The Devil Wears Prada

What a wonderful, boffy cool movie. Meryl Streep was awesome and elegant, inhuman but very human. Stanley Tucci was great in his character. Anne Hathaway was totally stunning in beauty and in playing the soft hearted young woman conflicted between a new, devouring career and her life as she knew it B.C. Her character was the old story of a plain jane turned into a glam creature and facing much conflict between demanding career and her life before career. But the movie was so totally charming, I found myself cheering on the transformation from the beginning. The cinematography was also stunning - the shots of Paris were so beautiful, one could cry! The fashions, loved them!

On a personal note, I was afraid I might be seeing some parallels in my life, but I'm not confessing them.

Since I get seniors' prices (although they "card" me) I will see it again. And maybe again.

Brother Bob

I called Bro. Bob's wife, Beth today. He is 70, had back surgery, with a background of Parkinson's, then contacted pneumonia, became so sick he has a feeding tube, but yet he is recovered enough to be in rehab now.

I met Bro. Bob and Beth when my husband and I made the journey to Florida to go to Bible College. Those were rough years, we went from a beautiful home to grungy apartments, once a trailer home given to us rent free for over a year. We left good jobs. I was an administrative assistant to the City manager.

We began college, and our then 12 year old daughter became very depressed. I cried too much because I had left my 94 year old Grandma and young adult son in Wyoming, along with my home. Our oldest daughter came with us.

My husband had a midlife crisis and I left him for a while, my son died in Wyoming, my car was repossessed for, no - not for not making a payment - but for taking it across a state line without the bank's written consent. We could only find crummy jobs. My youngest daughter and I became very sick with a disease that took two years to diagnose. My oldest daughter's injuries from college basketball culminated in a back surgery.

I worked for Bro. Bob at a missionary agency, taking care of him, and 130 missionaries in around 50 different countries. He put up with me when I was in shock and grief. I've heard of some companies firing people after a death of a loved one. He put up with me when I lost any belief that God cared for me at all. Maybe for other people, but not me.

I got used to calling him "Brother Bob" which was a "foreign" way for me. He loved jokes and teasing. He was never really friendly with me. I was somewhat intimidated by him. I passed him notes rather than deal with him face to face. He is a praying man, a man of great faith. Probably a day did not go by that he didn't pray for me. Our days at the office were started with the employees in a circle holding hands and praying. Looking back, he was a spiritual dad to me in many ways. I was "hot stuff" at the City back home, but I was never "hot stuff" to Bro. Bob - somehow he was always ministering to me. I got back at him by baking him angel food cake with cherries, vanilla pudding, and cool whip in layers.

When I look back, I think God sent Bro. Bob the wounded ones...special wounded ones. I recovered my faith eventually, realizing that what this fallen world brings us and does to us while we are here makes God as sad as we feel or more sad. I realized God doesn't see death like we do, He sees it as His kids finally getting to come home and be loved on in person. My faith rose as I watched during a prayer service horrible bumps on my daughter's arms slowly disappear in front of my eyes...a skin disorder the docs said was permanent. I remember lying on the floor of the House of Prayer telling God I would die from the pain and then His love would flood over me as I lay on the floor weeping.

Bro. Bob used to pray that he would be instrumental in bringing one million souls to know Christ. I think he might have through all these years by mentoring and sending all those missionaries who touched all those people, who in turn touched more, and the waves kept going out. I think when he gets to heaven, he'll see them all. He and Beth helped found the church that eventually planted dozens of churches in the south and eastern U.S. and sent the missionaries out to plant church in dozens of other countries. When I go home to visit that church I feel like I'm coming home. Never has a place seen me through so much. I'm so lucky to have so many friends of different nationalities in so many countries and to have visited some far-away places.

The missions agency has changed. Bro. Bob retired about ten years ago. And the agency will never be the same. It still goes on though. I still hear from missionaries whom I (hopefully) made it easier for them to stay in the foreign field.

I would like to go see Bro. Bob and take him some flowers. But I do not think I will see him or Beth again until I get to heaven, as so many other great, truly great people that have gone on. One, Rick, a missionary to Kenya with such great heart and passion for the youth living on the streets in Nairobi. He worked so hard that his immune system broke down and he died in his late forties from cancer. He left two adopted African babies without a daddy. He audio taped a journal as he slowly died with some of the most wonderful thoughts and so much love in the words.

Oh, I could write of some great people, and we all have the same spiritual daddy, Bro. Bob.

Mountain Fires

It seems amazing that some of the homes were standing while fire obviously circled the houses. The burning continued to the highway and jumped across.

Fires A Burnin'

The town where my mother lives is close to being eaten' up by fire. I grew up one-half hour from the mountain (and never learned to ski!).

The camcorder piccy shows the smoke over the town. I don't know how big the mountain is but the whole face of it is on fire, and it is at the edge of town in some areas. Smoke is extending 30-45 miles out of town, travelers are warned of limited visibility.

I suppose I shall saunter over there this weekend, if I can get there. Don't know how long I will stay if it is hard to breathe. I'm not sure asthma is an accepted illness in my mother's world. I offered to go get her and help her get all the doggies to boarding and bring her over to somewhat fresher air, boarding for doggies because landlord won't allow dogs. Apartment can't hold three 100 pound plus dogs and one slightly smaller one anyway. She won't leave. Kinda like the people on the Gulf Coast who preferred to live in their attics for days without water and food rather than leave their animals. I don't know what else to do, I offered.

Things don't feel right. There is so much stress, anxiety, anger, craziness in the air right now that I can't sleep, nor can many of my friends. We think it is the Israel/Hezbollah war sending out waves from the epicenter. I was up drinking coffee at 3 a.m. looking for a good book and didn't find any. I realized I have been reading technical manuals, management manuals, HR manuals mostly for entertainment. Ohhhhh, Barnes & Noble, or maybe Amazon.com, I shall visit you soon. I think of all the books $350.00 would have purchased and I swoon a little.

Am trying to draft a legal sounding letter to decline purchase of Casa de Broken for the realtor. Guess the worst she can do is keep my $100.00 deposit.

Landlord raised rent again as a thank you for telling them I might be moving. After they stood on my porch in April and told me they wouldn't raise my rent until next year because they raised it last year. I'm supposed to learn something from this living mess, and lying blankety-blanks but not sure what. But that did it, I am certainly putting a mousetrap in the underwear drawer and move my daily undies to an undisclosed location.

First Ah Is, Then Ah Isn't, Then Ah Is..........

Thank you dear friends for all the encouragement. The realtor called the banker, who didn't know anything about the letter loaning me not enough money and raising the interest, even though she signed it.

Met the inspector at Casa de whose's it, and the plumbing is leaking under the mobile home, the sump pump is plugged via a long cord going under the door into the studio, (which is in really good shape - at least one of the buildings is!). The plumber is coming tomorrow and the inspector will go back.

The water heater has leaked so long that the minerals have leached out and stopped the leak, but not before the floor underneath has rotted out.

The faucets in the kitchen and bathroom are not connected to the walls. The toilet is for extremely short people. The piping for the dishwasher to the garbage disposal is too low and the disposal spits ground food into the dishwasher if you turn on the disposal. The vent fan is in the shower, with a plug into the light fixture, which the inspector said NEVER plug in or you will not have to worry about paying for the mobile home because you won't be living here on earth anymore. Several of the windows are cracked, screens with holes, the swamp cooler has electrical wiring hanging out of it with a Christmas light on it. The cats have made one of the bedrooms into a bathroom.

The side door to the outside is barely hanging there, the back gate that was standing is now laying flat, weeds up to my mid calf over 1/2 yard, the garage door opener won't work, ................need I say more.

I guess if this goes through I can fix the water heater mess first, have the pipes underneath heat wrapped, put plastic over the windows, cut the weeds, water the grass whats left of it, remember not to turn on the disposal when the dishwasher is running, DO NOT plug in electrical vent fan while showering, clean, clean, clean and worry about the rest when spring comes and I have a little more money.

Myself, I'm an electrical powered person and this place is all gas except the lights. Gas going through 35 year old pipes - eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! Well, this guy better be doing his job.

I think - what if I stay here - I've made it quite cozy - well, "they" COULD haul landlord off as he is about completely daft, then sell the apartments and then the rent would be raised to $1,000 a month, and I would have to go back to Florida and figure out how to find a job for an old lady. Pushing carts at Walmart sounds rather depressing.

Enough - this must be really boring all this mishmashing. Didn't get pictures of the Casa - maybe tomorrow - Commissioners Meeting - and rumors are: all hell will break loose - perhaps I should wear high, really high heels.

Art Gallery Opening! (see tag a blog below)

Some of my friends have expressed curiosity about my art. I "dabble" in all mediums. For five years I have wanted to make a website for my work. In fact, I went back to school for a degree in Multimedia Production so I could have an on-line gallery. This is for "Someday Isle" I think. The link is below my bloggy friends link.

So, tonight for all those who are curious, I have posted some of the work. Some of you have seen several pieces.

Diana's Art Gallery

Happy Browsing.

Been tagged.........here goes, now yur turn!

Ahhh, I'm tagged. I find these fun, because its a great way to know people more.

Five things I would never wear:
1. Me too candy minx - beige - ugh (too much of being dressed in it in childhood.) I've decided that only people who are unimaginative or want to disappear wear beige - hope I don't offend someone - if so, let me hear from you beige lovers, I'm willing to change.)
2. High Heels - my feet hurt - but I used to, even though I'm 6'2" woman - yeh, that showed up the misogynists.
3. round and round stripes
4. a supershort old lady perm
5. micro mini skirt with required matching thong

Five favorite TV shows: (don't watch much but will try to come up with some I watch occasionally:
1. LaFemme Nikita (the series has long been over.)
2. The Runway show
3. Blade (series)
4. Dog Whisperer (cuz I can't figure out dogs - how can they (well, not all) be so crude, so stinky, so unmanageable, yet do such occassionaly heroic acts?) 1/2 hour with Dog Whisperer and they behave! I really want to know how to do that.
5. Medium (some seemingly REAL everyday life mixed in with it, plus the actress has cool teeth.)

Five things I would do with a 100 million dollars:
1. Get all my family members together, charter a jet, go on a family trip to Ireland (maybe rent a castle for a month) and then give them 3 million each. Also give my friends who struggle financially a million each.
2. Start a charitable foundation for social action and poverty relief.
3. Begin my travels with the Orient Express in England and end in Turkey with lots of stops in between.
4. Hire Oprah's personal trainer and cook.
5. Build some really nice homes in all my favorite places.
6. Go on a spending spree like no one has ever seen and buy hundreds of presents for people.
7. Have a reunion and pay for all my bloggy friends to come to a resort for five days - maybe the sexy resort in Jackson Wyoming at the foot of the Tetons, modern wooden cabins with fireplaces and windows looking into the Tetons - outdoor Sauna.....sigh
.........or the Casa Maravilla in Costa Rica -
(Ya, I know I cheated on this one.)

Five greatest joys:
1. Being with my children & grandchildren.
2. Doing Art, seeing Art
3. Nature
4. Visiting foreign countries
5. When I sense God's presense around me.

Five songs I can sing from memory:
1. Ghost Riders in the Sky
2. You are my sunshine (passed down from grandma to grandchild for years in family)
3. I Still Miss Someone
4. Baby Won't Ya Follow Me Down (Dylan)
5. Chicken Leg Woman - (well, I want to learn it - cutest blues song I ever heard and I can't find the songwriter, singer, or reference to the song.) "Ah wanna a tuuurkey laig woman, don't wan no chicken laig woman...." What a writer! Heard it on XM radio.

Five favorite toys:
1. Computer
2. Camera
3. Scanner
4. My software
5. the little stuffed dog my youngest grandson gave me when I left Florida last time.

Tag - well one bloggy friend hates it, so ya don't have to. Let's see:
1. Puppy
2. Lorretta
3. Living with Tourettes
4. hattigrace
5. Vicki (do it on comments: for Pete's sake, set up a blog - you have so much to say!!!!
aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnndd - everyone else that is interested - all you are so interesting I want to know your answers!