June 2007 ~ cooper chronicles

28 June 2007

A nod is as good as a wink....

...to a blind horse. That is one of the lines from Rod Stewart's album Every Picture Tells a Story. Oh my, the stories I could tell. I picked up a camera for the first time when I was 17. I had a job that was not in fast food. Wow! I happened to get a job working in a camera store. It was wonderful. I got my first tax refund check and asked Mr. Holt what kind of camera I should buy. He pointed me in the direction of the best camera I could buy with my money. I purchased an Olympus OM-1 single lens reflex camera. I began on my photographic journey. I still have that camera. It has survived being dropped in the ocean, many trips to Mexico and is now part of the husband's astral photography set-up.

I've been thinking about all those photos when the sis asked if we should do something like a photoblog. I told her I'd been thinking of doing something like that for a bit. She mentioned 3191 as a possible way to go. I told her I liked the concept, however we only live 85 miles apart and 85 may not grab people like 3191 does. Then we decided to bring in the other relative in our family and invite them to participate. So that's what we did. A lot more invites went out and we'll most likely be adding more to the group as we go along. Without further blathering I give you:
Every Picture Tells a Story

27 June 2007

A view from the chair

I had a great surprise yesterday morning. My appointment with the endodontist was at 8 a.m. I have been to this office before. Imagine my surprise when I saw the new view while sitting the chair:

Here's a closeup of the birds.

26 June 2007

When you hear "Paris" here are some things worthy of noting

My very favoritist site of all. Paris Breakfasts is an all time high for me. Carol takes you to breakfast in Paris. What a better way to start the day?

Everything you ever wanted to know about Paris. Wikis are the best. Just clicking on the links will take you amazing places.

For those of you who would rather see than read I give you The Eiffel Tower webcam. It's a nice day in Paris!

Lonely Planet will take you to all the out of the way places in Paris. Did you know Paris is only 41 square miles! Wow. I own one square mile in Arizona. 40 to go!

Looking for a job in Paris? Paris Craigslist should be able to help you out. You might even find the perfect flat too!

And what is Paris without chocolate? You simply must check with David for the inside tour of Paris' favorite chocolate destinations. Here's a pic to pique your interest from David's site:

24 June 2007

Movies, movies, movies

Being nearly dead gives you a chance to watch a bit of TV. Or DVDs. Or old movies. Luckily the American Film Institutes has their top 100 film list publicized again:

AFI TOP 100 U.S. FILMS
1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.
2. "The Godfather," 1972.
3. "Casablanca," 1942.
4. "Raging Bull," 1980.
5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.
6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
8. "Schindler's List," 1993.
9. "Vertigo," 1958.
10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
11. "City Lights," 1931.
12. "The Searchers," 1956.
13. "Star Wars," 1977.
14. "Psycho," 1960.
15. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.
17. "The Graduate," 1967.
18. "The General," 1927.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.
20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.
21. "Chinatown," 1974.
22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.
27. "High Noon," 1952.
28. "All About Eve," 1950.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.
30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.
31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.
35. "Annie Hall," 1977.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.
41. "King Kong," 1933.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
45. "Shane," 1953.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
48. "Rear Window," 1954.
49. "Intolerance," 1916.
50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.
51. "West Side Story," 1961.
52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.
55. "North by Northwest," 1959.
56. "Jaws," 1975.
57. "Rocky," 1976.
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.
59. "Nashville," 1975.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.
62. "American Graffiti," 1973.
63. "Cabaret," 1972.
64. "Network," 1976.
65. "The African Queen," 1951.
66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.
68. "Unforgiven," 1992.
69. "Tootsie," 1982.
70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.
71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.
72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.
77. "All the President's Men," 1976.
78. "Modern Times," 1936.
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
80. "The Apartment", 1960.
81. "Spartacus," 1960.
82. "Sunrise," 1927.
83. "Titanic," 1997.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.
86. "Platoon," 1986.
87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.
89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.
90. "Swing Time," 1936.
91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.
92. "Goodfellas," 1990.
93. "The French Connection," 1971.
94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.
95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.
97. "Blade Runner," 1982.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
99. "Toy Story," 1995.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

I've seen 98 of them. I began to be a connaisseur of films as a child. We moved so much I didn't have the social skills to make friends. But in the 4th grade I remember a neighbor lady who befriended me. I would go to her house every day after school to watch a movie. We'd watch "The Big Show" together. She'd make comments about the movie and I'd eat cookies and have a seven up. I helped her not be so lonely and she fed me cookies. Coolies I'd not get at home. I am sure that was my motivation at first. Then came the passion for movies. They could take you places you could only imagine. After moving, in a few months of course, I spent my afternoons after school alone, watching The Big Show. It's a love affair that has lasted to this day.

Some of the movies were forgettable, others I barely sat through. then others, the real stand outs, I could watch all the time. Others, I have to admit, I am embarrassed to say I've seen it but I can't lie and say I haven't. Red tells you I've seen it. Purple tells you I'd watch over and over again and I probably own it. Black, I haven't seen it. There are some that I wouldn't have put on the list, like Annie Hall, I just didn't get it. But then again, I'm not a Woody Allen fan. A few movies I'd add are The Empire of the Sun, Big, and just about anything with Susan Hayward in it.

How many have you seen? What movie would you add?

12 June 2007

If I survive

Posting will resume. I have fallen ill and am quite literally not sure if I will pull out of this one. It involves dentistry. I am not going to post for a time. See you soon. It seems as if I am making light of it, but I don't know how to deal with this problem. I have enlisted the advice of everyone I know, especially my learned niece. What she has told me and what my dentist is doing are not the same at all, I wish it was.

I hope none of you ever go through this. Peace.

07 June 2007

I need your participation. Please.

Go over to my food blog and see what I have going on there. I'd love to get a world wide sampling of the food you eat on a weekly basis.

Spread the word around. I'd really like to see what we could come up with. Thanks for your participation!

Just in case you've not been following the game

They did it! It's the first time the Stanley Cup has stayed in California. Congratulations Ducks! 14 years in the making and you made it look easy! Way to go!

05 June 2007

Sights of San Luis Obispo

While we were in San Luis Obispo we took a walking tour of downtown. Just in case you've never been, this is how I saw it. It's a nice little city, you deserve to visit sometime yourself.