BooksRule

I re-watched 'The Godfather' this past weekend, and turned on the CC a couple of times when I could catch what they were saying. I noticed that in all instances the CC wasn't exactly word-for-word but it was close. Sometimes I wonder if they are using a different (earlier) version of a script. There used to be a thread about closed-captioning in the old Television Without Pity's site forums that was very interesting to read. Some who posted do CC for a living and it was interesting to get a 'behind the scenes' point of view. I might have to go to archive.org to see that thread was archived by someone.

Tyler Florence's banana bread recipe is pretty good. I think the main difference from others is that he mashs up some of the banana and sets it aside. Then, he beats the rest of the banana with the sugar and butter. This really incorporates the banana flavor into the batter (you mix in the rest of the mashed banana near the end, so that you have some 'texture' to the bread). Maybe there are other recipes that do it this way, but most of mine just say to add the mashed-up bananas to the batter. I've also tried other recipes that add other fruits, such as blueberries or cranberries to the banana bread mixture. They are pretty good and keep it from being bland (I just googled ingredients to find recipes. I know the one with the cranberries was on the Ocean Spray site).

I was happy to find a thread for this show. I don't think I've seen every episode, and the ones that I've seen have been viewed out of order (if I'm home and see it listed I'll tune in if I can and watch an episode or two). I did look up the show on Wikipedia a while back to get the plotlines and characters straight. I've got the marathon on right now and just watched Monica fly off the roof. 🙂 I'm hoping that E! will continue to air the show so I can catch it from the beginning and watch start to finish (what little finish there was--I know they didn't wrap up plots when the show was canceled).

From what I understand, the previous owner did some woodworking in his spare time. I think he built the shelves in the laundry room. I do love them, although they are messy right now. They are about 3 feet deep shelves and there is a fabric curtain that I can pull closed to hide them. I use them for my arts/crafts stuff, baking pans, small appliances, tools, etc. My house isn't fancy (1960s ranch-style), but I think the laundry room and my large kitchen were the two things that swayed me to buy my house!

I'm starting the New Year off right by cleaning my house from top to bottom. I've made a little dent, but still have a long ways to go. Anyway, because I was busy with other stuff, I didn't really concentrate on cooking today. I had leftover ham for breakfast and only an apple for lunch. I do need to get my New Year's 'lucky' foods in today, so I just put a pot of black-eyed peas on to cook (with a little ham for seasoning). I usually cook some cabbage (just cook it in a skillet with a little water and bacon or ham), but since they days' getting away from me I might have to just make a green salad for my 'lucky money greens' today and cook cabbage tomorrow.

My repairman recommended this for washers to keep them smelling fresh (although I just keep my lid open). If you want decent washing machines, the top loaders tend to clean better. I myself use Speed Queen. It's mostly American made of sturdy parts (the electrical board is made in Spain) and seems to do the job my mom's old washers used to do. My SQ dryer is awesome too! My washing machine (it's several years old now) doesn't totally drain out all of the water--there's a little bit that stays below the basket. I can't see it, but if I jiggle the drum, I can hear it slosh. I used to use my old washing machine as my hamper. I would throw my dirty clothes in it and when I had enough for a load of laundry, I washed clothes. I noticed that when I started doing this with the new washer, the clothes got damp. That's when I realized that some water remained after each load. My washer sometimes give a load of laundry a 'musty' smell, but I just run an empty wash with some bleach every once in a while and that seems to take care of the problem. I would love to have Speed Queen appliances. I've heard that they are very reliable and can actually be repaired (instead of just tossing and buying a replacement whatever) because they are more traditionally constructed and don't rely on so much computer-based operation. Speaking of appliances, I'm cleaning the laundry room in anticipation of getting my new dryer on Wednesday (it might be earlier, so I'm cleaning this weekend just in case). I know that one should always move the dryer at least once a year (?) so you can clean out the vent hose, since dryer lint that piles up can be a fire hazard. Well, I've never done that, so I moved my dryer for the first time in 19 years. It was definitely grungy under and behind the dryer! There was about a double handful of old lint in the 'pipe' that leads to the outside, which was a lot less than I expected. It's all nice and clean now, and I'm going to move the dryer back in place for now (since it's in the way if I leave it in the middle of the room), but first I'm glad I remembered that this is the perfect time to dust the very high shelf that's over the washer/dryer that I can't usually reach without a ladder. With the dryer moved, I think I can reach it with my stepladder and a long Swiffer (there's nothing on it except a few decorative antique-looking tins, but I know they're dusty). I plan to move on to cleaning the rest of the laundry room in the next few days, but the main objective was to get the space ready for the new dryer. (the main entrance to my house--since I don't really use the front door except on Halloween to hand out candy--is the door at my carport. You go through my laundry room (which is about the size of a medium-sized bedroom and has floor to ceiling deep built-in shelves along one wall, an upright freezer, washer & dryer and still room for a couple of bicycles. It's a nice room) to get to the kitchen and the rest of the house. So, I've kind of let it get messy since no one but me has been in my house for a long time (due to the plague, you know). When it's totally clean, I plan to drag in a chair and just sit and admire it. 🙂

A few 'Li'l Smokies' sausages (baked in the oven) and a couple of crescent rolls with butter for breakfast, and a big bowl of chicken gumbo from Christmas for lunch (there is just enough left to put several servings in the freezer for later days). My New Year's Eve supper will be NY strip steak, a couple more crescent rolls, some type of veggie (maybe corn or a baked potato) with the last slice of sour cream pound cake and the remaining Klondyke Reese's PB ice cream bar as a dessert duo.

Shlepping a basket (or two) to the laundromat wasn't too bad, but wet clothes are HEAVY. If I had a way to string up a nice clothesline in my backyard, I would have done that. I love the smell of line-dried clothes, but I didn't have a way to do that. I tried drying my clothes on a drying rack (I have one I use for 'delicates' 🙂 ), and shower rods, but my 'work clothes' did fine, but towels just got stiff when they dried so I didn't like that. You're definitely not an idiot. When my washing machine died on me (several years ago) it was right in the middle of a cycle. So, what did I do? I wrung out the clothes and put them -- still almost dripping wet -- into the bathtub until I could figure out what to do. I didn't even think about wringing them out further and putting them in the dryer (which was two feet away as opposed to the bathroom, which was at the other end of the house) and running them through a dry cycle. Even if they had been in the middle of the wash cycle and were still technically 'dirty', at least they would be dry. Duh! 🙂

Other than a trip to Lowe's to buy a dryer (to be delivered next week, yay!), I didn't do much of anything today except lounge around and watch episodes of Rizzoli & Isles, starting with the first episode (with a chore here and there). It was nice, because I would let my DVR -- which automatically records as long as I don't change the channel -- get ahead of me while I did a few chores, so I could act the couch potato and watch while FF-ing through the commercials. I might do the same thing tomorrow!

I know it's too late now, but I noticed that the FXM channel (which shows a lot of old movies along with newer ones, albeit with commercials and I'm sure they are edited) had the 1951 version listed several times (but not the 1938 one). I know I saw the 1951 version last year, but I don't remember which channel was airing it.

I've been without a dryer for months and months. I don't know why I put off getting a new one, but I'm guessing it's because my laundry room needs cleaning and organizing and I hadn't done that. I also wanted to get one that matched my washer, but that's unrealistic, since models change over time. I finally got myself motivated, so Santa will be bringing me a late Christmas gift of a new dryer (different brand than my washer, but also white and about the same size. Just your basic model--nothing too fancy or with too many bells and whistles. As long as it has a couple of drying cycle choices and a 'de-wrinkle' cycle, I'm good)--probably early next week. So, I'm hoping that the two loads of laundry I'll need to take to the laundromat tomorrow (or the next day) will be the last ones I have to take for a long, long time. It hasn't been too bad, though, since I only have washing for myself and I only do about a load every 1 1/2 or 2 weeks (I wash my 'work clothes' and let them drip dry here at home, which saves me a load or two). I've met some interesting people at the place I go--the people who work there are very nice, they are fairly strict about not letting kids run wild and they keep the phone noises (loud music, games, etc.) to a minimum. It's also been an eye-opener, mainly for some of the outfits that people wear (making me wonder if this is their regular wear or are they wearing these particular clothes because everything else is in the wash!) and I also saw my first ankle monitor 'in person' a while back. (I may have posted about this before.) The young woman wasn't even trying to hide it--with her very short shorts and flip flops.

I read both of those books multiple times over the years. It's interesting how the availability of google can be both a good thing and a bad thing. I looked up the family on the internet a couple of years ago just to see what had happened to everyone since the second book ended. I hated to hear of a family tragedy that happened a few years after the last book, but I also was kind of glad that I learned more about the family and how they were able to cope. Karen seemed to have led a quiet life but a contented one from what I read. Yes, RIP Karen.

I think the description on the on-screen TV guide said it was a 'heartwarming story', but I wouldn't have called it heartwarming.

I guess you could call what I did today 'after Christmas shopping', but there wasn't much to it. I just don't have the energy or motivation to do much. I went to one store hoping to find a couple of specific things, but no luck. Then I renewed my membership at Barnes & Noble and picked up my annual date planner (Sierra Club brand!) at 50% off, just like I do every year after Christmas day (I keep an online calendar for work, but still like to have a print planner--it's tradition, I guess. I didn't pick up a box of Christmas cards there on sale, because I haven't sent out cards in the last couple of years, so I have more than enough cards to carry me through the next few years. Then, I picked up a prescription (went through the drive-through, so I didn't even check to see what Christmas candy they had on sale!) and came home. I had a late lunch and dozed on the couch while watching 'Criminal Minds'. I did do a little productive work a little while ago--I cleaned out several feet of a flowerbed along the front porch. I do need to get off the stick and get some work done around the house. I've been doing the minimum lately (scooping litter boxes, washing dishes, keeping up the laundry) but not much else. I need to give my house a good cleaning, one room at a time. I'm off work until Jan. 4th, so I have no excuse not to get something accomplished and still have time for reading and watching TV.

Those of you who use closed captioning for your TCM watching, do you find it reliable or not? I don't usually keep CC on, but as I get older, I find myself switching it on more and more. I was watching 'The Holly and the Ivy' a couple of days ago, and the CC was not very good. A lot of the lines had 'inaudible' instead of the words, and although there was some mumbling and I could understand why this had to be done, in some instances I -- even with my bad hearing -- could understand every word they were saying and the CC still said 'inaudible' in some parts. They also got more words/phrases wrong than I would have thought. I know it happens, but some examples: 'our own Bridget' instead of 'our Aunt Bridget' and 'bound to be' instead of 'boundiful'. I don't know. It just seemed to me to be careless work. That aside, I really liked the movie. It's one I'd never seen before.