Matt's blog--the diary of a guy who worked a gazillion jobs!

Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth

2006-06-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

A damn good, timely movie!

http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/default.asp

My take on the movies

2005-12-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

I like rating movies and writing reviews on Amazon and eBay! Here's a list of some ratings I gave movies on a site called "The Internet Movie Database." Just use this link to get there from here! SMILE http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=7549414

The Ruby Red Slippers -- Stolen!

2005-08-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night someone broke into The Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, MN, where I was two months ago, and stole the very pair of the ruby red slippers shown just below! They were used for closeups according to Ken, a friend I met at the Judy festival. I am surprised that more Judy fans didn't make posts on the Yahoo! groups about this; I for one did to register my disgust at the crime. I bet the shoes aren't recovered; it may have been a job done by someone who knew how to circumvent the alarm system since the theft wasn't discovered until the next morning by a museum staff member. I think it makes the museum staff look like idiots that they didn't have a security camera there--the police chief openly admits that there's not much evidence for them to go on. Some society we live in, huh?

2005-08-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

The entrance to The Sawmill Inn. I would recommend it to any one going to the Judy festival or just wanting a restful retreat away from it all. The food is very good--and everyone raves about the pop-overs served at dinner! SMILE

2005-08-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is me and Margaret Pelligrini, the "sleepyhead" Munchkin. She's a very nice lady--but she likes her coffee first before too many pictures get taken! hehehe

2005-08-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of the ACTUAL pairs of the Ruby Red Slippers Judy wore. I'm not sure if this pair was used for the close-ups of the shoes or dancing or what; but they are genuine.

2005-08-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Me at the side of Judy's childhood home, from the rear. The home is only two doors down from The Sawmill Inn where I was staying.

2005-08-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at the "kick-off" to the Judy festival. And, man, was it HOT that day! It's very sweet. This is Clarence the Munchkin soldier with his wife to his immediate left; the Coronor (Meinhart Raabe), and Margaret Pelligrini, who played a "sleepy head" Munchkin in Munchkin land. You also see their great granddaughter! Late at night I could hear them out in the hallway ( their rooms were adjacent to mine) saying "I can see you!" playfully to each other. The voices sounded like the Munchkins sounded, even today after all these years.

2005-08-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

This is the actual carriage used to transport Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley (not to forget Toto the dog) after their first arrival at Oz. It was used by none other than Abraham Lincoln during his presidency and bears his name on one side of it! The carriage found its way to MGM many years after Lincoln's death.

2005-08-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

This was taken just before the Judy festival began. This is me and Clarence, a guy who played a Munchkin soldier in Munchkinland. He says the secret to staying well at his age--87-- is to "keep moving." I think he's right!

The Judy Garland Festival

2005-08-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

This past June I went to the Judy Garland festival in Grand Rapids, MN. It was a beautiful trip getting there; I flew into the Twin Cities and from there drove through the fantastic countryside about 275 miles northwest to Grand Rapids. It was nothing like New York City, guys--the skies were actually blue! The water was blue! The air was fresh and didn't smell like the sewer pipes near the subway had broken--once again! I stayed at The Sawmill Inn which is a wonderful retreat even if you have no other reason to go to Grand Rapids, MN. Here come some pictures of the festival!

2005-04-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is me and an old friend, Johnny Ramone, from Roslyn, New Mexico. He's the best!

An attempt at a more colorful blog!

2005-04-23T13:04:00.001-07:00

I decided to add some photos recently to show people and things that mean a lot to me. This is my way of sharing what's important to me and about me on my blog. I always get permission from friends to post their pictures. Tomorrow I am going to Middletown to see my Dad. Both his hips are bothering him a bit--which is disconcerting especially since one hip was replaced by a very competent doctor just last May! That shouldn't be happening in that replaced hip! I can easily understand the other, original hip bothering him as he is 88 and people get arthritis all the time. Mortality is a tough issue for us all to deal with. I know I will be extremely upset when my Dad passes away but I also believe in myself as a survivor and I know I will make it through.

2005-04-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

My Dad, March 2005

2005-04-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is me and my friend Martin from a job I worked a few years back. He's a sweetheart of a guy and a good friend. March, 2005

2005-04-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

I LOVE cars! This is a 1964 Lincoln Continental near an apple orchard in upstate New York. I doubt this is the original color of the car.

2005-04-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Macy's Annual Flower Show in Manhattan, NY. March, 2005

2005-04-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Me and a high school buddy who has been a great friend of mine since 1979. This was taken at a restuarant in NYC, March, 2005

2005-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Liza Minnelli after her performance at Westbury Music Fair on Friday night, February 18, 2005. Liz is in the red coat wearing a black scarf. Man, were her bodyguards afraid she'd catch pneumonia, God forbid! (She didn't.) She only gave about 10 autographs that night as it was bitterly cold--I got the last one! GRIN

2005-04-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Judy Garland's crypt at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Just was and is one of the greatest entertainers ever in the history of the United States! I have a lot of her stuff.

My newest creation! A Yahoo! group for Ella Fitzgerald!

2005-03-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Click to join ellafitzgeraldfirstladyofsong

2005-03-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

Me and my Dad at New York City's Shea Stadium, July 2001

Another great web site for Bloggers!

2005-03-23T16:17:00.000-08:00

http://www.blogexplosion.com/

A good website for Bloggers!

2005-03-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

Terri Schiavo and the Living Will

2005-03-22T17:42:00.000-08:00

The sad case of Terri Schiavo really aches me. I feel terrible that without her feeding tube she is literally starving to death. What WERE her wishes? Is her husband right when he claims that she would have wanted to die? Are her parents correct when they claim that she would have wanted to live on in her condition? I just don't know. Please, everyone who reads this, get yourselves a LIVING WILL!!! This can be provided by a lawyer or maybe there are other places to get one; that I am not sure of. A living will is a short document that states whether or not you wish to be kept alive by machines or feeding tubes in the event that doctors conclude you will be in some sort of persistive vegetative state. Don't skip this step when making your will, guys! It can save a lot of heartache and grief for your loved ones should God forbid something happen to you. I have one saying I would not want to be kept alive if I were essentially a permanent vegetable. It's easy for a lawyer to draw one up; they probably have a form on their computer and they or their secretary just fills in the blanks specific to your situation and then you sign it. Terri's case is strong evidence that a living will is a good thing to have especially if you strong feelings about life/death and/or you have children. Get one!