Star Sightings

Star sighting below... 

Friday Fragments

About ten years ago I felt bad that the March of Dimes organization kept mailing me a dime (10 cents) along with a slew of personalized mailing labels so I sent them $10 and asked them to please stop wasting their money on me.  My pledge was simple-- I'd send them money if they stopped spending it on me.  Made sense to me.  Apparently it didn't make sense to the March of Dimes because I now have a jar full of dimes and about 10,000 mailing labels. I'm sure this method of fund raising must work for them because it's their age old tradition for the cause but it's one giant guilt trip for me.

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Wouldn't be be nice if Word Verification was more meaningful-- like a word of the day with definitions or a person's name from history with a brief bio, or even winning lottery numbers-- anything but the hard to read gibberish they have now.

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I'm trying to watch Orange is the New Black on NetFlix, based on a true story about a woman in prison.  Let me tell you, it's a lot of work with plenty of cringing.  Not sure I'm going to make it past episode 4.  Do you NetFlix?

And how about those Emmy Nominations?  I'm guessing the big TV network guys have a lot of explaining to do.  No Best Drama shows from the "big four" which appear to be shrinking by the minute!

But, I'm so glad Downton Abbey was recognized and I loved House of Cards with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.

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And speaking of celebrities, I had three "star sightings" this past week.

First was the lavender-haired Kelly Osbourne (E! News and Fashion Police) at the local Thai restaurant Husband and I frequent.  I have to say, the lavender hair is really lovely in person-- way better than it looks on television.

And, I sat in on a fascinating Q&A following the movie Still Mine starring James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold, both Oscar nominees.  It's a love story about a couple married for 60 years.  He wants to build a house on his land-- smaller and more manageable for the couple, but runs into problems with both the building department and health issues.  It's heart-felt and funny and sad and uplifting.  I enjoyed it very much.

As for the two stars-- absolutely delightful.  James Cromwell is well over 6' 6" tall and still has a school boy twinkle in his eye.  He's much younger than many of the rolls he plays and, honestly, he's kinda sexy.  Ms Bujold is a tiny little thing and stunning with a dry sense of humor and a love for her art.  I highly recommend Still Mine... if you can find it in a theater near you.  It's in limited release.

Have a great weekend.

For more Friday Fragments, stop by Unknown Mami's!

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Friday

 Thanks to Unknown Mami for taking over 

Fragmented Fridays this summer.  

(I tried 20 times to add the FF logo but for some reason Blogger kept spitting it out.) 

A very glamorous and successful lawyer friend of mine called me this morning to chat while she drove (hands free, of course) to work.  We both had a good laugh when we compared schedules.  Hers included a big client meeting, two depositions, lunch at Spago and another important meeting.  Mine included important meetings too... With the exterminator (ants!), plumber, painting contractor, and the guy who cleans our house gutters.  She said I was lucky not to be wearing a suit, panty hose and high heels on a 90 degree day.  I said she was lucky to have a meal she didn't have to cook herself.  It was one of those "the grass is greener on the other side" kind of moments even though we both knew we wouldn't want to change places.
 

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 I spotted this church sign the other day and it made me smile.

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I got "buzzed" and finished this quilt top yesterday.   (Get it?)  Quilting is a newer hobby for me that's cutting into my blogging time!  But, summer and warmer weather is coming so the sewing machine will be packed up soon until the Fall and I'll be online a lot more.

 (All fabric from my fave fabric store Sew Modern in Los Angeles.)

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And, you can still enter my GIVEAWAY for the Wizard of Otin's terrific book, In Blog We Trust.  Otin is one of the good guys in Blogland and getting his first novel published was a big deal.  YOU can win an autographed copy by Following me via Bloglovin'.  The button is on the top right of my page.  (Please Follow and leave a comment below that you did.)  Full Giveaway details are HERE.

And check out Otin's latest super scary novel 12:19 HERE.  It's a supernatural horror thrill that will have you sleeping with the lights on!  I'm in the middle of reading it now and loving it!  It's available on e-Reader.

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For more Fragmented Fridays, stop by and see Unknown Mami.

Have a great weekend!
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins 
Photo Credit: © peshkova - Fotolia.com and Michael Infinito

Friday Fragments - Catch-up

Join Mrs. 4444 For Friday Fragments.

Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions on how to open my giant jar of Four Bean Salad, I've tried and tried, but.....

No beans yet. It's still not open.

Luckily, we're going to our monthly Pot Luck Dinner with the gang next week and all the guys are bringing their muscle and power tools to crack the jar open. I'm hoping it will still be edible once the mission is accomplished. Stay tuned.

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It was back to school for Godson this week after three very long weeks of winter vacation. Yes, three weeks! Los Angeles public school students spend so little time in classrooms it's not even funny. Grrrrr.

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Speaking of which, have you see the documentary Waiting For Superman about the state of public schools? I watched it yesterday and actually cried. It's pretty powerful. The trailer is below.

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It's a good thing I didn't make my usual "spend less" promise for a New Year's Resolution this year because I've been a bad girl. I got a new quilting sewing machine and I think I've purchased fabric from every cotton shop within a 50 mile radius of my house. Now I'm in quilt fabric overload and need to actually start sewing. Let the fun begin!

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I will be 53 years old in April and am happy to say I still do not color my hair-- mostly because I don't have that many grays yet. But-- That's because I clip, pluck and pull every gray hair I see on my head. Now, um, ahh, I really need to find a colorist soon because at the rate I'm going, I'll be bald before my next birthday.

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That's all I have. It's been a week of nearly getting over a bad cold, catching up on all the things I didn't do while I was sick and, frankly, obsessing over the Bean Salad. I'll be back soon.

Hope your weekend is grand.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

Friday Fragments #2

Thanks to Mrs. 4444 for hosting Friday Fragments.

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The beautiful earrings you see below are an extraordinary gift from Izzy of Stone Spirit. She had a very generous giveaway in January for a necklace made with stones that would "help give love and strength for whatever challenges come your way".

I didn't win the necklace but sweet Izzy made a gift for each of the people who entered! She asked us to give her a suggestion of a particular challenge we were trying to overcome and then she designed a treat for each one of us! At the time I was flooded with funerals and sick loved ones so I asked her for something to give me strength to help us all pull through.

The beautiful deep blue-green stone Izzy chose for my earrings is called Dioptase. It brings forth and helps one to understand the message that "Yesterday is but a memory, tomorrow is but a vision, and today is real."* Izzy said, "Living in the moment is the energy of this mineral!" It's exactly what I needed.

I can't begin to explain how touched I was that a near stranger could pick the perfect stone for me. But after thinking about it further, I realized Izzy has an awareness about people that helps her match stones to the individual. My sincere thanks to Izzy for her thoughtfulness and generosity.

When you have time READ THIS about Izzy and her biological mother. It's stunning. And visit often because she has another giveaway coming up soon on her beautiful blog!

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One of the earliest blogs I followed is by Cindy LaFerle. She is a published author and a writing role model for me. Cindy has such a beautiful way with words that paint a picture as clear as a sunny day. She also has an article featured in the current issue (March/April 2010) of Victoria magazine! It's a full page opposite the inside back cover, which gives her story The Art of Midlife Gardening prominent placement.

This is the cover of the issue, please be on the lookout for it and, when you have time, stop by and congratulate Cindy on her success.

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And speaking of awesome bloggers, Kristina P. of Pulsipher Predilections has definitely reserved a spot in blog heaven some day! She's collecting Snuggies for needy senior citizens during the entire month of March. So far, more than 110 Snuggies have been collected! But there's still time for you to send one too. CLICK HERE for details. She's already received mine!

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Thanks to Hilary of The Smitten Image for awarding me The Post Of The Week for Joy Ride. I am very flattered to be in the great company of the other nominees and recipients.

Do you know Hilary? She's a fabulous photographer and an avid blog reader. I've found a lot of new blogs via her POTW selections. Please check her out!

And with that, all I can say is thank gawd it's friday so I can sleep in on Saturday!

What are you doing this weekend?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit--

Victoria Magazine

Snuggies For Seniors

Post of the Week

* From the book "Love is In the Earth"

My First Friday Fragments

After way too many months, it feels like my blog mojo is nearly within reach, now all I need is for life to cooperate and free-up some good old fashioned blog time.

Until that happens, and with a thanks and a salute to Mrs. 4444 (that's Mrs. Fours) at Half Past Kissing Time, I'm hitching my Friday to her wagon and presenting my first Friday Fragments....

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Did you ever notice people tend to shy away from eating at restaurants that are empty preferring a jammed restaurant requiring a long wait for a table because they assume the jammed food restaurant is better than the empty one. I'm guilty as charged.

That kind of thinking probably explains why, when I recently entered a new doctor's office for a long awaited appointment with the "best in his speciality", it give me pause. His office was completely empty. Uh-huh.

When I was ushered into the exam room at my exact appointment time by the doctor I thought the appointment would be the equivalent of a really bad meal at an over-hyped restaurant. (Funny how my thoughts in a possible crisis always turn to food.)

Turns out however, the doc was great and very helpful! Maybe the next time I see an empty restaurant, I'll give it a try.

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I met a lot of my current blog friends and readers via the kindness and blogging generosity of Lilly of Lilly's Life. She recently took a blogging break but SHE'S BACK and is as fabulous as ever! Please stop by and catch up with her!

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Godson was named Citizen of the Month in February at his middle school! That's a very big deal around here. His mom was so proud at the awards ceremony and brunch, and Godson was beaming when he received his nice certificate and recognized for his kindness and consideration of others.

It was all great until we realized his Mom wasn't getting one of those My Child Is A Citizen Of The Month bumper stickers for her car. She deserves "bragging rights" and frankly, I wanted one too! The Principal claimed "budget cuts" despite having enough funds for bagels and donuts that morning.

To be honest, I used to find those stickers annoying, why I have no idea. But now I get it! We were so disappointed that I'm thinking of printing them up for the school so Godson's Mom and all the other proud parents can brag about their kids too.

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Repair work on our pool and deck started Wednesday -- sort of. The possibility of the pool popping out during draining has slowed things down a bit but there is other general prep work to be done (like removing the deck) so the project got started....

....Until a production manager for a big network drama series knocked on my door. They will be filming the TV show on our street for three days and the huge dumpster and all the power equipment noise will ruin the shoot-- And that's before the jackhammers started or the port-a-potty arrived.

So faster than you could say "That'$ All Folk$" they made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and the dumpster, potty, workers and noise will magically disappear on Friday for the actual filming with the show's stars!

How much $$$ you ask for the inconvenience and missed day of work? It's really a drop in the bucket, but it will allow me to feed our construction crew nicely several times over the course of the next few months. Plus it's one of my favorite TV shows. Now all I have to do is borrow someone's dog to take for a walk and maybe bump into my favorite cast members.

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For more Friday Fragments CLICK HERE.

Do you have a favorite TV show?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna Jenkins

Photo Credit - Award: © mikess - Fotolia.com

PS Check out This Stop Willoughby's fabulous GIVEAWAY!