If you’re looking for an intro to Frank’s music, this is a great one. Most of the hits are here from his Capitol years (the 50s). Many of his best “swinging” songs are included, like “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, and “The Lady Is A Tramp.” Even if you’re already a fan (like I am), it’s nice to have a lot of your favorites on one album. It’s fun to put on during a party or to listen to alone. It’s a mood lifter!

And what else can be said about Mr. Sinatra that hasn’t already been said? The man sings a song like no one else could. His phrasing was revolutionary for its time. And he sings it like he means it. On “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” you can practically feel his pain. And that voice. Unmistakable. His nickname? What else? “The Voice.”

This is one of my favorites. Beautiful, classic, timeless. Some of the best songs ever written sung by one of the best singers to ever sing them. Ella’s voice was pure magic. It’s no wonder why she was known as the “First Lady of Song”!

My favorite song on the album is probably “Summertime” – it has such a haunting melody. But honestly, I really love them all. And isn’t it terrific when she sometimes makes up the words as she goes along? So much fun to listen to! Oh, and having Louis Armstrong around for some of the songs ain’t too bad either… ;-)

Mmmm… cinnamon, I love you! I sprinkle you on my coffee, split pea soup (seriously! it’s good!), oatmeal, cereal, applesauce, I could go on… I can even leave you simmering on the stove (cinnamon sticks in water) to make my whole house smell yummy!

So I was happy to find out that my cinnamon addiction is actually good for me! This article is about how healthy cinnamon is – http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68 – turns out that it has a lot of unique health benefits. These include antimicrobial properties, blood sugar control, and boosting brain function.

Tastes good and good for you – yay!

I love the funny little dance with the dinner rolls! It’s got me grinning right now just thinking about it :-D

What a testimonial to the genius of Charlie Chaplin – his silent film (or even just memories of it!) still has the power to delight today, even in these times of CGI, IMAX, and HD. Chaplin’s films are truly timeless.

And here’s a video of the scene in case anyone wants to see it again (I know I did!) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoKbDNY0Zwg

This was the first time I’ve ever seen a convention (I never really followed politics much until the past year & a half). I watched it on C-SPAN, which was great b/c it covered the entire convention, not just the speeches the other networks deem “important” & there were no pundits talking over it the whole time. I tried to turn it on almost every day when it began so I did see a large part of it.

I thought the roll call votes were interesting. Also liked the many speeches though, of course, some were better than others. Dennis Kucinich, in particular, gave a terrific, rousing speech that had the crowd on its feet (wish the mainstream media gave him more attention). And the final speech by Obama was pretty close to perfect, in my opinion.

I came away from it all feeling very inspired & hopeful. I feel that I truly witnessed history in the making. Obama/Biden in 2008!