My Birthday Week continues! This is a great week. I've never

done this before. After running a few errands I went over to the

Family Christian Store as they sent a 40% off coupon to me for

my birthday. I made a small purchase there and then found myself

here at Barnes & Noble...

...searching for a couple of hours through the CDs and movies.

I ran across this Jim Nabors CD. I am sure most people (if ANY

people remember anymore) know Jim from his role as Gomer Pyle

on the Andy Griffith show and the TV show Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

But Jim is also a singer. My mom tells me that when I was young,

my dad (who always seemed to do a lot of stuff sans mom and I)

would go to The Horn, a club on Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica

and Jim would be doing his thing in there. When I see his CDs,

that is what always comes to my mind. I never went to The Horn

when I was older.

 

A year later, I am still trying to come to grips with this.

Hey! I found a Kenny G CD that I don't have! Now I have it!

Got to have Kenny.

A Harley Quinn coin bank in the clearance

section for six dollars! I have her now too!

Rob Roy for five dollars. I saw this movie a looooong time ago and

I think I enjoyed it. Time to find out if I remember right.

I paid for my stuff and on way out, right by the door was an older woman

that I had not noticed on my way in. I said hi to her and we struck up a

conversation. She was standing at a table that had a few books on it and

a large framed old photograph of folks standing in front of some boxcars.

Doris Martin was one of the young girls in that photo and they were on their way

to Auschwitz. Ms. Martin is a Holocaust survivor. She was at B & N selling

her book titled "Kiss Every Step". We talked for a while and there was no way

that I was going to leave Barnes & Noble without her book. I cannot even

imagine... What she and her family have been through...

Strength I will never know. Doris Martin is a delight.

More tomorrow. Early day coming up.

Stuff to do today! I got into my car and found that a bee was

about to hitch a ride to town on my windshield.

The last time this happened, the little feller rode pretty near

all nineteen miles to town with me. I had felt bad about taking

him away from all his friends and besides, we need all the

bees around here we can get, so I gave this guy the

windshield wiper treatment and off he flew.

First stop, yep.... favorite place. Coincidentally, while

I was taking this picture....

....a bee landed on my finger. I jumped and he jumped and I

took a picture of the side of a car. I had no idea

until I got the picture home....

....that the guy was in the frame. A split second ago

he was up on my finger. I wonder, could this be the same...
Naw, couldn't be. This must just be Bee Day.

Anyway.... Rogue One! I've been waiting for this. With

popcorn, Diet Coke and 3D glasses in hand, I'm a' goin' in.

All I'm going to say is, Rogue One was GREAT. If you are a

Star Wars fan, it is a must see. I rate the first half of this movie

8.5 Death Star Plans, and the second half, 10 Death Star Plans.

So overall.... TEN DEATH STAR PLANS. I now cannot

WAIT for it to come out on Blu-ray so I can watch it a few

more times. To me, an outstanding "Star Wars" movie.

I was so excited after seeing this movie I went against my

better judgment and a promise to myself that I would not

do this and I went over to Toys "R" Us to see if there was

something Rogue One I could buy to remember the day.

I found nothing that was worthy of Rogue One, but I did

find a good sale on two die cast helmets with stands. Kylo

Ren's helmet and Poe Dameron's helmet from The Force

Awakens. Didn't need, should not have purchased,

but I am ten.

One more thing for today. I walked by a Baskin-Robbins

ice cream store and thought "What the hay,

it is just after the holidays....

....I have not been to a Baskin-Robbins for more years than

a lot of folks have been alive, and I am betting they have

egg nog ice cream."

Yes, yes they did. And it was good. Beyond good.

Got to get back to El Rancho De La Tex for now.

More birthday week doin's for tomorrow.

I cannot believe all this time I have off.

It feels.... weird, but good.

- Prologue -

I requested a couple of days off for my birthday this week and

they gave them to me. And to my surprise they cut back on hours

this week after the holidays and I was given a BONANZA of time

off. I have more than a few days. I have at least one or two things

planned for every single day. FUN things for the most part.

No wasted time off here.

 

Today I made a drive over to Temecula California to visit their mall.

Years ago I used to go to this mall every once in a while to...

 

...buy a Coke, sit in the food court for hours, people watch and

listen to the sounds. I did that today and listened to my iPod. Busy

today. I had forgotten that everybody had today off. I thought school

would be back in session and folks would be heading into work.

Not so...

I also spent some time admiring the Lucky Coin I bought in one of

the shops. It will reside in the bottom of my purse to be seen perhaps

once every few weeks when I clean out the change. Don't judge.

Later, on my way out of the mall...

...I stopped back into the Disney Store to buy a die cast Stormtrooper

that I was thinking about buying. This guy is awesome. He will live

at home next to my die cast Darth Vader. "Look sir, droids..."

The sun is going down and it looks a little stormy. Time to head on

home. I have more plans for tomorrow and I have to get up early.

~ Happy New Year 2017 ~

The year 2016 ends with rain beautiful rain here in

Southern California. I took this picture at about 9 PM

on my way home from work tonight. Bring on the rain.

I bought this Western move "In a Valley of Violence" starring

Ethan "Magnificent 7" Hawke and John "Bud Davis" Travolta.

I saw the previews for it on another DVD that I have and it looks

interesting and maybe promising. This is John's first Western.

I pretty much cannot wait to see it.

~ Merry Christmas, 2016 ~

And thank you for the candy treats

from my friend at work!

I finally found a plucky little droid in a size that is bigger

than teeny. Hasbro's R2D2 figure from "The Force Awakens".

This figure fits right in with 12 inch figures. I found him

at Big Lots for ten dollars. Go figure.

Maybe one day I will stumble upon C3PO as well.

The issue with most 3POs is that they are not a

shiny reflective gold, but a dull gold.

Not good. Not good at all.

One of the galleries in the Gene Autry Museum in Griffith

Park, CA. These are all authentic artifacts. From my 2014 visit.

I went over to Big Lots and found a couple of movies

to buy. Moneyball on DVD, and Terminator 3 on Blu-ray

and DVD for only $2.88, a Black Friday leftover.

Earlier I had pizza and you know I have to put a picture of

it here because I love to look at pizza, almost as much as

I love to eat it. But I'm thinkin you know that.

I have not been to an El Pollo Loco restaurant in years. Fifteen years

maybe? And I have only been there twice counting today. It was

a nice change of pace. It is quite festive in there.

I had a 2 piece meal: breast and wing (pretty darn good), two flour tortillas

(pretty good), rice (good), corn (REALLY good) and their hot sauce

which is hot and great and you can have as much as you wish. Overall

I would rate my meal today about 6.5 out of 10 Crazy Chickens.

I will go there again someday.

~ Happy Thanksgiving, 2016 ~

A present my mom bought for one of those

"Toys For Tots" type programs. I would WANT this.

~ Jaws - Universal Studios, Los Angeles - 1987 ~

Go away, fish! Scat!

SHAAAAARRK!!

 

Wait, what is that? What IS that??

Hey! Mr. Fisherman! You could be in...

Although, everything LOOKS peaceful enough...

Well, THIS doesn't look good.

It is expensive, but I finally broke down and bought "Alison

Krauss & Union Station Live". This is a two disc set and it is

pretty fantastic. It has to be for me to buy a "live" album. I don't

like live CDs. A real highlight of this CD set is "Baby, Now That I've

Found You". I am sure that this song is a favorite of many folks.

This CD was recorded over two nights and I sure would have

liked to have been at those performances.