Sunday, January 24, 2010

A Gnarly Head, a Crazy Heart, & Wiggly Fingers (& my lifelong dream of being Judge of the World)


MENU OF THE DAY:

Playing on iTunes: The Weary Kind from the movie Crazy Heart. It's by Ryan Bingham. (eque, you once sent me his song, Southside of Heaven) Both are beautiful songs.

The movie: i HIGHLY recommend this movie Crazy Heart, which stars Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhall and Colin Farrell. Bridges won a Golden Globe for this performance. Robert Duvall also stars . (And Colin and Jeff sing many of their own songs and they are good!)

What i'm reading: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Finally it's picking up, but it took 150 pages. Normally i would have tossed this book out the window for taking so long to get interested but ms. hippie's mom told me it was good.

In my glass: Gnarly Head pinot grigio.

The next song on iTunes: Patti Griffith's Wiggly Fingers.

What is disconcerting: In this movie Jeff Bridges reminded me a lot of how my ex-husband (the second one) looks, (only Jeff has better hair). But they have the same beard and heaviness in their walk and build, a similar sad charm, and the drinking.

What i keep forgetting: To take that second calcium chewable tablet.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
On with the random thoughts:

1. I wish i could sing like Patti Griffith.

2. The Supreme Court did something bad about overturning McCain/Feingold campaign laws and i am not well versed about it just yet, but i just know it's bad and when i pull my head out of the sand, i'll find out more. But get ready for ads we have hated in the past getting that much worse. It's sickening how much money is spent on this shit, especially during times like these. And i am sure unions will be right there with them. Fuck this Supreme Court for doing this.

3. I think that is the first time i have used the f-word on my blog. (It won't be the last, so cover your eyes if you are sensitive!)

4. But right now i want to leave politics alone. I almost don't want to read the paper anymore.

5. Apathy is better than Ambien.

6. So different subject: I'm thinking about starting a separate American Idol blog, i might call it Meaner than Simon.

7. But so far i haven't seen an audition yet that inspires me. (We'll see when it comes to Hollywood time. )

8. My brother's Crawfish Woman was a far better funny song than that stupid Idol's now famous Pants on the Ground. Yet 62 year old General Larry's Pants has millions of hits. And Scott only has 265 last i checked.

9. Which is most likely our family checking it out over and over. (Or maybe it's YOU, Amanda. LOL!)

10. In regards to 'working in groups' topic from the end of my last blog post and the discussion between louie, pearl and ms hippie: i have to admit i do not play well with others. I have a very hard time being inspired in a group. I work more creatively alone. My hobbies and even the sports I am active in are geared more for loners. (I think it comes from my military bratdom lifestyle.)

11. It could also be that i am not what you call ' a people person'.

12. Unless i get to choose the people.

13. That's why i want to be an American Idol judge.

14. Or just Judge of the World. Yeah, that's the career i want.

15. And the very first judging i want to do is this one: I get to choose the people who get to become parents. And i get to choose who CANNOT.

16. (And yes, i would put my very own self on the list of CANNOTs. )

17. Speaking of politics and babies: I was NOT surprised at all by John Edwards final admission of his baby. I have never ever liked John Edwards. Don Imus used to refer to him as an 'empty suit" and say what you will about Imus, but sometimes he got it right because he spoke uncarefully. (i love that in people. )

18. I am pretty sure that 'uncarefully' is not a word, but i like it, so i'm going to keep using it. (However ms. hippie, this does not mean you can use the word 'boughten'.)

19. Here is what i want in health care reform. and i don't care about anything else at this point if they can just do these few things:

a) no one with a pre-existing condition can be turned down for health care.
b) no one who gets sick can be dropped by any insurance company.
c) Children should be fully insured until the age of 26.
d) Offer reductions for plans where people take the incentive and do something about their health, i.e. quit smoking, manage their weight and exercise. etc. We have to do something about getting our country in better shape. We are such an unhealthy bunch of folks.
e) if you have always been employed but have a legitimate health condition that now precludes you from working, then Medicare should kick in early.

20. And regarding who gets to make the decision about who is healthy enough to have an insurance reduction, or who decides what IS a legitimate health condition, well then.....refer to #14.

21. The problem with Democrats is they try to do ALL things ALL at once. I like the Increment Plan best. As Judge of the World, that is what i would call all of my plans and it would be how i would get them passed in Congress.

22. Also Democrats (and union leaders) believe EVERYONE has to be heard. And i don't subscribe to that at all. (I think they should just listen to me!) As Judge of the World, i now get to decide who can speak and who needs to shut up. Or maybe as Judge of the World, I am the only one who gets to speak. (Yeah, i like that one a lot.)

23. As Judge of the World, though i need to make sure i get summers off. I hope that is possible.

24. And the Republicans make me crazy with their faux rage and their pretense of taking care of the people and the wackos like Beck and Coulter and Limbaugh who inflame for the sake of a paycheck ....but.....

25. ....i forgot. i wasn't talking about politics.

26. Here's another Internet photo. Colin Farrell has a small role in Crazy Heart but he has a fabulous pulled back ponytail that i always swoon for when i see a man sporting such hair. (Think Johnny Depp in Chocolat.) I could not find Colin's Crazy Heart photo, maybe because his role was uncredited in the movie. But this one will do. He is Crazy Cute!

OK, y'all know the rules, what are your random thoughts today????

Friday, January 15, 2010

Read this Book... And Other jojo Advice....


MENU OF THE DAY:
on iTunes: Long Grey Mare by Fleetwood Mac from way way back when.... (again courtesy of equeyaya)

The best thing about today: I found a cute lamp at Pier 1. And Yankee candles on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond.

In my glass: Toasted Head chardonnay. VERY good.

What i had for dinner: Brian's Boboli pizza with capers, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and pastrami.

What i keep forgetting:
To call Mrs. Erickson and tell her i'm ready to tutor kids from her class. I think it's because i have to get in a better mood before i feel ready to work with kids. (But then again....maybe they will help me get in the better mood. )

Here we go with totally random thoughts. I have no idea what i am getting ready to say. Disclaimer: i am at the end of my full second glass of Toasted Head.

* * * * * *

OK, on with jojo's advice: (This is actually advice i give myself.)

1. Read this book: I picked up this book so many times in Barnes and Noble and put it back down until someone i respected told me to read it. The book is The Art of Racing in the Rain. I am not a dog person for so many reasons that i just now deleted because they took up too much room...But this book made me appreciate dogs in a way i never did before, at the same time it taught me something about tolerance and family and the art of working through a bad thing. (And as an aside, a fascination for race car drivers. NOT that you will ever see me at a Nascar event.) I am not saying i am going to go out and get a dog, but this book made me realize what I might be missing by not having one.

2. On weekends the first thing you should do when you wake up... is make your bed. (That way you won't crawl back into it. )

3. Wash your sheets on Thursday so that they feel great for the weekend.

4. Two cups of coffee is all any normal person needs.

5. Do not tweeze your eyebrows after three glasses of wine.

6. Don't pick up the phone if you don't know who is calling.

7. If you do, disguise your voice. (Especially if you find out it is your mother calling.)

8. Don't loan your good stuff to anyone who you believe might get arrested at any time.

9. If you are a reader and a bookstore lover, do not marry someone who never reads.

10. Don't wear skinny jeans if you have short legs. (or if your thighs are bigger than your inseam.)

11. Don't show your belly in clothes unless you are under the age of 6.

13. If possible, always bring your own pillow if you travel.

14. Send thank you cards, even for small things.

15. Write your legislator when you feel strongly about something. Don't assume some other group will get that message out for you. And if you DON'T , then don't complain when your legislator doesn't do what you feel is right.

16. After you turn 40, make sure your bathroom has good lighting so you don't feel terrible about looking in the mirror.

17. Listen to music every day.

18. Do NOT listen to Celine Dion.

19. Take calcium with Vitamin D every day.

20. Refrain from correcting people when they are wrong if you know in their heart they truly mean no harm.

21. When you feel the winter doldrums, buy yourself flowers. Even if it is just one daffodil.

22. Rearrange your living room furniture. You will be surprised what a lift it can give!

* * * * * *

Ok, y'all know the rules: please give us your best advice that you give to yourself that others might need.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Stuff & people i hope continue through the new decade. (What would you choose?)

No Menu Today. jojo's cucina is closed for the holiday. On with the list:


1. Ryan Adams. Van Morrison could do no wrong for me and was my favorite artist for the longest time. Until Ryan Adams came out with Gold. He has struggled with drug addiction and then became clean and sober and married, of all people, Mandy Moore (i would have expected him to hook up with someone more like Courtney Love!). Anyway i hope he keeps writing those amazing lyrics and music.

2. Same with Counting Crows. I love this band too. Interesting to note that both Ryan Adams and the Crows have a similar sound that matches Van Morrison.

3. Louise Penny books. I am currently reading her fifth (and latest, therefore last, for now) mystery. I love these books so much. (And for that matter, good books in general, STILL published on paper in the form of books as we know them today!) Also Jonathan Tropper and Richard Russo should really get their own numbers too, but i'll just lump the books in #3. I can't list all the artists, but right now these three come to mind.

4. Obama.

5. iPods and iTunes. Whatever in the hell did i ever do before these most wonderful inventions of the last decade? I know i used to run with one of those personal disc players and they are so big to carry while running! Plus it wasn't that long ago i was running with a Sony cassette player. Scary how technology moves.

6. Food and Wine magazine. I always steered away from cooking magazines that seemed too elitist, including this one. But then i took a look at it and realized that although I am no Julia Child, i can cook this stuff!

7. Netflix.

8. Anderson Cooper.

9. The Internet. of course. And email too. I don't want email to go away because everyone is texting! (I don't even have a cell phone that i can text from. Or maybe my throwaway phone does allow texting, but i don't know how to do it.)

10. Meeting people in person. Sometimes i am afraid that we might never get together as friends in person because of technology.

11. The Office. I don't care if American Idol goes by the wayside soon, as i believe it will in the next year or two, but i would love for The Office to stick around.

12. Me.

13. Everyone i care about.

OK, i will likely be back with more, but this is good for now. What are YOUR choices?

Friday, January 1, 2010

New Year's Resolutions I am NOT going to make....and more Chaotic Family Photos...



MENU OF THE DAY:
Happy New Year!

Playing on iTunes: needtobreathe's Washed by the Water (an equeyaya contribution. I LOVE this song so much.


Photos: New Year's Eve. That is my great-niece Mari in the New Year's tiara. She is so sweet! And that's her mom, (my sister's daughter, who i always call Jessie-belle) in the glasses in the photo of me with my nice nieces. And me posing in the Famous Coor Beer hat. and then my nephew in silhouette in the same hat. And Troy playing around with the instruments! LOL.

In the jam session photo that is again my nephew, our musical friend Shane, and my husband (Bongo Boo) entertaining us a good part of the night. But none of us knew the lyrics to anything, (except Mari knew the American Pie chorus. I might try and put it up from YouTube.) So no Crawfish Woman genius-ity or YaYa dancing.

In my Glass: J Lohr chardonnay. (first glass).
Announcement: I am going to toot my own New Year's horn and say today marks the 30th anniversary of the ONLY New Year's resolution i ever kept: I have been committed to running (though i should now call it 'jogging') since 1980!
What i hate about New Year's Eve the most: Hands down, that stupid Times Square countdown....or any countdown for that matter. I also HATEHATEHATE "The Wave" at sporting events too.
















































































* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

New Year's Resolutions I will NOT be making:
1. reading the classics.
2.cutting back on my iTune purchases.
3. waking up at 6:00 am 5 times a week so i can run before work.
4. cutting back on carbohydrates.
5. eating only whole grains.
6. turning vegan.
7. trying to not say the f-word so often. (I love the f-word!)
8. trying a bunch of new things. (My husband when i turned 50 years old gave me a journal where i was supposed to write 50 new things i was going to do that year. I gave him one of those looks that i probably give to people who tell me they were once abducted by aliens. Since then, he and i laugh about it. )
9. making a bunch of new friends. I can barely keep up and be a good friend to the ones i have right now!
10. i am NOT joining the YMCA. In fact the best thing about not belonging anymore was how bad it got this time of year with all the new people who signed up to work out for their new year's resolution. (I used to call them 'resolooters' because of how they looted all the parking spots. ) Usually by Valentine's Day it was all back to normal and you could find a spot.
11. I always thought it was funny anyway that we would bitch about how we couldn't get a parking space close to the door we were entering to go work out.
I'll think of some more, but i am only on one glass of wine and not yet totally feeling the inspiration. But come add yours!
(By the way, the last time i looked Crawfish Woman had 136 hits on YouTube, though i think it's do mainly to my husband, Kylee and my Louisiana born cousin Todd who put it up on Facebook. )