It's Leap Year Day . . . will there really be a spring?

Since this is the day for women to propose to men, I asked my husband if he'd marry me all over again. I'm pleased to report that he gave the right answer!

Since many of you in the blogosphere are familiar with Patricia W., here's a photo my husband took of the two of us when we were in Florida over the Christmas holiday:

I'm so glad it shows her dimples. Ain't she cute? Patricia, I wish I were in Florida again, after what over 60% of Chicagoans surveyed said has been the worst winter in memory.

Friday Funny

Please join me in remembering a great icon - the veteran Pillbury spokesman. The Pillsbury doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 43. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, The California Raisins, Betty Crocker, The Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The gravesite was piled high with flours. Long-time friend Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy, describing Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very "smart" cookie, wasting much of his dough on halfbaked schemes. Despite being being a little flaky at times, he even still, as a crusty old man, was considered a roll model for millons. Toward the end it was thought he would rise again, but alas, he was no tart. Doughboy is surved by his wife, Play Dough; two chidren, John Dough and Jane Dough; plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about twenty minutes.

Have a great weekend! Be sure to check back tomorrow to meet Grace Corrigan from Once Upon A Project.

My Mind is Going Through Them Changes

Drummer Buddy Miles died yesterday of congestive heart failure in Austin, Texas. His age was given as 60. He played with numerous rock legends, including Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie, but was well known for the songs Them Changes and Down by the River (I've never been able to figure out what the hell those lyrics meant). He also voiced the lead singer of the California Raisins.

He was born George Allen Miles, Jr., but nicknamed "Buddy" by his aunt for his drum-playing ability after legendary drummer Buddy Rich.

Rest in peace, Buddy! I'm going to pull out your CD now.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9cRTAy5GgVE

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That

I'm using a popular phrase from the old Seinfeld show (which I never watched, but since I didn't live under a rock I did hear the phrase) in reference to the above photo. I find it unsettling that the word "Muslim" is being bandied about as something unpleasant, along the lines of "child molester," "serial Killer," or "convicted felon."

Islam is one of the largest religions in the world. Some people are fanatics, yes, and believe in causing death and destruction, yes, but I still feel it's wrong to demonize all its followers, the bulk of whom are just going about their daily lives just like anybody else. I happen to believe that a Muslim has no more chance of being elected President of the United States than a Mormon does (and yes, Mitt Romney, it is the American way). But if all the world's Muslims were to turn against humanity . . . well, I'll use a phrase from the Hitchcock classic The Birds: "We wouldn't stand a chance." I'm surprised that Muslims have not raised an uproar over this.

I know I'm being hypothetical here, but if a group of Methodists got together and planned a terrorist attack on America, you can bet that their religion wouldn't be used to incite fear or referred to as something distasteful in such a matter-of-fact manner.

Things that make you go, "Hmmmmmm"



I'm on the subscriber list of Black Books Promo (am still not sure how I got there, but I'm not complaining) and received an e-mail from them about a suspense book by a white author, Lisa Jackson. I'm rather pleased that this author recognizes that African-Americans buy a lot of books and is reaching out to the buying public in a colorblind manner. I wish her success . . . or, since it says right on her book cover that she is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, additional success.

I also noticed that her book cover does not show characters, but a rather murky depiction of what looks like a casket underwater, and this made me wonder about marketing. Most books penned by black authors show black faces (or, keeping with the recent trend, black arms, legs, ankles and feet.) I did a little research and noticed some recently or soon-to-be-released books and find that they have no identifiable racial identity on their covers. Do the bookstores have a list of author names that should go in the so-called African-American section? Or do they go strictly by what they see on the covers? Or do they peek at the author photo to make this determination?

Hmmmmm.

Odds and Ends

I was going to name this column "The Week in Review," but since it's Monday that doesn't seem right.

This was the first weekend without snow since the last one in November (but I was out of town for two weekends over the Christmas holiday, so can't speak of what went on then). It felt good to get out of the house without having to rush back when the snow started sticking. And it was warm enough to melt the ice that had one of our cars captive for nearly three weeks. But guess what's coming tonight? I'm not complaining; at least it held off until Monday.

This year's HBO programming for Black History Month was a biography of the Brown Bomber, heavyweight champ Joe Louis. Every time I think about what happened to him I get mad. The man was an American icon whose patriotic spirit outweighed his wish for financial success. He willingly gave up four of his best fighting years in order to serve in the Army, yet the IRS hounded him relentlessly for years, even taking the trust funds he'd set up for his children. It was time for a comprehensive biography on the champ while there are still people around who remember him. I much preferred listening to his friends talk about him, or his son recalling things his mother had told him about his dad, or even people who'd actually seen him fight, to the musings of Dick Gregory and Bill Cosby, both of whom talked about Louis' 1935 match with Max Baer, as well as its affect on the black community, like they'd witnessed it personally. Dick Gregory was 3 years old in 1935, and Bill Cosby wasn't born until 2 years later. That's like getting Will Smith to describe the mood of the country at the time of the Kennedy assassination.

I watched the Oscars last night. That little girl who sang with the choir at the Academy Awards (she's 11) has a great future in front of her. On the other end of the spectrum, the white-haired, cranberry-clad, 83-year-old Ruby Dee is still a stunningly beautiful woman in her 80s. She might not have gotten an award, but she's a winner.

The Puffy version of Raisin in the Sun airs tonight (Monday). If you watch, maybe you can shed some light on where Beneatha slept before the death of her father. I've never been able to figure that one out, and it's always bothered me.

Note that I didn't mention my writing progress. That's because it was too little to bother with, but I'm not slacking. I'm working very hard on other writing-related issues. Honest.

And the Winner Is . . . .

Sorry this is so late. This is the first weekend since the last one in November where we didn't have snow, and we took full advantage of it!

Okay. First, the quotes:

"You can't handle the truth!" said by Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men (1992)

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" said by Peter Finch in Network (1976) (he won an Oscar, but had a fatal heart attack before the ceremony. His award was accepted by his widow).

"I'll have what she's having," said about Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally (1989)

"Why don't you come up sometime and see me," said by Mae West to a young (not yet 30) Cary Grant. The movie was She Done Him Wrong (1933)

"I see dead people," said to Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense (1999)

The toughie:

"You can be dark and have money, you can be light and have no money, but you can't be dark, have no money, and expect to get Harry Patel," said in Mississippi Masala (1990), which starred Denzel Washington in one of his most romantic roles.

Now, for the scores: We seem to have lost Patricia (41 OGGS) and Donna (who was leading with 72 OGGS).

Gwyneth earned a respectable 30 OGGS
Patricia earned 41 OGGS and was leading at one time
Donna earned 72 OGGS and was leading going into the final round
Shelia aced every question and now has 85 OGGS, finishing second
Reon also aced every question and now has 96 OGGS, finishing first

Reon gets an ARC of Once Upon A Project. Shelia gets a $10 gift certificate to the bookseller of her choice (between Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon). I'll need both ladies to contact me by e-mail with where to send their prizes (and in Shelia's case, what she wants).

Once again, I thank everyone for participating. I think we had fun. And it turns out that there's going to be an Oscar show after all! It starts in 15 minutes.

Pass the popcorn.