4 Movies In 4 Weeks #4: New In Town

"Cinema should make you forget that you are sitting in a theater."

-Roman Polanski

I guess I should have named this series something besides, "4 Movies In 4 Weeks," because technically it has been 4 movies in 5 weeks! Oh well, whatever. Last night Alan and I went to see that last of the free movies we got from the Old Navy promotion. The movie we chose last night was,"New In Town," starring Rene Zellweger.

It was your typical "fish out of water' scenario, but who does that better then Rene Zellweger? The promos for the movie call it Bridget Jones goes to Fargo, and that is a pretty accurate assessment. It was a fun little "date night" movie, with plenty of laughs, although it was predictable at every turn. That's not always a bad thing, I went to this movie to see a Bridget Jones knock-off and that's what I got. I loved the Bridget Jones series, and would love to see at least one more film made in that series, but in the meantime this movie filled nicely. This movie, like Bridget Jones, drives home the point that sometimes life nudges you through doors you might have never considered going through on your own. Sometimes the best thing in life is a very closed door. :)

Harry Connick Jr., is just really nice to look at! You know? I swear he gets better looking all the time! I have been thinking about replacing David Duchovny in my sidebar "About Me" section with Harry... what do you think? It has been 5 years after all, and he hasn't found me, so maybe it's time to move on? Hmmm... letting go is so hard! LOL. I know my luck, just when I take him down, he will decide to log onto the Internet and Google his name and the word Ellipsis at the same time. And what will I have done? Replaced him! Bad... very bad! Nah... I will just leave him where he is, someday David... someday! Whiff/Sniff.

Anyway I would definitely recommend "New In Town." It is timely in the subject matter, the poor economy is affecting us all, so we could all use a little break from things. Go see it. Laugh. Forget about stuff. Go ahead. It's good for you, and it has been good for Alan and me. With those free tickets we have seen a "guy movie" a "chick flick" a "family friendly" movie, and a great "date night" film, all in one month. What could be wrong with that?

;)

-Carly
"Theater Seats"
Regal Theater
Dublin, California
January 30th, 2009
Late Afternoon

Here We Go Again

"A budget is just a method of worrying before you spend money, as well as afterward."

-Unknown

Here we go again...

Yesterday, a judge in Sacramento gave Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger his way, he granted Schwarzenegger permission to impose a work furlough on California state workers, which will require them to take 2 days off every month, without pay. It isn't a total surprise, I think I mentioned the possibility here late last summer, but I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this. We are in a better financial situation then we were back then, but it is still stressful to deal with.

Living in California is a trade off in many ways. It is unquestionably beautiful, and it's comfortable, but the cost of living is difficult, especially if you are a one income household. Jobs are becoming scarce, as more and more homes are foreclosed in the area, and companies are laying off. Earlier this week a chocolate company, here in Berkeley announced it's closing, and if you drive through any community here in the Bay Area, you will see more and more small businesses and companies gone. It's sad.

This move by the governor will cause a hardship for families already struggling under the pressure of the sunken economy. With this work furlough in place, more homes will end up in foreclosure, and as families will be forced to tighten the belts even further, and spending will drop even more. This idea of Schwarzenegger will help his budgetary problems initially, but it will devastate the economy of California for years to come, as we all struggle to recover. So why are we in this mess? Simple, the powers that be in California are too busy engaging in politics to care what they are doing to the rest of us.

And where is Washington?

Posturing mostly. Taking credit for how clever they are. President Obama has reached across the table to work with republicans, to try and find a solution to the stimulus resistance, what did he get for the gesture? Not a single republican in the house voted for the latest version of the stimulus package. Sigh. We have got to get on with life and rebuilding. California is not the only state with financial problems, we are all suffering. So where are the republicans this weekend? On a retreat to Virginia. Nice... very nice.

Every single politician, democrat or republican, that voted for the financial system bailout last autumn should be ashamed of themselves right now. I said it at the time that if there was no oversight, no accountability, it would end up exactly as it has. Millions and millions of dollars went to bonuses. But really, who didn't see that coming? It was a Bush parting gift to all of us, but hey, Obama voted for it knowing there was no accountability in sight, so what are you going to do?

Disappointing indeed.

Loans vs Grants to struggling states is still something that needs to be ironed out in the stimulus package. Personally, I don't really care which it is, we are at the point were something has to be done. Period.

Think good thoughts for California. Ok?

You can read more about the judge's decision by clicking the link below.

"Judge Approves Schwarzenegger's Worker Furlough Plan" (Sacramento Bee)

-Carly
California Capitol Building
Sacramento, California

It's A Chihuahua Stupid!

"Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new."

-Albert Einstein



I took a couple days off from blogging this week, to relax a little bit, do some errands and take care of some business IRL (in real life). It was good to step away from the computer and just breathe a little. Alan had Tuesday and Wednesday off, so we were to spend both days together. We tried to do all the errands on Tuesday, so that we could have Wednesday free to have fun. We got almost everything done, except for some banking I needed to do. So, that meant that Wednesday was all ours!

Over breakfast Wednesday morning, I asked Alan what he wanted to do. "How about we finally go to the glaze studio?" Yikes... the glaze studio! I don't know why, but I have been avoiding doing that for at least 2 years. It sounded like fun, but I always came up with some reason to avoid trying it. Who knows why. Alan thought it would be fun and different to go there and make a plate or a bowl or a mug, but it just didn't really seem like something I wanted to do. But since we take turns choosing what we do together on his days off, and it was his turn to choose, I decided to be a good Joe and so off to the pottery shop we went.

It was a smallish shop, but the selection was nice, and the room was really well lit and bright. Alan chose a mug off the shelf on cleaned pottery, and I browsed a bit, finally deciding on a small cat figurine. I thought it would be fun to paint a little Dylan that I could put on my desk. I had it all worked out in my head. A figurine of Dylan this time, and I would make one of Hendrix on my next visit. Yep, it was a plan! I picked out the colors, the brushes, and a stencil of the Chinese symbol for Peace & Balance. I thought it would be creative, and a nice tribute to Dylan, to put that on the back of the kitty, to represent what Dylan means to me. He is a very peaceful creature, and when we cuddle I feel comfortable and balanced.

Excellent. It was a plan!

As I painted my kitty, we talked about what we might do the rest of the day. It was getting close to lunchtime, and I was beginning to feel hungry, so I suggested that when we were done, it might be nice to go out for a nice lunch of burritos or maybe a Taco salad. He agreed. Again it was a plan. I don't know why, but I was really hungry for Mexican food. Yummy.

Just as I was putting the finishing touches on my kitty, Alan remarked on how big the ears were on my figurine were. I hadn't noticed, but when I looked closer, I saw that they were... kinda large for a cat. Oh well, Dylan has big pink ears, so that would make it all the more realistic! Right? When we took our pieces to the counter to pay for them, the lady smiled and rang them up.

"Let's see... 1 large coffee mug, and 1 Chihuahua figurine."

Chihuahua?

"It's a Chihuahua figurine, not a cat?" I asked.

"Ummm... yes... It's a Chihuahua," snickered the lady at the glaze studio.

Well... that explains my hunger for Mexican food!

ROFL.

I really need to get out of the house more often!



I can't even tell the difference between a cat and a chihuahua!

Alan and I laughed and laughed at my mistake. It felt good to poke fun at my silly myself. I swear, that little dog, looked like a cat to me! I will get the piece back in a couple weeks, and I will post a photo of it. You'll see. A Mexican dog, painted to look like an orange tabby cat, with the Chinese symbol of Peace and Balance on it's back! LOL. It's an original Carly to be sure.

:)


Stay Tuned!


-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot # 22: Rocks Or Stones

"A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind."

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

If you come to San Francisco, you will see these rocks sticking up in the bay. They are located right next to the Golden Gate Bridge on the north side, just as you are entering in Marin County. They are the inspiration for this week's assignment.

EMPS #22: ROCKS or STONES.
Grab your cameras and show me some ROCKS. Big ROCKS, little ROCKS. LittleROCK, Arkansas, STONE soup. A Zen garden with decorative ROCKS, or how about ROCK cliffs? Sure, why not! A Pet ROCK, or ROCK candy. Take the words ROCK or STONE and use your imagination. ROCK music. ROCKING chair. ROCK ON! Stepping STONES. The Rolling STONES... it's all good!

Extra Credit: Show me actual ROCK or STONE in an unusual or special place.

**PLEASE READ**
The deadline for this Monday Photo Shoot assignment is next Sunday, February 1st, 2009, at 9:00 PM ET. Please remember to comeback here, to this entry with the direct link to your entry, specific to this photo shoot assignment. Please... NO HYPERLINKS! It must be a link only to the entry specific to this assignment, not a general link to your blog or journal.

Linking List for EMPS #21: Youngins'. 01/19/09

NOW CLOSED!

1. Jama gets things off to an adorable start, with a baby monkey and his bottle. :) Way too cute!

2. Suzanne has three photos for us of her grand kids. Happy little ones. :)

3. Karen brings us little girls in floppy hats. :)

4. Vicki took her youngins' fishing. Fun in the sun! :)

5. Annie's youngins' smile for the camera! Delightful kids. :)

6. Vicki features a baby plus a binky! :)

7. Terri's youngins' shows us the most proper way to take a nap! Yes, I agree! :)

8. Wammy shows us a photo of her grand kids... HAPPY TOGETHER! :)

9. Mike wraps things up for us with three photos. A polar bear cub and it's mommy, children viewing dolphins, and a wonderful, smiling golden puppy. Awww! :)

Well, you guys had me smiling from ear to ear this week! Well done everyone! So, go be PHOTOGRAPHERS! I will see you next week with an all new Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot Assignment!

-Carly

Be Like A Duck

"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but paddling like the dickens underneath."

-Michael Caine

A couple weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a name in my head. It wasn't someone I knew personally, but it was familiar all the same. Just who was this Evelyn Boosby person, and why was I thinking about her? I thought and thought about it all day and most of that night. Finally, in a fit of, well, a fit, I broke down and asked Alan if he knew who she was.

"No, never heard of her." Said he. "Could she maybe be an old school teacher?" Hmm... an old school teacher huh? I contemplated his suggestion for an hour or so, but in the end I dismissed it. I couldn't remember the names of every teacher I had ever studied under, but I knew for certain none of them were ever named Evelyn Boosby. Who is this Evelyn Boosby anyway?

I went about my business the next few days, with only intermittent harassment by Evelyn Boosby. I had a lot to do with the kitties, and getting the last of the Christmas decorations put away. I always procrastinate on taking Christmas decorations down. I miss the holiday when it is gone so much. The lights, the decorations, the anticipation of what might be in that cute little box under the tree. Plus, cats are especially fun around the holidays. Cat people know that's true... right cat people? LOL. The other reason for procrastination is the pain in my shoulder, the one I have had since I pulled my rotator cuff a couple years ago. But put Christmas away I did, but I also went for a new Xray of my right shoulder. Yep, that pain is indeed arthritis. Fine. Now I have it in both knees and my right shoulder. Fine.

More then likely it was the direct fault of this Evelyn Boosby person! Ok. Full stop. I am now beginning to blame my arthritis on someone, who I am not sure I have ever even met, who for the time being anyway only lives in my brain. Time to track this person down, but where to start? Fortunately for me I have the entire Internet, right at my fingertips. I will consult GOOGLE. Not one single listing for an Evelyn Boosby huh? What to do, what to do.

Well, what do I know about her? Well, she lives in my brain. Does her name ring any other bells? Yes, Ryan O' Neal comes to mind. Fine, I will GOOGLE Ryan O' Neal. Wait a minute... Ryan O'Neal? LOL. Well, I viewed about 5 different sights, including Wikipedia, and it shed no light on Evelyn Boosby at all. Nada. Nothing. Sigh. Hmmm... could she be a character from an old TV show?

I hopped on over to TV.com and began searching all the old TV shows currently showing on TV Land. See, I usually fall asleep to those old shows on Sunday and Monday nights, when Alan is working. I know, falling asleep with the TV on is not the best idea, but it's creepy around here sometimes and it's nice to have a little background noise as I drift off. On the other hand, could this be why I have this person's name in my head.

Ummm... yep. It turns out the name is actually Evelyn Boothby, and she was a character Wally Cleaver dated on an episode of "Leave It To Beaver." Holy cow! I have been walking around with the name of an ex-girlfriend of Wally Cleaver in my brain. Yes, going to sleep with the TV set to TV Land is a bad thing. LOL. Maybe I should try the music channels or a nice cooking channel or something. LOL. Of course then I run the risk of waking up with an uncontrollable urge to make sushi or something. Not that Alan would complain. LOL. Oh well, anyway, the mystery is solved. And ooh... a bonus... Ryan O' Neal was in the episode! So how cool is that?

Strange. Very Strange.

:)

Leave It To Beaver
Season 5
Episode 1
First Aired 9/30/1961
Rated 9.1
"Wally Goes Steady"
Mary Mitchell as Evelyn Boothby

-Carly
"Toy of Toys"
Berkeley, California
January 25th, 2009
Morning