The Common Room

This is just too adorable not to post. I give you Nora, the piano-playing feline:

The professor is brewing a special Birthday potion for spacedlaw and annie_from_aust. Hope your special day is magical.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADIES!!

Snoopylover1967 has inspired me with her walk down memory lane by posting the "Fashion Show" commercial for Wendy's.  *snort*

Now here's a real oldie.  This one was from the 1960's.  It was a commercial for Rice Krispies.....does anyone remember this one? 




This one actually won a Cannes Gold Lion award, is in the Advertising Hall of Fame, and was selected by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the ten greatest commercials of all time.

I truly believe that animals are able to feel compassion and emotion.  Here is indisputable proof:

I don't know if it's a sign of the times, the bad economy, or people in need of reassurance, but in driving around town I seem to be seeing a lot of signs advertising Psychic Readings.  Why is there a sudden surge in this type of "service"?  Which got me to thinking......how many people actually frequent these types of establishments?  I never have, but I've always thought it might be a fun thing to do.  I've never paid anyone to do a reading but when I was very young, we had a neighbor who would occasionally do them.  She was a young Armenian girl from Iran that my Mom had befriended.  She was new to this country and was a young bride in an arranged marriage.  Well, needless to say, she was very unhappy both with her situation and with the difficulty of adjusting to a foreign culture.  We took her in for a while when she decided to leave her husband and helped her to find her feet, so-to-speak, so that she could eventually live independently.  But back to the subject at hand......she only ever gave me two readings.  Once when I was around 7 years old, and once much later when I was in my early 20's. 

She used two methods.  When I was 7, she read my cards.  She had me shuffle and cut the cards and she pulled out a queen (I don't remember the suit...hearts, maybe?) to represent me.  She then began to lay out the cards in a circle around the queen.  As she laid out the cards, two Jacks appeared around the queen.  One with light hair, another with dark hair.  She told me that I would be pursued by two men.  A light one, and a dark one.  I would have a difficult time deciding between the two but I would eventually end up with the dark man and it would be the right choice for me.  This was a bit too vague for my 7 year old mind and I turned to my older sister and whispered, "am I going to marry a black man?"  Of course she immediately started laughing hysterically and told everyone in the room what I had asked.  Embarrassed by their laughter, I never again asked for a reading until I was much older (although she didn't often do them).  I completely forgot about her "prediction".

Fast-forward to my last year at university.  I had been dating someone for about three years.  The final six months it was becoming apparent that things were not going well and we broke off our relationship.  Three months later I met a very nice young man and we began seeing each other seriously.  Of course, about that time boyfriend #1 decided to make a reappearance and wanted to desperately patch things up and get back together.  For a brief time, I was torn as to what to do.  I had a history with bf #1...both good and not-so-good and it's difficult to ignore someone whom you once had deep feelings for and they are pleading with you to forgive them.  On the other hand, there was bf #2 who I didn't know well....we had recently met...but who had great potential and showed an enormous amount of kindness.  It took me a few weeks to get my head straight about what I should do but I finally ended my relationship with #1 and stayed with #2....who I eventually married.  It was several years later that my card reading came back to my mind.  Boyfriend #1 had blond hair.  My husband has dark hair!  Mere co-incidence you may say........maybe, but when I finally remembered her prediction, I admit that I felt a sudden chill.

Soon after I had graduated from university I saw her again.  This time she made some turkish coffee.  A dark, strong coffee with lots of sediment of coffee grounds in the bottom.  After drinking your coffee, you place the saucer upside down on top of the cup and invert it to allow the grounds to run down the sides of the cup.  From there she reads the grounds and interprets your future.  At the time I was looking for work in the field I had majored in but was having a difficult time finding anything.  She took the cup and began to point out different things.  She pointed to a shape that resembled a cap.  She told me that I would possibly be involved in some sort of government or official service.......what?  I had no idea what that was about.  She pointed to some other things and made some vague and general predictions that I do not remember and that was the end of that. 

When I was at school, I was on the university crew team for four years.  After graduation, I continued to go out on the water occasionally with some other crew alumnae just for exercise and fun.  One afternoon, after a workout, we were approached by two women who introduced themselves as policewomen.  They were in charge of recruiting women for the L.A.P.D.  Apparently, there was a push to get more women on the force and they were actively looking for young women they thought would make good candidates.  At first I dismissed the idea, but as I continued to get turned down for several jobs in my field, I began to consider it.  To make a long story short, I applied and began to take all of the tests.  I passed all the psychological, written, personality, and physical tests, but I failed the medical due to my eyesight.  They have a certain criteria and my uncorrected vision (without glasses or contacts) was beyond what they would accept.  I was mildly disappointed but realize now that it was for the best.  It wasn't until much later that I recalled the prediction of the turkish coffee.  A cap?...some sort of government or official service?  Whoa!  Cue the spooky music.

So all of this makes me wonder:  Have any of you ever been to a psychic?  Do you go regularly or just once in a while for fun?  Have any of your predictions ever come to pass?  Are any of you blessed with psychic abilities?
What do you think of it?  Do you believe that some people possess special gifts or, in your opinion is it a lot of smoke and mirrors and general predictions?  Just curious......

The professor has deducted 10 house points for your serious lack of: you fill in the blank.

Report to his office in the dungeons for detention this evening at 7 p.m. where you will decide your punishment.

I just couldn't wait until Saturday.....just couldn't! I grabbed my 19 yr. old son and dragged him to the theater last night. Yeeeeee-owwwwwww-zzzzaaaaa! From the opening moment with the WB logo in the gray clouds until the last credits had rolled I was literally glued in my seat *damn that kid that spilled a soda on the floor*, but seriously, I am very pleased with this latest installment of the HP series.

JK Rowling's books are so richly detailed and full of colorful side stories that it's virtually impossible to put all of that into a film adaptation. Knowing that, I always try to go into the theater with an open mind and not get my knickers in a twist over what was left out. The films will never be as fully rich as the books, that's what makes reading the books so great. I feel sorry, in a way, for anyone who is only following this series by way of the films (like my husband). They are missing out on so much. That being said however, what the filmmakers have visually done with this series is beyond outstanding. From their elaborate sets to the amazing special effects they have spared no expense and the box-office receipts reflect the audience appreciation of this attention to detail.

Finally, FINALLY they have allowed one of the most interesting and intriguing characters in the book, Severus Snape, to have more than a few seconds of screen time. I think the most frustrating thing about these films has been the consistent cutting of all the great Snape scenes. And with an actor like Rickman who can just chew up the scenery every time he speaks, it's been a bit of a shame up until now. Well hang onto your broomsticks, kids because Snape gets several scenes in this one. Although it may never be enough for some of us.

The filmmakers have stuck fairly close to the book. The things they omitted were scenes that really didn't advance the story and the changes they made worked within the film. They stuck with the main storyline and as a stand-alone film, what they did really works well. I really enjoyed the humor in this one and when it came to dramatic scenes, all the young actors have improved tremendously.....even Emma Watson, whose skills I was seriously beginning to doubt in the last couple of films.

After seeing this, I'm happy that David Yates will be directing the final two installments. I wasn't sure after Order of the Phoenix, but that was such a weighty, rambling book that any director would have struggled with it. He did his best on that one and all-in-all, although it's not my most favorite, it's not a bad film. He really redeemed himself in my eyes with Half-Blood Prince. If you're a fan of the series I think you will enjoy it. And like I said, lots o' Snape.

One last comment: Watch for the cape dragging through the puddle of water......GAH!......Thud.

Knowing that this film has been ready for release since November has been agonizing. IMO, it qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment. But I'm hoping that wait will make watching this film that much more special. I'm encouraged by the trailers that I've seen. I'm hopeful that they stayed as true to the book as is possible when adapting a book to the screen.

While I enjoyed the last film (Order of the Phoenix) the book was just too large and jammed packed with details for them to include everything. The filmmakers really tried and I think the parts at Hogwarts and the Dept. of Mysteries were well done, but the opening and the scenes at Grimmauld Place seemed a bit fragmented. If you had never read the book, you'd have a hard time following what was going on and why they were showing you these scenes.

Anyway, there will definitely be more luscious Snape-y-ness in this one. I love this poster: Snape front and center - and doesn't he look great!?!

I just returned from the L.A. film festival and saw a very good film. A french language film called 35 Rhums (35 shots of rum). A far cry from the typical action-packed blockbuster. This was definitely an art house film. Very quiet, very subtle, but full of emotion. It's about a Father's relationship with his daughter and how they see their roles changing as they age...her into an adult and he facing growing older. If you get the chance to see it, don't miss it.



Of course the big crowds were outside the premiere of the Johnny Depp film Public Enemies that was happening across the street. Huge crowds, dressed-to-kill ticket holders, and frenzied fans...and lots of media. I'm actually looking forward to seeing that film. Not so much because of Depp, but last October when I was in Roanne, France, I met a girl from Chicago who worked as an extra in this film. She is a competitive swing dancer and she and many of her dancing friends were cast to dance in the background of a ballroom scene. She was also an extra in the movie theater when John Dillinger (Depp) comes to the cinema with the "woman in the red dress". She regaled us with lots of stories about things that happened on the set. I will be straining my eyes to try to catch her in the background...that is, if her scenes didn't end up on the cutting room floor. Oh well....that's the movie biz!

How come this never happens when I'm out in public places?









Fun stuff!

I am so pleased with how this came out and it was so easy to do!! First of all was the greatest discovery of the world's easiest tart crust. Many thanks to David Lebovitz and his awesome blog for sharing this recipe.

After that, all you do is peel and slice the apples, place in a circular pattern, sprinkle with sugar, dot with butter and into the oven it goes (400⁰ for approx. 45 minutes).  You can customize as I did: sprinkle on some cinnamon, some freshly grated nutmeg and top with an apricot glaze which is also easy.  1/2 cup of apricot jam and 2 Tablespoons of either water, rum, or brandy (I used apricot brandy).  Heat in a saucepan and brush on while the tart is still warm from the oven.  And voilà.  Friends and family will be so impressed.  It takes less than 20 minutes (not counting baking time) and it looks like you've worked all day! 

This may be very petty of me.....but one thing I just don't understand and irritates me just a little bit:

Couples that share one e-mail address.

Why? Maybe it's just me. There very well may be some of you out there that do this with your husband. Can you please explain it to me? Don't most service providers allow for several user names on one account? I guess what bothers me is the lack of individuality. I'm not trying to send secret messages to my friends or talk about someone behind their back. But sometimes you would like to send a message for just your friend to see. I'm not talking about joke e-mails or chain letter type messages but a message that is meant just for one individual that their "better-half" is more than likely not interested in nor cares about.

Whenever I send a message to a friend that shares an e-mail address with their spouse and I don't get a reply, I'm always left wondering if they ever really got the message. Did their husband read it and deem it not worthy and send it to the trash file? If they had their own address and I got no reply I wouldn't be as bothered. They made the choice themselves not to reply. But with a shared mailbox, you're always left wondering.

Am I being ridiculous?

.....yes, that's right....isn't falafel the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of Paris?? City of light, corner cafés and baguettes, 3-star Michelin restaurants, la tour Eiffel. Well, when spending only one night in this beautiful city, tough choices must be made.

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Paintings by Mary Cassett


This is for the Mothers..........

Here in California, the Santa Ana winds blew in lots of debris and hot air from the desert. We had a record breaking 90 degrees (F) on Easter Sunday. Everyone was seeking ways to cool off with this sudden temperature change. Even the local reptile population got into the act. We looked outside Sunday afternoon and found this little guy floating around in our pool.








 He seems to know how to live the good life.  Later on he managed to climb out and he scampered off into the bushes.  It was an unusual Easter Sunday!

Already the temperature has dropped considerably and we are getting back to the normal, milder climate for this time of year.  

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter holiday as much as Mr. Lizard!

Now here's something you don't see everyday. Time Stands Still at Grand Central Station:

LOL! It would make you wonder if maybe YOU weren't going crazy. Where can I sign up to be a part of this??!!