Putting "Fun" in Funeral

Last Wednesday is when my family got together to have a memorial ceremony for my uncle Wes Somers. There wasn’t a funeral because Wes’ wish was to be cremated. We had several family members there who shared fond memories of Wes, but with my family we can’t stay too serious for long. We wrote our final farewells to Wes on the sidewalk with chalk, played group games, made jokes and acted like children, just like we did when we were around Wes. This was just about as perfect as you can get when celebrating the life of someone wonderful.

Abbygail Photos

I know I may be a bit too sentimental about my dog, but it's definitely taking some time to get used not having her around. Last night with the huge rain storm we had, I felt like it didn't enjoy it as much because she wasn't around to cuddle with. Plus, the wind kept on opening and closing her old doggy door, a noise that I just became so accustomed to.

Well, I was going through old photos this week and found tons of my baby girl. I used to take pictures of her when I only had one or two more in a roll of film. Remember those days of film?!

Tagged - Blog Game

Many people that I read their blogs have this game, so I must post it for myself:

1. Add a comment this post on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot...anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. :)

See...this is yet another good excuse for all you slackers to update your blog :-P

Top 50 Movie Villains

So there's a lot of hype with Top Movie Villains these days, now that the Joker in The Dark Night has made his appearance. Well, I've decided to make my own list of my favorite villains. Let me know what you think.

1. Captain Vidal ~ Pan’s Labyrinth
2. Alex ~ A Clockwork Orange
3. The Joker ~ The Dark Night
4. Pennywise ~ It
5. Darth Vader ~ Star Wars
6. Voldemort ~ Harry Potter
7. Saruman ~ Lord of the Rings
8. Jane Hudson ~ What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
9. Regan ~ The Exorcist
10. The Queen ~ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
11. The Hillbillies ~ Deliverance
12. Gage Creed ~ Pet Cemetery
13. Amon Goeth ~ Shindler’s List
14. John Doe ~ Se7en
15. Dr. Hannibal Lecter ~ The Silence of the Lambs
16. Michael Myers ~ Halloween
17. T-1000 ~ Terminator 2
18. Pinhead ~ Hellraiser
19. Wicked Witch of the West ~ The Wizard of Oz
20. Annie Wilkes ~ Misery
21. Darth Maul ~ Star Wars
22. Sheriff Of Nottingham ~ Robin Hood
23. Leatherface ~ Texas Chainsaw Massacre
24. Warden Norton ~ Shawshank Redemption
25. Freddy Krueger ~ Nightmare on Elm Street
26. Percy Wetmore ~ The Green Mile
27. Mr. Smith ~ The Matrix
28. Sam 'Ace' Rothstein ~ Casino
29. Samara Morgan ~ The Ring
30. The Lord of Darkness ~ Legend
31. Jigsaw ~ Saw
32. Max Cady ~ Cape Fear
33. Imhotep ~ The Mummy
34. Nurse Ratchet ~ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
35. Jack Torrance ~ The Shining
36. Norman Bates ~ Psycho
37. Alex Forrest ~ Fatal Attraction
38. Joan Crawford ~ Mommie Dearest
39. Candyman ~ Candyman
40. Eric Qualen ~ Cliffhanger
41. Ghostface ~ Scream
42. Lex Luthor ~ Superman
43. Peyton Flanders ~ The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
44. The Kurgan ~ Highlander
45. The Shark ~ Jaws
46. Top Dollar ~ The Crow
47. Budd ~ Kill Bill
48. Unicron ~ Transformers: The Movie
49. The Hunter ~ Bambi
50. The Leprechaun ~ Leprechaun

The Dark Tower Casting

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed…

This is the first line of my all-time favorite series, The Dark Tower by Stephen King. Now when you think of King’s work you most likely went into the vision of the horror genre. This series is one that I can’t explain what category it belongs to because it has just about everything you can think of; Western, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance (yes there’s a lot of lovin’ in the books) and of course there is a bit of horror thrown in as well. There is something for everyone in this series.

Well, last year they announced that J.J. Abrams will be directing the films of this series with Mr. King helping write and produce it. Which made me giddy is so many ways! I love the fact that this is coming to the big screen and I can honestly say, if done correctly, it’ll be one of the greatest film series of all time. Plus, to have Stephen King help with the writing of the films, I know that the script will follow the original storyline.

Rumor has it that audition will be taking place soon, so, being that it’s slow right now at work, I’ve decided to put together who I would like to see cast in the upcoming films. I personally would like to see a bunch of unknown actors, but here are my celebrity choices.

The Ka’Tet

Roland Deschain
Played by Josh Holloway

Eddie Dean
Played by Greg Giraldo

Susannah Dean/Detta Holmes/Odetta Walker
Played by Angela Bassett

John "Jake" Chambers
Played by Zach Mills

Oy
Well…he will have to be CGI. I don't know of any billybumblers...do you? Supporting Cast

Supporting Cast

Alain Johns
Played by Shia Labeouf

Alice
Played by Courtney Love

Blaine (voice)
Played by David Kaye

Cort
Played by Randall "Tex"Cobb

Cuthbert Allgood
Played by Kirby Heyborne

Dandelo / 'Joe Collins
Played by Steve Buscemi

Father Donald Callahan
Played by James Cromwell

Gabrielle Deschain
Played Helena Bonham Carter

Hax
Played by Jason Alexander

Jonas
Played by John O'Hurley

Mordred (adult)
Played by Paul Reubens

Patrick "The Artist"
Played by Johnny Depp

Randall Flagg / The Ageless Stranger
Played by Jamey Sheridan

Rhea of the Coos
Played by Jane Lynch

Sister Jenna
Played by Renee O'Connor

Stephen King
Played by himself of course :-P

Steven Deschain
Played by Sam Elliott

Susan Delgado
Played by Hayden Panettiere

Sylvia Pittson
Played by Roseanne Barr

The Crimson King
Played by Sergi Lopez

Walter O'Dim/The Man in Black
Played by Gary Oldmam

Young Roland
Played by Robert Iler

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight
Rated PG-13
152 minutes
Nicole’s Rating: A-

The Dark Knight delivers the best of the Batman franchise, with great effects, great casting and a sinister story line that entertains. I do not recommend taking young children whatsoever to this show. It’s a bit too dark and menacing for the lil’ ones.

The movie overall was great with the cinematography of Gotham and Hong Kong, minus a couple of shots where the camera spins in circles. I have never liked this effect and never will, no matter how good the movie is. It makes me nauseated and I enjoy seeing the background.

The other thing that nauseated me was Maggie Gyllenhaal. She reminds me a dark-haired Kirstin Dunst. Her acting skills lacked, she looked uncomfortable in her roll and I felt no chemistry between her and any of the other characters. But for great acting, it all belongs to Heath Ledger as the Joker. I can not see anyone else playing this part. I can honestly say that his role was Oscar worthy. Christian Bale did a great job as well, but I think he was upstaged by a lot of his counter parts, such as Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

Only one more thing bothered me through the show, but it still wasn’t bad enough to make me not want to see this movie again. Christian Bale’s voice was irritating when he was in his Batman costume. I know he was trying to disguise his voice, but the whole time I was thinking “You’ve gotta clear your throat before talking”.

This was a great film, one of the best of the year (I still think The Fall is the best), and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Batman franchise.

Abbygail “Boober” Gizmo Hale

Abbygail “Boober” Gizmo Hale
May 20, 1993 – July 19, 2008

Last night I got a rude awakening. My baby girl has passed away. Just like my uncle, I knew this time was coming. My mom and I even said just a few weeks ago, how much their symptoms are alike and that they’d probably go at the same time…and they did.

She hasn’t eaten in 5 days and she’s been violently ill. But that didn’t stop me from taking care of her until her last breath. I am grateful that she was able to be at home and not at the vet’s office when she went and I’m very grateful that she came and went into my life…in my arms.

I know she was a brat at times, but she was my little brat. We comforted each other through thunderstorms and she lent me her ears when I need someone to vent to. It’s going to take a lot of getting used to not carrying her up and down the stairs, tucking her into bed, feeding her my table scraps and having her chase after people, especially the kids around the pond. The kids and her both loved that game. Her favorite color was green, so I did get her some green flowers. I know what you’re thinking, that dogs are colored blind, but for some reason, she always knew green things, maybe that’s why she liked the grass so much. When she got older she became more loving. She let me hold her and hug her without her wanting to run off. That’s what I’ll miss most is cradling her and having her head nuzzle in my neck.

Most people think that I’m a fool grieving over a pet like I do, but she wasn’t just a pet, she was my companion for half my life. She was there through thick and thin. That unconditional love doesn’t make her an animal, but a true member of the family

I’ll miss you very much baby girl. Have fun playing with Grandma, Buttons and the rest of our angels!



Quirky Quote: Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

Wesley Gavin Somers

Wesley Gavin Somers
May 24, 1922 – July 17, 2008

Last night, once I got home from an extremely stressful day at work, I was hit with the news that my Uncle Wes had died earlier in the day. This didn’t come as a surprise to me because he’s been in a nursing home for the last three years, but that pain and hurt of losing someone still hits.

Wes was a loveable man. He greeted everyone as if they have been friends for a lifetime. He was a terrific athlete and loved every moment that he could spend with his family.

We’ll miss you greatly Wes!

Quirky Quote: The death of someone we know always reminds us that we are still alive - perhaps for some purpose which we ought to re-examine. ~Mignon McLaughlin

Baby Mama

Baby Mama
Rated PG-13
96 Minutes
Nicole’s Rating: B-

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have a great connection on Saturday Night Live, they bring the connection even closer onto the big screen.

Kate (Tina Fey) is a single working woman who is longing to have a child, but can not have one, so she goes to a clinic where they help her with choosing a surrogate mother. Angie (Amy Poehler) turns out to be the surrogate, but she’s nothing like Kate. A white trash woman with a redneck past ends up living with Kate and the usual “Odd Couple” stories take place.

The movie was kind of predictable and you could tell what was going to happen, but you can’t help but laugh at the jokes and physical comedy. There are some lines in the movie that make you laugh so hard it makes your side hurt. I guess the reason why I enjoy this movie so much, is that I can relate to Kate…someone wanting to have a child so bad, but can’t and you almost become immune to the fact that it might never happen.

This movie is good for anyone that understands the value of family, children and the need of unconditional love and for anyone that likes to laugh at one liners.

Playing with Paint (The Microsoft Kind)

So lately, it seems a bit slow at work and I try keep my mind occupied. Well, hours of surfing the net is getting old and reading a book is a bit too difficult since I’m usually on the phone, so I decided to try out some art. I used to be a good artist back in my glory days of High School, but I haven’t picked up a pen, pencil or any paints seriously for over 8 years.

First of all I needed something simple to draw, something linier. I love cars so I found one that I liked and felt I could draw; a Chrysler Crossfire. Microsoft Paint isn’t the easiest program to navigate, but it’s free and it's easy to erase mistakes. So this is what I’ve completed before I headed out to lunch today. I know it needs a lot of work but, I have to admit, I’m kinda proud of my product after a long interval of art abstinence :-D

The web picture I found

A quick two minute sketch, just to get the basic look

My product...not final, but a good start I think

Quirky Quote: Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. ~Pablo Picasso