Movies, Books, Music, Etc.

I have been thinking lately about the things that I have read/watched/ or listened to over and over through the years.


Movies I have watched many times:


Gone With The Wind.  (Come on, my family is from the South.)

Making Mr. Right - It's just a quirky, silly little movie that always makes me laugh.  (Besides, John Malkovich is a pretty interesting actor.)


Jake Speed.  This is a little low-budget action/comedy that I just adore.  It is silly, campy, and funny.  Always cheers me up.


The Mystery! screen adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers' books Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, and Gaudy Night:   I never saw a pair of actors that looked more exactly like the descriptions of the characters in a book than the two playing Lord Peter and Harriet in this series.  Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter did an exceptional job, and after seeing just the first installment of Strong Poison, I had to go out and buy the novels!

Murphy's Romance.  James Garner and Sally Field.  Need I say more?

You've Got Mail - A nice little romantic comedy that never fails to make the cares of the day go away for a little while.

French Kiss - Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline - again, need I say more?

I have also watched the video recordings of three Mozart Operas done by a tiny company in a tiny theater that dates from Mozart's time.  Le Nozze de Figaro, Cosi Fan Tutti, and Don Giovanni.  I have sung arias from all three of these at voice recitals, and , in fact, my voice coach is currently torturing me with another aria from Cosi called Per Pieta Ben Mio Perdona. 

Books I have read over and over:  (Other than the Bible, that is)

The Three Musketeers by Dumas
 A classic adventure, and a classic for good reason.  Captivating, even after all these years.

The Count Of Monte Cristo also by Dumas.  Another well crafted tale.  This one was made into an exceptionally good mini series starring Gerrard Depardieu.  A must-see, because even with subtitles, it is fast paced and very well made.  (Besides, I need to hear the French now and then so I can sort of pronounce things sort of correctly when I have to sing a French aria.  (the Doll Aria comes to mind.  Sheesh! That thing is a marathon!))

Gone With The Wind.  Ever since my Mom admitted that she and her sisters sneaked a copy away from a relative to read when she was young,  I knew I had to read it.  I have read it at least three times.

Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter novels  I just love Lord Peter.  What can I say  He's almost the perfect hero.
The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings  By J.R.R. Tolkien
I'd have to give back my Geek Girl status if I didn't admit to reading these at least twice over in high school.

The  James Blish and Alan Dean Foster adaptations of all the televised Star Trek episodes, both live action and animated.  These stories were even better than watching the episodes, most ESPECIALLY in the case of the animated stories.  Alan Dean Foster fleshed some of them out into stand alone novels.  They were life sustaining to a young Trekkie going through a spell where none of the series were on the air, and nothing new was forthcoming.  (Yes, Paramount, I am one of those obnoxious persons who wrote to the studio over and over DEMANDING that you do SOMETHING to feed our Star Trek cravings.  Thank God for Star Wars and its success, or you might never have realized what a cash cow you had in Star Trek.)

And here lately, I have read and re-read the Psalm 23 Mysteries by Debbie Viguie.  They are entertaining, fairly light reading, not exactly cozies, but good mysteries.  They also have some things in them to make you think about your life and the way you react to it.  The main characters are interesting, and they actually grow through the course of the three novels so far.  (I sincerely hope there will be more!  Too many unanswered questions otherwise!!)

I have also read and re-read Sarah J. Mason's Miss Seeton books (written as Hamilton Crane) and her Trewley and Stone mysteries written under her own name.  (I am even used as the name for a character that doesn't actually appear in the story in Sew Easy To Kill, and the students at the school , St. Catherine's, in the story are called "Katies". )  That came about because I was a pen-friend of Sarah's after reading the first Trewley and Stone and discovering from her bio that she had two of the same breed of dog as I had.  I wrote care of the publisher to ask how on earth she got ANYTHING done with two Schipperkes underfoot, as I found one to be extremely demanding all on his own.  She answered that they kept each other busy, and a friendship was born.  We don't write as much as we used to, as Sarah isn't much for computers except to write her books on, and I have not emailed as often as perhaps I should.  Also, our dogs have since passed on to wait at the Rainbow Bridge, and though Matt and I have adopted another Schip from a breed rescue, Sarah and Bill have chosen not to go through the trauma of losing one again.  It IS hard, they have a real way in entrenching themselves in your heart, those Little Black Devils of dogs.

As for music, well, the soundtrack of my adolescence was the Greatest Hits of Elton John, with a little Beach Boys, Beatles, and Motown thrown in.  My Senior year, there was Disco, but only for dancing to.  (And that, alas, with my friend Brenda Brubaker, because our stupid boyfriends wouldn't dance, and we had taken Disco Dance for P.E.. )  I also still listen to a lot of Moody Blues, thanks to Charles Brehm, who was both friend and boyfriend in my Junior year.  (God, I had it BAD for that boy when I was 16 going on 17 and he was 17 going on 18.  My husband should be grateful to him, he taught me how to kiss.)

Speaking of my husband, there is also a lot of Abba on my playlists because that is what we listened to together because he liked it so much.  (I met him in a Star Trek fan club, by the way, and we were introduced by none other than his mother!)
There is an awful lot of Classical music in my life these days.  There always was, I studied piano for 10 years, though you'd never know it to hear me try and play these days.  (I never did practice enough.  My main objective was to learn to read music in both clefs.)
  I sing the Cathedral Choir at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City, and I take voice lessons at the Academy of Vocal Arts with Karen Smith-Pearson.  We sing a lot of traditional English Church music at St. Paul's, and I sing a lot of opera and art songs with Karen.  (I think my coworkers at the library can tell when a recital is near, because they will hear bits of the same aria over, and over, as I hum or softly sing to myself while working in the back.)
I also like the children's albums Gimme Elbow Room by Bonnie Rideout (Scottish fiddle champion) these are all infectious and enjoyable songs that aren't JUST for children to listen to., and the set of specially composed albums by Sandra Boynton:  Grunt: "Pigorian Chant" wherein the pigs sing in Pig Latin, and all the other creatures sing in regular Latin., The Philadelphia Chickens, which features some popular artists singing silly songs, and also Blue Moo, more of the same.  All are music that is good for kids, but also won't drive adults completely insane.

This is still only a partial listing of these things, but the ones that came immediately to mind when I set out to write about it.  Life is still hectic, I am still not sleeping as well as I should, which I find can make me strangely hyper at times, and for which I apologize profusely to any of my coworkers that have had the urge to tell me to shut up already.  You all deserve my best and not my running-on.  I do hope this doesn't count as running on.  Oh, well, with a blog post, you can just stop reading!  

Just Surviving

People always ask "How are you?" when they haven't seen you for awhile.  Well, what with 20+ days at or over 100 degrees, (today was the first cloudy, cooler (only 89 so far) day we've had in a LONG time), the Congress trying to sell us all down the river in favor of the big corporations, and new software starting this week at the library, I am surviving, but only just. 

There is a new series of mysteries that I enjoyed very much, alas, the publisher is hemming and hawing about publishing any more of them, the author has many other irons in the fire, and well, those of us who are on pins and needles over the cliffhanger at the end of the last one are just out of luck.  For those of you who are interested, the series is called the Psalm 23 Mysteries by Debbie Viguie.  First one is The Lord Is My Shepherd, next comes I Shall Not Want, and then Lie Down In Green Pastures.  I read the last one first, but it works much better if you start with the first one!  If you (like me) could use a little escapist fiction that isn't too taxing but will give you a bit of something to think about, this series is for you.   (And PLEASE, Ms. Viguie, find a way to finish it whether or NOT the publishers pick it up!!)

Here are links to the books on Barnes and Noble:  The Lord Is My Shepherd,  I Shall Not Want , Lie Down In Green Pastures

I have to go bake some oatmeal cookies now.  I am sending them in a care package for our technology team who are wrestling all this week with migrating our database to the new software, and they trying to fix all the little glitches,  snags, and just plain blowups that will more than likely come up as we go live with it.  They need our prayers and support, and they also need cookies.

As for me, as long as the rain comes back and keeps us cooler, and Congress gets its collective head out of its collective behind, I should be fine.

I've Gone Over To The Dark Side...

I finally gave in and bought an e-reader.  Since it does more than just allow me to read e-books, I figured it was worth getting.  There are a few books I would like to own, but would not necessarily like to pay $25 + for the hardcover edition, or find space in the house to store said hardcover.  So, the Nook Color was Matt's big gift to me this Christmas, and I also got one for him.  (Technically, we bought them together, and today, so they were an afterthought as far as Christmas goes.)


The Nook is simple enough to use, but the touch screen keyboard drives me nuts.  I am a touch typist, and having to tap one letter at a time is MUCH too slow and painstaking a process for me to endure it for more than about five minutes.  I can post short updates to face book from the Nook, I can also download free e-books from the library, either the public domain ones I can keep, or the newer ones that I can borrow.  They check themselves back in, evidently. 
Of course, I get this new contraption, and right away I've loaded it full of Nac Mac Feegles.
Crivens!
What have I done?!  Why, I've purchased and downloaded all the Tiffany Aching stories, that's what I've done!  Books I read the first time from the library, and would like to own, but don't have room to keep.  Now I can own them, and even better, I can find them when I want to read them, and I can even search for certain passages electronically! 
(Hm, for some reason the grammar checker on this program doesn't like the previous paragraph much.  The Feegles must have frightened it!)
(There.  I broke it up.  It likes that much better!)

I shall add some photos of the Nook, and of the quiche I made this evening, and the other Christmas gifts I opened yesterday.  They consist mostly of fitness related games for the Wii.  This is a (probably) vain attempt to get my ever more flabby old body back into some semblance of shape.  If I play the fitness games regularly, and do my time on the treadmill, I may just manage to reign in the mddle aged weight gain.  (I hope!)
All in all this has been a good holiday season for me so far.  (I think Matt has found it enjoyable also.)  It has certainly involved a LOT of consecutive church services!  We more than made up this year for not being together as a congregation last Christmas!  We were at church Friday night, Saturday morning, and again this morning!  I love my church family at St. Paul's, and it was a special joy to be able to spend our Christmas with them again this year.  Every Christmas since 1995, except last year when the snowstorm prevented it.  We also got to spend time with Mike and Nancy Rogers, good friends also of long standing, and always a welcome sight.  I suspect the gift cards they gave us are going to be consumed by the wee electronic book devices. 

That is about all my still somewhat sleep deprived brain can come up with this time out.  As you can see, I was busier this season than I thought I would be, so I didn't make it with the daily gratitude posts.  But I am grateful for the people who make it worthwhile to celebrate.  For friends and coworkers and family.  All of you are treasures, and I try to keep you close in my heart.

Advent Day 14: Today I am Thankful for Books

As you can see, books are pretty important around here.  I have four that I am reading right now.  The items in the bookshelves actually belong to us.  There are LOTS more books in Matt's office.  Books provide inspiration, entertainment, escape, knowledge, guidance, and just plain fun.  All of the books I am currently reading are checked out of the library where I work.  I deal with books several hours a day.  Still, I love books.  I may eventually obtain an e-reader, simply because I fear that actual books may no longer be printed.  I LOVE the feel of books, the heft of them, the fact that they do not require batteries, the fact that my cookbooks (which collection I did not photograph), can be splashed on with little damage done, provided I clean them off promptly.  (I don't think an electronic device would fare so well.)  Besides, curling up with an electronic device is just not the same as curling up with a book I've had for years and enjoy re-reading. 
Sometimes, I find things stuck in my books that I don't remember putting in them.  They are not always bookmarks, but sometimes just something I got out of the mail the day I happened to be reading that book. 
There are sometimes things left in library books.  The most unusual one I ever came across was a car payment, all stamped and ready to mail.  We called the customer and asked if they wanted us to go ahead and mail it, and they did, so we dropped it in with our outgoing mail.  I try to not leave things in the library's books. 
I cannot believe how fast Advent is going this year, and I don't know how I'm going to get all my library books read in time.  There are still cookies to be made, packages to be mailed, and gifts to be wrapped.  Most of all, there is still the need to stop and reflect on the meaning of the season, and the things that are in my life that mean the most. 

Advent Day 13 - Today I am Grateful for Our Little Traditions

We have a few little traditions unique to our (very small) family unit.  I usually buy a holiday sweater, and retire by giving away the oldest and/or rattiest of the sweaters.  The ones pictured above are the best ones, and the Cardinal sweater is the newest.  I know, holiday sweaters are much derided, but I taught elementary school, and worked in a preschool before that, so I have a love of things like that, and that will probably never change!
Another tradition Matt and I began when we were married is to buy at least one (often two)  Hallmark ornament(s) every year.  (Some years we haven't been able to , and we bought or made an ornament those years)  This year's Hallmark ornaments are Father Christmas, shown in the last picture above, and The Eastern Bluebird, shown in the picture immediately above that.  This year, the annually purchased ornaments, 27 Christmases worth, plus a few special ones, are the only ornaments on the tree.  Among the special ones are the two made by Julia DuBreuil, a friend and coworker.  She has made ornaments and pins for some of us on the staff most years.  These are the two most recent, and they are always going to be on our tree.  Julie is very talented, and very generous to share her art with us.
As is traditional, Skye had to be chased away from the tree several times while I was working on it.  I have several soda cans with pennies inside, taped shut, and ready to throw at her if she gets too nosy about the tree.   We usually only have to put the cans on the piano, and she won't get to the tree, because the cans fall off and make noise and scare her.
I will post more photos of the tree, our stockings and the Christmas Eve dinner.  The dinner is the same every year:  Matt's brown sugar glazed ham, Betty Crocker Au Gratin potatoes, sweet potato balls, my Aunt Clara's baked beans, Mom's rolls, and for dessert, pumpkin pie and chocolate angel pie.   This is just what we started out doing every year, and it has pretty much stuck.  It makes for easy to reheat leftovers.

While decorating the tree, I could tell Pop was around because when I had my moments of the multi-focal lenses in my glasses driving me nuts, or my fingers not cooperating with the little ornament hooks, I swear I heard him say "You're as bad as I am, Katie Didder. You remember what your Mommy Mo told you about my magic words, now.  They backfire if you use them!"
Pop would be hanging around here right now for sure.  Matt is smoking a pork butt tonight.  Going to be some good eatin' around here tomorrow evening!  (We are taking  most of it to a party, so we won't be gorging on it and gaining all kinds of weight.)
Guess that's about all for this post.  I haven't had much time to think, let alone write this week. 

Advent Day 9 : Today I am Grateful For Warm Things

Today has been a very cold day.  Had to wear my thermals under the workout wear to walk the dog this morning.  The dog was limping, even though he was anxious to be out and about, because the cold got to his stiff and achy joints. 
One of the first things I did upon returning home was make a small pot of coffee.  The nice, hot coffee warmed me up and of course it helped keep me awake. 
One of the next things I did was put on a nice, soft fleece shirt.  I've been wearing it all day.  Keeps me toasty if I don't sit still too long.
My coat came in handy when I went for my voice lesson and when I went out again later.  Also, when Matt came home, he made barbecue soup, which was perfect for this very cold day.
I sat and did a little reading after dinner, and during that time, I had a nice, warm cat on my lap.  After I fed the cat and the dog, I turned on the electric mattress pad on our bed so it would be nice and toasty when we crawl in.  The cat likes to curl up between the pillows I stack on top and sleep until we get ready for bed.  She then sleeps between us, where she can best pin down the covers over both of us.  (Making it difficult to move.)
I was thinking about all these warm things I have to help me make it through a cold day, and remembering as I set up the manger that Jesus didn't have much to keep him warm, and even in that climate, nights are cold.  The animals in that stable surely provided some warmth, but to quote an old movie "Boy, that's not all!" 
Many children in the world today don't have enough to keep them warm.  Physically in some cases, emotionally in others.  I want to try to do what I can to help keep others warm.  Maybe donate to a charity that will give them something to keep their body warm, and maybe smile a bit more and be kinder to help warm their hearts. 
The pictures above are our manger that we set up every year.  We purchased  it at the Base Exchange at Rhein-Main Air Base.  It was the last one, and didn't have the right box.  We are still using the one they gave us to carry it home in. ( That was probably in 1989.  )  For those of you not from liturgical traditions, you may be wondering why Baby Jesus isn't in the manger.  Simple.  We are still waiting for him to get here.  He gets here on Christmas Eve, and that's when he goes in the manger.  (Right now, as you can see, He is resting comfortably  upside down in a shot glass in the drawer in the wine cabinet in our living room.  Yes, that is a little weird.  But hey, we never forget where he is!)

Second Week of Advent: Advent Day 8: Today I am Thankful For My Childhood Memories

As I get ready for another Christmas, I think a lot about the people who made Christmas special for me over the years.  I was very lucky, I grew up in a very traditional, very loving family.  Christmas was Pop's favorite holiday.  That first picture is my Pop in front of the fireplace mantle that he built in our house in Compton, CA.  This was the year of my first Christmas, when I was 10 months old.  (And I said my first word: "Pretty!" for the Christmas tree.)  My brother Walt made all these photos.  He was 12 the year I was born. 

The second photo is my Mom, my sister Susie holding me, and my biggest brother, Butch.  This was in our side yard in Compton, by the avocado tree.  I feel like I had extra parents more than siblings.  Let's just say I had plenty of supervision while growing up.

The third photo is Ernie, who lived next door with his wife Blanche.  Their last name was Craig.  They were some of many older neighbors who functioned kind of like extra grandparents for me.  The Oelkers, who lived down the road, owned a dairy.  They were lots of fun to visit because I got to see the cows. Ernie and Blanche sent me postcards from every place they traveled to.  I kept those for years, and I think I only parted with them when we moved to Europe in 1989.  There was Nelda McGinn who lived next door, who entertained me for hours with her stories and her zither and her songs.  She was very special to me, and I miss her still.  I would love to have been able to tell her about Germany when we lived there, and it would have been fun to tell the Oelkers about it too.  (They were German.) 
The last photo is my Pop, my Uncle Dick, and Aunt Clara.  Uncle Dick was Pop's older brother.  He also really loved Christmas, and every year we had Christmas Eve with him and Aunt Clara, and all the cousins.  Uncle Dick was one of the few people I have ever known who could really be said to be jolly, especially around little kids.  He loved me a lot, I know that.  I miss him so much, even now.  He and Pop were like little kids themselves at Christmas.  Their excitement and joy rubbed off on all of us.  The year Uncle Dick died was hard on all of us, but especially Pop.  Christmas just wasn't the same without Uncle Dick.  (I used to half suspect that he was Santa Claus.  He would have made a good one, even though he didn't have a beard.)
Of course, I miss my Pop most of all.  I was his baby girl, and I was spoiled accordingly.  One reason I haven't put the tree up yet is that I know I need time to do it right, which means waiting to feel Pop's presence around me to supervise, like he always did when I was 10 or so, and first helped him put up the tree.  Every year, even lately, I have felt Pop near, have almost heard his voice when trying to decide where to put ornaments, or adjusting the garland. 
I also remember him when I bake the pies, when Matt slices the ham, when I wrap presents, always remembering how he used to wrap extra stuff in the box to throw us off if we shook our packages. 
Of course I remember Mom when I do the baking and make the fudge every year.  Mom is still with us, but she lives far away, and so I must settle for calling her on the phone to ask about the finer points of making the infamous chocolate pie, or how to tell if the fudge has cooked enough. My rolls never do come out quite as good as hers, though.  I think I don't let them rise long enough, and perhaps our kitchen is a bit too cool for them, as we keep the heat low to compensate for all the work we are doing in there!
The musical memories of Christmas for me are many.  I've been singing in church every year since I was tiny.  These days the caliber of music I get to sing is much better than what I once sang, but I still remember all those pageants with joy.  I listen to Bing Crosby's Christmas album, and Andy Williams, because Mom always played those while we decorated cookies.  I have yet to find the Doris Day Christmas Album like Mom had.  Once I do, I will have all my childhood auditory memories of Christmas!
I never realized when I was little how very lucky I was to have such a family.  It felt normal to me, and yet, it seems it was all too rare to have a family that always gathered more or less harmoniously for holidays.  We did also go to church, on Sundays and during the holidays.  As a family.  You didn't get out of going to church until you moved out on your own.  Live in Pop's house, go to church.  Those were the rules. I suppose because of that, I feel totally lost if I am not a part of a church family.  I am also thankful to have found St Paul's here in Oklahoma.  I still have an extended family to see at Christmas, and every Sunday thanks to St.Paul's. 
I do seem to remember having to wait rather impatiently a couple of Christmases for Walt to get up before I could  open my presents or see what was in my stocking.  Well, he WAS a teenager then, and you know how hard it is for teens to wake up.
So, though it is easy to feel like a grinch this time of year with all the crass consumerism going on, I am still able to see magic and wonder and feel love and goodwill, thanks to the early training I got from my family.
Merry Christmas, Pop.  I'll be expecting your help when I get around to putting the tree up. Uncle Dick and Aunt Clara, you can drop by any time.  I wish I could give each of you a big hug for Christmas like I used to.

Butch, Susie, Walt, and especially Mom, you know I love you.  I always have.  You guys very much WERE my world for a lot of years. Thanks for putting up with me.