fighting through the fog

It's mid January and I'm still here....but for how much longer I'm not sure. I have no idea how much writing I'll be doing in the short term, but never fear, the blog will go on! I have a lot of things to straighten out, and it may take some time, so your patience will be appreciated. Soon to be 55....I may have a birthday post on the 31st, we'll see.

More Elba than Austerlitz

Here, on 2 Dec, I normally celebrate Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz as a kind of glorious celebration of life...but this year for me things are bad enough that I cannot celebrate anything.

More cool F&G Magic!

On Election Day....

Vote! Like Ginger and her mother Lela...

An Excellent Fan Video!

The True Fourth Marx Brother....Gehrigo

for those who love it...

Your Casablanca cast in a publicity photo.

Chicken Broil!

Every year around this time... Manchester has their huge chicken broil....which seems to occur during the time Ann Arbor is also having it's Art Fair.  For years, Miki and I have talked of going....but this year we actually did so!

This is my plate...I'm already attacking the chicken!  Chicken, cole slaw, chips, roll, radishes(!) and a drink.... a good deal, set in a huge field with a band playing also.

Miki, eating and helping out Sabina...

I think Noah is laughing at the idea of eating radishes...

Sabina, staring at folks bringing in more food... note the people leaving their boxes of chicken dinners....

At least it isn't...Muskrat Love!

Ginger in the crazy '70s!

mmm.....Steamship Round!

Very near my house there's an excellent place for all sorts of sausages, bacon, etc. named Biercamp, and Friday, my friend Mike and his brother went with me there for the excellent beef sandwiches....complete with onions, pickles and a horseradish mayo....man, I could have had several!
When you come to A2...don't miss them!  (I especially love the bacon!)

pics taken by Mike!

Can I have coins made?

Looney Week!

Let's see....I lost power for the better part of 2 days.....no phone, no online, nada! 
They decided to rip up the road in front of my house.....
When I tried to escape....Giant Cloudbursts would show up just to say, "Nope, you're stayin' home!"
The weather was beastly, and by the end of the second day....I was pretty messed up, dizzy and nauseous... no matter how much water I was drinking!

On top of that...I still several demons to slay as well!  Oy!

But I'm here....

Tweet O' The Day

"I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned."

--  Marla McErlane

Hat or Radar?

Ginger's The One!

One dances....the other tried to!

They All Laughed

Today is the 75th anniversary of the release of the Fred and Ginger picture "Shall We Dance."  I don't have as much material on this film as I do earlier ones like "Top Hat", but this does have a Gershwin soundtrack, and some cool numbers.

Here's a nice shot of Ginger rehearsing the song for "They All Laughed", which I think is my favorite song from this film!  "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" is the more famous number, and it is interesting, but geez, there's only so much even they can do on roller skates!

Here's both the song and the wonderful dance that flows from it.  Take it away, F&G!



It also includes the beautiful song "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

And the very cool final scene where Fred dances with a pack of Ginger clones, having to find the Real One hiding in there somewhere!....But Love and Dance will out....

Despite this picture, Ginger and director Mark Sandrich didn't get along very well, and after this film, she had him specifically banned for working on one of her movies again! Sadly, he passed away just 5 years later...

Not my favorite film of theirs, but still many beautiful moments!

Girl with Hat

Stop hiding Ginger....

How far we've sunk

I don't watch Washington Journal on C-SPAN every day, but I do check in fairly often.  One of the great virtues of C-SPAN to me is the strong attempt to show all sides, liberal, conservative and every flavor thereof.  But in the last few years, I've noticed how many of the callers on Washington Journal no longer believe this.  They are totally convinced that the OTHER side owns C-SPAN and is spinning everything in their opponents direction.  Nothing convinces them otherwise.  When challenged about this, people seem to feel it is evil that anyone who feels differently from themselves deserves a right to speak at all!    Madness!  It's no wonder people can't seem to work out their differences.

Whew!

Boy, it's been awhile since I've actually written an actual post!  It's a funny thing this writing....your head will let you know when it needs to come out.  But posts lurk on the horizon....and they'll show up here.  Watch this space!

Hey Joan!

See you in two weeks, right?