I'm Back...

... I know, I never said I was going away. But I did. Now I'm back.

Took the children, and Richard, to Disneyland Paris for 4 days. Feeling so tired at the moment I can barely type so will fill you in after I have slept 36 hours straight!!!

12 Hour Crop

And this time I am determined to have something to show for it!

Photos have all just (in the last minute or so) been ordered from Photobox, I now have to pray that they will arrive tomorrow morning. They normally do but you can bet Sod's Law will raise it's ugly head and this time they won't.

Do I Have A Life? Apparently Not!

Just been reading through my friend Sam's blog and her recent post about this movie questionnaire. Apparently if you've seen over 85 movies, well, you have no life! As with Sam I am a real movie buff, love to watch movies and, just like my children, can easily watch a great film more than just once. So I thought I'd fill out the questionnaire and see if I do or don't have a life...

(  ) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
(  ) Boondock Saints
(  ) Fight Club
(  ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
(  ) AnchorMan
(  ) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(  ) Saw
(  ) Saw II - and seen Saw III :)
(  ) White Noise
(  ) White Oleander
(  ) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 11 out of 22.

(  ) Scream
(  ) Scream 2
(  ) Scream 3
(  ) Scary Movie
(  ) Scary Movie 2
(  ) Scary Movie 3
(  ) Scary Movie 4
(  ) American Pie
(  ) American Pie 2
(  ) American Wedding
(  ) American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(  ) Resident Evil 1
(  ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
(x) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 19 out of 43

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(  ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(  ) White Chicks
(  ) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
(  ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(  ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(  ) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(  ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(  ) Meet The Parents
(  ) Meet the Fockers
(  ) Eight Crazy Nights
(  ) Joe Dirt
(  ) King Kong
Total so far: 30 out of 66

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(  ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
(  ) Passport to Paris
(  ) Dumb & Dumber
(  ) Dumber & Dumberer
(  ) Final Destination
(  ) Final Destination 2
(  ) Final Destination 3
(  ) Halloween
(  ) The Ring
(  ) The Ring 2
(  ) Surviving Christmas
(  ) Flubber
(  ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
(  ) Ghost Ship
(  ) From Hell
(  ) Hellboy
(  ) Secret Window
(  ) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(x) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 36 out of 90

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child’s Play
(  ) Seed of Chucky
(  ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(  ) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(  ) Sixteen Candles
(  ) Remember the Titans
(  ) Coach Carter
(  ) The Grudge
(  ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
(  ) Son Of The Mask
(  ) Bad Boys
(  ) Bad Boys 2
(  ) Joy Ride
(  ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
(  ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(  ) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 50 out of 121.

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
(  ) A Bronx Tale
(  ) Darkness Falls
(  ) Christine
(x) E.T.
(x) Children of the Corn
(  ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(  ) War of the Worlds
(  ) Rush Hour
(  ) Rush Hour 2
(  ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She’s All That
(x) Calendar Girls
(  ) Sideways
(  ) Mars Attacks
(  ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 65 out of 147.

(x) X-Men
(  ) X-2
(  ) X3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(  ) Sky High
(  ) Jeepers Creepers
(  ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(  ) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
(  ) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
(  ) Cruel Intentions 2
(  ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 73 out of 165

(  ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street*
( ) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
(x) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(  ) A Walk to Remember
(  ) Ice Castles
(  ) Boogeyman
(  ) The 40-year-old Virgin
(x) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(  ) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(  ) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 81 out of 181

(  ) Base-ketball
(  ) Hostel
(  ) Waiting for Guffman
(  ) House of 1000 Corpses
(  ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
(  ) Mothman Prophecies
(  ) American History X
(  ) Three
(  ) The Jacket
(  ) Kung Fu Hustle
(  ) Shaolin Soccer
(  ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
(  ) Willard
Total so far: 86 out of 200.

(  ) High Tension
(  ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
(  ) Orgazmo
(  ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
(  ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(  ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
(  ) Mortal Kombat
(  ) Wolf Creek
(  ) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) The Hills Have Eyes
(  ) I Spit on Your Grave
(  ) The Last House on the Left
(  ) Re-Animator
(  ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 93 out of 220

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(  ) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(  ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(  ) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
(  ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix: Reloaded
(x) The Matrix: Revolutions
(  ) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
(  ) Team America: World Police
(  ) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(  ) Hannibal
Total: 102 out of 239

So, 102 out of 239 = No Life! Although who compiled this list I don't know but I do know that I've seen far more movies than this list is showing. I suppose it's a good cross section of movie genres. Interesting for me to see that I've seen quite a lot more horror movies than I would first have thought as I never watch horror movies now. But reviewing the ones I have marked show me that they are all very old horror movies (some 'classics' like Texas Chainsaw Massacre - during the time that it was a banned movie!!!) and were watched back in the early 80s when my parents first got a VCR (??? how old am I?) and we would have movie nights where we would regularly sit down and watch 3 movies of an evening - a movie for the younger children, then a comedy of some sort, followed by a horror invariably. I hate horrors now and couldn't be paid to sit and watch one!

My Blog Report

So, I've been thinking (strange but true, it does happen on occasion) that if my blog was to receive a school report it would probably read something like this:

Whilst Jools started out the year well, putting a lot of effort into her writing, writing consistently and often, this has tailed off as the year has progressed. With regards to her art studies, it is quite clear that whilst Jools has obviously spent a lot of time researching for her projects and has indeed spent rather a lot on materials to complete said projects, there does not seem to be much evidence that she has actually completed any. In the future I would like to see more actual work being created than time spent just talking about it.

Overall Comment: Must try harder!

Hmmm, I agree, I must try harder... and I plan to... starting... tomorrow!

A Reminiscing Email

I received this email today and thought I'd share it:

Just for a minute, forget everything stressful and read this...............
Close your eyes and go back in time...
Before the Internet...
Before semi-automatics, joy riders and crack....
Before Play stations, x-box or Super Nintendo...

Way back......

I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park.
The corner shop.
Hopscotch.
Butterscotch.
Skipping.
Handstands.
Football with an old can.
Finger bobs.
Beano, Dandy, Buster, Twinkle and Dennis the menace.
Roly Poly.
Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building dams.
The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.
Bazooka Joe bubble gum.
An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune.
Chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe Neapolitan or perhaps a screwball.

Wait......

Watching Saturday morning cartoons, short commercials or the flicks.
Children's Film Foundation, The Double Deckers, Red Hand Gang, The Tomorrow People, Tiswas or Swapshop?, and 'Why Don't You'? - or staying up for Doctor Who.
When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere.
Earwigs, wasps, stinging nettles and bee stings.
White dog sh*t.
Sticky fingers.
Playing Marbles. Ball bearings. Big 'uns and Little 'uns.
Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and Zorro.
Climbing trees.
Building igloos out of snow banks.
Walking to school, no matter what the weather.
Running till you were out of breath, laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
Jumping on the bed.
Pillow fights.
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
Being tired from playing....remember that?

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
Choppers and Grifters.
Twist grip 3 speed gears.
Everyone had Police sirens on their bikes.
Small narrow skateboards and adjustable rollerskates.
Eating raw jelly.
Orange squash ice pops.

Remember when...

There were two types of trainers - girls and boys, and Dunlop Green Flash and the only time you wore them at school was for P.E.
You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents.
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve.
When nobody owned a pure-bred dog.
When 25p was decent pocket money.
Curly Wurlys. Space Dust. Toffo's.
Top Trumps.
When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.
When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there.
When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When being sent to the head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.
Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs etc. Parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! (and some of us are still afraid of them.) Didn't that feel good?

Remember when....

Decisions were made by going "Ip Dip Dog Sh*t".
"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly".
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs.
And the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one.
It was unbelievable that 'British Bulldog 123' wasn't an Olympic event.
Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a catapult.
Nobody was prettier than Mum.
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin.
Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!

And the funny thing is I can remember most, if not all, of these. The good old days. LOL.