Beanie Books

Way back when, h ouses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath.  It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof.  When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof...  Hence the saying " It's raining cats and dogs. "

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, ‘If I could only see the world, I will marry you.’ One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, ‘Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?’ The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn’t expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying :  Take good care of my eyes, dear. I’ll always love you. This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.  Life is a Gift. Insp...

T he Man With Cheese on His Mustache  – A Story About Our Attitudes A man walked into the family room of his house. “It stinks in here,” he announced before leaving and going into the kitchen. “It stinks in here, too,” he said again and walked into dining room. “And this room stinks as well,” he said, screwing up his face as he did. His family looked at him and said in one voice, “You’ve got cheese on your moustache.” He washed it off and of course everything started to smell better. It’s easy to complain about the world around you. Your job, your boss, your spouse, your kids, your favorite sporting team, the traffic, the economy, the government, the list can go on and on. But what I’ve found is that the people who complain the most are the ones who have a perspective that is tainted by their own attitudes. So if you really think that the world and everything in it stinks, don’t complain about it in the hope that it will get better.  First,...

So, here are pictures from my trip from the Palm Springs Tram to San Jacinto Peak.  You park at the base of the mountain. A shuttle will come by and pick you up. The inner workings of the tram can be seen from the base. Here are some pictures on the way up. We went on the  Long Valley Discovery Trail which is about 1.2 miles. There are five notches with beautiful views. We agreed that notch #3 is the best so don't skip it. When we got back we walked up to the vista at the top and saw this little guy eating a Cheeto: Some folks like to throw coins out there for good luck: This ride is not cheap. It costs $107 for the tickets and we got pictures which the wife thought we needed. Those were another $49. Yikes!

So, I saw The Commuter and it is OK...the plot is pretty dumb with nothing new to  offer. In The Commuter, Liam Neeson plays Michael, an insurance salesman. On his daily commute home, a mysterious stranger (Vera Farmiga) sends him on a wild goose chase to uncover the identity of a hidden passenger on the train before the last stop. As he tries to accomplish this task, madness ensues. Liam Neeson is getting old but he can still deliver a good fight scene...the one in the middle is probably the best thing about the movie. If you have seen Nesson's 2014 movie Non-Stop, you can pass on this one as they are pretty much the same thing. If you are a big Vera Farmiga fan, she is heard much more than seen in this one. This movie will appeal to you if: you are a fan of Liam Neeson - there is plenty of him. you like train movies where the train goes flying off the tracks. you like predictable movies. This movie will not appeal to you if: you saw Non-Stop already. you want a s...

I watched Gringo on a flight to San Diego. It is probably my favorite movie this year.  The movie is told in flashback mode after the opening scene where mild-mannered American businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) is heard calling his bosses Richard Rusk (Joel Edgerton) and Elaine Markinson (Charlize Theron) saying he has been kidnapped in Mexico. Madness ensues, of course. The movie takes many turns from there but basically, Gringo is about Harold's journey. He will run into many calamities along the journey that are all quite enjoyable. Everyone is great in the movie. Charlize Theron is hilarious as she dirty talks and uses her body to get what she wants. This is her best movie along with Atomic Blonde. I would love to see her do a spinoff movie with this character. Check out Gringo immediately.  This movie will appeal to you if: you like movies that have many twists and turns. you think that action and dark humor make for a fun movie experience. you like...

While on vacation in SoCal, my son and I decided to hike Mt. San Antonio (aka Mt. Baldy). Mt. Baldy has LA's highest point at 10,064 feet. The hike is around 11 miles. The hike up was brutal but making it to the top make it worthwhile. We hiked what is known as the Baldy Loop route. Our day started at the Manker Flats trail-head. We planned on stopping at the visitor station to buy a National Parks Adventure Pass but they were closed. We did not want to get towed but did want to get started so we put a note on our dashboard promising to buy one later if they did not tow us. They didn't tow our vehicle so maybe this is not a very strict requirement.  Here is a map at the beginning of the trail This is a view of the trail from the other side I got the next two pictures here . This is the beginning of the trail We decided to take a left turn up the Baldy Bowl Trail. This trail is easy to miss. It is about a mile into the hike but there is a sign. If you m...