A Recommendation.......

This afternoon, the lady I aide and I went to see the movie "Julie and Julia". It was wonderful!Funny, enlightening and very entertaining!

Meryll Streep wonderfully plays The famous Julia Child. Her husband, Paul (no, not the soccer player-wrong era) is portrayed by Stanley Tucci.

In 2002, a Queens woman named Julie Powell decided to
make all the recipes in "Mastering the Art of French
Cooking", co-authored by Child, and blog about her Herculean and epicurean efforts. Powell imposed on herself a year's deadline: 524 recipes in 365 days. She was drowning in her mundane job, and cooking and the blogging saves her! Her dream is to actually meet the famous Julia Child, who was 90 years old in 2002.

Julie Powell is played by Amy Adams and her husband, Eric, is played by Chris Messina.

The tale twins the two women's lives, even though they are decades apart. It was well done, and did not lull too much at anytime.

It shows Julia and Paul Child moving into a flat in Paris, where he is assigned a 4 year gig as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Julia has apparently quit her job as a gov't. worker, where she met Paul, to be a housewife. But, she is bored with that and needs to find something to do. She tries her hand at hat making, but is completely miserable. So, she decides to go to cooking school. She ends up being the only woman in the class at the now prestigious Cordon-Bleu.
The disagreeable owner of the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, for instance,
informs Child: "I must tell you, you have no real talent for cooking, but the Americans will never know the difference."

Powell, meanwhile, is a secretary at a government agency charged with rebuilding the World Trade Center site and as she tells a caller, "I'm just a person in a cubicle and I'm doing the best I can." That goes double for her home, a 900 square foot apartment above a pizza parlor in Queens, where she's trying to flip omelets without flipping out.

With the help of help of high heels and unnaturally low kitchen fixtures, Streep appears closer to Child's height of 6 foot 2. She also adopts or mimics a thicker midsection, frowsier brown hair, a lower voice and the ability to be moved almost to tears by superb food.

When Julie's husband, Eric (Chris Messina), accuses her of being narcissistic and forbids her from writing on her blog about a tiff they have, he comes across as unreasonable ... and a bit of a jerk. However, he convincingly devours bruschetta as if he were starving; neither ever seems to gain any or much weight, however.

As Julie's blog gains readers and media attention, Julia masters the art of French cooking with a little help from her beloved husband, an American Foreign Service officer, Paul and friends and co-authors, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. It took the 3 women 8 years to write the book!

The ending, which I will not give away, is a great one but did make me tear up a wee little bit. I would go see this movie a second time.

I learned so much about Julia Child it was amazing. She and Paul didn't marry until she was 40 and he was 50. She was a virgin when she got married. She had a sister, taller than she, who also married a man shorter than herself. She started out making women's hats. Thank goodness for all of us, she hated it! She pioneered television cooking shows. Because of her, (indirectly) we now have the food network!

But tell me. Why do they list the start time of the movie as 1:30, and the previews don't start till 1:35 or so, then you have 25 minutes of them?!!!

The next movie I want to see is The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock..............

Ah, The Weekend........

Dave wonders why the weekends disappear so quickly. Everyone that works M-F wonders that same thing!

We camped at the racetrack this weekend with Tom and Lisa.

Friday nite, after we had set up camp and ordered hoagie and pizza from the bar up the street, (literally, you can see it from where we camp. I don't think it's a half a mile away), we decide we were going to take a nap just as Tom and Lisa pulled in. So much for the Zzzzzzz's! They got their camp squared away and they went to get some grub. They weren't gone long when our friends Virg and Nick showed up. We hung out and when Tom got back from dinner, he started the campfire. we sat around a good while BS-ing and just enjoying each other's company! Since Dean and I had been up since 4 a m, (and the lack of that nap) we decided to hit the sack. Virg and Nick had left and Tom and Lisa weren't far behind us.
Saturday we got up and went to breakfast. We treated Tom since Lisa had left to go help a friend's mom with "catering" her wedding. Then we went to Janoski's farm market to see if our friend Deb was working. No. We joked that we think she doesn't really work there, she just steals boxes to help start the weekly campfire at the races!

Clinton's ( little town not far from the track) had it's annual community day Saturday. How do they kick it off? With a parade! So, when we left the farm, we had to detour around the parade route to get back. Long detour. You can't just go around the block out in the country!

We got back to camp and Dean snuck in a nap. I stayed outside and hung with Tom. Then I went to the store to get stuff to put on the ham sandwiches we were having after the races. Deb called and said she was going to stop by cause she had our pickles. She cans them herself and always has a couple of jars for Dean and I. We actually fight over them they are soooo good!
We laughed about her not really working at the farm and it wasn't long after I got back that she was there.

Tom smoked the ham and I had brought macaroni salad, so that was dinner. Then the rest was cut down for delicious ham sandwiches for later! Then into the track for racing! It was a fun wild night of racing! Fast cars, alot of passing, and some wild wrecks! Lisa got back from doing the wedding and had procured some of the extra food. It was still in the chafing dishes, so she put the sternos back under them to keep it hot till after the races. Yankee pot roast with potatoes and carrots and rigatoni! We had quite the spread and fed close to 50 people. Yes, we have alot of racing friends! Billy, Us, Mike, Dave, the Kachubas (pronounced KA Chew BA) I always do the thing from cars--ya know where Chick Hicks (the green racecar) says cachuga cachuga cachuga when wooing the crowd. Well I say Kahcuba Kachuba Kachuba when he's on the track! The Kugals, some of the Simmons', Joe Richards, Bryant Hank, and so many others! It was quite a spread and enjoyed by all! And no one got punched this year!
After going to bed about 4 a m, we got up about 9 and packed up camp and headed for home. It was a great weekend, but it went awfully quick!
We get WeeWee this weekend, then we race for 2 weekends and then it's our big September! Eldora in Ohio the 9th-13th. Pittsburgher (our big yearend race here) the 17th-20th. Deep Creek the 24th - 27th! Whew!

We'll Never Know Why

Tanya Flinner
1993-2009



Another young--very young--life has been lost in my racing community. Tanya, 16 years old, was in a car accident on August 12th. She was treated and released at the hospital ER. Went home, went to bed, woke up and told her dad she had a bad dream. Her sister, Taylor, went into the room and found Tanya not breathing. I don't know why the hospital released her, what they didn't find, what the bad dream was, or how long she had been not breathing when Taylor found her.
Why are the young people dying? Is it when your number's up, your number's up? Why did my dad die? Why did my brother in law die? They weren't in bad health. But things happen and I guess we'll never know the reasons. It just makes me so sad that a young, beautiful girl like this has been taken from this earth.









Taylor, John (Dad) and Tanya
Flinner

A hero is gone........

Tim Folmer Katterson
1984-2009








Tragic to think that ones so young die for whatever reason. He seemed like a good kid, but I didn't know the real Timmy, I guess.
Dean and I only knew him a year. Last year when that guy sucker punched Dean and split his lip, then I punched that guy, Tim stepped in front of me cause he saw the guy cock back to hit me. He said to the guy,"If you hit her, I will f***in' knock you into next week!" From then on, I called him "My hero". I barely knew him when that happened, but after that, we saw him at the track every week and he would hang at the camp or at the fire with us. He was even with us at our after race party at the end of June up in Lernerville (Butler).
He never caused any trouble around us, he always had that smile on his face and was always glad to see us!
They said he OD'd. I have to think it was accidental. There was no note or anything. Just too much of whatever and his brother found him in their mom's backyard and he was rushed to the hospital. They did everything they could for him and he was on life support. He had bodily functions for a while, then they did a brain scan and there was no activity. His mom, of course was hoping for a miracle. The doctors did some tests, but nothing stimulated any brain waves.....
They were advised to pull the plug on the life support. Timmy passed in a very short time after that. I was deeply saddened to have lost a friend who was so new.

Details, Details

Our truck (we call 'er Blue) is now 5 years old. From that many seasons at the dirttrack, she had track dust in nooks and crannies that even I couldn't clean. So, Dean wanted to have her detailed. We took her just up the road from our house to a little place called "Attention II Detail.
We had them Clean, degrease and Armorall the engine compartment, clean the interior, including carpet and upholstery, wash, claybar and wax the exterior. Claybar is cool. It gets rid of all those imperfections in the finish. It even feels different. The only word I can use to describe it when you touch the paint is soft. It makes it sooo smooth! We had a $25 off coupon from the Clipper Magazine! Dean had gotten his Deep Purple CD stuck in the truck's player, so they charged us $25 to get it out. that meant they had to take the dash apart to get inside the player. Apparently the gears that insert and eject discs are stripped. So, it only cost $149.99 plus tax! We thought it ws a deal! And the guys are nice and professional!

______________________________________________

The lady I have been "taking care of" since getting laid off is in the hospital, so I've had yesterday and today to tend to other things. Yesterday, I went to the hospital to see her among other things. Today, I finished up the laundry and was watching the tube. QVC had a purse that I just loved! So, I bought it! Then I felt guilty for spending money on myself. I'm crazy, I know. I usually don't buy myself anything. I hate to clothes shop, so, it has to be real bad for me to buy myself clothes. We always pay our bills first, then if and when there is money left, we either put it away or it needs to go for a vehicle repair, gas, some unexpected home repair or something. Spending money on ourselves is always last. The most frivolent thing we've ever done is have the truck detailed. And big purchases, like the camper, was bought with our income tax return that year. I guess it's just me. It's not like my husband EVER says anything about me spending money on myself. I know some husbands ask their wives what did that out fit cost, or "another pair of shoes?" but not Dean. Never. I sent him a text after I ordered the purse and he text back "Cool!" How many husbands do that? It's just me. I know it's me. Maybe my sister's not the only one with a defective gene!

Here's a Cutie......

We had Jordan this past weekend. And what a busy one it was! Friday nite, we stayed at home and he played with toys. He loves his Handy Manny that he got from Aunt Darlene for his birthday! After playing with his train and fixing things with Manny, it was bathtime. We made it a bubble bath! What fun!

Saturday morning we got dressed and went to breakfast. Then after a few errands, it was time to head to Zach's graduation party in Carnegie Park! He had a big time there! Playing with big kids and little kids! He got everyone's attention. He played on the swings, the merry go round and the slides. He sure got tuckered out! He even took a nap in the park on the sleeping bag!
Then we went to the races that nite. They had fireworks after the Late Model Feature, but he was scared of them. Maybe that'll be different next year. Then, home and to bed!

Sunday we took him to Chuck E Cheese! He was thrilled! He road rides and climbed in the tubes and down the slide! He played games and got his picture "drawn" by Chuck E. Nani was in the drawing too! Then he drove the car with Chuck E. in it, and they took his picture. I figured, what the heck, I'll take one too. Mine is much better, tho. But it was fun for him, so why not? So, here's the slideshow of the weekend. Enjoy!

Another Icon Passes.......

Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America dies. So, who do we trust now? He came into our living rooms every evening on CBS and reported the news. On many occasions, he reported world events. NASA Space Missions, the 1st landing on the moon, JFK's death and funeral. The Beatles' first trip to America! The things this man not only reported on, but had seen in his lifetime! Amazing!

I remember when he retired from the news anchor desk. The news was never the same after that. Now he's gone and nothing will ever be the same. "And that's they way it is......."








Walter Cronkite
as he appeared in 2004








There seems to have been so many celebrity deaths lately. Is it just that time in our lives when these people have reached their ends all at one time? Coincidence? More than likely. But it makes me wonder about when your number is up. I don't know. No one knows. It just makes me want to "Live Like I was Dyin'" Thanks, Tim McGraw.