Sunday Stealing

A Movie Meme

1. What is your all-time favorite "costume" movie or period piece?  Little Women.

2. What classic film would you nominate for a remake?  A Face in the Crowd. A radio talk show host becomes an overnight sensation, gets drunk with power, and is eventually exposed as the intolerant hypocrite he always was. Maybe it's time for Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh to make his movie debut?

3. Name your favorite femme fatale. Little Rhoda Penmark in The Bad Seed. This pig-tailed darling racked up quite a body count.

4. Name the best movie with the word "heaven" in its title.  Heaven Can Wait. So romantic!

5. Describe the worst performance by a child actor that you’ve ever seen.  Bonnie Blue Butler in Gone with the Wind. Gawd! That little girl was hideous!

6. Who gets your vote for most tragic movie monster?  Frankenstein

7. What is the one Western that you would recommend to anybody?  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The two coolest guys ever.

8. Who is your ideal movie-viewing partner?  My mom

9. Has a film ever made you want to change your life? If so, what was the film? The Way We Were. I first saw it when I was in high school. It influenced me to resist tamping down the truest part of myself, just to fit in.

10. Think of one performer that you truly love. Now think of one scene/movie/performance of theirs that is too uncomfortable for you to watch.  Judy Garland in Love Finds Andy Hardy. She plays Betsey, the fat girl who wins Andy's attention only because she's rich and can sing. She was only 15 when she made it, and according to legend it made her feel homely and unattractive in real life. I hate the way MGM tap danced on her psyche, just to get a good performance out of her.

11. On the flip side, think of one really good scene/performance/movie from a performer that you truly loathe.  I usually find Bob Hope unwatchable, but he's terrific in The Seven Little Foys.


12. What movie has the best soundtrack? A Hard Day's Night

13. Favorite actor with a mustache? (i.e: Charlie Chaplin, William Powell) Groucho, of course!

14. Shadowy film noir from the 1940's or splashy colorful musicals from the 1950's?  Noir

15. Favorite classic Disney? Mary Poppins

Saturday 9

Your Mama Don't Dance (1972)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) This song is about how the older generation often doesn't understand what the younger generation is up to. Do you keep up with trends? Not really. One of the nicer things about being old is that no one expects me to! I do go out of my way to make sure my appearance isn't dated -- tinted moisturizer instead of foundation, adding brighter, seasonal colors to my wardrobe -- but I consider that a part of my job, not something I do for fun.
 
2) This song was in the top 10 in 1972, which is also the year HBO was introduced. Do you have any premium cable channels? Too many! Last year I bundled my phone, internet and cable and just got all these premium channels that I never watch. I keep meaning to call Comcast because now that that introductory first year of bundling is up, perhaps I can save money by dropping a couple.
 
3) Mother Winters taught Sam how to kill the lingering food smells in her microwave (take a bowl of water, add a few drops of vanilla extract, and heat it in the microwave). Do you have any useful household hints to pass along? Shampoo is a very effective laundry pretreat for food stains and blood.

  
4) The French word for "mother" is "mère." What other French words do you know? Bonjour. That's about it.
 
5) Flowers and plants are popular on Mother's Day. How is your yard or garden? Is it green and/or blooming? My condo building doesn't have much of a yard, but I am cheered by the flowers that are appearing all over town.

6) Mother's Day is a big holiday for card shops. So are birthdays, weddings, and St. Patrick's Day. Hallmark sells greetings for everything from "Congratulations on Your New Job" to "Happy Retirement." Who received the most recent card you bought? My aunt's birthday is this week. I just mailed her a kitten card. She always relates me with cats.
 
7) Have you put away your winter clothes yet? No. I should. I just haven't been feeling very well this week.
 

8) Mother Winters used to scold Sam for leaving her dirty dishes in the sink. Sam admits it: as a grown up, she's still a bit of a slob. Do lean toward "neat" or "messy?" Oink. I have transcended "messy" and moved straight into "piggy."
  
9) To celebrate Mother's Day, Sam is giving away candy bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate or milk chocolate with almonds?
Almonds, s'il vous plait. (Hey! I do know more French!)

Atta Girl!

This thumbs up is for both Charlotte and me.

She seems livelier and isn't straining anymore. I'm still giving her a spoonful of baby food with every meal to up her moisture intake. Besides, it makes her happy.

Our client meeting went unexpectedly well, too. She's been at the job a month now and is a bit less confrontational. And in person, she was more vulnerable and nicer than her bitchy conference call persona.

As we ate our Panera box lunches at the conference table, we bonded over our cats. I was worried about Charlotte, of course, but I shared a few Reynaldo stories with her.

The drive back was a trial. Highway construction. It took us barely two hours to get there, and more than four hours to get back. I haven't been feeling well, and that long ass Thursday didn't help. Ongoing headache, tenacious sense of nausea. It began as a cold, but now it's just a drag on my system. Hope it passes soon! I have a lot of work I haven't been doing because I crash as soon as I get home.