Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 4 Comments

Hello, Stranger …

I have been missing in action for quite a while.  I must admit this is in part the fault of Facebook.  There are quite a few of my homeschooling circle on FB, and so I set up a page and have been having a pretty good time playing with it.  But I have missed Xanga, too.  I’m trying to decide if I want to continue with Xanga, or let it fade off into the sunset.  I see below that I can publish my Xanga entries to my Facebook profile now.  Hmmm…..  I wonder if it just publishes a link back to Xanga or if it actually publishes the Xanga entry like a note?  I may need to try this out and see what happens.   

Testing … 1 … 2 … 3…. testing ….

Is this thing on???

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More for my own reference than anything else…

When Your Child Says No to College

I don’t have time to read this article right now, so I linked it here so I can come back to it.

That’s all.

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 3 Comments

A little movie fun ….

A friend did this on Facebook and I thought I’d post mine here, as well.  Comments welcome!

Copy & paste this list.  Put an ‘X’ next to the Best Pictures that you’ve seen. Count them and post the number you’ve seen at the end of the list. Then post it on your Xanga page, if you’d like. (I’ve added comments after the ones I’ve seen.)

1927-1928 Wings
1928-1929 The Broadway Melody
1929-1930 All Quiet on the Western Front
1930-1931 Cimarron

1931-1932 Grand Hotel X

1932-1933 Cavalcade
1934 It Happened One Night
1935 Mutiny on the Bounty
1936 The Great Ziegfeld
1937 The Life of Emile Zola
1938 You Can’t Take It with You

1939 Gone with the Wind X Like, how many times??? I love this movie!

1940 Rebecca X Another – Laurence Olivier is so mysteriously wounded!

1941 How Green Was My Valley X I just watched this a couple of months ago. Loved it.

1942 Mrs. Miniver X Saw this years ago – I need to rent it again. So very good.

1943 Casablanca X The only movie pairing better than Bogie & Bacall would have to be Bogie & Bergman.

1944 Going My Way

1945 The Lost Weekend X I tripped across this one looking through Blockbuster recommendations. Reminded me of “Days of Wine & Roses,” which I liked better.

1946 The Best Years of Our Lives X I love it when the girl goes to her beau and helps him take off the prosthetics, since he can’t do it himself. She clearly is saying “for better, for worse … forever”…

1947 Gentleman’s Agreement X Gregory Peck … great story, great movie, great actor … of course it won.

1948 Hamlet

1949 All the King’s Men

1950 All About Eve X “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” Bette Davis is incredible, and ohmygoodness, what about that dress designed by Edith Head?

1951 An American in Paris X I love the scene at the very beginning where Gene Kelly is “folding” up his tiny apartment. Instead of moving furniture around, he turns it into a veritable ballet … he was a dancer with a capital “D” and an athlete with a capital “A” … I could watch him dance forever.

1952 The Greatest Show on Earth X There’s never been a movie made that Jimmy Stewart was in that I didn’t love. And to have Charlton Heston, too? What a bonus!

1953 From Here to Eternity X I saw this years ago, and need to rent it again.

1954 On the Waterfront

1955 Marty

1956 Around the World in Eighty Days X I know I’ve seen this, but I’m having a hard time remembering details right now. (wanders off to Blockbuster to add it to my list …)

1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai X One of my favorite war movies. William Holden and Alec Guinness — they just don’t make men like these anymore.

1958 Gigi X

1959 Ben-Hur X Probably my favorite “epic” movie from the early days … I have a 2nd edition printing of this novel by Lew Wallace, inscribed to a “Miss Allie Haines, August 1887” … it is one of my prized possessions.

1960 The Apartment

1961 West Side Story

1962 Lawrence of Arabia

1963 Tom Jones

1964 My Fair Lady X This movie is full of delightful quotes: “Come on, Dover, move yer bloomin’ arse!” and “The French don’t care what they do actually, as long as they pronounce it properly. ” Also, “There even are places where English completely disappears; in America they haven’t used it for years” and

Professor Henry Higgins: By George, she’s got it. By George she’s got it. Where does it rain?
Eliza Doolittle: [sings] On the plain, on the plain.
Professor Henry Higgins: And where’s that sordid plain?
Eliza Doolittle: [sings] In Spain, in Spain.

1965 The Sound of Music X I do not know what it is, but the very beginning of the wedding scene, where you see her train from above, I cannot watch that scene without crying. Is that ridiculous, or what? Julie Andrews was so beautiful in this movie … not in that glamorous movie star way … it was her character, falling in love with a widower and his multitudinous children … making the commitment to love and care for them all.

1966 A Man for All Seasons X I need to watch this again – I know I’ve seen it, but it’s been years.

1967 In the Heat of the Night

1968 Oliver!

1969 Midnight Cowboy

1970 Patton X I LOVE George C. Scott in this movie. And the music in parts is simply haunting.

1971 The French Connection

1972 The Godfather

1973 The Sting

1974 The Godfather Part II

1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest X Jack!

1976 Rocky X Gonna’ fly now!

1977 Annie Hall

1978 The Deer Hunter

1979 Kramer vs. Kramer

1980 Ordinary People X I watched this because Jim Hutton’s son was in it … I think his name is Timothy? LOL

1981 Chariots of Fire

1982 Gandhi X A recent movie for me. Ben Kingsley was incredible, of course.

1983 Terms of Endearment

1984 Amadeus X If I had to pick my very favorite “best picture” movie, this would be in my top five, possibly my top three. Yes, my top three. The acting (F. Murray Abraham is incredible, as well as Tom Hulce … ), the music, and the script … ah, the script:

Salieri: “But they showed no corrections of any kind. Not one. He had simply written down music already finished in his head. Page after page of it as if he were just taking dictation. And music, finished as no music is ever finished. Displace one note and there would be diminishment. Displace one phrase and the structure would fall.”

Salieri: I heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theater, conferring on all who sat there, perfect absolution. God was singing through this little man to all the world, unstoppable, making my defeat more bitter with every passing bar.

1985 Out of Africa X I liked it well enough.

1986 Platoon

1987 The Last Emperor X Ditto – I liked it well enough.

1988 Rain Man X Eh.

1989 Driving Miss Daisy X Great movie. I’m a big Morgan Freeman fan.

1990 Dances with Wolves X Eh.

1991 The Silence of the Lambs X Creepy. Shorty after AJ and I married, we spent the night at his dad’s house in Galveston. We watched this, and later when we’d turned in for the night, he reached over, touched my shoulder and asked me, “Are you a size 14?” I literally screamed. And then hit him. But now we laugh about it.

1992 Unforgiven

1993 Schindler’s List X I’ll never see a red coat the same way again … this movie
should be required viewing for anyone who claims the Holocaust did not happen, or that good people can’t make a difference (like Schindler did) …

1994 Forrest Gump X Great musical score.

1995 Braveheart X This is my number one favorite movie of all time. Followed by Amadeus and Titanic … ’nuff said.

1996- The English Patient X I need to see it again.

1997 Titanic X Wow.

1998 Shakespeare in Love X I enjoyed this movie a great deal, especially the way little lines from Shakespeare’s plays are strewn all throughout the movie … the whole idea of the Bard with writer’s block … I just loved it.

1999 American Beauty X What a waste of my time. Glad I caught it on t.v. and didn’t waste money on renting it.

2000 Gladiator X While this didn’t make my top three, it is definitely in my top five, just like the next one ….

2001 A Beautiful Mind X AJ and I saw this on our 10th anniversary. Not knowing the storyline when we walked in, it was especially meaningful that we saw a movie about a couple who managed to stay together through the overwhelming challenge of mental illness, and that it was a true story.

2002 Chicago X I like Renee Zellweger. The movie was okay.

2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King X This one and its siblings (even though they are not “Oscar Winners”) would round out my top eight, followed by Gone With the Wind, above … I don’t know that I have a #10.

2004 Million Dollar Baby

2005 Crash X I began watching this prepared not to like it. I didn’t like it. But not in the way you think. I’m glad I watched it, but it left me feeling very unsettled. Which sometimes is a good thing.

2006 The Departed
2007 No Country for Old Men
2008 Slumdog Millionaire

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 3 Comments

Simple words full of wisdom …

One of my friends on Facebook shared this:

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, will prove the end of any nation.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

~~~ The late Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 to 2005 ~~~

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 4 Comments

New Quote to Ponder

“…nothing compares with Texas at sunset.”

I agree, President Bush …. I agree.

And it will be the simple beauty of Texas sunsets, twinkling stars in the big Texas sky, and a soft, gentle spring breeze against my face that remind me God is the real administration in charge and that no matter what happens in the “halls of power,” He cares for His own.

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 2 Comments

Thankful

Earlier today I spoke with our accountant regarding our 2007 income tax return.  We’d filed an extension (with the filing date being October 15), but after the storm, the IRS gave a blanket extension to our area until January 5, 2009.  She told me that we were going to owe $1,694.  Plus the $495 we pay her to do the return.  (I know that sounds like a lot, but I am NOT a numbers person and the few times that I have tried to do our return, I’ve practically gotten an ulcer over worrying about screwing it up.)

Then she asked me about the interest on my business line of credit.  Seems I can deduct some of that.  So when I got home, I went through the statements and discovered quite a bit on them that would qualify for this deduction.  I ALSO discovered some expenses that I’d overlooked … inventory payments of substantial size that were not included in the little spreadsheet that I sent her a few weeks ago.  I emailed her all the information and after a couple of phone calls to clarify a couple of things, not only do we not owe anything, but we are getting a

REFUND!

Yes!  It’s already spent, of course …. I’ll be applying it to some of our debt, but it’s a little over $1,400.  Isn’t that exciting?

And the stimulus check that a lot of people got once they filed their tax return?  Well, we would have had to have filed our tax return by October 15 to get a check, but since that didn’t happen, it will be applied to any tax we owe in 2008.  So I’ll be anxious to see how that affects everything once we get our 2008 return done here in the next few weeks.

Have a great evening, y’all!

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 1 Comment

Yet another reason that Texas should secede ….

“Texas has the best large-state economy in the country right now,” says Zandi. “Employment is slowing, but its still growing.”

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 4 Comments

Here We Go Again ….

This past summer, our theater group held a play writing competition in honor of Mr. Mike Parrinello.  Mr. Parrinello was an amazing man, a real renaissance man with a seemingly limitless supply of information on a seemingly endless variety of topics.  He was dear to our group, helping us with costume and set design … sewing many of the Civil War era costumes used in our first season production of “Little Women,” as well as costumes used in our second season production of “Anne of Green Gables.” He would be tickled with the outcome of our contest.  Lindsey Backen won with her delightful little story about a group of “little old people” who escape from the nursing home they live in.  Called “The Great Escape,” rehearsals begin on Monday, January 12 with performance dates set for February 20, 21, and 22.

I didn’t intend to audition, but the first night there was a very small turnout and so AJ and I both read.  The second night, there was a much better turnout, but we read again at the request of the director and assistant director, and …..

WE WERE CAST AS:

GLADYS

(A ditzy but lovable nurse who’s sole care in life is taking care of her “Little Old People” and making pudding.)

and

MITCH

( The UPS man who is sweet on Gladys.)

What is it about the theatre that just gets into your bones????  I had a small part in last summer’s show and was a nervous wreck, but after auditioning for The Great Escape, I couldn’t help finding myself wishing I’d get a part.  Isn’t that just so funny?  And AJ always says, “I just don’t have time ….” but then he always ends up either being in the show, building sets, or both and has a blast doing it.  I’m so glad that we’ve found this nifty little hobby that we enjoy as a family.  Even though Jami will not have a role in this production, she likes helping out with the backstage stuff and hanging out at the theatre during rehearsals — so it’s all good.

I’ll be posting on how things go over the next few weeks.  It will be interesting since we are doing this in roughly five weeks, as opposed to two months in the summer.  But it’s a short play, only about 45 minutes, so I think it will be just fine, even though production time is somewhat compressed.

Have a wonderful evening and I’ll be back!  (I just realized this is my first post for 2009 — it’s been pretty crazy, busy here, so please forgive the stretches between entries!)

Posted on by Laura Jinkins · 4 Comments

Getting Ready to Welcome 2009 ….

We’re having a small group of friends over for a very casual, very laid back new year’s celebration.  I’ve got laundry going, I’m about to bake spice cookies …. at 2:00 p.m. I put the Sweet and Sour Meatballs in the crockpot, at 4:30 I put the Slim Dunk Dip (sour cream, spinach, dried leek soup, red bell pepper) in the other crockpot … set up the extra tables for games.  I’m expecting 13 people, including ourselves.  Everything is in pretty good shape – I just need to run the vacuum and spotcheck for things that need to be put away.

We weren’t home enough during Christmas for things to get messy, just a little dusty, so that’s good!

I’m thinking we’ll play Balderdash (a word game), maybe Pictionary, possibly dominoes.  We’ll see!

Pictures to follow, for sure! 

Happy New Year’s and be safe, everyone!

Love,
Laura