Tonight I Need Ear Plugs

As I write this post, loud booming noises rudely interrupt my concentration. The testosterone driven part of my family is watching 2012. It is loud enough that I am positive the neighbors can feel the ground vibrations. They say they’re going for the theater experience. (Insert eye roll). I have outgrown disaster movies; they are too predictable and loud. There I go showing my age.  I know! I know! It is about the special effects, but really, I am so past the special effect feature in movies. For the record, no, I did not see Avatar. Three hours watching blue people in 3-D does not appeal to me. The last movie I saw in the theater was It’s Complicated. Just give me a little Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin, add a few laughs, some sex, and top it with light conflict and easy resolution and I’m a happy girl. I don’t want to leave the theatre worried about the world ending. I have enough on my mind. I just want to be sweetly entertained and go on my merry way confirmed in my belief that relationships are difficult but worth the pain. Yeah, I am just a romantic comedy kind of girl. I did purchase Julie vs. Julia.  Meryl, honey, I’m pulling for you because you were FEARLESS in that kitchen.

With Oscar nominating ballots prominently displayed on every internet site, my mind drifted back to 1982/83, my senior year of high school. I was all about the Oscar nominations then. I had seen everything and was cheering for my favorites. An Officer and a Gentleman, The World According to Garp, E.T., Gandi, Tootsie, Victor/Victoria, Sophie’s Choice, Poltergeist, 48 Hours, The Man From Snowy River, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid….I could watch any of these movies today and be cinematically satisfied. As a matter of fact, I did recently watch Victor/Victoria. Now there is a darn good movie….So come on in and play me Le Jazz Hot maybe cause I love my jazz....HOT! What’s not to like about that?????   I must have a "thing" about Julie.

Despite my anti-disaster movie stance, I want to live vicariously through you. What is your favorite movie ever? What have you seen lately in the theater or on DVD? What movie do you regret seeing and still causes you to want to gouge out your eyeballs? Come on, you can tell me…..

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

O Sleep! O Gentle Sleep! Wherefore Art Thou?

O sleep! O gentle sleep! 

Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,

That thou no more wilt weigh mine eyelids down

And steep my senses in forgetfulness? 
(from Henry IV by William Shakespeare)

I admit it!   I love to sleep.  It's true.  I could sleep sixteen out of the twenty-four hours given to me every day and then take a nap.  I LOVE to sleep but sleep eludes me.  My mind simply will not turn off when it is time to sleep.  The images I see when I close my eyes remind me of the old reel-to-reel tapes that flickered at the beginning.  Over and over these flashes appear and random thoughts scream in my mind.  I've tried many different remedies for this problem:  a spoonful of peanut butter, warm milk, hot bath, lavender, chamomile tea.  Nothing really helps.  Last night was terrible.  I was tired and cranky with a blasting headache and desperately wanted to fade away into the oblivion of sleep.  Finally, around 5:00 a.m. I drifted into slumber. 

Do you have trouble sleeping?   What do you do to stop the train that roars through your mind at night?   These are things I need to know.

Thanks for reading, Rosie

Tom's Toasted Peanuts Store Jar

I've been away far too long from Vintage Thingie Thursday and after viewing the treasure that Colorado Lady found recently, I felt inspired to join, once again, in the ranks with my fellow vintage thingie lovers.

Ta-Da!  One of my favorite pieces.  This Tom's Toasted Peanuts Store Jar was given to me by my aunt a few years ago and is in mint condition.  She knew that I would cherish, protect, and give the stink-eye to anyone who dared touch this beauty.  It sets high atop my Hoosier cabinet (for photo purposes I had to move it) among the dust and cobwebs smiling at me as Mrs. Paul's fish-sticks bake I bake everything from scratch in my kitchen :)

And stored inside, also among my favorite vintage thingies, are aluminum jello molds.  Who remembers aluminum jello molds?   Speak up!  They come in all shapes, designs and sizes and if you have keen eyes, you'll spot them in just about any thrift store.  Little happy treasures.

Now get on over to Vintage Thingies Thursday at Colorado Lady where you will be as jealous as I when you see what she found.  She's a great hostess.  Be sure to thank her.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Funny You Should Ask

I work in a public library.   Why do people assume that because I work in a public library I automatically know the answer to every question I am asked?

You've heard the expression, "There are no ignorant questions".   I am here to say, "Yes, there are plenty of ignorant questions and I've encountered more than my share."

Caller:     How do you make freezer pickles?

Me:         I don't know.

Caller:     Do you have the recipe?

Me:         We have a lot of great cookbooks.

Caller:     Can you look it up for me?

Patron:     Can you recommend a good psychiatrist

                   for personality disorders?

Me:          You probably need to check with your doctor.

Patron:      I am looking for a book.  

                 I do not know the author or the title.  

                 Can you help me? 

Caller:       Who is this?

Me:           The Public Library.

Caller:       What do you want?

Me:           I don't know.  You called me!

Patron:      What book do you recommend?

Me:            What do you like to read?   Fiction or Nonfiction?

Patron:      Nonfiction....you know, the made up stuff. 

                    I like to read anything.

Me:            You mean Fiction?  Do you like Mysteries?

Patron:      No, I don't like Mysteries.

Me:            Do you like Science Fiction?

Patron:      No, I don't like Science Fiction. 

Me:            How about Romance?

Patron:      No, I don't like Romance.

Me:            Murder?

Patron:      No.

Me:            Informational?  Biographies?

Patron:      No. No.   (Loud sigh)  I think I'll just check out a DVD. 

                  What do you recommend?

Patron:       I need a resume'. 

                  Someone said I could get one here. 

                  Do you have any?

I did not write this post to make fun of anyone.  Honest!   I try my best to answer every question I encounter with a smile.   Some days are tougher than others and by the end of the day I want to bang my head against the circulation desk.

But, I am really curious....what funny, odd, strange, or ignorant, question have you been asked recently?   This one doesn't count ;)

Thanks for reading, Rosie.

Entertaining Strangers

I often find myself engaged in odd conversations with complete strangers.
  

Recently, at a local department store I was trying on clothes.  As I exited the dressing room, I encountered a petite woman in her mid/late seventies trying to find jeans to purchase.   Believe me when I say that buying jeans after age forty is a massive ego crusher.  Especially by current design standards.   Between giving birth, adding a few pounds, and sagging in all the wrong places, the last thing a woman wants is low-riding jeans to show her big girl panties.  Trust me on this!  

Anyway, the sweet lady was exasperated by her denim dilemma and asked for my help.  Why?   I have no clue!   After studying the cut of the jeans, the length, and the waistband fit, we determined that the jeans looked good on her frame and were decent to wear in public.   Then she asked me to step outside the dressing area with her while she modeled for her husband's approval.   To my everlasting surprise her husband was in a wheel chair with an oxygen tank, tubing, and mask struggling for every breath.   The delight in his eyes when he saw his wife was obvious. And get this....he said, "she needs more booty...too skinny...but she looks great."   How precious!  I laughed with them, gave the lady a hug and went on my way.  I could have chosen not to entertain strangers, but what a blessing I would have missed!

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,

for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. 

Hebrews 13:2

What strangers have you encountered recently?  Tell me about it.  I am eager to know your story.

Thanks for reading, Rosie.