THE ONGOING BATTLE AGAINST THE CORONAVIRUS!

THE COVID BULL

The fight we are all having!

The COVID Maze Puzzle

                                                     If you can't, then wear a mask, dummy!

COVID VACCINE

                                                        At this point, nobody knows for sure.

LAUREL & HARDY : The Definitive Restorations

Finally, after a long wait, the Laurel & Hardy Definitive Restorations DVD and Blu-Ray discs were released on June 30th and a joyous occasion it was for the countless fans who were eagerly awaiting for this event!

And it was everything it was supposed to be.  The films look better than ever. The sharpness, detail and sound are exactly like they must have been when first released, almost 90 years ago.

I won't go into any details here because every Tom, Dick and Harry have posted their opinions on the social networks and I will not be adding my comments to them as I'm not interested in being a critic or reviewer, but mark my words, these films look gorgeous as never before.

The only drawback is that it's not a complete set. Laurel and Hardy appeared in about 106 films together, between 1917 and 1951 and this volume covers a mere fraction of that, which only wets L&H fans' appetite for more restorations.

Hopefully, there will be further volumes coming sometime but for the time being, let's enjoy what we have! Welcome back again, Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy!

For more details on this Blu-Ray and DVD release, check here:

https://www.amazon.com/Laurel-Hardy-Definitive-Restorations-Blu-ray/dp/B084P3S7NJ

You can watch the trailer here:

SUNSET IN THE CITY

        After three weeks of beautiful sunsets in Acapulco, 

          somehow sunsets in the city are kind of a letdown...

Life Forecast

          Apparently, far from going away, the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely to spread even more!

The Wonderful World of Digital Photos!

No matter how good a digital HD camera can be, nothing compares to the real thing!

MY TEN MOST-WATCHED FILMS

I've seen quite a lot of films during my 69 years of life but just a chosen few have been revisited by me over and over again for different reasons.  This here is a list of the first 10 films I know I have seen more than a 100 times, although there are more than 50 in my complete most-watched checklist. The question people may ask about this is: why watch a film over and over again when you've already seen it and know every scene by heart? Isn't once enough?
If you have your own MOST-WATCHED FILMS tally, then you know the answer!

And without any further explanation, here we go:

THUNDERBALL (1965)

BULLITT (1968)

GOLDFINGER (1964)

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)

CASABLANCA (1943)

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975)

THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)

WAY OUT WEST (1937)

THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)

CHARADE (1963)

I'll post 10 more in a later chapter.

SIXTY-NINE!

If sex was a number, it would be sixty nine. In numerology, 69 is a number of idealism,  family and harmony. It is also a number of health and compassion.  It is the natural number following 68 and preceding 70.  In roman numerals, it's LXIX.  

                  Whatever it means, one thing is certain: I am getting older but not any wiser.
                     And as long as I can keep getting birthdays, everything will be just fine!

At the Beach!

                   There's only one way to beat the COVID-19 blues...go to the beach!

MARTIAN OUT!

                         When you're pretty sure life is better somewhere else in the universe!

FACE MASKS EVERYONE!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

MY COVID-19 ROMANTIC DINNER!

Not even the coronavirus lockdown will keep me from having a romantic dinner with a beautiful girl!

Further Lockdown Activities...

         The COVID-19 lockdown has enabled me to check out my apartment's magnificent view...
                                                         of the brickwall next door!

REMEMBERING STAN LAUREL

               I consider myself to be primarily a comedian who just happens to perform through cartoons.
                   And among comedians, there's no one standing higher for me than Stan Laurel.

I've always admired his skill in pantomime and the remarkable ability to take a simple everyday situation and transform it into something funny, ridiculous and immensely entertaining. His partnership with Oliver Hardy was a blessing for Stan as it gave him a sounding board and instant feedback to his quiet bits of lunacy. Sadly, most of Laurel and Hardy's artistry is lost in present generations due to a lack of promotion and poor exposure of their films on the streaming services. Still, there is hope that their wonderful shorts and feature films somehow will find a way to be admired and become an inspiration to future generations. As for myself, I am just glad I was born when their comedies were still widely available on television because, to this day, I cherish their friendship and companionship through all the muck and mire of our daily existence.

                                                                 God Bless Stan Laurel!

The Hazmat Suit!

                                        Fully prepared and protected in my Hazmat Suit!

SHINING!

The good news is that several months of being locked inside my apartment haven't had any effect whatsoever on my mental health!

THE UNSTOPPABLE CORONA-PACMAN!

According to the latest reports and updates, the Coronavirus pandemic is still spreading like crazy in most countries. When will it stop, nobody knows!

SILLY WALKS!

The coronavirus lockdown has given me the opportunity to engage in a vast array of fruitful and intellectually rewarding activities...such as practicing my silly walks!

THE PERKS OF COVID-19 SHUTDOWN

           One great thing about being shutdown is that you have lots more time for house cleaning!

THE CORONAPRISONER!

June begins and the COVID-19 is still going strong!

Making History: NASA and SpaceX Launch Astronauts to Space!

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX tried again Saturday and succeeded in launching NASA astronauts from Kennedy Space Center becoming the first private company to send humans into orbit and ending a nine year gap in human spaceflight from the U.S.

KING FOR A DAY!

May 30th is San Fernando's Day and since my grandfather was also named Fernando, I will be celebrating for both of us today. Actually, this date commemorates King Ferdinand III of Castile who died on May 30, 1252.  He was one of the most successful kings of Castile and in 1671 he was canonized by Pope Clement X.  In the United States, the city of San Fernando and the San Fernando Valley are named after him and placed under his patronage.  So, hail King Ferdinand!

It's Nice To Go Trav'ling!

THE ENDLESS YEAR!

The Quarantine Waiting Game

At this point, I have no idea how many days of quarantine have gone by and even less how many are still remaining...but one thing is certain: there's no parole forthcoming!

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

The Joy of Cooking!

DEATH OF A HOUSEFLY

                                           Soon to become a major Broadway stage play!

FRANK SINATRA (1915-1998)

22 years ago, on May 14 1998, the world lost FRANK SINATRA.

However, his voice and his talent will remain from here to eternity!

                        

Listen to Frank singing one of my favorite Sinatra songs on his TV special

 "The Man and His Music"!