The Big Difference

I really didn't think I would notice much of a difference.
I broke down and got myself a bottle of nice 12 year old Scotch for a treat. I usually get the cheaper stuff that aged in the bottle as it went off to be sold in a liquor store.
There IS a big difference! I should have known. I can ill afford that good stuff too often, but know I know I have champagne taste and a beer wallet!

Weekend Movie Review

I had the opportunity to see Cellular lastnight.
WOW! Cool action! Scary bad guys-who happen to be bad Cops!
I've never been a Kim Basinger fan, but she is Very good as the wife/mother/science teacher who is kidnapped.
Throughout the movie you are only given tidbits of info on why these guys have kidnapped her. They finally go after the kid and then the husband.
William H. Macy plays the hero Cop in this and the adventure ends at none other but Santa Monica Pier!
Good Flik! A++

The Last Few Days of November

Is it just me or do others feel the speed of time lately!
It seems only yesterday my Maple Trees were full of leaves and the days were warm! Now my Maples hardly have a leaf left on them and it hasn't gotten warmer than 52 in days!
With so many things happening-hopefully positive-in the next few weeks, I believe that 2006 will be a great year for me and hope it is for America!

#1 Shopping Day

Well today is the #1 shopping for Xmas Day!
I spent it at the tire store having two screws removed and the tire patched!
Funny how many other folks spent their day getting something done on their car too!
I haven't checked the news to see if the shoppers made a dent in the economy, but I did notice lots of sales and hope those who went out had fun and found good deals!

Thanksgiving

We should all remind ourselves that Thanksgiving is a time to remember the good things in our lives!
I am Thankful for: my many friends, my health-less the disabilities, the joy I find in books, the joy I find in slowing down and smelling the roses for once, true happiness in everyday life.

Book Review-An Interruption of Everything

I just finished reading Terry McMillan's latest book-An Interruption of Everything and Loved it!
Terry wrote How Stella got her Groove Back and Waiting to Exhale, which turned into movies-on a side note, Oprah bought the movie rites to this book!
The Interruption of Everything is an excellent story that shows how-when it rains, it pours! Creatively written with humor and drama, this story gives you an indepth viewpoint for many family members or friends of a situation.
Good Reading!

Chronic Pain Management

I had my first appointment, at the VA, for chronic pain management and it looks like, for starters, I am going to be getting these heavy duty shots into the spine in my back. These shots should last for about 6-7 weeks and during that time I can start doing stretching exercises and other things that physical therapy can give me to do to help strengthen my back area to help alleviate pain as much as possible. These shots are not an ongoing thing because of all the sideeffects. So I have to make them worth while the first time.
I'll be seeing PT and having my doctor change my meds to something stronger as well.

Cold and Clear

It is so cold yet it is clear with not a cloud in the sky!
I let my cat out just to find all the yards are frozen solid from the dew of last night!
My hands a freezing cold from gathering wood in the cold garage. I cannot wait until the woodstove warms up the house!

Movie Review

I had the opportunity to see the National Geographic's mini series titled 'Guns, Germs & Steel' - created from the book by Pulizter Prize winner Jared Diamond.
Excellent study showing Jared's that shows Jared's findings that it is a geographical cause to why some society's developed faster than others & his study, with this documentary, shows this in a very captivating way - by seeing which society's developed Guns, Germs & Steel.

I also saw 'Mr. 3000' with Bernie Mac. You don't have to love Baseball, but being a sports fan will help you to enjoy this hilarious movie! Sit back and let Bernie take the stress of the day off you! Great & entertaining film! Loads of laughs!

Book Review

For all those people who Love Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter & The inheritance Trilogy, here's another Trilogy of Fantasy that is worth reading!
Cornelia Funke has written the first 2 of the trilogy, InkHeart in 2003 & InkSpell just released. I just finished reading InkHeart & it is terrific!
Nothing like reading about a girl Meggie who LOVES reading and LOVES books! Her father is what she calls a book doctor. He mends and repairs valuable books.
On a trip south of the German home, Cornelia originally wrote this is German and has been translated into English; they visit Meggie's Great Aunt & the excitement begins. Enter characters that had been Read out of a book titled-what else-InkHeart!
This is a thrilling and exciting book and now I cannot wait to read InkSpell!

My First School Presentation

I am so nervous!
Today is my very first school presentation as a Veteran. The presentation is basically talking about Patriotism and Character Traits of which the school has a monthly Trait and November's is Compassion!
I am putting ideas together on how to use and associate the trait into my talk.
Hope I make some points to these kids!

Differences in Organization Groups

I had a terrific time last night visiting my VFW Post in the town nextdoor!
It was so nice to see them operate their meeting and not be so anal like my Post is on issues that needn't be so heavily regulated.
To see this makes me feel there is a chance for me to really find my place in this organization!

Feeling Used By a Friend

It takes a lot to make me feel used, or something consistent. A neighbor friend of mine has been asking, every Monday for 3 Mondays now, to use my FAX machine.
Well, friendship comes first and feeling used should never happen. So I have decided, after she came by again yesterday, to send her an Email politely explaining how I feel used because of convenience and that I don't want it to become a wedge in our friendship; so she should go to an office store to do her FAXing from now on.
I don't mind favors from time to time and I DO love helping out, but to use me for my FAX because I am 3 doors down in the neighborhood is unacceptable!

Movie Review-Little Black Book

I got a chance to see Little Black Book last night.
If you are bored and there is nothing on TV you might want to see this, then again reruns might be more interesting.
Just too cutesy and I am afraid because of this movie many women might get the idea to snoop on their men in their lives and check out the men's little black books.
Bad Premise, bad movie.

No More Burns from the Fireplace!

I finally got wise and bought one of those Ov Gloves!
It is thick and nice! I can reach into the fireplace with another fresh piece of fire wood and the glove only gets a little warm!
No more Hand blisters and burns for me!

Happy Veterans Day

To all of you Veterans, past, present and future, I salute you! To those who are no longer with, may we always hold dear the freedom you fought for!
To all the families of Veterans who kept strength with community and household I commend you for all you efforts, your deeds ARE noticed!
May we all remember and be reminded that Freedom ISN'T Free!

If it isn't one thing it's another!

I cannot believe it!
I am having hassle after hassle!
Today I go to open my garage door with it's electric powered door opener, so I could bring in my recycling bins; only to find the door doesn't go all the way up!
Being a disabled Vet that means my car cannot get out in an emergency!
SHEESH!
I called my landlord company to see if they can do something! I had the machine put in so I hope they don't fuss!

Winter is Here!

Sometimes it's hard to remember how cold it can get in the Pacific northwest. There is no question that winter is here!
My Brother has his convertible sports car in my garage rather than his because he is in the middle of doing major work on a buddy's truck, which of course is in his garage. So I told him to put his in my garage because of the soft top and I would go one night with my car in the driveway. My car has ice on it! BRrrrr! It is Winter for certain and time to start a fire in the fireplace!

Weekend movie Review

I had the chance to see 'Hitch,' 'In Good Company,' 'Primer,' 'Vanity Fair' & 'Sometimes In April' this weekend.
Hitch was a cutesy flik with Will Smith playing basically a dating match-maker. Cute is all I can say about it.
In Good Company was good, not great, but I did enjoy how this issue became so big and it showed how you can appear to have everything going for you and yet really not! It was worth renting the DVD.
I will leave Primer for last -
Vanity Fair was good! Almost exceptionally good considering I have never read or followed the story in any of the other productions. Reese Witherspoon did an exceptional job and the costumes, acting a screen play had me watching and enjoying. This is straight drama from theatre so if you are an action person you, more that likely, won't care for it.
Sometimes in April is an HBO production of the 1994 period of Rwandan genocide between the Hutus and the Tutsis. I thought Hotel Rwanda was rough but this movie encapsulates the horror.
OK! - PRIMER -
A must SEE!
This movie was made by just a handful of people and is noticeable when you see that Shane Carruth is the lead actor and also wrote, directed and produced the film.
I really don't want to give the storyline away, but will say this; what would you do if you were a computer nut and you accidentally created a time machine that you could go back in time say in hours. I MUST SEE!

My New Great VFW Friends

There are many occasions where I am with some VFW officers of other Posts. Now with being District Commander of seven Posts, I tend to see them a lot.
The Post in the town next to mine is rather new at being only five years since the chartered.
I often talk with the Post's Quartermaster and we have done some recruiting together.
So, of course he and I and his wife have become good friends.
They don't have much money, so when I went up to the Commissary on the Air Force Base in Washington state,
I got them a carton of cigarettes.
They are in hard straits with all the prescriptions the wife has, due to her terminal cancer.
I didn't like the idea of just giving them money and heck! So they smoke!
Well they were overwhelmed!
I have had them over for dinner also, so when the invited me, you are darned right I was going to accept!
They are such loving folks!
They had a card and a lovely gift of this beautiful VFW pen and case!
What sweethearts! This pen may not be much and luckily didn't cost them an arm and a leg, but it is now my prized possession!

Rainy Days are good for Book Reading!

It's raining out so I have a fire going in the fireplace and am settled in with a book!
I am re-reading the Harry Potter books and enjoying them once again!
I forgot how nasty Snape really was!
What did Dumbeldore ever see in him!

The SPAM I HATE the MOST

Let's face it nobody likes receiving SPAM!
The SPAM I hate the most, though is NOT the VIAGRA ones, silly that they would assume I was male AND insufficient!
The ones I HATE the MOST are those damned Christian dating ones! How dare the assume I am Christian when I am NOT and how dare they assume I would date a Christian!

Book Review

I just read 'YOU:the owners manual' by Drs Michael Roizen & Mehmet Oz.
There are so many health and Diet books out there that it can be difficult to chose a good one.
This one is GREAT!
They go through the entire body and show detailed illustrations with humorous Elves to explain our various organs and systems.
Then the explain vitamins and other supplements that will reduce our aging.
They give the standard advice on not smoking and getting some exercise, but they explain how you can actually reduce your real age and stave of cancer and other diseases.
Great book and one you may chose to purchase for your library rather borrow a copy from the library as I did!

Shopping Day

It's the first of the month so my friends and family know I am off to Washington State to hit a military base to go to the Commissary for my groceries.
I have found I save even with the cost of gas to get there and back.
This time I took a friend and have an enjoyable day chatting and shopping.
I am not Mother Hubbard anymore! My cupboards are filled...for this month at least!