Oh, let me curl up in a little ball and sleep until I feel better.
I don’t mean to be a baby. I’m just miserable. I’m certainly not as sick as some people I know, I mean, so far this appears to be a simple cold. I’ve been sicker, a lot sicker. I almost would prefer to be a little (let me stress, little) bit sicker so I’d be more likely to do what I most want to do, sleep, blissful sleep.
But I’m feeling well enough that I want to do things. I know if I do, I’ll make it worse for myself and then there’s a good possibility I really will be sick. Years ago a doctor told me the worst thing you could do when you started feeling better was go back to work, or your regular routine, that same day. You needed to give it one more day, or you’d relapse.
Been there, and it isn’t pretty.
So forgive me, fellow bloggers, for my lack of attention to your posts. I hope to catch up soon.
One of my longest-running blogging friendships is with Arpita Pramanick, a young woman living in India who is diligently pursuing a career as a writer. She has a new book coming out soon, “How I Tamed the Dragon Named Fear,” and as a way of promoting its release, she invited some of her fellow bloggers to write on the topic of fear. Here’s my contribution. I’m very proud of Arpita for her determination as a writer and the accomplishment of completing a book!
Today is the final post of the series of guest posts on fear. Today’s blogger is Belinda, someone I have known through the blogoworld for sometime now. I really enjoy her wonderful posts and her insights into life and I am happy to provide a peek into her thoughts through this post. Thank you Belinda for bringing out the silver lining around fear via this post.
||Guest Post||
Contributor:Belinda O.
I encourage my cats’ fear of strangers, at least, I don’t discourage it. If a stranger comes to the door, particularly someone carrying tools and wires or other unknown entities, the cats hightail it down the stairs and under the bed. There they’ll stay until they’re certain it’s safe, and if they fall asleep (which they often do), even longer than that.
Fear helps keep my cats safe. If I’m not home, I want them hiding if a…
Here are eight films famous for either one line or one gesture–as well as being damn good movies.
Wondering if it’s a compliment to call someone “Eve Harrington?” Where did the David Bowie “You Remind Me of A Babe” routine originate? And what does that little brush of the finger against the nose mean?
Yes, this is blatant cross-promotion for my classic movie blog, Classic for a Reason. I’ve reviewed seven of the eight films there, and have conveniently linked to the individual reviews (click on the title).
Here, in no particular order, are the chosen eight:
Shirley Temple turns in a delightful performance as the love-struck teenager captivated by playboy Cary Grant. Of course it’s her older sister who catches his eye, but she’s the judge who almost sent him to jail. Instead, he’s sentenced to date the moony-eyed girl, under the watchful supervision of big sister Myrna Loy.
“Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”
Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt team together with Walter Huston (not shown) to mine for gold, and uncover a lot more than precious metal.
I stayed away from this film for a long time because I thought it was a western or some such that I wouldn’t enjoy. It’s nominally a western, but at its core it is a hard look at human nature and what happens when we’re faced with the worst in ourselves. Humphrey Bogart was never better–admittedly, he played more admirable characters in other films, but that’s the point. Considered by many to be director John Huston’s best film, and that’s saying a lot.
“Fasten your seatbelts–it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
Bette Davis, Anne Baxter–offscreen these two became lifelong friends, onscreen, well that’s a different story.
If you haven’t seen this one, it’s time to check it out. If Fred and Ginger got me hooked, Margo Channing reeled me in to the world of classic movies. All About Eve is witty, sharp, human, with some deliciously evil characters to boot. All four women in this film were nominated for an Academy Award, the only time in Oscar history that honor has gone to four women from the same movie.
And yes, they had seatbelts in 1950 — mostly in airplanes.
You’ve heard the quote, heavy pseudo-Swedish accent and all. This is the film in which Garbo makes the statement that soon becomes identified with her personal life, fair or not.
Greta Garbo and John Barrymore, before censors required all kisses to be closed mouth.
This was the first ensemble film to come from Hollywood, and remains one of the best. As a pre-code film it’s a lot racier than you might expect, but the blatant sexuality is still primarily in the looks, innuendo and what’s not said between a man and a woman. In addition to Garbo, the film stars John Barrymore (before his career-ending decline due to alcoholism) and Lionel Barrymore, delightful as always.
Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond. The latter was known for proclaiming, “we said it with our eyes!” Yes, the eyes say it all.
Yeah, the old broad has lost it. Okay, old is relative…Gloria Swanson was 50 when this movie was made, but her film career was pretty much over. A star of silent films (and clips from one of them are shown in this movie), she wasn’t able to transition to the talkies. But she wasn’t the object of pity Norma Desmond became. This is a dark film and has achieved cult status, but is far more than this one scene. Complex, haunting and at moments really funny, Sunset Boulevard is a treat only writer/director Billy Wilder could deliver.
“I did everything Fred did, except backwards and in high heels.”
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire — Magic! And imagine managing that dress while you’re dancing. It wasn’t just the high heels that made her part challenging.
Backwards, not so much, but the high heels almost did Ginger Rogers in while filming the final dance number, “Never Gonna Dance.” Her feet were bleeding and had to be bandaged, but she insisted on continuing until they got it right–after 47 takes. What took so long? Nearly the entire number is a single shot, with one camera, and Fred Astaire was a perfectionist. Which means 80 years later, we still can get lost in the romance and grace of an Astaire/Rogers dance number. (And yes, I know the quote isn’t directly tied to the movie.)
The Sting–1973
Paul Newman
Robert Redford
You know the gesture — a quick brush of forefinger across the nose, a sign of complicity, a smug pat-on-the-back for pulling one off. If you’re under 40, you might not know its origin. Until now, that is. It was a move made famous in this phenomenal film with its phenomenal stars, Paul Newman and Robert Redford. There’s a plethora of talent in this movie, and of all the films to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, this one has to rank in the top ten. Years later Redford would tell of the time he finally watched it — on the VCR, with his grandson–and he noted, “hey, that’s a really good movie.” Yep.
Peter O’Toole, who, unlike his character, was both an actor and a movie star.
Funny, touching, a little ribald and wonderfully nostalgic, this is the story of Alan Swann and his one-time appearance on the King Kaiser show in 1954. Based on comedian Mel Brooks’ experience as a young writer on the Sid Caesar show, in particular, the week Errol Flynn appeared, it tells the tale of Benjy Stone and his efforts to keep this movie star sober, at least until he’s appeared live on television and completed his contractual obligation. Look for Lainie Kazan as Benjy’s mother. O’Toole was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, but lost to Ben Kingsley for his incredible portrayal of Gandhi.
Once again, Walter has made it on Tummy Rub Tuesday!!! The fame is starting to go to his furry little head!!! Especially since I tell him it’s an extremely prestigious award. Mimi, sadly, does not expose her tummy too often, so she likely won’t be found here. If you’re a cat lover and don’t already follow this site, check it out. It has everything from cute pictures of cats to heartwarming stories to practical advice from feline experts. Note: that’s Walter in their featured photo and third one down from the top.
“If an infinite number of monkeys had an infinite number of typewriters, would one of them type ‘Hamlet’?”
Probably not. Getting monkeys to sit at a typewriter isn’t easy, and an infinite number of them would provide a proportionate number of distractions.
I found that question intriguing when it was first posed to me in high school, and now, I’m not sure of its significance. Are we being asked if everything in existence is that random? If so, I don’t believe it. That would be believing in chaos as the dominant force, and it’s clear to me there is order in the universe.
Order is natural, chaos, so often, is a choice. When there is no order, no reason, when we are left to the mercy of the whims of others, that is chaos, that is a hellish existence. War is like that, and prison can be, too. When humanity is removed from our lives, when the law of the day is different from sunrise to sunset, we cease to live in a reasoned world, where consequences match actions, where equality is valued, where lives matter.
We expect certain behaviors from certain people, and when people whose behavior has been selfish and uncharitable are put in positions in which they are expected to be wise and compassionate, chaos is certain to reign.
I pray for order in my world, for kindness and charity, for reason and safety.
I don’t mean to be a baby. I’m just miserable. I’m certainly not as sick as some people I know, I mean, so far this appears to be a simple cold. I’ve been sicker, a lot sicker. I almost would prefer to be a little (let me stress, little) bit sicker so I’d be more likely to do what I most want to do, sleep, blissful sleep.
I encourage my cats’ fear of strangers, at least, I don’t discourage it. If a stranger comes to the door, particularly someone carrying tools and wires or other unknown entities, the cats hightail it down the stairs and under the bed. There they’ll stay until they’re certain it’s safe, and if they fall asleep (which they often do), even longer than that.
My World With Words 
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