Can you believe Tony Bennett just celebrated his 80th birthday .He is in fine form and singing all the way to the bank. What a sweetheart Tony is.
My hubby and I go way back with Tony. Our love song in the '50's was "Because of You" by Mr Bennett and we still get a thrill when we hear it sung.
Once my husband was traveling from NYC to Atlanta and he happened to be seated next to Tony Bennett in first class of Delta. For a long time into the flight, not wanting to bother Tony, my hubby did not say anything to him but a short while before the plane landed he introduced himself and told Tony Bennett about our fondness for "Because of You." Bennett could not have been more gracious and even asked the stewardess for a note pad so he could write a note to me. It said,
"Dear J
"Because of You"
Thanks for being a fan, Tony Bennett."
Tony was coming to Atlanta to sing at Chastain Park Amphitheater that night. We did not have tickets to the sold out performance but when my hubby got off the plane he made several phone calls, then one call to a friend with connections got us tickets to the concert. We went, took a bottle of champagne and some cheese and crackers,( outdoor picnic style concert) and had a glorious night under the stars listening to many old favorites and some new ones.
Then two other times we heard Tony. Once at the Fox Theater in Atlanta which was our favorite performance and not just because he sang "Because of You" that night. The acoustics at the Fox are outstanding. Mr Bennett, toward the end of the evening, had the sound engineers turn off his mike and darken the theater; then Tony stood on stage with a lone spotlight on him and sang his heart out.
We heard another Bennett concert at a dinner at Emory University Carlos Museum. He was very good but still our favorite will always be the Fox Theater performance.
So, Because of You, Mr Bennett, here's wishing you good health and many more years of song.
And oh yes:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR TONY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
>
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Forever Young
A Bob Dylan song that expresses what I wish for all of us today.
FOREVER YOUNG
BOB DYLAN
"May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young."
FOREVER YOUNG
BOB DYLAN
"May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young."
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Tempus fugit
The air is cooler and the leaves are slowly beginning their preparation for winter. Soon they will start turning vivid colors; fall to the ground, covering grasses, lanes and sidewalks. Then the sound of leaf blowers will fill the neighborhood as the last remnants of summer are blown away.
Before we know it Halloween will be upon us with precious little ghosts and goblins ringing doorbells. They will shout "Trick or treat" and be on their way after partaking of the candy and goodies offered them
The first frost of winter will arrive one morning and then the delicious aromas of fires wafting up from chimneys will signal the comfy, snuggling time of year has arrived.
Thanksgiving and the turkey are just around the corner. Then Christmas. Before you turn around twice it is New Year's Eve and the crowd at Times Square in New York City counts down to "Happy New Year"
Father time could you please slow down a bit for us this year so time will pass more slowly.
What's the big hurry anyway?
Before we know it Halloween will be upon us with precious little ghosts and goblins ringing doorbells. They will shout "Trick or treat" and be on their way after partaking of the candy and goodies offered them
The first frost of winter will arrive one morning and then the delicious aromas of fires wafting up from chimneys will signal the comfy, snuggling time of year has arrived.
Thanksgiving and the turkey are just around the corner. Then Christmas. Before you turn around twice it is New Year's Eve and the crowd at Times Square in New York City counts down to "Happy New Year"
Father time could you please slow down a bit for us this year so time will pass more slowly.
What's the big hurry anyway?
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Get a Grip
I have saved this article by Jane Brody of the New York Times for over a year now. It is quite long but well worth the time you spend reading.
Get a Grip and Set Your Sights Above Adversity
By JANE E. BRODY
Resilience. Call it what you will - the ability to weather stresses large and small, to bounce back from trauma and get on with life, to learn from negative experiences and translate them into positive ones, to muster the strength and confidence to change directions when a chosen path becomes blocked or nonproductive.
Or you can sum it up as actualization of A.A.'s serenity prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, a Dallas physician, wife and mother of three, is the epitome of resilience. Struck with a recurring cancer in her 30's that required a decade of debilitating treatments, she was forced to give up her medical practice.
She turned instead to writing books and lecturing to professional and lay audiences to help millions of others and their families through the cancer experience.
Dr. Jennifer P. Schneider of Tucson is another classic example of resilience. Also a physician, she has a lifelong history of emotional and physical traumas.
Her mother left her at age 5. Dr. Schneider weathered two divorces, a child with a mild form of autism, a broken leg that required two operations and took more than two years to heal, and most recently the most horrific trauma of all, the death at 31 of her daughter, Jessica Wing, after a two-year battle against metastatic colon cancer.
To cope, Dr. Schneider said, she focused on things she could control, her patients and her writing.
Dr. Schneider's recent book "Living With Chronic Pain" was an inspiration to me, as I mentioned in a column last month, during my bout with intense and seemingly endless pain after knee replacement.
Growing Up Resilient
Until recently, resilience was thought to be an entirely inborn trait, giving rise to the notion of the "invulnerable child," now recognized to be a mistaken idea.
Resilient children are not invulnerable to trauma or immune to suffering. But they bounce back. They find ways to cope, set goals and achieve them despite myriad obstacles like drug-addicted parents, dire poverty or physical disabilities thrown in their path.
As Dr. Robert Brooks of Harvard and Dr. Sam Goldstein of the University of Utah put it, being resilient does not mean a life without risks or adverse conditions but rather learning how to deal effectively with the inevitable stresses of life.
Herein lies an important concept: learning. To be sure, some of what makes up resilience is inborn.
But resilience can also be learned, say experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, psychologists and authors whose newest book, "The Power of Resilience" (Contemporary Books), provides lessons in "achieving balance, confidence and personal strength."
They are lessons of considerable importance, as there is no such thing as a life free of losses and setbacks. People who lack resilience are less able to rise above adversity or learn from their mistakes and move on. Instead of focusing on what they can control and accepting responsibility for their lives, they waste time and energy on matters beyond their influence.
As a result, the circumstances of their lives leave them feeling helpless and hopeless and prone to depression. When things go wrong or don't work out as expected, they tend to think "I can't do this" or, even worse, "It can't be done."
Children learn to be resilient when parents and guardians enable and encourage them to figure out things for themselves and take responsibility for their actions. When Ray Charles lost his sight at age 7, his mother insisted that he use his good brain and learn how to make his way in the world. In the movie "Ray," she watched silently after the newly blind boy tripped over furniture, cried for her help and then struggled to his feet unaided.
It's Never Too Late
Children need to learn that they are capable of finding their way on their own. Parents who are too quick to take over a task when children cry "I can't do this" or don't insist that children learn from their mistakes are less likely to end up with children who can stand on their own two feet, take responsibility for their lives and cope effectively with unavoidable stresses.
The same applies to parents who provide children with everything they want instead of teaching them limits and having them earn their rewards and to those who make excuses for their children and repeatedly defend them against legitimate complaints.
But even if these lessons are not learned in childhood, experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, who also wrote "Raising Resilient Children" and "Nurturing Resilience in Our Children," say it is possible to learn to be more resilient at any age. The trick lies in replacing what they call "negative scripts" that may have been written in childhood, but are not cast in stone, with more positive scripts.
People who harbor negative scripts expect that no matter what they do, things will not work out well; they assume that others must change for circumstances to improve.
'Authors of Our Lives'
So lesson No. 1, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein write, is "to recognize that we are the authors of our lives."
"We must not seek our happiness by asking someone else to change," they continue.
Rather, we should ask, "What is it that I can do differently to change the situation?" Identify your negative scripts and assume responsibility for changing them.
Nurture your self-esteem. Be true to yourself rather than trying to be what someone else expects of you. Focus on what you can do, tasks you can achieve, situations you can influence. Take an active role in your community or in an organization or activity that helps others.
Develop a new skill: learn a language or a new sport or how to fix a car; take up knitting, cooking or woodworking; join a book club; try out for an amateur production; become a docent at a museum; help organizations that feed the elderly and infirm; volunteer your services at community groups like the local Y, school, library or park.
There are myriad opportunities; just look or ask around and you will find them.
Take a chance on change if jobs, habits or activities you've long pursued are no longer satisfying or efficient.
Change is frightening to people who lack resilience, but those who try it usually find that they land on their feet, and that fosters resilience.
And if a new path does not seem to be working out well, change again.
Take a long, hard look at the people in your life and consider abandoning friends who drag you down or reinforce your negative scripts. For those - like family members - from whom you can't escape, practice ignoring their put-downs and not taking them so seriously.
Seek out activities that elevate your spiritual life and nurture your inner strength: for example, art, music, literature, religion, meditation, the great outdoors.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
Get a Grip and Set Your Sights Above Adversity
By JANE E. BRODY
Resilience. Call it what you will - the ability to weather stresses large and small, to bounce back from trauma and get on with life, to learn from negative experiences and translate them into positive ones, to muster the strength and confidence to change directions when a chosen path becomes blocked or nonproductive.
Or you can sum it up as actualization of A.A.'s serenity prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, a Dallas physician, wife and mother of three, is the epitome of resilience. Struck with a recurring cancer in her 30's that required a decade of debilitating treatments, she was forced to give up her medical practice.
She turned instead to writing books and lecturing to professional and lay audiences to help millions of others and their families through the cancer experience.
Dr. Jennifer P. Schneider of Tucson is another classic example of resilience. Also a physician, she has a lifelong history of emotional and physical traumas.
Her mother left her at age 5. Dr. Schneider weathered two divorces, a child with a mild form of autism, a broken leg that required two operations and took more than two years to heal, and most recently the most horrific trauma of all, the death at 31 of her daughter, Jessica Wing, after a two-year battle against metastatic colon cancer.
To cope, Dr. Schneider said, she focused on things she could control, her patients and her writing.
Dr. Schneider's recent book "Living With Chronic Pain" was an inspiration to me, as I mentioned in a column last month, during my bout with intense and seemingly endless pain after knee replacement.
Growing Up Resilient
Until recently, resilience was thought to be an entirely inborn trait, giving rise to the notion of the "invulnerable child," now recognized to be a mistaken idea.
Resilient children are not invulnerable to trauma or immune to suffering. But they bounce back. They find ways to cope, set goals and achieve them despite myriad obstacles like drug-addicted parents, dire poverty or physical disabilities thrown in their path.
As Dr. Robert Brooks of Harvard and Dr. Sam Goldstein of the University of Utah put it, being resilient does not mean a life without risks or adverse conditions but rather learning how to deal effectively with the inevitable stresses of life.
Herein lies an important concept: learning. To be sure, some of what makes up resilience is inborn.
But resilience can also be learned, say experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, psychologists and authors whose newest book, "The Power of Resilience" (Contemporary Books), provides lessons in "achieving balance, confidence and personal strength."
They are lessons of considerable importance, as there is no such thing as a life free of losses and setbacks. People who lack resilience are less able to rise above adversity or learn from their mistakes and move on. Instead of focusing on what they can control and accepting responsibility for their lives, they waste time and energy on matters beyond their influence.
As a result, the circumstances of their lives leave them feeling helpless and hopeless and prone to depression. When things go wrong or don't work out as expected, they tend to think "I can't do this" or, even worse, "It can't be done."
Children learn to be resilient when parents and guardians enable and encourage them to figure out things for themselves and take responsibility for their actions. When Ray Charles lost his sight at age 7, his mother insisted that he use his good brain and learn how to make his way in the world. In the movie "Ray," she watched silently after the newly blind boy tripped over furniture, cried for her help and then struggled to his feet unaided.
It's Never Too Late
Children need to learn that they are capable of finding their way on their own. Parents who are too quick to take over a task when children cry "I can't do this" or don't insist that children learn from their mistakes are less likely to end up with children who can stand on their own two feet, take responsibility for their lives and cope effectively with unavoidable stresses.
The same applies to parents who provide children with everything they want instead of teaching them limits and having them earn their rewards and to those who make excuses for their children and repeatedly defend them against legitimate complaints.
But even if these lessons are not learned in childhood, experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, who also wrote "Raising Resilient Children" and "Nurturing Resilience in Our Children," say it is possible to learn to be more resilient at any age. The trick lies in replacing what they call "negative scripts" that may have been written in childhood, but are not cast in stone, with more positive scripts.
People who harbor negative scripts expect that no matter what they do, things will not work out well; they assume that others must change for circumstances to improve.
'Authors of Our Lives'
So lesson No. 1, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein write, is "to recognize that we are the authors of our lives."
"We must not seek our happiness by asking someone else to change," they continue.
Rather, we should ask, "What is it that I can do differently to change the situation?" Identify your negative scripts and assume responsibility for changing them.
Nurture your self-esteem. Be true to yourself rather than trying to be what someone else expects of you. Focus on what you can do, tasks you can achieve, situations you can influence. Take an active role in your community or in an organization or activity that helps others.
Develop a new skill: learn a language or a new sport or how to fix a car; take up knitting, cooking or woodworking; join a book club; try out for an amateur production; become a docent at a museum; help organizations that feed the elderly and infirm; volunteer your services at community groups like the local Y, school, library or park.
There are myriad opportunities; just look or ask around and you will find them.
Take a chance on change if jobs, habits or activities you've long pursued are no longer satisfying or efficient.
Change is frightening to people who lack resilience, but those who try it usually find that they land on their feet, and that fosters resilience.
And if a new path does not seem to be working out well, change again.
Take a long, hard look at the people in your life and consider abandoning friends who drag you down or reinforce your negative scripts. For those - like family members - from whom you can't escape, practice ignoring their put-downs and not taking them so seriously.
Seek out activities that elevate your spiritual life and nurture your inner strength: for example, art, music, literature, religion, meditation, the great outdoors.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Go read this blog post
Roger from "There's Always Something" has a thought provoking post up today:
It is about mortality.
Click on the title of this post to travel there.
It is about mortality.
Click on the title of this post to travel there.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Hot Air Balloon
The History of Ballooning
"The caged duck looked down as terra firma slowly drifted away. Above the duck, a balloon, constructed of paper and fabric, provided the lift necessary to carry aloft the duck and its companions, a sheep and a rooster. Never before had a human, let alone a duck, flown in a balloon. The year was 1783, a milestone year for aviation—the dream of flying had finally been realized. On October 15th of that year, a few months after the duck's historic flight, a balloon, 'Aerostat Reveillon,' launched in France, carrying scientist Pilatre De Rozier, and rose to the end of its 250 foot tether. It stayed aloft for fifteen minutes and then landed safely nearby."
I was not exactly a "caged duck" on the morning I went for my first hot air balloon ride in the desert of Palm Desert California; I was no "spring chicken" either as I was close to 60 years old that day. But when I looked down I did see terra firma slowly drifting away. We had climbed into the basket underneath the balloon at about 6am on a clear,dry, desert day. There were 5 of us including the balloonist, me and 3 other ladies, wives of the men who were attending a meeting in Palm Desert. Arch,the balloonist, wore a dark grey fedora hat and looked a bit like Indiana Jones
The evening before at dinner, one of the gals said she had always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon and was anyone else "up" for a ride. No one spoke up until I said "Me. I want to go" then 2 others chimed in and we called the number for "Balloons Above The Desert" and signed up.
Our hubbies were playing golf the next day so it was just a girls morning out or "UP"
The balloon lifted smoothly off the ground as the sandbags that tethered it to earth were lifted off by Arch's brother, the ground crew man who followed us in a pick up truck.. We soared higher and higher and then Arch brought us down so close to the ground we could see the jack rabbits running away when he gave the balloon more hot air to lift us up. Women came out on their patios with a mug of coffee to wave at us and we waved back.
It was a glorious ride. Clear, and blue and beautiful. desert sand and sky. Arch pointed out the sights below. Gerald Ford's house, Bob Hope's mansion in the distance.
Too soon our ride was over and Arch gently started gliding toward land where his brother was waiting with his pickup truck and his strong back to help secure the balloon when it landed. When we hopped out of the balloon basket and settled ourselves, Arch broke out a bottle of champagne and glasses for all of us. We toasted a successful flight and he gave us a certificate saying we had indeed "broken the surly bonds of earth."
"The caged duck looked down as terra firma slowly drifted away. Above the duck, a balloon, constructed of paper and fabric, provided the lift necessary to carry aloft the duck and its companions, a sheep and a rooster. Never before had a human, let alone a duck, flown in a balloon. The year was 1783, a milestone year for aviation—the dream of flying had finally been realized. On October 15th of that year, a few months after the duck's historic flight, a balloon, 'Aerostat Reveillon,' launched in France, carrying scientist Pilatre De Rozier, and rose to the end of its 250 foot tether. It stayed aloft for fifteen minutes and then landed safely nearby."
I was not exactly a "caged duck" on the morning I went for my first hot air balloon ride in the desert of Palm Desert California; I was no "spring chicken" either as I was close to 60 years old that day. But when I looked down I did see terra firma slowly drifting away. We had climbed into the basket underneath the balloon at about 6am on a clear,dry, desert day. There were 5 of us including the balloonist, me and 3 other ladies, wives of the men who were attending a meeting in Palm Desert. Arch,the balloonist, wore a dark grey fedora hat and looked a bit like Indiana Jones
The evening before at dinner, one of the gals said she had always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon and was anyone else "up" for a ride. No one spoke up until I said "Me. I want to go" then 2 others chimed in and we called the number for "Balloons Above The Desert" and signed up.
Our hubbies were playing golf the next day so it was just a girls morning out or "UP"
The balloon lifted smoothly off the ground as the sandbags that tethered it to earth were lifted off by Arch's brother, the ground crew man who followed us in a pick up truck.. We soared higher and higher and then Arch brought us down so close to the ground we could see the jack rabbits running away when he gave the balloon more hot air to lift us up. Women came out on their patios with a mug of coffee to wave at us and we waved back.
It was a glorious ride. Clear, and blue and beautiful. desert sand and sky. Arch pointed out the sights below. Gerald Ford's house, Bob Hope's mansion in the distance.
Too soon our ride was over and Arch gently started gliding toward land where his brother was waiting with his pickup truck and his strong back to help secure the balloon when it landed. When we hopped out of the balloon basket and settled ourselves, Arch broke out a bottle of champagne and glasses for all of us. We toasted a successful flight and he gave us a certificate saying we had indeed "broken the surly bonds of earth."
Friday, September 08, 2006
School Days
'Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic,
Taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick.
You were my queen in calico,
I was your bashful barefoot beau,
And you wrote on my slate,
'I love you, Joe,'
When we were a couple of kids."
What do you remember from elementary school.
I remember kindergarten as a time when we sat around in a circle and played on little instruments like toy drums and xylophones and tambourines. We had dolls that we put to bed and covered up with small blankets. We had nap time and each child brought a small rug or blanket from home for naps. We didn't learn anything except how to play well with others and how to be away from home for several hours at a time. Recess was great with slides and swings and children running around in the fresh air.
First grade I learned to read. "See Dick. See Jane. See Dick run . See Jane run" ***
Second grade and third grade are blurs except for the Christmas pageant in one of them. I desperately wanted to be "Mary, the mother of Jesus". The one who sits by the manger and gazes lovingly at the baby. My hair was brown so I thought I looked like Mary. Instead, they chose a little girl with blond curls for Mary. (what bad casting)!!! I got to be the "Star of Bethlehem". Wearing a white robe with a golden halo, I did look great but my disappointment was severe at losing the staring role of Mary.
Was I scarred for life because of this early rejection? Who can say.:)
Fifth grade. Each year the fifth grade class made a trip by bus to the state capitol, Atlanta. The year I was in fifth grade my teacher's husband died so our trip was canceled.
Sixth grade was my zenith year. Miss Lucy Clarke was my teacher and I was "teacher's pet" I got called on repeatedly to stand in front of the class and read. Miss Clarke said I was an excellent reader and also an outstanding writer. She entered two of my essays in a state contest and I won. I think the prize was one whole dollar but there was a banquet and an award. I was so proud and happy.
What do you remember?
*** "The famous Dick and Jane books that taught millions of children to read were first published in 1931. These primers introduced the students to reading with only one new word per page and a limited vocabulary per book. All who learned to read with these books still recall the "Look. See Dick. See Dick run."
Taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick.
You were my queen in calico,
I was your bashful barefoot beau,
And you wrote on my slate,
'I love you, Joe,'
When we were a couple of kids."
What do you remember from elementary school.
I remember kindergarten as a time when we sat around in a circle and played on little instruments like toy drums and xylophones and tambourines. We had dolls that we put to bed and covered up with small blankets. We had nap time and each child brought a small rug or blanket from home for naps. We didn't learn anything except how to play well with others and how to be away from home for several hours at a time. Recess was great with slides and swings and children running around in the fresh air.
First grade I learned to read. "See Dick. See Jane. See Dick run . See Jane run" ***
Second grade and third grade are blurs except for the Christmas pageant in one of them. I desperately wanted to be "Mary, the mother of Jesus". The one who sits by the manger and gazes lovingly at the baby. My hair was brown so I thought I looked like Mary. Instead, they chose a little girl with blond curls for Mary. (what bad casting)!!! I got to be the "Star of Bethlehem". Wearing a white robe with a golden halo, I did look great but my disappointment was severe at losing the staring role of Mary.
Was I scarred for life because of this early rejection? Who can say.:)
Fifth grade. Each year the fifth grade class made a trip by bus to the state capitol, Atlanta. The year I was in fifth grade my teacher's husband died so our trip was canceled.
Sixth grade was my zenith year. Miss Lucy Clarke was my teacher and I was "teacher's pet" I got called on repeatedly to stand in front of the class and read. Miss Clarke said I was an excellent reader and also an outstanding writer. She entered two of my essays in a state contest and I won. I think the prize was one whole dollar but there was a banquet and an award. I was so proud and happy.
What do you remember?
*** "The famous Dick and Jane books that taught millions of children to read were first published in 1931. These primers introduced the students to reading with only one new word per page and a limited vocabulary per book. All who learned to read with these books still recall the "Look. See Dick. See Dick run."
Monday, September 04, 2006
I'm Not Rappaport
Last night I ran across a movie on cable and it was hilarious. Poignant and sad but funny too.. The movie was “I’M NOT RAPPAPORT” with Walter Matthau and Ozzie Davis. Both characters are in their 80's and they spend most of their days in Central Park. The two meet while sharing a park bench and their adventures begin.
This is a sweet film about being old and vulnerable but fighting back against the ravages of time while retaining a vivid imagination and a sense of humor.
Watch this film if you get a chance
-----------------
from Internet Movie Data Base:
“Old Nat Moyer (Walter Mathau) is a talker, a philosopher, and a troublemaker with a fanciful imagination. His companion is Midge Carter, (“OzzieDavis”) who is half-blind, but still the super of an apartment house. When he is threatened with retirement, Nat battles on his behalf. Nat also takes on his daughter, a drug dealer, and a mugger in this appealing version of a really 'odd couple'
----------------------------------
and from Walter Matthau's official web page:
"According to his family and friends, some of Walter's best whoppers were: he was in line of succession to the throne of England...his grandfather was a defrocked priest... his grandmother was a Chinese stowaway (he claimed that is how his famly ended up in America)...his father was a jewel thief and Russian spy...and that his middle name was Foghorn.
.
"Even Walter could not have guessed how many people would fall for what has been come his most global and enduring joke yet. When Walter died in the summer of 2000, newspapers around the world printed obitutaries and tribute articles stating that Walter's real names was Matuschanskayasky. Apparently no one blinked at this outlandish concoction - and Walter's impish joke slipped past all the fact-checkers."
This is a sweet film about being old and vulnerable but fighting back against the ravages of time while retaining a vivid imagination and a sense of humor.
Watch this film if you get a chance
-----------------
from Internet Movie Data Base:
“Old Nat Moyer (Walter Mathau) is a talker, a philosopher, and a troublemaker with a fanciful imagination. His companion is Midge Carter, (“OzzieDavis”) who is half-blind, but still the super of an apartment house. When he is threatened with retirement, Nat battles on his behalf. Nat also takes on his daughter, a drug dealer, and a mugger in this appealing version of a really 'odd couple'
----------------------------------
and from Walter Matthau's official web page:
"According to his family and friends, some of Walter's best whoppers were: he was in line of succession to the throne of England...his grandfather was a defrocked priest... his grandmother was a Chinese stowaway (he claimed that is how his famly ended up in America)...his father was a jewel thief and Russian spy...and that his middle name was Foghorn.
.
"Even Walter could not have guessed how many people would fall for what has been come his most global and enduring joke yet. When Walter died in the summer of 2000, newspapers around the world printed obitutaries and tribute articles stating that Walter's real names was Matuschanskayasky. Apparently no one blinked at this outlandish concoction - and Walter's impish joke slipped past all the fact-checkers."
Saturday, September 02, 2006
We all need a good laugh
"In the supermarket was a man pushing a cart which contained a screaming, bellowing baby. The gentleman kept repeating softly, "Don't get excited, Albert; don't scream, Albert; don't yell, Albert; keep calm, Albert."
A woman standing next to him said, "You certainly are to be commended for trying to soothe your son Albert."
The man looked at her and said, "Lady, I'm Albert."
And these I stole from Roger @ "there's always something." check out his blog by clicking on the title above.
"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix."
--Dan Quayle
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
"Your food stamps will be stopped effective
March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
--Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina
"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." --Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very
important part of your life,"
--Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.
“The security of the civilized world depends on victory in the war on terror, and that depends on victory in Iraq.” George W. Bush in an American Legion speech this week.
"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
--Mariah Carey
A woman standing next to him said, "You certainly are to be commended for trying to soothe your son Albert."
The man looked at her and said, "Lady, I'm Albert."
And these I stole from Roger @ "there's always something." check out his blog by clicking on the title above.
"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix."
--Dan Quayle
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
"Your food stamps will be stopped effective
March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
--Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina
"The word "genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." --Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback & sports analyst.
"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very
important part of your life,"
--Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.
“The security of the civilized world depends on victory in the war on terror, and that depends on victory in Iraq.” George W. Bush in an American Legion speech this week.
"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
--Mariah Carey
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