Catching Up From January

I'm behind on many of the things I want to write about because I took almost the whole month of January off. I'm glad to be back, because I really missed blogging; but I also discovered the longer you stay away, the harder it is to start back.

I'm not typically a big celebrity watcher, but there were some big celebrity deaths in the news last month, and when this happens it often makes me aware of my own age and mortality. Yes folks, the years are flying by.

In chronological order, the first of these celebrity deaths was David Bowie. I was never a fan of his, but lots of people were. David was 69 years old and died from cancer.

Four days later, one of my very favorite actors passed away -- Alan Rickman. I will so miss his wonderful performances in the movies and television. He, too, was 69 years old and died from cancer. I had no idea he was sick, so the headline really threw me for a loop. We're big Harry Potter fans here, and my husband and I saw him in every Harry Potter movie.

The first thing I ever saw him in was "Die Hard." He wasn't supposed to be the main star -- Bruce Willis was, but Alan's villain, Hans Gruber, really stole the show. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good clip from YouTube that didn't have some bad words. Oops.

Then we saw him as the evil Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1991 movie, " Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves," starring Kevin Costner. Again, some would argue that Alan really stole the show.

Hal and I have been wondering, exactly what is a merciful beheading? ;)

However, this was one of my favorite roles that he played --

Yes, Alan, you will be missed.

Last, but not least, I was shocked to read on January 18, that Glenn Fry, a founding member of the Eagles band had died. Frey was 67, and he died from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, and pneumonia. It's kind of funny, because I didn't hang out with the wild kids in school, and I took piano lessons and played in the school concert and marching band, but I still loved rock music. The Eagles, Boston, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, the Beatles, and the Beach Boys. What a combination, huh? I was one that memorized all the lyrics and can still sing along (for the most part) today.

If you liked the Eagles music, I thought this piece was a fitting tribute to Glenn Frey, who sings lead vocal here. "Already Gone" -- Rest in Peace, Glenn.