"My Hex-A-Decimal Halloween Outfit"

In 1995 or there about,I'm watching my Saturday Cooking shows on PBS,surfing to see what else is on Saturday morning TV,came across an animated action cartoon called "ReBoot".Now,I'm not one for Sci-Fi or modern cartoons,but this one caught my attention! These 3-D characters were part of a 30 minute TV Series unheard of at that time.It seems in the 80's four "GEEKS" had the 3-D concept but technology had NOT advanced enough to make the show available.However,after animation test were completed in 1991,this Series took root on the Saturday morning cartoon line-up. I was HOOKED_as computers were just beginning to take over the WORLD! This Series explained the inner workings of the computer.Recently,I purchased the DVD Collection from Amazon.Here's a little background on the Series:

Setting:Inner world of a computer known by it's inhabitants as MAINFRAME
Main Characters:
Bob Guardian#452 of the MainFrame
Phong: a Zen-like character was the Command.com Adviser(must play Pong w/ him before he helps)
Dot Matrix: Local Diner Owner + other properties in the MainFrame (WOMAN PROPERTY OWNER,YEA!)
Enzo:Dot's little brother_keeping with the computer theme of the show, "ENZO" is an acronym of four common computer processor status register flags, (E)nable Interrupt + (N)egative + (Z)ero + (O)verflow
MegaByte:Infectious computer virus,command & conquer
Hexadecimal:Megabyte's twin sister (came from the same viral strand: Killabyte), a "chaotic" computer virus, whose face is represented by a series of masks, each portraying a different emotion. She is the opposite of Megabyte, and is a "Chaos Virus."
Mouse:Freelance Hacker
Hack & Slash:Henchmen of Megabyte_they are not very good at solving problems.

These are some of the characters which have become "Collector's Items"from the Series,BIG Bucks!There's always an "incoming game" from the "USER" in just about all the episodes which interferes with the smooth workings in Mainframe.I'm a BIG TIME USER because I'm always playing "Mahjong"! I loved the episode where Megabyte in blue above morphs into an 18 Wheeler.BUT,My All Time favorite is HEXADECIMAL!!!

The American Author Edith Wharton character in "Ethan Frome"_Zeena sitting at the breakfast table says: "I'm Feeling Mighty Mean This Morning"! HEXADECIMAL would probably say something like that in a face mask of her choosing.

Thus,"My HEXADECIMAL HALLOWEEN OUTFIT 2011_HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL!!!

NOTE:Ethan Frome 1911 Pulitzer Prize won by Edith Wharton. Movie made in 1993.Edith Wharton is my favorite Author.I've visited her restored home many times in Lenox,Ma. Link to:
http://www.edithwharton.org/

                                                            

"Complexion Solutions:"Arsenic Wafers & Bird Poop"

I've never had complexion problems BUT if I did_these "could" have been my choices in the past and presently.I learned of the "Arsenic Wafer" complexion remedy while reading "The Blacker The Berry"by Wallace Thurman.Likewise,I learned about "Nightingale Droppings" from "Memoirs of A Geisha".Maybe I should just stop reading because these remedies disturbed my "KARMA".

First,who in their right mind would ingest an Arsenic Wafer! Arsenic and it's many compounds are potent poisons.I dug deeper...Victorians mixed arsenic w/vinegar & chalk,then ate it in hopes of improving the complexion of their face.It was rubbed into the face & arms as well. Further,I learned about the "1858 Bradford Sweets Poisoning"where 200 people (20 died) from eating sweets accidentally made with Arsenic.I had read about World Arsenic contamination via underground water producing massive epidemics of poisoning in countries like Bangladesh + 44 other countries.The fact that Arsenic is just one of  those things in drinking water in most places _is the reason I've always used filtered water. And,I knew to plant my Herb Garden in containers when we moved to the Hilltop Farm _as the Pressured treated(arsenic) Wood surrounding the previous owners flower beds would  make for "tainted beds"! Then,in Blacker The Berry the young woman used Arsenic to lighten her dark skin so that mankind would be kinder to her plight.After digging even deeper.. came across this Ad:

   Dr.Rose's French Arsenic Complexion Wafers 1902 Sears Roebuck Catalog"

Second,"Uguisu no Fun"which literally means “Nightingale feces” in Japanese, refers to the excrement(fun) produced by a particular Nightingale called the Japanese Bush Warbler.The droppings have been used in facials since ancient Japanese times.In the Western World this facial has been referred to as the “Geisha Facial”.The facial is supposed to lighten the skin and balance skin tones that have acne or sun damage.The excrement's were used by the Koreans to remove dye from Kimono fabrics. The Buddhist Monks used the droppings to polish & clean their heads. In a New York Spa a 1hr Geisha Facial is offered for $180.00. I learned about this treatment via "Memoirs of A Geisha". And this Video provided me with a humorous take on the procedure:
http://youtu.be/w8n6EU0bSB4.

How could one little cute critter cause so much POOP????

                                          "Nightingale Bird POOPER"

So, as for ingesting Arsenic Wafers _I'm reminded of  Aunt Martha/Mortimer's conversation in one of my favorite old movies,"Arsenic & Lace":
Aunt Martha: For a gallon of elderberry wine, I take one teaspoon full of arsenic, then add half a teaspoon full of strychnine, and then just a pinch of cyanide.
Mortimer Brewster: Hmm. Should have quite a kick.

And Bird Poop Facials:
Remember the next time you stand under a tree_birds poop every 15 minutes.How long have you been standing there?

I think I'll just drink my 40+ gallons of water daily,eat my veggies & fruits,exercise AND drink my Green Tea to keep my complexion as it is.But we ALL know_

                                          "Bird Poop Can Happen"!!!

"WONDROUS WONDER,MARVELOUS MARVEL"

I researched many ideas to make my "Russian Zakuska Christmas Party 2010" as authentic as possible.I came across the famous Russian Fairy Tale"Wondrous Wonder,Marvelous Marvel"in"Russian Fairy Tales Collection" by Aleksandr Afanas'ev. I can't get that catchy title out of my head even today as I plan for my "African Safari Christmas Party 2011! Thought I'd share the tale....

...it's about a merchant who asks his wife what she would like him to bring back from his overseas journey,she asks for a wondrous wonder, marvelous marvel (repeated several times in the fairy tale). The merchant finds his wondrous wonder, marvelous marvel in the form a goose that will lay itself down on a tray on command, be cooked and eaten, and then come back to life again. He returned home,greeted his wife,gave her the goose & told her that with this bird she could have a roast everyday without spending a penny_"Just roast it,& it will come to life again"!The next day when he is off selling goods at the market the wife's lover comes over and she tries to cook the goose for him, but when she grabs the goose she is stuck. The lover then tries to pull her from the goose and becomes stuck.The goose then walks to market with the stuck wife and lover attached. The husband removes the goose and demands to know who the man attached to the wife is. He then beats the lover, takes his wife home and whips her. With every blow he says_" Here's your wondrous wonder, your marvelous marvel"! ** Learned that Fairy Tales will frequently punish "bad wives" for such behaviour in Russian Fairy Tales.Now,I'm interested in learning more Russian Literature!

Back to the party_So,I gave my friends Russian names,we all dressed in attire fitting for a person of Russian origin_gathered many kinds of Vodka for a Tasting, I prepared the Food,Decor & Music.What a WONDROUS WONDER to see & A MARVELOUS MARVEL of a Party to share with friends! ~Always be on the lookout for the presence of Wonder~e.b.white

                                           RUSSIAN TREASURES 

                                           RUSSIAN TEAROOM

                                           RUSSIAN VODKA TASTINGS

"Memoirs of a Bike Rider in South Africa"

Pre-Race HUMAN INSTRUCTIONS about event:
Location: South Africa's_Albert Falls Dam & Game Reserve_Bursting with Wildlife _Rhino,Zebra,Antelopes,etc.

Event: Time Freight Multisport Series : Description says "The VENUES are SAFE" for Cycling & Mountain Bike..(Could NOT read small print..watch out for large animals that may tackle you.)

Pre-Race RED HARTEBEEST Instructions:
Go about my morning grazing in MY TERRITORY_the grasslands of South Africa_sustaining my up to 200 lb body weight,27 inch long horns, and my ability to run up to 80 mph.While maintaining my NON-Aggressive attitude UNLESS someone enters MY Territory uninvited or mess with my young.

"DAY of RACE"_Humanoid enters territory riding shiny bike, Red Hartebeest alert as always_defends territory w/Angle Field Tackle.This tackling drill, like the open-field tackle, teaches defenders(Hartebeest) to anticipate any move at any time.**Note:Humanoid Blessed that Hartebeest was not with his Boys,as a "Herd" normally contains 5-20 individuals_ can be up to 350!  PICTURE THIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2oymHHyV1M

LESSON OF THE DAY TO HUMANOIDS:
Any PERSON of Sound Mind knows that you SHOULD NOT be participating in a Bike Race across the open grasslands of South Africa! It's not a TOUR DE FRANCE Lance Armstrong kinda race where spectators are lined knee deep cheering Bikers on_with bottles of Wine  & French Bread! The Animals rule that neck of the world..their space.That's why when you go on Safari in Africa,you RIDE in a Fully Gassed-up ,Heavy-duty vehicle with Guns Loaded in case a RED HARTEBEE decides to take you & the vehicle "out"..saying Back off My Territory! 

                                           "MY SPACE"
With all due respect,here's hoping the Cyclist has recovered from injuries_BUT _let his misfortune be a lesson To Humans_NO TRESPASSING IN WILDLIFE TERRITORY! VIOLATORS WILL BE TACKLED! ~Save The Animals~

"HOOTERS OF THE NIGHT"

So,you're getting that visual of a scantily clad young woman in a white top with  "Hootie The Owl" eyes placed cleverly in the bosom paired with short,short,nylon orange runner's shorts which CAN prompt "hooting calls",thus the name Hooter's.Or you could get a visual on a new Ad showing a hairy-faced guy dressed up in the "Hooter's Girl Outfit" of the above mentioned,complete with enhancements and a Blonde wig...or NOT! For more on that visual check out this article:
http://rochesternow.org/hooters2.html

But,NO _these "Hooter's" have come to visit the past three years around October_say around 12 am until 3 am in a tree just outside my bedroom. Last night,I was about to do some "Hooter Hunting" as their conversation was keeping me from sleeping! This is what they sound like_scroll down to the "Great Horned Owl" & click on the first call at :
http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Bubo-virginianus-1.mp3.

So,I found out there's about nine(9) different kinds of North Texas Owls.They breed in late Jan.or early Feb. and are often heard calling to each other in the Fall starting in October. The "Courting Rituals" include these callings above_ but their voices can range from deep booming hoots_(I'm thinking Barry White or Issac Hayes voice),shrill shrieks,they can BARK _(I'm outta here if I hear that one),coos(like babies),beak snapping,etc. They are "monogamous" and some bond for life.Owls have three sets of eyelids,cannot move their eyeballs,can turn their face upside down_AND_can swing it's head around & look...mmm,I wonder if they put their hands on hips & roll their eyes like some people in the world do? Anyho...after they finally stopped _then I heard the nightly trains passing through _blowing loud whistles,several times...what a Night!

In the Spring it's  Eastern Bluebirds & Scissor-tail birds;Summer brings the Mississippi Kites & Copperhead Snakes;Fall the "Hooters" & Copperheads disguised as Fall leaves;Winter runs a course of Red foxes,Cardinals,Red-Headed Woodpeckers..I guess that's what happens when you live in the country on a Farm! Here's to my "Hooter's",May their Courting Calls be Joyful !They make me smile...even if it's 3 am !

Here's "Hooting" at you....

"SADDLE-UP TIME"

Fall is in the air..coming off a long 4 month hot TEXAS Triple Digit Heat Tsunami,it's time for Sweaters,nice jackets,scarves,etc...AND dust off my 1950's Vintage Style Slingback Saddle Oxfords:

Now,these are the ones with the cute little buckle in the back..when it's unbuckled it meant you're not going steady_buckled meant "BOYFRIEND" back in the Day!!! To my surprise these shoes have quite a history.Gillies (oxfords w/o a tongue)w/fringed laces worn w/kilts),Kilties(w/a tongue popular Golf style), Bucks(1870's) made from Brazilian or Chinese deer..aka "Buckskin" w/red rubber soles;Irish-American Humphrey O'Sullivan patented the first rubber heel(1899)which outlasted the leather heel; Pat Boone wore his trademark White Bucks to sing "Love Letters in the Sand"(1957);Saddle or Saddle Oxfords characterized by a "saddle "shaped leather at instep can be a single color or "duotone".Check out the cost advertised in Sears Catalog in 1941:

..$2.85!!!..a far cry from the cost today. In the 1920's Gene Sarazen was the first Professional Golfer to wear Buck Golf Shoes;"JITTERBUGGER'S (1938) made them popular because the dance required flat shoes for women;THEN "Spectators(two-toned shoes)_I have red/white,black/white ones,love em'; The Prince of Wales wore them and Fred Astaire danced in them..there you have it!

I HAD to wear these shoes against my "WILL" as a child...see, my Dad knew they would not fall apart easily..I was tough on shoes(a tom-boy),indeed! Even tried to cut the soles off..will never forget the "After-Effects" of that scolding!!! TODAY,I take pride in wearing my "Slingbacks". But must buy more like this pair :

A GREAT Source with timely & Old Fashion Customer Service is http://www.muffys.com/ .
And,yes there really is a Muffy..the owner's name.Like they say_"We Saddle Shoes,Do You"?
So,I'm a Happy Saddler...it's time to get "yo SADDLE on"!

"ROODHARIGENDAG (Red-Head Day)"

Who Knew? There's a Day set aside to celebrate "Yo Red-Ness Hair Day". The Redhead Day 2012 is on the 1st and 2nd of September 2012! It will be the 6th edition of the event in Breda,Netherlands! I was thinking it would rule out a couple of peeps.There are those that are Ms.Clairol-ified_seems those kinds are Not Welcome!You MUST have Natural Red-Hair-Ness! This could be my long lost child as my husband is Irish_redheads in his family_I'm African-American,Native Indian,mixed & so on....!

Origin:
The festival started in 2005 unintentionally by the Dutch painter  Bart Rouwenhorst in the small Dutch city Asten. As a painter, he was inspired by artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti & Gustav Klimt. Both of these artists created dramatic portraits of women, and both artists made famous paintings depicting redheaded women.To follow the footsteps of his favourite painters, Rouwenhorst planned an exhibition of 15 new paintings of redheads. Finding models was problematic, since redheads are rare in the Netherlands, only 2% of the population had natural red hair. To find models, an advertisement was placed in a local newspaper. However, instead of 15, 150 models volunteered. Not wanting to turn down so many potential models, Rouwenhorst decided to choose 14 models, organise a group photo shoot for remaining redheads, and have a lottery to decide by chance who would be the 15th and final model. This happening turned out to be the first Redheadday. 2011_6,000+ strong Redheads at the Festival! This is what it looked like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/annemiekvanderkuil/sets/72157607186584137/     Go Figure!

So,here's to all you Wanna-Bees,join the other Roodharigendags next year,OR...I consider myself a REDHEAD because I love Red Wines..either way..Cheers to "Yo Red-Ness".Peace Out!

"SAY WHAT?"

Recently,I watched _"The Grand"(1997 BBC TV Series)_rented from Netflix.I love MOVIES! I watch about 6-8 movies a week..that's right I'm a Netflix Movie Nut. I really enjoyed this series_ "Welcome to The Grand...A 4-star 1920's English Hotel where melodrama is offered in high style.Love,Lust,Adultry,Greed, Prostitution & plenty of juicy gossip come into play as owners John & Sarah Bannerman host a crop of colorful characters". AND..you thought BBC movies were Boring?..Wrong! There were many one sentence zingers throughout_BUT_this one struck my fancy.When the "Residence Prostitute" was being chastised by her  position in Life_she replied_"Frankly,I've always thought highly of my Profession as a Whore".. rewind button,rewind button..."SAY WHAT?".Then ,I had to pick myself up after laughing so hard my stomach ached.I said..Now there's a Woman that enjoys the ups & downs (no pun intended) of her Profession!

The Lady in question is the first one from the left in white w/black stole & RED HAIR (a Roodharigendag no doubt)_that's a whole other story!

BUT,it got me to thinking about other "Famous Zingers in Movies"! Remember these:
1. "Gone With The Wind"..Rhett Butler.."Frankly,My Dear,I don't give a Damn".
Prissy.."I don't know nothin 'bout birthin' babies"
2."The Sixth Sense"..."I see Dead People"
3.:Steel Magnolias"...."Smile,it enhances your Face Value" in your most Southern voice!
4."Taxi Driver"..."You talkin'to me?"
5."Jerry Maguire".."You had me at hello"
AND from my two favorite movies....
6."Age of Innocent"..Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) to Newland Archer(Daniel Day "
    (a FINE lookin'Man) Lewis on their first "bedding".."Shall I come to you once & then go home?"
     Ha,Not to be...cause' once was not enough!
7."The Last of The Mohicans"...Duncan(British Officer)on getting recruits for the 1757 French &
    Indian War to Hawkeye(Daniel Day (did I say Fine lookin' Man) Lewis...
    Duncan:There's a War on!How is it you are headed West? (in a nasty voice)
    Hawkeye:Well,we kinda face to the North & real SUDDEN-LIKE turn left! LOVE it!

So,My Friends...."Here's Looking at You Kid"~Casablanca (1942)~

My Favorite October Party Poem !!!

October's Party
by George Cooper (1838-1927)
October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.
Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."