SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5

Well if you come here often, you know I'm somewhat enamored with Kurt Vonnegut's humor and writing.
( Okay, obsessed with it actually.) I could not have a COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER VACATION #5 without Slaughterhouse 5. It is my favorite Vonnegut book with my favorite Vonnegut character... Billy Pilgrim. I can't imagine what I would do if I became unstuck in time. Billy did it well.

I happily watched Slaughterhouse 5 again last night. I wanted to see it after finishing the book (again) recently to compare the two. I have heard good and bad reviews on the movie. But the same can be said of the book. You either get it or you don't.

Slaughterhouse-Five - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here is a tribute to Kurt Vonnegut that has some wonderful quotes of his as well as some nice photos and a bit of him speaking. So It Goes. (Kurt Vonnegut 1922 - 2007)

The Fifth Element - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a frequently watched movie at my house. I'm not sure if its because we use our DVD or if it hits cable a lot. No matter, we watch happily.



Johnny-Five.com

Short Circuit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This movie was filmed in part in my teeny tiny town! Yup... if you watch this short, funny clip... you can see my bridge and my river, which you've seen here before behind them. Cool beans! The Best of Ben Jabituya / Short Circuit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6TLYwelOPk

Judging by the conversations after Babylon 5's final episode, I don't have to tell you much about this one. Here's a short clip of some great battle scenes. It has the suicide blip as well, but you have to look without blinking. Babylon 5: endgame

Babylon 5 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Did you know that Neil Gaiman

did some of the writing for Babylon 5 ? Gaiman of course is best known for his comic... The Sandman (Vertigo) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





The Jackson 5 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gosh I can't even recall this far back myself. Maybe I've blanked it out. Michael has changed a bit hasn't he? Yikes.

There must be tons more of "Fives" out there. Can you think of any? How was your weekend? How was the fishing? Collect any shiny objects?

Vacation is getting so close, as the Bear would say... my butt's starting to sweat!
My weekend was stressful, but all the stressers have left town... Whoot! And my Sunday brought kind words from a friend that made me feel much better. I am thankful. Hope your day has kindness in it and that you will feel like giving some away to someone who needs it... we all need it. Big grin.

ArtiFacts Good Books &Bad Art

This is my favorite book store. I suppose you could call it a used book store, but it also has bran new books, toys, comics, bad art and oddities.



You might not think so to look at these images, but it has order. Books are divided by genre and alphabetical by author's last name. A comfort to a librarian. But it is also marvelously jumbled, which appeals to my pack rat side.



Bad art is tucked everywhere...



on the walls, on top of shelves. I like the "DEVIL GIRL" lunch box. Hey... know anyone who wants an "Instant Baby" ?



Nice over-sized post cards. Love the one of Nancy Sinatra with her poofy hair. ha!



I might have a thing or two on this wall... naw. But I could. Maybe this summer for a hoot. They let you sell bad art for free!



Here's a thought. Do you need a commie mustache and beard?



Care for Pirate Mints, Commie Mints, or a tin of "I'm Not Candy" ?



I had to pick up a couple of Jesuses for Squeaky... he collects them. This one is the Deluxe Jesus with 5 loves, 2 fish and a ewer for changing water into wine with a bonus... hands that glow in the dark! (For no apparent reason!) He is the "Miracle Action Figure."



This Jesus has "Poseable Arms and Gliding Action" for walking on water.
They come with Bible verses on the back. I like "If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall in the ditch." Mathew 15:14 Sage words. I have fallen in ditches. Wish I'd known that then. Annie and I were both pretty blind and as I recall, there was a good deal of laughing.


As an added bonus, as I left and looked across the street... I finally found somewhere to catch a fricking game! It seems that I am not alone in my obsession with the best boys... Boston Red Sox. Who would have thought... in Oregon? And I can drown my sorrows if they don't win... or belly up to celebrate. Don't worry... the Bear lives close by and will play taxi.

Well, I made it through the funeral and home again. Baby Mikey kept grandma occupied... something I greatly appreciated. I saw his relatives that I had not seen in maybe 30 years.

The scary thing was how much we had all aged. Yikes. I kept thinking if they look like that... oh dear, what do I look like? Hey, vanity is a problem for me. Okay? They dont have a twelve step program for that. I just have to live with it.

People stood up and said things. I did not.

Afterward we all stood around. You know how that happens. You gab. There was some uncomfortable talk about my butt... how much smaller it is now. Well gee whiz... thanks... I guess. No one talked about bank robbery. That was good. I met my great niece, S and fell in love! The most darling child on the planet for sure. She is baby Mikey's age and together they gave me a run for my money trying to keep them still and quiet.

In the end, I was so grateful to come home. My house in a box is not much of a house. In dire need of repairs which I will get to this summer myself. But it is quiet and safe. There are no nutty relatives of his here. Those at the funeral will leave tomorrow morning and once again my town will be safe to walk the streets. My own crazy relatives that I was avoiding have left. Yeah!

RAMBUNCTIOUS / SAT. SCAVENGER HUNT

This little guy had a hard time at the funeral toady. It is not his nature to sit quietly still.



It is not his nature to deal with strangers (to him, but family none the less) that he was not prepared to meet.



So he climbed over pews, under pews and around the pews. He took offering envelopes , wrote scribble notes on them and passed them out.



"Mr. Rambunctious" was happy to go home. (Me too!)

FRIDAY SIXER

(ME)


BUT ITS DAY SIX IN THE COUNTDOWN TO MY SUMMER VACATION. Happy dancing is in order but will have to wait for the less populated space of home. Max got up with me before the sun and we watched it rise... wow. I took photos, which are not on this computer so I cannot share them yet. There is something about the effect of light that enthralls me. Maxfield Parrish (who does amazing things with paint to show etherial light) is my favorite artist... yes, Max is named for Maxfield Parrish (also Mad Max and Max Headroom). That year we had a serial killer who was caught mere days after Max was born and named... want to guess what his name was, yeah, Max. You can't win them all. Enough story time.

Daybreak by Maxfield Parrish



The Six Wives of Henry VIII (album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,

RICK WAKEMAN - "Anne Boleyn" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ngFpAIKLfI

I don't know if you have ever listened to Rick Wakeman or know that he was a member of the group "Yes". He's a piano man. His music is wicked lovely. On this album "The Six Wives of Henry the VIII, each song is assigned to a wife. Sorry, you can only have one wife here... wouldn't want anyone to lose their head...but you can listen to the others on Youtube if you wish. He also did a wonderful album; Journey to the Center of the Earth, that has a turtle swimming in beer in its companion booklet. (The turtle looks happy, billy! But I'm not sure if that is really good for a turtle or not. )



It must be a video kind of day. Do you guys get tired of them? I figure that if you don't want to mess with it, you won't. Here are a few more:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7h8qkMBE_E Music For One Apartment And Six Drummers This is a strange little bugger. I like strange.



Six Feet Under "Rapture" death http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LXuNpF6NVg

I loved this show. It was funny and touching too. Each episode began with a death. This is my favorite "death" intro. (One of the brothers on this show "David", played by Michael C. Hall, now plays Dexter on Showtime. More death for him, he's now moved up from embalmer to serial killer. I cannnot wait for it to begin again in the fall.)

Six Feet Under (TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia if you are curious about it.



Six Million Dollar Man vs. Sasquatch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JktcQ2A32cU

Who could pass this one up? LOL

The Six Million Dollar Man on TV.com - Free Full Episodes & Clips ...



Well, I dont' want to weigh you guys down too much today. It's a Friday... the sun is shining on me, hope it is on you in everyway you can apply that phrase! I leave you with the first poem I ever learned by heart just because I wanted to... I was six years old. You will see why... it is so undoubtably me.



The End

When I was One,I had just begun.



When I was Two,I was nearly new.



When I was Three,I was hardly Me.



When I was Four,I was not much more.



When I was Five,I was just alive.



But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever.



So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.



--Alan Alexander Milne



What sixes did I miss? What are you doing with your weekend? What are you doing now? Say anything! ( Lurkers welcome too. )

LUCKY SEVENS

Counting down... day 7 to summer vacation! I'm starting to get really excited now.

Artist: Greg - Elektryk Inkk
Covington, Georgia

Sevenofnine Borg... the less sexy version.

My hobbies. giggle

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The was my favorite drink when I was little.

7 Up - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia






Seven Samurai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia One of the best movies ever!

Keeping track of the seven dwarfs names

Can you remember all their names without peeking?

YouTube - Se7en Movie Trailer starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Great murder mystery thriller.

SEVEN REASONS THIS ISN'T MUCH OF A POST.

1. I only got 2 hours of sleep last night.
2. I have two unwanted members of my family in town to avoid.
3. I have several unwated members of my soon to be ex's family in town to avoid.
4. I had at least seven errands to run before I could get to this.
5, Today was physical therapy day. Feeling better but sore and moving slowly.
6. Messed up my blood sugar levels. Ooops.
7. Couldn't stop reading my lizard book. :-)

Well, I hope your day brings something exciting.

And as a lucky extra...

Lucky Number Slevin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN Trailer

*

NO SCHOOL TODAY... FUNNY HOW SOME THING S LOOKS SO MUCH ALIKE

Isn't it funny how some things look so much like other things? See this guy here? He's a Janissary . (I love history and often lurk in its pages.)

The Janissaries (derived from Ottoman Turkish ينيچرى (Yeniçeri), meaning "new soldier") comprised infantryOttoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards. The force was created by the Sultan Murad I from Muslim sons in the 14th century^[1] and was abolished by Sultan Mahmud II in 1826 with the Auspicious Incident ^[2](*from wikipedia)

This is what you probably thought he was... Ku Klux Klan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Funny how much the two outfits look alike. Funny how they had some very similar ideas about people not like themselves. Hummm... Oh wait, those ideas are not funny at all. Poor choice of wording.(A SNL joke I always liked... "Did you get that at KKK-Mart?")

Here's a tid bit. You may already know this, and I hope you do. We often attribute many of the laws and changes that happened to benefit the newly freed slaves to Abe Lincoln. But Lincoln was politically cautious. It was such a tremendous change for folk of that time to absorb that he was afraid of the repercussions. Most of those original laws can be attributed to this group: Radical Republicans .

There is a lesson here. History is fickle. We bend it and abuse it. We twist it to enhance our heroes, to put ourselves in a fresher light. It is important to look beyond the top layer of history. You gotta dig. It's amazing what you find in there.


When left to its own devices, my brain goes off on tangents. This is one of them. It began with a question about a war... the Battle of Avarayr between the Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire that just happened to have occurred on May 26, 451 A.D. Yeah, 1,558 years ago. Amazing. One thing led to another until I found myself immersed in the Ottoman Empire and came across the drawing of the Janissary. That in turn led me here to you.



This is my fourth day in a row off. We have no school today. I don't know if the teachers are there working or not. This may be the result of cuts in the budget... we lost several days to cuts. I do not really care a whit why, only that it is so. I take my orts of happiness where I can glean them.


Tomorrow I will return to my countdown to vacation. Whoot! I like it when I have a focus and direction. I like that many of you have enjoyed the countdown. It is fun for me. Today I am thankful that I can share it, and thankful that someone is out there to share it. Hope your day is full of sunshine and something really good that you personally enjoy... whatever that may be.

REMEMBER...

I was so sad to see that this was the exception instead of the rule...



So few of these have flowers or remembrances of any kind. I'm off to strip my yard and do something about that. There will be a ceremony here today. Good.


Thank you guys... here and gone. God's peace.

NEW SATURDAY SCAVENGER HUNT GEEZ...

Looking for things to GROW at home. Do I want plants or seeds?
Seeds are cheaper. But they take so long to grow. I am not patient enough.



Of course, if I want them to GROW, then I need to amend the soil. And feed them... with what else but Miracle-"Gro?"



I'd like one of these"ride 'em" lawn mowers to combat how my grass GROWs and maybe some of these to keep the weeds from GROWing.



On the top, the snorkel lifts gather to plot against humans last Saturday... below is some evidence that the revolution GROWs.



This is what I ended up buying. I like it when several things GROW in one pot.


Phew! What a crazy day. But I finally got caught back up to where I should be. It may be late for some of you east coast folk. Sorry about that.

I began my day with a series of minor frustrations. But it has mellowed out and all is well in Funch-ville. There was no plan for today other than to do some cleaning. The house in a box can use some serious scrubbery. That's where I am bound now.

Tonight I will follow Cube's lead and light the BBQ. Tri tip strips for the carnivores and I'm thinking teriyaki salmon steak for me, salad and bakers for all. Yum. Simple is good. Because it is so nice, I think we can eat on the patio. Maybe I can fool the ants into moving back outside!

I am thankful that all the nutty stuff calmed back down. Thankful for the peace this afternoon and thankful for my family being together tonight. What about your day are you thankful for?

SATURDAY FRUSTRATIONS/ SCAVENGER HUNT PHOTO

HEY! CONGRATULATIONS Suldog on being chosen The Sunday Roast over at authorblog . Hats off to you, sir. Go read it people! You'll be glad you did.

This is going to be one of those days... I can see that already.

It began with my computer connection to the internet being knocked off by Max's big feet. This is an annoying matter to reconnect it... involves moving a sofa with a large grumpy sleeping boy on top of it,who then becomes enraged at my ineptitude and insists on doing it himself... when he wakes up, which is not now it seems. A good thing to remember... do not poke a sleeping bear.

So I came to my work computer, since I was going to walk here anyway. Ready to do my Saturday Scavenger Hunt photo... camera in hand. Forgot the umbilicus that does the photo download to this computer. Geez. Went home, got that. The battery was too low. Have to take it home and charge it. I got this camera because you do charge it like a cell phone, not rely on AAA. I can see good points and bad.

Then I get here to Funch and find unwanted videos have popped onto Funch. These were originally supposed to have been sent from youtube two days ago for my countdown to vacation number 9 post. When they did not show up over night, I guessed that something had gone amiss and they were not coming... so I did what I could to put new ones in that post... which made these unwanted and useless to me.

So basically my first three comments of the day... and likely the only ones I'll get from those folk today... are about my ineptitude with videos. Yeah! I deleted those two unwanted videos and the comments as well. They were accidents. I guess the posters didn't notice they were repeats. Oh well. Shows how memorable my posts are. Ha.

No, I was not offended by the posts and they were not mean posts, only pointing out that I'd screwed up... hopefully with the intent that I would want to know to fix it.
That's how I'm taking it anyway.

Please be having a better day than I am. None of these are earth shaking events and it is unlikely that I'll kill myself over them. But I hate when it starts out this way. I'm going to go walk now... I've really missed it. I know that it will elevate my mood and that would be welcome.

I'll be back to put my Saturday Scavenger Hunt post by the end of the day!