Best wishes to all the readers for a happy and HEALTHY new year!

The LAST RIDDLE......of the year!

What book was once owned by only the wealthy,
but now everyone can have it?

You can't buy it in a bookstore or take it from the library.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

The owners and staff of the Lo-down wish you and yours a very joyous and blessed Christmas.

Christmas Riddle

What did the Gingerbread Man put on his bed?

Mom got the answer right: A COOKIE SHEET !!!!

Movie Review

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL could have been a good movie, but, it wasn't. Like the original version it had an interesting premise, of an alien in a human form coming to earth with the power to destroy all people. I like Sci-Fi movies, but they need to be smart.

If only the person writing the script would have allowed the characters to have a bit of intelligence and would have thought the plot through it could have worked. But it was all over the place, and boring at times. I did stay awake,(no Z's) but I found my mind wondering and kept thinking about the Chinese dinner that awaited me at after the movie. I wanted to like it, but it failed me.

Shall We Riddle?

Kings and queens may cling to power
and the jester's got his call.
But, as you may all discover,
the common one outranks them all.

What is it?

Take the Test

I scored 71%, little risk. If you're a driver, take the test.

Created by The Car Connection

Riddle de de...

White bird, featherless, flyin' out o' paradise,
flyin' over sea and land, dyin' in my hand.
What is it?

4 Mini Movie Reviews

I'm thinking of developing a new movie rating system, using a certain number of Z's, which reflects the number of times I fell asleep!


Ahhh, the "High School Musical" trilogy. I'm not exactly a fan, but I like to keep up with the youngster's interests, so I went with my sister and girls to see this theater release. The previous films were shown on the Disney Channel, but hey, I'm willing to put more money in Mickey's pocket. I liked #2 better, but found this one better then #1. Unfortunately, most the songs sounded alike, and it was corny and sappy, but we did get the two leads to FINALLY kiss, much to the thrill of the young girls sitting behind me. Characters that may become the next generation were introduced. Keep the franchise going Mr. Mouse. I only fell asleep twice during this one, but the nieces enjoyed it and little "K" actually had tears in her eyes at the end. ZZ



I thought that the movie "Twilight" was going to be about vampires and have teenagers in it. However, this movie is about teenagers and has vampires in it. It amused me at how the teenyboppers in the audience screamed and swooned when the young actor Robert Pattinson first appeared on the screen. He had a James Dean-ish brooding quality. I liked the movie, it was heavy on the teen drama and light on the gore. I didn't see one fang. And who knew that there are "good" vampires and "bad" vampires? And what a nice vampire family: They play baseball and are vegetarians (only drink animal blood, not human). It kept me awake, with curiosity of what would happen next. The film is based on a popular teen novel, and the leads already signed on for the sequel. 0-Z



"Slumdog Millionaire" is one of those "sleeper" films that has grown in popularity by word of mouth, and good reviews. It is the story of a young man who grew up encountering very unfortunate situations, that eventually lead him to a chance of a lifetime to win a fortune and allow him to face his destiny at the age of 18. The epic story is told mostly in flashbacks, and there are a lot of subtitles. This touching movie kept my interest throughout, and I didn't fall asleep once. 0-Z



I'm not a James Bond fan, and have only seen one James Bond movie, the last previously released with Daniel Craig, who also stars in "Quantum of Solace". So maybe that's why I just didn't understand the plot, at all. I watched the movie, enjoying most of the action, good looking people, exotic settings, but I had no clue what was going on. I don't know why he did what he did, but Mr. Bond was busy, shooting, chasing, shagging (oh how British of me), killing, helping, hurting, disobeying and punching many people. I fell asleep about 3 times, during conversations that lost me. It wasn't a bad movie, but I did leave there wondering what the heck just happened! ZZZ

Happy Thanksgiving

Sharing a classic.....

Tuesday's Riddle

I am a window, I am a lamp,
I am clouded, I am shining,
I am colored; set in white,
I fill with water and overflow.
I say much, but I have no words.

What am I?

Funny Girl

I was in my sister's van tonight with my nieces while my sister was filling her tank with gas. To pass the time I asked the nieces about their day at school and niece "K" proceeded to tell me about the awful time she had at recess. She was quite upset with how some of the school yard games played out. It seems that not only did she not get to be the leader in the game of "Red Light Green Light", she lamented that she was never picked as "Mother" in the game of Mother May I.

Trying to get her out of a "woe is me" mood, I told her that some day soon she might get picked twice as leader and that it will make up for her terrible experience at recess today. Nice "E" chimed in with the saying "Every Dog Has It's Day". Without missing a beat, "K" replied "I must be a cat"!

Easy Riddle

What has a foot on each side and one in the middle?

Philosophy of Charles Schulz

A friend sent me this a while back, I thought I'd share it with you:

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions.

Just read it straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish.

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier? The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money... or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most.

FIRST PLACE!!

Go JETS

The Jets are playing New England tonight for the sole possession of first place in the AFC east division.

Good Luck Brett the Jet!

This Week's Riddle

A gray flower with no pattern to bloom,
as likely at sunrise as at night as at noon.
When the bulb's grown and thoroughly drowned,
the whole thing shatters and the plant crashes down.

Take the test

I copied this one from my sister's blog. She gets better mileage then me, but then again, her body make/model is ten years younger then mine! Click on the picture and take the brief test and see your results.

27.5 miles per gallon

Created by The Car Connection

Some recent random pictures never published before....

Didn't have anything special to post, so here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Celebrating E and J's birthdays.



We went to a couple of 5th grade football games. E was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the homecoming game. Here she is with Kathy marching out onto the field with the color guard.

Right after the performance, she did a great job.


Is J dreaming of playing on the gridiron someday?

Niece K chilling on the side lines


E and her friend


Niece E played on her school's 5th grade volleyball team this fall. The girls were pretty new at it but tried really hard and had a lot of heart. E improved from not being able to make a serve to making them consistently.



Dad, Mom, myself and Kathy at the 50th anniversary dinner for my Dad's army club.

Today's Riddle

What is it that is deaf, dumb and blind and always tells the truth?

Happy Halloween

What do these people have in common? A baseball player, a Super Hero, a race car driver, a Gothic vampire and the Greek Goddess of Justice???

They were the special guests at my Halloween Party. My nieces and nephews played a scavenger hunt game that included holiday work sheets and a very competitive game of Hot Potato (of course a stuffed black cat was used in lieu of a spud).

Here are some pictures from last Saturday.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween.

Cute costumes!

"E" as the Greek Goddess of Justice

"K" as a Gothic Vampire

"A" as a baseball player

"D" as a race car driver.

"J" as The Batman

My Mom

Mike and Dad

Fuzzy, my new roommate.

Working together on a word puzzle

Gourmet food from the golden arches

Kathy wins the game!

As my alter ego Spiderella, I join the kids for a photo op.

Riddle of the day

What is more useful to man when it's broken before it's fulfilled its intended purpose?

Today's Riddle

What can be driven yet has no wheels,
and can be sliced yet still remain whole?

Jersey Boys

Yesterday I attended a matinee performance in Chicago of "Jersey Boys". My brother Tom graciously treated my mother, sister and I with tickets as birthday gifts.

The show was excellent! Well acted, sung and staged. I read that the writer said he wanted people to say "I never knew that" when leaving the theater. I exclaimed that to myself plenty of times throughout the show.

Sure, there was some salty language, but consider the title. These were not gentlemen from Verona here. If you find the "F" word too offensive or if you want to bring the kiddies along, you may reconsider attending. The story was interesting and the music fun. Definitely a show well worth seeing.

Quote of the Week

The most wasted day of all is that on which
we have not laughed.

- Sebastien R.N. Chamfort

Riddle me this...

One by one we fall from heaven,
Down into the depths of past
And our world is ever upturned
So that yet some time we'll last.

TIME FOR A RIDDLE

If you do it once, it`s good.

If you do it twice on the same day, though, it`s a serious crime.

What is it?

OH NO! HIBERNATION!

GUESS YOU NEED A HINT

This was yesterday's riddle:

He who lacks it seeks it,
He who has it mistreats it.

And here is today's hint:

The answer starts with the letter H and is a state of being.

(The answer is NOT hunger or happiness).

Today's Riddle

This is an old European riddle from 1300-1900 AD.

He who lacks it seeks it,
He who has it mistreats it.

Movie Review

BURN AFTER READING

I have mixed feelings about this Coen brother's movie. The cast was great, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormad & John Malkovich. The plot was ok enough, and it delivered quite a few laughs. The film was about how a disc that was found in a health club set off a chain reaction that affected the lives of many characters.

The trouble I had was with how it ended. Instead of getting to see the final results of the lives of a number of important characters, we were just "told" what happened in a conversation between two minor characters. Cheap. The movie could have delivered but totally dropped the ball.

Despite the humor, this was not at all a happy, light hearted film. It was pretty much a dark comedy, rated R for a reason, and I can not whole heartedly recommend it. Maybe as a rental. Has anyone else seen it? I like to get some other opinions.

RIDDLE HINT

Yesterday's riddle looks like a stumper, so here are a couple of hints.

The word I'm looking for starts with the letter E.

It's a term used to describe another being.

A TUESDAY RIDDLE ON WEDNESDAY?...WHAT GIVES?

Due to the important birthday celebration yesterday, the weekly riddle is appearing today. Here it is:

Read my riddle, I pray.
What God never sees,
what the king seldom sees,
and what we see every day.
What is it?

Happy Birthday!

Ah, Autumn

My favorite season! Sweatshirt weather, football, baseball playoffs, leaves changing colors, pumpkins, Halloween, taffy-apples, Thanksgiving, candy corn...what's not to like? But my dear sister has never agreed. When I went to put up a post about Autumn quotes and pictures I signed on through her site. And there on Digressions, she beat me to the punch! She is trying to have a more positive attitude this year and reflected it in some quotes. So this one is just for her, hoping this fall will be her best!

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower.
--Albert Camus

Movie Review

Mama Mia was a cute, fun movie musical that uses only Abba songs. Although the stage play was a much better and smoother production, this movie had it's moments of fun. It was very well cast and Meryl Streep took on her character with gusto.

The plot is about a 20 year old daughter of a free spirited mother (Streep) who doesn't know who her father is. They live on a small Greek island and run a weathered hotel. When reading her mother's diary from years past, she figures out it's one of three men and invites them all to her wedding to try to piece things together.

It is the type of musical where a character at any given moment can break out into song. The movie was a bit choppy at parts and dragged on somewhat, but overall it was entertaining. Not for everyone, but a good film for a girls night out.

Fun With Politics

The staff at the Lo-Down has been instructed to stay politically neutral, so I'm not sure how these pro-Palin cartoons got posted.

Hmmmmmm.....