There’s a lot going on in the world today. We’re all having our own struggles with this, that, and the other. I find that writing about what’s bothering me, helps me so I’ve started this piece called, “What’s Eating Aunt Debbie.” Some things may not be that big of a deal, but it still bothers me. Some things you may or may not agree with and that’s fine. Don’t agree. I don’t care. Just move on to another blog. Rude comments will be deleted. It’s not that I can’t handle different opinions. I just get sick and tired of being slammed for MINE.
I don’t know about you, but I’m really glad WordPress has a spam filter! I guess idiots have nothing better to do than to seek out other idiots…but I’m not an idiot. I have a few words for those who leave spam comments:
*I am not interested in your Viagra, Cialis, or other sexual enhancement drugs. Nor am I interested in cheap antibiotics. In fact, I am not interested in anything you would try to sell me via a comment on my blog. If I want something, I know how to find it and I would buy from a reputable source, no matter what it is.
*If you are upset that I have “too many words” on my blog and “not enough photos” perhaps Where’s Waldo would be more appropriately suited for your IQ. There are many preschool picture books available, too. You can find them on Amazon or at Walmart, but maybe you should have a grown-up help you with that.
Image by levelord from Pixabay
*If you’re going to comment on my blog, it might get past the spam filters if the comment had anything whatsoever to do with the post you’re commenting on! Come on!
*And I have no idea what language this is: kflwgfywehkwiohfwkjefskjf BUT knock itoff! Seriously. Are you just hitting keys on the keyboard?
Over 45,000 COVID-19 cases in one day in the US! That was last Friday! Wear a freakin’ mask and use social distancing! Social distancing was helping. Wearing a mask was helping. States started opening up (too early IMO) and now we are getting slammed with more and more cases; some record highs being reported.
EU will ban US travelers. Can you blame them? We don’t have a handle on the virus and we never will as long as people won’t take some responsibility. This isn’t just about the individual and individual freedom of choice! This is about our communities, our society, our future. Wear a mask and use social distancing. Stop going to parties, bars, the beach, and to Church. It’s just temporary, for cripes sake. Don’t be a baby.
Oh, and that music festival that’s being planned? The one they are calling “Herd Immunity Fest” – yeah, that’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve heard – no, I take that back. As long as Donald Trump is in office, every day I will hear “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” If you think it’s a good idea for everyone to “just get the virus and be done with it” then you seriously need to read some personal accounts of how awful this virus really is!
Image by Robin Higgins from Pixabay
To those who think you can get CO2 poisoning from wearing a mask or that the particles will still pass through a mask when you breathe out: If either of those were FACTS, then doctors and nurses would not wear masks during surgical procedures. Some surgeries last for hours. Think about it. If they could get CO2 poisoning from wearing a mask, they’d be passing out in the middle of surgeries! They wear a surgical mask “to prevent the passage of germs from the surgeon’s nose and mouth into the patient’s wound and to protect the surgeon’s face from sprays and splashes from the patient.” Granted, a cloth mask would be less protection than a surgical mask BUT it’s better than no protection at all. We should all be wearing one, especially where social distancing is not attainable. None of us know if we are ASYMPTOMATIC or PRE-SYMPTOMATIC unless we get tested. We’re all in this together. Why not protect each other?
Image by Ben Kerckx from Pixabay
Well, that’s What’s Eating Aunt Debbie. Thanks for reading my blog! Have a great week! Until next time, I bid you adieu.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately…death and dying. It’s not a pleasant topic so I keep it to myself. I was thinking though, where would I like to go before I die? There are so many awesome places and sights to see on this great planet of ours. Of course, being disabled kind of puts a damper on those dreams of traveling. Add to that the problems with COVID-19 and well, I guess I’ll have to be content with seeing beautiful photos online, at least for foreseeable future.
I had a rough time with this list. There are so many beautiful destinations on Earth! When choosing a country, I then had to think about where would I go within that country? What would I like to see? Many were obvious but I had to really think hard on a few! Sooo many choices! This list is just a tip of the iceberg!
Where would you like to travel? If money were no object, and if you had no limitations, commitments or obligations, where would you go? Below are my Top 10 choices. I can dream, right?
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10.The Grand Canyon, Arizona – With the Colorado River flowing through this immense canyon of layered red rock, it must be a spectacular sight! The canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide in some parts, with a depth of over a mile! People say photos and videos do not do this natural wonder justice! It must be witnessed in person!
Image by 272447 from PixabayImage by David Mark from PixabayImage by kahern from Pixabay
9. Antelope Canyon, Arizona – This gorgeous formation occurred from the erosion of red sandstone, due to flash flooding and winds. Several tourists have met their demise because flash flooding can occur even when it’s not raining. It’s especially dangerous during monsoon season. Light beams at certain times of the day create wonderful photo ops! I can only imagine!
Image by 272447 from Pixabay Image by PatternPictures from PixabayImage by hikersbay from Pixabay
8. Glacier National Park, Montana – This beautiful park of over one million acres, sits on the Canadian-US border. It consists of 2 mountain ranges, 200 lakes, 50 glaciers, thousands of species of plants and hundreds of species of animals. I would love to walk the trails that flow through the meadows and forests of this magnificent park!
Image by David Mark from PixabaySt. Mary Lake – Image: Public Domain by Ken ThomasTwo Medicine Lake – Image: Public Domain by National Park Service
7.Alaska – I was never particularly interested in Alaska until I learned of a train tour that takes you from Skagway through White Pass Summit, where you witness the glorious scenery of mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and gorges. This historic railway was built in the 1890’s during the Klondike Gold Rush.
Image by Gill Keith from PixabayImage by lalycolon from PixabayImage by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
6. Venice, Italy – Can you see yourself touring the city on a gondola and eating authentic Italian foods in quaint little cafes? I’d love to go sightseeing and witness for myself the incredible architecture, bridges, canals, churches, and museums. Of course, while in Italy, there are other cities worthy of visiting, too!
Image by David Mark from PixabayImage by Donna Opfer from PixabayImage by Serkan Turk from Pixabay
5. Sequoia National Park, California – Home of the Giant Sequoias! What a sight (and feeling) it must be to stand next to a 200 foot tall tree! Imagine the trunk of that tree having a 40 foot circumference! Some of these sequoias have a life span of over 3000 years! Can you even imagine that? I’d like to hike the trails in this park and view the waterfalls, caves, cliffs, and canyons for myself.
Image by Klaus Stebani from PixabayImage by nmnm from PixabayImage by Roselie from Pixabay
4.Finland, Norway& Sweden – Well, these 3 gorgeous countries are tied for 4th place on my list. Why? I couldn’t decide which would be the better option to view The Northern Lights! Aurora Borealis can be seen in such glory in the Lapland/Arctic of these countries. I’d love the chance to camp outdoors in various spots for some fantastic photos! I would also have to visit some of Finland’s beautiful castles, such as 15th century Olavinlinna, which was constructed on a rock in the middle of a lake, the 13th century medieval fortress Turku Castle with 2 dungeons, and I can’t forget the Snow Castle! They rebuild it every year because it melts in the Spring! It has snow beds, thrones, sculptures, towers, and even a drawbridge – all made with compacted snow! Norway and Sweden also have a few medieval castles I’d love to see.
The Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis – Image by Sturrax from PixabayTurku Castle – Image by a_alanko from PixabayLumiLinna Snow Castle – https://www.facebook.com/LumiLinnaSnowCastle/
3. England – My #1 destination in England would have to be Stonehenge! There’s debate over the age of this monolithic monument, but it’s speculated that it was constructed around 3000 to 2000 BC. After Stonehenge, I’d have to roam the country-side looking for castles! The 12th century Windsor Castle, 11th century Tower of London, and Warwick Castle (also 11th century) come to mind. I can’t forget other sites such as the Wax Museum, National History Museum, and William Shakespeare’s home. Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site is something I know very little about, except that it has rock formations which span 3 of Earth’s time zones – Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous – 185 million years in all! It would be a breath-taking sight!
Stonehenge – Image by Zdeněk Tobiáš from PixabayTower of London – Image by Pierre Blaché from PixabayJurassic Coast – Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
2. Ireland – Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t visit some of Ireland’s castles! Kilkenny and Carrickfergus Castles (both built in the 12th century) are definitely on my list. The famous Blarney Castle (15th century) would be my first stop, I think. Why wouldn’t you want to kiss the Blarney Stone? Legend has it that if you kiss the stone you will receive the “gift of gab” (great skill of flattery). To kiss the stone one must ascend to the castle’s highest peak and lean over backwards from the parapet walk. Not sure if I could do that even if I were physically able, but I’d like the chance to try! I’d also hit a few of the local pubs, because why not? When in Ireland, do what the Irish do, yes? Ireland is home to many a lovely landscape; waterfalls, cliffs, caves, and sandy beaches. Also on my itinerary is The Giant’s Causeway, a rock formation nearly 60 million years old! Legend has it that it was created by giant Finn McCool.
Blarney Castle – Image by Per Waernborg from PixabayIrish Pub – Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from PixabayGiant’s Causeway – Image by Ben Kerckx from Pixabay
1.Scotland – Scotland will always be my #1 because of the beautiful landscapes and of course, the castles! My first stop is the 13th century Eilean Donan Castle. She is my all-time favorite castle, but others I’d like to see are the 12th century Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument, Edinburgh Castle (also 12th century), and the 13th century Urquhart Castle. Urquhart sits beside Loch Ness, home of The Loch Ness Monster, aka Nessie. While in the Highlands, I’d most definitely put on my hiking boots and find some photo-worthy sights – I’m sure there will be plenty of those! Caves, waterfalls, sandy beaches, and other castle ruins. I’m sure I’ll be busy…and exhausted!
Eilean Donan Castle – Image by Bernd Hildebrandt from PixabayStirling Castle – Image by abaltatzis from Pixabay
William Wallace Monument – Image by Sophia Hilmar from Pixabay
Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness – Image by Josef Pichler from Pixabay
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Whew! There’s my list of places I’d like to see before I die. You may have noticed that most of my destinations include some hiking, which is something I always enjoyed. If only I had the money to do these things back in my backpacking days! You may have also noticed that I have a passion for castles! I love Medieval History and castles! My ‘handle’ for most online activities is “Castlefreak.” I used to have a Facebook page about castles, but I just didn’t have time for it. I’m thinking of reviving it!
I do hope you enjoyed my list! I enjoyed making it! I’m sure I’ll think of places that I forgot, but I’ll just make another list later – because, why not?
Last week, after I posted My Top 5 Favorite American Actors, a reader said she couldn’t wait to see what actresses I might pick. I’ve been thinking about that ever since. I don’t have many favorite actresses, so this list has been difficult! Please note that I definitely do not have enough favorites to make two separate lists; one for British actresses and one for American actresses. This is a list that includes both.
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5. Sandra Bullock – I first saw Sandra in the movie Speed, which I enjoy watching time and time again. She always lends a touch of ‘real’ to her roles. She gives the impression of the “girl next door” with her down to Earth performances. I enjoyed the Miss Congeniality movies, which proved she could be funny. While You Were Sleeping, Practical Magic, Premonition, and The Lake House are among my favorites. I never saw Bird Box – and I’ve heard mixed reviews, and I’ve not been in a rush to watch it because it’s a horror film.
Photo Credit: Photo12.com – Collection Cinéma
4. Reese Witherspoon – The first thing I ever saw Reese in was a movie called Freeway. If you haven’t seen it, you should! She was very young in this movie and she was a spitfire! She did an amazing job! She’s a fine actress and seems to have the determination to move mountains! I liked her in movies such as Wild, Fear, Walk The Line, Sweet Home Alabama, and a limited series you may have seen on Hulu, called Little Fires Everywhere.
Photo Credit: Imdb.com
3. Emma Thompson – Emma is a British actress, who was once married to my favorite British actor, Kenneth Branagh. She appeared in several movies with him and one of my favorites is Dead Again. It’s a must-see if you haven’t already. Emma’s strong performances include Nanny McPhee, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, and The Remains of the Day, just to name a few.
Photo Credit: Amazon
2. Elisabeth Moss – Elisabeth is an amazing actress! I never paid much attention to Elisabeth when my dad watched the series Mad Men. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. It wasn’t until her role in The Handmaid’s Tale that I took notice. She did (and continues doing) an excellent job. It’s a hard series to watch and I’m sure it hasn’t been easy filming it either. She seems to take on the strongest emotional roles offered to her. I have seen her in Top of The Lake, a series with 2 seasons, and I just watched The Invisible Man last night! It was phenomenal – actually SHE was phenomenal! I have added a few of her other movies to my Netflix queue.
Photo Credit: Imdb.com
1. Bette Davis – My all-time favorite actress would have to be the legendary Bette Davis. She refused to conform; portraying strong, willful women and unafraid to take on any man, or woman for that matter! You may have seen her in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, The Virgin Queen, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Of Human Bondage, and The Bride Came C.O.D. The latter, is one of my favorites in which she starred with James Cagney, one of my favorite American actors. I realized, while going through a list of her movies, that I haven’t seen nearly enough of them! (And there are so many!)
Photo: Public Doman
Honorable Mention – Helen Hunt – Helen was a riot in Mad About You, and I loved her in Twister, Pay It Forward (which I refuse to ever watch again because it broke my heart), As Good As It Gets, and a recent flick called I See You. I wasn’t particularly fond of I See You and she was almost unrecognizable had I not seen her name in the line up. There seems to be something up with her face and it’s not just her getting older…at least I don’t think that’s it. Aside from that little bit of weirdness, I think she’s a great actress. She projects the image on a hard-working American woman. In my book, she certainly is!
Photo Credit: Imdb.com
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It was really difficult putting these women in order, let alone deciding which ones should be on my list in the first place! There are so many talented actors and actresses! I hope you’ve enjoyed these posts of my favorites. I may keep doing them…perhaps favorite comedians or favorite action movie heroes. Suggestions? I’ll take them into consideration!
I’m starting something new; perhaps not a weekly thing because there’s not always something eating at me, but bi-monthly sounds good to me. I’m sure I can come up with something new each time. It’s not as though I’m new to complaining! I snagged the title from one of my favorite movies, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? If you haven’t seen it, you should.
Today, being Monday and all, sounds like a great time to start What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?
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1. People are in an uproar over musicians and/or actors speaking up for a cause or voicing their political opinions. They seem to think because they are actors and/or musicians that they don’t have the right to speak up/out. I have read comments like, “Just do your job and shut the fuck up,” or “Who cares what you think?” Well, don’t they have just as much right to speak their minds as any lawyer, garbage man, postal worker, doctor, computer tech, etc.? Maybe everyone should just shut the fuck up and do their own jobs, then? Come on. It really gripes me when anyone is put down for having an opinion. That opinion doesn’t have to be the same as yours or mine. We’re all different. And the way I see it is, if a public figure (actor, musician, etc.) can actually speak out and help solve the problems of this world, then fucking let them.
2. Racism really sticks in my crawl. We are all the same inside. Our blood is red, our bones are the same. We all have the same dreams, the same problems, the same feelings about family and friends. There is no reason to use brutal force on a man who is handcuffed and on his belly on the ground. There’s no reason to put a knee on the back of a man’s neck, ultimately causing his death. There have been so damn many cases of unnecessary brutal force by police officers but still, the problem continues. I know that the majority of police officers are good but the bad ones are fucking things up for the rest. What the hell is wrong with people? I have to admit that several years ago when the Black Lives Matter movement began, I was one to say “All Lives Matter” and I regret that because I wasn’t getting the big picture. Then I read something that changed my mindset. “ALL LIVES WON’T MATTER UNTIL BLACK LIVES MATTER.” That has stuck with me ever since. I’m so sick and tired of people being mistreated or killed because of their skin color. If you’re a racist, then educate yourself OR kindly unfollow my blog and all of my social media accounts. I want nothing to do with you. (And that has nothing to do with a ‘difference of opinion’ but everything to do with racism and hatefulness.) Below is a graphic I made for my Facebook profile. You are free to use it if you like. Just save to your device like you would anything else.
3. I’m curious, folks. How many blogs do you follow and do you actually read them all? I feel guilty when I can’t read one of the blogs I follow. I try to follow only those I know I can read regularly, but sometimes I miss a post (or a few). Just know that if I follow your blog I will do my best to read your new posts as they are published.
4. On the subject of blogs, I have redesigned mine. Nothing spectacular but I wanted to switch things up a bit. If you’re reading this from the WordPress reader, you can click here to check out the new look and tell me what you think. I wish I could change text colors and I’m having trouble getting certain widgets to work, but I’ll figure it out eventually. Hahaha.
5. My computer is pushing its luck since yesterday. I think it wants to be pitched out of an open window or dropped from a high cliff. It’s responding slowly, sometimes taking 2 clicks to get it to recognize that I want it to do something. Usually when I have this type of problem, it’s done being fussy in a couple of days. I always think, maybe it’s doing updates. I check but there’s never any indication of that. I always run a scan to check for viruses, malware, etc., but PC Matic finds nothing. It does a great job at finding and removing crap that could really cause a problem. I am thankful for that. I suppose I just need a new desktop computer. I could use the laptop but it drives me bonkers, too. Maybe tomorrow the pc will be back to normal. Maybe it’s menopausal, like me.
6. Hot weather is creeping in. It was nearly 100 degrees the last 2 days! What gripes me is that every stinkin’ bug known to man always seems to find its way to my bedroom. I must spend 20 minutes before bed just smacking flies and spiders, scooping up beetles and throwing them out for the cats to play with, and damn near killing myself trying to capture crickets! If they would just stop jumping! I’m just thankful I don’t have a Praying Mantis problem!! Those things give me the heebie-jeebies!
Last week, I posted about my Top 5 Favorite British Actors, which was inspired by The Huntress. This week, I decided to try to pick my favorite 5 American actors.
I will start by saying there are so many great actors, this might not be an easy post! I mean, I know who #1 is but will it be difficult to put the rest in order? Oy. I’m going to try.
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#5. Vincent Price – I grew up in the 60’s and I always looked forward to the weekends when horror movies aired on the television! My sisters and I called them “monster movies” and while some were actually “monster” movies, some were just downright spooky and had the most awesome villains. My most favorite villain is Vincent Price. He was a master of his art. He was the ultimate villain, and there will never be another like him. I loved watching him in films such as, House of Wax, The Raven, The Fly, House of Usher, The Haunted Palace, and so many more.
Photo: Public Domain
#4. James Cagney – I was never much into Humphrey Bogart movies, like everyone else, except for African Queen. I was a Cagney fan, completely! He was not only a great actor, but he could also sing and dance! He was a Vaudeville singer and dancer. He was born in 1899 and was 86 when he passed away. He had an amazing career! One of my favorite movies is Angels With Dirty Faces. Other favorites include Yankee Doodle Dandy, Public Enemy, and White Heat.
Photo: Public Domain
#3. Robert De Niro – One of the greatest actors of all time, in my opinion, with many awards to prove it! De Niro has always been one of my favorites! Films such as The Godfather Part II, Bang The Drum Slowly, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Casino, Heat, Goodfellas, are just a few of his most excellent works! De Niro has also made comedies, which I didn’t think he could pull off but he sure as hell did! Check out Meet The Parents with the two sequels, Analyze That and the sequel Analyze This, just to name a few. The man is fantastic!
#2. Al Pacino – My daughter always teased me that I liked old men. I had to remind her that Al Pacino wasn’t always old. He was once young and gorgeous, and still not too bad for being close to my dad’s age! He’s an amazing actor and he still gets amazing roles, and a very recent role that he totally rocked was Amazon’s Original series, Hunters. Pacino caught my eye back in the day with Dog Day Afternoon and of course, The Godfather films. Some other fantastic films are ScarFace, Scent of A Woman, and one of my personal favorites, And Justice For All.
Photo Credit: Thomas Schulz
#1. Johnny Depp – This placement was easy, like I said when I started this post. I absolutely love and adore Johnny, since his days on 21 Jump Street. I love his innate ability to capture the uniqueness of the most eccentric characters! Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of The Caribbean series, The Mad Hatter in Alice In Wonderland, Tonto in The Lone Ranger, and so many more. I have many favorites but I’m pretty sure Benny & Joon comes in at the top, with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Edward Scissorhands, Blow, Chocolat, The Man Who Cried…and…and…and I could never put them in any order! If you really want to laugh your ass off, check out Cry-Baby. It’s an oldie-but-goody!
Photo Credit: Angela George
Honorable Mention: Samuel L. Jackson – I always say, “There’s nothing better than the perfectly placed swear word.” And that’s why Samuel L. Jackson gets an honorable mention! Ha! Well, that and he IS a great actor! Shaft, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Deep Blue Sea, Jurassic Park, Kiss of Death, to name just a few are worth watching in my opinion. Oh, and don’t forget about Snakes On A Plane!! I can’t help but laugh because it was ridiculous, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Photo Credit: Georges Biard
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In a nutshell, these are just a few of my favorite American actors. You may be wondering if I have any favorite female actors… Um…I don’t know! I never really thought about it before! That will be a good post for next week, after I’ve had some time to think about it!
Being Aunt Debbie 