Fifty Shades of Grey Movie....and Happy Hour at Vic & Angelo's with Diane W.

For the most part, Fifty Shades of Grey’s big-screen adaptation is very true to Book #1.  Starting with Ana and Christian’s interview at the very beginning to a few scenes featuring dialogue lifted directly from E.L. James's novel. (Not to mention the many lip bites and spankings in between.)

But, I left the theater and felt like I only saw the first book on screen.  Where is the rest?  Is it forthcoming soon?  Other strangers in the movie theater were saying the same like "Is that all there is"????

Where are all the other characters that were in the books (trilogy)? Christian Grey had more people in his life than who was in the film.  His driver, Taylor also had a bigger role in the book.

Where was Dr. Flynn, Christian's psychiatrist? And, Mrs. Jones, Christian's housekeeper, she certainly played a big role in Book 2 and 3. She was not in the film!

Kate's brother, Ethan was not in the film either!

Christian's mother's friend who played a big role in Christian's life when he was young and explained how and why he is the way he is????  Did the filmmaker think that was not important?  That to me was extremely important.

Some very notable sex scenes that were missing include Ana and Christian having sex at his parent's boathouse......... but in the film, they just had an argument about her going to Georgia while standing in what appeared to be a pool house and not a greenhouse like the book stated.

And, there are no silver balls in the movie!  

What about Ana's first publishing job which was a huge oversight in the movie?

All in all, the changes and oversights are fairly minor if there is going to be a sequel to this movie. Odds are, book readers will feel slightly cheated with the film.  And, those of you who only read book number one, will not notice anything different.  

With all that said, the contents of the movie was well done and the actors were excellent.  I just wanted more because there were three books involved and I felt it only covered Book #1.  This was a beautiful love story.

I shouldn 't be calling the other Books by number as all three had different titles:  Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed.  3- volume boxed set, even though I purchased all mine separately at the time because I was unaware it was a trilogy.

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the trilogy on the big screen.

I recall that I blogged about reading the Trilogy in July of 2012! And the movie, Magic Mike all in the same week!  LOL

Snow Melters!

My Boston family and friends are getting super frustrated at this point and who can blame them.

I never knew Boston had "Snow Melter" equipment before.  I guess I've been away from my home town too long!  I'm sure that is a super expensive piece of equipment that most snow removal companies don't have or can't afford.

As of Tuesday morning, Boston has received 77.3 inches of snow this season.  The governor for Massachusetts signed an emergency declaration for the entire state.  I remember the Blizzard of 78 and this has surpassed that already.

I was curious as to why they couldn't dump the snow in the ocean and my son told me that it's against the law.  The Clean Water Act prohibits dumping snow in the ocean and the Wetlands Protection Act says no dumping in rivers and lakes because those truckloads of snow would contain contaminants like road treating chemicals, salt and even oil and gas from cars.  Not to mention garbage picked up off the road.  All stuff that doesn't belong in our waterways.

I guess more Snow Melters are needed.  What are they going to do?

Stay safe folks.  Don't drive.  Be careful. Sending hugs!

 

I feel guilty signing off here in sunny South Florida!  

NORTHEAST, BUNDLE UP!

NORTHEAST,  BUNDLE UP!

I just got home two days ago from Boston!  It was a tad too cold for me then when the temps dipped to the low 20's.  My R/A was flaring up.

Residents across the Northeast have been warned: It's brutally cold and getting colder.

Frigid air is blowing across the United States. National Weather Service wind chill advisory for much of the Northeast for Thursday warns of "dangerously cold air" with strong winds that could result in frostbite if people don't put on their scarves, hats and gloves.

I don't want that photo above to be deceiving, as it is actually 69 degrees here this morning and will warm up to the mid 70's by afternoon.

I'm sure my daughter and son-in-law's next door neighbor will not be walking around without a shirt on today!  John, I hope you are bundled up this morning! LOL  I doubt the fire pits will be burning up today!

Me and John Cherry

I had a fabulous Christmas, New Years and also celebrated my 70th birthday with my children and friends.  Ouch, even typing 70 hurts!

Jimmy and Me

Bill and Michelle

Michelle and Me

Rhonda and Me

Bill and Michelle

Danny, Jimmy and Me

Danny and Jimmy

Brian and Danny

Donna, Diane and Me

My Revere Friends!

I have the best friends in the world.  Dearest, Paula crocheted scarfs for everyone and cooked lasagna, gravy, meatballs, pork, etc. and stuffed clams that I'm still craving now!  Linda provided her lovely home for this wonderful gathering and also eggplant and chicken marsala and antipasto. Diane provided a beautiful Italian rum birthday cake.  Thank you for all that you do and your generous gifts.

Most of my pictures came out blurry for some reason, as the one above is not that clear either.  I'm hoping the photos that Paula took will be better and will post them later. Thanks ladies for a lovely celebration!  I was the last one out of our class to turn 70 and you all made the day special.

A special thank you to my children and my special friends for a delightful trip to my home town and celebrating the holidays including my milestone birthday.

Huggggggggggggggggggggggggggggs, Rose

S’mores anyone?

Backyard fire pits have become the latest must-have feature.

It was the topic of conversation by my pool yesterday with my snowbird neighbors now pouring in Florida from New England. 

My neighbors were all telling me that with fall setting in, many like to extend their time outdoors by sitting around a backyard fire pit until they can come back to their winter retreat here in the warmer climate. They did admit that even though it may be fun—it is not good for the environment, especially during times when air quality is already poor.

One man admitted, he only stays near the fire pit to keep warm while his is sucking on a cigarette. His wife was hoping with the colder temps, it would cause him to smoke less because it was getting too cold to go outside and better still she was hoping that he would quit the nasty addiction.

Of course, all this chit chat on this subject prompted me to do some research on the topic since I have many friends from New England that love fire pits.  I, personally don’t like them.  I hate those sparks flying out of the pit and onto your clothes causing holes in your clothing!  And, why would I want to sit and freeze in 30 degree temps in the first place when I could be indoors enjoying the warmth of a cozy home and a cup of tea.

While researching this topic, it was hard to assess the larger impact of backyard fire pits on local or regional air quality, but no one questions the fact that breathing in wood smoke can be irritating if not downright harmful.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), so-called fine particles are the most dangerous components of wood smoke from a health perspective, as they “can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis.”

Fine particles also aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases, and have been linked to premature deaths in those already suffering from such afflictions. As such, the EPA advises that anyone with congestive heart failure, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or asthma should steer clear of wood smoke in general. Children’s exposure to wood smoke should also be limited, as their respiratory systems are still developing and they breathe more air (and air pollution) per pound of body weight than adults.  Also, not good for pets.

The Washington State Department of Ecology reports that about 10 percent of the wintertime air pollution statewide can be attributed to fine particles from wood smoke coming out of wood burning stoves. While a wood stove may be a necessary evil as a source of interior heat, there is no excuse for lighting up a backyard fire pit during times when you could be creating health issues for your neighbors.

Another potential risk to using a backyard fire pit is sparking a forest fire. Some communities that are surrounded by forestland voluntarily institute seasonal burn bans so that residents won’t inadvertently start a forest fire while they are out enjoying their backyard fire pits. If you live in one of these areas, you probably already know it and would be well advised to follow the rules.

If you must light that backyard fire pit, take some precautions to limit your friends’ and family’s exposure to wood smoke. One of my neighbors from Maine stated that The Maine Bureau of Air Quality recommends using only seasoned firewood and burning it in a way that promotes complete combustion—small, hot fires are better than large smoldering ones—to minimize the amount of harmful smoke.

I already know my New England friends will not enjoy this post. But it is what it is.  I care about your lungs.

The moral of the story:  If you need to burn, burn responsibly.

No words necessary!

I find this kinda sad.  I love electronics but I love personal conversation better.

Here we go changing the clocks again! Stupid!

Here we go again, on Sunday, November 2, it will be the end of Daylight Saving Time.  Many of us will be grunting to ourselves as we wander from room to room resetting all of our clocks: you know all the ones we have on the clock radio, stove, microwave, thermostat, wrist watches, etc.  And, every year I forget to change the clock in my car!  I prefer daylight savings time.

Yes, you will get an extra hour of sleep by turning back the clock by an hour in the fall. But if you have a regular day job, you'll be commuting home in the dark instead of in daylight. Why do we do this every fall?  I always felt it was a stupid thing to do.  I'm retired now but I'm still concerned about my family and friends that still work.

Turning the clocks back and waking up in the predawn darkness is simply bad for your health, especially if you are elderly or have a heart condition, researchers have noted in their medical studies.  Going to bed in the dark and waking up in the dark is simply stupid in my opinion.

Isn't it more important to save lives and save electricity? Why can't we convince the government to leave our clocks alone and set and Daylight Savings Time?  I'm sure the farmers would appreciate it as well. And, the children have more play time outdoors after dinner.  Of course, today the kids play with their electronics more than riding their bikes or playing on a swing set in the backyard.  Those were the good old days!

Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that do not change their clocks.  So how can we convince all of our local governments to take on this initiative?  Complaining by myself does not help.  You need everyone to complain to get somewhere.

My trip to Boston!

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

Jimmy and Danny

My son, Jimmy and I

The foliage in New England was beautiful!  It was chilly but not freezing cold.

My daughter always hides from the camera so again, no photos of her from this past trip.

I had a wonderful time visiting my children, family and special friends.  The first two days, the temps were in the 80s and then the remainder of my trip, the temps dropped into the 50s and that is when I felt my rheumatoid arthritis flare up a tad more.

Oh my, we ate in so many different restaurants during my stay.  I surely gained weight upon my return home.  I was spoiled rotten and loved every minute of it.  When in Boston, it is a must for me to have Pizza, Clams, Clam Chowder, Chinese Food, Haddock, Italian food and Italian bread.  As, you cannot get these great foods prepared in any restaurant in Florida.  New England has the best seafood.

I created two albums, one for my children and family and the other for my classmates and both were posted on my blogs.

My classmates had a brunch in my honor at the lovely Marina at the Wharf restaurant in Revere.  So good to see everyone again.  My Forever Friends are very special to me.

Also had a late lunch with Diane Whiles and Peter Zaccone in Lynnfield at Legal Seafood Restaurant.  That new Mall is fabulous!

It was so good to see my good friend, Sandra and her sister, Carol at Polcari's on Rte One.

Enjoyed having lunch and dinner at Nina's house in Groveland along with Marie, Cathy, Donna and AnnMarie.

Michelle and Bill had BBQ's at their home and Jimmy did also in Maine.

Rhonda also had us over for dinner in her usual style which was great!  It was also nice to see Rhonda's mother Sharon too.

Rhonda and Rose

Sharon and Rose

I was not prepared for the weird experience flying back home to Florida from Boston when the alarm went off while swabbing my hands at Logan Airport.

The Transportation Security Administration begin swabbing passengers' hands at checkpoints.  I was not aware of this procedure that they were testing for explosives.

They also swabbed my carry-on luggage and told me to turn on my camera and my Kindle and other objects as they searched for the needle in the security haystack -- I learned much later after I googled this online that the TSA were searching for components of terrorist bombs in an endless stream of luggage.

I have never seen this swabbing machine before during my travels.  I kept asking what was going on but no one would give me an answer.

The TSA man pushed aside the JetBlue worker and grabbed my license and boarding pass out of my hands and grabbed my collar of my jacket and said "follow me".  I asked what was going on and I was told to "shut up".  I was livid!

I'm all for security, as we will all agree but when that jerk grabbed my collar I had to control myself to keep quiet so not to make matters worse.  I was taken into a back room with two women and was padded down all over and I mean all over!

The only thing that could have been on my hands were a trace of Fried Clams from Kelly's.  Michelle and I shared a plate of fried claims on our way to the airport.  

Joan Rivers is Hilarious on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show FULL INTERVIEW,...

Click on the arrow in the middle of the UTube photo above to view the video! It is Hilarious! Johnny was my first favorite comedian and Joan my second.

She was sharp-witted, quick and never afraid to speak her mind. Forget just being a funny female, Joan Rivers was one of the most hilarious comedians of all time. It's with great sadness that we now have to say goodbye to Rivers at the age of 81.

Over her legendary career, Joan did everything from standup to hosting numerous shows, and no matter what she always kept us laughing. I'll miss watching Fashion Police.

Sad.  I will miss the laughter and her great sense of humor!

Multitasking

I remember when I was young, it was considered good protocol to include on your Resume that you are capable of multitasking trying to impress the person interviewing you for a potential job. 

Before retirement, my job required me to be super busy multi-tasking all the time and it was frustrating, I do admit.  Working with lawyers is super stressful, especially working for three attorneys at one time.  Years ago, it was one on one.  One secretary to one attorney.  Well, the economy has changed all that years ago putting stress on the one individual, "the legal secretary"!

Just last week, I was watching the Katie Couric show and can’t remember the name of the scientist that was her guest on this topic.  I found this person very interesting and, I’m now convinced that our brain has to switch from one thing to another and not be able to do all at once.  Listening to this man brought me back to my stressful days in a law firm.

"People can't multitask very well, and when people say they can, they're deluding themselves," said neuroscientist. And, he said, "The brain is very good at deluding itself."

You're not paying attention to one or two things simultaneously, but switching between them very rapidly.

I have experienced being in the middle of typing an e-mail and the phone rings, it is not easy to complete my email while talking on the phone at the same time.  You cannot focus on one while doing the other.

I’m always aware and know when someone calls me and they are on their computer at the same time while trying to have a conversation with me.  They are not completely listening to me and it annoys me, so I don’t understand why they call me in the first place?  Especially when a person is playing a game online and I can clearly hear the bells and chimes of the game in the background.  

People text while walking and I have seen them bang into telephone poles (I, personally dialed 911 after seeing a young man bang into a telephone pole while texting and knocked himself out) and I have seen people sending emails during dinner in restaurants while sitting with spouses and other friends. I’m guilty of chatting on the phone while cooking dinner but to my defense, I was not the person who made the call, someone called me.

Why are we all in such a hurry.  Please people, do not text and drive. The life you save maybe your own!

Chances are, you’re not doing yourself (or your boss, or your friends and family) any favors by multitasking your way through the day. Research shows that it’s not nearly as efficient as we like to believe, and can even be harmful to our health. You should stop everything you’re doing—well, all but one thing—and rethink the way you work, socialize, and live your life.  Stress causes chronic diseases.

What you call multitasking is really task-switching

Katie’s guest explained it like this: It’s like a pie chart, and whatever we’re working on is going to take up the majority of that pie. There’s not a lot left over for other things, with the exception of automatic behaviors like walking or chewing gum.

It makes sense that moving back and forth between several tasks actually wastes productivity, because your attention is expended on the act of switching gears—plus, you never get fully “in the zone” for either activity.  It is slowing you down. It makes more sense to me to prioritize your tasks and release stress at the same time.

I remember always piling up my files on my desk and taking the most important ones first and especially the ones I dreaded because I would get them out of the way at the beginning of the day giving my mind a break and allowing me to pace myself on a more steady pace for the remainder of the afternoon.

Of course, certain jobs add more stress, the legal field is on the top of the list.  But, I feel it can be put under control if everyone had a plan to put in place and respect your co-workers is one.  A person is only capable of doing so much in one day.  Pushing them to do further is really not productive and causing the boss to have a very unhappy Employee.  Happy Employees do better work.

Hey, all you attorneys out there...........listen up.....you couldn't personally handle all the work you dump on your secretaries!  So, learn to be more courtious and please don't give your secretary work to do at 5:00 PM when she is just shutting down her computer and looking forward to going home after a very busy day and facing more stress of the traffic, then preparing dinner, cleaning up the mess, then relaxing only to start all over again the following morning.

After I retired, a friend asked me to help her doctor husband out and work for him until he found someone that knew how to use a computer and type his reports for him. I didn't want to do it but she kept haunting me.  P.S.  This request was supposed to be temporary and it lasted for three years!

I then realized that nurses and/or medical assistants in a medical office don't work as hard as Executive Legal Assistants.  After, the patient is signed in and the nurse takes all the vitals, the patient is then put in a room.  The nurse goes back to her station and reads a magazine!  And this goes on all day long.  I was shocked, I could never be caught reading a magazine in a law office!  Who had the time in the first place.  There was just too much work to do.

All this, I experienced around the year of 2007 when most doctor's office did not even have computers. Therefore, nurses and staff also had no knowledge of how to even use a computer.  The doctors hired outside help to type their medical reports for each patient.

Then all the reps come in and load up the kitchen with tons and tons of food for the doctor and staff! Unbelievable!  And, we wonder why we pay so much for pharmaceuticals.  Oh, and did I mention, they have two hour lunches!

That blew my mind because I never had that leisure time while working in a law office. Legal secretaries are lucky they have time to pee and take a lunch hour on most days! I'm not joking about this, I'm very serious.  

Now, the medical assistant replaced the magazines with their Ipad, Iphone, or some other electronic device.  And people wonder how human errors are made? To much distraction going on and in the wrong direction at the wrong work place.

 

Being retired now, I’m guilty of reading a book and watching TV at the same time.  It makes sense that if you try to do two things at once—read a book and watch television, like I do for example—that you’re going to miss important details of one or both. Then I find myself re-reading that same paragraph again.  So, I understand this now and turn the TV off or at least put the TV on mute until I finish that chapter.

“Energy Efficient”

You like me, might be diligent about clipping coupons, hunting for bargains, and comparing prices while shopping, but I was recently reminded that if you're not paying more attention to your home, you could be losing money by holding onto old appliances like refrigerators which eats up your electric bill like crazy along with your air conditioner, etc.

My last appliance purchases were about 12-13 years ago and I did make sure they were all “Energy Efficient” with that yellow sticker on them.

I have my computer to remind me to change my a/c filter monthly even though there are filters out there that claim they will last for three months.  My a/c guy said, it is best to change it every month and don’t buy the cheap ones.  They also help with allergies and dust mites.

I’m guilty of having my TV on almost 24/7 for company.  I need to hear the noise and voices in the background even if I maybe reading a book or on the computer! 

Energy efficient appliances are in the spotlight these days.  But, sometimes I wonder if they really make sense at all.  I know that the rebates are designed to help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases by replacing energy-guzzling home appliances with newer, more efficient models.  I always looked for the Energy Star large kitchen appliances.

I had a repairman tell me that consumers should weigh the cost and benefits of new appliances carefully before making a purchase. You may save some money by replacing your 22-year-old refrigerator, but junking a 7-year-old working dishwasher may not save you enough to make the purchase worthwhile.  Some repairs make sense and most means to replace.

The average household energy spends nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling, according to Energy Star. Of the rest, about 14 percent goes to heating water, 12 percent to lighting and only 13 percent for appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers.

I’m sure today's refrigerators are at are more efficient than those made 20 years ago. And although a refrigerator usually accounts for only 5 percent of a home's energy consumption, some homeowners could be spending twice as much as they should be by using an older model.

Even Energy Star says homeowners shouldn't be so quick to replace just any appliance. The rating system is designed to help consumers make more educated purchasing decisions, but they should still put more focus on the heating and cooling of their home.

I had Florida Power and Light come to my home and they do a checkup for free to try and save you money on your electric bill.  He provided a lot of good information.  He also told me that I can turn off my water heater if I will not be home for a while.  It only takes about 15 minutes to heat up again.

After following all of the suggestions, my bill was lowered by just a few dollars!  I was hoping it would be a good savings of at least $20. or so.

I tried!