Marriage License by Norman Rockwell
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Source: Art.com
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Franklin, TN, USA
Manila, Philippines
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Today We Decided to Get...
Current Mood: CC is listening to: Variations On A Theme By Haydn, Op. 56A "St. Antoni Chorale"--Claudio Arrau (Brahms: Piano Concertos (Complete)/Overtures (Complete)/Haydn Variations) ...a second vehicle :-).
It's a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. 2.0L engine, 4 cylinders, Gets 22 miles to the gallon city driving and 31 miles to the gallon on the highway. That translates to about 9 km/liter in the city and 13 km/liter on the highway. That's not bad :-). It got a 7.9 consumer rating (highest is 10) at Edmunds.com and consistently higher than 3 stars (out of 5) on all categories (value, reliability, quality, performance, styling, and comfort) based on 119 ratings on Kelley Blue Book.
No, it's not new--it's got about 22K miles on it :-). Steve and I are perfectly okay with getting a pre-owned car, so long as it got checked out and we get the extended warranty so that it's protected :-).
It's got front and side air bags, AC/Heater, power locks, power mirrors, power steering, power windows, CD Player-AM/FM Stereo, automatic transmission, rear window defroster, cruise control (which will come in handy for long trips :-)), and a car alarm with keyless remote. We got it for $11,600 (P507,442) at CarMax.
I honestly didn't expect the experience to be as easy as it was. It was like opening a bank account (well it took longer than that, but it was as easy as that).
In case you wanted to see more of what this model looks like, here are some stock photos:
Current Mood: CC is listening to: CSI Marathon What a video. I was sniffling by the time the lyrics got to:
"Sarah Beth is scared to death As she sits holding her mom... Says it would be a mistake For someone to take A girl with no hair to the prom..."
and it was an all-out bawlfest by the time I got to the end :-).
Skin (Sarah Beth) Rascal Flatts
Sarah Beth is scared to death To hear what the doctor will say She hasn't been well Since the day that she fell And the bruise that just won't go away So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad, Flips through an old magazine... 'Til a the nurse with a smile Stands at the door And says "Will you please come with me?"
Sarah Beth is scared to death Cause the doctor just told her the news: "Between the red cells and white Something's not right But we're gonna take care of you.
"Six chances in ten it won't come back again With the therapy we're gonna try It's just been approved, It's the strongest there is-- I think we caught it in time." And Sarah Beth closes her eyes.
And she dreams she's dancing Around and around, without any cares And her very first love is holding her close And the soft wind is blowing her hair.
Sarah Beth is scared to death As she sits holding her mom Says it would be a mistake For someone to take A girl with no hair to the prom
Oh, just this morning right there on her pillow Was the cruelest of any surprise And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands The proof that she couldn't deny-- And Sarah Beth closes her eyes.
She dreams she's dancing Around and around, without any cares And her very first love was holding her close And the soft wind is blowing her hair.
It's a quarter to 7, That boy's at the door... And her daddy ushers him in And when he takes off his cap, They all start to cry 'Cause this morning where his hair had been Softly she touches just skin...
They go dancing Around and around, without any cares And her very first true love is holding her close-- And for a moment, she isn't scared.
Current Mood: CC is listening to: Mythbuster's Hollywood Myths episode GPAC has an excellent lineup this year. What's even better, they've got a Flex Subscription package: Choose any 5 concerts and save 20% on the ticket prices :-).
The 5 shows we're going to go see this year:
Ballet Flamenco Jose Porcel November 9, 2008 - 7:00 p.m.
"Ballet Flamenco Jose Porcel brings an explosion of rhythms, colors and emotions that contains all of the vitality and passion of the Spanish people. This performance showcases a fascinating and continually evolving art form, blending traditional flamenco with some decidedly more contemporary music, moves and looks."
Yeah that was a no brainer, we're DEFINITELY going to that. Just watching some of their past shows on YouTube made me miss flamenco all over again.
In The Mood November 22, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.
"Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, The Andrews Sisters and more! Join GPAC for an incredible evening, celebrating America's greatest generation. This 1940's swing review combines a big band, singers and dancers to recreate the music that defined an era and moved a nation's spirit."
I love the big band genre. I'm excited about this one :-).
"Don Quixote" Russian National Ballet Theatre January 18, 2009 - 7:00 p.m.
"Considered one of the most joyous and festive of the classical ballets, the full-length Don Quixote makes its GPAC debut, brimming with spectacular virtuoso dancing and dramatic vision. Based on the epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes, this vibrant and colorful production includes a lively score by Leon Minkus and the spirited choreography of Marius Petipa."
Steve knows the story; I don't. This'll be a good second ballet for us to see :-).
Neil Berg's 100 Years Of Broadway February 7, 2009 - 8:00 p.m.
"Direct from New York - an all-star Broadway concert that you won't want to miss! Neil Berg's 100 Years of Broadway features five dazzling Broadway stars from such hit musicals as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, Jekyll & Hyde, and Man of La Mancha, just to name a few. It's an exciting tune-filled tribute to the Great White Way with songs from Jerome Kern to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cole Porter to Kander and Ebb. This show is a must-see for anyone who loves Broadway musicals!"
I'd go just to hear them do numbers from Chicago :-).
Jil Aigrot March 20, 2009 - 8:00 p.m.
"The voice of Edith Piaf in the Academy Award-winning film La Vie En Rose, Jil Aigrot has been described as the living reincarnation of Piaf. Aigrot's passionate performances on stage are bringing her world-wide acclaim. Spend an evening being transported to another era through the artistry of this extraordinary singer as she performs a tribute to the legendary Edith Piaf."
If you don't recognize the song La Vie en Rose, you'll probably recognize the tune from this movie trailer of the same name:
Now that I think about it, Steve and I should probably rent the movie before we see the concert :-)
Steve also wants to see one more show:
George Winston December 12, 2008 - 8:00 p.m.
Best known for his seasonal solo piano recordings Autumn, Winter Into Spring, December and Summer, George Winston plays over 100 solo piano concerts a year in America and beyond as deep tributes to the seasons. These concerts feature a variety of styles, including his melodic folk piano, stride piano, R&B piano, Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts pieces and more.
Current Mood: CC is listening to: The Nearness of You--Ella Fitzgerald (The Best of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve) A co-worker of mine asked me a few days ago if I was interested in looking at china and glassware and crystal ware. Her mother-in-law had passed away a few months ago and left behind many of these things. My co-worker didn't feel right about selling them at a garage sale and going through the process of negotiating and haggling the price on things that didn't belong to her (I can understand that--I don't think I could do that either, it's almost like putting a price on someone's memory). So she decided she'd give them away to friends who'd be able to give them a good home :-).
I'm giving LOTS of things a good home :-). Instead of describing each item one by one I decided to take a picture instead. Here's a shot of all the china and glassware that I received. I have casserole dishes, float glasses, silver platters, really cool stuff :-). It's like getting married all over again :-).
I also took home a stack of books :-). They're all cookbooks except for one: it's Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette: A Guide to Gracious Living, from 1957. Another co-worker of mine who was with me at the time said, "Every Southern woman has this book. You've got to keep this one :-)."
Steve and I are having a lot of fun reading through it :-). Take, for example, these excerpts from Chapter 23: "The Fastidious and Well-Mannered Woman:"
"A well-groomed woman is carefully girdled, if necessary, from the time she gets up until she undresses for the night..." (Can't...breathe...)
"It is far better to wear a simple, starched house dress, a clean one daily, if you must do housework..." (Okay that's just silly)
"Every woman should change for dinner, if only into a clean house dress...Fresh clothes and make up, even if you are to be alone with the children for a simple meal, are psychologically sound and bring a needed change in the day's pace. Fresh grooming for evening is one of the criteria of gentility." (Oh my God, I'm a barbarian :-))
Naturally we had to check out the rules for the men as well :-).
"The husband who gives himself a shaving holiday on a day at home is in the same class as the wife who doesn't put on her make-up or take her hair out of curlers until afternoon." (Oh my God, we're BOTH barbarians :-))
"It is only human for a man to want his secretary to be neat, attractive, and, if possible, pretty. He has to look at her all day long." (Okay, that could have been more positively positioned)
Don't get me wrong, I love the book. I can see myself referring to this any time I'm unsure of how to behave in a particular social situation. It's 665 pages and is pretty comprehensive: it's got instructions on how to set the table for an informal, semi-formal, or formal meal; how to make an overnight guest feel at home; the kind of letters that must be handwritten; there's even a section on how you should behave when you meet the Pope.
If you're aware enough to know which practices won't work in this day and age (practicality issues, gender biases, etc), this book can come in really handy. I might even decide to get the 1995 updated version :-).
Current Mood: CC is listening to: Nothing right now I don't know which is more incredible: that it currently costs $38,900, or that 33 people have already bid on it :-). And it doesn't even fly!
The auction ends in two days. It'll be interesting to see how much it went for :-).
Current Mood: CC is listening to: Tansy Land--Jim Chappell (Coming Through) I didn't realize this until today, but I've been using the idiom "begs the question" incorrectly all this time. I've always used it as a form of "raises the question," like, "All this warm weather begs the question if we should water our yard plants."
"Begs the question," I just learned, is an English circular reference and is considered a logical fallacy. An example of the RIGHT way of using "begging the question" would be something like:
Interviewer: "Your resume looks impressive but I need another reference." Bill: "Jill can give me a good reference." Interviewer: "Good. But how do I know that Jill is trustworthy?" Bill: "Certainly. I can vouch for her."
In this case, the interviewer would reply with something like, "That would be begging the question, Bill."
I know, I know--who cares, right? :-)
Hmm...I'll need to look up another idiom now because I always thought the above situation was an example of a "Catch 22." I may be wrong about THAT as well.
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