Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. Gobble, gobble!

I will be off the air until Dec 5th.

Don't eat too much turkey, and don't get blown away!

Quote of the Day Goodreads

Quote of the Day Goodreads

Women and dogs will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

Robert Heinlein

Thank you, Robert, I have always thought that!

Quote of the Day from Goodreads

Quote of the Day from Goodreads.com

"A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library."

Shelby Foote, historian, author born 11-17-16

Need I say more?

"The Commitments" a movie by Alan Parker

Alan Parker directed Roddy Doyle's screen version of Roddy's book by the same name.


The Commitments is a musical "comedy" set in Dublin. Warning up front, due to the locale and the folks involved the "F word" is in constant use, we finally were able to get around that......


This film was suggested to my husband by his business partner. Little did we know that about 4 hours later we would finally be finished with the movie (twice) and all the special features. Rarely do we watch all the special features, however, this one was worth every minute. One of the more unusual features was that the director's commentary is spoken over the entire film, Alan describes every little detail about the making of the movie, it was an extraordinary look at the film through his eyes, we appreciated things even more...... So, if you watch it make sure you go back and watch the director's comment.........




Set in Dublin's "gritty North Side" a group of musicians is brought together to become "the working man's soul band".
The music in this film is some of the best ever Take Me To The River, In the Midnight Hour, Mustang Sally, Too Many Fish in the Sea, Try a Little Tenderness, are the standouts.

Of the 12 in the film, only 2 are actors. The REAL stand-out in this film - besides the "F" word - is Andrew Strong. When Alan was casting for musicians, Robert Strong brought his son, Andrew (at the time Andrew was only 16), and when Alan heard him, well the rest is history!!!!!!!!!

He is a musician, however, he acts the part of the young man who has put the group together and then the manager. He "gives interviews" and they are in unusal places.

He got his part when he stuck a microphone in his mouth and started belting out a song, Alan was impressed.

Fellow on right, holding the trumpet, is not a real musician, however he is a talented actor, and has some incredible lines.

Plays a "wicked piano and organ". Two of the best scenes, are when he is playing the organ in his Catholic Church, and when he goes to confession!!!!!!!

This Is Andrew Strong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When Andrew started singing the first song, I nearly fell on the floor, it was hard to believe he was only 16 when they made this film. He was perfect. I kept recalling Joe Cocker in Woodstock, when Andrew was singing. Except Andrew sings clearly - it was his facial and body motion.

On left side, she is an actor, not a musician, but she gave a really good performance, as did the other two, who are singers!!!!!!!!!!






I hope my husband can find this somewhere, as I would really like it as a Christmas stocking stuffer.



Hope you will give it a shot. By the way, it was filmed in 1991! Still stands the test of time.

Penn State University

Do you still feel the same about the school as you did a few days ago?



I guess that is whether or not you believe that a higher education campus is above moral laws.


The reaction of some of the students last night is unacceptable - all it would seem they care about is "men of clay feet", not the victims of the crimes. And JoPa had a moral obligation to report the incident to the police - wonder how he will answer to his Maker when he meets Him.

Just can't imagine how they face themselves in the mirror every morning! According to the timeline shown on CBS last night, the very first case was reported in 1998, and nothing was done about the complaint made by a MOTHER!!!!!!!!!

Shame on them all.

"Liberal Education" Thomas Huxley

Back when I was in high school, my junior year English teacher required that all students memorize and recite before their classmates 3 "short" pieces "The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales" (in the Old English), one of Shakespeare's sonnets, and the first paragraph of Thomas Huxley's "Liberal Education".

I wonder how many of today's students could memorize just one of these.

Not from memory, but worth repeating.

"That man, I think, has had a liberal education who has been so trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of his will, and does with ease and pleasure all the work that, as a mechanism, it is capable of; whose intellect is a clear, cold, logic machine, with all its parts of equal strength, and in smooth working order; ready, like a steam engine, to be turned to any kind of work, and spin the gossamers as well as forge the anchors of the mind; whose mind is stored with a knowledge of the great and fundamental truths of Nature and the laws of her operations; one who, no stunted ascetic, is full of life and fire, but whose passions are trained to come to heel by a vigorous will, the servant of a tender conscience; who has learned to love all beauty , whether of Nature or of art, to hate all vileness, and to respect others as himself."

I think of my teacher, Mr Humphries, frequently, and offer a silent prayer of thanks to this great teacher, for all that he taught his students, and that he required that we work hard to become better folks. Mr. Humphries, Thank You.

Hope you have a good day!

Quote of the day

Goodreads.com has been having some fabulous quotes lately, and I just want to share them with you.

Walter Cronkite was born 11-4-16.

"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation."

Well said, of course, I am going to agree with this one, anything to do with libraries always interests me.

Pick up a good book - in whatever form you want - but READ READ READ!

Quote of the day Goodreads.com

Quote of the day

"Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind."

Henry James

That having been quoted, this one left me scratching my head. Late last year, I had read two books that might otherwise indicate that Henry wasn't a very kind person at times.

I refer to two of my previous postings, December 2010 - "The Open Door" a novel by Elizabeth Maguire and "The Master" by Colm Toibin.

Still, the thought is a nice one.

Goodreads quote of the day

No one quite like Winston Churchill, what a shame we don't have more statesmen like him these days.........

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."

Where are all the good men these days to lead us well?