Movie Themed

Blu-Rays Finally Organized

I was totally immersed in the world of cinema as any self-respecting movie geek (guilty) would be on Oscar Sunday. After rushing through the habitual Sunday rituals in the morning I devoted the afternoon to completely re-organizing my personal movie collection (numbering over 1500 now) which due to overly generous gift givers at Christmas was threatening to overwhelm the storage unit. I ended up removing all of the Blu-rays and then allowing Darwinism to prevail in the decision to consign some of the older and the “why the hell did I buy this” DVDs to the basement, auxiliary storage area. Buddy was not impressed with the lack of attention he was receiving as it took me a lot longer than expected. The sun was setting by the times all the Blu-rays were back in place.

The Midst of the Re-Organization

I also harvested the digital download coupons from all the movies now that my daughter has instructed me how to access them. I started on some of the downloads but that will be a task for another day since there’s well over 200 to input. I’m happy with the results but it’s a temporary fix as my predilection will lead to another winnowing before the year is out, I’m sure.

I really enjoyed the Oscars this year. Chris Rock absolutely nailed the hosting job. His opening monologue should be required viewing for every American. He didn’t spare anybody, including the boycotters. My favorite line was exposing the over the top self-importance of Jada Pickett Smith’s boycott; something about Rihanna’s panties – it was hilarious. He laid bare the ingrained racism in an industry that prides itself on liberalism.

I liked the pace of the show which seemed much faster but still lasted until after midnight. Two of my personal favorites Mad Max (most wins) and Spotlight (best picture) received a lot of love. Thankfully and at long last Sad Leo had a golden spike thrust into his chest as DiCaprio finally won the Oscar he’s been in hot pursuit of over oh so many years. Lady Gaga’s song was powerful. I also liked the moments showing Brie Larson who won the best actress award. She seemed genuine and lacked the pretention this event is usually so liberally imbued with.

I thought I did a great, for me, job picking the winners as I got 11 right. My feelings of superiority were immediately dashed when I checked in with fellow movie geek – the Cali-Daughter - who’d correctly picked 16! This was the first year she hadn’t hosted an Oscar party but the First Blog Reader slept completely through the show which allowed her to enjoy it.

My Oscar Viewing Partner

ABFA (in Bright Lime Green - OF COURSE) With Son Behind
At The Chocolate Festival

The ABFA and favorite son made their annual trek to the mountains of New Hampshire over the weekend where the ABFA was able to assuage her only vice – a complete and utter love of chocolate. There’s a chocolate festival each year up in the North Country and they weren’t going to miss it. In more mundane, but exciting, news, I’ve figured out how to download an even longer version of my granddaughter’s laughing spell. I’m going to try and post it tomorrow, for today you’ll have to content yourself with simple pictures of perfection.

Lifeline Thrown

I think my sister and brother in law sensed how solitary life is for me here in Worcester sans a certain Latina. This was not a condition they could easily tolerate and so they made their way north yesterday to rescue me from the doldrums. They arrived just in time to save me from yet another hour of Flip or Flop which I still don’t understand why I was watching. It was that kind of day. My spirits immediately skyrocketed to the stratosphere upon their arrival and Buddy was even more excited. He immediately escorted my sister to the kitchen in order to point out where I keep his treats, no moss growing on the wonder pooch.

The Lifesavers Last Night at Peppercorns

Since central Worcester was still under siege by Garth Brooks fandom we went to Peppercorns on the western side of the city. After a very short wait we set up station for a very lively dinner of catching up, reminiscing, and general camaraderie; just what the doctor ordered. As my brother in law was driving I wasn’t worried about beer intake which had the predictable result. While driving to and from Peppercorns we noticed a new fast food establishment on Park Avenue. We stopped by on our way home so I could take the picture below to inform Wingman of his new franchise. 

The New Addition to Son in Law's Vast Empire

We returned home and connected via Facetime to California where my sister and brother in law were able to bask in the reflected glow perpetually emanating from the First Blog Reader. She was every bit as charming as expected despite being close to bed time. She was even wearing an “aunt” themed shirt. She was advised by everybody participating that this aunt (my sister) would establish herself near the top of the auntal (I know it’s not a word!) pantheon. While it was all too short a time (aren’t they all) before they had to leave I went to bed thanking the Powers that be for blessing me with them.

Earlier in the day I came to realize how thoroughly ruined or I should say “trained” I’ve been by the Favorite Panamanian. I will never achiever her levels of household cleanliness which borders on surgical suite standards but I found myself actually bothered this week by some of the grime my lifestyle had imposed on our abode. I devoted the entire day to cleaning, vacuuming, and scrubbing. Buddy was very confused. I even employed scrubbing bubbles for the first time and used a quarter bottle of bleach in the bathtub which I had put an especially hardy beat down on.

When I proudly reported my activities to my absent wife she only nodding sagely as if she fully expected this; always two steps ahead. She spent the day being squired around Panama City by one of the Panamanians that visited us last year. We spent a couple days showing them around Boston and they more than reciprocated yesterday. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to one of them who rescued my wife from the clutches of a jewelry store clerk who was attracted by my wife’s shopping gene. It was a near miss and still regretted this morning when I talked to her.

I’ll have to accelerate Sunday’s usual program today because it’s Oscar night and as with any self-respecting movie nut I’ll be glued to the screen. I’ve high hopes for Spotlight and The Martian although it looks like the marketing campaign and industry sentiment for Sad Leo will carry Revenant to the lion’s share. The First Blog Reader’s arrival rightfully canceled my daughter’s annual Oscar party but I’m sure we’ll be talking as soon as the awards show concludes. Fellow movie nuts, don’tcha know!

Friday Passages

Last evening’s First Friday celebrations were especially poignant in that we were celebrating the selection of one of our group to the administrator position. We’re certain he’ll vanquish the heretofore standard role of politics before common sense in addressing what needs to be done. It will be nice to have information flowing both ways for the first time in years. We had a lively group at Brew City but Worcester is under siege from Garth Brooks fans this weekend. Brooks was performing at the nearby DCU center and his fans were seeking pre-concert watering holes in large numbers. We luckily arrived early enough to deny them our usual table. By the time we left there was a long waiting line outside Brew City, something I’d never seen. I hope our Friday sanctuary is not permanently damaged by some of the unwashed masses finding out what a great place it is.

My Wife, Her Family and Sangria Last Night in PC

Meanwhile in southern climes my Favorite Panamanian caught a flight down to Panama City a couple days ago. She volunteered to help out a recently widowed uncle who’d been unable to return to his apartment following the death of his wife due to the memories associated with her. My wife spent the past few days packing up her departed aunt’s clothing and belongings for donation so he can hopefully find some closure. She spent last night taking the uncle, a couple cousins, nieces, and nephew out for pizza. If my eyes don’t deceive me looking at the picture she sent sangria was also involved which may explain why I haven’t heard from her this morning. She, sangria, and Panama City have a dangerous history together.

I was in a reflective mood yesterday, always a dangerous proposition. I once again marveled at how fast time passes as you get older. I’ve written about this before. There must be something to the over the hill statements because the downslope is infinitely faster than the ascension was. I can hardly credit that I’ve been out of the Army for over ten years now and it was over twenty years ago that I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel; simply hard to credit. It kind of sucks because these past few years living back in New England, reconnecting with old friends/family, and most of all witnessing my kids taking adulthood by storm has been nothing short of remarkable. I’d kind of like things to slow down to the pace of the first couple decades of life which seemed to last forever but are now recognizable as a short span of time. I always caution new parents to enjoy these first few years of parenthood because it does pass, at least for the parents, at light speed. Like I said, reflective.

Granddaughter is Excited as Well

I received some entirely encouraging news yesterday when my sister, apparently stung my elder remarks earlier in the week informed me we are getting together today. I expect a severe counseling session followed by some great catch-up time with her and my incomparable brother in law. They’re coming up to Worcester to hang out later today. This followed the news that my Favorite Son may be stopping by next Saturday for some hang time – too cool.

What A Difference, Etc. Etc.

I know, as a native New Englander, that I shouldn’t marvel at the vagaries of our weather. Yesterday morning (late February), when I woke up to 60 degree temperatures after an ice storm the previous day, I was understandably conflicted. However I looked back to the situation from one year ago and I am in awe. Last year we were digging out from some of the last of the ten feet of snow we received. I’m showing photos below taken on the approximately the same date from the two years; one of the driveway from hell from last February and the other yesterday of the more heavenly minded replacement. Only in New England.

Last Year

This Year

We received some incredibly good news at work yesterday. The Board selected a new administrator to run the authority my company is contracted with. I’ve referred to this position in the past as the “political leadership”. I called them that because it’s been filled via political cronyism that is the bane of the People’s Republic of Taxxachusetts’ single party rule. The Board went a different way yesterday selecting a young man from the planning department who’s worked closely with us for the past ten years. He’ll bring youth, energy, and an in depth knowledge of the system which has been lacking form the position for as long as I’ve been here. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s a veteran attendee of First Friday celebrations. We are officially stoked for today’s festivities.

The New Guy

My granddaughter made me late for work today. I almost forgot to download samples of the daily photos my daughter blessedly sends me as a salve for the distance imposed between us (see below). I hurried back into the house to rectify that grievous error after starting the car to leave. It took five times the usual amount of time because she included a video of my granddaughter laughing for the first time. While she’s an accomplished smiler, this was the first time I’d seen the newly emerging laugh. I literally could not stop watching it over and over again. I was seriously considering jumping on a plane to California for the weekend. I wish I could share it with you because it was beyond heart melting but I couldn’t figure out how to download it (where’s a teenager when you need one!).

She's Also Fascinating for Some of Wingman's Friends

I finished the second book in C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett series, Savage Run, and am starting to see why my sister so ardently recommended it to me. Joe, a Wyoming game warden, once again thrusts himself into a highly politicized situation because he’s trying to do the right thing in the face of well-connected wrong doers. The book starts out when an eco-terrorist with ties to the local area is blown up along with his wife and an unfortunate cow, the first in a series of assassinations planned by a shadowy organization.

Box tells the story from both sides of the impending confrontation with an unlikely pair of assassins crisscrossing the country to do their dirty work. Joe, as usual, stumbles around in the dark for the most part until he kicks up the hornet nest that leads to an exciting race across some of Wyoming’s pristine mountains. Box does a fantastic job of bringing the reader into the landscape, a very good read. I’m still waiting for the appearance of a secondary character my sister vows will hook me on the series. Mr. Pickett is already on his way to doing that on his own.

Thunderstruck, Again

I guess this is the week of adventures with the Wonder Pooch. Yesterday started out normal, if it was inundated with rain. After a frosty start this semi-winter once again relinquished its hold and we entered another spring like stage. This is not a complaint because if this has been snow it would have been measured in feet. I snuck away to see a movie and then returned home for some quality couch time with the Wonder Pooch. The only thing I gleaned from watching the news was we would be getting some heavy rain and winds overnight.

I thought nothing of it and slept, uncharacteristically, through the storm, which later evidence would show was a fairly powerful thunderstorm. Those who’ve read Frail Deeds in the past know that Buddy is not a huge fan of thunderstorms. He enters a panic zone that cannot be quelled by any remedy (believe me – we’ve tried them all). The evidence I spoke of awaited me when I came downstairs for my normal morning routine. It started off strangely because there was no Buddy panting at the cellar door impatient with the amount of time it was taking me to descend into the cellar to feed him. My fears were realized when I opened the door and found the carpet at the bottom of the steps and my wife’s collection of unused winter boots strewn about. I shuddered to think what awaited me downstairs. Buddy no longer sleeps in his cage at night, we bought a comfortable bed and he has the entire cellar to his own.

That was a problem when the unknown thunderstorm passed through. I found the comfortable bed improbably relocated to the top of the stack of Christmas decorations. Buddy tries to burrow during storms and he evidently had a banner night with that activity. As near as I can figure, using my acute CSI skills, he delved underneath a low rack to get under the stairs and then over some mattresses before arriving at the barriers I constructed to prevent him from reaching the furniture we have in storage. The barriers held but he found a new access point by somehow climbing over a bookcase to reach the center of the stored furniture and then tunneled down. While I was staring open mouthed at the devastation and commenting on his lineage in less than flattering manner, Buddy’s head popped out of his sanctuary and he sheepishly climbed down from his hidey hole. I just couldn’t get mad at him, he can’t help himself. I was a little late into work today after commencing rebuilding efforts in the basement. I’ll have to improve my barrier skills but I think anything short of a minefield is just wasted effort.

The movie I went to see was The Witch. Scary as hell in a very dour manner; a lot of the dialogue, authentic to early 1600’s New England, was unintelligible as this family seemed to communicate through mumbling. However this movie is all about texture and while it would have been helpful to understand what the actors were saying, it wasn’t critical. There was obvious, painstaking detail to the challenges of early colonial life in America. An ardent Puritan takes his family away from their established community to set up home at the edge of a large, dark forest. This turns out to be a bad move, as the resident witch population takes exception to their intrusion. 

I thought this was going to be one of those movies where they point out the fallacy and ignorance of religious fanaticism and while there is that the movie definitely goes another, scarier way. I'm never going near a black goat again, ever. The last fifteen minutes of the movie, where that scarier turn manifests itself, in spades, will haunt me for a long time. Turns out, there really was something to fear in those dark woods.

Some more samples of my daily photo fix from California: