Rogmeister's Ramblings

Cindy's Great Outdoor Adventure

2009-11-10T02:28:32Z

I have a black & white cat named Cindy...okay, her name is officially Cinderella but no one calls her that. We just call her Cindy. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I found that I couldn't find her. I checked all her favorite spots...on a big blue pillow, underneath the bed, ottomon, loveseat and couch...she was nowhere to be seen. It turns out that she somehow got outside without my seeing her...for a cat with a very healthy girth, she can move around pretty quietly and she must've scampered out the door as I was either coming in or going out. I looked last night but couldn't find her and did some more searching this morning...still no luck. I did have to go to dialysis and that killed a good part of the day. Once I got home, it became dark pretty quickly. I started watching a bit of TV, getting up once in awhile to shine a flashlight out the front door. Then, about 7:20, as I was watching Jeopardy!, I heard something at the door. It was Cindy...back after being gone for about 24 hours. I had lost one cat, Shadow, to cancer in August so if I had lost Cindy as well, I probably would've been ready for a padded cell or something. But Cindy's back...and she won't tell me anything about her little adventure. Cats!

Watching Movies Alphabetically

2009-11-08T01:54:10Z

I've mentioned before that there's a website I review movies on DVD at (along with several others) and the guys there like to do these big marathons. I'm not as marathon-minded as some of them but I'm making an attempt to do the latest, though I think I'm already falling behind. For November, everyone is trying to do an alphabetical marathon where they do one movie for each letter of the alphabet. Many of us are also doing one movie that starts with a number rather than a letter. I've managed to do 4 reviews so far and they have been...

#--100 Rifles (1968) starring Jim Brown, Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds
A--Angel and the Badman (1947) starring John Wayne and Gail Russell
B--The Black Swan (1942) starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara
C--Captain Blood (1935) starring Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland

I hadn't planned it but it seems every movie I've done so far has been set in the past (two westerns and two swashbucklers) and though I expect my "D" movie will be another western, I imagine I'll have to eventually do a movie set in contemporary times. But I'm not sure what movie that might be just yet.

Hey, I'm Still Conscious!

2009-11-05T00:11:15Z

Yes, I'm still awake...I know, I can hardly believe it myself. I had dialysis today and it doesn't always put me to sleep but it seems to happen about 65% of the time. Of course, it could still happen. On Monday I managed to stay awake long enough to watch How I Met Your Mother (a TV comedy that airs on CBS Mondays at 8:00 pm) but I seemed to zonk out as soon as that was over and I completely missed the next hour or so. I woke up long enough to hear about two lines on The Big Bang Theory and then I was out again. Maybe I can stay awake long enough tonight to watch The Middle and Cougar Town. Maybe I can even catch a little of the World Series game.

It was cold at dialysis today. I'm not sure why but they always seem to have the treatment room cool. It's never really bothered me before but today, for the first time ever, I had to use the blanket they gave me on my first day. That still wasn't really warm enough so I may look around and try to find one of my own that's a bit warmer for next time. It was about 47 degrees outside today...I'm not sure what it was in the treatment room but I'd guess it was maybe around the low 60s. It felt even cooler but I'm not sure.

Stuff

2009-11-04T03:16:27Z

I had a visit with my family doctor today...it seems hardly a week goes by these days I'm not meeting with some doctor...I jokingly refer to my many doctors as my medical staff. But this visit went smoothly and my doctor says I'm back on track so he won't bother me and now doesn't need to see me (unless something unforeseen comes up) until January.

After that visit, I went to my brother's for dinner and my dad was there, too. He didn't care for a few zingers I gave him in which I was joking about his age. I liked the one where I asked him when he was young and wanted to mail a letter, did he have to hand it personally to the pony express rider himself? My family's talking about going off to the beach next summer to see a niece of mine get married and they want me to go with them. I don't know if they're going to tie me to the hood of the car or however else they may coerce me...so we'll just see what happens.

A friend of mine alerted me to the fact that Comcast (which I use) has an On Demand channel that shows nothing but horror movies. I glanced at some of the film titles but I doubt that any of that stuff would interest me. I don't care for horror stuff unless we're talking about the old Universal monster stuff...you know, those Frankenstein, Mummy and Wolfman kind of pictures. Speaking of Comcast, they moved some stuff around and switched some channels around to different digital tiers...it doesn't affect me but now I can't get Turner Classic Movies at the dialysis place I go to. A big thumbs down on Comcast!

DVD Watching

2009-11-02T03:46:11Z

I've recently started watching my DVDs of Everybody Loves Raymond...I'm watching it from the first season and watching every episode in order. I'm not trying to watch the entire run in record time, just watching it whenever I get in the mood. So far I've only come across a few episodes I remember seeing before and I've gone ahead and watched those again just to keep the proper viewing experience intact. I may eventually skip a few episodes. I'm not sure what season they take place in but I remember a multi-episode run in which Ray and his family visited Italy...those weren't my favorite episodes so I may skip those whenever I get to them on DVD. I notice some early episodes feature Kevin James as a friend of Ray's...he was playing a guy named Kevin (oooh, big stretch) and I'm guessing these were done before he got his own series, The King of Queens. Tonight, I also watched a western movie I have on DVD...100 Rifles which starred Jim Brown, Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. I didn't like how one of the lead characters died towards the end of the film because we never even saw anything happen to that character...there was just a big battle towards the end and a couple characters were talking and suddenly, oh by the way, this character's dead all of a sudden. What the heck? That pretty much ruined the movie for me.

Halloween Post #2

2009-10-31T20:19:10Z

I don't watch it all the time but I do get Turner Classic Movies (TCM) which shows classic movies uncut. They tend to have special salutes or marathons and today, of course, they're showing spooky movies. Looking at the schedule, I see they'll be showing Cat People next followed by The Curse of the Cat People and at least three different Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde movies. I don't know why but this year they're not showing any of the classic Universal horror movies...no Frankenstein, no Dracula, no Mummy movies. Maybe they lost their license or maybe they're just taking a break from those? I like those old movies...lots of atmosphere, but not nearly as revolting as most of today's horror movies are. Sometimes I wonder about the people who get into those films. They're not for me.

Speaking of Dracula and Frankenstein, have you ever read any of those? I read Dracula by Bram Stoker several years ago. It was fairly long and was done in a unique way, in the form of letters and journal entries. I liked how in the novel, the guy after Dracula (Van Helsing) was using the original phonograph (with those tubular recordings) to keep his notes. I've never read Frankenstein, despite the fact that I think it's a pretty short novel...just over 200 pages as I recall. I'll read it one of these days...but not today.

There are a number of stray cats who live in the area and they're apporpriate for today as most of them are black cats...okay, a couple have just a touch of a white spot at their necks and one actually has some dark brown fur mixed in with the black...but they look all black at first glance. Some fellow cat lovers have expressed worry that some nutballs might try to harm these beautiful cats at this time of the year. Luckily, I don't think there's anyone like that around here. Most of the neighbors here enjoy having the cats around.

In case you're wondering, I'm not dressing up for Halloween. I'm also not giving out candy to trick or treaters...being diabetic, it's probably best for me that I don't have that sort of thing around tempting me. Maybe I'll just dim the lights and watch a few Frankenstein movies this evening...ooh, scary stuff, huh, kids?

Halloween Post #1

2009-10-31T16:34:30Z

At the beginning of this month, I said I was going to try to post an entry in this blog every day this month...but they feel by the wayside when I had to spend 4 days in the hospital due to arm surgery. However, I countered that by having more than one post on a few days...I had 3 posts one day, in fact. That means that this is my 30th post of the month...so if I can make one more post, I can still have 31 posts for the month or an average of a post a day.

I watched Around The Horn yesterday...that's a spsorts talk show with a panel of 4 sports reporters...and it was pretty funny. It was a special Halloween episode and the reporters dressed up as the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz (Woody was particularly funny in that role with help from women dressed up as other Oz characters), Kate Hudson, Kanye West...and female reporter Jackie McMullen dressed up as a box of Wheaties. I used to love that cereal.

Speaking of sports, I see that the Pittsburgh Steelers (the football team I follow) is off this weekend so I don't need to watch any football this weekend. Maybe I'll watch a few movies instead tomorrow afternoon and then maybe watch the World Series tomorrow night.

Not Much To Write About Today

2009-10-31T00:53:13Z

Not much of anything happened today. I went for my usual dialysis. I was glancing at the report the nutritionist did on me and I'm going to have to speak with her on Monday, which I think is the only day she's at the place I go to. The report I have says I need to take a renal vitamin daily...I had never even heard of renal vitamins before. I spoke about it with a pharmacist today and it's apparently something I need a prescription for. The nutritionist was also supposed to call my local drug store to get me an order of some kind of pill called a binder which is supposed to help cut down my high levels of phosphorous. Unfortunately, my drug store never got that call so she either forgot to call or she called the wrong place because they have no record of any phone call about it.

I'm still seeing my local black stray cats. I had mostly been seeing the two adults that I have come to call Tempest (the mother) and Moon Pie (the father) but all the younger black cats came by today as well as one of the few non-blacks I see, a tabby. I don't really worry about feeding them that much because I know a neighbor is taking good care of them and giving them food and water so I just put out a little dry for them...it probably gives them a little variety from what they normally eat.

One of my neighbors moved away recently...actually a couple, but I mainly talked with the woman, whose name was Barb. They lived in the same apartment building I was in (not a traditional apartment building, it basically looks like a house with an extra wing). They lived around back and below mine. Barb was also a fellow catlover, owning something like 5 of them from what I understand. About a month ago, she told me they were moving as they had gotten a house and now they are gone.

Should I Try To Write A Novel Next Month?

2009-10-30T03:29:51Z

You may not realize it, but for several years now, a website has sponsored November as National Novel-Writing Month. People are invited to register and to write a novel during the month of November. I forget how many words you are asked to write...I'll have to look that up in the next day or two. I think last year I was tempted to try writing my own autobiography but then that wouldn't be a novel, would it? A novel is, after all, fiction. Perhaps I could still use some of my own experiences, liven them up with some fiction added to it and (maybe) come up with something interesting. I'd need to come up with a basic plotline first. Maybe I'll work on that Saturday. We'll see.

Even More Random Notes

2009-10-29T02:42:17Z

It's hard to believe but it's October 28th...and the World Series just started tonight. This sport keeps getting worse and worse, from constant delays and series taking way too long to horrible officiating and a lousy commissioner refusing to instigate instant reply except in minor instances. Hopefully, the Phillies will make short work of the Yankees and we can put baseball to bed for another year.

Oops! I missed a doctor's appointment today. I forgot I had one today...and something had to be canceled anyway because it would be the same time as I'm always scheduled to have dialysis. I'll have to reschedule that tomorrow. I have another appointment tomorrow as well but with a different doctor.

Do you read many magazines? I used to read a lot of magazines. At one point, I think I was reading as many as 20 magazines regularly but I don't get any these days. I used to like TV Guide but they pretty much screwed it up when it went full magazine sized. They only have cable listings now during primetime so you never know what's on unless you have some sort of on-screen menu like I do with my digital cable. I also used to read video game magazines and some publications about movies, especially the old movies. A few of those are still around but they're a bit expensive to subscribe to anymore and a couple movie magazines I liked that cavered newer movies have longs since been canceled.

Some Random Thoughts

2009-10-28T02:03:57Z

The photo for this post is my favorite photo of me and Shadow taken together...but I haven't been using it lately since Shadow passed away in August. This will probably be the last time I use it as it doesn't seem right to use it anymore. I guess I need to take some new userpics. Maybe I'll even try taking a few photos of just me with no cats present. Would Cindy be jealous?

For a change, I've not watched any TV tonight at home, though I did watch Jeopardy! and the half-hour edition of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? while at my brother's home. There just isn't anything on Tuesday nights that I care to watch anymore. Of course, there's no law that says I have to watch TV every night...or is there? Is that the TV Police at my door?

A site I do DVD reviews for is having its annual A-Z review for November soon. I may try to take part. The idea is to review a movie or TV show for every letter of the alphabet. If I did mine in order, what might be my first five choices? Possible choices might be...A-All About Eve, B-The Black Swan (a pirate adventure starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara), C-Casino Royale, D-Dallas (Gary Cooper) and E-Empire of the Sun. I expect to watch at least one John Wayne movie during my marathon since I have at least one of his movies on hand that I've never seen, a black and white adventure film called Island In The Sky. I'll probably try to have some double-features during the month, otherwise I'd be forced to watch something virtually every day and that could get monotonous.

Yesterday at dialysis was Halloween Day. Some people dressed up including a few of the workers there. We also played bingo for prizes and I won 3 things (none of them worth much). I got a bag of sugar free peppermint candy, a little calculator and a kidney patient friendly cookbook.

Yeah, I Changed A Userpic...

2009-10-26T03:26:13Z

I have nothing to really write about today but I'll mention a few things. I got rid of one of the pics I was using because my sister-in-law said the photo made me look like I was about 70 years old. I'm not quite that old yet. The photo in this entry is the one I replaced it with. This photo was taken shortly after I got a haircut...I don't look quite as old, I don't think, but I'm looking pretty grey here.

I recently filled up my second 528-disc binder, this time devoting it to TV sitcoms. Contrary to what my brother believes, I do not own every TV show ever made. I never bought a single season of such shows as Two And A Half Men, The Office or E.R., for instance.

Tomorrow is Monday...which is both good and bad news for me. Good news in that it'll be time for yet another episode of The Big Bang Theory...but bad news in that it's time yet again for another round of dialysis...oh, joy!

My Jeopardy! Connection

2009-10-24T05:14:32Z

I have never been on Jeopardy! and I probably never will, despite the fact that some people have told me I should try out. I don't think I'm that smart. Also, I don't know anyone who's ever appeared on the show...though I have met someone who is married to someone who is about to appear on Jeopardy!

Chris Valada...lawyer, photographer, horsewoman...is scheduled to appear on Jeopardy! on Monday. I have never met the woman and have no idea what she even looks like but I'll be rooting for her because I've met her husband, Len Wein. Back in the late 1970s, I joined the Pittsburgh Comix Club and we put on several comic book conventions. On several occasions, I got to chauffer several comics pros around in my car (I was also the club photographer at that point). The club president and I got lost after taking Jim Shooter (one-time editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics) to his parents' home outside of Pittsburgh. I also had Paul Levitz, Marv Wolfman and Len Wein in my car at the same time...all were comics writers (between them, they probably wrote every important comic book title at one time or another) and Paul eventually went on to become the publisher of DC Comics. I'm not sure what Len Wein is doing these days...he does have a blog I haven't checked in awhile but he is the one married to Chris Valada who I'll be watching on TV this upcoming Monday night. Somehow, I don't think they'll have a comic book category this upcoming episode...

Completed Mega-DVD Set #1

2009-10-22T23:55:57Z

My good friend Flack (AKA: Rob) sent me two binders recently, each one holding an unbelievable 520 discs...you can use them for audio CDs, movie DVDs, video game discs, whatever you want. I decided I would devote the first one to my westerns collection and I finally finished putting all my discs in it. This now includes every western movie I own, both the "A" pictures and the "B" (low-budget) pictures. I have put them in several sub-sets (like trading cards)...all my John Wayne movies are in one section and I also have a Randolph Scott movies (including all but the ones he did with John Wayne). I also have Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood section and I grouped all the Wyatt Earp films I have in one small section. I put all my Hopalong Cassidy movies together and then I put all the "B" movies in one section and the other big-budget or "A" movies together. I also have a section devoted to western movie serials, those chapter plays where the hero was about to meet certain doom and you had to come back to the theater the following week to see how it all turned out. I have a section devoted to TV mini-series (mostly the various Lonesome Dove minis) and TV movies (mostly starring Tom Selleck). I wasn't sure I'd have room for them but I also managed to fit in all the TV series collections I have from such series as The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, Have Gun Will Travel and The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (the most recent of my western series). I still have about 54 empty slots left so there's room to fit in more if I either buy more or get any others as gifts. The only ones I can think of that I might be interested in still getting would be another season of The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp and maybe the first season or two of Wagon Train. I was thinking of calling this my "Essential Western Collection" but since every western I own fits in it, I guess I'll have to instead call it "Roger's Complete Western Collection".

I still have one more 528-disc binder and will probably fit my other (non-western) TV DVDs in it. I'm not sure all my other TV shows will fit in there but if it turns out I don't have room for them all, I'll simply remove any non-essential TV discs. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be room for The Big Bang Theory...

Crashed Again

2009-10-22T14:39:05Z

I've been undergoing dialysis treatements for a couple of weeks now. I know that they're supposed to make me feel better eventually but right now they're tiring me out. Yesterday's wore me out so much that I lay down and missed (again) all of my Wednesday night comedies. I also missed most of the baseball game between the Dodgers and Phillies but I did catch most of it. I saw it was a few minutes before 10pm and thought to myself, should I get up and post a blog before the day is done or should I just lay here? So I laid there and the next thing I knew it was morning and Cindy was laying on top of me.

It's Late...

2009-10-21T02:10:47Z

It's late and I don't feel like writing anything tonight...but I want to try to write something every day so I'll have to force myself.

My arm still looks a mess from the surgery. Some of the bruises are starting to fade, though...at least those in the biceps area. It makes me wonder what the heck they did to my arm to cause such marks.

I received two binders from an online friend...I was only expecting one. My friend was way too generous...but he's not getting one back. I spent most of the night putting all my westerns in one binder...this is A westerns, B westerns, western serials, TV mini-series, etc...and I stil have about 56 blank pages (4 slots per page). I wonder if I can fit my TV westerns in there?

Tomorrow's a double-feature for me...off to the eye doctor in the morning and then later that morning I have another dialysis treatment.

November is nearly here and they're still playing baseball...and the World Series hasn't even started yet.

My Day So Far

2009-10-19T20:25:04Z

Well, I got up today and got online...puttered around a bit. I got a lunch ready, put it in a bag and headed out to dialysis, which is about a half-mile away. When I got there, I got out of the car and opened the back door to get my duffel bag and I heard something. Not far behind a car was a black cat, sitting up and looking at me and meowing. Just how many friggin' cats know me, anyway?

I went in and had my dialysis...when I was done and left, I looked around but my kitty friend was nowhere to be found. I got in my car and drove to the drugstore to pick up some antibiotics I had taken a prescription form there last week. When I got back home, I walked to the front door and there were about two black cats milling about and before long about another 6 cats showed up. Who the heck is spoiling those cats, anyway?

Oh yes, the UPS man came while I was out so no package from Flack again today. Now I'll have to stay home all day tomorrow until the guy decides to show up.

Sunday

2009-10-18T19:52:17Z

It's Sunday and not much is going on. I went to my local supermarket this morning and by the time I got home a short time later, I was feeling a bit drained and tired. I guess I'm still recovering from my hospital stay and arm surgery. I may be mistaken but I think my bruise is growing...it looks like it's closer to my wrist now than it was before. Of course, I could be mistaken. Luckily, my arm's not hurting too bad at this point...thanks to pain pills.

My cat Cindy is feeling clingy lately...probably due to some extended periods where she had to be left alone when I was in the hospital. I was gone for about 3 days when I was in the hospital for an inner ear infection a few weeks ago and I was then gone for most of last week due to my arm surgery. Now she wants on me constantly (when she's not trying to sneak downstairs where she isn't allowed) and wants on my lap all the time, especially when I'm on the computer. She's on my lap right now.

Tomorrow I get to resume my dialysis treatments at my local dialysis center...the last couple of treatments were in the hospital. I didn't like those because it was in a small room with nothing to do to pass the time (no TV, no chance to read since I had to lay on my back, etc.). I tried to pass the time by doing games in my head like trying to name all 50 states (I failed, coming up with just 45) and such things. At the center, each person gets a personal TV and I usually also take a book along as well. Since each treatment takes 3 and a half hours or so, I need something to pass the time.

I thank God for my family...especially my brother and his wife. If not for them, I'm not sure where I would be right now...maybe rotting away somewhere. They spend way too much time checking on me and taking me to doctors and the hospital when they feel it might be too much for me to go alone and they've let me rest in their home on occasion. I can never express to them the gratitude I feel every day. Thanks, guys.

Is A Gaming System With Very Few Good Games Worth Keeping?

2009-10-18T01:56:56Z

I've got so much stuff (or "junk" if you listen to certain people) that I'm trying to cut down on the clutter. One way is getting some binders to stick my DVDs in so I can get rid of a lot of the cases they come in which take up considerable space. Another way is to get rid of some of my video game systems...I've already gotten rid of several but I'm torn about the remaining systems I have. The big question for today regards one specific system and that question is...

Is a gaming system with very few games worth keeping?

Really knowledgeable gamers, especially those with a few decades of gaming under their belts, can probably guess which system I'm referring to...the Atari Jaguar. Atari, of course, had possibly the biggest impact on the videogaming world...especially in the early years...with their first majaor system, the VCS (Video Computer System), later redubbed the Atari 2600. Through the years, this system was followed up with (in order) the 5200, 7800, the portable Lynx and their final system, the Jaguar. It had a fair amount of power to work with but only a small percentage of their games were really worthwhile, mostly because very few major game companies wanted to make games for it. I'd say less than half the games made for it were really of much appeal. I'm sure many people disagree with that. I'm tempted to just chuck the whole system but then I would finally be left with no Atari system at all and I do like some of the games. My favorites for the system...

Alien Vs. Predator--This is a first-person game where you can play as one of three characters...an Earth soldier, an alien (from the "Alien" movies series) or as the Predator (from the Predator movie series). It's very creepy as you go around killing aliens, finding weapons and trying to get away from a deadly world.

Tempest 2000--This is an update on the old arcade game where you control some weird item scrolling around different geometric patterns and shooting at various threats coming at you through differnt lanes. You start slow (if you begin at level 1) but if you last awhile, things eventually get very hectic and manic.

Wolfenstein 3D--This is a weird first-person shooter taking place in various castles during World War II. You're not just facing Nazi soldiers but zombies, dogs and men in souped-up battle armor as well.

Doom--From the same people who gave us Wolfenstein 3D comes this first-person sci-fi shooter. This game is available on many other systems but I like the Jaguar version because it contains absolutely no game music which actually makes for a more engrossing game.

NBA Jam--This is probably about the only really good sports game that came out for this system (heck, they never made a baseball game for the Jag and what sort of gaming system never gets a baseball game?). It's an unrealistic over-the-top 2-on-2 high energy basketball game with lots of special moves and hidden characters.

There's another handful or so of games I have that are decent, if not great, but these are the best (in my opinion). I have a few choices here...keep everything (I have something like 22-24 games for this system), just chuck everything in the garbage...or go somewhere in the middle by keeping the system but holding onto just those games I really still like playing (even those I have completed in the past). I'll have to think about that.

Well, I'm Out of the Hospital...Finally

2009-10-17T00:29:55Z

I went into the hospital on Tuesday to have arm surgery to place a fistula in it...I'm not sure if a fistula is an item or just an operation where an artery and vein are fused together for future use in dialysis. But that's the gist of what I had done, I think. I guess the surgery went well but I woke up, I found a hugely bandaged arm and it turns out that I would spend a total of four days there. This is why I missed my original goal of posting here every day this month...no internet access at the hospital. They kept me to keep an eye on my arm due to my thin blood and possible bleeding and to continue checking out the drain in my arm. I didn't miss my dialysis sessions though...we did it right there at the hospital. I had to get a referral from my dialysis place through another doctor because my normal kidney doctor isn't going to this hospital right now. My brother asked one of the nurses why and she said my doctor tends to get angry with the hospital sometimes. I'm not sure how much confidence that gave me!

Today they took the bandage off...which was just as well as the tape on it kept coming undone anyway. My arm looks a mess...it's all black and blue which a line streaking through the biceps area where they did the cutting. Practically my entire upper arm is one huge bruise. I was given a few prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers and informed to see the surgeon in 3 weeks. I'm now at my brother's home where I am spending the night but I should be back home sometime tomorrow.

The Shortest and Longest Movies In Your Collection?

2009-10-12T23:19:45Z

This was asked at a DVD site I frequent...what are the shortest and longest movies in your DVD collection? For me, the longest film was the easiest...it's Gone With The Wind which I believe is just 8 minutes short of being 4 hours long. At least that's what its time is given as on the packaging. Those times don't usually include bonus material. I have several other films that hit the 3-hour mark including Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp (which starred Kevin Costner). I have a director's cut of that which is listed at around 192 minutes.

The shortest film is a bit trickier...I have several "B" westerns that rarely got longer than an hour but I also have a silent comedy starring Buster Keaton called Sherlock Jr. which clocked in at 45 minutes. And the person asking the question never qualified his request by saying these had to be "feature length" films...I also have many short subjects which usually ran between 10-20 minutes. And I have many cartoons and those usually run only 6-7 minutes.

Of course, the longest "adventure on film" I have would probably be the Lonesome Dove saga. That ran several novels and 5 TV mini-series (including one that isn't an official sequel), all of which are in my collection.

The John Wayne VHS Archives

2009-10-11T16:03:01Z

Lately I've been getting rid of a lot of VHS tapes...most of them were easy because I have upgraded on those films to DVD. No need to keep a VHS tape when I have a better quality DVD of the same film. But I do have 5 VHS tapes of John Wayne that I've had forever. I may give these one last look before I decide whether to keep them (meaning they'd be among my only couple of VHS tapes left) or pitch them as well. Here's what I have...

Riders of Destiny--This is the one actual film I have, one of Duke's "B" westerns. It came out in 1933 and is the one true "Singin' Sandy" movie he made...yes, it's John Wayne as a singing cowboy, though his singing may have been voiced by someone else. This is a no-name brand tape...maybe I bought it from Movies Unlimited? I got a number of movies from them in the old days or it could be from someone else.

John Wayne: The Duke Lives On, A Tribute--This is from Turner Home Entertainment and was obviously made after Duke passed away. The programming was made in 1980 but the packaging copyright is from 1989 so it must've originally aired somewhere else first. So this tape is still 20 years old.

John Wayne: American Hero of the Movies--Though the front cover calls this a documentary, I think this is really just a collection of movie trailers. This came from Goodtimes.

John Wayne Previews, Volume 1--Despite the title, I don't recall there ever being a volume 2. I got this from a home video mail order place called Captain Bijou. Yes, it's another collection of movie trailers. I seem to recall that either this or the previous one had some previews in black & white despite the fact they were originally in color...at least I remember Rio Bravo's being like that.

John Wayne Scrapbook--This is another I don't know where I got it from...the label doesn't say...so I think this may also have come from Movies Unlimited. The packaging says this includes outtakes and clips from his films, "long-lost" theatrical trailers and it even includes at least one commercial he did for Great Western Bank.

So that's what I got...as I said, I'll start watching them and then I'll decide what to do with them. It's either keep them or say adios to them, I guess.

Another TV Top Ten

2009-10-11T02:04:13Z

A few days ago, I posted my list of ten favorite TV shows. My brother promised to send me his list and I've now received it so here is his list with his notes on each show...

1-ncis-hands down best show on tv
2-saving grace-love grace
3-csi-special effects are great
4-policewomen of broward county-exciting & sexy(they can handcuff me anytime)
5-law and order svu-great cast
6-little people big world-yea it's reality tv but I can't help myself
7-family guy-guaranteed to make me laugh
8-two and a half men
9-raw-yea wrestling(and the longest weekly episodic show in television history)
10-entourage-there are lots of great shows on hbo but this is the tops.

you'll notice no shows that have been on for 50years-no shows that have been on 2 weeks-and heavy on drama cause that's what tv is.

I offer them with no real comments (they are, after all, his choices and not mine) but I must admit I've really only seen a full episode of one of these shows and parts of episodes of a few others but most I've not seen at all. I'm sure they are all good shows, though. My mama didn't raise no dummies.

The Night Of 2 Cookies

2009-10-10T20:58:03Z

Today I went to the retirement party of a relative...I think it was the sister of my brother's wife and I apologize if I got that wrong. Sometimes I get people mixed up. There were several tries of various food and you got to help yourself and it was pretty good food. I got one meatball (hey, they were pretty huge), a ham sandwich, some vegetables and some diet A&W root beer. I may have had one or two items that I forget just now. There was a special cake made but I didn't have any of that. Due to my diabetes, I felt it best if I abstain from that. I did have two cookies, the one treat I allowed myself today. Unfortunately, I didn't get my favorite, peanut butter blossoms. I saw a few the first time I passed the dessert section but they were gone when I returned so I had to make a few alternate choices. Don't ask me what ones I got either as I forget what they were called...maybe my brother will leave a comment and remind me. One reminded me of the older sugar cookies...did he call that one a snicker-doodle or some such thing? Another had a taste similar to a brownie. But it was a nice time and I got to see some people I don't see all that often. Now tomorrow I'm going to demand absolute solitude...I've been around too many people lately.

A Full Week of Dialysis Done

2009-10-10T02:34:28Z

Well, today I had another day of dialysis and it was my first full week after having gone in just one day the previous week. I am now going 3 days a week and each treatment lasts about three and a half hours. Today, before I began, my kidney doctor dropped in and she said I was showing more color. I don't know, I think I look the same but I guess she has a medical eye about it. Afterwards I stopped for some groceries and then home...and I wound up crashing, really zonked out. Those treatments can tire you out sometimes.

I've been invited to some sort of gathering tomorrow and I may go but I'm not sure I'll feel up to it. It preobably depends on how I feel tomorrow. With all the running around I've done this past week, I may just want to stay home and rest.