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Archive for the ‘BY THE WAY’ Category

More Photos of Devastating Blaze

Posted in Ha-P 2 B in OG, tagged , , , , , on March 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Many Grovers were out in the wee hours of this morning taking photos.   Blogfinger is a popular locally focused blog site and several residents contributed photos and comments about the horrific fire this morning that robbed this Historic Landmark that we live in, of several historic Victorian homes.  The photos are all far better than mine and I would like to share them with my readers. Please  click the link below.

Massive Blaze Destroys Eight Buildings on Surf and Atlantic Avenues, Including Vacant Former Hotel

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FIRE! The Most Dreaded Word in Ocean Grove

Posted in Ha-P 2 B in OG, tagged , , , , , , , on March 11, 2011| 4 Comments »

It’s still dark, the phone is ringing?? It’s 5:30am! WTF? It’s Susan and from her voice I can tell she is upset.  FIRE!! Oh no, not again…just like last March.  She can’t tell where it is but the fire engines are going north on Central Ave.  I jump out of bed, and look out the door of the guest room and there it is-an eerie orange glow in the northern sky.  I’m going. Dress quickly, grab camera, license, gloves, hat, rain boots, car keys (I forgot my house keys).  Later I realized I didn’t have a lens in or a pair of glasses.  I drove up Broadway to Ocean Ave and went North to Ocean Pathway.  I parked the car in front of the Pavillion because I knew the police wouldn’t let me go any further.

I walked to Surf Avenue and saw the flames engulfing whatever fuel their greedy fingers could reach.   The fire apparently started in a construction site where a former boarding house stood and was in the process of being rebuilt as condos.  But in Ocean Grove, fire never stops where it starts.  Already the house to the west had flames shooting out of the roof.   The police tape was up so I could only get so close but clearly the fire had already jumped to the next street to the north-Atlantic Avenue.  Just like last year, the wind sent sparks flying and fanned the flames so they were able to leap to the houses behind the site.

People were gathering quickly, word of a fire in the Grove spreads as quickly as the fire does.   I watched a man try to get across the street – later I spoke to him and one of the houses that were being “streamed” with water simultaneously while the firemen valiantly tried to control the blaze or blazes as now there were at least 4 houses on fire.

I focused on this little bungalow thinking it would survive but then smoke started to seep out of the dormer.  OH GOD!!! I don’t think anyone had been in that house and I thought how devastating it would be to find out that the little cottage you left during the week or winter would be gone AND everything in it 😦  The bungalow was all that was left between the fire and the house of the man I met on the sidewalk.   The firemen were soaking his house from the front and the back as he paced back and forth but basically remained calm and resolute.

I imagined myself in hysterics jumping up and down in his place.  We have so many one of a kind collectibles in the cottage and worse yet the cats.   Cats are not like dogs who would follow you, come to you or bolt out-no cats would hide under the bed amidst the “stuff” stored there and you wouldn’t be able to get them out easily and quickly and unfortunately quickly is the key word in a town of wooden houses.  As far as I know, all animals got out, all the people got out although one elderly gentlemen was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

Surf Avenue, Ocean Grove, fire,

Fire Before the Dawn

Surf Avenue, Ocean Grove, construction site blaze

Surf Avenue Blaze

Atlantic Avenue, Ocean Grove

Atlantic Avenue Houses are Destroyed

the bungalow, Surf Avenue, Ocean Grove, NJ

Trying to save the Bungalow

streaming, crane, Atlantic Avenue

Streaming the gold house from behind

I got to the fire about 5:45am and the fires were roaring;  I left about 7am and now it’s 10:30am-some fire trucks have just gone west on Broadway, several flatbed trucks and pick-up trucks have gone east on Broadway which makes me think that some clean up is taking place.   In about an hour I have to pick up Peter and we will go by the site or as close as we can get and I hope to post “the remains of the day”.

My thoughts and prayers are with my neighbors who lost so much today.  I may not live next door to them…however, this is a small community and one person’s loss is felt by all.  The temporary shelter is up and running;  Susan brought dog food and leashes and I contributed kitty litter.  I’m so sad over this destruction-every historic home lost in this little community cannot be replaced.  The very charm of Ocean Grove lies in its Victorian cottages and of course its community.  And every time there is a fire, the phrase, “…there but for the grace of God…” comes to mind.

 

 

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John Cleese on “Terrorist Threat Levels Being Raised

Posted in BY THE WAY, tagged , , , , , , , on March 10, 2011| 6 Comments »

Basil Fawlty

Image via Wikipedia

My friend, Gail, sent me this great piece of British humor.  John Cleese, best known as a former Monty Python group member and star and writer of the highly-acclaimed Fawlty Towers, now bills himself as British writer, actor and tall person. I think from that you can get where this is going! He’s so damn clever (and I wish he had made 12 more episodes of  Fawlty Towers).

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out.  Terrorists have been re-categorised from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s get the Bastards.” They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France ‘s white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country’s military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.”

The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbour” and “Lose.”

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from “No worries” to “She’ll be alright, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!” and “The barbie is cancelled.” So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

— John Cleese – British writer, actor, and tall person

 

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Six Words! No More, No Less – JUST 6

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged , , , , , , , on March 7, 2011| 5 Comments »

Opening logo to the Star Wars films

The Movie - Not the Reagan Defense System

People speak in six word sentences – Mmmm there’s concept.  Certainly not me, and not Peter who I accuse of the longest rambling sentences in the world!  However, last week, I quoted an article that appeared in The New Yorker magazine in 2008, SAY IT ALL IN SIX WORDS, in which the author of the article purposely  used several six word sentences.  Maybe six word sentences  are the answer; our life in bullet points!

Twitter says to say it 140 characters, texting requires clever abbreviations to convey  messages without using whole words and there are more and more places where brevity is king.  And then of course, we also had a President who spoke in six word sentences because that was all he could manage without misusing or mispronouncing a word!  (I couldn’t resist).

This week I’ve uncovered another great source of six word sentences – quotes actually from movies!  Here are a few and I would love it if my readers could think of some more and send them in.

“May the force be with you” – Star Wars

“English, motherfucker, do you speak it”? – Pulp Fiction

“Nobody puts Baby in a corner” – Dirty Dancing

“I’m the king of the world” – Titanic

And now to this week’s submissions from some of my readers:

Sun lamps/tanning bed more validity – Susan in the Grove

Life sucks – I demand a refund – Spinnyliberal

Last boss nuttier than Charlie Sheen – Weez

Been meaning to buy that book – Anne-Marie

Weekend with Finley, heaven can wait – Me

And from The Book as I like to refer to Not Quite What I Was Planning Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure:

Not pretty enough so now unemployed – Stacey Smith

 

Mistakes were made, but smarter now – Christine Triano

Likes everything too much to choose – Rachel Lindenthal

Curly haired sad kid chose fun – Stacy Abramson

Ok the challenge is out there, the ball’s in your court…Send me some Six Word Movie Quotes OR your own Six Word Memoir next week.

 

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Gigi’s Grandbabies – Finley and Francesca in Captiva

Posted in BY THE WAY, Finley Ray, Frankie on March 7, 2011| 6 Comments »

What can I say? I just saw a bunch of adorable photos of my daughter and her two girls while they were on vacation in Captiva, FLA.  I’m a Gigi and so who can blame me?  I just had to share some of these with you.  The girls (big and little) are just so damn cute.

 

Captiva, Naples FLA, Frankie, Francesca, Finley Ray Clark, beach days

Chiara, Finley and Francesca

Finny, Finley Ray Clark, Captiva Florida

Cutsie Smile

Baby Buddha,Francesca, Frankie, plump baby

Baby Buddha

Fun in the sun, Frankie and Finny, Francesca, Finley Ray Clark, Captiva FLa

Fun in the Sun in Florida

Finley Clark, Captiva Fla, Finny

OK, but I'm not tired!

Finny, Finley Ray, Captiva FLA, butter baby

Mmmmm butter!

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WHY Celebrate Going on a Diet?

Posted in BY THE WAY, tagged , , , , , , , on March 5, 2011| 4 Comments »

Castor and Pollux

The Gemini Twins

Last week I told you I had discovered an Hors D’Oeuvre Cookbook written in the “80’s and it listed 52 reasons to hold a party or celebration.  At first I thought it was meant to be the 52 weeks of the year but I was wrong – It’s just 52 reasons to celebrate and not weeks because of course some holidays fall close together, duh!

So here is reason #11 – Starting A Diet Tomorrow – We all eat and drink like it’s our last meal!  Big portions, comfort food served family style.   Count me in.

Here’s a little personal anecdote;  I used to blame it on my astrological sign, Castor and Pollux – those souls of opposing views and ultimate indecision because sit me down in front of  a menu especially a large one and I just can’t make  up my mind as to what I want.  This could go on for 15 minutes until my husband would say, “This probably isn’t your last meal”.


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Interior Decor from Classic Oscar Films

Posted in BY THE WAY, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2011| 2 Comments »

Today I am trying to catch up on reading some blogs that I subscribe to and look what I found in Apartment Therapy! There is a whole slew of categories of room designs from movies – horror, romantic, period etc.  But since the Oscars just happened, I thought you might like to see Apartment Therapy’s picks for Interior Designs from Classic Oscar Films.

Interior Decor from Classic Oscar Films | Apartment Therapy Chicago.

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How To Describe Your Life in Just Six Words!

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged , , , , , , , on February 28, 2011| 8 Comments »

I was going through a pile of old New Yorker magazines last week;  I had a dual purpose and I attacked this task with gleeful ferocity.  I accidentally discovered this cache (read hoard) in a drawer where my dear husband had been stashing New Yorkers that he hadn’t finished reading yet!

I reminded him of the deal I thought we struck in good faith a few years ago – if you subscribe to this magazine which seems to over-populate an apartment quicker than a  rabbit, then you have to keep the number of copies hanging around to a minimum-say, no more than 3 or 4.  Weeelllllll, someone was not keeping his end of the bargain because there were New Yorker magazines in that drawer from 2007!.

Right then and there, I passed the death sentence on the pile and just before I was about to toss them all, I thought I would thumb through and look for cartoons that dealt with real estate.  Actually that also was part of the deal, to give me any real estate cartoon.  As I flipped through them I started noticing several cartoons that I knew Peter would appreciate because they held some relevance to him.  IDEA! What a great birthday gift;  I ripped out lots of cartoons, phrases and pictures with the idea to put them in an album to give to him.  So I did – I think another post, not this one, will have to feature some of the cartoons – I think it turned out really good!

But of course I have totally digressed…the segué is this – in a 2008 issue an article caught my eye; Say It All IN SIX WORDS. There is was! Right in front of me in The New Yorker!!! “Brevity; a good thing in writing. Exploited by texters, gossip columnists, haikuists. …Life expectancies rise; attention spans shrink. Six words can tell a story.
 That’s a new book’s premise, anyway; Not Quite What I Was Planning. A compilation of teeny, tiny memoirs.  The forebear, it’s assumed, is Hemingway…..”

The article is quite long and I hope to insert more of it from time to time.  The Six Word Project started with a contest for readers of the Smith Magazine online.  The web site was ” flooded with entries.  Five hundred plus submissions per day.  That’s two, three words a minute.  “We almost crashed”. an editor said”.

I’m only look for ten or twenty, I don’t want to crash or be greedy for that matter!!  Here are this week’s reader submissions: PS did you notice the length of most of those sentences?

An entire day – still not enough time – Trish

Winter carnivals, let’s celebrate the season! – Susan Celtic Lady

Accepted into Grad school – decision time – Weez

Sauna: must find one down here –  Susan in the Grove

Should have never checked the scale 😦 – Me

Smith magazine, Ernest Hemingway, Six Word Memoir, Six Word Project.

"The Book"

 



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Who’s Going To Win an Academy Award?

Posted in From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 26, 2011| 3 Comments »

Oscar icon

"Hello Gorgeous"!

Everybody has jumped into the game!  Predictions are coming in from far and wide, expected and unexpected.  Who doesn’t have an opinion?  Well of course I do…From My Point of View.

Who deserves it?  Who is getting a popularity vote?  How much is insider Hollywood politics playing a role?  Is it a case of money talks and walks away with the Oscar? Is it just a crap shoot?  Does anyone really believe that BEST is really the best?  Tomorrow night we’ll all find out.  Oscar parties abound, champagne and popcorn are my favorite combination to celebrate!  Although in past years we have gone the whole movie candy route too, Junior Mints and all!!

Okay, OK, onto the predictions of this opinionated blogger.

BEST PICTURE: The King’s Speech – Hands down, this will win.   It’s gotten the hype, the buzz and the right cast to win.  Only real contenders were True Grit and Social Network. True Grit because the Coen brothers never make anything but excellent films and Social Network because the subject matter is so NOW and Jesse Eisenberg was fantastic.

BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth – Extraordinary embodiment of the character and as an actor he is extremely versatile and a great risk-taker.  Flapping his gums and rolling around the floor, Colin proves once again, the depth and breadth of the excellent training Brittish actors receive.

BEST ACTRESS: Natalie Portman – Young as she is and up against veteran Annette Benning, I believe  Natalie will take it.  Very popular movie, the dieting, the work, the pregnancy and the engagement all add up to beating out Annette whose role was not a stretch for her by any means.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale – This is the only movie of the 10 that I didn’t see but I have read enough about the movie and the role and know Geoffrey Rush is keen competition but I don’t think the Academy is going to have The King’s Speech walk away with every award and also Christian apparently was superb in this difficult role.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo – This IS a really tough call because there’s been so much buzz around Hailee Steinfeld and the Academy loves to honor up and coming actors in this category.  Conventional wisdom says Melissa will win but I wouldn’t be surprised if Hailee is called up front and center.

BEST DIRECTOR: David Fincher – Going out on a limb here because it isn’t often that the Oscar for Best Director goes to other than the Director of Best Picture.  However, Finch is overdue and is more like recent winners in this category.  Not quite a toss-up but we’ll see.

Those are my top picks; I think Best Editing will go the Social Network , I think Costume Design will go to Jennie Beaven although I think Collen Atwood SHOULD win for Alice in Wonderland. Best Adapted Screenplay-Social Network. Best Original Screenplay-The King’s Speech.

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Thursday’s Top Ten- 10 MORE Romantic Movies Plus 1

Posted in Friends, From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, Thursday's Top Ten, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

February is about to end and this being the last Thursday of the month brings our MOST ROMANTIC movies list to an end.  I have 10 more movies to list and a bonus film, strongly suggested to me by my nephew, Justin.

  1. How Stella Got Her Groove Back Again (1998) – Well, one way to get your groove back is to groove with a hunky, good-looking stud 20 years younger than yourself.  Taye  Diggs  Bassett won a NAACP Image award for her performance.
  2. Bridget Jone’s Diary (2001) – Rene Zellweiger won this Brit part over two Brittish actresses: Emily Watson and Helen Bonham Carter. AND she gained 25 pounds and earned a Best Actress nomination.
  3. Shrek (2001) – He doesn’t want to get involved and she’s not happy that he’s green and ugly. Howver, the wannabe Princess is really an ogre herself so in the end, all’s well and they live happily ever after to the tune  of hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office.
  4. Love Actually (2003) – This is one of my all-time favorite movies;  Peter and I watch it every Christmas holiday season.  We laugh and always cry over Emma Thompson’s pain caused by her husband’s interest in a sexy co-worker. There are TEN different love stories unfolding in this romantic comedy. I LOVE Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy is hysterical, Colin Firth is sincerely endearing and who doesn’t love Liam?
  5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – Jim Carey and Kate Wynslet in this romance/sci-fi movie. Charlie Kaufman won an Academy Award for his original screenplay.  Sometimes you need an outside force to discover what you knew all along.
  6. The Notebook (2004) – This is an epic love story based on the beloved best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks.  Rich girl falls for poor boy, they are separated by WWII and ultimately find each other again seven years later.  Ryan Gossling and Rachel MacAdams
  7. Pride and Prejudice (2005) – A classic romance based on a classic- Jane Austen‘s novel of the same title.  Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfayden prove that infatuation beats out social obstacles.
  8. Brokeback Mountain (2005) – This Western was one of the first to feature a love affair between two men. Critically acclaimed around the world, winning many awards at festivals and nominated for Best Picture, starring Heath Leger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
  9. Twilight (2008) – The vampire romance that captured the hearts of teens and adultsarlts around the world.  Girl meets boy, boy is a vampire – Kristen Stewart and Robert  Pattinson heat up the screen on and off.
  10. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – Another romance  on and off the screen, Freida Pinto and Dv Patel quickly discover the intense chemistry between them. The movie won Best Picture and seven other Oscars.
  11. BONUS! Rocky (1976) – Small time boxer gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champ and along the way falls in love with his manager’s sister.  Everyone who has seen it knows the line, “Yo, Adrian” – but the most important lines in the movie are the last two;Rocky,”Where’s your hat”?  (Rocky has just won the championship but is mostly concerned with taking care of Adrian),then ” I love you”!, “No, I love you”!

    Sylvester Stallone,Rocky Balboa, Adrianne

    Yo Adrian!

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