8/10/2014
It's no surprise to people who know me, I have a great fondness for "reality" shows. I know that these shows are scripted and they aren't what could be considered "good" television. Even knowing that, I still like these kind of shows.
The latest reality show I've found is The Alaska Bush People. Husband, wife and seven people living "off the land". The 5 acres of so-called Alaskan wilderness where,
as the show claims, the “recently discovered” family shunned modern
society to eke out a simple existence deep in the bush. Apparently, at the end of filming 2012, sat in a subdivision less than 10 miles south of Copper Center.. The town is easily accessible from a dirt road just off the highway. There’s
a pizza place about a half-mile away. The surroundings are wild enough
-- the production crew even hired someone to carry a shotgun for bear
protection, numerous locals say -- but the area is by no means
wilderness.
We’re told to believe that the Browns decided to pack up, sell the land, sell their
SUV and go back to Southeast Alaska by boat, thereby making everything
you’ve watched so far utterly pointless. It’s like the producers said,
“So, Billy, this cabin-building thing was great and all. But this stable
home stuff, it’s just not good TV. And, you know, it’s a lot colder up
here than we thought it was going to be. And the crew’s already sick of
Grizzly Pizza. Here’s an idea: How about we pretend you get forced off
the land in dramatic fashion and we go back to Ketchikan and show some
whole new and exciting ways for you and your family to always be on the
brink of death? We’ll get picked up for another season, and we can get
someone blonder and perkier to play the part of Birdie. How’s about it?”
The father Billy has written three books each selling for $24.95. This would lead me to believe that they must have a bank account of some kind. I doubt that they would expect to "barter" for the sale of their books! Also Mom Brown is working on a cookbook, which when finished, will likely sell for probably $24.95.
I have searched the internet and can find no site indicating how much the Discovery Channel pays the Brown people. But, you know and so do I, that they are paid for allowing a film crew to follow them around.
If you can remove yourself while watching this show, and realize that these people are neither freezing, hungry or poor, and all you want is a "reality show" to watch, this one might fit the bill.
P
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Movie Review - The Lone Ranger
8/9/2014
We children of a "certain age", lovingly remember watching Tonto, the Lone Ranger and Silver on our black and white television screens. But whole generations of children didn't grow up on our heroes of the west.
Disney made a "Lone Ranger" movie starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger. I've never even heard of this actor, but he played his part with perfection.
The setting: the wild west, railroads being built, Indians attacking and bridges and trains being destroyed. While this is a movie that an older child could watch, some of the dialogue in the movies would be over their head. In one scene, the Indian Chief looks at a pocket watch and says something like "bah, Sears and Roebuck".
If you want action, lots of action with a fair amount of fun built in, this is the movie for you. This is a good and fun movie to watch. Disclaimer here: I love everything Johnny Depp has ever done. The Lone Ranger's character and antics remind me of his roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Put this movie on your list to watch, I don't believe you'll be disappointed.
P.
We children of a "certain age", lovingly remember watching Tonto, the Lone Ranger and Silver on our black and white television screens. But whole generations of children didn't grow up on our heroes of the west.
Disney made a "Lone Ranger" movie starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger. I've never even heard of this actor, but he played his part with perfection.
The setting: the wild west, railroads being built, Indians attacking and bridges and trains being destroyed. While this is a movie that an older child could watch, some of the dialogue in the movies would be over their head. In one scene, the Indian Chief looks at a pocket watch and says something like "bah, Sears and Roebuck".
If you want action, lots of action with a fair amount of fun built in, this is the movie for you. This is a good and fun movie to watch. Disclaimer here: I love everything Johnny Depp has ever done. The Lone Ranger's character and antics remind me of his roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Put this movie on your list to watch, I don't believe you'll be disappointed.
P.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Hell on Wheels
8/8/2014
When Scott recommended - highly - a tv show called "Hell on Wheels", here's what first came to mind. Swarthy, heavily tattooed, long hair, clad in leather and chains hanging from their pockets. Oh, and Biker Barbie in the back seat!
The show is about the building of a railroad to the west, through Indian country. The characters are real and last weekend, while Jeff was out, I had a marathon session of watching all the episodes from season 1 and 2. I was well and truly hooked.
There are bad guys, then there are the really bad guys, bad women, lots of "liker" and fighting and shooting. Scenes right out of the wild west.
The one thing I wonder about a series like this. The men have dirty and sometime stringy long hair, beards of all sorts and are filthy. The streets are muddy and the women were at that time wearing long dresses - yuck.
Do the actors/actresses wear the same clothes that look unwashed to me, day after day? Or does the studio provide them with a multitude of scruffy and dirty clothes to wear?
I find myself rooting for the good guys, and there are some of them, and booing at the bad guys and there's a whole lot more of them obviously. There is drinking and gambling and I suspect that the actors drink iced tea or equivalent for their "drinks" at the salon, because if it was the real stuff, I don't think any of them would be able to stay on a horse or shoot somebody in the head.
You might want to check it out. It's contagious I promise.
P
When Scott recommended - highly - a tv show called "Hell on Wheels", here's what first came to mind. Swarthy, heavily tattooed, long hair, clad in leather and chains hanging from their pockets. Oh, and Biker Barbie in the back seat!
The show is about the building of a railroad to the west, through Indian country. The characters are real and last weekend, while Jeff was out, I had a marathon session of watching all the episodes from season 1 and 2. I was well and truly hooked.
There are bad guys, then there are the really bad guys, bad women, lots of "liker" and fighting and shooting. Scenes right out of the wild west.
The one thing I wonder about a series like this. The men have dirty and sometime stringy long hair, beards of all sorts and are filthy. The streets are muddy and the women were at that time wearing long dresses - yuck.
Do the actors/actresses wear the same clothes that look unwashed to me, day after day? Or does the studio provide them with a multitude of scruffy and dirty clothes to wear?
I find myself rooting for the good guys, and there are some of them, and booing at the bad guys and there's a whole lot more of them obviously. There is drinking and gambling and I suspect that the actors drink iced tea or equivalent for their "drinks" at the salon, because if it was the real stuff, I don't think any of them would be able to stay on a horse or shoot somebody in the head.
You might want to check it out. It's contagious I promise.
P
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Library Books and Things Left Behind
8/7/2014
I know it's no secret that I have, for most of my life, loved books. I like cozy murders (the kind where there is a body, but no blood or gore - just dead), romance novels, and books that have a gorgeous hero just waiting to rescue a likewise gorgeous heroine. I used to read the grizzly murder mysteries, but gave up on blood and guts, no longer my thing.
If I find a new author (to me), and I like book "x", then I am in hot pursuit of everything he/she has ever written. Right at the moment, I'm reading pretty much back to back, books by Sujata Massey. Her books are mysteries that occur in Japan. The heroine is half Japanese, half American who sells antiques and chases down clues after a murder.
Another author is Rhys Bowen, who writes mysteries, but again just a body with no clues. Are any of the books I'm reading great books? Doubtful. Fun to read? Absolutely.
When I check out books at the library, I'm always amazed at the "bookmarks" left in books. One reader had her hair colored and face waxed in August, 2013. Luckily, for her, the credit card that she used only shows the last four digits.
Somebody else had a dentist appointment last year, a Metro fare card with a zero balance was placed in other books. None of these things I've found in books, could be damaging to the person who left them. With all the present day challenges to keep your life private, I am very careful about what I use for a bookmark - I use blank envelopes as well as those annoying tear-out cards from magazines.
Sometimes I can tell if a reader smokes because of the smell that still resides in the pages. Likewise, there is evidence of reading and eating at the same time. When I was younger, I used to dog ear the pages, but at that point in my life, I was doing more buying of books than making use of the library. I am happy to see that I haven't checked out a book from the library recently with any pages turned down.
I can read books on my Kindle, which allows me to enlarge the print to make it easier for my old eyes to read easily. What I have found on Amazon is that in many cases it's cheaper to buy a used book, than an electronic one. I don't care how sophisticated we get about electronic data, nothing will ever replace the joy I feel in having a real book in my hands.
Since I'm trying to write the "next greatest novel", I've been all over the internet looking for research about the civil war, private diaries of Lincoln and his secretaries and the Underground Railroad. I found a book on Amazon about Lincoln and instead of trying to read it electronically, I bought a used book. Since I own it, I can highlight relevant parts for use in my story. The unfortunate part is that book one was cheap, less than $5.00. You want the other nine volumes? Those cost over $300.00! I'm hoping that volume one will have some historical information that I can use, because I'm not shelling out money for the other volumes.
Remember before you return a book to the library, give it a shake to make sure that nothing falls out so that you don't leave any of your personal information behind.
P
I know it's no secret that I have, for most of my life, loved books. I like cozy murders (the kind where there is a body, but no blood or gore - just dead), romance novels, and books that have a gorgeous hero just waiting to rescue a likewise gorgeous heroine. I used to read the grizzly murder mysteries, but gave up on blood and guts, no longer my thing.
If I find a new author (to me), and I like book "x", then I am in hot pursuit of everything he/she has ever written. Right at the moment, I'm reading pretty much back to back, books by Sujata Massey. Her books are mysteries that occur in Japan. The heroine is half Japanese, half American who sells antiques and chases down clues after a murder.
Another author is Rhys Bowen, who writes mysteries, but again just a body with no clues. Are any of the books I'm reading great books? Doubtful. Fun to read? Absolutely.
When I check out books at the library, I'm always amazed at the "bookmarks" left in books. One reader had her hair colored and face waxed in August, 2013. Luckily, for her, the credit card that she used only shows the last four digits.
Somebody else had a dentist appointment last year, a Metro fare card with a zero balance was placed in other books. None of these things I've found in books, could be damaging to the person who left them. With all the present day challenges to keep your life private, I am very careful about what I use for a bookmark - I use blank envelopes as well as those annoying tear-out cards from magazines.
Sometimes I can tell if a reader smokes because of the smell that still resides in the pages. Likewise, there is evidence of reading and eating at the same time. When I was younger, I used to dog ear the pages, but at that point in my life, I was doing more buying of books than making use of the library. I am happy to see that I haven't checked out a book from the library recently with any pages turned down.
I can read books on my Kindle, which allows me to enlarge the print to make it easier for my old eyes to read easily. What I have found on Amazon is that in many cases it's cheaper to buy a used book, than an electronic one. I don't care how sophisticated we get about electronic data, nothing will ever replace the joy I feel in having a real book in my hands.
Since I'm trying to write the "next greatest novel", I've been all over the internet looking for research about the civil war, private diaries of Lincoln and his secretaries and the Underground Railroad. I found a book on Amazon about Lincoln and instead of trying to read it electronically, I bought a used book. Since I own it, I can highlight relevant parts for use in my story. The unfortunate part is that book one was cheap, less than $5.00. You want the other nine volumes? Those cost over $300.00! I'm hoping that volume one will have some historical information that I can use, because I'm not shelling out money for the other volumes.
Remember before you return a book to the library, give it a shake to make sure that nothing falls out so that you don't leave any of your personal information behind.
P
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Retirees Eating Out
8/5/2014
Eating out. Who doesn't like to do that? I know I'm all in, except for the niggling thought in the back of my head, about spending money on food - that could be prepared at home. Just not as tasty and with no prep or clean up required.
Statistics show that retirees over the age of 65 bought an average of 193 meals last year up from 171 in 2009.
Retirees over the age of 65 bought an average of 193 meals each at restaurants last year up from 171 in 2009.
Retirees are a great source of income for restaurants. The average restaurant check for a retiree is $8.05 vs. $7.33 for other adults. And we retirees frequent fast food places 63% of the time, and 37% of the time they go to restaurants with waiters and waitresses.
The early bird special was made for retirees, who let's face it, have a lot of free time. I know that Jeff and I have been known to share one dinner, which obviously cuts down on the cost, but also solves the problem of eating too much.
I found a cookbook on Amazon that I think us retirees might be interested in, if for no other reason than the title "The Baby Boomer's Retirement Cookbook: or How to Eat Cheaper than Dog Food. I don't know if the book is any good, but the price is certainly on the high end - used books from $36.31 and new books from $15.29. What doesn't make sense is why does the used books cost more than a brand new one? If I was even remotely curious I'd try and find the book at the library, and see if paying for the book is actually worth it.
For me, I'd rather buy Dr. Seuss' book "You're Only Old Once: A Book for Obsolete Children!
Growing old is very much like being young - it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Enjoy your inner child today.
P
Eating out. Who doesn't like to do that? I know I'm all in, except for the niggling thought in the back of my head, about spending money on food - that could be prepared at home. Just not as tasty and with no prep or clean up required.
Statistics show that retirees over the age of 65 bought an average of 193 meals last year up from 171 in 2009.
Retirees over the age of 65 bought an average of 193 meals each at restaurants last year up from 171 in 2009.
Retirees are a great source of income for restaurants. The average restaurant check for a retiree is $8.05 vs. $7.33 for other adults. And we retirees frequent fast food places 63% of the time, and 37% of the time they go to restaurants with waiters and waitresses.
The early bird special was made for retirees, who let's face it, have a lot of free time. I know that Jeff and I have been known to share one dinner, which obviously cuts down on the cost, but also solves the problem of eating too much.
I found a cookbook on Amazon that I think us retirees might be interested in, if for no other reason than the title "The Baby Boomer's Retirement Cookbook: or How to Eat Cheaper than Dog Food. I don't know if the book is any good, but the price is certainly on the high end - used books from $36.31 and new books from $15.29. What doesn't make sense is why does the used books cost more than a brand new one? If I was even remotely curious I'd try and find the book at the library, and see if paying for the book is actually worth it.
For me, I'd rather buy Dr. Seuss' book "You're Only Old Once: A Book for Obsolete Children!
Growing old is very much like being young - it's a once in a lifetime experience.
Enjoy your inner child today.
P
Monday, August 4, 2014
Things That Fly
8/4/2014
For the most part I like things that fly - planes, kites, birds, balloons.
The other things that fly - flies, wasps, bees, etc., nearly drive me crazy (and we all know that's a short trip). This weekend, for no reason that I can think of, my kitchen has become a battleground - Jeff and I and the flyswatter - and the flies. I don't like to be dive-bombed by a fly when I'm sitting down and I don't like to see them hanging around my kitchen windows.
Initially, we had the windows open, screens down and the more flies we killed, the more that showed up. Ah, we decided let's close the windows feeling sure that would be the end of our fly dilemma. As one comedian used to say "nay nay". Jeff says that I should "gently" hit the flies which will kill them. But I, want to smack them, making sure that my prey (at least that one) won't bother me again.
Yesterday evening not a fly in sight. I come down this morning and they're back. I have no idea where they're coming from, but I know where they're going. I read on line that flies are drawn to apple cider vinegar, why I can't imagine and are repelled by whole cloves.
Sitting on my counter this morning is a container with vinegar and holes punched in the top and I have just added a small bowl of whole cloves. I suppose as a last resort, I could spray around my kitchen windows, but I'm going to try all these healthy, environmentally friendly things first.
Fair warning to the flies - you don't belong in my house. You can stay outside as much as you want, but you're not welcome inside. When I saw the flies yesterday I became Attila the Hun and was relentless in my battle with the flies.
I, like most folks, have one or two flies in the house occasionally, but these bad boys seem to be multiplying by the hour.
Wish me luck.
P
For the most part I like things that fly - planes, kites, birds, balloons.
The other things that fly - flies, wasps, bees, etc., nearly drive me crazy (and we all know that's a short trip). This weekend, for no reason that I can think of, my kitchen has become a battleground - Jeff and I and the flyswatter - and the flies. I don't like to be dive-bombed by a fly when I'm sitting down and I don't like to see them hanging around my kitchen windows.
Initially, we had the windows open, screens down and the more flies we killed, the more that showed up. Ah, we decided let's close the windows feeling sure that would be the end of our fly dilemma. As one comedian used to say "nay nay". Jeff says that I should "gently" hit the flies which will kill them. But I, want to smack them, making sure that my prey (at least that one) won't bother me again.
Yesterday evening not a fly in sight. I come down this morning and they're back. I have no idea where they're coming from, but I know where they're going. I read on line that flies are drawn to apple cider vinegar, why I can't imagine and are repelled by whole cloves.
Sitting on my counter this morning is a container with vinegar and holes punched in the top and I have just added a small bowl of whole cloves. I suppose as a last resort, I could spray around my kitchen windows, but I'm going to try all these healthy, environmentally friendly things first.
Fair warning to the flies - you don't belong in my house. You can stay outside as much as you want, but you're not welcome inside. When I saw the flies yesterday I became Attila the Hun and was relentless in my battle with the flies.
I, like most folks, have one or two flies in the house occasionally, but these bad boys seem to be multiplying by the hour.
Wish me luck.
P
Sunday, August 3, 2014
DIY Cast Removal
8/3/2014
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not always a good patient, as far as following instructions go. Oh I hear what the doctor says, but I have been known to stray going in a completely different direction than what I am/was supposed to. Okay we got that out of the way.
What you are about to read today is true, believe me I couldn't make this up if I tried. Back when I was younger and had more spring in my step, I mowed the lawn every week. When an old Toro mower died, we went back to the Toro dealer, and the salesman was quickly convinced that I was the one making the buying decision.
In our yard there is a small hill going into the backyard. I was mowing the lawn, and going down the hill slipped and was in pain with a capital P. I managed to limp my way into the house, and made a more or less asked for an appointment with my GP now. After my regular doctor examined my leg, he referred me to an ortho man because he thought I might have torn a tendon or something. What do ortho docs do? Surgery and/or casts - I wanted neither.
The ortho doc took an xray and told me that I would have to be in a cast from just below my knee to my ankle for "x" weeks. Good news, I got to choose my color and I picked yellow. As long as you have a cast on, it might as well be covered in a happy color.
I was dutiful and wore the cast for an entire week (this is an extremely long time for me to be compliant). The IBM outing to the local amusement/water park was for the Saturday after my cast was put on. To hopefully keep me amused while the boys were playing all day, Jeff rented a number of videos, including Gone With The Wind.
The fellas left, I dozed off and on while watching Scarlett and Rett, and in a moment of pure spontaneity, decided that I had worn the cast for an entire week, and my leg surely was healed by now. I had no idea how you go about removing a cast, but I was determined. What I did know is that I either had to have the entire cast removed before Jeff got home, or inflict enough damage to the cast, that he would have to help me remove whatever was left of the cast.
I was an newbie as far as cast removal goes, so first I decided to sit in the tub and was hoping that I could soak the cast off - nope - all I ended up with was a wet cast. If the cast wasn't going to soak off, then I needed tools, and we have them in abundance in the basement. I managed to get myself down the stairs and began rummaging around on the tool bench. I didn't know what I needed, but I was thinking a saw of some kind. No worries - no power tools were used by me in the removal of the cast. I'm stubborn but not stupid.
Initially, I used the small pruning shears to try cutting the cast, and I actually made some progress. Once I had finally been able to make a small cut into the cast, I began to try and tear off the cast, but just so you know, cast material doesn't exactly tear - easily! I used a small hand saw and made some more progress. I even went so far as to use a hammer - I was going to break the cast (don't true this, it doesn't work).
Eventually, after many hours and too many tools to mention, I had the cast removed to my ankle. My hands were shredded and the cast material at the ankle is thicker than on a leg and I threw in the towel.
Jeff came home, expecting me to be lounging on the couch and was surprised, but probably not as much as some husbands would be, to find the cast 3/4's of the way off. He told me that he had a mind to leave the cast on and that I would have to go to the doctor's office and explain why my cast was mostly removed.
Jeff finally relented and used a small, cutting tool, that I didn't know how to use, and was able to get the rest of the cast off. He told me that I would have to call the doctor's office the next day and tell them what happened. I didn't exactly do that. I called up and canceled my next appointment and if anybody ever wondered why I hadn't come in to have the cast removed, they didn't call me for an explanation.
End of story: my leg was fine after the cast was off. I suppose that by being forced to not engage in gardening or mowing for a week, was enough time for whatever was torn to mend, because the leg never bothered me again.
P
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not always a good patient, as far as following instructions go. Oh I hear what the doctor says, but I have been known to stray going in a completely different direction than what I am/was supposed to. Okay we got that out of the way.
What you are about to read today is true, believe me I couldn't make this up if I tried. Back when I was younger and had more spring in my step, I mowed the lawn every week. When an old Toro mower died, we went back to the Toro dealer, and the salesman was quickly convinced that I was the one making the buying decision.
In our yard there is a small hill going into the backyard. I was mowing the lawn, and going down the hill slipped and was in pain with a capital P. I managed to limp my way into the house, and made a more or less asked for an appointment with my GP now. After my regular doctor examined my leg, he referred me to an ortho man because he thought I might have torn a tendon or something. What do ortho docs do? Surgery and/or casts - I wanted neither.
The ortho doc took an xray and told me that I would have to be in a cast from just below my knee to my ankle for "x" weeks. Good news, I got to choose my color and I picked yellow. As long as you have a cast on, it might as well be covered in a happy color.
I was dutiful and wore the cast for an entire week (this is an extremely long time for me to be compliant). The IBM outing to the local amusement/water park was for the Saturday after my cast was put on. To hopefully keep me amused while the boys were playing all day, Jeff rented a number of videos, including Gone With The Wind.
The fellas left, I dozed off and on while watching Scarlett and Rett, and in a moment of pure spontaneity, decided that I had worn the cast for an entire week, and my leg surely was healed by now. I had no idea how you go about removing a cast, but I was determined. What I did know is that I either had to have the entire cast removed before Jeff got home, or inflict enough damage to the cast, that he would have to help me remove whatever was left of the cast.
I was an newbie as far as cast removal goes, so first I decided to sit in the tub and was hoping that I could soak the cast off - nope - all I ended up with was a wet cast. If the cast wasn't going to soak off, then I needed tools, and we have them in abundance in the basement. I managed to get myself down the stairs and began rummaging around on the tool bench. I didn't know what I needed, but I was thinking a saw of some kind. No worries - no power tools were used by me in the removal of the cast. I'm stubborn but not stupid.
Initially, I used the small pruning shears to try cutting the cast, and I actually made some progress. Once I had finally been able to make a small cut into the cast, I began to try and tear off the cast, but just so you know, cast material doesn't exactly tear - easily! I used a small hand saw and made some more progress. I even went so far as to use a hammer - I was going to break the cast (don't true this, it doesn't work).
Eventually, after many hours and too many tools to mention, I had the cast removed to my ankle. My hands were shredded and the cast material at the ankle is thicker than on a leg and I threw in the towel.
Jeff came home, expecting me to be lounging on the couch and was surprised, but probably not as much as some husbands would be, to find the cast 3/4's of the way off. He told me that he had a mind to leave the cast on and that I would have to go to the doctor's office and explain why my cast was mostly removed.
Jeff finally relented and used a small, cutting tool, that I didn't know how to use, and was able to get the rest of the cast off. He told me that I would have to call the doctor's office the next day and tell them what happened. I didn't exactly do that. I called up and canceled my next appointment and if anybody ever wondered why I hadn't come in to have the cast removed, they didn't call me for an explanation.
End of story: my leg was fine after the cast was off. I suppose that by being forced to not engage in gardening or mowing for a week, was enough time for whatever was torn to mend, because the leg never bothered me again.
P
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