Indulgences

The lovely Bev had a marvelous idea for a post, which I have decided (with all due credit to her for the concept) to use on my blog. It has been so hectic these past few months, that its nice to step back and appreciate the little things that make life so precious. Those moments you savor as you indulge in something you truly enjoy. Here are some of my indulgences. (Please feel free to share yours too!)

Doggie Talk: There is nothing better than talking incomprehensible gibberish to my lovely beagle, who enjoys every minute of it. He doesn't understand a word, but knows its the language of love.

Purging: Not what you think! One of my favorite things to do is take a big trash bag, scavenge around the house for disposable items, filling up the bag and throwing it away. Its as if I've filled that bag with stress and clutter and just got rid of it. Pure bliss!

Croissant and Coffee: This is my favorite breakfast. It all started when I watched the hunky Rock Hudson accept an offer of coffee and a roll from the beautiful Jane Wyman in All That Heaven Allows (1955). There is something so appealing about the simplicity of that scene.

Magazines: I love buying several women's magazines (Real Simple, Shape, InStyle, Glamour, etc.) and just plonking myself on my sofa and devouring all the articles. It makes me feel like a real girl's girl for an hour or so.

Kindness: Its highly underrated! It makes the other person feel good and that feeling only comes right back at you.

Old Movies: I know this is an obvious one, because I talk about them all the time, but movies from the 30's, 40's, 50's (and 1960-1962 ~ I'm very specific) are my absolute favorites! Its my escape into another world, one much more simple and innocent than the one I know.

Books: Another obvious one, but I love everything about them and have based my career on them. As the years go by, my appreciation for their beauty, complexity and power never wanes.

A Good Night's Sleep: Feeling refreshed after sleeping in a nice warm bed, is there anything better?

Two-Cent Reviews

Been watching a lot of movies lately. Here are my Two-Cent reviews that I post on Netflix for the stuff I've recently seen.

Designing Woman (1957) ~ Who spilled the ravioli? Very funny film. Gotta love Bacall and Peck!

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1949) ~ Blanding's Dream House is more like a nightmare. Hilarious!

Beyond the Sea (2004) ~ Shameful! A disgrace on the memory of the lovely Bobby Darin!

Asylum (2005) ~ Psycho stalker love stories are my favorite. And this one is steaming hot! ::sizzle::

Butterfield 8 (1960) ~ Very captivating film. Taylor and Harvey are dynamic and Fisher is just bleh!

East of Eden (1955) ~ James Dean cries, gets drunk and is sad. Nothing really new. Good anyways!

Imitation of Life (1934/1959) ~ It will move you to tears. Not the drippy kind but the gushing kind.

Merchant of Venice (2004) ~ Overacted by everyone except Pacino who was amazingly disturbing as the man who wanted a pound of flesh!

An American in Paris (1951) ~ Gene Kelly, we know you can dance, now stop showing off!

Gigi (1958) ~ Gigi looks 13 but Leslie Caron was 27. Her fling with Louis Jordan would be weird if he wasn't so hot!

~Raquelle~

I Hate this Holiday!

Out of all of the holidays this one makes me feel the absolute worst. Its for the most part a painful reminder that I'm still single (like I needed reminding) and that there is a dirth of flowers, chocolate and jewelry in my life. It has good intentions but it fails miserably (kind of like Communism!). So today, I'll spend the rest of the day brooding to myself, crying "Abba! Why have thou foresaken me?" and being generally miserable.

~Raquelle~

16-24 inches of snow expected today! Sheesh!

Naughty Netflix!

I just read this article on Yahoo! regarding the throttling practices used by Netflix, in which you are basically punished for returning your movies too quickly! If you've developed a history of watching movies and returning them really fast, Netflix will "delay" the shipment of your next title. And if the title on the top of your queue is in high demand, you'll go farther down the list of people in line for the movie. Smoke almost came out of my ears I was so mad. I've been a loyal customer for years and I can't believe the nerve. If they are imposing a limit, just say so! What's wrong with 3 movies at a time with a maximum of 20 per month? As long as your honest! The nerve. So I sent them an angry letter. I won't stop the service, because I hate Blockbuster and there is nothing better out there, but if something better does come along I'm leaving. And fast!

Cary Grant: A Biography by Marc Eliot

0-307-20983-0; Three Rivers PressI picked up this title recently mostly because I'm intrigued with the life of Cary Grant, but what really captured my eye about this book and drew me towards it was its amazing cover. A simple, sleek black and white design with Cary Grant at the prime of his life, sitting indian style in such a way that his body makes the shape of a star. What also intriguing about the cover, was that you read the title and subtitle to yourself, without even realizing that the title isn't even on the cover. Yet you know that the title is "Cary Grant" because the image is so familiar that that name instantly comes to you the moment you lay eyes on the image. Brilliant!

Marc Eliot, an expert on pop culture, dishes out all the very juicy parts of Grant's somewhat scandalous life. There were lots of interesting bits about his relationship with his mother, whom his father told him was dead, but really was in an insane asylum for 19 years without him knowing! Eliot also goes into great detail into Grant's more-than-friendly relationship with fellow actor Randolph Scott and his five marriages among other various romances. The frame of biography is somewhat built upon the Academy's grudge against Grant and their reluctance to give him an Oscar (which changed when Gregory Peck stepped in!).

If you want the dirt on Cary Grant, this is definitely the book to read. Yet Eliot is in no way judgemental of Grant in any way. He delivers a pretty straightforward biography and doesn't miss a beat. His high respect for the actor and interest in his life shows through in the writing style. My only dislike of the biography was Eliot's not-so-nice portrayal of the wives. I was most interested in Grant's last wife, Barbara Harris, who is barely mentioned at all. But Eliot takes his time to detail two relatively unknown aspects of Grant's life. His very close friendships with Howard Hughes, who supported Grant through many a scandal and Alfred Hitchcock, who believed in Grant and lived vicariously through him. Superb read! Highly recommended.