A Simple Fix

Sad to say, a while back my decades old flip flops began breaking apart. So I bought new from a local dollar store. This pair’s soles are thick and comfortable. However, the attached straps dug into my skin.

On a whim I tried swapping out the hard plastic with my old soft rubbery straps. It worked! If only I could wear them on a beach and not just to the pool.

Trading the uncomfortable
blue for orange suits me.

Ah, well. Now I have a linguistic question showing my age.

Have you ever heard flip flops called thongs? Do you prefer open or closed-to footwear?

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My Funny Man

Yesterday evening my husband and I re-watched a movie starring Tom Cruise. Following a scene building a car around the main protagonist, my guy said, “Ooh, it’s got built-in Cruise control.”

Will you forgive me the bad pun, Liz? Is anyone else a fan of this humor?

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God’s Children are Not for Sale - A Movie Review

Well, my friend Scars and I saw “The Sound of Freedom” this morning. As expected, I cried several times. Yet I’m glad we went.

The claim it’s a product of the QAnon conspiracy theory left us both baffled. Whatever you think of the 45th United States President, this movie has nothing to do with extremism.

Child sex trafficking is real and our society needs to shine a light into that darkness. Yes, I’m standing by that opinion.

steps off soap box

If you’re still reading this (~grin~), the film’s production values were excellent, from sound quality to some stunning cinematography. I especially enjoyed the characterizations. Bill Camp as Vampiro blew me away. I want to add more about his portrayal but won’t spoil the movie-going experience.

For the faint of heart, please know that the child abuse remained evident without tasteless depiction. And I imagine the child actors received direction without context, such as did the little boy in 2007 horror/comedy “Planet Terror”. According to that movie’s special features, producer Robert Rodriguez directed extra scenes for his son Rebel’s personal screening. Those additions erased Tony’s tragic end.

Isn’t it sweet that Robert Rodriguez went to those lengths for his boy? Are there any theatrical releases you anticipate seeing?

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A Big Win, One Loud Scream, & a Gigantic Squee Over a Teensie Weensie Itty Bitty Critter

Our heating and cooling service offers gift cards via raffle in exchange for reviews. Winning a twenty-five dollar (US) for Kroger purchases delighted me. Imagine my thrill upon learning the stakes were higher. Instead of several small awards, the company owner decided a single $300 card would be offered. No doubt you know who won this time around.

Woo hoo!

My husband has been napping every midday, which leads to my second title point. He fell into a deep sleep until Polly ran under my feet. I shrieked upon feeling multiple kitty legs underfoot. Thank heaven she did not get any broken bones, nor even cry out in pain. How I kept my weight off her without falling is a mystery.

Referring to my critter encounter, a garden perusal led me to finding a few pickling cucumbers and the tiniest amphibian I’ve ever seen. This creature would fit fine on my thumbnail.

"I am huge in my sphere."

Do you think this tiny animal is a frog or a toad? Have you ever heard the song ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Polka Dot Bikini’?

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A Strangely Foiled Outing

On Wednesday I met my friend Scars to see a movie, “The Sound of Freedom”. My husband didn’t feel up to a heart-wrenching tale and gave his blessing.

Scars bought my ticket while I paid for our sodas. We walked into a silent theater. How bizarre. There should have been advertisements running and then previews before our 11 am showing.

This is all we saw:

Scars joked that maybe someone needed
to revisit the concession stand...

At around 11:15 or so, he and I returned to the lobby. Five other patrons sat baffled, waiting for word. I’m usually timid but I think Scars’ fearless nature inspires me. I walked behind a vacant service counter, looked into an empty office, and called out. Back in the auditorium, I even banged on a locked door.

Nothing. I later learned everything is automated, run by computer.

At long last two technicians appeared after Scars and/or I talked to a few different employees. Having climbed a ladder into the screening room, they apologetically claimed an inability to clear the glitch. Not even rebooting the mainframe. Issues included the system indicating no tickets had been sold. It all seemed stranger and stranger.

Around noon, the first fellow who approached us as opposed to the other way around returned and apologized because nothing had worked. Even calling their corporate office led nowhere. It seems corporate had been overwhelmed and stymied by this issue. Strangely, the nationwide problem apparently affected this particular movie alone.

I give all the staff credit for their efforts. And each individual patron received a refund offer, free food/drink tickets, and a complimentary movie pass.

All of us thwarted moviegoers remained calm, I’m proud to say. The others got their ticket cost refunded while Scars declined. He is financially well off and wanted the filmmakers to get their portion of the earnings.

Have you ever encountered something like this? Do you, like my husband, think it was a cyber attack on the theater chain?

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Plans: A Creature Feature – & – Crap

My mild frustration with the YMCA led me to discovering an interesting event at our Caesar Creek nature center. I planned on attending two Sunday afternoon seminars on local critters. And I forgot. The place is a half hour away and the event started fifteen minutes ago. I could attend the second but am just not feeling it.

The other day I even typed up the following to share here (and obviously didn’t):
Fingers crossed, there won’t be a ton of kids there and I can see some captive (rehabilitating?) specimens followed by a natural pond exploration. Both hour long events are free. I don’t even need to register.

And I concluded with:

What odds do you think I have of a peaceful visit sans rambunctious children? Have you ever walked out on an event, paid or free, due to annoying crowds?

Isn’t that a shame? Can you believe I not only let a spat with my husband wreck my day but allowed my upset to spill over to our innocent kitties?

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Shuffled

This is a first world complaint, for sure. Reading Andrew’s blog post about children prompted it. He cracked me up.

And thank you, Strayer, for asking about my well being on your blog. Our cats Terry and Polly are being jerks to Dandelion sometimes, we think out of jealousy over my attentions.

Otherwise, things are going swimmingly. ~rolls eyes~ I apologize in advance.

Anyway, so I finally returned to swimming at the YMCA. It’s not the closest or second closest facility but their schedule is more open. Getting up and going took time. I still figured there would be no issue.

However, about ten minutes into my aquatic workout a guy came and asked me to move over two lanes. Not wanting to be contentious, I complied. A daycare group would be coming in at 11:30.

It was 11:10. The adults didn’t need setup time, I noticed, and the children arrived closer to 11:35. I exited the pool before they even got wet. I’m half tempted to end my YMCA membership.

The Caesar Creek lake is free and I haven’t visited the gym in months. It’s money better saved, maybe.

Should I brave chilly currents, annoying boaters, and dangerous amoeba? Or should I forge on and start lifting weights again?

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