Heidi and How to Marry a Millionaire

I watched a couple of old movies recently, Heidi starring Shirley Temple and How to Marry a Millionaire starring Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall.

Heidi is one of my favorite books from my childhood, and the movie version with Shirley Temple is enjoyable. They do take some liberties with the plot from the book, but movies based on books rarely follow the story line closely.  The only change that bothers me is what they did with the Aunt Dete and Fraulein Rottenmeir characters.  These ladies are selfish and misguided in the book, but they are absolute monsters in the movie.  Overall the movie is good though, and the scenery is very nice.

How to Marry a Millionaire is amusing in a lot of ways.  Of course, the idea of women conniving to marry a rich guy probably doesn't go over well with feminists, but views were somewhat different when this movie was made.  (I'm not a hardcore feminist or anything, but I do not believe a woman has to be married to be happy, and I don't condone trying to trap someone into marriage to get their money).  Whatever the case, it is still entertaining, and I like old movies.  They do end up happy, which certainly won't always be the case when people are being manipulative. The ladies discover that marrying someone you love is more important than having big bucks.  They even find out one of these guys has more money than they realized.

Survival

I posted this awhile back, but this is a version that's been revised a bit.  I think it's worth revisiting.

This isn't the final word or anything, but I think keeping this in mind might be helpful. 

Treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Don’t say things about people you wouldn’t be willing to say to their face.

At the opposite end of the spectrum—don’t say things to people you wouldn’t want them to say to you.

Choose your battles wisely.  Ask yourself if it will really matter five years, a year or even a day from now.  If the answer is “no”, it’s probably not worth it.

Make an effort to listen to other people's point of view even if you don’t agree with them.  You don’t have to agree with someone to learn from them.

 Make “please”, “thank you”, ”I’m sorry” and “you could be right” part of your vocabulary.

Don’t worry about or take responsibility for things that aren’t your fault or you can’t control; focus on what can be changed.  Take responsibility for your own actions, do what you can to make things right as necessary and then move on.

It takes more than one person to keep an argument going; sometimes the best response is no response.

Learn to forgive and move on, for you own sake if nothing else.  You’re not really hurting anyone but yourself by holding grudges.  Forgiveness doesn’t mean the person has gotten away with anything or that you have to hang out with them.  It means you’re giving yourself a break. 

If you’re treated badly, keep in mind that people who hurt others usually do so because they are hurting.  No, it isn’t an excuse for bad behavior, but understanding that might help keep things less personal.  Of course, as with anything else, there will be exceptions.  In those cases, keep in mind it is sad the person is so damaged they would behave that way.  Things do have a way of catching up with you.  They will reap the consequences of their behavior eventually, even if it’s not in the way you might think or you’re not around to see it.  Above all, remember they have the pleasure of having to live with themselves.  Sometimes that is the best punishment. 

Know the rules of the game even if you choose not to participate.

Indulge in some of the stuff--Music, books and movies--that you liked as a kid.  It’s not necessarily something you’d want to do all the time, but a walk down memory lane can be fun.  There’s something to be said for a good old-fashioned pillow fight or game of hide and seek too. 

Pay attention to little kids.  They have a way of cutting through the garbage to what really matters and they have a simple honesty we tend to lose as adults.

There are few creatures as loving and loyal as your dog. Take good care of your pet. 

 Back up your computer files.

Remember this too shall pass.

Sunset and Clouds

I went for a walk several days ago just as the sun was going down,

I went for a walk on a different day just after it had gotten dark.  I thought the clouds were pretty cool.

Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Eugene Fields

This is one of my favorite childhood poems.


Wynken, Blynken, and Nod



Eugene Field
 .


Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
   Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
Sailed on a river of crystal light
   Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going, and what do you wish?”
   The old moon asked the three.
“We have come to fish for the herring-fish
   That live in this beautiful sea;
   Nets of silver and gold have we,"
            Said Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
   As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
   Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
   That lived in the beautiful sea.
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
   Never afraid are we!”
   So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
   To the stars in the twinkling foam,—
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
   Bringing the fishermen home:
‘Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
   As if it could not be;
And some folk thought ‘twas a dream they’d dreamed
   Of sailing that beautiful sea;
   But I shall name you the fishermen three:
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
   And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
   Is a wee one’s trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
   Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
   As you rock in the misty sea
   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.



This poem is in the public domain

Roses

I went for a walk recently and some pretty white roses caught my eye.  Roses are my favorite flower, so I got a picture.

I have been occupied.  I am job hunting, had to take a class to finish my credential that I didn't realize I had to take and am learning to build websites.  It's an adventure to say the least.