A Little Monkey and Tails.

I had this cute munchkin visit me yesterday for a bit. Her father (my nephew) was passing through.  He and his wife have a set up where he takes this little one to visit his friends from around where he grew up (they have children also) for the week-end, and her older son (from another relationship) goes to his father's grandparent's for the week-end - resulting in the Mom getting 2 days all to herself. They call it a mental health day (or something similar). I think that is wonderful! Although I am not positive when my nephew gets any totally alone time.

She is the cutest little 3 year old and she climbed the neighbor's swing set/fort like a little monkey.

I am going to try harder to post more often. I have so many things I can do on-line that almost all of my time is spent sitting here at the computer. Almost everything I do can help me in my job in one way or the other. Helping people is still one of the biggest areas in my life for me. Online, I am a reader of redd!t and have several divisions that I read to see if I can help. I also get several ideas and tips from readers to benefit myself.

Just last evening I was reading the area about Tor (The Onion Router). This one has been an example I use when I am instructing the techs about the filter. Most of them have no idea what it is, or how it works. Sigh. But that is an entire book in itself and if you know me, you are probably aware that I can get very long winded when I start talking tech.

Anyway, the user mentioned Tails.  I had not heard or read about this one. So, I had to investigate and of course I had to have it. For testing purposes and to present to the techs how end  users (the savvy ones) are getting around the filter in the schools and endangering their network.

I had to find 2 USB sticks with 4 GB available. (I had always referred to them as flash drives, but I kind of like this term). So I did have one empty 4 GB one (how did THAT happen?), and the other had just back up data on it - so I moved that to one of my external HDDs.

So, I started this new endeavor.  Four hours later I went to bed. LOL!  I am learning a lot, but I am also being very, very cautious. I have screwed up my system before trying this stuff and I should have known not to start this after 9 p.m. I was much too tired to think this through and follow long, intricate instructions.

It is one of those deals where you are going through the steps one at at time, and you come across the step that reads "If you don't have such and such, click here to set that up (or install it). So, you follow that link and you start installing that program. You get halfway through the steps and you come across another one that reads "If you have never installed such and such before, you need to change this or that before you can enable it". And I follow the link to THAT site. It went about 4 sites deep and I was getting very tired.

Well, it didn't work my first go round. But hey, I did learn a lot. And, I will try again today. Maybe. Of course I will - I am too excited to get this puppy on a flash drive and see what I can do with it in my work environment so I can bring it to their attention to watch out for this work around.

I run into the techs who have the attitude "So, what? They are always going to find a way around the filter. I can't stop them all."  This might be true, but I can see that he/she has given up the fight. This saddens me. Yes, there will always be a rogue student who knows so much about technology that he will consider this a challenge (sometimes they don't mean harm, they just want the ego boost that they were able to beat the system) and brag to his friends and share his knowledge.

But once in a while, guys......once in a blue moon - I get a tech who gets that look in his eye, the "Oh really?" look and they write this down. They hopefully are going to take action to block or attempt to block this activity in his or her district.

And that is why I do it. That is why I share what I know with others. I want to make the schools safer for the students. It may be a losing battle, but I can't just say "Screw it. Let 'em see it. They're gonna see it anyway."  Well, I'd prefer them NOT to see it in an educational environment. In other words "Not on MY watch."

Did anybody watch the movie "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?"  You know how I love my movies and I have so many I can talk about. I like Tina Fey in MOST of her movies. I am not a HUGE fan, but at least she does not make me cringe. For this movie, they delicately add humor to a horrifying situation that so many live through. But then there was MASH. I know the humor was exaggerated, and there were only a few times when the show brought us back to the reality of the horror of war.

It is slowly coming back to me. I had trouble remembering my password today. I had trouble finding spell check. But it is coming back. I need to go and ready all of YOUR posts this past year (or has it been longer) to see what is going on with you.

I have a lot more to write (tell). This year seemed to be a bad one for cancer hitting my friends. They are fighting the fight. A lot of little children in my family. I always like that. I was the youngest of 8, and I was 12 years old before any of my siblings had a baby. They then came thick and fast, but that first grandchild (for my Mom) and first nephew (for me) was doted on. My sister was the type who packed up her husband and baby and drove 50 miles one way EVERY week-end to stay with us (at my Mom's house). And on Sunday evenings drive 50 miles back.  Well, her husband drove. Her husband did everything for her. Nice in some ways, but over the years (as she has told us) it can be very smothering. We used to chide my sister when the gas stations changed over to self-serve. She had ALL the gas stations marked out who would pump the gas for you. It was ages before she was able to pump her own gas. I'm not sure she can, even now. Hmmmmm..... LOL!

Looking out the window

My little great niece looking out the window with curious George. Picture provided by her Mom.

Such sweetness. Been over a month since I have seen this little one. Miss her.

We are still here at the Peruby household. Strange how I do not have the "urge" or "need" to post these days. Not certain as to why.

I suppose it comes and goes. Nothing happened that would have supplanted the exercise that I can think of.

I watched "The Imitation Game" and "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken"

I also got into an older series with Helen Mirren - "Prime Suspect". Only watched the first two.  Not certain I will watch any more.  Helen looks as if she has had work done, and if she has it was money well spent. She looks spectacular.

Only me!

omigosh you guys!  I am so goofy.

I recall a movie winning awards. It began with the word "Bird".

So, I watched a movie. Unfortunately, I chose "Bird People".

Thinking I had the right movie, it was at 17 minutes into the film that I began to question the sanity of the award givers. Scratching my head I kept thinking...what the?

My daughter was watching the film with me at first and she was like "Beats me..."

Halfway through, I said "I MUST have the wrong movie!"

I looked and found the one I should have been watching is "Birdman!"

LOL!

The wrong movie is strange to say the least.

But, I DO love to laugh at myself.

So, now I need to watch the right movie, but some other time.

Sigh. Only me.

One book down...

Books read:  1

Movie:  Yet to be seen.

Bathroom remodeling:  0


Have a good friend in the hospital close to my home town. She is currently battling COPD with pneumonia.  Horrible jolt of reality when visiting her. We laugh about the good times we have had.

I leave and wonder about smoking, about illness, about cancer, over eating, about diabetes, about life.   I skip stopping to get slices of my favorite pizza on the way home.

Movies

I watched two movies over the long week-end. American Sniper and Selma. Both took me more than one sitting to watch them.

American Sniper reminded me of The Kingdom, which I really liked. It was good, but I liked it less than The Kingdom. I am trying hard to like B Cooper. Or, his choice of characters, I suppose.

Selma was very intense. Both movies are true-life events. Both sad. Both thought provoking and both grabbing you by the collar and saying "Wake up! There is hard life going on all around your precious little happy bubble!" 

It makes me want to crawl under the covers and hide. But I realize, that is what I am already doing. I feel guilty enjoying my life when there is so much pain and un-fairness in the world.

The North Koreans can have it

The movie, that is. "The Interview".  Why did I watch it? I caved to the propaganda. The only part I enjoyed was the puppy (similar shown above) near the end of the movie and the beginning with Eminem. He played his part so dead pan.

Between the beginning and the end, I was reminded why I do not care for S Rogen films. I paid nothing for the film, so at least I did not have that loss.

Christmas eve found us traveling in a hellacious rain storm. At one point, I just could not see. Fortunately for me, I had a car ahead of me (follow the red tail lights) and the vehicle behind me backed off so I did not feel as if I were being "pushed".

We passed no less than four vehicles pulled over, and two serious-looking accidents. A Merry Christmas was NOT had by all.

I hinted to this group that we planned on skipping next year. I hope I can stick to my guns and follow through. Years ago when my sister was incarcerated, I had her two children at my house for Chistmas every year. Now, she is out - they are both married and have children of their own - they have plenty in their family and I feel that it is time to just return to mine. I travel to them now, because it is just the three of us. I hope they understand. Maybe they will be just as relieved.

Anyway, take the security off of Franco and Rogen. I don't think anybody wants to hurt them except for perhaps Katy Perry for ruining her song "Firework".  

Remember Downton Abbey's Mathew Crawley?

Well..here he is in the move "The Guest".  I didn't like him on the Downton Abbey show, although I did not want to see him die.

No wonder he moved on. How boring Downton must be compared to this.

Still thank ful

We did the family thing on Thursday. whew! All of my Mom's 8 children showed. We did not get any group pictures. Some said nobody was interested, I never heard anybody bring the subject up.

The grandchildren of my Mom came in shifts. Some came earlier, some later. Two are feuding and one was actually going out the back door while the other came in the front door. It all worked out.

Our family traditional games were played - Tripoly and LCR. This is the first year I did not play. I handed the nickels over to my daughter. I noticed the younger set are doing the games. We older set kept moving around talking.

A big group of us stayed over. Just because. Only one was drinking and she no longer drives, but I think we just wanted to extend the visiting. The next day I returned home, exhausted. I rarely sleep at other people's houses.

I think the above photo is the only decent one I got. I put my camera setting on the sports setting because the children kept moving. My flash does not work on that setting (I guess) and all my photos came out grainy, dark and just bleh.

The snow was a surprise. There did not seem to be much indication that we would get any accumulation but we did get some. Just enough to worry people driving back home. I asked my daughter to text me when they got home.

My elder sister's keurig got a work out. One niece went shopping after dinner. She goes every year. The rest of us are like "No, thanks!"

I returned home late Friday, so Saturday was my clean up day.

Today, I am fixing a bird with all the trimmings. While taking the dogs out this morning, my daughter informs me that her beau wants her to go have dinner with his grand pa and his new lady friend. When was this plan made?! I guess I was a big ambiguous about the day I would fix the turkey. I was tired and said I would fix it whatever day I felt like it. I am off work on Monday also - I need at least one day to recover.

And to clean that bird. UGH!

So, I'll fix the bird but what time is their dinner? Screw it. I'm going to fix it when I feel like it. When it is done, it is done. If they are not here, then that is a few less side dishes I have to make, such as noodles.

I watched "Noah". I was very disappointed in the movie. Not certain what I was expecting. I was never a fan of Crowe. I adore Connelly  since Labyrinth - one of my daughter's favorite movies as a child. I do recall saying I was never a fan of middle-earth-type movies. This reminded me of that setting.

Pick a movie title!

Sorry to go here, guys. I have a blast at work. We have a group of "girls" that go out to eat about once a month or so. Using search queries from my report, I came up with this topic of conversation over dinner.

Describe your sex life with the title of a Movie.

Oh. my . gawd.  Hilarious!

Some of the answers:

Titanic (from the table next to us who over heard us)

Gone with the Wind

Dumb and Dumber

Dazed and Confused

Fast and Furious

Gone in 60 seconds

Misery

Mission Impossible

Are we there yet?

Rocky

Some Like it Hot

Psycho

Endless Love

From Dusk til Dawn

Just Go with it

300

Clueless

Wreck-it Ralph

Raging Bull

The Incredible Hulk

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Frozen

The Big Sleep

Heartbreak Ridge

Mama Mia

Heat

Big Daddy

Scary Movie

All is Lost

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

It Happened One Night

Super 8

Mercy

Raging Bull

and for a great laugh....

Toy Story!

Getting stoned

One of the search queries on the list that I glance over asked:

"Do people still get stoned today?"

We laughed. Yes, and sadly....yes.

Or, maybe sadly for both ways of getting stoned.

My cohorts and I found the question funny because the obvious one is apparent. We are like, "where has this guy been?"  and "Doesn't he watch TV?"

You may have to dig a little deeper to find the other "stoned".

But, sadly - it is front page news.

 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/23/syrian-woman-accused-of-adultery-is-stoned-to-deat/

I just finished reading "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest".

I am going to re-watch the movie, next.  I have not see it in years.

The author wanted Gene Hackman to play the lead part instead of Jack.  If I remember correctly, Jack did a fantastic job, and I imagine Gene would have, too.

The author was also dismayed that the movie did not narrate the story as the Indian in the book. That is how the book is written - all from the Indian's point of view.

Three geese in a flock.
One flew east, one flew west,
One flew over the cuckoo's nest.
O-U-T spells OUT,
Goose swoops down and plucks you out.

Ramblings about nothing much in particular

I read an article where somebody thinks this pirogi has the markings of a religious biblical being. Me? I think it looks like Charles M@nson. Not that I want to give that creep any recognition or any mention, but yikes!

No matter to me. I hate pirogis. Never tasted one I liked.

I am so far behind in reading all your posts. I am trying to catch up. I got to where I was reading two books and jumped right into another one. I was reading, reading, reading - forgot to read your posts and forgot to blog for a while.

Then I found a bunch of Johnny C@rson shows. The best of...etc... Oh, my. Laughter is good for the heart, mind and soul. My nephew had purchased them for me years ago and I had forgotten about them. They are great!

I was intrigued by the episodes with Tiny Tim. Remember him? I remember when he married "Miss Vickie" on the C@rson show. But back to Tiny Tim - he acted and sounded just like Michael J@ckson. I had to laugh at that.

I didn't get far with our "R0bin Williams" marathon. I did watch "Awakenings" which I had not seen for a long time. The most popular ones I know too well. But one of the early ones - "The World According to Garp" I may watch. The book was mentioned on one of the C@rson episodes I was watching before they brought R0bin out. He looked so "out" of it. Self medicating, I guess.

Anyway, I may download the book and read it. Put it among the other dozen or so I have to read. Sheesh. I really need to get outside.

Which reminds me. I think we are going to the fair tomorrow. (Oh, crap - make that later today. I have lost track of time). My daughter and I love to watch the "trotters".  But, I am still torn. Is it animal abuse? I just think the animals are beautiful and truly amazing. I will try to get some pictures.

It was a beautiful day out there today. The tiny school I was working at was located close to one of the most beautiful spots in my county. I had my camera. I was so worn out, hot and frustrated when I finished I had no energy or heart to go take pictures afterwards. I just went straight home and collapsed. Grrrr.

The link above is a YouTube video I captured in September 2008. Six years? SIX YEARS ago? Mama!  And the link mentioned with this paragraph is where I posted about it. LOL!

Wow! There IS an app for that!

There you are in a movie theater, the middle of a movie and the urge to pee just won't go away. But, you don't want to miss anything important, right?

Well, worry no more! There's an app for that!

Straight from their web page:  http://runpee.com/

Each movie has a list of carefully selected Peetimes. We try to find 3-5 minute long scenes that don’t have crucial plot twists, or LOL moments, or exciting  action.

Cake

I think most people like cake. Some are either a cake person or an icing person. I am an icing person. I eat the icing and leave the cake.

I went to a party yesterday for a one year old. The parents did the traditional act where they give the little baby an entire little cake to devour or smash or throw or wear as they wish.

Then they clean her up and finish the party. Me? I'd save the cake smashing/wearing for last.

The icing was MUCH too sweet even for my taste. Whew!

I watched the movie "The Railway Man". It was hard to get into it at first. So boring. I am NOT a fan of Kidman or Firth. Both fine actors but YUCK! Something about them makes me cringe. Fortunately, a lot of the film was set "back in time" when Firth's character was young and a prisoner of war.

Based on a true story, the tale depicts how this man survived (barely) the torturous beatings and actions of the Japanese army only to meet his enemy forty-some years later. His life was full of misery as he re-lived his beatings almost daily and suffered severely what is now known as post traumatic stress syndrome. He discovered that the Japanese officer was giving tours at the place he was held captive - now a museum of sorts. He sets out to confront the man.

Nobody knows what they would do given the same circumstances. Do you torture them? Do you kill them? Do you forgive them?

Somali Piracy

I watched the movie "Captain Phillips".  T Hanks comes through as usual. Wonderful actor, just wonderful. I was crying at the end (or teared up anyway).

Of course I had to research the real story.

Spoiler Alert! Not a lot, but a bit.

Two things. Captain Phillips (to me) neglected to heed the warning of keeping his ship 600 miles from the coast of Somalia. He was 240 miles when they were overtaken by the pirates. All ships were advised to stay 600 miles away. Perhaps the pirate ships were not capable of going that far out to sea. Hence - some crew members are suing.

Second - me thinks that the pirate (Muse) has a much better life in a federal prison in the United States than he would have - had he stayed and lived in Somalia. Photo above is lifted from the Internets - typical family conditions in Somalia.

I guess I'll add another tidbit of information. It appears to have escalated (the piracy) when big tankers dumped waste into the waters killing the fish and the local fishermen had no way to make a living so they turned to piracy. As usual, things got out of hand quickly when greed takes over.

Mundane

The 1960 version of Little Shop was mundane compared to the '86 version. The older one was not a musical. The plot was a bit different.  At the end when the little flowers opened up the faces of the people the plant ate were on the them. Kind of ghastly.

Dragnet (the 50's version) must have been very popular - as they used a few references to Joe Friday's vernacular lingo. Seymour's  mother played a big part in the older version, also. The dentist was not Audrey's girlfriend and Seymour called the plant Audrey Junior instead of Audrey (two) II.

Oh, and I can't write this post without a little shout out to J Nicholson from the '60 version playing the pain-loving patient of the dentist. Not as dramatic as Murray's role in the '86 version but strange in his own "Jack" way. 

Twooie

I saw a stage rendition of "Little Shop of  Horrors" last night. It was fantastic. The talent of some people just stop you dead in your tracks and makes you wonder why some people leave for the west coast or NYC and some stay in their home area. They seem content to wow their little home audiences and do not venture out for the super star status. Are they any less talented? Not in my book. The performers I saw last night were fantastic.

I was introduced to this comedy via the 1986 version with R Moranis and E Greene. I see now that there is a 1960 version. I may try to get a copy of that version to watch and of course I need to watch the more recent one to revisit scenes that last night's production reminded me that I had forgotten.

I think that Seymour kept calling the plant "Twooie" in last night's production. (Audrey II). At least that is what it sounded like to me.

Movie review - R.I.P.D.

The above photo is lifted from the Internets. I think she is freaking adorable, this little girl. She has a fantastic future ahead of her - just check out her photos.

She plays a teeny, tiny part in R.I.P.D.  The movie?  OMG. A "Men in Black" clone? Although, the movie is based on a comic book, I think.

I struggle with listening to J Bridges speak in this movie. Is it part of the character or is the guy having real problems? IDK, but seriously - he speaks as if his mouth is full of marbles or something. After reading some background on the movie, I am glad that J Bridges got the part and NOT Zach G. UGH!

The comedy left a lot to be desired.

And ML Parker? I think she over-tweaked her last surgery. She is starting to look like a pixie. I (myself) prefer actors to look like human beings. Cute/pixie-like is for school girls. Maybe it was the hair and the role. IDK.

Overall, I would not recommend this movie. But, everybody is different. I rarely agree with the "critics" so - don't take my word for it. Maybe I should change my line to read 'I would not recommend spending a lot of money watching this movie.'  How's that? Better?

Movies

It has been a long time since I posted any movie reviews. July in fact. I have watched a slew of them. I looked back over the ones I watched (yes, I keep a list) and one in particular was my favorite. Not everyone will agree, I am certain. The Heat with S Bullock and M McCarthy.

If you are offended by the "F" word, they you won't care for this movie. I think it is used in Melissa's conversation in every other word.

My favorite parts are where Sandra's character mistakes Melissa's for being a prisoner waiting to be questioned. Another is where Melissa kicks the door down on a woman using the toilet (thinking a criminal is hiding in there) and she is pointing a gun at her. As Sandra's character attempts to drag her away, Melissa asks "Who closes the 'effin door when they are taking a sh!t?"  Sandra replies "Humans do."

Another one I found funny in parts (but raunchy in others) was "We're the Millers".

I'll give a quick shout out to "Admission" with T Fey and P Rudd. I liked this one.

Give me a break!

Seriously. At the bottom is Patrick Wilson and on the top we have Cole Hauser. I get these two mixed up in movies all the time!

Anyway, Hauser is in one of the movies I watched this past week-end, Wilson is not.

White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen.

Two (almost) identical movies.

WHD written by James Vanderbilt, stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Richard Jenkins. Child in peril is a little girl.

OHF written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, and Cole Hauser. Child in peril is a little boy.

Wilson is not in either movie, but I never know which one is which (Cole and Patrick) until I look up the movie in imdb.com.

Which is the better movie? Hell if I know. Haven't we had enough of the shoot 'em up violence? People get mowed down like grass in both films. The rifle (or automatic weapons) shoot them, blood spurts out - we hear that godawful sound of splunk when the bullet rips their body tissues apart and pieces of human flesh fly all around the screen. Fun stuff!

Both movies tell of terrorists over-taking the white house and kidnapping the president. OHF got really graphic in beating up a woman. Not pretty and not pleasant. 

Both movies threatened to shoot the main characters over and over again, while the lesser characters got shot first glance. The terrorist threatens an agent. The president spits out he will not negotiate and "bang" down goes the agent. However, for others (such as the president or the child) they hold the gun to their head over and over screaming "I'll do it! I'll shoot him/her!"  They don't. You can pretty much figure if they don't get their head blown off right away by the terrorist, then they are going to survive.

Explosives, explosives and MORE explosives. Do they film a few scenes and then just repeat them through-out the movie? Using the computer to change the perspective so we don't recognize it? Fire, blowing up buildings, blowing up glass, blowing up people over and over and over again.

Oh, and what is with the jokes when there are literally dozens of bloodied corpses on the White House lawn?  "Heh, heh,... sorry about the house."   "Oh, no worries. It was insured." as they stumble through the blood bath of bodies all around them.

Have we seen enough of Channing Tatum and Gerard Butler?  Channing busts through glass windows. Gerard does the "Bruce Springsteen" slide. The power slide he does during the 2009 Super Bowl half-time show. I think it was Gerard.

Anyway, maybe you aren't tired of looking at Channing and Gerard. I am. I am tired of seeing people mowed down with automatic weapons, rifles and hand guns. I am tired of that splunking sound. I am tired of the blood spurting out and mass amounts of bloodied bodies lying around. I am tired of hearing bones break and necks snap. I am tired of terrorist movies.

Hell, maybe I am just tired.

Where's my hair?

This baby had more hair when she was born than now. She is four months old. Not certain who took the photograph. Perhaps my nephew - her daddy.

I have been on a movie kick. I watched "The Heat" with S Bullock and M McCarthy. They said the "f" word so  many times. It used to bother me. I have become de-sensitized to the word. In fact, it comes flying out of my mouth more times than I like to count. Sigh. Another habit I need to break.

This movie had me laughing out loud a couple of times. I hope Sandra and Melissa do more movies together. I always considered Sandra as kind of one dimensional in character, and she is still playing the part of Miss Congeniality but I do like these two together. They are wacky together and it makes for great comedy.

It still bothers me that Sandra looks so plastic. They try to rough her up a little in this movie, mussing her hair up at times and ripping her clothes, but the rest of the time she is just plastic looking. Like she is not real. I wish she would stop smoothing her hair down until it is plastered to her head like it is fake. I wish she would just "soften" her looks up a bit. But then again - maybe her hair is unmanageable. I never had lots of hair, so I never had that problem.

But I love the way they make fun of each other and allow the jokes to be on them. When McCarthy's movie family asks Sandra if she were a male or a female, I was cracking up.

And let me make one more shout out - I could just melt looking at M Wayans!

Oh, according to my movie bible (imdb.com) they have already announced "The Heat 2". YAY!