Meet Me at the Movies: Double Feature

I watched two of my chosen classic movies this week - one an all-time hit and one a total flop.  First the flop:

Kiss Them For Me
Three decorated Navy pilots finagle a four day leave in San Francisco. They procure a posh suite at the hotel and Commander Crewson, a master of procurement, arranges to populate it with party people. Lieutenant Wallace is trying to get the pilots to make speeches to rally the homefront at shipyard magnate Eddie Turnbill's plants, but they're tired of the war and just want to have fun. While Crewson begins falling in love with Turnbill's fiancée Gwinneth Livingston, he tries to ignore the distant call of war.

Not even Cary Grant could save this bomb.  Silly plot, unbelievable situations, and Jayne Mansfield's annoying voice made it tough to watch.  But, did I mention Cary Grant?  

Based on the book Shore Leave by Frederic Wakeman (1943).

The second half of the double feature was a hit - but that wasn't a surprise because I've seen this movie many times.  It's always rewatchable!

Bye Bye Birdie - A rock singer travels to a small Ohio town to make his "farewell" television performance and kiss his biggest fan before he is drafted.

Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margaret, Bobby Rydell, Janet Leigh, Paul Lynde, Ed Sullivan . . . this movie is full of big names and catchy songs that get stuck in our head.  It was inspired by Elvis's induction into the army in 1957 - at the height of his popularity - and his "one last kiss" to an Army WAC.  The movie is an adaptation of the Broadway musical that premiered in 1960 and won Tonys for Best Musical and Best Performance by a Male (Dick Van Dyke) in 1961.  There is also a mid-90's remake with Vanessa Williams, Jason Alexander and Tyne Daley that is almost as good.  But you just can't beat Dick Van Dyke, in my book.

Put on a Happy Face is probably the best-known song from the movie, but there are others that make you want to sing, and maybe even dance:  One Last Kiss, One Special Boy, Everything is Rosie and, of course, Bye Bye Birdie.   Highly recommended  - it's fun and lighthearted and . . . just fun!

All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard

Rome: McCabe and Chip, two American exchange students, are about to become embroiled with a violent street gang, a beautiful Italian girl, and a flawed kidnapping plan.

Detroit:  Sharon Vanelli’s affair with Joey Palermo, a Mafia enforcer, is about to be discovered by her husband, Ray, a secret service agent.

Brilliantly plotted and shot through with wry humor, ALL HE SAW WAS THE GIRL sees these two narratives collide in the backstreets of Italy’s oldest city.

Stories of mafia dons and kidnappings are usually not my thing, but the humor in this story takes All He Saw Was The Girl out of the typical suspense genre.  The twists and turns of the plot kept my interest and made this an enjoyable read.  There were some issues with tense and sentence structure - not necessarily wrong, just unusual - that bothered me at the beginning, but as I got involved and into the flow of the story, I no longer notice because I was so interested in how the multiple plot lines were going to come together and resolve. It was a fun and entertaining read.

Peter Leonard’s debut novel, QUIVER was published to international acclaim in 2008, and was followed by TRUST ME in 2009, and VOICES OF THE DEAD in 2012.  Find out more about Peter and his books at www.peterleonardbooks.com.

I received a free copy of this ebook as part of a promotional tour sponsored by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon Update

So far, I have completed two books and read approximately half of #3.  Ok, it's true that I was past the half-way point on both of the first two before the read-a-thon started, but that's beside the point.  My goal was to finish 7 books - 5 of which were already started.  So, I finished the two on my Nook but then my Nook charger bit the dust, so I can't complete the third until the new charger arrives - approximately Tuesday.  I had also intended to complete the audio book in my car - but my car got backed into in a parking lot and is spending the week at the body shop - with the audio book.  I have a paperback book to finish but, for some reason, rather than doing that, I started a whole new book.  Cause I'm rash and unpredictable that way.  

Dave and I are leaving this afternoon to visit Son at college, which means we'll have 8 hours of car time to read something - hopefully Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich will be in today's mail.  Otherwise, I'll have to scour the TBR pile for something Dave could deal with.  Speaking of our trip - other than travel hours, my reading time will be limited for the duration of the read-a-thon, so it's not looking promising for my goal.

However, I've had fun so far - entered three challenges, attended a Twitter party and met cool new people. And I'll keep plugging along to catch up with my Goodreads goal by the end of June - I've read 34 out of the needed 37, so I've still got a shot.  But only if I get off the computer...

Slake Your Thirst Challenge

Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer is sponsoring the Slake Your Thirst challenge as part of the WWRead-A-Thon.  The challenge? - Post a picture and recipe of your favorite summertime drink and your most anticipated summertime read.

My favorite summer drink (or any other season) is Pioneer Woman's Perfect Iced Coffee. It takes a little time to prepare, but worth every moment.  Unfortunately, it's not worth every calorie for me this summer.  Not exactly compatible with trying to shed a few pounds - but oh, so delicious.

Image from www.pioneerwoman.com

If you're looking for a drink for a summertime party, try a Tapshoes.  I swiped the recipe from the Improv Club in Kansas City when we were there last week.

Improv Tapshoes = Coconut rum, melon liqueur, pineapple juice and lemon/lime soda.

You're on your own for the proportions - but it should be fun and tasty experimenting.

My most anticipated summer reads can be found here.  Today I'm starting Stardust by Carla Stewart.

WWRead-A-Thon Kickoff

Today begins the Wicked Wildfire Read-a-Thon. Yea for extra reading time!  Obviously, there's no more time for reading than usual, but I'm making an increased effort at ignoring the rest of the world in order to read . . . especially the electronic part of the world.  The read-a-thon runs through Sunday so I am limiting my TV and computer time until then. I need to finish 5 books by the end of the month to keep up with my yearly goal.  I currently have 3 in progress on the Nook, 1 in paper form, and an audio in the car, none of which are far from finished, so I'm going to set my goal for the read-a-thon at 7 books...

UPDATE:  I wrote the above paragraph to post this morning for the start of the read-a-thon.  Then my Nook refused to charge.  The best laid plans... and all that.  I'm relatively sure it's just the charger cord and a new one has been ordered, but delivery takes up to six business days.  This could actually be a blessing in disguise.  It will certainly help my pledge to cut down time on Twitter, Words With Friends, Pinterest and other assorted internet distractions.  And I think there is enough charge left to finish two of the books I've started - less than 40 pages each.  The third book on Nook will just have to wait till the new charger arrives and I'll concentrate more on paper books.  

So here is my reading line-up for Wicked Wildfire Read-a-Thon:

Books to finish:

• The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen - Reading with Dave - less than 40 pages.
• All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard - Come back Monday, June 25th for Blog Tour 
• Broomsticks and Brownies by Bailey Cates - past 1/2 done - in paperback form
• Demon Rumm by Sandra Brown - listening to audio in car.

New Books:

• Stardust by Carla Stewart
• Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
• Porch Lights by Dorthea Benton Frank
• Jackie After O by Tina Cassidy

There's still plenty of time to sign up.  There will be Twitter parties, prizes and lots of fun.  WWRead-a-thon is sponsored by  Rebecca @ Kindle Fever and April @ My Shelf Confessions.

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

Wealthy is all in your perspective, and wise is a nonstarter, so I've been focusing on healthy.  I woke up one morning to find myself past 50 and with that many+ lbs. to shed.  I'm not sure how that happened, I was a size 7 just the other day, but anyway here I was - overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, totally sedentary and unable to walk up a flight of stairs without being winded.  Not good.

In the years since high school, when I was a twig who thought she was fat, I have attempted - and I use that term loosely - several diets.  None of them lasted more than a couple days and none of them were successful.  There was the one time I did the whole shake for breakfast and lunch thing - finally lost 10 lbs after an eternity of trying, then discovered I was pregnant.  No wonder this wasn't working well.  I repeatedly told myself "It's not your fault.  You have to cook for your family and they NEED cookies and peanut butter and chips." (Please refer back to the statement on wise, above.)  "I will do this when the kids are gone."

Well, the last one left in August 2010, so in January 2012 I realized I was out of excuses and made the phone call.  I signed up for Nutrisystem with the goal of taking off 60 lbs. I followed the meal plan, I started walking and lifting weights.  So far I am down 40 lbs., I can walk two miles before I get totally winded, and my pants are two sizes smaller, which is amazing!

Then, last Thursday, I was sitting at my desk, reading book blogs like always, when I started feeling dizzy and then the nausea hit.  In a matter of a couple minutes it got bad enough that I headed for the bathroom to toss my cookies - or my Nutrisystem-approved breakfast bar, as the case may be.  I made it approximately ten feet from my desk when the world began to close in.  The next thing I knew I was waking up on the floor with blood dripping down my forehead and two male co-workers kneeling over me.  My first response was "I'm going to throw up." and, yes folks, I then puked in front of the entire office staff - repeatedly (into a trash can at least).  Do I know how to win friend's and influence people, or what?  The EMT's arrived and carted me away in a very bumpy, swervy, nausea-enducing ambulance (more puking into a little bag I was trying to balance under by chin) while they asked me silly questions to see if I was coherent.  It's difficult to vomit and answer questions at the same time.  Someone should teach that at EMT school.

Blood work, repeated attempts to start an IV, another fainting spell and a CAT scan later, it was determined that my potassium level was dangerously low (probably due to blood pressure medication) and with some pills the size of the proverbial breadbox, I would be fine.  I have no memory of most of that, including the doctor's discharge instructions, but I drove home, so you're glad you weren't on the roads of SE Nebraska that day.  I returned to work this week, where everyone now sees me as the little-old-lady who can't be trusted with her meds. I've felt really crappy all week, so my exercise has been minimal.  But I am returning to normal, and I have a doctor's appointment later today to follow up and probably make some medication adjustments, so I assume my health is back on track.

However, there's still that next twenty lbs. to lose and I gotta tell you, I'm really tired of this. I wish I could say that the last four months have been a piece of cake (or pie or cheese danish).  I wish I could say that I no longer dream of lemon cupcakes with buttercream frosting.  I wish I could say that I'm ready to run marathons or looking forward to a lifetime of walking to nowhere on the treadmill - but I'm not.  I do not "embrace my sweat" as the workout gurus advise. The progress is getting slower and slower even though I am consistent with the food and exercise.  Logically speaking, if I continue to eat approximately 1300 calories/day and exercise for 45 minutes, 5 days/week, the fat will burn.  But I'm not sure where logic figures into the weight-loss process.

One plan says 30 minutes of exercise/day is enough.  Another says it needs to be 60 or more.  One says "a calorie is a calorie" and as long as you're burning calories it doesn't matter how you're doing it.  Another says "Never do cardio and resistance training at the same workout.  Vary your workout and start a whole new routine every three months."  One says "less weight, more reps to tone muscle rather than build muscle mass".  Another says vice versa.  I'm clueless and frustrated and tired.

But, I refuse to quit. A healthy body helps keep a healthy mind, so I will not revert to old eating habits.  If I can walk 2 miles, I can walk 3.  If I can go 3.5 mph, I can go 4.  If I can do 40 crunches, I can do 50.   And eventually I will make my goal, and possibly have just ONE lemon cupcake to celebrate.  Maybe that wise thing isn't as far-fetched as I thought.

Meet Me At the Movies: Summer Stock

1950 - As a favor to her actress sister Abigail, New England farmer Jane Falbury allows a group of actors use her barn as a theater for their play. In return, the cast and crew have to help her with the farm chores. During rehearsals, Jane finds herself falling for the show's director, Joe Ross, who also happens to be engaged to the show's leading lady-- Abigail.

Starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly

This wasn't the greatest start to my Meet Me at the Movies feature.  With the exception of "Get Happy", the music didn't have any memorable tunes. In fact, some of the songs barely had a tune - memorable or otherwise.  The story was cute - although terribly stereotypical about farm folk as overall-wearing, chewing on a straw with what teeth they have left, hicks.

Still, watching Gene Kelly dance is reward enough for sitting through even the most mediocre movie.  He's handsome and smooth and makes me want to dance.

Part of the fun of watching old movies is finding familiar actors in early roles.  Gloria DeHaven is one of those familiar faces.  She went on to guest on nearly everything on television - from westerns (The Rifleman, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke) to detective shows (Mannix, Murder She Wrote, Hart to Hart) to 80's standards (Highway to Heaven, Love Boat, Falcon Crest).  She even played in several soap operas (As the World Turns, Ryan's Hope and All My Children). Do you recognize her?