lottolaughs's Blog

I know...I know...either you love him or you hate him but there is no denying Woody Allen his movie making genius :) Starting at the end of every August I get the "Woody's" (the desire to watch a marathon of Allen's movies) It never fails and this year was no different.

I started with "Hollywood Ending"...one I haven't seen as many times as the rest. True,his movies over the past 10 years have been a little hit or miss. This one was in the middle with one "laugh out loud" scene when he's confronting his ex-wife about catching her with another man in the middle of a restaurant.

"Manhatten Murder Mystery" was next. Watching Woody and Diane Keaton together is like visiting your old friends,they are delight together. Sometimes the stories don't matter to me...it's just the interaction and dialogue that keeps me glued to the screen. That's the one thing that makes these movies so timeless...there are massive amounts of dialogue and overlapping conversations going on that each time you watch them you may just find yourself laughing at a line you missed the other 22 times you watched it. So fresh!

"Husbands and Wives" has always been one of my faves. Sydney Pollack blows me away in this movie...he was such a great actor...hard to believe he was mostly known for directing. This movie is so "real" it makes reality TV look like such a scam. Brilliant writing and performances all around. 

"September" is probably much less known. Woody isn't in this one but it's another top of the list fave. Elaine Stritch is fantabulous...I can never stop raving about her in this. Need a movie to get you into a "Fall" mood? This is it! Every one of Woody's movies have this effect. There is no other place you'd rather be then in New York when he gets his yellow filtery lens on it. I couldn't be further from being a "New Yawker" but his movies make me fall totally in love with the Big Apple. Nobody makes it look more beautiful!

This is a great movie to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon (which is just what I did,lol)--Another Woman" is another one you may not have heard of. Again Woody is absent and Gena Rowlands plays the lead here. (Gush! Gush!) Brilliant performance with an intense cameo by Betty Buckley (Abby from Eight Is Enough). Both "September" and "Another Woman" are very dramatic, not comedy at all so if you're looking to get cheered up by these 2, don't count on it,lol.

"Play It Again,Sam" was one I forgot about but watching it again was such a pleasure. Tony Roberts stars in this as in "Annie Hall". Enough said...this movie needs no critique from an amateur like me. I believe this was an Oscar winner as well :)

OMG..I absolutely adore "Small Time Crooks". Has to be one of his funniest ever. There is an old black and white movie he must have taken this from called "Larceny INC" I think with Broderick Crawford and Edward G. Robinson. But this one takes it so much further. Hilarious!!

Next up is "Manhatten",gorgeously filmed in black and white this is probably the peak of Woody's career (for critics maybe...not for me!) The script to this is in a book I have (my other Bible, I call it,lol) "Four Films of Woody Allen". It's fun to read,you can envision the movie as your scanning the pages. "Manhatten" is full of laughs and I believe one of the first Allen movies I ever saw as a teenager.

No matter how many times I watch these I always come back for more. How many film makers can you say that about? Probably not too many. There aren't many people in the celebrity world I would ever want to meet...but Mr. Allen definitely tops my list. Being a writer or screenwriter is incredibly difficult  (yes,I've delved into both over the years)  so I have nothing but admiration for people who can crank out script after script. What an accomplishment!     I'll be lucky to accomplish one great piece of writing in my lifetime :) Now THAT'S winning the lottery to me :O

.........I Love Paper! As an avid reader, paper has always been a huge part of my life. Nothing makes me happier than looking at my bookshelves full of wonderful stories just waiting to be discovered between the covers.

I buy books like crazy. Oh,and I'm a cheapo when it comes to wheeling and dealing.Ebay,Amazon,Biblio,Alibris and half.com all get the once over when searching for a particular book. I'll bid on books and if a message comes back saying I was outbid....oh well....will just wait until I can find one when the price is right. Waited almost 10 years for one book,lol. In 1998 a book at the library caught my attention..N.C. Wyeth by David Michaelis. (I love biographies!) Checked it out and read about the first 2 chapters then returned it intending to buy it one day. Over the years I saw it come out in paperback and finally grabbed a very good copy for about $7.00 shipping included a couple of years ago. So it took awhile :) But now it's in my library ready to be enjoyed anytime I feel like it.

Visiting the library this week after many years was an eye-opener. What a sad state our libraries have become.Book selection is not what it used to be. We have over a dozen libraries here and I was surprised at how crowded they've become. I used to be the only person browsing the long empty aisles...those were great quiet times. But no more. I'm sure it's due to the recession how many people are on the computers and probably looking for work. Very sad. And noisy. Libraries aren't for relaxation anymore.

I'm also sad to see all these electronic readers come into play. Kindles,Nooks,whatever they call them. I hear people saying paper books will become obselete one of these days. You might as well bury me now,lol. Reading in bed with a thick book is the best part of my day before sleep. Cuddling up with a hand held screen just doesn't sound the same!  

Accidently got sent a Large Print edition of a book I ordered. At first disappointment set in when I thought of the hassle of returning it. But then I started reading it and...HEY....I LIKE this! First off...it makes the book thicker (which I love!) and WOW...so much easier to read even though I feel like a first grader. Now when looking for books I find myself checking to see if it comes in large print. By the time I reach my golden years I'll be prepared :)   

So you can keep your old touch screens,Amazon. I'm stocking up now in case that day ever comes when "paper" is another word that becomes obselete like "laser discs" :)   

I just picked up my BusterKitty's remains....he is finally home again. When the vet technician handed me the box I felt something holy and spiritual....I wasn't really expecting that.   

Thought it was kind of funny how he went to the back room and brought me a cardboard box. He was very hush hush about it and had me sign my name on a paper. Isn't that typical of us Americans? Always quiet about death....trying to hide it. A part of me wanted to jump up and down and rejoice because I had something of my little loved one back... almost wanted to smile but kept it to myself. Guess I'll do my smiling at home (one of these days) and laughing again at BusterBrat's antics.

Everyday I miss him terribly. This is the first pet I ever had a private cremation for. Now I have to figure out how to open the dang little coffin looking wooden box to spread my little furball around his favorite places! LOL. It's tighter then a drum. Think for now I'll just hold "him" in my arms and think of all the good things. And buy some stock in Kleenex while I'm at it.     

Yes,it is the "day after". Thanks to all for responding to my blog yesterday. All animal lovers can relate to this subject...the dreaded "goodbye". 

Amazing what grief can do to you. It's not the first time I've been here...might not be my last either. Time will tell whether another stray will find their way to my door. As someone who's always thought of themselves as a "dog" person it still astounds me how I fell completely in love with a ball of purring fur. And how his passing has hit me the very hardest.

Cats? Oh no...not me. They're not as friendly as dogs...they catch mice (ewww!)...they own you,you don't own them. They never sounded appealing. But I was wrong.

I wasn't supposed to wind up with BusterBrat. (Or maybe I was?) He was already somebody else's cat...2 houses down. But the gentleman moved away and took the cat with him. That is until he left the door open at his new place and B.B. found his way back to his birthplace. He loved this street I guess. He had to cross 2 very busy boulevard's to get back here. But there was no one waiting for him. So the lady next door to me started feeding him.

But it wasn't long before she moved out. And there was Buster on her former porch...sitting up there looking at me for a few days. I felt sorry for him just mulling around up there. I called to him but he was kind of a scaredy cat and never came over. Until that can of tuna opened. I left it on the grass and went back in the house. Behind the living room curtain I watched him slowly make his way over and lap at it.

And then there was the rat on my porch the next day. We were friends!

He was still pretty skittish for a long time. His original owner came driving down the street one day and saw him outside. He offered to give me money for food but I told him no,thanks anyway. He couldn't have cared very much if he was willing to just let him go that easy....not even TRY to take him back to his new residence. So phooey on him...I didn't want his money. Buster was mine now though I didn't really believe it yet. 

Slowly but surely he let me pet him. Then before you knew it I'd sit on the porch and pick him up and rub his belly. He'd just flop out in my arms and purr away.Some lady walked by one day and said..."Gee...I wish MY cat would let me do that!" I guess that was the moment I realized that this WAS my cat now,lol.

So where did all these years go? I'm trying to pick my brain for whimsical stories or crazy tricks he could do or something special that stood out. But he was just...Buster. (His former owner named him that...I added the "Brat" later even though he wasn't :)

He was just always there. Part of the house. The presence in my backyard. The little orange tabby that became entwined in every aspect of my life. And especially my heart. For almost 17 years.   

He talked a lot. He talked to me constantly. All sorts of coos and purrs and complaints. His meow's were more like "wow's". So I "wowed" back at him a lot too. His assortment of sounds were endless. The "eh eh eh eh's" when watching a bird...mournful guttoral moans when a cat fight was in the making...gleeful purrs when digging in the catnip....hisses at a approaching enemy cat. One of my favorites was when he'd be sitting up on his ottoman (yes, it was clearly HIS) very quiet like and I'd come up behind him and lightly touch his head. He knew I was there but he'd do this startled little "oh!" like "I know you're there...quit disturbing me". It was a little game we played and I never tired of it. (Maybe he did :)

I understood him. At least I think I did...I HOPE I did. No, I'm pretty sure I did. When you're grieving it's easy to get all jumbled up. In time my memories will come back and I'll remember bits and pieces. And I will choke and my eyes will fill with tears...but hopefully they will be happier ones. 

Now I'm waiting for him to come home. In a different form. In a couple of weeks his remains will be returned and I will sprinkle him back to where he belongs--In the backyard hidden behind the Camellia bush on his special pile of leaves. And under the Mock Orange tree next to the big exposed root he liked to lay against. In the front yard on the sidewalk where he used to sit and watch what was going on. And under the car in the driveway...another favorite patrolling spot.

No matter how prepared you think you are for these moments...you never are. You just have to remind yourself that your little loved one is in a better place and waiting for you someday.

That's what gets me through the day. "wow",Buster. "wow".  Thanks for most purr-fect 17 years of my life :)   

 

 

Have to send LottoLaffs' Mascot to that great lottery in the sky today. We had some great times together...I'll never forget when you first showed up. I gave you a can of tuna and you thanked me with a rat on my doorstep. From then on it was you and me.

Love you,little buddy! (sniff sniff)

Life will never be the same without you in it, angel :)

In remembrance of Robin Gibb's passing...can you guess the Bee Gees Songs these lyrics belong to?

#1...."I'll never belong to someone again...."

#2....Don't be a  hero in the name of love...."

#3...."l'll still love you when it's cold outside..."

#4...."let this be my prayer...to keep you safe when I'm not there..."

#5...Even though you're far away....your music plays in my mind..."

My main man passed away yesterday. No words....no words...

"There's a bright new star when somebody dies"...from Living Eyes album.

Robin,you lit up the world with your voice...now you will light up the heavens.

RIP Robin Gibb Dec 22, 1949-May 20,2012

I can't believe some of the comments on yahoo about this...DUH people! 

"It's rigged and better get the FBI investigating."

"I'll never play lottery again...SCAM". they're screaming.

LOL.

Obviously someone bought multiple tickets with different PowerBall numbers on it...just couldn't trap the right one. But,hey,pretty lucky anyways :) The truth will come out. Same guy with all the tickets because they weren't quick picks. You can bet on it :)

Well,it's official! Hollywood's Royalty is finally engaged,lol. Hmmmmmm.....wonder how long this marriage will last.   Too bad we can't have a lottery with these odds! I'm bettin' less than a year.

Heartbreaking news to hear   Bee Gees were my all time faves. Another piece of my childhood slipping away.

Well, I just blew $100 at the local Savemart and got 10 tickets full of duds...ones that I already have.

Anybody playing and want to trade?

Tell me what you need and I'll see if I have it for ya!

I can't help laughing everytime I read a Richie Rich comic book. (Yes, I am an avid comic book freak,lol)

So you want to be rich,huh? Just about every issue has a story about Richie having to outwit the thieves who are always after him. Luckily he is smart and pretty lucky and always manages to capture them.

Would a lottery winner be so lucky? lol

Handel's Water Music????

(The King's Consort version with Robert King conductor)

Listening right now....Pinch me...am I still alive or already gone to heaven?

For as much as I love helping people try to "beat" the lottery I have a real hard time understanding the fuss about these huge jackpots. Most probably there will be more than one winner this time around so no one will ever receive half a billion dollars... especially after taxes. I wonder if anything else in the world can cause such a frenzy and so many daydreams. Money. The Root Of All Evil,lol. It's true we can't live without it....but for the unnamed soul(s) who will wind up winning I wonder how they will live with it.....how much their life will change. And will it be for the better?

Sure...everybody could use extra money....but THAT much money? I don't know about other people but I like my life the way it is. I don't like change. But that's just me. And money like that is life changing...not only yours but your families and friends and whoever else you decided to share with. And all the strangers that will pop out of the shadows who will gladly want to share it with you. 

What!! I must be nuts,right? Who wouldn't want to win a jackpot? I guess it's just that I think about the 99% of people who will be crushed when the winning numbers are drawn. To get your hopes up so high and in a second they are gone. It's the chance we take and all part of the game,of course. But still heartbreaking.

But don't get me wrong...I DO love to see people win and it would be wonderful to hear of one of our LP family winning it. But for the others...it's the crash I feel in their hearts...the letdown. That's a hard pill to swallow...especially when you've been playing for years or in the bottom of your gut you had the hunch that tonight is your night.

That's why I wish they wouldn't have these astronomical jackpots. I wish 500 people could win a million dollars each. That would benefit so many more people. A million bucks is nothing to sneeze at. That would be more manageable in real life. When you've got a hundred million dollars to your name it could get out of hand really easy. How many times have we seen these big winners blow it all pretty quickly and are broke in a matter of years? But a million bucks would be nice. Even half a million!

So that's why I don't understand why people will turn out in droves for hundreds of millions and not for just a regular jackpot.

How many people can say they've won any jackpot in their lives? Does is have to be for half a billion to count? We'd all be pretty happy to win even $50,000,wouldn't you say? For a buck? Where else can you get that kind of money? But for a lot of people that's not enough. 

It's times like these when I think how difficult it still is to predict a Pick 3 straight! How many times can you say you've won one of those in your life? 

But,again,it's not enough. The bigger the jackpot...the bigger the fever. We will never see 100 people stand in line to win $500. It just doesn't sound worth it,does it? But half a billion...that's another story. For a few people the story will have a Happy Ending. For the rest of us it will just be The End. 

Until the next time the jackpot rolls around in the neighborhood of a billion dollars :)

These are my Top 4 which will probably means they won't win! Doesn't that always seem to happen?

I'm partial to more male singers but this time around the ladies sure take the cake!

 

Charlotte Sometimes

Katrina Parker

Lindsey Paveo

James Massone

 

Who are your faves??