Wait … it’s Lent again?!

It's a random Tuesday and I am at home. That means it's Mardi Gras which means Lent starts tomorrow. Wait … what.... it’s Lent again ?! I'm not mentally prepared for Lent. Really like how in the world did that happen so fast. It feels like just yesterday I was logging back into all my social media accounts after last years Lent. While giving up social media is usually the way I go this year I have decided to do something different. Instead of giving up things I’m going to adopt things. Not like a puppy or a kid, but I’m going to do things that I don’t normally do instead of giving up things I like to do. I mean I can't give back a puppy or a kid in April .... That's not how that works ... right?! Like Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.) and Soda, or sweet tea. Tho I will admit my social media breaks these last few years have been nice and in the run up to an election year it would make sense to do so again. Maybe I should re think this ................... Mostly I don’t wanna give up social media this year cause … well I don’t want to. Also, I have some things coming up that will make Social Media necessary and fun. 

My boss and I are going to the SERC conference as part of SMPS down in Tampa. Last year when I went they had these Social Media challenges that I couldn’t participate in and I really wanted to. Also my older nephew tried out for something pretty awesome the other day at his school and the announcement of if he’s in or not will be on social media. My other nephew will be spending the weekend with us in a few weeks and I like to cause Jealousy with his brother on how much fun we are having. The Sussex family returns for what might be their last official engagements and say what you will about that couple I love and miss them. So I want to soak it all up while I can. I 100% get where they are coming from and am kind of proud of them for putting themselves first. Tho it does kind of crack me up that the Spare .... the what 6th in line for the throne .... has caused a meltdown in Buckingham Palace cause he wants to step back. He never said I don't want to be a Royal he said I don't want to be a SR Royal. There's tons of Royals around them that aren't SR royals but get to enjoy the perks. I wish the rest of the world would let them move on, and that includes the Royal family, media and their so called fans. My Auburn Gymnastics team has several really huge meets coming up in the lead up to the SEC Championships in late March with the regional championships in early April. So I just don’t feel like all that is stuff I want to skip. I’m also hoping there will be some more fun things that I am not aware of yet that might hit my radar. I like happy surprises.

So this year here’s my plan of what I’m going to do instead of give up. 

• My mom and I are starting a workout program where we use our exercise equipment at least once a day together. It’s kind of a fun bonding thing. We started out wanting to do it once a day for a week, I’m going to extend it through Lent, I haven’t told her yet but hopefully she will be on board. 

• I’m going to set my phone for an alarm to go off twice a day I get up, leave my desk, walk around the building and come back to said desk on the 10th floor. I might even take the stairs a few times. I might not, I mean it’s 10 floors people, then again … how will you know. My job is one of those where I get to the office sit in my chair, log on to my PC and only get up to use the restroom, go to the printer or if a coworker calls and asks me to come help them with something. That's not healthy. 

• I’m going to write actual letters. I had meant to send out Christmas cards this year and it just didn’t happen. I gathered all the things several times to sit down and do it then never did. So, then I thought it would be kind of cool to just randomly send these people letters during the year so during lent I’m going to make some of those happen. I’m thinking at least a letter ever other week during Lent. 

This Lent I’m hoping to make about experiences not about giving things up. What are you giving up or adding to your lives for Lent this year?!

Marcy
@beaslma

Freeform: Party of Five (reboot?)

So dear reader I was a HUGE fan of Party of Five that debuted on the Fox Network in the fall of 1994 and aired until 2000. That was back when Fox was the network for tweens and teens a like. The timeframe in which FOX had 90210, Melrose Place, X-files, The Heights and a slew of others. For a while it seemed that if Aaron Spelling could crap out a show Fox would put it on the air.

Party of Five was my jam! For the record this was not an Aaron Spelling show but it was in the same league as those because of the quality that Christopher Keyers and Amy Lippman brought to the table. I loved the Salinger Family so much that in college I had to write a script for a class and I used a story I wrote that would today have been a fan fiction. Of course I got an A. I had been working on that story for a stupid number of years so I was not surprised by that grade. I knew those characters, I knew how they would interact, I knew how they would play against one another, this show taught me how to build drama into a story. My professor even asked me later if that was a real show. I told him yes and then proceeded to give him several VHS tapes I had made over the years for him to watch. He loved the show as much as I did. I was a member of the group who flooded the network with letters, like honest to goodness letters on notebook paper mailed to the network, when we thought it was going to be cancelled both times. I remember loggin into Prodigy (that's right) to go into message boards to talk about the show immediately after it was over. The show beat out ER and NYPD Blue for the Golden Globe in 1996 and the explosion of excitement that came out of my bedroom scared our dog. My freshman year of college my roommate and I made a pact that I could watch Party of Five and she would be allowed to watch X-files. I wanted a soft-top Jeep like Bailey had. My password in college had PO5 in it. No joke. I loved everything about this show and support everything this cast has done since. 

This show suffered the same fate as Red Band Society of a few years ago (which Fox tanked on early as I discussed here) it sounded stupid depressing and thus people didn’t get behind it early. I mean it’s about a show of 5 kids whose parents are killed by a drunk driver and the ups and downs of what follows next. That sounds like a GREAT time doesn’t it. However the show was about so much more than that. It was a show that put a spotlight on drinking, teenage angst, the ups and downs of growing up, struggling with grades and friendships and independence. It was a show that could have been recorded in anyone's house had a camera been set up. It felt real. It felt honest. It felt like this was a family I could have been a part of.  

The cast alone was worth coming to the TV for, I mean you had Matthew Fox (Charlie), Scott Wolf (Bailey), Neve Campbell (Julia), Lacey Chabert (Claudia) and a younger son Owen who was just there as an extra thing to deal with as the main cast. Add to that Scott Grimes (Will – Bailey’s BFF), Paula Devicq (nanny/Charlie’s eventual GF), Jennifer Love Hewitt (Sarah – Bailey’s GF), Michael Gorjan (Justin – Julia’s first BF), Jermey London (Griffin – Julia’s Bad boy BF), Tom Mason (Joe – Co-owner of Salinger’s (family Resturant) and BFF of Dad Salinger), Mitchell Anderson (Claudia’s music teacher), Megan Ward (Bailey’s GF #2 (Bailey went through a good number of them) and a host of so many others that got their start on Party of Five. Plus they had a super awesome dog. I’m just saying it’s a great show of whose who of actors that went on to bigger and better things after their time in San Francisco.

However here’s where I am concerned. Freeform has developed a “reboot”of the show featuring 5 kids who must take care of themselves after their parents were deported back to Mexico. They appear to also be in SF but I'm not sure on that. My fear is that this show will take away from the show that I loved and the show that made me want to be a writer from a very early age. This show showed me what the written word could do in the right hands. I have nothing against this show I wish it well but believe that the comparison to the original will either make it or break it (another great show on ABC Family that should have been able to finish their story). It’s going to debut next week and both Keyser and Lippman are back at the helm and I’ve seen the amazing things they can do with the right cast. So I'm in but I'm also concerned. 

News about the rebooted show can be found here and here. 

I’m going to watch this show. I’m going to give it a chance but here’s what concerns me. 

• Original Party of Five had a family that ran a Resturant and upon their death the oldest son had to put his dreams to the side so that he could keep the Resturant going. 
• Party of Five reboot also has a family that ran a Resturant and upon their dad’s deportation the oldest son is faced with having to put his dreams aside to keep the Resturant going. 

• Original Party of Five the second oldest takes on the role of running the family, while failing school and dealing with the stress of that while the oldest son struggles with being the head of the family
• Party of Five reboot according to the commercial the second oldest son is also failing school and appears to be taking on the role of caring for the family at home while the oldest son struggles with being the head of the family. 

• Original Party of Five the youngest kid in the family is scared that the family will be split up at the drop of the hat cause of any problems in the family. At one point in the pilot she turns to Bailey with tears in her eyes and says “Are they going to split us up?” to which Baily says “of course not” but he’s terrified that they will.
• Party of Five reboot again according to the commercial the youngest daughter says “are they going to split us up?” 

• Original Party of Five from the very first episode the social worker assigned to the family is a presence that at any moment could destroy everything. At the end of the day she had the best interest of the family at heart but they all knew that she had the power to take everything away. The episode when she comes for a surprise visit and Baily is trying to act like it isn’t all falling apart when it clearly is in my top ten list of amazing episodes from this series.
• Party of Five reboot the social worker, again according to the commercial will also be a key figure. 

• Original Party of Five in the first episode (or the first few episodes) Julia bails on the family dinner cause she’s a rebellious teen upset with the world. Bailey pulls her aside and explains to her why it was so important while they are on a swing set in the park that they took Claudia and Owen to. It’s a very powerful scene.
• Party of Five reboot according to the commercial the character that I’m assuming is the new Bailey (second oldest son) is on a swing talking to his sister in what looks like a similar conversation happening. 

• Original Party of Five has 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls between the ages of say 20 and 6 months. 
• Party of Five reboot again according to the commercial there are 5 kids, two boys two girls and I’m not sure if the baby is a boy or girl, I believe a boy. 

• Original Party of Five The family would come together every week for a family dinner at the family Resturant. Hence the name of the show, as the guy (usually Joe but sometimes a random waiter or waitress) would yell “Salinger Party of Five” as he led them to their booth. Most shows would incorporate this family tradition which was a nice way to see this family as a normal family even after all the crazy.
• Party of Five reboot according to the commercial the family is at the Resturant having dinner when dad gets a phone call and rushes to the kitchen to “clear it out” saying “you know what to do” as the ICE people raid the kitchen only to have the twist be that they are there for the parents not the staff. So I’m guessing that is yet another aspect that the shows have in common. 

I can’t get over the idea that they did this to themselves. According to the commercials the parents don’t have “papers” to show the “ICE” people and thus are deported for not having the proper identification to be in the country. I am not going to get caught up in a debate on that point. However in the original the idea that this family was ripped to shreds by something they couldn’t have controlled (AKA a drunk driver running a red light) is what drove the story. By far the most powerful episode of the entire series was when the drunk driver got out of jail after something dumb like 11 months and how each of the kids dealt with that news was super powerful. 

It also concerns me that this show seems like a shot by shot remake of the original with the exception of the parents being deported not dead. The entire thing that made the original so compelling was that these kids were literally on their own. They had to figure everything out together as a group. The idea that the new show will be able to call mom and dad for assistance whenever they need it takes away some of the stress. Granted mom and dad can’t help but I know my day goes better sometimes by just hearing my mom’s voice.

As I said I’m going to give this show a chance, I’m going to watch it but my fear initially is that Keyser and Lippman just took their scripts from back in the day did a find and replace for the characters and turned in their scripts. However I know them better or at least I hope so. I believe they are better than that. I have to believe that. I just don't want this show to ruin the awesome that was the original and this show should have had its own identity cause it's going to be compared to the original and had it had the opportunity to stand on its own feet maybe it would have had a better chance. 

Anyway the new reboot will air Jan. 8^th on Freeform with the first two episodes airing at 9/8 central feel free to check it out along with me cause if it’s only half as good as the original it’s going to be worth your time.

Enjoy,

Marcy
@beaslma

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

Happy New Year to all my readers, or those that accidently clicked on this link when it was posted on Twitter. Welcome to the random thoughts that fall our of my mind, through my arms and fingers and into this blog. I’ve decided I’m not making any New Year’s resolutions, every year I do and every year it just becomes a list of things I didn’t do, or accomplish. So I’m not falling for it again. Nope not me. 

It’s been a very interesting year. From the struggles with my mom’s health (she’s doing amazing by the way), to work stress, it just felt like one long Groundhog type day. You know one of those days where no matter what I did during the day I get up and we do it all over again. That’s not to say there weren’t fun or good moments sprinkled in throughout the year cause there was.

I got a little more involved at the Church, helping the finance office, serving on the “Imagine Team” and once again helping with VBS and dressed as Marvin the Martian at our annual Trunk or Treat in October.  

In January I got to see Vanessa Peters at the Listening Room, for the 2^nd time. She’s as lovely today as she was a year ago when I met her. I would make my way back to the Listening Room – now known as the People’s Room of Mobile - in a few months to see my musical hero. I really should spend more time at the Listening Room (AKA People’s Room). I should spend more time doing a lot of things but especially that. I keep saying I’m going to go down there one day and just see whose playing. Maybe this year.

Auburn of course was another highlight of my life, as it has been for the last 40 something years. I got to see a Baseball game, a basketball game, a few football games, softball and volleyball games as well as a couple gymnastic meets all in person or TV. I really want to see more in person. I mean what is science doing if not building me a portal that allows me to teleport to these venues so I can have these fun experiences then get back in time for work the next day. I mean comeon! Get on that.

In March I got to go to a work conference and visit my cousin to meet her new daughter, who has recently started walking, the daughter not my cousin. Int was that trip that I also got to spend a few days with a dear friend of mine. I think that would have been a TON of fun if I weren’t also on my social media break for lent. I might have to not do that again this year. ha!

In April I attended my first (and likely only) Kiss concert with a friend which I have to admit I enjoyed more than I thought I would. They are her all time favorite band and since this was their farewell tour it was now or never. I also saw KC and the Sunshine band with this same friend back in June.

In May I took a work trip to Tampa to help with a project. I think they are expecting me to do that again this year. It was nice to get out of the office that’s for sure. Later that same month I got to fart around with Golden for her birthday where we watched movies, ate good good, laughed and reconnected.

In August I got to sit in a room and listen to my musical idol play music, I could listen to Bryan White read a phone book and be happy as a clam.

Golden and I made another trip to Dragon Con and while it wasn’t exactly as we had hoped or planned that it would be I think we made the best of it and had a really good time.

As far as this blog is concerned I brought it back to life some what with 50 posts with only 3 months without a post. I am kind of proud of that. Of course my 30 posts in November as part of a challenge I gave to myself helped in that effort but I’m trying to keep this thing going. I still can’t believe that I’ve been using this thing since 2014 that’s over 200 posts that you guys have sat through and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you guys indulging me when I need to give my brain a break from the world.

Marcy
@beaslma

Happy Holidays

I hope wherever you are today, whomever you are surrounded by that you have a wonderful day filled with love and well wishes from not just us but from everyone you meet. My greatest regret is that that feeling we all embody today doesn't always translate into tomorrow or next week but for today Peace appears to be possible and that's gotta be good enough.

Everyone deserves to be happy and celebrate this time of year with the traditions and heritage that they choose. This is especially true for those healthcare workers, emergency responders, military personnel, transportation workers (trains, planes and automobiles - yeah I went there) and many others who have to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as if it were just another day on the calendar. To those we salute you and hope some lovely soul in your life saved you some pie.

So Happy whatever you celebrate be it Chanukah (Hannukah), Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, St. Nichols Day, Las Posadas, Ramadan, Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas or something else that I haven't thought of in my mashed potato filled brain.

As Golden says Happy Holidays covers it all! 

Have a wonderful end of the year, see you in 2020! 

Marcy
Golden

New Experience : Live Christmas Tree

So dear reader, I’m at an age, that I’m not going to disclose to you – tho if you have been reading closely could likely figure it out – in which it’s very hard to have new experiences. However, this past weekend I did just that. I had a brand new to me experience that I’d like to share.

See for my many, many years we have climbed into our attic drug down some boxes and assembled our Christmas tree usually as Christmas music played in the background and my brother and I fighting on which ornaments we wanted to put on the tree. See we’d assemble the tree, then we’d have to check the lights and untangle them. Then we’d each pull out our favorite ornaments which always had to have prominence on the tree. Then often involved moving other’s favorite ornaments and moving them to the back of the tree. That would require strategic and careful planning over the next few weeks to ensure that your ornaments didn’t get moved around. I myself had several that I would pull off the tree to play with before returning them to the tree. The point is that it was a very interesting experience that resulted in several smashed fingers as we pulled boxes out of the attic and carried them into the living room inevitably banging our knuckles on the door frames as we walked. At some point in the afternoon my brother and I would wander off losing interest and come back out of our rooms to find that my mom had single handedly transformed our house into a Christmas masterpiece straight out of a magazine.

We have been fighting Christmas decorating cause my mother recently had hip surgery and while it has gone amazingly we had no idea what to expect. The last thing I wanted was a lot of “junk” lying around that she would have to maneuver around. It also seemed silly to decorate if she was going to be in a rehab facility for the entire month, meaning we wouldn’t really be around to enjoy any of it either cause we’d be visiting her. See, last year at this time, we nearly lost my mother to a bleeding ulcer that has perforated, and she was bleeding internally. So last year, mom was just getting out of rehab about this time and we didn’t really decorate for Christmas. We went to my brother’s house but our house had very little Christmas joy inside of it. Because of that this year my father decided he wanted to go all out. 

WE GOT A LIVE TREE YALL!!!!!  

We didn’t go cut it down ourselves mind you but went to a Christmas Tree lot near our house, picked it out, brought it home. On the way to pick up the tree my father told me that once while he was hunting and SHOT DOWN a Christmas tree cause he didn’t have an axe. Then he drug it all the way home to give to his mother. I had no idea my father had it in him. It was a fun morning the young man we bought the tree from never took the cigarette out of his mouth as he sold us the tree, cut off the bottom to the right height, and loaded it into my dad’s truck. He informed us that he has to stay there 24/7 cause he’s also security. I was shocked and frankly there doesn’t appear to be any place for him to stay. I hope he’s paid well. I gave him a $5 tip and I thought my dad was going to plotz. 

Then we carried it from the car into the house and almost took out a lamp and the ceiling fan as we brought it into our living room. Needles were every where. And I mean every where. We then had to go into the attic to find the precious ornaments and lights. I decorated it while mom picked the ornaments she wanted to put on the tree for a change. 

I think it turned our rather pretty. I will admit I miss the things that a fake tree gives you. We have several LARGE ornaments that this live tree just isn’t ready for. I missed being able to take a branch and fold in back onto itself to allow it to hold a heaver ornament. We’ve had a few fall only to catch at the last minute before tragedy took place. I fear we won’t always be there to protect the precious darlings. 

My father did well, it’s starting to feel like Christmas now, even if the real tree doesn’t quite smell like the fake one did with evergreen sticks hidden inside it.

So Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy Haunakuah/Happy Kwanzaa/Happy whatever. Here’s to the new yar, may 2020 be a good one for us all. Have a safe holiday season wherever you are and I hope you’ll still be around to read my ramblings in the new year.

Marcy
@beaslma

Thankfulness Challenge – Thankful for GOLDEN

Whew ….. 30 days …. 30 posts on this blog. I admit there at the beginning I just didn’t think I was going to make it. It was hard coming up with something meaningful to say every.single.day. However it was also kind of fun. I’d say let’s continue but yeah I’m not gonna do that. You all knew I wasn’t going to do that, it is nice to know that I can tho.

This challenge started cause I re-read a post from 2014 in which I did 30 days of Thankfulness Challenge in which every day I posted about something that I was thankful for or that made me happy. Before I started this new challenge I wrote down each topic from that challenge to make sure I didn’t repeat anything. There were a few days there where I almost did to see if anyone was paying attention but in my mind that wouldn’t have been me completing the challenge and well I couldn’t have that now could I? That’s not to say some didn’t overlap. Like for instance in 2014 I talked about Christmas Music, and this year I gave my top 10 Christmas Music List, so similar but different. Although upon looking back at the 2014 post I noticed a lot of the same songs made my top 10 list. Which frankly didn’t surprise me. I mean a good song you listen to nod your head and move on a GREAT song well that makes the top 10 list, it stays with you forever, it is marked in ink on your soul. I also posted my Christmas TV calendar in both years but I’ve been doing that calendar for over 10 years now so that’s also not a surprise. However, for the most part each post is unique and true to itself. I’m kind of proud of that.

The major change from 2014 and 2019 is that Golden provided 7 posts in 2014 and none this year. What up with that huh?! It's Golden after all who made this blog a thing. Well she started the idea … when the universe was trying to kill me. Back in 2014 I did a very nice post about how thankful I am that Golden is in my life. You can read that here. I met Golden back in 1997. That’s crazy to me. That 22 years ago the Auburn Housing Board randomly selected us to be suitemates (there’s a good reason God didn’t make us roommates that you can read here) and the rest as they say is history. Being so far away from one another 5-6 hours, depending on who is driving, it would have been really simple for us to lose touch, drop out of one another’s lives and move on, or become internet friends that like and comment but don't really interact. However some things are worth holding on to, some things are worth fighting for, and this friendship is most definitely one of them, her cheese balls are another. Guys she makes the bestest cheese balls ever. She put tomatoes in it, but not everyone is perfect. I love Golden like the sister I never had. Sometimes we fight like sisters, but we also always have each other’s backs like sisters. The best part of the friendship side instead of the sister side is that we can also tell one another when they are out of line and it’s ok.

It is because of Golden that I’ve gone to Las Vegas and looked for Tupac. It’s because of her that I’ve gone to Dragon Con now 6 years and counting. It’s because of Golden that I have a higher appreciation for art and the relaxing nature that is pumpkin carving. There are a ton of movies I might not have seen without her suggestion or her putting it into her DVD player. I learned through her that Kill Bill is an excellent movie to fall asleep to. If it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have known Roxy and Lulu and the blessing that is Mighty. I wouldn't have a second family up North that I know I can call at any moment should I need them. She jumped in the car when I wanted to go see Bryan White in a backyard BBQ. She took me to my first casino in MS and showed me the secrets to Skee Ball. She's the reason I can't pass a corn field without yelling CORN at the top of my lungs. Even when I'm alone in the car. She and I spent several awesome days walking out asses off in the Magic Kingdom, Universal (Harry Potter), ok that one was for Golden’s niece who was going to be in the parade with her school band. That still counts. She showed me how wonderful going to the Zoo could be, especially when surrounded by friends and family. When I wanted to go to New Orleans the year after Katrina she jumped in the car and off we went. She is always up for an adventure and I love her for that.

So today, and everyday I’m thankful for Golden ….. I am thankful for her friendship, her support, her laughter, and her ability to always put whatever I’m going through into perspective. Thank you for 22 years of awesome memories here’s to many many more!

Marcy
@beaslma

Golden
@theonlygolden 

Thankfulness Challenge - naps

I suck at taking naps. I mean dont get me wrong I can fall asleep with the best of them when I'm tired but I wake up from naps ill as a hornet trapped in a coke can. Why is it a coke can?! Is it cause I am in the South and everything revolves around cokes ?! Like in Washington is it a can of something else and in Detroit something different?! Anyway back to my original point. 

I just woke up from a nap. 

Right before I fell asleep I was telling how I didnt feel good. I've pretty much been miserable all day and I'm not even hung over or day drinking and that's just not ok. My head has been killing me and my back is hurting well not really hurting but is spazzing so it hurts at certain times like really bad then just a dull ache. 

I fell asleep and the Trolls movie was just now coming on. I just woke up and it is going off. So maybe that's my problem. I never mastered the 20 min recharge nap. I usually pass out for 2 hours or more and I guess that's too long. Also dad says I snore, he should know hes king of snoring. 

Cause well..... I suck at naps. 

Marcy