Lilacs:
Olympics:
Other
Fun Stuff:
Am
I the only one who...
Ideas for
saving
How do
you procrastinate?
What's your
favorite thing to do on a rainy
day?
Where Patricia
goes to goof off...on the
internet
Your hopes for
2008
Care
Packages to Our Troops
Garden
Favorites
MOVIES!
MOVIES! MOVIES!
Patricia McLinn's Top 10 List of Top 10 Lists
Some
of
the great answers to the contest question
"Am
I
the only one who . . . "
Am
I the only one . .
.
.
. . who prefers to
watch a movie without all the gratuitous skin shots and sex?
.
. . who doesn't own
or operate a cell phone, doesn't watch any reality TV, doesn't like
sexual situations on TV?
.
. . who doesn't
have a cell phone to their ear while grocery shopping?
.
. . who listens to
others problems and doesn't put them down but hugs them and cares?
.
. . who has had a
doctor say they are going to burn the nerves in facet joints? The
comments are: I have researched and researched and can find information
about the procedure but no testimonies from anyone who has had it done.
[Sending lots of good wishes for you! – Patricia]
.
. . who still
thinks a woman can have her own smart opinion?
.
. . who gives their
dogs full names, like Pete Mitchell and Shane Falco?
.
. . who doesn't buy
things that you really don't need and buys foods that will go a long
way?
.
. . who loves to be
treated like a lady nowadays?
.
. . who is
thoughtful of other people’s feelings?
.
. . who hates
outside noise?
.
. . who would
rather read than watch TV every day?
.
. . who is offended
by people wearing their underwear as outerwear?
.
. . who thinks we
should send all senior bankers to Guatanamo Bay for a month’s holiday!
"Ideas for
saving"
Never
throw
away
containers! You can always use them for something else around the
house. For example I made gift bags at Christmas time by cutting a
cereal box at the top, taping pretty magazine print around it, and then
punching holes at the top to string yarn through. It cost me nothing to
wrap/bag my gifts this past Christmas. :)
Save
the butter
wrappers for rubbing baking pans with later.
I
pay only cash
for
everything.
Water
plants by
taking plants into the shower with you (maybe not cactus.) The plants
love it.
I'm
trying to
shop
smarter. Last week I bought a large ham that was on sale. We had it for
dinner 2 nights, made sandwiches for lunch the next day and I served it
with scrambled eggs for breakfast. I left some for extra sandwiches and
cut up the rest and put in plastic bags and froze to make ham salad. I
passed the bone along to my mother so she could make pea soup.
Aim
to buy only
what’s on sale at the grocery store. Stock up when necessities are on
sale, so you never have to buy them full-price.
Better
yet,
look for
coupons to apply to necessities that are also on sale.
Ask
for
rainchecks
for sale items that are out of stock.
Freeze
produce
that’s
in danger of going bad and having to be thrown away (or composted! See
below.) Try strawberries or blueberries spread out on a cookie sheet.
Once they’re frozen put them in a freezer bag or other container.
Start
a soup
bag in
the freezer and add carrots, onion, celery, beans, corn, etc., as you
have them. When you cook a whole chicken or turkey, use the bones to
make stock, throw in the veggies and voila! You have soup.
Turn
the
thermostat
up in the summer (use electric fan, running it only when you’re in the
room) and down in the winter (wear more clothes.)
Never
buy
something
just because it’s on sale. If you don’t need it, no sale is good enough
to make it worthwhile.
If
you are
offered a
rebate, make sure to send in for it. Keep a copy of what you’ve sent in
and if you don’t receive it in a timely fashion, track it down.
If
you don’t
use your
cell phone much, look at an inexpensive pre-paid service.
If
buying a big
ticket item (appliances, car, carpet, etc., etc.) don’t hesitate to
negotiate. The price on the price tag isn’t necessarily the final
answer.
Shop
at
multiple
places and give each of them the chance to beat the best price you’ve
been offered to that point. Once you have that price, go back for a
second round.
Same
idea with
getting estimates for work on your house, yard, car, etc. If you have
three estimates for $500 and the worker you like the best comes in at
$600, ask him/her to match the other estimates. If s/he says no, then
decide if s/he is worth the extra money.
When
you hit
the
bottom of the bottle/tube of lotion/moisturizer, add a little water.
Shake it up and you’ll have more to use (beware it will be runnier). Do
the same thing with laundry/dish detergent.
Use
vinegar!
There
are a million uses. For starters, use white vinegar with newspaper to
wash windows, in laundry to combat hard water, full-strength to kill
weeds (best on a sunny day, and it will kill whatever plants you pour
it on.) Spray diluted apple cider vinegar on roses to combat black spot.
If
you’re a
gardener,
make your own compost instead of buying bags of the stuff. (You can be
gung-ho or do it low-key. Every little bit helps.)
Use
used coffee
filters in the bottom of plant pots. (And the coffee grounds are good
additions to the compost pile.)
KEEP
THEM
COMING! E-mail ideas
to
Patricia and she'll share
the added ideas..
"How
do
you procrastinate?"
|
Play
a Game
|
22.10%
|
|
Read
|
16.57%
|
|
Do
Something on the Internet
|
12.71%
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
12.71%
|
|
Enter
a Contest
|
12.15%
|
|
Nothing
or Sleep
|
8.84%
|
|
Watch
TV or a Movie
|
8.84%
|
|
Visit
Someone
|
3.31%
|
|
Clean
Something
|
2.76%
|
Most
of
these
comments are out of the
Miscellaneous category:
- When I'm
procrastinating, I read the newspaper, do the crossword, and detail my
car.
|
- I read absolutely
anything, including cookbooks, & I don't cook.
|
|
|
- I make a list of
everything I have to do. Making the list is much easier than
actually doing something.
|
- I color in my
daughter's coloring book.
|
|
back to the top
|
"What’s your
favorite thing to do on
a rainy day?"
And the winner is . . .
READING!
58.08%
Read
16.17%
Other
9.58%
Sleep
6.59%
Watch a Movie or
TV
2.99%
Cook
2.99%
Dance and/or
Listen to Music
1.80%
Surf the
Internet
1.80%
Scrapbook
Some of the specific
ideas:
Many mentioned reading
while curled in front
of a fire or with a cat or while drinking hot chocolate, coffee, or
tea. Baking usually involved brownies or cookies. (Good choices!)
back
to the top
Your
hopes for 2008
-
...that
this
year's diet is successful
-
A
100 pound
weight-loss
-
a
healthy
& prosperous year
-
a
healthy family,
a peace-filled world and thinner thighs!
-
a
healthy year for
my family
-
BETTER
HEALTH
-
Continued
good
health
-
Find
a cure for MS
-
For
my health to
improve
-
getting
healthier
-
good
health
-
Good
health ~
prosperity ~ and end to war
-
Good
Health and
Peace on Earth
-
Good
health for
everyone
-
good
health for me
and my family
-
Good
health for my
children
-
Good
health for my
family
-
GOOD
HEALTH FOR MY
FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
-
good
health for my
family and myself
-
good
health for me
and my family
-
GREAT
HEALTH
-
Great
health,
wisdom and to become credit
card debt-free
-
Health
-
health
and wealth
-
health,
wealth,
and happiness..and peace!
-
I
hope for a year
in which all of my grandchildren are in excellent health.
-
I
hope for better
health
-
I
hope for good
health and happiness.
-
I
hope for good
health for family and friends.
-
I
hope for good
health for me and my loved ones.
-
I
hope for good
health for myself and my loved ones
-
I
hope for good
health, happiness,
prosperity, and peace.
-
I
hope for good
health. I have been constantly sick for almost 2 years :(
-
I
hope for no
surgeries and hopefully a much better year health wise.
-
I
hope my family
will be healthy, happy and safe.
-
I
hope that my
health improves and that I'll be able to go back to work
-
I
hope the economy
improves and medical advancements for devastating illnesses.
-
I
hope to get
fitter and healthier in 2008!
-
I
hope to live
healthier in 2008.
-
I
hope to stay
smoke free, both my hubby and I gave up smoking after more than 40
years of puffing away.
-
I
just hope for
good health for my family.
-
I
simply hope for
a happy and healthier 2008
-
I'm
hoping that my
health returns to normal and I can get off all this medication.
-
More
health and
vitality.
-
My
family to stay
well emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially
-
new
prosthetics
-
renewed
health
-
start
getting
medical treatment
-
That
my children
and grandchildren remain happy and healthy
-
the
health of my
daughter to improve
-
To
be cured of
Breast Cancer and have optimal health for me and my family !
-
To
get my health
back
-
to
lose weight
-
To
stay healthy
and have fun!
-
To
to
eat healthier
-
my
brother to find
someone to love
-
A
NEW JOB
-
a
new job!!
-
Cheaper
gas
-
debt
free
-
Early
retirement
-
eliminate
debt
-
financial
security
-
get
some c cards
paid up
-
happiness,
a new
job, to be debt free
-
I
hope for a new
career, home, and no more debts!
-
I
hope for a raise.
-
improved
financial
stability, a big decrease in debt load
-
Lotsa
money
-
lower
gas prices.
(hasn't worked out so well thus far)
-
money
to pay bills
-
My
husband to find
a job in this so we don't have to move away from family.
-
Need
to get my
finances in order
-
Prosperity
and luck
-
serenity
and money
-
To
be able to pay
off all my hospital bills.
-
To
find a job!
-
To
get out of debt
-
to
get out of debt
-
To
have enough
money to continue to take care of my girls and pay all of our
bills. The economy is looking scary and it has me worried
-
Win
on the Slot
Machines
-
A
year full of
love and peace.
-
An
end to the war
in Iraq.... Bring our people home.
-
Aside
from world
peace, finding the rest of what I need to complete my antique
phonograph collection
-
end
of the war
-
end
of the wars
-
happiness
and peace
-
Hoping
for peace
-
I
am hoping for
more peace in the world
-
I
am hoping for
peace in my life.
-
I
hope for there
to be peace in the Middle East
-
MORE
TIME TO RELAX
-
no
more war
-
peace
-
peace
in the
middle east
-
peace
in the world
-
peace
on Earth
-
To
find peace
-
world
peace
-
A
political
turnabout in 2008
-
Clinton
as
president
-
I
hope Hillary
Clinton wins the democratic nomination
-
In
2008, I hope
for a president that will lead us into a positive stable future!
-
Obama
to win!
-
A
great place to
live.
-
a
happy family
-
A
more united
country
-
A
NEW HARLEY
-
a
ring!
-
after
trying for 4
years .... A BABY!
-
Being
able to
start amateur racing
-
better
relationships with family and friends
-
Happiness
-
I
hope for
beautiful weather with no grass fires or tornados.
-
I
hope my
boyfriend will finally pop the question in 2008!
-
I
hope my daughter
can get her life on track
-
I
hope that gas
prices do not hit $5 a gallon!
-
I
hope to be a
better wife, mother and friend.
-
I
hope to be able
to celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary with my family
-
I
hope to finish
my bachelors degree
-
I
hope to help
children in Africa in Oct
-
I
hope we bring
all our men and women home from Iraq
-
I'm
hoping to
figure out what i want to do
with my life, and i hope i get faster internet.
-
In
2008, I hope to
finish my Creative Writing exams so I can get my diploma. I hope to
make a poetry site
-
Invest
More in
Savings
-
less
stress
-
love
-
more
of the same!
-
more
sanity and
less calamity
-
My
hope for 2008
is that the winters are milder, the summers not quite so hot
-
My
son is
competing in Karate tournaments for the first time this year.
I hope he does well.
-
Our
vegetable
garden will be larger and I'll spend lots of time with my family.
-
personal
freedom
-
that
my children
be happy, what else could a mother wish for.
-
that
my wedding
goes off well!
-
That
there are
more happy people and less negative people in the world.
-
to
be divorced
from my psycho estranged husband
-
To
get through my
daughter's wedding without a hitch
-
to
have fun on my
vacation
-
to
win something
-
True
love
what
do u hope for in
2008?
--Hope
it all comes true for you!
back
to the top
Check out where
Patricia goofs off … in those fleeting seconds
when she isn’t working, of course:
If
I had cable TV, I would spend most of my life watching HGTV (love,
love, love “Designed to Sell,” “Curb Appeal,” “Freestyle,” and more)
http://www.hgtv.com
For when I make my first million:
http://money.cnn.com/pf/index.html
… and the second million:
http://www.kiplinger.com
And then there’s the pleasure of playing at
being a real estate mogul:
http://www.realtor.com
Can’t resist visiting the warm fuzzies:
http://www.tristatecollierescue.net/
… how many dogs before you have to register
as a kennel?
http://www.collierescue.net
Testing knowledge of U.S, states and
capitals:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm
Gauging my skill at Jewel Quest:
http://www.arcadetown.com/jewelquest/playgame.asp
Uh-oh … need this one!
http://www.getmoredone.com/tips2.html
back to the top
My
hometown, Lombard, Ill., is the Lilac Village. At various times I
recall lilac colored water tower, trash receptacles, police cars with
crossed stalks of lilacs and many lilac-decorated flags. But the May
festival, with Lilacia Park as its headquarters, is the lilac peak in
Lombard.
As
a kid, I remember busloads of garden groups asking if I was a native
lilac-ian. (Lilacia is pronounced Lie-Lay-Sha.) I also remember being
told that we had the third-largest collection of lilacs in the world.
I’ve never seen that confirmed, but I do see that both Canada’s Royal
Botanical Gardens and Rochester, N.Y., claim the largest collection in
the world, so that might leave the way clear for Lombard’s claim.
Lilacia
Park began existence as the home of Col. William and Helen M.
Plum. (No kidding – Colonel Plum.) He’d been a telegrapher in the Civil
War and graduated from Yale Law School. He came to Illinois, stumbled
onto the village of Lombard, some 25 miles due west of Chicago, and
decided to settle there. He and his wife built a white frame house atop
a rise. The Plums bought their first two lilacs bushes in 1910 in
France after visiting the famous gardens of Victor Lemoine. And they
kept planting and planting lilacs around their home.
Helen
died in 1924 and the Colonel in 1927. His will left the house as
a public library in honor of his wife, and the grounds as a public
park. The first festival was 1930, with a parade and the selection of a
queen. The famous landscape architect Jens Jensen was commissioned in
1929 to design the park. (If you read my BABY BLUES AND WEDDING BELLS,
you might remember Fran and Miss Trudi’s excitement at discovering Jens
Jensen had a hand in Bliss House’s gardens.) Jensen built winding
paths, a lily pond and a waterfall that remain today, as well as adding
tulips along the edges of the paths in front of the banks of lilacs.
Somewhere
there lurks film of a certain 4-year-old author-in-the-making
dressed in her spring best beside her cousin and buddy Rick, looking
equally natty, posing angelically before those blooming tulips and
budding lilacs. Then, apparently under the impression that the camera
was off and all adults were distracted, our young heroine and hero
faced those tulips and – whap-whap-whap – used their cherubic little
hands to send petals flying. Officials never learned of this
transgression, so I’m happy to say I was not banned from Lilacia Park.
Lilac
Time now is a two-week festival with varied activities. Check out
the Lombard Park District site for photos, information on this year’s
schedule, activities and the all-important
Bloom-O-Meter.
The
Helen M. Plum Memorial Library remained in the Plums’ frame house
for nearly half a century. I remember walking between stone pillars, up
a slanted walk flanked by lilac bushes, then climbing broad steps to
the porch. Inside it smelled wonderfully of old wood, old books and new
worlds to explore. The floors creaked with a marvelous sound that made
me feel as if each step were an adventure. A blocked off stairway
seemed to dare a kid to venture into forbidden territory. The
children’s section was to the right – I have a vague impression it was
once the front parlor. Kids were supposed to stay in that room, but I
was known to wander. My older sister would check out selected adult
books for me. (Not too adult – I am her baby sister after all.) I
missed the old building when they tore it down for a modern looking
(and in my mind lackluster) building. Okay, the plumbing was better,
which I did eventually appreciate when – in my first job beyond
babysitting -- I worked as a page at the library. But it lacked the
romance of the house the Colonel and Mrs. Plum had surrounded by
lilacs.
~~~~~~~~
WHAT
ARE FRIENDS FOR?
This
is dedicated to Lombard,
Illinois, my
hometown.
To its
people, past and present, who
have
been true friends. And to the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library, which has
fostered many a reader over the years. Keep those lilacs blooming!
back
to the top
back to the top
Some of you
know that I’ve been sending books and other packages to our troops
serving in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lt. MaryAlicia
Verdecchia is one of “my” soldiers, who has become a
friend. Click
here to read an address by Lt. MaryAlicia Verdecchia,
U.S. Army, at the May 2005 Women Veterans’ Week in Branson, Missouri.
back
to the top
Readers celebrate THE GAMES with their Olympic Memories
The most votes went to:
1980 Miracle on Ice, USA winning the gold medal in hockey
Second was:
Ice skating/figure skating
Other multiple vote getters:
All of them
Apollo Ohno skating/winning
Bobsledding
Canada Bobsled win 1964
Canada men’s/women’s hockey team win
Closing Ceremonies
Dan Jansen winning speed skating
Downhill skiing
Eddie the eagle
Emily Hughes skating
Eric Heiden winning 5 medals
Female Australian skier winning gold
Jamaican Bobsled team
Kristi Yamaguchi’s gold medal
Luge
Mark Spitz winning all the medals
Mary Lou Retton winning/smiling
Nadia Cominece’s perfect 10
Nancy Kerrigan winning
Olga Korbut winning her first gold medal
Oksana Baul winning the gold medal
The Games
The opening ceremonies/parade of nations
Sarah Hughes winning the gold/skating her long program
Sasha Cohen coming ahead in the short program
Ski Jump contest
Skiing
Tara Lipinski becoming the youngest figure skater to win a gold medal
When a competitor wins the gold
When the USA wins a medal
USA women’s bobsled win
When USA wins gold
Single choices:
1928 Olympics where women competed in track and field
Anything with Michelle Kwan
As a child watching Egon Zimmermann ski
Aussie win medal
Bolero skated by Torvill and Dean
Brian Boitano's gold medal performance
Bruce Jenner's gold medal
Dan O'Brian - local boy- winning the decathalon
Dual gold mess in pairs figure skating
Flaming arrow opening ceremonies Barcelona
Franz Klammer winning the 1976 Downhill at Innsbruck
Hockey
"I loved everything about the Sarajevo Olympics. The area's beauty & the generous people made it the best."
Joan Benoit winning first women's marathon
Julia Mancuso won the giant slalom
Karri Strugg vaulting with a broken ankle
Katarina Witt's performance to Carmen
Kimmie Miessner skate
Mahar brothers downhill racing and the Tacoma WA boy won
Mammoth Mountain Skiing
Masahiko Harada, Japanese ski jumpe redeeming himself to win gold
Muhammud Ali's lighting of the torch
Nancy Kerrigan vs Tanya Harding
Pairs ice skating
Passing of the torch
Paul Hamm
Peakaboo street winning
Peggy Flemming winning gold
Shaun white winning gold
Shizuka Arakawa realize she won gold
Snowboarding
Speed skating
The flying tomato' winning snowboarding
The look on Tonya Harding's face when she came in lower than Nancy Kerrigan
The moment it begins
The rodeo during last winter's Olympics in Salt Lake City
The US teams
The world's troubles seem to fade away
Tim ligety winning alpine combined
Tonya Harding's skate lace breaking
Trick skiing
US ice dancers winning silver
USA national anthem playing for a gold medal
Watching Carl Lewis win his first gold medal
Watching my son enjoy them
Watching women from Portage WI in the Olympics
When an Aussie won the speed skating gold medal
When Dave Letterman sent his mother to report the winter Olympics
When Gaetan Boucher won his medal
when Kim Gallagher won track
When my good friend gave her all and conquered her dreams
when my husband turned and said I love you and kissed me in front of everyone
when the site choice is announced
when the skier had the best time
When the US took gold in gymnastics
When the USA anthem is played and flag raised When the USA team walks en masse onto the ice
When the winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City
Winter sports
Women's freeskate
back to the top
Garden
Favorites
Top three
Tomatoes
Flowers
Roses
Other multi
vote getters
Rhododendron
Lily
– varying
types
Trees
Daffodils
Vegetables
Crepe
myrtle/myrtle
Apple
trees –
varying types
Morning
glories
Sunflower
Fire
bush
Geraniums
Strawberry
Bush
Willow
tree
Peonies
|
Mint
Lily
of the
valley
Hollyhocks
Green
peppers
Lilacs
Hydrangea
Pansy
Basil
Tulips
Daisies
Butterfly
bush
Pumpkin
plants
Zinnias
Jasmine
Petunias
|
Other single
vote getters
Variegated
ginger
Blue
bells
Sweet
pea
Asparagus
Agastache
Asters
Palm
tree
Hibiscus
Pampas
grass
Cherry
tree
Herbs
Lavender
Mums
Japanese
maple
Orange
blossom
tree
Gladiola
Gerbera
daisy
Azaleas
Cosmos
Mountain
laurel
Impatiens
Birch
tree
Bleeding
heart
Iris
Hibiscus
Dogwood
tree
Rosemary
Gardenia
Sedum
Hyacinth
Camellias
Heather
Honeysuckle
Cardinal
lobelia
Wisteria
Corn
Snowball
bush
Fig
bush
|
Indian
paintbrush
Begonia
Ivy
Concord
grapevines
Hosta
Ruella
palm
Raspberry
bush
Black-eyed
susans
Poplar
Watermelon
Zucchini
Sunset
hyssop
Foxglove
Oak
trees
Portulcha
Marigolds
Corn
Iris
Ornamental
cabbage
Poppies
Snowdrops
Verbena
Carrots
Columbine
Orchid
Snapdragon
Green
beans
Pasque
flowers
Sweet
William
Azaleas
Agapanthus
Delphinium
Rhubarb
Purple
coneflower
Peas
Green
onions
Carnation
|
back to the top
MOVIES!
MOVIES! MOVIES!
Wow! I asked for you favorite movies, and did you ever come through! I
know it was difficult to choose a single movie as your favorite, and I
appreciated the comments about “anything with Cary Grant” or “how can
you go wrong with Fred and Ginger?” The wonderful thing is that with so
many people selecting one movie we covered a lot of ground.
It’s such a fabulous list that I’m sharing it with everyone. As I was
going through it, I kept thinking, Oh, yes, I have to watch that one
again. And Ah! Someone else loves my favorite. Or Hmmm, I’ll have to
try that one. And, yes, there were one or two that I thought, Unh-unh,
no way <g>
I hope you all will enjoy the list and get as many ideas as I did.
Bring on the popcorn!
YOUR TOP THREE FAVORITE MOVIES:
Gone with the Wind
Pretty Woman
The Wizard of Oz
OTHER MULTI-VOTE GETTERS:
A
Beautiful Mind
An Affair to Remember
Arsenic and Old Lace
Arthur
Ben Hur
Blade Runner
Braveheart
Brian's Song
Bridges of Madison County
Caddyshack
Casablanca
Dirty Dancing
Dr Zhivago
ET
Ever After
|
Forest
Gump
Fried
Green
Tomatoes
Ghost
It's a Wonderful Life
Kate
and Leopold
Little Women
McClintock
My Fair Lady
Out of Africa
Overboard
Rebecca
Runaway Bride
Sabrina
Singin in the Rain
Sixteen Candles
|
Sleepless
in
Seattle
Somewhere
in
Time
Star Wars (any or all)
Steel Magnolias
The Color Purple
The Matrix
The Notebook
The Quiet Man
The Shawshank Redemption
The Sound of Music
The Way We Were
Titanic
To Kill a Mockingbird
Top Gun
While You were Sleeping
|
SINGLE-VOTE GETTERS:
50 first dates
7 brides for 7 Brothers
2001 – A Space Odyssey
A Christmas Story
A Little Princess
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
African Queen
Against All Odds
Airplane
All That Jazz
Amazon Women on the Moon
Amelie
American Beauty
An Officer and a Gentleman
Animal House
Annie Get Your Gun
Anything Goes
Apollo 13
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Back Street
Beaches
Beckett
Big
Blue Hawaii
Blue Lagoon
Blues Brothers
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Bridge on the River Kwai
Brother
Bullitt
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Chicago
Citizen Kane
City of Angels
Clerks
Clueless
Cocktail
Coming to America
Coyote Ugly
Creator
Crossroads
Daddy Long Legs
Dead Poet’s Society
Deer Hunter
Die Hard
Dinner at Eight
Donnie Darko
Dragonfly
Driving Miss Daisy
Eddie and the Cruisers
Erin Brockovich
Fiddler on the Roof
Field of Dreams
Fight Club
Finding Nemo
Flashback
Follow the Stars Home
Forever Young
Gandhi
Garden State
Gaslight
Gay Divorcee
Godfather
Good Will Hunting
Grease
Green Card
Groundhog Day
Guns of Navaronne
Happy Gilmore
Happy, Texas
Harry Potter
Heartburn
Heaven Can Wait
Highlander I
How Green was My Valley
Imitation of Life
Importance of Being Earnest
In Harm's Way
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World
Jackass the Movie
Jazz Singer
Jeffrey
Jerry Maguire
Joe Dirt
Just Visiting
Karate Kid
Last of the Mohicans
Les Enfants du Paradis
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Lost in Yonkers
Love Comes Softly
Love is a Many Splendored Thing
Love Story
Mamma’s House
Man from Snowy River
Mary Poppins
Meet the Parents
Misery
Mombo King
Monty Python & the Holy Grail
Moonstruck
Mother Goose
Mr. Smith goes to Washington
Mulan
Murphy's Romance
My Family & Other Animals
My Favorite Wife
Napoleon Dynamite
National Lampoon’s Family
National Treasure
Natural Born Killers
Night of the Comet
Night of the Hunter |
North
by
Northwest
North and South
Oceans 11
Oldest Living Confederate Widow
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Only You
Paint your Wagon
Patrick
Peacemaker
Pearl Harbor
Pennies from Heaven
Peter Pan
Petra 1
Phantom of the Opera
Pillow Talk
Pirates of the Caribbean
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Point Break
Pretty in Pink
Princess Bride
Pulp Fiction
Pure
Country
Purple Hearts
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rambo
Red River
Requiem for a Dream
Rich Man's Wife
Rigolleto
Robin Hood
Rocky
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Rooster Cogburn
Roxanne
Rudy
Saratoga Trunk
Save the Last Dance
Scarface
Schindler's List
Sense and Sensibility
The Shaggy Dog
Shakespeare in Love
Shall We Dance
Shrek
Silver Streak
Slingblade
Smokey and the Bandit
Some Kind of Wonderful
Some Like it Hot
Something’s Gotta Give
Speed
St. Elmo's Fire
Stagecoach
Star Trek, the Movie
Superman, the Movie
SWAT
Sweet November
Terms of Endearment
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Bodyguard
The Breakfast Club
The Butcher's Wife
The Cutting Edge
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Far Pavilions
The Full Monty
The Goonies
The Graduate
The Great Escape
The Green Mile
The Hitchhiker
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
The Joy Luck Club
The Last Starfighter
The Little Shop of Horrors
The Mummy
The Outlaw Jose Wales
The Pacifier
The Passion of the Christ
The Phantom of the Opera
The Philadelphia Story
The Princess Bride
The Red Violin
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Shining
The Sixth Sense
The Stand
The Ten Commandments
The Third Man
The Thornbirds
The Three Musketeers
Three Came Home
Tootsie
Toy Story
True Lies
Under Siege
Us
Victor/Victoria
Warriors
We Were Soldiers
Weekend at Bernie’s
West Side Story
What Dreams May Come
What the Bleep do We Know
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
When Harry Met Sally
Where the Red Fern Grows
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Witness
Wuthering Heights
Yankee Doodle Dandy
You Can’t Take It With You
Yours, Mine, and Ours
You've Got Mail
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back to the top
Patricia
McLinn’s Top 10 Lists of Top 10 Lists
1.) Top 10 reasons to buy
Patricia McLinn’s
books in 2005
2.) Top 10 favorite days of the year
3.) Top 10 fantasy vacations
4.) Top wedding gifts (to buy)
5.) Top wedding gifts, the whimsical
6.) Riley’s Top Ten unfavorite things
7.) Top 10 online sites I visit
8.) Top 10 places to read
9.) Top 10 Links for book locales and
backgrounds
10.) Top Ten soundtracks
Top Ten
Reasons to Buy
Patricia McLinn’s books in 2005
10.) You won’t have to
listen to Pat whine about not having any readers.
9.) You’d make a white-haired lady very happy – no, not Pat, her
mother. (Harumph!)
8.) There’s sure to be a good-looking guy somewhere in the book. Okay,
he’s with another woman, but you can cross off all the references to
her name and put yours in.
7.) There’s likely to be a cute dog or interesting kid in the book.
6.) You’d help keep a real live cute dog in dog food.
5.) Pat’s so far behind in her TBR room that she can’t possibly gripe
at you for not actually reading the book before the end of this decade.
4.) You’d make a white-haired lady very happy – did I tell you she’s
almost 85?
3.) You could be part of a select group that proves its independent
thinking by not following the herd to the mega-sellers. And should Pat
ever become a mega-seller, you have full I-told-you-so rights with all
your reading buddies.
2.) Did I mention no whining and making a white-haired lady happy?
And the No. 1 reason to
buy Patricia McLinn’s books (out in stores in late March and late May)
…..
1.) You’ll avoid any of
the pushing and shoving that happens in front of the mega-sellers’
books – and who doesn’t appreciate an easy shopping experience?
back to the top
Top 10
Favorite days of
the year
These are
tallied from responses to a contest at www.PatriciaMcLinn.com –
remember there’s always a reason to celebrate each day!
1.) Christmas
2.) Halloween
3.) Birthday
4.) First warm spring day
5.) Fourth of July
6.) Thanksgiving
7.) Wedding anniversary
8.) First crisp fall day
9.) Anniversary of significant event (sobriety, life-saving surgery,
meeting SO, birth of child)
10.) Every day!
back to the top
Top 10
favorite/fantasy vacation destinations
Patricia McLinn’s readers wrote in with
their favorite and/or fantasy vacation destinations for a contest.
Imagine each one and enjoy a mini getaway!
1.) Sun and Sand
Hawaii, Jamaica, “beach” and tropical island
2.) Australia
The Olympics, Brisbane, exploring the outback.
3.) Europe
Portugal, Ireland, walking tour of the British Isles, Italy, Greece,
Crete, Paris.
4.) Disney World
5.) Cruise
To Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean.
6.) The Mountains
Canadian Rockies, North Georgia Mountains (Smokies)
7.) Pack the Books
A week or a month. The Alaska woods, Bahamas, Jersey Shore or tropical
island with “all the time in the world to lie on the beach with a good
book and a cool drink. Wouldn't that be heaven? … Yes!”
8.) See the USA
Maine. Mackinac Island, Michigan, Alaska (“in the summer”) California,
Florida, Palm Springs, Calif., walking the boardwalk at the Jersey
shore, camping through New Mexico, Vegas.
9.) Family visits
Go together or get together, location doesn’t matter.
10.) Exotic and fantasy
South Pacific, Bora Bora, Hong Kong, Peru, Fiji islands, a tropical
paradise with no kids, deserted island with significant other, first
class grand tour of Europe - including a crossing on the QE II and a
ride on the Orient Express, Patagonia, live as honored guest at
historical park, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, back-country horseback or
motorcycle nature tour of New Zealand, Ghost and Vampire tour, castles
and more castles, cottage on the California coast, honeymoon in Mexico,
exotic island.
My fantasy would be no
kids, no housework, sleep as long as I want, just be waited on where
the temp is 75 degrees and no rain.
My fantasy
vacation...I'd plan for the Caribbean with my family. After seeing our
mass of baggage checked in, and my family safely boarded on the plane,
I would sprint through the door at the last second. While my guys got
sunburned and paid too much for pizza in the Caribbean, I would plop
myself on the couch with the stereo too loud and read, read and read
some more. There would probably be more than one bag of Doritos
involved, too.
back to the top
Top Wedding
Gifts (to buy)
In honor of THE UNEXPECTED WEDDING GUEST
(May 2003) we asked readers for wedding gift ideas, and – Wow! What
fabulous answers. So fabulous they’re divided into two categories,
you’ll notice the top 10 bloated a little and there still were great
ideas left off.
1.) A large beautiful
basket full of goodies for their wedding night, like champagne,
glasses, chocolates, candles, massage oil, mood music CD, Do Not
Disturb sign, and a book of Kama Sutra OR basket of wine with glasses;
cheese and crackers--all to eat when they return from their honeymoon
2.) Crystal (Waterford as top choice of course) champagne flutes (with
champagne), candlesticks, bells, vase (with white roses to represent
the beginning of their marriage)
3.) A coupon good for one long weekend of babysitting, the services of
a nanny, free babysitting with their firstborn child.
4.) A trip -- Tickets to Disney World, all-expenses-paid weekend
retreat (bed & breakfast in the Rockies or secluded beach),
Ireland, honeymoon cruise, Niagara Falls, a sunset carriage ride to a
fabulous remote spot for a catered dinner under the rising moon and
stars, weekend a Bed and Breakfast on their first anniversary.
5.) A framed, limited edition print. One of a kind wedding gift, sure
to be no duplicates, and will be enjoyed for years to come. An elegant
throw-pillow on which modern technology has reproduced a childhood
picture of the bride and groom. Commission an artist to paint a
portrait of the couple from a favorite photograph – or do it yourself
if you’re talented
6.) Picture frames – pewter, crystal, silver, antique or best of all,
handmade. One special one or a variety for all those wedding photos.
Have the wedding invitation framed.
7.) Linens -- A one of a kind handmade heirloom quilt with their names
in silk threads, a wedding quilt, embroidered pillowcases, midnight
blue satin sheets, down pillows, red satin sheets, white silk
pillowcases, a bedding set so you will know that your gift will be
responsible for many sweet memories.
8.) Money. A donation to their favorite charity. Gift certificate –
Neiman Marcus, Tiffany’s, Victoria’s Secret, World Market, for spa, for
maid service for the first month, for a champagne hot-air balloon ride
for 2
9.) Fun and games -- Patricia McLinn books they can read together,
board Games designed to keep their sex life healthy, a kite to share on
the beach
10.) Living presents -- a climbing red rose bush, to symbolize the
entwining of their life and love, flowers once a month for a year, a
robust flowering tree, a fragrant fertile lemon tree in a pretty pot
11.) The practical – A Dust Buster, toaster, microwave, a double
sleeping bag, towels, his & hers ear plugs, Tupperware--it
lasts forever!!, condoms! and (the ultimate practicality) a burial plot
12.) A coil bound book of favorite recipes from both families (and
stories behind them if applicable), with family photos and ingredients
to make a week's worth of meals.
13.) An extravagant honeymoon in Switzerland, plus a Swiss Bank
Account!!!
back to the top
Top
Wedding Gifts,
the whimsical
(see note on Top
Wedding Gifts, to buy)
1.) An understanding heart, one that looks over the faults of another
and understands forgiveness.
2.) An ice-cream maker. Life is just better with ice cream.
3.) A tool box filled with tools and cute sayings attached like "hammer
out your differences", measuring tape-"love can't be measured",
glue--"seal with love' etc.
4.) My wedding gift would be a boomerang. A boomerang, like their love
for each other, once set free is supposed to come back to the person
who set it free.
5.) A dog
6.) A slave collar and a whip --along with a card stating that they can
choose who gets what
7.) A plaque that says...."Remember: The best things in life are worth
fighting for, like your love!"
8.) Register their name for a star to be named after them
9.) time alone
10.) Running shoes and handcuffs
11.) A huge joke book. Humor is the best way to keep a marriage intact.
12.) A survival guide!
13.) A unique family keepsake: A golden key, which opens a heart-shaped
cedar trinket box, revealing inside a tiny crystal timepiece, a
miniature pewter compass, and a hand-carved marble crucifix. On the
underside of the box reads these words: "Through our suffering and
pain, please remember that love, time and faith will lead to us to
forgiveness -- eventually healing all wounds and unlocking the mystery
of the future, which will set one's course in the right direction!"
back to the top
Riley’s
Top Ten
Unfavorite things
Even a sunny-natured dog has his gripes.
1.) People leaving.
2.) Thunder (and sometimes construction sounds that could be mistaken
for thunder.)
3.) Fireworks (unless you can turn off the sound.)
4.) Not being in the middle of anything that’s going on.
5.) Having his teeth brushed (brushing his teeth would be on my list,
too, if I got to have a list!)
6.) Having his nails clipped.
7.) Being groomed.
8.) Being inside when stuff’s going on outside (unless No. 2 or 3 is
happening.)
9.) Stuffed animals that make weird noises when someone (naming no
names) squeezes them
10.) Being left behind.
back to the top
Top Ten
sites Patricia
McLinn visits
1.) Mine, of course!
http://www.PatriciaMcLinn.com
2.) A thread a lovely
reader started on eHarlequin.com
http://community.eharlequin.com/WebX?50@161.Fk22awVQzFN.1@.2cb83aeb/560
3.) Buddy and thriller
writer Patricia Lewin
http://www.PatriciaLewin.com
4.) Buddy and writer of both vampire books and women’s fiction Virginia
Ellis
http://www.VirginiaEllis.com
5.) Buddy and women’s fiction writer Diane Chamberlain
http://www.DianeChamberlain.com
6.) Buddy and women’s fiction writer (as well as being one of the
original stars of Silhouette) Emilie Richards
http://www.EmilieRichards.com
7.) Buddy and romance writer Barbara McMahon
http://www.BarbaraMcMahon.com
8.) Books for soldiers – a fabulous way to help those in our armed
services.
http://www.BooksforSoldiers.com
9.) Novelists Inc.
http://www.ninc.com
10.) Romance Writers of America
http://www.RWANational.org
back to the top
Top 10
favorite places
to read
1.) My screen porch
2.) In bed
3.) Wing chair with ottoman
4.) Car (if someone else is driving)
5.) Airplane
6.) Airplane waiting area
7.) Any porch, preferably overlooking mountains or water. A rocking
chair doesn’t hurt
8.) Train
9.) Holed up in a hotel room, maybe with some room service
10.) Love seat in my office. It’s last only because I really, really
should be working.
back to the top
Top 10
Favorite links for Patricia McLinn’s
book settings, background, inspiration
1. ) Southern Wisconsin
http://www.lakegenevawi.com
2.) Wyoming Blanton
Enterprises
http://www.blantonhorses.com
3.) Wyoming wildflowers
http://pinedaleonline.com/wildflowers.htm
4.) Hal Ketchum
http://www.award-graphics.com/hk
5.) Crow Indians
http://www.lbhc.cc.mt.us/
6.) Northwestern
University
http://www.nu150.northwestern.edu
7.) Buffalo Bill Historical Center
http://www.bbhc.org/index_html.cfm
8.) Gloucester, Mass.
http://www.ci.gloucester.ma.us/
9.) Smithsonian Institution Rose Garden
http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmah/folger.htm
10.) Chicago Water Tower
http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/watertower.html
back to the top
Top
10 favorite
Soundtracks
I listen to
these while I write and love the ones with lots of energy (I write
faster).
1.) Pirates of the
Caribbean
2.) Captain Blood: Music from Errol Flynn movies
3.) Silverado
4.) Harry Potter 1
5.) A Town Like Alice
6.) The Man In the Iron Mask
7.) How the West Was Won
8.) The Quiet Man
9.) Shakespeare in Love
10.) Public Television’s Greatest Hits
back to the top
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