Shocking! I Never Would Have Guessed!

"You must remember this, a kiss is still a
kiss". Your romance is Casablanca. A
classic story of love in trying times, chock
full of both cynicism and hope. You obviously
believe in true love, but you're also
constantly aware of practicality and societal
expectations. That's not always fun, but at
least it's realistic. Try not to let the Nazis
get you down too much.


What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
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Boston Breaks The Curse

Last night I stayed up til 1:00am to watch the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. It is the only baseball game I watched this year so I am not really a huge baseball fan. I just wanted to witness history being made. I mean they haven't won in like 86 years!! I couldn't just go to sleep. As the game was going on they'd occasionally show a shot of a celebrity in the crowd. Once they showed a shot of Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. I thought they were just sitting together but when the Red Sox won there was a shot of the two of them on the field and Fallon dipped Barrymore and gave her a huge kiss. I guess they must be dating. Obviously I am behind in my celebrity news/gossip. I haven't watched ET or Access Hollywood in forever. I used to be the authority on anything that was going on in the celeb world. Now I usually just watch those shows after the Oscars because I want to see what everyone was wearing. Hey....maybe this is a sign that I actually have things going on in my own life.

On the homefront, everyone here is either sick or getting sick. All the kids have that cough and runny nose. I'm hoping that they will be better by Halloween. They want to go to their Sunday School party so badly, but I don't think it would be a good idea if they were still really sick. You know, spreading their germs and all. Jason is convinced that's how they got sick in the first place. Who knows?

Liane loaned me a few costumes to use on Sunday. For the Sunday School party, they have to dress up as something in the Bible. So Jules is dressing up like a lion. Well, really it's Simba the Lion King, but a lion just the same. Samuel is dressing like a cat. And if Abby goes she will be a dog. Liane also gave Abby a Barney costume but I don't recall there being any dinosaurs in the Bible. Especially an annoying purple one. I'm not dressing up, but I am taking cupcakes.

Sunday will be a busy day because after Sunday School, which will last til probably noon, we'll just change, eat dinner, and then likely change again to go out trick or treating. We want to take the kids out really early so we can be back in time to catch all the kiddies at our house. Other years we have missed most of them because we were late getting home. Previously we would travel up Keenans to take the kids to Jason's parent's house. But this year he told them that we're not. It's just too hectic to drive all the way up there for one house. If they want to see them they are more than welcome to come down here. If the weather is nice we are going to walk to the majority of the houses. Jason is off on Sunday, which helps immensely. I was worried that they were going to reschedule Halloween, like they have in the past when it fell on a Sunday. I never understood why they did that.

Last year was the first year that Jason and I dressed up along with the kids. We went as Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. This year I'm going as Laverne from Laverne & Shirley and Jason is going as The Terminator. Not exactly your perfect match. I haven't yet decide which "Laverne" to go as yet. There's three options.
(1) Your normal Laverne - sweater with "L" on it, jeans, etc...
(2)Working Laverne - hankerchief on head, one rubber glove as I sent the other one it's way via a bottle, etc...
(3) Bedtime Laverne - Bathrobe with "L" on it, funny white thing clipped on my forehead to hold my bangs down, milk and pepsi in cup, etc....

I can't seem to decide. Any suggestions??

I've just learned that the Nick Nolte blog I've been reading http://www.nicknoltediary.com is a sham. Too bad. It was actually quite good. I liked picturing Neil Simon coming to dinner. I can't imagine that Cameron Crowe's is false as well. http://www.cameroncrowe.com/journal/crowe_journal.html It's written so well and sounds just like him.

I heard from my friend Candace today, who lives in Halifax. Apparently some guy knocked on her window last month at 5:30am, and said "Please let me in and do not call the cops." Of course she did the exact opposite. Her apartment is on the second floor but you can walk up the fire escape and knock on the window. So unfortunately her description of him, light colored skin and wearing a grey long sleeve shirt, was not that useful to the police. She thinks he was just some drunk guy locked out of his apartment with no where to sleep. The police agreed with her. She says she remained calm, which is more than I could have managed to do if in the same situation. I tend to be a bit more on the paranoid side. My door is always locked and chained. I never go to bed without checking the locks on all windows and doors. Where I live is hardly a "bad neighborhood", but I just think there is always that "first time" that shocks everybody. Neighbors appear on the news and can't believe this happened where they live. And I just don't want that "first time" to be here with me in my house.

We bought our first "Santa presents" today. Abby is still obsessed with Dora the Explorer so she wants the new Dora playhouse and Jules wants an Easy Bake Oven. Both of which went on sale today at Zellers. It was a ZOO!! I couldn't believe how crazy it was considering it's still October!! I got the last oven and barely made it out alive with the Dora House. But I know the girls will love them.

Jason's paternal Grandmother took a small stroke Thursday and is the hospital. So far there seems to be no long term side effects. And my Grandfather is not doing well at all. Mom and a couple of her sisters went today to pick out his casket. This way, whenever he does pass, they won't have to worry about all the details. He gets confused now and it's hard to understand what he is saying sometimes. And he can no longer feed himself. Mom is taking it quite hard. Not so much that he is dying, but that he has to suffer. He was always such a proud man and Mom says she knows it is killing him to be spoon fed, etc... I pray that he goes soon and in his sleep, so that he and the rest of the family doesn't have to suffer anymore. I'm torn on whether or not I should go and visit. Sherry says she doesn't want to go because she doesn't want to see him like that. I agreed. But now that I think about never seeing him again, I'm scared that I might regret not taking the chance to see him when I could.

Catch You Up To Speed

Friday night we took all three kids to the movies to see Shark Tales. Even Abby! I was a little nervous because she had never gone to the movie theater before. We had taken her to the drive-in this summer, but that's different. I have to say she acted the best. She's fearless. We hadn't planned on going. It was very spontaneous. So we were late getting there. By the time we made it into the actual theater, the previews were almost over. You think that since Abby had never gone before, she would be a little nervous entering into a large dark room, full of strangers and loud noises. But she just walked in holding our hands and sat down in her seat. Usually I will sit in the very back row. I tend to get motion sickness sometimes. This time we were so late that all the good seats were taken. And we had to find five seats in a row. We had to sit near the very front. I think we were like in the fourth row! Too close for me, but the kids didn't seem to mind. They just sat and ate their popcorn and candy.

After the movie, I stopped at Roger's and rented another DVD to review. The big one released last week was The Day After Tomorrow, starring Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal. It was better than I expected. It's the one where there is a massive climate change and Los Angeles gets huge tornadoes and New York gets covered in ice and snow. Not bad. I submitted my column last night, but they are having some technical difficulties at http://breadnmolasses.com, so I'm not sure when it will be published. It's kinda cool....this gig. The people at Roger's just know me as "The Reviewer". It's like I'm a lame super hero.

Saturday was the Wishmaker Parade. It was pouring down rain, but we left, armed with our umbrellas. Their was quite a turn out. Dozens of children running around. Balloons everywhere. After I registered, we set to work decorating the kids' wagon with balloons and the posters I had made, while the kids got their faces painted. Samuel was a cat, Jules had a rainbow on her cheek and Abby opted for a sparkling yellow star. Then, just as it was time to begin, they announced that we would be driving in our cars rather than walk in the pouring rain. Some people still opted to march, but we stayed nice and dry in the car. I was a little disappointed because I was so proud of my posters that were now hidden in the trunk along with the wagon. We tied some balloons to our car and tooted the horn most of the way. There were two drenched clowns walking and giving balloons to any children they saw along the road. We traveled from the Newcastle Fire Hall, around the square, past Sobeys and then back to the Hall again. They had a BBQ afterward with free hotdogs, pop, etc... for all who participated. Because the weather was so crappy we decided to skip the BBQ. But it was a good experience for both me and the kids. I think it will become an annual thing for us.

We had to return my DVD and ran into Jason's parents in Douglastown. We ended up having dinner with them at the P.J. Billington's. Then into the Dollarstore where I bought a needlepoint or Cross-Stitch kit. Who knew you could get that at the Dollarstore? I guess you really can find anything there. I have been wanting to try my hand at cross-stitching. I'd like to have something to keep my hands (and my mind) busy this Winter. I guess it's the little old lady in me. I'm actually really excited about it!........Don't tell anyone.

Sunday I taught my first actual lesson at Sunday School. My books finally came in. It was on Noah's Ark. I had to edit some stuff out. There were some things in the story I just couldn't bring myself to say. Later, after watching Desperate Housewive's (my new favorite show!!!) Jason and I watched Cold Mountain.

sigh

I haven't cried that hard at a movie in a long time. Even today I found myself thinking of "them" and how sad it was for "them", like they actually existed. We stayed up til 2:30am because we watched "Journey To Cold Mountain" - the behind the scenes documentary. It helped to see that Jude Law was really ok and Nicole Kidman was happy. Helped me to see it as just a movie and not a true story. Although stories like that are probably happening somewhere in the world, as this war continues to rage on and on.

I find I have been so melancholy lately. What with Christopher Reeve's passing and watching Fahrenheit 9/11, the political debates on television and The Day After Tomorrow. Cold Mountain just put me over the top. I went outside today in the rare sunshine. I packed away all my garden things and decorated some for Halloween. The fresh air did help my mood a little.

Kellie just gave me some exciting news....This week she will be interviewing none other than Jenny Grier!! My girl from last season's Canadian Idol!! I LOVE HER!! Very exciting!

But as God is my witness, the next movie I review will be a comedy. Most definitely.

A Sad Day

This morning, at around 9:15am, I was lying in bed. Jason was kind enough to let me sleep in. As I lay there, I thought I could hear a familiar voice coming from the livingroom. That voice. Unmistakable. I got up immediately, came out and sat on the couch, not wanting to miss a single word. There he was....my old friend.......Christopher Reeve.

I assumed I was going to be watching a new interview with him. He must be campaigning for John Kerry, I thought. Then, cut to Katie Couric..........Christopher Reeve died at the age of 52......

I gasped. And my eyes filled with tears. It's not fair. This man. This man who against all unspeakable odds kept going, kept loving, kept working, kept believing was gone. His wife and children and the rest of the world had lost him forever. I still can't grasp the idea. It's too sad.

Like I said, it's not fair. If this is not a reason to vote for Kerry, I don't know what is. It makes me so angry to think that more could be done, learned, cured if stem cell research was given the attention it needs. The money it needs from the government. I'm not American, but if I was I would never, ever re-elect George W. Bush. I can't even begin to describe how sad and angry I am right now. I can not imagine how Christopher's family and friends are feeling. He was not only a celebrity to me, he was a great human being.

I went on the website of his foundation, http://www.apacure.com and read the statement released by Dana, his wife. They have an address where you can send the family cards, notes, donations, etc... I think I will actually send one. I don't have much money to give, but I guess every little bit helps. If everyone sent in five dollars, it wouldn't take long to amount to something. I am sure they will receive millions of sympathy cards and condolences. I just feel the need to reach out to them and tell them what a difference he made in the world.

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
500 Morris Avenue, Springfield, NJ 07081

No Time To Talk

Jason's Grandmother on his Mom's side passed away last night. She had been sick for quite some time. They are waking her Sunday and Monday, and then having her burial on Tuesday. Jason is going to be a pallbearer. Mom works on Tuesday, so I will have to see if I can get to the funeral.

Tomorrow we were supposed to go over to Mom's for Thanksgiving Dinner. I imagine we will still be going. We will just go to the wake before or after supper.

My first review is now published. I chose Fahrenheit 9/11. It is unbelievably good. The movie, not the review. The review is ok. If you want to read it you can go here http://www.breadnmolasses.com/atlanticlifestyle/id99.html . I am going to make a permanent link in the index when I get the chance.

You Have a Spare Set of Keys...Right?

Yesterday was Sunday, which meant Sunday School. I swear the weeks are flying by. It's already October! I got us all ready early because I had some things I wanted to do to my classroom before the other children arrived. This week I wore dresspants and a sweater. I literally cannot remember the last time I wore a pair of dresspants. Really I can't. We dropped Abby off at Mom's and got to the church at 9:30am. I don't have a key yet so we had to wait until someone came to open the church. While we waited the kids played "I Spy" in the car and I visited someone I hadn't seen in six years. My grandfather. His tombstone was exactly where I remembered it being. His birthday is this month. I talked to him a little, but he never said much. Then I checked out who else I knew in the area. Ruby was there along with her husband. And Delbert's stone had finally just arrived. It's beautiful. Or as beautiful as a headstone can get. On one side of his name is a flyhook, on the other is a picture of the dog "Savannah" and at the bottom, it reads "Gone Fishing". Then on the back there is a big picture of Delbert, in the river, holding a large fish he just caught. Like I said, it was an amazing headstone.

At 9:45am, Donna arrived with the key. This Sunday I had two more students. Janice Sturgeon's Kayla and Debbie and Matthew's Joseph. They were both very sweet. So now I am up to five. Six whenever I need to take Abby. I was better again this week. The kids all made Thanksgiving Trees. You trace your hand, using your arm as the tree trunk, and your fingers as limbs. Then you write one thing you are thankful for on a leaf, one leaf per finger. They seemed to enjoy it. Each week I do better at talking to them. Next week there is no Sunday School as it is Thanksgiving Sunday.

Afterwards we drove to Mom's to pick up Abby, who was very happy to see us. Mom talked with me outside while I let Abby into the backseat. As horrible as it sounds, I didn't buckle Abby up since I was just driving across the road. I literally live across the road from my Mom and Dad. So, while talking to Mom, I shut the back door. Abby preceded to climb into the front seat. Then to my horror, I heard a "click". She had just pressed the power door lock button. The doors were locked. My children...........and my keys were inside. Thankfully the ignition was shut off. Mom and I just looked at each other dumbstruck. Then we tried to convince Abby to press it again in the opposite direction. She decided the horn was much more fun. So we moved on to Samuel, who was still buckled up in his car seat. We tried to tell him how to unbuckle himself, but he couldn't do it. Mom worked on Jules, but she couldn't do it either. Sherry and Gary arrived. They tried talking to Abby. If anyone had drove by at that exact moment, they would have wondered why we had the car surrounded, yelling into the windows. Finally I had a lightbulb moment, and told Jules to pull up on the knob on her door. Success! It's one of those situations where you need at least a few hours before you can laugh about it.

Showers?

Christina's shower went well.......as well as a shower can go. I hate showers. Well, at least I always did. No, I still do. The thing is now when I go to a shower, it is for someone my own age. Not some "old" lady relative I don't really know. Now, sadly, occasions like showers are the only time I see some of my cousins/friends. So instead of going and being bored out of my mind while secretly making fun of everyone else who is ooooing and aaahhhing over breadmakers and booties.............Now I go and talk to women my own age. We actually have fun. We laugh, stuff our faces with sweets, and yes I have been caught oooing and aaahing over a swiffer wet jet or tiny pink sleeper. And I don't make fun of anyone anymore! Honest! (well, maybe just a little) :)

I have finally started to do some things around the house that I have been procrastinating. I vacuumed the registers, changed the filters in the furnace and even handwashed my delicates. I don't know why I buy sweaters that you can't put in the washer and dryer. I always swear I won't do it, but then I see the perfect brown wool sweater and I forget about how hard it is to wash. That laying flat to dry thing is a bitch. They say "reshape" but what do they mean? I lay it flat on a towel to dry. I don't leave it all wrinkled or crumpled. But then, for some reason, the waist band will be like two times it's normal size. Not an attractive look.

Today I am going over to my Mom's to sort through clothes. I'm not looking forward to it. I have to dig through bags and containers of the kids clothes searching for anything Fall and Winter. With Samuel, the problem is actually that he has too much clothes and I have no where to put them. As God is my witness I am not bringing everything home this year. I always bring anything that will fit him back home with me. Then I realize that there is no room, and no possibility that he could ever where all of them. This time I am going to pick and choose my favorites, and leave the bigger ones that will still fit him next year.

Kellie has invited me to go with her to Larry Lynch's book launch. It is on Wednesday, Oct.13th at 7pm. I've never been to a book launch before so I think I am going to go. Although I have yet to read anything written by the author. Oh well, should be interesting. I still have to call Donnie at Rogers's Video and tell him that Mondays just aren't going to work for me. Another thing I've been procrastinating. We almost never go to town on Mondays. Thursdays usually. I'm thinking that the first DVD I review should be Fahrenheit 9/11. I shouldn't have a loss for words with that one.