Besmirched, Bothered and Bewildered

So!  I went to the movies today (there's a movie review down there somewhere) and before the movie, we saw previews of upoming movies (somehow that seems redundant).

One of the movie previews talked about a girl's reputation being besmirched (sullied, soiled - Pronunciation: bi-ˈsmərch, bē-\) and i thought to myself... "What a great word! And one we don't hear very often."

I don't think dictionaries always go far enough.  Soiled, sullied - there's a lot of room in there. 

I went out to lunch today and besmirched my shirt with tomato sauce? Not really.

"Mary Jones left an hour early today."  Her reputation will be totally besmirched after this.  Would leaving an hour early totally besmirch you? Partially besmirch you?  Earn you an "atta girl"? (Would anyone even notice??)

"Had to get my car washed today.  It was completely besmirched after last night's rain." 

Maybe you have to be a living, breathing thing to be besmirched.

"How are you and the dog getting along?" 
"After the way she's been acting lately, my feelings about her are... well...  just besmirched."

These are the things that occupy my mind and make it...
                                                                                 besmirched?

Toad and Mutlu

Toad the Wet Sprocket  AND Mutlu - at the Keswick!

Life is good!

Mutlu

We are long time fans of Philadelphia's own Mutlu!

Mutlu plays everything from Sitcom theme songs (which we missed this time) to great covers - to a cover of a Turkish pop song (that has gone from in "oh no!" in my mind to eager anticipation)  - to his own beautiful and distinctive music.

Mutlu's brand of music is upbeat - hopeful - with a soft groove that will melt your heart and a voice that angels envy.

On his most recent CD, "Livin' It", Mutlu is joined by G. Love, his buddy, Amos Lee, Darryl Hall, and others.  There are songwriting collaborations with Amos Lee, Ben Arnold, Tony Reyes - and more.  My favorite cut?  Maybe "Hello Morning" - but I'd better not think about it too long or my "favorite" will turn out to be my "favoriteS".  If you're not ready (yet) to buy the whole CD, try "Hello Morning" on iTunes.  You won't be sorry.

As a "Philly Local", Mutlu is a friend of WXPN (the NPR station from the University of Pennsylvania) and an active participant of the "Musicians on Call" program, where musicians go to local hospitals and sing for children who are hospitalized. 

If you have a chance to catch Mutlu in concert, don't pass it up! 

Really!



Toad The Wet Sprocket

I mean... really!  Toad!!! Could we possibly pass up this one??  What a great night!  (And what great seats!  First row, center!)

Glenn Phillips is not a stranger to Philadelphia - and we go to see him - and his bare feet - every time he comes through town, but we've never seen him with Toad before! 

My oldest son said that he thinks it was the first concert he's ever been to where he could sing along with ALL of the songs. 

I'm sure every song brought back memories of where he was when he heard those songs for the first time. 

It was obvious that the band enjoyed the concert almost as much as the audience.  Personally, I'd like to see a new "Toad" album - and I'm sure I'm not alone.   There were about a thousand people there last night who, I'm sure, would agree with me.

Glen, Todd Nichols (guitar), Dean Dinning (bass), and Randy Guss (drums) were joined on stage by Johnny Hawthorn (slide, guitar, mandolin), who also plays with Everclear.  (Johnny is the guy in the hat sitting back there by the drums.)

The music was great!  The energy level was high.  The harmonies were spot on.  The band and the audience were completely connected.  Toad never sounded better! 

They played music from "Fear", "Dulcinea", and "Pale" - and closed the night with "Walk On The Ocean"...

"Don't even have pictures,
just memories to hold
Grows sweeter each season,
as we slowly grow old"

Hey Toad!  Come back soon!

Letters To Juliet

I don't have to worry about giving away any secrets because you've seen this movie and/or read the book many, many times if you've ever read a "Romance" book or watched a "Romance" movie.

Don't get me wrong, predictable is not necessarily a bad thing for me, if done well.  Anyway...

• Girl meets boy
• Boy is an arrogant, miserable pain in the ass
• Boy dislikes girl
• Girl dislikes boy back
• Over time they grow to love each other but they don't want to admit it
• They "accidentally" kiss
• Boy loses girl
• Girl thinks she lost boy, but it's a miscommunication (There's always a miscommunication)
• Boy gets girl
• Girl gets boy
• They live happily ever after

Meanwhile... back at the vineyard...

• Woman makes huge mistake 50 years previous
• Woman tries to right mistake
• Blah blah blah - happily ever after

So... "girl" is Amanda Seyfried.  Throughout this movie we focused on "girl's" boobs:

• Bouncing in her t-shirt when she runs
• Jiggling in her scoop neck dress (she's braless in this one)
• Almost falling out of her v-neck dress at the wedding, when she runs - bent over with her boobs right there on the center of the screen (boy had to fall on the ground for "gir" to bend over and accomplish this look properly)
• Bouncing, jiggling and/or generally being exposed in almost everything else she wears

So.. if there are any "guys" out there who are being pressured to go see this "chick flick", you might consider going.  The view isn't too bad. 

"Woman" is Vanessa Redgrave and they turned her into an absolute frump-a-dump wearing beige, round-toed, mary-jane type flats with an ankle strap - skirts that hung about 4 inches above her ankles - baggy shapeless tops and baggy, ugly jackets.  I mean really!  If this is the main love interest of the movie, shouldn't she have been somewhat of a hot granny?

I don't care how old she is, Vanessa Redgrave is beautiful, but they did everything they could to disguise that - at least until her wedding (*gasp* are you shocked?  Did I give it away?).  For her wedding they at least pulled that long, stringy hair - normally held back in barrettes on the sides (please!) - into an up-do, reminiscent of the 60's (can you say French Twist?) but respectably sophisticated - and flattering.

I think that long, gray hair was supposed to romantic.  Nah - not so much.  In one scene - where she recognizes her true love (Aw shucks!  I did it again - gave away a surprise plot twist.), they manage 30 seconds where her hair blows in the breeze around her face and is somewhat flattering.  The rest of the movie?  I'd sue them, if I were her!

The men in the movie were appropriately hot. If it were a book, they'd have rippling biceps, blah blah blah.  The "man" was way hotter than the "boy", I thought.  But then... I'm old.

When I started this, I was thinking 3 Go's.  After reliving the movie in this post, I'm changing my mind... 2 Go's. 

Google Doodle

Did you see this???  This was the national winner of the Google Doodle Contest where K-12 students are invited to try ou their artistic talent on Google's home page.

This Doodle was designed by a 9-year-old 3rd grader from Missouri.  Pretty Amazing!

If you'd like to see the winners from each state, check this out!

Wow!   Fantastic!

What I Know

 

“I don’t know how deep the sea is.
I don’t know how high the sky.
What I know is I’m going to love you.
Love you, love you, love you, ‘til the day I die.

I don’t know when the mountains going to crumble.
And I don’t know when those seas will run dry.
When the moon’ll turn blue, baby, I haven’t a clue.
But I’m going to love you ‘til the day I die.”

From “What I Know” by Tom Rush

It was the 1960s and music was my hope and my life. Tom Rush was a big part of that time for me. I saw him in and around Philadelphia at the Main Point – at the 2nd Fret – at the Philadelphia Folk Festival (where he has been performing for 4 decades – and will be again this year).

Tom (I can call him by his first name ‘cause we’re close to the same age, although I AM younger <-- had to add that!) played the music of my life then – and now. I wore out vinyl and CD versions of “The Circle Game” (In fact, I think I may still have a very worn out version of “The Circle Game” in vinyl) and I’m sure that I’ll wear out “What I Know”, Tom's most recent CD, also.

In addition to five Tom Rush originals, on “What I Know”, Tom continues to graciously cover other artists like Steve Bruton (“Too Many Memories”), Mishka (“Lonely”), and Melanie Dyer and Kim Beard (“What an Old Lover Knows”) – to name a few.

“What I Know” also features duets with Nanci Griffith, Bonnie Bramlett, and Emmylou Harris (my favorite) that make you want to close your eyes, shut out the world, hug those headphones close to your head, and completely give yourself to the music.

Robin Batteau accompanies with violin on “The River Song”. Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful!

The CD ends with my favorite cover on the album – played with elegant simplicity…

“And when my mind is free
You know a melody can move me
And when I’m feelin’ blue
The guitar’s comin’ through to soothe me

Thanks for the joy that you’ve given me
I want you to know I believe in your song
And rhythm and rhyme and harmony
You help me along, makin’ me strong

Oh give me the beat, boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll
And drift away”

From “Drift Away” by Mentor Williams

Thanks, Tom! I’ve waited a loooooong time for this one!!! (And it was worth the wait!)

I'll give it 3 Notes

Websites * May 16 - May22

May 16, 2010 - May 22, 2010

Funny Typos - Grammar geeks will delight in Funny Typos, a site devoted to ridiculing the language-challenged among us. Why people cant menage to reed there writhing batter is simpy a misery to me.

Safety Graphic Fun - Do park visitors generally need to be told “Please do not sit on crocodile”? Must employees at a company parking lot be reminded “Do Not Sleep Below the Vehicle”? Silly as these things sound, they’re actual warnings posted on public safety signs. Safety Graphic Fun works to compile the most ridiculous placards, outlandish announcements, and attorney-inspired posterior papering from around the world, some of which are astonishingly absurd. My favorite: “Touching wires causes instant death. $200 fine.”

May 16 - May 22

May 16, 2010 - May 22, 2010"

Did you ever reach a point in
your life, where you say to
yourself: 'This is the best I'm
ever going to look, the best
I'm ever going to feel, the
best I'm ever going to do,'
and it ain't that great?"
~ City Slickers ~

"Professor Marvel never guesses;
He knows!"
~Wizard of Oz~

"Ooooh! There must be some
easier way for me to get my wings."
~Clarence, the angel from
"It's A Wonderful Life"~

Have A Little Faith - Mitch Albom

Well, I just finished reading "Have A Little Faith" by Mitch Albom and I loved it!

I love the way Mr. Albom writes.  There is a flow and rhythm to his writing that makes me hate to put the book down.

"Tuesdays With Morrie" is still my favorite Mitch Albom book (didn't like "The Five People You Meet In Heaven") but this one was very good.

I think one of the things I like best about this story (like Morrie) is that it's true. People are amazing - just the way they are.   Two men - of different generations - of different faiths - of different backgrounds - yet how very much alike they were!

The initial point of the book was that Mitch's Rabii asked him to provide the eulogy at the Rabii's eventual funeral.  So, of course, the eulogy was at the end of the book.  But... after all that... it was just okay.  The epilogue was by far better than the eulogy, but maybe that's just because it's always hard to live up to the hype - and the whole book was preparation for the eulogy. 

I don't want to give too much away. I would recommend this one strongly - 4 Good Reads!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Happy Mother's Day!

I'd love to have something clever or profound to say today, but I'm not nearly clever enough or profound enough to express what it feels like to be a mother.  For me, being a mother has been the greatest gift of my life. 

Since I find myself lost for words today, I'll share with you some of the things that I found and enjoyed that others have said about mothers - being mothers - having mothers.

And he asked her "Which of your children to you feel the closest to?"
She paused and then answered, "The one who is hurting the most."
~Unknown~

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.
~Ambrose Bierce~

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune.
~Graycie Harmon~ 
 
The best conversations with mothers always take place in silence, when only the heart speaks.
~Carrie Latet~

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.
~Abraham Lincoln~

A mother understands what a child does not say.
~Jewish proverb~

I never knew how much love my heart could hold until someone called me "mommy."
~Author Unknown~

If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your mother told you to.
~Author Unknown~

Mother's love grows by giving.
~Charles Lamb~

The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.
~Honoré de Balzac~

And for my children... today and always...

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand."
~Unknown~

Today and every day, I love you - beyond words!


mom

Websites * May 9 - May 15

May 9, 2010 - May 15, 2010

Product Wiki - A Wickipedia-type product review website. All reviews and articles are written and updated by the site's users.

Colour Me Happy - Well, this one is a blog that's a personal favorite of mine. Everything you ever wanted to know about color and your home.

Dilbert - I love this cartoon! From here, you can see other Dilbert comic strips - visit the Dilbert bl0g - and even Mashups where you can help do some comic creation.

May 9 - May 15

May 9, 2010 - May 15, 2010"

For the morning sun
in all it's glory
Greets the day with
hope and comfort too
You fill my life
with laughter
And somehow
you make it better
Ease my troubles
that's what you do"

~Van Morrison ~
"Have I Told You Lately
That I Love You"

Sprinkle Sprinkle

So... today Tammy had a Sprinkle for Rich and Julie's baby.  It was soooo nice!  Tammy did a great job, but no surprise to me.  I've always been a "Tammy" fan. 

The invitation said to bring diapers - not big gifts, but there were wonderful gifts for the new baby and for Kate.  People are SO creative! 

Crystal, particularly, adds an amazing flair to everything she does.  Shower gifts are no exception - coordinating outfits for Kate and the "new baby" - clever toys - and everything is always put together beautifully.  There is an artist in her soul. 

Julie looked great and was the perfect.... hmmmmm... victim?  What do you call someone for whom the shower was thrown?  Tammy was the hostess.  Can't think of what I'm trying to say. Help anyone?

Kate was there for much of the shower and was a great helper, taking the tissue paper to Tammy to throw away.

Jackie is back from Florida.  She looked terrific - and seems happy to be "home" for the summer.

Amy was there for a while, but she and Greg were headed to a wedding this afternoon/evening.  I would have loved to have seen them before they went.  Amy always looks exceptional when they go out.  Greg was out buying a suit this afternoon, so I'm sure they were quite a picture!

I can't  help but think this afternoon, how very blessed I am. 

Life is good!

Happy Birthday, Julie!

It's Julie's birthday today! 

I hope we get the chance to do something to celebrate. Julie's birthday seems to get lost because it's so close to Mother's Day. No fair!

Lots of love to you today and every day, Julie!


Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Julieeeee!
Happy birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuu!

Websites * May 2 - May 8

May 2, 2010 - May 8, 2010

Hershey - It's another gift-giving time of year. You know - the ol' flowers and candy thing. When I think of candy, I think of chocolate and when I think of chocolate. I think of Hershey's and when I think of Hershey's, I think of my grandmother who LOVED Hershey kisses. I feel a story coming... so I'll leave it at that! :) Enjoy!

SoYouWanna - This is a site to help you buy gifts that people really want. There are quite a few great links on this page. ('m not fussy - almost anything will do, but music always works for me.)

May 2 - May 8

May 2, 2010 - May 8, 2010"It's a brand new day
The sun is shining
It's a brand new day
For the first time
in such a long long time
I know
I'll be okay"
Brand New Day
~Joshua Radin~

"Forgiveness doesn't come with a debt."
~Mary Chapin Carpenter~