Movie Mania Monday - Don't Torture Yourself

So I'm back from Ohio for a week, first week at the new job was phenomonal.  Plus, I've managed to find us a place to live, big bonus.  As for rental cars, I had a Dodge Avenger R/T, quite well-optioned for a rental.  And I needed those heated seats on Friday, when it dropped to a crisp 35 degrees outside.  Only one real complaint about the car, they have a chrome inset on top of the shifter that perfectly reflects the sun into ones eyes on those bright days we had until Friday.  Still, quite zippy, comfortable for a smaller car, and Avis was nice enough to let me drop it in a different place than I picked it up.  I'd give the car a solid B+.


Not much news on the weekend, worked on packing the garage and breaking down shelves, I'm going to be Sir Gimpsalot by the time you read this, I'm sure.  Oh, and I broke down and actually bought a car.  I still think it's an impulse, though Lori thinks that the years I've been ogling new cars constitutes a measured purchase. 


This week in movies, La Bev quickly identified last week's quote from The Addams Family.  I was always a fan of the original show, when it was on in syndication between Bugs Bunny cartoons and The Munsters.  Loved the Sonnenfeld films, they gave the characters a slightly darker feel, as I think Charles Addams originally intended.

As for this week, I'm tired and quite sick of fighting with the computer, so I'm forgoing the quote this week.  Let's just call it an Ohiatus.  Because that's how I roll.

Random Acts of Thursday - Sing a Song of Six Gents

Happy Thursday, one and all.  I started on a 'TMI Thursday' post, and I even understand that LiLu is discontinuing the process.  No problem, I wasn't in full-on rant mode when I started it, so we'll hone that puppy for you another time.  Of course, I managed to screw something else up, and this never posted this morning.  As such, for many of you, this will be a Random Act of Friday.  I wasn't even drinking last night, though I was quite tired when I wrote this. 

I'm sure there are lots of cool Ohio-related things I could be sharing with you, but I'm exhausted and nothing comes to mind.  Not even SkyMall... 

Meanwhile, since I've been here, I've been listening to a lot of radio, I'm quite impressed with all Cleveland has to offer music-wise.  And me, being the Blogger of Quizzic Doom that I am, I thought of a little test for you, dear readers.  

Below are six artists mentioned in some form by another artist or group in their songs.  Your task, name those artists and song titles. 

Elvis Presley

Bo Diddley

T Rex

Neil Young

Jimmy Page

George Clinton

AAAAaaaand.....go!  Remember to show your work.

Oh, and as for fun Clevelandish items, we finally have an address to call our own in this little burg.  Huzzah!

Movie Mania Monday - Most people live in terrible neighborhoods.

Congratulations to Samsmama for her astute identification of Fletch Lives.  In addition to being an Iron Quote-Guesser, she wins a cup of hot fat and the head of Alfredo Garcia.

I'm not actually here right now, I'm there.  As in Ohio.  Here's hoping it's not snowing on me as you read this.  I don't know how my weekend was, or even my flight in, as they haven't happened yet.  Just pray with me that I'm not homeless by the time you see this.

As you've come to expect of these little weekly tests of memory, let's review the rules du semaine.  Identify the film being quoted below using your gray matter, that big swirly mass of fat and synapses in your head.  No web searches of any kind, though you can phone a friend.  If you're the first to identify the film, you win the peoples' ovation and fame forever (or at least a week) and the honorary title of Iron Quote Guesser.  Wall of Fame is still coming, keep watching for it.  Try to give others a fighting chance, but once it's been guessed, feel free to leave any other irrelevant comments you may feel necessary.  This week's quote:

Last night, you were unhinged. You were like some desperate howling demon. You frightened me. Do it again. 

Allez guessing!

Fun Fact Friday - It's not easy being green

I've never shied away from planting trees.  In third grade, we were sent home with elm seeds, a new variety reportedly resistant to Dutch Elm disease.  That little seed grew to a massive 30 feet or more by the time I saw it last, probably ten years ago.  

A few years ago, I started taking an interest in bonsai, the Japanese art of miniature trees.  I haven't found the appropriate outlet for this interest, never found the group here in Tampa.  Killed my first tree, but that doesn't mean I won't try again once we move next.  We planted a Japanese maple at the corner of our home in Wisconsin, and it's still strangely exciting to drive by and see how it's doing.

I saw a headstone in North Carolina a while back that had a beautiful Japanese maple growing from it, maintained lovingly by someone to keep it in perfect scale with the planter built into the stone.  I would love such a thing, if that isn't too morbid.

We were cleaning out the flower beds and continuing our mulching efforts last weekend, and I noticed a foot-high oak sapling, just taking root perfectly in the corner of the yard.  Away from mowers, perfectly spaced where it could be a feature, I can only hope the next owners decide, as I did, to leave it be. 

The next step, of course, is arborsculpture.  Rather than emphasizing the natural form, trees are made to do unthinkable contortive feats, to great effect.  I've seen some works of this in the past, gazebos made entirely of living things, and I love whimsy in the garden.  These are some cool pieces, and some things I hope to mimic the next time we have a permanent garden of our own.

However, planting trees has become more politicized in my lifetime.  Growing up exploring the forests of Wisconsin, with all the pines in straight rows where the paper companies reseeded fifty years earlier, I never thought of reforestation as 'politically correct', I just took it as something that one does.  More recently, the term 'carbon footprint' has been thrown around, and I'm being encouraged to buy 'carbon credits' any time I book travel or buy electronics (and no, I don't actually buy electronics, but bear with me).  

I never thought that suddenly my blog, the most ethereal of non-tangible things, could have a carbon footprint.  Adrienzgirl, over at Think Tank Momma, posted Wednesday that a blog receiving 15,000 hits a month produces eight pounds of carbon dioxide in that time.  (Would that I could get 15,000 hits a month, better start posting more pictures of Danica McKellar and Bo Derek, since those get the most hits of anything I've done.)

By posting this button in the sidebar, and telling the nifty people over at Machs Grun (which I assume is German for 'more green', but what do I know) about this post, they will plant a tree on behalf of your blog.

How simple is that?  And who doesn't like wood trees? 

Random Acts of Thursday - Ready For the Madhouse

Ah, April 1st.  Le jour des imbeciles d'Avril!  Convinced anyone that Coca Cola is going back to classic Classic, complete with coca leaves in the mix?  Planted a thumbtack on your favorite cow-orker's chair?  Get cracking!

In my own little reckless way, completely ignoring convention and putting together a quiz based on famous firsts, or famous fools, I thought I would instead regale you with a happy little story, Mad Lib style, using our current quest to sell old and acquire new housing as a basic theme, and using film titles old and new to fill in the blanks.

The Home Viewing - First Impressions

Today our Realtor took us to the House on Haunted Hill.  We had high hopes for this one, not like that Nightmare on Elm Street.  Did you see the wallpaper in that one?  Walking up to The Doors took forever, this house had The Longest Yard I'd ever seen.  The Realtor handed the Keys to Tulsa, who turned the Lock Up and over to let us in.  Immediately we knew this was the Home of the Brave.  

The Wall in front of us was stories high.  Even though the house only had Four Rooms, we had to climb The 39 Steps just to get to the second floor.  As I walked to the Rear Window, though, I could see the appeal of this home.  It was right On The Waterfront.  And still, there was space for The Shaggy Dog to run around and do his business.

The downside, since there is always a down side.  The Basement and the Kitchen both showed some signs of past water damage, but nothing major.  Certainly I could overlook the Stain on the floor, at least there were no Cracks in the Ceiling.

When the breeze picked up, the metal roof crackled and groaned in the sun. It was almost like there was a _________________________________________________ .  (It was a stretch, I know.  I just can't bring myself to fill it in.)

Think you can do better?  Give it your best shot in the comments.  I'm on the road for the next week, so I may not get to your comments right away, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't leave them.