One of the local cable TV channels recently ran the remake of the movie Alfie. You might know the one I mean, the 2004 romantic comedy where Jude Law plays the handsome British womanizer. Some of my younger friends didn't even know this was a remake of the original film starring Michael Caine in 1966.
The older Alfie with Michael Caine was cutting edge at the time because it was all about Free Love and the story took place in the carefree Hippy era. There were not too many movies around back then [the olden days] about couples even living together without being married, or at least they did not play in the sleepy neighborhood of my quasi-rural Florida town, and I was after all, only 2 years old [<---a shameless lie] at the time of Alfie's release.
This newer 2004 version with the handsome but somewhat skinny Jude Law seemed not so entertaining to me as the original. The character, cute and well-dressed as he was, was a conniving cad, a real rascal and, while I couldn't help but like him with his cutie-patootie and GQ wardrobe, the movie was mostly sad to me. Alfie zoomed from one bed to the next and as the movie progressed all the girls starting looking alike to me. They all looked like They Should Wise Up.
I was quite pleased when sexy Susan Sarandon, as the older woman, put Alfie/Jude in his place. Good for her! After all, she had found a younger man. Well, she should know about that, I suppose.
Looking for something to take away from this bit of comedy/tragedy, I latched onto Alfie's habit of a new-word-a-day. Every morning after dressing from his well-appointed, never-ending closet, Alfie learned a new word from his word-a-day calendar. He looked into the camera, told us the word and its definition and then walked out the door to make the word and the day his own.
If Alfie had stuck with only the new-word-a-day and given up the new-girlfriend-a-day, the movie might have had a happier ending. A happy ending goes a long way with me. A happy ending get Bonus Points. I won't give a *spoiler* here as you may want to spend some time with Alfie yourself. That Jude Law is tasty eye-candy for sure but I still prefer my Johnny Depp.
After watching the modern day Alfie I signed up here for one of those word-a-day emails. Like I don't have enough email coming at me left and right! But I love learning new things and haven't studied word lists since taking exams for graduate school. I saw this as furthering my education...for free and on my own schedule.
Promptly every morning a new word arrives in my email, a little present to unwrap. Several interesting words have come my way. Last month I received eructation. I tried all day to work that into my conversation and finally gave up on it. Be my guest and let me know how that word works for you.
Many words I have received are not new to me at all but I don't use them often as words have to have a certain mouth-feel before I will use them regularly. Words have their own personality. These were not new: trenchant and languid. I would use trenchant, but I lack the force and vigor required. The word languid makes me want to take a nap. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...I fall asleep before I get to the d.
Some words I received were like old friends that I had not seen in a while. We recognized each other right off the bat.
"Hi ,there, sotto voco, how are you doing?" I asked just last week. "How's the family?"
"mmmmm" mumbled sotto voco, "mmmmmm."
You can see why I have not bothered with him.
"Welcome, serendipity, where have you been?" I asked just yesterday. "I am honestly pleased but surprised to see you here."
"Well, funny you should ask, somepinkflowers! I have been over to see Bleeding Espresso," serendipity explains with her usual smiling face. "She sent me this way to tell you that you have won an award!"
And so I had. It was the Thoughtful Blogger Award which is
"for those
who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home
on their blogs. For the people who take others' feelings into
consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also
for all of those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping
others bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for
those generous bloggers who think of others."
That sweet, now Italian girl! It was so very thoughtful of sognatrice to give me this award as she is, well, so truly thoughtful and immediately I can see why the award had been given to her. Everywhere I go in Blog-World there is songatrice with a word of cheery encouragement sitting sweetly and with a sense of wit in a comment box. I do not know how she does it!
Specific in her compliments and helpful to boot, she asks for feedback and then responds to yours. If you leave her a comment, she gets back to you as if she were your best friend or your favorite sister or maybe both all rolled into one.
[Plus, and this has absolutely NOTHING to do with being Thoughtful but I decided to throw it in here anyway as we already have Jude Law, sognatrice's husband is adorable looking and would definitely fall into the Johnny Depp category.]
Raised a Girl Scout, I have pledged 'to help people at all times' and I do give it my best shot. Mostly I like people and I like how most people like other people, too. I love how serendipity comes into play when you skip across the universe in Blog-World. You never know what you are going to find and it is always a treat to stumble upon the like-minded without warning.
I have found some Thoughtful wonders in my blogging lifetime. I pass the Thoughtful Blogger Award on to these mighty fine and amazingly thoughtful bloggettes:
Why these three? Simple, really. All three have reached out in a friendly fashion to me and others and have offered additional useful information. They will send you on to where you need to be. Every one lives in the same busy-dizzy world but the comments left by these creative three are personal and fun to read. More important, because of their personal style, I like them and how they play so well with others.
If you have the time, Happy Ones, past this award to others. Not to worry. Carry on with your regular helpful ways.
And, not to seem verbose, didactic or pedantic, if you want to find other Thoughtful Bloggers, read my bloglist over there on the right. Not a thoughtless one in the bunch! These are my merry matutinal thoughts this Saturday.
Thanks ever so, miss sognatrice, for thinking of me! I am off now for the beach with Harry Potter and his wizard words for the day.
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