New Orleans Then and Now

   With so much going on in in New Orleans I thought that I would share my thoughts concerning  the 1997 movie Eve's Bayou in Going to the Movies with Vannie. The action in this movie takes place in Louisianna at a time when we gave no thought to hurricanes or the destruction of a State. I watched it and again and can't believe how good this movie is. Some of the scenery is just breathtaking, especially near the water.  http://www.gardenandhearth.com/Movie-Reviews/_Eves-Bayou.htm

A friend sent this link to me just yesterday. It is hard to believe that this devastation and sadness is the same state. http://gmagic.com/katrina/  

Whatta Week. Whine!!

      This has been an week of small inconveniences, mishaps and annoyances. The last being my breakfast this morning. I ate the remains of a 'Subway' sandwich I bought at the mall last night. I don't why I keep forgetting that I really do hate the bread they use, much too soft and doughy--I like bread that fights back when you chew it.  Now that I think of it, all of my annoyances concern food. Last week I went to buy disks for my PC but stopped by Applebees for lunch. Ordered a shrimp dish, did not realize that I had to remove the tail shells myself, Eeewww! I never order shrimp with tails on. Dessert. They had no plain pound cake (my favorite sweet thing in the world) so I ordered the cheese cake because it did not look so bad, it had caramel drizzled over it, I could scrape that off. It turns out that again I did not read the menu correctly. There was a 1/4 inch layer of really sticky caramel layered on top of the very sweet cheese cake which was served with two large very sweet tortillas. When I am gonna learn to read the full description on the menu? 

I went to the theater in NY yesterday, I saw The Naked Girl on the Appian Way. An OK play starring Jill Clayburgh and Richard Thomas. Both looked wonderful!  I left my reading glasses at home and was unable to read the program :-(  so I had no real sense of the 'why' of the action, except what I saw. Usually this is fine. However when I saw the siblings in a passionate embrace I was very much turned off and upset. It turns out that a free thinking childless couple adopted three children, (Caucasian, Asian, Latina) so the embracers were not bound by blood. I still found it off-putting because they were raised as brother and sister. The son who is not in love with his sister, is bi-sexual. It is later revealed that the mother had an earlier lesbian relationship with her neighbor. I guess this is no longer shocking (the sexual preference things) and did not bother me; but I think incest, even when only implied, holds no humor) the rest ofthe audience were laughing and seemed to enjoy the play, but my thoughts were that it was too much for one show. Shudder. You have to understand that I only just recently stopped boycotting Woody Allen for hooking up with Soo ???.  It finally hit me that it was Mia Farrow, not Woody, who adopted her children. I guess he never thought of her children as his own. I still think it's tacky though :-(

Yesterday, before going to the theater I stopped for a bite to eat. Some guy comes over, and puts a napkin and silverware on the table, I start to tell him what I want and he says 'the girl' will help you. Annoyed that he called her the girl. Then 'the girl', comes over and says, "would you like to order?", I say "Yes". She reply's "Just a minute, I will get my pad." She walked into the kitchen and stayed  5 minutes. I wonder why she did not just keep the pad in her pocket?  That seems like common sense to me.

Yes.  I know that I sound cranky.  I guess it's the little 'foody' things that get to me.  I have decided I will not accept anything less than perfect for the remainder of this week.  So, I will keep smiling and cook my own food ;-)  Will have noodles, broccoli and the last piece of lemon pound cake. Plain. Simple. Good!

WOW! MyPoints.com Donates to American Red Cross

     Received the e-mail below from MyPoints.com concerning personal points donations to the American Red Cross. Donors were addressed personally. A nice touch. I must say that it was a very painless way to donate money that way. These points grow so quickly because you are just reading ads, it feels like a scam but it isn't. I use my points to receive Macy's gifts cards for myself. Have even given one away as a present ;-)

All of us at MyPoints and the American Red Cross would like to thank you for the generous Point donations you have made in the past few weeks. Members like you immediately responded to our request for Point donations, and we are overwhelmed to see the extent of our members' generosity.

Thanks to you, MyPoints has just sent the American Red Cross a check for $333,844 to be donated to the Disaster Relief Fund. Your Points are making a difference! This is only the first of many checks we have yet to write as your Point donations continue to pour in. Future donation updates will be featured in Connections and the Account Statement, so stay tuned!

American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the hardest-hit areas of Katrina's destruction, supplying hundreds of thousands of victims left homeless with critical necessities. Your Point donations are being used to support these relief efforts so that the Red Cross can provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Thank you again for your donation and know that your generosity is helping many hurricane victims in the southeastern United States.

Sincerely,
The MyPoints Team

 

Something to Make You Smile and Think BEFORE You Buy That Outfit

     It's 7am.  I am reading my e-mails and smiling. The article below is from Womens Wall Street. Great site--good practical financial advice with a touch of woman humor ;-)  Sharing the URL at bottom.

WWS Top Ten List

Were You Insane When You Bought That?

Here are 10 reasons that you should be able to use to return your purchases:

1. I thought it’d make me look like Catherine Zeta-Jones. It didn’t.

2. On second thought, I decided I could use the money more wisely, such as on groceries.

3. I had just listened to a John Denver song on the oldies station, which put in an outdoorsy, "Rocky Mountain High" mood. Now I realize that I don’t need Gore-tex hiking boots for my city sidewalks.

4. I was in a hurry because the store was closing in three minutes and I felt an urgency to buy something.

5. I bought it to reward myself for sticking to my diet. Today, I ordered a boatful of extra-cheesy, greasy Tater Tots. I can’t keep this reward.

6. It went out of style 15 minutes after I bought it.

7. It’s not me. Not at this moment anyway.

8. The clerk insisted that these Spandex shorts were flattering. My best friend, who doesn’t survive on commission, looked at my caboose and said it resembled two cats trying to fight their way out of a paper bag.

9. Something must be wrong with the store lighting in the dressing room because this blouse wasn’t the color of a bruised mushroom when I bought it.

10. I was feeling uncharacteristically sophisticated when I bought this cashmere suit. Alas, today I feel like Ma Kettle.

-- Marti Attoun

www.womenswallstreet.com

Here Comes The Judge!

     Friday, September 9, a friend and former coworker took oath as a Superior Court Judge of New Jersey. How wonderful is that?  The Court House is being renovated so I had to ask how to get into the building. The woman who directed me, reminded me that I should not have 'a little knife' (her words) or anything with me because it would be confiscated. Sounds like it may have happened to her. Happy I long ago got rid of the little knife I used to have on my keychain before 9-11. There were so many people attending the swearing in that some of us (me) had to sit in an overflow room. I have to tell you when she put that robe on, I felt chills and goosebumps.  I am so proud of her and to know her. I had to chance to see many of my friends and former coworkers later at the reception which was just beautiful. What can I say, the lady has style.

When I left the university one of the things I missed most was interacting with my two book pal's, she was one of them.  She is the person who gave me those wonderful audio books to listen to. She is my J.D. Robb buddy, she took to J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts) like a fish to water :-)  Hopefully, she has already read the last "In Death" novel. Free time may now be at a premium.

Congratulations Judge Teare.   

Networking and New Friends

I went to a Give 'N Take networking meeting last week (my second meeting) and was delighted to finally meet the founder, Simone Kelly. Simone is so upbeat you get a positive buzz just from talking to her. She has written a book titled "Jack of All Trades, Master of None?" I bought the book because I figured I must have met her in another life. After all, how can she know me when she had never met me?  Her title is proof that she must know me (smiling).  I have been like a someone turned loose after being confined for a long time. I am doing so many things my head spins--I am trying to get a firm handle on that. I am hopeful that Jack of All Trades, Master of None? will help me to take giant steps in moving forward. Yes, I do know that I will have to follow her advice to get results :-)  I have already begun.

Here is the link to the Give 'N Take site http://www.giventakenetwork.org/  This group is growing in leaps and bounds. I am happy that I found it in it's infancy. I believe it is just 2 years old. It is a pleasure attend these functions. I come away with solid information and positive feelings.

Remembering 9-11-2001

     9-11-01 changed our lives. We Americans finally understood that we too are vulnerable. We have made changes I thought that I would never see. I can remember the event that made me 'get it'; to know that life in the U.S.A would be different from now on. I stopped to pick up a pastry from a shop at 744 Broad Street, Newark and I had to sign my name to walk through to the shop. It really spooked me. Now I go through the inconvenient side entrance. These days I make sure that I remove my cheap kiddy scissors from my purse when I am going to the theater. When you receive your tickets in the mail, you are advised that purses may be searched. And you are advised not to have a back pack, it will be searched.  re: scissors, I use my scissors to open packages, etc when I pick up my biz mail. As a non-driver I like to get rid of any excess weight so I toss the packaging and just keep the contents. Twice I have forgotten to remove the scissors so just threw them  in the trash and kept moving. Have you noticed that most trash bins are now  lined with see through garbage bags?  Easier to spot a filled sack, brief case or bomb. Very scary.    

 I often share this interactive Statue of Liberty on July 4, however, this may be a better time for sharing.  http://www.njagyouth.org/liberty.htm  use your mouse to click over Lady Liberty's head.

Reading Books About the South Written by southern women

    I continue this quest of reading books about the South, written by southern women. Not quite sure when this started or where I am going with it, it seems more of a destination than a journey, but I will stay the course.  I received  The Secret Life of Bees a few days ago and just opening it now.  I am sure that a friend, someone whose taste I obviously trust,  told me about this book because I ordered it without knowing anything about it.   I just went to Amazon.com to get some information and read this: From Publishers Weekly  "Honey-sweet but never cloying, this debut by nonfiction author Kidd (The Dance of the Dissident Daughter) features a hive's worth of appealing female characters, an offbeat plot and a lovely style. It's 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act, in Sylvan, S.C. Fourteen-year-old Lily is on the lam with motherly servant Rosaleen, fleeing both Lily's abusive father T. Ray and the police who battered Rosaleen for defending her new right to vote. Lily is also fleeing memories, particularly her jumbled recollection of how, as a frightened four-year-old, she accidentally shot and killed her mother during a fight with T. Ray. Among her mother's possessions, Lily finds a picture of a black Virgin Mary with "Tiburon, S.C." on the back so, blindly, she and Rosaleen head there. It turns out that the town is headquarters of Black Madonna Honey, produced by three middle-aged black sisters, August, June and May Boatwright. The "Calendar sisters" take in the fugitives, putting Lily towork in the honey house, where for the first time in years she's happy. But August, clearly the queen bee of the Boatwrights, keeps asking Lily searching questions. Facedwith so ideally maternal a figure as August, most girls would babble uncontrollably. But Lily is a budding writer, desperate to connect yet fiercely protective of her secret interior life. Kidd's success at capturing the moody adolescent girl's voice...".   

Wow!! This sounds like a winner to me. I am going try and wait to read this when I go away at the end of the month. I have tried saving books to read at a later date before,  I always end up reading the novel in the next day or so :-( 

Harry Connick, Jr. and New Orleans

Singer and New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. has always sung "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans", now it takes on an even more poignant meaning. I heard him singing it this morning and it just breaks your heart. If anyone saw Connick lifting and removing a skeletal  old man from his porch you know that his heart is a big and strong as his N' Orleens accent. Connick is in good company when he sings this song, Billy Holiday and Louis Armstrong sang it as well.

Read recently, that Connick will appear in "The Pajama Game" on Broadway. Mmm, not sure how that broad accent I find so appealing, will be when he plays the role that John Raitt had many, many years ago. Raitt was Bonnie Raitts father.  Absolutely, planning to see this show. 

 

Drumming - Just Spreading the Word

    I received the following e-mail from a friend:

"I ran into 2 young ladies (Beverly, Claudia)  while vendoring my book recently,   I was quite impressed with them.  Their place is called Mango's Reggae Cafe, 180 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair, NJ, 973-744-7770.  I have not been there yet, but I am looking forward to trying coconut shrimp.  Poetic License (Poetry ensemble I work with) are going to be performing there once we have set up a date.  Part of their mission statement, "We women, have come together to introduce ourselves and educate the residents of Montclair and surrounding townships about the culture of our people and the exotic and flavorful food we wish to bring forth, etc.  They offer entertainment, (not sure which nights). 

I am therefore spreading the word in the name of sisterhood and supporting each other.  Talk with you later, Val" 

Thanks Val, I plan to visit Mango's very soon.

Val is Valery A. Kelly, she and Shari L. Taylor have written a book titled Aysabina's Legacy in verse. This is a  lovely book of family history told in verse. Their website is http://dreamchild.home.att.net

There is another great new restaurant you should know about in Newark. It located just off Central Avenue at 27 Halsey Street. It is the 27 MIX Restaurant & Bar. The telephone # is  973-648-0643. If you are interested in visiting, save this information because the telephone number is not listed yet :-(  We spoke to one of the owner's who says he will take care of that. This place has good food, nice ambience and really good vibes. This is the kind of place where you can have a business lunch or cocktails and dinner after work. You can eat here before heading for the PAC.  I will go again for the yummy food.   

 

Labor Day - In Honor of all Working People, A Day of Rest

    "Labor Day: . . a holiday honoring working people. It is observed as a legal holiday on the first Monday in September throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Labor organizations sponsor various celebrations, but for most people it is a day of rest and recreation. The holiday also has become a symbol of the end of summer. . .Two men have been credited with suggesting a holiday to honor working people in the United States—Matthew Maguire, a machinist from Paterson, New Jersey, and Peter J. McGuire, a New York City carpenter who helped found the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. Both men played an important part in staging the first Labor Day parade in New York City in September 1882. In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed a bill in 1894 making Labor Day a national holiday."

World Book Online Reference Center. http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wb/Article?id=ar306600

Enjoy! Be careful, be safe.

Labor Day Weekend

 

    I spent a lovely day with one of my nieces.  She had good news so we celebrated by taking a bus tour of New York.  Yep! We were one of  those tourists who ride in those red open top buses you see around the City. She is such a joy. There are so many young people who would have thought my idea was silly or corny, but not her.  We passed through Little Italy, the financial district, SoHo, Greenwich Village, etc. We had a really lovely time, in spite of  logistical type problems, all my fault :-(    We used City Sights NY www.citysightsny.com Would definately use them again. Grey Line http://www.coachusa.com/newyorksightseeing/  is better known, however, their buses were very crowded.

We had bought the ticket that pretty-much takes you everywhere, the problems was there was not enough time to do it all in one. This was a 48 hour riding pass.  Early 4:30 A.M. or so, the next morning I made a decision to get back to the City and take the Harlem tour ( have always wanted to see Striver's Row) or take the cruise around Manhattan. Since I was not quite sure where to get the bus for the uptown tour I walked down to 12th and 42 St. to get to the harbor for the cruise. Oh my goodness what a trial. I had no idea so many people would be at the pier. How about $4 for a back of popcorn? Small kernels, no butter. I ate a lot of junk food and met a lovely couple from Atlanta. They told me that they had heard that there was a casino somewhere in New Jersey--it took aminutes to understand that they meant casino filled Atlantic City :-) The wife wanted to do everything, as she was boarding the boat I heard her say, "look at all of those people on that boat, I want to do that next". She was talking about the Intrepid just a hop and skip away from the cruise area. I had to smile--she had the right idea about vacation.  Not sure if hubby felt that way (smiling)

I did not tell my niece my plans for returning to New York because when I went to bed I had no such plans. I am glad that I did this spur of the moment thing. But for some reason I was totally exhausted when I returned home. Instead of  working on my column, I fell asleep. Perhaps it was being on the water with the sun and fresh air. At first, I thought the cruise was sort of dull until I went to the first level and stood out in the open area. That was incredible. The sun was shining and bouncing off the water, the buildings were gleaming, everyone was so excited (me too). How wonderful to see the Statute of Liberty so up close and personal. I had not done  that since grammar school.  I will do this again.

'My' Romance Book Club Authors

     I was concerned about author Lynne Emery and hoped that she would post in the Romance Noire group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancenoirebookclub/ when she was able to do so. Here is Lynne's post. I breathe a sigh of relief.  Her post brings a little normalcy. Be sure to read her newsletter, her link is below.

Hello All,

Our Louisiana is now literarlly a state of emergency- thanks to all the beautiful people who wrote to ask if I was okay. Much love to you for your thoughts and prayers. Please donate to one of the many relief efforts because so many are in serious need right now.

Relief Organizations:
Salvation Army  www.salvationarmyusa.org/USNSAHome.htm
American Red Cross  www.redcross.org/
Louisiana Recovery Foundation  www.la.gov
That's just a few. You may know of more that have originated where you live. Thanks for the help!

The September issue of BookMark is now online. I have a new contest and more. Enjoy!

www.lynnemery.com/whats-new.html

Lynne writes about living and loving in Louisiana. Her newest book is titled   Good Woman Blues 

Katrina's Flooding Damages the Heart and Soul Too

  Gas Price Gouging?: I am so sad to hear that some unscrupulous gas stations owners may be guilty of gas gouging. You don't turn misery into profit for yourself. If you think this is happening where you get your car filled, you can report it to the Attorney General's office of your State and it will be investigated.

Our Third World: It has occurred to me that while I am always moved to tears by the type of disaster we have been watching on television, the disaster is seldom  in our own back yard. Things like that simply do not happen in or to America. September 11 changed all of that. 9-11-01 remains vivid in my mind and just yesterday I saw what is being done to rebuild that area in New York. Four years and they are still filling holes in the ground. Now Katrina has reminded us once more that we too are vulnerable.  Here is the link that gives web sites for donations, http://journals.aol.com/vryanes/vw/entries/562 if you have additionals numbers please leave them with us here.

Postponed Dreams and Regrets:  As far back as I can remember I have felt a deep kinship with New Orleans, I had always wanted to visit, but kept putting it off for no real reason. Now, it is too late to see "the real New Orleans".

Romance Authors in the Katrina Area: A list of authors has been posted on one of  the Yahoo Groups I belong to. Most of the authors have checked in. I was happy to see Lynn Emery's name there. I am hopeful that she will do a post in Romance Noire when she has a power and a chance to speak speak with us personally. 

Donate Your MyPoints 'Points' to the Red Cross:  The MyPoints people sent out an e-mail seeking Points donations. If you are a MyPoints member you can donate money this painless way. Here is a portion of the e-mail received,  "You can help by donating Points to the American Red Cross. MyPoints willconvert your Point donations into a cash contribution to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Sincerely,The MyPoints Team".  I was saving my points for a piece of  jewelry, since I have not worn the last piece I received it seems right that I donate on half of my points to the Red Cross.

Keep those Kudos Coming :-)

     I sent out my review for "Four Brothers"  several days ago and just received a nice e-mail from one of my 'Mystery Movies at BellaOnline' subscribers today. I checked out his site, "The Fedora Chronicles". I am just crazy about the hatted silhouettes there.  Awesome! Shades of Sam Spade and Mike Hammer. Have not responded to Eric Fisk, but will do so.

Mystery Movies Editor:

Wanted to let you know that I enjoy your site a lot. I have my own about the retro-culture and news, and it's great to visit and see what you do. Helps me remember who I'm doing this for...

Eric Fisk
The Fedora Chronicles
http://fedorachronicles.com

                  ##

Also, sharing my review of Four Brothers ;-) 

Four Brothers (2005) Mark Wahlberg, Terrence Howard,Tyrese
The movie "Four Brothers" is full of surprises. The first surprise Mark Wahlberg. Those who are coming to see stud-boy Marky Mark in low-slung jeans will be surprised to find in Marky´s place, a fine actor. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art34908.asp/zzz

In Katrina's Wake

This is about as bad as it can get.

 

Earl Dunbar of the Louisiana Capitol Police carries a five-day-old baby brought to the Superdome. (Reuters)

When I saw the above picture I wondered who had brought the baby to the Superdome, I had the sense that he had been found somewhere. Just watching what's happening is almost too much to bear. I saw on CNN weather that 2.35 million people are without power, with so much water I am sure that is a blessing. As I typed that sentence I reminded of "water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink." This is so heartbreaking. They are asking for donations of money. At first I thought I have so little to give, then changed my thinking to just give as much as is comfortable to me. Originally, I was going to give to the Red Cross but remembered that my dear friend Wanda gave to the Salvation Army religiously. I will make a donation to them this weekend.  

It is so difficult watching this on TV. I have tried changing channels but that does not help. When I do find a station that has regular programming I feel guilty. I have decided that my guilt is just me :-(   I was once told that I feel too much, I don't see how that can be, but I do know that there is nothing I can do except add my own prayers to all of the other prayers that have gone out to those who felt Katrina's heavy hand.  

I understand that the Channel 4 news people collected more than 8 million dollars (WOW!) on a special program last night, the money will passed on the the American Red Cross for their relief effort.   I mentioned to someone that Walmart had contributed 1 million dollars to ARC and was told "So what, it's a write-off." How sad is that?  A few organizations below if you want to donate or get more information. If you can't donate, prayer always helps.

American Red Cross:  http://www.redcross.org/

Salvatiosn Army: http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/

American Jewish World Service: http://www.ajws.org/