One In A Million: "Double Sight: The Complete Recordings."

   Today, I am going to start some album reviews! This album review goes hand in hand with a YouTube adventure!! This album is by a band called One In A Million. They were active in the 1960s.
      This band featured the talents of Jimmy McCulloch (on lead guitar, he was 14 years old and amazing!) his older brother Jack McCulloch on drums, William Scenters on bass and backing vocals and Alan Young on guitar and lead vocals. The album is called "Double Sight: The Complete Recordings." Alright then, let's get to it!
      "Double Sight": This is quite excellent. There is a lot of great tambourine on this, and I like the effects on the guitar, like it is kind of fading in and out of your left headphone!! This reminds me a lot of The Who, I imagine them doing it.
       "Fredereek Hernando": Super!!!! I think this could've been a big 1960s hit, I don't think it would be out of place in a dance club. The opening just comes rushing at you, you are hit with all of this amazing sound. The end sounds to me like bells and a backwards record. I could be wrong about the record part, but it has that skipping sound.
   " No Smokes:": This song has a very heavy, distraught and uneasy feeling. Not only are the words uneasy, but the drums and guitars come together to make this feeling--IT'S FANTASTIC! One thing we learn from this song is that he has to have a smoke!
   "Man In Yellow": This one is also gold. It reminds me of Peter and Gordon for some reason. Except Peter and Gordon usually did love songs. I think it was the way that the harmonies were put together that did it.
   "The Trial of Elmer Fudd": I don't know if it is about THE Elmer Fudd, or another. I really liked this one. It features a spoken interlude proclaiming the guilt of Elmer Fudd, who had committed a murder, he now must hang by the neck until dead!! This had a very raw feeling to it, an almost unpolished sound. It's cool.
    "Goin' Places":  This was very catchy and it won't be leaving my head for awhile!! Definitely very Mod and very 60s. ROAD TRIP MUSIC!
       "Something On Your Mind": Ok, now here is the Peter and Gordon sounding song, they could've done it, but not as well as One In A Million! The guitar on here is very neat, almost trumpet like. The echo is very haunting. I've always had a thing for lots of echo in music. Luckily, you can find a lot of echo in 1960s music and we have recreated that on some of our recordings!
   "We Don't Want Nobody Around": I am loving this album like a crazy person. It just keeps getting better and better, now this one is stuck in my head. I like the background percussion sound, it kind of sounds like Jack is hitting something metallic. That solo that Jimmy goes with until fade out, very good!
     "Lament In "A"": This one was very nice. A good one for a slow dance...I would imagine. Some of the guitar parts (it's really small and subtle) remind me of "Stand By Me" by The Small Faces, which Jimmy played on in the late 70s. If you are a Jimmy fan, you know it!
     "Hold On": Another number that is very catchy. The bass really walks on this, which is pretty groovy.
    "Use Your Imagination":The last track on the album. The guitar is great on this. It has me using my imagination to imagine that there is more tracks!! I wish. This was an all over great album, with excellent musicians. Jimmy 's talent really shines here. I really recommend it, it's golden.

The Audrey Quest Part Six: "The Nun's Story.

      Last night, I finished another Audrey movie! Took me two days. It was 152 minutes. The movie I am talking about is "The Nun Story", which was made in 1959. Audrey plays an upper class girl, Gabrielle living in Belgium in 1930. She decides to become a nun.
    The movie follows her training at the convent, where she changes her name to Sister Luke. As a nun, she works in hospitals, her main goal is to go to the Congo to help there. Unfortunately, she has to work at a mental institution before she can get there. Oh! Colleen Dewhurst played a mental patient there, very brief. Before "Ice Castles"!!
     Sister Luke is constantly being tested. When she gets to the Congo, she can't even help out in the African hospitals as she had hoped, she has to work in the European hospital, with Dr. Fortunati, played by Peter Finch. I feel so bad at this point, Sister Luke is always in surgery and she looks SO EXHAUSTED!! Crazy bags under her eyes. She also gets sick, whilst in the Congo. Then she is to be sent back to Belgium. It is now war time, things begin to change drastically and.....You go see it!!
      I thought this was very fascinating, I was not in the slightest bit bored, I have always had a fascination with nuns. I believe you can see some similarities between Audrey and her Sister Luke character, they both went places and helped a lot of people! Audrey did a lot for UNICEF. She only got $1:00 for doing it, she did not want money, she just wanted to help!  That is one of the many reasons why Miss Audrey Hepburn is so amazing.
      So, I recommend this, it's pretty educational, if one would like to learn about nun life in the 1930s. I am probably going to check out "The Singing Nun" movie too, that sounds pretty intriguing. What movies have you seen lately? Let me know! PS, I leave you with a very nice photo of Audrey and a baby, in the Congo.

More Project Linus Bizz!!!

    Today, I go to the library to meet up with the Project Linus group! I've been working hard. For the last couple of weeks, I have been working hard to make things to bring to the next meeting! I've come up with ten preemie hats and Two fleece blankets.
   The fleece blankets are 12x12, a size for a small still born. One of the ladies cut the fleece and I crocheted around it. After she cut the piece from a large piece of fleece, she used this cutter to make little holes all around the fabric. You put your needle in the hole to do a single crochet. Before finishing the single, you fold down the little bit of fabric under your stitch and then you complete the single crochet. After you single crochet all around, you do a scalloped edge (3 DC in 1 st, sk 1 st, SC in another.) An H or J hook should do it for you. I made one with a scalloped edge and one with a chain loop edge.
    The preemie hats are very, very easy to make, once you have the science of hat making down. It took me forever to figure out increases.  Sure, sometimes I am a few stitches off, but I have til I am 100 to figure this out. I used a variety of colors, I made the pompom with a plastic fork. The one with the ruffles was fun to make, I have never done ruffles!
        If you are fast, you can knock out a hat in one hour, you can do it whilst watching TV, if the movie is not action packed or full of subtitles, that is!! I tried to make a hat and watch "Singin' In The Rain", but I had to put my needle down, I did not want to miss a minute of that tap dancing goodness.
     So, what is on your hooks or knitting needles today? Let me know, down in that comment box!!

Music Monday with The Stockboy!!

      DISCLAIMER: Today, I just wanted to share my father's opinion on music. My father knows a lot about music and I thought I would share some of his wisdom! I myself, do not want to offend anybody. Everybody has an opinion to share, each opinion should be valued. If you share your opinion, I will respect this too!-----
       Alright!! I'm going to introduce my Dad, he call himself The Stockboy. The Stockboy has been in many bands (including ones that featured  crazy and complicated bass lines!!) We were talking about music last night (a topic we often cover!) I thought I would feature him in Music Monday!!
   He only did commentary for two songs, but his opinion covers most of it. Here are ten of the songs that my father dislikes.
1:"Cuts Like a Knife" Bryan Adams.
     It just seems like these un creative musicians just never evolved from basic rhyming into grown up music. Yet, people love it so much. Maybe because it's so simple. It doesn't take much though, it's just press play. It's background music to clean your house to, just like the rest of the songs on the list. It's just garbage.
2:"Wild Nights" John Couger Mellancamp.
  This is a song by, what's his name....The Irish guy, Van Morrison? I think he did this one first. Both versions are equally as lousy and equally annoying. If their not playing one version on the radio, they are playing the other. This has been going on for years. This is the stuff that they want people to listen to because there is big money put behind this music. You see, like Loreena Mckennitt, she funds it herself, if you ask 9 out of ten people who she is, they won't know who she is. But they will know who anyone on Warner Brothers records is, because the producers want you to know who they are. That's basically what I think about all of the songs on this list. They are not musicians. I've seen musicians.
3:"You Make Loving Fun" Fleetwood Mac.
4:"Steal My Sunshine" by Len.
5:"The Mayor of Simpleton" by XTC
6:"I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe
7:"You Make Me Smile" by  Uncle Kracker.
8:"Heartache Tonight." By The Eagles.
9:"All Star"  By Smashmouth.
10: "Only The Beginning" by Chicago.
Thank you Dad, for contributing to Music Monday! Alright, any opinions? Comment below! Would love to hear from you, as always. :) :)

"Singin' In The Rain", AT LAST!

 

    Now THIS is quite exciting! I have finally seen "Singin' In The Rain"!! Of course, I knew I would eventually want to see it, but after listening to Taco's version of the title song, I decided to see what was what. I remember seeing a little a long time ago, my family was watching it. I thought it was boring----LITTLE RAVEN, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND????

     So this came out in 1952. Gene Kelly plays Don Lockwood, a silent movie star. Donald O'Connor played his friend and piano player, Cosmo Brown. After a big premiere at a theater, Don is mobbed by fans. So he ends up running from them and lands in Kathy Seldon's car (Kathy is played by Debbie Reynolds.) Kathy is a theater actress who does not want a whole lot to do with movies.....So she says. But anyway, they meet again later at a party, as Kathy is a chorus girl who jumps out of a cake and sings a really adorable song:  "All I Do Is Dream Of You."

     This takes place at the very end of the silent movie era, when the talkies were starting to be introduced. The studio has Don and his leading lady Lina Lamont (played by Jean Hagen) jump on the bandwagon. The only problem is, Lina has a horrible speaking voice, no amount of diction coaching can save her. When Don and Cosmo decide to make a movie musical (after the first talking picture of theirs bombs) they have Kathy dub Lina's singing and speaking voice. Don and Kathy start to fall in love, thus his joyous "Singin' In The Rain".

       So, I will let you find out the rest yourself. There is a lot of excellent music in this. I thought I would be able to chose between both versions of "Singin' In The Rain", but I just can't!! It's all too good!  Not only that, but the dancing is great in this.

    My favorite part is the musical number done by Donald O'Connor, "Make Em' Laugh." This has to be one of the most amazing things in movie musical history. It left me going "What? Woah!! How?? He did not just walk up a wall and do a back flip. Let me rewind this, oh right, the rewind button still does not work. Who is this man and where has he been??" I will post the clip here.

    This is one of those movies that is so flashy, colorful and just plain awesome, that you want to live it. You don't wish that you had acted the script of it, you wish that you could LIVE INSIDE MOVIELAND!! Seriously, blue skadoo.

Ok, before I begin some kind of rant on how Donald O'Connor seriously kicked Gene Kelly in the dupa in so many areas, I'm going to ask you a question. Have you ever seen this? What do you think? What other old movies should I see? Comment below!!

The Audrey Quest Part Five: "Charade".

    Today's Audrey movie is "Charade". This is one I have rented and renewed at least three times and never got around to watching it, don't know why!! So I decided to just get it over with, so I can have something to wrote about. Sorry for missing a day, I would have finished the movie yesterday, had it not been so late at night!!

   "Charade" came out in 1963. Reggie Lambert is played by Audrey Hepburn, a woman who goes skiing in the Alps. There, she meets a man, played by Cary Grant. This man's name is Peter Joshua---OR IS IT? (Cue suspense music, dun, dun DAAAA!)

   Upon returning home from her ski trip, Reggie finds her home ransacked and removed of all belongings, she finds out that her husband is dead! Not only this, but apparently, her husband had a fortune (unbeknowest to Reggie) and a gang of no goods are on the hunt for it! They think that she has it, now she is in trouble. So Peter decides to help her. This triggers a series of very strange events (see for yourself) and Peter Joshua is not who he says he is. Is this man a Peter, an Alexander, an Adam, or possibly a Brian? I feel so bad for Audrey in this movie because the woman is being confused, yet again.  I shall leave you in the dark about the rest of this caper.

     The score was done by Henry Mancini. Mancini did a lot of Audrey movie scores (see "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "Wait Until Dark") and it is very good. I am really growing fond of his beautiful sound tracks, the man is up there in my book with Herb Alpert!

   This is an interesting film, not only is it suspenseful and stylish (all Audrey movies are full of classy style), but it can be funny at parts too. Not a lot, but very subtle. Audrey wears more Givenchy, it seems that Givenchy did a lot of her movie wardrobes. If it is not broken, why fix it? :)

 This is back when women used to dress nice when they went put. Of course nice these days is having all your clothes on in a decent non messy fashion, nice is not pajama pants and a sweatshirt in public. But back then, nice happened when the ladies wore their hats and gloves. That went out in the 70s, I believe. I don't think I have seen any later photos of Audrey in gloves. I guess she wore them when they were in.

   I often wonder, if Audrey was born in the age of Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Lawrence, what kind of movies would she have been in? Thank God she was born when she was, things might have been quite different! What do you think? Let me know!

Art by DD12.

   Well, my talented sister is at it again!! Here is a picture she drew last night. Spider Man/Peter Parker. I think it is just fantastic!! She just gets better and better and I am very proud of my best friend!! Check out the detail on this!! :) That eye is looking pretty real to me! Bravo, my sister, TRES MAGNIFIQUE!!! :)

Music Monday With DD12: 1975.

 
DISCLAIMER: This commentary is not meant to harm anybody. We are just two teenagers, listening to some tunes and writing down our thoughts. If you happen to like a song or musician that we did not exactly like and stated so here, we apologize. Everybody has their own opinion and we respect that! We don't want to offend anybody! We want to hear your opinions too!!-

Welcome to Music Monday with DD12!! Today's year is 1975, the top ten songs on the billboard charts.
1: "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain and Tennille.
  DD12: "I liked it, a lot. Fun dancing song."
Ray: "I have always liked this song, another great song penned by Sedaka. Love me sommadat Sedaka tunes! Plus, she says "Sedaka is back" at the end. Really cool."
2: "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell.
  DD12: "That's a song that I would listen to. Obviously, when you look at a picture of me, do you think that I would listen to this song? Absolutely."
Ray: "I always dug a lot of Glen Campbell songs. I like the orchestration of this song. My favorite is "Southern Nights." "
3: "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John.
   DD12: "I thought it was good, I'll give it an 8 out of ten."
Ray: "This song always makes me think of 'Dog Day Afternoon', even though a different Elton song was in the movie. There are a lot of Elton John songs I don't like, but this is not one of them. We have to go to Philly!"
4: "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender.
   DD12: " I love that song, I will give it a ten out of ten. Fun song to go to sleep to. GOODNIGHT!"
Ray: "Same goes for me, ten stars. Dad used to sing this one. I'm really crazy about songs with other languages at the moment."
5: "My Eyes Adored You" by Frankie Valli.
   DD12: "I loved it. An all time favorite by Frankie Valli, I give it a ten out of ten."
Ray: "This makes me tear up. Especially the way it was used in 'Jersey Boys', which is a fantastic movie, by the way. I love this one."
6: "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
   DD12: "I thought it was ok. Not as good as the other ones in my opinion, but fun though."
Ray: "Not hot on it. Guess I have to be in the mood for Funk."
7:  "Fame" by David Bowie.
   DD12: "It's ok. A little boring. I give it five stars."
Ray: "Not my favorite Bowie song. Fun fact, John Lennon sang backup for this one. The things you learn at the College of Rock and Roll Knowlege."
8: "Laughter In The Rain" by Neil Sedaka.
    DD12: "I like this song, Neil Sedaka always wins, goodbye David Bowie. But wait, I like David Bowie! No disrespect to the Bowie man, but Neil wins this one."
Ray: "SEDAKA!!! I love this guy and his songs. 'Callender Girl' is my favorite. I think this was during his 70s comeback. Tennille was right, Sedaka is back! Or backa Sedaka."
9:  "One Of These Nights" by The Eagles.
  DD12: "Well, to be honest with you, DD12 doesn't like The Eagles. To me, I think this song is a bit boring. I give it a four and a half."
Ray: "I never ever liked the Eagles. I'll leave it at that. But, I do like Eagles!! Love those birdies."
10: "Thank God, I'm A Country Boy" by John Denver.
   DD12: "I like John Denver and I like this song!! I will give it 10 stars, my man, Johnny D!!"
Ray: "Remember when we moved here, this was one of the first record a we ever listened to in this house. Fond memories. Viva la John Denver!!"
  Thank you so much for joining us today, now it is your turn!! Let us know what you like and don't like in the comments below. Also, feel free to suggest a year for us to review!! :)

RECORD STORE DAY!! Haul of the year. :)

   Yesterday was Record Store Day!! For once, I had a little bit of money on this day. Each year rolls around and I never do. So yesterday my Mother and I hit our local record store--yes, they still exist! :)
   The photo of the records on my bed, this is my epic record haul! From the dollar bin, I got "Now" by Wayne Newton, "BreakAway" by Art Garfunkel, the "Breakfast At Tiffany's" soundtrack, "The Partridge Family Album", "One Of The Boys" by Roger Daltrey, and "Have You Never Been Mellow" by Olivia Newton John. They had all the bins set up outside, it was a very nice day out there.
  Next, we went inside and I turned into a woman on a mission, headed to the back room where all the three dollars and up records are kept. I found "After Eight" by Taco for $4:00, I believe I got a discount. Very happy with this. Unfortunately, my record player likes to skip the beginning of the first song on a record, I am kinda bummed about that. Here is a photo of me and the prize find. I waited all Winter to wear that tank top! :) :)
We also got some freebies, free soda and pens. The records were put into a Record Store Day bag with the date on it, I shall keep it as a memento. They also had pizza there. There was one cold piece of pepperoni pizza left, did not take it, I was not feeling too well. :( My lament yesterday was "For once in my life, I look nice, now I feel sick!" :( All better now though! :)
Listening to "After Eight" right now, listened to it about three times, if I can manage it, I want to check out my other records, but I am in such a groove right now. Did any of you check out Record Store Day? Do you collect vinyl? Let me know in the comments!!

"West Side Story"!!!

      Alright, this is dedicated to all the people who said I should see "West Side Story", my Mother, my Uncle Scott, and my friend and fellow blogger, Diane Jaquay! Check out her blog, she is a wonderful maker of cards, I will leave you the link in the comments section! :) 

      "West Side Story" is a musical from 1961. In my opinion, this is the oldest musical (that I have seen, maybe there is more?) that had grit. Next would probably be "Cabaret" and the first "Annie" with Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan (I recognize my "Annie" movies by Miss Hannigan's, Carol will always be my favorite!)

    "West Side Story" stars Natalie Wood as Maria. Her singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon, but that is some darn good lip synching on Natalie's part!! Maria is the sister of Bernard, leader of Puerto Rican street gang, The Sharks. Their rival gang is The Jets.

     One day, at a dance between two gangs, Tony, played by Richard Beymer, meets Maria and they fall in love. The only problem? Tony is one of The Jets. These two gangs are always at it, so soon after, war ensues. That's all I am going to say, otherwise, I will give the whole thing away!! 

     There is some GREAT music in this. "Somewhere" is beautiful. I have Wayne Newton on a record covering it. Also fantastic. The color on this is marvelous, amazing how things used to pop back then!!

      I finished this in two nights. It was around one in the morning when I finished it, whilst working on another preemie hat! The ending came---I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT ENDING!! :( By far this is one of the greatest, yet saddest musicals ever. I was sitting there, clutching my scissors and pom pom, crying and saying to the TV in my head, "It can't end now! What happens next? This is the most unfair and heartbreaking thing in musical history!!" 

    The beginning (Overture) leaves you trying to figure out what  those little squiggles on the screen are. Then, BAM! It's Manhattan, place of my dreams!! From that moment, I knew it was going to be good. I mean, what is cooler then snappy gang members dancing through the streets? 

     The bad thing was, the disc was all scratched up, probably from the previous renter. That person probably practiced their figure skating all over this. By the looks of it, they probably won the Olympics. Stop ice skating on DVDS of "West Side Story"! I don't know how else they would get scratched. :( 

   If you have not seen "West Side Story", what are you waiting for? It's got cool written all over! If you have seen it, what do you think of it? Favorite part? Least? Let me know in the comments below! :)

TACO TIME!!

   Today's post is going to be about Taco. Yes, Mr. "Puttin' On The Ritz"! Usually, I don't like anything from the 1980s, I find most of it high on the cheese factor. And the shoulder pads!! I'm more of a 70s gal, though I must admit, the 70s had its fair share of garbage too.
   So anyway, the 80s music I liked was very limited--until a few days ago. My parents and I were talking about Falco (Mr. "Rock Me Amadeus") and I was like, "Wasn't there a guy named Taco?" After they confirmed it, I went to do some investigating.
    I've heard his hit song before. I wanted to know: What else do he do? Does "Ritz" have a music video? Why is this man named after my favorite Mexican dish??
Taco is a popular name in the Netherlands-along with being a great thing to load up with sour cream and cheese!! :) According to an interview with the Taco, it also means octopus in Japan. A high heeled shoe in Spain. So that is really cool.
   The "Ritz" does have a music video, in fact, it has many videos, I've pretty much seen them all! They are pretty mesmerizing, Taco as the Dapper Dan with the glowing cane and tap dancing- every thing goes better with tap dancing!
    I've  also listened to his album "After Eight" on YouTube, which is AH-MAZING! He took old songs from the early decades and made them contemporary, with lots of cool synth. One of my favorites includes "Singing In The Rain", it's really good! There are some really cool originals on there too. The record almost makes one think of Tiny Tim, who also did old American standards, though Tiny Tim is awesome, he did not put synth and beats to an Irving Berlin song!!
   The only thing I don't like is that people on YouTube write so many mean, ridiculous and stupid comments. If you are going to say mean things, keep it off the internet so no one can read it. Then, nobody will see how dumb you are!
   Taco Ockerse is awesome, dislikes and stupid comments can not change this. Some of his later stuff is great also. This includes "Got To Be Your Lover", which to many, sounds like a Rick Astley song. That may be so, but I like this one WAY BETTER! :)
   The song he did with Taron X is cool. "Ist Am Ende Das Ziel", I like a lot. Natch, it is in German, so I cannot understand a word, but it is great. So I conclude with this, Taco is awesome and he has so many happy jams.
    No more hateful comments!! Just enjoy the music. "If your blue and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where fashion fits?"
   I leave you with one of my favorite Taco jams. What do you think? Comment below! :) :) Thanks for stopping by!!!!!!

The Audrey Quest Part Four: "Wait Until Dark".

    I must say, "Wait Until Dark" was one of the most suspenseful older movies that I have ever seen. It was released in 1967, another stage play turned into a movie. Susy Hendrix is played by Audrey Hepburn. Susy has recently been blinded due to some accident and is trying to adapt as well as she can.
   One day, while her husband is out, three criminals (played by Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna and Jack Weston) come looking for a doll stuffed with drugs. One of their associates had given it to Susy's husband (who is out for the day) and they want it back.
   So they take advantage of her blindness by weaving a whole web of lies and disguises for her to believe, and she gets terrorized by Alan Arkin's character. My sister and I were saying, Alan Arkin was really "bringing the beans" on this. Which is our little thing for "that's some good acting right there", he actually creeped me out, even though I saw him in a bunch of nice guy roles! Apparently, he was one of the only ones who would take the role of Roat because most did not want to terrorize Audrey Hepburn on screen!
    This movie has one of the coolest jump scare scenes near its climatic ending---but I'm gonna let you see for yourself!! I'm just gonna say it is cool and Bravo Alan Arkin! Apparently,  a lot of movie goers were shocked by it, they screamed in the theater! Well, it was 1967, this was a pretty new concept.
    Audrey Hepburn did wonderfully as a blind lady. She did not even want foggy lenses for her eyes. Her hair is shorter in this one.
   In the trailer, they tagged on a warning. For the last 8 minutes of the movie, they would darken the theater to the maximum legal limit. All smokers should not light up, as to not disturb the effect. Very cool.
   Robby Benson was in the beginning as a boy playing ball. I had to go back to see it. You can't really see him close up, it was kinda far. But still, very neat!! I like the use of natural lighting in this movie. It's a good one! Here is a photo of Alan Arkin and Audrey near the end of the movie., Thanks Google! Go and check it out!! :)

The Audrey Quest Part Three: "Breakfast At Tiffany 's."

   This Is a movie that I have wanted to see for years. This is the perfect time, as I am on the Audrey Quest! "Breakfast At Tiffany's" was a 1961 movie based on the novella by Truman Capote.
   Audrey Hepburn plays Holly Golightly, a call girl socialite type who becomes attracted to her neighbour, Paul Varjak, played by George Peppard. Paul is a writer. Paul also finds out that Holly is not exactly who she says she is.....that's all I am going to say.
   The plot is a little confusing, it took a little while to see what it was really about. The opening scene has Audrey is a black evening gown and jewellry, eating breakfast in front of the fancy store, Tiffany's. She looked so out of place being so elegant yet, eating a Danish from a paper bag, with long gloves!! Now, eating in front of some high class store, is probably something I would do, after all, I try on fur coats in thrift stores just to look in the mirror and imagine myself ritzy, Ha Ha. Apparently, Audrey Hepburn does not like danishes.
   One of the oddest aspects of this movie is that Mickey Rooney, a totally Irish guy, plays Holly's Asian neighbour. Of course he wore a ton of makeup. I love Mickey Rooney, but I don't know why they couldn't get an actual Asian guy instead of making a stereotypical caricature.
    In this movie, Audrey actually did her own singing for "Moon River"! When she plays the guitar, you notice how long her fingers are. Wow! The only thing that was dubbed for her in this movie was her whistle. She could not do the two fingered whistle. Neither can I!! This is another movie where she plays a 19 year old and she is in her 30s, couldn't tell the differance!
   Her outfits were gorgeous in this movie. One thing I loved most was getting to see NYC. I've always wanted to go. One day I will! So, even though I could not understand a lot of it, I highly recommend it because everyone says you should see it. Plus, Audrey Hepburn is awesome and that is another reason!!! Stay tuned!

Preemie Hats and the Story of Sally.

   Here are two new preemie hats that I made!! The first one is in Orange, gold and white, just like candy corn. I think I am getting better at this pom pom stuff. I am giving that one to Project Linus. The second one is being modeled by my doll Sally. The colors are green, white and orange, the colors on the flag of Ireland. I am part Irish (and Puerto Rican, Brazillian, Itallian, German, Native American, Portuguese.) So I thought it was fitting and those were the colors I had on hand. This one I am keeping because I wanted to keep it as like a sample of my work and Sally needed a hat.
     I want to tell you about Sally. To some, Sally looks just like a regular doll, but she is so much more then that! When I was teeny tiny, my parents took me to the store and bought me a little baby doll and I named her Sally. Gosh, I loved that doll! I think she used to have a pacifier, but it is gone now. Her arm fell off once and Mom sewed it back on for me. Sally always slept in the bed with me, one day, I even gave her earings with a pink marker!!
   Then when I was 3 or 4 (I can never remember) I started to feel horrible. After taking me to the doctors and the lab, my folks found out that I had leukemia. I spent a lot of time in the hospital and clinic. When I went to the hospital, one of my parents would stay over night, they were always there, and I always had my Sally with me.
   One day, I had to have an operation to get a port put into my chest. The doctors let me have Sally by my side for the operation. When I woke up, they even put a band aid on Sally's chest in the spot where I just got my port. Oh my gosh, I hated my port, you had to be so careful not bump into things and when you did? PAIN. Plus, it made a mound in your shirt. I don't know how long it was, but I got my port out, finally and Sally came into the operating room with me again.
   Sally was the doll that was always with me through the whole thing. My family was always there for me too. They did so much. I love them A LOT. Now, I am about a decade in remission. I have all my hair back too. Sally sits on a shelf with all my other dolls. I am too old to be sleeping with folls, but I still want her to be around forever. After all, a doll that special, you can't throw or give away. I LOVE YOU, SALLY! :)

Music Monday With DD12!!!

DISCLAIMER: This commentary is not meant to harm anybody. We are just two teenagers, listening to some tunes and writing down our thoughts. If you happen to like a song or musician that we did not exactly like and stated so here, we apologize. Everybody has their own opinion and we respect that! We don't want to offend anybody! We want to hear your opinions too!!-
Hi everybody!! Today, I am collaborating with my sister Darien, aka, DD12. We are going to review songs from 1983 and tell you what we think! We are going to try and do this every Monday--MUSIC MONDAY! Ok, so the top ten songs of 1983!
1: "Every Breath You Take" by the Police.
DD12:  I thought it was ok. If it was me, I would've wanted the vocals to be a little stronger, you know what I am saying, Ray?"
Ray: "I liked it the first time I heard it. Then I listened to it, really listened to it. It's actually pretty creepy."
DD12: "Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you. Oh my God, that's creepy."
Ray:"You can't even go to the bathroom without this guy knowing. I like the standup bass though."
2: "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson.
DD12: "I LOVE THAT SONG!!! I'm a very big fan of Michael Jackson and "Billie Jean" happens to be a favorite. I always moonwalk to this song. I think that it should've been number one."
Ray: "I too, love me some of that "Billie Jean." Can't moonwalk though. I agree with you, it should've knocked the Police out of the top spot and be number one for the year!!!"
DD12: "It knocked The Police off the wall!"
3: "Flashdance....What A Feeling" by Irene Cara.
DD12: "Yeah, um, I think it was pretty cool. The music video was pretty fun. It was kinda hypnotizing. Who needs one of those little watches to swing in front of your face anymore? Just watch the video, That should do the trick."
Ray: "I really like Irene Cara's voice. This is a great song to dance to, obviously. That was a lot of crazy dancing in that video. Only wish I could dance as good. I would probably break something."
4: "Down Under" by Men At Work.
DD12: "Ok, it's not something I would listen to on a regular basis. It was kind of annoying and I'm not sure if they were being serious with the music video, or if they were doing it just for comedy. It was very silly."
Ray: "I never liked this song, but I always laughed at the lyrics. I liked the music video, especially the beginning where the guy kicks the car. I don't think they meant the video to be serious."
5: "Beat It" by Michael Jackson.
DD12: "Once again, I love it, MJ never fails to make great music. I also loved the video very much. Song is also a favorite."
Ray: "He is the greatest dancer ever. Now THIS should've made the top spot!! That guy in white next to MJ dancing was kind of distracting in a silly way though."
DD12: "That is true, he was very very silly. I also love Michael's dance moves.
Very much.
6: "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Bonnie Tyler.
DD12: "I thought it was a cool song. For the video, I will give it a number 8 on the nightmare scale. No one wants to be there. I wouldn't be surprised if they made a movie about it."
Ray: "I enjoyed the song. I always have. But what is with the video? And who the heck does that "Turn around, Bright Eyes" part? And why is Bonnie "Bright Eyes"? She looked a little tired. Now, the guys the glowing eyes? They had bright eyes!! Ha ha."
7: "ManEater" by Hall and Oates.
DD12: "Well, I thought the song was ok. The video was a little boring though. I give it a 5, not as good as the other ones I've heard."
Ray: "I used to hate this song, I thought it was gross, but I like it now. The video was not much, but the song makes up for that."
8: "Come To Me" by Patti Austin and James Ingram.
DD12: "I also thought that this was ok, it's not the best song in the World. I'll give it a 4."
Ray: "I agree with you. Not my on my list of favorites."
9: "Maniac" by Michael Sembello.
DD12: "I didn't like it that much. It was a little boring. In my opinion, it gets a two."
Ray: "Au Contraire, dear sister. I dug it. Another dance tune!!"
10: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by The Eurythmics.
DD12: "I thought it was  ok again. That song comes on a lot on the radio so it is always in my head. Anytime I try and sing it, Raven yells at me. I annoy the heck out of her."
Ray: "You don't always. I liked it. It most certainly gets in your head. I like Annie Lennox's look in the video".
Thanks for reading everyone!! Please suggest a year for us to do next Monday!! Tell us what you think of these tunes!!

Tam Hat Fail Turns Into Winning Situation.

   For the last few days, I was trying to follow a pattern to crochet a tam o shanter hat, which is something that they wear in Scotland. It ended up looking like a skirt, or a lampshade. It was impossible to sew up! So I said to myself: "Ray, when do you wear hats? If you go through with this, it's going to look like a big stupid cupcake. UNRAVEL IT!"
   So I listened to my conscience, it was not looking like the beautiful hat they wear in Scotland. Unravelling it, I decided to make some preemie hats!! There are a lot of lovely patterns on the internet. The one on the left made use of the cluster and v stitch. It was hard, but I love to learn new things! When you make that, you have to keep three numbers in your head: number of stitches, how many v stitches you did and the same with the clusters----FRIED BRAIN! So proud of it though!
   The one on the right was easier, all half double crochet. I had to make the pom pom twice, I hope it does not fall off! Maybe I will get better at pom pom making with time.
     The whole family went to Wal Mart today, so natch, that yarn section had to be visited!! Picked up an "I" hook (apparently it is used in a lot of patterns! For some reason I dream that I have this elusive hook and then I wake up. Got it now!) Also picked up some stitch markers, no more trying to figure out how to mark it with yarn. Hat making is a lot of fun!! Question of the day: have you made any hats? Post pictures in the comments!! Would love to see your creations!!

Why Arnold Horshack Is Cool.

   In the 1970s, there was a TV show called "Welcome Back, Kotter." It was about a teacher in Brooklyn, named Mr. Kotter, going back to his old high school to teach. Grumpy vice principal Mr. Woodman gives him an assignment to teach the remedial academics group, a group of students that call themselves Sweathogs. Mr. Kotter used to be a Sweathog too. So the show follows his adventures trying to teach this class full of crazy teenagers!
    So, my Dad introduced me to this show a few years ago, unfortunately it did not catch on with me as much as "Happy Days"'........until I stumbled upon on METV in November. It was one of those "where has this been all my life?" moments. I love it!!
     But this post is not entirely about the show itself, I just had to fill you in on what it was. This post is about the character Arnold Horshack, one of the main Sweathogs, played by Ron Palillo. It seems that most girls were drawn to John Travolta 's character, Vinnie Barbarino, as they should be because John Travolta is awesome. HOWEVER. Arnold is my favorite, hands down, from minute one. From the first "Hello. Howareya. My name is Arnold Horshack" second. So somebody needed to blog about this to get some Arnold fans together!! Here and now, I'm gonna talk about why he was cool:
1: He was funny. His laugh was hysterical!
2: He had great style. I tried to make the long striped scarf, but am a little discouraged. Trying to Do garter stitch for so long will do that to a person. And those plaid shirts and sweater vests though.
3: He was the smartest Sweathog. Mr. Woodman wanted to move him up and out of remedial academics, but Arnold was not going for that.
4: He knew when it was time to be a man. When he had to fight a guy from a rival school? He recognized that he had to do it. His stepfather dies? He sees that he needs to step up and be the man of the house for his mother and siblings.
5: He had an appreciation of old movies. Plus, plus! I still need to see "Footlight Parade."
6: He had his sense of cool. Not like top dog Barbarino cool. Not hip Washington cool. Not  tough Epstein cool. He had his own dorky Horshack cool.
7: Though Ron Palillo did not like his nose and had plastic surgery to change it, he has my favorite nose of all time. And I have a list of favorite noses.
Here are some random character facts.
1: Ron Palillo came up with the Arnold voice by mixing his aunt's New Haven accent with Dustin Hoffman's accent in "Midnight Cowboy."
2: He got the laugh from his dying father.
3: Horshack means "the cattle are dying. " it's a very old and respected name. Most of the Horshack men were men of the sea.
4: Gabriel Kaplan based the Sweathogs around guys he grew up with.
5: Arnold's middle name was Dingfelder.
So, thank you Ron Palillo for bringing such a cool character to life, for making me want to be a teenager in the 70s, going to Buchanan High. I know, that if that show was a real life thing, we would have been buddies.  RIP.
Have any of you guys watched the show? Share your thoughts below!!!!

New 12x12 Blanket!!

Hello everybody! How was your day? Hope it was not rainy and dreary as it is where I am. Here is a blanket I made a few days ago for Project Linus. It is a blanket for a tiny stillborn. 12x12, 26 rows, 42 stitches per row, blue and gold and a blue chain loop edging. These are quite simple to make. I really enjoy making them. Thanks to my brother for taking the photo! Any projects on your horizon?

CLEANING JAM!!

Afternoon everybody!! I just got finished on a mega cleaning spree, this happens every Thursday. I tackle the dishes, bathroom and my room in one straight line!! While I was taking care of this, I noticed that I seem to put on certain records when I do all of this stuff. I realized, I have a jam for each thing I do!! So today's blog is going to be about cleaning jams. So, here are some albums I put on the record player, when I clean, or do other stuff.
LAUNDRY: "City Nights" by Nick Gilder. This is a great album to fold to, especially on a nice sunny day when you have the window open. It has a nice summer feel. Nick Gilder is most famous for "Hot Child In The City", but my favorite on the album is "Frustration". There are some great guitar solos on here, done by James McCulloch (Not to be mixed up with Jimmy McCulloch of Wings.)
   CLEANING THE BATHROOM:  "Bay City Rollers" or "Strangers In The Wind" by The Bay City Rollers. These guys were great!! Their music was light, fun and poppy and had a lot of BELLS!! There are three things I am crazy about in songs, bells, bass and sax!! This is also a Summer jam. Their cover of "Be My Baby" is fab. Of course "Saturday Night" is THE Bay City Rollers hit!! Great for cleaning stuff. S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y NIGHT!
  CLEANING THE BEDROOM: "Jeff Conaway" by Jeff Conaway or "Jerry Lewis Just Sings" by Jerry Lewis. Jeff Conaway was Kenickie in "Grease" and was Danny in the stage version. He was also in "Taxi" as Bobby Wheeler. My favorite on the album might be "I Don't Want To Be Alone Tonight", because I like to sing it loud. Jerry Lewis sings a lot of old songs and it is very good. Lots of brass (plus, plus, love the brass!!) And very Vegas. "Rockabye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" Is my fave.
   GETTING READY IN THE MORNING: You need to have a hair brushing jam. So lately, I put on the song "One Day Tomorrow" by Edgar Winter off his "Jasmine Nightdreams" album. It's optimistic!
  CROCHETING: Anything!! But lately, a lot of Edgar Winter.
DISHES: I sing sometimes when I do the dishes.
Ok, now I want to hear from you!! What are your cleaning jams? Or your doing stuff jams? Let me know in the comments below!

WINGSPAN!!!

  This afternoon, whilst working on a tam hat, I decided to have myself a little YouTube adventure!! Might as well get something to Crochet to and learn something at the same time!! When you are homeschooled, you are very "let's go learn something" oriented!
   Today's YouTube adventure was a documentary called "Wingspan." It is about Paul and Linda McCartney and their band, Wings. I've been a Beatles fan since I was 8 and soon after, my Dad introduced me to Wings. My favorite band member in Wings is guitarist Jimmy McCulloch. This guy was fantastic!!
  Last year on Facebook, I found a group that was perfect, a group just for Jimmy McCulloch fans! "Little Wing: The Jimmy McCulloch Story." The guy who runs it, Paul Salley, is writing a book about Jimmy, the first of it's kind, a book I can't wait to read! Some of the nice people in the group suggested I go and see "Wingspan" and write about it after!!
   So, in this documentary, Mary McCartney interviews her dad about his Wings career and her Mom, Linda. It's really sweet, instead of some other person to interview, they kept it in the family, so it is very warm. Paul talks about meeting his wife Linda (there are Linda interviews in here too, just audio over photos or 1970s footage) their life together and forming Wings together.
   The love story is really sweet. You could tell that there was a lot of love in that relationship, you knew, they would have stayed together forever!! Linda is cool. She was real. Not overly frilly, but she was awesome! That is why she is my favorite Beatle wife. Paul talks a little bit about the coming and going of band members.
    I thought it was so neat how they went on their own impromptu tour, going to universities, asking to play for the students, to try out their new band. Paul had Linda playing keyboard and singing harmonies. The three consistent band members were Paul, Linda and Denny Laine. Together, this band  made some of the greatest 1970s music and one of my favorite concert films, "Rockshow", where I first saw Jimmy doing "Medicine Jar", which is one of the best songs that Wings ever put out.
   One of my favorite parts was where the whole band is in a living room, jamming on the couch to "Bluebird." That was neat, very family like! But then, family life had a great tie in with the band. Paul and Linda would bring their kids on the road with them. Wow, imagine being those kids, being there to dig all that great music and just hang out!!
   So, this was a great documentary, I highly recommend it and I highly recommend checking out the music of Wings, not just the radio hits. There are so many great Wings songs that don't get played on the radio, that is the crime of FM radio. It is very limited and then you get sick of the selection. Wings is a great band!!
   If you are a fan, what is your favorite song by them? Your favorite band member? If you love Jimmy, check out the group and the Jimmy McCulloch page on Facebook!! One of the greatest guitar players there ever was. I am sure I will cover him in another post, but I will close for now!! Go watch some Wings and have a wonderful, wonderful night!!

The Audrey Quest Part Two: "Funny Face".

   Part Two!! YES! Last night, I stayed up late to watch this sweet movie from 1957, "Funny Face"! Maggie Prescott (played by Kay Thompson) is an editor for a fashion magazine who is looking for the next big trend. Fred Astaire plays her photographer, Dick Avery. Together, they decide to find a nice gritty city backdrop for their model to pose against, so in a spur of the moment, they head to Greenwich Village and land in a book store.
    There, they find Jo Stafford (Audrey Hepburn) a girl working there. With their crew, they turn the place upside down, much to Jo's dismay. After, Dick stays behind to help Jo clean up, he likes what he sees and thinks that she could be a model in their magazine. I'm not going to give the rest away, but it is another "Transformation Audrey" movie, where they turn her into a fashion model. But she still remains a beatnik learning about philosophy, in her heart.
   There are a lot of great songs in this. AUDREY DOES ALL OF HER SINGING! No dubs here. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" Is fantastic and is one of my favorites. I heard Julie Andrews and Jerry Lewis do it first though. "Funny Face" is a cute song. "Think Pink" is really fab because they colored the movie so well!! Pink shampoo and toothpaste!!
   But my favorite scenes featured Kay Thompson. Before this movie, all I knew about Kay was that she wrote the "Eloise" books (LOVE, LOVE THEM!) And that she was Liza Minnelli's godmother. She is so cool in this! Her singing is great. "Clap Yo' Hands" was super.
  I also dug the scene at the cafe where Audrey dances. Also at the cafe, they have this jazzy instrumental rendition of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" As backround music, which I thought was pretty sweet. Maybe I should listen to some more jazz. Ok. Question of the day: What is your favorite musical and why?

The Audrey Quest Part 1: "My Fair Lady".

   A quest to see all Audrey Hepburn movies is what I have taken up. My Dad being the fan that he is, introduced me to "My Fair Lady" when I was teeny tiny, so I decided to watch it over, I forgot how it ended!!
   "My Fair Lady" stars Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle, a girl who sells flowers in markets and Rex Harrison, as a wealthy teacher of phonetics, Proffessor Henry Higgins. After meeting Miss Doolittle and being appalled by her speech patterns, he boasts that he can turn her into a respectable lady in months.
   So the Proffessor embarks on the journey of trying to rid Eliza of her working class, Cockney accent. I won't give the whole plot away. "My Fair Lady" was originally a musical on the stage, starring Julie Andrews. Most of Audrey's vocals were dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed vocals on "West Side Story" (note to self, must see that one too). I really enjoyed seeing all of the pretty Victorian dresses and picture hats!! Amazing how elegant the World used to be.
    I was quite surprised to find out that Audrey Hepburn was actually 35 when she played Eliza, who was in her very early 20s! Could have fooled me, she is so pretty. It took me three days to watch it because I usually watch TV late at night.
  I have had "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" in my head all morning! One of my favorite parts is when Eliza throws slippers at the Proffessor. Also when she finally grasps the brand new speaking pattern! Oddly enough, my Dad bought his video copy on Easter of 1993, and I rented the DVD from the library the day before Easter! He tells me he must have seen it 30 times, yes it is a fantastic musical, go out and rent it! If you have seen it, what is your favorite part? What is your favorite musical number? Let me know in the comments below! Here is a photo of Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison that I found on Google.

The DD12 Showcase.

I have a very talented sister, Darien. She is 13, we call her DD 12. Tonight she made these lovely sculptures. She is so talented in so many areas (drumming, singing, guitar playing, drawing, sculpting, crocheting, basketball etc.) A skull and a hand. Amazing!! Being her sister, I am so proud of her. But even if I had never met her, it is guaranteed,  I would  be her biggest fan! Witness the art of DD 12!

My Jerry Letter.

   This morning I wrote in my diary: "Day 22 JLL", JLL stands for "Jerry Lewis Letter." 22 days ago I sent Mr. Lewis a letter. I have written many famous people (most times I did it wrong by sending it in a regular envelope. You are supposed to send it in a manila envelope with another envelope inside it with your address on it and some stamps for the trip back to you) but success never came to me.
   So I vowed never to write another Hollywood letter as long as I live.......until Jerry Lewis came along.
   My Dad introduced me to his movies back in December with "The Disorderly Orderly" and I knew I had to see more of this funny guy!! So I saw "Cinderfella", "The Stooge" and "The Nutty Proffessor". Will I ever see Eddie Murphey's version of "Nutty"? Nope! Why beat perfection?
   I also found the "Jerry Lewis Sings" record at the record store, so I was happy about that! Anytime I put on one of his movies, I always feel extremely happy looking into his crazy world!!
   So I made up my mind, must write a letter to Jerry Lewis!!! So I did! I drew stars all over the envelope (a regular run of the mill envelope won't get anyone's attention.) And sent it to Las Vegas. I began to count the days and I still am!
    But get this, for the first time, I don't mind. Usually, I might get pretty angry after months of waiting, but if months happen to pass, I won't be upset!! No matter if he writes me or not, I will still be happy because I know that watching a Jerry Lewis movie is right up there on the happy scale with your mother's cooking, sunshine, babies, and the beach. It is just something that makes you happy and at home!
    I hear he is going to be in some movie with Nicholas Cage. Probably some movie where Nick yells at a lot of people, threatens some criminals and tries to save somebody's life and take back what is his. I'm gonna have to check it out!!
   Now, it's time to bring in a little happiness. Here is the Legendary Jerry doing "North Dakota, South Dakota", a really cute little song about a guy talking to the moon. "BUT I'M FROM JERSEY!!" So am I, Jerry! Enjoy.

Easter Goodness.

   Happy Easter everybody! Hope you had a great Easter, my family and I did. We had some delicious ham that made us forsake hams of the past, some mashed potatoes (of course this was the first time I screwed up the potatoes, go figure.) Bread and carrots! Yum!
   Ok, here are some projects that I just completed for Project Linus. All I have to do now is put everything in a bag and bring it to the next get together! First item of business, the granny square blanket. I don't know how to make granny squares yet. But I can piece them together!! One of the group ladies taught me how. Other ladies in the group made the squares, so it was all assembly on my part. 
   The second one is a 36x36 baby blanket. 67 rows, 115 stitches to a row, with a scalloped border. I used Aran, blue, gold and delft blue Red Heart Yarn and Rainbow classic by Purl Essence. The small blankets are for small still born babies. The first is 12x12, 27 rows, 42 stitches to a row, the colors are delft blue and Aran. Scalloped border. The second has the same measurements. Rainbow classic is the color. This time I decided to mix it up and try something new so I made a chain loop edging in gold. That was a very enjoyable experience and very quick, it only looks complicated!!!
  I might do that more often. I am in the process of making another stillborn blanket with the same measurements in blue and gold. I am trying to use up those color skeins. March was a very productive month. Happy Easter!

Welcome!! Happy Saturday! I love Saturday. I thought I would start this blog with Projects of the past, or things I did earlier this month. I make blankets for Project Linus. For those who don't know, Project Linus is an organization that makes and provides blankets for seriously ill children, children suffering some kind of trauma or with other needs. It is a wonderful organization. My sister and I meet up with the our chapter at a library twice a month. There, every one can join in the conversation, talk about what you are making , drop your blankets off, or even learn a brand new technique!  The ladies are so nice. I have made 11 blankets so far! Not only is it a lot of fun, but it helps children in need, which is very important. I was so happy when o found out that I could use my talents to help others!! That is very important to me. So here is one of the blankets that I have made. It is 36x36, 115 stitches to a row, about 66 rows. The colors are pale yellow and white, Red Heart Yarn. I used a double crochet stitch for the entire blanket and made a white scalloped border. When we are done with our blankets, we sew a Project Linus tag in the corner. The tag features a picture of Linus and his blanket from the "Peanuts" comic strip (which by the way is my all time favorite, something about growing up with Snoopy and looking back on it makes you feel all warm inside. I will never stop loving that!!) This blanket took 2-3 weeks to complete. Now, I would love to see a project that you made!! Feel free to comment. To learn more about Project Linus, feel free to visit this website:  Www.Projectlinus.org and see if there is a chapter near you!