georgia science bowl!

This was definitely worth rising early on a Saturday morning!
There were eight high school teams that converged upon Armstrong this morning the Finals of the State Science Bowl. The regional preliminaries were last month, on the 31st. I was there for that session, too.
For both events, I was a reader. That means I had the responsibility of clearly enunciating the words in the questions. I also had the responsibility of making sure to not inadvertently give away the answer for the multiple choice questions. I take that responsibility seriously, blocking the answer from my view as I read and trying to maintain the same cadence when reading each response.
I've had plenty of practice. Ever since 2011, I've been a volunteer for Donna Mullenax, the woman who spends an enormous amount of time organizing the annual events. Everyone who works the Science Bowl events is a volunteer and, if it weren't for Donna's cheerful disposition and bounty of coffee and doughnuts and pizza, I don't think many of us would be there.
2011 marked the five-year anniversary of the regional and state competitions being held at Armstrong.
This year marked my five-year anniversary with the mission and my fourth year as a reader.

Here's a couple of photos from February 2012, my first year as a reader.
That's me, in the pink, at the far right. You can see that I'm holding the book with one hand and blocking the answer from my view with the other.
That's the bfe, serving as rules judge, two people down from me.

Here we are, just before starting the second half of the final round
of the state competition.
Notice where the bfe is now!
I thought it very nice to have it documented that he shifted positions
to be next to me.
(smile)

These were taken by the university's official photographer, Kat Arntzen. She and I had been on each others' radar ever since earlier that month. (I had donated via the "Take Your Seat" program for two brass nameplates, one for me and one for Mama, on seats C113 and C112, respectively, in Jenkins Hall. That is the home of the Armstrong Masquers. I had spent many happy times in that theatre, as part of the troupe, while I was pursuing my bachelor's degree in the mind-1980's.)
The competition ended just a few minutes ago, with Westminster reigning victorious! That means they get an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, for the National Science Bowl. Go, team Georgia!!!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the movies! Kevin Costner has a new sports film out, so I'm off to take that in!
Later, y'all!

spring breakers and odd lots

I am so glad that Tomasz, of Cinema Savannah, keeps an eye out for these odd films! "Spring Breakers" is not a current film (released in 2012), nor is it a foreign film (his usual fare for us), and it's already on DVD. So, why did he feel so strongly about screening it at Muse Arts Warehouse?
I'll tell you why. This truly is a movie about "girls gone wild", but not like you're thinking.
No.
Two of these girls are not like the others. On the outside, they seem perfect; you can't tell that the wiring in their heads is hooked up wrong. Violence is what they crave, in a social setting where that is forbidden. But things change when they get bailed out by a drug lord (played with panache by James Franco!).
I really liked it! Then again, I'm a big fan of "Heathers" and I could see these two blondes as colleagues of J.D.'s. Definitely!
Now to find a way to pass the time on the west side of downtown before venturing off to the comedy show.
I know!

Supper!
It was a cold night, so I wanted soup.
I had gone by the Sentient Bean, but didn't care for their two selections.
What to do?
Thank God I remembered that Sandfly BBQ had just expanded to downtown!
I had plenty of time for the Brunswick Stew, some fries, and even a Moonpie!
All warmed up, I headed out for improv!

Odd Lot was performing at the Forge, an art venue at the Guild Hall. Not at their usual place, not on their usual night! Not at their usual price, either, but that's okay.
The skits were done a bit differently tonight.
Chris served as emcee, as well as improv artist. His job was to ask the audience for locations and such, then he would assign two of the players to get things started. So far, same procedure as for their Monday night shows at Muse Arts Warehouse.
However, tonight, the actors were then free to riff on the scenario in whatever direction they wanted, tagging others in and out as the scene evolved - morphed? - from one perspective to another. Cool!
This photo is at the beginning of "Changing Channels". The audience had been asked to provide items to be used as props. Jason A. had the huge white disc, which Doug is holding. Zach has my package of crackers from dinner, Andy H has my ocean scarf, and Megan has one of my leopard-print gloves. Chris is in charge of the "tv remote" to switch from one advertiser to another, repeatedly.
hahaha haha!
Patrick was there in the audience, too, as well as odd Lot's cofounder, Justin. There were also some accented tourists.
The best part?
All the hugs after the show!
Those got me good and warm!
(smile!)
Now, to get ready for science nerds tomorrow morning.
G'night, y'all!

raisins in the sun

So what color comes to your mind when you think about raisins?
If you're like most folks, you only said "black".
There are golden raisins, too.
Does that make you prejudiced?

That's one of the questions I would have asked, had there been a discussion group after the play tonight.
"Clybourne Park" tackles the issues raised when the demographics of a neighborhood are in a state of flux. The two acts concern the same house, but at different time periods.

In the first act, we receive the reason the house was in a price range that the Youngers (the black family in "A Raisin In The Sun") were able to afford. The owners have lost a son and desperately need a change of venue. They're willing to sell at a loss, just to be gone. The neighbors come by to try to convince them to back out of the deal, to keep the buyers - a black family - out of the white residential area. Keep in mind that it's the mid-1950's, after the Korean War.

With the second act, we have time traveled fifty years. Now, the tables have turned. A young white couple has bought the somewhat dilapidated house and plan to tear it down and rebuild. This time, the meeting of neighbors in the living room concerns the disturbance to the now historically black neighborhood.
See that word? "Historically"? If the white folks had tried playing that card fifty years earlier, they would have been accused of being racists.

Very interesting play.
Very interesting use of language.
Very interesting timing of its performance, during the last few days of Black History Month.
I'm so glad to be part of the Lucas Theatre family and to have been granted the privilege of working on this evening.
I plan to recommend that all I know go see this.
I just may get to discuss it yet.

sea chanters and chemists!

Tonight, after my last student finished Test 2 of the semester, I took myself to a concert - a FREE concert - right on campus.
The United States Navy Band Sea Chanters were in town!
Yes, indeed! Armstrong's Fine Arts Auditorium was playing host for this free event, so I was able to bop across campus to join the show.
That was good. That saved me some travel time.
Even so, I missed the first seven songs, arriving just as the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was beginning.
Very nice! I even closed my eyes to listen to the harmonies with my entire being. You know what I mean? It's about closing off other sensory input to better concentrate on one.
In other words, much the same as the much-anticipated movie on Friday did.
This time, the sense to be emphasized was that of hearing.
(smile!)
The house was packed! I ended up standing the entire time, but that was fine with me. Any time I wanted to break into dance, I did. And I did that a lot as the night went on!
The Sea Chanters took a break after that, but the Band played on! The tune was even one I knew, Bela Fleck's "Big Country" - what a nice surprise by the trio! Especially as the pianist, MU1(SW) Justin J. Cody, was responsible for this particular arrangement. He quite obviously enjoyed performing it for us, too!
Honestly, I had arrived exactly when I should have, I do believe. The rest of the program featured various ensembles within the Sea Chanters, including a theatrical contingent which performed "Toledo Surprise" from a 1920's-style musical I adored, "The Drowsy Chaperone". It brought back such great memories of the Armstrong Masquers' performance a year - or two or three! - ago!
There followed a very sweet song, sung in French.
I don't think many of those in the audience quite knew what to do with it, though, except to applaud nicely once it was done. The young woman did have a lovely voice!
Next up were the Anchor Sisters, modeled after the 1920's trio, the Andrews Sisters. Wow! "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", and other toe-tappin', hand-clappin' tunes!!! Woohoo! And lookee here, I even found a recording on youtube to enjoy it again!
But my very favorite part of the show, the part that made me glad to be a woman, the part that stirred my soul... that was next! The Men of Motown was a quintet that danced and sang their way through some of my favorite songs ever! "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)", "Tears of a Clown", and "My Girl"!!! "Do You Love Me?", "Reach Out I'll Be There", and "I Can't Get Next To You"!!! Thank God i was already standing, because i know i would not have been able to stand sitting down during those songs!!!!
Whew! Just thinking about it brings such a smile to my face and to my heart!!!
(My thanks to Jerry the Lunatic for posting those videos. You're a sweetie, whoever you are!)
I tell you, even after all these years, there's something about a man in uniform that makes my heart skip a beat...
The entire Sea Chanters company came onstage after that, singing a few more traditional religious and military songs. Then, after the "Armed Services Medley", which gave tribute to the Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Navy, the concert was over.
They did give us an encore medley, though! I guess the packed house and fervent applause moved them to grace us with one more volley of song! And this was composed of several 1970's tunes, their "Bellbottom" group, inviting us to sing along... so you know I did, dancing along, too! Who wouldn't want to "Come On Get Happy"!
Oh, my! Look at the time! I can join the post-Philo Cafe discussion over at Chili's and burn off some of this energy!
(smile!)
And so I did.
Connie and Cedric were the only ones tonight, but that was fine with me. We three chemistry nerds, united once more! We hoisted several toasts tonight, them with their beers and me with my unsweet tea, to health, to life, to friendship!
Oh, what a night!

washing clothes on a lunar cycle

Today was laundry day!
That only comes around once a month, or thereabouts, for me.
No, I do not own a washer and dryer.
Never have. Even growing up, we didn't have one in the house, so Mama and I would do them at the laundry down the street. When I got old enough, she would just drop me off there while she went to do the grocery shopping. Sometimes one of my brothers would be with me, but not usually.
Now, I do my clothes at the same place that I've been using since 1996.
At the time, I started using it for convenience. It was right around the corner from Smitty's Hardwood Floors, where I was working, and right down the street from my house.
Wash Plus is the place!
I enjoy Nami's company and she enjoys mine. We have shared many tales about husbands and brothers and dogs.
I've even set up a page on facebook for her business!

The photograph is my haul from this latest cleaning foray.
I'll wait while you count.
Okay, are you ready?
You should have seen twenty-four panties and ten pairs of socks.
I'm wearing the 25th pair of panties and there are two more in the drawer.
The sock drawer still has at least that many other matched sets of footwear still unworn and waiting their turn.
Yes, I said I have a sock drawer and an underwear drawer.
That's what you need when you only have to wash clothes every three to four weeks.
Technically, I could sync up with the moon and wash when it's on a particular phase. You know, have my full moon madness serve as my cue to wash clothes.
(smile)
As if opening the underwear drawer to the last clean panties wouldn't serve that purpose.
(smile)
I just may see about syncing up my cycle with the moon.
That sounds like fun!
Nami will get a kick out of it, too.
It could become an inside joke for us!
I do like that idea! Now, which phase of the moon should I use?
(smile)

B. Tillman and Mr. Grey

The first niece and I have been awaiting this evening for some time.
Not three years.
More like three months, since the first previews arrived.

Then, on Feb 10th, we chatted thusly.
me: Okay, we are back on for next Friday with Mr. Grey. Will that work for him?
her: Well, I don't know. You know he's such a busy man. He does run a billion dollar company. (wink wink)
me: :-) Surely he would enjoy the company of we two lovely ladies...
her: The contract said there would never be more than one?!
me: Contract? I never signed no stinking contract! I'm a free agent!
her: I just spoke with Mr Grey and he said that he will be there ready and waiting on us whenever we're ready to go.
her: Have you even read the books?
me: of course not. :-)
her: All of my comments will make more sense after you see the movie hopefully.
me: But I have read OF them. That counts! And i will be going with one of his lady loves. That counts, too.
her: I do hope they didn't change too much.
me: Oh, i have a pretty good idea what the book says. I've been around, ya know.
her: LOL. I learned a few things from the book.
me: We should probably get our tickets soon. Actually, YOU get the tickets and let me know when to be there.
her: All this talk of Christian is making me want to see it sooner... Although... I am really hoping to not have a repeat of Hunger Games.
me: Me too. Just keep your mind open - and wait for the R-rated version to cum out on video. :-)
her: Wait what?? What is the theatre version rated?
me: Oh, my bad. I meant to say the X-rated.

Then it was the Friday, the 20th! She and I would dine together (sadly, Christian could not make it to dinner), then hit the 9:50 PM screening.
But where to eat?
She was pretty flustered, between being a wife, foster mother, full-time daycare employee, and student. What would I suggest?
Well, something different, something out of our routine. That meant no Mexican, no Italian. And she isn't big on seafood, so we should table those options while we were at it.
And it popped into my head!
B. Tillman's!
I had only been the one time, she had never been, and the atmosphere was ... how had one of the Lunch Ladies phrased it?... "industrial elegant"?
I was already dreaming of the little coffee tray with its two tiny sugar cookies... Yes, that would do nicely, and it was literally around the corner from the cinema.
That's important.
My first niece is time-challenged, so plans must always include measures to counteract her faulty internal clock.
(smile)
True to form, she arrived fashionably late, looking fashionably marvelous.
I already had my coffee to sip, so I was fine.

She decided to have the Spinach Salad,
with chicken,
as well as the Tomato Soup.
That was definitely out of her normal!

I opted to create my own vegetarian plate,
ordering the Braised Carrots,
the Kale,
and the Black-Eyed Peas Succotash.
The chef turned my dish into art - magnifique!
The Southern Deviled Eggs provided some traditional protein and some pommey mustard flair.

We both enjoyed our dinners at a leisurely pace, her taking in the various atmospheres of the locale, both chatting about matters here and there.
We ate every bite, too.
Then she asked about the time... yikes! Already 9:48!
We hustled the waitress with our checks, paid, and sped around the corner to the cinema! Mr. Grey is not a man to be kept waiting!
... And we arrived just as "Fifty Shades of Grey" was beginning.
Lucky us! We had only missed previews!
There followed a fairly true-to-the-first-book soft-porn film. Good!
That means the frontal nudity was fairly well restricted to above the waist or to positions which left the pelvic regions to the imagination. Good!
Rear and lateral nudity went from top of the head to the floor, as it should. Good!
The Bondage & Discipline (B&D) was kept straight forward, emphasizing the need of the dominant to please the submissive, to help the submissive achieve orgasm by use of nontraditional toys. Being that Christian Grey found himself attracted to a virgin - a sexual virgin, not just a B&D virgin - it seems that he would have wanted to explain to her some of the rationales behind the toys used. You know, to avoid the general misperception by the "vanilla" public that B&D is the same as S&M (Sadism & Masochism, decidedly darker and requiring pain).
"Vanilla" has nothing to do with skin color, by the way. We were accompanied in the cinema by two groups of black women who seemed to think they needed to remark on the actions on the screen. Clearly, they had not read the book (nor had I) and had pretty conventional views of "accepted" sexual behavior (whereas I spent seven years in the US Navy so my views are, accordingly, more worldly).
Perhaps those other ladies might have been more tolerant, and more openly curious, too, if some of the tenets of B&D had been explained by Christian to his naive charge.
Consider these, please. The restraints are used to limit the submissive's ability to interact with the dominant. After all, when being pleasured, our natural response is to try, simultaneously, to give pleasure to our mate. Not so in B&D, where the pleasure is to be experienced by each participant individually.
What about the mask or blindfold worn by the submissive? That is to heighten the sense of touch, my dear. When sight is blocked, you have to rely on other senses. A whip with long leather strands looks like a weapon; in truth, those strips of leather are soft and suede, providing lush friction against the flesh when dragged or flicked. The loss of the visuals allows the skin to be the primary provider of input to the brain - and soft touches are always a pleasure, aren't they?
(smile)
My first niece and I understood the context of what was being shown to us on the screen, and we reveled in it.
Oh! OH! OOOOOHHHHHH!!!
(big smile!)
What a night!

i'm not white, i'm ICE

Thank you, Patrick Young, for bringing this little gem to town!
He came to Savannah via Pennsylvania, where a friend of his had started a movie discussion group. Patrick started his own "franchise" of JAVAFLIX in this fair town (and you can find out more here). On the second Saturday of each month, a movie is screened and then... we have caffeine and snacks and talk about the movie. Simple and straightforward. It's very similar to the Philo Cafe in that everyone's opinion is valued and welcomed.
I like that.
I'm writing this a bit late. The group met on this past Saturday, on a weekend when I had Minions, French films, a musical, and jazz - whew!
Yet, I made sure I was one of the JAVAFLIXians in attendance! Truthfully, I almost didn't go. The preview for "Dear White People" was misleading, implying that this was to be a movie to instigate racial tension amongst the viewers. I am sure that the month before, when this film was voted to be our selection, that it was thought to serve in that regard.
I already had my line at hand.

"White people?
I'm not white people.
I'm an Irish-Cherokee-English American, thank you very much.
But you can call me an I-C-E American."

Good one, n'est-ce pas?
Barbara and Sandy thought so!
Still, I really didn't want to have a racial conflict with my fellow movie-goers, most especially not on Valentine's Day, a time for love and friendship. So, I did a little research on the chosen movie.
Owen Gleiberman's review laid my fears to rest. He's with the BBC media, that outfit across the Atlantic that has naught to gain from racial conflicts on this side of the pond. As he explains, this was not to be a this skin color versus that skin color movie. Au contraire, mon frere. It was more of an internal conflict within a single race, with a young black woman trying to be the voice of "her" people in a radio program gone into caricature. At one point, she realizes the trap she has built, but doesn't know how to step out of it.
As the reviewer says: "These characters show that you can be too busy trying to do the right thing to actually do it."
Barbara said she really liked that last line, too.
So, we three gals went to movie and laughed and had a wonderful time! Others did, too! Almost thirty people braved the cold to come watch and discuss this movie. What a great success for Patrick!
Of course, we three were unable to stay for the discussion, as we had a final french film forthcoming.
But I did leave this message for the others in the group!

"I was delighted that this movie was much lighter than the preview implied. So very good to see Tyler James Williams in a role that allowed him to further strut his comedic chops! I had so enjoyed him in tv's "Everybody Hates Chris".
Such a great group of folks at this film, too! Very good choice!"

pączki for mardi gras!

What a treat!
Once a year, the Publix bakery graces us with these rich Polish doughnuts, just in time to celebrate before the trials of Lent.
Am I Catholic?
Do I have ancestors from Poland?
No, and no.
But I was married for fifteen years to a Polish-Irish man who was raised Catholic in Hamtramck, the Polish suburb of Detroit. He and his mom, Mother Pat, were the ones who first introduced me to these delightful, cake-like, filled treats.
Now, seven years after our divorce, I am still enjoying these sweets, but this year has been different.
This year, I've bought extra boxes to share with those I know.
What types of fillings? Well, here in Savannah, we get raspberry, Bavarian apple, and vanilla custard. The raspberry is my favorite! So, that is the type I have been sharing.
The first recipients were Willie and his sweetheart, Gloria. I took them the box of four pączki on Friday, straight from the grocery store. I'd ordered two boxes for Thursday, but they did not make them that day. So, Friday afternoon, they had called to let me know they made them. Hurray! Off I went to pick them up, then thought: Let's share!
So I bought another box.
Willie was the first person to come to mind. He and I have lost two fellow fans of the Sand Gnats, plus he has had more health problems with the cold weather. This would hopefully cheer him up.
Indeed it did! He called me the very next day (morning of Valentine's Day) to tell me how much he liked them! Wow!
Well, alrighty then!

Next on my agenda that very day was the birthday party for my first niece's two boys. I had received some comments to my post on fb about the doughnuts, so folks were definitely curious.
Very good! I would take a box over there to share!
And so I did!
(You can see them in the photo, under the Minions cupcakes.)
With all the treats to eat at the party, more than half of the box of raspberry-filled pączki were eaten up, with good reports from those who tried them.
Sweet!
So, I bought another box, this one to share with the movie discussion group on that Saturday evening. Javaflix Savannah is a meetup for film fans desiring post-viewing discussions. On this Valentine's Day (which simply coincided with the second-Saturday scheduling), we were treated to a romantic comedy, "Dear White People". So very funny!
And the red of the raspberry filling, against the white face of the powdered sugar, was so very appropriate for the day! Everyone ate them up!
Literally!
Saturday was such a joyous Valentine's Day!
I tell you, this whole experience has been good for me.
I need to share more of those things that are special to me, whether it's Valentine's Day or just another Tuesday.
You know what I mean?
Every day can be, and is, special.
For sure!

warm jazz on a winter's day

A couple of weeks ago - somehow, it seems to have been much longer ago - I was at a jazz concert with my 40+ Women's Social Network, at the newly opened Bonaventure Chapel.
At the event, I again became a member of the Coastal Jazz Association.
My membership has been lapsed for at least a year, probably longer. I have no particular reason why I had allowed it to fall to the wayside. It simply came to pass that it expired and I didn't get around to renewing it.
Time to start fresh!
CJA offers a free jazz concert every month. Let me restate that: the concert is free to members, but others pay twenty bucks each.
For the small sum of $30 for an annual single membership, I am granted access, gratis, to $240 of concerts by jazz pianists, jazz combos, jazz orchestras. What an incredible deal!
This evening's music was provided by "V", a Brazilian jazz group headed by Vic Varner of Charleston, SC. In the photo above, he's the one in the middle, strumming the guitar and singing. From the left, Bill Aycock is on the keyboards and George Sheck is handling the double bass. From the right, Thom Chambers mans the saxophone while the time is kept by Robert Moring on drums.
I came in just before "The Girl From Ipanema", a lament of an older man ignored by a beautiful girl. Perfect timing for me to dance along as they played!
Then Vic talked a little about the South Carolina Jazz Festival, held in the hometown of - wait for it! - jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie!!! I didn't even know the festival existed. I pondered future travel plans while I listened to V perform Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts".
A few songs later, they took five. (Get it? A little jazz inside joke based on the Dave Brubeck 1959 classic, "Take Five".)

During the intermission, a raffle was held. Each of us had been given a free raffle ticket as we entered, as is the custom at these concerts. I had stuck the ticket in my pocket, but I dug it out to peer at the number. "786", it read.
"786" was the third ticket drawn!
Wow! I was a winner?! When I looked through the stack of cd's available as prizes, I espied this one.
Wow! An artist I knew!
This was a (bootleg) copy of the classic from 1957, but that was okay by me. The music would be just as sweet as on the original!
What a coup!
By the time the band returned to the stage, I was sitting across the table from Ron Kent, a very kind older man and widower. He had been a member of CJA for the past 14 years. We talked about his son (retired from the Air Force, married with children, living near Sandusky, Ohio) and his daughter (single, working in Los Angeles), as well as about my travels in the Navy and life as a chemistry teacher.
V played a couple of tunes I recognized. "Norwegian Wood", "Wars of March", "I've Got Your Number". I half-listened to them, tapping my feet under the table. The group also played several songs I did not know, allowing me to focus on the conversation at hand.
In all, a very good evening. Good music, good winnings, and good company.
I look forward to the March concert!

communion on a Sunday afternoon

I almost missed it, too.
This afternoon matinee was the final performance of the 2012 Broadway Revival of "Godspell". The Savannah Community Theatre had brought it to town for two weeks, with several of the performers again inhabiting roles from the first time it was staged in this coastal town.
That's dedication! Both to the musical and to the director.

As the story goes, Tom Coleman, III, had posited the question via email and social media to former castmates - and they had come running to his call! Sure, he had directed the play seven times in its original incarnation, but this would be his first time in charge of this fresh take.
No worries!
Everyone was primed and ready to sing!!!
"Day By Day"!
"O Bless The Lord My Soul"!
"All Good Gifts"!
Those are my favorites, and I sang along in my front-row seat! Well, I didn't sing out loud, mind you, but I did lip-sync the lyrics! And grinned like a madwoman when the actors would play off of my energy - being an audience member is magical for me!
Then, at intermission, communion was served.
I was the first asked to partake of the grape juice and crackers.
HiHo! Of course I did!
How could I turn it down when Steven Ware asked so nicely? (He's on the back row, in the blue shirt and brown vest. He really belted out "All Good Gifts"! His performance touched me so much that I had tears at the end of it. Really! I wish that version was recorded somewhere so I could share it here.)
I really did feel as though I were at church, when in reality I was at Muse Arts Warehouse, listening to parables and song.
Maybe that was church, after all.

The second half had an even more profound impact on me.
The stage was sparse, consisting of the two benches, the two walls, the wheelbarrow.
In the first act, the followers of Jesus were given items to wear to show their solidarity with him, simple items. Ballcaps, bandannas, ties, flowers, a flowing shirt.
In the second act, the container is retrieved from the wheelbarrow and Jesus begins the task of gathering together the items he had distributed. As each piece of attire was returned, he would hold the hand of the giver or grant them a tender kiss on the forehead or offer a farewell hug...
I almost wept.
I knew, from my days in theatre, the specialness of those actions on this final performance of the play. On the stage, he was bidding them farewell as both those characters and as the fellow actors.
Such a tender moment for all...
I'm so grateful to have been able to share this blessed time.
This was definitely where I was meant to be on this sunny Sunday.

fun with french films, for the seventh time

For the weekend of Valentine's Day, the 7th Annual Francophone Film Festival was here for its three-day homestand.
Just because of when it was held, let's not presume the five films were all romantic period pieces - oh, no, not hardly! Each did have some aspect of love which played a part, as in most human endeavors, but the movies were not love-centric.
This film festival, which I have enjoyed since its inception in 2009, doesn't seem to generate much publicity. My friend Jim Reed concurs, calling it an "under the radar...grassroots showcase".
Perhaps that "grassroots" aspect is the reason for the continued low attendance. I think the French Club at Armstrong should try a little social media involvement. Facebook! Twitter! Stir some folks up!
Still, I was there! I have been each night, too.
I even brought my friend, Barbara, who also enjoys a wide variety of cinematic offerings. She truly is a kindred spirit! In fact, she had been the one to contact me to make sure I was going on that opening-night Thursday.
Of course I was going!
How could I not?
I was unable to stay for the reception, as I had other commitments. But I had been looking forward to "Le Herisson" ("The Hedgehog"), that first feature of the festival. I'm glad I was there, too! It was billed as the story of an eleven-year-old precocious girl, who had vowed to die on her twelfth birthday. Au contraire, mon frer! The story involved the girl, yes, but was actually about the concierge's widow. The film was a romance about reawakening to life.
Of course I cried.
The lead character was much like me: mid-50's, graying, overweight. Unlike me, she was fairly invisible, living out her days alone, surrounded by those she served.
Then change arrived, literally on her doorstep.
Yeah, I want that.
I had voiced that same desire two years ago, after a dance scene in "L'affaire Farewell". That film was part of the Fifth Francophone Film Festival. And, as I was watching, I said, aloud, "I want that."
Yeah, a girl can most definitely dream...

Back to this year's screenings!
On Friday, Barbara missed the first one. Lucky her, as I told her when she arrived during the break between films. Truly, it was quite taxing to sit through the angst-ridden saga of tenement teens with a penchant for pornographic language. "L'esquive", made in 2003, was set in the Parisian slums for immigrants. Lydia, Frida, and Rachid are going to be in a famous 18th-century comedic play about class struggle and love, "Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard" ("The Game of Love and Chance").
Enter Krimo, a lost soul in search of love, but unwilling to risk himself. He briefly joins the cast of the play, but soon bows out, unable to discern reality from acting. We see him dodging (l'esquive) his classmates continually afterward.
The film was rather sad, except for one (almost) redeeming note: the students in the play grew closer and more able to communicate without resorting to constant cursing.
Seriously, it was harsh.
The second film of the evening was definitely more to my liking. "Une Femme Pas Comme Les Autres", a 2009 film from the small African nation Burkina Faso, explores a wealthy woman's options when she catches her husband cheating on her with the neighbor's wife. She decides to take a second husband, saying she is trying to get pregnant and her current husband has not been successful in that area. She also anonymously informs the neighbor about his wife's shenanigans.
Let the fun begin!
Barbara liked it, too. As divorced women who had cheating husbands, we found Mina's solution deliciously diabolical!
She and I went to Chili's after, for dinner. The lateness of the hour didn't stop us from having a two-hour meal, continuing the post-film discussion and anticipating the last film of the festival.
Saturday dawned.
Valentine's Day.
I had a family birthday party and the JAVAFLIX Savannah meetup between me and the final film of the film festival.
She had lunch with a friend at the beach and the JAVAFLIX Savannah meetup between her and the final film of the film festival.
Our plan was to attend the meetup and watch the movie, but leave before the discussion began so we could hightail it southside from downtown. My singing companion, Sandy, came along with us.
We knew we were going to miss "Le Chat du Rabbin", but there was no avoiding that. The 2011 animated tale of a cat who wishes to become Jewish would have to wait for another day. (I hear tell that it's available on Netflix.)
We even knew we might miss the first few minutes of "Les Femmes du 6e étage" - and we did. The 2010 film had already begun, but I don't think we missed more than ten minutes of it. At any rate, we caught up quickly.
Jean-Louis and Suzanne, an 1960's Parisian couple, live very well, but have drifted apart. Enter Maria, a new maid, a breath of fresh air in their stodgy lives. Suzanne barely sees her, but Jean-Louis finds his heart awakened and his mind distracted. Such a sweet and hopeful love story!
Perfect to mark the end of the Francophone Film Festival!
Perfect to mark the end of Valentine's Day!
We three convened to the Olive Garden to discuss the merits of the two free films we'd seen and to applaud the lovely day we'd shared!
FREE films???
That's right.
Every film of the Francophone Film Festival was 100% free. (They always have been. It truly is a marvel that the Ogeechee Theatre isn't overflowing with viewers.)
The film at the meetup was free, too.
All we've paid for are two dinners on our three nights out!
What a fabulous weekend it's been!

minion birthday party!

Bananas!!!
But of course - what else would you need?
Besides Minions cupcakes, naturally...
And Minions Cheese Nips...
and Minions Grahams...
My first niece, Christina, her little sister (Chelsea), and her mom (Melinda) were up until 4 AM this morning creating this fabulously fun party.
Then they woke up at 8 AM to start their day...
W o w.

Why did they put in so many hours on this party?
Well, see the boy in the dark blue, on the left?
It was in honor of his eleventh birthday.
It was also in honor of another boy's first birthday.
Both of these boys are foster sons of my niece and her husband.
Very lucky boys they are!

In addition to the Minions bowling game, there were other fun activities for the birthday boys and their guests.
Pop The Yellow Balloon allowed them to win prizes!
Pull the right ribbon on Minions piñata and release candy and toys!
Pin the Eyes on Jerry the Minion and make him say "Whaaaattt?"!
Well, not really.
Just in my imagination!
(smile)

What did I get for the boys?
Well, for the older boy, this cool coin bank!
And a bagful of pennies to start him off!
Yes, I am excited about that exercise for him in creativity.
The car bank was bought from Mack's 5 & 10, a favorite store of my childhood. That gift gave him a piece of my history.
For the little one, I gave him an autographed book by a local author, purchased at one of my favorite places, the Jepson Center.
As far as I am concerned, these boys are already my great-nephews. Whether they get to stay that way is up to others.

Here are two of the other great things about this party!
My niece Chelsea is holding Leila, my newest great-niece!
My nephew Michael is holding Alyssa, my next-newest great-niece!
The two little ones are fraternal twins, with Alyssa beating her sister into this bright world by just a few minutes.
Michael and Melanie, the twins' frazzled parents, take advantage of other arms at every opportunity.
Not that I'm holding the babies just yet... but that day is coming!
(smile!)


Such a lovely start to my Valentine's Day!

gettin' crafty with 40+

Lookee what I made!
Yep, that's all my doing!
Well, except for the hostess showing me how to get started with that first spritz of silver paint...
Turned out pretty well, don't ya agree?
What is it???
It's a mercury vapor milk jug vase, of course!
(SMILE!)
Kim and Brenda really liked it, too!
Kim is the hostess of the 40+ Women's Social Network and the Craft Night was held at her house. She had a room open to the night air, so we didn't get asphyxiated while making our creations. Besides the silver spray paint, she also supplied several glass containers, of various shape and size, for our selections.
Brenda came in to keep me company. I can tell that she and Kim have formed a good friendship already. That's good! I like knowing this group, composed mostly of folks transplanted here fairly recently, are definitely interested in making new friends.
After I finished my vase and was caught up, we all rejoined the others (Cindy, Jan O, Kelly, Jennifer, and Sheila). Then it was game time! We opted to play a new game on Kim's iPad, "Heads Up!".
Here's the basics. You select a category, then face the screen toward the other players. They then give you clues so you can guess the item (celebrity, phrase, word, movie, etc.) on the screen. Basically, a grown-up version of flashcards. The goal is to guess as many of the items as possible in the time frame of about 3 minutes. The really cool part? The iPad is videotaping the clue-givers! After you have timed out, you can all watch the film of the clue presentation!
Such fun! Especially the dirty categories!
;-)

This was my second Craft Night with the group.
My first was on the last day of November, at Julie's house, here in midtown.
We made candles that time.
Rather, she made the candles and we learned how by watching.
She did let us choose the colors and fragrances for the two batches she was making, so we did participate that way.

She had already found out how messy the process was and how time-consuming, too.
Julie had taken it upon herself to make a wide variety of candles of different sizes, shapes, colors, and fragrances.
After the candle-making demonstration, she had us all choose some candles to take as souvenirs.

These lovelies are the ones I brought home.
It's a shame you can't enjoy the aroma!
Such juicy orange ripeness!
I've been keeping the two small ones in my car.
On a warm day, the citrus fragrance immediately brightens my mood!

Hold up there a moment! You mentioned that you had to get "caught up" tonight. What was that all about? Why were you late?

Oh!
That.
Well, you see, the Francophone Film Festival started tonight! The 7th Annual version. I have been present from its inaugural year in 2009 and was certainly going to be there this year, too.
But, I'll have more on that later.
I promise!
For now, bed time...

pinocchio knows!

We won third place!
Shane, Sandy, and I were the only ones of our group that showed up for Trivia Nations' game at Coach's Corner tonight and we still managed to place third!
Truly, I'm very impressed with our win.
As I have said before, I'm not great at trivia. Neither are the other two. But we each do have our special areas of interest and we do have enough respect for each other that when one of us immediately reaches for the answer pad, we trust that that person knows the answer.
We have several that are sometimes present who do not willingly grant that respect.
So many times, we've had the correct answer and been talked out of it by one of the doubters.
That was certainly not the case tonight!
Most of the questions fell into the category of one of us knowing and the other two accepting. There were a couple that we all knew... as did all of the other teams playing. There were six other queries that none of us knew at all. Even so, some of those we got lucky with a guess; the others we missed, but we had been sure to only have low point values assigned to those questions.
We scored 26 points in the first half, acing 8 of the 9 questions and gaining two points on the bonus round.
The second half was more problematic, with us only correctly answering six of the nine. But, we correctly wagered our points again, so we ended up with another 26 to add to our total.
Amazing! We three were in third place!
And we held that, too, after the bonus round. We didn't have a clue on the chronological order of four movie quotes, so we bet nothing.
Good move!
That gave us $20 in Coach's Cash to use on a future visit!
...in addition to the $73.55 won on earlier wins, dating back to the fall.
I suggested we go ahead and use some of that "old money" for tonight's tabs...and so we did! We used a former second place win - that's a $30 gift card - to pay the tabs for all three of us, with Shane graciously handling the tip.
Bravo!
You know, if we were to cash in some winnings just once a month, I might be tempted to play more often.
Especially with these two!
No stress, no guilt, just three friends playing a game.
Thanks, Sandy, for asking me to come out tonight.
(smile)

nice to be needed!

Yesterday, while spending quality time with family, we made a side trip to the Goodwill in Bluffton. I've been wanting to go to that store to search for picture frames for some of the swag I've received as Fliss of Kickstarter. Success! I came home with seven frames!
This morning, I determined to put them to use. Now, which pieces of art to place in which frames?
Then it was time for school, so off I went!
No one came to my Office Hours.
No worries! I used the time to grade a six-page Post-Lab Report that I always dread. I even managed to grade all 24 of the Reports! That was certainly time well spent!
Roast turkey, wild rice, sauteed zucchini and yellow squash! Green beans, coconut flan, walnut blondies!
The Galley fed me well, as it always does. I very much enjoy eating there. What's not to like? They shop for the food, they wash and prepare the vegetables, they roast and grill and boil the meats and starches, and they serve it all hot and fresh, attractively arranged on my plate. Then, afterward, they even wash the dishes!
Seriously, I eat there every time I am on campus. Sometimes lunch, usually dinner, brunch on rare occasions. Always good and I can eat as much as I like, for only 8 to 9 dollars.
What a treat!
My plan this evening was to finish lecture a little early and then jet downtown for the Alton Brown cooking show at the Civic Center. His "Edible Inevitable Tour" was in town and I am a fan of his style of mixing science and history into his recipes.
No, I did not have a ticket yet. I was just going to "wing it".
Good thing I had not splurged $54 on a ticket.
As I texted the bfe, "Tis pissing down water from on high."
My umbrella was in the trunk. The weather had been warm, so I had no jacket to help shield me from the onslaught of wet. And I was wearing the shoes my BFF's darling daughter had painted and given to me, shoes that now sported holes in the uppers and holes in the soles.
I was going nowhere in this rain.
So, I graded the Lab Data Sheets and the Pre-Lab Quizzes, waiting for the physicist to finish his class.
Done! Whaddaya know? I was all caught up with my grading!
Then he was done and texting, "Are you still here?"
He was delighted to find I was! He would have had to wait 45 minutes for the next bus downtown.
I would have him home before it would even arrive southside.
And we talked of diners in movies and upcoming travel plans to be made and how relieved he was that I had been there at the school on such a rainy night.
Like rain is anything new for us!
(smile)
It's an inside joke, y'all.
You know, like best friends have.
(smile!)
After I had him safely home, I headed to Chili's. I had told Ced that I would be there, so off I jetted. I was only about fifteen minutes late and found him, Connie, and Daniel sitting in silence, with beverages but no chips and salsa.
No chips and salsa?!?
Not for long!
Then I ordered a triple dipper to share and Daniel ordered a kid's pepperoni pizza and the chips came and the climate at our little table started to brighten.
Daniel talked about how his mom's topic ("What did you ever think would never happen, but it did?") had gone and asked for my feedback, too - I thought it was really nice for him to want to hear my take. I asked if anyone had brought up the fact of a black President in the United States, just six or seven generations after the American Civil War. Amazingly, no one had.
Seriously!
That opened up more topics for our post-Philo talks, and, oddly, led into acronyms.
Yep, it sure did!
So I trotted out some of my common ones.
FUBAR - fouled up beyond all recognition
SNAFU - situation normal, all fouled up
NAVY - never again volunteer yourself

Then, all of a sudden, I recalled one I had forgotten, one which had been a favorite for many years!
DILLIGAFF - do i look like i give a flying flip

Fun, right?
I look forward to a resurgence in my use of dilligaff! It's such a fun word in the mouth!
Daniel and Cedric made a note of it, too!
Maybe we could have our own dilligaff club!

How good to have been exactly where I needed to be tonight!
i thank You, God.

family outings, day 2

Such an awesomely beautiful day!
I arrived early for the visit with Bonnie and the boys, allowing me a little time to walk in the warm air and take in the changes to the Berkeley Place shopping center in Bluffton.
That's in South Carolina, y'all.
(smile)

Here's my stepmom,
Bonnie!
Why is she so surprised?
She had ordered
the Sampler Platter
at the new Mexican restaurant,
Cinco.
Instead of only one plate of food, she received TWO!
Wow!
She said it was all good,
but her favorite was the Chile Relleno!

Here is my nephew, Merritt.
He's nine now and had discovered that being finicky gets him more attention.
He had said he wanted the nachos con queso instead of one of the kid's meals.
Yeah, right!

This is my other SC nephew, Conner.
He is only six, but will soon be seven.
He's even pickier than his brother.
He got a kid meal and didn't eat a single bite of either the taco or the enchilada.
But he did manage to beat me in one of the pre-meal games of Tic-Tac-Toe!

The movie was "Paddington" and it was done quite lovingly. I can't say I was very familiar with the book, but the boys were! As exasperating as they had been at the restaurant, they were absolutely angelic in the cinema.
Nice!
Extra nice were the huge hugs they gave me several times today.
Thanks, boys! I needed that!
Still, I think Grandma Bonnie and I won't be sharing our next "lunch & a movie" date!
(smile!)

family outings, day 1

I didn't even have coffee this morning. I called up my middle brother, Ronnie, to see if he wanted to go to IHOP for breakfast.
He answered with an enthusiastic affirmative!
Such a good meal together we had!
I dined on his favorites, sirloin tips with onions and mushrooms and sunnyside-up eggs.
I had grilled sausage and fluffy pancakes with old-fashioned warm syrup.
What an uplifting way to begin the day!

About four hours later, I was in the company of his darling daughter, my first niece!
She is going to school for a teaching certificate, in addition to raising two boys and working full time.
That's really put a crimp in our socializing opportunities.
She made a hole in her schedule just for me today.
We dined on Mexican fare at La Parrilla, a place we had not visited together, but both of us liked.
She had the younger boy with her, but Lee is such an easy child to be around and has a smile that can brighten the darkest day.
Ah... so relaxing to be with her again!

The universe
sent a message
via my odometer.

161214

I had been
at the right place,
at the right time,
with the right people.
(smile)

The evening found me ushering at the Lucas for "The Princess Bride" - marvelous! Nothing like storming the castle with Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin! "As you wish", my dear! How excellent to see Peter Falk again, too. (I had caught an old episode of "Columbo" earlier, the one with Johnny Cash as a murderous singer. It was very good!)
Then some fierce "True Romance", pitting my man Christian Slater against Christopher Walken and James Gandolfini. No worries, Alabama has his back, and she is fierce!
Along the way, I got hugs from friends and a business card from a local photographer who wants to "capture your [my] joy for life".
Seriously!
I need to send Kinzie Ferguson an email right now so we can get started on the Joy project!
Later!

love songs for bernadette

February has had a rough start.
Last night, I attended Philo Cafe, mostly in hopes that Panda Ann's son would be there. He was. In fact, he will be hosting her topic next Monday. And he came by Chili's afterward to socialize and raise a glass in memory of his mom. I went there, too, with Cedric, Connie, Gwen, and a young woman named Ellen, who I had met at Marlin's bedside not quite a week ago.
Today, I took the day off from mourning dead friends.
Off to the oceanography lecture and then to lunch with those who don't know me. SO, no conversations on topics of death and loss.
Good!
Off to a silly movie, surrounded by those who don't know me. Again, no conversations about death and loss.
Very good!
And I was home before 7 PM!
You know what that means, right?
Two episodes of "The Big Bang Theory", back to back!
They were even two of my favorites, concerning the love of the engineer, Howard Wolowitz, for the part-time Cheesecake Factory waitress and microbiology graduate student, Bernadette Rostenkowski.
In the first of the two aired tonight, it is early in their dating and Howard has, of course, royally messed things up. So, as only he can, he sets about making things right through song, bringing his keyboard to the restaurant and serenading her. Successfully, too!
It's such a sweet episode!
Then, to my surprise and delight, this one from Season 7 came on!
Howard and "Bernie" are supposed to be one a special date, but she ends up in quarantine after a problem in the microbiology lab with some errant samples. So, true to form, the man brings the special date to her... with a little help from their friends.

There she is, behind the glass of the quarantine chamber, clad in a dark blue scrub outfit.

There he is, portable keyboard at his fingertips.

Totally sweet!

And me?

Right place...

right time...

i thank You, God.