Mama Mia

A number of my students have seen the movie Mama Mia and have recommended that I see it. About once a month I play Abba music and I found the students did not particularly enjoy it, at least not as much as I enjoyed it. However, the Abba CD came up recently and the appreciation factor increased fourfold, now it is requested. It amazed me that such a change had overtaken them. Today, I went to see Mama Mia (a musical) and found out why our people now enjoy it so much. The songs in the movie are all on my CD's. For the most part, the songs are rendered exactly the way they are on my CD's. Many of the pieces are accompanied by dancing and a few with singing only. Those with dancing add to the rendition in an enjoyable manner, so much so that I will not be able to hear them again without seeing the dancing in my mind. The music is soul stirring and my eyes were wet a few times. If you are a Muriel Streep fan this movie is a must because she adds singing to her many acting accomplishments. Not only that, her dancing in the group numbers is amazing. I had to keep reminding myself of her age and that this is a role totally unfamiliar to her. This is a musical and the continuity of the story is, to my mind, strained. Also, some of the story was obviously left on the cutting room floor. West Side Story, Carousel, South Pacific as musicals have this one beat. However, for shear movie enjoyment Mama Mia beats them all.

Life Is Good

John's recent blog caused me to say to myself: "Yes, life is good." It is blessed with shelter, work, friends and food. Lets look at food. I have changed my diet recently to include four-bean salad and cole slaw. I eat a serving of one of these every other day. The bean salad comes from B.J.'s and it is made by Paisley Farm, it comes in a 64 oz. jar, the price is $5.50. The salad is vinegar based and is very tasty, so tasty that I use the juice from the jar to put on my cole slaw, which is merely a bag of shredded stuff from Walmart. I do not eat much and it all lasts me for quite a while. I use it for my fourth meal of the day. Breakfast, three days of the week, consists of a McDonald's burrito with two hot sauce and a cup of seniors coffee. The other days I have orange juice, raisin-bran cereal, milk and half a banana. Lunch can be crunchy peanut butter and crackers (remember Marty buys his in a twenty gallon drum,) or cheese and crackers with water. On rare occasions I will have two ounces of wine with the cheese and crackers. Other lunches can be one-half a hot pastrami sub from Subway or, a Justaburger from "What-A-Burger," or can of Campbell's Soup, or a can of tuna fish and crackers. About four days a month there will be senior lunches and when I go to these they become my large meal of the day. On those days, diner can be 12 medium shrimp with cocktail sauce with wine, or one slice of pizza, or an ear of corn-on-the-cob with salt and real butter, or one slice of sourdough bread with two tomato slices on it. Sunday dinner is always pasta with vegetarian sauce, Texas toast and a three ounce glass of wine. I need the carbs. for my 5:30, Monday morning, cycle class. Without those carbs. I finish the ride with an empty tank and it takes an hour to recover, with them I finish fine and am refreshed. Other dinners can be a half-order of Chinese food, or one-sixth of a rotisserie chicken, or a Quarter Pounder from McDonald's (no fries or drink), or a ham and cheese sandwich from Hardee's. Snacks are alternated among: a handful of pistachios, or a handful of cashews, or a Fuji apple, or about 15 grapes, or some cantaloupe. Oh yes, every day I have chocolate, about 20 M& M's with water. When I watch a ballgame I will always pop a bag of popcorn, light butter, and eat it all with a coke. Yes indeed, life is good.