Academy Award Surprises

I didn't see much of the Oscars on Sunday night.  But here are some random thoughts anyway.

Seth McFarlane - He's received some negative press for pushing the bad taste envelope a bit but, on the other hand, they chose him to bring in younger viewers.  And he did that - in spades. And he's cute as the dickens.

ARGO - This was a big "best picture" surprise.  I loved the movie - mostly for its important historical value.  But Jimmy Carter says it's not totally accurate.  Ben Afleck's movie didn't give those Canadians enough credit.  Ben's had a spotty career but looks like he's now firmly on the A list.  Both as actor and director.

Jennifer Lawrence - I liked Silver Linings Playbook but was surprised Jennifer Lawrence won for best actress.  I was kind of rooting for that old lady in Amour.  She's 85.  How many more chances is she gonna get?

Best Foreign Film - At least Amour won for that.

BRAVE - Best animated film.  I don't care for animated films.  But I watched BRAVE with some of my grand kids and enjoyed it.  An important kid's film in that a girl was the hero  First time ever for a Disney movie.

Best Supporting Actor - What a surprise that Christoph Waltz won for Django Unchained.  I didn't see this because director Quentin Tarantino is usually just too brutal for me.    But I did see the 2009 Tarantino movie, Inglorious Bastards, with Christoph Waltz playing a Nazi.  I though it and he were fantastic.  And he's so good looking.  (You know how shallow I am that way.)

Best Dressed at the Oscars - Who would have thought that young Jennifer Lawrence would come out with true old timey Hollywood glamour?


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The Compliment

Last night we went to a nice gathering.  While chatting with a stranger a woman who looked to be in her forties, came up to me and, right out of the blue, gave me a compliment.  I think.

Forty Something Woman:  You have beautiful eyes.  

Me:  Thank you.

Forty Something Woman:  My mother loved an old movie star and you look like her.

Me.:  Who, your mother?

Forty Something Woman:  Oh no, the old movie star!

OK, the image that immediately came to mind was that of Nora Desmond.  And I've been thinking about her since.  Don't know exactly how I feel about this.


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Eating Well

Dave and I are healthy eaters.  Or try to be.  Today my friends and I were discussing how difficult that is, what with the experts changing their minds all the time about what's in and what's out.

Remember when eggs were the perfect food?  Then we were told they would clog our arteries.  Now they're perfect again.   Now it's whole wheat that will kill us.

We try to eat simple stuff.  One of our favorite dinners is roasted chicken breast, mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.  A while back I stumbled on to Idahoan Mashed Potatoes.  They come in a bag.  You put them in a pretty dish, add water, put it in the microwave for 3 minutes and Viola!  Fantastic mashed potatoes.  But I mix in about a tablespoon of lite sour cream.  Perfect mashed potatoes.  And they come in different flavors.  My favorite is garlic and herbs.

By the way, on the front of the package it says "Made with 100% REAL Idaho Potatoes Perfectly Blended with REAL Butter.  And here's the best part.  110 calories per serving.

What could possibly be wrong?

Well, the back of the package lists the ingredients.  Yikes!  30 to 40 ingredients.  Most of them unpronounceable.  I confess that we ate them for a year before I looked on the back.

But in my defense, they are GLUTEN FREE.



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Pythons in the Everglades

Why folks want to sneak exotic pets into Florida, I don't know.  But they do.  Like the Burmese python.  It's estimated that there are 150,000 pythons in the Everglades killing off our native species.

How would you solve this problem?  OK, here's what we Floridians did.  We held a contest to see how many hunters could kill how many Burmese pythons in a certain time frame.  We called it The Python Challenge.

Despite the heat and wildlife of the unforgiving Everglades, along with armed contestants, nobody was hurt.

By the way, Florida isn't the first to do this.  In India they offered a bounty on cobra but the plan backfired when cobra breeders emerged.  I could have told them this would happen:  Many years ago when we had a problem with flies in the house my husband, Ken, offered our older son a nickel for every fly he killed.  Being highly motivated our ten years old son quietly opened the back door!

The Python Challenge is over.  Gun toting men in camouflage came from everywhere to participate.  I understand our congressman, Bill Nelson was one of them.  I like this quote from one of the hunters:  "Think like a snake, become a snake and you'll catch a snake."

So how many of the 150,000 Burmese pythons do you think they took out?  The answer is 68.

But Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florid Wildlife Commission, was quoted as saying, "I definitely anticipate we'll do something of the nature again."

Good for you, Nick.


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Cell Phone Etiquette

Here's what I know about a guy that I've seen only once, never spoken to, never read anything about, never heard about.

• He's about 40 years old. 
• He's just broken up with his girlfriend of 10 years. 
• She's a very bad person.  (I have details if you want.)
• He's Catholic. 
• He had lunch last week at one of my favorite restaurants. 
• He'd like his friend to ask his (insane) girlfriend out to get her off his back. 

I know all this, and much more, because I was in a medical waiting room and this guy was on his cell.  For 43 minutes.  And he was loud. 

When he hung up the young African American man sitting next to me whispered "Thank God.!"  I smiled at him and he said, "I can't believe he wants to palm her off on his friend."  As much as I didn't want to gossip I replied.  "You'd think he'd have figured this out in less than ten years."

And we, along with everybody else in the medical waiting room, were finally able to relax.

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A Big World View

Yesterday we heard Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab speak on the future of the newspaper.  It was more positive than I thought it would be.  Beth thinks the paper (print news) will be around for a while.

By the way, Beth is young, small and beautiful, as you can see from this photo.  But don't let that make you think she does sissy news.  She used to be the business news guy.  Her column now covers all sorts of important local issues.  And she calls it as she sees it.   I think that's good.  I think investigative reporting keeps us honest, whether it's local or world wide.

But, yes, the paper has shrunk.  Most of the things happening around the globe are left to other news sources these days.  I understand the need but I think it's sad.  Because some folks don't have a clue as to what's going on outside their own little area of interest.   And they intensely dislike most news sources (except the one that agrees with them.)

I like to read things that make me think.  

Thirty or so years ago there was a popular minister in Florida named Dr. George Foster.  He was known for "telling it like it is."  But he was most known for great sermon titles.  Here is my favorite George Foster sermon title.

The Myopia of Piosity.


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All You Need is Love

There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love
Love is all you need.
       - John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Today is Valentine's Day.  I hope you're having a good one.  Dave and I celebrated with friends on Tuesday night.  Here we are eating on Park Ave. (right out on the street) in Winter Park, Florida.  I'm having a dozen raw oysters.  Woo hoo!  How romantic!

But you know what?  Love is about way more than this.  I love many, many people.  I truly believe that all of life is about relationships.  When I did countless workshops and seminars back in my career days I would emphasis that, no matter the issue, "relationships" are the whole ballgame.

Want to end starvation or bring about world peace?  Start with relationships.

Yesterday my friend gave me three little flowers from her garden.  They'd been wrapped in a wet paper towel and then foil.  I stuck them in the edge of my briefcase then forgot to take them out.  This morning there they were!  I was thrilled.  Now they're in the middle of the table.  I love my friend.

We discussed in our class this week the concept that older folks tend to disengage.  Especially when we begin losing spouses and friends.  Juan Montalvo wrote "Old age is an island surrounded by death."  How sad.  Let's not let that happen to us.  Whether we're 17 or 82, let's get out there and make some relationships.  You can start by saying something positive to every person you see tomorrow.

Two of my younger granddaughters sent us a valentine.  It came in this envelope.  (I'm glad our mailman, Neal, knows us.) I'm happy that I sent valentines to grand kids and to tons of other folks as well.  Because I love many, many people.

All you need is love. 


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