Author: JodiLea

I don't pretend to be who/what I'm not. I will be honest here unless I publish under the category "This could be news," which is 99% fiction and a wee bit sarcastic. ;-) I want readers who come here to have as much fun as I do. Not all subjects can be fun, but most can be funny if I do my job right ;-) My inner child is reflected in my logo and will change at a moment's notice.

Today’s Addition To Santa’s Naughty List: The Cable Company

~ JodiLea

!SNOWMAN

Each December, I notice a shortage of Christmas movies available on Cable’s “On Demand” feature. Today was the last straw – I wanted to watch a Christmas movie while I worked on Christmas gifts. Snowflakes were floating down and decorating the trees outside.

A perfect day to get comfy and watch one of the classics. The regular TV channels offered movies I’ve never heard of, and same goes for the actors. Our Premium Channel had one: Scrooged. Both of us love that movie, so I selected it. That was when I discovered the Cable Co. wanted $3.99 for the privilege of watching an old (1988) movie.

I could have watched Scrooged in July for free. (“Free” being a relative term, used loosely in this post). In August I could have watched “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” – also an old (1989) movie.  Who the Hell watches Christmas movies in the summer?  Maybe all the people who got gypped last Christmas.

If that  annoys you, then the selections that are available will piss you off.

  • “Born on the 4th of July“
  • “The Exorcist”  [also II and III ]
  • “Halloween“

But all is not lost. There are really good Christmas movies disguised as regular movies. If you have not seen these, you should check them out!  (The “**” means not appropriate for children)

  • “Trapped in Paradise”
  • “The Ref”
  • “Home Alone” [I and II]
  • “Bad Santa”  **
  • “The Family Stone”
  • “Love Actually”
  • “While You Were Sleeping”
  • “Ben Hur”
  • “Die Hard” [I and II]
  • “The Holiday”
  • “Lethal Weapon“

So, I ended up watching The Ref this afternoon.  And all was good.  🙂

!SNOWMAN

Sing Yourself Into the Christmas Spirit

~ JodiLea

!SNOWMAN

Hubby and I had tickets had tickets to see the Columbus Community College Chorus with Orchestra perform on Friday night.  Since we had to go to the big city (Sonora) for the concert, we decided to make a day out of it and finish up Christmas shopping,  have a nice dinner, then relax and enjoy some music.

The Choir performed classic pieces, traditional Christmas carols, and a surprise. They, and their orchestra, were beyond awesome.

After the first set in the program, the conductor, John Carter, turned to face the audience and told us  “Now it’s your turn.” Say What?  As he directed, we sang. The choir members left the stage to take a break during this time. Either that, or we were really awful.

Do all Christmas concerts have sing-a-longs? This was my first, so I had no idea what to expect.  The music was the popular traditional carols, everyone over 5-years old knows, like Deck the Halls, Silent Night, etc. I have not sung with a conductor before. It really helps everyone stay in tempo and we didn’t sound bad. I think.

Hubby sat next to me on my right side. I love when he sings! His sexy baritone voice – well – none of your business – that’s what. Ahem..  The man seated next to me on the left, had a wonderful alto voice that he was very proud of.  He sang so LOUD,  I could not hear myself sing.  I had to be off-key most of the time. There’s always something going on around me.

Despite the little annoyances, we had a fun time, met some nice people, and we got to sing in public with an orchestra and conductor!  My Christmas Spirit got a needed boost.

You may have noticed that this blog is more Christmas-y  now. I changed the lay-out for the holidays. I don’t know about my loyal readers, but I was getting BORED with the scrapbook look.

Who knows what insanity will look like in January…  😉

Stranger Than Fiction

~ JodiLea

It happened again!

As I was ready to write another “This Could Be News” post, I came across something in our local county paper. It was in the Sheriff’s Log section, blending with similar incidents. I almost missed seeing it, so I drew an arrow to point it out.

SheriffsLogCloseUp

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I don’t know where Mountain Ranch is, but they take their HBO very seriously.