Happy, Sad ,Confused with Sam Heughan and Josh Horowitz

Thank you all for the positive responses to my blog yesterday. Today I have some short clips from Happy, Sad, Confused and more pictures of Sam. It was fun watching he and Josh come in, pat each other on the back and settle in. Sam wore a blue jacket over a t-shirt, a pair of jeans and his trademark Louboutin boots. 

I will admit these videos are not the greatest, a few times my arm got tired and it went black and there were times I was trying to get a good closeup shot and lost it, but found it again. That being said, all these videos are fun to watch

The first one is when Josh produced several funny photos from Sam's career and had Sam explain them to the fans. Much hilarity ensued. 

The second is when Josh has him read several things as Jamie, but the funny part was as Sam said at the end, he wasn't sure that was Jamie's voice as he hadn't used it in a while. Just goes to prove to people that Sam is an actor and not Jamie Fraser.  

This next clip is of an Outlander contest with Sam and a fan - guess who wins!

And this last one is Sam's answer to a fan's question about his being a producer on Season 5

Meeting Sam Heughan

I had planned on writing this right after I met him, but just lost track of time. Two days ago, I  decided it was time to stop procrastinating and get it done. And then yesterday I read this on twitter:

 I have to tell you this just shocked me - how can people be so mean? I had seen some of the posts he referenced,  like the "shippers" (people who want the people they watch on tv shows - ie Sam and Caitriona playing Jamie and Claire in Outlander) to be in love in real life and stalk and follow them to incredible degrees to "prove" it's so even though Caitriona is happily married. They can get quite crazy about it, refusing to believe even the celebs when they say they are just good friends. The ones that are just sure he is a closet homosexual spend hours combing through pictures to prove their point. Their pictures are grainy and their proof is just sad. And of course we can't forget those who harrass whoever he is dating and offer death threats. This man has done nothing to deserve this and to say it comes along with celebrity, well, that's just ridiculous. No one should be treated that way. Can you imagine people following you and lurking in the bushes to try to catch you doing something unseemly or stalking you so much they find your home and try to hack your email and post the info online. Anyway, this is all incredibly sad and says something terrible about people today. Thankfully, most people are respectful of not only our own lives, but those of the celebrities they follow.

That being said. I AM a fan, a big fan of both Outlander and Sam.  So in February I finally ordered tickets to see him "live and in person" at a few events in New York City which is not far from where I live. I actually had tickets to Live With Kelly and Ryan, Good  Morning America and another early morning show. Then I scored a front row seat to seeing him at Happy Sad confused, a live podcast with Josh Horowitz at Symphony Hall, a small theater in NYC. I had a long think about it and knew in my heart I really didn't want to get up at 4 or 5am to go wait in the February cold to get into those early morning shows, so I gave up my tickets so other fans could have them. I felt seeing him one time in an hour long show was perfect, especially since I didn't have to go in so early.

The morning of the show it was snowing here and supposed to be rainy in the city, but I made sure I had a waterproof jacket  and set off. After I checked into my hotel, I went down to the theater to poke about to see if maybe he was there early. This is often the case, but not so for this show. So I found the stage door and figured it couldn't hurt to wait. I know some of you who know me are now shaking your heads, but this is not something new in my life, I have been meeting actors and singers this way since I was about 15. Why? I think because I did a lot of theater and singing myself when I was young, the people like me who love performing interest me.

It was about 4pm when I got there. Not long after, someone else who had been waiting in a car came out to join me. We enjoyed chatting about lots of things and it made time pass more quickly. It was drizzling and around 35 out and as time went on I was definitely cold. It was getting close to the time of the show when a few other ladies came to wait as well. I had literally just said, " I am giving it 5 more minutes and then I am going in," when a black car pulled up, people came out of the stage door and we realized it was Sam in the car. When he stepped out I will admit we looked at each other and said, "Oh my gosh, he's beautiful!" Yeah, I know, just don't even go there! But he was. I also thought, he's so young - younger than my oldest, and I knew it, but it was so much more evident in person. To me, he's just a kid!

He apparently knew the two other fans and called hi to them as he got out. The people from the theater were trying to get him into the theater and as he came walking by, my new friend said , "Sam, this lady has been waiting hours for you," and he stopped and came over to me. I asked if we could have a selfie and he said sure. Then he gave me a hug and started talking to me. I told him how I was grateful for his workout program My Peak Challenge (mypeakchallenge.com) and that it had helped me get up and moving and losing weight. He was genuinely happy to hear it. We said a few other things and then he said "It's so cold out, you need to go inside and get warrm," and then was escorted into the stage doorway. I have to say right now that this lovely lady I met gave up her chance to have a selfie or talk with Sam so I could. She recorded him coming out of the car, took the pix of me with him and even recorded a small part of our conversation. I though that was pretty incredible as she was as big a fan as I am. Just proves there are lots of good people around and we need to remember that. 

The show itself was great - lots of funny moments, laughs at things Josh did and Sam's take on them.  At the end Sam usually takes a selfie with the audience behind him, but this time Josh chimed in and he did the three photos as follows. I am in the lower right side in grey with the camera around my neck. These are pictures from Josh Horowitz. We were told to act...

HAPPY

SAD

CONFUSED

      and as Josh said that, Sam quickly turned the other way, leaving Josh the one who was confused and the audience in stitches!

I am probably a bigger fan now - not only because of the enjoyable evening, and the new season of Outlander, but because I have been watching fan videos of others meeting him and seeing he is the same gentleman each time. It is a rarity for a celebrity to be as accomodating as Sam is. No matter how rushed he is, no matter the guards trying to get him inside or keep fans at arm's length, he still invariably stops for selfies or autographs. I heard one place mention that he was so concerned about the fans waiting in the cold, he asked if they could come inside. The answer was no, but who asks that? And of course when the interview was over, he went out into the cold with just a light jacket (he never wears a winter coat when going to interviews) and made sure he gave as many selfies or autographs as he could. I hope this awful thing that has finally reached the point of no return won't stop Sam from being who he is, a gentleman with a big heart.

Tomorrow I will have more pictures and some videos for  you. See you then!

"Crack" Toffee

 I found this recipe wandering around the web and its so easy and uses items you probably keep in your cupboards. I initially made this to give away - but it didn't get into many of the gift packages because we pretty much ate them till there were so few left, I decided to keep them!

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Line a 15"x10" jelly roll pan or 12"x17" cookie sheet with foil and spray with a non stick spray
2. Lay out crackers in a flat layer onto the foil
3. measure out your morsels and set them aside
4. Melt brown sugar and butter until a boil is reached. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. It should be pretty thick, but thin enough to pour and spread on its own. Pour this mix over the crackers making sure all are coated evenly

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until toffee becomes bubbly
6. After removing pan from oven, let it sit for 3-5 minutes and let it begin to set up.
7. Sprinkle on chips, let them spften and melt about 5 minutes and then spread them into an even layer. You can add nuts, cracker crumbs or whatever else you please at this point, but really, it is so good, it doesn't need anything extra.
Let cool or if needed quickly, refrigerate until it hardens.
Break into pieces and serve - it won't last long!!!!

Sightseeing in Glasgow

So, I must apologize, I left my phone in my hostel room because I wanted to use my good camera, and realized half way through the day that it meant I couldn't share any pix with you all, so tomorrow I will bring it along so I can post here and on Instagram.  I definitely had some jet lag last night, I slept till noon today. Rather than finding breakfast somewhere, I decided to see how far away my pickup place is for next week's tour. It wasn't too far, about 9  blocks, and happily I wasn't winded going there. My exercises and walking have definitely made a difference!

I went to Georges Square to catch a hop on hop off bus which my daughter Tiffany recommended as a good way to see all the hot spots and figure where you want to go. It was a fairly long ride, but she was right and I saw some places I wanted to visit and their relationship to where I am staying. I decided to visit Glasgow Cathedral which I had heard was beautiful and was also used in Season 2 in Outlander. As I was getting off, I ran into two ladies from British Columbia who were Outlander fans as well.

The cathedral was so beautiful I kept saying, "Thank you, Lord." It just made you grateful for such a beautiful place to worship.  I went to every nook and cranny taking pictures. The floor in one room was tiled in a beautiful pattern with smaller tiles that had what I have seen used as a quilt block! There were small areas that were designated for certain saints, and one room had an original door with bullet holes in it! There were tons of beautiful stained glass windows and a crypt with Glasgow 's patron saint whose name was Mungo! I definitely recognized it as the hospital in France from Outlander

When I was finished there, I went to the Necropolis  next to it. It was used in the 1800's because small church yards were running out of room as thousands were dying every year. It is breathtakingly incredible. I just stood at the entryway looking up at all these elaborate gravestones going in a circle higher and higher until you are actually looking over the city. John Knox, the father of the Presbyterian ⛪ church is buried there, so is the guy wrote "wee willie winkie".I am so grateful that I bought good sneakers through ortho feet... I spent about 3 hours at these places, then hopped back on the bus to get off to get some dinner before going back to the hostel. Pickings were slim on Sauchiehall St. Lots of coffee shops or street food places with kebabs and other finger foods. Finally settled on a place advertising world food. Basically it had Indian and Asian food and some American food like wings, pizza, ziti and macaroni and cheese. I really did want tio try new foods, but other than a vegetable sushie, I stuck with what I know. I did notice lots of men coming in and loading up on the Indian and Asian food. I did notice when I left that there was a place that had fried Mars bars, and tucked it int my brain!  However, I completely forgot to eat all day and it reminded of going into NYC and forgetting to eat. I am sure this is a good thing for me. I have nothing to nosh in my room and with all this. walking, just maybe I will drop some weight. That's it for todsy. good 🌙

Knackered but happy!

I am safe and in Glasgow at the moment. The plane ride to London was close to 7 hours. I have to say there are a lot of things you don't realize when you are a large lady and travelling. I had to book 2 seats, which I was well aware of, and that was fine. Even with 2 seats, I only paid 510 dollars each way. That was expected.
What I didn't think about was how close each row is to the next on these planes. I had to really squish myself into the row, the first embarrassing thing I had to deal with. The next was when the dinner arrived and I couldn't open the tray all the way, kind of like when you are on a ride at an amusement park and have to lift your stomach so they can close the bar...which is why I avoid them. Anyway, while I am angry with myself for getting this big, I know there is still hope for me as I have been pretty diligently working on my weight. Because I chose to put my extra bag under the seat in front of me, I couldn't really get comfortable enough to sleep well and the girl I was sharing the row with was asleep, so i didn't want to wake her. I knew I was ready for sleep when I realized I was nodding off while watching Rocketman. It really was good, but I was definitely dozing. So I put on my c-pap, minus the humidifier which you can't use on a plane and went to sleep, but kept waking up because my throat was so dry from the c-pap. Then, it seemed like all of a sudden breakfast was being served and we were a half hour from London. Transferring to British Airways was easy, but we had to take a shuttle to get there. It was miles away, the airport was HUGE!! I thought they were supposed to put us through customs there, but they didn't, so, I was off to Glasgow. Coming out was easy, but honest to Pete, I never went through customs! I don't know if I somehow missed it in London, there were so many
signs or they just go through your luggage somehow and okay it...I could possibly be here illegally!!
Anyway, I got a cab from the airport to the hostel I am staying at. I haven't been in a hostel since 1970 and things have changed. I was able to book a room for less than £30. The room is super tiny, with a double bed and a small bathroom with a tiny shower. But I have to say I am very happy with it. I am not the only older person here. It certainly has fit into my strategy of doing things on the cheap so I could book tours and go places here. After all, what do you do in a hotel room   - you sleep! I have a facebook friend from Edinburgh meeting me Saturday for a Highland Fling. The hotel this event is at is across the street from me. The rooms are over £200 and the fling is £100. It's one of the things I can do because of staying in the hostel. I am off to dreamland...more tomorrow.

3 More Days!!!

So, it's getting pretty close - just a few more days and I will be in Glencoe, Scotland!!
The past few days have been pretty crazy trying to get all in order - had some doctor visits, a mini scare when I had my mammo yesterday, with me having to go back today and have additional "pictures", then having to have an ultrasound, before being given an all clear - Phew! That was a little scary, I'm not lyin'.  I managed to trim my hedges which were getting close to 5 feet without losing a  finger, then sprayed the moss on the roof of my porch with a pinterest recipe to kill it and finally have almost all my storm windows painted and looking pretty. I'll hang a few of them tomorrow, then I'll have to find someone to get on a ladder to put the higher ones up, I'm not taking any chances. I still need to tackle the mold on my porch ceiling (caused by the moss on the roof), its gonna be tight, but I think I can manage....maybe......

Tomorrow after church will be a dry run of packing my tiny 22" suitcase. The more I look at it and think about needing at least a sweater or hoodie, plus some dressy clothes for the Fling, formal night on the cruise, high tea at Windsor and a charity ball, I am thinking of picking up a 26" tomorrow just to see the difference. My biggest reason for the 22" was one of the tours I booked doesn't allow luggage larger than 22", but now I am thinking if i bring a "duffle" bag as well, i could put the larger luggage in a storage facility for the 4 days and have that larger size. Hmmm.

I spent this evening making sure I had all my ducks in a row with printing out all my hotel reservations, trains, planes, buses and ferries. I think I need to sleep! Good Night all.

A New Start

    

 I kind of feel like Bilbo Baggins these days, I am about to embark on an adventure and looking at it with excitement and a little trepidation.  Life since my husband passed away has been hard. Not like desperately hard, but like a slow death every day. I knew I was suffering from depression, but frankly didn't really care. Other than going to my quilting group I had pretty much shut myself out of everything else. I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, so I just sat home staring at my computer, a book or television. Nothing was getting done, the house was a wreck and I was gaining weight yet again. But something simple happened that started a chain of events that led to this adventure springing up into my hands.

     I have wanted to go to Ireland for a long time. I talked about my dreams with my husband and he said when the right time came, I should go. I also have followed the group Celtic Thunder for 10 years and did 2 cruises with them. It didn't look like one was in the offing, but then Emmet Cahill, who I would say is my favorite because I absolutely love his voice and he is a really nice guy, announced he was going to do a European Extravaganza for his fans. There were only so many spots, so it was going to be done with advance notice and whoever got their info in quickest would get one of the "golden tickets."  I was one of the lucky ones and had fun thinking about the places I would see. Besides some places in Ireland, the tour included a cruise down the Seine with stops in Honfleur and Rouen, a stop in Liverpool and a day in Wales. But then I started thinking, well, as long as I was over there, I should see if my friend who lives in England would like a visit - she did, so I added several days on to the end of my itinerary. Then I thought well ,I am only seeing a small portion of Ireland with Emmet, maybe I should go a week before and see some other places...well you can see where this is headed I am sure. So, I am now getting ready to embark on a 2 month odyssey through Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Wales and France! Oh, and did I mention I am going alone?  That doesn't really bother me, 50 years ago when I spent 4 months overseas, I did it on my own as well. Now I know I am a senior citizen, but I really feel quite confidant about it all. I have done all my own bookings and planned my own tours. I am hoping this gives me a kickstart back into life - I am sure it will!