Black is the color of my true love's hair

The only live performance of her singing is from 1959. It was grainy and difficult to follow.      

                                                     

Joan Baez has had an amazing career.  Her voice—that incredible soprano voice—rang out as a voice of our generation.  There are too many roads to take down this topic, the wide genre of her songs.  Instead, the one song that rings clearest in my memory is “Black is the color…”

A question niggles in my brain:  What is it about the color black that pervades the design world?

Why are TV remotes black? Is it possible that Sony or RCA want us to lose the remotes in the dark recesses of sofa cushions knowing that the black remotes will remain hidden?

 

Why are many purse linings black, or nearly black?  Is it possible that, by making the linings dark, little items (nail clippers, lipstick, lip-gloss) will disappear, thus requiring further purchases?

 

Why do fancy dress events involve black/dark suits and dresses?  The ‘little black dress’: Why is it the important dress in the closet?  

For that matter, why do members of the Clergy wear black cassocks, black suits, black nun habits, etc.?  Why?  

In the beginning two questions, the color black perhaps denotes dignity and stylishness.  In the last question, maybe the color black indicates a desire to shed worldly attachments. Just guessing here...

Teenagers seem to go through an ‘all-black-Goth’ stage.  Black hair, black clothing, coal-black eye make-up—this is supposed to shout out to the world that they are individuals making a statement.  

Oddly, when they are all together, they appear to be wearing uniforms.

Spies, burglars, movie villains, and Harry Potter characters all are dressed in black.  The Adams family—stylish black clothing.  Matrix—really cool black clothing. 

Enough of this rant.

Anyway, enjoy this song.

I wrote this in 2013, and came across it recently. Why, I don't know. The underlined words are from Wednesday words challenge that I fitted into this homage to black, and to Joan Baez.

Showing Respect to the Flag and the Pledge

 

Whitney Houston, Superbowl 2011

When the Music Stopped

 

For those who are unaware:  Since before the 1960s, at all military base theaters all over the world, the National Anthem is played before a movie begins. What did the soldiers do?

I recently attended a showing of “Superman 3” here at LSA Ananconda.  We have a large auditorium that is used for movies as well as memorial services and other large gathering.

As is the custom at all military bases, we stood at attention when the National Anthem began before the movie began.

All was going well until three-quarters of the way through the National Anthem, the music stopped.

Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-to-22-year-olds back in the States?  I imagine that there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments, and everyone would sit down and yell for the movie to begin. Of course, that is, only if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place.

Here in Iraq, these 1,000 soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward.  The music started again, and the soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention, Again, though, at the same point, the music stopped.  What would you expect 1,000 soldiers standing at attention to do?

Frankly, I expected some laughter, and everyone would eventually sit down and wait for the movie to start.

No!!  You could have heard a pin drop while every soldier continued to stand at attention.

Suddenly, there was a lone voice from the front of the auditorium, then a dozen voices, and soon the whole room was filled with voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off:

And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

It was the most inspiring moment I have had in Iraq, and I wanted you to know what kind of U.S. Soldiers are serving you/us. Remember them as they fight for us

Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins, LSA Anaconda at the Ballad Airport in Iraq, north of Baghdad.

National Anthem, Super Bowl 2011, 

sung by Marvin Gaye

Wisdom from Sunshine

Philosophy talk

Yesterday I held a sick child*** for almost the whole day.  ‘Sunshine’ had been sick with fever and vomiting the night before, and was staying home from kindergarten.  She lay across my lap while we rocked, and I caressed her face and hair.  In my grandma kingdom, this was a great day.

released in 2009

We watched a selection of Disney movies, starting with “Dinosaurs”.  We have watched this movie many times, but I have never been plastered in the chair by a five-year old with a fever of 101 degrees.

Usually, when Sunshine and I watch a movie, she gives me a running commentary on the movie along with her own unique insights.  You would be amazed by the perspectives a kindergartner has about life and theology.

The plot is straight-forward:

  
A dinosaur egg miraculously escapes many brushes with crushing, ends up hatching in the tree occupied by a family of primates.  They adopt the adorable newly hatched dino and name him “Aladar”. Then the meteor strikes, blows almost all away (except..d) They run and manage to escape. After that, life is difficult, but Aladar (who is fortunately an herbivore) develops friendships and family. 

There are some universal truths conveyed in that movie.  Go with me on this:

Everyone needs to love and be loved.

Everyone needs to know they are not alone.

Everyone needs to make conscious decisions for good or evil.

Everyone needs to be believed in and encouraged.

Everyone can change and grow.

Everyone has the potential to learn and the capacity to give to others.

Everyone must take chances, to make ‘a leap of faith’.

Everyone needs to trust and believe in something bigger than themselves, something they cannot see.

Okay, these are not a profound revelations.  I have never evaluated a movie for universal elements before, and I was struck by the way the movie displayed these characteristics. 

Then we watched “Night at the Museum (has a dinosaur)”, and “Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure (no dinosaur)”.  We both nodded off before Tinkerbell was able to repair the moonstone.  

Dang.

***This is a repost from 2010. Sunshine was 5 then and is now 13. She still has a unique perspective on life and would sit on my lap if possible. 

Oscars and Esoteric-icity

Yes.

Oscar time is on the horizon, with all its flash and glamour. The red carpet has been vacuumed and shaken out, light bulbs tightened, egos spit-polished, and statuettes lined up.

Enthusiasm here has waned considerably. Thank you, Lord, for DVR and the remote. I will read and my dear one will work on Sudoku until we can speed through the profundity spewing from those more knowledgeable than the rest of the world. 

The thing is that it does not matter at all which are the movies many have enjoyed, but the movies that hold the most meaning and assuage the politically correct need.

(Man, I just read the above paragraphs and I AM IMPRESSED with the sentence structure and vocabulary used. This deserves an Oscar.)

Such verbosity is a result of reading this blog, Word Splash with Joanne Faries .  In her blog, Joanne has chosen some excellent quotes from some superb directors: 

Samuel Goldwyn, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, and 

film critic Pauline Kael.

These talented people clearly state what movies should do. 

And, they should know.

Please visit Joanne Faries' site.

Pastel

vibrant

Still Swirling

Bright Eyes (3 yr.) and Sunshine (1 yr.)

From the day our granddaughters were born, we have been blessed to be part of their lives in many ways.  It is a thrill to share our joys and interests with them, receiving same in return.

Now they are in the “tween” age, neither child nor teen, confusing us all. Hormones or no, they still delight us with this new stage.

A movie, Leap, recently appeared and we took our girls to spend time in this dark theater with us and watch a young girl who wished to become a ballerina.

DanceInform

Leap was delightful, at least to us and partly to the girls. Images that once made them happy and laughing held them in silence, even stoic. If we had not sneaked in two orders of edamame for them, they might have fallen asleep.

When Leap was over, both girls ripped it apart. 

Oh, Grandma…no girl could learn ballet in five days…Look, see! NO one could have made that move!...See THAT pirouette! Not remotely possible!...THAT defies laws of physics!...NO one could do that!...She should have DROPPED like a big heavy stone…I mean REALLY!!..

 They were absolutely spot on.  Two Irish dancers with many years of experience and awards could rightly judge.

Just when we were about to sigh heavily, a flutter of little girls in filmy tutus ran by, raced by giggling, to the screen where credits rolled and music played.  They swirled around, arms lifted over their heads in light, shadows against screen.

”Daddy! Daddy!  We want to be ballerinas!  See us dance!”

A new generation of future dancers brought smiles to tween faces and sweetness of remembered days to us when they wore little girl dresses, swirling and squealing.

Sunshine (11 yrs.) and Bright Eyes (12.5 yrs.)

O is for Orville Redenbacher

Great letter

There is one man who has changed the entire movie going experience.  He has also provided home viewing with this same joy.

Just who is HE? Think for a moment…

O is for Orville Redenbacher.

Source

One would never expect this nerdy-looking man to be educated with a degree in agronomy.  He and his business partner Charlie Bowman experimented with various hybrid seeds for popcorn, until they agreed upon one.  In 1973 they introduced their brand named “Orville Redenbacher”.  The rest is glorious history.

Next time you go to a movie and immediately inhale that amazing movie-popcorn odor, thank Orville Redenbacher. 

Less than 100 words.

Wednesday Words: Jane and Blanche

Blanche was known as the crafty one of the family.  Knitting, sewing, crafting, even darning—whatever needed a hot-glue gun and a mind-full of ideas, Blanche created masterpieces.

Her twin sister Jane hated Blanche with a passion that cramped and boiled inside her.  Blanche ignored the raging anger consuming Jane.

After watching the suspense-filled movie “Whatever happened to Baby Jane”, Jane shoved Blanche down into the cellar filled with empty mason jars and spiders.  "Oh, Blanche.  You know we have rats in the cellar?" Jane whispered as the cellar door slammed shut.

This vignette is obviously not in the movie, but I thought it would use the Wednesday words supplied by Delores@myfeatherednest .  Thanks, Delores, for providing challenging words with which to play!!

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford--source

Brussel Sprouts Re-Defined

source

Children are brilliant in so many ways.  They literally burst into this world with all the right parts.  Then these little creatures manage to survive inept parents, grow, and start talking.

But one of the best ways in which they are brilliant is that they lack the EDIT button in their brains.  What they think is what they say.  Like it or not, the words come out of their mouths in honest certainty and sincerity.

I have written about my grandchild, Sunshine, many times before.  She is a delight and a frustration.  She looks at the world and picks up on clues that would escape most children.  At almost seven years old, Sunshine is a powerhouse.

per Wikipedia

Sunshine watched “Jumanji” recently with her mama and sister, Bright Eyes.  Early on in the movie, Alan (Robin Williams) and Sarah (Bonnie Hunter) were playing the game of Jumanji.  Alan was pulled into the game, disappearing for 26 years. 

At this very point, Sunshine started weeping uncontrollably.  She said that Alan would never see his mommy and daddy again, and they would miss him.  They would look and look for him, but never find him.  Then Alan would be somewhere without them, and all alone.  Then they would die….  She followed the train of events without seeing the movie. 

 When my daughter calmed her down, the movie started resolving all those issues.

Bright Eyes told Sunshine, “Hey, this is just a movie.  Get over it.”

Yesterday, my daughter served brussel sprouts in lemon and butter sauce.  Sunshine’s response?  “I’ve never tasted poop before, but it might taste like that.”

No edit button in her head, is there?

X is for...Xlerator

This is only the beginning...

Every adult who has taken a child to a movie has learned two things:

Popcorn and drinks are great ways to keep a child quiet.

Drinks provide the child with a need to go to the restroom which he/she wanted to check out anyway.

Drink up, girls!

I don’t know whether it is the novelty of the urinal (boys), or the number of stalls (girls).  I do know that children love to wash their hands in the movie restroom. 

The soap dispenser either gives out foam or some pink liquid.  Either one has a novelty about it.

The faucet may even be automatic, which is delightful to me if not to the child.

Then there is the hand drying bit:  paper or air?  Doesn’t matter.

Hold on!

Or, at least, it didn’t matter until recently.  Enter the new dryer on the movie block:

Xlerator

Excel Dryer

Feel the Power!

Those are the honest-to-God words on the machine.  I am telling you the truth.

This dryer blew back the skin on my hand while it air-blasted the water.  Imagine a little seven-year old girl with her five year-old sister placing their hands under that power blower.  Then their faces.  Then their hair….other body parts, clothing…

Grandma, watch this!

We will never leave this bathroom.  That hand dryer will keep us entertained forever.

Man, we paid $28 to go to this damn bathroom.  That doesn’t even count the popcorn.  I hope Grandpa likes the movie. 

E is for

E is for Eglantine Price and Prof. Emilius Brown, from the movie "Bedknobs and Broomsticks".

This Disney movie came out in 1971, with Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson playing magically inclined spinster and bachelor during the London blitz, 1941.  the book was written by Mary Norton, and is vaguely related to the movie.  Perhaps what we (parents with our young children) liked about it was that the music was engaging, the magic very fluffy, and the depressive subject of bombings and death are all skimmed over, with the lead characters being so totally charming.

Totally silly and fun!

 

The name 'Eglantine' stuck in my memory for over 30 years.  I have found myself singing the one line I know:  "Eglantine, Eglantine! Oh how you shine...!"  Professor Emilius Brown sings this song twice in the movie.  First time, he is trying to talk Miss Eglantine Price into throwing her skill in magic with his scamming, and they would have success is a dark time.  She rejects the idea out of hand.  The second time, Prof. Brown is at a train stop, realizing that he has been a sleazebag all his life, and that Eglantine is a true person of integrity.  He sings the song, with a sense of love.
Perhaps that is why I enjoyed this movie so much.  It was not so much the fun-stuff, or the silliness, but it was the relationship that evolved from one thing to another.  That is what I am doing--always evolving, changing.  This A-Z blogfest has allowed me to examine this on-going evolution.
E is for Eglantine, Emilius, and Evolution!

 Here's to Arlee Bird!  Huzzah!  Huzzah!
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