It snowed today!

I know that, compared to everything else that happened during this week, getting a little bit of snow in North Texas might not seem like a big deal but, for me, it was just what I needed.  It’s been at least two years since the last time it snowed here in Dallas and the fact that it’s finally happened again served as a valuable reminder that life is unpredictable and that’s not a bad thing.

It was earlier this week that it was announced that it would probably snow on Sunday.  Actually, it’s called a “wintery mix,” which is apparently a mix of rain and snow.  Not surprisingly, this led to a neighborhood-wide panic as everyone converged on every nearby grocery store and stocked up with a year’s worth of supplies.  I’m sure that my friends up north would have a good laugh at how we react to the possibility of snow down here.  Of course, we always have a good laugh at how they react to a 75-degree day up there.  Myself, I just can’t believe that houses up north actually have a specific room called “the mudroom.”  I mean, at least give it a better name.  Do they keep mud in there?  I mean, what the Hell?

This morning, it started snowing around 10 am.  It started out as just a few small flakes and then they turned into big white flakes and suddenly, some of it even started to stick to the ground!  (Actually, in the end, very little of it stuck to the ground but, at that moment, I was so excited to see even the barest dusting of snow on the grass that I was convince that the backyard would turn into a winter wonderland within the next 15 minutes or so.  I tend to think of snow as having magical powers.)  When it first started to come down, I was curled up on the couch and watching a movie and I was so excited to see the snow that I jumped straight up and I ran straight outside and stood in the back yard with my head thrown back and my arms spread.  Now, of course, I quickly learned that, when it’s snowing and the temperature is down to freezing, it’s not always a good idea to run outside when you’re only wearing a cotton nightshirt and a bathrobe.  Next time, I’ll at least remember to put on slippers!  (I probably should have already known that but seriously, I can’t put into words just how excited I get when I see actual snow.)

Once I went back inside and got dressed, I walked around in the snow for a while.  It was wonderful.  And before anyone asks, yes, I wore a mask and I took my inhaler and I resisted the temptation to try to start a snowball fight (not that there was really enough snow on the ground to make a snowball).  I played it safe and I managed to walk around the entire neighborhood without slipping on the slick sidewalk.  I also took the time to help one of my neighbor’s cats get inside of their garage.  The snow brought out the best in me, I think.

Unfortunately, the snow stopped falling after a few hours and most of it really didn’t stick to the ground.  (It was cold but just not quite cold enough.)  The towns nearby got a lot more snow than we did and yes, I was a little bit jealous.  But still, at least we got some snow!  It was unexpected and it was beautiful and it was wonderful and, to me, it was a reminder that there’s all sorts of great things out there and they deserve to be celebrated.

This upcoming week, I’ll be catching up with the films of 2020 and preparing my own best of the year lists.  I’ll be watching movies and listening to music and reading books.  I can’t wait to tell you all about it.  And who knows!  It might even snow again!  Hopefully, it’ll actually accumulate this time.

For now, here’s a list of what I watched, read, and listened to over the previous 7 days.  You know how much I love lists! For the record, I started out this weekend with one goal in mind — to watch 13 movies.  I managed to do it, despite taking several hours off so that I could marvel at the snow.  So, I’m a bit proud of myself for that.  Anyway, here we go:

Films I Watched:

1. The Beach Girls and the Monster (1965)
2. Behind Green Lights (1946)
3. Black Widow Killer (2020)
4. Bride of the Monster (1955)
5. Bubba Ho-tep (2002)
6. Degrassi Goes Hollywood (2009)
7. Degrassi Takes Manhattan (2010)
8. Detour (1945)
9. Fatal Fiance (2021)
10. FBI Girl (1951)
11. Horror of Party Beach (1964)
12. Invasion U.S.A. (1952)
13. Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
14. Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
15. The Midnight Sky (2020)
16. My Daughter’s Psycho Friend (2020)
17. Night Editor (1946)
18. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
19. Sorority Secrets (2020)
20. When A Stranger Calls (1979)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1956, dir by Edward D. Wood, Jr)

Television Shows I Watched:

(I spent a lot of time this week in my private office, watching retro TV stations — MeTV, Cozi TV, H&I, and a few others.  Don’t ask my why, I just did.  It wasn’t something that I necessarily planned but I still enjoyed it!  It’s always interesting to see what kept people entertained in the past.)

1. Alfred Hitchcock Presents
2. Any Day Now
3. The Bachelor
4. Bar Rescue
5. The Bionic Woman
6. California Dreams
7. Charlie’s Angels
8. The Chase
9. C.H.i.Ps
10. Cobra Kai
11. Daily Mass
12. Degrassi
13. The Drew Barrymore Show
14. Dr. Phil
15. Emergency!
16. Friends
17. Ghost Whisperer
18. Hell’s Kitchen
19. Highway to Heaven
20. Hill Street Blues
21. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
22. King of the Hill
23. Knight Rider
24. Magnum P.I.
25. Mannix
26. The Masked Dancer
27. Medium
28. One Day At A Time
29. Parking Wars
30. Perry Mason
31. The Queen’s Gambit
32. The Ripper
33. Saved By The Bell
34. Seinfeld
35. The Six Million Dollar Man
36. South Park
37. Three’s Company
38. The Twilight Zone
39. Who’s The Boss?

Books I Read:

1. An English Affair: Sex, Class, and Power in the Age of Profumo (2013) by Richard Davenport-Hines
2. How To Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety (2016) by Zachary Auburn

Music To Which I Listened:

(As you might notice, I’m still kind of on a 70s disco kick right now)

1. Above & Beyond
2. Andrea True Connection
3. Ashford and Simpson
4. Bee Gees
5. Big Data
6. Blondie
7. Britney Spears
8. Cage the Elephant
9. Calvin Harris
10. The Chemical Brothers
11. Chic
12. Coldplay
13. The Commodores
14. Dave Mason
15. David Shire
16. Donna Summer
17. Edgar Winter Group
18. Edwin Starr
19. Fiona Apple
20. Fitz & The Tantrums
21. Florence and the Machine
22. Foghat
23. Giorgio Moroder
24. Goblin
25. Gwen Stefani
26. The Hues Corporation
27. I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
28. Instant Funk
29. Jakalope
30. Jake Bugg
31. Jigsaw
32. John Carpenter
33. John Paul Young
34. Joywave
35. KC and the Sunshine Band
36. Kedr Livanskiy
37. Kelly Clarkson
38. Lady Gaga
39. Lindsey Stirling
40. Linkin Park
41. Lynard Skynard
42. Mary Griffin
43. Maxine Nightingale
44. The Miracles
45. Muse
46. Musique
47. Neon Indian
48. Pattie Brooks
49. The People’s Choice
50. Phantogram
51. Rebecca Black
52. The Robber Who Robbed The Town
53. Rolling Stones
54. Saint Motel
55. Steve Aoki
56. Steve Miller Band
57. Sunshine
58. Taylor Swift
59. Thelma Houston
60. Walter Murphy
61. War
62. The Who
63. Yvonne Elliman

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959, dir by Ed Wood)

Trailers:

1. WandaVision

Best of 2020:

1. My Top 20 Albums of 2020 (Necromoonyeti)
2. 25 Best, Worst, and Gems That I Saw In 2020 (Valerie Troutman)
3. Top 10 Vintage Collections (Ryan C)
4. Top 10 Contemporary Collections (Ryan C)
5. Top 10 Original Graphic Novels (Ryan C)

Awards Season Links:

1. The National Society of Film Critics Winners
2. San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations
3. North Dakota Film Society Nominations
4. Columbus Film Critics Circle Winners
5. Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Winners
6. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists Winners
7. North Carolina Film Critics Winners

Links From Last Week:

1. RIP Tanya Roberts…A Sad End To A Great Career…Here’s An Appreciation Of This “Bond Girl” And “Beastmaster”…
2. Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret — The Masterwork That Almost Got Away
3. The 16th Annual Better Than List

News From Last Week:

1. Tanya Roberts, Bond Girl and ‘That ’70s Show’ Star, Dies at 65
2. Tanya Roberts Still Alive, Rep Confirms
3. Tanya Roberts Dead at 65 Following False Death Announcement
4. The Daily Wire Makes First Foray Into Film & TV With School Shooting Movie ‘Run Hide Fight’
5. Michael Apted, British filmmaker and documentarian, dies at 79

Links From The Site:

1. Erin shared Lover Boy, Sea Nymph, Cockpit, Invaders of Earth, Woman Chaser, Backwater Woman, and The Arrival!
2. Jeff reviewed Hooper and the further adventures of Smokey and the Bandit and he shared music videos from The Ramones, Berlin, Adam and the Ants, Shaquille O’Neal, Squeeze, Phil Collins, and Johnny Hates Jazz!
3. I reviewed The Midnight Sky, Sorority Secrets, Fatal Fiance, and My Daughter’s Psycho Friend!  I shared an AMV of the Day!

More From Us:

1. Ryan has a patreon!  Consider subscribing!
2. On her photography site, Erin shared: End of the Holidays, Rain, This Tree Has Seen A Lot, Up, Backyard Rain, Sunset, and Without Leaves!
3. On my music site, I shared songs from: Andrea True Connection, Giorgio Moroder, John Paul Young, Jigsaw, David Shire, Pattie Brooks, and Dave Mason!

Want to see what I did last week?  Click here!

Have a good and, needless to say, a safe week!  Here’s hoping that we’re graced with a little more snow!