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Oh, and I think that Wizard of Oz is an American thing. Because I just do not get what's so great about it, never have. I've talked with friends, and it kind of seems like this is one of those things one needs to grow up with, in order to properly enjoy.
It's funny you say that, Suja. I loved Wizard of Oz when I was little. We watched it every Thanksgiving. We always watched It's a Wonderful Life at Christmas. I can see them being a very American type of thing.
Could be Suja. I don't remember ever not knowing Oz....but I love the books even more than the movie. There are 14 in the series.
The Wizard of Oz scared the pants off me when I was a kid. I still find it slightly creepy, but now I think that's kind of neat. I probably won't show it to Noe for a good many years, though, since it also scared I when she was little (though she ended playing the wicked witch in a school production in 4th grade and she KILLED it!).
Bacon is in my top 5 favorite foods. Hollandaise is at least in the top 10. But, you know, about food - it's funny. What I'm finding lately, as my diet becomes more and more constricted, is that I can live without pretty much anything, really. (I mean, I still have to eat something -- I'm just saying that giving up my favorites has been a lot less painful than I imagined). And once I got used to them and had time to forget how good the original was, the replacements have not been half bad. Tofurky curry salad, for example. It may not be as good as chicken, but it still tastes pretty good. And I never used to be a huge fish fan, but now that it's the only flesh I get, it's a lot tastier. It's like in Life of Pi, when he gets so hungry that fish eyeballs are delicious. I might get to that point someday.
Chrissy, I haven't done the research on it yet but I think because this is such a heavily fished area the population is actually going down. :(
I just really enjoy the story, and the parallels between Oz and her home in Kansas (how the people she knows in Kansas are also characters in Oz) and the things they say in the beginning are actually referred to in the Oz storyline. I just really enjoy movies and shows with parallels in different worlds like that. It's one reason why I like the musical Wicked which is also Oz-based and the show Once Upon a Time.
Josh and I have read a few of the Oz books. We're actually reading The Hobbit for the second time, plus he has listened to it on audiobook. We wanted to take him to the movie but we felt it was a little too violent and heavy on the dialogue for him.
I was obsessed with the Oz series as a little girl. I still love some of the spin-offs of the series, like "Was" by Geoff Ryman, and I loved "Wicked" the book before it became a musical, and I'm excited about the James Franco movie coming out. In fact, I always said that if I were to get a tattoo, it would be something related to Oz (like flying monkeys in a band around my thigh) because it's the only thing that persisted symbolically in my consciousness since childhood in a not-fully-formed way. I don't know why but the stories resonated with me. Dorothy's story, in particular, has a lot melancholy understones. You know, you can get the books for free under public domain? I was somehow able to download them all onto my phone. I tried reading the first one (Marvelous Land of...) to Bodhi, but he was too afraid. But I will get to them one day.
Speaking of beloved books, I loved "Life of Pi" too. I think it still might be one of my favorite books of all time. DH & I saw the movie for New Year's Eve while my parents watched B. We thought about going out dancing, but decided to be boring and see a movie instead. It was well worth it, I thought. I was sorry they omitted one really surreal scene from the book (the other cast-off), because Ang Lee could've rocked it I think.
I get why hollandaise is kind of gross. Texturally, it's the kind of thing that'd turn my stomach, and if I think about it too long, it does. But sometimes they get the tanginess just right, and my taste buds do a little happy dance. I'm not much of a bacon lover except maybe as a flavoring for things like greens. But breakfast sausage is yummy to me. Basically, I love breakfast at any time of the day, but I prefer it when had not in the morning... because I feel like I'm being decadent.
You guys ever heard of Bela Fleck? When I open iTunes in the office, I can see the libraries of faceless co-workers, and one guy named "fahym" has a bunch of albums. The music is gorgeous, and great to work to.
Ash, my DH's band was called "Zero Potential", and that was a pretty appropo name for it. :)
LOL! My new favorite word!Quote:
Originally Posted by demigraf
Myles I think I remember you saying something about the flying monkey tattoo. That would be cool :)
A lot of people I talked to who read the Wicked book and saw the musical hate the musical. But I really like it-I know it's completely different but I thought it was well done. I'm also really looking forward to the Oz movie coming out and I hope it isn't terrible.
I've heard of Bela Fleck. I think Dave Matthews did an album of a live recording with him back in the day, or at least guest-played along with him at some point.
Fresh made hollandaise if made right is fantastic. It's tricky to make so a lot of places use powder. Yes. Hollandaise powder. LOL
It probably is an American thing. "Back in the day" it was only broadcast once a year. All my cousins and friends would wait with anticipation close to that of Christmas morning to watch it. Our parents would pop popcorn, we'd have soda (something we only got for special occasions). Whenever I see that movie, it brings all that nostalgia back for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Suja
Mmm, holland arise done just right is fantastic. Not done right, not so much. There used to be a place here that did a hollandaise burger - so amazing.
I love pancakes and French toast and bacon and eggs and all that (although sausage creeps me out) but don't like to eat when I first wake up. And I have learned that having sweet foods like syrup or Danishes or muffins makes me sick. I need protein first thing before carbs. Oh, how I love carbs.
Oh, the Oz books! I am almost certainly the only person I know who dressed up as Ozma of Oz for Hallloween. My mother mad the costume, and let me tell you, it was something to see! We bought a book of historical costume ideas and my mother copied an Ancient Greek outfit, but made it this soft but really bright green, with gold spangles. Best costume ever. Of course, nobody had any idea what I was supposed to be, but that's the kind of kid I was. I did my own thing!
Here is a picture of Ozma, for reference. I have always loved that style of illustration.
I miss you guys! Being a single working mother is kicking my butt. I always knew I admired working mothers, but now I bow down to you all. Since my job is sitting at a desk working on a computer, I find myself staying away from the computer at home. But I think about ya'll and I think I am caught up. My training is going fine, I will feel much better when I have a better grasp of the ins and outs of the office. It's hard to learn the software because I have been trained by someone new everyday, so they all have their own way to do things.
My dh has been out of town for 10 days, and tonight Gilly announced that he is now The Dad, and I should call him Tim. Our kid is now called Alvin. As in chipmunk Alvin. At dinner, G crossed his arms and asked "so honey, how was your day at work?" then reached over and rubbed my arm. This kid cracks me up.
Love Golden Girls, love them. I sing old sitcom theme songs to G at bedtime and the theme to GG is one of them. The other day G heard the song on tv, and said hey mom that is what you sing to me! heh. Forget Miami. Come on over and see me. I am 2 hours on the other side of the state. And it's 80 degrees this week...just sayin...
I too watched Oz when it came tv, but I was horrified by those **** flying monkey's. They are seriously messed up. I think it will be awhile before G sees that movie. I watched a show about Judy Garland a few weeks, gah what a sad life she had. :(
Oh I started reading Life of Pi and I love it so far. Maybe by the time I finish the book, it will be on redbox. I am so tired at night, I read 2 pages and I am done.
Welcome to Janet and Gretchen :hi: Nice to have you here.
Just realized I never updated about my 1840 camping trip. It was a trip that is for sure!!! I am glad I did it, not sure *I* will be doing it again. I do love to camp but I am getting too old to tent camp. I want a nice comfy RV now. Gilly loved it, like I knew he would. He climbed trees, played in the dirt, and generally ran around having the best time. The days were fun, walking around looking at the stores, people sell all kinds of goods and/or food from the era. The evenings were nice, we tried different food vendors, our favorite was elk chili. It was so good. And the fry bread. OMG the fry bread. Ending the evening with a roaring campfire-my favorite part. I just love a good old campfire. My least favorite was bedtime. The snoring was coming at me from all different sides. Ack! Ear plugs were a joke. It's an annual event and dh and G are counting down the days until next time. I am leaning more toward letting this be their "daddy and son" time and I will do the family camp-outs where I can wear shorts :)
I'm another who's not a big fan of breakfast- either the typical breakfast foods or eating in the morning. Any time before 10, eating anything makes me kind of queasy. Before 7, and I almost never eat at all. And I'm like Jennifer, some of the foods themselves make me a bit sick. Like anything with syrup... But, one thing I've noticed is that real maple syrup is a lot less painful than that crappy stuff.
Oh, Wizard of Oz... Yes, the "classic" movie is very American. They took the original story, which was meant as a total fantasy, and completely changed it. They added a moral that is the epitomy of the era- "there's no place like home". That wasn't really in the book, as I recall.
Well, off to cook more dinner!
Yes, the book was meant to be read as a fairy tale and in the world of the story, Oz actually exists and Dorothy actually physically went there. I read the books many times and always felt the movie version where they turned it into a dream (and added a moral) really watered it down. I've always preferred imagination to morals! So I prefer the books but the movie is such a part of my childhood I enjoy it, too.
I agree those flying monkeys were creepy.
ETA: somewhere I remember reading that the author intended the first book as satire against the local politics of the day, and later when the books kept selling went more into the fantasy aspect. Don't know much about it or how closely it matches turn of the century politics. I'll just enjoy my fantasy, thanks very much.
Hello raspberry! Thanks for the welcome, it's good to be in here. Even if I normally only post once at night... Today, though, is kind of a Grandma / Granddaughter type of day. So I am at my parents' house cooking dinner for us all, while she plays with Maiya... It's a good deal for us all! Not sure who enjoys it most... But suffice it to say, between "jobs" cooking, I am making the most of my "free" time.
I think I agree with you, Gwyn, about the book vs the movie. Except I grew up with the movie, and didn't read the book until... Well, it was one of Maiya's bedtime stories, I think her very first one, so when she was about... 4 months old? I know it's too scary for her now, but at that age, it was more about hearing my voice and establishing a bedtime routine. So while I do believe I liked the book better, I am still very sentimental about the movie.
So everything I know about the book comes from that one book (the free one from Kindle...). If I remember right, the author's note said that he meant it to be purely fantasy, and like you said Oz is really and everything really happened. I remember getting the impression that the author would roll in his grave if he knew what they did to it for the classic movie.
I know I was really impressed with the way the book had the characters believe the exact opposite of what they were. Like the scarecrow was the smartest of them all, but he felt like he had no brains. I LOVED the way he did that, if there was a moral in the book, it was to believe in yourself. But it was done so well that it didn't interrupt the story, and actually added to it. I was so sad that they didn't do that in the movie...
And yes, the flying monkeys did me in, too, as a kid. Maiya won't get to watch this for a LONG time. But then, she cries when Heidi is away from her grandfather... She is a very sensitive girl right now!!
I think it sounds awesome! But yeah, for a 'do this once in my life' kinda thing. I too would prefer an RV. Although, I'd also like to backpack/hike some day as well. Just once.Quote:
Originally Posted by raspberry
I can't remember if I read the Wizard of Oz book or not, but I remember reading another from his series and even as a child I didn't 'get it.' None of that fantasy stuff ever sat well with me. It's actually ironic that I ended up liking the movie so much.
My love of Oz lies strictly with the movie, including the morale. I later became fascinated with the actors and how they made the movie. The book never held any interest for me.
I've a huge Judy Garland fan and one of the things my girls remember doing with me while they were growing up is watching old Judy Garland movies on TCM. Bobbie brought it up recently and wants to do that again.
Oh and raspberry, your camping trip sounds wonderful! That is just up my alley, though. Mmm, fry bread... But if you do, I bet they will love their daddy / son time, too.
We often have brinner around here, breakfast for dinner. Bacon and eggs and toast. mmmm. I am surprised how many of ya'll wouldn't be happy with that. But no baked beans for me at breakfast, I like them, but not at breakfast. It's an English thing. My first time in England, my dh was so happy to find an inn that included "full English breakfast". Eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms, baked beans, black pudding, and toast. How can I eat all that and get up and walk again?! I was totally "Sally" from when Harry Met Sally when I ordered mine. Basically I had eggs, bacon, and toast. I like eggs hard, like no soft yolk at all. shudder. So they brought me the yolk unbroken but fully cooked. Never seen it served that way before, it looked so strange lol. heh.
Chrissy, as I watched the show about Judy Garland, I realized how few movies of hers I had actually seen. More to add to my "to do list", watch Judy Garland movies. All this talk about the Oz book, makes me want to read it.
Shelley, you had me at Fry Bread. The whole thing sounds lovely, and is totally something I would do. I have to admit to not understanding RV camping, other than in the context of a long road trip. The whole point of camping is to be one with nature, and if one needs to seek shelter from it, ....
Got nothing to contribute to the WoO discussion. Even hated, and couldn't get through Life of Pi.
Oh, I forgot that I have something to contribute to the Purple Toilet thread. Un-fricken-believable.
:shocker: No way!Quote:
Originally Posted by Suja
I liked that part, too. It really is about believing in yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Krystal5
:shocker:Quote:
Originally Posted by Suja
Wizard of Oz holds many wonderful childhood memories for me! My little brother LOVED that movie! He watched it all the time and his favorite part was the flying monkeys and the "oh-ee-oo-ohoh" chant they did while marching. One day, just about a year before my mom passed away, our whole family was walking around the Madison capitol square enjoying the farmer's market. My mom was walking ahead of T and I going on and on to someone about how much T LOVED Judy Garland and could sing his heart out to "somewhere over the rainbow". T, with his wonderfully sardonic sense of humor raised his eyebrow to me and said, "And yet she never knew." Lol! (for the newbie, my brother is gay and didn't "come out" until he was in his mid-20's)
Also, my dad once watched an interview with Judy Garland where she told stories about the midgets in the movie being totally wasted while shooting scenes and never showing up to the set on time. Whenever anyone talks about the Wizard of Oz, you will hear my dad tell that little tidbit. He loves it. And one of my really good friend's uncle played one of the little people in the movie and he confirms that story, much to my dad's relief.
Breakfast is my fave. And I make a kick ass hollandaise sauce. We only have benedict once a year or so since it's so rich but we use asparagus and avacado and it's AWESOME. We usually make it for each other's bdays (dbf and I). He tried to buy the powdered stuff once and I deadpanned him until he slowly put it back on the shelf. lol. Bacon was the only thing I missed when I wasn't eating meat for about 7 years. The smell of it would make me cry. Not really. I love all breakfast food but as it is, I only have a spinach and fruit smoothie for breakfast. My kids nosh at breakfast too. It's our most successful mealtime.
I love camping but I will say that since I met dbf and his body won't take sleeping on the ground, we've either slept in a pop up or rented a simple cabin with just a roof and beds. I'd like to get one of those steel bullet type pull behinds that just have beds inside. We camped for every family vacation I can remember growing up. I am thankful for that.
Kate, I love Josh's questions about the movie. He is awesome. When you tell stories about him I always think he would have a good time with my kids.
I had a very successful shopping trip to Costco with all 3 kids by myself. I was nervous going in but we did good! Sawyer insists on walking and he's got to have his hands in his pockets just strolling along and stopping to look at everything and to ask me what it is. The trip would have taken hours if I'd obliged but instead I busted open the pirate booty and that kept him happy sitting in the cart. It was a pretty peaceful trip and I wanted to high five myself after!
And Myles, "understones" is officially my favorite word.
:laugh: About your brother's joke about your parents not knowing! That chanting part, I admit, when I was very little I thought they were saying my home town. "Oh-weee-goo...." :D lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Bridget
That's awesome your trip went so smooth! You're quite resourceful and definitely know what will work for your kids.
Me & you should take our kids camping some time :P
Too funny about your brother!
I would LOVE that.
I know I have told you guys this before but if dbf was up for it, I'd pack us into a mobile home and go where he goes for business. I think that would be an awesome experience for us. I love change. I think we'd make great nomads. Wait, is that the right word?
Do you know that song, Going Mobile by the Who? It's all about that and I always used to love listening to it when I was little thinking they made it sound so much fun. I don't think that lifestyle would suit me but I can see the charm.
I'd love to live that that as well. And yes, I do believe you meant nomads. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bridget
Don't ask me about politically correct words! LOL!
Ack! I know. I said "midget" too. That can't be right.