New Year’s Eve
For the past two days I have not made much effort in walking or limiting what I eat. Generally speaking, I am not one for New Year resolutions because I am not into setting myself up to fail. However, ignoring the fact that tomorrow is the first day of the new year, I AM going to promise myself that I will walk on the treadmill for at least fifteen minutes a day for at least three times a week for the next month. For me, the weight loss is definitely tied into how much exercise I take and even the somewhat inconsistent treadmill walking I have been doing has made a difference to the strength of my left leg.
One of the free books I downloaded recently to my Kindle was Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. I enjoyed it a lot {but I have to admit I skimmed rapidly through the preachy bits 
} and so I was inspired to download the book The Warden by the same author from Amazon. This is actually the first book and Barchester Towers is the second one. I discovered this when I bought for myself the DVD of "The Barchester Chronicles," which I have spent quite a lot of the last two days watching. Donald Pleasence plays Septimus Harding. I can’t remember who it is who plays the slimy and obnoxious bishop’s chaplain Obediah Slope but the actor is perfect in the part! I just checked the cover of the DVD and the actor is Alan Rickman which means nothing to me since I seldom watch movies unless they are book related! 
What I was really looking for was who played Bishop Proudie. His face looked awfully familiar until I realized it was the same actor who played Patricia Routledge’s character Hyacinth Bucket’s {pronounced "bouquet", please} long-suffering husband Richard in "Keeping Up Appearances." Apparently the actor seems to specialize in playing husbands who are bullied by their wives! In Barchester Towers, his domineering wife is played beautifully by Geradine McEwan.
I have also watched the first season of "House, M.D." And I will go on with season two on my laptop this evening, probably. {These were given to me for Christmas from my younger son and his partner.} Incidentally, when I said I couldn’t get these DVDs to run on my Macbook, I have no idea what I was doing wrong because they run perfectly on that computer now! Both Fred and my older son gave me Amazon gift certificates for Christmas, and I am going to use some of this money to get the next three seasons. 
QUOTATIONS:
"There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way."
Christopher Darlington Morley (1890-1957)
"Enjoyment is not a goal; it is a feeling that accompanies important
ongoing activity."
— Paul Goodman
I’m glad you are enjoying so many good books and DVDs! :o) !! I bought Joe a DVD from Amazon but it doesn’t play on our tv!! It only plays on the computer…. how weird! Maybe he will figure out how to make it work (I hope so, cuz OF COURSE I did not save the receipt….I didn’t know it wasn’t going to work right!) HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and Fred. :o) !! hugs, Weesprite
Warning Comment
I like how you are constantly interested in new things. Books, movies, TV shows. You inspire me.
Warning Comment
I like Alan Rickman. He plays one of the professors in the Harry Potter series.
Warning Comment
My husband has been talking about the Kindle and that he almost got it for me for Christmas! I hope he remembers this when my birthday rolls around! LOL I don’t make any resolutions usually other than I will try to do better to watch my weight. Exercise is definitely the key for me also. If I cut way down on food, I rarely lose weight, but if I add just a bit of moderate exercise, it seems to come off quite easily. Good luck! Happy New Year to you and Fred! (((Hugs)))
Warning Comment
I think Alan Rickman plays the ghost husband in “Truly, Madly, Deeply” in which movie I loved the music.Enjoy House! Happy New Year, Patricia!
Warning Comment
I love ‘Keeping Up Appeareance’. It is hilarious. He is probably great in the other show. We are back to a good diet. It was a bit too long of bad food.
Warning Comment
My sister gave me an Amazon.com gift certificate. had fun spending it 🙂 I love House. Unfortunately I am not in control of the remote control while I’m living with my folks and so don’t get to watch it much. I love Hugh Laurie….that is his name isn’t it?
Warning Comment
Happy New Year and Hugs to you!!!!
Warning Comment
Interesting – my wife uses the exact same phrase – “long suffering” to describe the “Bucket woman’s” husband. He also played, many years ago, the very unpleasant part of Neville Chamberlain’s right-hand man in a TV dramatization of the life of Churchill. It may have been a Masterpiece Theater production.
Warning Comment
House is one of our fave shows. Hope your new year is happy,
Warning Comment
Happy New Year to you and Fred!
Warning Comment
Oh my, wouldn’t you hate to know your name was Obediah??? LOL Happy New Year to you and Fred! Hugs,M
Warning Comment
Warning Comment
Happy New Years, i know what you mean about not wanting to fail, that is why i try to make my resolutions managable. Good Luck.
Warning Comment
RYN, you’re right, it really takes an effort to focus on walking correctly. I told a co-worker yesterday that I feel like I must look like I’m walking around with a broomstick up my butt but she (kindly, but… honestly? I don’t know!) assured me that I don’t look like that. LOL
Warning Comment
I think I have the Trollope book – in dusty hard cover – I get him mixed up with Thackeray. I love Vanity Fair. I’m reading more and ‘might’ get to it. Good luck on self-improvement!
Warning Comment
RYN: Thanks for the tip on pizza dough. You’re invited for dinner!
Warning Comment
Not sure, but I think the actor you mentioned from Keeping Up Appearances is Norman Bird. RYN: I really should start doing proper painting again. Very difficult as I have so little space here. Will have a go though. Watch this space.
Warning Comment
RYN: John is very pragmatic.
Warning Comment
RYNs: Thank you so much for your lovely comments. The track still isn’t finished, this is just a rough first edit, but I think it’s lovely too. The songwriter is very talented.
Warning Comment
I adore Alan Rickman – he’s also in my newest fav movie, Sweeney Todd. I can’t believe you taught 7th graders for so long! Oh jeez, 7th grade was the WORST year ever and I can’t stand 12 yr olds to this day! 😛 Man. Lion taming, indeed! RYN: But that is a perfectly reasonable excuse to fear or at least not like night driving – my mom? Has perfect eyesight. Well, not perfect anymore,but she’s been afraid of driving since I was little. She’s just a nut! My bf’s dad got cataracts removed recently, and he said the same thing – he was amazed at the difference it made, he hadn’t really noticed how bad it had gotten until they were gone! Crazy stuff, that.
Warning Comment
i enjoyed the post. i’m swiping your paul goodman quote to post on my diary.
Warning Comment
ryn: when I was dating nemo he was a member, we went to some fight night things, as well as the Estrella War that is every year the week of Valentine’s Day in Arizona. It was really fun.
Warning Comment
Hey, wait a minute…didn’t you have more entries? I could SWEAR I read something from you since December! RYN: That would be VERY neat if the Pern books were available for Kindle; I’d be suprised if they weren’t – they’ve been out for ages, and they’re always very popular. 🙂
Warning Comment
RYN: Needs more work, I think. I’m struggling with this painting thing, and perhaps need to do quite a few before I get back on track. It’s just not coming to me in the way it used to do. I’m out of practice. I can see in my mind what I want, but I just can’t get there.
Warning Comment
To you and all of the other people in this world who made a living teaching me how to write, type, and read. Thank You. For those who taught us to love Southern Literature, Thank You a million times. You and people like you introduced me to people like Atticus Finch, no amount of Thank You’s will ever cover that but thank you anyway.
Warning Comment
Warning Comment
ryn: The temperature was 350 for 15-20 minutes…then I brushed the top with egg and baked an additional 15 minutes until browned. The bread was a bit more dense than I’d like but the taste was wonderful. Next time I might add a touch of spinach as well 🙂
Warning Comment