"Just remember in every pothole there is hope Well, you see, pothole is spelled P-O-T-H-O-L-E. So, if you take the P, and add it to the H, the O, and the E, and rearrange the letters or contrariwise, you remove the O, T and the L, you get 'home". So, just remember, in every pothole there is hope".
I watched this movie comedy last night, and I felt so good laughing. It's a lot of crazy situational fun. It's also so heartwarming. It's a Christmas gem that I have almost never heard of as a Christmas movie. I can't figure out why? It has a terrific cast including, Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Adam Sandler, and the magnificent, Madeline Kahn. Rob Reiner is very funny as a veterinarian. The timing all around was magical!
Need another Christmastime comedy? This movie brings it!
Need some fun, this will make you laugh, and that's a good thing. I don't want to say much about the movie, except it's a great 1960's slapstick comedy. How many vampire movies offer you that? Answer... not many... but I sure wish they did!
it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
―
George Orwell
“If freedom of speech is taken away,
then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
―
George Washington
“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice
of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of
increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to
all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear."
[Special Message to the Congress on the Internal Security of the United States, August 8, 1950]”
―
Harry S. Truman
“This is slavery, not to speak one's thought.”
―
Euripides,
We are in a very dark time. President Asshole is not going to be happy until he ruins every corner of our lives. Every single day some nightmare, courtesy of Trump, will happen, sometimes several times a day, sometimes hourly. He is a petty little asshole, who is leaving my nerves fried. Culture and the arts is so important to the psyche, and the soul, and the well being that I worry about someone who just can't take it anymore, acting out. When folks reach the deepest points of despair, they fall to the principles of fight or flight. They express their feeling by hurting others in the attempt to make them feel their level of pain, or they turn it all inside, ultimately harming themselves. I am neither of those things. I am numb. Intellectually I know it's bad, but I don't feel panic anymore. Still, I get tired. Some days all I want to do is sleep, but when I am awake I am ready for the fight of just absorbing it all.
"Never put off till tomorrow, what may be done day after tomorrow just as well."
~Mark Twain
More Maxims of Mark
Alan and I have a tradition, no matter what else we do on our vacation, the Sunday before it ends we go to a comedy club in San Francisco. In recent years it has been the Punch Line, just off the Embarcadero, in the financial district. The club sits on the second floor of 444 Battery st, and has a gorgeous view of all the tall San Francisco buildings. Sunday night the downtown was still decorated with bright orange lights in honor of the San Francisco Giants World Series win! It put an especially festive feel on the night, I love that orange color in October!
The Sunday show at the Punch Line is their Comedy Showcase, which features the best up and coming comedians from the Bay Area, but mostly San Francisco. I have always enjoyed this show, and this time was no exception. It's a perfect way to say goodbye to a long vacation like we take, and the humor is much needed, especially with today being all about the mid-term elections.
Elections rarely carry humor with them, with the recent exception of Karl Rove's desperate response to President Obama winning reelection in 2012! That was pretty funny! Anyway, if you live in the area, and are looking for some good fun, visit the Punch Line for their Comedy Showcase! It's good for what ails you! There is a two drink minimum, of course, and if you are feeling a bit peckish, try the Mediterranean Plate, it's awesome! YUM!
"I was a little excited but mostly blorift. "Blorift" is an adjective I just made up that means 'Completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.' I have been blorft every day for the past seven years."
~Tina Fey,Bossypants
If Only I Could Have Found My Blorift...
I read Tina Fey's book, Bossypants, and couldn't put it down. She is amazing! Truly, she is this generations Lucille Ball! Can you imagine if she and Lucy could have starred together? Wow, it would have been comedy GOLD! Recently, I saw her in her latest film, Admission. She impressed me yet again with her ability to entertain. This time, she took a bit of a break from her usual comedy escapades, to show a different side, her dramatic ability! She had me in tears at one point, but in a good way.
As I was mentioning in my post yesterday, movies give us a chance to shake off the stresses and distractions of everyday life, and when you can find a movie that is so good it actually makes you forget your cares for an hour or so then it's a not just a fun way to shake off the stress, but a smart one as well. Stress is a bad thing for the soul. I know of what I speak, because this past week was really stressful. For me it began last Sunday, when the current owner of the property I live on decided to help herself and walk right into my home. I have warned her before that under our contract that I am to have 24 hours notice, but there she was, once again, trespassing, and this time she brought friends!
People I have never even met!
As I said, this happened last Sunday afternoon, and the stress from that resulted in the headache from HELL! Then Monday came along, and well, we all know how the week played out from there. Compared to what some went through last week, my petty problems seem just that... PETTY. And in the grand scheme of things I suppose it doesn't compare, but that's just it, can you really compare problems with other folks, or can you just do the best you can do with the problems you own? Most of us are just doing what we can do to get by, for me that means explaining one more time that not only are my landlord's actions annoying... they are illegal! And remedying things by purchasing a decent little security system and installing it so it will be able to document the illegal entry.
I wish I didn't have to do that. I like the lady very much.
She doesn't want the fact to be true, that she can't walk into my home just because she owns it.
Stress happens... right? And with each new event, my headache seemed to pound harder. What can you do? I did what I could to get rid of it, but didn't have much luck. My usual coping mechanism, in lieu of a day at the movies, is watching General Hospital. It was preempted several times last week, so there went that! LOL. I get the news needed to report about the the terrible things that went on last week, but after a while the wall to wall coverage became downright horrifying and several times I found myself rethinking what leaving the house means. I hate that! I want to just live my life, but who knows what living in America is really about anymore. Things have changed so much from when I was a child. Sometimes it doesn't seem like America. Like it's something different, but I don't understand how to feel or think about it or who to trust.
Like I said. Stress. It was the word of the week! But like with everything, the stress did pass!
After the capture of the Boston bombing suspect Friday night, I went to bed happy and relieved for the people of Boston, and slept deeply for 7 straight hours, which seemed to be just what the doctor ordered! Of course it didn't hurt that Dylan cuddled into me, and Hendrix bit my toes all night, in that cute little way he does when he wants to play! And when I woke up yesterday morning, the sun looked a little prettier, and I actually felt like working in the garden! The headache had moved on, and my body was ready to play. Since there wasn't any movies I wanted to go see, I thought it would be good to finally get the Heirloom tomatoes planted, and start our newest project of growing Yukon Gold potatoes!
And if all that wasn't enough to put a smile on a stressed out girls face, look who fluttered by to say "HI"...
It was a sunny day! Don't you love sunny days and little blue butterflies?
"Here Comes The Sun"
The Beatles
Here Comes The Sun Here Comes The Sun And I Say It's All Right...
"It would have been more logical if silent pictures had grown out of the talkies, instead of the other way around."
-Mary Pickford
Last night Alan and I went to see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." It was Alan's turn to pick a movie, and that is the one he chose. "Really?" I thought, but I went without too much of a fuss, because I figured it was only fair, in that a week earlier I had forced him to endure the chick flick, "Bride Wars." So what if it seemed a little sophomoric from it's trailers, it has the hunky Kevin James in it! Right? Well, I find Kevin James hunky, and besides, he has nice eyes. :) "Ok Alan, why not?"
The Sacramento Bee's review of the movie recommended it for about 8 years old and up. Yeah, that's about right. Rated PG, it was funny, but had a couple of moments that some parents might find a bit questionable, such as one particular scene in a bar, but overall there wasn't anything in it that I haven't already seen on network TV, including the story itself. Don't get me wrong, it was a funny movie, with the proper amount of slapstick that especially appealed to the under 13 year in the audience, and the big kids at heart, like Alan. Heck, I even laughed out loud, and that felt mighty good.
It was predictable in places, and yet it managed to throw me a curve here and there. It was sweet at times, and even though the main character was a man, anyone who has ever felt less then good enough for the world, would be able to identify with his struggles. I did. Male or female, we have all felt the sting of rejection, or the difficulties of trying too hard to impress someone, and most of us have had to watch a dream or two slip from our hands. The movie showed us how those things affected Paul Blart, and his response to them. And that's a good thing. He was someone you could identify with to varying degrees, but mostly if you have ever felt like the underdog, and who hasn't felt that way at least once? Every now and again, it is good to cheer on the underdog with a heart of gold. Last night the audience cheered Paul Blart on... loudly! LOL. It was fun to watch both the movie, and the crowd's response to him.
It was just the right length at 87 minutes. Don't you just hate a movie that goes on and on forever with useless dialog and scenes? Ugg. This was a good movie, that didn't try to be too deep, that stuck to the story with very few diversions, and which concentrated at simply telling the story as it unfolded. Applause, applause. It was co-produced by Adam Sandler, Jeff Sussman and Kevin James, and you could see Sandler's influence everywhere in the film. Especially if you saw the movie, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry." In fact, the only thing missing was Adam Sandler. LOL. Nah, actually, he would have been unnecessary, and that is the point I am making, it was a good movie because there wasn't anything out of place. Very few comedies seem to do that right.
You'll laugh, and that's a good thing. You can take the kids to see it, and that's a good thing too. Go see it. It's a good thing.
"I wonder if illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?"
-Jerry Seinfeld
I found out a couple days ago, that April is National Humor Month. As I have never been someone to pass up a chance to have fun, I seized the moment and went out to a comedy club with Alan. We have been to quite a few different ones here in the Bay Area, including some Open Mic nights here in Berkeley, but we have narrowed them down to a couple we like the best. One is Rooster T Feathers, which is located in Sunnyvale, and which you see in the above photo, and Tommy T'sin Pleasanton. Now, if I had to choose between those two, I would definitely go with Tommy T's. The food is a lot better, and the service is perfect. And it doesn't hurt that I am not as likely to be the oldest one in the room! LOL.
Tuesday Night at Tommy T's is Taco Tuesday, and what that means is that you get 3 Tacos and a Margarita for $10 per person, plus a $5 cover charge. Now of course you can order a non-alcoholic drink, so don't be thinking I go out drinking and driving. LOL. OMG... can you just imagine me falling into a jail cell because I was fit schaced? The tabloids would be all over me, and there would be my face, on the AOL Welcome screen, all disheveled, with the caption: "Carly, The Next Paris?" LOL.
This past Tuesday was an especially enjoyable evening, as we got to see a dear friend of ours, who just happens to be a comedian, perform. He is a great guy with a brilliant future in comedy. I am looking forward to watching his career and I am excited to be able to support him in his passion for laughter. He has been on many a stage here in the Bay Area, and well he should. He is so very talented. As an added treat to the evening, the headliner that evening was Michael Mancini. You may have seen him on Jay Leno, or A&E's An Evening At The Improv. He is an awesome, high energy comedian, who delivers, among other subjects, hilarious tales of his life in law enforcement!
So tell me, do you like to laugh? Who is your favorite funny person? Have you ever participated in an open mic night? Do you have a favorite comedy club? What's your favorite funny movie or TV show? How will you celebrate celebrate National Humor Month? Do you have a joke that will make me laugh? Feel free to share right here. Leave me a joke or funny short story. And if you do a special entry for National Humor Month, comeback and leave me the link. I will update this post so folks can find you.
Now go be funny. Share the gift of laughter with a loved one. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine. :)
"It is a serious fact that people are never so trivial, as when they take themselves seriously."
-Oscar Wilde
"A person without a sense of humor, is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road."
-Henry Ward Beecher
"Some people are like slinkies... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs."
-Unknown
-OndineMonet Rooster T Feather's Sunnyvale, California February, 2008 Evening
