Rehab in a hot Florida Spring

Hello. I know you're all probably wondering about me or not...I haven't put up a blog post in a while, though it is getting much easier to type and remember how to work the PC. And no, I haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 yet. I doubt I'll see it anytime soon, but them, as they say, are the breaks...One of my grand nephews saw it. Since I haven't heard anything negative I can only conclude he liked it.I'll see it eventually. Amazon will be selling the Blu-Ray in a few months anyway. I'm checking every few days to see if they have a sell date posted. So far no, but I'll keep checking.
It's been extra hot this Spring here in Jacksonville. My AC went out two weeks ago and needs the manufacturer out to replace a part. Seems too much dog hair was in the closet where the works are kept...Oops! They've given me a window unit for the bedroom, which surprisingly does a good job in the bedroom and sort of cools the rest of the place with all the ceiling fans on in the other rooms to pull the cool air forward. Still when it's in the 90s in the late afternoon, it's hot in the living area.  Makes me sweat. But I can handle it. This afternoon promises to be hot again, so I am bracing for  a bit of heat later on.  I tried to walk the three blocks to my mailbox a while ago, but the heat defeated me. Oh well, who needs more mail? I can wait another day to pick up my correspondence and goodies from QVC. I am anxiously awaiting an incoming skort...Haven't wanted to show my legs in many years, but they are much smaller than they were, so they're out in the open under crop pants, pedal pushers, and now a skort. It's a front panel like a skirt with Bermuda shorts underneath OOOOOOHHH I'm just a brazen hussy, after all.
Well what do expect of a Romance and Thriller writer? A maxi dress?
Speaking of my romance writing, Let the Games Begin, the fourth novel in my Touch the Sky series is perking right along. Having to re-learn how to work the computer slows me down but I'm getting better.
LTGB promises to be a lively story, funny in places. Hope you enjoy it.
Haven't seen many new movies, unless they're new to cable. Therefore, I'm not fulfilling my pop culture diva duties very well, but I did undergo a physical trauma, so it's understandable.
The news has been jumping recently, but as I don't discuss things of a political nature in this blog, I am making a concerted effort not to jump into the melee.
Otherwise, the dogs and I are okay.
I'll review a movie one of these days. In the meantime I am reading quite a bit. I just got Craig Johnson's latest Longmire novel, which I am anxious to read. I love the television series and didn't realize they were taken from a book series about Sheriff Longmire, fancy that.
Well, that's all for now. Everybody take care, mind your caffeine intake, and enjoy your summer.

Until next time, remember you can't keep a good diva down!!!

Kung Fu Stroke Recovery

Hello Everybody, here I am posting again, as often as my stroke brain will allow. The big news is I have started my second book in the Inquisitor Series, Honor Thy Mother.  I have a draft prologue and part of chapter 1 written, I don't type nearly as fast as I used to, but I'm getting better. Tomorrow I'm going to see a "Low Vision Specialist" due to my stroke. I've already had the car repaired from the accident, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to drive. Currently I'm paying for a part-time in-home companion who drives me to all my appointments, to the store, the dog groomer, the vet, etc. I appreciate her so much, but being the stiff-necked independent I'd rather do it myself.Ah well.
I'm managing everything else just fine, or so they tell me.Still dreaming of moving back home to Texas, but we'll see on that one.


Well, this is a short post, but I will keep trying to update you periodically. I don't know if you can tell by reading, but my typing is getting better.

Everybody take care. Don't do too much caffeine. This former Starbucks lover drank Decaf for a while but it's not the same so I'm off c0ffee entirely for now, anyway.

Laterzzzzz

April , not in Paris

It's now  April about two and a half months after I had my stroke. At first my memory was a mess, but it is improving now after a few weeks of trying to think through a Swiss cheese brain.  Alas, no more cheese for me of any kind.  You should see me.  My face is actually bony in places. I weigh less than I have in at least 20 years .  Kinda cool to have a baggy wardrobe and skinny ankles. But honestly it's obvious I have been ill.

My memory is mostly back.  Now if I can't remember something, it comes back to me in seconds, ,not quite as fast as before the stroke but much faster than right after it.

At my doctor's insistence I still have 24-7 attendant care, which is costing me a fortune. I'm stubborn and want to live at home with my little elderly dogs. They are the best therapy for me. Oh, and speaking of therapy, last Friday, I was released from all therapy. But I have to see a cardiologist to resume my exercises. Needless to say I am much improved and aced all the memory tests in my last session.

I am hopeful to be free of the attendant care when the doctor sees me later this month, at least a big reduction of hours anyway.

So take heart, dear friends, except for needing transportation, I'm alive and kicking!

Take care.

I had a stroke!

I bet you never expected to see a post like this from me. No. I'm not posting about a movie concerning a stroke victim or my latest novel. On February 19th, two days before my birthday this year (2017) I suffered a stroke. By writing this post I want to warn my readers so if you have the symptoms you will know to get immediate help. It could very well save your life and lessen the after-effects.

On February 18th, I was whacky.. I drove over an open area and ended up with my car hanging over a concrete ledge above a drainage ditch. I had been to the grocery store.Feeling confused but soldiering onward. I realized later I had taken a wrong turn driving home. Nothing looked familiar.  No Wonder.

Able to exit the car onto a nearby sidewalk, I got my trusted rolling cart filled with groceries, out of the back hatch and started walking into a strange land in the hot, humid Florida afternoon. I was nowhere near my apartment. Instead I wandered a a different complex, dragging my wilted deli sandwich, and caffeine free Diet Coke with the dog food ehind me. I met strangers who looked at me with suspicion and some who did not. After asking several if they recognized me. I in my fog, knew I must be in the wrong place and asked for the directions  to my complex office. two very kind young men drove me to the office. Red-faced, sweating, and chewed upon by Godzilla-sized mosquitos, I'm sure I made a pitiful sight. The apt manager took me home in a golf cart. My insurance emergency number refused to come get my car and tow it back to my apt unless I oaid them cash, reminds me I need to call the company and report that...But the young apt manager's father had a tow truck, so after I was taken home by golf cart, he got my car off the ledge and drove it to my place. It was driveable, he reported. Grateful to be back in the AC (this is Florida, remember - yes we sometimes use it in February.)

Okay enough perspiration rhetoric - time to get serious.The next morning I woke with the worst headache of my allergy and sinus-beset life. My brain crouched in my skull like a steaming lava rock, burning and hurting continually. I called the nail salon and canceled my appointment booked for  later in the morning. I told them I thought I had a migraine...

When my left arm and hand began to tingle, I knew it was no migraine. So I called my niece and told her I thought I was having a stroke. (She's a nurse.) She asked me which ER I wanted to enter. I made my choice, she picked me up in her sports car and off we went. At the ER my BP was over 200, confirming my self-iagnosis. I was having a stroke. Later in the hospital, one of the doctors told me I was lucky. 

In only four minutes, you can lose all of who you are, by not going to an ER at the signs of a stroke. She said in only four minutes, I could have been a shell with all of my memories, and abilities gone forever.  Scary thought...I was admitted to the hospital where my old teenaged response to stress arose and I terrorized people with my sleepwalking. Who knew???!!!

I went to rehab after the hospital where I was in a wheelchair for a while due to falling danger with my unsteady gait.

Except for  a male nurse who yelled at me for ending up in another woman's room during one of my unconscious nighttime expeditions the staff was wonderful. 

                        but here's the deal, if you get a bad headache, call somebody. If you get numbness or tingling on e side of your body, go right to the ER.

If you have no way to get to the ER,    CALL 911. 

A STROKE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY and a legitimate reason to call the paramedics.

GET HELP AND SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!! Stroke is a killer who attacks many Americans each year.  Don't ignore the symptoms.

As for me, I came out with little peripheral vision on my left side. I've got special glasses which draw my left eye to the left side, but I'm no longer able to drive. I need rides wherever I want to go. Looks like I won't be shopping for  a new car this year unless my sight improves. (it could,)

Redefined Ruby or Bold Bordeaux?

Hello. I want to apologize for being offline for a bit. My pink PC died not once but twice in about eight days. So she's been to Geek Squad twice in that time period. I already decided to replace her. She is getting old and her software is woefully out of date.

I've got a new blue laptop ordered with 1terabyte of storage to accommodate my manuscripts. It's also got brand new software. That'll be a trip! It will go to Geek Squad to get set up and then I'll be up and rolling.

It's horrible when a writer is "in the zone" working on a manuscript and can't finish what she's started. In this case I was beginning the last (I hope) serious edit of my serial killer novel. Oh well, my brain has been working in the meantime. Just hope I remember all the changes I want to make...We'll see.

I've actually got a couple of film reviews to post here, but that will be next week probably.

Tomorrow my chapter of RWA (Romance Writers of America) is having an event at a local library with panels of authors discussing some of the processes in writing romance particularly and other novel forms. A novel is a novel with some of the things recommended across the genres of fiction.

So our event is well-publicized. We are going to present panels of published authors speaking about various aspects. My two are How to Go Back to the Past - or writing Historical fiction...I'm prepared with a very short presentation - Google it...Actually I've got more than that to say.

And then I'm also on How to Make Your Bad Guy Good...in other words how to write a successful villain. I can talk for days about The Inquisitor, but I won't. I'll just touch on a few of the things which make a good villain - someone who can appear non-threatening - who is devoid of compassion - who  has years of rage stored up inside just screaming to get out...yep, that does it. Think Theodore Robert Bundy, one of the most written about serial killers of our time.

Of course, we will be allowed to have a book sale tomorrow as well. So each of us has to set up our table with books for sale, little tchotchkes to give away...preferably with the cover of one of your novels on it or at least the title...check, got those. Got my new business cards with a graphic of a woman with a haircut like mine, dark hair (yep, the blue is gone now) and bright red lips. That's my new brand. So I went out and bought a couple of kinds of red lipstick, took photos of me wearing each of them and got one picked to use.
Gotta represent!!

Ahh the glamorous life!! Ha, that's a good one...got any more while you're wearing your Bold Bordeaux lipstick, honeybun?

Nah, I think I've done enough damage for one day.

Remember more movie reviews will come this next week now that my computer is up and running.

Have a great weekend...Unless you're a diehard Patriots fan, forget about the Superbowl, except for Lady Gaga - a wonderful performance. Who knew she was so athletic?

Besides to quote an old country song from the late 70s "Cause the Superbowl ain't the Superbowl, if the Dallas Cowboys ain't there..."

Until next time...

 

Mary Tyler Moore

I just heard Mary Tyler Moore has died. I feel like I've lost a beloved friend. Not only was this woman a talented actress, dancer, and musical comedy star, she was funny, but she was also an unintentional feminist icon.

Her first ongoing television role in a series was the secretary of detective Richard Diamond. She was always shown behind a desk with her legs crossed as she answered his phone. In those days, women did not wear slacks at office jobs. They wore dresses. So the camera always caressed her legs crossed and wearing high heels as she talked on the phone. He called her "Legs" for good reason. Her voice was sultry as she offered him her take on his cases. We never saw her face on the show, only her dancer's legs.

Following in the footsteps of such shows as "Ozzie and Harriet" and even "I Love Lucy", Moore was hired to play Dick Van Dyke's wife on his show. She was known a Laura Petrie, a glamorous woman her husband met when a USO show came to his base during his stint in the military. She was a dancer for the USO. The action in the series took place several years later when they were married, living in New Rochelle, NY. Van Dyke played Robert Petrie, known as Rob. He was one of a trio of writers for the fictitious Allen Brady show. Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner's father, played Brady. The Petries had a son named Richie who went from being about 6 on the show to 10. Laura was frequently dressed in form fitting slacks, rarely did she wear dresses unless they were going out. Such outfits first introduced on "I Love Lucy" were still a rarity.

Unlike Harriet Nelson, Laura Petrie was no old-fashioned wife. Unlike Lucy, Laura's show business dreams were fulfilled. Rob never forbade her. He was very proud of her. It was a wonderful show, my favorite of that era. All of the regular cast were wonderful. The dialogue was bright, some of the situations were hysterical. Mary Tyler Moore added spice and an example of a woman who met her husband as an equal in certain things. The first of her kind on television.

A few years after the demise of The Dick Van Dyke show, The Mary Tyler Moore show was born. This time she was a 30 something single woman with a career and a cadre of "second bananas" on her show. The ensemble on this one was just as wonderful as that of The Dick Van Dyke show. Hired first as a secretary, Mary Richards (Moore) was elevated to producer in the world of the independent television station in Minneapolis/St Paul. Her character worked more as an equal with most of the men than any other female character on television at the time. The show ran several years and was finally cancelled. They had a killer final episode which left with a long laugh from the studio audience.

Just a side, come on you knew I'd do this, don't I always? The Dick Van Dyke show was famous for having the longest sustained laugh from a live audience in television history. I remember a longer one on the great show "Taxi" a few years later. But that one was interrupted by ongoing dialogue. Anyway, the cast on the Dick Van Dyke like the good stage actors they were, held their dialogue until the laughter wound down. Course Van Dyke and the guest star Greg Morris (who went on the be part of the original ensemble on "Mission: Impossible") both had tears running down their cheeks from laughing along with the audience.

After her sitcom successes, Mary Tyler Moore worked on Broadway and in occasional films. I heard her interviewed on NPR a couple of years ago.  She said she didn't really like California and preferred New York. She liked appearing on Broadway to live audiences.

She was nominated for an Oscar for her starring role in "Ordinary People" but did not win. Although the film won Best Picture. Directed by Robert Redford, his directorial debut, it won for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Hutton), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Moore was nominated for Best Actress and Judd Hirsch for Best Supporting Actor - neither of them won.

Moore won an Emmy Award for her work on the 1977 season of the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" - The show won for best comedy that year as well.

Later in her career, she won a special Tony Award for a production of "Whose Life Is It Anyway?"

During her time on Dick Van Dyke's show, she was diagnosed with diabetes, which plagued her the rest of her life. She never let it slow her down or affect her  performances.

Finally I say, Goodnight, Mary. Thank you for inspiring generations of girls and young women by showing what we could all do. No meek little housewife here. Even when she was young, Ms. Moore was a woman of substance with keen intelligence shining from her eyes, taking charge of her destiny. Rest well, you deserve it.

So begins 2017... I hope we won't lose as many celebrities as we did in 2016.

Until next time...

The Accountant

I've been on a movie watching spree this week. This time I've been watching on pay-per-view instead of venturing to the movie theater.

My first film to see in the comfort of my own home was The Accountant starring Ben Affleck. This one is a taut suspense film both in learning his background and in law enforcement's pursuit of this well shadowed assassin with deadly fame.

Affleck plays Christian, a man with a type of Autism which allows him to function in society. Labelled a math savant, he becomes an accountant as he is excellent with numbers.

The film begins with scenes in his childhood home. Christian is difficult to handle. It looks like the mid to late 1950s. His mother insists he needs help and they go to a rural institute in New Hampshire seeking care for him. The creator of the facility talks to the mother, while her husband, a military officer, stands with his arms folded tightly in front and a stoic expression on his face.

The doctor offers to help Christian to which the mother expresses her gratitude. But she is countermanded by her overbearing husband. He doesn't think Christian needs any help.  He needs to be exposed to the real world so he can function and get out of this phase of his life. The husband thinks his wife is just silly and indulgent. Later in the film, she leaves the family one day, just walks out, leaving her husband to handle Christian's emotional outburst. Her younger son watches her leave as he gives her the one finger salute looking out the window at her.

Thus Christian and his little brother are left in the hands of their uncaring father. The boys are trained in the martial arts with their father directing them in picking fights with older boys until they are proficient in hand-to-hand combat. Then they are trained in all manner of weaponry.

As an adult, Christian is an accountant with a small practice out of a rural strip mall office. He is an excellent accountant with his ability with numbers. However, he is a much better covert assassin with his expertise in weaponry and lack of compassion. Hired by some very dangerous people to do their dirty work with no slips, he has become very wealthy and picks his jobs as he pleases.

He is always careful to set up a new alias and personal info for each job. But the head Treasury agent is on his trail. Played by the venerable J.K. Simmons, who seems to be in almost every film I see these days, he is close to discovering the truth about Christian. So he brings in a subordinate agent, a woman, to finish the job under his supervision.

In the meantime, Christian has met a young woman on one of his cover jobs, temping for a company with problems with their finances. He clicks on to the woman, played by Anna Kendrick. They have some life experiences in common. He saves her when rivals attack.

That's as far as I'll go. I don't want to spoil the film for you.

Affleck is excellent as Christian, with just enough humanity to keep him from seeming a robotic monster.

Simmons does his usual job as the retiring director of the Treasury Department.

Anna Kendrick, who I have only seen in lightweight comedies, was a surprise in the depth of her character portrayal.

This is a tense, solemn film, with a bit of a hopeful revelation at the end. It was refreshing to see Affleck play something other than his villainous portrayals in recent films.

In places this is an exciting film when the battles are being waged. For that's what Christian is, a warrior equipped with gifts beyond the norm.

Until next time...

Deepwater Horizon

I should know better than this, but I watched Deepwater Horizon, another Mark Wahlberg film. This is based on the gruesome incident which took place in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. An oil exploration platform basically exploded, killing eleven of the workers. It is estimated to have to have spewed 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf, making it the worst such accident in history. Areas of the Gulf were so befouled, fishing an important industry in that location was suspended for many months. Consequently the prices of seafood to the consumer went up exponentially. Marine life, including fish, shrimp, oysters, and birds was decimated.

In a film with harrowing scenes, one of the worst was before the humans realized the oil was starting to blow. A pelican, by the look of  it (identification was hard because the poor creature was coated in oil.) The bird flew through a window breaking it. Then it kept hitting things as it flopped around in the interior, screaming and panicking. It finally hit its head once too often and collapsed to the decking, a glass shard protruding out of its chest. Yes, I know it was done with CGI, but I couldn't help imagining how rough it was for the biological creatures in the path of the behemoth disaster.

Clearly caused by a gigantic case of hubris from the visiting BP (British Petroleum) execs who ignored warning signs and oil rig workers who pointed out the growing problems on their dials and gauges, this was a tragic situation that could have been prevented.

Led by John Malkovich the visiting execs were well portrayed. In the firestorm caused by the accident, the BP fellows insisted a life raft leave the area only partially filled while others were swimming through fire to get to the safety of the craft. Two of the men were eventually convicted with manslaughter as a result. But were later pardoned...no comment.

Along with Mark Wahlberg and John Malkovich, the cast includes Kurt Russell, his step-daughter Kate Hudson who plays Wahlberg's wife. Also notable is Gina Rodriguez who plays one of the staff minding the dials and gauges. She is responsible for sounding an unofficial "Mayday!" to the crew before her supervisor is sure it's needed. In fact he's chastising her when the whole thing begins to blow.

Eventually, BP had to pay $20 Billion (yep that's with a B not M) to the employees, the families of the deceased, and people whose livelihoods (i.e. commercial fishermen) and property were destroyed in the onslaught of oil that coated the northern Gulf of Mexico.

This is an incredible film, even for a disaster movie. I didn't have the guts to see it in the theater. After seeing Patriot's Day late last week in the theater, I really appreciated my choice of seeing this one at home.

Make no mistake, this is a well-made film, entertaining, shocking, and horrifying in places. Somehow I didn't really want any popcorn, though...

This one's available on pay-per-view with the various cable carriers and is available on rental basis or purchase.

Until next time...

Patriot's Day

Today I saw the new movie Patriot's Day - The story of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, the film is earnest, hard-hitting, and realistic in its depiction of the crime as well as the carnage.

This is NOT a film for the faint of heart. The malevolence of the terrorist event is shown in chaotic motion, complete with the mix of the noises when the smoke died down and people began to realize what happened.

Have you ever been in a big accident, or near an explosion, or in a tornado which dances its malevolence near your house? The same thing always happens. During the incident, everything is just a confused jumble, then there is a moment of silence as the people/victims breathe for a minute and come back down to earth. There is always a period of stunned silence before all hell truly does break loose.

In an intense film, these moments were the most shattering. It happened when the victims and the helpers were looking around trying to understand what had just occurred. Many of the victims discovered severed legs or arms, their own or those of their loved ones. The screaming was awful, stirring the viewers with multiple emotions, shock, sadness, anger...That scene was masterfully crafted, though hard to watch.

The worst moment for me came when they discovered the body of the little eight-year-old boy who was killed. He lay sprawled in the street, straddling the curb. They covered his small broken corpse with a white blanket through which the blood soaked. The rest of his family members were injured and taken in the confusion to different hospitals. The FBI insisted his body stay where it was as it was now "evidence." The Boston police on the streets, led by Mark Wahlberg's character protested long and loud at this one, without success. So one of the officers, a member of a mounted patrol by his uniform, stood guard over the small body covered by a bloody blanket. They would show shots of him standing at attention during the investigation at the scene. When they finally allowed the body to be taken to the morgue, the officer stood at attention and saluted with tears flowing down his cheeks until the ambulance disappeared down the street.

It will be a long time before that image leaves my thoughts.

The film shows the action before the day of the bombing, introducing the main characters, including the bombers and goes until the younger brother is taken from the boat in which he hid in a Watertown backyard.

All the performances are tight, realistic portrayals of the people caught in this horrendous act.

There were standout performances by Mark Wahlberg (who also produced this film), as a Boston Police Sergeant who worked the marathon as final punishment for insubordination. He worked the case night and day until it was solved.

J K Simmons, my favorite psychiatrist from the old Law and Order series, portrayed the Chief of the Watertown Police Department
.
John Goodman (so much slimmer than in his Roseanne days) portrayed the Boston Commissioner of Police.

Kevin Bacon played the war-weary FBI agent in charge of the investigation.

Honestly, there were more than competent performances given by the entire cast.

At the end of the film, they introduced some of the real people played by actors in the film. They showed the Boston Strong movement and how some of the survivors have recovered and gone on to run in the Marathon.

They also showed the one remaining bomber in custody awaiting execution in prison.

A note - I have a history of motion sickness. It's one of the reasons I rarely fly. It's also why I prefer to watch fast moving film footage on my home television rather than a huge screen at the theater. I was really glad toward the end of the movie I had rushed past the concession stand on the way into the theater.
But it did give me an idea on my first thriller manuscript to beef up the climax scene a bit. You know how authors are...always watching for inspiration.

Take care and enjoy some pop culture. It's a nice change from politics!

Until next time...

Jackie

Today, New Year's Eve, I finally made it to the movies. I went to see Natalie Portman's portrayal of  Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, known as Jackie to her millions of admirers during her lifetime.

As anticipated, it is a powerful film letting the audience into the private rooms of the White House and the machinations of crisis in the Executive branch of our government.

It is a piece in which the focus jumps back and forth between the present day for the film (after the assassination), the scrambling to make arrangements, and the personal aftermath for the title character. It begins with Jackie's televised tour of the White House and all of the original furnishings she found and brought back to the home of the American President. I remember that interview. My parents and I watched the black and white presentation, the kinetic screen flickering as it did in those days. She was a beautiful woman with a quiet, breathy voice, still the voice of a young woman, but that was before her husband was murdered in an open car in Dallas. He died in her lap before they ever made it to Parkland Hospital. It's hard to live with a goodly portion of your head and brain blasted away.

We all wondered why she jumped on the back of the car, what she was doing after the shots rang out. She was trying to retrieve all the pieces of his brain and head that littered the once immaculate black trunk of the convertible limousine. The cameras were rolling filming the motorcade that day. The awful events have been well preserved for history.

The movie opens with jumping scenes moving with electric speed from the tour mentioned above, to the assassination, and then a later scene where she is being interviewed after she has left the White House and lives in a borrowed estate. It is there she meets with the journalist, the first one she has granted an interview.
She puts up lots of barriers to his questions. Several times when she is candid with him, she tells him he can't use the information. Literally lighting up another cigarette after she finishes the previous one, he plans to depict her smoking throughout the interview. She takes another deep draw and announces she doesn't smoke. She was very conscious of her public image.

The state funeral is portrayed as the historical significance of each phase is mentioned. JFK's funeral was planned on Lincoln's. They used the same cason for the casket of the young president as they had for Lincoln.

The processional march from the Capitol to the cathedral where the funeral was being held was particularly contentious with Jackie changing her mind not once but twice. Plus Rose Kennedy wanted her son buried with the rest of the family in Brookline, Massachusetts. Jackie wanted him in Arlington National Cemetery where he is to this day.

Natalie Portman is incredible in the role.
She is aided by a strong cast which includes:

Peter Sarsgaard as Robert Kennedy
Billy Crudup as reporter Theodore H. White
Beth Grant as Lady Bird Johnson (an eerie lookalike to her character we've seen in other things)
Caspar Phillipson as John Fitzgerald Kennedy
John Carroll Lynch as LBJ
John Hurt as Father Richard McSorley

The cast works well together and are believable in their roles.

This is an immaculate representation of the real events. My only criticism is the music score was LOUD and distracting at times. I don't know if that was intentional or a problem with the theater's sound system. It was unfortunate whatever the cause.

I predict Ms. Portman to be a favorite during awards season. She's already culled some nominations. The rest of the cast is competent particularly John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Billy Crudup. Unfortunately JFK is only seen in one scene outside the actual assassination. The actor resembles his character, but is a much shorter man. For that matter, Ms. Portman is a petite woman. Jackie Kennedy was about 5'7. But that's easily overlooked. She is very strong in her portrayal of the historical icon.

The film brings the details of the murder into grisly, stark reality. Except for the Zapruder film shot on an old 8mm hand held camera, all the other footage was in black and white. Plus we never saw the carnage in the car either in black and white or color. For that I am grateful, the longshots were rough enough especially for an impressionable thirteen-year-old.

Jackie is a good film which didn't show me too much I didn't already know, except that mentioned above. It held my attention and yes it made me weep. It's hard not to when you remember that "once there was a spot which was known as Camelot." The bitter thing is the romantic glow lasted such a short time.

If you want to see a good film depicting John Kennedy in one of his triumphs, see the film Thirteen Days. It is about the Cuban Missile Crisis, considered one of the finest moments of his Presidency.

I'm sorry but when I think back on this recent election with its' name calling and incivility, I think of "Camelot" and just shake my head.

Until next time...

Be safe tonight.

Ming's Recuperation

Hello.

I've been taking care of Ming and basically ignoring Christmas. Decided I wanted to do that this year and it worked pretty well for me. Haven't made it to a movie, though. Ming's had a rough time. I've been reluctant to leave him too long.

We went back to the vet for our weekly visit today. Ming IS healing but it's going slowly. The vet said there is blood flow so he will continue to heal in the eye. Ming is sixteen years old. The vet said they could do more surgery but he doesn't want to, due to Ming's age. I agree with him.

As for Ming, he's making it around the apartment very well. In fact both dogs are here with me in my office, asleep under the ceiling fan.

Yes, folks, it's almost 80 degrees outside today. We live in Florida a few miles inland from the coast. Don't be jealous, we've got a big cold front coming in tomorrow night. Friday's high will be in the lower 50s...which will give me a chance to wear my hoodies. I might wear the one that says "Send me to Hawaii...NOW!!"

Ming is seeing a bit as his eye heals. He sits in the living area and watches the dream catcher revolve suspended from the ceiling fan. There's a bank of windows in that room which  provides lots of sunlight. He also sees things at night when they're silhouetted by the lamp. He's looked up into my eyes a time or two when I've had the lamp on beside my chair.

He's not uncomfortable, especially since I replaced the hard plastic cone he had to wear with a great inflatable collar which looks like a big donut. I have to replenish the air once in a while. But as a trained opera singer I always have my breath.

So we're getting along okay. Now he knows his way around to his water dish, his towel where he sleeps in the living area, his food dish, and his puppy pads, we're pretty much back to normal.

Of course, he can't get groomed and hasn't been for five or six weeks now. The ophthalmologist vet says he can't be bathed or clipped for fear of infection in the partially healed eye. I haven't had Myrna groomed either. Now she looks like a tangled glob of shredded wheat...so she's getting groomed next week. Poor little girl.

Now, then, I am going to try to go to a movie tomorrow. If I do, I will write a post tomorrow.

I haven't been paying attention to Christmas, but I have been paying attention to my Dallas Cowboys!! They're lookin' gooooooood!!!

Did anybody catch the Kennedy Center Honors last night? Among the honorees were James Taylor, Mavis Staples, and The Eagles...I made a big fool of myself singing along and rocking out. But boy, did it feel good. Nothing like an old hippie enjoying her music!

But on a more somber note, I think it's time for me to ditch the blue hair...oh well..

Take care. Rock on!

Until next time...

Bah Humbug

It's been awhile since I last posted. In the meantime, my little Tzu, Ming the Merciless has gone downhill a bit. His condition has worsened as we found out when we saw the vet for a checkup yesterday. Needless to say, I'm not happy. Poor little guy. He's on a bunch of new medicine. Also, at the vet's suggestion I bought an inflatable collar at Pets Mart to replace the hard plastic cone. He seems much more comfortable in it. So he wears  it all the time now to keep his paw out of his eye.

Today is the one year anniversary of the day my father died. My niece and I went out to the cemetery today. I thought I'd be very down, but I'm not. It is what it is. I cannot change it

Probably my concern is focused on my little elderly dog.

Last year this was a horrendous day. I was absolutely numb, shell shocked from my dad's rapid decline at the end. During the ensuing year, I've had bouts of depression and bouts of being lost in my work, speeding through the edits for book#3 and through the draft manuscript for book#4.

The numbness lasted several weeks. I didn't want anything to do with Christmas last year but went to my niece's anyway. I wasn't very nice and ended up leaving early.

This year I am not celebrating. My niece is going out of town. I may go to a movie Christmas day. It's a good day to go to the earlier showings. Most people are still celebrating with their families and you can get in to see anything out there.

So the lesson learned over the last year is this:

I expected today to be hard. It wasn't particularly. I did fine. After the cemetery, my niece and I went to lunch at the Cracker Barrel which we both like but seldom visit. We didn't make a day of it as Ming is delicate and I don't want to leave him for a long time like I might otherwise.

I want to make sure he gets his medication on schedule to help the infection stop spreading. Poor little guy. He and his sister, Myrna, are the oldest dogs I've ever had. Like people, they have issues in old age. If he crosses the Rainbow Bridge as a result of this illness, I can't prevent it. All I can do is give him the best care I can. So that's what I'm focused on doing these days.

In the meantime I've got editing to do on Forbidden (Kapu) my first novel in the new Inquisitor series. I've begun writing Honor Thy Mother, the second novel in the Inquisitor series.

When you're feeling anti-social, working on a manuscript is a great way to pass the time. You disappear into that world and work out your feelings in the manuscript. Easiest form of therapy available...

I wish you all the happiest of holidays. Cherish your time together and hold on to your memories. They will stay with you after your loved ones are gone.

Enjoy your holidays however you may celebrate.

And enjoy our wonderful pop culture, whether you listen to Christmas music, go out dancing, or stay home and watch TV.

Until next time...

Update on Ming

Thought I posted the results on FB last night, I thought I'd update my blog readers.

He doesn't have glaucoma. He had an ulcer on his cornea which ruptured.

So the veterinary ophthalmologist grafted tissue from his eye over the area of the rupture. He's on four different kinds of eye drops and two different kinds of pills. We go back in 2 weeks.

Ming is growling occasionally, mad about his condition. Believe me he's not whimpering or crying. But I'm letting him navigate on his own sometimes in the apt. He seems to have forgotten what he knew about the layout.  Right now he's operating from panic, but he's calming down. He found his water bowl after lunch which was good. I'm trying to be patient with him so he will get stronger and more self-sufficient while he's recovering.

I also have to give Myrna, his sister, lots of love and reinforcement, so she doesn't feel neglected.

Oh, did I mention Ming fits in his crate with the collar (elizabethan type) he must wear during recuperation? He fits in there all right. Overnight I was periodically awakened by noises coming from the crate and would tell him "go to sleep. It's all right. I'm here with you..." Little toot was working at removing the collar, which he did...sigh.

It's one big laugh riot at my place ..... NOT!!

But we will get through it.

Thanks for letting me spew.

Until next time...

Ming the Merciless

About a year and a half ago, my Shih Tzu, Ming the Merciless, lost an eye to glaucoma. His other eye has it now, which we knew was a possibility. I saw several dogs, particularly Shih Tzus, at the veterinary ophthalmologist's clinic who had both eyes removed. So that's what is going to happen to my brave protector.

He's already lost the sight in the affected eye. He can get around inside our place. And when I carry him outside over the one step and put him down on the sidewalk, he gets to the grass and does just fine.

I watched him today as he navigated to his water bowl, his food bowl (and his sister's), to my office where he sleeps on the carpet while I work at the computer, and into the bedroom where their crates are. He's sitting at my feet right now as I type this.

All last night I worried I'd have to put him to sleep today. But I called our vet first thing this morning and she talked me out of it, telling me he would do just fine getting around using his nose and sense of smell.

I saw a posting on Facebook, a photo of an elderly dog. The caption read something like "Sure you love me as a puppy, but will you still love me when I'm old?" I kept seeing that picture in my mind last night as I tossed and turned.

Ming and his sister Myrna are the surviving members of the puppy trio I got in 2001. We lost Sparky to cancer several years ago. I have to admit Ming and Myrna have aged, but they're not too frail. They are still active with life left in them. So we will go for the surgery and I'll take care of him for the rest of his life.

They are my sweet little Tzus. They got me through the bad times when Dad died and the times when I was so stressed out about him and his behavior due to his dementia. I'm convinced they saved my life a time or two. I can do no less.

Love your dogs and/or your cats. The picture below was taken before Ming lost his first eye.  He's he black and white one.

Until next time...

A Tuna Christmas

For all of you in the Austin Texas area, I want to highly recommend the following production:

A Tuna Christmas

If you've never heard of A Tuna Christmas, it is absolutely hysterical. I made a visit to Tuna whenever possible when I lived in Texas. The originators of this whacko world in a tiny Texas town, wrote three plays that I know of about the denizens of Tuna, Texas.

It is a town filled with "colorful" characters, to say the least, such as the two waitresses at the Tasty Kreme,
Inita Goodwin and Helen Bedd. Just say the names aloud and you'll get the gist.

If you want to enjoy uproarious comedy and laugh yourself silly, you'd best get your tickets.

I am told they are sold out though the 19th.

One of the actors, Frank Benge, is a friend of mine. We've worked together on some productions. He directed me and I directed him.

Trust me, he will be incredible in this comic delight.

Click on the link above to find out more info.

This is a laugh-til-you-cry event.

I really wish I still lived in Texas. Here in Jacksonville, a tuna Christmas means Christmas dinner is the catch of the day.

Tell Aunt Pearl I said hey.

Enjoy!

Remember to be thankful.

For some of you, this post will contain some old information. Sorry about that.

Anyway, today is not a happy day for me. I was my 94 year old father's caregiver. Last Thanksgiving was his last holiday. My niece and grandnephew met us at a local restaurant where they had a buffet. My niece walked my dad inside. He was already beginning to forget how to walk. The people at the restaurant knew us and filled a plate for Dad so he could remain seated.

We had a good time that day. But the next week he took three separate falls. Went to the ER all three times and refused treatment. On the third visit, the doctor ordered the tests anyway, told me Dad would be admitted. He ordered me to leave telling me I looked exhausted.

After several days in the hospital Dad went to hospice care where he died in five days. Needless to say I don't feel like celebrating this year.

I have very little family left in this area. My niece is in Japan right now visiting her son who is stationed there. So I am alone.

I'm working today, beginning my next novel, another of The Inquisitor series (thrillers about a vicious serial killer.) Hmmmm. Sharon "vicious serial killer" is an oxymoron...but this guy IS a champ at viciousness.

Before I came in here to work, I fed my dogs their breakfast, ate my own, and then wrestled with the gargantuan morning newspaper. I tossed all of the Black Friday circulars into the recycle receptacle unread. I read the small newspaper, checking to see what they said about the chances for the Dallas Cowboys to make it 10-1 on their winning streak when they play the Redskins this afternoon. Did the Word Jumble and the Sudoku (my daily mental acuity tests - if I can solve both, I'm on target that day- got 'em both.) Sorry, but my father and his mother both died of dementia. My best friend's mother died of dementia.  We both worry if we forget words, etc, that it may be inherited dementia. So far, it's just normal aging process.

I watched an episode of Property Brothers. Then I watched Rocky Balboa which premiered in 2006, the last offering of the long running movie serial. I like Rocky, always have. Oh I know it's schmaltzy, but part of it rings true.

No matter how many people say "you can't" - you keep fighting - you keep pursuing your dream as long as you live.

On a day which is hard for me this year, I realized I do have things for which to be thankful.

When I moved here almost seven years ago to become my dad's caregiver, I began writing once more. I hadn't written anything but articles in the last 30 years. I had written two novels in the 1970s which no publisher wanted. They're hidden away in boxes in my files.

I remembered my dream of being a published novelist and went to work pursuing that goal. This time a publisher read the prologue of my first novel Touch the Sky on one of my blogs and asked for the manuscript saying they were interested in publishing it. Now my third novel in that series will be available December 6th. My fourth novel, the beginning of The Inquisitor series is having its first edit. Entitled Forbidden (Kapu), it takes place mostly in 1898 Hawaii. It was so hard to write because I had to study the Hawaiian language for some of the characters. The new one, tentatively titled, Honor Thy Mother, takes place in the US. Whew, no foreign language to research.

Plus, two of my sixteen year old shih tzus are still with me. I've had them since they were two months old.

I have made good friends in the local writing community, live by a small lake where I can see all kinds of birds and the occasional aquatic mammal. Even though I get depressed on some days, my life is good.

So remember your blessings, love your family, be thankful, and enjoy your dinner.

I've got a turkey sandwich from the deli with my name on it waiting for me. I also bought a small pumpkin pie, an unaccustomed dissipation. (Love that phrase - it came from a Regency novel I read years ago.)

Coming out of the cloud of the last few years, I am grateful to still be here, have good friends, and three books published and two more coming out of the chute. I know, I know, but you should expect words like that out of a Texan and a DALLAS COWBOYS fan.

I am also thankful for my readers of my books and of my sometimes inane blog posts. Bless you.

Take care. Have a great holiday.

Until next time...

Race

I saw Race earlier this week.  It's another of those films I intended to see in the theater, but never made it. Fortunately for all of us it's now on premium cable channels.

This is the story of Jesse Owens and his remarkable career in track and field events. If you don't know about Jesse Owens, he was a black man who got accepted at Ohio State University because of his running and jumping abilities. He went on to the 1936 Olympic Games, held in NAZI Germany, Berlin to be exact.

See, Hitler was planning to show the world how great Germany was under his leadership.  He also wanted to show the "racial superiority" of the "Aryan Race." (read that - white people from Germany.) The Games were to be a set-up to show how the Aryan athletes could best everyone else. Hitler's regime tried to bar Jews and Blacks from the games entirely.

In comes an American named Avery Brundage, a wealthy man who for years chaired the U.S. Olympic Committee. He wasn't impressed by Hitler's minions. In fact he dealt with Dr. Goebbels, head of the Ministry of Propaganda. Brundage basically told him the policy banning all black athletes and all Jews wouldn't fly. America wouldn't be involved in the games at all and would tell the world why. Brundage got his way.

The American team had three African-Americans and two Jewish men, who were all medal contenders.
If you don't know what happened, Jesse Owens took home four gold medals, smashing several world records. It would have only been three, but he had to step into the relay team when the two Jewish men were banned from competing at the last minute. Jesse had never run the relay, but he was incredibly fast. So with another teammate of African-American descent as replacements, the US relay team took the gold medals. Hitler refused to greet the winners of any event Jesse won.  He conveniently left before Jesse arrived to be greeted.

Hmmmm. Der Fuehrer had a big case of sour grapes. So much for his "master race" bulldookey (sorry had to go all Texan on you good folks.)

The film, Race, is about much more than Jesse's accomplishments. It's about his life. How he had to fight to be accepted at Ohio State and out in regular society. When they held a major banquet in his honor at a large NY hotel, he and his wife were made to take the service elevators because they weren't allowed inside the main parts of the hotel.

I was shocked to find the president at the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, did not even acknowledge Owens' accomplishments.  There was no notice of it from the White House. I bet FDR got a good tongue-lashing from his wife on that one.

The talented cast includes:

Stephan James as Jesse Owens. He plays the lead character with a strength of spirit and of body. He makes a wonderful film athlete.

Jason Sudeikis as Coach Larry Snyder - known for comedy, Sudeikis does a great job in this dramatic role.

Clarice Van Houten as Hitler's favorite filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl who filmed the Olympics. Riefenstahl was a fascinating woman. She was Hitler's best propaganda tool with her filmmaking. Some of her films are rarely shown to this day as they put the NAZI regime in such a favorable light.

Jeremy Irons as Avery Brundage. I remember seeing Brundage and Irons captured the character superbly.

Shanice Banton is lovely and feisty as Ruth Solomon, Jesse's longtime girlfriend whom he ultimately marries.

William Hurt as Jeremiah Mahoney, is good as another influential member of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

David Kross as Carl "Luz" Long - a German athlete, the pre-games favorite, who lost to Jesse in his signature event. Luz's story is sad. He and Jesse became great friends and remained friends after the games. Because Luz lost, he was drafted into the German army at the beginning of WWII and died at the allied invasion of Anzio in Italy. He and Jesse corresponded until his death.

Race is entertaining and keeps the audience attention throughout the film. His three daughters were consultants on the film.

It is the story of arguably the greatest track and field athlete of all time. He took the gold in two different length race events, the long jump, and the relay, breaking records in three of his events. He also broke the "glass ceiling" for African-American athletes to follow.

Until next time ...

Dr. Strange

Marvel's Dr. Strange is a wild ride even without the 3-D. Alas I suffered an eye injury a couple of weeks ago. It's healing, but I still can't take 3-D yet. So I saw it in the XD version at a Cinemark theater. (Which basically means a bigger, wrap-around screen, with enhanced sound.)

It's the story of Dr. Stephen Strange, an arrogant, brilliant surgeon with mad skills. He treats people around him as inferiors. Self-assured in his superb surgical talent, other people are discounted in his world. He always knows best.

One evening, he has performed miraculous surgery late in the day. When it's finished, he leaves to go home, change, pick out one of his many luxury watches to wear, and go to the black-tie event. The female doctor who often assists him and is his frequent date, tries to dissuade him from going. It's a rainy night and he has a long way to travel to get to the event. He disregards her and her fears.

Later when he's ready, he gets into his Maserati or Lamborghini, one of those slick European sports' cars, he leaves the city and comes to a curving mountainous road.  He doesn't pay attention to the narrow, winding road, secure in his assurance nothing will ever happen to him.

He's wrong. He suffers a head-on collision as he has veered into oncoming traffic. The crash is terrible as he bounces off the bridge, down the rocky bank, landing upended in the river. He is found and wakes in the hospital. His hands were surgically put back together. As a surgeon, he knows they will never be the same.

After months of recuperation, he is almost broke and down to his last watch. He has sheafs of letters from the world's best surgeons refusing to take his case.  All will not take his case as it is hopeless. He seeks out a man who's been miraculously healed.

The man (played by Benjamin Bratt) tells the former doctor he needs to go to Kathmandu to seek out a spiritual teacher there.

Thus the real journey begins. Strange, at his wit's end, finally finds someone to lead him to the teacher, known as The Ancient One, played by an androgynous Tilda Swinton with a shaved head. Resistant to learn at first, his old arrogant self still in play, he has to come to a crisis to be broken down and accept what he is taught. It's a rough journey for him, but he does learn what he needs.

If you can't tell, I love most of the Marvel movies. This is one of the biggest and one of the best. The special effects are mind-bending. As with most of the other Marvel films, there are incredible images of color and destruction, some of it gorgeous.

Benjamin Cumberbatch does his usual excellent job in the role, filled with humanity, strength, and unexpected humor.

Tilda Swinton plays the Ancient One with all the strength and power of a true spiritual teacher.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, a veteran of many films, including one of my favorites - Kinky Boots (yes, he played the drag queen) - is excellent as Mordo, one of the teachers who works with Dr. Strange.

Rachel McAdams does a wonderful job as Christine Palmer, the doctor's on again off again romantic partner. (Ever notice these super hero guys don't do relationships well?!!)

Mads Mikkelson plays the villain Kaecilius with serpentine grace and evil intent.

Stan Lee, one of the original creators of the Marvel Comics world, appears in a comic cameo. I think Dr. Strange was his creation. Of course he appears in each of the films.

As with every other Marvel film, look for a scene at the end of the credits - actually in this one there are two. In the first one, we see Dr. Strange meeting with Thor. They have a serious conversation which points to the next Dr. Strange film.

I'll leave the second one a secret. You'll know when you see it. It points to the surprising possible villain for the next one.

As I said previously, this is a glorious film visually with magical special effects on an enormous scale.
Also you learn something about the whereabouts of another infinity stone. I want to see the movie where they all come together for those stones!!

This is a memorable movie in the Marvel pantheon. Enjoy it, whether or not you see it in 3-D.

Till next time...

Westworld Revisited

Folks, I don't usually do this, but the HBO series Westworld is so extraordinary, I want to give it one more recommendation.

From a well-known premise (based on the 1973 film), this series has ventured far afield. Last night's episode was so shocking I had to watch it a second time to catch all the stuff I missed due to sitting stunned and staring at the screen in open-mouthed surprise.

The cast is superb in this one. But, the champ is Anthony Hopkins. He comes across as an addled old man content to socialize with his "hosts." Then his true personality and motives are revealed and you see doddering kindly old Santa Claus become Hannibal Lecter, icy, dangerous, and without compassion.

I smell an Emmy and/or a Golden Globe.

If you have access to this one already, check it out on demand. It's amazing on several levels.

Please don't miss it. In a host of wonderful series past and present on HBO, this one is the most starkly brilliant of them all.

Until next time...

Arrival

Friday I decided to go to the first showing of The Accountant at the movies. It's the one starring Ben Affleck who is an assassin with issues. I thought I might get some inspiration for my second Inquisitor book (the serial killer inspired by the Inquisition.)

But as I stood in the line for tickets, the woman in front of me bought tickets for Arrival. My brain went "Arrival, the weird one with the aliens..." So I bought a ticket to that one instead. I'd seen the commercials and the previews. It piqued my curiosity.

Arrival is not your stereotypical "hey-the-bad-aliens-have-landed!!!"

Instead it is like being in someone else's dream. Amy Adams, a prominent linguist who teaches at some college/university (it is never clarified), is facing a huge classroom with only four or five students. Frowning, she asks her students where the rest of them are. Then the cellphones start ringing. One of the students asks her to turn on the television to a news channel, please.

She does and they all see a series of strangely shaped alien craft hovering over the Earth in twelve different locations around the world. The students are released for the day and martial law is declared until they know the intent of the extraterrestrials.

Later she sits at home staring out at the view of her exquisite lake home (tell me a university that pays enough to have such a house!) Suddenly a helicopter lands in her yard and military men emerge onto her lawn. A Colonel played by Forest Whitaker comes to her door. It seems she is one of the world's best linguists. She is asked to be a part of the contact team for the craft hovering over Montana.

She finally relents and off she goes.

There she meets a physicist, played by Jeremy Renner, heading the scientific team. Together with military representatives, they make first contact with the aliens.

Everything is indistinct as if enshrouded by mist. The creatures, much larger than humans, resemble enormous squids with seven legs on which they stand. They make loud noises, sometime with so many decibels the theatre seats shook like the old "sensurround" days of the movie Earthquake.  For you younger folk, the tremors in that movie rumbled so loudly and deeply, the chairs seemed to vibrate like they would in a quake...

The visitors have a written language which the professor ultimately deciphers so they are able to communicate. Their reason for coming to Earth will surprise you.

Then the Russians and the Chinese stop all communication with the rest of the world, unable to communicate with the visitors and sure they are hostile. Yep, the Earth is brought to the brink of WWIII.

Tense moments ensue until resolution is reached.

I won't tell you about what they learn or how the linguist learns it...

You need to see it for yourself. I'd give this one a solid nine out of ten. It is a lovely film with memorable characters, an excellent screenplay, atmospheric sets and effects, and a somnambulistic quality (like they are all walking in a shared dream.)

It reminded me of what an able actor Amy Adams is. Also showed me Jeremy Renner's capabilities extend well beyond the Marvel films. (Not that I'm bad-mouthing those - solid fan, here.)

This one will stay with you for a while.

I was so stunned by it when I started writing this post on Friday afternoon, I spelled poor Ben Affleck's name as Afflack. Somehow I knew that was wrong..Why did I see a duck? When I figured it out, I decided to postpone writing this review...

Okay, the Cowboy game is coming on!!!

Until next time...