Under the Weather

Although the weather here has been really nice I'm feeling really yuck! I'm sure I'll be back up and at'em any time now.

Sounds of the Magic Kingdom

Only about 10 more days and I will get to hear this live.

TweetMic Publish Your Audio on Twitter loumongello's audio tweet

Shared via AddThis

Don't sweat the small stuff, there's plenty of real crap to keep you busy!

It's Friday, I worked my half a day at my regular job then I worked a couple of hours at my volunteer job and I was on my way home to get ready for Jenna to have a friend over for the night when I get a panicked phone call from my mom. "where are you you?" I answer "what's wrong?" she yells "WHERE ARE YOU?" I say "home "(I'm not really home but that was easier than explaining exactly at what intersection I was). She finally says my niece and nephew have been in accident and Josh is hurt.

I hang up and call who Jim who is closest to the scene to send him there until we can find my sister-in-law. I arrive there just after my mom and Jim was already there. It's pretty bad. Katie's car is totaled and I don't see Josh anywhere. I get directed to Josh who is a bloody mess in the ambulance and Katie is frantically, and in the fashion a true Morgan woman, worried about all the Homecoming decorations and preparations that are in her car for the festivities tonight, insisting that we have to get them out before they tow the car away.

Katie sticks her head in the ambulance to check on Josh and the EMT immediately says that she needs to be checked out too, she has a mean contusion on her forehead. Next thing I know they are sure they need to transport both of them. I send Jim to try to track down my sister-in-law so she doesn't just come upon the wreck on her way home. She arrives and gets to see that the kids are talking and breathing even though Josh looks pretty bad it seems like things are under control. We head to the emergency room.

My brother meets us at the hospital and they start to examine the kids. They decided to do CT scans on both mostly just precautionary. They start to unwrap Josh's head and we're talking gaping wound. The EMT's hadn't really seen it because the firemen had it wrapped before they arrived, let's just say they understated the yuckiness and size (we could see skull). He had fourteen staples put in. If Halloween was a little closer he could definitely pull off a Frankenstein costume. They finished up with them and sent them home to be awakened every two hours through the night by their loving parents, mom of whom is saying that they really won't be driving without her any time soon.

We are counting our blessings tonight and reminding ourselves of what is most important in life.

One of the great EMT on the scene

Josh upon arrival to the hospital

They haven't shared a room for years, until today

Katie waiting for her CT.

and can you believe Jenna found a Hidden Mickey

It's been 70 years??

Last night Jenna and I went to see The Wizard of Oz (the movie). In celebration of it's 70th Anniversary it was re-released in HD digitally remastered quality on the big screen for one night only. It was so fun. I was surprised at the crowd--more people than I thought would pay $10 for a 70 year old movie they can see on TV for free quite often. But it was a totally different experience than watching at home.

Just being in the theatre made it a more enjoyable experience for me because I wasn't tempted to try to accomplish six other things while it was on. The other thing that surprised me, never having seen it in a crowd, was the audience reaction. They loved the Cowardly Lion. They laughed out loud in places that a small crowd in your living room just wouldn't have. They responded with "ahs" when one little girl distraughtly let out a sob when Mrs. Gooch took Toto away, and were as equally delighted when Toto got away from her. They cheered when the Wicked Witch (whom I had difficult time not thinking of as Elphaba) melted. I will have to say I could have done without the lady beside me (who reeked of cigarette smoke) thinking it was okay to speak every line of every character in an audible voice. But what are you gonna do? All-in-all a very enjoyable evening spent with my wonderful daughter.

Kind of HMM 8

This HMM combines some of my favorite things, rain drops on roses, whiskers on kittens, Coke and Disney. I pulled into the parking lot of work one morning and was greeted by this truck totally parked the wrong way. And I'm thinking, "it's not my birthday, who would send me a whole truck of Cokes? God Bless them whoever they are."
But in the lower right hand corner I noticed this little emblem. No ears but still a Hidden Mickey of sorts. Anyway... it brought a smile to my face.

Spirit Week--It might as well be the week of Halloween!

It's Spirit Week at my daughter's school this week. Now really it's just an excuse to dress crazy and be silly, but that's okay! So the days consist of

• Pajama Day--Okay so who wouldn't want to wear their pj's all day


• Miss Match Day-- okay as long as you don't need to go anywhere after school


• Senior Citizen Day--this one is lost on me--Spirit Week??


• Purple and White--school colors--perfect sense.


• Nerd Day--because Middle schoolers need help in pointing out each others flaws and shortcomings.
  

So tomorrow is Senior Citizen Day-- I'm sure the powers that be are thinking something like this--

I'm thinking something more like this----Tina Turner, baby!!! 69 years old!!!

I bet it's the beginning of the end....

Friday marked the end of something significant in my life. It brought what was the last episode of The Guiding Light. Now I will have to admit I really haven't watched much in the last few years. The new format that they chose to try to save themselves was just too weird for me, but more than once in my life soaps have meant a lot to me. I remember as a child watching As The World Turns and Guiding Light while my sainted grandmother (Nana) would do her weekly ironing. She would be hard pressed to admitting that she followed her stories as she called them. I then followed both of those stories through the years to keep up to date so that I could still talk about them with her.

Through the years I remember crossing the network boarders to be able to be part of the most interesting and popular story lines. I followed ABC's All My Children during the Tad/Liza--Greg/Jenny era. I followed NBC's Days of Our Lives during the Patch/Kayla --Bo/Hope era because that was what was being watched in the lounges of the numerous Universities I attended. But I always came back to CBS to follow Betsy/Frank/Craig on As the World Turns and Kelly/Morgan/Nola and then Phillip/Beth--Rick/Mindy on Guiding Light. I also found myself back in Springfield hoping that the new romantic triangle would intrigue me or that the old characters would give me a sense of nostalgia. But today they say "Good Bye" to the new and so many of the old. I just feel like this is probably the beginning of the end of Soap Operas that we knew of the past. That is probably a good thing seeing that they really have no redeeming value whatsoever but even so I find it sad and nostalgic.

So as I think of the years gone by I remember how many big stars have come out of the casts of Soap Operas and I wonder what other genre will aid those actors and actresses in honing their crafts. Where will they find the all-American Meg Ryans, the footloose Kevin Bacons, the adorable Marisa Tomeis and the countless others that now may never have a break out moment? I'm sure they will be welcome on some reality show or another.

So as I say good bye to Sprinfield, the Bauers, the Spaudlings, the Coopers, the Lewis' and all the other families that have come and gone from The Guiding Light through the years. I will find it a little disconcerting that I will not be able to turn on my Story to just keep up and touch base with those families that have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but I'm sure my life will go on but as of Friday something will not be the same as before. Thanks for a great 72 year run-- 35 or so which were important in the story of my life.