Oh, hooray!

That's the spirit! "

Yes, that's what I will start doing!

This week's project will be to decide on a new place to go and a new activity to do there!

I'll go ahead and make a reservation at a motel, too, so the trip will be real and not a dream.

Yes, yes, good course of action!

I guess this odometer palindrome of 214412 has found me exactly where I needed to be: at a decision-making place in my life.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

my sneakers go boom Boom BOOM

I so love this little movie!

And look: it even has baseball in it!!!

Sonic had just watched a youth group playing ball, so of course he had to have a go at it...

and then he REALLY had a go at it, literally burning up the bases, as well as his shoes, all while that cute song was playing!

Oh, yes, I do so love this little movie!

What a perfect way to wrap up Week 5 of A*List!

I had started with the second in the "Jumanji" series, then that more serious one with the bfrb.

This one today was just for the kid in me and I loved every minute of it!

And guess what?

Right place, right time!

How did the universe let me know?

With a scrambled straight odometer reading as I arrived, that's how!

214305

Beautiful!

I wonder what Jim Carrey would have quipped about that?

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

5th time was the charm!

 

I kid you not.

The VA sent an email to encourage me to get the annual flu shot.

CVS has the contract with VA, so I diddybopped over there after Michael's dinner.

Nope.

They did not have some code they needed and, after twenty minutes, referred me elsewhere.

Determined to cross that task off my list, I bounced on over to the all-night Walgreens.

Nope.

They didn't have that contract with VA for 2020, but they'd be glad to give me the shot for forty dollars.

Ack.

I resolved to go to the Savannah VA on Monday afternoon before the matinee of "Sonic The Hedgehog"...

and so I did, looking forward to getting that immunization.

Nope.

They were already closed, as 2 PM is end of day now for them.

However, the nurse suggested another site on the VA list.

Fine.

Yesterday, upon my return from the Pooler excursion, I went straight to the Walmart pharmacy for the shot.

Nope.

They had the code they needed, but were told I needed to give them a ten-digit identification number for my VA insurance.

Well, I certainly have never had any such creature.

Ack.

So I resolved to give it one more try.

Today, I traversed Savannah from midtown to southside, arriving at the Ralph Johnson VA Center around 1 PM.

Five minutes later, I was walking back to my car, bandage on my arm -

success!!!

Whew.

i thank You, God.

Elated, I ventured over to the Target for groceries, as I actually had that card in hand.

I loaded up on canned goods: black beans, garbanzos, corn, RoTel NSA tomatoes & green chilies, tuna, chicken breast, soup.

All were foods I'd needed for a while, to give my pantry a function.

My odometer had 214213 -

on my way to a palindrome!

(smile!)

66 miles to a big change

"A big change?
That sounds exciting!
Is it about your invention?"

No, but I have heard from Cramer Patent & Design, the ones serving as my liaison with USPTO.
Progress is being made!
I hope to have the patent process completed in time for Thanksgiving!
And to think, I found out about that because the firm handling my invention's website changed.


Bryan Smith of FSBI contacted me to tell me of the change and that I was going to be charged to continue having the site.
As per the initial contract, the site hosting was free only for two years.
Ordinarily, that would have been plenty of time for the patent to be approved and work on production to move forward.
Ordinarily.
That's not a word that's had much meaning lately.
Due to closures and shifts in work schedules during this pandemic, plus a glut of patent applications, as well as government delays before that, we will move past that marker in time at month's end.
I had replied, asking for an extension, and cc'ed Aaron Cramer, my patent attorney.
Fortunately, the new web hosts are allowing me to have a free third year!
Hooray!

"Oh, that is very good news!
I'm sure all your investors are glad to hear that!"

I'm sure they are.
This has been such a long process - much longer than I had hoped.
After all, I had thought my new periodic table would be in the hands of blind and low-visioned students well before now.
I even had someone in England contact me about purchasing one and I had to tell the teacher that it was not yet available.
Perhaps I should contact her and let her know of the progress...
yes, I think I'll see if I can find that email.
(smile!)

"Very good, you have a project!"

Hey, it isn't like I sit around all the time watching flashing images on screens.
The Savannah VOICE Festival has been keeping me pretty busy since August 8th.
They've given me shows five days a week!
Plus, I have my 'homework' twice weekly of collecting COVID-related case data and analysis of that information after.

Then there's luncheons and birthday meals and cook-outs in Hinesville and baseball, believe it or not.
The humdrum stuff gets me out of the house and into the car, too - shopping for milk and sundry other goods, mailing packages and love, washing clothes.
That's where I was earlier today.
I had waited until I knew Amber would be there at Sandfly Laundry, so I could visit with her.

"That's a fun word to say: 'sundry'."

So it is.

"Hey, I just noticed we've wandered off the original topic."

I'm pretty sure that was your doing, not mine.

"Regardless of who did what, why is the post named as it is?"

Just ask my odometer.
(smile!)
As I returned to my driveway, clean clothes in tow, the mileage read:
213934.
Another thousand will be reached in just 66 miles.
That thousand will mean my little blue Saturn has given me two hundred fourteen thousand miles of mobility, travel, and independence.

"Well, when you put it that way - wow."

Exactly my thoughts.
Wow.

"Are you going to try to be somewhere special when that rollover occurs?"

I hope to be doing that.
I'd like to be on my way to, or from, doing something different when the zeroes roll around to the hundreds, tens, and units positions.

"Maybe the Georgia Sea Turtle Center is open and you can plan a visit there.
It's been a long time since you went there.
Maybe you could even stay overnight, as you had done when you first found it."

Oh, to wake up somewhere else...!
That's a good idea, a very good idea.
Yes, a very good idea.
Hmmm...
(sound of rusty gears squeaking to life)
yes...

"Don't hurt yourself, girlfriend!
Plenty of time to fix on details, as the svf-8 will keep you busy through Sunday."

Yes, you're right.
Plus, I have a baseball game tonight.
The CPL season is over, but the Bananas and Bacon are having a 'Breakfast Bowl'.
Get it?
Bananas... bacon... breakfast...

"Yes, dearie, I 'got' it.
You stay safe out there."

Don't worry, my alligators will be close at hand!
Bye for now!