Music Monday – Top 5 Songs – The Police

There were five Police studio albums released between 1978 and 1983. I know this because I owned them all. For Music Monday, let’s take a trip down memory lane and name my favorite track from each of these studio albums.

Outlando D’Amour was the first album released by The Police. They “broke out” with the hit “Roxanne”. I don’t need to go into the whole story now, everyone knows what the song is about. However, while I did like Roxanne, my oh-so-favorite track from this album is “So Lonely”.

Reggatta de Blanc

Released in 1979, the hot “hit” from this album was Message in a Bottle. While I do love Message in all its iterations (the acoustic version is especially stirring), here’s my go to from this album:

Zenyatta Mondatta

The song “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” hit the U.S. charts with a bang and spent three years there. I guess….people liked it? 😉 The songs did have staying power. My personal favorite, because I know you’re waiting for it is…Shadows in the Rain. Who can resist a song that begins “Woke up in my clothes again this morning/Don’t know exactly where I am…”

Ghost in the Machine

Their fourth studio album. My pick: Secret Journey

Synchronicity

The final studio album before Sting broke out on his own, although after listening to some of the early “demos” on YouTube, it seems that The Police was mostly Sting and two guys. Regardless of who wrote what when and where, my pick from this album is Tea in the Sahara.

There you go, there it is…my five favorite Police songs!

Peace, Love, Unity

Dahlia

Movie Quotes of the Seventies – My Picks

You all know that I go on kicks, and right now is the movie quote kick. So, in order not to leave you out of my musings, here’s some seventies movie quotes that are near and dear to me. Of course, feel free to use them, share them, tweet them or simply read them and laugh, then go find the movie they’re from, cuz some of those movies were pretty good.

Either way, enjoy!

The Godfather – The best thing about this line is not only was it practical, it was also improvised. Why go through all the trouble of buy cannoli, then leave it in the car with a dead man?

Superman – Christopher Reeve, the one, the only Superman. And when he catches Lois Lane? She’s not all calm, cool and collected…who would be? This man is ….flying!!!

Anyone who has been following me the past couple of years, knows that the Dirty Harry movies are some of my favorite movies to watch. Clint Eastwood ain’t too hard on the eyes either. This is quite a long quote, but I know it by heart.

I was introduced to Animal House by my husband, late in life, but I must say…it’s a pretty funny movie. Add that to a young Kevin Bacon getting paddled and you’ve got a hit.

And finally, if you have not seen Network, you are missing out on a gem of a film. It’s not a fun film, it’ll make you think, but it’s interesting to see a movie made so long ago that actually speaks to the nature of television today.

I hope you enjoyed this little stroll down memory lane!

Dahlia

5 Things I Love about Winter

Winter is the time of year where it gets dark early, which means cocktail hour starts so much earlier than in the summer. The children are in school, the weather is blustery turning to cold and there’s a lot of baking to be done. The brisk wind wakes you up when you go outside, making you that much more grateful to hurry back into the house or to a warm car.

At least that’s the way it is here in New Jersey, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The leaves did their final drop in the last week or so, and gray skies have presided for the last three days. I have no complaints about this, because I love winter. How much do I love winter? Why, let me count the ways.

1. My Leopard Snuggie – Depending on my mood, I wear it as a dragging, regal robe and my children call me the leopard queen. I love it. It’s warm, it’s fleecy and it’s an excellent emergency blanket for a child who needs a snuggle.

2. Hot Coffee – I love coffee anytime, anywhere and will only drink it hot, no matter what the temperature outside. But you’ve gotta admit, there’ something special about that first cup of coffee when I’ve dropped off the little ones and hurried into a warm house from the freezing temperatures outside. The house is totally quiet. After the gurgle of the Keurig, it’s just me and that Black Silk, with a little creamer to lighten the load. Bonus points for those donuts from the 7-eleven.

3. Slippers – I’ve got slippers, heavy socks, fur lined leopard sequined slippers, you name it, I’ve got it. Again, it’s about the warmth and the snuggles.

4. Baking – I am not a cook. Dinner is a task. But baking? Why I love baking! Cookies, biscuits, cakes, loaves…it is on during the winter season. Plus, the heat doesn’t kick on as much and the house smells soooooo durn good. In addition, I get to play June Cleaver with the kids and feed them hot chocolate with homemade sugar cookies!

I'm the one on the right. — I’m the one on the right.

5. Comforters – There’s nothing better after a long day of cooking, kids, dog and writing than to snuggle up with the hubs under our heavy comforter. Sure, it’s as old as our marriage, has some holes and is a little ragged around the edges, but it is warm and reminds me of how much I love winter. Plus, with the nights being so long, I don’t feel like an old person getting into bed at 8:30.

So, dear readers, what are some of your favorite things about winter?

Banned Books Week – My Favorites

“It was a dark and stormy night.”
Ah, Banned Books Week always makes me rub my hands together in delight and dust off my old, decrepit paperback books. Taped covers, “bookworm” holes and dog eared pages – nothing beats a great book…..

Unless it’s been banned. Just like bad boys, if a book is deemed “bad”, well, hell’s bells, I can’t wait to read it, or at least see what all the fuss is about. Many of the books I’ve read, I didn’t even realize were banned.

Let me share the list of my top five banned books that I read over and over again. You knew there was going to be a list!!

1. 1984 by George Orwell – “Do it to Julia!” I can’t say that I “enjoyed” this book as a matter of entertainment, but it sure did make one think. As a romance writer, I notice many authors are accused of creating insta-love between the two protagonists. Well, 1984 has one of the quickest cases of “insta-love” that I’ve ever read, with note passing to boot!

Reasons for challenge: “pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter.”

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”

Gosh another “downer ending” book. Atticus lost the case, Tom Robinson got shot. Poor Mayella Ewell. But at least Bob Ewell got his just desserts….and Boo Radley….we’ll never know. You laughed, you cried and yes, it has become a part of me.

Reasons for challenge: Using the word “damn” and “hell devil”. Does “psychological damage to the positive integration process “. Uses the word “nigger”. “Conflicted with the values of the community.” The book has also been charged with being unfit for junior high use. “Contains profanity and racial slurs”. “Is degrading to African Americans.”

The last reason make me laugh. Anyone remember how tough Calpurnia was on Jem and Scout?

3. A Wrinkle in Time: “Don’t try to comprehend with your mind. Your minds are very limited. Use your intuition.”

I can’t say enough how much I adore this book. Science fiction, themes of love and forgiveness, and a little love story to boot. Plus a female lead who was smart and wore glasses AND braces? Sign me up! The discussion of a tesseract (which is now termed a wormhole), space travel and life on other planets.

Reason for challenge: Challenging religious beliefs, contains offensive language.

4. In Cold Blood – First of all, let me say that Philip Seymour Hoffman was capitivating in his portrayal of Truman Capote in Truman. It is also said that the characater of Dill in To Kill a Mockinbird was based on him. Regardless of the personal history between he and Harper Lee, this book is one of the first “true-ish crime” books that I’ve ever read. It’s not a “fun, light” read, not by any means, but a truly excellent and absorbing read just the same. Capote knows how to write a book that captures the reader and pulls him in.

Reason for challenge: “sex, violence and profanity.”

5. A Separate Peace – “Sarcasm… the protest of those who are weak.”

I saw this book the other day under my dresser. Gosh, I read it so long ago, but it sure sticks with me. Gene’s jealously of Finney and what it ultimately led to.

Reason for challenge: “filthy, trashy sex novel.” “Offensive language”.

Honorable Mentions:

Lord of the Flies

Native Son

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

It’s funny now that I look over this list. I read a lot of these books in high school and/or college, and to be honest, the real meaning and themes within the book didin’t hit home until I actually got out of school and began to “live”. It’s interesting now, looking back, how many of these books were truly ahead of their time.

So hey! What are some of your favorite books that have been challenged or banned?

Music Monday – Rock Plaza Central

New (to me) music that doesn’t have a host of different mediocre pop stars collaborating on the same tired old riff. A song that doesn’t have a rap as a bridge. A song that uses real instruments – folks aren’t singing to a track. A song that can sound different every time it’s performed.

In other words, a breath of fresh musical air.

Rock Central Plaza is the name of the group and they’re classified as “indie rock”, whatever that means in this musical age. I suppose it means they didn’t win a television talent show and/or aren’t manufactured acts pushes on an unsuspecting public as “music.”

Where did I find this gem? It’s on the soundtrack of an independent (of course) post apocalyptic film called “The Battery”:

From IMDB:

Two former baseball players, Ben (Jeremy Gardner) and Mickey (Adam Cronheim), cut an aimless path across a desolate New England. They stick to the back roads and forests to steer clear of the shambling corpses that patrol the once bustling cities and towns. In order to survive, they must overcome the stark differences in each other’s personalities. Ben embraces an increasingly feral, lawless, and nomadic lifestyle while Mickey is unable to accept the harsh realities of the new world and longs for the creature comforts he once took for granted. A bed, a girl, and a safe place to live. When the men intercept a radio transmission from a seemingly thriving, protected community, Mickey will stop at nothing to find it, even though it is made perfectly clear that he is not welcome.

I found it to be a pretty interesting movie. While not heavy on zombie gore, it is an in-depth look at the character interplay and how their differening personality effect decisions that are made. I’d recommend you checking it out if you’re into that kind of thing. Again, I warn you, this is no Resident Evil. Zombies aren’t popping out from every crack and crevice to be slaughtered in spectalcular gouts of putrefied blood. It’s a quiet, introspetive film.

All the music used in the film was apt, but this song stuck out to me, which is why I post it for you here. Enjoy!