As Time Stands Still...

Today my mother asked me to copy some old photos for her. I love looking at old photos and I thought I would share a few of them with you, as in the only place that time ever stands still is in photographs.

To the left here is a picture taken around 1955. In it my grandmother Jezzie holds her daughter Arlene (Jib) and is standing beside her step daughter Hermajean. Mom said Hermajean was about twelve in this photo. Both my grandmother and my aunt Hermajean are dead now. One died in 1985 and the other in 1986.

The photo here on the right was taken the same day as the one above on the left per my mother. It's again of her mom and her sister Arlene.

The next picture is of my mom's mother and what she believes to be her baby sister Susie that died when she was a small child. It was also taken on the same day there in 1955.

This next picture here on the right shows a cousin of mom's, then her brother Orbin followed by another cousin and then of course the girl in the picture is my mother.

This last picture starting back row left is my uncle Ray, my uncle Orbin, my uncle Jr, my uncle Ellis, Front row left is my brother Ritchie, my uncle Robert, my grandmother and me in front of her holding my cousin Orbin Ray, my mom behind me, my aunt Arlene holding my cousin Nickii Michelle. This picture was taken around 1977 I believe. Ritchie correct me if I am wrong. So time stands still in photos only, but sometimes just a little in our mind as we look at them. So many changes since those days... Just thought thought I would share some old photos. After all there are so many things we can learn about life and history in these delicate memories of days gone by.

A Time To Kill...

No, no, no! I am not out for blood here. I just thought I would take a moment to suggest, if anyone is looking, a good book and a great movie to you for consideration. If you haven't seen the movie "A Time To Kill", you really should. The movie stars, Mathew McConaughey (always a pleasure to look at), Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland (Keifer's daddy in real life), Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Ashley Judd. Now how can anyone argue with a cast like that to begin with? The story is simple but it keeps you hooked whether you are watching the movie or reading the book. Two good old boys in Mississippi rape and brutalize a ten year old girl of color. Then her dad does what I think any dad would want to do. He takes their lives. The attorney played by Mathew McConaughey, takes on the case of defending this dad in a mostly white, somewhat redneck community. It is a movie and a book that is sure to make one think and I personally could not help but put myself in the place of the characters. How far would you go to prove someone innocent if you felt you would have done the same thing in their shoes? This is the question that faces the young attorney. As he struggles to fight the nagging thought that he too might have done the same had they done this to his daughter he also struggles to save his marriage and his dying business all at the same time. The book is, as are most books, more detailed and goes into quiet a bit more character development. Either way both are a win win if you're looking for a good movie or a good read. I have both so if you're a friend you can always see me for a loaner. ;)

The Guiding Light Has Burned Out!

Soap Opera's... What can one really say. These daytime shows were once the accredited highlight of the average house wife's day. They were geared towards making her day a little less hum drum and dreary and giving her a fantasy world to escape to for a brief period of time. They also gave sponsors the opportunity to peddle their goods that promised this house wife that she could simply be perfect and make her families lives more than anything they could possibly ever dream of. These alternate reality shows though are fading fast. The days of the leisurely lounging house wife between loads of laundry and vacuuming have long since faded into the back ground. Growing up I recall my mom watching these as she did her daily chores. I do mean daily too. You could and still can eat off my mom's floor with no worry of germs or dirt. Mom watched such shows as "Edge of Night", "Another World", "Days of Our Lives" and yes, "The Guiding Light". Each of these has slowly died out and fizzled. "Edge of Night" was only a thirty minute soap and it generally came on in the morning as I recall. It ran from April of 1956 until December of 1984. "Another World" usually came on in the late afternoon around three or so. I admittedly watched this one from the time I was around twelve until it went off the air. "Another World" aired from May of 1964 until June of 1999. I have also watched such soaps as "Santa Barbara" which aired from July of 1984 until January of 1993 and "Passions" which aired from July of 1999 until August of 2008. I also must admit that I have since a little girl and still do watch "Days of Our Lives". "Days" first aired in November of 1965 and has been optioned through 2010. From there it is an unknown as to what the shows future may or may not be. As for "Guiding Light", as it was called after 1975, I watched it for a while, but lost interest in it before I ever saw the age of twenty. My mom found she needed one less to watch and stopped watching it a few years back as well. There will be no going back to watch this show again though as it has seen it's final day. "Guiding Light", which is accredited by the "Guinness Book of World Records" as being the longest running soap opera in production aired from January 1937 (Radio/CBS) to September 18, 2009. They taped their last show on August 11, 2009 (television/CBS). Ironically in my mind, which is admittedly a scary place to be, August 11Th is my mom and dads wedding anniversary. Either way the people of Springfield (the town in the show) have all closed up shop and said good night to that era. Yes the soap opera is a dying thing. Trust me when I say that once "Days" is off air I will not watch any more of them myself, but for now I will continue to watch. I kind of miss those days gone by. I know most women are for equal rights and I was probably just born in the wrong age because I kind of believe I would have liked staying at home and being a house wife. Then again we'll never know now will we. For now the guiding light of soaps has grown dim as do the days of our lives.

Forty Percent? Not Quite!

First and foremost let me state that I love shopping at Borders... I'm just slightly annoyed by them at the moment.

If you have a borders card then you are probably like me and you are constantly getting coupons from them either in the mail or in your email. I could waste a whole paycheck in this store. I love going in there but rarely do because I really don't like the thought of being broke. So today I dropped in there because I had a coupon for forty-percent off DVD sets. I am currently wanting the 3-Pack DVD of Star Trek that has "The Wrath of Kahn", "The Search for Spock", and "The Voyage Home" on it as well as The "Reba" series and the "Hero's" series, particularly season two. So I thought I would go over and check them out. Now I expect them to be a couple of dollars higher than Meijers or Walmarts. It just goes with the type of store it is. I didn't expect them to be ten dollars a set higher. Meijers has the Star Trek and Hero's sets for $29.99 each. So it surprised me that Borders had them listed for $39.99 each. Also I know with the forty-percent off coupon I would still get a savings because it would bring them down to $23.99 each, but it really irritated me and got under my skin that they were so marked up and probably due to the fact that they were going to run this little special of theirs. So as in I really need to watch my spending anyhow and I'm really broke this check I left with nothing. I didn't even look at anything else. It just plain aggravated me to the point that I didn't even want to be in their store. I'm just saying... Love Borders most of the time, but I am thinking it will be a while before I go back.

Day Dreaming...

So today for the second time in two weeks I scheduled an "all me" day. I know that may seem silly, but I think it's part of my healing myself emotionally and physically. I need me time. I took myself to lunch and then to a movie. Then afterwards I went to walk the trails because the sun was out and shinning and as far as I could tell there was no sign of rain to be found... shows one what I know. I've found that as I walk sometimes I think about things that are on my mind and sometimes I actually just listen to the music on the radio or even a talk show host or two to get opinions. Then there are days like today where I totally don't want to think about anything realistic and I find myself off in my mind on a wild adventure like Indiana Jones. I think day dreams are a natural and healthy way to escape the daily pressures of every day life. My problem is I don't always pay as good of attention as I should when I get in these day dream states. I have a really good imagination and trust me when I say I can get totally lost in nothing but my own mind. I suppose that is why I love reading and have spent a little more time on it lately. One can go anywhere they want while reading a good book. You get to imagine what the characters in the book look like and how they might actually react to real life situations. If they were real that is. So my intent was to walk about an hour and a half to two hours. After all my day was about me and I actually have gotten to I love my walks. I noticed about forty minutes into my walk that there was sunshine with some white clouds, nothing too major to worry about. Then starting on my last turn of the walk I saw the black and grey clouds and I had come to the conclusion that it had to be my last turn. I was only fifty-five minutes into my walk so it was a little depressing that I would have to end my walk before I was ready to return to reality. As I came around the path that headed back to my car though the clouds decided they couldn't wait five more minutes for me to be done with my walk. It was as if someone had turned a huge pitcher of water and poured it over my head. The rain was beating down so hard I could not see well to walk towards the car. I don't run, so that wasn't happening. I am working on it though and maybe some day. By the time I got to my car I was soaked from head to toe. I was no longer hot at least. I had an extra shirt in the car so I quickly put my jacket on the seat and sat down. I took my shoes and socks off and then I quickly took my shirt off and put on the other one that was in the car. It felt warm against my skin. Yes I had gotten so lost in my own thoughts and my own day dream that I hadn't taken as much time as I should have to noticed that mother nature was about to give me a lesson in making sure I take that umbrella along on days like this or making sure I have a complete change of clothes in the car and a towel. Old man weather got the last laugh too as he quickly brought the sunshine back out to play about ten minutes later that is. Either way I love day dreaming. Where do you go when you day dream?

Let Them Eat Cake?

I love getting together with friends. It doesn't matter if we all get together just to sit and talk or to play games. Saturday we got together for "game" night. After playing a couple of rounds of Apple to Apple it was decided it was desert time. So what is a person to have? Well thanks to Scott we had a very new desert to try... Not really sure what we decided it should be called, but he did his best to be very creative and a little on the healthier side of desert. I love when people are not afraid to experiment and try new things. So we had this Angel food cake with Cherries and cream cheese and just a hint of pineapple on it. All the way around I enjoyed it because more than anything it was FUN.

Dream Like Days

Some days life can be almost dream like. By stating it's dream like I am not stating it's good or bad. I am simply implying that one might feel as if they are standing on the outside of their own body watching their life as it plays out. Today has been kind of like that for me. I woke up way too early. Not sure of what the uneasy feeling was that caused me not to be able to sleep. I suppose it could be a million things. Lord knows there are enough things on my plate or my mind. I have a house project of cleaning and organizing that I just can't seem to get done. I am working on it nightly though. I have financial stress; however, I rarely let that take me past an oh well I will do what I can stage. Work has been more than unusually stressful on all levels. It seems to me to be more than usually busy. Then there is stress of my "ill" feelings about children being medicated into submission, but seeing as how I really don't want to cause anymore stress to anyone else I'll keep going on past that one. There is also the intuitive side of me that feels others emotions. It's on overload these days. So many people under so much stress. Summer is also coming to an end. That always leaves me bluesy. I really need to live where there is warm weather all year round. If my family wasn't here I would. I have another injury. Seems like I am injury prone these days. My right leg right above the ankle. Makes walking really fun let me tell you. Last night I wrapped it in towels with Epsom salts on them. Don't know how I did it, but I have a knot right above the ankle and above that there is a four inch square area that is red and hot to the touch. The salts and stuff worked last night... The wraps took the swelling and redness away, but today after standing at Target and merchandising it is back. Don't worry I will walk on my lunch break though. I have come to far to let this little set back stop me. Then the final straw on the camels back today is that I got my reminder letter to schedule my six month follow up mammogram. Six months. Wow! Time does go fast. It left a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I called my insurance to make sure my exam would be covered and then as I called Lutheran Hospital to get the exam scheduled. I suspect they will find nothing has changed and that everything is OK; however, one never knows. So yes today has been dream like. I am here and living it, yet somehow detached and almost emotionless to some degree. Perhaps this lack luster reaction to today is caused by lack of sleep. I am not sure, but I do suspect it's just a part of life and that everyone has these days. Tomorrow I have a game night to look forward to with friends. That should perk me up. Enjoy your summer days you have left. One truly never knows if it could be their last.

The Hardest Choices

The hardest choices are by far those of the heart. Sometimes life's choices aren't what we want, but rather what we know is right. Making the right choice can be a difficult thing, especially when making it separates you from someone who thinks you walk on water. Someone who completes you in every way. That in itself is so rare and so heart breaking on so many levels to find and then have to tell the person friendship is all there will ever be. There is an old Reba song that is so strongly burning in my mind today. The song: "One Promise Too Late" resonates so deeply in my heart that it aches. No, I'm not the one who made the promise, but I stand behind the fact that if one makes that promise if at all possible they should keep it. I also know I would never be able to live with myself, even if there is all ready marital discord, if I put myself in a position to keep a husband from his wife. So choices we make have an affect on so many things and people other than ourselves. Funny how I think that one of the reason's so many marriages fail today is that people jump into their relationships and sex and marriage way to quickly. They are looking for the dream without realizing that they are letting it slip through their hands. The person you spend your life with, as I stated earlier, should complete you. You should want to be their everything and them yours. I think there is more than one person out there for each of us that can do that. I've been lucky in one way to feel that way twice now in my life. Unfortunately I don't think either of them is the person I should be with at this point. I do hope my knight in shining armor is out there though. The person who will be with me and that will see past my flaws. The person that is so comfortable with me that they can tell me anything and know that I love them so much that it won't matter to me what they say. Seems to me lately I have had so many life choices to make. I'm happy though. Don't let this little rambling of my emotions catch you off guard or make you think otherwise. I know as I write this that person will read it too, which, makes it a little hard to write. Friendship is a good thing. Friendship sometimes can be more fulfilling than a relationship. I care deeply for this person and I want them to be happy. I want them to fulfill their dreams and from what I have heard from them they can accomplish that where they are. It's their decision and their life though. We all chose our path every day. We can chose to be happy. We can chose to be upset by the what might have been scenario. I chose to be happy. What do you chose for yourself today?

Happy 47th Anniversary Mom & Dad...

August 11, 1962... The day my mom and dad got married. I looked through a lot of anniversary cards before deciding upon one that conveyed what my readers all ready know all too well. I am blessed and I am grateful for the parents that I have. One card I didn't buy, but still rings through my mind is one I saw that said simply: "I'm thankful for you, for without you, there would be no me." How poignant that is don't you think? We don't choose our blood relatives or parents. We are born into those rolls as daughters or sons. I find myself very lucky to be able to say I wouldn't even consider changing mine if I could. They are warm and kind and loving. They are responsible for my growing into the strong person I am today. Monday my brother, my niece and nephew and I went with my parents for a customary trip to the Galley in Decatur. My mom and dad have made a tradition of going down there every year around their anniversary for the all you can eat chicken and fish buffet. I settled on a fish sandwich instead; however, if you find yourselves in Decatur on a Monday or Tuesday their buffet is wonderful. My dad will no doubt bring my mother red roses in celebration of their day tomorrow on his way home for work. He has every year. Some traditions you just can't help but smile about. So I hope my mom and dad have a great anniversary and I hope to be so lucky as to find a love so strong some day.

Everything Cracks When There is Too Much Pressure

I recently received an email from a reader asking why I wasn’t writing as much to my Blog as I one time had been. I suppose it’s a multitude of things all combined, but I really do enjoy writing, it’s time that isn’t on my side these days. It all comes down to prioritizing my life. My main focus these days are on getting my life in order and trying to lose weight and get myself healthy. That in itself takes up at least one to two hours or more a day. Then along with that I like to allow myself about fifteen minutes to a half hour a day to read. I have laundry, and pets to take care of. Along with all those chores there is also my trying to fit in time with family and friends and just plain relaxation. Now I suppose we must also add to that the facts about my being exhausted by the time I get home. Work has been extremely busy and stressful as of late. Lets face it most of the time my blogging is done after I get home. Right now when I get home I try to get laundry done or cleaning done along with feeding my pets and walking my dog and getting some stationary bike time or WII exercise time in. So by the time my rear end meets the sofa I am usually beyond exhausted and the mind doesn’t want to think let alone my hands do the typing. Mindless or mind numbing tasks are about all I can muster and then I usually end up falling asleep on the sofa. So it all comes down to priorities. I have my life on a five year plan to get where I want to be. Along with anything else in life there is a system of give and take. A friend of mine one time wrote a poem, that I still have, which he titled “Something’s Got to Give”. At the time I was a teenager and I had all kinds of time and all kinds of energy so I didn’t quiet get the concept of it. Let me tell you I do now. I understand exactly. There are so many things I need to do and so little time. So I do love writing and I hope to get more time to do more of it in the near future, but right now my priority is me. Selfish sounding isn’t it? It is the way I have to do it for now though. I need to be in better physical shape so I can enjoy my life. That is something I put off way to long and way too much time was lost. So I will be writing and I will try to do it more often, but if you were wondering what is up with me, it’s not so much what is up, but what is coming off and that is the pounds. I suppose I could get a recorder and dictate my Blog while I walk. Shoot I have often thought of good articles while walking. My mind wears down though and I don’t have pen in hand so until I figure it out. I will just invite you all to walk with me on my journey by actually walking or staying tuned for station identification. I will keep writing, just maybe not as often as some would like.

A New & Fresh Look for Star Trek

Warning: (SPOILER ALERT) Do not read this is you don't want me to spoil movie scenes for you. Just saying I am going to probably write about it and you may not want to read it.

http://www.startrekmovie.com/

First off, lets just start by saying their is a sense of humor in everything in life and I'm not talking this movie. My friend Vincent and I had planned to get together tonight for dinner. Then plans changed on a whim and I went to dinner and a movie with my brother. Who should end up in the same movie theater as me. You guessed it, Vincent. You are just not able to get rid of me now are you Vinnie? Anyway, lets talk Star Trek. Yep this is the movie of choice of the evening. I wanted to see it. I loved the very first version of this show from the sixties. I wasn't sure how I would respond to other actors playing the parts, but let me tell you the people who put this movie together were spot on with casting, well at least for the most part. I wasn't impressed with their Mr. Checkov at all. All thumbs on this movie though are pointed up. You know it's a good movie when you come out of the theater wishing it hadn't ended, ready for a sequel and ready to go right back in and see this movie again. I haven't seen a movie this good in I don't recall how long. If you haven't seen it you can see it this week at the Coventry Theaters. It's $3 per show except on Tuesdays when you can watch for $2. If you miss it there I am sure it will be on pay per view sometime soon and the DVD and Blue Ray are set to be released on November 17Th. This is a movie you can watch and like even if you never saw any of the other movies. It doesn't need you to have a history with Star Trek to know what is going on and my bet is even if you didn't like any of the others this movie will have you. It's entertaining and over whelmingly I found myself committed to the characters and the plot right away. The young James Tybirius Kirk was a rebel and this movie shows you that right up front with him stealing a car and driving it off a cliff. His entry onto the Enterprise for it's maiden journey is packed full of humor and it brings us to know a side of Leonard Mccoy that I found quiet entertaining. Oh yeah did I mention that the directors should pat themselves on the back for this character? Dr. Leonard McCoy (Bones) in this movie was perfect. This was by far my favorite character. The guy who played him, Karl Urban, had Bones pegged. He could not have done a better job with that character if he tried. Then Zachary Quinto who stared as Spock was probably my second favorite, although, I'm not sure he really resembled Leonard Nemoy's rendition of the character very much. This Spock had a more human side and one with a little 'evil' unleashed for all to see. The fact that they decided to make Spock and Lieutenant Aurura love interest in the movie was an interesting choice. I think I liked the more aggressive Spock that was portrayed here though. He had some interesting takes on his torment between being Vulcan and Human. Chris Pine of course is the new comer and played James T. Kirk. I would have to say although I liked the original series this Kirk showed more fire and passion. He definitely had more charisma and I'm sure the girls would follow him even if it is on a trek into space. This movie opened up a world of possibilities for many movies to come and it may just do it's job at grabbing a whole new generation of trekkies. Something previous shows have so miserably failed to do. It gave us the possibilities of alternate life's, and expanding from exploring space to exploring the time continuum as well to see where life can take us if we so choose to go back and change it all. The old series had a planet Vulcan. New movies can't as it's destroyed in this one. How will that alter Spock's choices. James T Kirk grew up with a dad who was proud of him in the original. In this one his father died the day he was born. What possibilities of character might that bring and how amusing that even though some of the events were changed the same cast ended up on the bridge of the Enterprise at the end of the movie. I look forward to the next one. I think the directors have got their hands full though to come up with a movie that is half as good as this one. Take a chance and join the masses who have taken that final frontier moment. Go see Star Trek. Cute guys and girls, lots of action and possibilities beyond imagination. Now what more could one ask for than that?