Ok… so I am a few minutes late posting a 4th of July entry, but I had an absolutely wonderful end of my day. I started out by putting in a fun-filled 10 hour day at work. Somehow for the most part it went by relatively fast especially when we had those few major rushes when I had 4 people in my line with carts and needed to call for reinforcements. Finally, the shift ended and I got to rush home (not before I overheard a few opinionated people loudly complain that we were closed already). Clearly marked on the door that we would indeed be closing at 6PM and it was 6:05 when we stepped out.

I ran home, changed into some other more comfortable clothes and headed to the country home of some other theatre cronies where we congregated, had a cookout, and enjoyed watching the sky light up with some very cool fireworks. I missed our local display last weekend for some strange reason. They usually run them the SUNDAY before the hoilday. This year, they decided to have a two day celebration and had the fireworks on Saturday night. However, I think the display presented tonight was quite exceptional and rivaled some of the best I have seen produced in our local park. I think the only thing missing was some great accompaniment of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with its thundering cannon or John Phillip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever, Liberty Bell, Washington Post, or any other grand march  Maybe next year we can have the sound system hooked up.  But the chance to congregate with a large group of friends to celebrate our freedom, a birthday,  and the coming birth of a special guy was such a thrill.

Several years ago my church had the choir sing on 4th of July weekend, and this is one of the songs.  I pray that as you reflect on the freedom we have here in the US, you will reflect especially on the freedom we have in worshiping as we please.  There are many places now where there is no such freedom, and there will be a day that we will all have to go underground for a time before Jesus takes the world back from Satan once and for all, as God promises.

[Godtube]https://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=fd28e0f6fcdffbcdd760[/Godtube]

Tigers won, and I’m going to get some sleep.   Being in the eastern timezone, I hate these West Coast games.

Oh yes, this is post 100.

A somewhat mindless post of things I’m thinking about.

Took my youngest to a movie and to play putt-putt. I aways enjoyed the time I could spend with my daughters. I’m sure they’re getting a skewed view on life without their mother in it, but that is what it is. They get this skewed view, because my view is somewhat skewed. Not doing as well as I would like on putt-putt. On the little course closest to us, I have made a hole-in-one on all 18 holes. I should be able to get 2 on each and everyone of them. I get a little down when I get 3’s on some of the holes. Most of the time I don’t keep the putter down.

Stopped at a Coldstone Creamery. Wonderful stuff. Ice Cream, Sorbet mixed with stuff right in front of your eyes. It is very good ice cream.

A fourth of July weekend is in front of me. It is nice to get an extra day off of work. I’m looking forward to spending time with family and friends this weekend. Happy Birthday wishes to my oldest sister on the 4th. Never did get to put the sparklers on her cake instead of candles.

Tigers are on the radio right now. I don’t have cable, so I don’t get to watch much ball on TV, but Gameday on the Computer, and a radio near me, works well. Tigers are winning in the 7th.

I need to take the time this weekend to do the things I wasn’t doing during the time my daughter was in “Little Women”. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything, but I need to do more around here.

I saw a movie trailer today. It looks like they are making a remake of a wonderful Science Fiction Classic. A new “The Day the Earth Stood Still” is coming to the big screen again. This was a classic, and from the trailer, I think they found a way to ruin it. I’m planning on going just so I can really rag on the film. You are warned. Normally I don’t get preconceived ideas about movies, but this was a wonderful short story, a very good movie (classic in my mind), and it will now become a standard Hollywood space invasion movie… Grrr.

I’m waiting for the new Batman movie. One of the favorite comic characters, because he is a normal person. He was also a troubled hero. It makes the comic book a little more real when the hero has normal problems.

Should be a good 4th tomorrow. Getting together with friends for food and socializing, maybe some fireworks.

I need to try to schedule some additional time off work. It may be tough since we are in the middle of a major software change. Maybe I can get 1 day off a week for the rest of the summer.

That should be about it, for now

Tigers still ahead in the 8th.

This show has already be hit hard by the critics.  Again it was one I thought looked interesting in the reviews.  It was almost exactly what I was expecting.  There was a surprise or two in the movie, that I will not give away here.

Anyway the basic story is a superhero with a drinking problem.  Like superman he can fly, is very strong, and bullets don’t seem to hurt him.  He tends to do more destruction than most superheroes and is not in good favor of the city officials.  In fact there is a warrant for his arrest.

He does save a struggling ad man who decides to revamp his image. I liked the struggle Hancock had with his personal problems.  Even though he was physically superior to normal humans, his emotional levels are not up to normal human par.  A good portion of the movie is dealing with this emotional problems, and this did make it slow at times , but I did like that part   After Hancock works through his problems, the movie takes off again.  And into the couple of surprises I mentioned.

Anyway I think for adults this is just a fun movie.   It really won’t get you thinking, it is way to spend an afternoon or evening.  There is some adult humor, and some violence.  The main character is a drunk at the beginning of the movie, so that may be a factor in your viewing pleasure.

So all in all it is a good movie, not up to par with the best superhero movies, but definitely well above the worst.  If you don’t go into it looking for too much, you may have as much fun as I did.

The surprise plot twists are also interesting.

My parents returned Tuesday afternoon from their 2 week vacation to the Golden Gate State. Some of their highlights included: visiting San Francisco, San Diego (no zoo), the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. It also included a nine hour car trip to Santa Rosa where they visited my mother’s cousin who owns and operates a winery (Lauterbach Cellars) along with her husband. I asked if they could not bring back some wine so I could share with friends… Probably not.

I would say that the most memorable tale concerned their “guided tour” of the walk of fame along Hollywood and Vine. My parents and my father’s sister were approached by a gentleman offering to give them a personal tour of the stars for a grand total of $50. Apparently, they thought this was a steal (read on). My aunt produced the fifty dollars. The gentleman informed them that he had to get something, said he would return, and left. I’m not sure how long the three of them waited but they came to realize that they had just been swindled. Surprisingly, they somehow managed to encounter the thief along the way (probably attempted to pull the same stunt on other unsuspecting tourists). However when they confronted the gentleman, he quickly denied ever seeing them. They really got “taken” on a tour.  However, the trio did walk the stars.

Their return flight arrived in Indianapolis Tuesday morning at 10 following a five-hour layover in Atlanta. Needless to say, they were both exhausted and went to bed exceptionally early.

I received this email today from a friend. I always enjoy reading Andy Rooney’s column periodically in the paper and caught him from time to time on 60 Minutes…. even if he seemed hypercritical I thought this was at times touching, humorous, but oh so true. A great thing to pass on today since a great friend is having a birthday today. I hope you have a great one, L and we will call it 29 and holding if you like 😀 !

In order to save on space, I am going to reprint my favorites:

I’ve learned…. That just one person saying to me, ‘You’ve made my day!’ makes MY day. (Go ahead, make my day).

I’ve learned…. That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world (very true especially if you can get one to do it… a miracle in itself at times, but when it happens… it is magic)

I’ve learned… That being kind is much more important than being right. (of course there are exceptions to every rule)

I’ve learned… That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act Goofy with. (Gawrsh… that is my favorite of the bunch… wonder why. hyuck, hyuck)

I’ve learned… That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. (That is beautiful and very true)

I’ve learned… That love, not time, heals all wounds. (Again, very profound)

I’ve learned… That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile. (You may not like the person you meet, but a smile is nothing more than a frown turned upside down. I was also once told that you use more facial muscles when you frown. Myth or fact?  Going along with that….)

I’ve learned… That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks (not sure that I totally agree with that one, but never hurts).

Happy Birthday, Lis 😀 . You are my friend and I AM honored!

In June of 1981, just after I graduated from College, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in theaters. At that time video rental and purchasing was in its infancy. Machines were expensive, and there were the “format wars”. So the movies in the theaters ran much longer than they do now, and they were often in cheap theaters for years after the initial release. I saw Raiders with friends during the summer of 1981multiple times, and I eventually saw it with my future wife in 1983. It was a fun movie.

In 1984, The Temple of Doom was released. I was able to see that movie in theaters as a newlywed. While we liked the movie, the dark atmosphere of the second Indiana Jones left us wanting the first movie again. Finally the price of VCRs became more reasonable, and Raiders of the Lost Ark was the one we added to our collection. After it was released to Video, we also added the Last Crusade. It wasn’t unit 2004 that I added the Temple of Doom to my collection.

This spring the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones movies was released. It marked the first Indiana Jones movie I did not see with my wife. Being a widower made that impossible. Still, I went with the two daughters still living at home. I went in a partial Indiana Jones costume. At the movie I wore my hat, my brown pants and beige shirt. It was too warm for my leather jacket. And only a few noticed. But with the audience, I’m sure most weren’t seeing movies at the time the last movie hit theaters.

Some time early in my marriage, my wife and I were shopping and we stopped in a small store in the local mall. There was a felt Fedora. My wife thought it looked good on me, so she bought it for me. She called it my Indiana Jones hat. It was just the thing to take on our vacations. I had that hat for years, until I left it in a coffee shop, one time too many. I hope whoever picked it up enjoyed it. After that I found a much cheaper version of the hat, since I was sure I would misplace it again. And I used that hat for a few years. 2 Christmases ago, my four daughters pitched in to buy me an official Indiana Jones fedora. I was very touched that they would do that. So if you check my ‘About’ page, you will see a picture of me in that hat.

At times I wish I could have been the adventurer that Indiana Jones was. Searching for lost artifacts, ancient civilizations sounds like great fun. The more conservative, stay-at-home, take care of the family person almost always won the battle of personalities. When we took trips to more wilderness areas, the adventurer showed his face (and hat). We hiked many a mile through the gorges of SE Ohio, the Black hills and Bad Lands in South Dakota, and even the wilds of amusement parks and zoos. I’ll never be that adventuring soul, except in the inner reaches of the mind.

That’s about it for Indiana Jones and me, until the last movie is release on video. It will be added to my collection. Maybe by that time, I’ll be able to get the whip, and a more authentic leather jacket.

As I recently learned there is New Kids on the Block reunion tour; however, one group you will probably not be seeing soon is Culture Club, that wonderfully odd 1980s pop group led by the ultra-colorful, ultra-fruity George O’Dowd (more commonly referred to as Boy George).  Boy was planning a 30-day United States tour to begin on July 10 (thank goodness, no unwanted surprises).  However, he was denied a visa due to charges  that accused him of “falsely imprisoning a Norwegian male escort”.  Please tell me how it would not be false to imprison another person.  Although he plead not guilty to the charges, the US government still denied the cross-dressing performer the visa.

Culture Club enjoyed their (what now seems much too long) 15 minutes of fame with songs such as Karma Chameleon.  I think there were a few other successful songs but obviously less familiar.  Yet another group that seemed good when you were about 10 years old that make you shake your head and wonder why.

Has he not been in trouble with the law before.  If memory serves, he was sentenced to community service a few years ago and seen picking up garbage?  I do recall the Broadway musical Taboo that he wrote the lyrics to and Rosie O’Donnell financed a few years ago that lasted entirely too long.  A good suggestion for any theatre group.

I suppose if you live across the Atlantic, you could catch Mr. George on his United Kingdom tour.

Super hero movies are not must-sees for me, but we caught a showing of The Incredible Hulk the other day mainly because there was nothing else playing that we hadn’t seen already.  Since physical activity is out for me (but only for another few weeks – YAY!!), going to a movie on our weekly date night has been popular because even someone of my girth can enjoy sitting in an air-conditioned movie theater for a few hours.  I was also drawn to this movie because I remember really enjoying The Incredible Hulk tv series  as a very young child.  So both my husband and I were entertained by the movie; it was action-packed, and the special effects weren’t terrible looking like they were in the previews.  Edward Norton was good, and so was Liv Tyler, but then again, I don’t think I’ve seen her in anything where she was horrible…  except maybe that Aerosmith video in which she appeared in the ’90’s, but then again, I’m not a fan of music videos anyway.  We did come away with a few questions regarding the believability of the film, but of course, you’re talking about a super hero movie, and our questions were answered by a helpful friend who reads Marvel comics.

Of my 2 favorite things about the movie, one was the surprise at the end, which I’m not going to spoil, but I will say this – if you’re a comic fan, you will REALLY enjoy the surprise.  The other thing I really liked was an inside joke I actually got, even though I don’t read comic books.  Liv Tyler’s character buys Bruce Banner some pants, and wouldn’t you know it, she picks out a pair of bright purple ones – a nod to the old tv series where the Hulk wore purple.  I thought that joke was especially funny and clever, and I’m glad they included it.  Also enjoyable is the Lou Ferrigno cameo; he’s the original Hulk from tv who appears in this movie as a security guard and also voices the computer generated Hulk.  If you like the comics, you’ve probably seen this already, but I’d also recommend it for anyone who likes fantasy/action movies or if you were a fan of the Hulk tv show from decades ago.  It’s not going to make me start reading comic books, but it was well worth seeing just for the nostalgia factor alone.