1/31/08

Mouse Dreams


I read an interesting article on MSN.com today about scientists conducting experiments on mice in an effort to better understand how memory is formed.

According to Reuters, Japanese scientists have implanted a tiny camera inside a mouse’s brain to conduct the research that may someday help prevent diseases like Parkinson’s. In all seriousness, this might cause a big breakthrough someday, but just hearing about a camera inside a mouse’s brain evokes all kinds of silly images in my head. For one thing I was dazed when I begin reading the article, due to the lack of enough sleep lately, and as I read the article I thought about what we might see if we viewed the inside of a mouse's brain?

For instance; what if we could see a mouse’s dreams?



Dream land:

“Hello, Mr. Mouse, and welcome to the cheese factory. We have all kinds here: Swiss, American, Brie, you name it, we got it. What would you like to partake in today?”

“Wow, me? Well, sir, if you don’t mind I’ll have everything on the menu.”

Suddenly, Mr. Mouse’s blissful dream ceases and we’re sent spiraling downward into a nightmare of horrific proportions. . .

Mr. Mouse is lying on a splintered and coarse board, unable to move for some reason. Oh, what dismal fate will the little guy face now? Mr. Mouse looks around, horrified to see his comrades lying all around him in a sea of misery. “My brethren. My valiant soldiers, why must we meet this bleak fortune?” Right then, a severe screeching sound fills Mr. Mouse’s ears. It’s the sound he’s heard for countless hours, that wretched metallic scream that haunts the night, when he and his friends and family are out seeking sustenance. He realizes this sound is not a scream at all, as his eyes come front and center with the gigantic furious metal arm coming downward toward his tired body. “Why?” he thinks, “Why must I come so close to sheer bliss, only to be thrown into the hands of death?” He remembers the wise words his father once told him “To be a mouse is to search, defiantly, for nourishment and comfort. If one day, you meet the end, make sure that it was worth it, for all that matters is reaching that point.” Mr. Mouse bravely faces the sinister arm as it comes violently swinging down. And then nothing. . .

Mr. Mouse wakes up to see his wheel, and his bowls, and his shavings on the floor. He’s alive, and he’s wondering what those giant monsters are still doing outside of his home.

If only we could look into the minds of mice, or any other animal. Maybe we’d stop with the Disneyfied personifications. It’s still fun to think about.

I hope the scientists really do inspect the neurological inner-workings of the mouse brain, so we can someday cure some debilitating diseases. Excuse me for my silly fantasies. I’m just tired and not cut out to be a scientist.

MSN.COM

1/30/08

The Best Bloggers Answers To Tuesdays Question

The best and bravest bloggers answered yesterday's Tuesday's Question What Was The Biggest Lie You Told In Childhood? with an open heart and impressive honestly. The brief and magical moments we spend in childhood pass so quickly, yet we learn so much about the world and ourselves in that short period of time.

Those tender years teach us many of life's most valuable lessons, than we learn at any other period in our lives and we remember them differently than whatever we learn later in life.


I noticed from reading the following comments how much of an impact childhood experiences have on our lives...

For example, I read the following type of sentences, "I'll never forget that one" "this is the one I'll tell you" or "I've never told anyone this, because the world is large when we are children and every lesson learned is a lesson we will not soon forget- through the trial and error of becoming a grown-up. (No doubt still a monumental task for me by any stretch of the imagination)

Some of the comments refer to life as a teenager, that other short decade, that's even harder to endure, because you're close to becoming an adult but still considered a child.

Thank you for sharing a piece of yourselves with the rest of us... And I think all of you turned into fantastic grown-up people-

Alright, I'll stop with all the mushy gobble de goop and let you read these great bloggers comments for yourselves. I have included a link to their blogs, so treat yourself to a visit after reading their comments and you will have a great time reading their blogs ... I promise...



The first comment is from who I consider the Queen of Tuesday's Question
and a dear friend (and genius webmaster) Sandee from Comedy Plus~


Well, when I was little I can't think of any lies. The lies came when I was a teenager. They came in the form of sneaking out of the house to go hang out at the beach and dance. I wasn't allowed to dance (very religious parents), but that didn't stop me from dancing.

I lost count of how many times I'd snuck out to go on a date, hang out with my friends, or just to dance the night away.
Well, all thing must come to an end and I got caught. I was 16 at the time and it wasn't very much longer before I ran away from home. That's another story all together.


The next comment is from the coolest cat on the web,(and the king of all poultry) another good buddy Speedy at Speedcat Hollydale Page

Ann, you have me here ... oh ohhh

Not many people have ever heard this, and now I will release this story to everyone.
I was in a christian group called the "Boy's Brigade". I was about 8 years old, and decided that I just didn't want to go anymore. I made up a lie, and told my father that one of the older boys hit me in the parking lot. At 8, this seemed to be a quick and easy plan .... of course it was not!

An investigation ensued, and pressure was put one the rest of the guys to admit who had done this (I claimed it was dark and could not recognize the individual).
This little incident bothers me to this day, and I really think it had a huge impact on decision making later in life.
You can fool a lot of people, but your own heart and the good Lord see everything.

Speedy added another comment that I want to post, plus I want to leave a link to his wonderful
Tuesday's Wordless Chicken post. It is hilarious and so much fun... so stop and check out the chicken links on Speedy's post- it is a hysterical blast! Also check out Wordless Chicken Tuesday with TUTU highlights.

Here's his additional comment, which is so characteristically kind :

ps... this was a really great question - I'm still thinking about it!!!!!!!

Next up, the wonderful and hilarious comment by Jeni at Down River Drivel

Childhood lies, huh? Boy, I must have been really honest because I can only remember one lie I told probably the summer before I started first grade. It definitely is one that some of my friends remember -probably better than I do.

There were at that time, two other girls who lived close to me and we were all the same age. Sometime that summer -don't remember what month it was though -I told these two girls I was having a birthday party at my house on such and such a day and they were invited. (My birthday is in October -not quite a summer month ya know.) Imagine my Mom's surprise when the one little girl showed up at our house on the day I had designated, all ready for my birthday party, complete with a gift too that her Mom had selected and wrapped, just for sweet little old me! My Mom pretty much took it in stride though and set up my little table and chairs out in the backyard, mixed up a pitcher of lemonade and some cookies and we had a "birthday" party or actually a "non-birthday party" I suppose would be more accurate. And she sent the little girl who had brought the gift back home, with the gift too. That girl - and her mother -never EVER let me forget that deal! Her Mom just passed away a year ago this winter and when I went to the viewing, my old friend reminded me about that episode in my life and told me -again, for the umpteenth time -how many times her Mom would talk about the time I invited her daughter to a party for my birthday a few months prior to my actual birthday. Yadda yadda! I have no clue as to whatever possessed me to do that. I seem to recall after the "party" was over that was what my Mom asked me too -"What on earth ever possessed you to do something like this?"
Kids!

Another great blogger and new friend Robert from Observations From The Back 40

Mine was more of a denial..I tried driving Dad's car at 11 and went through the back of the garage part way anyway..I managed to back it into place but I think the gaping hole in the wall gave me away:)))..I completely denied any knowledge of what happened..I later recanted and got grounded for a month...:))))


The hysterical Bud at WTIT Tape Radio- The Blog


Hi Ann-

I was trying to capture what I wanted to say, finally I got it, and then I read Sandee saying about the same thing. But as I type this I do remember my first big lie to my irish catholic mom. I was 14 and had no use for church. Two guys I knew sold newspaers outside the church. I wanted to be their friend. So I joined them but did not ask for money. That's when I stopped going to mass. My mom assumed I went since I was there, and if she asked "which mass?" I always said the first one. My mom only made the 11:30 mass. To this day (at 84) she still awakes around 10:30. And you can't talk to her till noon. She's in need of that caffein. So, my first big lie was I stopped being a Catholic. I never regretted it, and now we laugh about it. My mom stopped church after her divorce with my dad. She was about my age now. I like this featurre. It stirs up thought...


Another queen of Tuesday's Question, and dear friend,

Dawn from Twisted Sister

Ann I don't remember any lies from childhood.. early teens bring back a few :)
Throwing up after smoking a pack of cigarettes with my friend.. caused my mother to ask what I had been eating... the first thing that came to my head was "an apple", to which she replied.. "it must have been a bad apple"!

And Sharon from A Bookworms Journey who has some great book challenges on her blog said;

"My biggest lie as a child? Let's see. This is the one I'll tell. My dad didn't want a cat. I got a kitten from a friend and put it on the porch and pretended that I didn't know anything about it. I got to keep it! One of my favorite lies was "I didn't do it."


And last however certainly not the least, another blogging buddy,
my friend Jackie from The Painted Veil

Hi Ann,
Like Sandee most of my lies revolved around sneaking out of the house. And, also having friends over when my mother was work.

But, the thing that bothers me the most is what I did when I was just shy of 4.

My Mom was in the hospital and my Aunt was watching over me for the week.

I had just gotten a brand new swing set and I loved it so. And, my mother always let me play on it. But, my aunt kept saying no as she was afraid that I might get hurt while she was taking care of me.

So I told her okay with sly smile. All the while thinking I am smarter than you think. I know how to get that screen door unlatched.

And the first chance i got I went and got a chair from kitchen table, climbed up, unlatched the screen door, and proceeded to go hide in the back seat of the car.

I wanted to get back at her. I stayed there for hours and everyone was ina panic thinking I had been kidnapped or had wandered off.

So I think that sort of counts as a lie. Anyway I got into a lot of trouble.


Astrogalaxy



I can't recall what is the biggest lie I've told in childhood but I do know I always lie about not eating any Junk foods.

Johnny from Past Expiry Cartoon Blog
A great cartoon blog that I just discovered stopped by to thank me for a comment I left on his fantastic blog, you really ought to check it out if you haven't read it before or I suppose even if you have~ Here's Johnny's comment~

Thanks for visiting my cartoon blog! Comments keep me going.


Well...that's all folks, and if you enjoyed these comments, don't forget to visit these wonderful blogs... See you next Tuesday, or hopefully maybe before then? :))

1/25/08

I Can't Get Through To Mrs. Blackmore



I can't get through to Mrs.Blackmore. I have been corresponding with this lady
by the name of Mrs Blackmore for a few weeks now, well I say correspond,
actually she's the only person she's writing- I'm not convinced she cares if anyone writes back.
Well, first let me say, I realize the effects stress can have on a person. In addition, we're all in such a hurry we barely have time to think straight, and simply aren't paying enough attention to what we're doing at times- although, I believe Mrs. Blackmore needs to READ my e-mails, I mean, sometimes someone else might have something important to say.



For example, Mrs. Blackmore believes I am her son Clifford and it really doesn't
matter what I say or do she keeps writing me. Anyway, I think she's harmless,
and I thought I would share it with you because why should anyone have to endure
this alone, and you are my friends, right?


At the bottom of every e-mail she writes, "how do i get out of here???
esamplease putwheres the esape sign?? do i press back button??well i guess i'll
just write because it's required dont want to get on some lis.."

I would be happy to tell her how she could "get out of here" but first she has to read my e-mails, and I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

Anyway, now I have a feeling she knows I'm not Clifton but enjoys having someone to e-mail,at least I hope that's the case, because if not, Clifton really needs to talk
to his Mother. Here is the last e-mail I received...





Pay attention to how this e-mail is signed. Always and forever? And Mrs. Blackmore?

By the way I took the liberty of giving her an image...

Here is her e-mail:

Clifton! there is no need to be embarrassed. everyone here has a momma.


You need to listen to James and also call Mi Maw. her cat died today. You remember Nass. hewas 20. she needs to hear that her grandson loves her. itll help console her,
shug. please dont neglect your family.

James, great! You wouldnt know anyone who could bring my friend Cinda would you? her husband Denny is getting his knee surgery that day. its not required that we bring someone but everyone else is so we dont want to be left out. this class is a eye openin experience.we're just two old girls trying to see what we got left in us. turns out we gota lot.

Always and forever,

Mrs. Blackmore


If you enjoyed this e-mail, I have more that I'll be happy to share with you, just say the word, although in the meantime, have a great day.

Oh and remember, because if you're anything like me you will forget- never leave home without your sense of humor!

1/24/08

A Disobedient Chicken With Attitude





This little One On The Egg Carton Is My Chicken Choice




Here is my chicken for Speedcat Hollydale's wordless chicken Tuesday. I found the others too , but I don't like them, they lack character. (Please don't let this be the day when someone I'm trying to impress stops to read my page.) Anyway, I guess most chickens lack character, they're always too chicken to stick up for a friend, or admit when they're wrong, in addition, they're either clucking and ducking an issue or bossing each other around... I suppose that's why we started wringing their necks in the first place. But, I do like chickens with an attitude, and this little chicken on the egg cartoon's display of civil disobedience is my kind of chicken.

Do you think I made the right choice? I mean the little chicken on the egg carton is a rebel, which suggests brains, and well look at the other poultry? One is ignoring her eggs and the other looks as if she is lecturing her little blank faced chick with a two word vocabulary ...

Sort of like Fog Horn Leg Horn's lectures, "I said, I said, I said... Boy?"

His name is Fog Horn Leg Horn isn't it? Because after this post, I may need to look up the creator or producers of the show and see if they need any writers !

Readers Comment On What Scares The Daylights Out Of Them

Draw!

Draw!

Tuesday's Question this week asked What Is Your Scariest Experience? What I find
appealing about Tuesday's Question is the unpredictable answers I get each week
in comments. I love this feature because it provides an inside look into the
personality and experiences of the person behind the blog, in a different and
fun format shared with other bloggers. In addition, it introduces bloggers to
each other and the rest of the blogosphere and provides a link to their blogs.

This particular question was a touchy one because it could have gone in either a sad or funny direction, and as it turns out it did both...however, we learn and grow
from painful and scary experiences, and without pain you cannot know joy, just
like without true honesty you cannot know real friendship. Therefore, I think
you will come away from this post with something of value from these bloggers
who took the time to write about their scariest, most painful, and funny
experiences- and I hope they will gain some well deserved exposure to their
blogs as I've posted a link with each of their comments...
Just click on Read More, and thanks for reading...






Judy, from Sugar Queens Dream:

Ann, My most scared momentin life was when I was only 12 years old and we lived in Michigan. I woke up to see a lady standing at my bed. She was weeping and looked real sad.... she just stood there looking at me.

I realized she was a spirit of some kind. I was froze and could feel myself screaming but noting was coming out of my mouth.I know some may think this not real but I swear it is.

I lived in 3 haunted houses in my childhood.

Later on after all the haunting and bad things that happened in these house we would learn of the horrors that happened in these house before we came to live there.
I think the fact that I lived with an evil man( stepfather)who was molesting 3 of us girls probably allowed this spirit to come to us. I have heard of this sort of thing happening to families where bad things weregoing on.....

I could go on and on about this but I tell you I mostly don't like thinking about it.

Hugs, Judy


Mel, Monday Morning Power said...

Mine was when I was 17 and swimming in the ocean with my friends. I was
caught in a riptide and before I knew it I was a quarter mile out from the
beach and exhausted. I truly though that I was going to die. I am not a good
ocean swimmer. Just as the panic set in I felt a hand on my shoulder and one
of my friends, Lloyd, had followed me out and helped me back in.



Sandee (Comedy +)said...


Well, this is a tougher question than I thought it would be.

I've been scared many times while I was still working, and that's a normal process for that type of work. Those that say they weren't scared are lying big time.

To narrow it down to my first real fright was right after I was transferred to
the Men's Jail. I hadn't been there but a few short months and there was a fight
between two male inmates on the 2nd floor. One of the inmates was wearing
bellychains and legirons as he was going to be transported to prison. This
really was a disadvantage as he couldn't fight very well wearing all the county
issued stainless steel.

All I could think of at first is we don't want the guy that's wearing the
stainless steel to get hurt as we were over crowded and needed his bed for
someone else. So, I got right in between them trying to seperate them. I was
fairly successful because neither one of them really hurt the other.

I didn't have a radio (having a shortage at the time) and I was lucky enough
that another deputy was making rounds and heard me yelling at the inmates. He
called for backup and soon I could hear jail keys coming from every direction.

It is a very sweet sound if you are in the mix and need some help.

The fright didn't set in until it was all over. I just reacted to the situation
and suffered the terrifying shakes later. That is when I was scared...When I
should have been...after it was all over. I did have a nice collection of
bruises here and there. Nothing serious though. The inmate that went off to
prison wrote back to make sure I was okay. Go figure. Have a great day Ann. :)


Sharon from A Bookworm's Journey said...

Hi, this is my first time here, so I thought I'd just jump in.


The most scared I've ever been was really stupid, considering I've been in other
situations that were much more deserving of a little scream. As a teen I lived
with my parents in the middle of the Ozarks, waaaay out in the country. We moved
there after dad retired from the Air Force. I drove up to the house one night
very late, one or so. As I started to the house a creature came lurching and
running toward me across the dark yard. I screamed and nearly wet myself. It was
my brother, he came home for the weekend and I didn't know he was there. I still
want to kill him when I think about it. He laughed so hard I think HE nearly wet
himself.


Thanks to each of you for your contributions, which I commented to in the original post. And now here is one of my scariest moments, although I'm not sure if I didn't deserve it, no bull- (pun intended)

The scariest experience I ever had was an argument with a bull one semester in
college at the Louisiana Vet School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Part of my job duty
was to suck soiled shavings from horses and cows stalls with a huge
vacuum hose everyday- although in order to accomplish this task you had to
remove the animal from the stall, right? Well, this sick mean bull didn't feel
like getting up one day, so I climbed in the stall and shocked him with a cattle
prod right in the rump, and before I had time to shout, I'm sorry, Mr.
Bull, I love you! he ran toward and lifted me on the top of the gate, whereupon he rammed his ugly bull head in an attempt to knock me to the ground and stomp me to death. I was sure I was going to die a glamorous death, until a Vet student in shinning armor happened along to save the day. I wonder what happened to that bull?


Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed our terrifying moments! See ya next Tuesday, or actually I hope you visit my blog before then... what I meant was...oh, you know what I meant...

1/22/08

What is Your Scariest Experience?



Welcome to Tuesday's Question. For those of you who are are not familiar with Tuesday's Question I'll give a quick overview: I began posting a weekly question based on personal experiences and childhood memory to help get to know my readers better and vice versa about 21 questions ago, starting in September of 2007- (it sounds like a long time doesn't it?)

And now the weekly post has become more than a question or a way of getting to know my readers- it's also turned out to work well for the blogs who comment. Because, in the spirit of friendship the posts with their comments has become sort of group blog review. What I mean is they're creating exposure for their blogs by providing information about themselves in the post, and building relationships with other bloggers as well as this one at the same time. I'm so happy it's worked out this way, for example a few bloggers have told me that they have found blogs from reading the Tuesdays Questions comments- now isn't that cool?

I've been trying to find ways to offer recognition to the group of bloggers who have been so remarkably loyal by stopping by every Tuesday's since I've been posting Tuesdays Question, but I haven't as yet found anything special enough for such a great group of supportive friends.

Although, I will come up with something as well as have more and more exciting questions to ask and talk about on Tuesday's Question in the coming year.

Well, there's my quick overview of what Tuesday's Question is about for my new readers and thank you to the rest of you for your continued contributions. Now finally I'll get down to asking todays question, and remember to check tomorrow for the post of todays responses to the following question:

What Is Your Scariest Experience?

Attn: Authors note
Please accept my sincere apology for the delay in posting today. Due to computer difficulties beyond my control I simply could not post Tuesdays Question's until late in the day. However, I will leave the question up an extra day in an effort to give everyone a chance to respond before I post your comments. I'm so very sorry...

1/19/08

Saturdays Favorite Movie Moment - A River RunsThrough It



This Saturday's favorite movie moment is a scene from A River Runs Through it starring Tom Skerritt, Craig Sheffer, and Brad Pitt. Pitt's character, Paul, has such a passion for life and fishing, that it's intoxicating to watch him gracefully glide down the splashy and powerful Blackfoot river with his prize fish at the end of his pole. This whole film is pleasant to the eye, but this scene is one of its finest moments. So if you haven't seen this movie you must and if you have, you'll want to see it again after viewing this clip, I did.

Happy Saturday everyone!

1/16/08

Kids Say The Craziest Things - Readers Comments



Instead of phrasing Tuesday's Question, What is the Funniest Thing your child's ever said? I should have written "Whats the most profound, heartfelt, thought provoking statement you've ever heard your child say? Because children are genuine and teach us a lot more about life than we give them credit for, for example, one time when my brother asked my grandmother why he had to wash an apple before eating it, she said to keep you from eating a bug, in which he replied, "No it isn't Gussie, when they see my teeth they'll run away! " So you see we may have more life experience and education, but that doesn't mean we have all the answers.


I guessed I phrased the question "Whats the funniest thing your child has ever said?" because children are so literal and real, we actually find the things they say comical, but when you think about it a lot of the things they say make absolute sense, we just don't give them credit.

For my profile statement on the social web site Bumpzee I wrote, "What would the world be like if adults were as honest as children?" What I meant was when we get older we start to take ourselves too seriously, focusing more on whats happening in our lives, thereby robbing us of a sense of humility, imagination, and humor.

There is a lot to be said for the elemental mind, because without the benefit of much education or life experience, children still rely upon the heart to give direction, and our hearts are truthful, loyal, and kind.

To me the hardest part of parenting is teaching your kids about injustice without damaging their spirit or breaking their heart- because, at the bottom of every good heart is the right answer, at the right moment, and for the right reason.
You'll see what I mean when you read the words, songs, recipes, truth about teachers, and stories of running away in the words of the children my readers have written about in comments.



Here is the link to the original post with my answer to the last Tuesday's Question: What is the Funniest Thing Your Child's Ever Said, but it is a post you can read in my archives anytime.

The links to the bloggers blogs who wrote the following comments are within the blog name. After reading their comments posted you ought to treat yourself to a visit to their blogs, they are my favorites in the blogosphere. Thank you to all of you who took the time to comment. See you next week for Tuesday's next Question!


My first comment is from my great pal Dawn at Twisted Sister

Ann that's so funny because my mom always told us she had eyes in the back of her head and we believed her!
I can tell you my daughter has said a thousand funny things... I've even written some of the down... but the only thing that comes to mind right now is the time the teacher asked her to help hand out work sheets to the other kids. I told her the teacher must think she is responsible. Her reply was "oh I thought I was her servant!"

I sent that in to Reader's Digest and got paid $200! It was the only time I was ever published and they weren't even my words!

Then Colin at Life


Hi Ann, I got divorced when my daughter was 3, the following year after a fall out with her mom she packed a few bits into carrier bags and when asked where she was going she replied 'I'm going to live with my daddy because you suck and I don't like it here anymore' LOL.


I will apologise, I got tagged so as part of memes I have tagged you too, but it's up to you whether you participate.
Details here: http://grottynosh.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/love-and-hate-meme/
Have a great day,
Colin

Sandee from Comedy Plus

When my son was about 1st grade the teacher gave the class an assignment on what is the favorite thing that your mother makes for dinner. This had to include the recipe. He came up with my fried chicken and this is what I remember.

Cut up the chicken (I bought whole chickens back then because they were very cheap). Roll it in white stuff and fry for 5 minutes.

It still makes me laugh. Childrens preceptions of how we did things weren't our reality.


Misty Dawn from My Dogs Keep Me Sane
That is an adorable story! I don't have any children of my own (Hubs is 12 years older than me and his children are grown). But, I love to listen to my nieces 'wisdom'...

It's too long to post in a comment, so here's the link to one of my favorites...
http://mistyswords.blogspot.com/2008/01/kids-words-sunday-sm

bud weiser, wtit at WTIT Radio Blog

I am not sure this is funny, but it taught me a lot. My son Ben (grown and married now) was around seven we he asked me a question. It seemed with both of us as Yankees fans, we had different favorite players. It was the 80's and I was a Don Mattingly fan. Ben's favorite was Dave Winfield. But he had pictures of both players, side by side is his room. One day he asked, "Dad, my firends said Dave Winfield is black. How can they tell?" So I brought him to the pictures and pointed out the different color of each man's face. Ben said, "THey really don't look different to me." I said that he was correct. It showed me predudice is taught not inherited. I will do a post on this dome day, but I had to answer your question...
Bud

Eric from Speedcat Hollydale Page
Well, because I have no children that are my own, I will have to relay my brothers son's song...

Uncle Eric, hooray for Uncle Eric
Uncle Eric, hooray for Uncle Eric
God bless Uncle Eric

This went on for a while, and as he saw we all enjoyed listening, the more he sang.

I could not believe beauty of this melody, and how nice it was. Simple yes, but I will forever remember how I laughed and smiled when I heard his rendition.

My step Grandaughter is starting to talk now. There will be many more classic moments soon I'm sure :-)

Hello Ann, hope your week is a good one!
Eric "Speedcat"



1/12/08

Saturday's Favorite Movie Moment!




I loved this wonderfully romantic scene so much I published it a second time around.
Have a great week-end and thanks for reading.

1/5/08

Saturday's Favorite Movie Moment - Almost Famous



I Remember when the car radio was the main source of communication, entertainment, and comfort between friends in the 1970s. Everyone piled in their cars and sang along to whatever song was playing on the radio every week-end. It was so much fun, plus those times created memories we will always remember...

For a long time I thought it was just my gang who sang to the car radio, until the broadcast of the situation comedy That Seventies Show and of course, this movie. Which by the way, is a great film, one you should rent if you haven't already. It's based on the life of a Rolling Stone writer's first band interview when he was only fifteen years old. But, I'm not going to tell you anything else, because it will give too much away! Have a great week-end!

1/4/08

The Power Of A Perfect Phrase







My father sent me this e-mail yesterday, and I liked it so much I decided to pass it along to you. I hope you enjoy reading the following quotes as much as I did, if not, you will still note a comparable difference in the way we phrase our arguments today.

E-mail begins here:

"There was a time when words were used beautifully. These glorious insults are from an era when cleverness with words was still valued, before a great portion of the English language was boiled down to four-letter words!"


The exchange between Churchill and Lady Astor:
She said, "If you were my husband, I'd give you poison," and he said,
"If you were my wife, I'd take it."
Gladstone, a member of Parliament, to Benjamin Disraeli:
"Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."
"That depends, sir," said Disraeli, "On whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."
*****************************************************
"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr
***************************************************

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
- Winston Churchill
******************************************************

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
- Winston Churchill.
**********************************************************
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
- Clarence Darrow.
******************************************************
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).
******************************************************************
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner).
- Moses Hadas.
*******************************************************
"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."
- Abraham Lincoln.
*************************************************

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
- Mark Twain.
*******************************************************
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
- Oscar Wilde.
********************************************************
"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend....
if you have one." -
George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill.
**************************************************************

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one."
- Winston Churchill, in response.
*************************************************************

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"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here."
- Stephen Bishop.
**************************************************************
He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
- John Bright.
***********************************************************

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial."
- Irvin S. Cobb.
************************************************************

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others."
- Samuel Johnson.
************************************************************
"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up."
- Paul Keating.
********************************************************

"There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure".
- Jack E. Leonard.
*************************************************************

"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt."
- Robert Redford.
************************************************************

"They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." - Thomas Brackett Reed.
***********************************************************

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him."
- Forrest Tucker.
************************************************************

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?"
- Mark Twain.
*******************************************************

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.
- Mae West.
****************************************************

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde.
************************************************************
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912).
***********************************************************
"He has Van Gogh's ear for music."
- Billy Wilder.
********************************************************

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."
- Groucho Marx.
****************************************************************

A WOMAN MARRIES A MAN EXPECTING HE WILL CHANGE; HE DOESN'T.
A MAN MARRIES A WOMAN EXPECTING SHE WILL REMAIN THE SAME; SHE DOESN'T.
anonymous

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Today's Popular Children's Picture Books

Today's Popular Children's Picture Books
Click on the titles below for the link to Publishers Weekly.com

The Boogeyman From Planet-Lackawanna-

You will lose yourself in the imaginative dreams of eleven year old Theodore Wilson's. Don't miss this review coming soon.

More reviews and available for purchase on Amazon .com. Just click on image of book and the link will take you there.

Thank you!

Upcoming Book Review

Upcoming Book Review
Gretchen Zufall (Author) Mike Paar (Illustrator)

Motherhood- Courage


Motherhood is an art impossible to explain, one which requires a vast sea of love, devotion, compassion, and understanding, unmatched by any affection we will ever know again.- Ann Clemmons

Courage-

Courage



Humor-

Humor


Words-

Words are the core of our souls, without written, vocal or lyrical expression we lose sight of one another or worse, ourselves. Words bring forth the essence of the human spirit; so express yourself without abandon.

Ann Clemmons

Favorite Phrase

I remember I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child. What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood, tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense...

Beatrix Potter’s Journal, 17 November 1896, from the National Trust collection.

Jacket Flap-

Powered by JacketFlap.com
The Storyteller, by Dawn Drover

Alone in her world
of make believe
weaving her stories
of magic and light

She brings joy
to the eyes
of innocent minds
less jaded and free

For only they know
what's in her heart
holding the secrets
she guards so well

Life's hidden mysteries
belong to those
whose wisdom and truth
shine on in imagination


Written for Ann
~Dawn Drover~

Of The Horoscope Junkie




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Let"s talk!

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Catch your dreams

Catch your dreams

Imagine

Imagine
Most of the worlds' great things were born of adversity and hardship; because these roadblocks encourage us to dream, imagine and believe.- Ann Clemmons

Favorite quotes-

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.

Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”'


F. Scott Fitzgerald. (Lines from The Great Gatsby)
"A Southerner Talks Music"

Mark Twain

"A book must be the ax for the frozen sea inside us."

Franz Kafka

An author values a compliment even when it comes from a source of doubtful competency.

- Mark Twain in Eruption

"I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself"

Mark Twain

Animal Rescue Site

The Animal Rescue Site

Friendship