Random Thoughts

Nothing makes you appreciate the blessings of a warm house more than a cold winter day.

I never realizes how overplayed "Bohemian Rhapsody" was overplayed by local radio stations until I heard it on three separate radio stations within a ten-minute period. And yet I still like that song.

If there's anything more depressing than hearing so many 1980s songs on local radio stations, it's noticing how many of the songs that were overplayed back in the 1980s are still being overplayed today.

"Free" television seems to be rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

I used to enjoy going to the movies back in my younger days so it bothers me that I find it harder and harder to find the time to go to a movie and even harder to find a movie that's worth going to when I have the time.

What do I think of the political candidates who are running for President in 2020? As little as possible...

Movie Quote of the Week

Yes, winter's coming. I don't like the winter.
--Ann Carter, The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Yankee Weather

We're officially experiencing winter weather here in Dallas this week and it's not even December. I was just getting used to wearing jackets again and now I have to get used to wearing coats. And caps. And gloves. Maybe even scarfs.

On the bright side, it has not snowed yet.

I Grow Cold ... I Grow Cold ... I Shall Not Wear the Bottoms of My Trousers Rolled

Apparently, T.S. Eliot was wrong. February was the cruelest month. The way the temperature keeps going up and down, it's a wonder more people aren't sick.

On the plus side, spring is a lot closer than it was before. Still walking to one's car in twenty-degree temperatures like I did this past Saturday night is not fun. Even if you're a Northerner.

The Winter of My Discontent

It seems as if I'm finally caught up with my medical bills but I still have this year's taxes to sort out. And though I'm not really sick, I seem to feel the cold more and more as I grow older -- a feeling I find especially embarrassing since I used to not only live up north but often had occasion while up there to walk to work while snow was on the ground.

On the bright side, I still had use of all four limbs and though my right hand is not as flexible as it used to be, my left hand still performs quite adequately. There was a brief time during my medical leave last year when I wondered if I would ever be able to walk long distances again without the aid of a walker but fortunately, that worry has long since bit the dust. I worry about my middle brother though. He is even more impatient than me when it comes to dealing with doctors and pharmacists and he's getting to the age when he can no longer afford to be that way.

My mother is in semi-good health though her neck still hurts from time to time and she has to stay away from solid food this week because of a dental implant. However, considering the crises my family has had to deal with in the recent past, we seem to be doing okay. However, I'm keeping my fingers crossed just the same.

Movie Quote of the Week

Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories...
--Deborah Kerr, An Affair to Remember (1957)

Song Quote of the Week

A winter's day,
In a deep and dark December;
I am alone.
--Paul Simon, “I Am a Rock”

Movie Song of the Week: "Baby, It's Cold Outside"

From the 1949 movie musical Neptune's Daughter, it's the late Betty Garrett and the late Red Skelton reversing the genders on an old winter show tune. For what it is worth, Red Skelton's funny accent can be explained by the fact that he is posing as a South American polo player. And yes, that probably makes more sense if you see the movie.

It's Official

Any nostalgia I might have felt for the snow days of last year was officially satisfied by Friday's snowstorm.

Now I'm nostalgic for spring.

Wow!

I did a quick errand run around 5 p.m. and was surprised to see how many businesses had already closed down by then. Fortunately I have enough groceries to last a while but still it seems like a long while since I saw business shut down this much. Apparently Mother Nature has a way of persuading business owners to close early that most major holidays just don't have anymore.

For that matter, I'm glad I filled up my gas tank Monday night because it took so long just to warm up my car to the point that I could clear my windshield. Apparently Mother Nature is determined to make us pay for all those warm weather days we enjoyed last week.

Movie Song of the Week: “The Slap Polka”

From 1943's Hit the Ice, it's Johnny Long and His Orchestra plus the Four Teens and Ginny Simms singing a wintry background number for Abbot and Costello.

I hope you all enjoy it.

Hey, I Remember This Show: The Mary Tyler Moore Show

One would think a TV show set in Minnesota would have more winter scenes in its opening credits, but in this case, apparently not. Not that an acute lack of said scenes kept this show from having one of the most famous TV intros of the 1970s.

Movie Quote of the Week

Suppose it never stops. Suppose the man in charge of the snow has forgotten how to stop it.
--Charlotte Henry, Alice in Wonderland (1933)

Trailer of the Week: Ski Party (1965)

James Brown and Leslie Gore in a Frankie Avalon movie? The '60s were indeed a different time.

Trailer of the Week: Snow Day (2000)

Three guesses what happened in Dallas today.

Movie Song of the Week: “A Fine Romance”

I wasn't intending to post another song from 1936's Swing Time so soon but my beloved Ginger just looks so sad that I couldn't resist. Besides, the way my past weekend has gone, I could use a good Astaire-Rogers number to pick me up.

Movie Quote of the Week

No, it's just a thaw -- winter isn't over till Easter.
--Kelli Garner, Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Nieve, Nieve y Más Nieve

Apparently it's snowing again in Dallas. It started last night after midnight and it was actually still on the ground by noon. And more of it is coming down as I write this.

It's not the first time it snowed in Dallas this winter but it seems like it.

And I was just telling a Southern-born friend yesterday about how I didn't mind being out in 37 degree weather because by the standards of my hometown of Detroit, that was springtime. Of course, it helped that there wasn't much wind yesterday.

Pop Song of the Week: “Hazy Shade of Winter”

Hang on to your hopes, my friend.

Trailer of the Week: A Simple Plan (1998)

Don't sit at home and watch the snow fall.

Why not go out and see something cheerful like this?