Rasma Raisters

The Yule Log

The heading is the name of one of the movies I love the best that stars actor Richard Gere, who was born on August 31, 1949 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I know that if this handsome actor came forth and asked me, “Shall we dance?” I would be on my feet in a second. He has starred in such popular movies like Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman and Chicago. I know that Pretty Woman despite the prostitute story reminded me of a modern day Cinderella story, and by the end of the movie when the character Gere was portraying came after Julie Roberts’ character I was both crying and cheering. It’s a real feel good movie with a touch of comedy and romance.

This is for all those movie and literature fans who have read Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire or who have seen the play or movie. My favorite version is on video and I have already watched it a dozen times at least. The movie came out in 1951 and starred Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. It was interesting to watch Vivien Leigh as the aging Blanche because she was so clearly still in my mind as the young and vibrant Scarlett in Gone With the Wind. However since Blanche was supposedly a wilted Southern bloom then she could have just as well have been Scarlett in her sunset years.

Once there was a British rock band in the 1960s, who chose to call themselves The Animals. They are best known for their number one hit single ”The House of the Rising Sun” and other hit songs which included “We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place”, “It’s My Life” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. The band was simply fantastic and I’m sure there are many of you who have heard their number one hit single played many times as it became incredibly popular and is still played on the radio today.

James Taylor is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. In 1970 Taylor came out with the hit single “Fire and Rain" followed by the number one single the following year “You’ve Got a Friend.” His Greatest Hits album in 1976 sold 12 million copies in the US. He has continued to perform and record through the decades.

In Chicago, Illinois, there is restaurant food that is exclusive to the area, such as Italian beef, the Maxwell Street Polish, the Chicago-style pizza, Chicken Vesuvio, and the Jibanto.