Why do I live in Wisconsin?

Good afternoon!

Wow!  Where did March and half of April go?

I realized I've been MIA from this blog now since the Oscars.  Maybe it's my shock that "Spotlight" took best picture instead of "The Revenant."  I didn't feel either one was best, so whatever, but still I was surprised. Not enough to neglect my blog, however.

It's finally Spring here in America's Dairy land. After a couple brief false starts, we've finally gotten a weather weekend that's amazing.  I was reminded how precious and surprising days like these are around here this morning at my favorite coffee shop. Hubby and I walked down and the young man behind the counter started up a conversation with us about how amazing the weather was today.  He is from Oregon, and the winters here are far harsher, more uncomfortable than they would be up in the Pacific Northwest.  

Hubby and I continued the conversation while we sipped coffee at a table on the sidewalk. He'd recently spent the week with a coworker who lives in Houston, Texas.  Recently Houston has had a spate of baseball and grapefruit sized hail. We marveled at some of the pictures Hubby had gotten from other insurance adjusters of the damage to property and cars.

This got me to thinking:  Why do I live in Wisconsin?

Out of state people ask this of Upper Midwesterners all the time.  Minnesota, Iowa, the northern part of Illinois, the Dakotas, what on earth possesses us to live here where the winters are no joke six months long and the summers are as hot and humid and bug infested as anything Florida could offer up?

The last couple days have answered that question.  There are brief, shiny moments here in the northern parts of America's Heartland that are so beautiful and fleeting and precious...if you blink, you'll miss it and then you'll have to wait until next year.  

Spring is a very short season and sporadic. You can't point to a span of time on the calendar and say, "This is Spring." More likely, you'll find a day when the sun is shining, there's a lovely breeze and everything smells alive. Tiny little flowers of blue and yellow pop up out of grass that's so green it makes your eyes water.  All the colors are bright, as if trying to beat back the thought of so many days of dark, dreary, cold rain.  These spring days are rare, and a gift, and breathtaking.  People put shorts on and walk around outside even though it's probably only 50 degrees (Fahrenheit) because it's 50 degrees more than it was for the last five months and it feels so good.

The snow is gone, except for those black mountains of filthy ice lining the sides of some parking lots. Some of those frozen dirt piles might be there until June.  The ground is soft, just like the air. It's not yet packed down with the heat of summer.  Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks all skitter about in a frantic choreography, looking for food, playing with each other, mating, birthing.  Birds sing, their beaks upturned in joy after a spring rain has brought the worms to the surface.  

Spring here in the northern world comes later than it does for the rest of country.  I have coworkers in the South who are running their central air, while I just today turned off my furnace. Not for good, I'll probably need to turn it on again before April and May come to a close.  But the anticipation of that beautiful weekend is savored.  And once that weekend comes....

Well, we all get outside and rake up the rubbish that's been building under the snow. Discarded cigarette butts, soda cans, fast food wrappers, all rustle in the matted grass.  Homeowners clear out yard rubbish and hazardous materials from their garage and take them to the recycling center where they wait in line with all of the other spring cleaners.  Back yard bonfires light the night skies as we all realize that the mosquitoes aren't out yet and we're safe to sit outside for a little while. 

We wave at neighbors we haven't seen since September.  We chat about the winter and how we're glad it's gone and we blow the final fuel out of the snow blowers before we, in great hope, put them away not to be touched again until, again in great hope, December.

Soon it will be summer. Time for festivals with music and beer and fried foods.  Soon it'll be time for central air and humidity and wearing sweaters in stores and movie theaters because it's always so cold in there.   But right now, in these magical days scattered through out April and May, we have Spring and it's just NICE outside.

And that's why we stay. That's why we tolerate being considered second rate states and why our votes rarely count in elections and why we don't mind that our baseball and basketball teams haven't won a darn thing in two lifetimes.  Because of these blessed drops of gold that are our days of Spring.

And now, if you don't mind, I'm going out to enjoy mine right now!

Best movies of the year? Who will win, who will be robbed, and are the Oscars racist?

Good afternoon!

I've finally done it. I've managed to see all 8 nominated films BEFORE the actual airing of the Oscars on this Sunday night.

There are 24 categories of awards that will be handed out, but I'm only concerning myself today with Best Picture.  There are 8 nominees and a ton of controversy, so here are my brief reviews of each nominated picture and who  I believe should win and who will win.

I'll review the films in the order in which I saw them.

Mad Max:  Fury Road

Color me surprised when this summer flick got an Oscar nod.  Not that it's not a good film, it is. "Fury Road" is another chapter (I wouldn't call it a continuation or a sequel) of the Mad Max Franchise from the late 70'sand 80's.  This is the fourth Mad Max Film, and is directed by George Miller, as the other three were.  "Fury Road" is a bleak, violent look at a post apocalyptic Australia where rain water and fuel are the currency and women are bought and sold.  So, basically nothing different from now, except people wear a lot more spiky leather and war paint. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron lead the cast of this high octane, low dialogue explosion heavy testosterone fest.  I enjoyed the film fully.  For sheer entertainment value I give it a 4 out or 5.  Best Picture?  Not a chance.

The Revenant

Director Alajndro G. Inarittu give us a thrill ride with the story of a frontiersman who is left for dead and spends quite a lot of time and energy trying to get revenge on the one who left him.  Tom Hardy (In another Oscar nominated film!) garnered a best supporting actor nod for his work, but this film is all Leonardo DiCaprio.  Dialogue is sparse, but cinematography is magnificent.  Westerns are typically not my cup of tea, but there's so much more going on here.  The opening fifteen minutes remind me of the opening  "Cold Mountain of my very favorite movies.   Leo hasn't gotten an Oscar.  This will probably be his year.  Give this one a 5 star rating..Best Picture?  Odds on favorite.  also, if Inarittu can win Best Director for that steaming pile of elitist nonsense that was "Birdman" then he's a shoe in for the award this year.

The Martian

Make all your jokes about how much the world has paid to rescue Matt Damon from places in movies. This time he's stuck on Mars all alone and everyone thinks he's dead. Based on what is turning out to be a brilliant novel by Andy Weir, "The Martian" is funny, dramatic, suspenseful and is probably the first movie that makes you really, really care about a potato crop.  Director Ridley Scott (one of my favorite directors ever) uses a light touch on a storyline that could have gone the super explosive testosterone route.  Golden Globes called this a comedy probably because they wanted to give it an award and were limited to five films in the dramatic category.  Oscar doesn't have that limitation. 5 out of 5 stars.  Best Picture?  Probably going to be "The Revenant's" biggest competition.

The Big Short

The story of the 2007 housing market collapse doesn't sound like a rollicking comedy and yet this brilliant movie based on Michael Lewis' book does just that:  It makes us laugh in the midst of a story

that infuriates all of us because most people who live in the US (and around the world) lost money as a result of this.  (My husband and I lost 25% on the value of our house and a huge chunk of his 401K, but we didn't lose our house so we were one of the lucky ones.)  "The Big Short" explains exactly what happened and who's to blame in a way that's clear and interesting and funny.  The acting here is spot on with Steve Carell and Christian Bale leading a huge all star cast.  This is a 5 out of 5 stars and will more than likely go on my list of favorite movies ever.  Funny, informative, dramatic, and heartfelt.  Best Picture?  Should be.  Could be.  Won't be.

Brooklyn

A young woman leaves Ireland to find a new life in Brooklyn. She finds a good job, a place to live, and a young man to love.  And then she's called back to Ireland where she faces temptations of the homeland.  That's my synopsis.  And now I have a question:  What is this movie doing on this list?  I'm not saying it's a bad movie, it's not. It's lovely.  There are moments that are funny and sweet.  But...what is this movie doing on the Best Picture list?  I could classify this as a romantic comedy, although it's light on the comedy, but it's rather structured that way.  The problem with that is, well, we just do not like the main character, Ellis. That's a big problem when you're trying to tell a love story from the point of view of the main character.  This movie, like pretty much all of the other Best Picture noms is based on a book. I have zero interest in reading the book if it's ANYTHING like this movie.  I should not HATE the main character in a love story.  And it's not just me.  The gentleman sitting behind us said at one critical point in the film, "That bitch!"  It's a cute movie, it's well shot, but I'm giving this one a 3.5 out of 5. Best Picture?  Not a chance.  Will Saoirse Ronan win Best Actress? No, and her ticket to the Oscars should be taken away.

Bridge of Spies

What do you get when you put Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and a compelling story about the high water mark in Cold War history together?  Well, I know what you SHOULD get and this isn't it.  Don't get me wrong. "Bridge of Spies" is a fine movie.  It's interesting.  And it's pretty forgettable.  I expect more from Spielberg and Hanks, and maybe that's unfair.  I realize their hands are tied because when you do a biopic you can't just add aliens or blow stuff up for fun.  Still, this film is gray, and not just because much of it takes place in the newly minted East Berlin.  Hanks gives us the same idealistic good guy we know and love, but he barely breaks a sweat.  The shining moment is Mark Rylance in his understated portrayal of  Rudolph Abel and he should win Best Supporting Actor.  3 out of 5 stars.  Best Picture?  Nope.

Room

If you haven't read the brilliant novel by Emma Donoghue then the minute you finish reading this blog go out and buy the book and read it.  A mother's love, sacrifice,and implosion are seen through the eyes of her five year son who has never been outside the small room he calls home and his mother calls her prison.  The movie does a more than admirable job bringing the story of a young woman abducted and caged by a man for seven years, five of which she spent protecting her son.  A thrilling escape gives the young Jack a chance at a real life but may prove to much for Ma.  Bri Larson is nothing short of genius and heartbreaking in this emotionally taught drama. She should, and if I'm predicting, will win Best Actress.  5 out of 5 but be ready to weep.  Best Picture?  If I got a vote it would be YES!  This one should win.


Spotlight

The shocking priest sex scandal in Boston is brought to light by a handful of reporters battling the Church, local authorities, and their own neighbors and family.  This is a story that has rocked a generation of church goers and a blight on the Catholic Church or any church.  As a movie, however, I may have to blame director Tom McCarthy for a lumbering start. I almost turned this one off, not because of the content, but because it took FOR FREAKING EVER to move. Granted, it's a drama about crimes that are not witnessed and witnesses that mostly bear no visible scars. Still...have a thought about pace!  Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams are nominated for supporting roles and neither one should win. McAdams is boring and Ruffalo is down right awful in the fist hour of the movie. Now, granted, Ruffalo gets better. Enough so that by the time the movie is over you pretty much feel relief that he no longer looks like his fake Boston accent is painful for his mouth.  The final forty minutes or so are excellent and everything a movie goer looks for.  But awards should not be given to movies that are only good for forty minutes. Oh, wait, sure...but then they're called documentaries.  3 out of 5 Best Picture?  No, although this one should have had more potential.

And finally, the big question:  Is Oscar racist?

The Oscars broadened their Best Picture category to contain up to 10 pictures each year. This year there are two films I felt were ignored and should not have been.

The Hateful 8

Quentin Tarrantino's Western is brilliant, beautiful, and hard core. Every actor in this film is golden

on completely on point, (Except for Channing Tatum, why was he even in this film?)  This is a tense, fast, heart pounding film with a wildly long run time, but you'd never ever know it.  Tarrantino has matured into brilliance and with all the magnificence in this film it should have been nominated. Its' a 5 out of 5 and if you haven't seen it, find the biggest TV you can and watch it.

But the bigger overlook:

Straight Outta Compton

The story of ground breaking rap group NWA. I'm not a fan of rap music and I'm not a fan of nudity or foul language. I am a fan of movies telling me a story that rivets me to my seat and makes me feel something. This movie is no more vulgar or violent than "Wolf of Wall Street" and has many parallels in its story to the great "Citizen Kane."  (Think I'm crazy?  Watch the movies side by side and see if Kane and Easy-E's stories don't feel similar.)  Blunt, harsh, vulgar, this is not a film for everyone, but this white woman from the suburbs thinks Oscar should have given it a nod, especially when they had more nominations available. Shoot, they could have dumped "Brooklyn  5 out of 5 and it's every bit as strong as most of the films that got nominated.

That said, I do not believe Oscar is racist. I  believe Oscar is narrow. Oscar can only handle maybe a couple "controversial issues a year and this year it's LGBT.  With acting nominations for "Carol"  (A BAD MOVIE YOU SHOULD NOT SEE ) and "The Danish Girl" (A VERY GOOD MOVIE)  and with the whole taking on the Catholic Church in "Spotlight" I think the old farts in the Academy felt they'd done their duty by special interests. Except none of this should be about being special interests.  Movies should be about story telling and good story telling should be for everyone.  Straight Outta Compton is a well old story. Brooklyn is not.  Spotlight is not.  It's not about racism.  It's about not being afraid to say, "We think the best stories this year dealt with these issues."  

Oscar needs work, but we still love him!

Meanwhile, if you're looking for more of my in depth reviews, I have a book!  

You can check out reviews written by my friend Linda and me by clicking RIGHT HERE!


finally, Sunday is the Oscars!  I'll be watching, will you?

10 Questions with Author Ilona Fridl!

Good morning friends and fellow readers!

Nothing like starting a Monday morning out bright and early with a brand new book, or, also, an interview with an author who has a brand new book out!

I'm so excited to welcome back my friend and fellow romance author, Ilona Fridl, author of multiple romantic page turners offered to you through a number of channels by our friends at The Wild Rose Press.  Today we are talking to Ilona about her newest novel, That Monroe Girl.


Here's a nibblet to whet your whistle.  (Oh yes, and it's historical...so I'm getting into the mood.)

Cat Monroe arrives in Tombstone, Arizona searching for her father and brothers, who left Virginia for the West right after the Civil War.  With the help of newspaper reporter Jake Spenser, she finds her family and a whole peck of trouble. She's falling for the newspaperman, but she discovers his family and hers are feuding over water rights. When he father finally accepts that she is his daughter, he wants to marry her off to a rich neighbor who has a dark past.

Scandal and murder are catching her in a snare.  Who can she possibly trust in a town too tough to die?

And now, my friends, it's time for TEN QUESTIONS WITH AUTHOR ILONA FRIDL!


Ilona:  First of all I'd like to thank Sarah for hosting me on her blog.

Sarah:  You are very welcome, Ilona!  I'm always excited to alert folks to indie and e-pubbed authors
who are putting out excellent reads!  Here we go with the questions!

1)  Tell us about the book!  What would you like readers to take away from "That Monroe Girl?"

Mostly I wrote the story for pure entertainment, but there seems to be an underlying message of the struggle a woman had to endure i the 19th century.


2)  What book ,movie, song or character inspired you to write this book?

I've always loved Westerns.  Growing up, I watched movies, TV, and read books about the times in the Old West.  Writing a Western was in the card for me.

3)  Best/worst movie based on a book.

Best was the 1990s version of "Little Women."  That stayed most faithful to the story.  Worst was "Gone With The Wind." I think I would have liked the movie better if I  hadn't read the book first.  They left so much of the story out of it.  

Sarah's response:  I totally agree, the 1990's "Little Women" was really good and the production value was amazing.  As for "GWTW," I love both the book and the movie but I agree, the movie left way too much out.  

4) Of all your books, which of your characters is most like you?

That's easy!  Teri in "Iris Rainbow."  I made her the same age I was then and many of her experiences were similar. I didn't have to do much research about Los Angeles in the 1960's because I grew up there. And who wouldn't love to have a rock star fall in love with you?

Sarah's response:  I think those who know me know how I would answer that question!  LOL


5)  If you could live in any time period or be any person, when or whom would you choose and why?

I think coming of age in the 1920's would be fun.  That's where I set my "Dangerous Times" series. Working in Hollywood for the studios in that pioneering time always interested me.

6:  I've spent some serious time on this blog talking about the future of publishing and e-publishing.  You work with The Wild Rose Press. what are your thoughts on self publishing-e-publishing and the future of electronic books?

I think there will always be a place for paper books but you have to make room for the e-books as well. For books you want to keep and read over and over, paper is best. The e-readers is easy to take with you and you don't have to haul around bulky books when you travel.

7)  What are you reading right now?

"Magic's Price" by Mercedes Lackey. I love fantasy and maybe will tackle a fantasy book one of these days.

8)  Plain M & M's or peanut and why?


Plain. I like to put them in my mouth and let them dissolve into a chocolate gooey mess. Peanuts just get in the way!



9)  Who would play you in a movie about your life?

I'd need a curvy actress and there's not many of those in the industry. Melissa McCarthy?  Too much.  Kardashians?  no.  I'm rambling now.  Looks like I'll have to put out a casting call. That doesn't answer your question does it?  Oh well, I'm open for suggestions...

10:  What's next for you?

I have a novella mystery coming out with Amos and Sarah Darcy from "Prime Catch."


AWESOME!  

Thank you, Ilona!  Now, here's a bit more of a bio on our author: 

Ilona Fridl was born in sunny California where she spent the first twenty years of her life. Dreaming up stories took up a lot of her time. She then followed her parents to Wisconsin where she met her husband, Mark. They started a locksmithing business, but there were still stories in her head.  Finally she started putting them on paper, actually, a computer.  The rest is history.  She has an adult daughter and a granddaughter.



If you want to find Ilona online:

Her website!

Her Facebook!  

Her Goodreads!

If you want to buy Ilona's books (and of COURSE YOU DO!)

At the Wild Rose Press

On Amazon

Saturday Give Away!

Hello all!

I was recently challenged to define what find of author I am.  Not by genre, because, as you may know, I tend to write a story and worry about the genre later. Romance, humor, mystery, inspirational, suspense, I love them all.  But that was not the question posed to me.  The person speaking at the time wanted all of us in the room to decide why we were writing.  Was it because we enjoyed writing?  Was it because we had stories we needed to tell?  Was it because we wanted to make pots of money?

Well, let me just say, if I were in it for the money, I'd have quit long ago.  The vast majority of people who write and publish do not do it as their main source of income.  All of the published authors I know personally have other jobs:  Teacher, nurse, stay at home parent, airline attendant, lecturer, writers' studio owner, manager, and chief instructor, museum employee, pizza delivery guy, locksmith. Me?  I work as a very small cog in the huge wheel that is workman's comp cases.  

No, if we are in it for the money, most of us are going to be sorely disappointed.  Writing, even in this day of self publishing and e-publishing is still not the sure fire way to make a fortune.  Oh sure, there are the fortunate ones, the J.K. Rowlings, the Stephen Kings, the John Grishams, who have captured the eye of readers across the globe, and their hearts and they can now write what they want

when they want and live their lives the way they want.  For the rest of us, we still write in the wee small hours of the morning, the dark of midnight, or furtively on our lunch hours.

As for my, what kind of author am I?  I'm a story teller.  Would I like to be on a best seller list?  Sure, who wouldn't?  But I've got 11 books out there right now with my name on them and it's not looking like the New York Times is coming to call any time soon.  I'm really okay with that.  I'm a story teller who gets to tell exactly the story I want to tell in the way I want to tell it.  I'm not pigeonholed, I'm not under contract (although I'm not ADVERSE to being under contract), I'm not guided by much more than my own instincts and comments from my writers' group and my lovely critique partners.  I'm free to tell my stories and that's what brings me joy in my work.

To that end, I'd like to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.  While ultimately I would love to see more book sales, I'm really interested in connecting with my readers.  So I've decided to do a giveaway.  This is where it gets good for you, the reader.

I'd like to know what book you think is the most brilliant thing you've ever read and why. This is NOT a request for your favorite book.  (That's easy for me, "Wuthering Heights.")  What's the most
brilliant book you've read and why.  Here's mine:  Room, by Emma Donoghue.  (now a movie nominated for Best Picture.)  I find it brilliant because it is so simplistic: told from the view of a very young boy, set primarily in a single room. How can that possibly be good or entertaining?  It is. It is beautiful, it is mesmerizing. And I really wish my brain worked like that.  "Room"is one of those books that makes me want to write MORE.

So what's the most brilliant book you've ever read and why?  Leave a note for me here or contact me through my website here.  Or, if your prefer, message me at my Face Book page here. Leave your name and the country where you live. That's all we'll nee for now.

Today is January 30.  On March 4 I'm having hand surgery and

won't be able to type for a while. I won't take anymore entries after March 4.  I'll take that time to go through your messages and read about your books.  Then I will enter your names into a blind drawing.  The winner will receiver his/her choice of one of my 11 books, autographed. I will ship anywhere in the world I'm able to. (Clearly, this giveaway is going to take some time.)

So friends, let me hear from you. Someone is going to win a free book. Ready, set, GO!

A Review you can use: 13 Hours.

Good afternoon!

In keeping with my New Year's resolution, I'm determined to see more movies in the theater.  To that end,  Hubby and I have just seen Michael Bay's newest film, "13 Hours."

Like so many things in our world these days, "13 Hours" is not easily categorized. Is it an action movie?  A thriller?  A war film?  A political statement?  A dark comedy?

It is all of the above.

"13 Hours" tells the true story of the events of September 11, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya when ambassador Christopher Stevens and Information officer Sean Smith were killed in an American Embassy during a coordinated attack by militants. Another compound approximately 1 mile away was also attacked and 2 CIA contractors, Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty, were killed. Both Woods and Doherty were former Navy SEALS, The event is also called the Battle of Benghazi.The movie details the events leading up to the attack, the attack itself and the aftermath.

It's a breathless, fast paced film. I checked my watch about halfway through and could not believe how fast time had gone. Surprising and excellent performances by Jon Krasinski  and former fellow "The Office" castmate David Denham.  Krasinski makes the leap from comedic goofy guy to convincing serious action guy smoothly, and his performance is one bright star in a sky of sparkling moments.  Director Michael Bay presents the film with the unblinking feel of a documentary, complete with several time stamps.  

Bay steers clear of pointing a political finger, although much of the fall out stemming from the Battle of Beghazi has been hard to avoid in this presidential election year.  The viewer is left not so much blaming one person or one party, but rather blaming the breakdown of leadership and the "cover your a**"" mentality that is so much a part of the fabric of the US government.  There is no question in the point Bay is trying to get across by telling this story about the battle that's lead to months of testimony and chest thumping about emails and phone calls and and more emails.  Bay is shining a light on the six men who managed to defend more than 30 Americans against all odds when the rest of the US refused to help.  These six men did not worry about polls or votes or politics or political correctness.  They worried about defending the people in their care even though repeated calls for help went unanswered.

As an American I am proud of those six men.  

This movie is not for the faint of heart.  It is violent.  But it is also touching, and at moments funny.  This would fall into my "important movies" category.  You should see this. You should educate yourself about the Battle of Benghazi. You should teach your children, because they aren't learning history in schools anymore, and certainly not much in the way of current history.  Watch this film.  Read what you can.  Draw your own conclusions.  For me, the last line of the movie said it all.

And I'm not going to tell you what that line is. You need to see it for yourself.

  

Sneak Peak Saturday: Missing in Manitowoc

Good morning!

I just finished watching the Netflix docuseries:  "Making A Murderer."  I lived in Manitowoc from 1982 to 1989, although I was away in college for some of those years, but the Steven Avery story was hard to miss. Was he guilty?  Was he framed?  I don't know.  The author in me has thought about this story for a long time...but even that twisted part of my brain isn't making the judgement call.

 Anyway, if you're reading "Missing in Manitowoc" and you want to know if the places in the book actually exist, I can say oh yes they do.  Because "Making a Murderer" is silly with video images of my old hometown that meant a lot to me as well, enough to make it into my book. I haven't been back to Manitowoc in a couple years, so it was nice to see color images of the places I see so clearly in my mind.

Today's sneak peak is a description of a place you'll actually see in "Making A Murderer."  I mean, you'll see the outside sign...I describe the inside. So fans of the docuseries who have never been to Manitowoc, enjoy this...and every...just enjoy!

“Welcome to the Best Western Lakefront Hotel!”

The desk clerk’s chirpiness is wildly annoying considering I haven’t had the proper amount of coffee yet this morning. Is there the proper amount of coffee to prepare someone like me for someone like her? She’s a living, breathing stereotype. Her blonde, perfect, shoulder length hair and perky toothy smile are a little too cheerleader for me. I step away from the registration desk and pull out my phone, thankful I found the charger last night and thusly am able to converse with people of my own choosing.

Right now it’s a business call I have to make. Before I check in and commit to two nights in this building, I want to make sure I am still stranded here. I check the clock. The garage should be open by now. I call the garage. A man answers. “Terrell brakes and auto repair. This is Jack.”

“Hey Jack, it’s Nora Hill.”

“Nora!” He sounds just a tiny bit too glad to hear from me. If I were a normal person, I’d probably take that as a compliment. But I’m not normal and I’m not terribly interested in making connections with anyone, even Jack Terrell. I just want my car and I’m praying, hope against hope, my car is fixed and I can make my escape.

“Were you able to overnight the parts?”

“I’m sorry, Nora, I can’t. It’ll definitely be Monday before I’ll be able to get you back on the road.”

“But it will be Monday, right, Jack?” I know I sound imperious. I don’t care. In my world I have to be very clear about things with people.

“Yes, of course.” He waits one beat. “Nora, are you sure you don’t want to go to the reunion tonight? I mean, you’re stuck in town anyway.” He waits. “I’d really like it if you came along…with me.”

I’m not made of stone. I know exactly how sweet he’s being. I close my eyes. I know he means well, so I have to be patient and not howl at him. “I’m sure, Jack, thanks. I’m checking into the Best Western Hotel, so I’ll be fine here. I’ve got plenty of work to do anyway.”

He’s quiet for another beat. “Ok. I’ll give you a call on Monday when it’s done.”

There’s a note of defeat in his voice. As I touch the “end” square on my iPhone screen, I realize I never asked him anything about his life. And I should have. My mother would have. My sisters sure would have. Jack Terrell was the smartest guy in our class and the nicest. He was headed away from Manitowoc, he was going to go to one of those ultra pricey colleges and become the next Bill Gates or something. As I shove my phone back into my duffle, I wonder how a guy like that wound up staying in town and fixing cars.

Sucking up my annoyance, I make contact with the cheerleader at the front desk and register. I then check out the complimentary breakfast. I do like a good breakfast, and my memory of this place involves a very good one. Of course, my memory of this place also involves room service, which is not going to be an option anymore.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I’m a complete sucker for eggs and hash browns and all the breakfast meats. The ones they used to make at this hotel were really special. When Rose got married we had the post wedding breakfast here. I still remember the Eggs Benedict.

Sadly, today there will be no Eggs Benedict. There will be no room service. There will be, from the looks of things, waffles I can make all on my own. I’m crushed.

In a bit of a snit, I dump my duffle in my room and head out of the hotel, again, to find food. The fog has broken slightly, the sun trying to force its way through like a single headlight pushing through…well, fog.

Hey, I write for young adults, not upper crust literary genius types.

Once outside, I realize I haven’t a clue where I can get a good breakfast. My old standby was the Big Boy. And then my memory stirs. Warren’s. Of course!

Warren’s Diner, once the arch rival of The Big Boy, is now pretty much the only breakfast place in the downtown area. Since I’m not about to take a bus all the way out to the Perkins near Interstate 43, Warren’s is my only choice.

I could wait for the bus to take me back to my original starting point or I could walk. The fog lifted a bit further and I started out. It’s half a mile. That’s not a big deal. I do a lot of walking. There have been times I’ve parked my car further than that away from a truck stop or a rest stop on the interstate, just so I don’t get dinged for overnight parking. Half a mile…bah!

Every step, however, makes me realize just how conspicuous I am to passing motorists. See, walking for most people isn’t a big deal. You walk along a street, people honk, you recognize them, you wave. It’s a lovely social exchange. It’s a little different for me. I walk along a street, people honk, I haven’t a clue, and I don’t wave. When I was a kid, people would take this as an insult from the minister’s daughter and they’d report my transgression to my mother who would then lecture me on the sins of being rude.

Here I am, in the town I swore I would never, ever return to, walking along a street and heaven only knows who is going to see me and recognize me. Frankly, I can’t get to Warren’s fast enough.

Warren’s Diner. Like many of the businesses in the area Warren’s Diner is in a dumpy, nondescript building with wide windows revealing diners to passing customers. I remember staring at those same windows from my post at the carry out counter in the Big Boy across the street. My manager cursed each morning, watching people walk into Warren’s, even as people walked into The Big Boy. In the battle of breakfast places, I knew who won day after day. I was a dumb teenager, but I could count heads. I could read the signs on the sidewalk in front of Warren’s touting this or that ridiculously low priced breakfast. Who would want to pay five bucks for eggs and toast at Big Boy when the very same meal was available across the street for a half the price AND included coffee?

And yet, all these years later, I’m standing in front of this restaurant, hoping they have Eggs Benedict.

Walking in, I change my mind. I use Eggs Benedict and Rueben sandwiches as sort of a benchmark for eateries. If a place can do one or the other well, I’ll come back. If not, well, that’s pretty much it. There’s a diner in Waukesha that touts the “best Rueben in the world.” I have tried to disprove the claim. I haven’t been able to yet.

Why those two dishes? Well, I could go into some deep foodie dissertation on how a good Hollandaise sauce is the mark of a legitimate restaurant, but that would be stupid because it’s just not true. Truth is, I liked the names of the dishes when I was a kid. I liked to picture what a Benedict or a Rueben might look like and it turns out they seemed like pretty jovial gents. As I got older I ate them out of habit. Nowadays, honestly, Benedict and Rueben are pretty much my two closest male companions on my journeys.

But even my craving for Hollandaise isn’t going to overcome the lack of confidence I have in Warren’s. I take a seat on a sticky vinyl chair and scan the torn paper menu. The electric sign outside boasts air conditioning. Since this close to Lake Michigan it rarely hits temperatures worthy of AC, using that as a selling point is setting the bar impossibly low.

Then again, they are still here, open, and thriving from the looks of things. Meanwhile, my old place of employment won’t open until four and then the special of the day is today, as it was yesterday, as it was, I suspect, every day for the last handful of yes, spicy crispy chicken.

I take a chance on the strawberry pancakes. Hey, it’s a rare person who gets food poisoning from pancakes. I’m delighted, once the polyester clad waitress with the brunette pony tail puts the plate in front of me, that the pancakes look and smell amazing. They drip from center to edge with bright red strawberries, not gooey pie filling, and the whipped cream, while probably not homemade, at least tastes fresh. Unfortunately the coffee is a disappointment because it’s burned and weak. I remember too well the lingering bitter flavor of Big Boy coffee, coffee left too long on the pot warmer.

Well , you can’t win everything. So the pancakes were good, the coffee was bad. Sure, I have a bitter, burnt taste in my mouth, but on the flip side I’m not hungry anymore. It’s all about balance.

A Review Your Can Use: The Hateful 8

Good afternoon all!

So it's the new year and one of my resolutions was to go out and see more movies in the theater.  We're on Day 2 of 2016 and I've been to two movies already.  A good start.

I'm not going to bore you with a review of Star Wars.  You're going to go see it either because you love Star Wars or because everyone else on the planet is going and you're going to enjoy it because it's a movie built to be enjoyed by everyone.  Instead, I'm going to write a review of a movie whose release was limited to very specific theaters across the US, but is genius on several levels:  The Hateful 8.  

Let me first say I'm not a Quentin Tarantino fan. I'm telling you this so that you know I'm not writing a litany for worship at Tarantino's feet. I didn't like "Pulp Fiction" much and word that there's a third "Kill Bill" doesn't make me giggle with glee.  I did enjoy "Django Unchained" and "Inglorious Basterds" is one of my favorite films.  So I am reviewing "8" with a completely balanced eye, and I'm moved to write this review because I'm a writer and frankly when I see great writing in any form I need to give it a cheer.

Set almost completely in a snowbound cabin in Wyoming, "8" has the feel of a stage play.  The movie is dialogue heavy.  We learn nearly everything we need to know about the characters through what they say more than how they look or what they do.  Costuming is simple: heavy, brown, filthy, lumpy coats and boots all around, so in the staging Tarantino has leveled the field. Everyone pretty much looks alike.  Everyone sounds similar, with the exception of a couple accents.  But in words and phrases there's no telling the good guy from the bad guy simply by looking at them or hearing them speak.  Nope, this is a movie where you actually have to LISTEN to what's being said and that's where the genius of the film comes in.

Tarantino wants to give us the old time feel of what going to the movies meant a couple generations ago, so he's filmed it in 70MM, which means all these fantastic digital screens can't handle it. Hence the limited release. Simply put:  there aren't many theaters that even have the technology to run this film, which is actually a FILM. He didn't stop there, however. The movie is over three hours long. Yep.  More than three hours. I have trouble sitting still that long. But Tarantino gives us something we haven't seen from a long movie in a long time:  An intermission.  We actually had time to get up, get another soda, use the facilities, whatever, for about fifteen minutes.  It was perfect. And the fact that the movie clips along lightening fast didn't hurt either.

So what's it about?  It's a Western...set in winter...with bounty hunters and prisoners,  former Civil War officers from both sides, and unabashed racists all find themselves trapped in a single room.  They are all taking shelter from a blizzard.  Battle lines are drawn and redrawn as, through conversation, each character sees themselves allies and then enemies with every other character.  The movie is hardly for the faint of heart, given Tarantino's love of shock language and graphic violence.  In today's ultra sensitive society, there are those who are going to decry the treatment of Jennifer Jason Leigh (Daisy) who is punched and beaten and shot at pretty much the whole film. Let's all remember, folks, this is a story, it's fiction set in a time when the N word was part of every day speech and bounty hunters had the choice between "dead or alive."  It's not like this is set in a grade school in Beverly Hills in 2016.  Oh, and yeah, dear Daisy is as bad a bad guy as any of the others.  

Tarantino's sense of humor is also prevalent.  You're going to find yourself laughing out loud at some really dark moments, and that's okay.  Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell bounce off each other smoothly and it's great to see Bruce Dern in another film.  The winner of most of the scenes, however is Walter Goggins, as the former Rebel soon to be sheriff, Chris. 

It's a great cast doing excellent work in a very well written film.  If you don't have the stomach for very strong language, graphic nudity (there are a few moments of really graphic nudity, but only a few) or violence, or if you're just going to gripe that some of the characters are racist while others are violent toward a woman, then don't go see this film. If you want to see one of today's top movie makers actually produce something that's both original and nostalgic while also being entertaining, then go ahead and see it and have fun.

Of course, you can always also just go see any one of the ten billion sequels or remakes Hollywood is puking out at an alarming rate. Sure, you won't see anything new, but at least your sensibilities won't be stirred up. 

I'm giving this Five out of Five.

And speaking of movie reviews...

My very good friend, fellow author and movie lover, Linda Schmalz and I have released our first movie review book:  Two Moms, Three Glasses of Wine, and a Movie. For our first edition, we chose to review our favorite 50 films each and then 25 movies we both love.  You can get it in print or for the Kindle right now.  Our hope is to turn this project into a long series because, what we've noticed, is that there just are not enough movie reviews written by women while they're drinking wine.