Samuel L. Jackson Called When You Were Out

My husband pointed me in the direction of a link to a new movie: Snakes on a Plane, coming out in a little over a week. Not only does it feature information about the movie, it offers a treat: a phone call from Samuel L. Jackson -- or an email, if you're not willing to disclose a phone number.

Hubby told me to play a trick on someone I know who could very well have Samuel L. Jackson call him about business. The only difference is that Mr. Jackson would probably not be saying these things to my friend. But I could control what Mr. Jackson chooses to say.

But modern technology is so damn modern, that the system wouldn't recognize the name Pearl as the sender; I tried so many different sender names and the computer didn't recognize any of them, ie. didn't think they bore repeating, so I had to plagiarize a name that doesn't belong to me, in order to get Mr. Jackson to contact a friend. A different friend.

I could not play a trick on my husband's suggestion. Firstly, it might not be appreciated; secondly, it might not be appreciated.

But there is someone out there who will (hopefully) laugh because ___ sent Samuel L. Jackson her way. Remember, it's Samuel L. Jackson, NOT Laurence Fishburne, who's often mistaken for him. And as Mr. Jackson has been known to say: "May the force be with you!"

What's Black & White...

...and bled all over?


SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) -- Twenty-one penguins were rescued on a hot east Texas highway Tuesday after a truck carrying the wildlife to a temporary home south of Houston overturned, said a state trooper.

Four penguins and some exotic fish were killed in the accident, including three penguins that were hit by passing motorists, said Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Richard Buchanan.

"The rest of the penguins kind of stayed together in the ditch," he said.

The truck, also carrying an octopus that was uninjured, was bound for Moody Gardens, a tourist destination in Galveston, an hour south of Houston, a resort spokeswoman said.

The wildlife was being transported to Texas from the Indianapolis Zoo while that zoo's ocean exhibit is being remodeled, said Jerri Hamacheck of Moody Gardens.

The trooper said it was the oddest traffic accident he had ever handled.

"We've worked several wrecks involving cows, horses, pigs, even fish, but this is the first where the live animals were penguins."

Buchanan said he was glad the accident was not worse.

"There was another truck full of snakes and alligators that was an hour ahead of them, so luckily we didn't have to deal with the alligators," Buchanan said.

The first truck arrived safely in Galveston by late afternoon, Hamacheck said.

Forgive me for my bad entree to this post...but it's 1:30 a.m., this piece just caught my eye on online CNN, and although it's sad, there's something rather comical to this scenario.

Can you imagine a husband and wife riding down this stretch of Texas highway and a penguin is waddling across the median of this 2-lane highway as their minivan approaches.

"Honey, is that a penguin?" she says, pointing straight ahead.

"Nuh-uh. Nothin' like that on this piece of road. I think it's time to get those eyeglasses adjusted."

"Honey," she cajoles. "I really think it's a penguin I'm seeing down there."

"Now what in blazes hell would a penguin be doin' in this neck of the woods? We ain't got no penguins runnin' 'round loose in Texas, last I heard."

And they bicker back and forth about the fact that it might or might not be a formally dressed bird...when suddenly C! R! U! N! C! H!

"What was that?" asks the wife.

"I'll stop the car to check," says her husband.

He does just that, gets out, walks around the minivan, his wife watching in the rearview mirror all along. He gets back into the car.

"You know what, honey?"

"What?"

"I owe you a mighty fine apology. What you were seeing was in fact a penguin. I mean, what you saw WAS a penguin!"

Melancholy Baby

I came home a short while ago from walking Max.

Could somebody please tell me how for the past several weeks, we were experiencing heat waves; even at 10, 11 and 12 at night, the air was so thick, you could (barely) cut it with a knife, yet tonight, I could've stood to wear a jacket, could have worn closed shoes.

I just know it -- fall is in the air. The fresh coolness of the evening tells me so...and in a couple more weeks, the coolness of the mornings will echo that message.

Don't get me wrong...I love this type of weather I just got a sense of while out on the walk. Give me fresh, give me a light breeze, give me slightly cool and I'll be a kept woman. But this weather makes me melancholy in thinking that summer is nearing its end, school is soon starting, and the cycle continues...

Where did those summer days go? Where were all the plans we had for family outings? Why did they not happen? Where is all the time I'd planned to spend to help review math with my daughter and speech with my son? Where did all our good intentions fly to?

So fall is just around the corner, people. I guess I'd better dig out the Welcome mat for when it formally arrives. I'd just much rather prefer to put out a sign saying, Gone Fishing. Closed for the Season.

Summer, and every season, signifies beginnings and endings...and that probably lends itself to my sense of melancholy.

As a child, to me summer seemed endless, but as an adult, it flies by. Am I the only one who thinks this way? Who prefers to keep autumn from showing its face and would rather keep making summer memories for a much longer period of time?

aRTsmaRt

It has often been said that there is a thin line between madness and genius.(most interestingly enough, when I first typed this, I typed "a think line")

It has also often been said that art means something different to everyone.

Andy Warhol exemplified both these statements. Whether he was indeed a madman or genius stands to be proven -- of course he had some of his freaky quirks and phobias, we all know that -- but he was CREATIVE. And he defined art in a very different and very special way.

I used to view Warhol's work as that of a nutjob. Couldn't I copy a Brillo box or soup can, depict it in several colors and stick it on a canvas? But he was so much more than that...as I discovered not all so long ago on an evening at the Art Gallery of Toronto, together with some friends.

It wasn't that I was overly anxious to see this special exhibit, it wasn't that I would've done anything to garner tickets, but the opportunity came along, and I grabbed it. More than anything, it was an evening that was giving me back a bit of my youth.

I used to go fairly frequently to local, smaller galleries and to the larger Art Gallery of Ontario when I was younger, when I was single. There were always special shows to see, gifts to buy at the gift shops and friends to share the experience with. But in all the years I've been married, I don't recall going back to the gallery -- there was never the time, nobody thought of it, nobody relished trekking downtown by subway any longer when we were all married and living way out in the suburbs.

So getting together with three friends for this outing was special. And seeing Warhol's show was special.

He was a most interesting/unusual person, with a bizarre outlook on the world, which translated into his "masterpieces". The particular special exhibit now in Toronto is on loan from the Walker Center in Minneapolis and it was guest-curated by Canadian film director David Cronenberg.

This exhibition brings together more than 20 of the greatest paintings created by Andy Warhol, the icon of Pop Art.

In 1962, Warhol began using the silkscreen technique to make paintings - many of which presented serial images of stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley. Also in the early 1960s, Warhol created paintings of disturbing disaster imagery, depicting graphic car crashes, suicides and the unremitting motif of an electric chair. The polarity within Warhol's imagination that pairs celebrity with tragedy forms the focus of this exhibition, which showcases several of the artist's rarely-seen early masterworks and films.

We are each individual -- in our behavior, in our thinking. Andy certainly was that, and it is depicted in his weird (to some, "wonderful") films; one of them was like a test screen but without talking. The subjects just stood before the camera doing what they'd normally be doing. It was like a 1960s version of a web cam. There was a film of Rock Hudson sleeping, and the camera was on him all the time -- this wasn't footage screened for a sleep disorders clinic, this was simply Rock Hudson in lullaby-land, and Andy thought it would be cool to film.

The voyeur in Andy comes through loud and clear in several of the very sexual films that were playing, and in essence, he makes all his viewers become voyeurs, as well.

It is worth Googling Warhol and his life. It is worth viewing an exhibit of his if it comes to your neck of the woods.

Maybe it was even worth it to paint a soup can or two...or three...or four...

It's A...Whatchamacallit

This a.m., my 6 1/2 y.o. son complained of an itchy foot -- inside his Crocs. We pulled off his shoes and socks, indeed saw a red foot and no doubt a bug bite, put a cold compress on it and forgot about it.

Later in the day, he was resting beside me, barefoot. I looked at his foot again, saw the raised skin and said, "Oh. So do you think it's a mosquito bite?"

"No."

"Do you think it's a rash?"

"No."

"Do you think it's a blister?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. It's a...whatchamacallit? It's a...BOO-BOO!"


*********
(cross-posted on Our Kids Speak)

Swiss Miss

I'm Swiss by osmosis -- and by paying many Swiss francs many years ago to earn that nationality alongside my name.

I'm not that patriotic, but I do recall that August 1st is a Swiss National Holiday.

Instead of shvitzing in this heat upstairs by the computer, I should be out there somewhere, on a hillside, lighting fireworks and marching around with Chinese lanterns.

When I was about 12 years old, I visited my great-uncle and great-aunt in Geneva, Switzerland. It was August 1st and off we traipsed somewhere in the city's outskirts, I believe, to stand on a hillside and watch the glorious colors as the sky lit up with fireworks.

Funny thing about that? I was not even Swiss then! And now, here I am Swiss, and not lighting fireworks. What's wrong with me!!!

The Right To Write

Many of us suffer from writer's block. We didn't truly know we were writers until we had the urge to write and nothing was happening. That has happened to the best of us and has given us a syndrome: writer's block. "I really wanted to put something on paper, but I've been suffering --- from writer's block." "I think I have what you have -- writer's block." "I have so much to say, it just doesn't want to come out." Sound familiar?

A stagnant time. A brain lull. A quiet...because the disquiet and the need to write about it isn't there.

I own several books that have writing exercises meant to open your mind. Have I used any of these books ever? Nah...they just sit on the shelf and wait. Once in a while, I open them and just read some of the writing prompts because: 1. they are ridiculous or 2. they are often funny.

A wonderful Web site, www.writersdigest.com offers a section of writing prompts. Some of the ideas are so creative and would make wonderful assignments for school kids. Here's the latest prompt:

Hollywood producers are making a film based on your life and have put you in charge of casting. They want it as realistic as possible, so they ask that you pick actors and actresses who look the part. Who would you pick to play your family and friends, and, more importantly, who will play you?

Now, I want to tell you about my friend Randi. She wrote a wonderful post about her writer's block. What is the key word in that previous sentence: "wrote"! Someone with writer's block wrote a post, claiming that they were suffering from writer's block. Huh? Not only did she write a post, she wrote a funny post, which is often her style, and a wonderful and creative image accompanied that post.

Guess what, Randi? Your post about writer's block inspired this post... Now what do you have to say about that?!

If you think you suffer from writer's block, don't try too hard, and don't announce it to us; just step back for a while, go about your life and something no doubt will inspire you. Whether that's tracking the mundane activities in your daily life, whether it's writing about family and friends, pets, and professional people; whether it's skipping through your blogroll and peeking in at others' posts, something is sure to stir you. (my previous post was inspired by my looking through a Talbots catalog) And guess what? No doubt soon enough you'll have "something to write home about" and I'm guessing the ideas will just keep coming!

Today's post has been brought to you by the letters W R I T E and by the exclamation point!

I'm Putting On My Thinking Cap

Apparently, Ezzie Goldish seems to think that I'm pretty knowledgeable when it comes to children's books. He included me in a meme he was tagged to do:

List 5 bloggers and in what subjects (or fields) you think they're especially knowledgeable.

As you can tell from the photo, I'm such a dummy, but I've just put on my stylish thinking cap to complete this meme, which was tossed my way. Here goes:

1. Life of Rubin -- Chaim knows EVERYTHING and more you'd ever want to know about Jewish music. You don't have to tune in to the radio...tune in to Chaim's blog!

2. Jew Eat Yet? -- Danny Miller is a walking encyclopedia of Hollywood: its motion picture industry, its celebrities, its historical value. A treasure trove of information, Danny takes the time to often write detailed and wonderful posts that relate to the world of motion picture and theatrical entertainment.

3. A Simple Jew -- My buddy over at this wonderful blog is knowledgeable in the field of Jewish genealogy: he has tracked personal family history as well as Rabbinical history. His resources are widespread across continents, and he knows whom to approach for information, and how to approach for information. Both Rabbinical history and the paths that the history has taken, as well as his own family, help shape his life, his identity...giving his readers introspection to what A Simple Jew is all about.

4. Sara, Elie, Robert, Alan & Glen -- Unfortunately, and we shouldn't know personally, these fine people, each one of them parents, know about grief: the loss of a child. Of course, not one of them wanted to become knowledgeable in this delicate and heart-heavy area, but they are now all in the know. And they share. And even amidst the sadness, they manage to make us smile. And we "listen" and learn...

5. Jake, Randi, Neil, Mark, Ralphie -- These people know about humor, making us laugh or grimace as we read about their world, their foibles, and the world in general that is magnified for us and for our funny bone to be tickled (and Neil, maybe you "magnify" some other things for us, too!).

***

I will not pass this meme on to anyone. As Ezzie says, "...whoever feels like doing it, should. Let's all heap praise upon one another (except on me - my expertise is football). It would be interesting to see what talents people think one another have, wouldn't it?"

Model Behavior

This "glam girl" and photo setup is the type we can see in magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and countless other North American and European high-fashion magazines.

This is a pretty "sedate" photo: purely classy and elegant.

But other editorial photo spreads or ad campaigns can feature models who look like they just rolled out of bed, with bed head or Bride of Frankenstein big hair, and dark rings around their eyes reminiscent of raccoons but really just kohl-rimming accents. Half the time the models are ugly -- or actually they might be pretty in real life, but with the way they're "made up" they are suddenly ugly; the clothing -- which costs in the hundreds and thousands -- looks highly unwearable and I wonder why a designer bothered to lose sleep or swear in Italian or French while putting together the collection that this garb is part of.

I myself prefer the classic, timeless look. A look that a company like Talbots offers.

Huey Lewis & the News had the song "Hip To Be Square." I think subconsciously -- and consciously -- I've always made that my motto. As the song lyrics say:


"...Don't tell me that I'm crazy
Don't tell me I'm nowhere
Take it from me
It's hip to be square."

Now, not everything in a classic-clothing company catalog is perfectly nice, perfectly beautiful. Sometimes I look at the offerings, supposedly timeless, and wonder: What time period are these from? They're gross, they're dated, they're yukky, they just miss the mark! I guess it is possible to be too timeless!

And then there are catalogs like Sears (Sears-Roebuck to you Americans) and newspaper inserts/flyers like Wal-Mart.

Okay, let's take Sears, for example. The models might be plainly pretty, but some of the clothing...? I think I'm looking at a catalog from the late sixties, early seventies! Which models have the "good fortune" to be featured in the winter jacket/coat spread, or the fall footwear spread, or the eveningwear pages? Do they say to themselves, "Phew...thank G-d they didn't have me doing the sportswear and casual dresses. Those designs are enough to make me puke up my breakfast."

I don't know about Wal-Mart in the States, but here our newspaper inserts feature employees and their extended family members as the models. So Carol from Consumer Relations (a nice name for Customer Service) might be modeling jeans, while Timmy, "nephew of Carol from Consumer Relations" might be modeling infant wear. What about Betty, a "Greeter," who is showing off this week's underthings selection, and LaTicia, "neighbor of Alice, who is a daughter-in-law to LaTicia, a greeter." WHAT?! Couldn't they get someone to model, someone who's a little bit closer to home? Um, I mean Wal-Mart?)

As you look through catalogs and photo spreads featuring models or just everyday people, as is the Wal-Mart way, do wonder what they're thinking about what they're modeling in that shot. Is it something you'd wear? Is it something you think THEY'D wear? It would be nice to do a Model Survey after the photo shoot...

1. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, how would you rate this outfit you just wore?
2. Would you willingly pick up something like that to wear?
3. Would you be more likely to use it as an article of clothing for yourself, or would you use it as a rag to polish your car?
4. Would you be model for us again?
5. Would you be a little likely to model for us again?
6. Would you be willing to model for us again?
7. What incentives would we have to offer to have someone wear this outfit?

Okay, I must go now and do something with my bed head and raccoon eyes. You can look for me on page 114 of the Sears Fall catalog, where I'm modeling a La-Z-Boy chair... leaning back in one, eyes closed!

(How many of you are actually going now to check out the catalog!?)

Staying Safe

Tonight, well after Shabbos was over, I went into my email account and found this message:


In response to an attack by a gunman at the offices of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on Friday evening, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario are urging members of Toronto’s Jewish community to be vigilant, but assure them that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure their safety.

Immediately following the attack the following measures were taken as per existing security plans:
Consultations with Toronto and York Regional Police took place immediately
The Lipa Green Building, the Bathurst JCC, Nadal JCC and Wolfond Centres were shut down and evacuated.
Toronto Police and private security guards and vehicles were positioned in front of the institutions mentioned above.
A security plan has been put into place which will result in an increased police and security presence at the above mentioned Jewish institutions and facilities around the GTA so those that regularly open on Saturday and Sunday can do so as per their normal schedule.
Synagogues and Communal agencies have been informed of developments and alerted to the situation to the best of our ability given that Shabbat had just begun.

We regret sending this message during Shabbat but felt it was necessary to inform the community as to what security measures have taken place.

I read my emails after I'd already seen a news bit on the Internet about that Seattle shooting at the Federation offices. That sickened me.

To get this message is disturbing, especially because of the last sentence about sending the message during Shabbat. Disturbing that there's a NEED to send such a message during Shabbat.

Shabbos is a time for rest, but I find it so hard sometimes not to be in the know about matters for 24 hours. Nobody talked about this story at shul; no announcements were made about it. It took a small header in a news site and a personal email for me to learn about it tonight. Sad, isn't it.

Let us all hope and pray for our personal safety the world over and that of our IDF men and women fighting on all our behalf in Eretz HaKodesh.

Sand and Stone

Two friends were walking through the desert.

During some point of the journey they had an argument and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: Today my best friend slapped me in the face.

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath.

The one who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning. The friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: Today my best friend saved my life.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now you write on a stone. Why?"

The other friend replied, "Where someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

Chazak, Chazak

In case you haven't seen this video, nor heard this song, please link to
http://www.voicesforisrael.org/video.html.

You'll be glad you did.

AM YISROEL CHAI!

Ode to a Jelly Belly (TM) Giver

On Friday I retrieved my mail
From our mailbox down the street
And when I put my hand in the box
I found something real neat.

A padded manila envelope
That was addressed to me
I saw the name of the sender
And smiled with childish glee

I squeezed that padded package
Trying to guess what might be inside
I managed to get inside my house
Before tearing the envelope open wide

My first guess had been correct
It was candies galore
But in fact not simple candies
Rather, enough Jelly Bellies (tm) to open a store!

A two-pound bag of that sweet delight
Had come to me from the West Coast
From a fabulous and fun gal pal of mine
Who is also quite a talented blog host.

She had held a contest on a post --
Her readers had to find the movie source for a quote
"I'll send the winner a bag of Jelly Bellies"
Is what that California gal wrote.

I knew which movie, I could picture the speaker
But as for the title I could not remember its name
So I had to do the next best thing
And use Google to help stake my claim.

But I'd forgotten about the contest
I thought this gift referred to a different post
But it really makes no difference
'Cause this package was the most...

Sweetest treat she could send me
All the official flavors, so fun to explore
Enough for me and the hubby
And for the kids, JBs galore.

So I thank you, Jelly Belly (tm) giver
It was really a sweet prize
But what made it extra-special
Was that it was a wonderful surprise.

You told me not to share them
But my family I can't deny
As for friends? Well, they're another story
So don't any of you even try...

To ask me for an offering
Of a Jelly Belly (tm) or two
I'll hide the pack behind my back
And this is what I'll say to you:

"Yes, I'm all for sharing
But I'm sorry, you've got to get your own
I know JBs are expensive
So I'm offering you a loan.

To track them down and buy some
Then you can be like me
And indulge yourself in that package of flavors
And not share with anyone, see?"

You know I'm just being silly
Of course I'll share my JBs with you all
But note that's for just this once
Next time it'll be like talking to a wall.

So you'd better hurry and ask me
If you want these delectable delights
'Cause sooner than later the bag will be empty
You'll be disappointed with that truly sad sight.

Are You Being Served?

Ahh...Shabbos. Ahh...Yom Tov. A time for eating, and eating, and eating; a time to be with family and friends.

Now, my husband and I don't do anything in a small way -- we are generous with others. We treat company like kings and queens, preparing a royal banquet for guests, whether they be family or friends.

Perhaps the deterrent by us is often that: 1} I try new recipes out on guests; thus, they become my guinea pigs, so to speak, and 2} I am a poor judge of quantity.

I've never been a good judge of proportions, so I always say to my husband when he or I plan menus: "Do you think that will be enough? Maybe we should make more!" He always looks at me like I'm crazy, and says that the quantity we've planned for is more than enough and if we make even more, we'll be dealing with leftovers galore.

You know what? Usually he's right...like always.

Let me tell you how we do things for a typical Shabbos lunch meal when there are guests...just because most of you will probably never have the privilege of having a meal at our table, although you ARE invited to do so.

Let me say, though, that we're not preparing gourmet-type dishes that need a lot of "patchke-ing"; we are preparing simple dishes, but a variety.

First there's fish -- one or two kinds; there's eggplant and chumus; pickles and olives and maybe marinated peppers; there is a standard Caesar salad we make that's a big hit, and maybe two other salads; there's rice or potatoes or kugel, or sometimes two or all three; there's a chicken dish or two, a meat dish, perhaps meatballs or roast beef; there's maybe a veggie side dish. Dessert is usually a fresh fruit platter, a cake, smaller nosh, and tea/coffee.

A lot of work, yes, but seeing guests enjoy the meal and having them feel relaxed as guests of ours is the reward. We know that we are not doing anything special in order to impress guests; we are just being ourselves.

Part of the food preparation is the presentation -- something I LOVE to do. I pull out several of the glass and serving dishes and trays and serving utensils I received for hostess or shower or engagement gifts; I arrange the food in a lovely way; I dress up the table with the simplest white napkins (paper) and cobalt-blue glasses and our plates that pick up those colors. It is simple, but elegant. Certainly nothing for the pages of Epicure or Gourmet magazines.

Yes, I love to host, and I also enjoy going as a guest to other homes -- it's interesting to observe how people do things in their homes. Some exceed what we do, both in quantity and presentation; others come nowhere close to us, and could stand to take classes in Culinary Class 101. The spectrum is wide and varied.

Based on observation, I learn things too -- what to do, what not to do. I get ideas for recipes, I get ideas for display, I get ideas for what conversation topics work well and don't work well at a table.

Of course we're not all cut from the same cloth -- or in culinary terms, perhaps I should say, we don't all wear the same style apron -- so it can make a meal memorable for a good reason or for a bad one. But I have learned at least one important thing:

"A meal always tastes better in the company of family and friends" IS A FALLACY!

Judgement Day

This 80 year old woman was arrested for shop lifting. When she went before the judge in Cincinnati he asked her, "What did you steal?"

She replied, "A can of peaches."

The judge then asked her why she had stolen the can of peaches and she replied that she was hungry. The judge then asked her how many peaches were in the can. She replied 6. The judge then said, "I will then give you 6 days in jail."

Before the judge could actually pronounce the punishment, the woman's husband spoke up and asked the judge if he could say something.

The judge said, "What is it?"

The husband said, "She also stole a can of peas."

Musical Chairs...for Dogs

Max has been a member of our household since mid January. He really is the fourth child; he is not yet one year old, but is experiencing the terrible two's at times.

He chews on everything, including my fingers. It's as if he sucks MY thumb instead of his.

I bought a very durable, nylon dog toy yesterday, spending a pretty penny on it. Within an hour, he'd already destroyed it. There went that brilliant idea of mine...!

In any case, Max is a sweetie; lively and likeable and just darn cute. Unfortunately, because he's black, he doesn't show up in photos too well, and he always ends up with "red-eye" although he's got gorgeous brown eyes.

Being that I've been home since early April, I can see this dog's habits during the day. One of those habits is that he doesn't stay in one place very long. I see him settled on the white sofa; next time I look, he's on the pale green carpet. Fifteen minutes later, he's on the white love seat. Another quarter hour later, he's in his doggie bed in the central hall. Next time I look he's not there...and I don't see him. I call his name... No answer.

Finally I find him in his favorite spot: a leather chair and ottoman that faces a window to the front of the house and the street. That is not only Max's favorite chair, but also my mother-in-law's. She, however, doesn't get camouflaged against the black background of the seat as the dog does.

Is Max settled with us? Or, as he continues to play musical chairs, is he just "finding his place"?

Sadie & Yetta

( These people are Yetta & Morris, or how I imagine them to look...)

Sadie and Yetta, two widows, are talking:

Sadie: "That nice Morris Finkleman asked me out for a date. I know you went out with him last week, and I wanted to talk with you about him before an answer I give him."

Yetta: "Vell.... I'll tell you. He shows up at my apartment punctual like a clock. And like such a mensch he is dressed. Fine suit, vonderful lining. And he brings me such beautiful flowers you could die from. Den he takes me downstairs and what's there but such a beautiful car you should never know.... a limousine even, uniformed chauffeur and all. Den he takes me out for a dinner....marvellous dinner. Kosher even. Den ve go see a show... let me tell you Sadie, I enjoyed it so much I could just plotz!



So den ve are coming back to my apartment and into an ANIMAL he turns...... so completely crazy that he tears off my expensive new dress and has his way with me!"

Sadie: "Oy vey... so you are telling me I shouldn't go out with him den?"

Yetta: "No... I'm just saying that if you go, wear a shmatta."

Into Every Generation

Blogroll Me!

Please check out this 1-minute film put together by Aish HaTorah.

It only takes a minute...

http://www.aish.com/movies/everygeneration.asp

Summer Schedule

Blogroll Me!

Remember watching TV (I rarely do anymore, so I pose the question to you) and over the summer, series would go on hiatus and they'd bring you repeat episodes or "the best of," just to keep you in touch with the show until the fall?

I'm not on hiatus, but I've decided that I'm going to go through "THE BLOG FILES" and every now and again will randomly pull something up and reprint it for you.

Doing so is certainly not a new and novel concept for others; it is for me.

It's like the infomercial, late-night shows that try to sell you "The Best of..." musical compilations. "The Best of Bread," "The Best of Chicago," "The Best of Joni Mitchell," "The Best of the Seventies" -- the offscreen announcer or the onscreen MC says, "Do you remember this one?"

So, folks, do you remember this one?

http://wwwpearliesofwisdom.blogspot.com/2006/02/with-microphone-in-hand.html

Any newish readers have a song to call their own?

I've Been Searching So Long...

Blogroll Me!

Recently, some of you may have found me by typing:

* Zayde made us laugh

* Jewish actors name changer

* Cleopatra being carried by slaves

* Information on aerial acrobatic tricks

* Who sang take the load off Granny

Wouldn't it just have been easier to type http://wwwpearliesofwisdom.blogspot.com ? I think so...