Cathy Perkins's Blog, page 135

Tuesday at the Theater

The hills are alive with the sound of… Carrie Underwood?

by Rebecca J. Clark

The Sound of Music is my all-time favorite movie. It came out the year I was born, 1965. Every year in my town, our local theater would show it. My Auntie Linda took me to it when I was five—my first movie at a theater. How fun! I loved the movie then, and I still love it now.

So when I learned NBC was going to be remaking it as a live broadcast with Carrie Underwood as – gasp! – Maria, I was pretty skeptical. I mean, I...

Shadows on the Wall

A teenage version of me unexpectedly introduced himself on Thanksgiving. A fellow alum of mine blasted out a digital version of an 8mm film the Gonzaga German Club made during our time there. I watched it for the first time in over forty years with my wife and my son.

It was a silent, black and white melodrama, with the title cards in German. I struggled to read the faded words and translate them, but it was almost unnecessary. The campy humor and nostalgia came through loud and clear.

Our Germ...

No Rest for the Weary NaNo-er

“I know it, Richard. I know. But, it’s over now. Phew! You know, I’m glad. I need the rest!”– Deputy Marshall Sam Gerard, The Fugitive.

November was National Novel Writing Month, and millions of authors, wannabe authors, and people who just plain love to write set out on November 1 to write 50,000 words in one month. Why? (The answer “Because they’re crazy” doesn’t count because it’s too obvious.) For as many reasons as there were participants. I did it. For the sixth time (remember—“crazy” do...

Pass the Alka Seltzer, Please

I hope everyone (in the US) had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I am recuperating!

Paul and I are empty nesters. Our daughters, Staci and Cori, and their families live about thirty minutes away and our son, Ari, lives in Boston. For the holidays they all move back home for the weekend. They decided ten years ago, when Ari went away to college in Boston, that holidays would be spent here, all together, and all weekend. I didn’t argue.

Thanksgiving buffet

It’s lots of planning and cooking but there...

Holiday Romance at the Movies

Thanksgiving is not here yet, but already all of the stores have set up their holiday displays, and that’s just fine with me (although putting out Christmas trees before Halloween might be a bit too much.) Before I had two little girls, I was kind of meh about Christmas. My son, who has autism, has never been a big fan of the holiday, what with his disdain of noise and crowds and flickering lights. The first two bother me as well. But my girls love the music and lights and gifts, and even las...

Adulthood or Bust

My biggest jump into adulthood came because of a screw-up. It wasn’t one of those things parents fret about — sex, drugs and rock and roll were not part of my high school experiences. But surprising and disastrous confrontations with adults were.

I was able to go to Gonzaga thanks to the generosity of my classmate Doug’s family. Doug’s dad gave me a ride home from the train each evening, and he picked up every morning just a few blocks from my house.

The ride in was always quiet. Doug and his d...

Release Day — Last Chance Knit & Stitch

“Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her scribbling suit, and fall into a vortex, as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace.” – Louisa May Alcott, from Little Women

The first time I read these words I was about twelve years old and had already decided that I wanted to be a writer. But reading Little Women cinched it as a career and life goal. I identified with Jo March, the heroine of...

The Thoroughbred Make-over Part Deux

Jennifer and Hopscotch Ali at the finish line — Pimlico Racetrack

A couple of months ago, I blogged about my daughter, Jennifer, and her crazy summer project The Thoroughbred Makeover. You might remember that Jen is an equine vet who also competes in Three-day eventing. Last June she embarked on a mission to train an ex-racehorse in 90 days. She was one of 26 trainers both professional and amateur who participated in this project and then brought their horses to Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore...

Planning Ahead

It occurs to me as I sit down to write my Thoughtful Thursday post, that we are just six short weeks away from another set of New Year’s Resolutions. Yikes! I’m still working on this year’s!

I am definitely a planner. I like to plan ahead and work my plan. This year, however, my plan flew out the window.

So, what was on my original plan?

Lose weight
Run a marathon
Write the Great American Novel
Relearn to play the piano

Instead of doing any of these, I changed jobs, bought a new house and gained ano...

Tuesday at the Theater

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Official blurb (via http:captainphillipsmovie.com website):

Captain Phillipsis a multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container shipMaersk Alabamaby a crew of Somali pirates. It is — through director Paul Greengrass’s distinctive lens — simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller, and a co mplex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization. The film focuses on the relationship between theAlabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips...