from swim trunks to a car commercial with ruck

 

No, silly, not me in swimwear.

That would be my fictional hairy-chested paramour, Samuel Beckett...

and his real-life counterpart, Scott Bakula, of course.

What a honey!

Comet tv certainly has done right by me, lending this man to my imagination and my evenings, for months now.

I think the "Quantum Leap" is on its fifth lap since it started brightening my nights.

(smile!)

My first niece is well aware of where I can be found between 6 PM and 8 PM on weeknights.

She also knows that even though this is Tina Tuesday, that my activities with regard to that have been curtailed by the cinemas change in screenings.

That meant I would be available on this Tuesday, yes?

Yes!

 

 her: We are watching the weakest link on NBC wanna join us?

me: Yes, please.

her: :-)

me: I have not seen this in years! Nice to see Jane Lynch hosting it.

her: She so much better than old person.

me: Agreed! I love her as the shrink on Two And A Half Men.

her: Most men add inches.... lol

me: Yeah. I liked that too.

her: What is an Intuitive healing person?

me: Someone who tells you what you already know to do.

her: I don't think they should have sent home the smartest person yet. Christian disagrees. What's your opinion?

me: Yeah i -think- that was a bonehead move.

her: 'Could have Answered in the next episode' was hilarious!

me: Land is two years younger than me. I thought she was older. That surprises me.

her: Land? Did you mean Lynch?

me: Yes. I thought i typed J a n e but those keys also make l a n d.

her: Oh...

me: Bank bank.

her: That is what I just said...

me: Yeah, they are so fixated on answering that they are not watching the money.

her: That is the highest I have seen them get. Chris thinks I would be good on this. I know most of the answers but I think I would freeze with the cameras.

me: Yeah, i would need a hit of tequila to distract me.

her: Tony seems pissed.

me: I didn't get that vibe.

me: Oh, wow! Alan Ruck in that commercial with the car! Loved it!

her: That is my favorite commercial in a long while.

me: Most def. I love him, especially since he said my name was beautiful when i met him at DragonCon. :-)

her: Team Megan!

me: Lol! That was fun! Thanks for having me join you! Love you!

her: Love you too.

 

Thank you, my dearest Christina Ann, for including me.

I am so blessed to have you in my life!

i thank You, God!

are those REAL?

 

Yes, the dish drainer does have real glasses and real plates and real forks.

I don't know that I'd go so far as to say the strike has ended...

but I would agree that a cease-fire has been called.

This is the second week of my usage of such, rather than the ersatz versions.

Has my stash of plasticware been depleted? 

Not hardly, although the disposable plates are almost all gone.

So, why the shift toward the real things?

Partly, I've stepped away from the plastic because I've needed a change.

Mostly, though, it was predicated by the arrival of an unexpected box.

I say 'unexpected', but it could well be that I simply forgot about the order.

The meals sent by Blue Apron are certainly ones that meet with my approval...

so, perhaps I did have them on 'impending' status and forgot.

That's certainly possible.

My drift factor has definitely increased this year.

They'd notified me on October 2 that I had a box on the way -

and it had arrived last week on Wednesday morning - 

so I had plenty of time to unpack it before my Royal adventure.

The menus certainly looked familiar.

So, I had started using real plates, thinking I would save the few remaining plastic ones for the meals I'd be making.

I've now cooked two of them and have not switched back to plastic.

Maybe I'll stay out of the china cupboard for this third meal...

maybe not.

As I said, my drift factor, due to my blonde roots, is pretty big now.

(smile)

Okay, time for "Quantum Leap"!

For this Tina Tuesday, Sam is a bouncer with a bouncing baby girl, shades of "Raising Arizona", then he'll be shipboard trying to win back the hand of his lady love from a mobster.

That latter one is the one I'm looking forward to, as he'll be clad in swim trunks.

Oh, yeah...

that's what I like!

No dinner and movie?

Frayed knot tying that together.

It looks like Saturday may become the new day for that, as the AMC (the cineplex, not the church) has switched to Friday-Saturday-Sunday screenings only.

Maybe that change is partially responsible for my drift now.

Then again, October tends  to be hard on me, though not so much as April.

Reminders of deaths of family, both those born with and those chosen.

Sigh.

Thank God for these imaginary fictional characters on tv for distraction.

(smile)

five screenings in 48 hours!

I wasn't consciously aiming for that this past weekend, really I wasn't, but that's what I got!

The primary goal was to see a movie I'd missed last weekend while waiting for someone who had expressed an interest to join me.

Yeah, I know how that tends to play out, and so it did then.

The upshot of it was I missed the movie and only partially filled my A*List, leaving one slot open.

I promised myself that Week 8 was going to have a full complement of three movies...

and I decided to have a bit of fun with it and make sure the three cards showing in my hand were colorful!

And so they are!

With green ogres and brilliant cocoa and yellow flowers of Texas, color was liberally splashed onto that page and into my life!

Very nice!

Plus, I was able to have doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday of this Columbus Day holiday weekend - woohoo!

Even better, I had company at one movie of both of those days -

how rare these days of pandemic!

First, people I knew at the play on Friday...

then people I know at movies this weekend...

giving me company three days running.

Pretty magical!

Perhaps that was because I was in the presence of magic each of those days?

Yes, I think I'll go with that!

Let me substantiate that claim.

"Shrek" was the first magic-themed movie, having a princess cursed to be one shape by day and another by night, much as Ladyhawke had been.

True love's kiss solved Princess Fiona's dilemma...

and surprised her, too!

Very nice for my date night finale!

Saturday found me with two movies, the first of which was brand-new -

how 'bout that, folks!

"The War With Grandpa" was utterly delightful, too, proving unequivocally that Robert DeNiro most definitely still knows how to have fun!
Nor was he the only septuagenarian cavorting on the screen - 

so were Christopher Walken (77, same age as DeNiro) and Cheech Marin (74), with Jane Seymour joining their ranks next year!

Delightful... but not magic-themed.

That distinction was reserved for the second part of my Saturday doubleheader, this time joined by two friends.

Oh, how truly magical it was, too!

"Hocus Pocus", featuring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the zaniest witches Salem ever saw, had magical moments sprinkled throughout!

Here's the zaniest thing, though: the panda had never seen it and Carolyn hadn't ever seen it until last weekend!!!

Seriously!!!

The movie has been out since 1993 and is perfect for Halloween!

That, alone, should have inspired horror-fan Kevin to see it, especially as an 11-year-old boy.

I'm so glad I was there to share this first-time experience with him!

Then, I got to share a treasure from my youth with him and Carolyn:

Carey Hilliard's food.

In particular, the barbeque plate, with its heapin' helpin' of sauced meat and that Brunswick Stew as only they make it.

For a family of six, this was one of the very few restaurants I knew as a kid, as their prices were low and servings were ample.

I grew up with the one on Skidaway, but I'm glad we were at the one on Abercorn - good mojo here for me!

 

Mojo, with its connotation of magic, is the perfect lead-in for the next movie: "Coco".

The timing for this 2017 repeat is perfect, too, as  Día de Muertos is this month, beginning with Halloween and the festively decorated sugar skulls all around, not just at Jalapenos.

At first I thought this 'thank you to the audience' might have been newly added, but then I recalled its presence from three years ago.

How poignant to see it again, and how relevant to this time when the cinemas have only been open since the end of August.

For the movie last night, when the brother and sister had been reunited, I'd teared up, but held control.

This time, I allowed the tears for course down my cheeks.

It felt good to think of Daddy as I wiped them on his shirt.

 

Yes, that's right, folks.

For this Sunday doubleheader, I'd carefully chosen to wear the shirt I'd asked for, and received, after his death eleven years ago;

the lightweight. short-sleeved, blue plaid, with the snaps running up the front instead of buttons.

Definitely a summer shirt option for me since I came into its possession.

The perfect accompaniment for this pair of movies, I'd thought, with the first to honor family gone from Earth and the second featuring country music from his youth.

Plus, I wore my unicorn face covering, for that extra touch of magic.

(smile) 

Carolyn even joined me for the second half of this doubleheader, just as she had last night!

The 2019 movie, "Yellow Rose", was new to both of us, so that was pretty cool, and introduced us to tunes we never knew.

That gave us plenty to talk about over a leisurely dinner at Olive Garden afterward.

Very nice end to a Sunday evening, of a weekend that felt a bit more normal for both of us!

i thank You, God.

mushroom

 

Yes, I realize the resemblance to some of nature's flora, but that isn't its identity.

The object nestled on the fallen oak leaves is the oil cap for my car.

Seriously.

It laid there from Tuesday afternoon until just past noon today.

i thank You, God, that it had not been lost on the road somewhere.

Remember when I'd mentioned trying to get to a movie on Tuesday?

Remember that I had run late because I had to check my brake fluid?

Remember I'd said I'd checked my oil level, too?

Yeah.

Somehow, I'd forgotten to put the oil cap back on.

Seriously.

When I'd closed the hood, I'd heard a strange clanging noise...

and I saw the rod that holds the hood open was in the wrong place...

but I didn't notice the gaping hole where the oil cap belonged.

No.

I'd gotten in the car to head for Pooler at rush hour.

Here's the funny thing about all that: the Universe tried to tell me.

I was working in the yard on Wednesday, moving yard debris to the curb, filling a bag with stuff no one should ever touch bare-handed.

A huge, dark gray truck pulls up in the street.

"Hey, Tina, is that you?"

Who was it calling to me?

It was Sonny Maness, on his way home from a shopping trip.

How odd, right?

So we chat a bit, for the first time in over a decade.

And what had he bought?

A shiny new oil cap for his vehicle.

Not that he needed it, but because it was there.

How odd, right?

Then his phone rang and life called for his attention and he left.

What a strange encounter, I thought, as I finished up my work..

Then I was off for a second attempt at the movie in Pooler...

and I was successful!

Did I give a second thought to my oil cap?

I did not.

I had not yet realized the clanging noise on Tuesday was that cap falling out of the engine compartment from its temporary perch atop the radiator.

It wasn't until Saturday evening that I realized the oil cap was gone.

I'd treated myself to a doubleheader at the southside AMC cinema and had a lull in the action until Kevin and Carolyn would be joining me for "Hocus Pocus".

I took advantage of the time to check my brake fluid level...

and that's when I saw the hole in my engine...

the hole where the oil cap should have been.

I eventually realized what must have happened.

Then I checked back mentally -

yes, it must have been on Tuesday, when I was in a rush -

had it fallen into the engine somewhere?

No, no, it had not.

Shazbot.

That's when I remembered the clanging noise and realized what it had meant.

The hood rod must have struck it when I closed the hood.

Did that mean it had fallen into my driveway?

Or had it fallen onto a ledge in the engine and out onto the road?

There was not enough time to  go home and check.

Fine, I would simply enjoy the movie with my friends and hope for the best.

And that is what I did.

I made sure to leave plenty of time in my schedule this afternoon.

Yes, I already had the tickets for my Sunday doubleheader.

That meant I needed to have time to purchase an oil cap if need be.

But there it was, looking like an odd mushroom in the leaves.

I've cleaned it off and put it back onto my engine block.

I think I'll arrange for an overdue oil change tomorrow...

and see if that brake fluid leak can be stopped, too.

i thank You, God.

den ypárchoun atychímata

This evening, I did something different for date night.

"Hold up!

What's this about 'date' night?

I thought you didn't 'date', girlfriend. "

Not with others, silly.

I have been having date night with myself for the past couple of weeks, you might recall.

"Oh, yeah, that's right, since about mid-September."

That's right, and I've been keeping that night of the week reserved for myself.

It's part of my groove thing, you understand.

"Ah, gotcha.

So, what movie was it this week? "

Oh, my.

As the bfrb would say, "Faustina attends class but doesn't pay attention."

You may want to scan back over that opening line up there.

"I can't even read that opening line!

It's all Greek to me! "

Hahahaha!  Hahaha!

You're absolutely correct!

The post title is all Greek!

But that wasn't the opening line of the post entry.

Try again, please.

"Oh, for love of Pete.

Okay, blah, blah...'something different for date night'.

Oh, you said 'something different'.

Out with it, then. "

I dared to eat a peach, so to speak.

The Players By The Sea presented a one-act interpretation of Sophocles' "Oedipus".

How perfect for a time of pandemic!

The play occurs during a time of plague, with all actors wearing masks...

and all audience members, as well.

This is one of the final scenes in "Oba Oedipus", in which the shepherd has just told the king of his true identity.

The classic Greek chorus echoes the woes of the tale, just as they did in 429 BC, almost two millinia ago.

 

"You went to a play???" 

 

Incredibly, I did.

Even more incredibly, I was 'seated' in the same social circle with two people from the past who share my last name!

Melanie and David, friends of the ex, were also out on 'date night' and had chosen this for their entertainment.

Small world, isn't it?

How wonderful to catch up with their lives and see them doing well!

They had opted for the play earlier today, like I had, but doing so in the morning...

not waiting until two hours before showtime, as I had.

How fortunate that they had been willing to share their space!

 

"Indeed, that was most fortunate, and even more so that the three of you seated together already knew each other and were comfortable with each other, too."

 

You're telling me.

I truly was blessed tonight.

Right place, right time.

I'm not just meaning with their company, either.

I found it quite reassuring to be at a play, on this campus where I had attended a play right before the COVID-19 washed ashore in this country.

That weekend of five plays seems like it was a dream, yet I know it was real -

I have plenty of photographs to prove it to myself.

 

"That sounds like you had a wonderful experience!"

 

Oh, I did!

Plus, Sue Gorecki flagged me down as I was taking the scenic route to my car!

She was there with Donna, a person I don't recall with the Boomers group, and had seen me walk in, intending to catch up with me after the play.

So glad we had the chance to talk!

I'll have to keep track of that fb page, watch for the next "first Friday" lunch announcement and maybe other events.

She mentioned a 'Happy Hour' meetup, but I don't think I'll do that one.

Know what I mean?

"I most certainly do, g'friend.

Booze and coronavirus are not compatible. "

 

For real.

Melanie Goldey keeps inviting me to a bar for karaoke, and I keep declining, of course.

Me, with my pneumonia-chewed lungs, touching and singing into the same microphone as the drunks who touched it before me?

Nope, not gonna happen.

But I tell you what is gonna happen...

I'm taking myself to see "Shrek"!

The play ended earlier than I expected -

so, I am off to movie number 23!

Gotta fly!

"Peace out, chica!

Have fun on the rest of your date night! "

 

Thanks!

(smile!)

there are no accidents III

 The Universe
9 October 2020
3:31 AM

There are no accidents, Faustina.

If it's appeared on your life’s radar, this is why: 

to teach you that dreams come true; 

to reveal that you have the power to fix what's broken and heal what hurts; 

to catapult you beyond seeing with just your physical senses; 

and to lift the veils that have kept you from seeing that you're already the person you dreamed you'd become.

And believe me, that was one heck of a dream.

Tallyho,
  The Universe
    
There are no accidents, Faustina.

-----   *   -----   *   -----

Wow.
Timing is everything.
Wednesday night, I found myself listening to "Untold Truths",
an album I'd pulled out of my car months ago but still had
not stashed in the CD rack.
Oddly, I didn't start with the first song, but with the second.
"Hey, man, what about you?"
And as I'm listening to the words, I notice a tear start falling off my left cheek.
Say what?
Then I am in full-tilt sobbing...
yes, sobbing...
and I don't know why...
but I think I need to wake up somewhere else.

Last night, I found myself sobbing again.
I was watching "Press Your Luck", back on tv live again so it's "new to me."
I found myself rooting for the elementary teacher...
and he won!
That was mostly because the other guy had an opportunity to force him to take a spin...
which would have resulted in a three-way tie if the teacher also got Whammy-ed...
as the hostess was sure to point out...
but the guy took the spin himself...
keeping his score at zero as he got yet another Whammy.
Hooray for the teacher catching a break!
So, the teacher is in the final rounds, and he's doing well!
Every time he calls out the prize he wants, he gets it!
It's like magic!
He even wins the 'school supplies' package they'd created 'just for him', as they do for these rounds...
a package worth almost $30,000...
and gets his total to $77,000 plus before the next round.
Should he go on?
Should he stop?
His wife and daughter tell him to do what he thinks best...
so he goes for one more round...
managing to get out of it Whammy-free with more than $145,000 in cash and prizes.
The hostess tries to tempt him to stay by showing the new prize to be added to the game board...
a car for his mom and a Mustang convertible for himself...
and he thanks her, graciously, but declines.
He is done.
He knows he has been blessed with that round just played and does not want to chance losing all he has gained for his students and his family.
And I just bawled.
The Universe had lent him very good fortune and he had not greedily sought more.
And his principal reason for being there had been to get money to support the education of his students.
Wow.
I sat on the couch sobbing.
That's when I realized, once more...
I think I need to wake up somewhere else.

So, I went to Diamond Resorts and logged in for the first time in months.
Gadzooks, they've revamped the website and it is terrible.
Eventually, I figured it out, though.
I had hoped to find lodging in Hilton Head...
fairly close, plenty of places that would be 'new to me'...
but no such luck.
There was lodging available in Ormond Beach...
in mid-November...
but that was a bit farther than I wanted to go, both in distance and time.
Plus, there is a sense of urgency to my quest.

I think I need to wake up somewhere else...
and I need to do so sooner rather than later.

 

I had already looked at Darien and Jekyll Island, so my goal today is to set this trip in motion.
Those are far enough away to feel like a holiday,
far enough to allow me to sing along with all those "Untold Truths".
far enough to reset my mental compass.
"To my own self
I have tried to be true."
Hey, man, what about you?

chan eil tubaistean ann

 

As I told the CVS clerk, Seventh Generation Disinfectant, in the lavender scent, is my very favorite and I have not seen any for this entire year.

I have looked for it in every store, every time I shop.

She told me she had just put it on the shelf last night.

I purchased the last two cans.

If I had come yesterday to Pooler,

I would not have found it out yet.

There are no accidents.

I'm glad I took a chance at the Royal for "Save Yourselves!", as it proved to be laugh-out-loud funny.

How refreshing for an end-of-the-world flick!
Mostly, it's because of this couple of thirty-somethings and their misadventures whilst trying to take a holiday in the woods...

the day before Tribble-like creatures invade, with their thirst for ethanol.

I know, sounds like frat boys gone wrong, don't they?

Most surprising to me was the complete and total lack of reference made to the Star Trek name of the aliens.

Wow, right?

The second most surprising thing about the movie?

The apparent shared fondness for an old Scottish actor.

While they are huddled for safety in the cabin, they're comforting each other by telling dad jokes.

No, seriously.

"What time will Sean Connery be at Wimbledon? "

 "Tennish."

 "What did Sean Connery say to the bearded hostage?"

 "Shave yourself."

Be sure to read those in your best brogue...

and maybe try out the post title, too.

There are no accidents.

 

Yes, I had popcorn at the cinema.

Yes, even though I had actually arrived early enough in Pooler to indulge in ceviche at Jalapenos prior to the movie.

Yes, yes, yes.

Remember, my comfort food is Mexican.

I had hoped to dine here when I met my first niece for lunch and a movie, but 'twas not to be.

We had Southwestern instead.

(smile!)

That was fine with me, as I am always more grateful for time with her than the choice of restaurant.
Today, though, was all about me -

and this place was where I chose to be, as I have time and again, and this meal was what I craved.

I was there too late for lunch crowds and too early for dinner diners - perfect.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.