All the young dudes...

I just got back from a preview of the new movie "Wackness" dues to hit theaters in July thanks to Sony Pictures Classics and Landmark Theatres. They also gave us a tasteful brown tshirt.

This is what the preview invite said about it:
"It's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop and
wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuana--but change is in the air. The newly inaugurated mayor, Rudy Giuliani, is beginning to implement his anti-fun initiatives against "crimes" like noisy portable radios, graffiti and public drunkenness. Set against this backdrop, Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) spends his last summer before college selling dope throughout New York City, trading it with his shrink (Ben Kingsley) for therapy, while crushing on his step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby). Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen, and Method Man round out the cast in this edgy, bittersweet, and funny coming of age story. Rated R."

It also said "Absolutely no kids admitted to this screening! Enjoy!"

It was an interesting movie and the above doesn't go near to describing the movie. I mean what can you say about a movie that has fly girls dancing in the subway in the beginning and ends with Bowie's "All the Young Dudes."
I say see it, its got lots of music, lots of stuff happening, great performances, and Mary Kate Olsen is amazing. There were some great scenes. Its not the 1994 I remember but then I was older, living in Minnesota working with refugees at a place where we were trained how to respond to bomb threats, but that's another post... About the no kids, I think I agree, and no impressionable young adults either.
During the credits, I was singing along of course, and when the music died off, I was surprised to hear others singing too ;-)

All the young dudes
Carry the news
Boogaloo dudes
Carry the news....

"A case of driving while weird"

Soap, Drugs, & Rock and Roll



For those of you, who are not new age or aging hippies, Dr. Bonner's is a basic all purpose counter culture castile soap found in health food stories and occasional super markets. I first ran into it at Antioch where some people used it for literally everything, just as Dr. Bonner intended.

The original Dr. Bonner was more than a little unusual. He had a strange life, and was institutionalized a few times. Having foreseen the Holocaust, he pleaded with his parents to leave Germany but his words fell on deaf ears. The last contact was in the form of a postcard saying, "You were right. —Your loving father." That would be very hard on anyone.
The labels on the soap were/are chocked full of uses, quotes as well as religious ramblings.

Its a great soap. The company is small, family run and makes the soap by hand. As far as I know they still do no advertising. In a somewhat amusing interview with his son, its clear that some people take his "Moral ABC of All-One-God-Faith" quite seriously.

Dr. Bonner's goal in life was world peace and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

Not for a certain silly someone

because he hates musicals, like he hates museums... often it seems that if I love it, or even like it a little, he hates it, but anyway...

This almost what what we used to call guerrilla theater.



borrowed from From a Cluttered Desk.
Thanks Tammy

Digital TV!!!

Today, I got my two $40 TV converter box coupons. One of my brothers got his as well.
After we researched a bit on the phone and on line. I decided to be the guinea pig and buy the cheapest, coupon accepted, converter available locally. There were supposed 2 at Walmart for $49.95, a Magnavox one and an RCA. When we got there only the RCA DTA800 was in available. So for $13 something after coupon, so I got it.

Some background:
I live in a stucco building, and the tv reception is what one might imagine from living in a chicken wire cage. I have a power rabbit ears that are huge and worked somewhat okay, until they fell off one too many times and now only 1 channel comes in with any consistency, the others are definitely full of ghosts. I had considered buying cable of local channels for $8 plus tax per month, and who knows how much installation, but as I really mainly watch PBS and a few other shows occasionally.

So I get home, open the box, can't get the remote to control my tv or vcr, but it controls my dvd player without my doing anything. So I decide to skip the universal remote thing, and just use the on screen programming to capture the channels. I had no idea how many channels here are digital but I knew PBS had at least 5 that were HD. Amazingly, every channel but one is digital, there are 19 channels (3 are dups) and 7 PBS channels!!!

The reception is great! I can see every seam in Sex in the City! ;-)

Draw backs:
The sound is not consistent from channel to channel, my tv's sound AI doesn't not seem to work so well with it. Occasionally a picture may break down into pixels for a moment or so.

Overall I am thrilled!!!

I don't like death

I really don't.

It feels so strange to lose people who are full of life and love when so many people just let it pass them by.

September-Bernadette
November-my mom's cousin
March-Anna's Barry
Tonight-Mary's Randy

Early this winter a friend told us his wife had terminal lung cancer, and was expected to maybe last through spring. It was shocking and sad, it still is very sad but there is a kind of acceptance and she is planning/preparing for life without her. As far as I know she is still alive, though no one answers the phone this past week.

A friend's mom died last week too. Sad, but not unexpected.

At 12:03 am I saw this

PSA on network TV directed at kids and their parents about the pandemic flu. It was followed by a PSA for kids about Arbor Day!

Several times when I have asked public health representatives why they aren't doing more to inform the general public about the pandemic, I have been told that they are concerned that people will panic.

I guess they think going through the kids will keep the adults calm?

I saw this PSA first late one night on public television, this is the first time I have seen it on network. Now how many children and parents of young children are up this late on a Sunday night/ Monday morning?

This PSA is referred to as "Questions" there is another one I have yet to see called "Know"

What Muppet are you?

What Muppet are you?

You are Kermit the Frog.You are reliable, responsible and caring. And you have a habit of waving your arms about maniacally.FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS:"Hi ho!" "Yaaay!" and "Sheesh!" FAVORITE MOVIE:"How Green Was My Mother" LAST BOOK READ:"Surfin' the Webfoot: A Frog's Guide to the Internet" HOBBIES:Sitting in the swamp playing banjo. QUOTE:"Hmm, my banjo is wet."
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Maybe my luck is changing!

A couple of days ago I went to fill the car with gas for the first time since the beginning of March. The price was $3.12 but the fuel light was going on when I drove up hill so I figured it was time to bite the bullet and buy gas.

Now in the past whenever I have gotten gas the price falls by at least a few cents the next day, but this time it went from $3.12 to $3.29 the next day! Is that cool or what?

Marathon!

I decided to start training for a walking marathon, although I may only go to 1/2 marathon stage, it will depend on what happens employment wise.

Prevention magazine has a calendar for it here.
I set it up as my Firefox home page so everyday I will see what I am supposed to do that day.
It seems best to start on a Monday.

I am starting slow like a beginner even though I walk quite a bit. For my cross training I am doing my Pilates reformer and belly dance. I think I will only take one day for rest and the other one for cross training.

If anyone wants to join me, let me know and I can set something up. Just knowing other people are doing it too would be nice, even if its not public.

Cool Things!

In no particular order

1) IngenuiTEA
"The most convenient teapot you will find anywhere - we guarantee it. When tea is ready, simply place it atop your cup. This will cause a valve at the bottom to release: crystal-clear tea flows down, while the mesh filter retains all the leaves with one of the best infusers on the market. Super easy to clean and dishwasher safe. And it's microwaveable - perfect for the office or the road. You will wonder how you got along without one."


2) Ikea Omsgorg shoe horn
Its a 24 inch long snake shoe horn. I use it daily. Mine is white with red markings and cost 99 cents! I am getting one for my parents and some friends.

3) Glad SimplyCooking Microwave Steaming Bags
You can cook very interesting egg dishes in it, frozen and fresh veggies and fish! I rinse them and reuse when using them for veggies. I am taking a bag of these traveling.

4) Reynolds Handi-Vac and Freezer bags
Its a lot of fun! I use it so much the batteries are running down. After I vaccuum packaged 5 pounds of over-ripe Kiwis, it cleaned up really nicely.

5) Yaktrax
"Yaktrax are the newest and most user friendly ice traction device for your shoes on the market today. The unique and patented design will give you the same solid, predictable grip you are accustomed to feeling on dry surfaces."

6) Bananas ;)

for hangovers

Use a banana to fix a cd or dvd?