This past weekend I did something totally out of character, I watched Shrek (2001), and then the next day, I watched (2004) Shrek 2. Such decadence. This was not the first time I had seen these movies because I have kids of a certain age, but it was the first time in a very long time. I can’t explain to you how much adult fun it was to watch them. Today I found out that there was (2007) Shrek the Third (Shrek and Princess Fiona are designated as heirs to the land of Far, Far Away) and (2010) Shrek Forever After (Villain Rumpelstiltskin tricks a mid-life crisis-burdened Shrek into allowing himself to be erased from existence.) It was marketed as The Final Chapter, meaning it was supposed to be the last one. Even Puss in Boots had a 2011 spin-off that was ‘unappreciated’ but still made $555 million. Then Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, released last year, was among five animated movies nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. What a franchise! Well, as of this month, it looks like Shrek 5 may finally happen. Eddie Murphy is in for this new film, and it looks like Donkey may be worthy of a spinoff. Let’s hope that Mike Myers (Shrek), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots) and Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona) are still along for the ride. If you haven’t watched these movies, just try one. You’ll be so glad you did. I will know because of the smile on your face. A great animated children’s film for adults.
You can buy boxed water now. It’s called Boxed Water. A friend had a box waiting for me when we went to the theatre recently. Then I stuck the empty box in my purse, took it home, refilled it, then stuck it in the frig for next time. So much better than a plastic bottle. I ordered a few to have on hand. We must start somewhere.
Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there someday. A.A. Milne
Did you know that you should never trust caller ID on your phones? You should always hang up on robocalls even when it shows a very familiar local area code. And you should always use call blocking. The Federal Trade Commission says the most common unwanted calls are pretend Social Security Adm., Medicare, and IRS calls, fake Amazon or Apple Computer support calls, fake auto warranty (every single day), tax season and credit card calls. So… please report unwanted calls to DoNotCall.gov. If you lost money to a scam call, then report it ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
This column serves selfishly as many instruments for me… shout-outs, recalls, recipes, complaints, birthdays, good ideas, bad ideas, something I found that was beautiful, or just a suggestion that might make your life a little better or a bit happier. In the past I have used this space to encourage you to address a card or note to a friend. It’s so especially important for people as they get older, because it could be the only interaction that they have with another human being during the week. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, a study of 5,900 participants found that people underestimate how much others appreciate hearing from them, and the more surprised they are, the greater the impact. Relationships are also good for our own mental health. My request is that you send a text, phone call, or email some friends. It’s the right thing to do… plus it’s a healthy thing for ALL.
I was typing enthusiastically about an article from Farmers’ Almanac titled Best Days to Wash Your Cat. But I did not read ahead in the article because it was time to go home. It was dark. Hmmm. I was really very interested because I have three cats that always need a bath. I quickly transferred all the information about the days of the month that they suggested bathing the cats into this column, then left the office. But I kept wondering about the rest of the article. Was it like planting by the moon? I needed to finish the article because I had too many questions. The next day I sat down at my desk, started reading and scrolling down, suddenly realizing I had been had, as I saw the words… April Fool’s.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actor Dennis Quaid is 69. Actor Haley Joel Osment of The Sixth Sense is 35. Actor Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City is 57. Actor Michael Learned of The Waltons is 84. Musician Lil Nas X is 24. Country singer Margo Smith is 81. Musician Brian Setzer of Stray Cats is 64. Country singer Maren Morris is 33. Actor Louise Lasser is 84. Actor Peter Riegart of Animal House is 76. ‘Boon’ Schoenstein. Country singer Vince Gill is 66. Musician Al Green is 77. Singer Peggy Lennon of the Lennon Sisters is 81. Country singer Chris Stapleton is 45. Musician Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane is 79. Singer-actor John Schneider of The Dukes of Hazzard is 62. Actor Julie Christie is 83. Singer Steve Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 71.
What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? Supplies!
Here is a new type of scam. A woman answered her cellphone call showing it was from her sister. There was an unfamiliar male voice telling her that he had her sister and was going to kill her if the woman didn’t send money, and not to contact the police or he would shoot her sister in the head. Their mother happened to be visiting so the woman as she continued to talk to the man, signaled her mom to contact the sister, which she did and found out that the sister was fine. So, there is now an ability to use our own phones for evil. We cannot and must not, trust. And don’t ever charge your phone at a public location like malls, airports, and hotels. It’s called Juice Jacking, a cyber-theft tactic, and it comes with unfortunate consequences. Just use your own charger cord and plug into a wall outlet. Carry an external battery or even better, there is a such a thing as a charging-only cable, which prevents data from sending or receiving while charging, but be sure to buy it from a trusted supplier.
Shred Day with Texas Gulf Bank – LJ Rec Center Parking Lot. Sat. April 15th. 8 to 11:30am or until truck is full. Go early. This is very popular. Thanks to Scott at LJ City Hall. Scott is going to scout around and find out what they are building in the median across from our office. We heard it was a fountain. Thanks, Scott, and thanks for reading this column each week and laughing out loud with your dad.
The Barbie movie, in theaters July 21st, with Margo Robbie and Ryan Gosling. “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken,” the movie teases. A live-action remake of the 1989 movie, The Little Mermaid is set to release May 26, 2023. Melissa McCarthy will star as Ursula. Bet she’s good.
Green Salt is 100% dehydrated organic Salicornia. No preservatives and no additives. It looks like tiny little asparagus before it is dried and has a salty taste that top chefs around the world are using now to garnish plates. There is 50% less sodium than salt so it’s healthier, but also rich in nutrients such as Chlorophyll, Magnesium, Copper, and Vitamin B3. Maybe that’s why mermaids live forever. Salicornia belongs to the same family as Quinoa and Amaranth and is grown with salt water. I ordered it, then used it on sauteed portabella mushrooms last night. It was yummy. I saved my empty Star Anise spice bottles, filled them up and shared with three other people so we could all try something new this week.
If you are squinting while reading The Source Weekly today, it’s either because you need new glasses or because Tina had to reduce the size of the print just a tiny bit so we could get everything into 16 pages. You see, our printer charges us if we have to go up 4 pages (the least number of pages we can increase at a time). We decided that we like you a lot, but we also really like money… so we just did what we had to do. Sorry. As you know we have FREE garage sale ads, and it’s only $5 for a 15-word classified ad, so we don’t make a killing each week, we just publish a sweet little paper for our readers and shoppers. Oh, and because we were full, I got color. See? Woohoo! 😊 Have a great week.
Lisa
Send comments to Lisa Baker at lisa@thesourceweekly.com
