I'm not impressed....

 

Both of my kids have showed me this separately which is not all that unusual but when my husband showed it to me today that was proof that's it's main stream.  I laughed when Peter Sagal of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me said, on the 41st day of December 2020....no one else laughed but I'm used to that.

I had high high hopes for turning this burning garbage barge around in 2021 but then a bunch of who-ha's stormed into the Capitol disrupting, taking pictures, stealing things and making sure to get it all on Facebook for the cops.  They have nailed down that this new variant of the Coronavirus is more contagious than the first one and while some states vaccinate anything that gets in line others are throwing vaccine away because they won't give it to anyone not on the list.

Oh, this feels soooooo familiar. Like little bunny Foo Foo ALL over again!

Little Bunny 2020 hopping through the forest, picking up the 2021 and bashing 'em on the head.

Then along came the Good Fairy and she said, Little Bunny 2020 I don't want to see you picking up the 2021 and bashing 'em on the head. I'll give you three chances, then I 'll turn you into a GOON!

Your three chances were up about 4 years ago 2020 - time to bash you over the head.

(just in case you are not familiar  PG version of Little Bunny Foo Foo)  

Elizabeth is missing?

 If I was looking for things about Alzheimer's it would be one thing, but I am not.  The universe is determined and keeps putting things in my path.  In the past year, in the hundreds of free e-books that I download and read 10 of them have had a character with Dementia.  Several of my podcasters have had experts on discussing the subject of Dementia/Alzheimer's and I've heard countless NPR reports. Just the other day I heard something about a book turned into a movie called Elizabeth is Missing.

Well, guess what showed up on the PBS app today? YES! Considering that I used an entire box of tissues before the movie was over my family may be asking Why are you recommending this movie. Because I have to.

My grandmother and now my mother have been diagnosed with dementia.  I have watched grandparents die of cancer, had friends killed suddenly, watched others struggle with autoimmune disorders, but there is nothing like watching an otherwise healthy parent fade away right before your very eyes.

Everyone suffers differently.  Some people have anger, discontentment, aggression and I saw this in early stages with my grandmother and mom. But for the most part they are "pleasantly confused" as my Aunt likes to say.  They are not, as a rule, aggressive or angry but that can happen. 90%of the time my mom is happy and grateful and somewhat conscious of her lack of knowledge.

Elizabeth is Missing shows the struggle of a daughter to care for her mother whose dementia is very progressed.  Maud, the mother, will put on the tea kettle and then walk out of the house or return home to the vacuum running in the living room. She has 20 cans of sliced peaches but has also found a system of writing things she must remember on post it notes for herself which become essential to the crux of the movie.

Please watch this movie. Even if you do not know someone who suffers from this disease.  It is not only a very well constructed story of redemption but also a realistic look at the heart wrenching ravages of dementia on everyone involved.  And if you do know someone who has it - My heart goes out to you as well as my prayers.  It is not easy. You are not alone.

What to watch??

When the Pandemic hit and my husband was sent home and not sure what was going to happen next we finally took the steps to cancel the ridiculous cable TV package.  Between my husband and the boys they choose the Hulu, Disney +, and ESPN pkg. I didn't weight in because I so rarely watch TV, or did before all this.

I workout at home and one of the rare times I turn the TV on is while I am working out. Hulu turned out to be good for this distraction because I found The Goldberg's and watched the entirety of that show from pilot to finale in about three months.  But finding a sitcom we could enjoy as a family, or in the new downtime that has come from the world being in a state of hiding turned out to be difficult.

Reruns, reboots, remakes of every size and shape. Some worked, some didn't. But while my husband and I could be swooned by the oldies my kids were not at ALL interested.  We tired their picks. Most of which I am still scratching my head at. My youngest is into Anime and my oldest would end up casting his YouTube account and scrolling through his favorite DCI videos. (Drum Corp International).

I tried finding a replacement for the Goldbergs but Aye Aye Aye!!! Oh the horror, the humanity, the sex. What is up with shows today going full on Porno?  If I could remember all the shows that I scrambled to hit pause/end I would write them down but honestly I am trying hard to forget it.  I quickly learned that any show that uses the word millennial in the first 5 minutes will for sure show full on sex in the next 5.

Thanks goodness we opted for Disney+.  I have re-watched every Disney/Pixar Animated movie ever made.  This genre is guaranteed not to suddenly burst into porn.  PBS take me away!  Upstairs, Downstairs, Downtown Abbey, Poldark, Victoria, Mr. Selfridge, The Durrells?? Or even America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, A Cook's Life, The Great British Baking Bake Off, or all things Martha Stewart.  I would rather workout to Bob Ross than two "millennials" talking in text speech about while guzzling alcohol and then hooking up. For Goodness sake is that REALLY all they do all day? and night?

Before I sound like a 95 year-old ranting lunatic let me at least say there have been a few shining stars in this journey through sitcom insanity...here are a very very few recommendations, not in any particular order. (Hulu hasn't sold me on watching TV) also I can't remember the title of anything 5 minutes after I watch it.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Being Erica *****

Beauty and the Baker

The Last Full Measure (movie)

The Man Who Invented Christmas (movie) *****

Happy New Year

A Message to my Family

2020 was a gift.

It gave us a chance to:

test our resolve

change and adapt

practice patience

give and receive sincere acts of kindness.

"There are two ways to live your life. 

One is as though nothing is a miracle. 

The other is as though everything is a  miracle."

Albert Einstein

2021

A Year of Gratitude

As the new year begins and we know the past year was filled

 with disappointment, heartbreak, and negativity.

Can we focus this year on

THE GOOD

THE KIND

THE LOVE

even the smallest evidence or act

can turn the tide

can make the New Year

one of Gratitude and Grace.

"No duty is more urgent than giving thanks."

James Allen

A Prayer for my Family

May every moment of this year

be the gift it is intended.

May you feel the sun on your face

May the rain fall gently, 

and the wind blow away your worries

and bring to you strength.

My wish for you 

is to feel the joy of nature, humanity, 

and the Universe's Grandeur

everyday.

All my Love -