"Dogs" poem by Aaron Kramer

Looking foolish next to the tree in a one o'clock rain:
umbrella aloft, the leash in my other hand—
I wanted my late-coming neighbor to understand
that dogs are worth the expense, inconvenience, and pain;
their tails are truthful, no coiled rebellion beneath
a loving look; they are quick to kiss you, and quick
to fetch for you, and —should you raise a stick
threateningly—they are quick to show their teeth;
and better still (but this I never revealed),
when you bring downfall home, the death of a hope,
their nonchalant manner does more for you than a drink;
and best of all, when triumph's to be unsealed,
such lack of respect they show for the envelope,
—your fingers halt, the brain cools, and you think.
I think this is a pretty poem.

Sabotage (1936)

Today I watched Sabotage, part of the collection of early Hitchcock that I have. This is a first rate thriller. The husband of our heroine, Sylvia Sidney, the owner of a cinama, is involved in the title crime, and it leads to tragedy upon tragedy for her and an ironic ending. My only quibble is it ends a little abruptly, I would have liked a coda seeing what happens to her and... you'll have to watch to find out

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

I've revisited (500) Days of Summer (2009) for the first time since I saw it in the theater. This is a unique, offbeat look at a relationship over (guess what) 500 days. The thing is, the days are shown randomly out of order. The stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are very likable and you come to care about both, neither one is painted as all hero-or-villian. There's an impromptu dance in the street that's wonderful. The movie has lots to say about fate and such. The last line and shot is great irony. An intelligent, fun way to spend a little over 90 minutes.

Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

I checked out Love Me or Leave Me, with Doris Day and Jimmy Cagney, on the recommendation of Metropolis. I enjoyed it, I'm usually not a fan of hers, but this film has more substance than a lot of hers. It's a biopic of 20's singer Ruth Etting, and her stormy relationship with Marty "the Gimp". The music is good and Doris and Cagney play well off each other. On the DVD, there is also a couple of shorts starring Ms Etting which are enjoyable.

Stolen : Through the Ages LOL

You are in the middle of some kind of project around the house...You are hot, sweaty, and covered in dirt. You have your old work clothes on: shorts with a hole in the crotch, old T-shirt w/stains from who knows what. You realize you need to run to Home Depot to get something to complete the jobby...

In your 20's:
Stop what you are doing. Shave, take a shower, blow dry your hair, brush your teeth, floss, and put on clean clothes. Check yourself in the mirror and flex like a psycho on roids. You add a dab of your favorite cologne because you never know, you just might meet some psycho hot chick while standing in the checkout lane.

In your 30's:
Stop what you are doing, put on clean shorts and shirt. You married the psycho hot chick, so no need for much else. Wash your hands and comb your hair. Chickity-check yourself in the mirror...still got it! Add a shot of your favorite cologne to cover the smell. The cute girl running the register is the kid sister to someone you went to school with. She's ready to dial 911 because you're wearing a Penn State shirt.

In your 40's:
Stop what you are doing. Put on a sweatshirt that is long enough to cover the hole in the crotch of your shorts. Wash your hands. Your bottle of the manly Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds cologne is almost empty so you don't want to waste any of it on a trip to Home Depot. Check yourself in the mirror and do more sucking in than flexing . The spicy young thing running the register is your daughter's age and you feel weird thinking she is pretty. You're just one step away from being called, "Sandusky".

Your 50's
Stop what you are doing, ole "One Foot in the Bucket". Put a hat on, baldy. Wipe the dirt off your hands onto your shirt. Check yourself in the mirror and you swear not to wear that shirt anymore because it makes you look fat. The Cutie running the register doesn't shout for help when she sees you coming and you think you still have it. Then you remember the hat you have on is from " Buddy's Bait Shop " and it says, "I Gots Worms ."

In your 60's:
Stop what you are doing. No need for a hat anymore. Hope you have underwear on so nothing hangs out the hole in your shorts . The girl running the register might be cute, but you don't have your glasses on, so you aren't sure.

In your 70's:
Stop what you are doing. Wait to go to Home Depot until the drugstore has your prescriptions ready, too. The young thing at the register smiles at you because you remind her of her creepy grandfather.

In your 80's:
Stop what you are doing. Start again. Then stop again. Now you remember you needed to go to Home Depot, but end up at Wal-Mart instead and wander around trying to think what it is you are looking for. Fart out loud, and think someone called out your name . You went to school with the old lady's grandfather who greeted you at the front door.

In your 90's & beyond:
What's a home deep hoe? Something for my garden? Where am I? Who am I? Why did Ross Perot choose me for V.P.? Why am I reading this? Did I send it? Did you? Who farted?

Topaz (1969)

I watched Hitchcock's Topaz (1969) for the first time today. I wasn't sure how I would feel about it as I'm generally not into spy stories, but I'm glad I checked it out, I enjoyed it. This is criminally overlooked, probably mainly because there are no "stars" to speak of. John Forsythe and Roscoe Lee Browne are the only two I've heard of. This is a tangled web that involves Americans, Cubans, Russians And French. It's long but there are so many twists and turns I never lost interest. There are also three(!) endings that Hitch filmed, due to preview audience's reactions. As with Suspicion, the ending he had to use is the weaker one. All in all, a good addition to any Hitchcock collection.

Stolen : A New Wine For Senior Citizens

NEW Wine For Seniors!
I kid you not...

A single glass at night could mean a peaceful, uninterrupted nights sleep.

California vintners in the Napa Valley area, which primarily produce Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio wines, have developed a new hybrid grape that acts as an anti-diuretic. It is expected to reduce the number of trips older people have to make to the bathroom during the night.

The new wine will be marketed as:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

PINO MORE!