Diorama-lamma-ding-dong

Sydney surprised me with the greatest gift I have ever received, a diorama of the Rolloff's and their farm complete with pumpkins! She is very talented...now I just have to figure out how to get this thing home.

Thr Great Quake of '08

About an hour ago the earth shook and I didn't even get to feel it because I was driving to the airport for my trip to Portland.
Every other state that has horrible natural disasters at least get warnings, us Californians usually don't know it hit until it's over. For a minute you look at each other to make sure somebody else feels what your feeling and that it s just not the tacos you ate last night. Even after you both make eye contact and say, "maybe we should get under a doorway" by the time you get off the couch to do so, it' over. No big whoop. Not so much shaking as a gentle roll. As it happened I was driving by the Mormon space ship in La Jolla and I thought, "now that would be a funny way to die." But I was spared. I know deep in my heart I will be killed on my 80th birthday while running with the bulls.
I was once knocked unconscious during an earthquake in the 80's. My sister and I were asleep when the quake hit and I awoke screaming for my mom. Like a good sister she picked me up to take me down the hall to my parents room. I just wished she would have payed more attention as we turned the corner because maybe then my head would not have hit the wall. Since I stopped crying (you can't cry when your knocked out) she guessed my meltdown had passed and returned me to my bed. And that, boys and girls, is why I am the way I am: Earthquake related brain trauma.

Steubenville West 2008

In Tucson there is a thing called a monsoon, it's like a mongoose but different.

It's Nice Just to be Nominated

R.I.P. Sophia...

Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at 84

By BOB THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Tue Jul 22, 12:37 PM PDT

Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.

Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.

"Estelle always wanted to be an actress, and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams," former "Golden Girls" co-star Rue McClanahan told The Associated Press. "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia."The Golden Girls," featuring four female retirees sharing a house in Miami, grew out of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff's belief that television was ignoring its older viewers.

Three of its stars had already appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and McClanahan in "Mama's Family." The last character to be cast was Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character.

"Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her," Arthur said in a statement.

When she auditioned, Getty was appearing on stage in Hollywood as the carping Jewish mother in Harvey Fierstein's play "Torch Song Trilogy." In her early 60s, she flunked her "Golden Girls" test twice because it was believed she didn't look old enough to play 80.

"I could understand that," she told an interviewer a year after the show debuted. "I walk fast, I move fast, I talk fast."

She came prepared for the third audition, however, wearing dowdy clothes and telling an NBC makeup artist, "To you this is just a job. To me it's my entire career down the toilet unless you make me look 80." The artist did, Getty got the job and won two Emmys.

"The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us," White said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"The Golden Girls" culminated a long struggle for success during which Getty worked low-paying office jobs to help support her family while she tried to make it as a stage actress.

"I knew I could be seduced by success in another field, so I'd say, 'Don't promote me, please,'" she recalled.

She also appeared in small parts in a handful of films and TV movies during that time, including "Tootsie," "Deadly Force" and "Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story."

After her success in "The Golden Girls," other roles came her way. She played Cher's mother in "Mask," Sylvester Stallone's in "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" and Barry Manilow's in the TV film "Copacabana." Other credits included "Mannequin" and "Stuart Little" (as the voice of Grandma Estelle).

"The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985 to 1992, was an immediate hit, and Sophia, who began as a minor character, soon evolved into a major one.

Audiences particularly loved the verbal zingers Getty would hurl at the other three. When McClanahan's libidinous character Blanche once complained that her life was an open book, Sophia shot back, "Your life's an open blouse."

"I always told her she should be a standup comic. She was so funny in person," McClanahan recalled. "She would always say, 'Why couldn't we make these characters Jewish? Why am I Sicilian?'"

Getty had gained a knack for one-liners in her late teens when she did standup comedy at a Catskills hotel. Female comedians were rare in those days, however, and she bombed.

Undeterred, she continued to pursue a career in entertainment, and while her parents were encouraging, her father also insisted that she learn office skills so she would have something to fall back on.

Born Estelle Scher to Polish immigrants in New York, Getty fell in love with theater when she saw a vaudeville show at age 4.

She married New York businessman Arthur Gettleman (the source of her stage name) in 1947, and they had two sons, Carl and Barry. The marriage prevailed despite her long absences on the road and in "The Golden Girls."

Getty was evasive about her height, acknowledging only that she was "under 5 feet and under 100 pounds."

McClanahan said her nickname for Getty was "Slats."

"Because she was so short, itty-bitty," she said.

In addition to her son Carl, Getty is survived by son Barry Gettleman, of Miami; a brother, David Scher of London; and a sister, Rosilyn Howard of Las Vegas.

Back Off I'm a Comedian

It must be time for my Botox injection again. In the last two days, three strangers have commented on my scowl. That's right I'm a frowner. For the most part I don't frown on things, I just frown. Perhaps it's lazy eyebrow muscles or maybe I squint a lot because I live in paradise and the sun is constantly out. Regardless of the why the fact is that I look angry most of the time when in reality I am only angry about 80% of the time.

Ashes to Ashes

East to West

I'll be back to San Diego tonight after a great few days in New York. I will wave over ever state I fly over so go outside and write something on the ground. But make the letters really big because I can't see that far...and it will be at night time so set the letters on fire. Or just maybe don't do any of those things and instead send a check.
Thank you

Pro-carbs

Having a bakery good time in New York

What's So Golden About the Golden Girls?

There are many opportunities in life to bond with one's parents. Playing catch with your dad, walking on the beach with your mom, playing catch with your mom on the beach while your dad watches or selling watches out of the back of your mom's car while your dad watches for cops. The choices are endless, but how many of us take the time to bond?
Well, I do losers.
I bond better than Goop glue. And what has brought the bonding together? The Golden Girls. None other than Dorothy Petrillo Zbornak, Blanche Devereaux, Sophia Petrillo and Rose Nylund. Those sexy senior citizens bridge the age gap between me and my mom...and what about my dad? He bonds with us because he hates that show. It turns out Bea Arthur was on a show called 'Maude' a few years back which my dad did not agree with a certain episode so now every Golden Girl must now carry the shame and resenment of Patch. Good thing they have such broad shoulder pads.
The goodness that comes from watching the Golden Girls with my mom is that we can both laugh at old ladies saying dirty things but it's OK because it's on Lifetime and that's not naughty. My mom can say, "oh she's so bad" when Sophia says something inappropriate and I can silently agree with Sophia and wonder why my mom thought that what she said was inappropriate but be happy that she's mad at Sophia and not at me.
We can judge Blanche for being a swinging gal but then also judge Dorothy for judging Blanche for being said gal and feel good that we aren't as bad as either of them. And of course we all feel smarter than Rose who always seems to get the best lines and in the end is vastly morally upstanding than have the population of Miami.
The Golden Girls proves that at the end of the day Catholics, Lutherans and Baptists can come together and solve any problem that might come their way as long as they stick together and eat cheesecake.

ATTENTION

Have you or a loved one recently lost a shoe? Because my mom found one and it's really put a cramp in her style. Today I came home and found a brown sandal in my room. It actually frightened me because at first I thought some assailant had broken into my room (not the house, just my room) and had taken off just one shoe and was trying on my clothes in another room. Either that or I thought the one legged man at my church finally wanted to answer my questions I had about his shoe buying tendencies.
But I was wrong. My mom simply found this brown sandal under our guest room (which we call grandma's room, even though grandma lives in heaven with Jesus and every dog I ever owned) under the bed. Just like every other thing that is found in our house that does not have a specific resting place it gets sucked into the vortex that is my room. "What's this Barbie head doing on the floor? Oh, must be Jude's." OK, bad example. But you get the idea, whatever s floating around eventually ends up in my space. My cell. My crib.
That is the main reason why I was scared when I gazed upon the shoe because I thought my mom might have found a homeless man and mistakenly put him away in my room.
So please, if you have stayed in our house in the last year and you have lost a sandal please inform us so it can leave my room. Even if you were not an invited guest and just happened to break in to take a nap let us know, that's not as creepy as coming home to articles of clothing, wigs and Barbie heads stacked up in my room.

Marathons, Sharks and Communist Dogs

Happy Birthday America, I forgot to get you anything...instead I sat on my butt and watch hours of television. It started this morning with "She's Got the Look". It was like seeing a horrible car accident involving want-a-bee models over 35, I couldn't take my eyes off it! I also flipped to "King of The Hill" and "Twilight Zone" Marathons because I enjoy the finer things in life.
Then the movie "Jaws" came on and well, I'm a sucker for Chief Brody and who doesn't like a young sexy Richard Dreyfus. Then "Jaws II" came on (Jaws II Electric Boogaloo) and once again that Chief Brody had to do everything himself and kill the giant fish all by himself with the help of a giant power cord. After two down I had to stay and watch "Jaws 3". That was a favorite of mine when I was little because it takes place in Sea World and the giant momma shark comes looking for her giant baby shark and eats water skiers, now you understand how a 7 year old would absolutely LOVE this movie. By the time "Jaws: The Revenge" came on I was just too stuck to the chair to physically get up. Michael Cane who appeared in this movie had the best quote when he said, "I have never seen it, but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific." Silly Englishman.

By the time all the blood had cleared the water the local fireworks began and I was again reminded that my dog hates America. OK, he does not hate America, just fireworks. I guess if I had super hearing I would not be too keen on them either. It happens a few times a week because we live close to the Marine Base and when they practice shooting things with their tanks Mac goes from a tough 8 year old 70 pound golden retriever to a quivering little puppy who tries to get into any lap he can. This can be cute but also proves embarrassing at dinner parties. So tonight as I type this with a golden retriever on my lap I say, "Happy Birthday America and thanks for the great television programming for your birthday!" Amen.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today, to celebrate my mom's birthday we all went golfing and my mom shot her age!

Too bad we only played nine.

The good news is that we all had fun, we got to eat soup and no one lost an eye, in our family that's a good day!