Book Display - At The Movies

The Academy Awards takes place this Sunday. So here's a slew of books about Oscar and the movies:

65 Years of The Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards by Robert Osborne

Academy Award Winners: Songs, Scores (music book)

All About ‘All About Eve’ by Sam Staggs

The Animated Movie Guide by Jerry Beck

Bedside Hollywood: Great Scenes from Movie Memoirs edited by Robert Atwan and Bruce Forer

Behind the Oscar: The Secret History of the Academy Awards by Anthony Holden

The Big Book of B Movies Or How Low Was My Budget by Robin Cross

The Casablanca Companion: The Movie and More: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of an American Classic by Jeff Siegel

Cult Movies: The Classics, the Sleepers, the Weird, and the Wonderful by Danny Peary

For Keeps: 30 Years at the Movies by Pauline Kael

Great Hollywood Westerns by Ted Sennett

Hollywood At Home: A Family Album 1950-1965 by Sid Avery

Hollywood Color Portraits by John Kobal

The Hollywood Sound: John Williams Conducts the Academy Awards’ Best Scores by John Williams (music cd)

Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards by Mason Wiley & Damien Bona

The Lavender Screen: The Gay and Lesbian Films, Their Stars, Makers, Characters & Critics by Boze Hadleigh

Open Secret: Gay Hollywood 1928-1998 by David Ehrenstein

Oscar A to Z: A Complete Guide to More than 2,400 Movies Nominated for Academy Awards by Charles Matthews

The Real Oscar: The Story Behind the Academy Awards by Peter H. Brown

Special Effects: Creating Movie Magic by Christopher Finch

Writing Himself into History: Oscar Micheaux, His Silent Films, and His Audiences by Pearl Bowser and Louise Spence

Book Display - Presidents

Presidents' Day is next week, so here's a book display about presidents, scandals, White House anecdotes, Air Force One, and a fascinating book of the presidential protraits from the National Portrait Gallery:

Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency by Von Hardesty.

Air Force One: A History of the Presidents and Their Planes by Kenneth T. Walsh.

Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech that Changed America by Thurston Clarke.

The Double-Edged Sword: How Character Makes and Ruins Presidents, from Washington to Clinton by Robert Shogan.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: Commander-In-Chief, A&E Biography, DVD.

Executive Privilege: Two Centuries of White House Scandals by Jack Mitchell.

For the President’s Eyes Only: Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush by Christopher Andrew.

Hail to the Chief: The Making and Unmaking of American Presidents by Robert Dallek.

Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages that Shaped Our Recent History by Kati Marton.

JFK: A Personal Story, A&E Biography, DVD.

Lincoln: A Contemporary Exploration of a President Whose Greatest War Took Place Within Himself, History Channel, DVD.

Lincoln: The Musical Soundtrack of the Film, music compact disc.

My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House by Lillian Rogers Parks.

Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade by Jeff Shesol.

Portraits of the Presidents: The National Portrait Gallery by Frederick S. Voss.

Presidential Power: Unchecked & Unbalanced by Matthew Crenson and Benjamin Ginsberg.

Presidential Ambition: How the Presidents Gained Power, Kept Power, and Got Things Done by Richard Shenkman.

Richard Nixon, A&E Biography, DVD.

Ronald Reagan: A Legacy Remembered, History Channel, DVD.

Roosevelt and Churchill: Their Secret Wartime Correspondence edited by Francis L. Loewenheim, Harold D. Langley, and Manfred Jonas.

Scandals in the Highest Office: Facts and Fictions in the Private Lives of Our Presidents by Hope Ridings Miller.

Truman by David McCullough.

Truman, PBS Home Video, DVD.

Ulysses S. Grant: Warrior, President, PBS Home Video, DVD.

The Unfinished Presidency: Jimmy Carter’s Journey Beyond the White House by Douglas Brinkley.

Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West.

When Presidents Lie: A History of Official Deception and Its Consequences by Eric Alterman.

The White House: The First Two Hundred Years edited by Frank Freidel and William Pencak.

White House China by Marian Klamkin

White House Glassware: Two Centuries of Presidential Entertaining by Jane Shadel Spillman.

Wounded Titans: American Presidents and the Perils of Power by Max Lerner.

Nebraska Caucus

Last Saturday was the Democratic caucus for the State of Nebraska. I'm not happy about having to participate in a caucus since I prefer the secret ballot. And sure enough, several of our regular library patrons were gathered at the same caucus site as I had to be at and now they think they're my big buddy since we were standing in the same corner for the same candidate.

Aside from lacking the confidential factor, it wasn't too bad. People didn't get unruly or rude. We chose a person to run the proceedings and someone else to act as recording secretary. Obama supporters stood on one side, Clinton supporters on another, undecided voters were in the middle. Each side took turns stating why they were voting for a particular candidate, and each side clapped after each speaker regardless of position. People were given another chance to change candidates and all but two of the undecided voters eventually chose a candidate. The entire process took only an hour.

In the end, after all precincts were tallied, Obama won the Nebraska caucus.

While it was a polite and quick proceeding, give me back my secret ballot.

Never Play with Knives

Last Sunday I nearly cut off my left index finger. No kidding.

I had spent the weekend in the kitchen cooking up a storm (which also meant doing a ton of dishes as well). I like to cook double batches of my recipes and freeze them to take to work for lunch. And now I'm planning ahead for Cassie's suppers as well since I don't like her having a constant diet of frozen pizza, frozen tacos, and frozen chicken nuggets. So to combat this I'm taking over all the cooking and doing daily menu-planning for her carbs, veggies, fruit, main course, and beverage. Saturday I'd cooked up Tater Tot Casserole, two meatloaves, and browned three one-pound units of hamburger in the microwave for later use in other casseroles. Cassie and I also did a ton of laundry.

So come Sunday it was time to throw other meats into the mix. Saturday's theme was beef, and now I was going to do salmon patties and crockpot chicken so we could alternate among the beef, fish, and chicken. Plus I had to peel potatoes to make mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes. But before doing that I had to work that afternoon at the library, so my cooking plans were set for the evening.

Before heading to work I was making Cassie's lunch. I opened the freezer to get some Tater Tot Casserole for Cassie and noticed the bag of garlic toast. I decided that sounded better than crescent rolls, and thus set into motion the bloody events.

The garlic bread was one long piece of French bread that had the garlic and cheese in the center like a hoagie sandwich. You pull apart the two sides and place them on a pan beneath the broiler. Dopey me decided they would fit on my pan better if I cut each section in half. I grabbed my scalloped bread knife and starting sawing away. Normally I use my giant chef's knife but for some reason I went with the bread knife - and I think that's what saved my finger.

The first slice cut with little difficulty. But the second slice wouldn't cooperate so I was hacking away at it and, wouldn't 'ya know it, the knife slipped (or perhaps I just got my finger in the way) and I sliced through my finger with full force.

The rest happened in slow-motion. I didn't move. I remained in position with my knifehand extended and my other hand holding the bread, just staring at my finger thinking, "This can't be good." (I have a college degree so I felt pretty confident at this assessment.) Then the blood began to ooze, ever so slightly. This encouraged me to think that perhaps the cut wasn't so bad. I stuck the wound beneath the water and, with soap, tried to clean it up. Afterall, the wound would be full of bread crumbs, cheese, and garlic - that can't be conducive to healthy healing.

I tried bending my finger to determine the depth of the wound. Yikes! It looked like a giant fish gill had opened on my finger. Bandages weren't staunching the blood flow, and I had only 30 minutes to get to work.

So I called my supervisor on his cell phone and his home phone but couldn't reach him. I called a coworker to say I thought a trip to the emergency room was in order but I'd be in whenever the ER finally got done with me. She felt that my finger would be throbbing and I'd be no use to anyone at work, so I shouldn't even try to go in to work. So I didn't.

I've spent the past week applying First Aid Cream and bandaids, and avoiding water. By golly the thing looks pretty good today. It's still sore to the touch, but bears no resemblence to the mess of last week. Must be due to the Hello Kitty bandaids that Cassie has been giving me.

Betsy's Birthday

February 2 we celebrated Betsy's birthday (which is actually February 3). Cassie and I wrapped her gift (napkins for every season and holiday) and the three of us were the first to arrive. Betsy and Cassie drew several pictures together while waiting for Mom and Scott.

Once everyone was in attendance, we arranged the table with Betsy's cake, plates and napkins, then Betsy opened her gifts. In addition to our gift, she also received She Wore a Yellow Ribbon on dvd and a Perry Como TV show on dvd. We sang Happy Birthday, Betsy blew out her candles, and we ate lemon cake (Mom did the cake this year) and mint chip ice cream ("green ice cream" as Cassie calls it).

We only stayed a couple of hours for I was exhausted - still recovering from pneumonia. Cassie and I had spent the day running errands, doing laundry, and picking up around the house. Once we got home, it was straight to bed for Cassie and me.

Book Display - Valentines, Love, and All That Jazz

The February book display is, natch, all about valentines, valentine cards and crafts, love, relationships, and loving yourself:


214 Ways to Say ‘I Love You’ by Julian Biddle

Calligraphy by Don Marsh

Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Dating and Relating by Joe Schwartz

Hearts, Cupids, and Red Roses: The Story of the Valentine Symbols by Edna Barth

In the Meantime-: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want by Iyanla Vanzant

Life and Love: A Book of Embraces by Life Magazine

The Love You Deserve: 10 Keys to Perfect Love by Scott Peck

Mr. Right Now: When Dating is Better than Saying ‘I Do’ by Rachel Safier

Mr. Right, Right Now!: How a Smart Woman Can Land Her Dream Man in 6 Weeks by E. Jean Carroll

Simply Beautiful Greeting Cards: 50 Quick and Easy Projects by Heidi Boyd

The Valentine and Its Origins by Frank Staff

Valentine Fun by Judith Hoffman Corwin

Valentines: Cards and Crafts from the Heart by Thiranut Boonyadhistarn

Vintage Greeting Cards by MaryJo McGraw

What Does She ‘Want’ From Me Anyway?: Honest Answers to the Questions Men Ask About Women by Holly Faith Phillips with Gregg Lewis

Why Do Fools Fall in Love?: Experiencing the Magic, Mystery, and Meaning of Successful Relationships by Janice R. Levine and Howard J. Markman

Why Mars & Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress by John Gray

Music CDs:
100 Years of Latin Love Songs performed by Paquito D’Rivera

Academy Award ™ Winning Love Songs published by Pair Records

Hawaiian Love Songs performed by George Kahumoku, Jr.

Liszt for Lovers: Piano Dreams of Love and Passion published by Philips

Music Scores:
28 Top 90’s Love Songs by Hal Leonard Publishing Corp

Best in Country Love Songs by Warner Brothers Publishing

Love Songs: Complete Lyrics for 200 Songs by Hal Leonard Publishing Corp

Love Songs for Lovers: A Collection of Romantic Songs by Warner Brothers Publishing

Love Songs of the 30’s by Hal Leonard Publishing Corp

Love Songs of the 50’s by Hal Leonard Publishing Corp