It is starting

better living through chemistry!

I have reached a magic moment on my  journey that clearly shows where I am in life.  As of yesterday, I now take 16 pills a day!  12 at bedtime and 4 after breakfast. Yikes!

I went the first 30 years taking nothing. Then at 30 I started taking an allergy pill a day. Then at 50 I added another pill for my digestion. AND NOW I suddenly understand all my Mother's complaints about insurance coverage of prescription medicine.

Catching Fire

As I have stated last year, "The Hunger Games trilogy" was a favorite of mine when the books were released.  The first movie adaptation did not disappoint and neither did the latest. Hunger Games - Catching Fire is a good movie.  The CGI mixes well with the cast and it follows the story well.

If you are a HG fan this is for you.

I give it ***1/2 stars   2013 movie #49

mike on sports

Strange thing is happening in the college football world.  It is the battle of the legendary schools vs the newer upstarts.  I'm talking Baylor versus Texas Longhorns; Alabama versus Auburn and OU versus Oklahoma State.

Example:  Oklahoma U is playing Oklahoma State in 10 days and OSU is favored.  OU sports information has countered by sending out press releases about all of OU's 44 conference championships versus OSU's TWO.  Staggering isn't it.  OU has even one National championships 7 times to OSU's 0!

Now that is formidable, I think.  But here is the problem: When OU won its last National Championship, the current OSU players were 6 years old.

OSU stands to win its 2nd conference championship in 3 years. It has been longer than that for OU.

What I am saying is:  Today's players (and young people in general) don't care about history!  Any History!  They are in the NOW.  

Older football fans want teams like OU, Alabama and Texas  want to keep traditional  uniforms while the teams of Baylor, OSU and Oregon use wild uniform combinations. Why?  The kids today DO NOT CARE ABOUT TRADITION.  THEY LIKE WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW!

THINGS CHANGE AND SOMETIMES SO DO THE CHAMPIONS.

BTW:  I think my theory works in most arenas (including music and religion).

Church in HELL

One of the most disturbing scenes in "12 Years a Slave" is when the slave owner conducts a church service on Sunday for those on the Plantation including the slaves.  He reads from the Bible  and acting like a benevolent person.  Yet his words and actions say that the slaves are "property" and not humans.  He even says that because they are "property", he does not sin when he rapes, kills or beats them.

Throughout History and even today, so-called Christians do whatever they please because, "The LORD is on our side!"

Our Minister preached last Sunday concerning the repeated statement, "I desire Mercy not Sacrifice."

In one scene a female slave asks the lead character  to kill her and relieve her misery. The Male slave says that he could not live with the sin of murder. She says, "You would be extending Mercy and Mercy can't be a sin!"

This is a deep, deep story.

I have thought about true mercy all week and feel that Mercy (in our daily lives) has gone the way of loyalty, sensitivity, and fairness.  

Cloudy with a Chance of Concessions

We took the three grandsons to an afternoon movie today. The Movie was "Cloudy With the Chance Of Meatballs 2".  Cute little movie full of "food Jokes and metaphors" but this is not a review of the movie.  I realize again why families cannot afford the movies!  There were five of us: Two Seniors and Three Boys so tickets for a 1:40 matinee is $37.00!  Concessions for the five of us ( who had not had lunch) was $44,50!    So-o-o-o the total  price for that hour and a half is $81.50!

Can't do that every week!

Cloudy with a chance of Entertainment

PS:   They liked the movie a lot.  2013 #48

This day

On this day in 1979 I changed once and for all. This was the day of our daughter's funeral after two previous mind numbing days of shock, grief, etc. etc.

I am not the person that I was on Sunday, November 18th, 1979. You don't know it but I do.  Things would have turned out completely different. Not necessarily better, just different.  When I went back to work I took a different role.  When I went back to Church, things changed too. I suddenly had someone in my family in Heaven!   Well things just changed.  Friends and business associates that were close to me before Heather died, stopped being close because of my reaction to their actions. (Long Story)

People say" "Time heals all wounds".   Those people just don't know what to say.  Time changes us but not our memories.

I don't know if I liked the me before 11-19-79 better than the now me, but all that happened did draw me closer to GOD than before.

Sycamore Row

I just finished "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham. It is a sequel of his first novel,  "A Time To Kill". It is the story of a small town Mississippi Lawyer played in the movie by Matthew McConaughey.  The new book takes place two years after the first book in 1988.  A reclusive man in the community hangs himself and leaves behind a hand written will and names the lawyer as the executor.  The will leaves an unexpected giant fortune to his black housekeeper while leaving his kids and family nothing.

This is a story of family greed, misunderstandings, gossip and all.  I is a typical great read and I highly recommend it.  This story like "12 Years A Slave" has a very uncomfortable view of our society at its worst.

There are many great lessons to be found.

My World's Collide: 12 Years a Slave

I just finished reading John Grisham's new novel, "Sycamore Row".  I'll talk about it later, but will say that it deals with race conditions in the South in 1988. Well tonight I wanted the best movie that showing in our area and I don't mean THOR.  We went to see the film based on a true story and a book of the same name, "12 Years a Slave".  It is the best movie around.  

What this movie isn't:  It is NOT a popcorn movie. It is NOT an entertaining movie.  It is NOT a superficial movie. And it is definitely NOT an escapist movie, because it will grab you by the throat and not let go.  The first thing I thought of as the movie ended was that I need a bath!

12 Years a Slave is the the devastating story of a New York State Citizen and Freedman, Solomon Northrup of Saratoga, New York who is kidnapped in 1841 and taken to New Orleans and sold as a slave.  It is his 12 years in bondage and his eventual escape. (Note: Not giving anything a way, since he wrote the book!)  This isn't easy to watch but it is necessary to watch.  It reveals slavery as it really was not the "Django" version.  It is also R rated for content. There is nudity but the same nudity shown in "Schindler's List" (raw and disgusting).   As a matter of fact it shows us that this is one of two USA holocausts in our History: Native Americans and Slaves.

It is brilliantly acted, filmed, and told.  IT IS A MUST SEE MOVIE!

I IMAGINE THAT Chiwtetel Ejiofor will be a Best Actor Candidate. Other actors are great as well and Brad Pitt has an important small part in this film that he produced.

This is truly a FILM and is ***** stars.  2013 movie #47

Zoe, Pavlov's Dog

Our dachshund, Zoe, is past 13 years old and because of that she has the problems that any of us have.  She is getting over bad allergies that have troubled her all summer. She has a benign growth under one leg on her chest and recently she developed eye problems. After a trip to our Vet, we were informed that she had an ulcer in her left eye!  He gave us eye drops and recommended an Optomelogist in Tulsa to check things out. We thought it would require surgery and was relieved to find that she had improved and could me treated with medicine.  This Medicine however was in the form of eye drops.  So all together we give Zoe, three different types of eye drops twice a day AND an ointment for the left eye as well.

I'll just say right now that this whole ordeal started out hard. She may be old but she can snap quickly and turn quickly as well.  It was a two person job.  We did wise up and started giving her a small treat each time. What I mean is every five minutes for twenty minutes!  

Now like Pavlov's dog we show her the treats and she stands on the counter with only one person and takes the drops!  Very Cool!

I could go for some treats myself.  I think I would mind better.