Chloe, neither am I. And she is still weird but has more of a bounce in her step. I may still be the cause of her being weird. I think if we can ever get back to the camp, we will both get better.
I think the kitties get under the house, by the fireplace and make noise and that spookes her. She's easily spooked.
Carol, I worry about that constantly, because Emma has chosen me as her role model, and it's made me work a lot harder at being a good calm person (and for me, being calm isn't easy).
So I guess you could say, that because of M, I'm (becoming) a better person.
I so glad you both (even if it's only metaphorically) have gotten the bounce back in your steps.
I dropped back in, because I'm just starting episode 6 of season 2 of Downton Abbey. Hulu is so different than Netflix, that it's been a struggle to get it set up right. They give you a free week or so, and I've cancelled three times, just so I could go back and get it set up right. I'm finally there. I'm not sure I didn't miss an episode or two though, because working it out got me pretty confused about what I'd seen and where I am.
No problem though, I sure I'll watch it all again in the future.
This episode starts out with Lady Mary pushing Mathew along in a wheel chair. I paused because I want to point something out that she said said to him.
He said something about wishing William were the one here..that he was the brave one, and that sacrifice should have been rewarded.
Mary says "You were both brave... and goes on to say that "I don't think we can say (shit is what it sounded like, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have used that word, just can make it out) about what happens in war. It just happens."
Maybe there is someone else in the world that thinks like me. (?)
Do you remember that part (it was right at the beginning)?
I'm not out to make any point here, but I do find it comforting to know that we all have so many different ways of thinking of things... and they may sound completely different -- but in the end, I don't think it's as different as we think.
... Ok, back to Mary and Mathew (they're waiting for me). I can't figure out which ones prettier. Him or her. :)
Mary grew on me. At first I thought she was so arrogant - but that is the way the wealthy often are. I did think she treated her sister, Edith, badly. But then her sister got her back. I think what I like about the character, Mary (I do know that it is a movie) is the way she always says the right thing. I also like her voice. I think she has the most beautiful speaking voice.
I didn't care much for Matthew from the get go. He was a little too metrosexual for me. He did grow on me after a while and I like him a lot now. I do get aggravated with his over the top values..that he refuses to take that inherited money. It's a nice gesture to feel the way he does but all those who are involved are DEAD so who would know. He's just being stubborn but then again, money is really not that important to Matthew.
Mary is pretty, she's pretty selfish, pretty stubborn and I'm pretty sure she likes herself more than she likes anyone else. We all have a tendency to give pretty people a pass. Mary's like her dad when it comes to DA and following the old ways. She isn't as nice as her dad is and certainly isn't as naive as he is. He's pretty darn naive.
Mary was one of the only one's in the family who did nothing for the war effort. Sybil learned to cook and became a nurse. Edith learned to drive and drove that tractor. She sat with the soldiers and helped them write letters. Ma Ma did the organizing. Pa Pa kept up everyone's spirits. Mary just spent her time flirting, breaking hearts, and fulfilling her own fantasies.
I can't tell if Mary really liked any of her suitors. I thought that maybe she does like Matthew but then he is the heir to DA and she IS in love with DA.
What Mary did to Edith was just awful, really unforgivable. Mary had the looks, she had all the beaus, I think she may have been in line for a little inheritance but she had to undermine the one beau Edith worked so hard to get. And it was just to try to one up Edith, Mary didn't want that guy.
Seems that Downton Abbey is similar to the other pbs series upstairs/downstairs...didn't watch that, but I believe it was a similar series about the british royalty/commoner theme...the wealthy family & the staff that makes their lives comfortable...
"I think what I like about the character, Mary (I do know that it is a movie) is the way she always says the right thing. I also like her voice. I think she has the most beautiful speaking voice. "
LOL, Jan. Yeah, it was 'Something about Mary' with Cameron Diaz. It was sooo funny when we first saw it. Probably wouldn't watch it again, but we laughed so much when we saw it in the theater (oh so long ago).
I hadn't thought about how beautiful Lady Mary's speaking voice is but now that you mention it I'm sure I will. What I liked about her in this last episode is that began to show her vulnerability. She is a very good actress, because she was able to change and mature (in the movie) as time passes.
The series sure does illustrate well (although subtly) how we all have to pay for our past mistakes.
While I was certain that you, Coreen, would identify with the...my poop doesn't stink class, the servants do add so much to the flavor of the show. I'm sure that most of those in the upper crust could better survive without some of their family members than with less of their servants. Hope you're still smiling sister. Love ya.
Actually, I think I'm the only one here who identifies more with the servants. I don't identify with anyone specifically but I think I'd fit in better as a servant. Pretty much sums up a good bit of my life work.
Chloe, Something about Mary was one of my fav movies. I laughed so hard that I hurt myself. The second time I saw it, I laughed harder and even before some of the funny lines were spoken. I was laughing in anticipation.
Carol, I think that term 'metrosexual' is so funny. I've never heard it used that much, and I guess you are saying he was masculine enough (?) :)
I've always seen him as having high ideals (a few too many - something that can always look a little snooty) but then peoples' values back then were so different.
I don't see Mary as overly beautiful, and i see her previous bad behavior as immaturity (adding in some faulty values, which I think she is growing out of). I think Sybil is much prettier (than Mary), but don't 'necessarily' see her in a better light: because she wanted to beome a nurse. A noble choice, yes.... but it's what she wanted and I didn't confuse that with any kind of obligation.
I don't ever judge the people in 'period movies' by the same values that we have now. That philosophy/logic class was talking about the other day centered a lot around 'value judgments'. I think that is what explains how differently we all see things (our value judgments), and that is why everything is so subjective IMHO.
There are a lot more opinions than there are facts, and I see that as a good thing. As you all know (since I've said it so many times) I believe that 'we can all disagree and all be right' at the same time. I can say that with feeling I am contradicting myself.
(... as for Edith, I actually think she see's herself as misunderstood and as a victim. Go figure (?))
Carol, it's so easy to get the expected response from you these days...like we know each other too well...
Not sure I said I liked the family at all...but then again not really ever overwhelmed with the fascination many Americans have for all things british royal class...
I did enjoy Shirley Maclaine's lines the best...(she was the one who could take charge & actually do something when things don't go right, like the stove failure, when the family wringing their hands about oh my god no dinner to serve! & she saves the day) or her comment upon arriving in that wonderful vintage red automobile, when she said to the twit Mary, tell me about your wedding plans, & I can tell you how to make it better) gotta love her...surprised that you did not make any mention of her...
Carol, I also very much identify with the servants. Also, the hardships of women back then were so much more difficult and atrociously misogynistic (that probably wasn't even a word back then).
The poor lady with the little baby, that's treated as an outcast is heart breaking. The two characters in love, but unable to get out of the grasp of the wicked appearing-ly so) ex-wife (who is now suspiciously dead at the end of the episode I just watched).
Sorry I'm not remember all the names, but the characters I feel I know intimately. The feeling that most of the staff are as good as family, and rightfully so. I see all of that. It's just all so intricate, that each one has a story of their own.
Like I said before, I don't put myself in anyone's place, but rather feel myself as an onlooker... a very lucky onlooker, having the pleasure of sharing their lives with them.
The only two characters I completely dislike are the two gossips (we all know how wicked they can be).
...as usual, I leave out some of the most important words. I was saying metro-sexual must mean he 'wasn't' masculine enough, not was.
All this discussion (for me) is completely for the sake of fun, and I find it ever so much fun to find the different ways we all interpret things. I notice our interpretation is ever so entwined with the way we see the world.
This discussion is for pleasure only, as far as I'm concerned. If our different interpretations become an argument, then the fun will be gone.
NOT contradicting myself. I said I'm am contradicting, but I mean I don't think am contradicting myself when I say we can all differ, but still all be right.
I absolutely cannot type as fast as I think. Add that to the sticky keys, and I've become a mess on this computer.
Chloe, nursing was an extremely dirty job back then. Besides the usual gross stuff, poop, blood and vomit, it included cooking, cleaning floors and windows.
Even here in the US, not that long ago, it was a pretty dirty job. My mom's grandma forbid her to be a nurse because she thought of it as such a dirty profession.
Hey, even in my day it could be pretty gross. I've had vomit dripping down my face. I was trying to start an IV in ICU. I was kinda kneeling down along side the bed with the patient's hand hanging off the bed to help get her veins to puff up. She leaned over and barfed on my head. Thank you very much.
I got up, calmly walked out of the room, calmly walked to the bathroom and gagged my ass off. Then I cleaned up. Couldn't let my patient see me do that.
Chloe, I promise, I'm not judging right or wrong here. I could care less. I'm going with what you guys have said are your interests. You like to read, don't care much for housework or cooking. It was just a guess and I'm open to you're telling me I'm dead wrong.
Can't see you as a servant in any way shape of form Coreen. Sorry if that seems judgmental. I wouldn't mind waiting on ya.
Coreen, If that last post was meant for me, I don't know all the names because I watch the first season of this show so long ago. I should have gone back to the beginning and started over.
I also had problems downloading the second season, and believe I missed and episode or two.
Names aren't important to me anyway. Faces are.
The only reason I used the names, Mary, Edith, Mathew etc. is to be able to communicate with Jan and Carol and they'd know who I was talking about.
There are over a dozen servants, and for most their parts are much less focused on.
The movies is beautifully done. It's really hard to discuss it with someone who only peeked in once.
I don't identify with any of those servant characters but I think I'd do well with the cooking job. I like to cook and I could sneak a little of their fine food. I certainly couldn't do the housework or the waiting on the ladies.
I know Carol, and I respect nurses and doctors VERY much.
Raising a baby is very messy too. I've been vomited on, peed on, changed thousands of poopy diapers. What you get in return is temper tantrums, very loud crying and a loss of sleep. Not to mention the constant worrying.
So I can relate a little. The difference is, with a baby there's more of a bond and a lot of love for the human being that is completely dependent on you.
I don't know how you nurse do it. I wouldn't be able to be that giving every day of my life. The thing with kids, is that they grow up.
No Chloe, I was not refering to you at all...it was to Carol...& the fact that all the comments were about the family & their experiences, not the staff...
"Actually, I think I'm the only one here who identifies more with the servants. I don't identify with anyone specifically but I think I'd fit in better as a servant"
I do enjoy the staff drama also. I like Bates and his lady. Can't stand Thomas and that woman he's hangs out with. They are always stirring shit. I've been hoping he'd get his karma but so far he seems to keep coming out ahead. He's a total sociopath.
Oh, and did Bates kill his wife? I had a moment, during the last episode where I thought that maybe he did. It was when he was interacting with his cellmate.
If he did kill that bitch, I almost feel like she had it coming. Forgive me. Does that qualify as intention Chloe??? Hope not.
I also have this feeling that maybe Mary's x, the newspaper man might have had her killed. Anyone have any theories there?
But Chloe, sometimes we see differences that aren't even there. You're kinda like me in that you enjoy a good debate and might have to change sides just to keep one going.
In earlier episodes I thought Thomas was O'Brien's son because she favored him so much. Not sure where I got that but I looked it up and Thomas is not her son. However, the reason it said that O'brien favored Thomas so much is because they both seemed to disdain many of the other characters in the show. Now she has turned against Thomas because he has put her nephew in a bad light with the Lord.
I have watched DA since the first season although missed the first showing. I watched it because I loved Upstairs, Downstairs. I have always loved drama that is about other cultures and earlier times. I am so glad I was born at another time. I would not like to have lived in a time or place where a certain group of people were so oppressed. I find it difficult to understand how women who are Republican can put up with all the crap that so many young and older Republican men can dictate how their bodies should be treated (abortion and other issues).
The book I am reading "Team of Rivals" tells how people felt about the oppression of African Americans. It is hard to believe that almost all white people back then believed AA's to be an inferior group of people. But on the other hand, there are still people I know today who believe that. Even Lincoln, early in his presidency thought the "Negro" once freed should be sent back to Africa.
So Chloe, I too believe we have to view these dramas according to the social values and climate of the time and place. Not that any one of us would wish for some of those oppressive ideas to be in effect today.
I hope that someone puts together a drama based upon the entire book "Team of Rivals" The movie, Lincoln, only dramatized a very small part of it. I am half way through the book (at page 522). The movie, Lincoln, began at about page 450. So there is so much more to the book. I do have some trouble keeping up with some of the characters.
Carol, I loved your story about getting vomited on. I laughed so hard, I had to share it with John. You are great at relating something that happened to you.
I remember when I first told Bob I wanted to be a nurse. He was encouraging me to go to "college." We had just returned from Argentina and were going to Lake Charles for him to check out a transfer his company wanted him to do. We went out to McNeese and he picked up some catalogs and we looked at them on the way back to OK. I remember the conversation. He said "Why don't you go to school." I saw they had a nursing program and I told him "I have always wanted to be a nurse and he said "Oh you don't want to be a nurse, that is dirty work. I think you should go into education and be a teacher." Carol, you know the rest of the story. LOL
There's another Highclere Castle show on PBS tonight. It says it's new. Secrets of Highclere Castle. It's on at 5p here so that will be 6 for you Jan. You might want to check it out and record it.
"All this discussion (for me) is completely for the sake of fun, and I find it ever so much fun to find the different ways we all interpret things. I notice our interpretation is ever so entwined with the way we see the world."
I could not agree more Chloe. I love your insight.
BTW, John is better this morning. He said he is coughing lots less. However, it could be that he took some Coricidin for his drippiness so don't know if his decreased coughing is due to that or antibiotics. Not to worry, he will take all the antibiotics. John is the most compliant patient I have ever known, he follows his docs orders "religiously." Ha ha, that was a pun since he is a "man of the cloth."
That vomit story is funny now but it definitely wasn't at the time.
Some may think that we in medicine are super tough. Sometimes we are. I can put up with stuff on the job that I couldn't put up when not. It's just not the time to fall apart then.
Very much like being a mama I would think Chloe. I'm sure there are times that sight, smell and sounds can push you over your gross tolerance limit like they do us when we're working but you can't let that stop you. You have an important job to do. You just wait until you get a break to react.
"John is the most compliant patient I have ever known, he follows his docs orders "religiously."
You know Jan, I've found that guys, more often than not, are more compliant than women. I found the same thing with my diabetes ed students. Of course when they are non-compliant, they top the scales there.
SF would have jumped off a cliff if his doc told him to. That was before his mind went.
Feeling very lazy this morning. But must try to get something done. If nothing else, I want to get my 2 mile walk in. I have really gotten out of the habit of walking since I injured my knee. It has been ok for some time now. It is amazing how habits work.
Also need to give Ryley a bath. She is a dirty little dog -beginning to stink. I did not realize that little dogs live longer than bigger dogs. So happy about that. We were so devastated when Lobie died. She was 12.
I am not watching any of new shows. Idol begins this week. Will watch that. I still like Grey's Anatomy and Big Bang. But do not want to get interested in newer shows. TV Takes too much time. I would rather rent movies.
I got pulled away from my computer so quickly, and now I see Jan has slipped in too.
But I can't catch up until we get back later. My hands are full on weekends, with Emma off school.
Jan, one thing I did think of last night is I'm sure about what you were saying about post nasal drip and I do think that is the big problem with this cough illness that has made it's rounds.
When I went for mine (months ago), beside the Zpac, they also prescribed me an asthma inhaler. It worked great, for those first few day while the medication was working on getting rid of the congestion.
Also, they suggested the anti mucous or congestion drugs (over the counter) too.
What you said about being able to tell if you'd like a series/movie by peeking in is true of me too.
I can usually tell pretty clicking if I'm not going to like something or not.
I watch a lot of TV at home alone, because my taste is different from Hubby's (and that's the way I prefer it). We go to movies together, and sometimes go into different theaters we want to see different ones. That way we're both happy!
Coreen, I've always loved Shirley MacLaine. She's my kind of kooky. I've read at least one of her books. I liked most of the movies she's been in and I think that I've seen most of them. If she's in one, I try to see it.
I do like her character. I loved her picnic idea. There's just so much we can talk about with that series. She's so new that I haven't had time to focus as much on her yet.
Chloe, I've just recently learned to watch non-fiction TV again. I've watched more in the last three weeks than for the last 10+ years. When you find something you think I might like on Netflix, let me know. I have the same problem with Netflix as I do going shopping at a large department store. I'm so overwhelmed with all the choices that I have trouble picking anything.
The weather here today is yukkie...again. There's a high percent chance of rain but so far it's just been a drizzle. It also seems like much of the rain is passing.
The wind did shift to the north which is something I've been praying for. We really need a strong north wind to blow down the river. The river is higher today than it peaked at last year when I was run out of my camp.
Last night the wind was blowing hard from the south. That can blow the river up as bad as a hard rain can. Even though the wind is now out of the north, I need it to be much stronger.
I am a fiction junkie Carol. Always have been. Fiction helped me live in the world when I was a child and young teen and helped me succeed as a college and grad student. Simply reading as a child expands one's mind and imagination in ways that are difficult to measure.
I was also Jan. I just went thru that 10+ year period where I was too focused on reality. It wasn't good for me. My return to fantasy probably saved me recently. Too much reality triggered both.
And my definition of a metrosexual guy is a heterosexual guy that is extremely well groomed, hair and nails included.
Just looked it up and Wiktionary defines..."A man concerned with personal appearance, such as personal grooming, fashion, and aesthetics in general; who may or may not be concerned with self-indulgence and money"
They are nice to look at but I prefer my guys a little rough around the edges.
Yes, we have so much reality around us. Fiction or any kind of distraction is good. I don't think we should stick our heads in the sand and not know what is going on around us but too much of anything can destroy us.
Metrosexual - learned something today. Had never heard of this before. I too like a guy who is well groomed, but too often found in my younger years that excessive grooming in a male was not attractive to me.
Carol and Jan, I agree with you about 'fiction' being the best way to lower our stress levels. A couple of days ago, when I spent too much talking over at TM (and therefore too involved in politics again) I could tell by the next day that I had spent too much time thinking about the wrong things (I was feeling very uptight).
Carol, I que up all my netflix choices on their site (not from the menu on the TV). That way is much less confusing to me. I've spent large amounts of time going through choices in the past, and eventually came up with a lot of movies, etc. that were unexpectedly good, and the horrible ones.... well they're easy to zap off and remove from Que (which happens quite frequently).
For instance, I go to Netflix.com and sign into my account, and they have rows of suggestions of newly released downloads, another making suggestions for movies or series that you may like based on what you watched previously, foreign dramas, and so on. (it helps if you rate the ones you like a lot, because then when you're searching online, they make suggestions for similar type movies.
Looking at my download history I'll try to pick out a few I liked in the past. I think I watched everything they had that was based on Jane Austen's books, including one or more versions of "Pride and Predjudice" (some are much better than others).
"2 Days in Paris" funny "A room with a view" (there are 2 different versions I believe, one better than the other) "The Answer Man" **** this one was absolutely hilarious, imo. Jeff Daniels stars "As It Is in Heaven" ***** very uplifting "Mozart's Sister" "Moscow, Belgium" "Starting Out in the Evening" (slightly depressing, but good) "Country Life" "The City of Your Final Destination" "Let It Rain" "I Do: How to Get Married and Stay Single" (hilarious, imo, but then I do love the french)
"Jane Eyre" "Happily Ever After" "EAT, PRAY, LOVE" Julie Roberts
.... there's millions more to choose from. If you don't like subtitles, then you'll have to eliminate a lot of what I liked.
Coreen, here’s a little run down on some of the servants:
Carson, the butler. Pretty decent guy. He sees to it that everyone does their job. He’s real partial to Mary. When she was planning to marry this rich newspaper creep, he was going to move with her to be their butler.
Ms Hughes. She’s the one who may have breast cancer. It lists her as a housekeeper but I think of her a kinda the head of the female staff. She’s pretty decent lady.
Ms Patmore. The cook. She had a little crisis with cataracts and was going blind but she had surgery and had much better luck than I had…and that was in the 1920s. Not funny. She’s been little Daisy’s mentor but she won’t give up any control to young Daisy.
Daisy. She’s the undercook, assistant. She married one of the young footmen William, on his deathbed. He went to war, was seriously injured. He always had a crush on her and she pretended she felt the same way when he left for war, just to keep his spirits up. He came home, was dying and the rest of the crew, mostly Ms Patmore, talked her into marrying William. She felt bad because she thought that she was deceiving him. Kinda like how Matthew feels about taking that inheritance.
Thomas, asshole supreme. He’s been a scoundrel from the get go. He undermines just about everyone especially Bates. He was in cahoots with Ms O’Brien. They were always plotting some serious mischief. He went to war, not his choice, big chicken, and he purposely got shot thru the hand so he could get out and come home. Just when we think he’s going to get some of the karma he deserves, he gets lucky.
Ms O’Brien, she’s lady Grantham’s lady maid and Thomas’s co-conspirator. She is getting a little of what she deserves as Thomas torments her nephew.
Bates, he was Lord Grantham’s valet until he went to prison. He came to DA crippled. He was in some African war with Lord Grantham. He was married to this bitch who screwed him and the entire up stairs family over. She ended up dead from poisoning. It’s kinda a long story but a significant part of the plot.
Anna, lady Mary’s lady maid. She’s one of my favs. She married Bates after his wife died. She’s an important character. She helped Mary and Cora, Mary’s mom, drag the body of this handsome visitor they had who came to hunt. The night he stayed over, he snuck into Mary’s room. They got it on and he croaked on top of her. That happened in season one and you ought to find and watch that one. It’s an important part of the entire series.
Carol, I like mystery/suspense movies too. It can be difficult to find what you're looking for sometimes.
I've gone through many stages since getting Netflix, and they change from time to time.
I think you may be able to do a search for mysteries. Or if you know of any from the past, and do a search for it on the netflix site, chances are they'll have it.
Chloe, the other night I watched this movie "The Magic of Belle Isle". I really liked it. It was a drama and it stared Morgan Freeman and other's I've never heard of.
"The night he stayed over, he snuck into Mary’s room. They got it on and he croaked on top of her"
I'd completely forgotten about that! (the ol' memory ain't what it used to be... it's gotten as bad as my typing). I think it was over a year ago that I watched it and I should have started over. At some point I will.
Dang Chloe, how could you forget about that??? He was a handsome devil but I knew it wasn't going to lead to anything good. He almost seemed like a rapist to me. If Mary would have resisted, I think he would have been a rapist.
Chloe, I watched the first season at least two times each. Some of the second season I watched more than that. I was desperate for escape. It was like I was on vacation. And Coreen, I never usually was that interested in British drama before.
I told you guys that over the holidays, I had a walk in. Some entity possessed me.
Chloe, I've been totally useless lately and feel totally guilty for being that way. Maybe when I learn to accept that I should be allowed being useless for a while, I'll be able to move on to being more productive.
It must have been the thousand movies I've watched since.
Carol, I have to tell you that Netflix has changed my life. I've had DirecTv available to me for a long time, but for some reason I never felt like watching it. I think Netflix makes me feel more in control.
I just got Netflix to see the first season of DA. I had it a while back but dropped it when they went up on the price. I just never used it.
Now I feel like I should keep it so I can pay them back for having watched those shows and many more. If I can find stuff I like, it will be worth the price. I can never find anything on the 200 plus channels on the satellite to watch.
I do keep my kitchen relatively clean because I like to cook and I need the room.
I have a serious disorder when it comes to all the paperwork. Right now I have files stacked up on the floor here in the living room. I did get to putting some of the paperwork in file folders. Now I need to find somewhere to put them.
I bet Ms Ivy is really into DA. She would be fun to discuss the shows with. I hope she is OK. Still wish I knew why she ran off. I also wish she would let us know she is OK.
Carol, good description of major characters and events. In today's world the assignation (love that word) between Lady Mary and the Turkish guy would have been a rape on his part. He pushed himself into her room (Thomas showed him where it was) and pushed her onto the bed. She did resist and then seemed to give in but I would have called it a rape because she was not really on board with it. I was disappointed that she did not tell her mother and father that he did that.
You know Jan, now that you reminded me..I really thought that she should have told them that he raped her also. It was 95% rape. That was a part of the show that I thought wasn't very realistic.
The guy was dead and I think it would have been better if she would have just said it was rape but then maybe it would have become public and she wanted it kept secret.
They still could have kept it private but she would have not looked so bad to her mom and dad and could have saved the family all those headaches with the scandal. But then so much of the plot that followed wouldn't have worked, would it? I guess it had to be what it had to be for the story line to work. But it did still bother me also.
There we go, trying to make everything make sense. Can't do that with fiction...I guess not even with non-fiction. Truth can be stranger than fiction.
That was another crappy thing that Thomas did. He helped to set Mary up for that encounter but then he may have felt he had to because, remember, he came on to that Turkish guy and could have gotten in serious trouble for it. The guy then made Thomas do it.
You may not know Coreen but Thomas is gay. He may have come on to the Turkish guy because he misread his gaydar. The Turkish guy was very pretty.
"Chloe, I promise, I'm not judging right or wrong here. I could care less."
Carol, You know how you said that sometimes you could just wish you could reach out and hug Craig. Well, right now, I just wish I could reach out and hug you.
Please don't ever feel that you have to promise me anything. I could care less either. It's just fun discussing things with you, and it doesn't matter when we don't agree or see things the same way.
It makes me so sad that you don't know that. All I want is your honesty. And I just want to feel I can be honest with you too, without you taking it wrong or getting annoyed with me.
And what you said about being open to saying you are dead wrong... please don't ever feel like that with me. I value your friendship so much, and I don't want you to feel like you have to act any particular way, because nothing you can say will change that.
Lady Mary is vulnerable, you are vulnerable and I am vulnerable. That's what honesty does to us. We lay it out there, and it makes us vulnerable.
But so what, we can take it. I already told you I won't run away any more. Say whatever you want, talk about whatever you want. That's what this place is all about.
I just watched a movie called "The Words" (netflix DVD.. had it and one other for almost a week, but was concerned about getting Hulu going, so I could watch the DA series with you.
That movie gave me so much to think about, but of course one of the last lines in it stuck with me (for obvious reason to those who know me).
It was (paraphrasing) 'Once we make our decisions, we've got to live with them.' It made me think that maybe it's unproductive to second guess the thing we've done in life. We all right here where we belong.
I love my little sign that says (very playfully) 'Every little thing is going to be alright'. (got that one at TG Max and love it). Also got one there that simply says "EZ Breezy" and another that says ".. and they lived happily ever after".
I like to surround myself with reminders of the lighter moments, even if it is just for fun. Because I really do think we become what we spend most of our time thinking about.
Watched some of Golden Globes. I have watched now the People's Awards, the Critic's Awards and now the Golden Globes. John said tonight, "I have seen this before." Yes, he has - 3 nights in a row. Ok. I am tired of awards shows now. Onto something else. I did enjoy seeing Bill Clinton tonight talk about the Lincoln movie.
I did like most of the story on DA tonight. Hate what happened to Edith. She always gets screwed or rather not screwed. So. the guys older. Big deal Is being a spinster preferable to the family or do they want to keep her as their designated parent caregiver. I wanted to slap granny.
Cora is such a wonderful loving mother and wife. I'm happy that Matthew finally came to his senses. I Figured he eventually would. I would have been quite happy with the downsize house. It kinda had a little softer looking exterior.
What do you make of what's going on with Bates. I worry that maybe Anna will learn that Batea actually did do dirty deed.
I thought that the Golden Globes were more tolerable than many of the award shows. Amy and Tina Fey did a great job but I've always loved both of them.
I've watched the movies listed at both of our movie theaters here for a month now hoping to see Silver Linings Playbook listed. Nope. There's about 24 movies between the two theaters. Why do you think they won't show that movie here??
Carol, your list of staff characters was helpful...pbs showed last week's opener before the 2nd episode...disappointed that Shirley is only in the opener...
and about the money...that was a given Carol, remember...'it's always about the money'...
Chloe, I know how much you are committed to the concept of free choice. A good concept. You are also aware of how manipulated we are.
I found this little video in the TEDtalks that demonstrates how we are manipulated. I feel we are constantly the victims of manipulation and often we don't even want to acknowledge that it is happening.
Watched some of Golden Globes. I have watched now the People's Awards, the Critic's Awards and now the Golden Globes. John said tonight, "I have seen this before." Yes, he has - 3 nights in a row. Ok. I am tired of awards shows now. Onto something else. I did enjoy seeing Bill Clinton tonight talk about the Lincoln movie and give a tribute to t
Interesting, mylast comment posted was still on my "leave your comment" above so I hit publish again. Sorry it is appearing 2 times but with several of your comments in between. Oh well, on with the day.
One of the things Edith told her father in a previous show was that the war took so many young men so there were few to choose from. So I say "Go West" Edith.
Jan, I was wondering if Edith's beau, what's his name, heard what granny was saying at the wedding and then made a sudden decision to back out?? What ya think? Wasn't great timing and it was very cruel for Edith.
If that was how wimpy and mean he was, then Edith was better off without him. Sybil's husband, Tom, didn't let the family run him off. He stood up and fought for Sybil.
I hate the nasty weather we are having. I don't see any hope of sun for days. The river has leveled off at about 7.5 feet, three feet over flood stage. According to the graph predicting the level, it won't start going down until past Friday, if then. You can also follow it's progress.
Carol, I absolutely loved that link of 'Predictably Irrational'. (He's sooo funny too)
You might have noticed that I've never said that we all have the ability or even desire to make 'rational' decisions (all the time). Just that we have free choice.
When we let all those complications and manipulation (and even too much emotion) get in the way... well, that's still a choice.
That's what I was talking about in the post of Truth, Secrets and Lies. It's so hard to make choices without all the accurate facts.
Another thing I don't talk about as much is 'trade-offs', but I feel just as passionately about the fact that every choice we make has it's trade-offs. We often have to give up something, to get something else, and vice-versa.
Then you add in values and the million other things that make us all different: well, once that's done I right back to believing what I've believed for a long time (not forever, though).
Regarding the Silver Linings movie: It is an small, independent movie and they often don't make it nationwide.
I remember we had hundreds more new movies per year screened in California than they did when we first got here.
They (the independents)normally open in L.A. and N.Y. first (because the price of marketing them is huge). The sure think, the blockbuster movies go nation wide right off (usually).
It's just been the last few years that Houston has started getting more of the 'limited release' movies, which I'm sure is because there' been such a raise in population and a huge amount of multiplexes opened.
I saw that and wondered why we were removed. I felt like maybe he didn't want to list us anymore. We are one of the blogs that has endured longer than most blogs do and we have more discussion than most blogs do. And I think that our discussions are interesting/entertaining. We have quite a few drops on the map. I do think that that map is accurate since it usually lists most of us when we come on or even when we move to another state and come on.
Now, not everyone who lurks here shows up on that map so there are probably more people who lurk than are indicated by that map. I never do show up on the map when I'm on. I don't know why. Maybe it's due to the way I connect to the Internet.
Did anyone hear Jody Foster's speech last night? I had no clue what she was trying to say. I heard that others felt the same way.
I thought that she was headed in one direction and then she never arrived. I thought she was coming out as gay but that didn't seem to be where she was going. It seemed she was saying she wouldn't act in any more movies but not sure about that either. Maybe some of the audience knew because many were crying.
Carol, Everyone was removed (I think it may have been an accident by his techs)
When he requested that Trail Mixers who had a blog to send him their link address and name of the blog so he could link them on the side... I think that's when you weren't on the computer for a couple of weeks (or else you just missed those comments)
Just click on his link to email him (down by the TM blogroll) and he will link you. He seemed very interested in linked everyone that has a blog.
He seemed very sincere about wanting everyone linked.
Chloe, go toThe Daily Show from last night and check out the bit they did about investigative journalism. You'd be interested in that story. Goes with stuff you've talked about. I can't link it here. My mystery debilitating mid back pain returned the minute the temp dropped like a rock. I can only comment on iPhone. I'm not sure what's going on with me.
Sorry to hear that you are having severe back pain Carol...is there anything you can take for the pain or just try to wait for it to subside...is anyone close by to help if you need it...
Last night I saw one of the reasons I really have trouble watching fiction tv. On Netflix I found this little cop/detective series called Glade. It's about a cop who moved to Florida from Chicago. It's pretty interesting. In one of the episodes there's a hurricane, not uncommon to Florida. In the middle of a cat 4 hurricane they have a class reunion being held a this hotel. I guess they needed a class reunion as part of the plot. There's no way in hell that a hotel would have a class reunion going on during a cat 4 hurricane. I really have trouble having my intelligence insulted like that. I think that even a 10 year old could write a smarter plot. It makes me want to immediately turn off the show. Does that kind of thing bother anyone else?
The snow was finally all gone after last weekend's foggy days/nights (fog eats snow, a good thing)...then naturally last night it snowed again...3" wet heavy snow fell...just managed to shovel a path to feed the birds, they were out there at 7 am trying to dig into the snow for some food(talk about back pain, not to mention the rapid heart beating shoveling, it's gets harder & harder to shovel at all!)... did I mention I hate snow!...didn't even try to walk out to the street to get the papers yet...maybe I'll just drive out later, the driveway won't be plowed til after Donald gets out of work this evening...
I'm really angry at Lance Armstrong. I bet there's not one of us who didn't at some time feel a lot of respect and admiration for him even we didn't give a hoot about cycling. And I can deal wIth the fact that he was doping but will never forgive him for what he did to those who tried to tell the truth. He cost them extreme grief and severe financial loss. I hope that he ends up losing every penny he ever made from his fraud and most of it should go to those who lost so much trying to expose the truth about him.
Coreen, didn't see you slip in. Pain meds aren't helping. That's what makes it so scary. I can find a position where I can get the pain to a 2-3 but to change that position often takes a 10 or more. This started before Christmas, had it for weeks then it just went away. It hit me again Monday when the temp dropped. I' do have a lot of old bone injuries and I can predict weather changes but this is totally crazy.
John's coughing has improved a lot. He was reading about coughing on the internet and it mentioned that mouth breathing leads to coughing.Because of his swim training he breathes through his mouth most of time. Well, he worked yesterday on breathing through his nose. Guess what? much of his coughing disappeared. Will let you know later if this change continues.
I've been away from my computer all day again (I tried to comment with my IPhone -- took forever to write it in hubby's truck using my pinky... I need to carry a stylist with me), then I lost it all while trying to log in here.
Now my 'n' keyis sticking on my lap top (I have to pound it several times.. drives me crazy... who would know how many times we use the letter n), but the 's' has stopped sticking, at least temporarily.
Get here, and lost it lost my comment twice more (luckily had saved it on my mouse).
Carol, I bet you tell e the Universe it trying to tell me something.
If so, it's probably saying to keep my mouth shut.
Jan, Glad that John is better... that cough thing seems to be really hard to rid yourself of, when you have that post sinus drip.
Lot's of allergies this year for people who normally don't have them. I think a lot of times people breath through their mouths when there sinuses aren't clear.
Carol, Hubby had really a bad knee problem, and his doctor thought he needed to replace it (it was unbearably painful), but when he saw another specialist, she recommended physical therapy.
We were skeptical, but it worked... and it didn't take all that long. They seem to work miracles.
Before I forget...here is the video of the song 'Somewhere over the rainbow' some of the children from Newtown recorded & is available on itunes with proceeds going to Newtown charities...they were on gma the other a.m.... Somewhere over the rainbow by Newtown children
I see you have been active this a.m. at TM Carol, with discussion about the children, which reminded me of this song that was just released....a positive thing for those involved....
Jan, the biggest problem is where this dang pain is. It's in the back and around the area where a bra would be. It involves where I had those three vertebral compression fracture. It does seem to be related to the weather but I have lots of other war wounds that aren't bothering me. I had 4 pelvic fractures, and those two ankle fractures and the hand fracture from only a year and a half ago. They don't hurt.
I had cement, concrete injected in those three vertebrae. Has something shifted there?
It is all about the children for me. That's what got my attention. I don't agree with those who think that Obama was exploiting the children yesterday. Just another excuse to dismiss how important this issue really is. I think it IS the children. It is the children who got all of our attention this time.
Coreen, you think that I listen too much to C2C? I really don't anymore. Did you see the conspiracy theory that was offered as an excuse for needing guns yesterday? Me thinks someone else has also heard too much C2C or a similar site.
And the pain moves both ways from my spine. Shingles goes only one way. It takes my breath away to even laugh. I was watching Modern Family last night and burst out into a hard laugh and it just about killed me. Even with extreme pain, it's hard to suppress a laugh, especially when watching Modern Family. I had to pause it to catch my breath.
Jan, one of the problems with this gun control issue and why it will be so difficult to solve is that none of us want to CHANGE.
Most of us are highly resistant to change even when it's for the better. I learned change theory as a nurse and then had to deal with it when I taught nursing as you did. When I Googled change theory, it was mostly nursing sites that came up. I found that interesting because the same principles apply to all aspects of life.
In all of my nursing jobs, when I tried to initiate any changes, those that made the job faster and easier, I met with all kinds of resistance. Often, I had to just insist, if I had the power to do that. It wasn't long before everyone came to realize that it WAS better.
I was on the front lines with many of the changes that occurred in nursing, dang it. Remember us starting to teach physical assessment to nurses? Everyone was shooting at us. We survived. How about losing the nursing caps? I was involved in that here. That pissed off all of our nursing instructors.
I was also on the front lines as an NP first practicing in this area and in the ER. I have lot of old wounds from that. The ER docs were very threatened and they punished us severely.
I worked for this NP who was buying her own practice in a little community down the road. That was very traumatic for her and for me. The docs in that community were very threatened. It ended up destroying her. I got away without too many scars that time.
And watching those kids sing Somewhere over the Rainbow also hurt. Laughing and crying both hurt.
The weather is getting progressively better. Sun is out and will be for a few days. I think the barometric pressure is going the other way. Hope that makes a difference. Hasn't yet but the pressure may have to stabilize for it to make a difference. I'm getting real tired of this.
Jan, what did you think about Idol last night. Did you watch? The View was talking about it. Not positive. They would prefer that they only have people who can sing on and that they don't use stunts to attract viewers. Is it on again tonight?
What I like about A. Idol are the stories. The show focused more on the good singers this time. They grouped all the ones who could not sing and just gave each a couple of seconds each. There were some great stories.
Did anyone watch any of the two interviews with Lance Armstrong? I think they were interesting. I think he is a sociopath and doesn't feel a bit bad about anything he's done. I think he does feel very bad about the consequences and that his motive for the interview is to try to reverse some of those consequences.
It will be interesting to see if his attempt at manipulation will be effective. Probably will. Famous, rich, and powerful people often get by with just about anything and everything.
We watched some of the interviews. I was so disgusted I had to find something else to do. He shows no emotion. I agree, I think he is a sociopath. I would love to hear what his former wife thinks about him. She is a country singer, cannot remember her name.
Tonight is the movie about the prosecution of Casey Anthony. Rob Lowe plays Ashton the prosecutor. I only plan to watch because the movie is from Ashton's book. It's on Lifetime. I have the trial pretty much memorized but they may give some insight into what was going on behind the scenes. I wonder if they will explain how they missed some vital evidence of Casey researching how to suffocate a person? That was revealed not that long ago. The research was done on the Internet just before Casey disappeared with her daughter. It sounds like it would have been pretty damning evidence and I wonder how/why the prosecution missed it. Even the defense was surprised it wasn't presented in court.
There's another interesting trial on Tru TV, In Sessions,being covered during the week. Another attractive young woman, Jodi Arias. She's a really evil young woman. She stabbed, shot and almost decapitated her ex-boyfriend. It's really interesting. I wonder if being female and pretty will get her off.
I watch a lot of true crime on either Discovery ID or HLN weekends. There sure are a lot of evil women out there. Lot of evil men and women but it's hard to think of women as being that evil. I was exposed to many of them in the joint.
In his interview with Oprah, Lance tried to act like he was really sorry for what he's done and how it affected his family. With everything he's done in the past I can't buy it.
A defining moment for him, IMO, was demonstrated by the pic he tweeted of himself laying in his rec room surrounded by all his winning jerseys. He looked a little arrogant/defiant. It was right after they striped away all his wins. I may have misread his meaning??
He's just another example of the attitude of those who are rich, have any power and rub it in our faces that they can make lots of money through dishonesty and get away with it while the rest of us struggle.
I think his only goal is to be able to compete again in some sporting events and he'll lower himself to achieve that if that is what it takes.
He was married to Sheryl Crow. I don't remember him mentioning her Jan. He did mention his first wife, and mother of his first 3 children, Kristin. He described her as spiritual, admitted that he wasn't spiritual(no surprise here), and said he asked her permission to do some of what he was doing.
Sunday Morning CBS had 2 interesting pieces today...
one about the 2013 corvette stingray & its history...remember the vette was the car of dreams when my friends & me were growing up...think the movie American Grafitti...& yes I know the blonde that richard dreyfus never met was in a white tbird...but for us it was the corvette stingray...
I know you guys watched the pbs special about the castle itself... did that mention that the current countess wrote a book about the real DA ancestors...
Seems that the Carnarvon family in the 1920s were involved in the discovery of the tomb of Tutankaman...truth may indeed be stranger than fiction...
Coreen, I'm feeling a little better today but hate to even mention it for fear of jinxing it. I'm really trying to psych my self out of that pain. I would rather think of it of having a psych origin than physical because there's more hope for me if it is. Not likely I can do much to improve the status of my body.
I forced myself to get out of the house to go to the grocery store yesterday. When I get in an upright position I have a certain time limit where I feel sorta OK. Certain sitting positions are OK. Transitions are killer.
I got the few groceries I needed and bought this Nintindo DS XL. It one of the larger hand held games. I have one of the first ones but it's about the size of one of my eyes.
I needed something to do beside watch TV. I was going nuts. I used to love video games, not violent ones, when I was younger. Now that I'm old, I have no hand eye coordination. I like the Mario games. Those are probably for the 4 year olds and they still kick my butt.
I try not to sit too long. I make myself get up and walk frequently. I want to go check out the camp. I'm working on psyching myself up to do that. The NOAA site says the river is down to just at flood stage. That means very little water over the road.
My guys should be able to get out to finish working on my camp tomorrow. They were here at my house Thurs and Friday last week. I needed some repairs on some ceiling tiles. I paid two different people to do it last year and the tiles were falling again. They didn't know what they were doing. My guys took their time and did a beautiful job. I was a captive audience so I watched.
Carol, I hope you are feeling better. I have had severe back pain in the past and always found that swimming and walking helped. I have learned to move carefully.
enjoyed Downton Abbey tonight. Edith is going to come out the strongest sister, I suspect.
Oh Jan, I'm so sorry Jan. We'll just have to fire up the poop brigade. We started that back when Ivy was here and she was the first we used it for. Y'all got me through mine. Now all you need is a wireless communicating device that moves quickly from room to room.
Yes, I enjoyed DA also. It's just doesn't last long enough. The way I was watching DA, having to catch up, I saw hours at a time. Only one hour is pretty puny.
I am proud of our sister Edith, the spinster who found a way to make something meaningful out of her life. Why does that feel familiar to me??? Hmmmm.
Anyone got an ideas for a post. I haven't had the occasion to run around looking for some good pics. Good thing, because there aren't any good pics out there right now. When the Swamp is your yard, it loses some of it's mystic.
We did have two days of sunshine. It was nice but still too much of the day was too cold. Don't like that stuff anymore. I'm now allergic to winter I guess. That certainly has been one contribution to my aching back.
You know it's hell getting old. It seems that as soon as I hit 62, it's been downhill ever since. That's been traumatic for me. I was such a physically active person when I was young, in the top ten percent in my physical fitness. I don't know if you remember those presidential physical fitness tests we used to have to do in PE every year. Can't really remember exactly when that started, or what president started that? I'll try to Google that.
Back in high school, PE was my best/fav subject. The only one that I didn't have to struggle to get through. ADHD didn't really mess ya up with PE. Didn't have to focus to do well in PE. If it wouldn't have been for mom, I might have been a professional PE student, or teacher. I'd have rather been the one playing than the one teaching though. I was competitive.
For the president's physical test, we had to do a certain number of physical activities. You got a percentile score. To get the award, you had to be in the top ten percent in each. I remember some of them. One was hanging from a bar for as long as you could, Girls didn't have to do chin ups. One was the standing broad jump. I held the high school record for that one. I think I did over 7 feet.
There were a couple of running tests, sit ups and you had to throw a softball. My grades weren't too good in high school but I could kick ass in the fitness area. Jan, you were probably one of the most significant people, in my life, when it came to teaching me how to improve in the other academic areas, You taught me how to study. And you taught me that studying could be fun.
I have enjoyed playing on the Trail lately. Only problem is that I'm not too into politics anymore. I don't keep up or know what those folks know. I just enjoy their company, most are like family. I probably also irritate them some but that's fun also.
Coreen and Chloe probably know since you guys either write or lurk on the Trail.
Craig's website is relatively new, well at least his server is. He's still working out the kinks. His blog is much more versatile and user friendly than this one. You can post Youtubes. Links are easier to post. Today we worked on posting pics. One of our family members had a new grandbaby. She posted it. Then others posted other pics of their grandkids. I wanted to practice posting a pic so I picked one of my bull children. It was kinda a strange pic. Craig said he made a mistake and took it off. He said it was an accident. He said that it would be pretty impossible to put it back up because of the server. I tried and it was. But old Carol found a way to alter the pic and the name of the pic so that the server wouldn't recognize it, and I got it back up. Craig said he liked the pic so if he was lying about that, old bully was back up there. Hey, I didn't have any kids to post. I'm glad that most of them over there do have a sense of humor.
Jan, I feel for you. I know I'm due for a colonoscopy (it's been 5 years). I can't even tell you to have a good day, because I know how miserable it's going to be. 5 years ago, and the memory of it feels like it was yesterday.
I woke up last night after only being asleep for a couple of hours, and had the worst neck pain that I've ever had and it went down my left back, shoulder and chest. I figure it's probably something to do with arthritis, but it was as close to unbearable as I've ever been. It's time for my yearly check up, and I've been putting it off. I can't put it off much longer because he'll tell me I have to come in or he won't renew my prescription. My doctor is also an indian guy (as I mentioned about Emma's pediatrician), and I adore him.
If you're like me, you'll be starving when you get out of there tomorrow. I remember being starved when I woke up . I had been so stick during the prep the day before. It was during that procedure that I learned to appreciate the anesthesiologist so much. Never felt or saw a thing.
Thank you Carol and Chloe for your support for my day today. It is not so bad so far. I had my tea with nothing in it. I usually put a little soy milk in it, but that is not acceptable today. It was not good so my next cup had a little sugar which is acceptable. Later I had some apple juice. Apple juice never tasted so good. Actually, I am not hungry.
We are watching the inauguration. It is impressive. I noticed that Obama stumbled on the word "states" at the end of his Oath. Some people will jump on that like a dog on a bone.
Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce sang and they were both amazing. Kelly Clarkson was the 1st American Idol in 2001. I missed that one. Started watching the 2nd year in 2002.
Chloe, sorry to hear of your pain this morning. I would hazard a guess that you were laying in a way that a nerve was involved rather than arthritis. I would recommend some ibuprofin and maybe some heat on the affected area.
Carol, you credit me with too much, but thank you anyway. You had it in you but you needed a little encouragement to stretch your own mind. Like the saying goes, "success breeds success."
You are one of the most intelligent women I have known.
You encouraged me to take more risks physically. I would probably never have ski'ed or canoo-ed (cannot spell) if you had not encouraged me. I guess that is what friendship is about too - helping those we care about to stretch themselves to do things they might not have done on their own.
Carol, I just wrote a long post to you (I'm on the ipod and lost it). Basically just want you to know how much I've been enjoying your posts over at TM and am so glad that you're feeling so much better.
Sorry to say my time there has once again caused be to feel broken hearted, and I need to stop putting myself in that situation. I believe swjny is Sheila, and realize that she won't ever give up 'til I leave. I feel very guilty for not fighting more against what I perceived as mistreatment of Bill, and now I hate myself for being so wishy-washy with that effort. I find that I'm always compromising to just get along, and that always ends up making me feel so bad about myself.
So I'm going to leave them uninterupted in their beliefs but hopefully I will hopefully feel welcome to say what I want here.
... Yet, much of what we do to help each other is for more selfish reasons. I wanted to study with you because I wanted someone to study with and you wanted someone to share your adventures. I guess that is what life is about too- sharing ourselves and what we like to do with someone we like spending time with...
Chloe, I like having you there also. We made a good team in the past. I don't want to hurt your feelings but I sometimes think you perceive insult where none was ever really intended. I have the tendency to do the same thing, that is why I understand it.
I think most everyone there loves you but they can't try hard enough to prove that to you. Hey, if someone doesn't like us..so effing what? We don't share a house with them. We just drop in for a visit every now and again. Just ignore them unless you need to make a point, then debate the issue. Your truth is your truth, whatever it is and you have the every right to express it, as much as anyone else there does.
I often like to start with a disclaimer..."I'm just an idiot but here I go anyway" Then I feel like I disarm anyone who wants to tell me they think I am. he he he
194 comments:
She's not a hundred percent but she never was.
Very cute picture of your little baby, Carol.
Reg: "She's not a hundred percent but she never was."
... that makes two of us.
Jan, Sorry I haven't been able to get on Facebook. I think I need to reactivate my account. (?)
Would have like to seen the video.
Hope John is on the mend, and that you are doing well too.
Chloe, neither am I. And she is still weird but has more of a bounce in her step. I may still be the cause of her being weird. I think if we can ever get back to the camp, we will both get better.
I think the kitties get under the house, by the fireplace and make noise and that spookes her. She's easily spooked.
"I may still be the cause of her being weird."
Carol, I worry about that constantly, because Emma has chosen me as her role model, and it's made me work a lot harder at being a good calm person (and for me, being calm isn't easy).
So I guess you could say, that because of M, I'm (becoming) a better person.
I so glad you both (even if it's only metaphorically) have gotten the bounce back in your steps.
I dropped back in, because I'm just starting episode 6 of season 2 of Downton Abbey. Hulu is so different than Netflix, that it's been a struggle to get it set up right. They give you a free week or so, and I've cancelled three times, just so I could go back and get it set up right. I'm finally there. I'm not sure I didn't miss an episode or two though, because working it out got me pretty confused about what I'd seen and where I am.
No problem though, I sure I'll watch it all again in the future.
This episode starts out with Lady Mary pushing Mathew along in a wheel chair. I paused because I want to point something out that she said said to him.
He said something about wishing William were the one here..that he was the brave one, and that sacrifice should have been rewarded.
Mary says "You were both brave... and goes on to say that "I don't think we can say (shit is what it sounded like, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have used that word, just can make it out) about what happens in war. It just happens."
Maybe there is someone else in the world that thinks like me. (?)
Do you remember that part (it was right at the beginning)?
I'm not out to make any point here, but I do find it comforting to know that we all have so many different ways of thinking of things... and they may sound completely different -- but in the end, I don't think it's as different as we think.
... Ok, back to Mary and Mathew (they're waiting for me). I can't figure out which ones prettier. Him or her. :)
Little Maggie looks so cute with her glasses on.
Glad you are watching Downton Abbey Chloe.
Mary grew on me. At first I thought she was so arrogant - but that is the way the wealthy often are. I did think she treated her sister, Edith, badly. But then her sister got her back. I think what I like about the character, Mary (I do know that it is a movie) is the way she always says the right thing. I also like her voice. I think she has the most beautiful speaking voice.
Chloe, I do think Matthew is very handsome. Whoever did the casting did a great job.
I didn't care much for Matthew from the get go. He was a little too metrosexual for me. He did grow on me after a while and I like him a lot now. I do get aggravated with his over the top values..that he refuses to take that inherited money. It's a nice gesture to feel the way he does but all those who are involved are DEAD so who would know. He's just being stubborn but then again, money is really not that important to Matthew.
Mary is pretty, she's pretty selfish, pretty stubborn and I'm pretty sure she likes herself more than she likes anyone else. We all have a tendency to give pretty people a pass. Mary's like her dad when it comes to DA and following the old ways. She isn't as nice as her dad is and certainly isn't as naive as he is. He's pretty darn naive.
Mary was one of the only one's in the family who did nothing for the war effort. Sybil learned to cook and became a nurse. Edith learned to drive and drove that tractor. She sat with the soldiers and helped them write letters. Ma Ma did the organizing. Pa Pa kept up everyone's spirits. Mary just spent her time flirting, breaking hearts, and fulfilling her own fantasies.
I can't tell if Mary really liked any of her suitors. I thought that maybe she does like Matthew but then he is the heir to DA and she IS in love with DA.
What Mary did to Edith was just awful, really unforgivable. Mary had the looks, she had all the beaus, I think she may have been in line for a little inheritance but she had to undermine the one beau Edith worked so hard to get. And it was just to try to one up Edith, Mary didn't want that guy.
Now, a penny for your thought, my ladies.
Happy to see Maggie and you are on the mend...let's hope it continues...
Jan, hope John starts improving soon...I know there are a lot of people with the flu or flu like symptoms everywhere...
Yesterday afternoon while undecorating the tree, the opening Downton Abbey episode was on one of the pbs channels...I did watch/listen to it Carol...
Of all the characters I liked Shirley Mclaine...(probably no surprise there)...
she told it like it was as far as
the impression of the british...
Mary was not really likable...Carol
all your comments about her sums her character up very well...
Had little interest in the staff's stories...
Seems that Downton Abbey is similar to the other pbs series
upstairs/downstairs...didn't watch that, but I believe it was a similar series about the british
royalty/commoner theme...the wealthy family & the staff that makes their lives comfortable...
"I think what I like about the character, Mary (I do know that it is a movie) is the way she always says the right thing. I also like her voice. I think she has the most beautiful speaking voice. "
LOL, Jan. Yeah, it was 'Something about Mary' with Cameron Diaz. It was sooo funny when we first saw it. Probably wouldn't watch it again, but we laughed so much when we saw it in the theater (oh so long ago).
I hadn't thought about how beautiful Lady Mary's speaking voice is but now that you mention it I'm sure I will. What I liked about her in this last episode is that began to show her vulnerability. She is a very good actress, because she was able to change and mature (in the movie) as time passes.
The series sure does illustrate well (although subtly) how we all have to pay for our past mistakes.
While I was certain that you, Coreen, would identify with the...my poop doesn't stink class, the servants do add so much to the flavor of the show. I'm sure that most of those in the upper crust could better survive without some of their family members than with less of their servants. Hope you're still smiling sister. Love ya.
Actually, I think I'm the only one here who identifies more with the servants. I don't identify with anyone specifically but I think I'd fit in better as a servant. Pretty much sums up a good bit of my life work.
Chloe, Something about Mary was one of my fav movies. I laughed so hard that I hurt myself. The second time I saw it, I laughed harder and even before some of the funny lines were spoken. I was laughing in anticipation.
Carol, I think that term 'metrosexual' is so funny. I've never heard it used that much, and I guess you are saying he was masculine enough (?) :)
I've always seen him as having high ideals (a few too many - something that can always look a little snooty) but then peoples' values back then were so different.
I don't see Mary as overly beautiful, and i see her previous bad behavior as immaturity (adding in some faulty values, which I think she is growing out of). I think Sybil is much prettier (than Mary), but don't 'necessarily' see her in a better light: because she wanted to beome a nurse. A noble choice, yes.... but it's what she wanted and I didn't confuse that with any kind of obligation.
I don't ever judge the people in 'period movies' by the same values that we have now. That philosophy/logic class was talking about the other day centered a lot around 'value judgments'. I think that is what explains how differently we all see things (our value judgments), and that is why everything is so subjective IMHO.
There are a lot more opinions than there are facts, and I see that as a good thing. As you all know (since I've said it so many times) I believe that 'we can all disagree and all be right' at the same time. I can say that with feeling I am contradicting myself.
(... as for Edith, I actually think she see's herself as misunderstood and as a victim. Go figure (?))
Carol, it's so easy to get the expected response from you these days...like we know each other too well...
Not sure I said I liked the family at all...but then again not really ever overwhelmed with the fascination many Americans have for all things british royal class...
I did enjoy Shirley Maclaine's lines the best...(she was the one who could take charge & actually do something when things don't go right, like the stove failure, when the family wringing their hands about oh my god no dinner to serve! & she saves the day) or her comment upon arriving in that wonderful vintage red automobile, when she said to the twit Mary, tell me about your wedding plans, & I can tell you how to make it better) gotta love her...surprised that you did not make any mention of her...
Carol,
I also very much identify with the servants. Also, the hardships of women back then were so much more difficult and atrociously misogynistic (that probably wasn't even a word back then).
The poor lady with the little baby, that's treated as an outcast is heart breaking. The two characters in love, but unable to get out of the grasp of the wicked appearing-ly so) ex-wife (who is now suspiciously dead at the end of the episode I just watched).
Sorry I'm not remember all the names, but the characters I feel I know intimately. The feeling that most of the staff are as good as family, and rightfully so. I see all of that. It's just all so intricate, that each one has a story of their own.
Like I said before, I don't put myself in anyone's place, but rather feel myself as an onlooker... a very lucky onlooker, having the pleasure of sharing their lives with them.
The only two characters I completely dislike are the two gossips (we all know how wicked they can be).
...as usual, I leave out some of the most important words. I was saying metro-sexual must mean he 'wasn't' masculine enough, not was.
All this discussion (for me) is completely for the sake of fun, and I find it ever so much fun to find the different ways we all interpret things. I notice our interpretation is ever so entwined with the way we see the world.
This discussion is for pleasure only, as far as I'm concerned. If our different interpretations become an argument, then the fun will be gone.
Interesting that you are saying you id with the servant class, yet not even a mention of them by name or any of their storylines...
NOT contradicting myself. I said I'm am contradicting, but I mean I don't think am contradicting myself when I say we can all differ, but still all be right.
I absolutely cannot type as fast as I think. Add that to the sticky keys, and I've become a mess on this computer.
Chloe, nursing was an extremely dirty job back then. Besides the usual gross stuff, poop, blood and vomit, it included cooking, cleaning floors and windows.
Even here in the US, not that long ago, it was a pretty dirty job. My mom's grandma forbid her to be a nurse because she thought of it as such a dirty profession.
Hey, even in my day it could be pretty gross. I've had vomit dripping down my face. I was trying to start an IV in ICU. I was kinda kneeling down along side the bed with the patient's hand hanging off the bed to help get her veins to puff up. She leaned over and barfed on my head. Thank you very much.
I got up, calmly walked out of the room, calmly walked to the bathroom and gagged my ass off. Then I cleaned up. Couldn't let my patient see me do that.
Chloe, I promise, I'm not judging right or wrong here. I could care less. I'm going with what you guys have said are your interests. You like to read, don't care much for housework or cooking. It was just a guess and I'm open to you're telling me I'm dead wrong.
Can't see you as a servant in any way shape of form Coreen. Sorry if that seems judgmental. I wouldn't mind waiting on ya.
Coreen,
If that last post was meant for me, I don't know all the names because I watch the first season of this show so long ago. I should have gone back to the beginning and started over.
I also had problems downloading the second season, and believe I missed and episode or two.
Names aren't important to me anyway. Faces are.
The only reason I used the names, Mary, Edith, Mathew etc. is to be able to communicate with Jan and Carol and they'd know who I was talking about.
There are over a dozen servants, and for most their parts are much less focused on.
The movies is beautifully done. It's really hard to discuss it with someone who only peeked in once.
I don't identify with any of those servant characters but I think I'd do well with the cooking job. I like to cook and I could sneak a little of their fine food. I certainly couldn't do the housework or the waiting on the ladies.
Chloe, I've seen the episodes more than once and even some many more times. I still don't do well with their names. I've never been good with names.
But I'm really good with remembering other details about people, just not names. I have only limited RAM.
"Chloe, nursing was an extremely dirty job"
I know Carol, and I respect nurses and doctors VERY much.
Raising a baby is very messy too. I've been vomited on, peed on, changed thousands of poopy diapers. What you get in return is temper tantrums, very loud crying and a loss of sleep. Not to mention the constant worrying.
So I can relate a little. The difference is, with a baby there's more of a bond and a lot of love for the human being that is completely dependent on you.
I don't know how you nurse do it. I wouldn't be able to be that giving every day of my life. The thing with kids, is that they grow up.
Then, things get really bad!
No Chloe, I was not refering to you
at all...it was to Carol...& the fact that all the comments were about the family & their experiences, not the staff...
"Actually, I think I'm the only one here who identifies more with the servants. I don't identify with anyone specifically but I think I'd fit in better as a servant"
I do enjoy the staff drama also. I like Bates and his lady. Can't stand Thomas and that woman he's hangs out with. They are always stirring shit. I've been hoping he'd get his karma but so far he seems to keep coming out ahead. He's a total sociopath.
"Chloe, I promise, I'm not judging right or wrong here"
Carol, You needn't explain that to me. I know you weren't and I only brought up how we relate to movies, etc. in different way.
That's what makes it so interesting. That's why we're discussing it. I would never turn this into an argument. I love our difference -- all of them.
Oh, and did Bates kill his wife? I had a moment, during the last episode where I thought that maybe he did. It was when he was interacting with his cellmate.
If he did kill that bitch, I almost feel like she had it coming. Forgive me. Does that qualify as intention Chloe??? Hope not.
I also have this feeling that maybe Mary's x, the newspaper man might have had her killed. Anyone have any theories there?
But Chloe, sometimes we see differences that aren't even there. You're kinda like me in that you enjoy a good debate and might have to change sides just to keep one going.
Chloe, I'm a pretty quick study...whether I peeked in only once or not...
My comments where directed at Carol's observations about the series...it is getting tiresome
to explain every word written so I will just let it go...
In earlier episodes I thought Thomas was O'Brien's son because she favored him so much. Not sure where I got that but I looked it up and Thomas is not her son. However, the reason it said that O'brien favored Thomas so much is because they both seemed to disdain many of the other characters in the show. Now she has turned against Thomas because he has put her nephew in a bad light with the Lord.
Yeah, pick on old Carol Coreen. Be careful, this old girl has been pretty fragile lately.
Jan, you are the only one good with names. We need that. I need a list next to my chair to refer to.
I have watched DA since the first season although missed the first showing. I watched it because I loved Upstairs, Downstairs. I have always loved drama that is about other cultures and earlier times. I am so glad I was born at another time. I would not like to have lived in a time or place where a certain group of people were so oppressed. I find it difficult to understand how women who are Republican can put up with all the crap that so many young and older Republican men can dictate how their bodies should be treated (abortion and other issues).
The book I am reading "Team of Rivals" tells how people felt about the oppression of African Americans. It is hard to believe that almost all white people back then believed AA's to be an inferior group of people. But on the other hand, there are still people I know today who believe that. Even Lincoln, early in his presidency thought the "Negro" once freed should be sent back to Africa.
So Chloe, I too believe we have to view these dramas according to the social values and climate of the time and place. Not that any one of us would wish for some of those oppressive ideas to be in effect today.
I hope that someone puts together a drama based upon the entire book "Team of Rivals" The movie, Lincoln, only dramatized a very small part of it. I am half way through the book (at page 522). The movie, Lincoln, began at about page 450. So there is so much more to the book. I do have some trouble keeping up with some of the characters.
Carol, you can google some of the characters in DA. It is amazing how much google can tell us.
Jan, Google and I are very close friends.
And I have Googled DA. I found some stuff on Wiki that gave hints of what is to come. I think we did discuss this on the telie.
Carol, I loved your story about getting vomited on. I laughed so hard, I had to share it with John. You are great at relating something that happened to you.
I remember when I first told Bob I wanted to be a nurse. He was encouraging me to go to "college." We had just returned from Argentina and were going to Lake Charles for him to check out a transfer his company wanted him to do. We went out to McNeese and he picked up some catalogs and we looked at them on the way back to OK. I remember the conversation. He said "Why don't you go to school." I saw they had a nursing program and I told him "I have always wanted to be a nurse and he said "Oh you don't want to be a nurse, that is dirty work. I think you should go into education and be a teacher." Carol, you know the rest of the story. LOL
Yes Carol, I remember we did talk about this. Google and I too are good friends.
There's another Highclere Castle show on PBS tonight. It says it's new. Secrets of Highclere Castle. It's on at 5p here so that will be 6 for you Jan. You might want to check it out and record it.
"All this discussion (for me) is completely for the sake of fun, and I find it ever so much fun to find the different ways we all interpret things. I notice our interpretation is ever so entwined with the way we see the world."
I could not agree more Chloe. I love your insight.
Thanks for the "heads up" Carol. I will find it.
BTW, John is better this morning. He said he is coughing lots less. However, it could be that he took some Coricidin for his drippiness so don't know if his decreased coughing is due to that or antibiotics. Not to worry, he will take all the antibiotics. John is the most compliant patient I have ever known, he follows his docs orders "religiously." Ha ha, that was a pun since he is a "man of the cloth."
That vomit story is funny now but it definitely wasn't at the time.
Some may think that we in medicine are super tough. Sometimes we are. I can put up with stuff on the job that I couldn't put up when not. It's just not the time to fall apart then.
Very much like being a mama I would think Chloe. I'm sure there are times that sight, smell and sounds can push you over your gross tolerance limit like they do us when we're working but you can't let that stop you. You have an important job to do. You just wait until you get a break to react.
"John is the most compliant patient I have ever known, he follows his docs orders "religiously."
You know Jan, I've found that guys, more often than not, are more compliant than women. I found the same thing with my diabetes ed students. Of course when they are non-compliant, they top the scales there.
SF would have jumped off a cliff if his doc told him to. That was before his mind went.
The Golden Globes are on tonight. I like these shows too. I love movies.
Feeling very lazy this morning. But must try to get something done. If nothing else, I want to get my 2 mile walk in. I have really gotten out of the habit of walking since I injured my knee. It has been ok for some time now. It is amazing how habits work.
Good thing I can record two things at the same time.
Also need to give Ryley a bath. She is a dirty little dog -beginning to stink. I did not realize that little dogs live longer than bigger dogs. So happy about that. We were so devastated when Lobie died. She was 12.
I am not watching any of new shows. Idol begins this week. Will watch that. I still like Grey's Anatomy and Big Bang. But do not want to get interested in newer shows. TV Takes too much time. I would rather rent movies.
We can only tape 2 things at a time too.
I got pulled away from my computer so quickly, and now I see Jan has slipped in too.
But I can't catch up until we get back later. My hands are full on weekends, with Emma off school.
Jan, one thing I did think of last night is I'm sure about what you were saying about post nasal drip and I do think that is the big problem with this cough illness that has made it's rounds.
When I went for mine (months ago), beside the Zpac, they also prescribed me an asthma inhaler. It worked great, for those first few day while the medication was working on getting rid of the congestion.
Also, they suggested the anti mucous or congestion drugs (over the counter) too.
Talk to you all later!
Oh, and Coreen,
What you said about being able to tell if you'd like a series/movie by peeking in is true of me too.
I can usually tell pretty clicking if I'm not going to like something or not.
I watch a lot of TV at home alone, because my taste is different from Hubby's (and that's the way I prefer it). We go to movies together, and sometimes go into different theaters we want to see different ones. That way we're both happy!
Coreen, I've always loved Shirley MacLaine. She's my kind of kooky. I've read at least one of her books. I liked most of the movies she's been in and I think that I've seen most of them. If she's in one, I try to see it.
I do like her character. I loved her picnic idea. There's just so much we can talk about with that series. She's so new that I haven't had time to focus as much on her yet.
Chloe, I've just recently learned to watch non-fiction TV again. I've watched more in the last three weeks than for the last 10+ years. When you find something you think I might like on Netflix, let me know. I have the same problem with Netflix as I do going shopping at a large department store. I'm so overwhelmed with all the choices that I have trouble picking anything.
The weather here today is yukkie...again. There's a high percent chance of rain but so far it's just been a drizzle. It also seems like much of the rain is passing.
The wind did shift to the north which is something I've been praying for. We really need a strong north wind to blow down the river. The river is higher today than it peaked at last year when I was run out of my camp.
Last night the wind was blowing hard from the south. That can blow the river up as bad as a hard rain can. Even though the wind is now out of the north, I need it to be much stronger.
Jan, I think that Highchlere Castle show is a rerun of last week's show. That's what cable says. Dish Network guide is confused.
I am a fiction junkie Carol. Always have been. Fiction helped me live in the world when I was a child and young teen and helped me succeed as a college and grad student. Simply reading as a child expands one's mind and imagination in ways that are difficult to measure.
I was also Jan. I just went thru that 10+ year period where I was too focused on reality. It wasn't good for me. My return to fantasy probably saved me recently. Too much reality triggered both.
And my definition of a metrosexual guy is a heterosexual guy that is extremely well groomed, hair and nails included.
Just looked it up and Wiktionary defines..."A man concerned with personal appearance, such as personal grooming, fashion, and aesthetics in general; who may or may not be concerned with self-indulgence and money"
They are nice to look at but I prefer my guys a little rough around the edges.
Yes, we have so much reality around us. Fiction or any kind of distraction is good. I don't think we should stick our heads in the sand and not know what is going on around us but too much of anything can destroy us.
Metrosexual - learned something today. Had never heard of this before. I too like a guy who is well groomed, but too often found in my younger years that excessive grooming in a male was not attractive to me.
I did my 2 mile walk and feel good about it. I can tell I am out of shape. Was huffing and puffing when got finished.
That 2 mile walk sounds good, Jan.
Wish I was more motivated.
Carol and Jan,
I agree with you about 'fiction' being the best way to lower our stress levels. A couple of days ago, when I spent too much talking over at TM (and therefore too involved in politics again) I could tell by the next day that I had spent too much time thinking about the wrong things (I was feeling very uptight).
Carol, I que up all my netflix choices on their site (not from the menu on the TV). That way is much less confusing to me. I've spent large amounts of time going through choices in the past, and eventually came up with a lot of movies, etc. that were unexpectedly good, and the horrible ones.... well they're easy to zap off and remove from Que (which happens quite frequently).
For instance, I go to Netflix.com and sign into my account, and they have rows of suggestions of newly released downloads, another making suggestions for movies or series that you may like based on what you watched previously, foreign dramas, and so on. (it helps if you rate the ones you like a lot, because then when you're searching online, they make suggestions for similar type movies.
Looking at my download history I'll try to pick out a few I liked in the past. I think I watched everything they had that was based on Jane Austen's books, including one or more versions of
"Pride and Predjudice" (some are much better than others).
"2 Days in Paris" funny
"A room with a view" (there are 2 different versions I believe, one better than the other)
"The Answer Man" **** this one was absolutely hilarious, imo. Jeff Daniels stars
"As It Is in Heaven" ***** very uplifting
"Mozart's Sister"
"Moscow, Belgium"
"Starting Out in the Evening" (slightly depressing, but good)
"Country Life"
"The City of Your Final Destination"
"Let It Rain"
"I Do: How to Get Married and Stay Single" (hilarious, imo, but then I do love the french)
"Jane Eyre"
"Happily Ever After"
"EAT, PRAY, LOVE" Julie Roberts
.... there's millions more to choose from. If you don't like subtitles, then you'll have to eliminate a lot of what I liked.
LONG LIVE FICTION!!
Carol,
You may hate my choices, but regardless, I'm sure you can find many you will like, and once you do, it'll all start flowing from there.
Thanks Chloe, I'll check them out. I also like a good mystery/suspense movie. I'll let you know when I find one I really like.
Coreen, here’s a little run down on some of the servants:
Carson, the butler. Pretty decent guy. He sees to it that everyone does their job. He’s real partial to Mary. When she was planning to marry this rich newspaper creep, he was going to move with her to be their butler.
Ms Hughes. She’s the one who may have breast cancer. It lists her as a housekeeper but I think of her a kinda the head of the female staff. She’s pretty decent lady.
Ms Patmore. The cook. She had a little crisis with cataracts and was going blind but she had surgery and had much better luck than I had…and that was in the 1920s. Not funny. She’s been little Daisy’s mentor but she won’t give up any control to young Daisy.
Daisy. She’s the undercook, assistant. She married one of the young footmen William, on his deathbed. He went to war, was seriously injured. He always had a crush on her and she pretended she felt the same way when he left for war, just to keep his spirits up. He came home, was dying and the rest of the crew, mostly Ms Patmore, talked her into marrying William. She felt bad because she thought that she was deceiving him. Kinda like how Matthew feels about taking that inheritance.
Thomas, asshole supreme. He’s been a scoundrel from the get go. He undermines just about everyone especially Bates. He was in cahoots with Ms O’Brien. They were always plotting some serious mischief. He went to war, not his choice, big chicken, and he purposely got shot thru the hand so he could get out and come home. Just when we think he’s going to get some of the karma he deserves, he gets lucky.
Ms O’Brien, she’s lady Grantham’s lady maid and Thomas’s co-conspirator. She is getting a little of what she deserves as Thomas torments her nephew.
Bates, he was Lord Grantham’s valet until he went to prison. He came to DA crippled. He was in some African war with Lord Grantham. He was married to this bitch who screwed him and the entire up stairs family over. She ended up dead from poisoning. It’s kinda a long story but a significant part of the plot.
Anna, lady Mary’s lady maid. She’s one of my favs. She married Bates after his wife died. She’s an important character. She helped Mary and Cora, Mary’s mom, drag the body of this handsome visitor they had who came to hunt. The night he stayed over, he snuck into Mary’s room. They got it on and he croaked on top of her. That happened in season one and you ought to find and watch that one. It’s an important part of the entire series.
There are a few more but not as important…IMO
Carol,
I like mystery/suspense movies too. It can be difficult to find what you're looking for sometimes.
I've gone through many stages since getting Netflix, and they change from time to time.
I think you may be able to do a search for mysteries. Or if you know of any from the past, and do a search for it on the netflix site, chances are they'll have it.
ps
I looked up the cast too. :)
Jan, Chloe, feel free to add to or correct what I wrote.
Chloe, the other night I watched this movie "The Magic of Belle Isle". I really liked it. It was a drama and it stared Morgan Freeman and other's I've never heard of.
"The night he stayed over, he snuck into Mary’s room. They got it on and he croaked on top of her"
I'd completely forgotten about that! (the ol' memory ain't what it used to be... it's gotten as bad as my typing). I think it was over a year ago that I watched it and I should have started over. At some point I will.
Love the write up you did!!
"The Magic of Belle Isle"
I'm adding it to my que. I'm always on the look-out.
Dang Chloe, how could you forget about that??? He was a handsome devil but I knew it wasn't going to lead to anything good. He almost seemed like a rapist to me. If Mary would have resisted, I think he would have been a rapist.
Hubby wants me to watch "Head Hunters" (a danish mystery, he says) and "Lilly Hammer" (which he thinks is about 3 parts.
I just need to get organized, and spend more time focusing on the things we share here at 'The Swamp'.
I've got some serious 'habit' changing' to work on.
I think right here with you guys is a good place to start.
Chloe, I watched the first season at least two times each. Some of the second season I watched more than that. I was desperate for escape. It was like I was on vacation.
And Coreen, I never usually was that interested in British drama before.
I told you guys that over the holidays, I had a walk in. Some entity possessed me.
Chloe, I've been totally useless lately and feel totally guilty for being that way. Maybe when I learn to accept that I should be allowed being useless for a while, I'll be able to move on to being more productive.
"Dang Chloe, how could you forget about that???"
It must have been the thousand movies I've watched since.
Carol, I have to tell you that Netflix has changed my life. I've had DirecTv available to me for a long time, but for some reason I never felt like watching it. I think Netflix makes me feel more in control.
" Maybe when I learn to accept that I should be allowed being useless for a while, I'll be able to move on to being more productive."
LOL, Carol!!
I wouldn't count on it. I've turned being useless into an art form.
Maybe being useless is what we're 'supposed' to be doing.
Remember, there are those who think everything else we feel 'obligated' to do is just 'distraction'.
Let's go with the flow.
I just got Netflix to see the first season of DA. I had it a while back but dropped it when they went up on the price. I just never used it.
Now I feel like I should keep it so I can pay them back for having watched those shows and many more. If I can find stuff I like, it will be worth the price. I can never find anything on the 200 plus channels on the satellite to watch.
" I can never find anything on the 200 plus channels on the satellite to watch."
I hear ya
"Let's go with the flow."
I'm game Chloe. It's not like I have anyone else here to criticize me. If someone comes to visit, I'll get things cleaned up.
I do keep my kitchen relatively clean because I like to cook and I need the room.
I have a serious disorder when it comes to all the paperwork. Right now I have files stacked up on the floor here in the living room. I did get to putting some of the paperwork in file folders. Now I need to find somewhere to put them.
I've tried to get all our mail turned into ebills. Cuts way down on the paper, and keeps me more on schedule.
Here's another Netflix that I thoroughly enjoyed at the time: Lilly
Emma calls, will check back in later.
I bet Ms Ivy is really into DA. She would be fun to discuss the shows with. I hope she is OK. Still wish I knew why she ran off. I also wish she would let us know she is OK.
Carol, good description of major characters and events. In today's world the assignation (love that word) between Lady Mary and the Turkish guy would have been a rape on his part. He pushed himself into her room (Thomas showed him where it was) and pushed her onto the bed. She did resist and then seemed to give in but I would have called it a rape because she was not really on board with it. I was disappointed that she did not tell her mother and father that he did that.
In many cultures, rape of a woman means she is "ruined" forever in terms of marriageability. Talk about oppression.
You know Jan, now that you reminded me..I really thought that she should have told them that he raped her also. It was 95% rape. That was a part of the show that I thought wasn't very realistic.
The guy was dead and I think it would have been better if she would have just said it was rape but then maybe it would have become public and she wanted it kept secret.
They still could have kept it private but she would have not looked so bad to her mom and dad and could have saved the family all those headaches with the scandal. But then so much of the plot that followed wouldn't have worked, would it? I guess it had to be what it had to be for the story line to work. But it did still bother me also.
There we go, trying to make everything make sense. Can't do that with fiction...I guess not even with non-fiction. Truth can be stranger than fiction.
That was another crappy thing that Thomas did. He helped to set Mary up for that encounter but then he may have felt he had to because, remember, he came on to that Turkish guy and could have gotten in serious trouble for it. The guy then made Thomas do it.
You may not know Coreen but Thomas is gay. He may have come on to the Turkish guy because he misread his gaydar. The Turkish guy was very pretty.
I'm watching the Golden Globes now. I can't wait until later when I get to watch DA.
Maggie Smith did win an award for her role in DA, season 2.
Did any of you see Marigold Hotel? Maggie Smith was in that one also.
And just in case my lady Ivy does ever drop by...we all love and miss you.
"Chloe, I promise, I'm not judging right or wrong here. I could care less."
Carol, You know how you said that sometimes you could just wish you could reach out and hug Craig. Well, right now, I just wish I could reach out and hug you.
Please don't ever feel that you have to promise me anything. I could care less either. It's just fun discussing things with you, and it doesn't matter when we don't agree or see things the same way.
It makes me so sad that you don't know that. All I want is your honesty. And I just want to feel I can be honest with you too, without you taking it wrong or getting annoyed with me.
And what you said about being open to saying you are dead wrong... please don't ever feel like that with me. I value your friendship so much, and I don't want you to feel like you have to act any particular way, because nothing you can say will change that.
Lady Mary is vulnerable, you are vulnerable and I am vulnerable. That's what honesty does to us. We lay it out there, and it makes us vulnerable.
But so what, we can take it. I already told you I won't run away any more. Say whatever you want, talk about whatever you want. That's what this place is all about.
I just watched a movie called "The Words" (netflix DVD.. had it and one other for almost a week, but was concerned about getting Hulu going, so I could watch the DA series with you.
That movie gave me so much to think about, but of course one of the last lines in it stuck with me (for obvious reason to those who know me).
It was (paraphrasing) 'Once we make our decisions, we've got to live with them.' It made me think that maybe it's unproductive to second guess the thing we've done in life. We all right here where we belong.
I love my little sign that says (very playfully) 'Every little thing is going to be alright'. (got that one at TG Max and love it). Also got one there that simply says "EZ Breezy" and another that says ".. and they lived happily ever after".
I like to surround myself with reminders of the lighter moments, even if it is just for fun. Because I really do think we become what we spend most of our time thinking about.
I'm sorry that you miss Ivy so much. I'm sure she's looking out for herself and is doing fine.
I'm sure she knows we all love her.
Downton Abbey did not disappoint. I hope Edith gets through this ok. I do agree with Matthew's mother that what Edith needs now is something to do.
Thanks Chloe and I agree.
I watched the Golden Globes and now I'm going to watch DA. I might end up falling asleep but I can watch it again and again and again.
Watched some of Golden Globes. I have watched now the People's Awards, the Critic's Awards and now the Golden Globes. John said tonight, "I have seen this before." Yes, he has - 3 nights in a row. Ok. I am tired of awards shows now. Onto something else. I did enjoy seeing Bill Clinton tonight talk about the Lincoln movie.
**Spoiler Alert**
I did like most of the story on DA tonight. Hate what happened to Edith. She always gets screwed or rather not screwed. So. the guys older. Big deal Is being a spinster preferable to the family or do they want to keep her as their designated parent caregiver. I wanted to slap granny.
Cora is such a wonderful loving mother and wife. I'm happy that Matthew finally came to his senses. I
Figured he eventually would. I would have been quite happy with the downsize house. It kinda had a little softer looking exterior.
What do you make of what's going on with Bates. I worry that maybe Anna will learn that Batea actually did do dirty deed.
It's bedtime
I thought that the Golden Globes were more tolerable than many of the award shows. Amy and Tina Fey did a great job but I've always loved both of them.
I've watched the movies listed at both of our movie theaters here for a month now hoping to see Silver Linings Playbook listed. Nope. There's about 24 movies between the two theaters. Why do you think they won't show that movie here??
Carol, your list of staff characters was helpful...pbs showed last week's opener before the 2nd episode...disappointed that Shirley is only in the opener...
and about the money...that was a given Carol, remember...'it's always about the money'...
Chloe, I know how much you are committed to the concept of free choice. A good concept. You are also aware of how manipulated we are.
I found this little video in the TEDtalks that demonstrates how we are manipulated. I feel we are constantly the victims of manipulation and often we don't even want to acknowledge that it is happening.
Dan Ariely asks, Are we in control of our own decisions?
Coreen, was that the only episode where Shirley will appear? I was wondering about that myself last night.
Watched some of Golden Globes. I have watched now the People's Awards, the Critic's Awards and now the Golden Globes. John said tonight, "I have seen this before." Yes, he has - 3 nights in a row. Ok. I am tired of awards shows now. Onto something else. I did enjoy seeing Bill Clinton tonight talk about the Lincoln movie and give a tribute to t
Interesting, mylast comment posted was still on my "leave your comment" above so I hit publish again. Sorry it is appearing 2 times but with several of your comments in between. Oh well, on with the day.
Carol, love your comment about Edith. I think her family are being jerks.
OK, so my grammar stinks.
I wonder if Edith might go to America for a time and be with her other grandmother, Shirley. That would be my suggestion
One of the things Edith told her father in a previous show was that the war took so many young men so there were few to choose from. So I say "Go West" Edith.
Carol, love the picture of Maggie with your glasses. She is so cute.
Jan, I was wondering if Edith's beau, what's his name, heard what granny was saying at the wedding and then made a sudden decision to back out?? What ya think? Wasn't great timing and it was very cruel for Edith.
If that was how wimpy and mean he was, then Edith was better off without him. Sybil's husband, Tom, didn't let the family run him off. He stood up and fought for Sybil.
I hate the nasty weather we are having. I don't see any hope of sun for days. The river has leveled off at about 7.5 feet, three feet over flood stage. According to the graph predicting the level, it won't start going down until past Friday, if then. You can also follow it's progress.
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service
Carol,
I absolutely loved that link of 'Predictably Irrational'. (He's sooo funny too)
You might have noticed that I've never said that we all have the ability or even desire to make 'rational' decisions (all the time). Just that we have free choice.
When we let all those complications and manipulation (and even too much emotion) get in the way... well, that's still a choice.
That's what I was talking about in the post of Truth, Secrets and Lies. It's so hard to make choices without all the accurate facts.
Another thing I don't talk about as much is 'trade-offs', but I feel just as passionately about the fact that every choice we make has it's trade-offs. We often have to give up something, to get something else, and vice-versa.
Then you add in values and the million other things that make us all different: well, once that's done I right back to believing what I've believed for a long time (not forever, though).
We create our own reality.
Regarding the Silver Linings movie: It is an small, independent movie and they often don't make it nationwide.
I remember we had hundreds more new movies per year screened in California than they did when we first got here.
They (the independents)normally open in L.A. and N.Y. first (because the price of marketing them is huge). The sure think, the blockbuster movies go nation wide right off (usually).
It's just been the last few years that Houston has started getting more of the 'limited release' movies, which I'm sure is because there' been such a raise in population and a huge amount of multiplexes opened.
That river chart sure looks alarming.
One last thing, Carol.
If you're interesting, Craig has a list of linked blogs for sites like yours on the bottom left side of his site. The old one is gone.
He has a link to email him (bottom left) if you want your site linked from his site again.
I saw that and wondered why we were removed. I felt like maybe he didn't want to list us anymore. We are one of the blogs that has endured longer than most blogs do and we have more discussion than most blogs do. And I think that our discussions are interesting/entertaining. We have quite a few drops on the map. I do think that that map is accurate since it usually lists most of us when we come on or even when we move to another state and come on.
Now, not everyone who lurks here shows up on that map so there are probably more people who lurk than are indicated by that map. I never do show up on the map when I'm on. I don't know why. Maybe it's due to the way I connect to the Internet.
Did anyone hear Jody Foster's speech last night? I had no clue what she was trying to say. I heard that others felt the same way.
I thought that she was headed in one direction and then she never arrived. I thought she was coming out as gay but that didn't seem to be where she was going. It seemed she was saying she wouldn't act in any more movies but not sure about that either. Maybe some of the audience knew because many were crying.
Same here about Jodie F. Confusing.
"I saw that and wondered why we were removed"
Carol, Everyone was removed (I think it may have been an accident by his techs)
When he requested that Trail Mixers who had a blog to send him their link address and name of the blog so he could link them on the side... I think that's when you weren't on the computer for a couple of weeks (or else you just missed those comments)
Just click on his link to email him (down by the TM blogroll) and he will link you. He seemed very interested in linked everyone that has a blog.
He seemed very sincere about wanting everyone linked.
... take your pick of which of those last two sentences to remove.
I'm going to start doing you guys a favor, and proofread I post, instead of after.
It's save us all a lot of time.
(wonder why I didn't think of that sooner? :))
Chloe, go toThe Daily Show from last night and check out the bit they did about investigative journalism. You'd be interested in that story. Goes with stuff you've talked about. I can't link it here. My mystery debilitating mid back pain returned the minute the temp dropped like a rock. I can only comment on iPhone. I'm not sure what's going on with me.
Sorry to hear that you are having
severe back pain Carol...is there anything you can take for the pain or just try to wait for it to subside...is anyone close by to help if you need it...
Last night I saw one of the reasons I really have trouble watching fiction tv. On Netflix I found this little cop/detective series called Glade. It's about a cop who moved to Florida from Chicago. It's pretty interesting. In one of the episodes there's a hurricane, not uncommon to Florida. In the middle of a cat 4 hurricane they have a class reunion being held a this hotel. I guess they needed a class reunion as part of the plot. There's no way in hell that a hotel would have a class reunion going on during a cat 4 hurricane. I really have trouble having my intelligence insulted like that. I think that even a 10 year old could write a smarter plot. It makes me want to immediately turn off the show. Does that kind of thing bother anyone else?
The snow was finally all gone after last weekend's foggy days/nights (fog eats snow, a good thing)...then naturally last night it snowed again...3" wet heavy snow fell...just managed to shovel a path to feed the birds, they were out there at 7 am trying to dig into the snow for some food(talk about back pain, not to mention the rapid heart beating shoveling, it's gets harder & harder to shovel at all!)... did I mention I hate snow!...didn't even try to walk out to the street to get the papers yet...maybe I'll just drive out later, the driveway won't be plowed til after Donald gets out of work this evening...
I'm really angry at Lance Armstrong. I bet there's not one of us who didn't at some time feel a lot of respect and admiration for him even we didn't give a hoot about cycling. And I can deal wIth the fact that he was doping but will never forgive him for what he did to those who tried to tell the truth. He cost them extreme grief and severe financial loss. I hope that he ends up losing every penny he ever made from his fraud and most of it should go to those who lost so much trying to expose the truth about him.
Coreen, didn't see you slip in.
Pain meds aren't helping. That's what makes it so scary. I can find a position where I can get the pain to a
2-3 but to change that position often takes a
10 or more. This started before Christmas, had it for weeks then it just went away. It hit me again Monday when the temp dropped. I' do have a lot of old bone injuries and I can predict weather changes but this is totally crazy.
I've been communicating on my phone because I can't even lift my arms.
Gee Carol, so sorry to hear your pain has returned.
John's coughing has improved a lot. He was reading about coughing on the internet and it mentioned that mouth breathing leads to coughing.Because of his swim training he breathes through his mouth most of time. Well, he worked yesterday on breathing through his nose. Guess what? much of his coughing disappeared. Will let you know later if this change continues.
With mouth breathing he's bypassing an important filter Jan. I'm happy his coughing is better
I've been away from my computer all day again (I tried to comment with my IPhone -- took forever to write it in hubby's truck using my pinky... I need to carry a stylist with me), then I lost it all while trying to log in here.
Now my 'n' keyis sticking on my lap top (I have to pound it several times.. drives me crazy... who would know how many times we use the letter n), but the 's' has stopped sticking, at least temporarily.
Get here, and lost it lost my comment twice more (luckily had saved it on my mouse).
Carol, I bet you tell e the Universe it trying to tell me something.
If so, it's probably saying to keep my mouth shut.
... here goes
Jan,
Glad that John is better... that cough thing seems to be really hard to rid yourself of, when you have that post sinus drip.
Lot's of allergies this year for people who normally don't have them. I think a lot of times people breath through their mouths when there sinuses aren't clear.
Carol,
Hubby had really a bad knee problem, and his doctor thought he needed to replace it (it was unbearably painful), but when he saw another specialist, she recommended physical therapy.
We were skeptical, but it worked... and it didn't take all that long. They seem to work miracles.
Do you think it might help with your back.
Pain meds are useless with me too.
Cold weather makes everything hurt. Everything feels like more of a struggle too.
Carol, hope you are doing ok.
Before I forget...here is the video
of the song 'Somewhere over the rainbow' some of the children from Newtown recorded & is available on itunes with proceeds going to Newtown charities...they were on gma the other a.m....
Somewhere over the rainbow by Newtown children
I see you have been active this a.m. at TM Carol, with discussion about the children, which reminded me of this song that was just released....a positive thing for those involved....
Hope your back pain is getting less...
Coreen, Thanks for posting the link to the Newtown children singing. Beautiful.
Jan, the biggest problem is where this dang pain is. It's in the back and around the area where a bra would be. It involves where I had those three vertebral compression fracture. It does seem to be related to the weather but I have lots of other war wounds that aren't bothering me. I had 4 pelvic fractures, and those two ankle fractures and the hand fracture from only a year and a half ago. They don't hurt.
I had cement, concrete injected in those three vertebrae. Has something shifted there?
It is all about the children for me. That's what got my attention. I don't agree with those who think that Obama was exploiting the children yesterday. Just another excuse to dismiss how important this issue really is. I think it IS the children. It is the children who got all of our attention this time.
Coreen, you think that I listen too much to C2C? I really don't anymore. Did you see the conspiracy theory that was offered as an excuse for needing guns yesterday? Me thinks someone else has also heard too much C2C or a similar site.
Carol, are you sure your pain is not shingles. That is where my sister had her pain when her husb died and it was shingles.
Believe me Jan, I did look for them. I had the same thought.
And the pain moves both ways from my spine. Shingles goes only one way. It takes my breath away to even laugh. I was watching Modern Family last night and burst out into a hard laugh and it just about killed me. Even with extreme pain, it's hard to suppress a laugh, especially when watching Modern Family. I had to pause it to catch my breath.
Jan, one of the problems with this gun control issue and why it will be so difficult to solve is that none of us want to CHANGE.
Most of us are highly resistant to change even when it's for the better. I learned change theory as a nurse and then had to deal with it when I taught nursing as you did. When I Googled change theory, it was mostly nursing sites that came up. I found that interesting because the same principles apply to all aspects of life.
http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/change_theory.html
In all of my nursing jobs, when I tried to initiate any changes, those that made the job faster and easier, I met with all kinds of resistance. Often, I had to just insist, if I had the power to do that. It wasn't long before everyone came to realize that it WAS better.
I was on the front lines with many of the changes that occurred in nursing, dang it. Remember us starting to teach physical assessment to nurses? Everyone was shooting at us. We survived. How about losing the nursing caps? I was involved in that here. That pissed off all of our nursing instructors.
I was also on the front lines as an NP first practicing in this area and in the ER. I have lot of old wounds from that. The ER docs were very threatened and they punished us severely.
I worked for this NP who was buying her own practice in a little community down the road. That was very traumatic for her and for me. The docs in that community were very threatened. It ended up destroying her. I got away without too many scars that time.
And watching those kids sing Somewhere over the Rainbow also hurt. Laughing and crying both hurt.
The weather is getting progressively better. Sun is out and will be for a few days. I think the barometric pressure is going the other way. Hope that makes a difference. Hasn't yet but the pressure may have to stabilize for it to make a difference. I'm getting real tired of this.
Jan, what did you think about Idol last night. Did you watch? The View was talking about it. Not positive. They would prefer that they only have people who can sing on and that they don't use stunts to attract viewers. Is it on again tonight?
Oprah is airing her Lance Armstrong intervioniononight on OWN.
Sorry, iPhone went nuts with that last post. I swear I fixed that before I sent it. This phone has a mind of it's own.
Watching Lance on Oprah. He's still lying, IMO. He's disgusting.
we watched Idol last night and tonight. there were some great contestants both nights. Some great stories too.
Thanks but I will just read about Lance A. what a jerk.
I hope as the weather improves Carol, so will your back.
Carol, wish you would go to a rheumatologist. probably spelled that wrong.
What I like about A. Idol are the stories. The show focused more on the good singers this time. They grouped all the ones who could not sing and just gave each a couple of seconds each. There were some great stories.
Jan, the people on the Voice all had interesting stories also. There were so many that I wondered if they were all true.
Did anyone watch any of the two interviews with Lance Armstrong? I think they were interesting. I think he is a sociopath and doesn't feel a bit bad about anything he's done. I think he does feel very bad about the consequences and that his motive for the interview is to try to reverse some of those consequences.
It will be interesting to see if his attempt at manipulation will be effective. Probably will. Famous, rich, and powerful people often get by with just about anything and everything.
Feeling any better Carol....
We watched some of the interviews. I was so disgusted I had to find something else to do. He shows no emotion. I agree, I think he is a sociopath. I would love to hear what his former wife thinks about him. She is a country singer, cannot remember her name.
We have been watching "The Abolitionists." on PBS - just finished the 2nd of 3 installments. Very interesting.
Tonight is the movie about the prosecution of Casey Anthony. Rob Lowe plays Ashton the prosecutor. I only plan to watch because the movie is from Ashton's book. It's on Lifetime. I have the trial pretty much memorized but they may give some insight into what was going on behind the scenes. I wonder if they will explain how they missed some vital evidence of Casey researching how to suffocate a person? That was revealed not that long ago. The research was done on the Internet just before Casey disappeared with her daughter. It sounds like it would have been pretty damning evidence and I wonder how/why the prosecution missed it. Even the defense was surprised it wasn't presented in court.
There's another interesting trial on Tru TV, In Sessions,being covered during the week. Another attractive young woman, Jodi Arias. She's a really evil young woman. She stabbed, shot and almost decapitated her ex-boyfriend. It's really interesting. I wonder if being female and pretty will get her off.
I watch a lot of true crime on either Discovery ID or HLN weekends. There sure are a lot of evil women out there. Lot of evil men and women but it's hard to think of women as being that evil. I was exposed to many of them in the joint.
In his interview with Oprah, Lance tried to act like he was really sorry for what he's done and how it affected his family. With everything he's done in the past I can't buy it.
A defining moment for him, IMO, was demonstrated by the pic he tweeted of himself laying in his rec room surrounded by all his winning jerseys. He looked a little arrogant/defiant. It was right after they striped away all his wins. I may have misread his meaning??
http://www.atwistedspoke.com/aso-wants-armstrong-jersey-display-taken-down/
He's just another example of the attitude of those who are rich, have any power and rub it in our faces that they can make lots of money through dishonesty and get away with it while the rest of us struggle.
I think his only goal is to be able to compete again in some sporting events and he'll lower himself to achieve that if that is what it takes.
He was married to Sheryl Crow. I don't remember him mentioning her Jan. He did mention his first wife, and mother of his first 3 children, Kristin. He described her as spiritual, admitted that he wasn't spiritual(no surprise here), and said he asked her permission to do some of what he was doing.
Sunday Morning CBS had 2 interesting pieces today...
one about the 2013 corvette stingray & its history...remember
the vette was the car of dreams when my friends & me were growing up...think the movie American Grafitti...& yes I know the blonde that richard dreyfus never met was in a white tbird...but for us it was the corvette stingray...
I know you guys watched the pbs
special about the castle itself...
did that mention that the current countess wrote a book about the real DA ancestors...
Seems that the Carnarvon family in the 1920s were involved in the discovery of the tomb of Tutankaman...truth may indeed be stranger than fiction...
Carol, did you say you saw that exhibit in NO...
brunch with lady fiona carnarvon
Coreen, I record that morning show every morning and I just finished watching it. I saw both of the parts you talked about then I dozed off.
You must have a good memory or did I mention that recently?? The Tut exhibition. Yes, I did, years ago.
Coreen, I'm feeling a little better today but hate to even mention it for fear of jinxing it. I'm really trying to psych my self out of that pain. I would rather think of it of having a psych origin than physical because there's more hope for me if it is. Not likely I can do much to improve the status of my body.
I forced myself to get out of the house to go to the grocery store yesterday. When I get in an upright position I have a certain time limit where I feel sorta OK. Certain sitting positions are OK. Transitions are killer.
I got the few groceries I needed and bought this Nintindo DS XL. It one of the larger hand held games. I have one of the first ones but it's about the size of one of my eyes.
I needed something to do beside watch TV. I was going nuts. I used to love video games, not violent ones, when I was younger. Now that I'm old, I have no hand eye coordination. I like the Mario games. Those are probably for the 4 year olds and they still kick my butt.
I try not to sit too long. I make myself get up and walk frequently. I want to go check out the camp. I'm working on psyching myself up to do that. The NOAA site says the river is down to just at flood stage. That means very little water over the road.
My guys should be able to get out to finish working on my camp tomorrow. They were here at my house Thurs and Friday last week. I needed some repairs on some ceiling tiles. I paid two different people to do it last year and the tiles were falling again. They didn't know what they were doing. My guys took their time and did a beautiful job. I was a captive audience so I watched.
I heard from my guys and they are taking off tomorrow for a family thing. I hope it doesn't start raining again.
Carol, I hope you are feeling better. I have had severe back pain in the past and always found that swimming and walking helped. I have learned to move carefully.
enjoyed Downton Abbey tonight. Edith is going to come out the strongest sister, I suspect.
So sad to see a mother have to give up her child.
Tomorrow I do all liquids in prep for my colonoscopy and endoscopy on tues morning. Uggg, I dread this.
Oh Jan, I'm so sorry Jan. We'll just have to fire up the poop brigade. We started that back when Ivy was here and she was the first we used it for. Y'all got me through mine. Now all you need is a wireless communicating device that moves quickly from room to room.
Yes, I enjoyed DA also. It's just doesn't last long enough. The way I was watching DA, having to catch up, I saw hours at a time. Only one hour is pretty puny.
I am proud of our sister Edith, the spinster who found a way to make something meaningful out of her life. Why does that feel familiar to me??? Hmmmm.
Anyone got an ideas for a post. I haven't had the occasion to run around looking for some good pics. Good thing, because there aren't any good pics out there right now. When the Swamp is your yard, it loses some of it's mystic.
We did have two days of sunshine. It was nice but still too much of the day was too cold. Don't like that stuff anymore. I'm now allergic to winter I guess. That certainly has been one contribution to my aching back.
You know it's hell getting old. It seems that as soon as I hit 62, it's been downhill ever since. That's been traumatic for me. I was such a physically active person when I was young, in the top ten percent in my physical fitness. I don't know if you remember those presidential physical fitness tests we used to have to do in PE every year. Can't really remember exactly when that started, or what president started that? I'll try to Google that.
Back in high school, PE was my best/fav subject. The only one that I didn't have to struggle to get through. ADHD didn't really mess ya up with PE. Didn't have to focus to do well in PE. If it wouldn't have been for mom, I might have been a professional PE student, or teacher. I'd have rather been the one playing than the one teaching though. I was competitive.
For the president's physical test, we had to do a certain number of physical activities. You got a percentile score. To get the award, you had to be in the top ten percent in each. I remember some of them. One was hanging from a bar for as long as you could, Girls didn't have to do chin ups. One was the standing broad jump. I held the high school record for that one. I think I did over 7 feet.
There were a couple of running tests, sit ups and you had to throw a softball. My grades weren't too good in high school but I could kick ass in the fitness area. Jan, you were probably one of the most significant people, in my life, when it came to teaching me how to improve in the other academic areas, You taught me how to study. And you taught me that studying could be fun.
I have enjoyed playing on the Trail lately. Only problem is that I'm not too into politics anymore. I don't keep up or know what those folks know. I just enjoy their company, most are like family. I probably also irritate them some but that's fun also.
Coreen and Chloe probably know since you guys either write or lurk on the Trail.
Craig's website is relatively new, well at least his server is. He's still working out the kinks. His blog is much more versatile and user friendly than this one. You can post Youtubes. Links are easier to post. Today we worked on posting pics. One of our family members had a new grandbaby. She posted it. Then others posted other pics of their grandkids. I wanted to practice posting a pic so I picked one of my bull children. It was kinda a strange pic. Craig said he made a mistake and took it off. He said it was an accident. He said that it would be pretty impossible to put it back up because of the server. I tried and it was. But old Carol found a way to alter the pic and the name of the pic so that the server wouldn't recognize it, and I got it back up. Craig said he liked the pic so if he was lying about that, old bully was back up there. Hey, I didn't have any kids to post. I'm glad that most of them over there do have a sense of humor.
Jan,
I feel for you. I know I'm due for a colonoscopy (it's been 5 years). I can't even tell you to have a good day, because I know how miserable it's going to be. 5 years ago, and the memory of it feels like it was yesterday.
I woke up last night after only being asleep for a couple of hours, and had the worst neck pain that I've ever had and it went down my left back, shoulder and chest. I figure it's probably something to do with arthritis, but it was as close to unbearable as I've ever been. It's time for my yearly check up, and I've been putting it off. I can't put it off much longer because he'll tell me I have to come in or he won't renew my prescription. My doctor is also an indian guy (as I mentioned about Emma's pediatrician), and I adore him.
If you're like me, you'll be starving when you get out of there tomorrow. I remember being starved when I woke up . I had been so stick during the prep the day before. It was during that procedure that I learned to appreciate the anesthesiologist so much. Never felt or saw a thing.
Thank you Carol and Chloe for your support for my day today. It is not so bad so far. I had my tea with nothing in it. I usually put a little soy milk in it, but that is not acceptable today. It was not good so my next cup had a little sugar which is acceptable. Later I had some apple juice. Apple juice never tasted so good. Actually, I am not hungry.
We are watching the inauguration. It is impressive. I noticed that Obama stumbled on the word "states" at the end of his Oath. Some people will jump on that like a dog on a bone.
Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce sang and they were both amazing. Kelly Clarkson was the 1st American Idol in 2001. I missed that one. Started watching the 2nd year in 2002.
Chloe, sorry to hear of your pain this morning. I would hazard a guess that you were laying in a way that a nerve was involved rather than arthritis. I would recommend some ibuprofin and maybe some heat on the affected area.
Carol, you credit me with too much, but thank you anyway. You had it in you but you needed a little encouragement to stretch your own mind. Like the saying goes, "success breeds success."
You are one of the most intelligent women I have known.
You encouraged me to take more risks physically. I would probably never have ski'ed or canoo-ed (cannot spell) if you had not encouraged me. I guess that is what friendship is about too - helping those we care about to stretch themselves to do things they might not have done on their own.
Carol, I just wrote a long post to you (I'm on the ipod and lost it).
Basically just want you to know how much I've been enjoying your posts over at TM and am so glad that you're feeling so much better.
Sorry to say my time there has once again caused be to feel broken hearted, and I need to stop putting myself in that situation. I believe swjny is Sheila, and realize that she won't ever give up 'til I leave. I feel very guilty for not fighting more against what I perceived as mistreatment of Bill, and now I hate myself for being so wishy-washy with that effort. I find that I'm always compromising to just get along, and that always ends up making me feel so bad about myself.
So I'm going to leave them uninterupted in their beliefs but hopefully I will hopefully feel welcome to say what I want here.
... Yet, much of what we do to help each other is for more selfish reasons. I wanted to study with you because I wanted someone to study with and you wanted someone to share your adventures. I guess that is what life is about too- sharing ourselves and what we like to do with someone we like spending time with...
Chloe, I like having you there also. We made a good team in the past. I don't want to hurt your feelings but I sometimes think you perceive insult where none was ever really intended. I have the tendency to do the same thing, that is why I understand it.
I think most everyone there loves you but they can't try hard enough to prove that to you. Hey, if someone doesn't like us..so effing what? We don't share a house with them. We just drop in for a visit every now and again. Just ignore them unless you need to make a point, then debate the issue. Your truth is your truth, whatever it is and you have the every right to express it, as much as anyone else there does.
I often like to start with a disclaimer..."I'm just an idiot but here I go anyway" Then I feel like I disarm anyone who wants to tell me they think I am. he he he
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