One Bag of Capra-Corn, Extra Butter Please
Welcome to the 1st Friday night Movie Night feature. In the grand tradition of "Edutainment"(should I copywrite that word?), tonight's flick is a lesser known Frank Capra political pic staring Tracy & Hepburn called, "State of the Union"(1948).

I've not seen this film(have I used enough synonyms yet?), it was recommended by a friend, but it looks pretty good on imdb.

And a note to all you Canucks(did Muskie really get sh*t for that word, even though he really didn't use that word?) or those close to the border, because The Nut House didn't officially open until July 2nd, we will substitute (just this once) "Discovery Day" for "Canada Day" as Canada's National Drinking Holiday.

Shhhhhhhhh... stop telling your monitor that everyday is a Canadian National Drinking Holiday. We have be fair and let the other countries and cultures of the world have their own Drinking Holidays in our quest for world unity. So just wait 'til August 16 for yaur beer, eh? One question, is Aug. 16 the actual date of "Discovery Day", or is it one of those Monday Holidays so you can go on a long, lost weekend?

I think I'd better get a box of Jujubes too.

Chinquapin
(the password is... Dewey Wins!!!)

Happy Birthday to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand
Mood:  party time!
This is the 1st non-western International Drinking Holiday we're celebrating at The Nut House.

Please check out Queen Sirikit's bio while waiting for the drink menu.


Here's the list of specials from "Our Man in Thailand".
(It's a damn shame that Bangkok Beer is NOT available in Thailand!!)

And while you're waiting for your order, Dan (Our Other Man in Thailand) has a few words on Thai beer.
(JC, this one's for you.)

So, everyone have a good time tonight, but in the Name of The Queen, please avoid drunkenness(until after Friday's movie). I think we're on the path of world unity, so let's try to walk a straight line just this once.

Chinquapin
(the password is... Baht [I'll tell you that story sometime])

Excuse me...
Fellow Tripod bloggers,

Could any of you talk me through how to have a type a URL and actually link to the URL? I hate to ask patrons to "copy & paste".

Thanks

Chinquapin
______________________________________
(Not as bitter as he'd like us to think)Tad helped me out. We now resume our regular program.

Movie Night
Wednesday and Friday nights are movie nights for the next two and a half weeks at The Nut House.

I really wanted to take a break from political topics between the conventions, but I'm failing miserably. So, we will screen political movies that deal with character issues, not party politics.

Tonight's flick is "The Best Man" 1964(thank you TCM), staring Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson, directed by Franklin J.Schaffner.

Man-o-man! Why hadn't I heard of this movie!?

Here's one quote: "He has all the characteristics of a dog, except loyalty."

Not available on DVD yet, what a shame. And don't let writer Gore Vidal's name turn you off, remember... character, not party.

We've adapted the nut roaster into a popcorn popper, screenings start at sundown.

Chinquapin

A Day Late...
Mood:  rushed
OK, here's today's excuse...

Not only are we having problems with the "word processing/internet accessing/game playing" computer, but yesterday, Mr.Man's edit(film/video) computer crashed. Could it be the heat? More likely old age & too many moves.

Anyway, Mr.Man needed to transfer his project to the "office/recreational" computer. And I'm currently working an early morning gig, so no late nights for me. So, my topic for Monday, August 9, which started out with the 30th anniversary of Richard Nixon's resignation and his flight out of D.C., is a day late.
____________________________________________________________________

What we learn and what we know,
what we remember and what we are told.

So, how many of you remember President Nixon's farewell at the chopper door 30 years ago today? I was on a family vacation visiting historic revolutionary & civil war sites. We(the adults) wanted to beat the bicentennial rush. History was very important to my parents & grandparents.

How may of you remember the Vietnam war? I know a couple of you, like me, remember the TV news coverage after school and at dinner time. We are the nameless generation, not really boomers, not really X-ers. We don't remember Kennedy(maybe RFK a bit), but we remember flower power, bell bottoms, and maybe Kent State. Shouldn't our older siblings and our younger Aunts & Uncles remember? Aren't these the people running the show now?

Can any of you gen-Xers & gen-Yers(or whatever the media is calling you at the moment)comment on what your U.S. History textbooks said about Vietnam? The fall of the Soviet Union? The Gulf War? Do high school history teachers still run out of time and gloss over the events of YOUR lifetime? (comments from other countries are more than welcome.)

Let's face it, high school history textbooks suck.

And why didn't educators learn from "School House Rock"? I'll bet if you sing the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America, most of us remember the entire thing. See, TV(visual media)is not entirely a vast wasteland.

Here's hoping we don't repeat past mistakes... if only we could remember what those mistakes were.

Chinquapin
(the password is...ginkgo biloba)
Look for movie night to start up at The Nut House.

OOPS
Mood:  accident prone
How embarrassing.

Here's the short version, computer crashed, cookies deleted, forgot the password to The Nut House(cookies signed me in automatically). Where's the grinning sheepishly emoticon?

Anyway, it's back to business. August is a really busy month, and seeing as I've missed a week, The Nut House will be consolidating the following International Drinking Holidays:

Independence/National Days
8/1 Benin
8/3 Niger
8/4 Burkina Faso
8/7 Cote d'Ivory
8/13 Central African Republic
8/15 Congo(Brazzaville)
8/17 Gabon
(JCanuck, please correct me on any out of date African Holidays. One group's independence could be another's subjugation.)

8/15 Korea(Republic of South)
8/17 Indonesia
8/19 Afghanistan(guess this is an old one, wonder if the banks will be open?)

We will be celebrating Thailand's "Queen Sirikit's Birthday" August 12th, which is also the official Mother's Day of Thailand.

Now that Col. Mustard is back, perhaps he can contribute a drink idea. Remember, we are promoting world unity, so no dirty joke drinks or dirty drink jokes please.

Chinquapin
(the password for Sunday is still...password)

Blue Moon
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: What do you think?
It's a slow night at The Nut House, so we're all out back checking out the Blue Moon.

35 years and 11 days ago Apollo 11 landed the 1st man on the moon. It's been nearly 32 years since the last human landed, and then left the moon on Apollo 17. Here are a few of his words.

"I took one last unfiltered look at the Earth and was enveloped by a sense of selfishness, for I was unable to adequately share what I felt. I wanted everyone on my home planet to experience this magnificent feeling of actually being on the moon. That was not technologically possible, and I knew it, but there was a bit of guilt at being the Chosen One. I put a foot on the pad and grabbed the ladder. I knew that I had changed in the past three days, and that I no longer belonged solely to the Earth. Forever more, I would belong to the universe."

-Eugene Cernan
From the book The Last Man on the Moon. Copyright 1999 by Eugene Cernan and Don Davis.

Good night all,

Chinquapin

All Tied Up
Holy Crap!!!

Not having cable for the last 11 months, I had no idea the South Park boys were making "TEAM AMERICA: bla bla bla". I wonder if they have a Godzilla battle homage planned?

Oh well, I'm just happy that somebody's making a marionette action film.

If anyone knows Trey & Matt, I am more that happy to donate the Centycore/Gryphon fight to the death(and sequel).

This is what happens when you keep your ideas in the drawer too long.

Chinquapin
(the password is... lip sync)

The Road Is Long...
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: Herbie Hancock "Driftin' "
Reading Dr.Cat's "Housecalls" got me thinking about community. Her professor's saying "Ah, a small town, people will never let you alone, but they will never let you down." really struck home.

In the past 3 years, I've lived in a megalopolis of over 11 million, a good-sized city of over 1 million, and a small city of just under 20,000 people. No matter where I've lived, the amount of "community" I've enjoyed depended almost entirely on me.

Did I introduce myself to the neighbors? Did I share with my neighbors? Did I look out for my neighbors?

Now, I'm either an outgoing introvert, or a shy extrovert. I always feel I fall short in cultivating community, but I'm working on it.

I'm realizing that's what life is...always striving to do better, or at least doing the best you can each day. I use to think, one day, I'd just be where I wanted to be. Now it looks like "the journey's the thing".

So, Thursday night, The Nut House is having "Brother's Keeper" night. Sisters, cousins, the whole family is welcome. Tom & his brother John Collins are the specials and The Hollies are 1st up on the Jukebox.

Designated drivers, soft & virgin drinks on the house.

Chinquapin
(the password is... Blue highways)

85 years after The Molasses Flood, Welcome to Boston!
Now Playing: "Rum & Coca-Cola" The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen & His Orchestra
I'm in a bit of a rush, but I wanted to give you a heads up on the DNC official drink at The Nut House.

A brief explanation for those of you from other countries, or those who slept through "American" History class. Back in our formative years, the Mother Country and the Colonies were involved in the "Triangle Trade" of(clockwise)slaves to the New World, sugar to New England, rum to England(it's a sloppy triangle).

So, what's an appropriate rum drink? If it were, say a chilly January 20, we'd have a Flaming Rum Punch celebration. But as it's late July and we are HOT even on the coast, we'll settle for a Fruity Rum Punch. Don't get me wrong, I like any Rum Punch, but as the DNC is in Massachusetts... (was that snippy?)

Found out Mr.Man didn't register the Chupacabra script, so I'm off to the WGA with my check.

Chinquapin
(the password is... flip-flops,
on Doris & Rock)