From Kim Komando...the digital goddess. "Some of the most iconic quotes of all time come from movies. We all have our favorites. You may not even realize some of them came from Hollywood. They can be funny, romantic, poignant and scary. The American Film Institute made a list of the 100 greatest movie quotes. They come from every genre and every era. You can watch them back to back in this video. You’ll be surprised by how many you recognize." Enjoy.
Determination kept gnawing at me, and I finally made a movie. Well it sure is primitive alright, but it's a movie. I used the MAC iMovie application and taught myself mostly thru trial and error. I combined some basketball video of Brooke...she's the little girl in white with medium to long hair....the only one wearing pink shoes.....she's her own person that's for sure, and she was just 6 years old during these games.
Following the video clips I used the Ken Burns effect on some stills. I also added some music, but I didn't know how to remove the second song with Sammy Davis singing Jingle Bells at the end.....Oh well...next time.
I'm posting it here so I can come back and see if I improve.
Time to hit the sack...it's nearly 1AM and I'm to make the corn pudding to take to Linda's tomorrow.
Here's Brooke. OOPS it's too big for Vox and won't load so I'll take it to You tube. I'm not sleepy anyhow, so I think I will. Here's the You Tube link CLICK HERE and turn up your sound.
BTW, I heard today that 'Courage' the pardoned turkey is on his way to Disneyworld....I wonder if he met up with the Corcoran clan on their way home to Gulf Breeze. It's now just about 2AM...nitey night.
Now you'll know I'm crazy when you watch this video at the bottom. Oh well it was fun and gave me a few laughs.
Finished the two DVDs I was creating, and I think they're "prittee, prittee" good as Larry David would say. I'll give one to Rich jr and one to Janice.
I gave Rich a haircut with the new clippers. Between my cataract laden left eye and those horrible old clippers, it was hit and miss with his haircuts. Now, it's just miss....I can still hit.
Tomorrow is Grandparents' Day at Brooke and Trevor's school. Trevor who is 1st Trumpet in the school band (it only goes to grade 5) has a solo. GrandpaBuck will be there and Rich jr. will record it so I can see it later. I'd have to be at their house by 8AM.....leaving here by 7:30 at the latest, and that's too early for me.
A few years ago they held Grandparents' Day on the day designated for it...I think in September or something. It was in the afternoon, and I attended. I'm assuming they do it so early now because the kids get out of school at 11AM for the holiday.
While on the treadmill I watched 'The Green Mile' with Tom Hanks...it's about 10 years old. It's about a huge black man who was wrongly convicted of killing two little girls in the South in the 30s. The story is also about the guards and their jobs as they work cell block E....I guess E for execution. John Coffey ..the man wrongly convicted also had magical powers. It's a good movie and worth renting if you haven't seen it. I think the story is good, and the acting is superb...not just Hanks, but all the cast.
Ok time to see me. After yesterday, you probably think I've gone bonkers...well maybe....who knows? This is just me in one of my many roles i.e. singer, baton twirler, photographer, DVD creator, Potter, and on it goes. And no, I'm not on drugs. I do wish the Producer would have gotten my mouth and sound to be in sync. So, turn on your sound and sing (I mean laugh) along.
How do you do it? How do you get yourself to 'feel' thankful? Oh, I can mouth the words. Yes I have much. I can see pain and suffering in others. I am healthy. I have a loving husband. Why do I feel down?
It's what the experts call cognitive dissonance. When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance. In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behavior.
Hmmmm. So, maybe if I can go thru the actions (behavior), my attitude will change. Interesting.
I remember having a strong dislike for a particular Head Nurse with whom I had to work. I discussed my feelings with a third party about my 'cognitive dissonance'...i.e. the job required me to be in a positive relationship with this person and yet I didn't like her....resented her. The third party told me to 'pray' for the HN. I was NOT supposed to pray that the HN would change....I was to pray that things would be good for this HN. I was to pray she would have the strength to cope with difficulties in her life and that she would find love and joy. What? I couldn't stand her. Hmmmmm. I tried it and found my attitude toward her changing. The theory applied here would be....... you can't be wishing 'good' for someone you can't stand....or you will have cognitive dissonance. Something has to change...the balance has to change.
When I awoke this AM around 5AM after not going to bed till 1AM I knew I could not sleep any longer. I was feeling 'down'. I was in touch with my feelings...or as they call it my 'dark or shadow side', but I couldn't shake it. Oh, I felt justified in these negative feelings. I just wanted out. I wanted to cut off from everyone. No need to tell you why or for whom I held these feelings...it doesn't matter. I was 'down'.
Maybe it was a recent communique from someone that set me off. Maybe it was the whole idea of 'holidays'. Maybe it was finally acknowledging I am getting old and I don't want to be OLD. I want to be 35 again. I don't want to be written off by the younger generation. I know how quickly 10-15 years can pass and I'll be really old then.
Don't tell me "It beats the alternative".....that doesn't help me. I KNOW that. I KNOW I'm fortunate to have what I have in my life....I just don't know how to 'let go' of certain things.
Don't tell me to stay busy....I am busy. I belong to a discussion group which I love. I'm taking pottery lessons which I love. I have deep, loving, meaningful discussions with Rich. Yet, I couldn't shrug those negative thoughts and feelings.
Festinger. L developed the theory of 'cognitive dissonance' and he says ' Dissonance can be eliminated by reducing the importance of the conflicting beliefs, acquiring new beliefs that change the balance, or removing the conflicting attitude or behavior.
Rich got up shortly after he realized I was up. I didn't even have to tell him what was wrong. He knew. I'm not sure he's familiar with Festinger's theory, but he surely knows how to apply it. At first he listened to me....he listened to what I was feeling...not just what I was saying. He didn't try to tell me I should be grateful for this or that. He validated my feelings by sharing with me that he too has many of the same.
What he did do was help me focus on changing the balance of the conflicting beliefs. We looked at the issues and discussed how we might focus our beliefs. This is similar to the suggestion above about praying for someone I couldn't stand. How could I strongly dislike someone for whom I wanted all good things? Change the balance. Focusing on the good wishes diminished my negative feelings for that HN. My attitude toward her changed....and that's a true story.
After sharing with Rich I felt so much better. Nothing has changed in my life, but I once again am realizing I have a choice in how I will focus my attitudes and beliefs. I think I'll be OK....and I hope you will also be. My wish for you is that you too, can find someone anyone in your life with whom you can share your whole being....someone who will accept you when you are fun to be around and also love you when you are not.
Quiet fall day. I went to pottery class...made two cylinders...getting better each time. Discussed various glazes with Lindsay.
As soon as I got home I did the treadmill for 22"...that's 3 times this week so I'm getting back in the swing.
I made oven-fried sweet potatoes for the first time and they were good. I need to do something to make them a bit more crispy, but these were very good. I'd put a chicken breast in the slow cooker before I left for pottery, so that made dinner preparation quite easy.
Happy Birthday tomorrow to nephew Peter.
Long time on phone with cousin Helen. Yesterday we were unable to reach her sister in Millville. We were both concerned because for some reason her answering machine was not picking up. Marn is a widow, living alone and in good health. However, after not being able to reach her, we were concerned she might have fallen and couldn't reach the phone. After several hours we agreed to have the police make a stop and check on her.
Neither of us knew the last names or phone numbers of her nearby neighbors. She, of course, was fine. She'd just gotten home from an outing with one of her friends only to be frightened by the police knocking on her door.
We explained to her that we didn't want to be thinking she was on the floor needing help and we are both so far away. She had inadvertently turned off her answering machine and forgot to put it back on when she went out. She agreed to give Helen the names and phone numbers of her close neighbors, and she felt it was a good idea. She was glad to know we care about her.
Now, Rich and I are off to the Naro to see 'A Serious Man'....I reviewed it a few weeks ago, but can't remember what it's about. I'll make a comment when I get home later this evening.
After the movie: 'A Serious Man'----It got higher rated reviews than I think it was worth. Think 'Barton Fink'...I didn't like that either. Anyhow this was good, but not that good. Here's a brief synopsis from the movie's website.
"A Serious Man is the story of an ordinary mans search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik (Tony Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg), a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous acquaintances, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry. Larrys unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind) is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny (Aaron Wolff) is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew school, and his daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job."
After the movie we were going to stop and grab a bite to eat. However, we got caught in all the traffic and detours for Norfolk's 'Grand Illumination'...the night when they have a big parade and turn on all the lights that trim the downtown buildings. So, I had oatmeal and popcorn when we got home and Rich had Ramen and some peanut butter on toast. Not bad, not bad at all.
Pottery class again tomorrow ....more cylinder practice.
Last night I called Brooke to tell her I was getting calls from the North Pole. Apparently the elves are trying to get ideas for gifts. In particular they wanted to know what small item she would like that would fit in her stocking. I asked her if she was still into 'Webikins' and she immediately replied "I love Webikins and Littlest Pet Shop".
This was a real plus for me. I wasn't sure which Littlest Pet characters to get so I checked online and noticed there is a game for Wii called 'Littlest Pet Shop'. I called Lissa to make sure she didn't already have it...Lissa said she will love it. They have a Wii platform. I was quite pleased to see the game was reduced 50% to $15.00 since it's not one of the latest. However, she won't know that. I ordered it thru Amazon. It comes via Target but the local Target store here doesn't have it. So the S&H for Amazon would be gas for the car. I was thrilled to find this stocking stuffer I know she'll love.
Now, I can't wait to give them their gifts. Talk about schizy...on the one hand I'm totally against giving so many material 'things' and yet I do the same thing.
Rich himself called the Dermatologist's office to see if they had a cancellation so he could be seen. They did and he was seen at 3:15PM. And yes it was a pre cancerous lesion...probably another squamous. It was burned off about 6 mos. ago, but would not heal. So, I'm glad we nipped this in the earliest of stages. He's had other skin cancers so we try to be vigilant.
I stayed up way too late last night....like 3:30AM. I'd been trying to complete the DVD I was working on earlier in the day. I was sure this last attempt would be the right one. It wasn't. I'm not giving up tho'...I am determined to get it right.
Pottery class this time was spent 'trimming' the base of various pieces. I was going along trimming here and there, when I pushed too hard and made a big hole in my otherwise 'Lladro' ;-) quality bowl. Lindsay kindly said it's happened to her many, many times. I brought home 3 pieces we glazed last week, and even I can see where I am improving. I think I'll go again on Saturday. Will probably begin twice a week sessions after the holidays.
Tomorrow I get my routine lab work done and no plans for anything special at this point. I'm sure something will come up.
Cousin Helen called this evening and we talked for ages. She had a wonderful birthday celebration with all four of her children in town to surprise her. All but one of her 7 grandchildren made it. Two of her children came in from CT, one fro NJ and the other from Wisconsin. She was surprised and thrilled. They even brought their own sheets so she wouldn't have to do any prep or clean up. The day was totally to celebrate her and that they did. She had no idea they were coming.....the best gift of all.
Title sounds dull, right? Well, not much excitement to report today. Stayed home and that was just fine.
I was on the phone again for quite a while with the Apple folks. I've viewed the tutorials and read my resource book for making DVDs and Movies, but I'm not pleased with my productions. Oh, they're OK, but I have questions regarding labeling etc. As usual the tech was polite and tried to help, but it wasn't enough. Talking to someone about technical issues on the phone reminds me of telling a blind person how to drive. I did learn a few things I've been doing incorrectly and a big one is uploading my videos from my digital camera to the MAC. I should have the iMovie application opened when I start the upload, and that will place my pics/videos right into my events library. I'm writing this here because sure as shootin' I'll forget to do that little trick, and now I can simply check my blog tags here on Vox, and I'll be OK.
While doing the treadmill I watched last night's 'Dancing with the Stars' which I'd dvr'd. The model who got eliminated was a superb dancer, but I was so happy to see Kelly Osmond go to the finals. She's done quite well and seems genuinely humbled by the experience. Sorry cynics...I don't think it's staged. I love Ballroom dancing ...in fact I always loved any kind of dancing so this show is a stress reducer for me. I like the music and costumes also.
I always wanted to take dancing lessons as a kid, but my father said I'd never make a living out of it, and that I was too skinny. I used to watch through the window of the 'Mary Silk's' School of Dance on Massachucetts avenue wishing I could be in there. Dee, I bet you remember that place. I made up dances at home and performed in the living room. I think I was pretty good too. I guess I've always been a performer....tap dancer, baton twirler, actress in all the school plays...I loved it all. In case you missed me twirling my baton...here ya go. Seeing this video was a big motivator to do Weight Watchers. I'm going to do the video again at some point now that I'm shedding some adipose, but I'm afraid I have quite a way to go.
I still dance around the house. If a guy wasn't a good dancer I didn't want to go out with him. Rich was very good and we had fun at the Philadelphia Officers' Club in those long ago days. He took social dancing in college just to meet girls he told me.
Well, I must go back to my film making. Pottery class tomorrow.
'Centering' is difficult. Three of my cylinders collapsed today because I didn't center them properly. My final attempt was successful and Lindsay said we'd fire this one. I realized the reason I was having so much difficulty was because at other times Lindsay was more 'hands on' with me. Now, she's says it's time for me to fly solo. She'll still help me when things get wobbly, and she'll help me fine tune my pressure application. But more and more, I'll be doing it by myself.
The only way to increase skill is to practice over and over. I think I need to go to the studio an additional day each week, and Lindsay thinks that is a good idea too. I'll probably increase my time there after the holidays. Rich also thinks I need to go more often. It only makes sense ....once a week is good, but it's too easy to forget how to hold my hands or when to apply more water etc.
Tonight I worked on creating a DVD about Brooke. It's easy to do using the MAC iDVD application. It's just time consuming. Like pottery throwing, if I don't do it often enough, I forget the steps. I still need to record my 'stories' with Rich before I can do his DVD....but I'll get there.
Trevor called to invite us to see his play this Thursday evening. He was absent the day the 'parts' were given out and the teacher assigned him a short line or two. He also told us about 'Grandparents Day' which is the day before Thanksgiving and way too early in the AM for me. I wish they didn't schedule it at 8:30AM....however, the teachers and students will probably have half day classes. Last year GrandpaBuck went (he's an early riser) and he plans to go this year again. I'll catch the video.
Recent Comments
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Pat said:
Good suggestion Cathy. That was Renee Zellweger singing 'Nowadays' in the movie 'Chicago'. read more
on American Idol or DWTS ...here I come. -
Miss Cathy said:
I can relate days like yours, myself. I am still having a conflict burning about my last manager. I am... read more
on Mad at the world....how do I get out of this slump? -
Miss Cathy said:
I enjoyed it very much, Pat. Very cute. I liked your gestures and facial expressions! Next time post the title... read more
on American Idol or DWTS ...here I come. -
Cathy, Dick doesn't like to hear about 'enemies' being dead...he said he knows of some people for whom he doesn't... read more
on Mad at the world....how do I get out of this slump?