walkin', after midnight, in the moonlight

Isn't that Patsy Cline song so lovely?
It was her first single, but that almost didn't happen.
She hadn't liked the song.
The tv audience did, though, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Life can surprise you, for sure.
For instance, I had not expected to be walking in Forsyth Park in the dark, but here I was!
That's because he and I had tired of sitting and needed to stretch our legs while he finished his story.

"He" being the Eagle Scout, Scott.
I had told him that he was the only name on my dance card tonight, as it's been a while since we shared time and space.
We were again at Betty Bombers, as we had been then, and, when I'd asked about his trip to Atlantic City, he'd said it was a long story...
and it certainly was!
Quite entertaining tale of his clever deceit toward a conniving ex-girlfriend - what a hoot!


I'm so glad he and I were finally able to spend a few hours together!
We've known each other since the early 1990's - 1993? 1994? - and we always have a good time joking around.
I'm so glad he's back in Savannah again!
Yes, we both stay busy, but it was so good to be able to just hang out tonight, with no particular place to go, no particular event to attend...
just to be.
i thank You, God.

out, out, damned spot

When I went for the dermatology appointment at the Savannah VA Clinic, my biggest concern had been a large mole on my back.
It was just to the left of my spine and about equidistant between my bra and my waist.
The area had begun being itchy sometime last year, so I mentioned it to Ms. Barker at my last semiannual checkup.
That's when she asked a question that had filled me with dread.
"Has it always been red?"
I had been stunned.
The mole is the size of my pinky nail.
Due to its location, there was no way for me to have seen its color.
The doctor made an appointment to have it photographed for the dermatology clinic.
That was on November 5th.
November 21 found me back at the clinic for the brief telederm session. Again, the question was asked, this time by the photographer.
"Has it always been red?"
Apparently, it was the same color as the sweater I was wearing.

Dr. Hamlet deemed the photo worthy of a full session with dermatology.
I met with her on January 25th and was there for an hour, getting a full-body baseline scan, from my head to my toes.
What I had though was dandruff was actually an allergic reaction to Malassezia, an ordinary yeast that likes to feast on the oils in my hair and on my scalp. I've probably had it for most of my life, but just thought my scalp was flaky. I had been concerned that my infrequent hairwashing may have been the culprit, but she assured me that was not the case. My skin has seborrheic dermatitis - the same thing that's called "cradle cap" in babies. Dr. Hamlet prescribed selenium lotion to combat the allergic reaction.
(smile)
The "moles" under my breasts, on my chest, are not actually moles at all, she told me. They are seborrheic keratoses, caused by a thickening of the top skin layer, due to - ready for this? - aging. They are also known as age spots or liver spots and are harmless. She told me the pattern and location tend to be genetic. She said they usually begin around age fifty; I told her that I've probably had these spots for about a decade.
I have some of those all over my body, just as my Daddy did, just as my brothers do.
Nothing to do about this one!
Let me amend that. The use of sunscreen is beneficial to slow down - not prevent - the addition of more of these harmless growths over time. Dr. Hamlet prescribed a broad spectrum "industrial strength" SPF 30 sunscreen.
(smile)
When she was scanning my feet, she was concerned about the dry skin there. Apparently, my skin has ichthyosis vulgaris, another inherited skin disorder. I remember Mama having this one for much of her life. I've had it on my feet, lower legs, and hands for many years, especially during cold weather, and just thought I needed to moisturize more often to keep my skin from cracking. Dr. Hamlet prescribed ammonium lactate to help control the rough skin and protect it from developing bacterial infections.
(smile)
And what about that large red mole on my back? The one causing me concern and dread?
Well, that was just another seborrheic keratose. No worries. The same was true for the dark, rough patch on the left side of my face, not covered by my sunglasses' frame.
However, that place around my right shoulder blade? The unseen area below my bra strap that's been causing me to scratch up against wall corners, like a bear, for much of last year?
That itchy spot harbored actinic keratosis, a growth which could lead to skin cancer.
I had no idea it was anything more than an itch to be scratched.
Dr. Hamlet used cryotherapy, in the form of three bursts of liquid nitrogen, to freeze it into submission. The next step is to wait for the area to scab over and allow it to naturally heal, usually for a period of 4 to 6 weeks.
I am now in that time period of healing, as evidenced by the photo.
My concern is that the site has begun itching for the past few days. Then again, that may just be part of the healing process.
I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Hamlet on March 19.
Hopefully, that damned spot will be gone.
Tod bad it's not imagined, like the one that plagued Lady Macbeth.

pflag still waving, since 1973

Barbara and I were the only two that ventured to see this charming film tonight.
I knew it to be a romance, so that meant there would be dancing and singing - Bollywood!
Sure enough, it was a romance on the screen at the Royal of Pooler, but not of standard issue.
This was about a lesbian romance, though very chaste, as befitting an Indian film.
I had suspected as much during a dining room scene. The girl's brother had told their father that the girl was secretly meeting "a Muslim boy" in Delhi. When the girl protested that she was not, her brother dared her to tell their father the truth. She declined to further refute his allegation, knowing her family would be chagrined if she revealed her true love interest.

The girl is Sweety, just to the right of the central man, her father.
The pair are real-life daughter and father, Sonam Kapoor and Anil Kapoor. Both are regarded as Bollywood royalty, with him in films for forty years.
In other words, they starred in this because they see the film as important.
They are not alone in that belief.
The film's screenplay has been chosen to become a permanent part of the core collection at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences Library - the location commonly known as The Oscars Library.
The reason is simple: this film is softly pushing the LGBTQ issue in India, with the support of several of the film industry's best-loved actors, producers, and musicians.
Why do I say that it is softly pushing?
The film is rated for all-ages viewing. Never is there any nudity, never is there any physical touching beyond hugging, never is the word "homosexual" even uttered.
Never, ever, not even once.
Even the name of the film is demure: "How I Felt When I Saw That Girl". That happens to be echoed in the film itself, as the title of the musical play devised by Sweety's new-found, supportive friend, Sahil (in the striped shirt, beside Anil). That playwright is well-embodied by Rajkummar Rao, a highly-respected Indian actor. When he describes the play as "a romance which begins at a wedding, when two strangers meet and realize they are meant to be together", everyone is on board with the project, as they assume it is about a woman and a man. However, he allows all to believe it may be a comedy, after the big stir when he casts Sweety with another woman, Kuhu - the woman he knows to be her true love in the real story in the film, played warmly by long-time actress Regina Cassandra. (She is the only key player not shown in the above photo.)
Speaking of comedy, the popular Brijendra Kala and new-comer Seema Bhargava are wonderful as money gambling house servants with a matchmaking bent! (He is in the photo, far left.)
More comedy is added by the playwright's caterer, with lofty aspirations to be an actress. (smile) Chatro is quite charmingly portrayed by Juhi Chawla, well-known for her comedic timing and joyful personas. She also serves as a distracting love interest for Sweety's dad. (She's on the far right in the photo.)

PFLAG has officially existed in the USA since 1973. Originally designated with a hyphen between the "P" and the "F", Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays still exists today. I first joined the group while stationed in San Diego in 1983. Having been in the Navy for several years, and active with community theatre while stationed in Okinawa, I wanted to officially show my support for the rights of non-heterosexuals to love and to marry.
I still feel that way.
That's why I joined the First City Network more than a decade ago. (Savannah still does not have a PFLAG chapter.)
That's why I have attended Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church even longer than that.
That's why I'm going to join the 2007 group, Straight For Equality.

The Indian community at large may not yet be ready for this movie. As well as poor attendance, I can imagine that patrons have also walked out, as they did for the musical play in the film itself.
It's important to realize that their reactions are okay. The reason those reactions are okay is because those patrons are allowed to make their choices.
They are free to choose.
That is all that is being asked by the film: that all people be granted that freedom of choice, not only in their viewing pleasure, but also in their love life.
That sounds like a reasonable request to me.
i thank You, God, that i have that freedom of choice.

bread puddin' - oh, yeah, yeah!

I have been craving bread pudding for months now.
Today, I did something about that - I made some myself!
I had been concerned about finding a recipe, but guess what?
Lactaid had one on their website!!!
Thanks for looking out for me, y'all!
Of course, I modified it, as I do with almost all recipes.
No sugar for me, thanks - I'm sweet enough.
(smile)
Also, my cupboard was bare of vanilla, so I added ginger and nutmeg instead.
I also had to modify the amounts, as my baking dish was 11" x 7" x 2".
And you know what?
It's fantastic!
Fabulous taste, excellent texture... and it has beautiful marbling!.
That's because I used eleven pieces of bread, with almost equal quantities of sourdough, pumpernickel, french, and 9-grain represented.
Why did I do that?
Well, that was the bread left over from Dawn's Annual Soup Party (DASP), last Saturday.
She had told me to take all I wanted and I had left with a bag full of different breads...
dreaming about bread pudding...
and now my dream has come true!
Hallelujah!
(smile)

too many ers

The psychologist and I were at Jason's Deli again.
That's where we went when we rebooted 'Tina Tuesday' last October and it seemed appropriate to be there for the first dinner-and-a-movie for us this year.
While there, I learned of that I am two things he is not.
I am a whistler and I am a bubble-gum bubble blower.
He heard me whistling while he was fetching more beverage. As he returned to the table, he stated that he could not whistle, nor could he blow bubbles. (He also stated that he could not swallow pills, but that's a different physical mechanism.)
He could not whistle a tune?
No, he could not.
With Bazooka bubble gum, he just chewed the gum and read the comic?
Yep, that's about the size of it.
My guess is his daddy didn't whistle, either.
I feel sure that if he had, then Kevin would do so, too.
I know I usually whistle when I'm happy, but my students used to tell me that they knew the day's topic would be one of my favorites because they'd hear me whistling in the hall as I approached the room.
I whistled frequently for Chem1152 nights, whether those were Monday lectures or Wednesday labs.
Good times!
That includes tonight with my favorite running bear.
(smile)
On our return from seeing "The Upside", a wonderful movie about friendship and its ups and downs, he was relating his latest trials with looking for a girlfriend.
I recommended eHarmony, if he was truly serious about it.
Then he commented about my having given up on finding someone.
I defused that train of thought by bringing up my car mileage of 204477, as well as the fact that my little blue 'Ru will be eighteen years old on May 16th.
I know he is always surprised that she still runs.
(smile)
But what about that "looking for love" issue? Am I interested in such quests?
I am and I do want that, I remain ever hopeful for that...
but I recognize that my "ers" get in the way.
I am a 'teacher' and a 'doctor'...
and many find it uncomfortable that I may be 'smarter' than they are.
I am a baseball game 'watcher' and vocal 'cheerer', which may seem at odds with my being an enthusiastic theatre 'attender' of Shakespeare plays and children's stagework and wonderful musicals and pretty much anything on a stage, including improv...
making it difficult to pigeon-hole my 'character'.
I am a Rock-star karaoke 'singer' and an avid free-style 'dancer' ...
but folks equate those talents with someone who is also an alcohol 'drinker' and maybe even a 'smoker' and bar 'frequenter' - and I rarely engage in ethanol consumption and have not had a cigarette since 1996.
I am a video-game 'player' and a 'maker' of rhymes as well as song mash-ups.
I am a 'photographer' of ordinary scenes and a 'writer' of some lyrical prose.
However, I realize that I have other descriptions that apply to me.
I am older than many I know.
I am unabashedly grayer than them, too.
I hope I am wiser than I have been in the past.
I have been living solo since October of 2007 - with two exceptions, when I was renting the spare bedroom to the Peace Guy and, for a summer, to the physicist.
That means I have had no responsibilities to another person for more than a decade.
In addition, I have had no pets in all that time.
Sure, I am a 'pet-sitter', but I am not a pet 'owner'.
That means I have no longstanding responsibilities to any creatures, either.
Taking on the responsibility to another is not really what I want.
I was a good wife, making sure the household tasks - the grocery shopping, the laundry washing, the bill paying, the meal prep and clean-up, and the dusting and sweeping and such - all were done, for me and for him, for fifteen years.
I still do those same things, of course, but on whatever time schedule moves me.
That freedom and independence has been nice...
but I do miss having someone to come home to...
somebody to kiss, somebody to miss...
somebody to love, and to love me.
Until then, like many other single people, I'll go into the night, seeking diversion - and maybe enlightenment - at the cinema, at the theatre, at coffee shops and restaurants and diners, on the road, with no pressing need to stay home.
My travel companion's mileage clicked to 204477 for the trip this evening.
Click, click, click...

am i truly ice?

Remember when I had claimed that I was no longer answering to "white"?
Instead, I chose to refer to myself as being Irish-Cherokee-English - i.e., ICE.
(smile)
I already had firm evidence, as Benjamin Franklin's great-great-and-more-niece.
Now, I'm going to find out for sure about the Irish and the Native American.
MyHeritage, an Israeli-based genealogy group, had a special going for Valentine's Day: $59.
That's close enough to my magic number of 'sixty' to qualify as a gift to me!
How did I decide which DNA test to purchase?
Well, this site helped, as they did the homework for me.
Database of at least 1 million?
Yes.
Results from a cheek swab, not saliva?
Yes.
Online genealogical community to find relatives?
Yes.
Complete autosomal analysis of the polymer of deoxyribonucleic acids in the samples?
Yes.
The only point of concern was the relatively small number of geographic regions (only 42).
Still, I believe it will be the best fit for my needs.
I did the two swabs earlier, one for each cheek, and sealed them away.
Now, to await the results!

close, but no cigarette

Sometimes, best intentions are not quite enough to get the job done.
You know?
This morning, for example, I had planned to attend church.
After all, this being the first Sunday of the month, that meant we'd have Holy Communion. After the service, we'd have communion at the Big Coffee Hour, i.e., potluck luncheon.
(smile)
The First Sunday experience is truly marvelous and I had planned to go...
but, somehow, I never made it out my front door.
I was there, at the church, on Monday night - I was!
Carolyn had come with me for the 3rd Annual Winter Concert, this time featuring two pianists and a beautifully-voiced singer.
There was even Chili's afterward, so I was out for the evening!
(smile)
Still, I didn't make it to ch_rch this morning, despite intent.
That's why the crossword puzzle, by Andrea Carla Michaels and Alan Arbesfeld, resonated with me. It was in the local newspaper a week ago Wednesday, at Wash Plus. Nami knows I like puzzles of many kinds, so she let me take those pages from the stack of newspapers she keeps for her patrons.
(smile)
I like to do a crossword puzzle on a Sunday morning, after breakfast.
That helps to establish that the day is Sunday, a day of leisure and not errands.
(smile)
So, as I'm working the puzzle, trying to determine the theme, I find myself smiling.
The clue was "Celebratory slap that doesn't quite connect?"
I already had "h i g h _ _ u r"...
so the answer, I surmised, must be "High Four".
Could it be the answers were one off from the true sayings?
Why, yes, yes they were!
"Mostly get rid of?"
That would be "Deep Five", of course.
"Baseball film DVD that's missing the last scene?"
Must be short a player to only be "Seven Men Out"!
"Slightly early marital restlessness?"
Better watch out for that "Six-Year Itch", y'all.
The clue for the theme was "Near-miss remark"...
which was, exactly, "close but no cigar"...
which was a bit too on the money for my taste...
hence, the title of this post.
(smile)
Girls just wanna have fun, y'all!
(smile)
Later! Tomasz is showing an Oscar-nominated film today.
I hope it make it there on time...
anyone want to place a bet on that?
hahahaha! hahaha!

boy next door

When my family moved to Forrest Hills that summer of 1969, the Hutcheson's were to our right and the Norman's were to our left.
That was a boon for my brothers, as both neighbors had boys their ages.
My youngest brother, who now owns our family home, told me earlier today that Frankie Hutcheson died on Thursday.
He was 56 years old, the same age as my middle brother, Ronnie.
Frankie was the eldest of the three next door.
The photo above is one posted by his eldest daughter, named for him.
I feel for her, to have lost her dad at such a young time in her life.
She is just in her 30's, comparable in age to my first niece.
There are so many similarities between the two of them, growing up with fathers who abused alcohol and drugs.
I can't help but think that this might have been Christina's dad that had died, especially as the circumstances are so similar.
i thank You, God, for continued time with Ronnie.

the hills are alive!

"Beg pardon, do you mean the horror film?"

I think you refer to the 1997 "The Hills Have Eyes", right? But, no that is not hardly what I mean. I don't do those kinds of movies. I do, however, adore musicals - yes, even creepy ones like "Spider Baby, The Musical"! (Thanks, Jim Reed and PFS!)

"Is that what you saw recently?"

Lord, no. That's been years ago.
(smile)
I'm talkin' 'bout much more recently! Yesterday, in fact. That's when I had two musicals, including one with my first niece. Two musicals in one day! Plus, a slumber party with my dearest Christina at my house!! So of course I woke up with a song from a long-time favorite, "The Sound Of Music", on my mind!

"Was that one of the ones you saw yesterday?"

Oh, no, my dear, but you're on the right track. That particular musical was full of history. And, surprisingly, there was a lot of unexpected 1933 history in "Annie".

"Surely you jest. There was a history lesson in the musical about the little orphan girl?"

Yes, there was a history lesson, concerning President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and former President Herbert Hoover, and the start of the New Deal to put Americans to work building the highways and bridges and dams still in use today. Remarkably, there were even songs about the New Deal and about the folks left out of Hoover's promise of "a chicken in every pot".
And please don't call me Shirley.
Hahahaha hahaha!

"Yes, dear. Hahahaha hahaha!"

Oh, one more thing that folks tend to be confused about. Annie believed for all her life - all eleven years of it, as of 1933 - that her parents were alive and would be returning for her. After all, she had a note that had been left with her when her folks deposited her at the orphanage. So, she wasn't really an orphan, at least to her knowledge.

"Unlike the other kids left there?"

Yes, that's right, unlike them, and unlike me, too, since 2009. Oh, and here's a fun fact: she was born in 1922, same as my stepdad.

"Okay, I can see how you would glom onto that."

You betcha! She had a lot of spunk, too, just like he did. And even when she found out her parents had died years ago and would never return for her, she still kept her spirits up.

"I'm sure it helped that she had 'Daddy' Warbucks there to immediately adopt her."

No doubt! What a wonderful Christmas gift for her!

"One more thing to clarify, dear. You had mentioned that there were two musicals yesterday, correct?"

Indeed there were and correct you are! I had seen "Mary Poppins Returns" one more time, in early afternoon. It was on my mind because it had been in a crossword puzzle.

"You mean the earlier movie?"

No, not that, and not the earlier play, either. I mean this new movie.

"That was in a recent crossword puzzle."

It was! Connect Savannah had it, in an issue from two weeks ago. The Matt Jones' puzzle was titled "Late To The Movie - What Did I Miss?" and featured truncated titles of four 2018 movies.

"That sounds like great fun! What were the movies?"

Well, let's take a look at the clues, okay? The first one was "2018 movie about Cathy being startled by a big cat?" That turned out to be the easiest for me, as I know the old comic, especially since Sheldon has reminded me about "Cathy" a time or two.

"Yeah, I remember one time, he brought ice cream to Penny because he read that Cathy ate ice cream when she was sad..."

Yes, dear. Back to the puzzle clue, shall we? Okay! So I knew the chick always said "Ack" and I solved all the clues around it to get "anther". Putting it all together, the answer was "Ack Panther", missing the first two letters of the actual movie title.

"Oh, how clever that is!"

Yes, that's one of the reasons I usually love his puzzles. The second movie clue asked "2018 movie about bowling lanes?" and was a bit 'arder to figure out.

"It was a bit what?"

Sorry, that was me trying to affect a Cockney accent, love. You see, the answer was "Pins Returns", meaning, of course, that the bloke had missed a right good deal of the new one about Mary Poppins and those Banks children, don'tcha know?

"Hahahaha! Quite fun, that! Hahahaha!"

Thankyouverymuch. LOL! The third movie clue concerned a film I somehow managed to miss. The clue was obscure, too. "2018 movie about a cinematic alien's voice?" Say what? But after I had the letters "uldtalk", I could solve for the answer: "etcouldtalk". Get it? "Phone home."

"Sweet! So, the movie was "If Beale Street Could Talk". That clue, though, makes you wonder how old Matt Jones is, doesn't it? That alien movie came out in 1982!"

Yeah, I've wondered about his age a time or two. I don't think he's our age, but most likely in his forties, like the bfe. Speaking of him, that final movie clue was for a film he and I saw together this summer! I had to text him immediately to let him know that science fiction movie was in the crossword!

"Oh, do tell! I love that genre!"

So do I! The clue was "2018 movie about an annoying Irishman?" That last word really threw me for a loop! But I guess you're supposed to think "top o' the morning to you" to understand the joke.

"Well, since you mentioned the physicist, I guessed the movie was "Sorry To Bother You". Am I right?"

Yes, you are! Good guess, but then again, he and I haven't seen but that one science fiction movie. The puzzle answer was "obotheryou", which implies that much of the movie was missed by the latecomer.

"I'll say! That first movie clue was the only one just missing two letters from the title. The other three films were missing more than five letters!"

Yeah, it really makes you wonder why someone would go if they were going to be so late.

"Well, maybe they just wanted to hear the Slaughter race song again or the lamplighters doing their 'kick and prance' tune..."

Guilty as charged! (smile)

"Hey, as long as you're there on that A*List thing, then why not?"

That's right, my dearie! Up to three movies a week, with nary a penny more to pay!

"Well worth that $19.95 every month, even if you only see one movie a week."

Sure, but I'd rather maximize the return on my investment. Three films each week is what I strive to achieve, though I sure have been falling short of late. I think I'll make it this week, though.

"As long as there's a musical, you'll make it, I'm sure."

Yes, I believe that is true! And guess what?

"What?"

A new musical is coming out this month, right in time for Valentine's Day! At least, "Isn't It Romantic" looks to be a musical... oh, I do so hope it will be!

"Oh, yes, the new Rebel Wilson movie! I loved her in that trio of "Pitch Perfect" films! Wait a minute... those had singing and dancing numbers, so that makes them musicals, too!"

I guess you're right! I hadn't thought of them that way, but the actors are doing both singing and dancing, sometimes just for the heck of it. So, yeah, that's a musical, alright!

"As Lynyrd Skynyrd says, You got that right!"

Okay, dear, it may be time to wrap this up. But the time reminds me of an odometer reading...

"Oh, yes, from your return home after seeing "Mary Poppins Returns" and finally going to the grocery store..."

... and before joining my niece for dinner at Zoe's Kitchen and "Annie" at the Savannah Children's Theatre. Yep, I feel sure that was Mama's touch there, giving me that 204402 as confirmation that I was right place, right time.

"Right place, right time."

i thank You, God.