Bill Ott

Blue’s Clues Blue Mood | Mark’s Remarks

My boys, ages 23 and 21, are both adults and on their own.  When they were little, they both watched “Blue’s Clues.” It was a show that had lots of…

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The Eyes of Tammy Faye | Movie Review

Words like campy and cartoonish have been used to describe the lady Tammy Faye, known once as Tammy Faye Bakker and most recently before her death from colon and lung…

Drawing us closer | Mark’s Remarks

People tend to talk about “end times” when the world appears to be in a “state.”   It’s been talked about throughout history. I’m sure it was talked about in…

Phases of a life watching TV | Mark’s Remarks

In 1972, my favorite television show was Scooby Doo. My main concern in life was learning all of the sounds that the inflatable letter people were teaching us in Mrs.…

The Meddler | Mark’s Remarks

Michelle and I watched a really funny Susan Sarandon movie the other night. It was called “The Meddler” and was all about a 60-something mother who got involved in everyone’s…

First Days | Mark’s Remarks

As I begin my 32nd year of teaching school, I often shift my attention from the long list of “to do’s” and try to experience the joy of kids around…

Parenting our inner children | Mark’s Remarks

Sometimes you get some great advice. For me, it came in the form of a book called “Your Inner Child of the Past” by W. Hugh Missildine.  The advice and…

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Respect | Movie Review

With legions of fans and a status as the Queen of Soul, the late Aretha Franklin was and is a beloved icon. Fans have eagerly awaited her 2020 biopic, which finally…

Sifting and sorting | Mark’s Remarks

During the lockdown last spring, we were like a lot of families – we cooked and ate too much, we thought of home projects to do, we bought a dog,…

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Annette | Movie Review

I’m not sure where to begin. “Annette,” in theaters today and streaming Aug. 20 on Amazon Prime, is bizarre, dark, amusing (sometimes for the wrong reasons), artsy, ambitious and dramatic; yet, I…