2 indians and 1 bard

"Maybe you should sing it?" 

Sure, I can try that! Let's use the music from "12 Days Of Christmas", shall we?

"Fine by me. You're the busy, vibrant, woman, after all."

You got that straight! Okay, here we go...

On the first two days of this week my true love gave to me

two A*List movies in Hindi

and a playwright on a high school stage!

"Hahahaha! That was glorious!"

Thanks! That was actually fairly decent, for off the cuff. Fun to do, too.

"I know it was! Now, talk to me about the piece at the school first!"

I'd love to! Remember the kid at AMC, Henry Dickerson, who also ran lights at Tybee Post? Well, he'd told me that his school, Savannah Country Day, was doing a Shakespeare performance in the fall. So, tonight was the night! Like the play last week, this group of thespians are also destined for the state one-act competition. The difference is, this troupe chose a comedy! "Shakespeare In Love" is getting two runs, tonight and tomorrow. And guess what? Silly me had forgotten to tell Elvis so he could remind me! I would have missed it had I not been cleaning up the November photo album on my computer! That would have been very sad, because I totally enjoyed myself tonight!!!

"Very cool! Looks like you even had a front row seat. I know you like those!"

Not front, but second, with no one in front of me. Yes, 'twas grand!!! That photo was taken as the cast of 22 were taking their bows after their "David Poole" - James Venhaus - called them all forth. They'll have to tighten up on their time, as this ran about 5 minutes too long for the competition rules, but they can certainly do that. Remember the 1998 movie version of this story? That was just over 2 hours in length. This 2014 play was written based on that movie, but was performed in 50 minutes. No idle moments here! The time just flew by!!!

"Wow!!! And you say they'll go at it again tonight? You could see it twice!"

I could, but I will not be doing that. I have the cardiac ablation Thursday at 1 PM, so I am taking things slower, with only the WNS on my schedule tomorrow.

"Oh, yes, I forgot about that date with Dr. Cobb. That's very important, and it's very important that you be chill for Thursday morning. Okay, how about that AMC A*List? You have some Bollywood or Tollywood as your dances?"

Lol! No Tollywood, as those are in Tamil, not Hindi. Actually, neither of these had the huge musical numbers of a Bollywood, though they did have some good party scenes and one had several romantic interludes. "Singham Again" was action, comedy, and romance, with a bit of the Indian myth of Lord Ram and Mother Sita woven in for texture. The best part was seeing so many actors that I already know and love: 55-year-old Ajay Devgn and 44-yo Kareena Kapoor Khan as Bajirao Singham and his wife, Avni, with the myth being mirrored in their romance; 34-yo Tiger Schroff and his father, 67-yo Jackie Schroff, as a keen fan and a mortal enemy, respectively, of Police Commissioner Singham; 39-yo Arjun Kapoor (real-life cousin of Kareena) as the evil enemy's son, determined to destroy all things Singham; 57-yo Akshay Kumar and 39-yo Ranveer Singh, Singham's best buddies; and 38-yo Deepika Padukone, one of the fiercest officers and known as 'Lady Singham' by all... but real-life wife of Ranveer Singh. Pretty cool that so much is all in the family, right?

"Oh, my!!! So many familiar faces in that group!"

Right? My favorite was Ranveer, though. For this role, he sported a thin, twirly-end, mustache and was absolutely enchanting! His role was definitely played as the the comic relief, to break the tension of the non-stop, kick-butt, action. Very, very cool! Just as a side note, guess when his birthday is?

"The 6th of July, just like your middle little brother's..."

The 6th of July, just like Ronnie's! I really like that little tidbit! (smile!)

"Yes, very nice. And what about the second Indian movie?"

Believe it or not, it was a ghost story!!! "Bhool Bhuliyaa 3" was most definitely timed for a Halloween release. Like the two preceding movies in this series, the story revolved around a malevolent spirit, Manjulika, who was haunting the palace and keeping out the royal family. Enter 34-yo Kartik Aaryan as 'Rooh Baba', passing himself off as a ghostbuster, kinda sorta. He gets busted as a fraud and tricked into going to the palace to handle their ghost problem so the royals can move out of the cattle shed and back home. Very funny movie!!! Much more romance in this one, too, with six musical numbers, too! My favorite has to be "Hukkush Phukkush", with its 'hocus pocus' pun in its title and lyrics. Nice inside joke, y'all!

"What a rare treat for AMC to have those two movies! And for you to be able to use your A*List reservations to watch for free!!!"

Right? Carolyn had been quite surprised at that. She was with me for that double header on Monday, with us popping out to Olive Garden for dinner in between them.

"So, what shall you see for the third movie?"

Actually, it's the first movie that's missing: "Here".

"What was its title?"

"Here", the new one with Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and a crazy amount of technical help. They get to age from teens that end up pregnant to senior citizens with age-related issues. Still, they are not the focus of the movie. The piece of land the house sits on is the core. The couple and their progeny, as well as the residents before and after them, just serve to mark the passage of time, as does the music. I got to hear "Monster Mash" and even "A Brand New Key" as the movie progressed, reminding me of very recent fun times! That may have been my favorite parts of the movie. Oh, plus the whole bit with the invention of the "Relaxy Boy" recliner was delightful!!!

"Wasn't there something about your great-great-great-whatever-grand uncle?"

You mean Benjamin Franklin? Why, yes, there were a couple of mentions of him. Apparently, his bastard son, William, owned the land for a while, and we have several scenes with him kvetching about the father. 

"That's odd."

Well, the whole movie was odd, bouncing around disjointedly in time, just as "We Live In Time" had done. I endured it better this time, though, partly because of the great soundtrack, partly due to the historical elements thrown in. Would I watch it again? Not if I have to pay for it. Maybe someone will string together those bits with the La-Z-Boy inventor. I would definitely watch that part!

"Well, why isn't it listed in your trio?"

I have no idea. AMC has become a bit haphazard with their bookkeeping. That's okay. I know which movies, and when, and that's really all that matters. (smile!)

making sure the driver can see

I've had the windshield wiper for most of a month.

Allstate had given me a 7-dollar coupon for buying $31 of car maintenance stuff.

For real!

So I bought the one new wiper - 22" for my side - and a quart of oil.

The ones in the photo above are both the same brand, same style, believe it or not.

It's just that the lower one has spent better than three years wiping water, leaves, pollen, et alia, off the glass, come rain or sun or wind.

The sun had faded the black paint to a dull gray; the blade was ragged and brittle.

Now, only the passenger side has a faded arm and tattered rubber.

Maybe I'll see about a new wiper for that side the next time I get a coupon...

maybe!

Now, off I go for the first Smiths & Kamerons Friday Fiesta in three weeks!

Later!

(smile!)

a trio and a deuce

Yeppers, my A*List dance card was a little shy of a trio for this week.

I could have seen a third movie today... but, I just didn't.

Tuesday saw me with a double header, and that was all I got.

"Conclave" was quite interesting, and rather timely, with America already neck-deep in the election process for a new POTUS.

"Conclave" centered on the election of a new Pope, after one dies unexpectedly.

Very nice to see Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rosselini again!

Here's the thing, though: it's billed as a mystery thriller, but there is far too little action to warrant that genre.

The beautifully filmed piece is actually a psychological character study, with the end result being this: the cardinals who would be Pope are just people, too, like the rest of us.

I wonder who else in that screening room walked out with that conclusion?

And what about the second half of that game card?

What a hot mess "We Live In Time" was.

Disjointed, trying to tell the story about a couple and their relationship by bouncing in and out of the present moment - yikes.

The highlight was the birth of their baby in a Texaco gas station bathroom after a jammed up highway prevents progress to a hospital.

Seriously, that was the highlight for me, the woman who had the tubal ligation for bday24.

It's almost worth seeing the movie for that one extended, cohesive, scene.

 

Last week's dance card was filled, even though AMC put the trio in the wrong order.

That one in the middle of the A*List?

That was the new Michael Keaton film, "Goodrich", about a 60-year-old man who chose his work over his family, not once, but twice.

Note to the casting department: a man in his mid-70's cannot pass for 60 anymore than Demi Moore, a woman in her 60's, can pass for a 50-year-old.

Stop trying to cheat Father Time and science.

Kudos to Mila Kunis, by the way, as she was fabulous as the adult daughter from his first family, now tasked with babysitting the two children from his second family.

I can understand why Carolyn really liked that movie and I'm glad she saw it with me.

That was on Monday, the 21st.

I didn't see "Saturday Night" again until the next day, for Tina Tuesday.

I don't know why it's in that first slot.

I had wanted to see if it was done in "live time" for all the behind the scenes, and my conclusion is: yes, it was!

Don't be dissuaded by the posted run-time of 109 minutes.

That time includes the length of credits post-film, as well as the length of the very first sketch - between Michael O'Donoghue and John Belushi - of that first show.

That means the 90-minute pre-show clock is right on time!

Quite impressive!

Also impressive was "Venom: The Last Dance", seen last Thursday.

Tom Hardy not only starred in this one, but also co-wrote the script and co-produced it.

Get this: he's 47 years old and was knighted in 2018!

I guess that means I should call this Englishman "Sir", shouldn't I?

By the way, 2018 was the year he and "Venom" became buddies.

Nice!

I do hope to see this Marvel movie again!

trick or treat?

I popped in at nhc.noaa.gov to check on tropical cyclone activity, as we still have another month before this hurricane season is deemed to be over.

Just look what was waiting for me.

 

Is this a trick of the weather?

Sure, none of the three yellow marks indicate a hurricane.

None of them are even tropical storms yet.

Still, it gives me pause, especially the two below Savannah's latitude.

Those are from the areas that birthed the troublemakers this fall.

I just checked again and the new map shows the same prognostication.

Perhaps I'll let it be for a few days.

The site had shown an even worse scenario after Labor Day weekend.

 

There had been a chain of colored x's boding ill weather on September 5th.

My thought upon espying the image was "What the fresh hell is this?".

Then, a day or two later, every one of the problem areas had dissipated.

Poof! 

Just gone.

Here's hoping this trio will give us all a treat..

and vanish back into the air from whence they came.

wns to my emotional rescue!

Last week, it was beef stroganoff.

The highlight was sitting with someone I recognized from choir and rattling on for about fifteen minutes about all the plays and musicals going on.

It wasn't until she spoke up about being on Tom Lewis' email list, but not really going to many that I thought to check on her name.

Opps! She was Linda, not Emily Garrard.

We still enjoyed talking until time for her to go to choir practice!

And we both enjoyed having Danny Lewis' pound cake for dessert!

Tonight was one of my favorite WNS meals here at Asbbury Memorial: baked ham and baked apples!

I even had some mac'n'cheese - so creamy!

In fact it was all so good that I had seconds!!

That included the carrot cake, too.

My mealmates were Pam, sans Walt (who was away at a meeting for a golf tourney), as well as Cynthia Linthicum and her hubby, both of whom have been on one of those weight-loss drugs.

I don't think they've been mindful about keeping up with their protein intake, though, but they weren't interested in hearing about it, either.

Mary and Pat Prokop rounded out our table, and I was glad to see them again!

Cynthia said something nice: she keeps up with my fb page!

She saw the post for Tony's birthday and we talked about it, as well as about her grown kids, some of which my first niece knows.

(smile!)

Then, while I was in Aldi's for milk and yogurt, I ran into Cedric Stratton!

We talked about twenty minutes, too, mostly about the education programs that were in place in the 1970's compared to those now.

Of course, I didn't know anything about those, as I was in high school then.

Still, it was nice to speak with him!

(smile!)

bday10 of twins: part 1

As I explained to Leila, tonight wasn't the birthday party, it was the birthday dinner.

The party, with cake and gifts and all that, will be on Sunday!

By the way, that's Leila on the right, having changed up her hairstyle again.

Good for her!

That makes it easier for folks to tell her and Alyssa apart, without anyone having to search out the birthmark on the forehead of the other.

So what was going on?

Well, in that photo, we were all singing "Happy Birthday" to them, embarrassing them good and proper there at Cici's!

 

They were getting used to that, though, as Christina sang the song to them at school earlier today, right in front of their class!

That's what happens when you're right there and attend the school where she teaches!

Here, in this photo, are the two aunts of the twins.

Chelsea had come straight from her nursing clinicals.

She told me she really thinks she wants to work in pediatrics or in the "Mommy and me" programs.

That's the beauty of internships: you get to test-drive the different departments to find your future!

And here we have the father of the birthday girls!

Yes, he's put on a goofy face, just as Ronnie would have!

That's Shauna with him.

That's good, since the girls have liked her for years.

She seems to have a steadying influence on Leila and Alyssa.

Now that they're a decade old, they need that to keep them out of trouble and off internet sites that are too old for them.

Oh, and now the girls know a new word: decade!

I asked Alyssa if she felt like she was a decade old, and she said, "I'm not a decade, I'm ten!"

Sweet child, that's how many years a decade has!

I wonder if she'll share that new word with her class tomorrow?

After all, there was another child that had her birthday today today, and that Christina sang for!

That child is also a decade old now.

And here's one more photo before I go!

Here are all four of the cousins, the ones I used to call the "four little blondes".

They're growing up fast.

Maybe the two older ones will slow down a little so Miyah and Chloe can catch up?

Yeah, that's not how time works, is it?

Red-shirted Miyah now misses two teeth, with a third on its way out, and Chloe bounces around like she's on springs!

I just barely caught the 4 of them in one shot!

(smile!)

right - right - bloody well right

"You got Supertramp on your mind?"

I do, and that tune in particular. I don't know why, but that song seems to be the one my mental jukebox cues up whenever my heart doctor gives me bad news. 

"It's time for another surgery, isn't it?"

It is. He wanted to do it this coming Friday! Another cardiac ablation, which means intense and utter pain during recovery, nightmares about falling asleep, as well as stupid decisions for a week or more as I recover from the anesthesia.  Honestly, I walked from his office straight into the bathroom and sobbed! I was so distraught!!

"Settle down, you've been through this before, you'll get through it again. Just when is this one scheduled?"

Next week, on Thursday, 7 November, early in the afternoon.

"Too bad it isn't at 7 PM on the 7th! LOL!"

I know you're trying to cheer me up, but that isn't helping. If the surgery was that late, I'd definitely be in for an overnight stay. I certainly do not want that.

"Listen, you need to keep your sense of humor intact, okay? It isn't like you have any control over this situation, right?"

Right. Bloody well right.

"Indeed I am. So, as Dr. Cobb has granted you a reprieve this week, you have time to set things in motion for the next few weeks. You know, so you don't make any post-anesthesia decisions that will screw up your finances. Get your bills set for payment. Get some kind of film festival lined up on Peacock. Make sure you have food you enjoy. Just get ready, as that's the part you can control. Okay?"

Right. Bloody well right. Control the things I can control.

"Correct."

Okay. 

"And did the good doctor proffer any reasons for the need for a new cardiac ablation?"

Yes. There's a flutter in the right side of my heart. That's why my heart rate has been hovering around 107 for the past couple of months.

"I see. The right side. That seems to have brought the Supertramp to mind. So, really, truly, this is no surprise that he wants surgery."

Right. Bloody well right. He even gave me an option of a DCC or the ablation. As I told him, I don't recall the DCC being good for more than a week or two, then I was right back in the hospital. So I chose the cardiac ablation, with mapping of my nerves to make sure they zap the right place in my heart. He even said this might offset the need for Sotalol in the future. I just wish I didn't have to be put under for all that.

"Plus, there's that whole thing about going up the veins in your groin to get those little electrodes in place in the torso."

Yeah, I seem to recall an issue with sitting after that.

"Well, let Ms. Barker know, so she can make sure the VA Community Care is all in place for this operation. You don't need any new financial bills coming in."

Already have that in motion. I went to the Savannah VA Center as soon as I left Dr. Cobb's office so I could let my PCP know. I now have a phone appointment with her for Friday morning. I've also called the VA National Community Care Network to start the process of getting an extension on the Community Care Authorization for the visit to the cardiologist today, as the last one expired two weeks ago. I do so hate jumping through these hoops, but it's all part of the process.

"It is. Just be calm and get it done."

I'm trying, I really am. I'm trying. Now, I'm going to watch "Autumn In Apple Hill" on Peacock. It's not a Christmas movie, but it should be calming for me.

byop in the boondocks of central georgia!

That's right - time for the Jenkins' family gathering out in Ellabell!

 

As you can no doubt tell, this photograph, with me lounging between host Harry and brother Smitty, wasn't taken by me.

Hostess Robin took it!

I was so busy telling the two skeleton jokes that I didn't even know she was right there!

That's okay - turnabout is fair play!

Here she is, oblivious that I was snapping a pic of her with her older daughter, Brandi, and the twins.

Both of the six-year-olds had insisted on having the blue rubber gloves to keep their hands from touching the ooey, gooey, pumpkin innards.

For real!!!

Yes, even the boy wanted gloves!!!

We all thought it pretty funny!!!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!!

That was going on during a quiet lull about an hour before the party officially began.

Start time was 3:30 PM, but Tony wanted to be there early as he had been "volunteered" for the cooking duty this time.

Here he is later in the day, in a shot from Laura.

You know it was her who "volunteered" him!

Not that Dood minded in the least.

Grilling and smoking meats are almost second-nature to him now, as often as he does it!

 

Tasty!!!

Here's another photo that I took, when folks were gathered to get seconds, or thirds.

That's Tony, far left, then Noah and Noah's gaming buddy from Statesboro, Griffin.

Noah had stayed in Savannah after the cruise, just so he could come out to this party... and see his mostly-online friend in person!!! 

They really loved the pulled-chicken bbq that Tony and Laura brought, as well as the chili Robin made, the grilled wings from Smitty, and all the rest, too.

Betsy and Jimmy Kameron are in this shot as well, while Becca was at a table with her mom (Patti) and a friend, Abby.

So, where was Laura in all this?

 

Well, first she was helping Robin get chairs and tables out on the lawn for all the pumpkin-carvers.

 

She was also helping set up food and decorations.

 

Plus, she was visiting with her son as much as possible, as he flies back to Missouri in the morning.

 

I was quite fortunate to catch my two brothers and their wives in this single shot!

 

Tony, Smitty, Mary, and Laura, all together!

 

Yes, a good time today... with hopefully more to come with Harry and Robin.

(smile!)

is neverland the same as heaven?

As per J.M. Barrie in his 1904 play and 1911 book about Peter and Wendy, Neverland is a place of no pain and no heartache, where there is no need to grow up, where pirates can be battled as if it were all a game.

In other words, Neverland was the ideal dream for boys.

Today, for our fourth and final installment of the GOB sermon series at Asbury Memorial Church, "Finding Neverland", a modern musical, was chosen.

 

It's authors have imagined how J.M. Barrie came to write his play, and Ryan McCurdy - perfect as both 'Peter Pan' or the playwright - flew in from New York City for the role.

I know, I know... that sounds like the setup for an inside joke, doesn't it?

Perhaps it was.

Coincidence that our airport has direct flights to that town?

Coincidence that I arrived late and had to sit in the narthex?

Coincidence that I not only had a clear view of the stage, but that the actors had a clear view of me and my reactions?

Coincidence that 'Peter' was modeled after the Barrie brother who had died?

Hmm... 

perhaps it was an inside joke meant from Ronnie to me.

All I know for sure is that I cried at the end.

Most definitely right place, right time.

i thank You, God.