What happened on Sunday

So yesterday was the end of daylight savings time so we turned our clocks back an hour.  Of course my body woke up at the normal time so I struggled to go back to sleep a few more times before finally getting up to go to the bathroom.

Later we met up with Steven & Thad for breakfast at the Crystal. 

Although I was scheduled off, I had agreed to meet a new client and show her 3 homes close to where we live.  Spouse picked up some items at the store while I was showing the homes.

Then we met Steven & Thad at the movie theater to see Bohemian Rhapsody.  I've long said that the song Bohemian Rhapsody is a piece of musical genius, somehow weaving together music from several different genres and several different keys, and instead of sounding like a hot mess, it works.  Perfectly.  This film is about the band Queen, not just about this song.

I'd heard good things from several of my friends on Facebook who'd seen it on Fri or Sat so I figured it would be good.

It was fantastic!  Rami Malek did an amazing job portraying Freddie Mercury.  The mannerisms, the body language, the dancing on stage, it was all there.  I expect him to be nominated for an Academy Award for this performance.  I heard that Malek sang/recorded all the music for the film and then both his and Feddie's were mixed together to make the soundtrack.  Very clever.  The pacing was very good too, never getting hung up for too long on any particular scene.  I was shocked the film was over 2 hours long.

Do yourself a favor and see Bohemian Rhapsody!

Rampage

Yesterday our electricity went out so Spouse asked me if I wanted to go to the movies.

I knew what he'd want to see if I said yes.  He likes all those action/disaster films like "Independence Day", "Jurrasic Park/World", "The Day After Tomorrow", "San Andreas", and of course the classic "Poesidon Adventure".

The weather was cold, windy, and rainy so I said yes and we went to see "Rampage".  Fortunately it was playing at our new Cube theatre which has a super big screen and like 150 Dolby speakers which cause the seats to vibrate.  Watch the HD trailer for "Rampage" below.

It was exactly what I expected.  Lots of cool special effects, implausible story lines, and unbelievable feats of human strength.  I mean, The Rock gets shot in the gut but since the bullet "missed all the vital organs", he goes on to fight in hand-to-hand combat, jump/fall from 30+ feet in the air, and survives what would have killed at least a dozen normal men. 

The synopsis is that 3 animals are accidentally exposed to a pathogen that causes rapid genetic modification.  The animals quickly quadruple in size and become aggressive and violent.  But The Rock is not trying to kill them all because one of the animals, George the gorilla, is his friend whom he's raised and taught sign language.

It was a fun movie and I must admit that I enjoyed it.  Its entertainment without the need to think deeply; pure and simple escapism from reality.  In this political climate I think we can all use a little escapism.

Weekend fun

This past weekend our good friends Kerry & Hugh came for a visit.  They arrived late Fri night so we only talked for a while before we were all ready for bed.

Sat morning we had bagels and coffee for breakfast and talked and caught up on the goings on in each others' lives.  I guess we hadn't seen them since Christmas.  Eventually we got ourselves cleaned up and went to the theatre to see "Ready Player One".  While its a movie about virtual reality video game players in the future, I really liked it.  The story was compelling enough to keep me interested despite me not being a 'gamer' at all.

After the movie we were all hungry (not having eaten lunch) but it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner.  So we went to Grottos Pizza and ordered a pizza to share, as a 'snack' to tied us over until dinner.  Next we stopped at Beach Time Distilling tasting room and sampled some flavored rums, gins, and such.  

We hung out at home some more and talked and laughed until we were ready for dinner.  We decided to go to Arenas for soups and sandwiches.  We watched a little TV before going to bed.

Sun morning we had coffee at home, then went to Bethany Blues for their awesome Sun Brunch Buffet.  We had talked about this before so Kerry & Hugh were eager to experience it.  On the way home we stopped in to tour a historic home my team has for sale.  Kerry & Hugh love old homes and this one is really interesting.  Shortly after returning home they packed their things and headed back to VA.  It was a fun visit!

Permanency

I really enjoyed our Christmas decorations this year.  They really were beautiful and brought me quite a bit of enjoyment.  In fact, I enjoyed them so much that I convinced Spouse to keep them up longer than he wanted to.  Since I had this past weekend off work, we agreed to do it then. We started with the outdoor lights, then the Christmas tree, and then the inside decor.  It took both of us 5 hours to disassemble everything, pack it all up, and put it away, so 10 man hours all together.  It was worth it.

Despite its lack of permanency, the holiday decor was still beautiful.  This theme was echoed to me on Sun when I went to the theatre to see "Call Me By Your Name".  I should probably warn of possible 'spoilers', but if you know anything at all about the movie then what I'm going to share isn't really a 'spoiler'.  In the film Oliver is a graduate student spending 6 weeks as an intern for a professor at his family's summer home.  The professor's 17 year old son Elio develops an attraction to Oliver who eventually gives in to Elio's desire.  (All of that is shown or insinuated in the trailer below.)

At the end of the film, just after Oliver's departure, the professor delivers a tender, loving soliloquy to Elio about feelings and permanency.  

He tells Elio that he is very lucky to have had such a special friendship, perhaps more, with Oliver.  He says that many people do not experience something that beautiful their entire lives.  And while he is now feeling the pain of loss, he should not try to repress or blank it out.  He tells Elio that it is better to feel than to not feel.  Only by feeling something wonderful can you also understand the feeling of pain.  He cautions Elio never to choose feeling nothing over feeling pain.  The fact that something wonderful ends does not negate it being wonderful.  Its non-permanency does not make it a failure.

I found this to be a profound declaration; one that I've struggled to verbalize over the years.  

Those of us who have been in relationships that didn't end up being permanent can still remember the good times in those relationships.  No doubt we laughed, loved, and learned in those relationships. But because they weren't permanent, the world has a way of considering them "failed relationships" which is just not true.  We have still experienced something wonderful even if it wasn't permanent, regardless of whether its end was by choice or by circumstances.

I believe this a key to not regretting the past.  We are not failures and our relationships were not failed as long as we know there was goodness, fun, or something positive experienced.  

In my case my 1st relationship (if you want to call it that) was not balanced.  I was more smitten and willing to move-heaven-and-earth than him, which was not his fault.  But we had some good times, and its end was by circumstances.  But what I learned was that a long distance relationship was not for me.  I needed someone who'd be physically present the majority of the time.

In my 2nd relationship I wanted to be 'out and proud' and strive for greater authenticity, but he was satisfied living a quiet and inconspicuous life.  I felt I just couldn't compromise, and he felt he didn't want to, so it ended by choice.  But we had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs!  I learned much about life and about myself.  It was a time of huge personal growth for me.  What I took away from this relationship was that I now knew who I wanted to become and what I would accept and not accept from a partner.

Neither of these were 'failed relationships' because they weren't permanent.  I have memories of wonderfulness experienced in both of these relationships, and both were stepping stones on my path.

Cabin fever

As I mentioned in a couple posts, while I was sick/recuperating from the cellulitis I was at home for 4 weeks, with the exception of 4 days in the hospital.  I couldn't drive and I was unable to go anywhere except the doctor's office, with help.

4 weeks is a long time to be home.  My friend Joey (who graciously visited me in the hospital and called me several times afterward to check in) asked me if I was getting cabin fever.

My answer to him, oddly enough, was "No".

When I started to think about it I found it really interesting that I didn't feel like I had to get out at all.  There have been times when we've had a freak snow storm that left us 'trapped' at home for 2 or 3 days and we couldn't wait to get out.  

I think the difference is that I knew I was physically unable to go out and do anything.  Initially I had a lot of pain, and for even longer I had very little strength or stamina.  Even simple tasks like taking a shower left me exhausted.  So I'm guess that's why I never had the feeling of cabin fever.

So, what did I do at home for 4 weeks?  I watched a lot of TV and movies.  Toward the end of my time at home I resorted to paying for on-demand movies because I'd watched everything of interest on the cable channels and the premium channels we get.

Also, I slept a lot.  I'd go to bed at 10pm and sleep until at least 9am.  

Then there were the occasional mid-day naps.

Ab Fab!

Spouse & I are big fans of the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab.  I remember when the Logo cable TV network showed the reruns for what seemed like 20 out of 24 hours a day, but they were still funny as hell.

I must admit that there were times when I wasn't sure what they were saying.  Between the accent, the British words that don't mean the same in American English, and the often drunken slurred speech, sometimes I just used the context to figure out what was presumably said, and laughed my ass off.

So its with great expectation that I await the return of my 2 favorite champagne swigging, vodka-soaked divas in "Absolutely Fabulous - The Movie".

The trailer looks quite promising!  The film opens July 22 and I'm really, REALLY hoping my local cineplex will have it then.  This is one we'll definitely want to see in the theatre.

Any other Ab Fab fans out there??

Grandma

I recently watched the film "Grandma", starring Lily Tomlin.  I hadn't heard of it, but Spouse did while listening to a Lily Tomlin interview on NPR.  He asked our friends Rick & Nick (who have a super duper home theatre) to get it so we can watch it together.

It was delightful.  Tomlin plays an aging, salty, feminist, lesbian, poet and academic who suddenly finds herself unemployed near the end of her career.  Her granddaughter shows up on her doorstep asking to borrow $630 so she can get an abortion.  Tomlin finds herself short on cash, but since the doctor's appointment is scheduled for that evening, she takes her granddaughter on a bit of a road trip to try and call in a few favors.  Watch the trailer.

There are several lessons learned in this film (I'll leave you to find them) in addition to it being a well-acted, sometimes funny, very timely film about relationships with our biological families and our chosen families.  Do yourself a favor and see this film. 

Weekend recap

My work schedule happened to end up with me being off Sat & Sun, which is nice since that matches Spouse's work schedule.  

We started the day by meeting Steven & Thad for breakfast, then returned home to start undecorating the Christmas tree.  This is a pretty long endeavor since our tree typically has about 300 ornaments, and putting them all back in their respective boxes is challenging.  Spouse kindly sat in the living room and talked with me while I did it.  After getting the ornaments in their boxes we took a break and went to the theatre to see "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in 3D.

While neither of us are huge Star Wars fans, this just seemed like the epic kind of film one should see in 3D on the big screen with Dolby surround sound.  We both liked it, but felt it was very, very much like its predecessors in the 'special effects' realm.  But it was a fun diversion.  Afterward we met up with Steven & Thad again, this time for an easy/inexpensive dinner, then returned home to finish with the tree.  I removed the long string of silver beads and the lights, then Spouse began removing the branches so I could pack them nice and tight into the plastic storage tub.  Bye, bye Christmas.  I'm always sad to see it go.

The next morning we awoke to text messages from Steven & Thad asking if we wanted to go to Philly that day.  Late Sat night I saw photos on facebook of furniture that will be available for sale at the mid-century modern store and sent this one to Thad:

I knew he'd been interested in a mid-century triangular table, and sure enough this caught his eye.  They also suggested we could go to Ikea since Spouse & I are looking for an ottoman or bench, so we agreed to go.  Not only was Thad able to get the table, but he also brought 2 unwanted end tables with him which he sold to the dealer.  He bought the 2 tables (with makers marks) in need of refinishing for $20 at a thrift store and sold them to the dealer for $150!  I found a piece of furniture that would look absolutely fabulous in our Hollywood Regency bedroom:

I referred to it as Flintstones Regency, but it was super expensive and we really don't need it.  I thought it was super cool though.

The trip to Ikea was fun but we didn't find an ottoman or bench.  But we did eat dinner at the famous South Street Diner before leaving the city.  It was an unexpected but fun day.

Back to the Future

Back to the Future is 1 of my all-time favorite films.  The premise is that a time-traveling car can transport people back to the past and into the future.  However, everything that happens during these visits has the potential to change things in the present.

The film came out in 1985 and the leading man Marty McFly (played by Michael J Fox) is transported back 30 years into the past to Nov 12, 1955.  Then in 1989 Back to the Future II came out.  In this sequel Marty is transported 30 years into the future, arriving on Oct 21, 2015.

That's today.

Do you feel as old as I do??

Weekend recap

As usual, I worked on Sat.  That evening for dinner Spouse & I went to a new place called the Crab House with Steven & Thad and Joe P.  I had a combo dinner of fried shrimp and fried chicken.  Very tasty but not so good for my figure.  

Afterward we went over to Joe P's house to watch a movie that had been recommended to him called Cloudburst.  I recognized the title as having been a part of the Rehoboth Beach Indedpendent Film Festival last year, but it was sold out before I could get a ticket.  It is the sweet and funny story of a senior citizen female couple who struggles to remain together when one of the woman's granddaughter steps in to try to "help" her blind grandmother.  The women pick up a male hitchhiker on their way to Canada which adds another level of humor and drama to their trip.  

Olympia Dukakis plays the fiesty, foul-mouthed older woman who cares for her blind spouse.  The film takes place in Maine and Nova Scotia so the beautiful scenery is like another character in the film.  Click here for film details and a trailer.

Sun morning the 5 of us met for breakfast at Crystal restaurant, one of my favorite Sun activities.  Spouse & I just relaxed the rest of the day with Marvin & Walter, watching TV, playing, and going for walks.  We met Steven & Thad a the Ocean Diner for an easy Sun dinner.

Date night

Sat night Spouse & I did something we haven't done in years.  We went to the movies together.

I think the last time we went to the movies together was in 2010 when we saw Sex and the City 2 (the Abu Dhabi one).  Without making a concious decision to stop going to the movies, we began waiting a week or 2 until films of interest came out on Netflix DVD and watching it at our convenience in the comfort of our home.

Movies have gotten ridiculously expensive, which is another reason we likely won't be going again very soon.  It cost us $11 per person to see a regular 2D film.  (I overheard the cost of a 3D film is $14.) When I go to this very same cinema for the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival the movies cost $9 so that probably contributed to my surprise at the $11 cost on Sat night.  We used a gift card so it wasn't as painful to lay down $22 to see August: Osage County.  

We both liked the film but found a few flaws at the same time.  We both thought Meryl Streep's performance was a tad "big".  Although they remark throughout the movie how utterly hot it is, no one in the entire film is ever shown sweating.  Every imaginable family dysfunction is present in this 1 family, which made it a little less believable.  But what a star-studded cast!

After the film we went to dinner at Dos Locos so it kind of felt like a date night, something we do a little more often than going to the movies.  As much as I enjoy going out with our friends, a date night with Spouse is always nice too.

Burlesque

My friend Deb invited me to see "Burlesque" with her so we went yesterday. She'd seen it before but wanted to see it again. I wanted to see it and although Spouse was unable to go with us, he said I should go anyway, and that he'd catch it via Netflix.

Although I'm not a huge Cher or Christina Aguilera fan, I did like the film. It was fun and entertaining, which is what I often go to the movies for. The costumes, hair and make-up are great, and I enjoyed the burlesque-style dance numbers more than I thought I would.

As you've probably heard/read, Cher only sings 2 songs while Christina sings what feels like dozens. But you've got to give Christina credit - the girl can belt and the musical aspect of the film is great. Almost like a modern day "Cabaret".

I found Christina's acting to be better than I had expected, but still with room for improvement. Especially the scene in the apartment where she and Jack are finally starting to warm up to each other. The giggling and 'I'm so innocent' looks didn't work for me. And for the record, I think Aguilera looks much better with golden blond hair color she has in most of the film...

over the platinum blond 'Marilyn Monroe' she usually wears outside the film.
Cher, on the other hand, didn't appear to be acting at all. She seemed to just be Cher, the owner of a burlesque club in LA. That part's real, right? But what appeared to be NOT real was Cher's mouth. I'm not sure if she's doing collagen injections or botox or what, but her mouth just didn't look right. Several times I found myself distracted by her mouth. See for yourself. Cher's old mouth...

Cher's new mouth...

Stanley Tucci is a fine actor, and was as handsome and sexy as ever playing Cher's best pal and costume repairman.

He plays a gay character in this film, which I felt he did expertly. Sometime straight actors playing gay roles overdo it in an attempt to be realistic. But Tucci walked the fine line of being authentic in a role that is not his authentic self.

Honorable mention also goes to Alan Cumming for his brief but humorous role as an employee at the burlesque theatre.

The film was enjoyable and entertaining, but the devil is in the details. It didn't seem logical that Aguilera's character Ally was so street-wise when she arrived in LA. The film leads us to believe that she was just a simple waitress in a dive bar in Iowa, yet somehow she immediately saw through the smooth talking Marcus. It seemed to me that a real waitress from Iowa would have been far more likely to have been taken in by the suave businessman. And what business owner just keeps balling up and throwing away the multiple notices of pending foreclosure of their club? A real club owner would not have waited until the 11th hour to decide to do something, especially in LA. But no film is perfect and this one had fewer plot faux pas then most.

If you think you'll like "Burlesque", go see it. You'll probably like it more. If you think you'll hate "Burlesque", go see it anyway. I bet you'll hate it less than you imagined.

Weekend highlights

The weekend started as all good weekends do with Fri Night Dinner with 'the usual suspects'. Afterward a couple guys from dinner joined me for karaoke since my friend Trelynda was hosting karaoke in the lounge at Saketumi. It was fun!

One of the cost-cutting measures Spouse & I agreed to was to discontinue our personal trainer visits. (This alone will save us over $400. per month.) So instead of his Sat morning workout, Spouse & I got up at 8:00 and went for a 2+ mile walk on the boardwalk. It was lovely weather, sunny and 68 degrees. There were lots of other morning walkers too. It was top down weather so after our walk we went for a drive, then had lunch on the screened porch. A little later we decided to check out the clearance racks at the outlet stores. Spouse got some new clothes that actually fit, including a pair of dress khakis for $8. and a sexy Kenneth Cole v-neck t-shirt for $7. It was so pretty outside that I suggested a walk around the large pond near our house, which extended itself into a walk through town, and then to the bay and back. I'm guessing we walked at least 5 miles that day, but enjoyed every inch. Later that evening we met Steven and one of the Bobs for dinner at Cafe Azafran. I had baked goat cheese with roasted peppers, olives, and herbs with pita (YUMMM) and a fabulously seasoned lamb skewer over field greens. We had a great meal and a great time with our buddies.

Sun morning we met Steven for breakfast and wound up talking for nearly 3 hours! Time flies when you're gossiping. (Just kidding.) Afterward Spouse & I went grocery shopping. It was another gorgeous Indian Summer day, sunny and 78 degrees, so we went for another walk on the boardwalk, then returned home to do some housecleaning. (Another cost-cutting measure was to discontinue our housecleaning service, saving us $300. per month.) For dinner we made fabulous BLTs using bison bacon, romaine, and grape tomatoes roasted with red peppers and mushrooms in EVOO and balsamic vinegar. They were DEE-LISH!! Then we watched a movie from Netflix: Valentine's Day. It was chocked full of stars (Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Carter Jenkins, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Shirley MacLaine, George Lopez, Julia Roberts) so I expected it to be great, but it wasn't. It was okay; occasionally funny, occasionally romantic, generally entertaining, but not terrific. I did like that the very sexy Bradley Cooper and Eric Dane (both former Crush du Jours) turned out to be gay. That was an unexpected twist.

I absolutely adore Indian Summer weather like we had this weekend. I think of it as Mother Nature's way of saying 'I'm sorry' for the chilly weather we had in Sept. when it shouldn't have been that cool. Regardless, I hope for more such weather before I need to pack away my shorts.

Crush du Jour: Ben Pamies

Weekend highlights

We had a low-key but enjoyable weekend.

Sat morning Spouse & I helped our friend Jason move a truck load of stuff to a storage unit. Jason will be moving out of the area at the end of the month and we're gonna miss him. It was quite chilly (52 degrees) and windy. When we were done Jason treated us to lunch. Later that evening we met up with Jason & Kevin at Kevin's house for dinner (steak, green beans and parmesan couscous), conversation, and a movie. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

We had a leisurely Sun morning of coffee, news programs, and cooking shows. (We love Nigella Lawson and Ina Garten.)













Then we met Steven & Thad at the Long Neck Diner for lunch, although I actually had breakfast. Having been through the rigors of a job search within the last few years, they shared some helpful info with me, and we talked about our upcoming cruise. It was significantly warmer and less windy so Spouse & I went for a nice long walk on the boardwalk, where we enjoyed the scent of the salt air and feel of the warm sun on our faces as we talked about our options when I am unemployed. On the way home we ran a few errands, then Spouse washed Jordan (the dog) and I took her for a walk. I washed the convertible, emptied the litter box and picked up around the house a little. We had buffalo hot dogs for dinner and then watched a movie.

Crush du Jour: Gale Harold

Weekend highlights

Our weekend started (as all weekends should) on Fri night with dinner out. We dined with 'the usual suspects' at Po Boys and everyone really liked their meals. We watched the Mecum Auto Auction until bedtime.

Sat morning was our long-anticipated neighborhood yard sale. My friend Thad (who gets up early anyway) came over at 7:30 and helped me transport my stuff to the site and set up. Thanks Thad!! (Spouse went to his personal trainer appointment.) Although it was supposed to start at 8:00 we had buyers at 7:30 as we were unloading and setting up. I sold a youth size wooden desk for $50., a small formica top table with 2 wood chairs for $40., a queen comforter set for $20., and a ton of $1. $2. and $3. items like clocks, lamps, and baskets. My grand total was $143. which is not too bad considering it was just stuff taking up room in our house.

Spouse and I had lunch and then went to Old Navy because the location near us (an outlet store) was having a big sale. I got a pair of plaid 'patchwork' shorts, a bathing suit, 2 t-shirts, 2 polo shirts, and a pair of flip flops. Spouse got 2 t-shirts and 3 pairs of flip flops. (The flip flops were $1. a pair.) We drove over to the beach but decided it was a little cool to hang out there, so we headed home. Spouse took a nap and I enjoyed a cocktail on the screened porch and flipped through 2 magazines while listening to Ella Fitzgerald. Positively dreamy. Later I took my 1st bath in the jacuzzi tub. Its crazy that we've had it for 7 months and this was the 1st time, but it was nice and I felt luxurious. Then I took a quick shower, got dressed, and we met up with Steven & Thad and one of The Bobs for dinner at a seafood buffet. It was a gorgeous night so we went for a walk on boardwalk. We watched several episodes of "Sex and the City" since TBS was running a SatC marathon.

Sun morning we met Bryan & Jason and Dan for breakfast at Crystal restaurant, a local favorite for breakfast. Why does breakfast always taste better when someone else makes it? Then we went to Bryan & Jason's and watched "Avatar". I had no interest in seeing the film until everyone on earth said they liked it, even the people who (like me) had no interest in it. I must agree that I liked it as well. I thought the integration of real people and computer-generated stuff was pretty well done. After the movie Spouse & I went for a 2-mile walk on the boardwalk, where we discussed lots of stuff. It seems the times we talk and plan the most are riding in the car and walking on the boardwalk.

Once home again, Spouse took a nap and I watched a little TV. I was in the mood for buffalo chicken pizza so we had that for dinner at Miltonian Pizzeria & Wing House. Mmmmm... I unloaded the dishwasher while Spouse walked Jordan, and then we watched "Casino Royale" since it happened to be on TV and we had missed it in the theatre. It was pretty good.

Crush du Jour: Vince Roman

My Lifetime movie

Very often for lunch I have a meat and cheese sandwich (usually turkey or ham), followed by a handful of nuts and a handful or two of dried fruit. I love nuts and dried fruit, and think of them as more healthy choices to accompany my sandwich. Typically I follow the sandwich, nuts, and dried fruit with a tall glass of water.

And that's when it hit me: an idea for a terrific Lifetime Movie Network movie! (Or 'Lifeline' Movie Network as Spouse's mother calls it.)

Here's the plot:
A mentally disturbed man kidnaps a pretty woman from the parking lot of a grocery store. He chloroforms her then slides her in the back seat of his car and drives off. He brings her to his house located in the rural outskirts of town. There are no nearby neighbors, so screaming for help when she awakens is pointless. He locks her in a 'cell' he's created in his basement whenever he leaves the house for work, but allows her to move about the house while he's at home. All the doors have locks that must be opened with a key from both the outside and inside so she can't escape while his back is turned.

The sick man doesn't mistreat the young woman, he just wants her to love him, cook and clean for him, and be his wife. Since he's mentally ill he does not understand that kidnapped women generally don't fall in love with their captors and marry them.

The young woman is grateful that he is not mistreating her, so she agrees to cook meals, clean the house, and even eat dinner with her captor. This goes on for two weeks. She is pleasant to him, and even suggests she could give him a grocery list so he could get the necessary ingredients for her to make him some of her favorite recipes. The mentally ill man begins to think his plan of winning over the young woman is working. He takes the list to the grocery store the next day.

The woman makes her captor her "world famous chili", only she loads it up with lots of salt and spices which will make the man thirsty. For dessert she gives him a fruity pound cake that contains lots of dried fruit. Raisins, cranberries, blueberries, apricots, apples, pears, pineapple - every dried fruit she could think of.

The man eats the chili, then the cake, and washes it all down with a large glass of water. She eats very little of the chili and none of the cake, explaining that she wants to keep her figure. The man assumes she wants to keep her figure for him, and is pleased with how well his plan is working.

Shortly after the dinner though, he feels thirsty again, due to all the salt and spices in the chili, so he has another large glass of water. Later, despite feeling very full, he has another large glass of water. Unbeknownst to him, all the water he's drinking rehydrates the dried fruit, causing it to expand in his stomach!

In minutes he feels bloated and uncomfortable. Eventually he is so uncomfortable he thinks he must use the bathroom to get relief, but it doesn't help. The rehydrating fruit continues to expand in his stomach, leaving him moaning in pain.

As he exits the bathroom, the young woman is standing outside the door, ready. She cracks him over the head with a frying pan and he drops to the floor. She reaches inside his pocket and pulls out his the keys, unlocks the door, and escapes in the crazy man's own car.

Thanks to all the quality films shown on Lifetime, there is no shortage of washed-up actresses to star in my movie: Valerie Bertinelli, Melissa Gilbert, Meredith Baxter-Burney. I can't decide!

So, how do you spend your lunch break?

Crush du Jour: Sean Harley

Heaven

Most people's idea of heaven has to do with one's soul transcending from earth to a spirit realm full of light and eternal happiness where they will be reunited with their deceased loved one. Typically one thinks of heaven being inhabited by God, Jesus, angels, and the souls of good people.

Other people's idea of heaven has to do with lots and lots of chocolate.

I'm not quite sure what I believe about heaven. I was raised in the Jehovah's Witness religion and taught that most deceased people do not go to heaven, but await a resurrection to life on earth again, after Armageddon. But like most JW teachings, I no longer subscribe to this.

But if the concept is true that people are reunited with loved ones in heaven, how does this work?

Let's say that Martha was married to Charles for 15 years, until he died of a heart attack. Then a few years later Martha marries Tom. 10 years later Martha dies of cancer. A few years later Tom marries Judith, and both die of old age.

Martha loved Charles, and she loved Tom. Which 'loved one' is she reunited with in heaven?

Tom loved Martha, and he loved Judith. Which 'loved one' is he reunited with in heaven?

As you can see, it can get tricky.

But this question was answered for me in the movie 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven', based on Mitch Albom's book by the same title. In it the lead character Eddie dies and goes to heaven, but it is NOT what he was expecting. No angels, no eternal happiness, at least not at first.

Eddie learns that upon arriving in heaven each person meets 5 people whose lives he affected while on earth. I expected scenes that would show the positive affects on other lives, such as Eddie mowing the lawn for a grateful widowed neighbor, or perhaps a former employee Eddie mentored. But instead, the 1st of 5 people Eddie meets in heaven is a man who died as a result of Eddie's childhood behavior!

But the 4th person Eddie meets in heaven is his beloved wife, Marguerite. She is the one who answers MY question of which 'loved one' we are reunited with in heaven. She explains that heaven is not a single place or state. Rather, after meeting one's 5 people, each of us receives our very own unique heaven.

Eddie's wife loved attending weddings, so her heaven was a never-ending wedding, with laughing and dancing and happiness and joy. Once Eddie died, he was present with her in her heaven.

Eddie grew up around and worked for many years in an amusement park, so his heaven was an amusement park. Its always warm and sunny, there are hundreds of happy families, and his wife Marguerite is present with him in his heaven.

So, each person gets their own unique heaven AND they are present in other people's heavens too. Get the picture? This would allow Martha, Charles, Tom, and Judith to all have different heavens with their 'loved one' present with them.

Of course, this is just a movie. But since no one can successfully prove what heaven is or is not, I choose to believe in the heaven portrayed in this movie. To me it makes the most sense, and it answers my question.

I believe my heaven will be a warm, sunny, breezy day on the beach, with Spouse and many other friends sitting in beach chairs beside me. On the radio Ella Fitzgerald will be singing, and my Cadillac (Big Ella) will be parked just over the dunes. That sounds like heaven to me!

So, what does your heaven look like?

Crush du Jour: Jason Chambers

Winding Up The Week

I forgot to mention that last weekend was our 'entertaining at home' weekend... Our friends Robert & Liz came over Saturday night. Joe made homemade pizzas! But Robert & Liz got stuck in a terrible traffic jam and arrived an hour late. Unfortunately the pizzas weren't as good because they were baked, then came up to room temperature while we waited for Robert & Liz to arrive, then got warmed up again. But we had a great time visiting with them. We ate in the kitchen.

On Sunday our friends Ron & James came over. We had pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, peas, corn casserole, and biscuits. Unknown to us, pork tenderloin is one of their favorite meals, so it was a big hit. James brought a delicious apple pie, which we had a la mode. We ate in the kitchen and had a wonderful time catching up with these friends we don't see as often as we'd like. We also talked about plans for a trip to the shore with them and our friends Mike & Clark in late April or early May. (We've done this before and have always had a blast.)

My American Idol prediction was correct, and with hesitation we said "Buh-bye" to Mikalah. (Am I the only one who thinks she looks like Fran Drescher from 'The Nanny'?) I'm looking forward to this week's competition. I think all of the remaining singers are good, so it is going to be more difficult to predict each week's parting contestant.

We went to the shore this weekend. My company gave me (Good) Friday off, and Joe had some comp time, so we left at 11:30 Friday morning. After a late lunch at our favorite lunch spot Cafe Sole, we went to the grocery store and the video store, then headed back to the house.

We put up curtains in two of the bedrooms, Joe took a nap while I watched a little TV, and then we decided to drive down to Ocean City to have dinner at 'The Wharf', an all-you-can-eat buffet. The food is pretty good and the price is pretty reasonable. The place is decorated with all kinds of nautical stuff, from compasses to fishing nets, to oars, to barometers, to laterns - you name it. It's kind of kitchy, which of course appeals to us. Then we headed back to the house and watched one of our movies "The Motorcycle Diaries". Two pals from Argentina set off on a 5,000 mile tour of their continent on an old motorcycle. Rather than just being a scenic trip, it becomes a life-altering experience for both of them. I thought it was pretty good. Joe loved it. I thought it was too long. It seemed like it could have ended a few times. But perhaps I felt that way because the movie is in Spanish and we had to read the English subtitles.

Saturday we had an appointment to show the Li'l Retro Getaway (trailer) so I experimented with a product called Liqui-Sew to hem the curtains we needed to hang again after washing. It worked like a charm and before you knew it, we were over at the LRG, curtains hung, just waiting for the potential buyer to arrive. The sun had finally come out (even if only for half an hour) and it almost felt balmy, so we sat on the deck until they arrived. They loved the retro feel of the place, and one of them is a teacher who has lots of time off in the summer, so it seemed like a good fit. Tonight they called and said they are interested in buying, and will call us tomorrow to make an offer!

After showing the LRG we made a stop at a store where we picked up some inexpensive fabric and some beading. Revved up by my Liqui-Sew experience earlier in the day, I decided to make a pair of curtains. I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was! In the time it took for Joe to have a nap, I measured, cut, and Liqui-Sewed a pair of curtains AND began attaching the beading onto an old lamp shade. I put up the new curtains and a pair of store bought panels, for a total of 4 pairs of curtains in the house and 1 pair at the trailer. Mission: Accomplished!

After dinner at home we watched another movie "Connie & Carla", written by and starring Nia Vardalos from 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. This was really cute! It's about these 2 girls who do a cabaret-style show in an airport lounge who accidentally witness a murder. In order to not be caught by the murderer, they decided to leave town and go somewhere unexpected... somewhere there is no cabaret-style shows where the killer would find them... like LA. They pretend to be drag queens at a West Hollywood bar and eventually talk the owner into making it a dinner theatre where they perform regularly. There were some really funny moments, and a LOT of Broadway musical renditions. Then we watched "Boat Trip" starring Cuba Gooding Jr. I had never even HEARD of this movie before, but Joe said he'd seen a trailer for it. It turned out to be cute too, but a bit sillier than "Connie & Carla". Cuba Gooding Jr and his buddy get 'accidentally' booked on a gay cruise instead of a straight singles cruise. You can imagine the characters they encounter and the antics that ensue.

This morning we had breakfast, cleaned up the house, and headed back home. We both showered and shaved, and got ready for Easter with the family. Joe's brother Louis and his wife Karen host Easter at their house every year. (Joe & I have Thanksgiving, and his sister Mary has Christmas.) We had a delicious honey baked ham, potato salad, macaroni salad, beans, sweet potato shuffle, green bean casserole, rolls, and deviled eggs. And candy. What would Easter be without candy? We all had a ball. It was really fun to have the family together, catch up on the kids' activities, and enjoy the afternoon.

So ends my week.