OK, I know I said I was going to post something for Gabriela's Daphene du Maurier Blogathon today, but that was before I got nominated by Sally of 18 Cinema Lane for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Wasn't that nice of her? Sally's wonderful blog can be found here. Thank you, Sally! As always, this sort … Continue reading The Sunshine Blogger Award
My Five Flaming Hotties (Plus A Bonus!)
Surprise tag post time... A couple of years ago, Gill at Realweegiemidget Reviews and Catherine at Thoughts All Sorts did a Five Flaming Hotties tag, and Gill decided to resurrect it. She's tossed the idea around a few times on Twitter, so I thought I'd have a list ready. I think it speaks for itself, … Continue reading My Five Flaming Hotties (Plus A Bonus!)
Remembering Rick Elias
This past Tuesday Rick Elias passed away from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was sixty-four. I grew up on his music, mainly through his work with one of my all-time favorite songwriters, the late Rich Mullins. Elias made numerous contributions to contemporary Christian music, or CCM, as it's called. Elias didn't release … Continue reading Remembering Rick Elias
Hail, Alma Mater
A couple of weeks ago, I returned to my alma mater, Sacramento State University, for the first time since graduating in 2000. My older niece just got her computer science degree there, and my younger niece started her upper division business classes this semester. Being at Sac was kind of a weird feeling, even though I … Continue reading Hail, Alma Mater
The Not-So-Terrible Twos
Here's this year's cake. I have no idea what flavor it is, but the M&Ms are fun. Things have changed quite a bit since my last birthday post. For instance, the 2017 me thought twenty-two blogathons was a "whopping" amount. 2018 me laughs uproariously at 2017's naïveté, because as of this writing, I've participated in … Continue reading The Not-So-Terrible Twos
The Versatile Blogger Award
Surprise, surprise! A couple of days ago, the sweet ladies at Pure Entertainment Preservation Society nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award! Thank you so much, Tiffany and Rebekah. This award comes with certain duties (find out where it started here), and the first one is to relay the Versatile Blogger Code of Conduct: Thank … Continue reading The Versatile Blogger Award
U2 Loves America
Last year was the thirtieth anniversary of U2's sublime album, The Joshua Tree, and now it's thirty years since the follow-up album and tour it spawned, Rattle and Hum. Admittedly, some people are still mad at U2 for the Songs of Innocence faux pas, not to mention the seeming shift in beliefs they've taken lately, … Continue reading U2 Loves America
Announcing the Unexpected Blogathon!
Did you ever watch a film or a TV show that you knew nothing about, wasn't expecting to see, and ended up really liking? Or, were you ever disappointed in something you were expecting to love? I know I have. Now's your chance to tell the blogging world about it! Your picks can be from … Continue reading Announcing the Unexpected Blogathon!
Presenting Christ (Also, One Week Left!)
Hear ye, hear ye--the Broadway Bound Blogathon is one week away. I repeat, one week. Are you ready? Now, on to today's business... In 1994, my parents and I took a trip to New York and Washington. D.C., for about a week, and that Sunday we went to New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Located at … Continue reading Presenting Christ (Also, One Week Left!)
Origins: Missed Opportunities, Porgs and Han Solo
Heads up, people...plenty of snark ahead. I really tried to be even-handed, but it's very difficult to stay that way when certain people insist on making things political. It divides everyone, alienates everyone, and makes civil discourse almost impossible. I have major respect for those who have chosen to keep politics out of things when … Continue reading Origins: Missed Opportunities, Porgs and Han Solo
Origins: A Wrinkle In Time
Every once in a while, Hollywood seems to turn out something promising, and the upcoming A Wrinkle In Time looks to be one of those. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, and Zack Galifinakis, with Storm Reid as Meg, the film is, of course, based on Madeleine L'Engle's superlative novel. I read the book … Continue reading Origins: A Wrinkle In Time
The Face On the Lunchbox
There have been a lot of famous last words spoken throughout history. John Lennon's aunt famously told him, "A guitar is nice, but you'll never make a living with it." Neville Chamberlain waved the Munich Pact and declared "Peace in our time." The Titanic was called "unsinkable." Then there's this little gem: "I'm telling you, this is … Continue reading The Face On the Lunchbox
Another Year
Taking Up Room is now two. Wow, this has been a big year. One of the things about 2017 that blows my mind is that as of next week I will have gotten to participate in a whopping twenty-two blogathons. In 2016 I only did four. Blogathons are addictive. I hesitate to call 2017 the … Continue reading Another Year
A Strange Brand of…Something
Christian films can be just as dicey as Christian fiction, only more so. To be clear, I'm not talking about Christian-themed movies made by major studios necessarily, but movies made by Christian film companies. I've never held with the idea that as a Christian I need to champion Christian films just because they're Christian. Personally, … Continue reading A Strange Brand of…Something
Show Me Some Attitude
Disclaimer: Save the Last Dance is not exactly a family-friendly film. It's not Showgirls or anything, but it's not G-rated either. IMDb has a Parents' Guide if anyone feels cautious. There's something visceral about performing because there's so much emotion involved--it becomes part of a person's identity, and it's definitely a release. If that outlet is cut off for whatever … Continue reading Show Me Some Attitude
Don’t Hate Me, But…
Guess today is the first day of the rest of my life--I've been tagged to do a blog poll. Move around in the blogosphere long enough, and these things will pop up eventually. A big thank you to Catherine at Thoughts All Sorts for tagging me! This should be fun. This poll is one of those infamous … Continue reading Don’t Hate Me, But…
On One Hand: My Five Favorite Classic Stars
It's National Classic Movie Day again, and Rick has another question for us bloggers: Which five stars are your favorite? Eeeep. That's even tougher than last year's challenge. Anyone who's an old film lover knows there's so much to like about the Golden Age. Me, I always enjoy watching the repartee between Katharine Hepburn and … Continue reading On One Hand: My Five Favorite Classic Stars
Taking Up Room 