a*list with tailz

Note: That is -not- at typographical error.

That's how the alien being spells its name.

For real!

All the other aficionados at the special screening would agree with me.

That's Tailz in my hand here.

Actually, it's just the critter's head, designed as a keychain reward for those who came to the "Sonic The Hedgehog 3: Fan Event" at the 3 PM showing in the Big-D room.

I was there early this time, having missed out on the Lego rewards at the Fan Event for "Wicked" a couple of weeks back. 

This time, AMC had plenty of the rewards, with four buckets of the character keychains, allowing patrons to choose which they wanted: Sonic, Tailz, Knuckles, or Shadow.

My first choice was Sonic, but Alicia let me swap him out for the foxy yellow guy with the ability to fly.

As it turns out, Tailz was a perfect fit for me!

He's the nerdy analytical member of the trio formed in the second movie, you see. 

I'm the nerdy analytical member of any trio I'm in, too!

Well, most of the time, but not always!

 

 

Speaking of trio, this upbeat movie, filled with puns and inside jokes, was the perfect one to complete my dance card this week.

"The Order" and "Homestead" were a bit scary, given today's political climate in the USA.

The first one was real and the other was not, but both dealt with homeland terrorists.

Neither are anything I would see again.

But this movie today?

That had everyone there cheering on the good guys?

With everyone laughing at all the silly parts with Dr. Robotnik?

Plus lots of applause as each character entered the story, especially for Stone?

And everyone staying in their seats until the very last credit had rolled so they could see what would be forthcoming in the next adventure?

This was absolutely delightful!

I just may see it again tomorrow!

Meanwhile, I have a new Christmas ornament gracing my tree, right next to Melanie's snowflake and Mama's gingerbread house.

Isn't that smiling yellow face so cheerful?

Right place, right time!

(smile!)

up to the highest heights!

"Oh, let's go, fly a kite!"

I do so love that song from "Mary Poppins" and was thrilled to hear it tonight!

Moreover, every child on the stage had one and each waved their colorful paper diamond enthusiastically!

I just know Barbara would have loved it, too.

She's the reason I was there, as she was the one who introduced me to these plays by the students of Rambam Day School.

She knew I would enjoy them as much as she did.

Two of the teachers who knew her greeted me, having seen me with her at these holiday plays for the past few years.

In keeping with tradition, this year's offering was also a musical.

"A Spoonful Of Sugar" was a take-off on the flying nanny (there's a little joke!) and contained several familiar songs, including both of the ones that the chimney sweeps sing - and there must have been a baker's dozen of them doing it!

There was a line of elementary-aged boys the length of the stage, as all wanted to be in on those dance routines!

I would have loved dancing with them!

There were also a few songs that touched on Judaism and even one about the man that the school is named for, set to the tune of the Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda" - making learning fun, just as the nanny did!

I think my favorite of those was "Soup and Challah", to the tune of "Supercali" -

"Soup and Challah, Candlesticks, Kiddush it is delicious / Every Shabbat meal we eat is really quite nutritious / Can I have some chicken served on Irma's special dishes / Soup and Challah, Candlesticks, Kiddush is is declicious!"

Guaranteed to bring a smile!

After the free show was over, I knew to stay for the free dessert: a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

Many thanks for making me welcome, y'all!

i thank You, God, for this gift from Barbara.

sharing Christmas with the physicist!

That very nearly rhymes, doesn't it?

"Sure, if you're playing fast and loose with the rhyming rules. Just like me claiming that what I wrote just now was a rhyme."

Oh, I get it! "Loose" and "rules" - you just have to slur over that hard "L" in the second word, like ignoring the "T" in "physicist". Still, I guess it couldn't really be called a poem quite yet. A few more lines would definitely be needed to have poetry.

"For sure. So, I take it that Tina Tuesday was spent with J-Dawg?"

Yes, it was, g'friend! What an unusual time it was, too. Can you believe that I convinced him to go to an animated film? Truth to tell, he probably wouldn't have agreed if the characters spoke.

I'm sure I wouldn't have asked him to go, either, had that been the case. But Carolyn had steered me to "Flow", and I did the same to him once I saw it was carried over for a second week at NCG.

"That's the foreign film about the cat and the tsunami, right? That did look quite interesting!"

He and I agreed and, as it was cheap movie day, we went to the noon30 screening. I was surprised that about fifteen people joined us for it!

"Very nice! That bodes well for such an artsy film. And was it good?"

It was delightful! I may have startled folks there with my laughing, but the kitteh did such patently kittenish things that I just couldn't help it!

"Oh, my! Did he laugh, too?"

Really, that isn't the sort of thing he would ever do. If we were at each other's house and watching it, he might have joined me a couple of times. But in a room of strangers? Not likely. Still, he didn't get up and move away from me, so that was good. (smile!) 

"That's not his way. He's quite supportive of you."

Yes, he is, isn't he? That makes him my bfe, as he's a keeper. (smile!) And, as I'd paid for the movie, he treated us to our luncheon at Jason's Deli! They were having a "2 for $20" special as part of their '12 Days of Deli-cious' promotion. We both ordered monster baked potatoes and the two drinks, then sat there talking and eating for the next two hours! It was great!!! I'm considering that a Christmas luncheon, for sure, especially with the movie. (smile!)

"That's what I'd do! Long afternoons with him are super rare!"

They're practically nonexistent, but winter break is here now. I'm hoping we'll be getting together next week for "Nosferatu", as he's already told me he wants to see it.

"That starts Christmas Day, doesn't it? That might make for a nice afternoon, perhaps with a meal somewhere afterward. Chinese at eTang would be great!"

Yeah, we'll see about that. Today was just so wonderful!

"What's up with the three photos? That's like something you'd get out of photo booth at the fair or a theme park."

Exactly!!! (smile!)

the doc says...

"See you in June!"

i thank You, God.

 

That "doc" would be my cardiologist, which is why this was so important to me.

 

It was my post-surgery visit, which had somehow been scheduled for the absurd time of 0845.

Yes, as in 8 hours and 45 minutes past midnight.

As I told them, that's the time of my first alarm, the one that tells me to take my Synthroid so I can have coffee when the second alarm rings at 9:21 AM.

 

Of course, I'd called his office to try to get the time changed, but I would have had to wait until the end of January to see him.

Nope, that wasn't an option.

So, there I was, bright and early.

Actually, with the heavy fog that had descended upon Savannah, wrapping everything in shrouds of mist, it wasn't that bright.

Ordinarily, there would be a clear view of St. Joseph's Hospital when standing outside his office.

 

As for inside his office, I found myself in Exam Room 4, one I'd never seen.

That's because it was a busy morning and the first three rooms were full.

 

I was early.

I'd arrived at 0830, concerned about being late.

By the time this photo was taken at 0848, I'd had my EKG and was waiting on the results.

Within five minutes, he'd told me I was good to go, so I did, back onto the foggy roads.

i thank You, God, for Truman Parkway.

This lovely shot of the flaming trees across the street from my house was taken at 0914.

Ten minutes later, I was back in my nightgown and under the covers, straight into dreamland.

No lawnmowers or leaf blowers disturbed me.

 

I slept the sleep of the contented, deeply and warm, until a quarter of noon.

Delicious to have slumbered so well!

Today, the high is to reach the low 70's, which is a blessed break from the 50's of Thursday and Friday.

The pattern of late is three days of warmth, usually at the week's start, then the song going into low notes by midweek. 

Believe me when I say that I'll gratefully take whatever number of warm days I am allotted at this time of year, and I'll open up the house to invite inside every bit of it.

This day, which is amazingly still Monday, will be shared with Carolyn, and perhaps Sandy, too.

I've invited them to join me for the new Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult movie.

That will be at 4:45 PM, which will be a little later than I usually go, but it's a little early for them.

Compromise, right?

I'm hoping they'll join me at Houlihan's for dinner.

 

Between that time and now, though, my brunch will be these leftovers from the church holiday party.

Then, I truly must set about finishing the Christmas cards that need to be mailed.

So, ta ta for now!

2024 Christmas Party!

What a lot of folks were there, too, for this Asbury Memorial Church event!

And, if you look very closely, you can even see me!

See the dark-haired boy in the blue-patterned shirt, standing to the left of the man in the dark shirt and the tan hat?

That's me sitting at the boy's right elbow, wearing my faded fuchsia sweater!

Hey, like I said, you have to look very closely!

(smile!)

There were two tables of food running the length of the choir practice room that had been loaded with food.

I started off with two plates.

That's because I wanted to eat dessert with my meal, of course!

That's a Grinch-green Rice Krispies treat, as well as pumpkin pie!

Those didn't make it home with me.

(smile!) 

In fact, I have quite a bit that will feed me tomorrow morning, so I didn't need to go for seconds when the kitchen crew asked folks to "take a plate to go"!

There's always so very much to share!

And what party would be complete without a visit from Saint Nick and his Missus, giving out candy canes and warm wishes to the children?

Nice to have Reverend Billy and his Cheri up there posing with the Clauses, as they always do!

Yes, such a lovely party this was this evening!

(smile!)

Christmas when my parents were children...

That's the primary reason I wanted to attend "The 1940's Holiday Radio Show".

Mama and Daddy were born in the mid-1930's, when radio was king, before television was even a dream for working people.

By the time they were school-aged, they had much familiarity with war rationing of foods like sugar and butter and cheese.

They had a different brand of patriotism than we have now.

Conchetta Phillips would have been a young woman in 1944, when this show was set.

She's 101 now and was there in the audience at this matinee performance.

Sebastian Verdis, the leader of the Verdis Variety Cavalcade, dedicated the show to her.

I'd had the good fortune of being in line behind her and her granddaughter when they came, so I knew Conchetta had served in the USO during WWII.

What a treat to have met her!

Right place, right time!

 

Because this was a 'radio show', they did something special...

they paused for "Station ID" breaks, as required by the FCC!!!

There were four total, two before intermission, and two after.

Each time, the Victory Sisters of WTPT would come out and sing an intro, followed by the station manager announcing the call letters and the time.

Very cool!!!

Another special thing they did was to honor every branch of the US military.

The trumpet man, Zeb Treece, would lead on the representative song, accompanied by the pianist and drummer (Jared Wilson and Andrew Parnell), while those veterans of that branch would rise for their song.

Air Force was first, with three men in attendance.

Then the anthem for the Coast Guard was played... and two men stood up!

Wow!

The Army was recognized next and had the largest contingent: at least fifteen.

The Navy and the Marines were post-intermission, with 4 (including me, the only woman veteran there) and 3, respectively.

The photo was for the performance of "Anchors Aweigh", of course.

 

The show alternated concert portions with comedy skits.

This was one of my favorite bits ever!

Luis Omar Torres and Matthew Dixon donned baseball caps for their totally awesome rendition of Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First".

Totally awesome!!!

Several other routines from that old-time comedian team were performed, as well as a few from George Burns and Gracie Allen...

but the baseball bit had my heart plum tickled!!!

 

Even the 'mercials were funny!

The above was an ad for Phillips Milk of Magnesia, for calming upset tummies.

I thought it was extra funny since the show was dedicated to Conchetta Phillips!

Other commercials were for Lux (hair product), Parkay (margarine), and Patsit (a cheese substitute, which I may have spelled wrong), as well as other goods.

 

The grand finale had us all singing "She's A Grand Old Flag"!

I don't think that was the intention, but a few veterans stood and started accompanying the cast members, so everyone there stood and chimed in.

We continued to stand and clap as the cast went through their final roll call, then we all sang "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", too!

What a fabulous show at Tybee Post Theater!

Now, on the Christmas party at my church!

hunting for humans in A*List silver screen

That truly did seem to be the theme in this week's science fiction trio.

Quite odd selection for this holiday period, but there ya go!

Amazingly, they're even listed in the order, and on the days, of my viewing them.

It's been a while since AMC got my dance card correct.

Such a nice change of pace!

(Yes, pun intended!)

"Y2K" was the most fun, with a lot of laughs as a bunch of stoners find themselves being pursued - and killed - by their electronic gadgets.

Plus, it had a fabulous soundtrack and a mini-concert of Fred Durst singing George Michael's "Faith" - well done!!!

I think it may have been meant as a horror flick, but it was more of a spoof.

I hope it'll still be around net week so I can watch it again.

"Werewolves" had some unintentional funny moments.

Well, for me it did.

That's because it reminded me of the rather tame horror movies that appeared on TV in the early to mid-1970's.

There was a bit of gore, but, like I said, rather tame stuff by today's standards.

I actually enjoyed being reminded of those late night flicks by Robbin Graves!

So far, that's humans chased by killer robots and humans chased by killer werewolves.

"Kraven The Hunter" was a little different, as it was a Marvel movie, featuring folks I'd never heard of: The Rhino, The Chameleon, The Foreigner, Calypso.

I was mostly there to gawk at Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

 

Oh, and to collect 1000 bonus points from AMC.

Plus, to gawk a bit at Russell Crowe and listen to his Russian accent.

Nice!

But the story of a son of a mobster turning into a killer of mobsters just didn't hold me.

It was good to see once... like "Werewolves"... but I'm done with it.

That's how I felt about "Bonhoeffer. Pastor. Spy. Assassin." the previous week.

The difference is that I knew the movie last week was based on a real person and that it was set during World War II, so I knew going in to it that it would be one and done.

I had hoped for more with the Marvel movie.

Speaking of last week, the only other film seen was "Gladiator II" again.

That was done for 1000 bonus points, too, just as "Kraven" today had been.

Here's hoping for new movies soon at AMC.

I've already seen "Wicked, Part 1", "Moana 2", "Red One", and "Gladiator 2" at least twice each, which is why I took a chance on those  two first movies this week.

bday87 party for Mama!

First of all, there was singing!

 

But not "Happy Birthday" on this occasion, oh, no!

 

The Cantabile and the Chorale of the Savannah Arts Academy Chorus performed for us at the Trinity United Methodist Church.

 

This was their "Voices Of The Season" concert and it was totally free!

We were greeted with "Carol Of The Bells", always a favorite during the holidays.

(smile!)

Before we left there, everyone joined in to make a wish for Mama.

Every person received a candle, with each taper being lit by one of the young singers.

 

Then, we all sang "Silent Night", a song I know Mama knew by heart, as many years as she was part of a choir!

 

At the song's end, each person closed their eyes and blew out the flame as they made their wish.

 

How wonderful that was!

 

(smile!)

 

And you know what came next, right?

 

Cake!

 

Not just any cake, either, but a great and glorious Christmas cake like Frank always made, chock full of fruit and pecans!

 

That was a gift to me from Mark Kameron last Friday, right in time to share with Mama.

 

Delicious!

 

(smile!)

What's that you say?

 

Where's the ice cream?

 

Here it is, half-price courtesy of Publix, to celebrate my half-birthday.

 

I chose the Mint Chocolate Chip, knowing that Mama always liked that one, too, at this holiday - and her birthday! - time of year.

 

So creamy and cool, it is, leaving your mouth with a tingle to brighten a cold day!

 

Today was lovely and warm, in the low 70's: perfect.

 

(smile!)

All very nice!

 

Now, it was time for gifts!

 

Publix again came to my rescue, gifting me with this Salsa Bouquet to mark my 4th anniversary in their loyalty club.

 

Don't the flowers frame Mama so well?

 

And now I'm, settled in to watch "The Polar Express" with her, with Comcast gifting me this movie yesterday as a reward.

 

Perfect!

i thank You, God, for this day, and for giving me this woman as my mother!

the dog ate it!!!

That had to be one of the top new plays for me tonight!

I was at the 8th Annual Young Writers Night Finalists Announcement, an evening that included the talented folks of Savannah Stage Company enacting these pieces by middle school and high school playwrights.

Yes, that's correct: not adults, but children authored these multi-actor plays!!!

Quite impressive!

Front Porch Improv had graciously provided their space for this event, so kudos to them.

However, I'm reserving all my huzzahs and hoorays for the young writers.

I've been haphazardly catching these over the years, with the first one in 2017 at a shop on Bull Street in the Starland District.

At least, that's what Jayme said when we spoke during intermission.

My distinct recollection was sitting with my back against the plate-glass window of the store as the students' pieces were performed on a tiny makeshift stage.

I'll have to do better about my attendance in the future!

I had two definite favorites tonight.

As it so happens, one was in the first half of the event, and the other post-intermission.

 

That means the first one to truly spark my funny bone was "The Ring", by Ellie Range of Esther F. Garrison School.

As it began, Jane and Sara were retracing their steps from last night.

You see, Sara woke up missing her engagement ring!

She had to find it before her man found out she lost it!

So, in this scene, Sara (center) is asking the owner of the karaoke bar (right) if anyone had possibly turned it in.

Nope!

On Sara went, her trusty bestie Jane reassuring her that they'd locate it.

But it wasn't at the Asian restaurant, either, nor in the taxi they used afterward.

Back to the apartment they went, downhearted, and found the pet dog choking.

What on Earth was wrong???

The man had placed the ring on the coffee table and the dog ate it!

Hahahaha!

I'm sure that's when Jayme heard me laughing and knew I was there!

(smile!)

The one I loved in the second half of the event also was penned by Garrison students.

This time, it was a pair, Olivia Gosden and Dante Ellison, who coauthored "Catastrophic Vows", a piece which would have given a soap opera a run for its money.

So, working right to left, that blonde shortie is the bride's mom; the brunette beside her is 'Debra', the groom's mom; and she's standing beside Jared, the groom.

The man in the middle is the preacher, with 'Dahlia', the bride, to his right.

Then comes 'Emily', the bride's BFF, and the twins, though I don't recall whose siblings they were, but I think they were with the bride.

Got all that straight?

Well, it all got scrambled during the ceremony!

The groom's mom had the hots for the bride...

the bride's mom had the hots for the preacher...

and the bride's best friend wanted to marry the groom!!!

Hahahaha!

That was such fun!!!

Yes, I'll have to watch for this in the future...

and try to catch more events at Garrison, too!