WARPED WEDNESDAY

. . . where you write the caption. (If you're not too freaked out!)

Mission Accomplished!

Hey, I had a blast doing the 15-day Photo Challenge. You should try it, you'll remember things about yourself that you wish you hadn't (Day 1), you'll embarrass yourself (Day 4 ), you'll clean your room ( Day 14 ) and your purse ( Day 9 ) and go on a diet ( Again, Day 9 ).

Thanks for hanging in there while I snapped and shuttered Number 139 off my Bucket List.

Fab 5 Friday

In honor of the passing of talented singer/songwriter Nick Ashford (1941-2011), these are the top five of my favorite songs written or performed by Ashford and Simpson:

1. Marvin Gaye - Your Precious Love

2. Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell - You're All I Need To Get By

3. Diana Ross - Reach out and Touch

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	Diana Ross - Reach Out And Touch.mp3
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4. Whitney Houston & Chaka Kahn - I'm Every Woman

5. Ashford & Simpson - It Seems to Hang on

	Ashford & Simpson - It Seems To Hang On .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

WARPED WEDNESDAY

Day 15 of the 15-Day Photo Challenge

From the list at the sidebar to your right, Number 8 (but Day 15) is find a photo of yourself when you were young and try to replicate it. Describe how you have changed.

This is me at age 16 posing at the beach holding my cheerleading jacket.

Luckily, I still have that jacket after all these years, so this is me, well, several years later improvising the outfit, but holding that same jacket.

How have I changed? I'm older, and smart enough to know how to make myself happy.

The Jacket

My name on the jacket

Fab 5 Friday

There are myriad films about cops, robbers and lawyers, but who writes them? Writers!
And how many films are there about writers? A few, but here's my Top Five in honor of Fab 5 Friday.

1. CASTLE - After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle gets permission from the Mayor of NYC to tag along with an NYPD homicide unit for research purposes. Hilarity and crime solving ensue. Stars Nathan Fillion (Not bad to look at!) and Stana Katic, (Sounds like something that controls static cling gone awry!) alleged love interest. Season 4 begins September 19, 2012.

2. CALIFORNICATION - A writer tries to juggle his career, his relationship with his daughter and his ex-girlfriend, as well as his appetite for beautiful women. Instead of writing a chapter-a-day, he beds a woman-a-day. Stars David Duchovny. New season begins January 2012.

3. LIMITLESS - Stars Bradley Cooper not speaking French, but writing English. A writer discovers a top-secret street drug which bestows him with super human abilities, so of course he writes a novel. The 4-year old who lives next door to me probably has a manuscript on her as we speak. On DVD now.

4. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS - Woody Allen Film. A struggling writer goes on vacation to Paris and falls in love with the city (Doesn't everyone?), and then discovers its inspirational secret. Name-dropping ensues, from Hemingway to Matisse to Dali to Gertrude Stein. And don't forget Josephine Baker! This film was so good, I want to forgive Woody for his near complete exclusion of people of color in his New York. Still in theaters.

5. STRANGER THAN FICTION - An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love interest, to his death. An author is writing the character's life as he lives it. Doesn't get more creative than that. Stars Will Ferrell as the anti-Ricky Bobby.

Can you think of any films about writers that I've missed?

WARPED WEDNESDAY

Pageant of the Masters

What the hell is a Pageant of the Masters, anyway? I'd heard about this artistic event for years, but no one could adequately describe what it was. Is it animal or vegetable? Is it a bird or a plane? Is it Superman or Batman, or just a man (which would be fine, especially if he were in Speedos). Oh. It's not that kind of pageant?

"Then what is it?" I asked.

"Living pictures," one friend said. I was intrigued. My BFF Jj (aka She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) said I should come with her, so we joined in with a great group of ladies who were also going for the first time.

We arrived in Laguna Beach long before the 8 o'clock show, so we had dinner at Tivoli Terrace -- an Italian restaurant that specializes in a mean margarita -- after which we strolled through the Laguna Festival of Arts where they have everything from oil paintings to nail portraits (art made completely from rusty nail heads!). The jewelry was truly wear-able art.

When we got to the outdoor amphitheater, the night was magical. Stars were out, sculptures surrounded the gardens, and then the stage came alive. Literally.

Pageant of the Masters is ninety minutes of "living pictures," incredibly faithful art recreations of classical and some contemporary works with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the paintings. It was better than sugar on Shredded Wheat. A live orchestra accompanied the live narration, making the make-believe absolutely believable.

I urge you to visit the website for a better taste. Even the tickets were pretty (see below)!

Thank you, Jj, for helping me strike Number 152 off of my Bucket List.

GONE WRITING

. . . BE BACK MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011

5 Things to do before you Shut The Hell Up

Fab 5 Fridays is where I write about the 5 things I'm most obsessed with. I was recently reminded of how often people put their foot in their mouth and then have difficulty extricating it. So before you go through life chowing crow, here's 5 things you should keep in mind:

1. Get your own house in order . . . before you start lashing out at others, especially if you live in a glass house.

2. Hearing "I'm sorry" is not a privilege; it's a right. Just like healthcare.

3. Count to ten before you speak evil, or write hateful Email in a huff. The "undo" button doesn't work on "send."

4. You are the bigger person. Aren't you?

5. Check your ego at the bathroom door so that your relationships don't go down the crapper.

Do you have any pearls of wisdom you'd care to share with the rest of us?

WARPED WEDNESDAY

"GRANDMA, I FOUND YOUR TEETH!"

Day 14 of 15-Day Photo Challenge

Continuing with my 15-Day Photo Challenge -- and what a challenge it is! Who knew?

I thought I'd mix it up with a video, so turn up the volume (haven't mastered sound techniques yet) and take a tour around my room.