Finally Friday - Let his birthday weekend begin - RAY

 I hope Ray's had a grand time while I've been gone for three weeks. Hope he's run amok,  been to Aunt Pat's, drove his RZR, watched plenty of TV, eaten over the sink, and  enjoyed his peace and quiet without me yammering. 

Hello....I'm driving back now from PA and hope to be home by Saturday 7/31.  Fair warning - 

My goal is Sunday birthday celebration for Ray. Cheers to my guy - born on August 1st many moons ago. 

Eat some cake this weekend in his honor.  Or slurp on a big old margarita. 

Cheers to Ray and all of you too. 

What's in Your Queue?

 Television. Netflix. HBO Max, Amazon. Hulu. Disney. 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I still read quite a bit as you can tell from my reviews.  But the old boob tube draws me in. So many choices. So many binges. So many golden oldies too. 

Here are a few things I've been watching. 

Disney - Loki  from the Marvel Universe. I love Tom Hiddleston. I have no freakin' clue what's going on in this series. There's time variance.  Time keepers. Variants. And life can be in disarray.  Okay....

Whatever, I'm amused.  If anyone can explain it - feel free...... Alex??

Netflix -   This is POP.   I enjoy music documentaries and this series zeroes in on some themes. It's been very entertaining as they explore the 60s, black music, and what came out of the Brill Building in NYC. Very cool

HBO Max -  Let Him Go with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Takes place late 50s in Montana. Lots of quiet moments and then some violent moments. Great acting.  Kevin and Diane want to save their three year old grandson from the clutches of in-laws. Let's just say that doesn't go smoothly. 

HBO Max - Judas and the Black Messiah.  A wow of a serious movie.  Fred Hampton and the Black Panther movement - watching the growth of the movement, the electricity of Fred, and the quiet FBI tracking of this group.  Daniel K. won an Oscar for his portrayal of Fred, and Lakieth Stanfield gives an amazing performance too. This was thinking material. 

Hulu - Summer of Soul   Another music documentary - this one produced by Questlove.  Really good - around the time of Woodstock, there was a huge music festival featuring black musicians at a park in Harlem. Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, the 5th Dimension and more. It was crazy good, but never had the oomph like Woodstock did. Now rare footage has been compiled and it's worth watching. Very cool

So, what's in your Queue?

Monday Moments

 Random pics from 2014 in PA.  And there's Dad - back when he was quite mobile.  We won't be hiking any trails for this current trip of mine.  And that's okay now that he's 90.  Dang!

Anyway - another filler post. 

Here are some quotes I've collected lately.  Food for thought on a Monday. 

Sift each of us through the great sieve of circumstance and you have a residue, great or small...that is the man or woman.    Majorie Kinnan Rawlings

Whoever said, "It's not whether you win or lose that counts" probably never lost.  Martina Navratilova

Genius without education is like silver in  the mine.  Benjamin Franklin

Have a grand week!

Finally Friday

 Can you hear that?

Yep - it's laughter and everybody talking at once.   My PA gang - ladies I've know forever and we pick up where we left off.  During 2020 we held our zoom book clubs and chats regularly. 

I've known some since junior high, others high school, and two others since college. 

Can't wait to see them all, give big hugs, start talking,  and seemingly never stop. 

Can you hear it?   Sheer joy, friendship, and LOVE. 

Wonderful Wednesday

 Flashback time - 3 years ago, beach vacation in Orange Beach, Alabama.  Just a grand time - can't go wrong with a beach setting. 

I told you this was a July hiatus of sorts for me.  I'm in PA catching up with family, friends, and learning how to talk again (with my hands)

Lord knows what Ray is doing in TX - running amok, no doubt. 

If you see him, make sure he's eaten - ha!

Grand Peculiar Finale

I am in PA hanging with dad so sorry if I'm not commenting much.  Consider it a bit of a lazy July hiatus. But stayed tuned for scheduled posts.  I'm just personally a tad random. 

cover blurb - A Monster Resurrected.....An Army of Nightmares....One Final Battle for the Soul of all  Peculiardom

Ransom Riggs has kept me hooked with his Miss Peregrine's series starring the peculiar children. What a wild YA ride. Lots of creepy pictures (see above), wacky characters, and rather horrible ghouls. 

The Desolations of Devil's Acre is book six and quite the finale.  Will Jacob, Noor, and the other kids manage to outlast Miss Peregrine's horrible brother, Caul? This is evil incarnate. 

cover blurb - Only one hope remains - deliver Noor to the meeting place of the seven prophesied ones. But can they decipher the secret location?

Excellent writing, pace, and quite a wild ride. Thumbs up to this whole series. I just handed off my books to my thirteen year old grandkid - thank goodness she's a reader! I'm excited for her adventure into the imagination. 

 

Happy 90th Birthday Dad

 I am in PA now as you read this and today is Dad's 90th birthday.  I'm hoping he has lots of cards to open, and I know we are going  to a very fancy lunch at the William Penn Inn (est. 1714) with his friends. 

He's a pretty jaunty character, generally upbeat, and quick to laugh. Yeah, he snoozes a lot now. And that's okay. He loves his oldie movies - i.e Rear Window starring Grace Kelly.  But he also asked my brother to set up HBO Max  for him to watch In the Heights. 

The man is a hoot and he loves his desserts. I bet there's some cake today. Just have the fire extinguisher ready - 90 is a LOT of candles. 

Cheers Dad and Happy Birthday.  I love you. 

Monday Memory

This is late for Father's Day so now we'll call it Dad birthday week celebration, but what the heck - I'll celebrate my dad any day. 

My sister posted this pic on Facebook. It's my brother.

Dad always looked like he could drop us kids any minute.  And he was afraid we'd spew a bit and mess up his clothes.  He was a great father - just not that keen on babies. 

 Here's dad last July for birthday 89.   Proud to say, I'll be hitting the road to celebrate his big 90. Wow!!!

So, that's our Monday moment. Blast from the past. Still kicking.  My dad is a hoot.  I'm ready to see him and celebrate old George. 

Friday Fabulousness - 30 Americans

The Arlington Museum of Art brings in some unique small exhibitions.  30 Americans showcases works by thirty emerging and established African American artists of the last three decades. 

There is some striking, thought-provoking work

A lot of work tells so many stories that so many of us don't know or never experienced. 

  Kehinde Wiley's work is always striking.  Very cool 

All of these artists provide a unique blend of visual beauty, humor, and irony while presenting social differences, universal concepts, and emotions on a grand scale.  I was glad I went on Saturday July 3rd. 

Cheryl Strayed - Author talk on Tiny Beautiful Things

 The Dallas Museum of Art presented a virtual author talk with Cheryl Strayed. It was a good forty five minutes. I've liked her writings and have followed her since her breakout Wild.  Now she's discussing her book Tiny Beautiful Things.

She was the longtime secret columnist "Sugar" for Rumpus, and changed the advice concept into small literary essays. I am currently reading the book and her answers to people's questions are little works of art, all while truly caring and trying to give good life advice on so many serious matters. 

In general her overall writing life moves between memoir and fiction.  She tries to relax and be herself. "It's never easy and never will be," she said in regard to writing.  Strayed "loves art - takes the risk."

She does not map out or plan what she'll write or say. She goes with the flow.  "Arts are central to the world and does make a difference. "

Cheryl Strayed is a very cool person and author. I enjoyed this virtual talk and would love to see her in person some day. 

Finally Friday and a Fourth Weekend

 Happy Fourth of July weekend.  Enjoy the fireworks, family, friends, swimming, grilling, and freedoms. 

Let's contemplate, for a moment, how we can all truly come together and be even "better", i.e. full of compassion for others.  

There is space for all to breathe free and share in the good that is possible in America. 

Let Freedom Ring!