This and That

A few things have danced across my mind in the last few weeks, things I thought I might write about but didn't find the time. Darned if I can remember what they were. Well, there is one thing I was going to ask. Does anybody else use the subtitles option when they watch DVD movies? We do it a lot. Mainly because there's an annoying trend in movie making today where the actors seem to whisper half their lines. We're constantly saying to each other, "What did he say?" "Could you hear that?" Then we crank up the volume to hear the dialogue, and next thing you know there's an ear-splitting explosion or car crash that rattles the wine glasses in our cupboard. Whoa. So then we turn the volume back down while the crashing and yelling is going on. Then the scene switches to an intimate moment between characters, a moment when meaningful dialogue is happening, probably essential to the unfolding of the plot, and darn it, they're whispering again. It's enough to drive you nuts, or at least to use the occasional cuss word. Then on top of that when the actor is a mumbler like Nicholas Cage for instance, well just forget it. You'll never catch up. OR EVEN WORSE, if it turns out to be a British film. Oh man. Between the whispering and the British accents it's hopeless. Oh sure, now I'll probably get hate mail from British people. (Yeah, like there's a whole bunch of British people reading my blog.) So anyway we have taken to using the subtitles option from the menu at the beginning. This is very useful. In case you've never tried this option, you go to "Languages" and then select English. This is normally intended for the hearing impaired, which we apparently are while we're watching movies. Then you start your movie and voila you can now follow the plot. Yes, it does take a little of the spontaneity out of it. You often read both characters dialogue before the second person actually speaks. Takes a little zing out of humorous exchanges, but it's a small price to pay all the same. Now what we usually do is start watching the movie and see how bad the whispering or accent is before we just jump the gun and go right for the subtitles. It's usually apparent early on if you need them. So then you can pause, go to the menu, click on your subtitles, and go back to the movie right where you left off. Do not ask me specifically how this is done. This procedure is a husband thing, totally foreign to the female mind. Well, to mine anyway. (Oh great, now I'll get hate mail from feminists all over the world. Yeah, like THEY'RE all reading my blog too.) So my questions is, does anybody else do this?

Let's see, what else has been on my mind? Couple of funny moments. My husband, the comedian, saw all the flags at half mast recently and said, "Gee, it was really nice of them to fly the flags at half mast for James Brown."

My friend Cindy has been urging me to write about my 91-year old neighbor, Marguerite. She's a pip all right. She bakes. But I mean she's addicted to baking. Cookies cookies cookies. She can't stop herself from baking them, and then she has to get rid of them. Guess who she calls? And do you think we could say no? Me, the diabetic, and my husband who wants to lose 20 pounds. What do you think my response is? "Okay, I'll be right over." That's what my response is. She's got a great little sense of humor. She'll call up and say, "Marcy, there's a funny smell in my kitchen." And I, knowing where this is going, will play along. "Really? What do you suppose it is?" "Well, it smells like fresh baked cookies," she says, "Would you like some?" Which elicits the aforementioned response, "Sure, I'll be right over." We tried putting them in the freezer to deter us from eating too many. Turns out they're very tasty frozen. Oh well. She does take quite a few to the senior center, which she visits every single day. She still drives, and she dances at the center when her knees permit. She also has dozens of poems in her head which she can recite from memory word for word. But they're cute and fun like the Florida version of "The Night Before Christmas". That kind of stuff. Little stories that she performs. Criminy, I can barely remember the pledge of allegiance. She has a boyfriend, also 91. Well, there are lots of stories, and I'll try to remember to jot them down when they come up.

I guess that's all for now. Just a few little snapshots for my dear friends who tell me they enjoy my blog. As always, thanks so much for being there.