Grandmas don't get breaks on speeding tickets, plus other lessons learned

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Four things I learned this week

gavelGrandmas don't get breaks on speeding tickets: A few weeks ago, as I raced out of town on my way to Denver for a film festival screening, I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop and given a ticket. I admit I was speeding, so I didn't cry in hopes of getting out of the ticket (as I probably should have, considering I've had a clean driving record since 1993). My ticket was $90 and a $15 filing fee; my court date was scheduled for this past week or I could pay the ticket by mail.

"Don't pay it by mail!" is the adamant advice from those who've been there, done that. "You gotta go to court. It'll reduce the charge!" So I went to court Wednesday. My ticket wasn't reduced. In fact, $25 more was added to the fees to cover court costs. I was not happy. I did cry this time... in the car... after paying the freakin' fee.

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Making mints and making memories

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Making mints and making memories

At Thanksgiving when my daughters were young, they enjoyed making cream cheese after-dinner mints as their contribution to the holiday meal. The recipe for the mints was super simple, super yummy, and a super tradition that makes me smile just thinking about it.

cream cheese dinner mints

A few years ago, when my eldest grandson, Bubby, was two years old — and my youngest grandson, Mac, was just an announcement emblazoned across his big brother’s T-shirt — Bubby and I made the cream cheese mints together.

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Photo finish: People of the red carpet

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The Starz Denver Film Festival wrapped up this past weekend, with the last red carpet event being the screening of AT MIDDLETON, directed by Adam Rodgers and starring Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga.

Here, my view of the people of the red carpet:

THE EVERYDAY PEOPLE

red carpet eventThe AT MIDDLETON red carpet experience with my favorite co-star, aka Jim.

THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

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The best things about being a grandma

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The best things about being a grandma

Giving thanks for our blessings tops the Thanksgiving to-do list of many — right along with the grocery shopping, turkey stuffing, pie filling and more.

Naming those blessings can sometimes be a challenge, though, especially when our What I Want list far outweighs our What I Have list. Yet as grandmas, it's no chore at all to list and be ever thankful for our grandma gig, especially those parts we consider the best.

Here, straight from some of the Grilled Grandmas, are the very best things about being a grandma. They're by no means exclusive to grandmas, of course, as grandpas likely feel the same, equally believe these are among the best of the best blessings for which we grandparents give thanks.

best things about being a grandma

The best thing about being a grandma is, in their eyes, I am sooooo cool. —Jules

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Saturday movie review: 'The Truth About Emanuel'

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THE TRUTH ABOUT EMANUEL is a wholly original and unpredictable film on grief and the stories that keep us afloat. Emanuel's story is that she killed her mother. Or that's how Emanuel (Kaya Scodelario) puts it in the voice-over in the movie's first scene.

As the dark film begins, it's days before Emanuel's eighteenth birthday. Emanuel detests birthday celebrations, though, because her mother died giving birth to her. Her combative attitude through much of the film makes it seem she detests far more than just her birthdays, including herself.

The Truth About Emanuel
(from left) Kaya Scodelario and Jessica Biel in THE TRUTH ABOUT EMANUEL.

Emanuel lives with her father (Alfred Molina) and a stepmother she treats horribly. She seems fragile and ready to come undone any moment. The situation — and Emanuel's psychological state — take a complex turn for the worse when a young mother (played by Jessica Biel) moves in next door.

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