T-minus One Hour and Counting

I'm so bored, waiting out this last hour at work before my vacation officially starts, so I thought I would bore you all with some random thoughts, hehe.

• Walmart is evil and should be avoided at all costs on the best of days, but especially on a Monday that not only is 4 days away from Christmas but is also on the eve of a major snowstorm approaching.  Grrr.
   
• My office phone number is one digit off from a taxidermist's number in a neighboring town.  Today I got 4 calls from a frustrated hunter who couldn't figure out why he kept getting me.  I thought about messing with his head when I saw his number pop up on caller ID again, but I didn't.  It is the holidays, after all.

Yikes!  lol

• How will no-bake cookies taste using natural peanut butter?  Hmmm...
  
  
• I think my co-workers think I'm insane for listening to 30's and 40's big band music on internet radio in my office.  I have yet to get a comment about it, but I can just tell they wonder.  Especially since when I started working here all I ever listened to was heavy metal.
  
  
• I've eaten enough chocolate and snowball cookies to last me two months.  Ugh.
  
  
• Why do people panic and run to the store before a storm comes?  I mean, have we run out of every single morsel of food in the house and will literally have nothing to eat?  And for what, a couple of days?  Has anyone ever actually starved to death because they didn't make it to the store to stock up on pop and chips and were too lazy to dig their car out  snowed in?  It's funny how we all have this lemming mentality over food.
  
  
• Yesterday Husband and I ate lunch at real old fashioned greasy spoon diner downtown called Tex's Cafe.  Real glass plates, pop served in Coke glasses, long counter with round stools, crusty old men customers flirting shamelessly with the waitresses, who called her customers by name.  Best hamburger I've had in months. 
  

This isn't the one we went to, but isn't it a cool building?

• I was reading a thread on the Fedora Lounge forum today, where members were fantasizing about building their own vintage town, a Golden Era utopia, and discussing who would do what job and what it would look like, etc.  All in fun of course, but if such a place existed, I'd want to live there in a heartbeat!
  
  
• Ooh, ooh, TCM alert!  If you like the movie musical My Fair Lady, tonight TCM is showing it, and AFTER that they're showing Pygmalian, the original movie/play My Fair Lady was based on.  I'm excited to see how they differ!
  
  
• My dad really enjoyed the little movie I made the other day and appreciated all the nice comments.  Now he's digging around for other old recordings he may have laying around.  I've created a monster!  ;)  And wouldn't luck have it, but we unearthed another photo that I wish we'd had when I put it together, because it's probably the coolest one of them all (imo).  So, I'll share it now.  :)
  

That's dad at the mic, front and center.

• [looks at clock, is it time to go home yet?]   Dang, nope.
  
  

Well, guess I'll surf some more while I'm waiting for these last 20 minutes to pass.  Sigh, it's a hard life.....  ;)

Happy Holidays everyone!

Looky What I Did!

I'm a YouTube virgin no longer.  :)

I put together a photo montage set to music.  It's a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure the more I do the better I'll get, right?

Now, for the good stuff.....

In my anniversary post, I described how my parents met in 1952, and mentioned that my dad is a jazz musician who at that time was playing with the Air Force band at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida....well, this montage is a collection of photos of my dad playing guitar with that band, as well as shots of other jazz groups he played with around Tampa  in the early 1950's. 

The music?  None other than a recording of my dad singing "That Old Black Magic" with the AF Band during a live radio broadcast in 1952.

In photos where he was difficult to make out I added cropped shots of him.  Hopefully I didn't do a butcher job!  Anyway, he's the tall skinny guy with the guitar (in most shots; at the end I added shots of him playing stand-up bass).  If you're into old music, pop culture from the 50's and old photographs, this will be right up your alley.

Enjoy....and leave a comment!  :)

Quiz Answers and other Random Tidbits

For anyone who is just dying to know the answers to the Christmas Song Quiz from my last post, here they are!  Stefanie and Emily came the closest to guessing all correctly, nice job ladies!  :)

1. Sir Lancelot with laryngitis
(answer: Silent Night)

2. Decorate the entry-ways.
(Deck The Halls)

3. The smog-less bewitching hour arrived.
(It Came Upon A Midnight Clear)

4. The lad is a diminutive percussionist.
(Little Drummer Boy)

5. Exuberation to this orb.
(Joy To The World)

6. 288 Yuletide hours.
(12 Days of Christmas)

7. Do you perceive the same longitudinal pressure which stimulates my auditory sense organs.
(Do You Hear What I Hear)

8. The red-suited pa is due in this burg.
(Santa Clause Is Coming To Town)

9. Far back in a hay bin.
(Away In A Manger)

10. The apartment of 2 psychiatrists.
(The Nutcracker Suite)

11. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
(Noel)

12. Present me naught but dual incisors for this festive Yuletide.
(All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth)

13. That exiguous hamlet south of the holy city.
(Little Town Of Bethlehem)

14. Behold! I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels.
(I Saw Three Ships)

15. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.
(Hark, The Herald Angel)

16. A joyful song relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck.
(Carol Of The Bells)

17. Frozen precipitation commence.
(Let It Snow)

18. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres
(Jingle Bell Rock)

19. Vehicular homicide was committed on dad's mom by a precipitous darling.
(Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer)

20. We are Kong, Lear, and Nat Cole.
(We Three Kings)

21. Our fervant hope is that you thoroughly enjoy your yuletide season.
(We Wish You A Merry Christmas)

22. Parent was observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster.
(I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause)

23. May the Deity bestow an absence of fatique to mild male humans.
(God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)

24. Natal celebration devoid of color, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.
I'm Dreaming of a (White Christmas)

25. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.
(Frosty The Snowman)

26. Tranquility upon the terrestrial sphere.
(Peace On Earth)

27. Have hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.
(Oh Come All Ye Faithful)

There you have it!  How'd you do?


Today is Friday.....I just have to get through this day, and then Monday and Tuesday, then I'm off work for a glorious 12 days until January 4th.  One of the perks of working for a university is getting lovely long holiday breaks.  I've been spoiled by it....if I ever work anywhere else it's going to be a shock to the system to have to go back to work the day after Christmas!

As I do every year, I have a long list of things I want to accomplish during my time off.  And every year, I usually fail to get any of them done.  I give myself a couple of days at the beginning to be a lazy bum, with the intention of buckling down and getting to work later on......and then I'm looking at the last day of my break wondering where all the time went and mad at myself for wasting all that time.  Maybe I need some of those martinis Kathryn is always talking about in her blog!  ;)

One of those things on my to do list is playing with my new camera.  Yes!  We bought the Canon Powershot I blogged about....but I haven't had much of a chance to do anything with it yet other than take a few test shots.  But even those few shots blew me away with their clarity, compared to my old camera.  I can't wait to dig in and post some stuff I've been putting off simply because the pictures were too blurry to make out.
 
 

 

Something else I've been playing around with is making movies. 
 

No no no, not that kind of movie.....just home videos I've shot of my dad playing at various gigs (he's a jazz musician) and random shots of our pets.  I know how to upload them onto the computer using Windows Movie Maker, edit, and finish them off with credits and dissolves and such....it's actually quite fun to play around with!  But what I want to do is take smaller clips and make YouTube videos of them. 

Have any of you made YouTube clips before?  I'm open to any and all advice!

Do you have all of your Christmas shopping done?  Chop chop, 'tis only one week away!  If you're needing some inspiration for gifts, stop by Jessica's Chronically Vintage blog for vintage and retro-inspired gift ideas.  Also, Emma at Emma's Music just had a post asking for stocking stuffer ideas, and her readers came through with oodles of suggestions so be sure to stop by and check them out!

Last but not least, I've been given another award by two lovely ladies, Stefanie Valentine and Pink Champagne.  Thank you so much! 

I suppose I should actually do some work, as that's what I'm being paid to do.  Have a great weekend everyone!

A Christmas Quiz!

I haven't had time this week to put together a more proper post, but someone at work handed me this quiz and I enjoyed trying to work out the answers....so I thought I'd see how well you fare!

You've probably seen this, or something similar, before, as I have.....still, quite a few stumped me.  Each clue/phrase represents the title of a traditional Christmas song:  just put your answers below in the comments!  Some of them are obvious, and some are waaaay out there and will have you scratching your head.  I'll give ya'll a couple of days to play and then I'll post a followup blog with the answers.

So put on your red and white Santa thinking caps and play along!  I'll give you the first one as a freebie example:

1.  Sir Lancelot with laryngitis
     (answer:  Silent Night)

2.  Decorate the entry-ways.

3.  The smog-less bewitching hour arrived.

4.  The lad is a diminutive percussionist.

5.  Exuberation to this orb.

6.  288 Yuletide hours.

7.  Do you perceive the same longitudinal pressure which stimulates my auditory sense organs.

8.  The red-suited pa is due in this burg.

9.  Far back in a hay bin.

10.  The apartment of 2 psychiatrists.

11.  ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

12.  Present me naught but dual incisors for this festive Yuletide.

13.  That exiguous hamlet south of the holy city.

14.  Behold!  I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels.

15.  Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.

16.  A joyful song relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck.

17.  Frozen precipitation commence.

18.  Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres

19.  Vehicular homicide was committed on dad's mom by a precipitous darling.

20.  We are Kong, Lear, and Nat Cole.

21.  Our fervant hope is that you thoroughly enjoy your yuletide season.

22.  Parent was observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster.

23.  May the Deity bestow an absence of fatique to mild male humans.

24.  Natal celebration devoid of color, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.

25.  Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.

26.  Tranquility upon the terrestrial sphere.

27.  Have hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.

Have fun!  :)

Hidden Gems

Ever stumble across a movie while flipping channels that you'd never heard of, ended up watching it, and was thoroughly delighted, wondering how this little gem escaped your attention?

That happened to Husband and me last night, as we flipped to TCM and watched the movie already playing, even though it was 30 minutes into it, because there was nothing else on to watch.

It Happened on 5th Avenue, released in 1947, was a comedy ensemble piece starring Victor Moor, Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles, and Gale Storm that takes place in New York City in winter.  Victor Moore is a "hobo" named McKeever that, along with dog Sam, has come up with a keen way to live in style:  he cunningly finds ways into rich mansions that are vacant as the owners go elsewhere for the winter, and leaves again before they return, being careful to leave everything as he found it.

This time he has made his winter residence at the luxurious mansion of the O'Connor family.  The O'Connor daughter, Trudy (Gale Storm), however, has run away from finishing school and decides to hide from her family in their vacant NYC home, not knowing that McKeever is squatting there.  Upon running into him inside her home, instead of turning him in to the police, they become fast friends and she pretends to be a squatter also.  The two end up opening the home to others in need of a place to sleep; the group forms a happy little family of sorts.  Trudy falls in love with one of these, a veteran G.I. named Jim (Don DeFore) and tries to get him to fall in love with her, too.   (Another one of these drifters is a young Alan Hale, Jr., better known as "the Skipper" on Gilligan's Island.)

When Trudy's father, the powerful wealthy business magnate Mr. O'Connor (Charles Ruggles), comes to NYC to look for his daughter, she convinces him to help her win Jim over by pretending to also be a hobo who has come to the home in need of a place to stay; Trudy wants Jim to fall for her for real, not just for her father's money, so she wants their true identity concealed for as long as possible. 

Well, Mr. O'Connor can only take so much of pretending to be a hobo in his own home and being made to wash dishes and be dog Sam's "valet", let alone being given orders and lessons in morality by McKeever (who has taken on the role of sage leader) so he quietly tries to thwart their efforts.  Trudy catches on and enlists her mother's (Ann Harding) help, who flies in from Palm Beach and adds to the ruse by becoming their "cook." 

In the end it all comes to a happy close with the O'Connor's true identity being revealed and the lot of them learning some good life lessons along the way:  that money doesn't buy happiness, and no man is truly rich without family and friends and love and laughter:  two themes that have appeared in movies repeatedly but never get old because of their truth (and our seemingly inability to remember it).

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie, and wish I'd gotten in at the beginning of it in time to record it.  But, now I have another movie on my list of ones to watch for as they cycle around again and will catch it next time!

In looking up information online about this movie, we were interested to learn that it had originally been optioned for director Frank Capra to do, but for reasons unknown he declined it and chose another project instead:  It's A Wonderful Life.  I wonder if he'd gone ahead and chosen this movie, if it would have become the beloved Christmas classic in place of "IAWL."

So that was my hidden gem of the week....what movies have you accidentally discovered that became a favorite?

SNOW DAY!!!!!!

I can say without hesitation that the glee one felt as a child when a snow day was called and school was canceled does not diminish when one is an adult, and a snow day is called and work is canceled!!!!

South central Nebraska, where I live, is among the areas across the plains and the midwest that are being blanketed with a mountain of snow today in a massive winter storm front.  So severe is this storm system supposed to be that the university I work at actually announced last night - before it even started snowing - that it would be closed today.  In the seven years that I have worked there, that has never happened before.  How it normally works is that we could be knee deep in snow and all public schools within a 50 mile radius could be closed, except the university.  So when I found out last night that I wouldn't have to go to work today, I shouted for joy!  :)  And then proceeded to stay up until 1:30 am watching old movies.....lol.

Husband and I have been out to shovel the driveway a couple of times this morning already - much easier to do if one keeps up with it in small increments than trying to dig through 12 inches all at once.  No complaints here, I actually love snow.  Yes!  I love snow.  I know, I'm weird.  Here are some photos I just took of the lovely snow....

This is the view standing on my front steps and looking across the street

This is at the kitchen window looking towards the backyard

The thermometer is blurry but it reads 10 F degrees.

Not very good pictures, right?  Kinda blurry, not crisp, and no ability to alter that because the camera doesn't have any features to do so....our camera sucks.  I know that's not a very ladylike thing to say, but sometimes there's just no other word to adequately describe it.  ;)  I have been griping about this camera for years; it was our first digital camera that we bought in 2005, and even then it was considered cheap....the kind of no-name item encased in plastic that you find hanging at the checkout aisle cheap.  But, it initiated us into the digital camera age and served its purpose.  Until now.

Each Christmas for the last three years, Husband and I have been saying that instead of buying presents for each other, let's just buy a really good camera.  For one reason or another we never did it.  This year I broached the subject again.....but then we had some unexpected expenses pop up (thank you, stupid malware viruses!) so I figured it was a moot point.  But.....*squee!!!!!*.....Husband gave me the green light to start looking for a new camera! 

I've been researching cameras online, trying to learn everything I can about what makes a good digital camera and what doesn't, before making the decision.  Oh.  My.  God....this shouldn't be rocket science!  Aside from the fact that there are 50 billion camera models out there, each one has its own set of unique features that don't seem to carry over into other models.  Argh!  I'm not a professional photographer, I just want a camera that I can take decent pictures with.  Shouldn't be hard, right?  Here's my criteria so far:

• ability to do close-ups that aren't blurry - I've now learned that's called a macro feature.
• a stabilization feature that eliminates "camera shake" as you're holding it
• decent optical zoom capability
• crisp, sharp images
• shots as close to the real color as possible
• does well in low light situations, like indoor shots
• doesn't eat through batteries - therefore must have a rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• the ability to do quick action, fast motion shots (like for taking pictures of pets) - I've now learned that's called fast or quick burst
• isn't going to require us taking out a home equity loan to pay for it!

After researching this for days, the camera I keep coming back to is the Canon Powershot SD1200 IS.  So far it seems to be the only one that meets my criteria in full.  The problem?  Mixed customer reviews.  Some rave about it, some say it's the worst camera they've ever used....but I guess that's going to be the case with every camera out there, right?  Maybe I'm over-analyzing things, because I feel if we're going to spend this kind of money, I want to make sure that it's going to meet my requirements.....but then again, anything we get is going to be better than what we have....

I haven't made a final decision yet, but I thought I would ask for some feedback from you, my lovely readers, as I'm aware of how behind the times we are and that most people have had "real" digital cameras for years, lol.  What kind of camera do you have?  What do you like about it?  What do you dislike about it?  Any tips or suggestions? 

On a final note....I've lost 2 lbs since last week!  Woo hoo!!!  Now to just keep on track.....oy.

Have a great day, and if you're also in the snow path today, stay warm!

Update:  9:31 pm here and I was just notified that the university is closed again on Wednesday!  *does happy dance*  This is like an extra Christmas present!!!  :)

Hooray for Mom and Pop!

First off, I just want to say Hi, and Thank You to all of you following my blog....I'm touched that so many are interested in my random word spewings!  Each time I see I have a new follower my heart does a little leap of joy!  :)

Making new friends, whether it's online or off, opens us up to new ideas, new perspectives, and new concepts that we might not have been exposed to otherwise.  If one is open to new ideas, that is....for many years I wasn't.  I had my narrow view of the world and refused to think - or even peek - outside the box.  I didn't want to be troubled by having to think about anything challenging, see.  Thank goodness that's all changed now!

All that to lead up to what I really wanted to share....my newest tangent, if you will.  Well, not really new....but something that's been building in the back of my head for months:  the concept of buying local and supporting your locally-owned businesses instead of patronizing national chains.

Now, everyone has already heard for years about how and why Walmart and the concept of the "big box" store are evil and drive local stores out of business, etc. etc.  But did you ever really stop and think about all of the ramifications such chains bring upon us as a whole?  I never had, until recently.  I looked at the issue on a surface level only and said, "Oh yes, I agree it's evil," and then went on about my business without altering my shopping habits.   50's Times shared a link to a documentary called "Independent America" a couple from Canada made about the death of local businesses and "mom and pop" stores and restaurants in the U.S. and I have to say, it really opened my eyes in a way other information on the topic hadn't before. 

Here is the link to watch the documentary on Hulu - it's about an hour long, but well worth it.  I encourage you to make the time to watch it (I know many of you already follow 50's Times, but if you haven't watched this yet, please do!). 

What's wrong with going to big box stores and chains?  Well, I could rant my views until the cows come home, but I won't bore you with that.  I have a feeling many of you probably already feel the same way as I, anyway.  Besides, what could be more vintage in this day and age than making the conscious choice to patronize your local shops and restaurants instead of lining the pockets of CEOs a thousand miles away? 

In that documentary, someone interviewed talked about the "10%" rule:  if everyone made the conscious choice to make just 10% of their purchases at a locally owned business (and not a chain franchise simply owned by someone local), it would help out their communities economies immensely.  I really like that idea, but I'm going to try and go beyond 10% as much as possible.  Unfortunately, our finances right now won't allow me to completely eradicate all big box shopping; for example, buying a package of toilet paper at a grocery store versus buying it at a box store like Walmart has an astronomical price difference, with the box store coming out the victor, even if one uses coupons.  And admittedly, shopping at a local grocery store will result in a higher total on the receipt than buying groceries at Walmart; one has to be practical about things when one's income is really, really, low.....but one can also make changes in other areas to accomodate more local shopping, something I aim to do in this new year. 

I've been attempting to cook more at home instead of eating out (and doing more cooking from scratch instead of relying on frozen convenience foods), but for times we do eat out I want to patronize a local restaurant instead of a chain.  And if I want fast food - which will be less often as I lose more weight - I'll choose the "smaller" chains like Dairy Queen, Sonic, and Runza (a Nebraska regional chain).  If we get bored from the places in town here, there's several small towns that are within a 15 minute drive that have some great places to eat.  Here is a wonderful resource to help find local eateries, and celebrate mom and pop culture:  Roadside Online.  Also, when summer rolls around again, I'm going to take full advantage of my local farmer's market.  I did a little bit this past summer, but not as much as I could have.  I'm also going to buy more groceries at our local stores, and patronize K-Mart more for those dry-goods items like the above mentioned example of toilet paper.  I know, K-Mart is still a big box store.....but it's a little less "evil' than Walmart. 

On a different but similar vein of thought, this can even go beyond just local stores and restaurants....today Jessica at Chronically Vintage posted a blog about a new discovery she made of an indie magazine that focuses on quality not quantity.  As magazines fold left and right, there's also a growing number of smaller independent magazines starting up that are catering to niche interests, but also are seeming to take into consideration the quality of the content, instead of regurgitating out the same information a dozen other publications has (not to mention the 80% of ads one has to wade through in those other mags).  If you come across one of these indie mags and it's something that's right up your alley, do you part and support them!

On yet another tangent, last night Husband and I were discussing the newest electronic buzz gadget, Kindle, and the downside to this latest e-sensation.  Loss of jobs due to printers and publishing houses closing.  More bookstores closing - independent booksellers are already pretty much extinct thanks to box book stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble, and now even they're in trouble.  Libraries becoming extinct.  Potential monopoly on the book marketing business by Amazon, resulting in fewer options for readers and authors alike.  One more piece of technology to make us dependent on!  And while it may not be as obvious, I think this, too, ties in with how important it is to be conscious of the bigger picture and what consequences can come of our purchases....now don't get me wrong, technology and progress are good things....but not all of it. 

It's my hope that these tough times are making people more mindful about how they spend money....not only for their pocketbooks, but also in looking at the big picture at the ramifications our purchases can make on our way of life if we don't take care.  We, the consumers, must ask ourselves if our spending habits will make us pay a higher price further down the road....not just in dollars, but in the way our entire society runs.  If we don't like what we're seeing, don't like things the way they are, it's up to us to take a stand and make the change, using our weapons of choice:  our cash, checkbooks and debit cards.

What about you, do you buy locally and support your independent stores and restaurants?  With the biggest shopping time of the year upon us as Christmas approaches, and in this tough economy, are you purchasing more for less, or less for better quality?  Which is more important to you?  Share your thoughts!