{"id":31,"date":"2013-01-19T01:18:29","date_gmt":"2013-01-18T19:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=31"},"modified":"2013-01-19T04:09:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-18T22:09:00","slug":"welcome-2013-and-super-faster-hair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=31","title":{"rendered":"WELCOME 2013 AND SUPER FASTER HAIR."},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Scott\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, now it’s 2013.\u00a0 We survived the end of the world and the Holidays with the families and friends.\u00a0 I’ve been meaning to write a new blahg and actually believed I might get another one done in 2012.\u00a0 Fat chance.\u00a0 Well, I’ll start off the new year with a new blahg and forget about 2012.\u00a0 Okay, so I won’t completely forget about 2012 or I’ll have nothing to talk about.\u00a0 Hang tightly to this blahg because I’m making it up as I go along and flying by the seat of my pants.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2012 wasn’t so bad for me, I guess.\u00a0 I had a contract in the last quarter of the year that kept me busy and paid me a little.\u00a0 Jeanette and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.\u00a0 The whole family met and enjoyed Washington for a few days (which lead to a good blahg:\u00a0 HELLO WASHINGTON, GOODBYE \u201cTHE LIFE OF RILEY\u201d<\/a>).\u00a0 My youngest daughter Abbie and I went down to a Stargate convention in Chicago.\u00a0 Oh yes, and there was that whole thing about me turning 50.\u00a0 There were also some bad things that happened and if you go back through some of my past blahgs you can read more about that.\u00a0 I want to move on.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What did I get for Christmas you may well ask?\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>\"Jean<\/a><\/span><\/strong>You may.\u00a0 In my pre-Christmas blahg, MY 2012 CHRISTMAS WISH LIST<\/a>, I wrote that I wanted the book \u201cJean Arthur:\u00a0 The Actress Nobody Knew\u201d.<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, I got it and it was a great read.\u00a0 I could hardly put it down because here was a life story about an actress I greatly admired and knew hardly anything about.\u00a0 I won’t give it away but if you can get a hold of a copy, you’ll enjoy it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While I’m on the subject of Jean Arthur, I’ll talk about two Jean Arthur films.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/a>The first is the “The Whole Town’s Talking” from 1935 in which she costarred with<\/span><\/strong> Edward G. Robinson.\u00a0 This film has never been released on DVD in North America.\u00a0 There is a European release floating around but I don’t know what the quality is like.\u00a0 If you can track down the VHS, which is out of print, then that’s your best bet.\u00a0 I managed to find a download of this film and watched it over the holidays.\u00a0 It’a a great film and Robinson gets to play dual roles as a good guy and a bad guy.\u00a0 For Jean Arthur, this was probably the start of her wise-cracking female friend eventually gets the guy roles.\u00a0 I hope it gets an official DVD release.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The second Jean Arthur film I want to talk about is “The Devil And Miss Jones” from 1941.\u00a0 I guess if they made it today it would be Ms. Jones but you can’t knock them for that.\u00a0 This film also co-starred Robert Cummings and Charles Coburn.\u00a0\u00a0 \"The<\/a>J<\/span><\/strong>ean Arthur and Charles Coburn would co-star together again in “The More The Merrier” in 1943 and “The Impatient Years” in 1944.\u00a0\u00a0Both of those films have official DVD releases but nothing for “The Devil And Miss Jones”<\/strong>.\u00a0 2013 will see that all change.\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>On March 26th, we will see this classic finally released by Olive Films\/Paramount.\u00a0 It’s about time.\u00a0 Now, if we could only get a DVD release of “History is Made At Night” from 1937 with Jean Arthur and Charles Boyer.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I should talk about another book that I received for Christmas but I’ll give you a little back-story first.\u00a0\u00a0I<\/span><\/strong> have a whole rack of films I like to watch <\/span><\/strong>around<\/span><\/strong> Christmas and not all of them a<\/span><\/strong>\"A<\/span><\/strong><\/a>re Christmas themed but might contain a moving sequence that happens at Christmas.\u00a0 One of these films is the 1945 film “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn”.\u00a0 This too has had a couple of official DVD releases recently in expensive boxed sets of Eliza Kazan films.\u00a0 Kazan directed the film but the movie is based on the book by Betty Smith.\u00a0 My own children have seen it a time or two and know how special this movie is to me.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Every year, in our family, we draw names for $2 and $10 gifts.\u00a0 That way you don’t have to buy for everyone but just two gifts for two different people.\u00a0 This past year, my son Noah drew my name for a $2 gift.\u00a0 My children hate drawing my name because they say I am hard to buy for.\u00a0 I don’t think so.\u00a0 I’m always clear on what I want but I can’t help it if they can’t find those things around here.\u00a0 Noah left his shopping for me to the last minute and I had to take him shopping at a local thrift store to buy my $2 gift.\u00a0 He wasn’t discrete about it at all.\u00a0 He had been perusing the books and found a copy of the novel, “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” for 25 cents.\u00a0 He asked me if I would like that for my $2 gift and I of course told him that would be fine.\u00a0 I was looking at some little ornaments at the time and he added that he might get me an ornament too if I pointed out the one I wanted.\u00a0 So I did.\u00a0 He also asked me to pay for it because he didn’t want to have to go to the cashier.\u00a0 Imagine that, knowing what your gift is and having to pay for it too!\u00a0 Later he bought me a coffee so I guess that works out somehow.\u00a0 At least he wrapped these gifts himself.\u00a0 I acted all surprised on Christmas morning and displayed the ornament on the mantle above our fireplace.\u00a0 I wish I had taken a picture of it before I put it away after Christmas.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The book was a welcomed gift indeed.\u00a0 \"A<\/a>I couldn’t put it down.\u00a0 Sometimes I would get up in the middle of the night to read it.\u00a0 I couldn’t wait to finish it and at the same time I hated to see it end.\u00a0 There is so much more in the book than there was in the movie.\u00a0 In fact, there’s a whole second half of the book that takes place where the film version left off.\u00a0 My understanding is that the first draft of the novel ended just like it did in the movie but the author thought there was more to tell.\u00a0 I’m glad she continued on with it.\u00a0 “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” is now ranked among my top 5 favorite novels.\u00a0 Maybe that’s an idea for a blahg someday.\u00a0 I will only add that it was the best gift that my son ever gave me that I paid for myself.\u00a0 Oh, and thanks for the ornament and the coffee Noah!\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Now on to Super Faster Hair.\u00a0 This has a back-story too.\u00a0 In 1985, I was taking a couple of summer courses at Trent University to finish up my degree.\u00a0 One of these courses was on classic greek literature, but I won’t bore you about that.\u00a0 It was, however, one of my favorite classes.\u00a0 \"Pappas<\/a>I started up a friendship with another classmate named Dean Pappas.\u00a0 His father ran the local Pappas Billiards and it was a great hang-out for University students.\u00a0 That wasn’t the reason we became friends.\u00a0 It was more to the fact that he had a car and gave me a ride every day.\u00a0 Oh, and he also dated my roommate Dorothy…but that’s another story.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dean and I have kept in contact and every year, just before Christmas, my family goes up to Peterborough to do some shopping and have a little visit with Dean.\u00a0 We always meet at Pappas Billiards, which Dean now manages besides being a City Councillor, and have a coffee and catch up on what’s been happening with our families.\u00a0 This past year, Noah was sick and didn’t get to go.\u00a0 That’s probably why he left my $2 gift until the last minute.\u00a0 Anyhow, we decided to also use the trip to Peterborough to aid in picking up my daughter Emily’s friend Holly who was going to stay with us a few days.\u00a0 She took a bus to Peterborough and we picked her up and brought her home with us.\u00a0 On the way to Peterborough we began to discuss our cat situation.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As readers of this blahg (do I have readers, I always ask) you will know that we adopted a kitten in the summer which we named Stella.\u00a0 Unfortunately Stella became very ill and we had to have her put down in September.\u00a0 That was the subject of the blahg, STELLA AND SHERRY, I HARDLY KNEW YE.<\/a>\u00a0 That was one of those bad things that happened in 2012.\u00a0 The short of it is that June and Frank were the only cats in our house.\u00a0 We had talked about adopting another kitten but we wanted to wait until the Christmas holidays so that Emily could be home to enjoy the new kitten’s company.\u00a0 On the way to Peterborough we decided that maybe we could find a kitten in that city.\u00a0 We knew that Emily’s friend Holly would like this too because she told Emily she wasn’t allowed to pick out a kitten without her.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We asked around in Peterborough about pet shops but we were referred to the Peterborough Humane Society.\u00a0 Emily had her smart phone and checked out their website to see if they had any kittens and where they were located.\u00a0 Online, they featured a few kittens and there was one with the name of Super Faster Hair.\u00a0 We all laughed at the name but we couldn’t see a picture of this kitten.\u00a0 We drove to the Humane Society and were taken into the back where they had two cages containing two kittens each.\u00a0 \"Super<\/a>We knew we wanted a female and we were referred to this one cage with two gray kittens.\u00a0 The attendant opened up the cage and one of the kittens flew out of the cage and climbed up onto Emily’s shoulder.\u00a0 Emily, Abbie, and Holly all agreed that was the kitten we would take home.\u00a0 When the attendant checked the kitten’s papers we discovered that this was the infamous Super Faster Hair.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Recently, I discovered a posting by Abbie, who would turn 14 the day after we adopted Super Faster Hair.\u00a0 Here is what she posted:
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On December 15th we got a kitten as kind of an early birthday present. We went to Peterbrough and we went to see my Dad’s friend who’s family owns a Billard’s place. My sister and I were looking at the animal shelter website. It listed the names fo cats and sometimes had pictures of them. There was a cat listed and her name was Super Faster Hair. That was her name. Super Faster Hair. So we went to the animal shelter and there was one cat who really wanted to come home with us and was climbing all over our shoulders everytime we held her. We wanted this kitten. So we asked what her name was an it was Super Faster Hair. It was that cat. We actually renamed her Willow, but I wanted to name her Teaser the Willow Sheep.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0Abbie gives away in the posting that yes, we ended up calling the kitten, “Willow”.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But there’s a little more to that story.\u00a0 Peterborough is a 2 hour drive from our current home.\u00a0 We didn’t have a cat carrier nor food and water for the ride home.\u00a0 We stopped out back of a Liquor store and I retrieved an empty cardboard box.\u00a0 We stopped at a thrift store and purchased a couple of dishes and an old towel to put in the box.\u00a0 We bought a bag of kitten food and we had a bottle of water so we thought we were all set.\u00a0 Not really.\u00a0 On the way home, the kitten kept climbing out of the box and onto the laps of one of the girls.\u00a0 The only time she spent in the box was when she got car sick and when she decided to poop.\u00a0 It began to stink in our van, let me tell you.\u00a0 I stopped in a small town and threw out the towel that contained everything Willow had endowed us with.\u00a0 Luckily there was a garbage can outside a local convenience store.\u00a0 This experience suggested some possible names for the kitten but, as you already know, Willow was the final selection.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Willow seems to be in fine health and Frank and June have accepted her and play with her.\u00a0 \"Willow<\/a>One thing I should add is that Willow has continued to be a shoulder cat.\u00a0 Check out this picture that I took today.\u00a0 Whenever I’m working at the computer, Willow likes to be on my shoulder.\u00a0 In this picture I was tapping on the top of the monitor trying to get her attention so I could take the picture.\u00a0 That’s why my left arm is stuck out.\u00a0 She’s a welcome addition to our family and hopefully will continue to enjoy good health.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well, that’s about it for now.\u00a0 I don’t know what 2013 has in store for me but the world’s still here and I’m still here.\u00a0 Somewhere, that has to count for something.
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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, now it’s 2013.\u00a0 We survived the end of the world and the Holidays with the families and friends.\u00a0 I’ve been meaning to write a new blahg and actually believed I might get another one done in 2012.\u00a0 Fat chance.\u00a0 Well, I’ll start off the new year with a new blahg and forget about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[54,53,4,44,3,55],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":56,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1557,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions\/1557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}