O-Dark-Thirty

Quarantine Movie Memos S.W.A.T. (2003) Before Samuel L. Jackson assembled the Avengers in 2012, he put together an impressive team in S.W.A.T. Jeremy Renner is part of this plot, too. Though not as impressive as when he played Hawkeye, that's the fault of the role, not the actor. It's a high-octane romp through destruction and mayhem. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Quarantine Movie Memos Bye Bye Birdie (1995) Sure, Elvis went into the Army, but Hollywood couldn't make a movie about that. They did. Then they did a remake in 1995. 1995 remake Random Thoughts: Reminds us of Grease (from 1978), but that makes sense considering the era. Who knew Jason Alexander could sing and (sort of) dance? I was delighted to see George Wendt in a show (he's Norm in  Cheers .) Darling and I simultaneously looked at each other and exploded in laughter when they broke into song over "Ed Sullivan." Tyne Daly as Albert's mother is amazing. She's the best part of this movie, in my opinion. Sadly, that isn't saying much. "What has she got, besides looks and brains and talent?" That made me laugh.

 Quarantine Movie Memos Guy and Dolls IMDB Poster We never watched this musical before. Hollywood made the movie in 1955 (according to IMBD). Our random comments: Dance moves of the guys are reminiscent of the moves of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. Marlon Brando is a handsome, charismatic actor. Darling said so. Even I said so. Jean Simmons reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. Frank Sinatra could have sung more, but I like Frank Sinatra, so I'm biased. Along those lines, who knew Marlon Brando could sing? Good, fun movie.

So many people accept Jesus as an add-on to their lives, another app in the toolbox of their life. People - Jesus should be your operating system. Anything less just won't do it. We sow a thought and reap an action. We sow an action and reap a habit. We sow a habit and reap a character. We sow a character and reap a destiny. Unseen thoughts produce visible consequences in our life. What we want, as children of God, is to see ourselves as God, our Father, sees us. Rom 12 : 2 (NASB) A nd do not  be conformed to  this  world, but be transformed by the  renewing of your mind, so that you may  prove what the will of God is, that which is good and  acceptable and perfect.

Words drift down around me, like snowflakes. I see the beauty of each flake as it sails by, yet when I reach for it, to make it mine, to drop it in the order I see in my mind's eye, the snowflake melts on my hand. The word is gone. The sentence remains unwritten. The story sits, still as night, in my mind alone.

My Dad used to say "Hindsight is 20/20." He meant we can view the past clearly and see things we could not see while in the present. Perspective can help. Now we can say that the YEAR 2020 is behind us, and breathe a collective sigh of relief. HAPPY NEW YEAR! All of us will remember 2020 as a year where the world changed. People work from home. Social distancing became a thing. Exposing yourself has a new meaning. Eating out means drive-through. The daily, heroic efforts of doctors, nurses, medical technicians and First Responders have saved lives. Thank you to them for their efforts. Yet many people died, directly or indirectly from Covid-19 or complications. That will continue for months, though we can now deploy vaccines to help. Small businesses struggle to stay solvent. We tend to forget that these businesses are really people. They struggle to make ends meet, to financially provide for their families. The US government printed billions of new dollars to help the hurting...

One bright, sunny day in the spring of 1969 my Mother made the short pilgrimage to see Aunt Nora and our cousins. The sky was that sort of blue that almost sparkled. The fluffy white clouds drifted through the azure expanse with the soothing motions that spring brings to winter-hardened hearts. The air was cool with a hint of warmth. The soft earth felt spongy under our tennis shoes. Our Dad was in Vietnam and my three younger brothers and I lived with Mom in Brown City, Michigan. Mom grew up in Brown City and all her local Aunts, Uncles and Cousins provided emotional support during a hard year. Aunt Nora and Uncle Dwight were our source of milk. Aunt Nora would have given us the milk, but Mom insisted on paying for it.  We boys loved the outings to Aunt Nora's house. Not only did our Aunt feed us fresh bread and butter, she always provided homemade jam. So this glorious spring day promised fun and joy, as well as some delicious food. One of us, probably Barry, discovered a slick p...