herbiehancock

No 62 - The Graduate Director - Mike Nichols I give up trying to apologise for the recent lax behaviour on this blog. My life has got distressingly hectic and LoveFilm are sending me all sorts of fascinating films which are decidedly NON-LIST. But I'm keeping at it.... and will continue here. Have no fear. There are a lot of nice little bits I wish to talk about in The Graduate. The beautiful soundtrack, for example and that I really love The Sound of Silence, even after hearing a hundred times over the film. The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle - just beautiful Then there is the great acting. Namely, the two central roles. I am a massive fan of Dustin Hoffman. He pretty much makes every thing he is in better. Whether its a serious role , what seems like a cash in , or just a cheeky cameo .... he is brilliant. No exception here. Ben is a great character. A bundle of nerves and angst, filled with worry and self loathing. He stays utterly fascinating and believable througho...

   The last week has been a busy one, but it has been productive for me.  Thanks to all of you for your messages here and by email.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed with my to-do list, and needed to take care of a few things.    Because I hold power of attorney for my Mom and for financial reasons with regards to the laws concerning Medicare/Medicaid and such, I had to pre-plan the arrangements for my mother's funeral expenses.  No, I don't foresee her death as being anytime in the immediate future, but as I said, the arrangements needed to be done.  I needed to drive three hours away to where the funeral home is (close to the cemetery and close to where most of my family on my mother's side lives) in order to do this, so it took most of a day there and back to handle this matter.  As you can imagine, this task wasn't a pleasant one.  It left me feeling emotionally drained, but I am relieved to have gotten it done.  ...

My friend Jen at Unglazed held a giveaway on her blog recently, and I was fortunate enough to have my name drawn out as the lucky winner! Many thanks to Jen for holding such a fun giveaway and for the prizes that I received this week in the mail. As you can see in the photo above, Jen sent me a hummingbird feeder and the food to go in it along with a very cute pot of flowers. The pot of yellow daisies (not a coincidence, I'm sure!) goes great with my yellow kitchen and now looks right at home sitting on my kitchen table as a centerpiece. I love it! As soon as it stops raining long enough that I can get it done, I want to get the feeder put up too, so that the hummingbirds can start visiting here. I can't wait to start watching them! Thanks so much, Jen, for sharing and for your generosity and thoughtfulness! * * * * I'd also like to thank Wixy who writes several blogs, all of which are worth a visit. Click his name to link to his profile so you can choose which you...

This glorious sunrise greeted me this morning. This was my view looking out from my front door. * * * * The temperature finally got above freezing for a bit here yesterday. Several times throughout the day I heard, "whooooosh, CRASH, woof." The whooooosh was the sound of ice and snow sliding off the roof. The CRASH was the icicles shattering on the ground below. The woof was my little poodle dog, Max's, commentary on the first two sounds. They were welcome sounds, all. Today, the weatherman has forecast a high of 32 degrees for us. Although yesterday and today's temperatures are predicted to be short-lived with a return to colder temperatures around 15 degrees again tomorrow, I plan on enjoying the "warmer" ones as much as I can while they are here. Walking from my car across the parking lot and into the library where I work yesterday, I also noticed that I was able to walk the entire way across without encountering a single patch of ice or bump...

I never realized when I first started blogging how many fun, interesting, creative, friendly people I would meet as a result. I owe a thank you to some of those folks, so I thought I would use this post today to do that. A while ago, Jen from the blog, Unglazed , gave Dorothy from the blog, Counting My Blessings , the Smile award. Dorothy then passed it on to me. There are no rules attached to this award. I was told I could keep it or give it away to whomever and whenever I wanted. So I am passing this award on to everyone who comes here and reads this. That's right, you heard me--EVERYONE. It makes me smile to know that I'm not just writing to hear myself think here and that someone is out there reading this, so you---YES YOU!!--- have just been given the Smile award too. As I said, there are no rules attached. Take it and put it on your blog if you would like to or pass it along to as many people as you like. Thanks to Dorothy (and Jen, who also makes me smile) for ...

Like most people, I suppose, I am very grateful for my family and friends. Where would we be, and even, WHOM would we be, if it weren't for our family and friends. We are shaped and molded and helped along by our family and friends from the moment we are born until we die. We laugh together, and we cry together. We face the world together: sharing joys and concerns, solving problems, encouraging one another, lifting one another's spirits, comforting one another, and very simply caring for one another and about each other. The three songs I am posting today are with great gratitude to my family and friends as I continue this week of Thanksgiving. Thank you to those who I have shared so many memories with, thank you to those who have loved me and have allowed me to love them in return, and thank you to all those who have been my friend,whether we have shared only a moment or two or whether we have shared many. This expression of gratitude goes out to those I have met person...