Irish flicks to help get you in the spirit!

Last March, our local newspaper printed a list of what they consider standout Irish themed films. Even if you're only Irish for a day, why not expand your celebration beyond the parades, green beer, corned beef and cabbage and check some of these out. All of the films have an overall rating of 4 stars or better at Amazon. You can click on the titles to read the user reviews.

FYI - if you're in the CNY area and want to save some $, check out the Onondaga County Public Library before heading to the video store. All the titles I've seen so far came from there.

OK, time to reveal their list....
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Films that I've seen -

"Michael Collins" (1996)
"The Wind that Shakes the Barley" (2006)
"In the Name of the Father" (1993)
"The Boxer" (1997)
"My Left Foot" (1989)

"Michael Collins" is my favorite of the bunch - very powerful and moving. The accents are pretty thick in "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" so I would recommend seeing this one on DVD where you can turn on the English subtitles. The last 3 films all feature the very talented Daniel Day-Lewis as the lead actor. I found "My Left Foot" to be a little tougher to get into compared to the others, but well worth checking out nonetheless. It is based on the real life story of the writer Christy Brown.
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The remaining 8 that I have yet to see -

"The Informer" (1935)
"Odd Man Out (1947)
"Bloody Sunday" (2002)
"Some Mother's Son" (1996) - I have reserved a copy of this one - hope to get it in the next few days!
"Into the West" (1993)
"In America" (2003)
"The Secret of Roan Irish" (1994)
"Dancing at Lughnasa" (1998)
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A couple other Irish related movies not on their list, but ones that I found entertaining are -

"Patriot Games" (1992) with Harrison Ford and
"Darby O'Gill and the Little People" (1959) a Walt Disney classic

If anyone else has any recommendations, please feel free to leave a comment.

Cheers,
Linda


PS - In case you're wondering, those are magnetic salt and pepper shakers in the pic. Aren't they just adorable? You can find them here http://www.funtocollect.com/mwahleprachaunandpotgoldsaltandpepperset.html

Small Crochet Shamrock

I've tried my hand at crochet several times over the years and could never quite get the hang of it... that is until a few weeks back. For whatever reason, I'm finally getting it. That's not to say that I'm proficient at it by any means as I still haven't got the tension thing nailed down. Hopefully in time, it'll click and then I'll be able to go a bit faster. Anywho, I've been tinkering with a few beginner projects and came across these super simple shamrocks. They take about 5 minutes to whip up and make cute little pins or fridge magnets. Thank you to Teresa Richardson for posting a You Tube tutorial on how to make them!! Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGzh-wVHB1w

Christmas goodies

These sugar coated pecans are super quick to whip up and they are delicious. I've only tried this recipe with pecans, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work just as well with other types of nuts. Toss them in decorative tins or candy bags and you'll have nice little gifts for your nut loving friends, co-workers, etc...

Sugar Coated Pecans

You will need:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 pound pecan halves
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease one baking sheet.
2. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and vanilla until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, salt and cinnamon together.
3. Add the nuts to the egg whites and stir well until the nuts are evenly coated. Next, place the nuts in the sugar mixture, and toss to coat.
4. Spread the nuts out evenly onto the baking sheet.
5. Bake at 250 for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

Enjoying wildlife photography - while it's still legal

I discovered this little guy at the foot of my front porch step this evening when I got home from work. Luckily, he was still hanging out once I got the dogs in the house and grabbed my camera. Fortunately for now, I can still enjoy photographing the critters I find out in the wild. But if one group has it's way, that might change...

I'm not going to list the groups name as I don't want to give it any further exposure (if you really want to know - just google this topic), but according to an Aug 8, 2008 post on their website.. their goal is to expose Bird Watchers for what they feel are "cunning, pervasive, horny predators". In particular, they are targeting senior citizens and feel that "they should be discouraged from bird watching and should engage in socially accepted activities instead". They admit that not all birdwatchers are guilty of being perverts, but feel that far too many are and that they are corrupting our innocent children.

I really thought this was a joke, but after reading some of the comments on their site - there seem to be quite a few people who share this view, plus I found several videos on YouTube showing these people out on the streets protesting and handing out flyers. Their website goes on to say that

"A member of Congress, who requested anonymity, is quietly drafting legislature that would levy stiff fines against people caught with bird porn in their possession, either photos or internet images."

So I guess this picture I snapped a while back could cause me some legal trouble one day?!? LOL!


For the record, I was on the beach well before these little buggers showed up, and they didn't seem to mind one bit that I was there! ;-)
Let me also just say that if you are personally disturbed by a TV show or photo that captures natural animal behaviors - it is you're absolute right to get rid of your TV and computer and never come out of your house!

You know, I've been truly stressed out lately about the pending tobacco ban at work - so I have to thank this group of loons for getting me laughing and smiling again.

Labor Day 2008

I spent part of this beautiful day tending to the garden. Five tomato plants were pretty much done, so I pulled them out and planted several rows of snow peas and a row of lettuce. This is the first year I've tried to grow a late season crop, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully, they'll be ready to harvest before the first frost hits.

A worthy read for smokers and non-smokers alike!

SMOKE LIES NANNY STATE - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: SMOKE LIES NANNY STATE

Tobacco discrimination at work

The speculation and rumors have been circulating for months now, but still no release of the 'official' new policy. The latest twist going around today is that not only are they going to ban smoking on company property (including in your own personal vehicle), but that no legal tobacco products will be allowed on the premises! At first I thought my coworker was just kidding around, trying to get me riled up - but 'twas not the case. How the feck will they be able to enforce this - mandatory oral cavity inspections to make sure someone isn't chewing, car searches to look for butts in the ashtray?!?
Although I've tried to not let it (as nothing is 'official' yet), this has upset me to the point where I can't get my mind to stop reeling - and it's beginning to effect my health in ways that smoking cigarettes never has. Anxiety attacks, trouble sleeping, mad at the world... although I know it sounds crazy, this may very well be the straw that breaks this camel's back.
Before posting a pro anti-tobacco comment, think long and hard about why someone could and should be upset about a policy like this.
Stay tuned for updates...