National Magic Week!

This is National Magic Week!  It all started with a "Houdini Day" in the summer of 1927, less than one year from the death of Harry Houdini.  The week is designed to help people appreciate the art and entertainment of the fascinating craft of magic.

I am always ticked off when a magician can fool me with their tricks.  I mean, I am a smart woman and do not let much get past me.  But, these magicians kill me with their sleight of hand.

How do that do that?   

I want to send a shout out to two of my favorite magicians, Glenn Strange glenn@glennstrange.com  and Tim Dumas tim@timdumas.com  These two magicians have entirely different styles of delivery but are amazing entertainers and crowd pleasers.  If you are looking for a great entertainment for an upcoming event, please contact Glenn or Tim. 

And if you want to know more about National Magic Week, go to www.magicsam.com   

I like Jeff Dunham!

I like Jeff Dunham!  Oh, I know he is controversial but he is funny.  This talented ventriloquist

is so convincing that you never watch Jeff when he is doing his routines - you watch his dummies as if they truly are talking.  That’s how smooth he is in his delivery.

People say he is not PC.  I know!  That’s what makes him so funny.  He’s irreverent about everything.  All people are the topic of his remarks and you can’t help but laugh because they

are usually true, albeit a bit slanted.

Maybe we have become so PC in America that we can’t laugh like we used to.  We are so afraid of stepping on people’s toes, we no longer respond to the absurdities around us every day.  It’s as if we just expect weird and say nothing!  This makes us appear as drones just going through life and never having a personal opinion any more for fear of being seen as insensitive. 

I do not ever want to hurt feelings but I do think we should be free to say what we’re thinking- especially if it’s funny!

If you have never had the pleasure of watching Jeff Dunham, his new special is on the Comedy Channel!  Enjoy!

October Sky

Have you ever seen the movie, October Sky? Oh, you have to see it!  It is one of the best movies about having a dream as a child and living the dream as an adult.  The main character is Homer Hickam, Jr. who dreamed of being part of the space movement that swept America in the 50s. 

In the movie, based on his book, Rocket Boys, Homer shares his story of growing up in a small coal mining town in WV. When he and his friends watched the Soviet satellite, Sputnik, fly over their home town …their pre-destined lives of “you’ll work in the mines” were changed forever.  This led the boys to build homemade rockets and perfect their flight.  

Mr. Hickam lived his dream, as an employee with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at Marshall Space Flight Center as an aerospace engineer. During his NASA career, he worked in spacecraft design and crew training. His specialties at NASA included training astronauts on science payloads, and extravehicular activities (EVA). He retired from NASA in 1988.

If you love a movie that is wholesome and victorious, October Sky is a must watch movie!

Old Sayings

Don’t ya love old sayings?  My grandmother had a saying for any occasion, season or illness.  As a child, I thought she was just a bit off her rocker but as an adult I have discovered these sayings have much truth to them.  Check out some of her sayings about the fall:

·         If the October moon comes without frost- expect no frost till the moon of November.

·         When cows are lying down in a field- rain is on its way.

·         If the squirrel’s tail is very bushy or they are collecting big stores of nuts in autumn- a

             severe winter in on the way.

·         If the Pyracantha is loaded with red berries- expect a long winter

·         Matthew 16:2-3 - When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather: for the sky is red.

So watch the environment and see if you notice these truths about weather’s harmony with nature!

Peak Week

It’s Peak Week in North Carolina for the brilliance of the fall leaves!  Ah, nature at its finest! 

Do you remember from your school days how the leaves change their color? Here’s the official explanation: in response to the shortening days and declining intensity of sunlight, leaves begin the processes leading up to their fall. The veins that carry fluids into and out of the leaf gradually close off as a layer of cells forms at the base of each leaf. These clogged veins trap sugars in the leaf and promote production of anthocyanins. Once this separation layer is complete and the connecting tissues are sealed off, the leaf is ready to fall exposing all of the red, yellow, orange and brown hues.

That’s the science behind the fall leaves.  All I know is – God is one amazing painter! 

Get in your car and go see the fall leaves up close and personal!  The colorful memory will stay in your mind throughout the season.

Oktoberfest!

 Isn’t it funny how the history of an event no longer has a resemblance to its origin?  Take Oktoberfest!  Originally it was a festive celebration established in October 1810 for Germany’s King Ludwig I’s marriage. It was an unusual event in that the general public was invited to share in his nuptial celebration. This was unheard of at the time; however, some 40,000 Bavarians attended the celebration in Munich.

At the 200^th Anniversary last year, 7 million liters of beer were consumed during Oktoberfest’s 16 day event, by the 6.4 million visitors who were said to have attended the festival in Munich.   Now, that’s some heavy drinking!

Oktoberfest – not the same celebration as it started but it has had dedicated followers for over 200 years! Let’s raise a glass for the designated drivers!