Oscar’s Vanilla

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How many of you watched the Oscar’s Sunday night? The academy awards isn’t just about giving Oscars.  It’s the night that actors get dressed in their designer finery and parade around, speak elegantly and show us the magic of Hollywood.  I know there’s plenty of garbage out there these days to show us how stars are regular human beings,  raising families, getting divorces, suffering through addiction, etc. But the Academy Awards are not about regular day to day stuff.  Its about awards  and showing off the pageantry of Hollywood. I love to watch the girls in their pretty dresses and the men in their finery. It’s a beautiful image.

But, last night, there was no real glitz. The girls were  pretty and elegant and the guys made a fine show too.  But, the show itself was just plain vanilla. I understand that  they were probably trying to give it the look and feel of  The Artist, which is  a silent film filmed in black and white, a real chancey  film, that proved to be anything but chancey  as it  wonbest picture Oscar.

But, in trying to recreate the magic of this film, they fell short.  If you wanted a silent film effect, why not do a Charlie Chaplin bit, maybe even a number from singing in the rain, just something that shows us  pageantry. The Cirque de Solei  was an attempt to add performance and glitz to the show. But, to me, it looked out of place. It looked like filler. Something just to  hold a blank space together. Nothing fun about that.

Color. A festival of lights, color, movie making magic  and charm that’s what it lacked in spades.  I know there is a BIG thing now about the red carpet and less about the show itself.  Last night’s show proved why.

Nothing in the building was really worth seeing except the clothes, which had already been paraded down the red carpet.  some really cool presenters that at least provided class  to   the event, and some nice award speeches. In those parts they were great, but the show  just didn’t have IT.

What’s It?  It is a sense of togetherness, a sense of magic, a spark of glitz that makes little girls and boys want to be in Hollywood and women wanting dresses they can’t afford.  Men loving the ladies, a higher plain for us to subscribe to. .  It had none of these things. The lack of It made it seem very plain indeed.

Billy Crystal did his part, although I found it flat.  I wonder if its because he really hasn’t been around movies lately, or if they told him to be cautious and safe. Being safe is one thing and being cautious is another.  But, whatever it was, it didn’t help the show.

The most humorous line I remember is the first line he did about doing the show in a chapter 11 theater.  This was in reference to the fact that the  Kodak company, the company that owns the theater has declared bankruptcy.  So, who knows what the theater will be called next year?

Whatever its called I hope it serves more than vanilla next year.

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what it could be

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Taking a break from reality.  That was my day. I watched enough news today to realize there is a witch hunt out there for anyone who does not have “regular” Christian beliefs. So, the tug of war goes on.

Read a really cool article about Paul McCartney and realized I’m really looking at the beatles now as individuals.  If you want to read it I suggest getting a copy of the latest Rolling Stone . The Rolling stone isn’t what it used to be. Its become a regular size glossy magazine instead of the large mag that it was.  It was always a big deal if you made the cover of the Rolling stone. I wonder if it still is.

Things are not what they used  to be. Before we came back to live in Virginia full-time we came for a visit.  We went to a popular eating establishment that we used to go to regularly.  The food was pretty good but the great bread   one of my faves was replaced by rolls that were probably frozen and then heated. Major disappointment.

I could make a large lists on things that have changed.  For example, when I was growing up in the small town of Franklin Virginia it was a big deal to go downtown.  They were department stores, even one with an elevator, there were an array of drugstores to choose from and there  was  a place or 2 that catered to everything.  One such places was Roses Dept. Store where at one time you could get a lunch, purchase a pet, get cleaning supplies maybe even candy or clothes.  My memory is a bit fuzzy when it comes to exactly what they sold but I remember the side(back door) that you could enter and it was close to the pet section. I think they had hamsters and  fish, for sure, and maybe even guinea pigs.  But, like the passage of time these types of things fade away and we are left with empty storefronts and strip shopping malls where due to the economy , have very few stores  if any at all. Kinda of depressing isn’t it?

We keep moving and changing and finding things harder to do.  I don’t know if things are getting harder to do on an individual basis but that the world is becoming a hard place to do things in. It is something to think about.  I think we could get back to the simpler days of drugstores and variety stores if we like.

I know all of you are screaming What about Walmart? Walmart can be a great place especially if you are looking to save money on something.  My mom often finds things there you can’t get at other places.  I think Walmart deserves a place. It just shouldn’t be a main factor.  I know some of you are saying Walmart and the general economy have closed up downtown for good.

Downtowns are never going to be like they used to be.  But, lets plant some trees, put benches around, get a good ice cream vendor, maybe a resteraunt or 2 and some music.  Draw people there and see what happens…everything deserves a chance before we just close the doors and lock it away forever.

I was listening to Ringo Starr’s Photograph tonight . One  of the verses is the following:

Ev’ry time i see your face, It reminds me of the places we used to go. But all i got is a photograph And i realise you’re not coming back anymore.

Many things are gone for good in our lives. People, places, good and bad ideas, are all gone.  But, maybe if we gave something or  someone the chance we might get a taste of what it used to be.

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Crazy?

Housing (Photo credit: james.thompson)

I’m not one to pick a fight and usually I respect other’s beliefs.  But lately I have found myself more and more aggravated by other’s opinions and beliefs.  Since this is my blog I am going to air it out. I’m not going to give you statists or data on the information but I urge each and everyone to form their own conclusions.

Did you know in Virginia they were trying, which proved to be unsuccessful, to make women who wanted to have abortion have an ultrasound.  Its traumatic enough for women to live with themselves after the procedure. Why the heck, would you want women to suffer more?

But, I guess they want to make women feel horrible. Anyway they have backed away from this proposal so women in Virginia were giving a reprieve from this unfair practice.  Choices, choices, choices…let everyone feel like crap.

We got or had this abortion issue in Virginia but while this was going on Franklin Graham son of famed evangelist Billy Graham was calling out the president on his religious views.  He questions Barrack Obama‘s beliefs.  If you read about Obama you will find he is a christian and not muslim.  My thoughts on this is that we have too much wrong in this country to question Obama’s beliefs. His beliefs should be a mute point. It’s not just Obama who’s getting the fire about his religious tendicies.  . Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is being criticized and heckled at because of his mormon beliefs.  Mr. Franklin Graham is saying that Romney’s   Mormonism is not really a Christian religion.

Ok. we have faith questions  yet in 1960 we picked a man named John F. Kennedy, who was a Roman Catholic as president of the United States. So, what does it matter?

I am more sick of all this religious talk because no one in the Republican/tea party has actually said how they would help this country. It’s a mute point with them.  they are going out and talking trash and fairy tales to all the constituents.

I’m not saying that Obama is perfect in any way   But he’s trying hard to get legislation past and he’s met at  the door by Republican/tea party representatives who would rather protect the rich man’s rights and money.  They have no use for the little people out there.  They are soooo slow in acting on certain things that I have declared that my class of 4 year olds that I taught in daycare could work faster and make decisions.

It’s hard to imagine  that 2/3 parties could not  agree on anything.  We have grumbling parties, unfair legislation and everyone questioning others beliefs.  Nothing can really be done until someone shuts up.

It’s very sad to see these things happening in the U.S. like that.  We look bad enough to outsiders without adding fuel to the fire.  We have a screwed up medical system that  needs to be tended to, we have people without housing and we have people who just suffer from lack of money, shelter,  and no mental help. There is no real support for these  that may have suffered psychatric problems because of the recession.

These people who are suffering mentally from this recession   will  have no state supported facilities to go to if they need help.  If they try to get help on the state level they will probably end-up on a long waiting list filled with people who need help too.  I’m not against deinstitutionl if the proper housing nd guidance is available.  I think that all housing should be built before any talk of moving such people is made. .  But, the states want to move ahead wuickly due to the Justice Department‘s rulings.  I feel sorry for people who have spent their entire  lives  lives in a institution, where they probably have a feeling of safety and a sense of home.  But, who cares? Let’s just ship them anywhere and hope they survive.

People  who have mental trouble are  crowding our hospitals and jails.  We are just going backwards rather than forwards.   Let them have options of treatment and living arrangements and not force them into anything they might not be comfortable in.

Without going into details, I had a relative who spent most of her life in a mental institution. The state wanted to move her into housing. but, she had violent tendices and her family  took  take steps to  avoid her disinstutionlizinf.  It worked.

All of this lack of mental support, this religion garbage, and lack of healthcare and respect for others beliefs makes  us look foolish. All political parties need to work together whether it be on the national or state level.

They need to work together so our country will not be a nightmare.  Everyone should have a chance.

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I’m not saying much…

Ok, I grew up in the country.  We lived on a road that was full of farmland.  Picture peanuts, corn, pigs and lots of land to play on.  No worries that anyone was going to seriously bother you.  It was just you and a bunch of friends.  You stayed out too late, you never wanted to stop playing and you learned how close you can be with people.

It was an ideal place to live and grow.  Now, I found out today that the wonderful street I lived on is being made into a school.  Goodbye country, good night, playing outside…Now I don’t know who lives on that road now but I do know that the land there is rich in history.  No school should occupy that land. It should always remain the same.

There’s a patch of land where the old elementary school used to be. It was the school I went to.  It burned down a few years ago. Why not put a school there again?  It was an ideal spot and easy to get to. I guess that would be too easy.  Why not take the land that people have owned their entire lives and make a mess of it.? Because that’s exactly what will happen,

I lived in Georgia for a number of years and the same thing was happening. Goodbye farmland, goodbye horses, goodbye chickens,…lets build a drugstore, make a parking lot and tie up traffic more.

I am hoping that the same fate does not occur in Suffolk, Virginia where I used to play and grow.

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Restless and Whitney

Guess What happen this week? Do you know what?  A singer named Whitney Houston  died.  Unless you have been locked up in the closet or run over by a bus, you have not been able to escape that fact.  I will always Love you has blasted through the TV more than once. Her song I want to dance with somebody that loves me has also been played quite a few times and her singing of the star-spangled has become a diamond.

Did Whitney Houston deserve a televised funeral, and this ongoing media blitz? It’s not like she’s been selling records and singing in the whole public eye since she was 5 or 6 like Michael Jackson.  She’s a singer who through substance abuse had pretty much become a has been.   In fact, I had not thought about her much in years.

She did a little work as an actress and has a movie that’s coming out with her in it.  I’m sure the movie industry will benefit from her death.  Their cash registers will be filled but many Whitney Houston fans who want their last glimpse of a career gone wrong.  A last glimpse of Whitney.

Bobby Brown got his fill of the Whitney Houston family.  They wouldn’t let him sit next to his daughter and supposedly he bought 9 people with him. I think he probably wanted to bring people who actually liked him and would support him.  I don’t really why he bought 9 people.  But, I’m sure it was for a good reason.  I mean he wasn’t going to get general sympathy and love in that room.  The Houston family seems to treat him like a  PIRANHA.

They blame him for Whitney’s drug use.  Whitney is the one who was responsible .She’s the woman who took drugs.  In fact it seems that she wasn’t very sold on the idea of kicking her habit.  She had done several stints in rehab to no avail.  Whitney had to be the one who wanted help. But, it looks like she didn’t.

I don’t know how many of you watched Whitney’s and‘Bobby’s reality show. I did and it was obviously clear that Whitney was a true diva.  It seemed on the show that she was always putting him down and mean mouthed him when he tried to do something nice for here.

I know some of you will say that’s just TV.  But, from what we have recently learned , I don’t think its too far from the truth. People being in the spotlight for a  long period of time and then dropping off the radar is bound to create major drama.  Whitney Houston made such a  drama and it looks like her drama took her away.  Away from the family, away from her child, away from her singing career and so much more.

Tonight I am restless for new things. I want something that should be important made important.  I want to be able to watch a movie and not feel like I’m going to fall asleep or get too distracted from it.  I want to do a lot of things that I should have done, could have done but didn’t…just anything and everything that’s why I’m restless.  I wonder if Whiney was ever restless? ..could be.

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Fridays are Fridays

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Fridays are a day most people treasure. It’s the day where if you are lucky it means  2 days to do whatever you want. Go to Church, go to the movies, eat at a restaurant, take the kids to the park, etc..  But, there are those that Friday is a hard day to take.

Friday when I was in college meant no classes for 2 days and you were able to stay out late, without any repercussions.  There was only 1 year that weekends proved to be lonesome. It was the year I had some guys that teased me, played with me, just provided me entertainment and support when  thing’s were liable to crash.

The rest of the time is what the day should be.  Being for the most part, a non-drinker. you could give me a beer and I would have loved it, or an occasion lemon drop, courtesy  of some friends.  That was the extent o my drinking except the fact that Il had a menace my freshman year who liked to give me stuff and say it was kool-aid and it turned out to be something with booze in it.  I never think I’ve been drunk, buzzed yes, many times.  I do know I was not a throw-up mess and I never loss my ability to walk while partaking alcohol.  I digress.

Friday when I was in my late 20’s meant a day with my boyfriend, whoever it happen to be, going to dinner or movies or both.  An uninterrupted period of time that was sweet.

Going into my 30’s it was not a day I appreciated, when my dad was working, it was a cool day. It meant we had him for 2 days.  Friday, though, despite that  fact were just an interruption of my routine. But, during the college football season and college basketball the days were filled.  There is a good thing about when you get 2 days to absorb yourself in sports.  Football, basketball, baseball, take your pick. Those are the things to treasure.

Fridays can be a good thing or they can be a day where you miss your friends and the things you used to do, then it’s a blue day. A day where you have to put the past in context and go and do something.Fridays or any other day for that matter, can’t be what it used to be, Days are things written in time and some days are the days we sealed in our memory to cherish.  While other days are just days to forget. It’s not easy to grow-up and be an adult on  Friday because most Fridays are a welcoming berth for all that came before.

Fridays and weekends are something to treasure.   You may not remember climbing through a window, puking everywhere, or being unable to stand but you will remember, if you’re lucky, that the weekends were something to look forward to.

The coolest thing about not being a drinker was the entertainment you got  over the weekend.  My mind is like a box of memories when it comes to that so if you know me and would like to ask me a question about past weekends, do so.  It’s so fun what you remember.

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Real Worries

Saw a image on TV yesterday of a a little girl walking around as gunfire surrounded her, in Syria.   A very powerful image.  Makes you think about all that you have and lucky to not have gun fire all around you.  Maybe, though you are in a place where gun fire is part of everyday life.  If you are my thoughts and prayers are with you.

All that gun fire is senseless. Yes, I know about Iraq, Iran, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Vietnam, but this time its more scary.  Its like watching a bad movie that goes on and on.  People firing guns,  kids, parents not able to go on with their daily lives.  It is cruel, senless and just plain dumb.  But, there are a lot of things in this world are just plain dumb.

For starters, The NJ governor ordering flags at half staff because a pop diva died.  However, she was a resident of that state and she was a member of the church there and had a lot of local ties.  I’m not saying it should have been  done because personally, I think it was a bad idea.  But, I see the point of having the flag at half staff.  Should we be worried and concerned about a thing like that? Probably not.

The government in Virginia has decided to make it difficult for a women to choose and have an abortion. I believe a woman has the right to choose and I find it almost unconstitutional. They are making women have ultrasounds before having an abortion.  Geez, are we going back to a time when you went to dr,/surgeon and had an abortion in a dark, nasty backroom or worse, having women using household cleaners, pins and anything else they can do to get rid  of their baby.  Scary stuff. I wonder how many women, who don’t have the resources to travel to other states, will die.

We have people in the Republican party  that if they are elected will probably take any freedom or privilege  we have.  Hopefully, they will not get anything passed and we might have a chance to live and believe what we want to. The only saving grace that we have is that those nuts will not get elected.

Numbers for Obama are rising and the lowest numbers of employment in a number of years was reported.  The car industry is improving and hopefully with time things will really get better.

Things will never be like they were before. I think renting will be the new standard for living in a house/apt., We  will embrace libraries more and eat out at places that don’t cost a fortune.  The time of steak every night and driving high price automobiles are at an end.

 

We will be happy for the little things now on and we won’t spend like we used to.  Dining on steak will be a treat.  Going to a movie will also be a treat.  But, hopefully, we all will be stable in homes and with job prospects.

 

They are too many things to be concerned about.  Let the pop diva have her flags. Just concentrate on having a place to live food to eat, and having a life that will be different from all you know.

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Old and new shine at the Grammy’s

Did you watch the Grammy’s tonight? If you didn’t and are a lover of all kinds of music you missed a treat.  Sir Paul McCartney and Joe Walsh sharing a stage, the beach boys performing on stage together for the 1st. time in 20 years.  Big Things that should not be missed.  There was even a segment devoted to Glenn Campbell.

Normally, I might have watched the Grammy’s to see who wins.  I did that tonight but what I really wanted to do was see the Beach Boys on stage.  Guys are getting older but the thing that most struck with was the expression and shine in his eye of Brian Wilson.  He looked better than I have seen him in a long time.

Adele delivered the goods. She sang, she cried, appeared in elegant dresses and looked like someone who was really in love with what she does and is happy to be able to sing again.

Taylor Swift also get some awards.  The song she sung tonight on the show was well-written.  I enjoy her because I love her writing and how realistic she is about things.  Her voice tells the story that she has created,

Jennifer Hudson tonight was stunning and her pipes were on fire. While we know she was devastated over Whitney Houston’s death she rose above that pain and allowed herself to deliver a great tribute to her friend.

I was afraid the Grammy’s would be a sob story about Whitney Houston but I was wrong.  It was more about music, all kinds of music, old and new.  Kate Perry sung with her blue hair shining. Personally, I prefer her with her dark brown/black locks.

Maroon 5 and some other band that I can’t remember did a great opening act for the Beach Boys.  It was in tribute to all the work and that the Beach Boys have done over the years.

They were some crazy stuff as well. A exorcism took place in one singer’s part and a show of lights and crazy costumes were also featured.  These things were just strange.  The rave lacked the right kind of crowd and the lights well let’s just say if you have a neurological problem you might have been in trouble if your trigger is visual, like lights and weird colors. Those kinds of scenes should come with a warning.  I haven’t seen the new twilight movie that has come out but its kind of the same way with one scene.

The guy that won the new artist award was obviously new. I have no idea who he was and what kind of music he plays and/or creates.  Just another Grammy find. Bet he gets more attention now and hopefully will be warning a better styled outfit.  He really looked  misplaced.

The Civil Wars did a great job.  Everyone  everyone seemed to be in a peaceful mode tonight.  There was really no rude behavior expressed.  I can’t believe Chis Brown won a reward but its not my place to judge.

The other cool thing about the Grammy’s was that the host was LL Cool J. My Tuesday night fix, of NCIS Los Angels provides me with a great opportunity to see the man.  I was moved by the hug he gave Adele. I was like I want to Give LL Cool J a hug.

While some hearts were sadden by Whitney’s death, all  the singers shined.

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clean and happy

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Had my teeth cleaned this week.  It had not  happened in many years.  Thanks government for not providing us with a dental plan for those of us that have little means.  It is my understanding that in England the dentist is part of the hospital.  It sounds good to me.  Having clean teeth helps prevent infections, and all other sorts of things that might happen to your body.  I am lucky that nothing did happen with my body over the years that my teeth were unclean.

If you happen to live in a good locale you might find a health service that will provide you with dental treatment if you have little income.  Here in Williamsburg there is a clinic, Olde Towne, that will help you with medical and dental help if you need it.  I consider myself lucky that I was able to get my teeth cleaned and worked on with little charge or no charge. Feels good to have a nice mouth/teeth again.

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