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I'm interested in: Genealogy, traveling, Internet, cats - living and collectible. I collect different kinds of cats, but I particularly like Wachtmeister Goebel cats. I also have carved granite cats (cute little fat things) as well as carved wooden cats from Kenya, Indonesia, Tennessee and Hawaii.
Even the reading I do has cats for a theme. Except for one series, the books I read utilize cats or cat sleuths to solve the mystery. I read all of the "Cat Who" series; am not overly enamored with the Rita Mae Brown series, but do read it; love the Midnight Louie series (a feline Mickey Spillane, to be sure); and the Joe Grey series is good as well. I've heard there are others, but I haven't found them yet. I also like the Joanna Brady mysteries, but I don't think there are any new editions out. JA Jance seems to be focusing on her JP Beaumont series instead. I guess the segueing from one to the other is not easy.
I went to Northern Ireland in 2005 after learning what town my mother's great-grandparents came from. I drove to the town and took photos of the churches where they married and where they baptized their children. I felt such a connection - unlike any I've felt here with most of my family being in place since the late 1600s. For some reason, that particular branch of family holds my strongest emotional link - yet, I never knew any of them except my mother. My grandmother died 12 years before I was born and her father died in 1929 when my mother was 13. Could it just be the mystery of it all? Or could it be my red hair? ;-)Save The World - One Click At A Time!
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There are one or two people, but I won't say who they are because I hate looking like a "groupie" or anything like that. I would have loved to have met James Cagney and Jimmy Stewart, both true characters, full of integrity. I would have liked to have known my grandmother, Minnie, who died 12 years before my birth. OK, yeah, I would like to meet Micky Dolenz. I was a truly rabid Monkees fan when they first hit the airwaves, although I really had it bad for Davy Jones. But, I don't like what I see in him now and find I do like Micky's personality and genuine likeability. A friend of mine knows him and she says he's a great person. No one else comes to mind without spending vast amounts of time thinking about it.
Contemporary country music as well as the folk/soft rock music of the 70s (Carole King, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Loudon Wainwright III, Joni Mitchell), 40s Big Band music. In general, all music except opera and hard rock.
We saw "The Departed" this last year. I hate those kinds of movies - I feel as traumatized when it's over as if I had experienced it in real life. It is entirely unnecessary to show such graphic violence - I do NOT need to see people's brains splattered all over. The fact that they have been shot and killed is sufficient to fulfill a story line. People have become violence junkies - to the point, I believe, where violence in real life doesn't provoke any emotional response. It's no wonder we've become a more violent society - we've become all too accustomed to seeing it play out on the big screen and glorified with Oscars, etc. Anyway, the movie did hold some true surprises, actions completely unexpected by the audience, but overall, I hope to never again see such a violent depiction of life.
We also saw "The Queen" this year, about Queen Elizabeth's coming to terms with the social aftermath of Princess Di's death. I have to imagine that it's hard being so isolated from most of the world, not realizing that it has changed so dramatically and is not as accepting of what you feel is proper as it once was. She really had to re-think her place as reigning monarch and how that position was being perceived by her subjects. Did she want to maintain the "stiff upper lip" of tradition on the assumption that it showed strength, or did she want to reveal her vulnerabilities, as did Diana, so the people would see her as something more than a cold-hearted, out-of-reach figurehead? I think she came to realize that becoming more reachable and real to the people made her more endearing to them. One line she says in the movie near the end states, "I've never been hated before." The world's reaction to Diana's death was truly a catalyst of change for the monarchy. A while ago, my daughter and I went to see "The Science of Dreams". Now, there was a surrealistic movie. Stephane Miroux had a hard time separating his dreams from his realities - often escaping into his dreams to gain the reality he sought or the reality he assumed would exist. A couple of times, I felt like I was watching a movie from the psychedelic 60s, bad acid trip and all. But, it was sweet, comedic and romantic in its own way, as well. I've seen far worse, to be sure.
We also saw "The Devil Wears Prada" - it was really good! Meryl Streep is excellent at being a tyrannical bitch in this movie!! One scene in particular impressed the hell out of me in its starkness and contrast to other scenes. When her assistant walks in on her sans makeup, the visual effect of seeing her look so dramatically aged works perfectly for that moment of her temporary vulnerability. It humanizes her character in a way mere acting wouldn't have done. And, the fact that Streep has the confidence in herself to have allowed such a shocking visual portrayal of herself speaks volumes about her integrity as an actress. It may not be in line for an Oscar, but I did enjoy this movie and was happy to see a movie without gratuitous and token nude and sex scenes or filled with vulgarities. The pure story came through instead.
I get most of my news & weather from the Internet anyway (CNN, MSNBC, AOL news, Capitol Hill Blues, TruthOut.com and the local news channels' websites). I also enjoy receiving recipe newsletters, even though I don't cook much. I haven't had my television on since May, but Debra has installed digital cable in the apartment. I think she shouldn't have since her bill is now sky high, but really, the only time I watch television is when I'm next door. Their television is rarely off - they watch football constantly (or whatever other sport is on the rest of the year) and I avoid that as well. But, when they're not there, I enjoy CrimeTV, A&E, the History Channel, TLC, etc. I have no idea what shows are even playing on network TV now, other than what I happen upom or over hear at work.
I am finished reading "Truth and Duty" by Mary Mapes. It tells about the story behind the Dan Rather report on George Bush's supposedly forged military documents and how much research went into the story before it was aired. It also tells of the political atmosphere of the time wherein even the corporate powers were intimidated into submission on a story they had supported and fired the people they'd given the green light to. A frightful tale of how simply reporting the news, even with extensive research and documentation can put you under the watchful and suspicious eye of the government and how dangerous a government without accountability can be.
The previous book I read was "Cat in a Midnight Choir" by Carole Nelson Douglas. It was harder to read for me than most of the series...more confusing...but I don't know if it's me or the book. I had recently read "The Cat Who Went Bananas" by Lilian Jackson Braun, her newest book. I suspect she wasn't the author. She's been writing the series since the late 50's and the writing styles are considerably different on the last two, with the one ahead of this one being very poorly written, not at all in the style of the previous books in the series. This one more closely matched her normal story stylings.I'm getting too hung up, I guess. I used to escape in the books I read. It was great when I was a kid because I could get away to other places and other worlds - even other families. I could be anybody anywhere with a book. I do still read magazines avidly.
My main hero is my mother who has always enjoyed life despite being blind and having emphysema and putting up with my father for 55 years prior to his death in 2003. She has enjoyed whatever she did, with a bump here and there of frustration over her limitations. However, that changed earlier this year. She was almost totally unable to do anything because even a little exertion literally took her breath away. Her mood decreased and she was increasingly sick and tired of being sick and tired. She lost the sparkle she once had. It turned out that she was bleeding internally and had lost so much blood it affected her breathing (not enough red blood cells to carry the oxygen throughout her body). She was immediately put in the hospital after tests revealed extremely severe anemia (I can imagine). In fact, they had to give her five units of blood in three days to bring her back to normal hemoglobin levels. (Always one for a joke, though, Mom said, when told how much blood she needed, "I'm surprised I didn't throw a rod!") She still needs additional testing to find the source of the bleeding, but she felt so much better, it was like she was young again! She still wants to get out, goes to dinner whenever she gets the chance, goes outside every day to walk around the yard (with her high-class walker complete with fold-down seat for periodic resting provided it's not unGodly hot and humid), and even does some minor housework rather than sitting unable to do anything. It's been great to see!!