Frannie's eSpace

A cheeseburger for Mama

Thanks to the Marta Paratransit Van service, we took Mama to McDonalds tonight and ordered a cheeseburger, small fries and a Sprite. The ladies at Nursecare had put red lipstick on her and she really looked bright-eyed and beautiful! When we got to the table, Mama knew just what to do with the cheeseburger, and she dipped the fries in the ketchup just the way she's always done! I guess some things are like typing: you never forget how to do it. When we left the restaurant, Mama hung on to her drink, and then when we wheeled back into NurseCare, her drink in hand, everyone oohed and aahed! We'll definitely do this again!

Hairspray

2 Thumbs up for Hairspray! From the first song in the movie, "Good Morning Baltimore" all the way through, it's such a peppy musical. Even though the theme is racial equality, the movie is totally upbeat. In fact, most everyone in the movie is for racial equality except for the director of the tv show (but she's supposed to be evil, and you can tell from the beginning that she's going down). The singing and dancing is the best. Christopher Walken and John Travolta dancing together is something else. Nikki Blonsky, the perky teenager responsible for kicking racial equality up a notch, is just a cutie-pie. I looked on imdb.com, and this is her very first role on the big screen; she's a natural. In the movie, Nikki is the daughter of the Christopher Walken and John Travolta characters. Yes, John Travolta plays a woman in the movie; he/she didn't do much for me; I thought Robin Williams did a much better job as Mrs. Doubtfire. Since there was so much singing, they probably should have cast a true transgender type so that the voice would have been higher. But, don't let that stop you from seeing the movie: it's a treat!

Roberta Fabulous

Charles and I heard Roberta Flack in concert last Friday night, and it was fabulous. I didn't realize she had so many great song. Killing me Softly is so popular, but her other songs are even better. My faves are "Oasis" and "Don't Make me Wait too Long." She has a perfectly lovely voice. Go Roberta!

First entry from my iPhone

I'm typing this entry from my iPhone. So far, it's  been a breeze. What got me curious was an article I read in the WSJ this morning about business users who were successfully using interactive sites such as Salesforce.com. They were able to navigate the sites via the iPHone and give demos to customers. I figured posting a blog should be a piece of cake, and it truly has been.

The more I use the iPhone, the more I like it!

A big 4th of July visit!

We had the best time with the Sipes these past few days. They arrived Wednesday evening just in time for the 4th of July fireworks at Lenox Square. We could see the fireworks from their hotel! The next day, they visited Mama in the morning, and I came by later to catch up with them. Mama said Marianne's name! That's about all she said, but that was the essential! In the afternoon we had fun at the Coke Museum, but the neatest part about it was riding the subway there. We got off at Peachtree Center, which has the longest escalator in the system, to my knowledge. The boys were just amazed! At the Coke Museum, we tasted cokes from all over the world. By the end, we decided that our favorite was Diet Coke (adults) and Coke (children).

The next day, we went to the Cyclorama and then quickly stopped at Turner Field to get a close-up of the stadium. We took lots of goofy pictures at both places. The finale was last night when we had supper at a Japanese restaurant, complete with the onion volcano! The very best part of the whole trip was spending time with the Sipes and catching up on what's going on in their lives!

Publix Fudge Bars

Have you ever tried a Publix Fudge Bar? They are the perfect summer sweet, much better than the Kroger brand and even the Mayfield version. Why? They're so creamy and they have just enough fat to give the bar some substance but not so much to weigh you down. At about $2.50 for a box of 12, you should try some the next time you're grocery shopping!

Same time next year!

I see Allison Beach, one of my dearest friends, about once a year... over the 4th of July holiday when she drives in from the suburbs to spend the night with us so that we can get up early and go run the Peachtree. We have way more fun catching up with events from the previous year than we do running. In fact, running is the worst part of it. There, I've said it! It is so stinkin' hot and crowded, and the last 3 miles are brutally up hill. The sun blares in your face that last half mile, and to top it off, you have to walk what seems like another 10K just to get back to the Marta station. Why do we do it year after year? Oh, it's a tradition and the t-shirt is fun to wear the rest of the day, but the best reason to run the Peachtree is: when would I ever see Allison otherwise?

When we parted to go our separate ways this morning, we vowed to get together at least once this coming year, but if not, then I can always count on the same time next year!

iPhone phun!

I've spent a large portion of today getting used to my iPhone, and I cannot think of a thing I'd have done differently! Here's an example of a "I'm-impressed" feature: if you're on a phone call, and you get an incoming phone call, you can put the first one on hold, pick up the second call and then "add" the first call back into the conversation. 3-way calling on a cell phone! That's a bonus!