Hi ho, MMMLogerinos!

When the son of MMMM was in junior high he introduced me to "cult" film actor Bruce Campbell via the Armies of Darkness film. I bought that movie on VHS and have worn out the tape. The son has the DVD now and I'm going to have to get a replacement, too. I used to have audio clips from the film on my old puter and sure miss them. Going to have reinstall them on the Dell one day.

I just saw a clip on Comcast's Game Invasion about Spider-Man 3 in which Bruce Campbell is interviewed about his "cameo" roles for the franchise. And really, I didn't remember that Bruce was in those films. I'm sorry about that because I'm a big fan. I loved his work on the Xena Warrior Princess series, Brisco County Jr. and others. If I know Bruce is going to be in a film or some TV show, I'll watch for sure. Case in point, we watched the film Bubba Hotep this weekend. Bruce had the lead role of an aged Elvis Presley who had exchanged places with an Elvis impersonator prior to his death, so didn't die. Real old Elvis is confined to a care facility in Texas with a bad hip and pushing a walker. But he must fight an evil mummy entity that is preying upon the weak souls at the facility. It was a fun concept and Bruce makes a terrific Elvis.

Mmmmmmelinda
See How the Cookie Crumbles

Hi ho, MMMLogerinos!

I was having breakfast on Sunday at one of our favorite eateries, Endolyne Joe's in West Seattle. The couple at the next table was reading each other items of interest from the Sunday Times. The fellow pointed to a photo of the Sky Walk that was built out over the edge of the Grand Canyon in Arizona by the Hualapi Indian Tribe. He didn't think it was such a grand idea that people were allowed to walk out over the edge of the Canyon on a 70 feet long Plexiglas floor. He was sure some base jumper would soon throw himself off the Sky Walk and that was a bad thing that shouldn't be allowed.

Why not? And, really, is there actually any stopping a determined base jumper? Not so much, IMO. Besides, the Hualapis would get their fees from the jumper up front, so no worries.

The Hualapi Tribe owns a big section of the western end of the Grand Canyon on the Arizona side of the Colorado River. They call it Canyon West and have been trying to make a go of various business concerns on the edge. My brother and I flew in to their little casino there a few years ago. We paid a landing fee and bought "tickets" for a tour and lunch. They put us in an old yellow bus and drove us over the desert to the edge of the Canyon. My brother recognized one of the guides as a kid he went to high school with and teased him about the touristy getup he wore--a cotton shirt with ribbons stitched to it, which seems like a back East designer's idea of what native Americans might wear. Most of the Hualapi kids we went to school with, including their parents, dressed like we did. We had no idea they had a "traditional" dress. Neither did they, apparently.

When I was a little girl you could stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon at the park. Then the Park Service decided to protect us foolish tourists and put up Verboten signs and fences. You won't find that at Canyon West and I love that. In fact, you can hang your toes and anything else you're big enough to over the edge of the Canyon. We had lunch a picnic table on the edge and that was way cool. You just know that when you go to Canyon West, you pay your money and take responsibility for your stupid choices. No park ranger is going to deny you the opportunity to kill yourself. Or so it was when I was last at Canyon West.

My brother tells me that locals were invited to preview the Sky Walk a couple of weeks ago for free. He said it was great and now there are three different spots along the edge to dine after one strolls in midair several thousand feet above the Colorado. I'm not sure but I think the fee to do the Sky Walk is about $70. The Hualapis should do great with this idea and I wish them the best. I can't wait to do the Sky Walk myself regardless of critics' complaints that Las Vegas has come to Grand Canyon to ruin its natural beauty with this Sky Walk that can't be seen from the river below or unless you're standing on it. Oh, and from the news helicopters buzzing around.

Mmmmmmmmelinda

Hi ho, MMMLogerinos!

If you're in states that participate in the MegaMillions lottery, no doubt you had winning dreams of huge money. It was the biggest jackpot in history, apparently. Two people will split the over 370 million dollars before taxes. Those I talked to about the lottery said they'd be happy to share such a nice large sum, except several wondered what the heck they'd actually do with all that money. As if it was TOO much. Is that even possible?

What would you do with a vast windfall?

Some wouldn't claim it right away. They'd line up their money management team first--the accountants, the financial planners, the legal team and plan how to protect and manage the money wisely. Others said they would wait for the hubbub to die down a bit so not so much attention was focused upon them, which would bring the press and crush of thousands with their hands out to their door. Then they'd move out of the country, try to be anonymous--with over a hundred million dollars??? Not many can exercise such restraint, me thinks. At some point the rock star that lurks in many people would want to get that gold plated bidet and build an imported European castle around it in a wildlife preserve their team would endeavor to legally steal from the little people of whatever state or country.

Sounds like a movie or TV drama, huh? Once or twice a year just before a big jackpot, the media folks trot out all those poor lottery winners who've won big and lost it all even bigger. An accountant told of a client who'd won a couple of million in a state lottery. And the true story was a page out of the ultimate loser's book. The guy was a blue collar worker who decided to take the annuity of an annual hundred thousand over twenty years. His wife couldn't handle the pressure. Her health deteriorated and she died. His next wife had a gambling problem that the accountant said the winner "nipped in the bud." Guess that meant they divorced, but there wasn't a prenup. The winner eventually retired on a small pension augmented by the lottery annuity which he and his people lived up and would soon run out. Then his people probably would run out on him, too. Or so those stories go . . .

In any case, I'd like to give the winning thing a go and I'd certainly do it Mmmmm's way, which some might think was just another nutty winning loser story. Because we all believe that we'd do it differently, do it better, safer, smarter than that loser. Until we get a stroll in those gold plated winning moccasins . . .

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmelinda

Hi ho, MMMLogerinos!

I've always been a big fan of self-help books and success methodologies. This way to success isn't really a new one on me. I have encountered those swell fellows who have offered to fast track Mmmmmm with this method . . .

The son of Mmmmmm was vacationing in Europe last month and after several days of skiing in the Garmish area, he journeyed to Prague in the Czech Republic. Out doing the sightseeing thing, he happened upon the Museum of Communism where he picked up this postcard. Ironically, the museum is located in a casino. That seems to be Leonid Brezhnev slipping the tongue to some other lucky comrade. Can't you just taste the cigar and vodka? Yar.

Mmmmmmmmmmmelinda

Hi ho, MMMLogerinos!

This is a remarkable first of March here in Seattle. The sun is actually shining and it's snowing. The crab apple tree is pinking up and ready to bloom. The rose bushes are putting on leaves. Seems early to me. I haven't even had the time to get out in the garden to prune and clean up. I've been busy doing the writing thing. Gotta get the book done by the end of the month.

Just had a phone chat with the son of Mmmmmmmm in Korea. He'd been out for the evening with some visiting dignitaries. The party ended up in a club doing the ever popular Karaoke. This is the son's element, to be sure. His favorite and award-winning renditions are Sweet Caroline and Hang on Sloopy, both songs way older than he is.

Last night he attempted the Monkees's I'm A Believer, a Neil Diamond song, which he mistakenly assumed was sung by Davey Jones of the Monkees. Hey, this was my era and I corrected him. Nope, Micky Dolenz sang lead on that song. The son of Mmmmm disagreed. I tried to substantiate my claim with a Google search while he was still on the phone. Unfortunately, it was 3:00 a.m. his time and he had to get up for work in three hours AND instead of the Monkees site, some arghy porn thing popped up in my search. Geeeeez. He hung up laughing at Mmmm's Internet fun and I continued my search for who sang lead on the Monkees' I'm A Believer.

Amazon.com proved the place where I could listen to clips of the Monkees greatest hits. Yes indeed, Micky Dolenz sang lead on most of the songs, though Davey Jones did the lead on A Little Bit Me/A Little Bit You. Yay! Mmmm's right again! I popped the son of MMMM an email with that information.

Hope your March 1 is as good as mine!

MMMMmmmmmmmmelinda