update on getting my house in order

It is clear to me that the end is not in sight.

It is true - however - that there is Light at the end of the
Proverbial Tunnel.  For the furniture is in place and as far
as expenditures there are only a few blinds to purchase to
keep the sun at bay in the afternoon.

Yes - there are days when I truly believe that I will get my
house in order.


Yet it is my stuff that is holding me back.

Keeping me from the satisfaction of completing the Move.

You think I obsessed about hanging the ornaments on the
Christmas Tree?  At least Christmas Tree Ornaments have
worth - and they sparkle and are pretty.

I'm talking about my junk here.  My stuff.

The Stuff that I have collected through the last 25 years -
endless amounts of paper, presidential knick-nacks that
only a Real President would save for his Presidential Library.

But really - is there no end to it?


Tonight - however - I decided to move on.


And I really made progress.


How did I do that?


why by moving four stacks of stuff to the other
side of the room - where it will be waiting for me
to sort and put away in the morning


Yes folks - this is the ultimate in Obsessing.

Twenty-five years of  keeping absolutely
worthless stuff  and for what?


Even my granchildren  saw it for what it is.
I had emptied a box of stuff - precious only
to me - and invited them to look through it.
The older ones left disappointed - while the
four year old looked disgusted.  I said, 'David,
look at these miniature presidents '- always
important to me since my mother had given
them to me many years ago that she had
gotten at the grocery store every time she
bought so many groceries - 'we can play with
them and set them up to do things.'

And so David humored me - setting them up
and eventually - like Tom Sawyer painting the
fence - his slightly older brother was sucked
into it.

But I said - seeing my chance to get in good
with David always hard to do - 'David is in
charge of the Presidents.  You have to follow
his rules.'


And so feeling only slightly better about my stuff -
now I must finish the job - which is painstakingly
putting it all away - somewhere - for the final time.

Until eventually my daughters will say - 'Why didn't
Mom clear out some of this stuff before she...
left.

Now we have to deal with it.'
~~~

Many of the scraps of paper among my stuff contain
scribbled quotes - and these three are not among them.
But I think these are worthy of note:


Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.

                                                       ~Oscar Wilde


There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.

                                                      ~Goethe


but as i stood there looking at the stuff that represents
twenty-five years of my life - i found this one to be most
fitting:


You don't understand - I coulda had class.  I coulda been
a contender.   I coulda been somebody - instead of a bum -
which is what I am.

                                                  ~Marlon Brando/Terry Malloy
                                                    On the Waterfront (1954)








i really wish i had known Marlon Brando
he was a great actor and person i believe
in my heart i think we could have bonded

i'm so sorry franz liszt - for your music is so hard and beautiful

Franz Liszt.

How could I have mentioned the Masters - even Wagner - without
mentioning Franz Liszt.


A name that strikes fear in the heart of even the greatest of pianists - for
his music is among the most challenging ever - even making the rach 3
look like a finger exercise.


But what a Heart Liszt must have had.  For only a few minutes ago I invited
him into my living room while I played the hauntingly beautiful parts of his
beloved Liebestraume - blowing off the difficult parts of course. :  )
But even with mistakes - there is no mistaking the depth of the feeling that
comes from this Love Ballad.  And only those like me - who have known
the heartbreak of Unrequited Love can truly play Liebestraume and do it
justice - without the hard parts of course.


When I used to be a piano teacher I had a student who broke my heart becasue
he could have been the quinessential concert pianist - he had all the right
ingredients - not to mention that he was extremely intelligent.  I used to tell his
mother that I should be paying HIM to take lessons from me.

But alas - it was not to be.  Instead - he is a budding composer - and I hope
we will hear more from him.
~~~

Liszt - according to Harold C. Schonberg in his book The Lives of the Great
Composers  - established once and for all the genre of the bravura pianist -
coming out and and haughtily assulting the piano - shocking the 'purist'
musicians - who rarely lifted their fingers a few inches above the keyboard.

Oh to have seen this man perform - not to mention hearing the Master himself
play his own compositions.

Schonberg goes on to say that Franz Liszt was indeed an institution - even in
his old age - constantly surrounded by young pianists, composers, journalists,
sycophants (see below) and hangers-on.

In addition - Schonberg describes Liszt as although having white hair and  a
'notable collection of warts' on his face - this could not dim the 'ardent lover'
in the great musician.

Furthermore - women remained attracted to this amazing composer and pianist -
and a scandal ensued when one of his pupils tried to shoot him - and subsequently
herself.
~~~

One only has to hear the stains of Liebestraume - aka love dreams - to realize the
passion that spewed forth from the beloved notes.
~~~

Franz Liszt - thank you for what you have given us - and on a personal note - me.

For although I can never do justice to your music technically - I can reproduce
the passion that you may have felt when you composed it.



and really - that is all that matters




for your music belongs to the ages now





and to all of us



sycophant - someone who hangs around a celebrity trying
to suck up to him but not really caring about him kinda like
stalking

you are always on my mind

Good Will Hunting is not my favorite movie.



Out of Africa is my Favorite Movie.



In the Movie The Time Machine 1 - in the end the housekeeper notices
that there are two books missing from the bookshelf that the master
must have taken back - I mean forward - in time to start over.


Now if I went back - I mean forward  - in time I would not take any books
with me but rather I would take a movie.


And what movie would that be - you might ask?


That movie would be Good Will Hunting.


because:


~how the h*ll did two wild and crazy young guys like matt damon
and ben affleck come up with a screenplay so brilliant - and so
full of meaning - that it blows my mind away

~the ending is perfect

~the Academy Awards people got it right that time

~Robin Williams

~Stellan Skarsgard - who got his arm bit off in my next to favorite shark movie
which i can't believe i let myself get intimidated into giving it away and i'm going
to buy deep blue sea again the next time i see it in the $5 bin at walmart

~the Defining Moment when ben affleck realizes that Will is gone for good - and 
brothers will be brothers because that was the same winning expression on casey
affleck's face that made it for me in the ending of gone baby gone



and so good will hunting - this song is dedicated to you...


maybe i didn't love you
quite as often as i could have
maybe i didn't treat you
quite as good as i should have - you got that right

if i made you feel second best - you did
girl i'm sorry i was blind
you were always on my mind
you were always on my mind

maybe i didn't hold you
all those lonely, lonely times : (
and i guess i never told you
i'm so happy that you're mine - but you see i'm not

little things i should have said and done
i just never took the time
you were always on my mind
you were always on my mind

tell me
tell me that your sweet love hasn't died - it has
and give me
give me one more chance to keep you satisfied - no
i'll keep you satisfied

little things i should have said and done
i just never took the time
you were always on my mind
you were always on my mind


you just wasted my precioius time
don't think twice it's alright


thanks willie nelson



special thanks to bob dylan




be sure to sit through the credits cause their may be a
message at the end


will hunting                     -         Matt Damon

sean mcguire                  -         Robin Williams

chuckie sullivan              -         Ben Affleck

prof. gerald lambeau       -         Stellar Skarsgard

skylar                            -         Minnie Driver

morgan o'malley            -         Casey Affleck


and there were Others


writers                          -         Matt Damon and Ben Affleck

director                        -         Gus Van Sant





made you look





: O )

see my post - on living in the box

I did check out the book by David W. Barber - Bach, Beethoven and the Boys
and would like to share a few vignettes from it with you.

Barber's book is so hilarious that my first reaction is that what he says can't be
true - but I've read most of this stuff in other books so I'm pretty sure that he
didn't make it up.

He does say in the Author's Note - however - that 'one of my music-history
professors gently pulled me aside one day and told me that, although my work
was good, I was too easily distracted by the non-essentials.'


~Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - Because of the color of his hair, Vivaldi was
nicknamed Il prete rossa, or 'the red priest.'  Today he might be called 'carrot-
head.'

~George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) - King George I enjoyed Handel's Water
Music so much - composed for him - that he arraged for a special royal outing on the Thames
during which the King and his friends floated down the river eating and drinking on a
barge - while Handel and 50 musicians floated on another barge beside them playng
dance music.

~Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) - Barber suggests that the reason that
Mozart was an overachiever was that his father nagged him, forced him to work
hard, make money and warned him not to hang around other musicians.

~Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) - In his final moments Beethoven roused
himself out of a coma - shook his angry fist at the Heavens - then after a huge
thunderclap and a flash of lightning - the great composer was dead.

~Richard Wagner (1813-1883) - Surely if Wagner lived today he would have
given money to PETA - for he owned dogs all his life - two black poodles,
Speck and Dreck; several Newfoundlands; two spaniels, Peps and Fips; a
few terriers; and a Spitz named Putzi. - but I'm quite sure that Wagner would
also have donated big bucks to the Arts too.

~Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - Tchaikovsky was always very nervous
and had a morbid fear that his head might fall off in the middle of the piece - while
directing a concert - so he propped it up with his left hand and conducted only with
his right hand.

~Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971) - Stravinsky often composed music on whatever
paper was handy:  napkins, envelopes or restaurant menus.  He like to wear a battered
old green beret while he slept and even compared his music to his own nose:  'One
does not criticize anybody or anything that is functioning.  A nose is not manufactured;
a nose just is.  Thus, too, my art.'

~Robert Schumann - (1810-1856) - Schumann seem to have had some difficulty
distinguishing between fantasy and reality.  But - Barber writes - so what if he was
a little bit bonkers sometimes?  We must tolerate a bit of craziness:  it fuels the
Creative Spirit.





Thanks so much David W. Barber for allowing me to use the information from
your really great book - especially the parts I lifted verbatim.







i'm thinkin' what's he gonna do about it anyway

tools of the trade

Here are some of the things that help me out on a daily basis -


tools of the trade you might say.


The Tools of the Trade used by a Traditional Idiot Housewife.


Windex
Pledge
The Works
Clorox Wipes
Mr. Clean
My Shark Navigator Ninja Vacuum Cleaner
(that's really the name of it folks)
409
Comet

and most of all

Mr. Clean
~~~

I dust.

I vacuum.

I do laundry.

I do dishes.

I scrub floors
(it's kinda like praying - best done on your knees)

I even dust with a feather duster sometimes.

I don't do windows however unless forced to do so.
~~~

This is it folks.


 

the very Core of my Existence.




'a man works from sunup to sundown -






but a woman's work is never done...'





: ~(

on living in the box

A few years ago I was studying piano with a real for sure college
professor.

Now although occasionally he would comment - in a positive way -
about my playing - for the most part we both knew that I wasn't
really going anywhere with it.

One day he said to me - Sue, you can invite these great composers into
your living room any time you wish.  You just have to know how to
duplicate the sounds. 

I knew what he was saying to me - that you don't have to be a concert
pianist but rather just to be able to have the ablility to make it work - and
then you can  -as he said - invite these Great Composers into your living
room.

Because I am let us say - Tenacious - I didn't give up on being a real pianist
until a few days ago.
 

But now I 'get it.'


Having studied Piano for most of my life I now am ready to Invite the Masters
into My Living Room - and I'm talking about Bach, Beethoven and Mozart -
and well - even Chopin.  : )
~~~

That part of living in the box I'm ok with.


Today I realized that I could invite Others into my Living Room besides
*Bach, Beethoven and the Boys.

For instance earlier today Bob Dylan stopped by and sang a few Christmas
songs.  Later Harry Connick, jr. was here with his knock-out style - also
Christmas Music.  Ya gotta love Harry Connick, jr.


And I heard that Elvis has been sighted around town.  If he comes to My House
I'm going to request Blue Christmas.


Elvis coming.


can you imagaine that?


But you know - there are just some things that have to be better outside the box.



:^)




*credit for 'Bach, Beethoven and the Boys must go to David W. Barber
because that is the name of his really cool  book which I think I'm
going to read again - maybe tonight

more f*ing song lyrics

When I looked upon those big beautiful Snowflakes today it reminded
me of Camelot - the movie musical starring Vanessa Redgrave, Robert
Goulet and Richard Harris.


And so I was inspired to dedicate these next song lyrics to:


MY  HOUSE


if ever i would leave you
it wouldn't be in summer
seeing you in summer i never would go
your hair streaked with sun-light
your lips red as flame
your face with a luster

that puts gold to shame


but if i'd ever leave you
it couldn't be in autumn
how i'd leave in autumn

 i never will know



i've seen how you sparkle
when fall nips the air

i know you in autumn
and i must be there


and could i leave you
runnintg merrily though the snow
or on a wintry evening
when you catch the fire's glow


if ever i would leave you
how could it be in spring-time
knowing how in spring

i'm bewitched by you so


oh  no  not in spring-time



summer

 winter

   or


  fall



no never could i leave you



at all
~~~



tonight there will be kind of a sequel to this -


right after i get done in the kitchen   :)

SNOW

I just looked out the window and it is snowing.


Big    Beautiful     Huge    Snowflakes



Do you guys see much of that out there in the Land of Fruit and Nuts?



didja know that no two of them are alike




thank  you   jesus




:O)

i can't believe i've dumped Bach for Beethoven

I never thought it would happen.

My love for and faith in J.S. Bach runs so deep that I had
planned to spend my Sunset Years reading though his
Preludes and Fugues.


But lately - since yesterday - I stumbled onto the Sonata
right before the Moonlight one and now I'm hooked.


Oh sure - I'll never play it in Carnegie Hall like I was gonna
play the Rach 3 - : )  - but this Sonata is so cool and I'm
gonna pound the c*ap out of my Baldwin so that I'll have
to get a Steinway after I sell a few of my Paintings.  You
should see the one I have hanging in the hallway across
from the laundry room just outside the kitchen.

It is big but not overly big.  Completely gold with a small
oasis right in the center.  I'm telling you it is really good.
Worth big bucks.  Just waiting to be discovered by some
rich person who is devoted to the Arts.  And the frame is
really great too.  The other night as I walked by it it fell
off of the wall and scared the c*rap out of me. The frame
chipped a little but I filled it in with dark brown sharpie and
now it just looks a little antiqued.




hanging it up now




but I'll always go back to Bach in the end...



which the way I'm working on my house may come sooner than later...

the selfish giant

I'm not sure why - but today as I was thinking  - something I rarely don't do -
my mind went back - on its own - to a Cherished Childhood Memory.

The memory of the beloved Librarian of the Small Town in which I was raised.

On Saturday morning she used to read a story to the children - and this is the
only one that I remember.  I haven't thought about this for years.  It was always
there and it came to me today.


The story is The Selfish Giant.  I had to google it to remember what it was all
about.  But it is not the story that this post is about  - but its Author.


I was delighted to see that Oscar Wilde wrote this Beautiful Little Story that he
meant to be read aloud to Children.


Oscar Wilde.


About two years ago - for some reason - I googled Oscar Wilde - and read in
wonder about his Beautiful and Tumultuous Life.


I have already lived twenty years longer than he was when he died -

yet in the forty-six years that he was among us - he did what I cannot bring myself to do.



And although I did not know it then - I believe that is why he is so important to me
today.  Not just his contribution to the Literary world - but that he Dared to Live.


He paid the Price for the Living the life that he did - but he did Live.




and if I could talk to him now I would ask him  - how did you do that?




because i just can't figure it out on my own....





maybe these song lyrics can help me out : )



some say love it is a river
that drowns the tender reed
some say love it is a razor
that leaves your Soul to bleed

some say love it is a hunger
an endless aching need
i say love it is a flower
and you its only seed


it's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance

it's the Dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance

it's the one who won't be Taken
who cannot seem to Give

and the Soul afraid of dying that never learns to Live

when the Night has been too Lonely
and the Road has been too Long

and you think that Love is only

for the Lucky and the Strong


just remember in the Winter Far Beneath the Bitter Snows

Lies the Seed

that with the Sun's Love

in the Spring


becomes


the rose




thanks bette midler



: O)

all's well that ends well

I even found the large pink rubber ducky that
was missing from my rubber ducky collection
that I obsessed over all day.








goodnight

:O)

rocket man

she packed my bags last night pre-flight
zero hour nine a.m
and i'm gonna be high as a kite by then
i miss the Earth so much i miss my wife
it's lonely out in Space
on such a Timeless Flight

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
till Touch Down brings me round again to find
I'm not the Man they think I am at Home

Mars ain't the kind of Place to raise your Kids
In fact it's Cold as Hell
And there's No One there to Raise Them if you did
And all this Science I don't Understand
It's just my Job Five Days a Week

A Rocket Man -  A  Rocket  Man


AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A LONG LONG TIME...






 and i think it's gonna be all right



:o)




thanks EJ

on letting go

For a while now I've been obsessing over something that I can
see just isn't realistic.


In other words - it ain't gonna happen.


But after a really bad cry - I'm ok with it.



I'm going to let it go.


But I don't mind because instead of studying piano I'm going to
look for an art studio and paint.


What did you say?  'We've heard that one before - stidh.'


But it's different now.  Because tonight - when I was standing in front
of the door that had been slammed in my face - my daughter called and
told me that a friend of hers was over yesterday and had been studying
some of the paintings that I gave her family.

And her friend said, 'Does she ever sell her paintings? Because that's the
kind that I would like to buy.'


And there it is - dear friends and commenters - the proverbial open
window.
~~~

I've always fantasized about selling my paintings - but now I know
that's what I'm going to do.

Sure - there are some paintings that I'll never sell.

But when I make up my mind - there's no stopping me.

It's called:

Determination.

Focus.

Dreaming.



even the impossible dream



Why I think I feel some Song Lyrics coming on -


but not tonight



tonight i'll just say -





thank you Israel Kamakawiwo'ole







that's almost as hard to say as zach galifianakis




:-)

on confusing song lyrics

Anyone who has read my blog knows that I like to copy
song lyrics to make my posts look longer.

:-)

and occasionally I do this with poetry also.
~~~

But sometimes song lyrics can be confusing.



Back in 1978 there was a song that ran through
my mind almost incessantly.


It was the Bob Hope song 'Thanks for the Memories.'


but you know i could never figure out why it was always
running through my mind - and i was glad when it stopped



Then I remember in 1969 I would be thinking about the
lyrics and the haunting melody of  'Those Were the Days
My Friend we thought they'd never end...'

but you know i never knew why i was thinking about that
one either




More recently a song has been working its way through my
mind which is:  when will i hold you again


Now really - hold who - and how can you hold someone again
if you have never held them in the first place


Barry Manilow - help me out here



Is that just one of those songs that is truly beautiful
but void of meaning for us Dreamers?





: o)

ludwig van beethoven - i owe you

more than an apology.

for:


~saying that the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata was overplayed when
if I worked at it for the rest of my life I could never do it justice

~for thinking that I am worthy of even saying your name out loud

~because you stayed the course even when you went deaf and they had to
turn you around to see that the audience was wildly applauding the Ninth
Symphony and if I were a great composer and that happened to me I
would probably blow my brains out

~for all the times I murdered the Pathetique Sonata - did you roll over in your
grave Beethoven

~for saying that Chopin was one of the Masters right up there with you, Bach
and Mozart~although I don't take it back that Bach is the Father of Music :)
but because Chopin only composed for the piano


and much more
~~~

but please accept my Humble and Heartfelt Thanks for:


~the Ninth Symphony that I seldom listen to because it is so Wonderful and
Great and the last movement truly blows me away

~for the Fidelio Overture which I wouldn't recognize if I heard it but I promise
to get it on my next trip to B & N

~and finally for the four timpani notes at the beginning of your Violin Concerto-
which may be your Crowning Achievement


Ludwig van Beethoven -


May you rest in Eternal Peace all the while having the fun you never allowed
yourself to have here on Earth -







and I hope you and Antonie live happily ever after

i heart nicolas cage

although i sometimes confuse his movies with kevin costner's movies.


Some of my favorite Kevin Costner movies:


~dances with wolves - this is great but the part where the wolf who likes
him is being used for target practice rips my heart out

~dragonfly - i will never forget the ending when i was too stupid to guess
that in the tent it would be his baby but rather i was afraid of what it would be

~bull durham - when he takes his arm and knocks everything off the table
and well.... you know - and sometimes when my kitchen counter is very
cluttered i think of that  and want to clear it off with my arm until i
remember that i am alone in the kitchen so what's the use :) seg

~waterworld - why did he leave her in the end and would he come back

~the untouchables - it was really when they got sean connery that broke
my heart and i love cry wolf with charles martin smith plus i think the main
reason i like deep impact was the short scene with him in it at the first

~a perfect world

~JFK - one of my faves - especially kevin bacon when they visited him
in prison and as they leave he taunts Jim Garrison:  'you're a fine looking
man mr. garrison - when I get out of here i'm going to look you up...' does
it really get any better than kevin bacon?

~Field of  Dreams - a fine contribution to all Lovers of the Arts and
really makes you feel like Donating Money to that Cause
~~~

some nicolas cage movies


~knowing         

~city of angels - why did he get what he wanted only to have it taken away right
after he got it

~ghost rider - 2007

~national treasures - both are just that but the first is best

~true lies - wait a minute - that was arnold ~ i loved that movie with jamie lee
curtis but i kept thinking:  will it never end but ya gotta love tom arnold when
he said in fallen someone's pl*y*ng w*th m* **** *nd *t ***'t m * -sorry
about that but i think that line is brilliant

~face/off  - one of the best but it nearly drove me insane thinking about the switched faces

~peggy sue got married - a classic

~leaving las vegas - the first time i couldn't get past the first five minutes but i'd
like to try again since he won best actor



and it's gotta count for something that his uncle is Francis Ford Coppola

on obsessing

After I wrote about Obsessing about the Christmas Tree I started thinking
about the other things I obsess about:


~even though I haven't even left the room after unplugging the
iron I check it again and then I stand there and stare at the empty
socket and force myself to think - the iron is unplugged

~even just going outside

~a wonderful new obsession since we have moved here is recycling

~despondency

~safety issues - among them the correct wattage of light bulbs and also
playground equipment

~art

~who got/should have gotten best actor

~the meaning of life

~the possibility of something happening to my Bobblehead Bach



but the one thing that makes me realize in my demented little mind
that without a fact that I am uncertifiably nuts is:


after i blow out a match and run water on it - the match must lie in
the kitchen sink - where there is no possibility of spontaneous
combustion - overnight - and in the morning i must FORCE myself
to throw it in the wastebasket - and FORCE myself to walk away -
all the time knowing that the house will

most certainly


burn   to    the     ground
.



and that folks - is what stidh deals with on a daily basis








pretty good huh

my faith journey

Because I'm bipolar for me Christmas means -  More.


more what you may ask?


obsessing


Obsessing about the Christmas Tree:


~which ornaments to hang

~how many ornaments to hang

~where to put the ornaments

~how to hang the ornaments so they don't touch any branches

~where to hang the special ones

and so on

And Obsessing about when I am done hanging the Ornaments:

when I decide I am done hanging the ornaments I allow myself
three days to add more or change them around


but after the three days are up I rarely touch the tree
~~~

and the Grinch


How The Grinch Stole Christmas holds deep meaning for me.


you know - what Christmas is really all about


and before it was too late the Grinch discovered that Christmas means

'just a little bit more...'



and the true meaning of Christmas is that....



even the Grinch himself got to carve the Roast Beast.




thanks dr. seuss





pretty magnanimous -isn't it

i think it's gonna be all right

Tonight as I was doing the dishes - well I am a housewife - my 12 year old
granddaugher 'paused' the Harry Potter movie she was watching and for
no apparent reason said to me:


'Grandma - people of different political parties should learn that they
can like each other and get along even if they have different ideas.'


After I recovered from the shock of these words my first thought was:


thank you jesus


because haven't I been saying that for the past year on my blog?



and if a 12 year old girl and get the concept of  'Civility' then there
just might be hope for our Country.

aliens and me

Some people eat when they are stressed out.


I write on my blog.
~~~

I was planning to write this after the New Year but here it is now.

This post is based on my experiences with Aliens - and my only
connection with them is through movies that I own.


The Good


ET
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Day The Earth Stood Still - both of them
District 9
*Knowing



The Bad and The Ugly - and the mean



Independence Day
The Aliens Saga
The Predator Trilogy
The Things
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

~~~

There is an alien movie - however - that I do not own but
I will.

It is called Monsters and it is really not about the aliens but
rather about the relationship of two people finding their way
in the world - never having met but in the end united by the
aliens.


It's good.
~~~


The part of Knowing that blew me away is near the end when
Nicolas Cage is racing to be with his family before the End and
as he drives through the city all is surrealistic chaos - I've never
seen anything quite like it.

on being incoherent

Everyone in the Blogosphere knows that stidh is a nutjob and as
one of my favorite blogging buddies once said - 'her comments
are incoherent' and anyway he won't even acknowledge my
comments and that is starting to get on my nerves.


but nothing makes me more incoherent than hanging Christmas
Tree Ornanments - that really sets me Free.
~~~

And I can't even tell you why - although it might be because I
dared to stand on the second from highest rung of the ladder
today - but this is what I found myself thinking:


Ronald Reagan was President of These United States when the
Astronauts died shortly after takeoff.  And although President
Reagan did not write these words  -

I will always remember when he spoke them.


something about -


'They Slipped the Surly Bonds of Earth and Touched the Face of God'



it doesn't get much more poetic - or deep - than that
~~~



and if I don't remember anything else about Ronald Reagan -






that will always be one of the many things on my mind...

my favorite thanksgiving movie

and come to think of it the only movie I watch on
Thanksgiving


Planes Trains and Automobiles


A few minutes ago I remembered that I haven't watched it yet this
year.


Why - you might ask?


Because I have it on VHS and I don't have one hooked up yet.


I'll pass on it this year since I could recite the whole thing by
memory anyway.


It has got to be one of the best movies ever -


it has humor, heart - not to mention John Candy and Steve Martin.






and kevin bacon

highlights of a midwestern thanksgiving dinner

fried turkey

mashed potatoes and gravy

stove cooked green beans with a hint of
bacon grease and basil - just simmer

*to die for spinach casserole

*cranberry/orange/pecan relish

baked yams
~~~

apple pie a la mode

pumpkin pie a la whipped cream/and mode
~~~

for me - sauteed scallops


*recipes available for the asking

I plan to use the leftover relish in jello

about blogging on holidays

Sometimes when everyone else is chillin' out after a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner -
I slip down here to the computer to check my blog.


Once I thought to myself - what kind of losers blog on holidays?



wait a minute - it's Thanksgiving and I'm checking my blog.  :-)

more on our troops

I've been thinking about Our Troops some more this morning as I prepare the
Thanksgiving Meal.


And my mind turned to thoughts of Joan of Arc.



And about how she was treated after she led her own troops into battle.




She was f*ing burned at the stake.



so you Vietnam Veterans should feel lucky that we Americans were only
'mean' to you





HAPPY  THANKSGIVING  EVERYONE

putting up an artificial christmas tree

Ever try to put the branches on a fake Christmas tree?


I know that the people who make them used to sell real trees
and have fixed it so it is really hard to force the thick wire parts
into the appropriate places. 

It's payback really.


but after having tried WD 40 and harsh words this year I have the solution.


Put Elton John's Christmas Party CD on and the tree practically puts itself  together.


Then after you hold your breath and wind the lights around the tree you are ready
to mellow out and hang ornaments to the wonderful Christmas sounds of  Old Gravel
Voice:   the Inimitable Prophet Himself  - Bob Dylan.


At this point you kick back - hang the ornaments and listen to Bob tell it like it really
is -







and then you'll know what Christmas is all about

the clock is ticking

Someone casually mentioned yesterday that it had been 48 years since President
John F. Kennedy was assassinated. 

And my first reaction was to find a handgun and blow my brains out.

Now I have promised not to say I was going to kill someone anymore
but I never mentioned myself.

This is not about remembering those Dark Days after President Kennedy's
Asssassination.  That certainly was a hard time for everyone - including me.
And I totally feel that someone had to go to jail for it - although he wasn't there
very long now - was he.


and of course there were Others.
~~~

What this post is about is that when I heard the person say that it have been 48
years - I immediately thought:

what the h*ll have i been doing for those past 48 years - not much in my opinion


And that leads me to what this post is really about - promises.


Now my The New Century Dictionary first published in 1947 by D. Appleton-
Century in New York and London says this about promises:

~a declaration made, as to another perosn, with respect to the future

~giving assurance that one will do or not do, or will give, something, or
that something, or that something shall or shall not be done;

~an express assurance on which expectation is to be based;

and it goes on and on...
~~~

Now what I'm wondering is that if said Promise(s) are to be in this
life or the Next.




or if the promises were made with the promiser holding his hand behind
his back with fingers crossed.



jus'  wondering

i missed someone

Malcontent - I'm sorry  - you should have been near the top.

they're coming

It's all about to happen.

In just over tweleve hours they will arrive - and just in time I would guess.
~~~ 

i'm ok now.


once again i owe everything to my fellow bloggers - for stepping up
when i least expect - and least want them to -



but when all is said and done i know they are right
~~~


all hope was gone
hard to hang on
hard to be strong
was blind could not see

nothing but walls in front of me and inside no peace


you stood on the front lines
you led the way out of the darkness
we didn't go astray
you were ready to die for our sake
and that takes a soldier's heart


oceans so deep
uphill so steep
but still we believe
and when the road was too far to travel


and the mountains seemed impossible to climb until...


and so our flag was still there
all because you decided to care


You Stood On The Front Lines
You Led The Way 
Out Of  The Darkness
You Could Have Let Us Go Astray
You Were Ready To Die For Our Sake
And That Takes    A  Soldier's  Heart


and that takes a soldier's heart




thanks bill
~~~


si se puede



thanks rosetta stone

morality and the masters

I have a Deep and Abiding Respect for the Masters.

But - Dear Friends and Commenters - this post is not about golf.

rather it is about composers
~~~

I am trying to re-establish the habit of playing the piano so several times a day
when I pass it I sit down and do just that.

Although Bach is always my first choice today I played the slow movement of
the Moonlight Sonata and that was nice.

It made me start thinking about those guys - you know - the Big Four - not to be
mistaken with the Big Ten - and the impact they have had on the World.

The impact their music has made goes without saying - but what kind of role
models are they?

Now as far as Bach goes - in my opinion you can't touch him.  He is
indisputably the Father of  Music and I've never heard anything about him
straying far from home -unless it was for an organ concert.

According to the movie Amadeus, Mozart was - how should I say - a bit of a
rounder.  For some reason when I think of Mozart I sometimes also think of
Thomas Jefferson.  Well - they did both Die Broke.

Chopin was never married although his famous lover was writer George Sand -
a woman - who once said of him:

'He does not really know on which planet he is living and has
no precise notion of life as we others conceive it and live it.'

Hmmm....that may be the only thing I have in common with Chopin.
~~~

But it is a little more complicated with Ludwig van Beethoven.  You see
Beethoven held himself in very high esteem when it comes to morality.

In my big thick book Beethoven by Maynard Solomon - and this is the only
part I've ever read in that book - Solomon tells how the passionate composer
of 32 Piano Sonatas~ Nine Symphonies~One wonderful Violin Concerto - and
much much more - was in love with Antonie Brentano.  But in his book Solomon
says that Beethoven's desire for this woman was 'in conflict not only with his deeply
rooted psychological inabiliby to marry, but also with the prospect of the betrayal
of a friend, Franz Brentano' - Antonie's husband.

 Beethoven's affair with Antonie was never consummated - or so they say.

Are we to believe this? 

I choose to.  And perhaps this is the reason that the music of  Ludwig van Beethoven
is so passionate - so powerful - that we never tire of it.

But then that is why we call them the Masters.
~~~

I should stop here but my love of movies will not let me.

True - it is not fair to judge Mozart through the eyes of  Milos Forman -
but Amadeus is such a great movie and surely F. Murray Abraham was
born to the role of Salieri.

And although for me Ed Harris' defining role was as Jackson Pollock - he did
one heck of a job portraying the Immortal Beloved in Copying Beethoven.

I've never seen a movie about Chopin - but I'm quite sure that one about Bach
might simply be - to put it not so discreetly - downright boring.







still - he must have had a few tricks up his sleeve since he went through two wives
and had twenty children.
~~~



thanks ducky - and happy thanksgiving

here's what i really think about thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a Holiday that was contrived by Men.


~women do the planning

~women do the grocery shopping

~women cook the big extravaganza meal

~women do the dishes afterwards


on the dark side


~men sit on their b*utts after and watch football

~no one dares to turn off the tv or even change the channel lest they
wake up from their post-meal nap

wait a minute - why change the channel when football is all there is on
on Thanksgiving



stidh is here to say that Thanksgiving is not all it's cracked up to be



pilgrims my ***




it's about sp*rts




and m*n

the heart of thanksgiving

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come by Henry Alford


Come, ye thankful people, Come,
Raise the Song of Harvest Home:
All is Safely Gathered in,
Ere the Winter Storm Begin;
God, our Maker, doth Provide
For our Wants to be Supplied;

Come to God's Own Temple, Come,
Raise the Song of Harvest Home.


All the World is God's own Field,
Fruit unto His Praise to Yield;
Wheat and Tares Together Sown,
Unto Joy or Sorrow Grown.


First the Blade, and then the Ear,
Then the Full Corn shall Appear;
Grant, O Harvest Lord, that We
Wholesome grain and Pure may be.


For the Lord our God Shall Come,
And shall take His Harvest Home;
From His Field shall in that Day
All Offenses Purge Away,

Give His Angels Charge at Last;
But the Fruitful Ears to Store
In His Garner Evermore.


Even so, Lord, Quickly Come,
To They Final Harvest Home;

Gather Thou Thy People in,
Free from Sorrow, Free from Sin;


There, Forever Prurified,
In Thy Presence to Abide:


Come, with all thine Angels, Come,
Raise the Glorious Harvest Home.


Amen.
~~~

These words - and the accompanying music - run deep with me.


why?  Because they got me when I was a kid.


And that makes me think of how important the role of a parent
is.  If my values are based on Church - then not now - then I
think about how it will impact our Country if children are raised
with different values  - or none at all.


but that is not what this post is about


It is about Thanksgiving and what it means to me.

~~~





although while typing this i couldn't help thinking about
'Children of the Corn.'   :-)

i'm on a mission

While scrubbing the floor of my bathroom this morning I figured out what is really
wrong with Our Country.


It's Aliens.


I read an article on the internet before the Move and even printed it out.


It says that there are Aliens Among Us  - they even have convinced
Stephen Hawking - and well that's good enough for me.


I don't have time to go into it now but after the Holidays I'm going to research
all my Alien Movies - and they are Legion -  and bring it all together.


then i'm going to blow their   Slimey   Alien   Cover   Wide    Open.


Maybe write a Book.







i'll call it aliens for dummies






right after i get my house in order

jason mraz

I'm all for expanding my horizons - so right before I left the other place I
looked around for a new cd that would help me break away for the
old town - and send me on my way to my New Life.

Now I am a Believer - in sorts - of  Signs.  Sometimes I really don't
think there is anything such as a coincidence - yet realistically I know
that **** happens.


I'm not a rocker and I am not a huge fan of rock music and yet when
I hear it  - it perks me up.  So I see a cd that says Motley Crue on it
and think that's the one.

But you know what - dear friends and commenters - when I got ready
to go I discovered that instead of Motley Crue I had stumbled onto a real
treasure.


I don't have time to go into it now but the name of the cd I bought instead
of Motley Crue is by a young man names Jason Mraz.

The name of the cd is Mr. A-Z.


I googled him but have forgotten what I read.


all i know is that i go back to Jason Mraz time after time - and he
never lets me down.



thanks jason




and furthermore - if there are people like jason mraz out there and i
can manage to 'stumble' upon them - who knows


maybe there are Others

a thanksgiving message for bill maher

dear bill

i'm almost finished reading new new rules - it is great

and the book itself - not the dust jacket that has the
s*xy picture on the front of when you were about 29 -
is so classy - will the next one be white


you know what i like best about you bill


that you are getting our back

that there is someone out there that really cares about
things about america - and you just aren't going to let
it go


but the best part is that while you are doing this you
make us laugh


bill you are the greatest


have a wonderful thanksgiving bill


sue

a blast from the past

If this doesn't get you in the mood for Thanksgiving - nothing will.



over the river and through the wood
to grandfather's house we go
~the horse knows the way
~to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow

over the river and through the wood
oh how the wind does blow!
~it stings the toes
~and bites the nose
as over the ground we go

over the river and through the wood
to have a first-rate play
~hear the bells ring
~-'ting-a-ling-ding!'

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!


Over the River and Through The Wood
Trot Fast my Dapple-Gray!
~Spring Over The Ground
~Like a Hunting Hound!

For This is Thanksgiving Day.


OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD
AND STRAIGHT FOR THE BARNYARD GATE
~WE SEEM TO GO
~EXTREMELY SLOW, -
IT IS SO HARD TO WAIT!



OVER  THE  RIVER  AND  THROUGH  THE   WOOD -


NOW  GRANDMOTHER'S  CAP  I  SPY!


~HURRAH  FOR  THE  FUN!

~IS  THE  PUDDING   DONE?


H U R R A H   F O R  T H E  P U M P K I N   P I E  ! ! !


                                               ~lydia maria child

a huge meltdown

Last night I was so tired and so faced with the overwhelming odds of not
being able to accomplish what I must today - that I simply had a little girl
meltdown.

This morning I wondered how I could get through today.


and thrity minutes later I'm still wondering that.


So my post today will be - for those who choose not to read my blog - a look
inside the mind of a mad blogger housewife.

This is what my priorities are:

1.  Clean two bathrooms

2.  Continue to put the branches on the artificial Christmas tree by the piano

3,   Trim the 'skinny' Christmas tree in my bedroom (why the ***l do they say 'trim'
when it really means decorate)

4.   Generally vacuum everywhere.

5.   Generally dust everywhere.

6.   Find room in the kitchen cupboards for stuff like the baking pans that I haven't put away yet.


There - that ought to keep me busy for a while.


Updates to this post will keep all of you from falling off the edge of your computer chair wondering:

~did she accomplish her goals
~is today the day that stidh will completely lose it
~is there really a person as stupid and crazy as she is

you will only know the answers to these questions if you check my blog throughout the
day - and only the SCU knows how this day will end:

~either with stidh still looking over into the abyss....

~or with stidh lying on the bottom of the abyss looking up and flipping off
collective humanity.




wait a minute - there is no bottom to the abyss

and now some of the things i'm not thankful for...

~people who don't comment

~people who would rather argue instead of reading my really cool blog

~one day left until they come and I have more work to do than I think I
can get done in one day

~people who have their head ** ***** ***

~people who delete my comments but allow others who are just as
stupid as me to remain joe p.

~griping instead of  taking action

~people who are too busy getting ready for Thanksgiving instead
of reading my blog and commenting

~the really crummy day outside but who can complain after the great
fall weather

~is California really falling into the ocean like in 2012

~what a shame the super 8 committee failed

that's all  - hanging it up now





things will look better in the morning

something to be thankful for

Ever sit through the credits after a movie is over?

I always do - but I still don't know what a best boy is.


Sometimes at the end of movies like Pirates of the Caribbean #2 or #3 -
there may be a little scene to help you know what's going on.


In books the author lists - usually at the beginning - the names of all the
people that he owes for helping with the book.

When I read that I sometimes think:

wow - I don't even know that many people


Then yesterday I thought - Yes, I do.


and here is my tribute to all those who have helped me along in blogging -
sometimes whether I've liked it or not. :)


Isorski

truth 101/geeeez!

Joe Politico/Cube

ducky/XO

Legion:

Absolute Marxist
Speedy G
Thersites
-FJ
Joe Conservative

Malcontent

Elmers Brother

Ticker

Chuck

Lone Ranger

Rational Nation USA

John Myste

jadedj

nicrap

Joe Critter
The Griper
Shaw Kanawe

Silverfiddle

Bob

beamish

Dudley the Fat Liberal Beagle



and

imperinent - just kidding, imp


special thanks to the strong women on
Z's blog - who secretly scare me but
patiently mentor me:

Pris
Jan
Brooke
Rita
and many more


if I've missed anyone - let me know and i'll add your
name - or maybe you just haven't been commenting
on my blog enough :-)
~~~

In closing I'd like to share the lyrics to one of my favorite
Billy Joel songs - a bit over the top and mushy - but oh well.


don't go changing to try and please me
you never let me down before
don't imagine you're too familar
and i don't see you anymore
i woudn't leave you in times of trouble
we never could have come this far
i took the good times i'll take the bad times
i'll take you just the way you are

don't go trying some new fashion
don't change the color of your hair
you always have my unspoken passion
although i might not seem to care

i don't want clever conversation
i never want to work that hard
i just want someone that i can talk to
i want you just the way you are

i need to know that you will always be
the same old someone that i knew
what will it take till you believe in me
the way that i believe in you

i said i love you and that's forever
and this i promise from the heart
i could not love you any better
i love you just the way you are
~~~



Now let's get our country back.

johann sebastian bach - i owe you

~for the calming effect your preludes and fugues have on me as
I read through them in slow motion - compared to glenn gould
at warp speed

~for allowing me to say that the kids were getting on your nerves
and that's why the fugue seemed off' - as if the likes of me could
even touch your genius

~for the challenge of trying to figure out whether the left or right
hand plays the note that you have written and obviously both
hands can't play it at once :)

~and for making me see that in some - ok most - instances it is
necessary to mark the fingering of every note or else just start
at the beginning each time

~for the appreciation i have for your perfect and pure music and
that i don't just see it as finger exercises




thank you johann sebastian bach - and don't you agree that glenn
gould really nails it each and every time

i am a housewife

I am a Housewife.

Not a traditional idiot Housewife - just a plain Housewife.

Not to be mistaken for a 'homemaker' - somebody in my opinion who enjoys
that line of work - is content - and knits for a special interest.

But for me being a Housewife is at the Core of my very Existence- like being Creative.
~~

I enjoy the perks that go with it:

~choose my own hours

~set the pay scale

~work at night thus leaving daytime for the really important things

~time for Thinking while scrubbing and vacuuming


and well - even Cinderella got an occasional night off




I call it Opera at the MAC.

our troops

I wanted to write this post while it was still November - seeings how
Veterans' Day is in November.
~~~

The other morning I turned on my little kitchen flat screen - the one I
use to watch Lost on at night.


And what I saw made me wonder if I truly had gone insane.
~~~

The name of the program was:


where troops come from


You know - like Where Babies Come From.
~~~

So I watched the program  - to see Where Troops Come From.


And you know  - the troops in this program were different that I
had pictured troops.

You see -

~these troops did not look mean

~they did not point assault weapons at the camera

~ they were clean cut

~they looked focused

~they looked like they could be my...younger brother
~~~


Then I thought to myself.  Maybe troops these days just want to do
their job.

And I wondered if they were laughing their *** off at the American people.

why?

Troop Support

Yes - we love our troops and we want to show them that we Support Them -
even if it means using them to do that.
~~~

The days are gone when we are mean to our troops when they come home
from war.

Why -
 I intend to lead a group myself to Indianapolis to Welcome Home Our
Troops from Iraq.


And I'm gonna take my little 9/11 flag along and wave it.


and you can be sure I'm gonna get a few hugs from the Troops.
~~~


God Bless Our Troops



and god bless the united states of america

henri's here

At the other place there was a squirrel we called Henri (pronounced on-ree with
the accent on ree.)

This morning I looked out the window and there he was - checking out things on the patio.


Everyone's read about dogs who make their way home after having been 'mistakenly'
left behind on a vacation.  Sometimes they travel 500 or more miles to get home.


I should have left directions for Henri in case he wanted to come.  It's really very
simple:

I-74 to Indy

37 south to Bloomington

Take the College St. exit

all the way to Third street

Pass College Mall on Third

Right on Smith

Left on Bennington (careful of the dangerous rise in the road)

Left - and the first driveway on Romans Court


ours is the unpretentious house with grey siding


See - those directions are simple enough for a squirrel to follow.
~~~

I didn't know Henri was coming.



but i am sure glad he is here
~~~


Henri - this one's for you


if you miss the train i'm on
you will know that i am gone
you can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles
lord i'm one lord i'm two lord i'm three lord i'm four
i'm 500 miles away from home

not a shirt on my back
not a penny to my name
lord i can't go back this a'way
this a'way this a'way this a'way this a'way
lord i can't go back this a'way

well i'm walking these ties
with tears in my eyes
trying to read a letter from my home
from my home from my home from my home from my home
trying to read a letter from my home

if this train's running right
i'll be home by saturday night
i'm 500 miles away from home

away from home away from home away from home away from home



i'm 500 hundred miles away from home



thanks glen

breaking up is hard to do

I'm ending my four year non-relationship with Bill Maher.


Why?   you might ask.


Well - dear readers and commenters - I took his new book to the Opera
last night to read during the two intermissions.

And I wasn't disappointed.

While others were gaily chatting on inane subjects I laughed my *s* off
at his jokes.

Until my eyes fell upon the words - traditional idiot housewife.

Now I've always enjoyed it when Bill pokes fun at others - but this was
different - this was about me - an insult to the very core of my existence.

Not to mention the hits I've taken on Conservative blogs defending him.

but no more


And so that is why I am through with not ever having even met Bill Maher.


I'm setting my sights higher this time - Tiger Woods maybe.

I mean he is the same type of worldy man as Bill  - and at the same time
I could show him that his destiny lies in other than losing golf tournaments.
~~~

I'll miss not ever knowing Bill.  He seems like a really nice guy.



Still - I might accept an apology - along with a hefty donation to the Arts.

the opera was great

Although I expected the vocalists to be top notch - it was the sets that blew me away.

They were really just over the top.


There was light snow fall at the beginning of all the scenes - just beautiful.


Of the four lead roles Mimi was no doubt the stand out.


The crowd scene was so great.


But Puccini really knows how to bring you down in the end - I think Madame Butterfly was the
same.  I would have preferred a more rousing ending.  You are sitting there and all of a sudden
it's over - Mimi is lying there dead and that's it.

I like clapping for the curtain calls though - first you clap, then  harder, then hardest - so you
kind of have to pace yourself so you can save the hardest clapping for the lead roles.


All in all - it was lots of fun and I'm sure I will go again.  They are doing Candide - Leonard
Bernstein - in April so I might go to that since I don't know anything about it but the huge
poster showed the one guy having a false nose.
~~~

you know if i had a million dollars i'd give it all to the MAC.

and i'm off...

pun intended


In less than three hours I will be on my way to see La Boheme.


I cleaned out my purse in order to lighten my load, and did a final
check to see if I have my ticket.

I packed the bestselling joke book that I bought on Monday to read
during the two intermissions - to offset the rather downer plot of the
opera.

The time for despondency is over.  I googled the opera and now have
a handle on what it is all about.


I am ready to be overwhelmed by it all - including the snow scene.





and if i'm lucky i will be home in time to catch fred armisen on SNL

driven

I'm quite sure that I will not watch this movie - although I'm pretty
sure that it is a Sylvester Stallone movie about race cars. :)]

I've chosen the title of this movie for this post because I believe that
some people know - sort of - what their destiny in life is early on.

I read that the late former President Lyndon Johnson - while lying under
the big Texas sky with his friends as a boy - said that someday he would
be President of the United States.

Becasue he just knew.


That is not true of me.

For I believe that I will never know my true destiny until I close my
eyes for the final time. 

pretty good huh?


How do I know that?


Some things you just know.
~~~

And I also just know that tonight I will sit through three hours of opera
with a backache and with my mind wondering why the h*ll I paid $47
for the ticket to see La Boheme when I could be home getting my house
in order.


But I also just know that when the four of them sing together then I will
just know why I am there.


for opera - like country music and abstract painting - comes from the soul


And tonight when the four of them sing together they will reach into the depths
of my very being - and then I will just know.

on secret service protection

why


why is Herman Cain getting secret service protection


The only person who wants to shoot him is his wife.



let's move on here folks

vincent

starry starry night
paint your palette blue and grey
look out on a summer's day
with eyes that know the darkness in my soul
shadows on the hills
sketch the trees and daffodils
catch the breeze and the winter chills
in colours on the snowy linen land

now i understand
what you tried to say to me
and how you suffered for your sanity
and how you tried to set them free
they would not listen
they did not know how
perhaps they'll listen now

starry starry night
flaming flowers that brightly blaze
swirling clouds and violet haze
reflect in vincent's eyes of china blue
colours changing hue
morning fields of amber grain
weathered faces lined in pain
are soothed beneath the artists' loving hand

now i understand
what you tried to say to me
and how you suffered for your sanity
and how you tried to set them free
they would not listen
they did not know how
perhaps they'll listen now

for they could not love you
but still your love was true
and when no hope was left inside
on that starry starry night
you took your life as lovers often do
but i could have told you vincent

this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you


like the strangers that you've met
the ragged men in ragged clothes
the silver thorn of bloody rose
lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

now i think i know
what you tried to say to me
and how you suffered for you sanity
and how you tried to set them free


they would not listen
they're not listening still


perhaps they never will...

hollywood directors

For most of my life I have given much or most of the credit when
watching movies to the actors - who are really the messengers.

Rather it is the directors that are sending the messages.

I will mention a few of my favorite directors here.

I'd like to add that since I really don't think that any
directors read my blog - no one will have hurt feelings if
I leave someone out. : )
~~~

~John Landis - I always get blown away by seeing the restaurant scene with
Aretha Franklin singing R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

~Martin Scorsese - The first time I saw this on tv I was amazed that all three
main characters get blown away:  Jack Nicholson/Leonardo DiCaprio/ Matt Damon.

~Robert Zemekis - Especially Rockin' On Top Of The World from Polar Express &
the Hot Chocolate Scene with Tom Hanks.

~Ron Howard - I never get tired of being glad that Apollo 13 didn't get completely
blown away.

~Stephen Frears - I can't count the number of times that I have watched The Queen
and really thought Helen Mirren was the queen.

~*Sydney Pollack - For directing Out of Africa & acting in Tootsie.

~J & E Cohen - As with Collateral I didn't see O Brother Where Art Thou when it came out but rather
it amazed me when I did see it - and gave me a new take on George Clooney.

~Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd but it is his wife that I really like.

~James Cameron - Aliens and the times I have watched that are Legion.

~Steven Spielberg - For giving me the squashy little alien.

~Michael Mann - Heat and especially Collateral.

~Christopher Nolan - I have a computer son-in-law and a movie son-in-law
and the movie son-in-law wants to know why C. Nolan was not recognized
for Inception and so do I.

~Rob Reiner - A Few Good Men blows me away every time I see it and a chance
to see Tom Cruise as an incredibly versitile actor and from what I hear an all round
good guy who ranks in sincerity up there with Tom Hanks - well I read that somewhere.

~Oliver Stone - Wall Street sealed the deal with me not only for seeing justice done but
with Charlie Sheen.

~Ron Howard - Frank Langella was Richard Nixon in this movie not to
mention Michael Sheen who was also in The Queen  and the wonderful
Kevin Bacon and my personal favorite Sam Rockwell plus Oliver Platt.

~Roman Polanski - Anyone who only remembers his early movies is missing
out on one of the two greatest contributions to our society and I'm speaking of
Saving Private Ryan for which Tom Hanks in my mind won best actor and
The Pianist a role that Adrian Brody was born for - he did an amazing job
but I like Predators too in the end when he says 'now let's find a way to get
off of this f*ing planet' and a special award goes to the writers of Predators
for finding so many ways to use the *-word - none of which were very
creative - and the scene in which they realize they aren't in Kansas anymore.

~Roman Polanski - From the first time I saw Ghost Writer I was blown away by
everything about it except for the shot of  Ewan Mcgregor's bare butt and the
poor excuse that was for an under the sheets s*x *ce*e.

~Ron Howard - Another valuable contribution to our society for telling the
courageous story of John Nash played so greatly by Russell Crowe and
he should have gotten Best Actor because who really gives a c**p if
he threw a phone at the hotel clerk and really what does that have to
do with his acting.

~Honorable Mention:  Joel Schumacher for D.C. Cab :-)
~~~

Surely this post will encourage those with extra cash flow to contribute
heavily to the Arts - a really worthy cause.

my faith journey

Sometimes you just feel lost.

And when this happens you might want something to focus on
to help with this lost feeling.


And that's what I have done.

I am focusing on Lost to help me with that lost feeling.
~~~

Lost is over now - but for me it remains the best thing that has
ever been on tv and ever will be.

It has great writers, a great director and great actors - but one of the
things that caught my attention when I first started watching Lost
is the part at the end of  certain episodes when they bring it all  together.

The focus would be on each character and how they are getting
along in Lost - and especially the music during the ending of the
episode.

One in particular is special to me -

when at the end of this particular episode Hurley is listening to
Willie Nelson's Are You Sure? on his CD player.

To the survivors of the plane crash - the meaning is symbolic -
and the camera focuses on each of them. in turn...


oh, look around you
look down the bar from you
the lonely faces that you see
are you sure that this is where you want to be

these are your friends
but are they real friends
do they love you the same as me
are you sure that this is where you want to be

you seem in such a hurry to live this kind of life
you've caused so many pain and misery

look around you, take a good look
and tell me what you see
are you sure that this is where you want to be

don't let my tears persuade you, i had hoped i wouldn't cry
but lately, teardrops seem a part of me

oh, look around you, take a good look
at all the local used-to-be's


are you sure - that this is where you want to be



What does this have to do with a Faith Journey?


Everything.


because when you are Lost


you find that Faith is all you have



to see you through

i would like to say...

that the people here are amazing. 

Sometimes when I do things like go to the grocery store,
have lunch out, or other contact with 'locals' :) - I feel
as if I have gone 'somewhere over the rainbow.'


Yesterday I just barely bumped into a lady at Hobby Lobby
with my shopping cart trying to get past her - and she apologized.

SHE apologized.

Today at Krogers I reached past a young guy to get some asparagus
and he turned and APOLOGIZED.

I happened to say a word to a lady that was about my age about something
and within five minutes she asked about where I had moved from and
we knew how many grandchildren we each had.

Now I've always made contact with people I meet when I'm out - but
something is different here.  These people are so genuine and  readily
friendly - I really have never seen anything like it - ever.

 And the woman I chatted with - getting in depth so quickly - her
husband actually stood there smiling.  He didn't mind at all.
~~~

Now - I also need to say that:


I was told at B & N on Monday that the town of Bloomington, In. -
although the home of a major Liberal university - is Conservative
based.

therefore- I believe that the people I have been in contact with while
shopping - and have been making contact with in a non-political way -
are Conservative - and have been so impressed with.

stipdh comes clean on

~racism

~Thomas Jefferson

~saying I want to kill people
~~~

racism

Republicans have been taking a lot of heat about being racist as
the election year draws near.

Well I have to make a confession:

I am Racist.

Why do I say this?  It is something that has bothered me for a number
of years - and that is I am in the habit of  - when encountering a Black
person - I mention that the person was Black.  Or worse - I make a
point of say they were nice.

To me this has always been a form of Racism.  I never say after talking
to a White person - they are White.  Or they are nice - unless they are
exceptionally nice.

So from now on I will try to break that habit - for in my heart I am a
very tolerant person - it is just something I do - and I really do consider
it a form of Racism - on my part.
~~~

Thomas Jefferson

From now on I'm going to lay off of the Thomas speaks-with-forked-
tongue Jefferson thing.  This will not be easy as I have been doing this for the
last few years - and really getting some petty pleasure out of it.  Kind
of like when George W. Bush was in office I never said or thought a
kind word about him - and though I don't take back anything I said
about him I really wish I had been more mature and given the President
of the United States some positive thoughts.

Maybe I'm just jealous that Thomas Jefferson had his fifteen minutes
of fame and I'm just a wannabe blogger who would like to be the first
Woman President (of the U.S.). 

So I'm going to try to give it a rest - and let bygones be bygones.
~~~

about saying  I want to kill people


I am not ever going to kill anyone. 

If you read certain blogs and look at the beginning - sometimes you
will see things like - This is a Conservative Blog or this is a Liberal
Blog.

If you go back to the very first post in my blog you will see that I have
clearly stated that I am bipolar.  I do just fine - but once in a while I
go off  on people and say rash things.

This gets me in trouble - especially with people who don't read the
first post and wonder where I am coming from.


So if I say to you that I'm going to kill you - or kill Michael Jackson's
father, the mother of the girl R. Polanski  (you know ), Rush Limbaugh
or Bill O'Reilly - well I still may kill him - but  Please - I am just a Mid-
Western Housewife who enjoys blogging and gets a little carried away.



that's all - or maybe as I suspect I'm just inherently stupid.

stidh goes to the opera

This post is dedicated to Z - a really good person.

i remember very well - when we first made contact.
~~~

Having bought a solitary ticket - which was pricey I might add and in the good seats -
I now am planning to see La Boheme on Saturday night.

To prepare myself in the best way I can - I first reached for my The New Grove Book of Operas.

After two minutes I closed the book - since it was hard reading.
~~~

I then turned to the legion of newspaper articles that my live-in legal partner provided me with
and sought help there:

~Key to 'Boheme' is letting tradional tale shine through.

another headline reads

~Paris without the kinks

hmmm....

~Catch this one if you can


The last one was a review - which I will read after the fact so that I can form
my own opinion.
~~~

Now I know what I am going to do to prepare myself for the first official act in my new
life. 


nothing


But I will put on a nice pair of jeans and something I have been saving for an occasion like
this - and just go and enjoy it all.

I will soak up the atmosphere  - of artistic and unbridled talent - and thrill to it all.

and to think that some will not part with their money to support the arts
~~~

and if I'm lucky - I might get into a discussion at one of the two intermissions with a Liberal.

why is everybody always picking on me

another woman of note

Right off I want to say that I've been checking my counter and I
know that with the exception of Thersites I am the only one who
has been reading my blog.

Now I will say this:  if anyone does stop by - do not attempt to
read this post because I guarantee you that it is going to be long
and I will be the only that will know what it means - and even that
is questionable.


with that said...
~~~

Martin Gray

and I am copying this almost verbatim from the back of my book

The author of Blues for Bird
of British Columbia
an epic biographical poem
about Charlie Parker
jazz great
an internationally acclaimed work
~~~

but that is not what this post is about

not completely
~~~

It is about a woman who knew

Lee Krasner knew

that Jackson Pollock was destined
to be a great artist

and she knew that she was the one
who would love him
and who would push him
and endure

and she did

giving up her own career as an artist
until after his death
at which time she resumed her own career
~~~

about Knowing

Not all that long ago Larry King interviewed
Johnny Depp on a special.
~~~

Now anyone who knows me has at one time
believed that I was  - as a middle-aged housewife
and mother - in love with Johnny Depp.

but this is simply not true

I have a great deal of respect for Johnny Depp - for several reasons

~he has perhaps the most beautiful face on the face of
the earth that he is willing to set aside and cover up
while he achieves what he is best at - which is to give  us
Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter
to name a few

~from what I read he is a family man

~he is loyal to his fans

~and I have read interviews given by him in which
he connects with me by words of wisdom

and it is this last point which I want to address - about knowing
~~~

In the interview with Larry King the subject of the West Memphis
Three was addressed and Johnny - I really don't think he would
mind if I call him Johnny - said he just knew that they were innocent.

He always - just knew.


Just like Lee Krasner - just knew - that she should love and support
Jackson Pollock.

Now here's where I think -

how the h*ll could Johnny Depp 'know' that these three  men
were innocent when to me the only ones who could really know
that were the West Memphis Three and the three boys that were
brutally murdered
~~~

Now this is not about that - but rather - knowing.

I am not doubting that Johnny Depp knows that the West Memphis
Three are innocent.

I'm saying that sometimes a person can just think that they 'know'
something.
~~~

And anyone who has read my blog previously just knows that I
heavily indentify with Jackson Pollock.

but that's not what this is all about
~~~

This is about Lee Krasner and Abigail Adams - who were both destined
to Love and Support a Man who they just 'knew' was Destined To Be Great.

So - in my opinion - these women who made it possible for Two Men to
Achieve Greatness must also be Recognized for their Willingness to Stand
Behind the Two Great Men.

In other words - it took two Great Women Who Knew.

And this is a Tribute to Women who have Stood Behind
Men Who Have Acheived Greatness.
~~~

And while I am Going On -

I would like to take this opportunity to inform Thersites - who is
a Faithful Reader and Commenter on my blog - that:


tomorrow i begin my quest to learn the Rach 3
~~~

I mean - I already know it - I just have to learn to play it.  :)

And - Ther - don't you think I should have some goals in mind
while I do this - so I will be pressured  - under which we all tend
to achieve best.

I figure I can really get down to business in January when I hole up
in my house anyway due to snow and ice - and in April I can be ready to
study with Someone who used to be connected with the School of
Music - in a Big Way.

they don't call me suetheimpossibledreamhanes for nothing.


Ther - I would appreciate your imput on this.
~~~

In closing I would like to say:


the long and winding road - that leads to your door
will never disappear - i've seen that road before
it always leads me here - leads me to your door

many times i've been alone - and many times i've cried


anyway you'll never know the many ways i've tried
but still they lead me back to the long and winding road


you left me standing here
a long long time ago
don't keep me waiting here
lead me to your door

don't keep me waiting here
lead me to your door


the wild and windy night
that the rain washed away
has left a pool of tears
crying for the day


don't leave me waiting here - don't keep me waiting



let me know the way

thanks paul
~~~

why

Charlie

 not penny's boat


why did Charlie have to die



why does someone always have to die -


so that we can find our way

they called her nabby

Once more I picked up my very small book about some Women whose mark
on this Country was not at all Small.

The name of the book is The First Ladies of the United States put together by
Nicola Gillies in 1997.
~~~

Instead of looking through it as I usually do I happened to turn it over and I
noticed on the back the words:


'If we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosphers, we should have
learned women...

If much depends as is allowed upon the early education of youth and the
first principles which are istilled take the deepest root, great benefit must
arise from literay accomplishments in women.'


                                                                         -Abigail Adams
                                                                         Letter to John Adams
                                                                         August 14, 1776


Here are words written about women by a woman who in spite of
living in the 'dark ages' for women - comes across as intelligent and
supportive of her own.

Abigail Adams was considered too sickly to attend school and was
lovingly homeschooled by her father.

She formed a lifelong union with the man who would become intrumental
in setting up and carrying out the foundation of the Greatest Country
in the World.

And furthermore Abigail Adams - although at the time she only 'stood
and waited' and played a supportive role to the second President of the
United States - is considered to be the woman who - if she lived in the
present - would most likely be the First Woman President of the United
States of America.


Not bad for a homeschooled sicky girl - wouldn't you say.
~~~

First Lady Abigail Smith Adams -


you go girl



girls rule :)

WAY TO GO BRAD PITT

When Paul Neuman died I thought to myself -


Who's gonna step up and take his place?

Eventually I saw that it was going to be Brad Pitt.


'We're not getting married until everyone can get married.'
~~~

And now he has announced he is quitting acting when he's fifty.


I say - more power to you, brad.

I don't know him personally but I don't think he would
mind if I call him Brad.
~~~

He gave us:


Legends of the Fall - Tristan

Burn After Reading - One of my faves

Benjamin Button - Loved it


and what Woman could forget him in Thelma and Louise?

talk about hit & run  :-)
~~~




God Bless You  -  Brad Pitt




i'd proudly stand up next to you...

book recommendation

If today is November 14th - and there is a good chance it is - Bill Maher's new book should hit
the bookstores today. 

I will be stopping in at the nearby Barnes & Noble Bookstore to buy it.
~~~

Now all of us Liberals know it's going to be good. 

Conservatives - you may not know about it - and I'm quite sure you do not want to know
what the title of Bill Maher's new book is.  But just in case I'm going to tell you now.


but first


WARNING:  GRAPHIC  BOOK  TITLE





the new new rules~a fiunny look at how everybody but me has their h**d *p th**r a**




Thanking you in advance - Bill - for giving us more of your unending wisdom.





but most of all thank you for putting a smile on our face when we most need it