Thursday, November 09, 2023

The Strike-Out Tag

I purloined this from The Texas Lass.  But I told her I was going to, so that makes it all fine, right?


The idea behind this tag is that you cross out things you've done, like they're a to-do list or something.  And provide a bit of explanation if you want.  

Kissed someone – Well, I've been married 21 years, so I would hope I could cross that off!

Gone to a rock concert – I've been to a Beach Boys concert and two Creed concerts, all when I was in my twenties.

Helped someone – Um, I'm a mom.  I help people all the time.

Gone fishing – I went with my grandpa in Iowa several times as a kid, and also with some friends when I was a teen.


Watched four movies in one night – My husband and I worked third shift for four years, after we got married but before we had kids.  Every week, Cowboy and I would have one night off together, and then I would have another night off that he had to work.  And do you know what I did those nights off by myself?  I watched movies.  Oodles of movies.  Our library system had an amazing collection, and I just basked in movies.  Four movies in one night wasn't even rare.

Lied to someone – I am, alas, a sinful human being.

Failed a subject – Closest I came was a C- in Geometry in high school.  Let us not speak of it.


Been in a car accident – Our family was in a really bad wreck when I was 8, when a drunk t-boned our car.  I was also hit in a parking lot when I was a teen, and my hubby and I had a fender bender a few years ago.

Been in a tsunami – Thank the Lord, no.

Watched someone die (including pets) – I've had plenty of pets die, but I don't think I watched any of them die.  I just found them dead, or sometimes they wandered off to die alone and we never found them.

Been to a funeral – Quite a few.  My dad is a pastor, and my mom was the choir director when I was growing up, and I got called upon to sing in the choir for more than a few funerals as a teen.  Also, I attended the funerals of all four of my grandparents.

Burned yourself – I have an aloe plant in my kitchen because I am accident-prone, and I love to cook and bake.  I wouldn't say I burn myself routinely, but 2 or 3 times a year is pretty common.

Run a marathon – Not something I have any interest in doing.


Spend over 10,000 bucks in one day – Buying a house counts, right?

Flown on an airplane – Many times, as a passenger.  Once, when I was 12, a friend of my parents took us up in his little private airplane, and he let me steer for a while, even.

Written an 18-page letter (front & back) – I've written a LOT of long letters in my life, but 18 pages is probably a little over my max.  Usually I run out of steam around 10 pages.

Gone skiing – Not something I enjoy much, but I've gone downhill skiing probably half a dozen times.


Lost someone you loved – All my grandparents have died.  Several of my aunts and uncles, too.

Got into trouble for something you didn’t do – Probably?  No specific instances come to mind, but I know it happened when I was a kid, and it always made me furious.

Stolen a book from a library – Not on purpose, but we have had a few go missing over the years.

Gone to a different country – Yes!  I've been to Canada quite a few times, plus Mexico, Poland, Ukraine, and whichever island in the Bahamas where Nassau is.

Gambled in a casino – No, thanks.  I've been inside a couple casinos, but I didn't do any gambling.



Been in a school play – I mean, sorta -- I was in a couple talent show productions in college, including one where we performed the Monty Python skit "Buying a Bed," and I was in the chorus for three different Gilbert and Sullivan musicals in college, too.

Taken a lie detector test – Why would I?

Voted for someone on a reality TV show – I don't really like reality TV.


Read more than 20 books a year – Rare is the year when I don't read more than 20 books.  For the last few years, I've read about five times that many.

Gone to Europe – As mentioned above, I've been to Poland and Ukraine.

Had a surgery – Let's see... I had surgery to set a broken arm when I was 12, got fully sedated to have my wisdom teeth out when I was 18, had my gall bladder out in my mid-30s, and then had surgery to set a broken arm again last year. 

Had stitches – Thanks to three of those surgeries, yup.

Ridden a tuk-tuk (autorickshaw) – No, but they look cool.

Had more than 5 IM conversations going on at once – I think I've maxed out at three.

Been in a fistfight – Fighting with my little brother when we were kids probably doesn't count.

Had a pet – Many!  Cats, fish, dogs, and hamsters.  No llamas, tho.


Petted a wild animal – I like to pick up grass snakes, so I think that counts.

Had your own credit card & bought something with it – I didn't have any credit cards until after I got married, but I do have two of them now. 

Dyed your hair – Several times, usually some shade of red.

Got a tattoo – Nope, but if I did, it would say "The readiness is all."


Had something pierced – I have one hole in each ear.

Got straight 'A's – I got a B in one class in college, which ruined my perfect record of straight A grades for all four years and made me graduate second in my class, with a GPA of 3.98.  Stupid PE class spoiled everything :-b  The girl ahead of me had a perfect 4.0.  But for seven out of eight semesters, I had straight 'A's.

Taken pictures with a webcam – I mean, I've used a webcam to video chat with people plenty of times, but I don't think I've used one to take a picture.  Not sure why I would.

Gone to sleep with music on – I had a couple college roommates who insisted on sleeping with either the radio or a CD on, and I got used to it eventually.


Well, that was fun, in a random and wacky sort of way :-D  I hope you enjoyed it!

Because I wasn't tagged with this, and there don't seem to be any rules about tagging people... I am not tagging anyone with this.  However, if this looks fun to you, go ahead and copy it for your own blog!  To make that easier, here's a clean copy of the questions:

Kissed someone 
Gone to a rock concert
Helped someone 
Gone fishing 
Watched four movies in one night 
Lied to someone 
Failed a subject
Been in a car accident 
Been in a tsunami
Watched someone die (including pets) 
Been to a funeral 
Burned yourself 
Run a marathon 
Spend over 10,000 bucks in one day 
Flown on an airplane 
Written an 18-page letter (front & back) 
Gone skiing 
Lost someone you loved
Got into trouble for something you didn’t do 
Stolen a book from a library 
Gone to a different country 
Gambled in a casino 
Been in a school play
Taken a lie detector test 
Voted for someone on a reality TV show 
Read more than 20 books a year
Gone to Europe 
Had a surgery
Had stitches
Ridden a tuk-tuk (autorickshaw)
Had more than 5 IM conversations going on at once
Been in a fistfight 
Had a pet 
Petted a wild animal 
Had your own credit card & bought something with it
Dyed your hair
Got a tattoo
Had something pierced
Got straight 'A's
Taken pictures with a webcam
Gone to sleep with music on

Friday, October 27, 2023

The Friends Fur Life Blogathon

The Friends Fur Life blogathon is here!  Check back all weekend for more and more posts -- I will add them to the roster below as people submit their links to me in comments here or to Quiggy at The Midnite Drive-In.



The Roster



















"101 Dalmatians" (1961)

My history with this movie predates me actually seeing this movie by about a decade.  When I was very small, my parents got me a whole slew of Disney read-along books with little vinyl records.  (I see these are getting kinda valuable, though mine isn't sealed up...)  I loved most of those records, and listened to them over and over and over -- my parents actually put an old record player in my bedroom that I knew how to operate by myself when I was as young as 3.  I could listen to the records while "reading" the storybooks whenever I wanted to, which was an absolute joy for this story-addicted girl.

BUT, I was so freaked out by Cruella deVille when I was little that I made my parents hide this record where I could not find it.  (I did the same with the Wizard of Oz record for the same reason -- too scary!)

However, when I was about twelve, I finally got to see the actual movie, and I fell in love with it.  In fact, to this day, it is only second to Robin Hood (1973) in my list of favorite animated films.

Everything about 101 Dalmatians pleases me, from the style of artwork to the voices of the characters to the story itself.  Pongo and Perdita are such a sweet couple, and so are Roger and Anita.  I love the courage of all involved in chasing down Cruella deVille to rescue the 15 kidnapped puppies.  And the warm-hearted readiness they all display to rescue and adopt 84 more puppies is even more admirable, I think.


But, as much as I love Pongo, Perdy, Roger, Anita, and the other puppies, I think my favorite character is Sergeant Tibbs, a barn cat who manages to decipher the Twilight Bark alert and puts that together with the fact that he heard barking at a nearby old mansion to figure out where the missing puppies are being held.  


It is Sergeant Tibbs who organizes the initial rescue, hides the 99 puppies, trips up the bad guys, and generally starts the saving of the day just about on his own.  All while ably convincing his "commanding officer" that it is he, not the sergeant, who is saving the day.

In case you haven't seen the movie, a basic rundown of the plot is this:  Pongo and Perdita are two Dalmatians who take a fancy to each other and finagle their owners Roger and Anita into meeting as well, with a wedding resulting.  And, eventually, fifteen little puppies resulting.  An old schoolmate of Anita's, Cruella deVille, wants to buy the puppies, but Anita and Roger won't sell them because she's clearly a horrible person.  Roger even writes a comic song about her.  Cruella has the puppies kidnapped, and Pongo and Perdita rush off to rescue their babies when the humans fail to find them. 

I have seen this movie dozens of times, and it never fails to make me happy!  Or to bring tears to my eyes during the rescue mission.  Such a delightful, heart-warming film.


This review is my contribution to the Friends Fur Life blogathon that I am co-hosting this weekend with Quiggy of The Midnite Drive-In.  Check out the main post for all the fun entries!

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Another surprise!

My Rock and My Refuge has won another award!  This time, it has been named the second place winner of the 2023 PenCraft Award for Literary Excellence in the Christian Historical Fiction category!


I am endlessly grateful to God for giving me the ability, tenacity, and opportunity to write books and share them with others. He has blessed my efforts so much. To God be the glory!

If you haven't read My Rock and My Refuge yet, but you love historical fiction, fairy tale retellings, Christian fiction, and/or very clean and gentle romance, I think you might like this book ;-)  It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in an 1870s Colorado silver mining town. If you have read it, please leave a review for it somewhere! Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Northwestern Publishing House, wherever. Even just a star rating or a simple "I enjoyed this book" is always a plus!

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Just Gotta Share This

It's a marvelous Alan Ladd fanvid that I found today and can't get enough of, and I thought I really ought to share it with you :-)


You're welcome :-D

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Autumn Blogging Events in the Offing

Just a quick post to highlight some blogathons that are coming up soon!


Nine days from now, The Midnite Drive-In and I are co-hosting the Friends Fur Life Blogathon, which is dedicated to pets and animal companions onscreen.  I'll be reviewing Disney's 101 Dalmations (1961) for that event, as well as co-hosting it.  We have a pretty nice line-up of participants going, but will always welcome more!  


Next month, 18 Cinema Lane is hosting the Familyathon November 16-20th.  I'll be reviewing the ever-funny Mr. Mom (1983) for that event.


Finally, the Hammer-Amicus Blogathon IV is being hosted by Cinematic Catharsis and Realweegiemidget Reviews the first weekend in December.  I plan to review The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) for that one.

Hope you're having a lovely October!  My month has been unusually busy so far, but I'm hoping everything will all settle down soon.

Thursday, October 05, 2023

Movie Music: Miklos Rozsa's "Ben-Hur" (1959)

Yesterday -- October 4, 2023 -- was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charlton Heston!  I meant to finish and post this yesterday, in celebration, but life got in the way.  Still, only a slightly belated celebration :-)

Ben-Hur (1959) is the first movie I ever saw Charlton Heston in.  My family rented it from the video store one weekend when I was probably ten or eleven, and I absolutely loved it.  When we bought our own copy a few years later, I watched it once a year or so.  For years, I dreamed of a chance to see it on the big screen, and I was actually able to do that a few years ago!  My husband and kids and I got to go see it in the theater, and it was magnificent.

While I have seen Charlton Heston in many other movies over the years, Ben-Hur remains my favorite film of his, and my favorite performance of his.  So, today, I am reviewing the film's soundtrack.

This is the most majestic score I have ever heard, and I have many favorite themes which get featured in many different tracks. Miklos Rozsa 100% earned that Oscar, my friends. 


I'll begin with the "Prelude" because it's what opens the film, and because it has bits of most of the major themes in it, so if you're only going to listen to one track, this one gives you an excellent taste of the style and overall sound of this soundtrack. And yet it manages to meld so many disparate themes into a cohesive whole -- remarkable achievement, really. 


"Friendship" is mostly a lyrical song, but with a masculine sensibility. The title refers to the bond of friendship between the main character, a Jewish noble named Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), and Messala (Stephen Boyd), a Roman soldier. The destruction of their friendship sets the story in motion, as a beautiful childhood relationship dissolves under the weight of adult loyalties. 


"Parade of the Charioteers" is all barely-contained energy and mounting adrenaline. Even if you don't know there's going to be a famous, fantastic chariot race happening next, this music would cue you in that something awesome and exciting is about to take place. 


And now for something completely different: the "Love Theme." It's tender, pensive, yearning. An oasis of quiet gentleness among all the spectacle. But at the same time, not remotely boring. 


If you want a little more, "The Overture" is also fantastic, and it covers even more of the main themes than "The Prelude." Yes, Ben-Hur is such a colossal movie, it has an overture, and then a prelude. And an intermission. And it deserves them. 


Okay, I'll stop here :-)  If you like these samplings at all, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing on YouTube, starting here. Then if you love it, buy the CDs, the big, long, full score, because it is completely worth it. I do not tire of this music. 

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on October 13, 2015.)