DVD's From the Library

 A book club I belong to, at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, discuss a different book each month. On April 2024, I will  lead the discussion and it will be on The Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. The book was first published in 1934 and I have read the story in the past and watched a movie about the story, but today the memory is blurry about what happens in the story. 

I picked up the book from the Jefferson County Library in Arvada to reread the book and one of the workers asked, "Have you seen the movie?" I told him I had, and he said, "We have some DVD's because a few have been made about The Murder on the Orient Express." I checked out the DVD but when I got home I realized I have no way to watch it. Now a days, with streaming, there is no need for discs! When I would babysit with my grandchildren, I would let them watch videos on a mall 7" disc player.  Luckily, I still have it and I put the DVD in and began watching the tiny screen. I also have a 19" inch t.v. with a slot on the side where I can slide a disc in, but it had not been used for over twenty years so I was not sure it would work.

The seven-inch player worked but the audio was terrible, and I could not understand any words spoken by the actors. I watched a bit on it, and it was frustrating trying to guess what was being said. I decided to try the old television and hooked it up. To my surprise it worked! The disc even had closed captioning so I could watch and read what was being said in the movie. I glad I did not get rid of that television set along with some older sets I had accumulated. In 2023 I got rid of all the extra t.v.'s but kept the one with the DVD slot. Don't even ask me why I had so many televisions in my house but when I purchased a new set, I just hung on to the old one.

I watched part of the movie and then stopped to fix dinner. After eating I could not get the DVD to work again. I must have fooled with it for over an hour by pushing buttons, but nothing worked. My next idea was to use my previous laptop that has a tray for a DVD, but I did not have the wires I needed. It was a disappointing evening. When I got ready to go to bed, I decided to give it one more try and lo and behold it worked! I do not know what the problem was, but it got straightened out.

The first movie made in 1974 had some great actors: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall. Ingred Bergman, Sean Connery, Martin Balsam, Richard Widmark, Anthony Perkins and Jacqueline Bisset. In 2001 Alfred Molina, Meredith Baxter, Leslie Caron, and Peter Strauss were the actors. There were other actors but the ones I listed are the ones I recognized. The movie I am watching filmed in 2017 has Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Willem DeFoe, Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Judi Dench.

When I return the DVD I want to watch the 1974 and 2001 version of the story. After reading and seeing the story I should be able to lead the discussion at our book club!

"All round us are people of all classes,

of all nationalities, of all ages. For three days

these people, these strangers to one another 

are brought together. They sleep and eat under one roof,

they cannot get away from each other, and

at the end of three days they part, they go several ways,

never, perhaps, to see each other again."

Agatha Christie

February 28, 2024, I watched the 1974 DVD and liked it better than the 2017 version. I liked the actors better and the film followed the story line closer to the book. It begins with the kidnapping and murder of the child, Daisy Armstrong. It made making the story easier to understand. The 2001 will be the last version of the mystery if the library can find a copy of the DVD. The librarian seemed pretty sure that it would be found!

My Turn to Pick a Restaurant

One of my favorite places to eat Chinese food is the Tea Garden in Arvada. In the past this was a favorite restaurant for my family, and we celebrated birthdays and special occasions at the restaurant. Many fond memories tumbled around as I waited in the restaurant for the group to arrive. 

I belong to a group of thirteen women called The Baker's Dozen and every month one person picks the restaurant. February is my month to pick a restaurant for our get together and I chose the Tea Garden to meet on February 21, 2024. It happened to be my son's birthday and he would have been sixty-one years old on that day.  As the group gathered, I realized that almost nine years ago we had eaten there after burying my son. Was it a coincidence or serendipity that we were at the Tea Garden? 

When this picture came up on Facebook, I could see the wallpaper at the Tea Garden as we celebrated his birthday!

"My son, you will never be forgotten!

Every day I see something that

reminds me of you!"

E. Moscoso

How To Get Away With Murder

A huge snowstorm was brewing for the weekend and I knew I would not be going out, so I decided to watch How To Get Away With Murder starring Viola Davis. This was not my normal type of story I would usually watch but nothing else appealed to me. As I flipped through the channels I noticed that the movie had been popular having six seasons with about ten plots each season. Once I began watching, I was hooked. A law professor teaching her class in law by using real cases. The five students she had picked to be in her class form the basis of the story.

I became involved with murder, lies, betrayals, deceptions, corruption, and sometimes it was difficult separating the good guys from the bad ones, because everyone seemed to be bad. Lots of cheating by all the characters and the show fighting racism made me want to cheer for them even though I did not agree with their unethical methods. Love scenes were a bit much, so I found myself fast forwarding over the steamy parts of man with woman, men with men, women with women, incest, etc. 

There were many scenes regarding parent-child relationships, unfaithful lovers, alcoholism, childbirth, drugs, distrust, immigration, ICE, children trafficking, loyalty, and lots of blood. Red spread on the floor, drops in the snow, splatters on walls and smears in an elevator. I thought it was clever for the director of the movie and how the story moved from scene to scene by a knocking at a door and when the door opened it was another character or another part of the story.  The clothing in the movie and the different hairdos also was interesting to see. Some of the characters I got to like but some I never cared for at all. I never knew what was going to happen next so I kept watching. Each chapter something new would come up involving the Govenor, FBI, District Attorney, attorneys, prisoners, judges, and the very wealthy. It seemed that nobody trusted anybody and the audience was kept guessing.

Annalisa's (Viola Davis) mother (Cecily Tyson) seems to be the only one making any sense throughout  the series and she is suffering from Alzheimer's!

I give kudos to Peter Nowalk who created the story and for the tremendous acting by Viola Davis, though sometimes I did not like her character. The story ends with the characters being older, sporting white hair, wrinkles and attending their mentor's funeral. The ending of the story left me puzzled until I figured out a young professor teaching the new class of How to Get Away with Murder was the son of a man who had been murdered early in the story.

Three weeks of binge watching to get through the six seasons of the series, and I have never been so glad to come to the end of a story. Viola Davis won an Emmy for her role and I can understand why because watching her she looked and acted the part of whatever was going on in her life. Sometimes attractive, sometimes normal and sometimes downright ugly!

"Make me out to be a villain 

if it helps you sleep at night,

but don't you ever screw

with my cases."

Annalise Keating (Season 2)

A Moment of Humor on Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is a very serious and solemn event in the catholic church.  It is the beginning of lent and a time for spiritual reflection to get closer to God. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and lasts for forty days until Easter Sunday. The forty days represent the forty days Jesus was in the desert and tempted by the devil.

As the ashes are placed on our forehead the words, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return," is said. This year, the Deacon asked me to push my hair up to reveal my forehead. How could I tell him I couldn't because I was wearing a wig! I had a moment of panic. That tickled my funny bone and I managed to shove the hair to the side so that he could place the ashes on my forehead. I controlled wanting to laugh and wondered what he would do if I pulled my wig off!  I do not know if he noticed it was not my real hair! Yet, it was a moment of humor for me on Ash Wednesday!

Other than that, it was a lovely and holy ceremony to show the world that we belong to Jesus!

"The ashes mean I am a sinner.

The cross means I have a savior."

Fr. Mike Schmitz

A Dangerous Intersection

When we moved into our home near 64th and Lamar Street, there would be accidents on a corner not far from where we lived. Usually, it would be one a week and I got used to hearing the sirens and the flashing lights. Most of the crashes were fender benders though I do remember one accident where a pedestrian was crossing 64th and a car turning left from Lamar Street struck and killed the woman. The driver had been blinded by the glaring sun and did not see the lady crossing the street. 

Once streetlights were installed the accidents seemed to disappear until on Monday, February 5, 2024, I saw many police cars, flashing lights, 64th closed for blocks, cars rerouted and a fire engine. I did not think any more about what was happening because it reminded me of the past when that corner had many accidents. A friend called me and asked me if I saw the accident and said she had seen it on the news. I looked it up on the Internet and found out that a 23-year-old driver had run a red light and crashed into a car with a man going home after picking up his two children from school. The man had died instantly, and the children were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. 

Yesterday, as I drove by the intersection I noticed a memorial of pictures, stuffed animals, and flowers on the corner where the accident happened. I couldn't help but think that no one is safe and we never know when our end will arrive. The news said the driver of the pickup may have been on drugs or alcohol. It's a scary world we live in! Not only has Covid done a number on us, but the aftermath of RSV and other illnesses is still running rampant. So, not only do I worry about getting flu like symptoms but I worry what crazy drivers are ready to cause a crash! Then, I remember my fall down the stairs leaving me with a broken ankle and realize anything can happen at any time! The only thought that runs through my mind is, BE PREPARED!

Today, I read about the Kansas City's celebration parade for winning the Super Bowl and how it turned ugly when a shooter killed one person and injured ten. A joyous, fun parade ruined in a minute. It does make me wonder why our world seems so dangerous!

"The world is not dangerous

because of those that do harm,

but because of those that look

at it without doing anything."

Albert Einstein

Sister Molly

 When I began working at the Guadalupe Center in the late 80's I met Sister Molly.  Her blood sister was the Director at the center and the position appealed to me. I joined them in working with Spanish speaking people in hopes that my Spanish would improve. I had been employed at Legal Services and after leaving that position, I applied at the Arvada Police Department. At the same time, I was offered the job at the Center I received notice from the police department that I would be hired. I had a dilemma because the police department paid quite a bit more, had a retirement plan and it was near to where I lived. But something drew me to the Hispanic office, so I decided to work for the Archdiocese.

I hadn't been working in the office very long when in walked a feisty woman with a toothy smile. Of course, in those days nuns were no longer wearing habits and I was surprised when she said she was a nun! She worked with migrant workers and was out of the office a lot. It took me awhile to get used to her coming in and out of the office but for the next ten years I got to know her. She appeared to be flighty, but her heart was in the right place as she helped people by finding them a place to live, locating food and clothing, and fighting for their well-being. One story I remember was the horrible conditions workers lived in. She became a thorn in the employer's life and she told me how he threatened her. She did not give up and continued being an advocate for the workers. He was so angry that he pointed a gun at her with a threat for her to leave his property. This did not stop her because after years of fighting she managed to get better housing for the workers. 

She fought for what was right and not for any self-glory. In the years I have known her she has done courageous things, silly and funny antics, and angered politicians and priests, but her heart was always in the right place as she helped those in need. When we would meet at different occasions, she always greeted me with a hug and a smile. I cannot remember anytime that she was angry or upset because nothing seemed to get her down. She found it hard to understand why there was so much disparity among the poor and those that had money. To me, she lived the life that Christ would like to see all of us live!

She was ready to help in celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day and found a young man and his group of Mexican workers to come sing Estas Son Las Mananitas. Every year she would prepare an altar for the Day of the Dead and arranged to have a mass in the fields for the workers. She had a room at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community where donations could be kept before she distributed them to the needy.

Yesterday there was a reception for her because she is now retiring. I asked her why she decided to retire, and she laughed as she said, "I did not want to, but I have been called back to the mother house in Iowa. I guess they think it's time for me to retire!" She grew up in Iowa and her sister is also at the mother house, so that makes her happy.

She is a person who is active and moving so I cannot imagine what she will do in retirement. When I mentioned this to her she responded, "Maybe I will take care of the older nuns!"

"The trouble with retirement

is you never get a day off!"

Abe Lemon

A World of White

 Tiny blinking jewels

twinkling galore

on the earth so white

sparkling bright.

Nothing moves.

Silence, 

peaceful, calm

a world transformed

to perfection.

A jeweled landscape

 heaven on earth

mini-stars glimmer

twinkle 

as whiteness covers

the world in

peace.

E. Moscoso

February 11, 2024

5 Avocados

 

Unless you are having a party or you eat avocados a lot, do not buy the green-net bag with five avocados! I get tired of buying one avocado, wait for it to ripen and then eat it. One day I decided to buy the bag with five very hard avocados and thought I would have them for a while without having to buy them one at a time. Here's what happened. All five ripened at exactly the same time. Of course, I could not eat all five at the same time so two had to be thrown away when the insides turned dark!

The moral to this story is buy one at a time, eat it and then go to the store and buy another one and that way you don't have to toss any away!

From the Internet I learned that avocados originated in Puebla, Mexico. When ripe the buttery soft center can be eaten on toast, in salads, to make guacamole, or sprinkled with a bit of salt and spooned out. If you like avocados they can be eaten however you want! There is more nutritional value in an avocado than in a banana, though they are both high in fat!

                                                        "I love things that are indescribable,

like the taste of avocado or

 the smell of a gardenia."

Barbra Streisand

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People

 Today I did not go to church but instead watched the mass on my computer. For a couple of days I had been fighting some weird ailment that felt like a cold coming on. Chilled, slight fever, unable to sleep, and a runny nose were my symptoms. That is why I decided to stay home and not go to church where I could have spread my germs.

The homily by Fr. Trevor was about Job and the question of why do bad things happen to good people? A question that I have thought about and some of my friends have verbally asked. One of my friends said, "there cannot be a God if he allows such suffering in the world."

Father gave a quick synopsis about Job who had everything perfect in his life. But the devil challenged God by telling him that Job was a good and a righteous man because he had everything good given to him. God allowed the devil to take away Job's possessions; family, goods, lands, and his health but Job never denied God. 

We have emotions and we have intellect and Fr. said that it is our emotions that suffer but our intellect knows there is a reason for suffering. Emotions do not understand, yet our mind/intellect lets us know why. If we did not suffer we would have no understanding of what heaven is about and that our reward is not on earth but of our future beyond.

A good example he gave is that when we are sick and suffering, the doctor gives us some horrible tasting medicine that we do not like but we take it because we know it will make us better! If  something bad happens, we suffer and know that it will take us to a better place. Growing up I remember my mother saying, "the more we suffer the closer we are to God." One of her favorite sayings, if I complained about one thing or another was, "offer it up to God." 

Our reward is not of this life and reason/intellect leads us out of misery. For once, after hearing the homily, I had a better understanding of why bad things happen to good people!

"No ay un mal que por bien no venga!"

"There is nothing bad that good will not come from it!"

An Old Spanish Saying