Paris 2010

Paris 2010
Garden at Versailles

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Let Hong Kong Whisk You Away

Hong Kong is one of my favorite places in the world to visit.  Since my husband, Jackson, is from there I have been three times.  My first visit was in 1980, the year we got married, then back again in 1996.  That time we also went to China (the Great Wall was the highlight of that trip) on a tour.  Then for our 25th anniversary, we went again and stayed in a five-star hotel called The Kowloon Shangri-La. Here's their website -
http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/hongkong/kowloonshangrila

I don't have any of our photos from these trips loaded on this computer yet or I would post some.  Here is a good recent article about Hong Kong -

http://www.imakenews.com/bmwnorthwest/e_article001938350.cfm?x=bhTdm2W,bgvtDlQK

Hong Kong reminds me of London in many ways.  But it is truly unique and a one of a kind destination!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Beautiful Photos

Here are some gorgeous photos my mother emailed to me today -












Next books...

I picked up two books at the library today.  I'm reading The Liars' Club, a memoir by Mary Karr with my online reading group friends.  It's been on my list for a long time.  

I also got the new book from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart called Earth (the book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race.  It's sure to be entertaining -

The eagerly awaited new book from the Emmy-winning, Oscar-hosting, Daily Show-anchoring Jon Stewart--the man behind the megaseller America (The Book).  Where do we come from? Who created us? Why are we here? These questions have puzzled us since the dawn of time, but when it became apparent to Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show that the world was about to end, they embarked on a massive mission to write a book that summed up the human race: What we looked like; what we accomplished; our achievements in society, government, religion, science and culture -- all in a tome of approximately 304 pages with lots of color photos, graphs and charts.

I'll let you know what I think once I've gotten into these books.  And may I just add - Libraries are to be cherished!!  I love mine!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

A British Christmas

I was just thinking about our trip to London and wishing we could be there for Christmas.  Wouldn't that be a fun place to spend the holidays?  I hear they have a ton of snow right now though. 

Westminster Abbey
It's exciting that there will be a royal wedding next year when Prince William gets married at Westminster Abbey.  We spent quite a bit of time looking around there and it's just as beautiful as you would imagine. 

Pop Culture's All-Star One-Man Band

According to the Dallas Morning News, "Jon Hamm didn't just lead the reigning best-show-on-television, Mad Men, through its best season. He also continued his cameo-comic greatness on 30 Rock and he hosted Saturday Night Live twice. Not to mention his great performance in The Town.  His greatest feat: being that smart, funny, handsome, talented, successful and yet you still can't bring yourself to hate him."

Jon comes across as such a genuinely nice guy in the interviews I've seen him give.  I can't wait to see what he does next!

Here's a roundup of some more Mad Men news for all you Maddicts out there -

http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/2010/12/press-roundup-1224.php

"Are you crying? There's no crying! There's no crying in baseball!"

That memorable quote was from manager Jimmy Dugan (played by the always wonderful Tom Hanks) to Evelyn, one of the Georgia Peaches, in the classic 1992 film A League of Their Own.  By the way, Evelyn is played by Bitty Schram who starred as Sharona, Monk's first assistant on the USA show Monk.  It was fun to see her playing a different role.  Anyway, the movie is a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girl's Professional Baseball Team which started in 1943. 

This wonderful movie was directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell.  Madonna really did a great job and the movie was perfectly cast.  It's touching, funny, moving and entertaining and if you haven't seen it, you really shouldn't miss it!

You Light Up My Life

Debbie Boone was on Oprah recently and she sang her huge hit song You Light Up My Life.  The song was written for the 1977 movie of the same name.  It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.  When she sang the song on Oprah, it brought tears to my eyes and it sounds better than ever.  Debbie looks great too!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

What if the first Christmas was this year?

My friend Sue sent me this today and it's so clever I am posting it here -



Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 20, 2010

River

Robert Downey Jr. is one of my favorite actors.  I really enjoyed him on Ally McBeal, one of my favorite shows from the 90's.  Anyway, did you know he could sing?  This video from Ally is about his character wishing he could be with his son on Christmas.  The song is called River and was originally sung by Joni Mitchell.  I love this version -

Friday, December 17, 2010

68th Golden Globes

The Golden Globes are generally more fun to watch than the Oscars.  Maybe it's because they give awards to both movies and TV shows.  Ricky Gervais is set to host again this year and he's really funny.

Here are the television nominations and my picks for the winners -

Best Television Series Drama

Boardwalk
The Good Wife
Dexter
The Good Wife
The Walking Dead
Mad Men - there is no doubt in my mind that Mad Men should win!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama

Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Brian Cranston - Breaking Bad
Hugh Laurie - House
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
Jon Hamm - while I'm a big fan of Michael C. Hall, Jon Hamm deserves it more!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama

Juliana Margulies - The Good Wife
Piper Perabo - Covert Affairs
Katey Sagal - Son's of Anarchy
Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer
Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men - these two are my favorites but Elisabeth was really outstanding so I'd vote for her

Best Television Series Comedy

30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Big C
Glee
Nurse Jackie
Modern Family - 30 Rock wins a lot, Nurse Jackie is great but not really a comedy

That's all the time I have for right now.  The Golden Globes will air on Sunday, January 16th on NBC.  Here's the official website - http://www.goldenglobes.org/

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Town

I finally went to the theater to see The Town, a crime drama starring, co-written and directed by Ben Affleck.  I had heard great reviews of the movie but I must admit that I was especially motivated to see it on the big screen because Jon Hamm is in it! 

Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the leader of a Boston gang of bank robbers.  They are actually from Charlestown, a tough Boston neighborhood where over 300 bank robberies occur every year.  Jon Hamm plays the lead FBI agent who pursues the team of criminals. 

Doug finds himself falling in love with the bank manager (played by Rebecca Hall) who was briefly taken hostage by the gang in their first heist in the movie.  She helps Doug realize that he wants out of this life of crime and out of town.

Jon Hamm does a great job with his supporting role and I hope this performance leads to many more movies for him.  I'm really impressed with Ben Affleck's direction and performance in this movie.  He was in virtually every scene and the movie is really well done.  The DVD will be out soon.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Next book...

I just picked up a book from the library today.  It's called Keep the Change by Steve Dublanica.  On the cover it says A Clueless Tipper's Quest to Become the Guru of the Gratuity.  I read Dublanica's first book called Waiter Rant last year and really enjoyed it.  Waiter Rant was about Steve's experiences working as a waiter in an upscale restaurant outside New York City.  It reminded me of Anthony Bourdain's bestseller Kitchen Confidential except it's about the waiter's experiences rather than the chef's. 

Here is the description of Keep the Change from Goodreads:

In America, tipping is (usually) avoidable, but not thinking about voluntary gratuities is completely impossible. Every day, we are confronted with awkward decisions about who to tip, how much to pay for different services, and even how to share our loot. There is no doubt that we succumb: Each year, we Americans spend $66 billion on tips, but as Waiter Rant author and blog keeper Steve Dublanica knows from hard experience, tipping behavior ranges widely from patron to patron and from profession to profession. To test the waters, or more specifically the outstretched palms, Dublanica traveled the continent, inquiring about handout habits everywhere he went. The venues fit almost every description; from working class bars and family restaurants to barbershops, beauty salons, public bathrooms and strip clubs. A fascinating book about a much-discussed topic that touches us all.

I hope I enjoy Keep the Change as much as Waiter Rant.  I may end up thinking twice the next time I have to leave a tip!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

A Christmas Story

One of my favorite Christmas movies is the classic family film A Christmas Story from 1983.  The story takes place in Indiana in the 1940's and revolves around nine-year-old Ralphie Parker and his little brother Randy and their parents.  Ralphie's only wish for Christmas is to receive an official Red Ryder air rifle (BB gun) but is constantly told, "You'll put your eye out!"   

The film was written by Jean Shepherd based on his book In God we Trust, all others Pay Cash and the movie perfectly captured all the fun of a family Christmas.  Jean Shepherd narrates the movie from the perspective of the adult Ralphie.  Peter Billingsley is wonderful and adorable as Ralphie and Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillion are so great as the parents.  By the way, Peter Billingsley plays an elf in the movie Elf.

This is one Christmas movie I never get tired of seeing.  If by some chance you haven't seen it, TBS runs a marathon of the movie every Christmas Eve. There is now a stage play of the movie called A Christmas Story: The Musical.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Songs from Elf

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf starring Will Ferrell in the charming role of Buddy the Elf who grew up at the North Pole.  His adopted elf father (Bob Newhart) tells him that his real father is Walter Hobbs (James Caan) who lives in New York with his wife and son.  Buddy finds his father and meets a great girl named Jovie played by Zooey Deschanel.  This fun, heartwarming movie from 2003 is sure to be a Christmas classic.

Here is a clip from the movie with Jovie and Buddy singing Baby, it's Cold Outside.

Some Good Quotes

"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."
— Elbert Hubbard
 
 
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
— Friedrich Nietzsche
 
 
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."
— Oscar Wilde
 
 
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
— Groucho Marx (The Essential Groucho)
 
 
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
— Charles M. Schulz

Monday, December 6, 2010

You're Still You

You're Still You is one of my favorite songs by Josh Groban.  I remember him singing this song on an episode of Ally McBeal.  I really liked Ally McBeal which was a quirky comedy/drama from David E. Kelley.  Every season is on DVD.

Here's Josh Groban singing the beautiful song You're Still You -

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Stephen King's Best Movies of 2010

Here are author Stephen King's picks for the best films this year -

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20446799,00.html?xid=email-top25-today-Stephen+King%3A+Top+10+films+of+%2710

I have to admit I haven't seen any of these yet.  The Town and The Social Network are the two at the top of my list.

Quote of the Day

"The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope."

— Barack Obama




Men of a Certain Age

Tomorrow, December 6th is the second season premier of the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.  The show stars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula as three best friends approaching age 50.  The three life-long friends, Joe, Owen and Terry deal with their own challenges. Joe (Ray Romano) is separated with two kids who wanted to be a pro golfer but now owns a party supply store and has a gambling problem.  Owen (Andre Braugher) is a married father of three dealing with diabetes who works for his father at a car dealership.  Terry (Scott Bakula) is a single, struggling actor working temp jobs and dating much younger women.

Men of a Certain Age is unique in dealing with the problems of men friends of this age group.  I enjoyed the first season last year and I'm glad it's coming back again.  The show follows The Closer, the award winning crime drama set in Los Angeles starring Kyra Sedgwick which is a great show.  It's one of the shows Jackson and I always watch together.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Quote of the Day

Today's quote from Robert Browning is a favorite of mine -

The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-sides dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven;
All's right with the world!

More Puns

The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Comference.
He acquired his size from too much pi.


I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.


She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.


A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.


No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.


A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.


A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.


Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.


A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.


Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'


I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.


A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab centre said: 'Keep off the Grass.'


The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.


A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, 'I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger.'


Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.


Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.












The 10 Most Over-Used Movie Catchphrases

According to http://www.moviefone.com/ these are the most over-used movie catchphrases.  See if you agree!

http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/04/08/most-over-used-movie-catchphrases/
 

Garden

Garden
Versailles

The Louvre

The Louvre
Paris

Paris

Paris
The Seine

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe
Paris

Paris in May

Paris in May
Paris

The Louvre

The Louvre
Paris

Chihuly glass sculpture

Chihuly glass sculpture
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Monet's Water Lilies

Monet's Water Lilies
Orangerie Museum, Paris

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey
London

Bruges

Bruges
View from our hotel window

Amsterdam

Amsterdam
canal

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe
Paris

Lilacs in London

Lilacs in London
St. Paul's Cathedral

The Royal Guard

The Royal Guard
London

Music man

Music man
Bruges

Joy at the Palace

Joy at the Palace
London

Guard

Guard
Tower of London

Jackson in Bruges

Jackson in Bruges
Belgium

Canal bridge

Canal bridge
Amsterdam

Houseboat

Houseboat
Amsterdam

British police

British police
London

Oscar Wilde's Grave

Oscar Wilde's Grave
Paris

Rhododendrons in the park

Rhododendrons in the park
Amsterdam

Versailles

Versailles
Joy in the palace

Winter scene

Winter scene
wow!

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year
dragon

Sweet peas

Sweet peas
love 'em

Pretty bouquet

Pretty bouquet

Princess Diana Fountain

Princess Diana Fountain
Hyde Park

Gardens

Gardens
Versailles

End of summer daisies

End of summer daisies
Our yard

Cool art

Cool art
Tate Modern, London

Penguin party

Penguin party
penguins

Pretty kitty

Pretty kitty
My sister's cat

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm
Is he a great looking guy or what?

Mad about Don

Mad about Don
Mad Men

Love Monk!!

Love Monk!!
Love To Tony

January and Jon

January and Jon
Beautiful people

Jon and January

Jon and January
Mad Men actors

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa
The Louvre

Royal Crescent

Royal Crescent
Bath

British phone booth

British phone booth
London

Harrod's Department Store

Harrod's Department Store
London

Versailles

Versailles
bedroom

Trafalger Square

Trafalger Square
London

Tower of London

Tower of London
London

Seattle Public Library

Seattle Public Library
Seattle

Lavender

Lavender

Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas
beautiful

Coffee love

Coffee love
yummy