Wordless Wednesday

photos taken by Kevin Faries in Springtown, Texas last week

                                                             
                                                     Paralysis by Joanne Faries

                     rain drips
 confused by temperature variations
 it floods, then takes hold,
oozes into every nook and cranny
muscles control of every pore
tightens its freezing grip
 choking branches and limbs until

                 crack
the once strong limber tree yields in pain

              And crack,
the bones break

Movie Review Madness - Black Panther

Marvel’s Black Panther is a feast for the eyes – the stunning visual effects of the world of Wakanda are lovely. The acting is all stellar. Sharp writing, plenty of action/fights, and a story of power and redemption complete the tale directed by Ryan Coogler.  There have been a lot of articles and essays written about Black Panther – all for a higher purpose than pure cinematic delight. I’m going to stick with just the movie going experience of this critic – a middle-aged woman who wants to be entertained for her five dollar investment. Ka-ching! This movie absolutely works on all levels. If you wish to delve into some issues – by all means. The movie can make you think. Or just sit back with a big tub of popcorn and watch Chadwick Boseman nail it as T’Challa, the new king of Wakanda – a country that hides its riches (the vibranium metal) from the rest of the world.

It is a city filled with technology, powerful women, and an appreciation for its history and rituals.  Here’s the impressive cast of women – Angela Bassett (mother), Letitia Wright (science nerd sister),and Lupita Nyong’o(Nakia – the activist ex).  Close friend W’Kabi is played by Daniel Kaluuya.  Then there’s trouble – brooding Michael B. Jordan, the Killmonger, seeks revenge and more. There’s a whole background buildup to his story. It starts in Oakland, CA and finishes in hand-to-hand combat, victory, and some d words – defeat, defiance, etc.   I won’t say more…. But I will say that Danai Gurira the shorn elite member of the royal squad is fierce. Her attitude is scary and she swings a mean spear.

Black Panther is set in a fantasy world. Like I said, you can extrapolate from there into more meaning, concerns, etc of modern day America.  Or you can enjoy the slick purring moves of a sleek panther. Stick around during and after credits for those Marvel teasers they give us. Keeps us coming back for more. Meow!

Fast Friday

 Ray and I went to the Dallas Auto Show last Saturday.  Love those shiny $$$$ cars

 Here's the Black Panther Lexus.  I bet it purrs......

And my sister has a Kia Soul, so I had to hang with the hamster.

Fun day, plenty of steps around the convention center, and no we did not buy a new car.
Zoom through your Friday and on to a fantastic weekend

Wonderful Wednesday

This Wednesday I bring you a quote from a very intriguing writer. I read this in Time Magazine 2/12/18 issue. 

Food for thought to fill this Wednesday.  It was provocative enough for a discussion with my writer friends at a Sunday gathering.  What do you think?

Zadie Smith, literary author, has a new collection of essays, Feel Free. In one essay she writes,

      When I find myself sitting at dinner next to someone who knows just as much about novels as I do but has somehow also found the mental space to adore and be knowledgeable about opera, have strong opinions about the relative rankings of Renaissance painters, and encyclopedic knowledge of the English Civil War, of French wines - I feel an anxiety that nudges beyond the envious into the existential. How did she find the time?

We all agreed that we've been there. We think we've read quite a bit, we can speak about quite a lot, and then we are flummoxed by that person who seems to know it all.......dang. 

Inferiority complex, heck yeah!

How about you?  Have you felt so smart, and then really dumb on occasion?

Book Promotion - Don't Feed the Elephant by Sherry Ellis

I met Sherry Ellis here on blogspot during an April A to Z challenge. Her garden blog (http://gonegarden.blogspot.com) proved delightful. Then I fell for her Ten Zany Birds book for kids - the illustrations and counting story were cute.

Now I'm pleased to promote Don't Feed the Elephant by Sherry Ellis with rich illustrations by Md. Anwar.  Once again, Sherry has written a sweet funny tale with some important lessons for kids. Most important - don't feed the elephant. It can lead to all kinds of trouble (including a sick tummy), plus teach kids letters of the alphabet. Animal crackers to zebra cakes are a hoot.

I highly recommend Don't Feed the Elephant for your little ones. You'll have fun reading it over and over and over again. And they will giggle as the elephant cavorts, plays with his food, and enjoys time with friends.  Look for it on Amazon

http://www.sherryellis.org

sherryellis.blogspot.com

Movie Review Madness - Three Billboards

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri – what a title , what a film. I saw it. I don’t think I need to see it again. It’s up for a lot of Oscar buzz and is very worthy. It’s a challenging film. Can’t call it entertaining. It makes you think. It makes you sweat a bit. It can make you laugh – but it’s that uncomfortable laugh – like, this is sorta PC wrong, but it’s funny, but it’s wrong, and am I cleared to laugh?

So, Frances McDormand (beyond Oscar worthy, she is SO good in this film – just hand her the statue now) is mourning her daughter who was killed and died while being burned. Ugly. So horrific. And she’s pissed – the local cops haven’t solved a thing. The chief (an excellent Woody Harrelson) has tried, but there have been no clues.  The local worker bee cop (Sam Rockwell – very Oscar worthy) is a racist pig with a lot of issues and does not seem interested in a solution.  Meanwhile, she puts up three billboards that challenge the police force.

Bam. It’s front and center.  Many issues are faced in this film. Racism. Police work. Murder. And more.  Seems like the whole town is seething, and McDormand is front and center. Her very being vibrates. She is such a good actress and she can show fury, combustion, and more just with a clenched jaw, a raised eyebrow, and a cutting remark.

This film can get ugly. The language is brutal. The actions are ugly. These aren’t really pleasant people. But it’s truly an interesting story, a sad heartbreaking at times story, and everyone in it grows in some way or another.

It’s an Oscar must see film that is tough....that’s where I’ll leave it.  Wow and whoa and dang.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day one and all, and to my love, Ray!!!

Here's my little tablescape to honor the day.  The sculpture was given to me by my dad on my last trip. I had admired it - dancing figures - and he gave it to me. So cool!

The picture is from our wedding party - we threw quite a bash. Oh so young!

And assorted valentine stuff adorn the table.

So enjoy some chocolates everyone and Happy Valentine's Day

Movie Review Madness - The Post

I admit I am a sucker for movies about journalism. Old fashioned nose for news, knock on doors, make phone calls, and then clack in some letter type and let those presses roll…..hum and rumble and watch old fashioned newspapers roll off the presses. Oh my. I can smell the ink.

That’s what The Post, Stephen Spielberg’s latest time capsule, is all about.  From Time Magazine 1/15/18 -  This historical drama about the 1970s publication of the top-secret Pentagon Papers is swooningly  in love with journalism.

Basically the Papers detailed the scope of the Vietnam War in vast detail – the US was mired in a mess and the top brass knew it, but did not reveal the problems, and dug deeper into war. This was a grave mistake for the public.  The NY Times broke the story, got stymied by courts, and the Washington Post took the ball and ran with it.  This was a huge decision by Katherine Graham, the owner of The Post, who was trying to take the company public. Lots of conflicts. The movie explores internal back story, while the news is breaking.  The pace of the movie is intense.

Meryl Streep, as Katherine Graham, is amazing as an actress. You can see her thinking, weighing options, affected by her Washington connections (i.e. the Defense Secretary, etc), and then choosing publication come hell or high water.  Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) is the salty chief who is for publication all the way.  The movie has many a conversation and argument in regards to publish or perish. This movie is a bit old school, but in a good way. Spielberg knows his audience

I loved a quote near the end of the movie. Katherine says that her late husband stated, “The press is the first draft of history.”  Think about that as it pertained to the early 1970s, the upcoming Watergate era, and now the press today and all the talk of “fake” news.  No matter what – we need the fourth estate to report and keep us in the loop. The Post is a cinematic take on history and also a commentary on today.

Go watch…and think!

Goofy Filler Friday

A good friend,  Deb McNeill, headed to Disney World this week.  I told her to say hey to Goofy for me.

Bam - she sent me this pic. Sure enough, he said hey from his parade float.

How fun is that?  So enjoy a goofy Friday. My goal is to laugh through this day, shrug off the trials of the week, and pretend I am in the happiest place on earth. Soon I will be - home on a weekend with Ray.

Happy Friday everyone. Make the most of a goofy Friday and weekend. Enjoy!

Wednesday Winner

First off this is dedicated to my late mother, so don't dis this post.

Yea!  Eagles actually won the Super Bowl and they beat those darn Patriots.

My t-shirt is old. My troll is old. It's been awhile since his braids got to show V for Victory. Let's roll with that. 

My mother (gone over 20 years now) loved football. On Sundays, my father was in charge of us so mom could watch her beloved Cowboys - yes, Cowboys with Roger Staubach and coach Tom Landry (both so darn awesome upright American heroes), and those frustrating Eagles. Oh she would get mad. She'd turn off the TV, mutter to herself, and turn it back on.  And that's how Eagles fans live - they hate 'em, they love 'em, they just die each Sunday and come back for more torture.

Who knows in this day and age? My guess is mom would have been watching this whole season and very sad when Carson got injured. Then half hopeful as Nick Foles made progress week by week.  But still skeptical, she would have watched the game, biting her nails like me, and shaking her head even in those last two minutes.  After all, Tom Brady - Patriot quarterback - is renowned for comebacks and wins. But no - totally stuffed... and Iggles Won!!!!!

My dad watched and even he was caught up in the excitement. I texted my brother and sister and we were biting our nails. Oh, Eagles fans suffer and now we can claim one Super Bowl ring.

Yes, Ray (my beloved husband), Cowboys have five...but it's been a while, baby.....when's the comeback?

Thanks for indulging me, my blog friends.  This was for my MOM!!!!  They did it, dang!

Book Review - You'll Grow Out of It

You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein is smart-ass funny. She’s written for Inside Amy Schumer, Saturday Night Live, and has performed in her own comedy special.  This collection of short real-life essays covers her move from cute tomboy to not so cute tom-man (her term for awkward years), dating, work, aging, and pregnancy. Her down to earth tone is very relatable. I snickered throughout the book. I had heard Jessi Klein on an NPR Podcast and that’s what brought her book to my attention.

p.94  Sartorially, I like guys who wear T-shirts and old canvas sneakers and generally look like they are incapable of taking care of another human being.  Celebrity inspiration – Mark Ruffalo, if he were a failure.

p.97 in regards to Mike (whom she ultimately marries)  He’s an advertising executive. He is charming and funny, but he’s not a mumbler. He’s straightforward and clear. In other words he’s nothing I thought I wanted. I thought for sure he would be the exception that proved the rule and soon I’d return to some hipster, sugar-addicted rabbinical school dropout. But then something happened.

p.120  in regards to a writing day.  9:15 am – go buy the New York Times    9:30 – Take the Times to my local café to read while eating breakfast.    10:30 am to 12:15 pm -  Return home, Sit down and try to write something. Look at everyone I’ve ever dated on Facebook and also join LinkedIn. Never figure out how to get off LinkedIn.  12:30-1:30 Lunch   1:30-4 pm – Lose steam on writing. Eat two dainty squares of Ritter dark chocolate, put the bar back in the fridge, sit down as if to stop eating it, get up again, and then gobble the whole thing.   4p: Oprah

Together, these activities gave my day a shape, a journey from waking to sleep. But that journey was always fraught with the idea that I should be having more fun.

You’ll Grow Out of It is a light read, easy to pick up and put down, with life observations that you’ll relate to.

Flashback Friday Filler

 I don't do many flashbacks, and I actually have two movie reviews I should write up for you. However, I am continuing my lazy once I get home from work attitude, and posting some pics from February 2010, 2011, and 2012.  Kinda fun to look back and see what the heck I was doing.

 We could use a snow day. Or at least a nice steady all day of rain. We are in drought conditions now and that does not bode well. This should be our rainy season.

 My flamingo is currently hanging out in front of the television waiting for the Super Bowl

Nifty rock and shadow play.

Have a good weekend everyone.  Go Iggles - hey I'll root for them just to annoy Ray!