I am an animation freak!

I started early with cartoons before school. I loved, loved, loved the early Popeye cartoons. When I was very small my Aunt Faye could get me to eat spinach by calling it Popeye and pretending with me that I became superhumanly strong after I ate it. Did you know Popeye was the first 3-D cartoon?

I have been looney for Looney Tunes since they were called Merrie Melodies . These two cartoons – or animated features – of course were drawn by hand. Frame by frame, hand painted frame by frame, backgrounds drawn for each scene. It was animation lovers’ nirvana!

I have collected Chuck Jones original cells and some of his more classic art for years. Like The Scweam to the left.

Yes, I am an animation geek.

So when Pixar started doing computer generated films I had this snobbish nose upturn at the thought of NOT doing animation by hand.

But…

When “Wonder Woman” announced that Adrianne Palicki had been cast in the title role, buzz on the superhero show quickly shot through the roof. But then fans got a look at the ill-advised costume. Outrage quickly ensued. And hell hath no fury like a comic fan outraged.

Me? I really could care less. I wish they’d just leave stuff well enough alone. But it seems rehashing old concepts in TV and movies is soooo much easier than actually inventing something new.

Oh sure, we’re told it’s just to bring classic American heroes into the 21st century or to re-invent old franchises for a new generation.

Well, they are CLASSIC and FRANCHISES for a reason. leave them alone.

But back to the costume…

I have a good friend with twins. When they were very small – about the same age as these babies in the video – they would lay in their crib at bedtime and “talk” to each other.

Seriously…it was just like a conversation with words only they could understand. That language evolved over the years as they learned to use real words. But still it remained a code only they could understand.

My friends and I keep in touch in a way we think is a very fun and novel way.

We play “I Am Here”.

Whether you are on vacation like I was in the photo above or at work like the photo below…

…we touch base by muti media messaging the photo and the phrase “I am here” on our phones. Seems about everyone has this capability these days.

We rarely say where we are and sometimes we include just a picture of the place or our view from where ever we are…like this one.

Any of us can start the chain with a photo from where ever we might be. We usually do a “reply all” with our location photo so everyone can play. And every so often one of us will have a GREAT place to share and we tell them they win that round.

It’s an easy and fun way to keep up with friends through the day. Sometimes you’d be really surprised at where your friends are when the game starts. And you can play once a day or as many times as you want.

And if you have a terrific photo of where you are or where your friends are email me with it and I’ll share here. Or if you have my cell phone number play along.

Flying back from El Paso several years ago the plane I was in hit the worst turbulance I had ever experienced on a flight.

I don’t fly well anyway and this was the most frightening air travel I had ever experienced.

The Captain came on and told us what was causing the bumpiness they were doing to try to get through the roller coaster ride. I actually took my traveling companion’s hand and muttered to her, “We’re gonna die aren’t we?”

I always thought there was no way to be thrown about the cabin like we hear on some of the news stories involving turbulance. C’mon, hitting your head on the cabin ceiling? Breaking bones? How could that be?

It is possible I learned on that flight. I rarely fly anymore without having my seatbelt on the entire flight.

Brett Snyder writes a weekly CNN.com travel column. Snyder is the founder of air travel assistance site Cranky Concierge, and he writes the consumer air travel blog, The Cranky Flier.

I wish I had read this BEFORE that flight. I might not have blubbered like a little girl that day.

Feel safer now

Recently we had the chance to see the moon really big and bright – I didn’t because it was cloudy. But none the less it got me to thinking about the moon. So I was glad to run across this! And you should watch…

Because we all should know more about the moon. And how better to learn about it than from a cute young guy with an adorable British accent.

Long before Sarah Palin brought her “hocky mom schtick” to politics as a VP candidate, another woman sat in the hot seat. She was a woman with real qualifications for the job. And had she and her running mate not run into the shining city upon the hill that was Ronald Reagan we likely would have been well past the “1st woman in the White House” barrier.

Geraldine Ferraro, who in 1984 was that first woman vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket, died Saturday in Boston, a family spokeswoman said.

Palin paid tribute to Ferraro on her Facebook page on Saturday.

“She broke one huge barrier and then went on to break many more,” Palin wrote. “May her example of hard work and dedication to America continue to inspire all women.”

Blaze her trail

You’d think I’d be a little more worried when the police helicopter starts circling above the house. But they seem to be chasing someone over the tollway about 1/4 a mile West of us. Seems some idoit gets chased there by them every month or so.

I rarely check the news first thing in the morning. I like to sit on the patio for a while with the cats and a cup of coffee and start the day without letting it all fall on me too quickly.

This morning I took my Netbook outside with me and logged onto my email. Yahoo News told me of the passing of Elizabeth Taylor.

It was just a headline this morning. By late today they had prepared a very nice tribute which I’d like to share with you here.

Elizabeth Taylor, who died of congestive heart failure this morning at the age of 79, has been a constant of American life for nearly 70 years.

More with video clips

From the morning on the patio at my house. The cats and Mr Squirrel are getting along pretty well.