dashing duo in paris

ok, so.....i have spent the morning teaching myself how to scan.....starting with framed photos that i want to save on flickr in a private folder....just in case.....sadly, several photos have become fused with the glass...and some like the photo featured can no longer be detached and were scanned through the glass.....hopefully, the duo pictured have asked someone to take their picture together before their adventure draws to a close.....

doctor, doctor

ok, so.....i have had a vague aching in my left jaw for a few days......which i took to be from sinuses clogged/lack of $81 sinus medicine......and then i woke up yesterday with a tender back tooth.....but the tenderness seemed to go away when i took a shower....which must have unclogged my sinuses.....but things got really tense mid afternoon.....in the parking lot of j.beth booksellers when i decided that we all needed to go home rather than out to eat because my tooth was now throbbing.....and i tried all measure of over-the-counter stuff which seemed to work for a time....but during supper the throbbing became so intense that i broke down and called our doctor...at home.....on a saturday night.....i figured twas better to call right then, rather to call in the middle of the night as i was certain that i would not sleep......and so we decided that one of three things had happened.....that my sinuses were clogged/infected, or i had an abscess on that tooth, or i had broken that tooth (it is the tooth directly above the tooth that gave me grief over thanksgiving...the dentist told me i likely have been clenching my teeth and i damaged it and the gold onlay.......) but i digress.......he had a few antibiotic tablets in his own medicine cabinet, and a few left-over painkillers from his gall bladder surgery...and he offered to hand them over to my spouse if he could come right over.....despite the bottle saying might cause drowsiness i was up most of the night....but at least my tooth stopped throbbing....and at some point my face actually popped....and so this morning i have tried to recreate the combination of otc drugs, but will hold onto the few remaining pain killers for use only under throb conditions.....hopefully we can touch base with the doctor today and figure out how to keep my face unclogged until i can see my dentist (who i do not feel i know well enough to call on a weekend) and/or i can refill my sinus prescription in the new year and under my new insurance policy which has a lower co-pay.......only 2 more full days til this, and the houseguest...shall pass.....

great day for the goodwill

ok, so...i took our guest and our daughter on a tour of my favorite goodwills this afternoon....as well as to j.beth....i cannot resist the temptation of half-off christmas cards.....and spruce-scented candles it would appear......but i digress from the goodwill experience...a stellar day....one that could only have been made perfect by the finding of something hermes.....a dream day that has not yet happened but keeps me going........i found a high-end name silk blouse...in my size that retailed for more than i spent in 2 stores on 3 people....and this includes a baby blue banana republic blouse, a matching leather purse that resembles like a berkin bag ($5.50).....a pair of brown jones new york cords, and a silk foulard scarf to wear with my black heirloom coat......also a find at $1.75.....i did purchase clothing for our guest, at her request, suitable for going to church...khakis, a black t and a black linen overshirt...to go with borrowed flats....it actually looks rather elegant.....and she agreed because her horoscope told her not to make decisions without consulting a person with good taste......i kid you not.......i must add that my jaw throbbed during the entire outing....a situation that will be remedied on wednesday when my new deductible for prescriptions kicks in and my $81 sinus potion will be only $20.......i know that enduring pain is foolish for a savings of only $61.....but principle is involved.....now that i am home and have taken a few pain relievers and held a hot compress to my face....my sinuses seem to have cleared a bit and my teeth are no chanting 'cheap, cheap,cheap'......... my daughter is peeved because i skipped out of lunch in lexington....one cannot eat when one is in misery....and now that we are back home she and our guest have taken off for parts.....known......but away from here......3 more days.....we can do this......

cooking for company.....

ok, so i am into my second week of cooking for company....by which i mean for folks who are not in our little circle of 5.......one can never think of one's own children as company...and as a mother i live to prepare my children's favorite foods.....but i digress.....i am running out of ideas for what to fix.......at this point our dinner guest cannot eat anything hard as these foods cut into her gums under her dentures....a sad state for someone only 32 years old.....we have a new guest for supper on wednesday.......a nephew traveling from illinois back to d.c.......no idea what he likes so i will cook what i know his father likes......and then thursday we are back to just the circle for a few days.....this morning our guest was with us bright and early for breakfast.....and so i made 3-potato latkes and scrambled eggs (mostly eggbeaters...) and canadian bacon....this evening i have already cooked ribs to serve with macaroni and cheese.....not much effort required, though i will make the cole slaw from scratch...not sure if cabbage is too hard, but i like slaw with my ribs.....and sometimes you have to make what you like without guilt.....

torpor

ok, so...the nytimes had a piece on new years eve that included the word torpor....which was exactly my state of mind at work on a friday as i was reading the article......i laughed out loud...and sent the article to one of the few brilliant folks i know who might appreciate the connection.....

a good thing....

ok, so.....my daughter and her birth mother are trying to piece together her family tree.....this is a good thing.....as such details are often lost in these situations....writing it all down....no birthdates....just names....but this is still a positive step....

tgif.....

ok, so...i have been thankful for friday before.....but i don't recall needing it to be friday quite so much as on this day......just need to get us all through 5 more days of a 7 day visit.....and that feat should be easier when i am here rather than a county over....

a good night's sleep.....

ok, so.....i slept like a baby last night.....which means that i worried about absolutely nothing......and this is a good thing.....too bad i have to go to work today...i would like to rest on these good-sleep laurels whist in my jammies.......

the german letter

ok, so...the german-born daughter-in-law of a co-worker translated our letter over lunch.....and it was so very sweet...and so very deja-vu...our german-kin were explaining to us in great detail just how badly their knees, hips, and other vital parts are deteriorating.....it sounded so much like sunday dinner with my own kin that i was comforted in all we have in common......we were wished a very happy new year from relatives who live in our family home built in 1561.......life doesn't get much better than this.....

ok, so....so far so good....that is all i'm saying.....

the namesake

ok, so we watched the film version of this favorite bookclub book last evening......and we were impressed by how moving the movie turned out to be......some elements were added for drama, i suppose....such as the mamma's musical career that she returns just before the credits rolled.....though it wasn't in the book it felt right, somehow....i did feel strongly the differences between my family's immigrant experience and that of this collective clan.....the german contingent went to great lengths to dissolve into society......to jettison visible/audible differences as much as possible...when my grandfather was dying in a nursing home, i asked him why i had never once heard him speak german.....and he replied that his mother had asked him....do you want to be german or american?.....whenever german came out of his mouth.....and so he chose, like so many chose.....especially in the years leading up to WWII.......and especially given what happened to the japanese immigrants......and though i know for certain that my german cousins were fighting against us at some point, i also see that they had little choice in the nazi-controlled era......kind of like the northern and southern folks had to make nice to make things move forward......but i digress from the namesake.....other than to acknowledge that i have no idea what it feels like to be visibly and audibly different......and why this movie was so moving in its desire to help me understand just that notion......

on my plate the day after christmas....

ok, so....so here is the short list......make copy of german letter so co-workers daughterinlaw might translate it......begin work on department's new web site (the last paid consultant got the boot and took it down, but that is another story; we will be tagging on to ky.gov, and there are few choices to be made with site design)....send in my syllabus for the spring semester........get gas for the car.....drive to l-ville to pick up birth mother ......this last part is coloring the day, even though it will take place after work......and for the rest of the year.....

christmas run/walk

ok, so....i decided to go with my spouse at 10:00 am this morning to the annual xmas walk/run that begins in front of a friend's house in rolling meadows.....because my spouse assured me that walkers would be there.....he named names, and so it never occurred to me that there would be no walkers.....not even somebody who would decide to walk instead of run.....and so i walked for 30 minutes with my hat pulled down over my face, because i felt so conspicuously NOT from the rolling meadow/indian hills area......given that it was christmas morning, i had no fears that anybody would construe me as a villain casing the collective joint...but still.....the few cars that did go buy gave me the you don't live around here once-over as they passed slowly by.......the runners were not back when i finished with my long loop...and so i sat on the front steps and petted the host's cat...until a runner's spouse walked by with her mother and her brother-in-law (visibly winded from their agonizingly slow pace.)...and so i joined them for another loop....nice to catch up with folks i only see on occasion......and one who knew exactly why i was in her neighborhood......and who apologized for not being there earlier to walk......

spinach casserole

ok, so....we make this casserole in this terracotta duck every christmas.....

2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 large jar or can artichoke hearts, cut in half; drained
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Arrange artichoke hearts in bottom of casserole dish, or duck. Arrange well-squeezed spinach on top. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter and parmesan cheese; spread over spinach. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cream cheese is getting golden around the edges and the casserole appears a bit bubbly. If baking in a duck, remove top top for last 10 minutes of cooking time. Replace duck (top) before serving.

merry christmas to all

ok, so......i acknowledge that 10:30 is a bit early to go to bed on christmas eve.....but we are tired....and old......to all of those who will rise 6 hours earlier in a distant time zone.....we wish you a very merry lunch gathering...and hope that those who must make their train leave plenty of time......

christmas greetings auf deutch......

ok, so now that the family's sole german speaker is away, we received christmas greetings from the family contingent in lambsheim......all we know is that both edwin and his wife are alive and well enough to sign their names.....cannot wait to read what they had to say.......when we last wrote to them we asked specifically about the property that edwin had leased out now that he cannot no longer tend....what?.....that is what we wanted to know....my mother tells of how her grandfather from lambsheim was a wine drinker, and edwin's cellar was full of wine bottles without labels...and so in my fantasy his kin grow grapes........

p.s. i love you....

ok, so...i took the youngest to the movies this afternoon...to see this movie made from the book she bought in paris...yeah.....most people who go to paris do not buy tear-jerker chick-lit as a memento.......and while she was miffed most of the movie....with outbursts of that wasn't in the book, i found myself weeping from start to finish....and i had not read the book, nor have any plans to read it......and it was not like i could identify with any of the characters.....other than the notion that the lead female's husband died young, which has not happened.....but does cross my mind....say....on sunday mornings when he is late for church and i fear that he is in a ditch somewhere...his bike on top of him....or tuesday/thursday/saturday when he goes out to run in the pre-dawn dark/rain...this guy died from a brain tumor not a running or biking accident and the dying part we are spared.....it is her getting on with life that makes the movie.....i must have needed a good cry...because right now i feel great........

polishing copper

ok, so.....my aim on this december 24 was to stay in lounge about until noon......nearly there.....and to catch up on potentially dirty tasks before i get around to getting dressed.....and so i decided today was the day i would return my copper omelet pan to its original splendor....and i am close.....oh so close.....just trying to figure out how to get black burnt-on grease streaks off without scratching.....the pan will look picture perfect when i make my holiday latkes in the morning....i am now off to clean out the vegetables drawers......not a job that is ever high on my list...but i might as well as my sleep shirt is already smudgy and the clothes i intend to wear are still in the dryer.....i also plan on working on a load for the goodwill out of my side of the closet......not necessarily holiday-related chores.....but there is not another soul in this house at the moment...so nobody to entertain or cater to.........or at least until later on......when i will actually wrap the gifts......i always out this off until the last minute because it seems to add the christmas eve excitement......fix dinner, eat dinner, go church, and then come home and wrap gifts.....

the winter solstice....

ok, so in all of the to-do getting my eldest to the airport....which ended up not being a big deal because in lexington there was no line for delta, and no line for security...but then if i had not rushed to get there he would have had to wait.....mothers just know these things....we did make a stop at j.beth to buy him a moleskine journal, and the display was vastly depleted, and all that was there were packs of three thinner journals.....and the line had 50+ winding back toward the cafe.......but i darted down the escalator to the children's department and waited only 5 minutes in back of 2, but i digress......after my darling boy disappeared past the security station towards his gate.....i opted to go on home rather than to take the chance that all stores had 50+ in lines, and no alternative cash register downstairs....we (the collective we.....) decided to break out the movies purchased for christmas as family gifts......we watched the bourne ultimatum first.....a marvelous thriller that was better than the first two of the series.......and then after supper we watched the last of the pirates of the carribean, which was every bit as bad as i remembered it.....my brother described it as fit for the rubbish bin.....we still have harry potter to watch, though i shall put it last as my spouse and i watched it not only in the theatre, but also going to and from paris in november.....and ocean's thirteen....my daughter asked for the entire gilmore girls' 7 seasons on dvd......didn't spring for all 7, but purchased enough to keep her busy until school starts...but i frankly i do not see our remaining kin huddled around the set watching these shows.....my daughter will be miffed that i did not purchased the last die hard movie.....nor spiderman's latest.....there were several movies i declined to buy......but i digress.....another scrabble evening would have been a better way to spend an evening than the pirates movie......speaking of spending an evening.....i kept waking up in time to worry about just where my boy was in the scheme of things in the air?.....on the ground waiting in the immigration line?.....on the rer train into town?.....heading toward the louvre?.....no word so far.......but having scoured the newswires for any mention of aviation disaster i must conclude that my overnight vigilance kept the plane aloft.......

and they're off.....

ok, so....my eldest is aloft, and heading for paris......for a marvelous holiday adventure.......oh to be young and footloose.....

scrabble nights

ok, so....we enjoyed a second night of scrabble after shakertown last night, partly for the fun of it and mainly to give ourselves something to do until my brother arrived...which he eventually did....seems the d.c. traffic getting out of town and on into maryland was bumper to bumper and 20 mph for quite a ways.....and as it happens he didn't miss much.....our dinner at s-town was not up to dinners past.....though the overall downer-mood could also be because of the list of people missing....not only a brother but a child and a girlfriend who stayed in nyc doing data entry for her ph.d. advisor rather than come home for the holidays.....ah well.....things change and we must change with those things......but i digress from scrabble...the eldest went on to beat us all again.....with a whopping score......must wait til after the holidays to play him again......we drive him to the airport after lunch......bon voyage.....

best-laid plans.....

ok, so......we delayed the beginning of our eldest's european holiday so that we could all go to shakertown together with my brother......but the annual meal is this evening, and as of 9:15 my brother had not yet left his house.....in the d.c. area.....gentle readers.....he will have to drive like a maniac to get from there to shaker village by 7:00 tis evening.....and given his state of health....he doesn't feel well, hence the traveling delay.....i am hoping he takes his time and arrives safely even if he doesn't make the dinner.......

tidings of comfort and joy....

ok, so this from the nytimes.....One woman's kindness to a fellow Starbucks patron resulted in more than a thousand others spreading the holiday-season generosity in this northwest Washington town.

A regular patron at the chain had paid for the person in line behind her a few times before, according to The Everett Herald. But on Wednesday, her good deed set off a chain of 1,013 customers paying for the next person's drink.

Many coffee shop patrons tacked on an extra $10 or $20, which shift manager Sarah Nix said Starbucks Corp. will donate to its ongoing holiday toy drive.

The seemingly spontaneous pay-it-forward run ended at 6:20 a.m. Friday, a store employee said. The name of the iced-tea drinker who started it remains unknown.

even more about my germanic kin

ok, so.....my mother had gone off the deep end about the note specifically to her in the email from austria.....first, she was convinced that gertrude must be confused because she made a statement about how all of the schauer family is gone in the same sentence as she reported that her spouse had passed away....and that it could not be so because gertrude was a schauer....and then she went home and called her sister in cleveland, and they decided that gertrude was confused because schauer was her sister's married name, and her sister had a son/family and that the family couldn't be gone...and when i suggested that she might be referring to her spouse's family- mentioned int eh same sentence- all a translated sentence she insisted that if the spouse was somehow related to her sister's husband her sister would have known about it......and then my mother proceeded to say that she and her sister would send a letter to gertrude 'setting her straight'.....wtf?.......we american cousins cannot be sending letters to 90+ year old german/austrian cousins telling them that they don't know their own heritage/family ties as well as we do........thankfully, the eldest will be translating,a nd he will have the sense to leave out the outrageous parts......

playing as a team.....

ok, so this from jossip.com.....A security supervisor at Catfish Bend Casinos in Iowa was fired for putting up the Dilbert cartoon featured. He wasn’t a “team player.” Apparently at Catfish Ben Casinos, watching security footage to see who put up an innocuous cartoon is a team player move.

worried-mother syndrome

ok, so....i have come down with an extra-virile case of worried-mother syndrome....most unwelcome during the holidays...but then again...what better time to worry about each and every details surrounding the lives of ones children than during the holidays?...there are gift worries, baked goods to worry over....travel arrangements to agonize about......makes me tired just thinking about all i could be worrying about if i only had the definitive list......

more about the austrian kin...

ok, so....must get out the genealogy charts to make sure the connections between my sons and the austrian relatives they will visit are clear.....what i do know is that the elderly mother (gertrude) still living is a woman my mother corresponded with as a child, and that my mother and her sister sent clothing to this woman and her sister (elizabeth) along with staple foodstuffs like sugar and flour to her family after the war. We visited the sister in Hanau in 1972 on a family trip to Europe, but did not visit gertrude because we did not go to vienna let alone past it to lassie......my parents did go there sometime in the early 80's at the time my brother was living in germany......the folks we visited in lambsheim would be cousins....and everybody would be related in some fashion to my great-grandfather michael stephan....i figure that the folks who answered the eldest's letter of introduction are my age or a bit older, given that their mother is a bit older than my mother....but i digress......i am pleased that contact has been made, a reply received, and potential plans agreeable on both sides.....

far-flung kin

ok, so...my sons will meet up with more far-flung kin....outside of vienna.....cousins to the folks we met up with in lambsheim a few years back...my parents traveled there to visit when i was still in graduate school.....and so they emailed kind greetings to my mother.....the email was in german, of course.....thankfully somebody on this trip will have a clue was is being said......

no words to describe this....

ok, so this from jezebel.com.....an extra-special wedding is taking place in Times Square: Jennifer Cannon and Doy Nichols of Lexington, Kentucky are tying the knot in the Charmin Restrooms. The bride is wearing a dress made out of Charmin toilet paper, the design of one Hanah Kim, winner of the 2007 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest. Interestingly, the dress is actually really pretty.

a bit of fun.....

ok, so....go to this site for a bit of relaxing splatter painting......remember....your mouse is your brush and a click changes color

flashback....

ok, so...i had a brief flashback whilst addressing christmas cards to out-of-town folk.....a fleeting vision of stephan taking a picture of reese in the holiday trimmings aisle at the lexington target.....while i was selecting these very same cards at 50% off...no idea if this is a false memory...something made up in a dream.......i do like the cards, though.....

dazed and confused....

ok, so....i slept so soundly that i never heard my spouse leave to run, and when the alarm went off (which in our case means when NPR came on)...the blaring words caught me off guard and i was for a moment dazed and confused.....i get up the same way every day.....a few minutes to lay back down and listen to the headlines, maybe the first 3 minute story if it is about something other than blood and guts....then on downstairs to make coffee, then out to the road to get the newspaper while the coffee brews....and then on to the p.c. to check to see if any emails are from .fr........all this takes under 10 minutes......and is repeated even on days when i do not have to go to work.....the timetable if not the actual timeframe....what can one say about a life governed by coffee and media?.....

from cnn....

ok, so this from cnn...... Richard Desrosiers never made it to Heinz Field to watch his beloved Steelers play football, but his widow helped him fulfill his dream in death.

Karen Desrosier says taking her husband's ashes to a Steelers' game was "an overwhelming experience." Thanks to some help from sympathetic donors, Kathleen Desrosiers attended Sunday's game, bringing an urn with some of her late husband's ashes, as well as his ring and two pictures of him. He had died in March of a brain tumor.

"I couldn't take the tumor away. I couldn't take the pain away. I couldn't make him better. But I can do this," Kathleen Desrosiers, 60, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Though he lived in Exeter, New Hampshire, Richard Desrosiers adopted the Steelers at an early age and followed them closely. He named his dog Steeler and his wardrobe, by his widow's estimate, was 95 percent Steelers gear.

Braving the biting cold and the Steelers' disappointing 29-22 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Desrosiers waved her new Terrible Towel, showed off her painted face and warmed her head with a Steelers hat. She called it "an overwhelming experience."

vinyl.....

ok, so.....we put aside the christmas cd's....and dusted off our collection of vinyl albums.....starting with dan fogelberg's first home free...his voice is so very clear and lilting in this 1972 work.....the last time we saw him on a televised production it was after he had started treatment, and he was a bit rusty......so very glad we still have the turntable....which is not connected to anything techie...cannot transfer any of our old music to cd or digital...but we can still be in the moment with our music memories....by the way...it was an experience looking through our albums.....pink floyd, crosby,stills, nash and young, eric clapton, carole king, jackson browne, the eagles, joni mitchell, simon and garfunkel, bruce springstein, bob dylan, joe walsh, steely dan, jethro tull, james taylor.......

re-certification

ok, so....i got my letter yesterday confirming that i have successfully re-certified as a diabetes educator for the next 5 years.....the letter hinted at changes in the process for the next re-up...and so i dutifully studied the website....and discovered to my horror that these people expect me to document on a daily basis times i spend with diabetic clients, starting january 1, 2008.....i can also count time that i read about diabetes, attend diabetes trainings and meetings, and plan events that involve diabetes.....the notion that i have to keep a log is annoying...not a deal breaker....but certainly an additional tedium to an already tedious job.....

sleeves too long....

ok, so...i logged on to salon.com...one of my fave sites...and i had to gaze for a few moments on the ad du jour.....one for cashmere sweaters one could buy as a very special christmas gift...on sale now at macy's....and i was appalled...not by the price...but by the sleeve length as portrayed on the model...who looked 12, but that is another rant entirely.....this poor girlk had sleeves so long as to cover her hands....gentle readers......there are few things more annoying in my humble opinion, that wearing a garment with the sleeves too long....the shirt i am wearing at this very minute....liz claiborne....has a very lice feel for cotton knit, is of a tuckable length, but has sleeves that are about an inch too long....so much so that they tend to fold up as i type, and as i write at work...and the very ends tend to drag in my food if i am not mindful....so why, oh why...would i desire a cashmere garment that might drag in my food?......

hope this isn't true.....

ok, so this from gawker......For the bargain basement price of $275, the New Museum will provide you with the perfect accessory for your delusions of grandeur and persistent copraphobia: Gilded poo! The Museum actually sells capsules stuffed with gold leaf, "each approximately 1 inch long," in "sets of three," which they suggest that you swallow upon purchase. "Pure gold passes straight through the body and ends up in your stool resulting in sparkly shit!" according to their website. (The gold pills are made by long-ago Gawker fave Just Another Rich Kid.) If you're an actual museum member, they'll knock the price down to $247.50. Does that include a museum staff member willing to bear witness to the these Turds of Treasure when they materialize?

the downside of on-line....

ok, so now that i am taking stock of all i have ordered for the youngest and only child to be at home for xmas.....i noted with horror that what i thought was a cardboard stabilizer at the bottom of the box was an LP....rather than a cd that i had ordered.....wtf?......why on earth would that have been a choice that came up with a search on amazon for a relatively new cd?.....i had this happen once with audio rather than cd's of a book....must pay more attention to these potential spoilers.....and obviously, must return the conundrum LP

part of the plan

ok, so i read with great sadness that dan fogelberg passed away over the weekend from prostate cancer......he had announced that he was actively fighting the disease back in 2004, when he canceled a concert tour......i was fortunate enough to see dan as a backup guy for the eagles back in 1976, and then again when he was promoting his nether lands album.....as well as twin sons of different mothers with tim weisburg......it was a song from that album called since you asked, a cover, but still a powerful song, that we had read at our wedding.....dan's music made my life much more meaningful......from 'part of the plan'...all of the answers you seek can be found in the dreams that you dream along the way.....and the chorus goes like this...

Love when you can
Cry when you have to...
Be who you must
That’s a part of the plan
Await your arrival
With simple survival
And one day we’ll all understand...

lime tea cookies

ok, so this recipe came from m.s.'s website, but i didn't especially like how martha made them...so i made them my own way....

1 1/2 sticks butter at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
grated zest of 2 limes
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp vanilla (I prefer mexican)
1 3/4 cup flour
4 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

With an electric mixer, cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Beat in lime zest, lime juice and vanilla. Add cornstarch and salt to mixture, and beat thoroughly, then add flour and beat thoroughly. Draw dough together into a ball, cover, and chill for at least one hour. Roll out on a floured board to 1/4 inch thick; cut with a small cutter- I use my fluted cutter from Dehillerin- and place on greased cookie sheets. This cookie does not spread, so cookies can be placed 3/4 inch apart without fear. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes, or until bottoms are barely brown. Cool. Place remaining powdered sugar in a flat-bottomed container. Coat both sides of each cookie with sugar. Cookies may be stored in airtight containers or frozen. Makes at least 4 cookie sheets full of cookies.....i didn't count!

christmas card hall of fame....

ok, so.....i finished baking 4 kinds of cookies just in time yesterday to place an assortment in a tin to give to ernst's brother james and his wife barb as they arrived......i have plenty to fill more tins, but i digress.....i have a sequence in mind of how my christmas preparations must go......and the cookies fell before the evergreen arch over the door and the christmas letter....even the cookies had to wait til the eku tests were graded and the final grades tallied and posted on-line.....and so i have started the christmas letter, and emailed the draft to those who are mentioned there-in...the tradition of letter-review stems from the year my mother announced in the family letter that i had miscarried twins.....which was a possibility, but had not been determined and was frankly nobody's business outside my own circle of friends.....after that i have always gotten a call asking me what is allowable for all to know, and what we'd rather not disclose.....in fact, it has become a joke between my brother and i...the notion that some things are to be kept to ourselves lest they be sent out in letter form to everybody our parents ever met........the christmas letter tradition goes back to my childhood, when my dad spent considerable time penning our family missive, which listed in great detail our travels for the year...now that my own family sends cards a letter makes a lot of sense, especially for folks we don't see often and who we don't generally hear from until we get their letters.....no idea how to casually mention my record-breaking two trips to france in a single year without it sounding like bragging.....

flap over adoption failure

ok, so......one of the big internet stories this week was about a dutch couple (diplomats) who relinquished their 7 year old adopted korean child to authorities in hong kong, saying that the match had not been a good fit.....bloggers such as michelle malkin have made this couple out to be heathens or worse....but i must give quarter to this couple.....and to their critics, i have only one question to ask.....just how many children have you adopted?.....i am fairly sure that malkin herself is no adoptive parent.....few folks are despite the high profile celebrity adopters featured so frequently in the news......adoption is hard.....there is such a thing as a bad fit.....and while it is clearly possible that these parents did not try very hard to make it work......i can not fault them for failing.

old times

ok, so this afternoon i dropped by the aldi for a few things before i went to the movie.....and i ran into some folks i used to work with at the hospital in what seems now like a previous life....and this person, who i knew for 18 years on the job....asked if it was true that my spouse and i were no longer together.....wtf?....where did that come from?.....i laughed, and then assured her that she must be talking about me leaving the restaurant, not my marriage.....that was a big breakup, and one that had nothing to do with wedded bliss.....curious that this is a rumor that she dated to be several years old, and one that i have not heard.....my best guess is that after i started working out of town, and therefore shopping on my way home.....i am not out and about in d-ville as i once was.....so if folks see my spouse my himself....that is a conclusion that one could erroneously make.....i must not let this encounter with an old friend disturb my day.....or my weekend.....still have much to do on my list.....

the golden compass

ok, so....i took the youngest to the early show....and i was surprised that i enjoyed the movie at all given some of the reviews....i suppose those who read the books felt that a lot was left out......one can feel that sort of angst when there are a lot of story lines and the director/producer/screenwriters had to pick and choose.....but walking in and knowing nothing about the adventure save that the catholic church is offended is good enough for me.....i enjoyed what i saw....and am now torn...do i read the books and be disappointed next round...or just wait til the sequels are made to find out how it all works out.....

TGIF...

ok, so.....i have many miles to go before i sleep on this next-to-the-last friday before christmas......i work a few hours in my furtherest away county......but this is ok because i can hit a goodwill, and buy wine on the my way back...and lunch on decent hot/sour soup...one that uses those little black tree-like mushrooms.....and is generous with the tofu......and after work i really mist shop for our weekend houseguests...arriving tomorrow.....which means i do have time to take the youngest to see the golden compass, finish those holly cookies and maybe tidy up yet today.....and i really would like to make my annual arch out of greenery...the one i put above the front door......and maybe even put the white lights around the shrubbery.....and write the christmas letter.......it could happen.....

increasingly dangerous cheeses....

ok, so thanks to the LO for this link......

little red candies.....

ok, so.....i have a confession.....much as i have not a sweet bone in my body....i have a passion for those little cinnamon redhots......a love affair almost as old as i...when my grandmother in cleveland kept them in a glass candy dish on her coffee table.....and if my brother and i worked together, he could lift the lid, and i could scoop out a handful for each of us....and he would have the lid back on and both of us out the door before anybody was the wiser.....at some point my grandmother caught on....and moved her dish to the shelf above the kitchen sink.....one had to be mighty crafty, or actually do the dishes by hand to get a quick taste.......gentle readers, one could simply ask grandma for a handful, but if it were close to dinner....the answer would be no.......hence the stealth....as if we were clever in the least.....just think what a couple of handfuls of redhots does to one's tongue.....it was not like nobody knew.....but i digress from the redhots now in a dwindling bag in the corner cupboard's top shelf.....i bought them to make holly leaf cut-out cookies...the cookies are baked...all we need do is to make the green frosting....3 candies go on each one.....maybe tomorrow.....if there are candies left

disappointment....

ok, so...of the five students who had yet to turn in projects due 2 weeks ago prior to the final.....a total of zero made the effort......four of the five actually showed up to take the final.....which has the same point value as the project......and one of those four actually admitted that she had not had time to do a project (worth a fifth of her grade?)....who doesn't have time for that?.....one person failed to show up for the final and failed to turn in a project......no idea what happened to him....he never called nor emailed......and the saddest part.....i feel responsible for their irresponsibility......must get over it......

a cat out of the closet

ok, so...the clawing began about 3:18 am......rhythmic clawing...seriously panicked clawing.....and that only means one thing....that the damned cat has gotten herself shut up in our closet, and she just woke up from her long winter's nap, and she won't stop until she gets out of the closet.....curiously, she will not meow when she finds herself in this position.....no....she will simply claw under the door hoping to move it.....which is entirely possible, as it is one of those folding doors...this is a cat who once opened the back door off the deck by hanging off of the french handle with just the right position......but one cannot count on success in the middle of the night.....but for someone who wakes up to this noise, and desires to go back to sleep...the only hope is to get on up and open the door for her......

the nobels.....

ok, so i neglected to mention neither the nobel ceremony held this week, nor the benefit concert held in its wake.....i did take the time to watch the youtube version of melissa etheridge's academy award-winning i've got to wake up.....somehow i find the reminder the polar bears are drowning as the most disconcerting of all that was presented in an inconvenient truth...meanwhile dubya is teaching his dog to be a guide at the white house......what is wrong with this picture?

liquids on planes....

ok, so this from one of my fave blogs.....Wonkette salutes an unidentified 64 year-old German man who had it up to here with the stupid rules about carrying liquids on airplanes. The poor soul was just trying to make his way home to Dresden from Egypt when airport security in Nuremburg told him he’d either have to pay to check his liter bottle of vodka or throw it away. In protest, the gentleman chugged the entire bottle while security watched. He didn’t make his flight to Dresden, but that’ll teach those young whippersnappers.

food photo therapy

ok, so...i must give credit today to the food photographer whose lovely quenelle lifted my spirits this morning......i am intrigued by the science of food, and the photo as compared to the google search were a mismatch.......and that is the best part of cooking to me.....the figuring out how it was done.....a raison d'etre.....on the other hand, maybe a trip to lyon in search of the perfect quenelle in lemon butter sauce is in order......

glass half-full

ok, so.....i appreciated the phone call this evening to check on my emotional state......yes...this has been a most trying week......and promises to be a most exasperating month.....but i have to keep coming back to reality...i have dealt with much worse.....and lived to tell the tale.....this is not about me....and i must not let it become so to suit others......if anything this will be fodder for many a best-seller....the funniest part so far has been the phone message changing the appointment....the caller totally mispronounced the clients name...and when the client heard it she threw down her belongings as if the mispronunciation was the root of her problems.....sadly, this center of the storm has not yet figured out that her siblings have the potential to make her into an icon......i kinda see myself as played by meryl, by the way......in this drama that is mostly kept to ourselves to date....i have not shared this with my own mother......

appointments.....

ok, so....i moved around my entire day tomorrow to take someone to an appointment....only to arrive home to a voice message that advised that the appointment had been changed from morning to afternoon......so i will have to go in to work tomorrow and re-arrange again to make it work.......a notion that i find hysterical considering that in my line of work...one sets appointments.....and people come in when they damn well please.....in public health nothing happens before 9...even 10 in the morning because nobody keeps these appointments....these folks will show-up at random times in a matter of hours, or days, or weeks...and be in complete surprise that they are not in standing at check=in scheduled time slot......

as labeled.....

ok, so.....the photo as labeled in flickr has drawn 19 views......many more than our little circle of friends...which means that there are folks out there with search engines trained toward....such labeled articles......and i had quite forgotten the street market photo taken in paris that reminded me of amelie....that photo also drew a crowd until i changed the label.......gentle readers.....i fail to see the interest that anyone could find in what are now part of my gardening attire......

december 11

ok, so...my middle child shares a birthday with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (dissident Russian writer) born in 1918, Hector Berlioz (musician) born in 1803..John Kerry born in 1943..and Mos Def (rapper)born in 1978...a curious gathering of talent.......

a realization

ok, so...we started to put up the tree this evening, but stopped short because we never put up the tree til 12/11......in deference to our middle child's birthday.....all of the trimmings are now in the house....it took several trips...and it was at this point that it occurred to me that christmas boils down to THAT which we are willing to go out into the dark and wet to retrieve from the garage attic.....in my case it is the german whirly-gig that has the 3 wise men going around in circles whilst angels hold up candles, the heat from which spins the wooden sails at the top, which in turn...moves the wisemen......got that?.....i also went out in search of the santa on bicycle........the obscenely large christmas santa that my mother bought for us a few years back because it included a bicycle.....which was supposed to excuse the large financial expenditure made on our behalf.....i didn't recognize it at first, as it was enclosed in an extra-large trash bag.......and i was distracted by all of the junk that we have in the attic of the garage that i have completely forgotten about.....stuff, stuff, and more stuff.....and apparently things we cannot live without....granted...many things belong to child #1.....things he didn't need in his current place but might need at some point.....and when/if he moves abroad next year we must move around stuff to make room for his stuff.....i am already saving to visit him where ever he is......

up to 20 million people applied for the 20,000 tickets

ok, so... i have read numerous write-ups of the led zeppelin reunion one-off benefit concert.....and i had no idea that the market for these tickets was so fierce......wow......not surprising that the quotes from pleased concert-goers were of my age group......who else could afford tickets that cost $300.....not including the plane ticket over to london, the hotel, etc.....i imagine the folks who were able to make the trip and see the show have always regretted that they didn't make the journey to see them in their heyday.....there are whispers of a reunion tour.....now that john bonham's son has taken over the drums......

a weepy and teary-eyed MM

ok, so....tomorrow is the 21st birthday of the middle child, and though i have hugged and kissed him no fewer than 30 days ago...it is still difficult to be away from one's offspring on the anniversary of delivery.....i have already gotten out the delivery photos.....and lacking a scanner cannot upload the best ones.....he wouldn't return my calls if i did......but still this mother has so many reason to be proud on such a day......

so old, so old.....

ok, so.....waking up the day after an 8-mile hike in rain and mud is humbling.....i could barely walk to the curb to get the newspaper......thankfully, my fitter spouse is also complaining of sore muscles.....we await the awakening of the youngest...who boasted at supper that she was NOT sore......i'm betting on her complaining the loudest of us all.....

17:32

ok, so if you can soare 17:32....watch oprah on the stump for obama in s.carolina......

otter creek walk/run

ok, this was the best photo i took during my 8 mile/3 hour hike in the mist/ooze/rain.......one only does these things for love....i never actually saw the promised ohio river overlook because of the fog....and the rain....and it was meaningful to walk where john j audubon walked...i made time to read the markers......the rest of the photos are on flickr.....i would say i'll never do this again, but we really do have a great time with our friends at this event.....

fox in suburban d.c.

ok, so my little brother took this picture of a fox in his backyard in reston, va.....the fox looks almost asleep......how's that for not-especially worried.....

the otter creek run/hike

ok, so we leave soon for l-ville...to join 25 of our friends for dinner at the doe run inn, and to run/hike either an 8 mile loop around otter creek state park, or a 16 mile loop.....i have added extra music to my ipod shuffle,and recharged it to make sure that i am prepared for the 3 hour-tour....surely i can manage 20 minute miles and be done before noon.....of course, if it is raining.....i'm going back to the inn for breakfast and to read the paper and drink coffee by the fireplace......

sunday school project

ok, so this morning my sunday school class drove down to casey county with 2 large loads of canned goods that we collected for the galilean home...we were also able to tour rambling facilities, which includes angel house, where 21 babies are now cared for while their mothers are in prison, and blessing house, where another twenty or so handicapped adults are cared for....there are other children there, and a school.......quite an operation funded solely by donation.

imagine all the people...

ok, so......today marks 27 years since john lennon was gunned down outside his apartment building by a crazed fan......a few of his own words to remember him by...

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

6:00 news....

ok, so...there were 2 different ads for mitch mc connell during the wlex 6:00 newscast......he is not up for re-election til next year....seems a bit early to be airing ads....especially ones that make it sound like he walks on water.....with tobacco farmers....and war-mongers......

when life is un-blog-able

ok, so...this has been a tumultuous week.....and completely un-blog-able, even by my standards.....and just when i thought things could not get any worse....i find that i thought too soon.......nobody is an any legal trouble, physical danger, or doctrinal limbo......that is the good part.....but there is so much room for family misery that does not entail any of the above mentioned big ticket issues.........i can survive if i keep reminding myself that this is not about me......

mitt is no jfk......

ok, so......i was not even in kindergarten when jfk was elected.....but i can still assure you, my gentle readers.....the mitt romney is no jfk.....and his numerous non-military sons are no caroline nor john-john......

don't cry for me......

ok, so....i worked til 9:00 on monday night, which means i need only work a single hour tomorrow to be off till monday morning....and though i could use vacation time and not go in at all....i have things to do...and wish to save my time till i really want to not come in.....and so i plan to finalize the final exam for my class tomorrow and email out a study guide...and then look at the projects that must be graded by next week....and if i was at home i wouldn't be awake to do all of this...so i will put in my hour then come back home alert and ready to roll.....i am curious to look at the projects...or at least count them up...there are at least 2 missing...from older students who should have heeded the email that announced that projects received after today would be at reduced credit given that they are already 7 days late......gentle readers.....i do not mean to be MEAN....but these people knew the due date in august.....and it is not like this project is rocket science...i am looking forward to a series of thursdays where upon i just come on home rather than stop at eku-dville for a few hours......yeah, there is no money in coming on home.....and this extra money funds my foreign travel......but sometimes a woman likes to just come on home.....

surreal moment....

ok, so....in my thursday county there is an 82-year old woman who brings her own seat cushion to the diabetes support group faithfully every month...for the past 3 years i've been leading the group....she dips deeper and deeper into random chatter....but today her stream-of consciousness was priceless......the group of pondering the added stress of houseguests on blood glucose control.....when my elderly friend abruptly drew her bottle of diabetes pills out of her purse, and announced to the group (eight- a decent enough crowd) that her doctor had put her on pills....and she wanted us to know that she was upset about it, because she had been able to manage her diabetes on diet ever since kathy c-dub, the dietitian up to the hospital in d-ville had put her on a diet, and she wanted everybody to know that kathy c-dub had kept her off of pills all of this time....at which point the other ladies started twittering...and she looked me in the face and asked if i knew kathy c-dub......and the lady closest to my elderly friend turned to her and said....don't you know that this IS kathy c-dub?......and she said very quietly that i couldn't be her because kathy c-dub works up to the hospital in d-ville.......gentle readers......i suppose the joke is on me...because i have no memory of ever working with this woman who claims that i kept her off medicine for 7 years.......

from the personal ads.....

ok, so...this ad was in the new york magazine recently, according to gawker...wow...wonder if a rich stranger did front them the cash to buy the bigger apt?......

blog 4811

ok, so....this not a milestone blog.....just the 4th or 5th on this free day off......we sat and watched austin city limits...the decemberists were smoking...the female keyboardist was incredible...at one point she switched off and played the accordion.......and my spouse's response was....they may be good, but they are not the shins.....yeah, well....this is true...but one must appreciate musicians who are more interested in storytelling and musical excellence than pop-ish riffs.....much as i like the shins...they remind me too much of the beach boys.....which brings me to yet another pop theme.....slate.com had a piece today about how stairway to heaven almost ruined led zeppelin.. ...i would try to describe the ins and outs of how rock critics find fault with stairway to heaven......but i have never required my rock gods to make a lick of sense.....so why ask it of them at this late date....30 or more years after i was smitten......the fact that i can remember those lyrics is encouraging as my brain ages so distressingly......i turned on the news at 6:00...and there was a story about a woman with dementia who had wandered away from a lexington green restaurant at 2:30....and was finally recovered at 5-ish.....in fayette mall by the sears store......without a coat...and i was horrified to recognize her as a member of my church.....how she managed to cross traffic is anybody's guess......i felt great sympathy for her family...because my dad in his day would wander.....in and out of houses in our neighborhood.....my greatest fear is that i will live long enough to be that woman who wanders out of eateries and across main thoroughfares...and no longer remember the lyrics to classic rock songs....

more about the cat.....

ok, so.....at one point this evening, the cat sat at the back door in nearly the same posture as my caped-cat avatar.....and it was a revelation.....that if i had more days at home like this i would likely turn to making cat costumes.....and that would be a tragic waste of.....not initiative...because making cat costumes takes enormous self-motivation.....but certainly a waste of the voice of reason in public health.....so tomorrow it is back to work i go....and my cat will have to make do with the coat god gave her......

my afternoon with the cat

ok, so....i woke up after my lovely 2 1/2 hour nap with the cat sleeping/purring basically op top of me......for me, a nap is a glorious thing....but for the cat it seems like business as usual.....i'm just saying......i failed to remember anything i dreamed during that nap...which is unusual, but i will chalk that up to the dental novocain......i can feel my mouth, lips and nose again.....and i am mighty hungry.....curiously, what sounds good is an omelet.....and fried potatoes...even though i had eggs and hash browns this morning at the cracker barrel....must not have had enough.....

one-sided conversation

ok, so....i am back from the dentist and will move on toward my long-awaited nap....have nothing else that i can do....under the circumstances.....my dentist decided that now was the time to replace old fillings....and to do that meant numbing both the front and right side of my mouth.....and even now that i am home i have a hard time bringing my lips together close enough to sip tea.....and when i called my spouse from the dentist's parking lot to tell him that i was not going to switch out my car for his truck to go get a christmas tree, i could hardly annunciate words clearly when lips were involved....but i digress from the dentist himself.....who decided at this particular dental appointment to recall events he had attended at the restaurant i once owned....and to talk at great lengths about how the newest in a series of new owners have run the business into the ground.....gentle readers......the last thing i needed, given my numb nose and lips, and jaw, was to have to sit and listen to things i try very hard not to dwell upon........

play day.....

ok, so today is our annual free day off....well...almost free.....we meet at 9:30 am at cracker barrel for breakfast, and then we can do with the day what we wish.....most are going shopping...i plan to buy a christmas tree either before or after i go to the dentist.....i also hope to take a nap.....with only one person to shop for, and that shopping nearly done......i see no reason to shop when i could sleep.......

unspoken needs......

ok so.....in my sunday school class...there is an understood prayer for those who have unspoken needs.......and gentle readers....i need those prayers this day.......

boycott?

ok, so this from one of my favorite gossip blogs.....christian groups are calling for a boycott of Nicole Kidman’s new film, The Golden Compass.

The movie is based on the book The Northern Lights by British author Philip Pullman, which is anti-religious and against organized faith.

Even though filmmakers are claiming any anti-Christian undertones have been removed from the movie, the Catholic League and others are worried that kids will be inspired to buy the book and are urging parents to keep them away from it.

seriously, gentle readers.....you'd have thought that these groups learned their lesson with H.Potter.....telling folks not to read a book or see a movie guarantees that everybody who can be wheel-chaired in will go see the film......i had no interest in that movie until the call came to boycott...and now wild horses couldn't keep me away.....

cold, cold, cold.....

ok, so i impetuously agreed to do an 8 mile race/hike at otter creek in louisville on sunday.....all i have heard since my spouse and friends did this event last december was just how beautiful it was to stand on the overlook above the ohio river......what i neglected to consider was that the weather could be just outrageous....and that the event would be less than precise......i got an email yesterday......done without spell check....that mentions directions as vague as turn left at the blue hole.......and follow the gravel road for 1 mile......so....the MM has the potential to be both cold and lost on sunday morning.......yikes.....what one does for peer approval......the 26 peers who will gather at the old country inn for dinner on saturday......one hates to be the only person who will watch and not participate.....

what is in a name.....

ok, so...i have read the nytimes article about fewer brides keeping their own names with sadness.......the notion that devotion in marriage begins with taking the spouse's name...when did this happen....that folks simply decided that keeping one's name, or hyphenating.....or going for door #3 was less of an option than just taking the spouse's name...for better or worse.....i will admit to submitting a comment to the nytimes regarding this dismal reality.....the people i admire most in this life had the courage to keep the name their parents gave them......rather than pretend to be somebody else for the rest of their years......and i want to note that i am so very proud of my offspring for being such good sports about the hyphen......our aim was to empower you, not to embarrass or befuddle you......

my audit....

ok, so...i had an auditor in today.....and all will say about this experience is 1) i worried for nothing and 2) these folks don't audit what i would audit 3) i did not disclose thought #1 or #2 to the auditor.....and now all i have to worry about is the rumored resignation of my director tomorrow.....at which point all refuse will hit many fans......and i will wish for a moment or two that i was back catering for a living....well...just for a moment.....

fake tales of new york city....

ok, so this evening was my 3rd county diabetes support group...and given the date....we had our annual holiday recipe exchange and tasting party......gentle readers...this event tests my very soul, as most folks bring some recipe/dish to taste that involves gelatin/coolwhip or both.....omg....and these are not foods that i can tolerate sober......there was something orange and 3 somethings that were red......and then a cole sale recipe that used artificial sweetener....and a sugar free pie that had coolwhip on the top......the fellow who made this sent the rest home for my husband.......who will eat anything sweet......but i digress from the my point.....the two sisters who come regularly who are not actually diabetic were there, and did not bring a dish or a recipe to share.....but still felt the need to tell tales of when the shorter and heavier of the two used to live in new york city.....and how she would go to radio city music hall....and how she stopped two children running toward the elevator in macy's children's department by grabbing them by their collars...only to discover they were dwarfs......and you might ask just what the hell this had to do with christmas/holiday recipes and maintaining one's blood glucose during the holiday season......i have yet to figure out how to ask these folks gracefully just why them come to our group so faithfully....as little they have to say is helpful.......

a good night's sleep.....

ok, so....i was in bed by 9:15.....and slept all night...wow...that is the kind of night i should have every single night......i feel less old this morning.....

bcs......

ok, so The Ohio State University will play L.S.U. on January 7 for the national title.....that is all i'm saying......

a very special sufjan christmas.....

ok, so...yesterday i was searching for something unrelated in my room, and i came across the set of sufjan's christmas music that i received last year....no idea why the box set was not with the other cd's.....but i did take the opportunity to insert several of the cd's into the car's 6-slot cd player.....curious, in that the cd';s seem to include only 5-6 songs per cd.....i believe that it could all of been done with a double cd rather than a box.....but that would have messed up his peace, love, joy and hope theme....all well.....i do so like how he sings christmas.....

back to the bcs.....

ok, so this from the columbu dispatch.....Ohio State players jumped for joy last night, yelling as yet another higher-ranked team lost and gave the Buckeyes a spot in the national championship game.

About 75 Buckeyes players and most of the coaching staff gathered in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to watch top-ranked Missouri meet Oklahoma and No. 2 West Virginia play Pittsburgh.

When Pittsburgh finished off its shocking 13-9 upset, the party began.

"Everybody was going crazy," fullback Tyler Whaley said. "Coach (Jim) Tressel got a little smile on his face. He wasn't jumping around, he didn't show us his vertical (leap), but I've been around him enough to know he was a happy man."

Ohio State is likely headed for its third national title game appearance in six years. On Jan. 7 in New Orleans, No. 3 Ohio State (11-1) should get a chance at redemption for an embarrassing loss to Florida in last year's championship game.

MM notes:....the web page was topped by a counter.....the number of days since michigan beat osu...it is now up to 1471......MM's own MM contends that OSU would rather go to the Rose Bowl, and has no interest in the BSC.....doesn't look that way now that they are in......

from the onion....

ok, so this from the onion.....it ain't true, in this case...but it is very funny...

Entire Blogosphere Stunned By Blogger's Special Weekend Post

c,s&n

ok, so......i almost wish i'd been at woodstock to have heard this firsthand.......i just love crosby, stills and nash......if you listen til the end....steven stills tells the crowd that that concert was only the second time they'd ever sung together in public...wow...and somehow, with the links and connections...i found the video to bob dylan's subterranean homesick blues...the one with the bob and the cards with the lyrics...and the poet allen ginsberg in the backround....and if you are this far into it all you might enjoy the weird al's take on bob in the alley....and then...there was a video of dylan doing forever young on letterman in 1993....he seemed to make up the tune as he went along but at least he remembered the words.....i would like the lyrics read to my children at my funeral, by the way....at what ever late date that might be......but i digress from music videos....i will end this piece with james taylor covering joni mitchell's river at a tribute event......the song seems right with the season.....

Nessun Dorma

ok, so.....last night we sat and watched a program about great grammy moments of grammy's first 50 years.....which turned out to be pretty entertaining.....the first 'moment' was one that we missed somehow...in 1998 Luciano Pavarotti had rehearsed the aria nessum dorma with full orchestra and choir.....and just before the show was to air live, he was unable to perform.....and it occurred to somebody that aretha frankklin, on hand to present an award, has actually sung that aria at a charity event....and with no rehearsal she sang this italian piece on live television.....youtube has several version of this...wow.....some of the other fine performances included a tribute to joe strummer that included elvis costello, dave grohl, stevie van zandt and bruce springsteen.....they sang london calling doulbe wow.....and my personal favorite- melissa etheridge/joss stone tribute to janis joplin piece of my heart......triple wow...melissa had recently finished her chemo for breast cancer and her bald head and the words to the song sent chills down one's spine.....

exhausted.....

ok, so.....finally home from the shopping excursion....traffic to and inside of the mall complex was atrocious...this mall is made up of clusters of varying sized strips of stores as well as big boxes.... and though one can see one
s destination, the getting there through the maze of drives and tree/berm divided parking sections is maddening....the buying if the television itself took no time at all...thankfully.....and we did stop at marshall's....where i treated myself to 2 packages of lovely dishtowels, and i have bagged up the old ones to send with my spouse to his shop to be used as rags...when dishtowels get to a certain point,drastic measures are justifiable.....it was nice to have lunch with the eldest child.....one appreciates one's children so much more after they leave home, because one sees them so rarely and one must savor every moment one can manage to spend with them.....