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"All we need is music, sweet music
There'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin', swayin', and records playing
And dancin' in the streets."
-From Dancin' In The Streets
Sometimes there is simply nothing like, letting your hair down and kicking up your heals! I love the topic of our next Round Robin Challenge, because that is just what it encourages us to do. Kick up your heels, and "Let The Good Times Roll." Tess, author of the journal, "First Digital Photos," chose for us, this fun and good times subject, and I am really looking forward to it. It has been quite a while since I have been to an official celebration, unless you count Elvis's birthday parties that we throw for him each year. LOL. Last year he had two feline friends drop by, his best buddy, Ernst, and his opossum friend, Agatha. There was balloons, Strawberry & Cream cake, and even an appearance from R2D2! LOL. This year will probably be just as fun, Elvis likes to be fussed over, and of course any occasion to wear a hat is just fine with him. In our house, even the cat knows how to "Let The Good Times Roll."
I was looking through a box of goodies the other day, when I came across the mask in the above photo. I wore that mask to a Mardi Gras party back in the mid-1990's. It was at a good friends house, and it was wonderful. There was Jazz music, fabulous New Orlean's cuisine that she had catered, and lots, and lots of people having a good time. That is an important part of life...not taking it all so seriously. It's healthy to break out of the gloom and doom and just celebrate life! If Mardi Gras doesn't happen to be your bliss, it's ok, there are many ways to celebrate fun.
How about attending an Oscar party? It has been at least four years since I went to an Academy Awards party. So, I was thinking about maybe going to one this year. Jan Wahl, movie critic for KRON in San Francisco, is hosting an Oscar party at San Francisco's Pan Pacific hotel. It sounds like it might be a hoot. Appetizers, a three-course dinner, and a silent auction will be some of the events of the evening. My goodness, the chance to put on the ritz a bit and go out for the evening sounds dreamy. LOL. I don't know if I will have enough energy to be able to, but I think that even if I don't, I will find a way on Oscar night to make it special. Prepare a gourmet dinner, maybe open some Champaign, and sit at my desk, and thank goodness I don't have to be wearing 4-inch high heals. LOL.
So tell me, how do you like to, "Let the good times roll?" Do you enjoy parties, or cozy get togethers? Are you into rubbing elbows with the stars or do you like to go to sports bars? Are birthday parties where you have the best times? How about made-up holiday's tell us about it! Or better yet...show us with your photos! Join us on Wednesday, February 15th for the Round Robin Challenge, "Let The Good Times Roll." You can find out all the information you need over at the official Round Robin Journal. If you want to come along, we would be happy to have you! Come on...you know you want to!
-OndineMonet
"My Mask"
Berkeley, California
February 2nd, 2005
Late Evening
"If my films make one more person miserable, I'll feel I have done my job."
-Woody Allen
Weekend Assignment #97: Make up a movie award category and tell us who or what ought to win." What an excellent suggestion. Since NZforMe left the parameters of this fairly open, let's keep it that way. Create any sort of category you want, and you can select your nominees (and winner) from the entire history of film. You don't have to go all out and list nominees (you can just go straight on to the winner), but it's fun to have fun with."
Extra Credit: What was the first film you ever saw in a movie theater?
-John Scalzi
Best Cameo performance In A Motion Picture.
The nominees are:
1. So I Married An Axe Murderer...Phil Hartman, as Alcatraz tour guide, John Johnson...but you can call him "Vicky."
2. Superman The Movie... Rex Reed says "hello" to Lois Lane & Clark Kent.
3. Starsky & Hutch... David Soul & Paul Michael Glaser reprise their roles at the end of the film. Still funny after all these years!
4. When Harry Met Sally...Estelle Reiner. She delivered the best punchline of the movie, when she uttered the words, "I'll Have What She's Having."
5. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me...Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach. I love the two of them performing the song, "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," as Austin Powers and secret agent, Felicity Shagwell dance in the street.
6. The Birds...Alfred Hitchcock getting off a Muni bus, in San Francisco, in the beginning of the film.
And The Winner Is: Estelle Reiner! In my opinion it is one of the truly perfect moments ever in film. The delivery of the line, "I'll have what she's having," was the perfect line to follow the hilarious scene immediately before, in which Meg Ryan's character, demonstrated how the perfect faked orgasm would appear. It was the perfect punchline to the perfect joke.
Extra Credit: The first film I ever saw in a theater was, "Peter And The Wolf." I saw it at the famous, Grand Lake theater in Oakland, California. Loved the music, loved the colorful animals.
-OndineMonet
"Grand Lake"
Oakland, California
Summer, 2005
Afternoon
"The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling."
-What The River Knows
I feel like the horse in the above photo. It has been one of those days. Sigh. So, I am on my way back to bed. Sigh. I am so looking forward to spring and summer this year! The trees are already showing signs of spring, I saw several cherry trees in bloom. So pretty! :) Anyway like I said it's time for me to go back to sleep, but I had to get up and make this entry...it's a goal I intend to keep. I update everyday...rain/shine/sickness or health. :) Writing and blogging make me happy. Thank you for coming by to visit me and read my musings. As of this entry, I have posted 100 entries in my new space. I couldn't have done it without you! :)
-OndineMonet
"It Seemed Like A Good Idea"
Pleasanton, California
Spring, 2005
Click on the above image to see enlarged version
"Mary had a little lamb, and the doctor fainted."
-Unknown
Good, I finally get to show off some of my very favorite animals, and I think a nice combination of digital and my older, non-digital photographs. The photos of the Lemur, White Bengal Tiger and the Giraffe were taken at the Oakland Zoo with my Minolta 35mm camera with a Quantaray Tech-10 MX AF 70-300 1.4-5.8 LDO Macro lens. The Ostrich, Turkey and the Opossum were photographed with Konica/Minolta DImage Z1 with a x10 optical zoom lens.
I love photographing animals. They are relaxed, friendly subjects, how else could I possible capture a photograph of a Bengal Tiger smiling? Or an Ostrich laughing, or how about an Opossum out in the light of day? That last one was my favorite animal photo of 2005. See, that isn't just any old opossum, that is a photograph of Elvis's pal, Ipson Pendragon. Ipson was born in our back yard last spring, and has lived here with his mother, Agatha, ever since. Ipson is truly to silliest of the opossums, he has a sense of humor and absolutely no sense of time. Opossums are nocturnal by nature, yet there at the back door everyday at 2:30 PM came Ipson. It seems, Ipson, had discovered that if he came to the door before his siblings, he just might get a piece of cheese pizza. We found out one day how much he enjoyed cheese pizza.
Elvis and Ipson became very good friends. LOL. One night I was sitting at my computer in my office, working on some bills, when I heard a little, "peep-peep, ipp-ipp" sound. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, so I returned to what I was doing and thought nothing more of it. The next night, at about the same time, I heard it again. This time I was going to find out what it was! I looked all around the room, as Elvis sat on the rocking chair in the corner of my office looking amused...yet somehow...bored. Then I saw it! Ipson peeked his head out from around some boxes. Tee Hee. That little guy had spent the night with us! Slowly I shooed him out the back door and I told him to go and find his mother, Agatha. That was rather naughty of Elvis to invite a sleepover guest and not tell us! Heck, if I had known...I would have ordered a large cheese pizza from Straw Hat! LOL.
Thank you Celeste for choosing such a fun Round Robin topic. Please pay a visit to the other Round Robin participants to see their unique interpretations of each subject. Just click on their links below! :)
Round Robin Linking List
Celeste...My Day And Thoughts
Posted!
Carly...Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly
Posted!
Karen...Outpost Mavarin
Posted!
Derek...Derek's Photo Of The Day
Posted!
DesLily...Here There And Everywhere 2nd Edition
Posted!
Becky...Where Life Takes you
Posted!
Robin...Search The Sea
Julie...Julie's Web Journal
Posted!
T.J. ...Photo Inclusions: Every Picture Tells A Story
Posted!
Tess...First Digital Photos
Posted!
Kat...Prima Luce
Steven...(sometimes photoblog)
Posted!
Alan...F-Stop
Posted!
Kimberleigh...I Shaved My Legs For This
Posted!
Patrick...Patrick's Portfolio
Posted!
Nancy...Nancy Luvs Pix
Posted!
I hope you will consider coming along for our next Round Robin Challenge. It is really fun and easy to play along. Just pay a visit to the official Round Robin Journal and read the *Welcome Entry & Rules Of Play.* All the information about the how to play along is in that entry. Then if you decided to join us, just go back to the challenge entry and leave your name, the FULL URL of your journal and the correct name of your journal. Then we will come by to see your entry on the day of the challenge. I hope you will come along for the good times, with good friends.
-OndineMonet
"Animal Fair"
"If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary."
-Jim Rohn
Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a snap of something in the house you're pretty sure other people aren't likely to have in their house. Pets and people are not included (we're pretty sure your pets and kinds aren't in most other people's houses). For the photo shoot we're looking at things...strange objects, curios, odd keepsakes and just generally weird stuff.
-John Scalzi
Here are just three items from my collection of the strange. :) Shall we start from left to right? LOL.
The Guy In The Red Suspenders...
The guy in the red suspenders is Bob of Bob's Big Boy Hamburgers. Bob is a piggy bank and not just any piggy bank. Bob holds my change and sometimes paper money as I save to buy my gourmet tidbits. Godiva chocolate, a specialty cake pan, a cheesecake from the Carnegie Deli. I open Bob every six months and then have a little fun with my savings. The best part of this bit of wackiness is the anticipation, and online window shopping. :) We no longer have any Bob's Big Boy restaurants here in the Bay Area, at least none that I know of, so I guess this bank is kinda special. :)
The Guy In The Yellow Hawaiian Shirt...
The guy in the yellow Hawaiian shirt is Micky Dolenz. I love Micky Dolenz. Oh not like I love David Duchovny mind you, but more like the really cool brother I always wanted, instead of the really stupid brother I got! Actually, my real brother isn't that stupid, he is a sword swollerer in the circus after all. LOL. But enough of him, and back to Micky. Micky Dolenz is my good luck pal. He singlehandedly lifted the "Curse of San Cruz" for me by doing nothing more then performing a free concert on the beach last August. I know no one else has that photo on their desk, because I took that picture myself. That is a wonderful memory for me...that concert was so much fun, fun I really needed to have. :) Same time, same place this year Micky? :) I can't wait!
The Guy In The Tuxedo...
That very cool black and white cat on the far right, playing the saxophone, is non other than Clinton cat. I won him as a door prize at a Democratic fundraiser hootinnanny. LOL. He is a cherished possession. I keep him on my desk, and he always inspires me. Just like my neighborhood spirit friend the Ethereal Musician. It's kinda cool to look at my Clinton cat when the Ethereal Musician is playing...and imagine the spiritual sound coming from the cat. How's that for an imagination? :) Oddly enough my spirit friend was playing "I'm A Believer" on the sax. It was cold and raining...and he was playing away, paying no notice to the moody day. Ahhhh...
So, there you have it. Think these are original items? Well, maybe, maybe not, but I like them because each one has a fond memory attached for me. :)
-OndineMonet
"Three Moments"
Berkeley, California
2006
"When you can't remember why you're hurt, that's when you are healed."
-Jane Fonda
Sunday was a very good day. I woke up early, around 9:00 AM and to my relief I wasn't in pain and I wasn't swollen. The weather was nice, about 70 degrees, and I was doing better because of the warmth. Yesterday had it's moments. I found that I was more then a little contemplative. I was thinking about the November man. I went to see him yesterday...sometimes it's strange, sometimes it's just what it is. If I figure it out someday, I will share it with you. LOL. Do you have one of those relationships in your life? I think most of us will at some point. I think we will all meet someone, at some point, that for some reason, we never really know what they mean to us. Ahh, life's mysteries, it's the stuff life is made of...right?
Why You Can't Tickle Yourself...
"The human brain anticipates unimportant sensations, such as your own touch, so it can focus on important input like, say, a tarantula crawling up your back."
Yep, that would be important! LOL. Mostly because I would be screaming and swinging my arms about. Making odd noises and sweating. LOL. I don't think it is particularly fair that my body finds my own touch to be unimportant. I like my own touch and I enjoy a good tickle. Sigh. Still, I enjoy a good tickle by way of someone else's hand more. Tee Hee. But the thing is, if they are going to write books like, "You Can Be Your Own Best Friend," and "8 Days To A More fulfilled You," then one should be able to tickle themselves. Of course if we could, I imagine nothing would ever get done. ;)
The Times They Aren't A' Changin'...
Tuesday night George Bush will hold his "State Of The Union Address." Sigh. I actually went to the official web site of the State Of The Union speeches. Why did I do that? As I read I just felt more and more frustrated. The president is experiencing yet another all time low in the poll numbers. Big surprise. Did you read the Sunday New York Times article about NASA, on behalf of the Bush administration, tried to silence their top expert on Global Warming? If not, click on the link and have a look see. Just one more sleazy move on the part of our president. Will he stop at nothing? I was going to write an entry today devoted to the upcoming speech, instead I would like to hear from you. Tell me, what do you consider the most important issue that can be addressed on Tuesday night? Have you begun to take the scandals for granted?
Somebody Call Mulder...
Hey guess what? Bigfoot is alive and well and living in Malaysia! Yep, it's true. Do you suppose he has noticed the fact that 2005 was the warmest year on instrumental record? He is a part of nature after all, and you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time. I bet he isn't an easy sell.
The Truth Is Out There...
I was sad to hear about Bob Woodruff, and ABC News photographer, Doug Vogt, being injured in Iraq today. Sigh. The one constant thing I kept hearing all day was the fact that both men were professionals and knew what they were facing to bring back the truth from Iraq. It wasn't said in the sense that ABC news was trying to separate itself from any possible responsibility, but rather in the sense that both men understood the risk and chose to go anyway so that they could report firsthand and not through the eyes of another. I respect that. In a time when it is very difficult to know who is telling the truth, it helps to know that there still remains members of the media at large that care enough to bring us the reality and not a warped perception of the truth. Thank you Bob and Doug!
Communication...
As good as I felt yesterday, I was also feeling a little lonely, but then something nice happened...I had an email conversation with a good pal. It had been a while since we had been able to chat a bit, so it was nice to have that. We also worked a couple things out between us. Just being able to talk honestly lifted some weight off my shoulders and certainly made me feel a little less alone. Thanks friend. :)
I went grocery shopping today for the first time in months. Like I said, the sun was shining. LOL. It may sound a little silly, but I bought this little, blue, covered, CorningWare casserole dish, and it made me happy. Go figure getting all excited about purchasing a casserole dish, but it was about the whole day really. Waking up feeling somewhat normal, feeling the warmth of a winter sun on my face,processing things that either confused me or mad me sad, speaking with a good pal, and finding a bargain in a little, blue, covered, casserole dish. It wasn't as good as a good tickle, but I'll take it! LOL :)
-OndineMonet
"Walk Of Life"
San Francisco, California
Spring, 2005
Afternoon
"Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions, they pass no judgments."
-George Eliot
If I could own one exotic animal, it would more then likely be a monkey...or a baboon...or gorilla. LOL. Something like this little guy. His name is Gung-Mo and he is skating in a promotional event for the 2006 Animal Academy show, held in Seoul, Korea. :) Animals are so important to me, I hate reading about any kind of animal abuse in the news. Why aren't there tougher laws to protect our animal friends? A few months back there was a local story here in the Bay Area about someone who found it necessary one night, to run down 6 ducks and their babies which lived on the property of a car wash in San Jose, California.
I haven't heard if anyone has been caught or charged in the case. Unfortunately there are simply too many stories, like this one, each year. Sometimes I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Elvis's love and friendship. The last few years have been so difficult at times, yet there he was my constant companion even when all my human friends had run the other way. No judgments, no expecting me to be someone I wasn't. Just his mommy. :) Today, he came up beside me as I was reading and just laid his head on my arm as I read. It was a nice moment, and it made me feel like a success. Animals, particularly cats, don't have to like anyone, let alone love them. And like a good friend once told me, you haven't been ignored until you have been ignored by a cat. LOL. OMG how true!
I think it is pretty cool that we have some bloggers who celebrate animals. We have Steven and his "Feline Friday", Jennifer, who won the ViVi Award for authoring the "Best Pets Journal" for 2005, and Patrick and his canine pals, and many others who share small snipits of their time with their puppies and kitties. I think it will be fun this coming week when we do the next installment of the Round Robins,to see what "silly animals" photos we all come up with. If you want to play along, just remember that it doesn't necessarily have to be a pet. But it does have to be your original photograph. So, if you were at the zoo, or the circus, and saw an animal being silly, feel free to post it. I will look forward to seeing something amusing from the animal kingdom! :) Click the link below to get all the details about next Wednesday's Round Robin. Don't forget to check back to the Round Robin journal on Thursday, of next week, to find out the topic for our next challenge. See you then...
-OndineMonet
"Wanted: Duck Killer" SF Gate
Round Robin Challenges
"All we need is music, sweet music
