And the Oscar Goes To !

Tomorrow night the Academy Awards show is on display in Hollywood. This is the one award show that I admit watching at least part of every year. It makes me think back to a time when we viewed the glamour life of the stars in a different way then we do today. We placed the old time stars, such as Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart on a pedestal and left them there to admire. Today we try and find ways to tear them down or have photos of them in bad situations. That being said I am not going to try and predict the outcome for tomorrow. I have only seen the movie, "Flight", which Denzel is up for an Oscar. I am anxiously waiting to see, "Lincoln",  "Zero Dark Thirty" and even "Silver Lining Playbook", so I really would not be able to make a choice with no information. Although I saw the trailer for Amour and can guarantee, I will not be renting this movie. As a matter of fact any movie with sub-titles is too much work and I have never seen one I like.

Today, I am going to list some of my favorite movies.

In the western category, my favorite is, Outlaw Josie Wales, with Clint Eastwood. I have to admit after the empty chair bit at the Republican convention I almost took it off, but I still like the movie. Some of the others I like are, Chism with John  Wayne, Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford and again with John Wayne, The Sons of Katy Elder.

Action movies. I really enjoy the newer movies. The Avengers and the Iron Man movies are a lot of fun and plenty of action. Also any of the James Bond movies. I particularly like the Sean Connery, Bond but Daniel Craig really gives James Bond that darker side that comes out in the, Ian Fleming books.

Comedy. Anything with Chevy Chase, cracks me up. His vacation movies are hilarious and he is in one of my favorite, Caddy shack. The best comedy is Animal House. When I want to just laugh, no matter how many times I watch it, this is the best.

Romance. Yes once in a while I can sit and put up with a, "chick flick". Of course Casablanca is my favorite, but Meet Joe Black is there in the mix. We recently watched The Word, which was very good.

Romantic comedy. You've Got Mail, is very good, but Leap Year with Amy Adams, who I really enjoy, is so much fun.

Musical. Some people do not believe it when I say, one of my favorite movies is Singing In The Rain, with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. I have watched this at least a dozen times.

OK, lets get off the softer side and talk about war pictures. Saving Private Ryan is amazing, especially the opening scenes depicting the Normandy invasion. Any, John Wayne war picture is great. But, my favorite is Patton with George C. Scott. I have watched that movie, on Veterans Day for twenty years making it the movie I have watched the most.

Sports movie. I like Rudy, plain and simple, but The Legend of Bagger Vance is my favorite sports flick and again one of my favorite movie of all time.

My list is quite eclectic. Pat and I have enjoyed going to the movies, but I must admit that with the advent of downloads we tend to wait for them to hit our big screen in the living room. What is better then a day of movies and popcorn in the comfort of your own home. Vudu and Amazon loves us, as we expand our library of films. We used to run out to Target when a movie was released, now we just order it on the television or Blu-Ray. What a world. Now for the big finale. Drum roll, please. My favorite movie of all time is. Patton. No explanation, just really enjoy it.

As you prepare to watch The Oscars tomorrow night think of your favorites and share them with us. See you at the movies. Eye roll , please!!!!!!!!

Mathnasium is the Answer!

   I remember, and at times not too fondly, my struggles with math and in particular Algebra. I had an easier time with Geometry, but the thoughts of theories can still release panic attacks.
   Helping to raise my grandson, Jayden, has placed me in the position of dredging up the ghosts of Math past. My patience can sometimes be at a premium, which does not help my grandson to learn, but probably leads to his apprehension. I am sure that Grandfathers are no different then any parent, when we start down the path of afternoon math homework.
   What is a parent to do? Along came a great idea with the unique name. Mathnasium. Jayden is in third grade and on his first report card he received a "C".  We did not want him to fall behind.
   I called and arranged an appointment to do an assessment for Jayden.  Ms. Anabel Thomas the director of Hunters Creek Mathnasium met us and while Jayden did the assessment Ms. Thomas explained the program to Pat and I. She reviewed Jayden's test and we met her again to go over the results. In general he was where he should be, we wanted him to be more at ease and even ahead. We enrolled him and success soon followed.
   The program is set up with the student in mind. We can go each day Monday through Thursday and Saturday. Jayden spends an hour at each session. It varies from doing homework, to going through his personal notebook assignments, to even playing games at the end to further enhance his Math skills. The young people that tutor him are very patient and extremely knowledgeable. Ms. Thomas or Jessica are the two that Jayden has spent the most time with.
   As with any learning program, results are what everyone is looking for. A couple of weeks ago Jayden got his second report card and the hard work of the people at Mathnasium and Jayden paid off. An "A" in math. There are side advantages for me as well. I no longer dread opening his homework folder each day and be faced with isosceles triangles or fractions. Also while he is learning Math, I sit and enjoy reading my latest book.  To Ms. Thomas, Jessica and all of the people behind Hunters Creek Mathnasium, Pat and I say,  "Thank you," and to all of the people that read my posts I say "what are you waiting for?" If a child in your life is struggling with Math get to Mathnasium and start solving your own problems.