TCU came in undefeated. The pre-game party started at 4 with Frog Alley filled with booths, games, and giveaways. Then the Frog Walk - cheerleaders, mascot, and players paraded through the quadrangle in front of the stadium. Tail gate tents were filled with food, drink, and laughter. It was a gorgeous day and the energy level was amped to 11.
Always a smile, always a smart comment, always there to help dad. She's the best sister and I always joke, the best turkey, we could have been blessed with in November. Cheers, kid! Love ya.
Happy Birthday Hugs
Anyway - Happy Wednesday. Hope your week is going well. Cheers all!
Plus I need to walk, burn some calories, and earn the right to eat an extra helping stuffing.
Thanksgiving feast in PA with Dad and my sister.
I hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and enjoyable Thanksgiving week.
Let's take a moment and breathe. Random pics from friends, years, and stuff that caught my eye.
Any beach, any time is calming. This is a recent pic from a friend in NC - Outer Banks
Feel calmer? Float into your weekend and take time for yourself. Enjoy
cover blurb - The actor Simu Liu shares his own inspiring and unexpected origin story from China to a place called Hollywood. An immigrant who battles everything from parental expectations to cultural stereotypes, Simu struggles to forge a path for himself, rising from the ashes of a failed accounting career (!) to become the world's first Asian superhero.
This is a really good, well written memoir. Simu Liu has quite a story and it gave me more respect for the dreamers. His folks struggle to leave a family life in China and seek more as educated degreed engineers. Then they were ready (maybe) for their four year old son, Simu, to leave the comfort of grandparent care, and come join them in Canada. Was Simu ready? Did he always feel uprooted, restless? Lots of conflict ensued through the years.
Liu is very fair in his life story. He recognizes his flaws and lays it out on the pages. His journey is quite a mix of his Chinese background and Western life. How did he get to become Shang-Chi, a Marvel hero? Read this book and find out. Now I look forward to seeing what else Simu Liu will do.
Keep dreaming
cover blurb Woman Without Shame is a moving collection of songs, elegies, and declarations that chronicle her pilgrimage toward rebirth and the recognition of her prerogative as a woman artist. She explores the essential nature of love, memory, and desire.
I love Sandra Cisneros' humor and her obvious 'won't take crap in life' attitude. She's fearless and truly plumbs the depths of human emotion.
p. 12 a stanza from Remedy for Social Exposure
Consume a cool glass of night
Read poetry that inspires poetry
Write until temperament
returns to calm
That gives just an inkling of this wonderful collection Woman Without Shame by Sandra Cisneros.
From the 1950s to our present, follow the Garrett family in Baltimore. Mercy aspires to paint. Husband Robin doesn't want change. Daughters - Alice, always common sense, Lily, boy crazy and drifting. David, the youngest, just wants to escape. Book blurb - As these lives advance across decades, the Garretts' influences on one another ripple ineffably but unmistakably through each generation.
p 232 "Oh, a French braid," Greta said. "Undone, hair would still be in ripples, little leftover squiggles, for hours and hours afterward."
"Well," David said, "that's how families work, too. You think you're free of them, but you're never really free; the ripples are crimped in forever."
And that's Anne Tyler's effortless writing and descriptions. She pulls you in and engages you. French Braid is solid writing, storytelling, and observations on life. Thanks, Anne Tyler.
Shout out to Becky Thorne - see, I did read this book from the library. Cheers!
Would you believe Louis Vuitton has a production facility there? Who knew? Well, I read a special announcement of a rare tour. I signed up immediately, and was accepted for a time slot - Sunday October 16 at 3 pm. Ooh La La
Tres bien!
I did early vote - got it over with early. Yes, voting is a privilege. It was quite easy at our local library. I thanked the worker bees who were checking folks in, manning the machines, etc. We had no kerfluffles or crazy. Then again on a Tuesday morning in October, the key was to not trip over a senior on a walker.
I came out feeling sad about the choices. But, whatever...my life, fortunately shall continue just fine in a blur of pickleball, reading, movies, and walks.
It's the bigger picture.
Anyway - I included this Oscar Wilde quote, since I'm on the bandwagon of not banning books. Parents should be aware of what their kids choose to read and it should encourage discussions. I don't want any groups usurping my power to choose a book. At this juncture, our local library has not been affected.
I think more reading and critical thinking should be encouraged and at least available. It would build knowledgeable citizens.
Good Luck America!
The story isn't necessarily original. A maestro with a huge resume is about to complete the full Mahler symphonies with a live recording of the number 5, considered a tour de force assignment. The movie follows the conductor and all of the backstage life drama, backstabbing, machinations, loves, histrionics, and breakdowns.
The key is the conductor - Lydia Tar played by Cate Blanchett. This is an Academy Award performance and I will be shocked if she is not nominated in 2023. She is on screen one hundred percent of the time, and she is remarkable. She is canny, imperious, brilliant, scathing, and superb. Her face - the eyes, the smile, the cheekbones - all on subtle display. She delivers her lines smoothly with undertones of the madness within.
Bravo, maestro!
I love the variety of Texas State Parks. We've only hit a few and each one is different. This rocky path hike took an hour and was a challenge for my feet. Whew! We earned our Gatorade and lunch snack.
Hope your November is sunny and bright. Go explore some nooks and crannies.
I wanted to be entertained and I was, coming out of the theater smiling. Clooney and Roberts were effortless, tossing off lines so easily. You can tell they were having fun together on the screen. As a bickering ex-couple trying to keep their only daughter from dumping her law career and marrying a guy she just met to live in Bali and work a seaweed farm, they were hilarious.
As for Dever and Boutier, they were an earnest young couple in love, full of hope, and completely sincere. You rooted for them and had faith that this would pull together - families and cultures.
Oh there's mishaps, miscommunications, and very tidy solutions. That's a rom-com.
Punch your Ticket to Paradise and escape our world for a few hours. Trust me.
