Alice Ghostley Passes Away

Resurrecting many wonderful childhood memories, Alice Ghostley, famed television and film actress, passed away yesterday at her home in Studio City, California.

Her filmography credits include movie parts in With Six You Get Eggroll, Please Don't Eat The Daisies, The Flim Flam Man, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Graduate and The Client...

And she played many characters on television in shows like Evening Shade, Designing Women, Good Times, Love American Style... and many, many more.

But I will always fondly remember her as the good witch and slightly off-kilter Esmeralda on 'Bewitched'.

Ghostley died after a long battle with colon cancer and a series of strokes. Passing from this life is often a blessing, but it's sad for those left behind...

1952 photograph, above, courtesy of AP. As Esmeralda, courtesy of this website.

Three Ruses

Aruba follows up on another ruse, but to their credit, they followed up.

Randy Quaid follows up on what he considers a big old ruse.

I'm not sure where the ruse lies in the story of the Church of Christ preacher's wife who shot her husband dead... but if it's not on the one hand... it's the other.

Random Memo 091105

1. Woke up to sounds of squirrels playing on the roof.
2. Negotiated with Miss C about whether it was time to get up. First she put her head on top of mine which was very sweet. Then she put her chin over my nose, which was also sweet, but smothering. I folded and she won. We got up.
3. Let C outside, then made breakfast for both of us. We ate and went back to bed.
4. Watched the commemmoration and memorial of 9/11 on Fox News. Teared up as I empathisized with the family members of the victims.
5. Said a prayer.
6. Made the best french press coffee ever. (I broke my coffee pot carafe several months ago and have been making french press coffee ever since. I've had strong coffee, bitter coffee, and weak coffee...). Made a note of the perfect formula for next time.
7. Miss C and I watched "Monkey Business" with Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers and Marilyn Monroe. It just made Sunday... Sunday.
8. Washed clothes and sheets and towels. At least part of yesterday's list has been addressed.
9. Checked the mailbox from yesterday. Received my FIRST birthday card! :-)
10. Left for the grocery store and called my aunt to thank her for the card and "gifty inside".
11. Passed by an anti-war protest. They had signs saying honk if you're against the war. I'm not, and the only response I could think of was a gesture that wasn't appropriate when I'm on the phone with my aunt.
12. Went to an HEB grocery store where I knew I would save money. It was my first time to that exact location, and it lived up to my previous experiences elsewhere. I saved money, but I hated it. (Example: NightHawk Steak & Tots dinner, Kroger $2.50 to $2.59... HEB $1.94). With the price of gas these days, you gotta save money somewhere.
13. Finished my conversation with my aunt on the way home.
14. Reminiscent of the old "Miracle Whip" commercial... I bought bread and bologna, and began to make a sandwich when I got home.... there wasn't enough "Miracle Whip" left in the jar to make a sandwich. I whimpered like the guy in that old commercial.
15. Watched the end of "Bird Cage". That probably makes well into the 200 times that I've watched it on tv, with commercials... when I own the DVD.
16. Opened a box of Elbert Hubbard books that I collect, and put the first lot into the freezer. (Note: place old books in a ziploc bag and seal. Place the book into the freezer for a minimum of 12-18 hours. This kills the mold in the book. Gently brush the dust from the pages and it is ready for display!).
17. Watched Miss C chase squirrels.

Popcorn and 'Wedding Crashers'

Along with my good friend and fellow Owen groupie, I saw Wedding Crashers today.

We both loved it, and laughed our way through until some poignant moments brought a little mistiness.

It's a great movie. I highly recommend it. Take your irreverent sense of humor with you!

The movie hasgreat casting great casting (including Dwight Yoakum and Henry Gibson!):

Owen Wilson .... John Beckwith
Vince Vaughn .... Jeremy Grey
Christopher Walken .... Secretary Cleary
Rachel McAdams .... Claire Cleary
Isla Fisher .... Gloria Cleary
Jane Seymour .... Kathleen Cleary
Ellen Albertini Dow .... Grandma Mary Cleary
Keir O'Donnell .... Todd Cleary
Bradley Cooper .... Sack Lodge
Ron Canada .... Randolph
Henry Gibson .... Father O'Neil
Dwight Yoakam .... Mr. Kroeger
Rebecca De Mornay .... Mrs. Kroeger
David Conrad .... Trap
Jennifer Alden .... Christina Cleary (as Jenny Alden)

Tons of awesome lines in this one! Bring your silly and wry sense of humor!

Movie Review: Mr. Blandings!

Before long, you'll realize that I'm not a huge movie buff (can't help it... I have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to movies)...

And this review of 'Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House' is just a teensy bit less current than my last theatre visit. After all... it was released in 1948, well over a decade before I was born! It's a great one, though... I promise!