It rained all last night and most of today. In fact, as far as rain goes, we have had a lot of it this spring. It's even chilly today. So instead of working outdoors, or making repairs to the pool, or even enjoying a good walk in the sunshine, what to do? As I was finishing my lunch, my daughter informed me that Yaya was insisting we come watch a classic old movie on the TV. I didn't need much convincing. Good-bye ... Read More

Ok, I have to sneak in a movie I like once in a while, so I made this movie part of our study of the French Revolution. Interestingly enough, the term, "New World Order" was used in the movie, the same as spoken in the recent G20 Summit. The Plot: In 1792, during the bloodthirsty, early stages of the French Revolution, Marguerite St. Just, a beautiful French ex-actress, is the wife of the wealthy English fop Sir Percy Blakeney, a baronet. Before ... Read More

My daughter has read the book about a half dozen times, seen the movie about the same amount of times. Finally the movie came out in DVD yesterday, and I got to see it. I really see the appeal for teens, and the music was lovely and the scenery of rainy, green, Washington State was beautiful. Some quotes from the movie: Isabella Swan: How old are you? Edward Cullen: Seventeen. Isabella Swan: How long have you been seventeen? Edward Cullen: A while. Edward Cullen: That's what you dream ... Read More

England is one of the U.S.'s best and oldest allies. I think Obama showed bad judgement returning  the Churchill bust that Britain gave the White House after 9/11. Even so, Prime Minister Brown gave Obama on his first official visit to the Obama White House a nice and thoughtful set of gifts: • An ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet. (Which reportedly delighted Obama, who placed it on his Oval Office desk.) • The framed commission for the ... Read More

Laura still recovering from the flu, so I dug out this movie I found cheap at Walmart. Trouble With Angels - DVD Two mischievous and curious teenage girls enter a convent school and wreak havoc with the academy's carefully organized routine. They explore the nuns' quarters on the sly, fill the sugar bowl with soap and just keep on coming up with "scathingly brilliant ideas" that cause endless amounts of comic confusion. It isn't too long before the Mother Superior is convinced ... Read More

While Laura is down with the flu, I thought it would be good to bring out this mini-series made in the 80's that is a total delight. The First Olympics: Athens 1896 - Widescreen Fullscreen Subtitle Five Emmy nominations went to the two-part TV drama The First Olympics: Athens 1896. The story begins in 1894, when Baron Pierre de Courbetin (Louis Jourdan) announces his intention to stage the first Olympic games of the Modern Era within two years in Athens. The baron ... Read More

Nova: Treasures Of The Great Barrier Reef Nova: Treasures Of The Great Barrier Reef ... Read More

I saw this group in Concert in Barcelona. My first concert ever.   ... Read More

I am sure it was my mom who gave me a love for all things Native American. Perhaps it was her Cherokee blood, her love for nature, and stories she would tell and trips like the one we took to Cherokee, North Carolina. So perhaps it was understandable after seeing many commercials for the release of The New World on DVD, I did the uncharacteristic thing and went to Blockbuster to rent a copy. The New World is mainly the story of ... Read More

I got a very nice DVD set for Christmas, and it occurred to me last night, "Hey its March, don't you think you should watch it?" The problem has been finding the time and the place to watch it. There is a DVD player in the living room, but my daughter sort of RULES that TV. My son's playstation2 will play DVD's, and his TV is nice and big, but I seriously doubt I have a chance at that one...Then it occurred to me, say, ... Read More