Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Clay Aiken, Movies Make Wednesday 'Mini' Special


As Long As We're Here - Clay Aiken
View montage by gerwhisp full screen at YouTube.

Time for Reflection, Relaxation

Mid-Week 'Mini' Provides Choices

For me, Tuesdays are wall-to-wall music lessons at Wesleyan Christian Academy, fortunately followed by lazy Wednesdays during which I catch up with friends and family online and off, listen to Clay Aiken music, and watch movies.


Somewhere along the way, my friend Scarlett tagged this mid-week day off a "mini," often wishing she had one, too. Of course, a "mini" only lasts one day; and then it's back to teaching lessons on Thursday.

In checking through email saved for just such a Wednesday, I discovered a thoughtful piece shared a couple of weeks ago by Marlyne. See what you think.

Something To Think About

1] Prayer is not a spare wheel that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a STEERING WHEEL that directs the right path throughout.

2] So why is a car's WINDSHIELD so large and the rear view mirror so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it; they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry; they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart; it's just a bend, not the end!"

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities. When GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied, "Yes, losing your vision!"

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them. Sometimes when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES; it takes away today's PEACE.

ALAWH Describes Aiken's Advocacy

"As Long As We're Here," the On My Way Here song from gerwhisp's opening Clay Aiken montage, beautifully reflects the singer's humanitarian philosophy.

A UNICEF Ambassador since 2004 and co-founder of the National Inclusion Project the year before, the singer is well known as an advocate for children the world over. His goal of helping others has inspired many of his fans to take up his causes.

Inspired by Clay's UNICEF projects, these graphics were designed by
AmazingCA, 1, 2; cindlu2, 3; Clayquebec1, 4, with photo by Invisible926; and claystruck, 5. All but the animation are clickable.









Going to the Movies Miles Apart

Somehow I made it through the past three decades watching only a few movies here and there. I didn't subscribe to premium channels until a couple of years ago when I signed up for DIRECTV. Later came U-Verse, augmented by Netflix.

My friend Sally gave my film repertoire a real boost the Christmas she sent me a box of 50+ carefully recorded movies she knew I would like. In no time at all, I was hooked! She frequently recommends movies that immediately go on the list.

I can't tell you how enjoyable it is to watch a movie simultaneously with a friend 1,125 miles away.
Scarlett and I coordinate our film adventures through chat on Facebook. Typical opening of a show is little more than, "I'm paused at MGM. Say GO!"

And then we are off to the races watching just about every genre in the book! Ironically, each has introduced the other to several movies.

Some our recent movies are A Single Man, Bonneville, Cookie's Fortune, Date Night, It's Complicated, Death at a Funenal (British), Life Is Beautiful, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, My Cousin Vinny, Music Within, October Sky, Secretariat, Searching for Bobby Fischer, The Blind Side, The Great Debaters, The King's Speech, The Paper, The Dream Team, The Reader, Unstoppable, With Honors, and Wooly Boys.

Could SFF Be in My Future?

The lady is is doing her best to turn me into a Sci-Fi Fantasy fan, but she's got a ways to go. I did view
Inception twice, but she had to explain a zillion times about participating in and extracting information from another person's dreams. *g*

Ever the techno goddess,
Scarlett maintains an up-to-date, color-coded spreadsheet document entitled "Ultimate Movie List" with dates movies are viewed, where the film is available (DVR, purchased DVD, Netflix, Amazon, etc.), the date last watched, even the IMdb viewer rating.

Our running dialogue during the movies is frequently hilarious. The multi-tasker is almost always rendering clack on a neighboring machine. With so many choices, the biggest question on movie nights is ... where do we begin.


Where Do I Begin - Clay Aiken on Tried & True Tour
View montage by molino79 full screen at YouTube.
Video footage by Scarlett and farouche; photos by Invisible926.

Tonight's movie fare is The Shawshank Redemption from Netflix and Amazon. I have seen the film several times, but this highly-rated movie will be brand new to my cohort. Upcoming features include The Cure, The Next Three Days, August Rush, The Town, and Calendar Girls.

Hope you're having a wonderful week and maybe even a mini! Seen any good movies lately?

Caro

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Caro,

Oh my, I can not believe I am the first comment......how did that happen? "Scarlett maintains an up-to-date, color-coded spreadsheet document entitled "Ultimate Movie List" with dates movies are viewed, where the film is available (DVR, purchased DVD, Netflix, Amazon, etc.), the date last watched, even the IMdb viewer rating." That is amazing, I wish I were that organized. I have a friend that just gave me a movie today to watch called "Wild Hogs," she said it is really funny, by the name it sure does not sound so funny.

Thank You for shareing "Something To Think About" one of my very favorite e-mails.

Oh course I LOVE ALL THE GRAPHICS of our Mr Singerman....sure do miss him.

Have a good Thursday, back to lessons......

Hugs,
Marlyne

SueReu said...

=) Hey Caro! Great blog, love the Shawshank Redemption, one of my favorite movies EVER!

Thanks for the great videos and graphics - they are always stunning. There sure are a ton of talented fans of one Mr. Clay Aiken!

Have a great rest of your week

Sally said...

I can't multi-task watching a movie and texting at the same time, but it sure is fun hearing about you two the next day.

Actually, modern technology could be viewed as a great replacement for those chatty folks who are repeatedly shushed in the movie theaters.

I love the mental image of Scarlett's spreadsheet,

Dianne Barbee said...

Hello!

Thank you for your visits and comments in the "movie" blog. I'm glad you enjoyed Marlyne's email piece. Several at the OFC have mentioned the reflection that hit home to them.

As for the movies, I hope you will make suggestions for our queue. We have "The Social Network," "Avatar," and "The Book of Eli" on the horizon; but we'd love to have more in Scarlett's Ultimate Movie List database.

Have a wonderful rest of the week, Clay Nation!

Caro

Anonymous said...

I am a Long Time lover of movies. I am now 81. There are 2 movies out this Summer that are wonderful. 1 is "The Lincoln lawyer" starring Matthew McConeughey & Marissa Tomei,& the other is "Water For Elephants" starring Reese Witherspoon & Robert Pattinson. Both movies have incredible storylines. Don"t miss either one of these!!

Anonymous said...

I am a Long Time lover of movies. I am now 81. There are 2 movies out this Summer that are wonderful. 1 is "The Lincoln lawyer" starring Matthew McConeughey & Marissa Tomei,& the other is "Water For Elephants" starring Reese Witherspoon & Robert Pattinson. Both movies have incredible storylines. Don"t miss either one of these!!

barb 55 said...

Hi, Caro! Great blog! I enjoyed it so much. The graphics and videos by all of the talented artists are just beautiful.

I love watching different genres of movies. I have seen Inception several times. It is a very interesting and deep movie. I love science fiction movies, along with action, romantic comedies, and drama, just to name a few.

Take care and have a great weekend!

Love and hugs, ♥♥
Barbara :-)