Movie review: Gunga Din (1939)

Watch Gunga Din on Amazon Instant

It's the 1880s-ish, in British-controlled India. Three good friends, MacChesney, Cutter and Ballantine have been in the army together for years. They're dispatched to look into a cut telegraph line. Included in their detail is Indian water-carrier Gunga Din, who wants nothing more than to be allowed to join the British military.

The group discovers that the telegraph had been sabotaged by the Thuggees, a cult of assassins devoted to the Hindu goddess Kali.

Ballantine (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) has decided to leave the service, marry the woman he loves, and go into the tea business.  This spurs the adventuresome Cutter (Cary Grant) to go in search of a gold temple that Gunga Din had told him about. Cutter is trapped there by the Thuggees, and Din escapes to notify Cutter's friends, who launch a rescue, following Gunga Din.

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I love Cary Grant, and it's nice to see the old films and realize how many stars we know today as stand-alones worked together back in the day. However, I didn't love this film. I didn't find the story very engaging, and the acting was post-silent large: exaggerated gestures and expressions. The fight scenes were obvious and stagey.

I watched it because of its place on the AFI's 100 Years 100 Cheers list, which is part of my 101 Things in 1001 Days list.

My bucket list

Like many people, I've started a bucket list on Pinterest. One of my 3rd 101 Things in 1001 Days is to add 50 items to it.

Here's what I've added so far:

100 best Motown songs

via Digital Dream Door

1. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye  how could this not be #1? It's one of the best songs ever, and always makes me want to get up and move.
2. My Girl - Temptations - I don't know if this would be my #2, but it's definitely a happy, pleasant song.
3. Reach Out I'll Be There - Four Tops
4. Where Did Our Love Go? - Supremes
5. What's Goin' On? - Marvin Gaye
6. Dancing in the Street - Martha & The Vandellas
7. I Want You Back - Jackson 5
8. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
9. Please Mr. Postman - Marvelettes
10. My Guy - Mary Wells
11. (Love Is Like a) Heat Wave - Martha & The Vandellas
12. Do You Love Me? - Contours
13. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
14. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
15. The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
16. Shotgun - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
17. I'll Be There - Jackson 5
18. Baby Love - Supremes
19. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - Temptations
20. Uptight (Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder
21. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) - Four Tops
22. The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
23. Stop! In the Name of Love - Supremes
24. You've Really Got a Hold On Me - Miracles
25. Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) - Temptations
26. Baby I Need Your Lovin' - Four Tops
27. You Are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder
28. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
29. Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong
30. Leavin' Here - Eddie Holland
31. Shop Around - Miracles
32. You Keep Me Hangin' On - Supremes
33. You Can't Hurry Love - Supremes
34. Endless Love - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross
35. Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Stevie Wonder
36. Ooo Baby Baby - Miracles
37. Nowhere To Run - Martha & The Vandellas
38. It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
39. War - Edwin Starr
40. I Second That Emotion - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
41. Super Freak Part I - Rick James
42. Living For the City - Stevie Wonder
43. I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Gladys Knight & The Pips
44. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder
45. Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Temptations
46. I Can't Get Next To You - Temptations
47. Cloud Nine - Temptations
48. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) - Temptations
49. Smiling Faces Sometimes - Undisputed Truth
50. This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You) - Isley Brothers
51. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? - Jimmy Ruffin
52. Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye
53. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye
54. Playboy - Marvelettes
55. Jimmy Mack - Martha & The Vandellas
56. Don't Mess With Bill - Marvelettes
57. Since I Lost My Baby - Temptations
58. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
59. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
60. Going To a Go-Go - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
61. Fingertips Part II - Stevie Wonder
62. The One Who Really Loves You - Mary Wells
63. Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & The Pips
64. Love Hangover - Diana Ross
65. Upside Down (Inside Out) - Diana Ross
66. Brick House - Commodores
67. I Wish It Would Rain - Temptations
68. Beechwood 4-5789 - Marvelettes
69. The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game - Marvelettes
70. Bernadette - Four Tops
71. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
72. Hello - Lionel Richie
73. It's the Same Old Song - Four Tops
74. You've Made Me So Very Happy - Brenda Holloway
75. Jamie - Eddie Holland
76. Your Precious Love - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
77. Quicksand - Martha & The Vandellas
78. Come and Get These Memories - Martha & The Vandellas
79. Keep on Truckin' Part I - Eddie Kendricks
80. Needle In a Haystack - Velvelettes
81. (I'm a) Roadrunner - Junior Walker & The All-Stars
82. ABC - Jackson 5
83. I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
84. Give It To Me Baby - Rick James
85. Cruisin' - Smokey Robinson
86. My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) - David Ruffin
87. Three Times a Lady - Commodores
88. Heaven Must Have Sent You - Bonnie Pointer/The Elgins
89. Let It Whip - Dazz Band
90. It's a Shame - Spinners
91. Baby I'm For Real - Originals
92. The Bells - Originals
93. He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' - Velvelettes
94. Come To Me - Marv Johnson
95. I Need Your Lovin' - Teena Marie
96. The Love You Save - Jackson 5
97. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love?) - Jr. Walker
98. Function At The Junction - Shorty Long
99. Does Your Mama Know About Me? - Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers
100. Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) - Monitors/Valadiers

Reason 8,571 why I love people

They don't give up.

image: NBC News

Reshma Begum didn't give up, when she was trapped under the rubble following the earthquake in Bangladesh. She held on for sixteen days.

And the people looking for her didn't give up either. They found her, dug her out and brought her to safety.

Read the story here.

Giving of myself

Last Saturday I gave blood.

This isn't an enormous thing. I'd been "meaning to" for awhile, and finally did it.  Now it's done, and I can donate again in 8 weeks.

I expect myself to continue donating, and stop making excuses. I'm also counting the hour I spent as an hour of volunteerism for my 101 things in 1001 days.

Best Mother's Day Gift under $25. It's the thought that counts

There's a lot $25 can buy, but the best things in life are free.

image via Little Pickles Press

I've been challenged to write a blog post about the best Mother's Day present for under $25, for the NerdWallet's Mother's Day Your Way contest.

I've raised five healthy, creative, happy and productive children. My youngest is 17. If you were to ask any of them what I want for Mother's Day, they'd all have the same answer. It's the same thing I ask for every Mother's Day. Also every birthday, Christmas, Easter, and other sundry gift-giving occasions. Every one. Every time. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't.

I want to wake up to a clean house.

My family knows that at my core, I'm incredibly lazy. Most days I'd be fine just lying in bed, alternating between napping and surfing the web, with occasional breaks for chocolate. I want a clean house, I just don't want to have to clean it myself.

That's what makes this a perfect gift. It's free, it really doesn't require much effort, and it makes me really, really happy. First, because my house is clean, and second, because my family loved me enough to listen and make the effort, rather than buying some flowers or candy, or another item that, no matter how beautiful, will become one more thing for me to clean.

It's an incredible stress-reducer to wake up in the morning and realize that there's nothing to wash, vacuum or dust, even if it's just for that one day. It's liberating and joyous. Nothing puts me in a better mood.

Book review: Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History by Bryn Barnard

Buy Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History from Amazon

This quick read gave a general overview of the impact of various plagues on history and society. I was hoping for something more in-depth, but it's not bad for what it is.

It seems to be written for a younger audience, and contains a glossary in the back.

The author is clearly a proponent of universal healthcare and sanitation as a means of plague reduction, and I'm in agreement. I'm sure there are other considerations as well.

Book review: Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

Order Whiskey Beach from Amazon

Nora Roberts is back!

I'd really felt like Roberts had been phoning it in with her last couple of novels, but she's made it all right again with Whiskey Beach.

Here we have smart, likable people as the hero and heroine. Abra is a jack-of-all-trades, cleaning houses, cooking, giving massages, teaching yoga and making jewelry. But she still makes time to tend to the battered soul that is Eli. Accused of murdering his estranged wife, never charged, never exonerated, he's withdrawn into himself and comes to Whiskey Beach, Massachusetts, to his old family home, looking for some peace.

There's murder, a wonderful old house with a long history, ancient scandal and lost treasure.

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I read this because I'm still a loyal Roberts fan, and as one of the books for my 101 Things in 1001 Days. There will probably be a lot of Roberts books on my list of 33 books to read in those 1001 days. I hope they all live up to this one.

As with most romance novels, there are some issues, and the template remains in place. Man and woman meet, fall in love, encounter a problem, solve the problem and stay together forever. The question is how they'll do it, not whether.

I liked that Roberts devoted so much time to Eli's perspective - the male perspective is often lacking in romance stories. That's one of the author's strong suits: she gives us a glimpse into everyone's psyche, one way or another.

Like with Columbo, it's really no surprise as to who the murderer is. We can figure that out fairly early into it. The story is in how the protagonists figure it out, how they draw the killer out. That was pretty satisfying.

Saturday Nine, also on Wednesday

Again found via Sweet Memes, Kwizgiver and The Gal Herself

Twist and Shout

1) In the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ferris climbs up on a parade float and enthusiastically lip synchs this song, encouraging the entire crowd to join in. Do you know the lyrics of "Twist and Shout" well enough to sing along?
Oh, definitely

2) What other Beatles' song do you know all the words to?
Probably most, if not all.

3) 49 years after their American debut, The Beatles are acknowledged as having a lasting impact on both music and culture. What performers on today's music scene do you think will be remembered 50 years from now?
Lady Gaga seems to have made an impact. Or Madonna. She's kinda still on the scene, isn't she? Still performing?

4) Paul McCartney is an enthusiastic advocate of the vegetarian lifestyle. Could you/have you tried to "go veggie?"
I suppose I could go veggie, but not happily. I haven't tried, though I do have meatless days.

5) As a young boy, Ringo Starr suffered a severe attack of appendicitis and almost died. Do you still have your appendix? What about your tonsils?
I still have both.

6) John Lennon sketched and doodled when he was bored or nervous. Do you have any nervous habits?
I think I wring my hands when I'm nervous.

7) George Harrison loved Hawaii so much he bought a 63-acre estate in Maui. Have you ever visited our 50th state?
Nope

8) Yoko Ono was a polarizing character in the Beatles' saga. Has any of your friends ever dated/married someone you just could not stand?
My daughter did.

9) Paul has had dogs his entire adult life, including a sheepdog, Martha, and a black lab, Jet. John was especially fond of a cat named Elvis and a tomcat he found in the snow and named Tim. Tell us about one of your pets.
When I was 13 or 14, we found a stray cat outside in a blizzard. She was all white, except for three black hairs on the very top of her head, and had one green eye and one blue eye. Despite my mother's allergy to cats, she let us keep her, though she was mostly an outdoor cat. "Blizzard" was with us for several years, and gifted us with four kittens before we were able to get her fixed. The vet told us she was a lilac point Siamese, which is unusual.

Sunday Stealing on Wednesday

swiped from SweetMemes, The Gal Herself and Kwizgiver


1.) What are 3 things on your wish list and why?
I want to lose weight (for health reasons), I want to stop being so lazy (so I can get more stuff done), and I want to have Thanksgiving at Plimoth Plantation (because it sounds fun and interesting).

2.) What do you miss about your childhood?
The excitement and wonder of seeing things for the first time.

3.) What do you do on your spare time on the weekends?
Depends on the weather and what's available to do. In good weather, I love to go sightseeing. Sunday afternoons are great for a nap.

4.) What do you appreciate most in your life?
Tops would have to be my parents and my children.

5.) Would you rather be rich or healthy?
Yes please. If I have to choose, I'd want to know whether my lack of health could be cured by current medicine.

6.) If you could go back in time would you and why?
Yes. I'd like to spend a day in various times, especially during American history, and especially if I could be sure that no harm would come to me, or to anyone else from my being there.

7.) Favorite game as a child?
Freeze Tag.

8.) What is your dream career?
Professional Pinner (being paid an absurd amount of money to pin pretty and interesting things all day).

9.) What do you do in your free time?
Did we not cover this in question 3?

10.) Favorite clothing stores?
Savers, Target

11.) What TV shows can't you live without?
I can live without all of them, but life is better with Game of Thrones, The Following and Once Upon a Time

12.) 3 things you need in your life are:
Quiet time, time with family, time at work.

13.) What can't you sleep without?
I have to fall asleep with the TV on.

14.) What are you currently a nerd for?
So many things. So many, many things.

15.) What is your favorite seasoning?
Rosemary, I guess.

16.) What is your favorite wild animal?
Giraffe.

17.) Name 3 of your favorite childhood shows:
The Electric Company; Zoom; Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

18.) If you could live as a character in a movie who would it be?
Princess Leia. Lots of adventure, the hottest guy in the galaxy, and after three years spent saving the universe, comes out of it with a badass new hairdo and outfit, and a minor blaster burn on her arm.

19.) Favorite vegetable?
Brussels sprouts. Today, at least.

20.) Favorite Fruit?
Blackberries

21.) If you had a dragon what would you name it?
Tralfaz.

22.) What do you put on hotdogs?
I like saugies with a steamed bun and some mustard and celery salt.

23.) Do you play online games?
Nope, I've managed to dodge that particular addiction.

24.) What's your favorite way to get inspired?
Seeing something new

25.) Do you have a middle name?
Yup