Leading Ladies

Olivia

Joan

I was doing some updating of my movie collection database when I ran across a picture of Joan Fontaine. I was reminded that she is the sister of Olivia de Havilland. In the Wikipedia article on Joan, it said the sisters were in an ongoing feud and haven't spoke to this day. Goodness, was I surprised to see that they are both still with us- at 91 and 93 years old. And Olivia is putting the finishing touches on her memoir, due this September! It's nice to see that not everyone I watch in my old movies is long gone. They are two of the last surviving movie stars of the 1930's.

Take a break with Marilyn

One of my latest acquisitions (via DVR), is the 1953 movie "Niagara" starring Joseph Cotten and Marilyn Monroe. A film noir in beautiful color. Wow, does this movie sparkle! And not just because of Marilyn, she has some competition in the beautiful landscape and intriguing shot set ups. It involves the weekend two couple's lives intersect at honeymoon cabins at Niagara Falls-the Canada side!

The plot is pretty simple, but the acting and directing are top notch. Although there is the stick-out-like-a-sore-thumb acting of Max Showalter, as the extremely dumb husband of a honeymooning couple. He's always asking silly questions and overlooking the obvious. But it does make his wife, played by Jean Peters, look even more intelligent and she is the one who figures it all out anyway. (Although you do wonder why such a smart cookie married such a dolt.)

This is one of my favorite Monroe movies because she's downright mean and treacherous and she doesn't use her baby voice all the time. I also love Joseph Cotten playing a husband who doesn't quite know how to handle the life he has with this tantalizing, but slippery creature. Watch Joseph Cotten break a record with his bare hands! Ouch! He does much worse later...

Favorite quotes from this scene:

"For a dress like that you gotta start laying plans when your about 13." Smart Cookie Jean

"You kinda like that song, dontcha Mrs. Lewis?" Dufus Husband

"There isn’t any other song." Unbelievably Sultry Marilyn

"You’re husband doesn’t seem to like music." Dufus Husband again!

Fun Fact: Just figured out why Max Showalter (dumb husband) seems so darn familiar! He plays Grandpa Fred in Sixteen Candles! "Why if it isn't Sammy Baker Davis, Jr!"

Favorite Quotes from today

"Looks like we’ve already filled our quota for women in your age group- thank you for your time."

Said to me by guy on phone doing a radio survey

SPF 75—Slathering oneself in a good SPF 75 says something to the world. It says, “I don’t mind spending a little extra if it means doing what’s right.” And “Clearly the health of my skin is more important to me than the health of your skin is to you, and, while that is sad, all I can do is lead, because I am a leader.”

from "A Guide to Summer Sun Protection" by Zev Borow

Butterfly through the window

Butterfly through the window, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Yesterday- August 10. Our picture window is more like a butterfly movie window. Yesterday, we watched dozens of butterflies landing and hanging out in the azalea bush under the window. It was amazing, we saw at least 4 different kinds of butterflies, almost always in pairs. Is it butterfly mating season?

Teevee machine cover

Teevee machine cover, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Yesterday-- made this to cover the metal shelf. Had a previous cover, was old, faded, torn, useless. This one has handy Velcro around top, easy access to Teevee machines! Remote works through fabric, yay! Clean and simple lines, need that in this clutter fest.

Through the arbor

Through the arbor, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Starting to blog with a picture a day. We'll call this one August 4. Hazel's 8th birthday.

movies

On the movie front, I brushed up on the last batch of Pre-Code Hollwood movies that I had recorded from TCM. They have been on the DVR for months and I was tempted many times to just erase them. But I finally got around to transferring the to DVD. And, boy, am I glad! These were by far the best of the bunch. The other pre-code movies, have been silly, exploitive little romps. Sure some had serious subjects, but the acting and directing weren't the best. These were all directed by William Wellman, who I now think is a directing master. It turns out, I have enjoyed many of his movies- and not known they were his. The three latest are "Midnight Mary", "Heroes for Sale", "Frisco Jenny" and "Purchase Price" Wellman was known for directing "men's" pictures with titles like "The Story of G.I. Joe" and "The Ox-Bow Incident" but he was a marvel at "women's" pictures- stories where the woman was the main character.

And Pre-Code these movies definitely are. Sex, drugs- and jazz (rock 'n roll hadn't been invented yet) are duly represented along with babies out of wedlock, prostitute rings, and a realistic portrayal of the desperation of the Depression. It's so odd to watch and hear these actors who you've seen as very chaste utter the words "Do you like sex?" or a main character-a war hero no less- addicted to morphine, arguing with his dealer and begging for half of the stash. These are just plain good movies too. The stories are great, they are involving and to the point (each movie is just about and hour and 10 minutes.) The actors are great, women like Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young,

Charlyne Yi

Glenn Gould

Media I have consumed...

I read the book "The Ten Year Nap" by Meg Wollitzer. I picked it up for $4 at Borders in the remainder bin, even though it's a fairly new, bestselling book. I gobbled it up. It was the first time I had identified so closely with a book in a long while- it being about 40-something stay at home moms. It was nearly perfect in it's portrayal of the conflict we feel as mothers. (Okay, maybe it was just perfect.) The daily pull of self interest against family interest. As one review put it- who do women owe their allegiance to, themselves? their children? their husbands? their mothers? their friends? The worries of our lives, our children's well-being, our husbands interests, our aging selves- the cutting off from our old selves- before children. What if? You can read the first chapter here.

I have read several articles in The New Yorker which I have already forgotten. But which will return to me in some weird fashion in the middle of a conversation one day. One morning, I absent-mindedly started reading the middle of a short story. I rarely read them- I don't know why- there is no good explanation. I guess when I'm reading the magazine I'm not in a fiction mood. Anyhow- it caught my interest so I turned to the beginning. To my delight it was written by Lorrie Moore. I was introduced to her in college and read a few of her novels. At the time, me being young and starry eyed- they struck me as mean and dark. Now, as my older self, I appreciate her style. Funny- "Childcare" is about a young college girl interviewing for a job as a nanny to a 40-something woman. Coincidence? I think not. The gods are speaking to me. You can read the short story here.

recovery and inspiration

As Barney Frank said last night on The Daily Show, people would rather receive stimulation than recovery, when referring to what to call the "stimulus package."

As I recover from my second surgery I'm trying to take it slow. I'm trying to save myself for the future. Instead of the "I'm young still I can do anything," I have to approach it as "I'm young, but I have to preserve myself by not overdoing it." The last few days have felt stale and I feel like an old stone just sitting, waiting. I've been trying to stimulate my mind. But what I've been doing is consuming like crazy. Not food, it isn't sitting too well as the anesthesia still affects my body. I have read a whole book, watched a lot of amazing movies and read a lot of New Yorker articles and snarky internet news blogs. I've been trying to inspire myself with thoughts of projects, but nothing really grabbed me.

Then this morning as I sat on the side of the tub changing a diaper (we do them standing up now) I glanced up and saw this...

... and inspiration struck.

More Music

I've been greatly anticipating the latest project from Stuart Murdoch- creator of Belle & Sebastian. I fell head over heals with this music a few years back, but just a few years late of their arrival. Somehow I missed the premiere- I think they came out when I was deeply immersed in Duke Ellington. The music is an extension of my beloved Smiths- which I feel was engrained on my DNA through so many nights of listening to The Queen is Dead over and over my year after high school graduation.

Now, Stuart Murdoch has created God Save the Girl, which at the outset seems to simply be Belle & Sebastian sung by girls. But it's a bit more than that. It is the music for a film that Murdoch is creating. The songs tell a story. And I don't understand how he does it, but he channels the mind of a young girl. That young girl that was sitting in my room 20 some years ago, pining, melancholy sometimes- but generally carefree, on the cusp of life-before car payments, before college, before marriage and children. Such a sweet time, but not very recognizable while one is immersed in it.

To get a real feel for the whole project, you can listen to the entire album here.

Thank you

Thanks to my friend, Lydia, I got to see Jenny Lewis last night in concert at the Plaza. It was an amazing show, and solidifies Jenny's spot as one of my favorite performers. Her lyrics really speak to me, she is as confused about a lot of the same things as I am and she writes eloquently about them. Seeing her perform live is a completely different experience- her band is amazing and the music really takes hold- some bands just don't live up to their recordings- but I think Jenny Lewis surpasses them by far. This clip is from Bonnaroo, just weeks ago.

Goodbye

I'm sorry to say that I had to put our cat to sleep yesterday. It was very hard to decide, but in the end I knew in my heart that it was right. She was 18 years old and starting to decline and I didn't want her to get to the point where she was really suffering. She wouldn't eat anything and we couldn't get her to come out of the closet, where she had been for three days. We held and pet her for a long time and while she seemed somewhat alert, her body was limp. I even took her outside, but she tried everything she could to get back in the house fast. Later, Lora brought some ice cream and gave V. some, but she barely licked it and laid back down. I couldn't stand to see her suffer. She has been in decline for a long time and had lost so much weight, her fur was dingy and she had stopped grooming herself a long time ago. We kept her going as long as she still had some spunk, still enjoyed playing a bit, hissing at the other cats or wanting to sit on our laps. She hadn't done anything like that the last 4 days.

I decided to take her in by myself and I'm glad I did. She was always my cat and I felt that I owed it to her to see her off. I didn't stay through the procedure, but I did stay with her a while before to make sure she was calm and talked to her before they came in. The vet people were very sweet and I felt confident leaving her in their care. She was very calm and tired, and -I think- really ready to go to sleep. It was extremely hard to do and all night I had flashbacks and felt misgivings- had I done the right thing? But today, with a clearer head, I know I did the right thing. The whole day felt like a test from God, I had to do it completely alone. I wasn't able to get ahold of Mark all day and only talked to him last evening when it was all over. I do feel stronger for having done it on my own and I think that was the way it was supposed to go.

She was a good girl and we enjoyed her greatly. She had an awesome life. Her last good day was amazing! We took her outside on Sunday to brush her and get all the mats out of her hair. She loved it and then she wanted to sit outside in the grass, she stayed out there for an hour or so while I gardened, she gently explored and laid on the hot concrete-always a treat for cats. After we came in she stood at the door and meowed to be let back out. The next day began her major decline. The last few years with her have been very trying with her kidney problems and incontinence- but we always still saw her spunk. When that was gone, I felt it was time. This is the lot we choose when we take care of animals.

Today, we are going to the beach with a bunch of friends. I think it will be good for all of us to get away, someplace very different- for the day. Hazel was upset yesterday, when I told her that Veronica was not getting better. I told her I would take her to the vet and see if they could help her, but was pretty sure that they wouldn't be able to and she would not be coming home. Lora came over to sit with them and Hazel didn't seem upset at all when I left. I think she was trying to not think about it. She didn't mention anything about it the rest of the day or this morning. We all slept together in my bed last night- more for my benefit than theirs. But it turned out to not be so great for me- because those girls flail around in their sleep like they are doing gymnastics! I was reduced to clinging to the edge of the bed all night! We all feel good this morning, it's sunny and a new day. We don't have to worry about Veronica being sick anymore and we don't have to worry about closing our doors or barricading all the furniture. It is a bit of a relief, really. And we still have two stinky cats, one who ever so sweetly threw up all over our dining room table last night.

Magnification

When I am alone, every sound is louder, every moth that flies in my face is a monster and every problem turns into a crisis. The drama of a sick cat escalated to me making an appointment to have her euthanized. I spent all of last night and this morning wondering how I was going to get through that alone. Thank goodness I had my mom and brother come and help form a second opinion, and the cat was just plain visibly better today. She is old and each day I can't find her, I steel myself for finding her white, furry, lifeless body. I imagine what I will do. When Mark is home, of course- I would flee the house with the children and call him from an undisclosed location. I have a fear of death. I've never really handled any dead thing up close. Much less a companion of 18 years. But being alone, being faced with the inevitable fact of death- knowing that I have to protect the children- I guess I'd just have to deal with it. So, while Veronica lays in my closet and I still wonder if she is going to make it until Saturday (when Mark gets home) I will be on edge.

It doesn't help that I have a hysterical child yelling at me to draw her a "better horsie"- she wasn't happy with what I drew and threw a temper tantrum. She has been sick and is running on that high you get when you feel better. She's been so hyper today- it's been trying. I don't know how my mom did this alone with me and my brother. Maybe because we were older and she got breaks by going to work. Maybe it was just as rough. Sorry, Mom, for any extra stress I caused you!

Welcome to my blog

Fuzzy Squirrel Bank, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Hello, if you've traversed here from Facebook. I've been doing this for about a year. I mostly post pictures, music, video clips, things that I find interesting. It is a public site, so I don't get too terribly personal. It's a fun place to talk about interesting things. You can peruse through lots of old entries, while I get back on the blogging horse. Come back and visit, and leave notes if you like!

Corrie

New music

Just discovered and bought new Camera Obscura album. It's lovely, a bit more upbeat just in time for summer! Here is a sample... "French Navy"

My gosh, I love them. This video reminds me of the movie Two Days in Paris- which could be the antidote for the over the top romance of this video. A great movie- watch the trailer... (please disregard the movie guy narration- so annoying and unnecessary.)

Arbor fun

Before

I ran across this crazy picture of the arbor from last year. I can't believe I let it get that out of control! It was taller than the house! I believe this was in the fall after a long summer of rain.

After
The arbor is looking good these days, it's finally starting to get some leaves on it after this major haircut in the spring. Now the trick is to keep it trimmed and neat. We've had so much rain, it is sure to have a major growth spurt soon.

Guerilla Gardening

What a nifty song too! More...

Last Friday

Big-ears Magee, originally uploaded by bossamama.

Today is the last Friday of the school year. Next Wednesday, school will be over. I will be spending 24 hours, 7 days a week with two restless girls. Added fun, the toddler has just discovered Scotch tape.