ok, so mean mamma is going out tonight, wearing her new discount duds- quitea snazzy new outfit i must say....won't be dragging this blouse (white cotton) to spain as it will look like i slept in it after the first 5 minutes.....i have packed more than i should take- i will surely remove a few items before tomorrow at 10:00 (our leaving the house time...) i am taking hummus and an eggplant dip to the party we are attending...not quite spanish food, but in the neighborhood. new years day will NOT mark 1 year of blogging- we must wait til spring for that milestone.....i do resolve in 2003 to blog less and exercise more.......

ok, so i am down to the wire- just 24 hours til we have to leave the house, and so much to do.....i have made the appetizer i am taking to a nyeve party, so that is one thing down, i have also bought film, borrowed my mom's camera, taken clothes and stuff to the goodwill, and cleaned out the freezer. i have also figured out my 2nd choice security system for when it is too warm to wear my raincoat with the nifty inside zipper pocket.........

the c-w's had their champagne early- at supper last night- to celebrate the payoff of their mortgage- it will seems strange to no longer have a mortgage payment- but a welcome strangeness.....one of my lottery fantasies involved paying off the house, now i will have to adjust my fantasy somewhat- maybe pay off friend's mortgages as a surprise.....like a modernday robin hood.....ah well, we can do whatever we want in our fantasy lives......

ok, so i tried out some of my spanish at supper tonight, and my most ungrateful child rolled his eyes and moaned and felt compelled to lead me through the 'correct' way to say each of the 4 words i uttered.......can't you say it like they said on the tape? he asked.......no, i cannot say it like that....i have no ear for language, just the desire to speak it......i apologize up front to the loyal opposition for my dismal accent, and ask that she not also roll her eyes............

ok, so the low in spain appears to be about 45 and the high about 65 during most of our trip- i believe that i will leave my scarf and hat and long johns at home- i will bring the umbrella, of course because it just might rain.....

ok, so i think i have a cold, and i am already starting to worry that i will feel miserable on the plane and in barcelona.....however, i still have today and tomorrow to stock up on nyquil and tissues.....so many things i want to get done before we go...clean out the freezer, take old clothing to the goodwill, get tax stuff together, put photos in albums (i am 2 years behind, maybe 3) i will be happy if i get any of it done. acw has also asked that i put together another list of songs for a second burned cd mix- here it is so far- carole king tapestry & you got a friend, joni mitchell california and free man in paris, led zep kashmir and stairway to heaven, bob dylan forever young and like a rolling stone, david bowie changes, csn&y suite judy blue eyes & southern cross, dan fogelburg since you've asked & part of the plan, karla bonoff home, allison krouse when you say nothing at all.....not a one less than 5 years old- mostly 25+ but, then we don't get cable so i don't watch mtv or vh1, etc. and i only really listen to npr news and/or world cafe sometimes on the way home from catering a late party....ecw's siblings were all in amazement that we don't get cable- confounded that someone related to them could have little interest in watching enough television to make the price worthwhile...yes- i would like to see many things that a&e produce, but my mom tapes them for me......in our cable-free world, we have many evenings without the tv on at all and family members are forced to do something else, like read.....or blog.......

ok, so we went to cincinnati for lunch with ecw's brother jim and 2 of his sisters, and their families. after lunch conversation started to fade, i decided to lay down on the couch in the 'other' tv room, and watch what was on- mtv video countdown, then the top 20 most memorable moments on mtv for 2002. i actually enjoyed the top 20 moments, as i had never seen any of the real worlds, or the osbournes, or trl, or the mtv awards......nor any of the videos for that matter......such a shielded life i lead....anyway i did enjoy the scene with sharon osbourne throwing the ham over the fence at the neighbors, whilst in her pajamas.....i was also intrigued by this avril person- she sounded like an alanis morrisette clone...except that alanis' lyrics were not so precictable....nor so insipid...finallyscw came in and told me i was rude for not sitting with the other grownups talking about life and death issues...so i walked away from et on mtv.....

ok, so since mean mamma is 'off' til the restaurant reopens 1/20/03, she is deternined to complete some nesting chores that would otherwise not happen during the normal work year......a sofa and a loveseat have been sent out to be recovered, several drawers have been cleaned out, and a few wallpapering projects have been sketched out.....the first one- the kitchen happened because the fabric for the sofa in the back room clashed with the current paper. yes, these things are not in the same room, but theyare quite visible to the flow of things, and so mm pulled the old paper off the walls and put up a nice stripe- the job tool only 1 roll- which mm purchased for a whopping $5...............alas, everyproject has it's downside- when i pulled out the refrigerator to clean underneath and to strip the paper behind it, i musthave pulled loose the connection to the icemaker.......about the time ecw got home from work the kitchen was flooded in a lucy ricardo sort of way.........oh my.........having a handy husband is a good thing.......we had time to make chinese after cleaning up......yes make chinese....we made hot and sour soup, a shrimp and veggie lo mein and eggrolls using a chinese cookbook by a certain madame woo passed downfrom ecw's mother. nothing i made tasted quite like chinese takeout, but it was edible and hot and may be practice will make perfect. for starts, my eggrolls were the size of small burritos- i did enjoy the tofu- both in the soup andin the lo mein.....we don't cook tofu often enough.....

i am blogging rather than studying my sunday school lesson- this is a problem in that today is my turn to teach......ecw has decided to go to mass this morning....we will miss church to get to his brother's luncheon cincinnati on time.....he has not been to mass since his mother's funeral- in fact he has only gone to mass at funerals for at least 15 years- when we settled on a church......the reasons that i won't go to the catholic church will not be disclosed in this forum......and predate the current scandals.....

ok, so there is an internet cafe within a block of our hotel in barcelona....................according to the 2003 version of rick steve's book that i purchased because it appeared to be much better than the one i lost.......it includes bilbao, san sebastian, and hondarribia, and even recommends our parador.....it doesn't list the opera house in san sebastian, which scw says is suspicious........

ok, so after an entire day in lexington, mm came home with only the following: a mini-hairdryer ($9) a pair of drop earrings ($1), a pair of black brushed cotton pants ($17) a white cotton blouse meant to be worn out rather than tucked in ($16) replacement spanish phrase book (i never reveal what i spend at jbeth.......) and a flannel nightshirt ($16) i will be packing all of these items into my suitcase, of course. the flannel nightshirt may be overkill, but after last year's trip i would rather be too hot than too cold...

the conversation was, of course, the human cloned baby- by the group that believes that all humans are alien clones...i find this laughable- that short overweight aliens decided to make make identical reproductions of themselves in northern europe....to be slowly descended into my personal gene pool.....we did here this interesting songwriter/poet in worldcafe named lizzie west, who wrote a book of poetry(self-discovery style) then published 1000 copies with her own money, then took off with a filmmaker and her dog to sing in small clubs and promote it as well as make a cd and a documentary.......her words sounded better than her actual singing voice, in my humble opinion.....

speaking of dogs, i finished the lewis and clarke book for my bookclub's 1/14/03 meeting. i was shocked to discover that the expedition ate as many dogs, purchased from indians, as they did elk and buffalo.......they also had to contend with indian mothers selling their daughters to them for 'favors' as well as a ritualized buffalo hunt ceremony in which warriors offered up their naked wives to the tribe elders, as well as the white visitors under the impression that power and/or wisdom can be transferred by sex- through the female partner....i.e.....if the female partner has sex with the wise tribal elder, then with her warrior spouse, all of the elder's wisdom is transferred to the warrior.........one of l&c's group reportedly transferred power 4 times that evening.......of course, the tribe already had syphillis caught from french fur traders, so the expedition had to go on a remedy based on a mercuric compound.......oh my... i don't recall the time cover article detailing this particular episode.....also intriguing was the whiskey situation- the group took 100 barrels along, and still managed to run out before reaching the mouth of the columbia.....so much for 'we did it all without alcohol......'

ok,so mean mamma missed the whole feast of stephan thing.....we could have at least had cake.......

ok, so i cleaned out drawers today- and actually threw away beauty products that were older than my children. i did save a few things for cayle- in pale colors that would not resemble clown-face if overdone.....but mostly i shaved the drawer by half- this chore was actually part of my pre-packing ritual- i had to see just what i had that was small in size. turns out that we no longer have any sample-size shampoo, or deodorant, or toothpaste- BUT we have 4 bottles of sample size conditioner......i did find a pair of gold earings i bought in Williamsburg when i finished grad school- nice gold studs with my initials engraved- i thought i had lost them.....finding them again is like a present.....

ok, so i personally prefer the term left-liberal myself.......

ok, so it is back to reality. i finally located my book club book, and have resolved to finish it before i leave for spain, as it weighs several pounds and it is not vacation reading- undaunted courage is about the lewis and clark expedition, the material thus far has been interesting, but at the same time pages of chock-full of information tend to read like text books........i am on page 100 and they haven't reached st louis yet......i HAVE learned that lewis left several gaps in his writing- some lengthy- many weeks to many months....in a blogging sense, the service would cut off an inactive account with gaps like that......there are theories that there are, infact, missing journals that may yet come to light.....but lewis never mentioned in letters losing any such journals..writers block has also been mentioned as a possibility- thatand he was simply too depressed to write. according to the book, he returned with ample ink and paper......

ok, so mean mamma is blogging and listening to her cd-mix (along with ecw's mic) RATHER than watch stuart little 2 on dvd. she is also 1500+ in the hole on solitare, but that is only a problem if this were real money.... i marvel at the insight that went into these mixes- it is as if acw took mental note of every song i have ever said i loved....scw gave me lavender things, another favorite of mine....on the other hand, my own mother gave me a striped turtleneck eerily like one she gave me in 1973 that i also disliked intensely......scw tried to warn her that i wouldn't like it, he told me later, but she wouldn't have any of that.......how can someone i have known all of my life know me so little? that is a question that therapy wouldn't begin to touch, so i will leave it at that........my partner and my husband gave me a gifts almost identical- which means each pays attention...they are different enough to keep both, happily.......

at this point in the blog, mean mamma will disclose the things she bought for herself while buying for others.....a lovely set of french toile-print desk accessories in burgundy and cream (and the reverse)- a standup file, notecards, several picture albums and a journal. had my family seen them first, each would have exclaimed....oh my, mamma would just love these.......but alas, scw had his hands full during that visit to marshall's and no one else was there.. i was obliged to buy them from my loving family, in abstentia........now all i have to do is clean off my desk and they will look lovely.....

ok, so mean mamma is.......listening...to her new cd- aptly named m3 for meanmammamix a pleasant surprise from acw- now playing on track 4- ohio by csny, also on this mix- devil's haircut, pink moon, ramble on, blackbird, from the beginning, a flamenco song in spanish, blue danube, cowgirl in the sand, my back pages, harvest, aqualung, and many others, ramble on, by the way, is my p[ick for the ending credits of return of the king......

ok. so mm got up early on xmas morning to stuff the stockings (santa can't think if everything, you know.....) and now she is thinking about going back to bed fora bit.....sleep is a gift that we can give ourselves everynight- if only we would organize ourselves to take advantage. i resolve in 2003 to get more sleep..yea,yea,yea, its a bit early for resolutions, but sleep is on my mind now.....

i have just returned from letting the dogs back in- there is a dusting of snow, and i am happy that i do not have to go anywhere for the next few days unless i really wanna......i may be FORCED to go back to jbeth for a spanish phrase book, as mine has disappeared despite days of searching. therick steves spain book has also disappeared, i may just copy down a few things from the older version at the library. now that christmas is here i must really start getting ready for spain- digging out the suitcases, plotting a minimal wardrobe, printing out driving instructions, finishing the itinerary.......we received a new set of tickets in the mail yesterday-i have not yet compared them with the old for changes..i have read recently that the gugenheim closed its little las vegas 'hall' in order to financially retrench. i trust that they will not close the bilbao site, or at least not until we have toured it.....

last night at supper (peel&eatshrimp and crab legs) no one talked about dad, though i am sure that everyone was thinking about dad. mother always counted out his shrimp- she read a specific portion of shrimp on a low cholesterol diet once and stuck to it despite my protestations....the last time he was with it enough to be with us on christmas eve, she had to peel his shrimp for him, as he couldn't remember how to do it.....we did not go to church last night for christmas eve service- everybody was tired, and even that reminded us of dad- one year when stuart was home we had to go in 2 cars. after it was over, we all piled into different cars, and no one really counted heads in either car- we got home to discover that dad was in neither car.........luckily the pastor had gone up to his office to sit by the phone- assuming that someone would call and claim this semi-senile gentleman.........dad was with it enough to say-' no harm, no foul' when we apologized.......we still chuckle about the christmas when we forgot dad....

mean mamma would like to wish all of her gentle readers a very happy holiday season, especially sister sheila in colorado- i have written down your travel advice in my little notebook, and we will surely raise a toast in your honor while we are in barcelona. if sparkling wine comes up on this trip, we will also toast to mamma's friend jane, whose joie de vivre is always so much more so with a bit of bubbly.....

ok, so i have been wrapping books for the past hour-nothing but books, with a few cd's and dvd's mixed in- that is all my beloved family unit wanted, and that is what they are getting.....amazing how little wrapping paper is needed for books, cut it close and there is little leftover paper to fold into the last turn before taping.......i could ahve gotten a box for each person, and wrapped just one present per head, but that defies the age-old numbers game that children live for on holidays' 'she has more presents than me......i can hear it all now......

ok, so i felt so blessed lucky today that i bought a powerball ticket on the way home from the 'office' christmas party- by office i mean my work mates at trc- and we ate......all the stuff from the refrigerator and freezers that might not make it till 1/20/03- we had baked brie, steamed shrimp, sliced tenderloin (mostly rare) barbequed meatballs, among other things. there was also a big bowl of leftover coleslaw- but we look at this everyday, and nobody was really gunning to take any of that home.....i am on my way to a long-winters ....nap.......then i will test the newly installed water heater with a shower.......

ok, so the c-w's are just plain lucky folks. this morning about 4:15 ecw awoke to smells of putrid smoke, and discovered the basement waterheater aflame........luckily nothing else was likewise burning, and he was able to contain the disaster. the plumbers seem perplexed on the duelelectrical wires coming out of the top- despite the sticker on the side that says that their company installed this unit.......we have been informed that they will return with a new unit, but that we may want to call an electrician to wire it in........maybe we will all be able to take a shower for christmas...we are only a fews hours into a 'day without a shower' but already i feel out of sorts and cranky.....

ok, so the mean mamma has a soft place in her heart for christmasletters- personal ones are better, but since i don't even do that other than a short note ont he bottom of a longer xeroxed copy- i will not complain in this forum........i received a BATCH of cards today from most of my favorite people- which reminds me that i have yet to send out the cards that i wasn't sure on newest address- i have also not sent the card to germany to edwin and anna- have also just located that address.......it hardly seems like a year since we landed in brussels and drove down to strasbourg....etc......i would like to go back to amsterdam some day.....we didn't have enough time there...

ok, so most of the family went to see two towers yesterday.......for starts, the sequel is thoroughly designed for people who have read the books AND seen the fellowship of the ring- i am not sure that the movie's plot line can be followed by anyone totally unfamiliar with the underlying story. alas, the story has been changed more in the second movie than the first. mean mamma spent time last night with the second book confirming her memory versus the movie. the rearrangement of the role of farramir made no sense and only seemed to prolong the already 'too-long' movie. i did enjoy the portrayal of the kingdom of rohan- very norse- many scenes from the second book must have been saved for the third movie- the arrival of aragorn at isengard, with pippin and merry guarding the gate- too funny for jackson to leave out all together- must be coming next christmas.....as well as the bit with the spider in the cave and sam remembering the light of eirendil.....most memorable in this installment are the battle scenes- which are faithful interpretations of medieval warfare, with the storming of the battlements, ramming of the gate, etc. there was also a tender moment between aragorn and his (new) horse that was unexpectingly sweet- of course, when meanmamma actually said this during the movie- she was immediately told to BE QUIET by her kin

ok, so i finally came up with the mean mamma chant-------it came to me in a flash driving home from church based on the oral discourse.....meanmammagetsherwaymeanmammagetsherwaymeanmammagetsherway.........i guess you had to be there.......of course,mean mamma got her way only on the smallest of issues, but it was her way, nonetheless.......

i oversaw (not overheard) a troubling interchange between a friend and her college-age daughter in an suv stopped at a traffic light- the mother was obviously screaming at the daughter, along with hand gesticulations, while the daughter simply hung her head......the interchange was a wake-up call for my future...there cannot be many instances so pressing that i must 'correct' a child in this sort of public display......certainly what has to be said can wait until you get home, and surely it can be said without theatrics.....

ok, so i work monday then i am off til january 20- well- kind of, because there will be lots to do the week before we reopen in order to actually open back up...so really i am only off til monday the 14th. i will be doing things like repainting shelves and the kitchen floor...the stuff that never gets done any other time except when we are closed. i have great hopes of re-wallpapering the upstairs bathroom and the kitchen- maybe in the same pattern, stripes on cream backround that goes with everything up and down.... its on the sale rack at jordan's and buying all they have at $5 a roll will kill '2 birds with one stone' as they say....i have also called an upolsterer about the front room loveseat and the backroom sofa- both will be recovered while i am off work- as both are in the worst shape......then if i still have strength and/or time i want to make window 'treatments' for above the mini-blinds in the back room- i just can't decide how to go about it as the french door to the deck opens up about 7 inches from the ceiling and snags anything that hangs down too far.....of course, if we are talking projects, i could organize the giant box of photos- about 3 years worth- and put them in albums...when i win the lottery, i will hire a personal assistent to do these things, of course.........

ok, so mean mamma cannot find her copy of rick steves spain- with the restaurant picks and museum opening times and her children will not help her find it.......scw says that he wouldn;t have even looked at rick steves book so it was;nt him, but he could at least help locate it.......

ok, so the c-w's have done a very bad thing- they have opened grandma crown's present dvd of white christmas and watched it...it wasn't on purpose- scw tuned in a louisville station playing it but it would only show in b&w- mean mamma not paying for cable- you understand..........so mean mamma does one better- she opens grandma crown's christmas dvd of white christmas and we watch it.........so technicolor, so harmonious...so rosemary clooney and bing crosbey and danny kaye........NPR did a story on 'present at the creation' recently.....about the creation of cultural icons....and white christmas was one of the first stories......irving berlin knew when he wrote it it would become a big hit...but the radio bigwigs didn;'t quite see it his way...until pearl harbor....and all those g-i's who really wanted to be home for christmas.....it was huge hit in 1945......this movie wasn't made til 1954, and the song was used in another movie first (holiday inn) but this movie is a marvelous piece of americana...i cried at the end.......but then mean people tend to cry at the end-.......we think that the woman who played the housekeeper went on to play the wicked witch of the west.........

ok, so mean mamma has finally done the math on her trip- and she has just enough money-----just enough. clearly, mean mamma has spent most of her disposable income on presents for her darling children........ therefore mean mamma will not be buying any castinets or sombreros, or other outrageous souveniers. well, maybe a few small things.........

ok, so the news from new york state is bad- very bad- ecw's oldest sister has either an ovarian tumor that has spread to her colon or a colon tumor that has spread to her ovary- either way things don't look good. she has already survived breast cancer......this is not good news , with both his parents dying within the past 16 months and his oldest brother having an inoperable brain tumor........she is scheduled for surgury on 12/26/02-please keep her in your prayers......mean mamma did cave to curiosity, and called coach mac re: plan scores........of course she is not telling, but she is proud, so proud.......still on the barcelona countdown- my fellow traveler's and i will be on the lookout for the 'smuggler-type' profiled tonight on NPR- this guy was arrested at lax yesterday- with 4 birds of paradise in his suitcase- 52 plants, tubers abd seeds, and 2 mini-monkeys down his pants. I am amazed that anyone could travel any distance with 2 mini-monkeys down his pants. Think about it- even drugged, they would take up room, and they would itch..........with all the security precautions these days- who would try to smuggle mini-monkeys in one's pants?

ok, so i need to remind those idyllic students who will travel with me that they must remind their second semester teachers about their trip and their absense the first week of school in january........

ok, so i will be in spain 14 days from today. i can already envision our first lunch- in a little place near casa mila on our way to sagrida familia. i am already thinking about buying a sandwich/salad at the cortes ingles department store (around the corner from the hotel) for supper so we can go to bed early and get over our jet lag- this business of the spaniards eating late is fine- but not on the first day when i will be so exhausted. at least i will not be freezing cold- like brussels. i keep saying i, but i mean we- as 2 of my very favorite people will be accompanying me on this iberian adventure.......again, there are those in danville who think it strange that i would again take a trip without my spouse- like he is tied to me like a millstone and my direction must therefore be his......he has expressed interest in a trip to ireland (his mother's mother was irish) and we would also like to go to new zealand on a trekking vacation to see the lotr scenery. however, he had no interest in going to spain. so he is not going to spain. he understands my determination to travel as widely as possible while i am still able to do so. if i become prematurely senile- then i was justified in my yearly jaunts- if not, then my life was the richer for it.....i am trying to decide about the camera to take along- my dad's old minolta is bulky- but takes marvelous photographs. the smaller camera is marginal on quality......i would feel better with dad's camera-for obvious reasons- he was devoted to photography for as long as his senses allowed- i have 'borrowed' his photographs of the opera house in sydney and ayres rock- they now hang in andrew's new room- they are perfect renditions- and make me remember my dad...i would love to take such brilliant photographs in this trip.....

ok, so my oldest child has finally emailed his christmas book list- an interesting list it is.....including zen and the art of motorcycle maintainence,,,.........a translation of horace on literary criticism, and an old kurt vonnegut- not the ones i have- of course,but one that i don't have........the weight beneath the tree will be staggering, given the poundage of books being given this year in the c-w family.....oh yea-------2 weeks til spain.......

ok, so my brother is NOT coming home for christmas, and i have gone back and deleted everything i said about this disappointing development.

ok, so today at work i said that i can't wait until wednesday when the two towers comes out, and i was met with blank stares- in fact, 4 out of 4 had not even seen the first lotr installment......tragic.....

ok, so the low in barcelona this week is about 45 and the high is about 60- not bad, not bad at all.........

ok, so i enjoyed the time article about google.com- which asserted that people who use it suscessfully for searches tend to come back and search 1) for their own name 2) for the names of old flames. i am guilty of both. the c-w's take up 6 pages of references. as for old flames, one is a president and ceo of a company in denver,one is a veternarian and teaches at msu, one works for the faa in washington d.c and another may be getting out of prison in w.v. soon- well- i am not sure that he is the same one i went out with in college, but it wouldn't surprise me.......on one of our last dates he shoplifted a pair of sunglasses from k-mart- anybody who would shoplift sunglasses as dating entertainment could easily end up in prison on w.v. 25 years later.......

ok, so i have got to say this- that l.o is so talented with layouts- the most recent is surely her best.

ok, so i ventured out to do a little shopping today before i went to work- in goodies, where i waited in line forever to buy a few pairs of socks and a turtleneck for cayle- i witnessed a completely insensitive salesperson berate an octogenarian........is this your current address on the check?....yes......is this your current telephone number?......yes.......what is your work number?...............I don't have a work number........I'll have to get a manager if you don't have a job.......... the lady was at least 80...she didn't have a job because she had probably been retired since before this chick salesgirl was born......what kind of idiot holds up a holiday checkout line over a work number for an 80 year old woman?

ok, so it is 10:15 saturday morning, and i am not only in my robe, i have no plans to get dressed anytime soon. this is the first saturday in forever that we didn't have 2 or more lunch time events. i don't have to go to work til at least 4:15 or so- to heat up supper for the 2 events tonight. thankfully, they both chose turkey and dressing, which i prepared yesterday and will heat up this afternoon. turkey is such a crap shoot when it comes to roasting time- i find it much easier to sweat the 'roasting til it gets to 180 degrees- the day before than right before an event. plus, turkey is easier to carve when it is cold...... ok, so i bought scw spanish video tapes so i could watch them. iam getting so nervous about spanish- i have got the 'smile and be pleasant' part of dealing with hotel, restaurant and shop people, but i have no actual words to say to them yet........there are only a limited amountof of instances when ...una cervasa, por favor.....is appropriate....

ok, so today at the restaurant i received a pointsettia (sp?) in a lovely plaid bit of sparkly paper- with a condolence card from 2 females who listed only their first names- alas- i know 2 sets of women with those names- and i am at a loss to decide which set sent the flowers- i am hoping that the truth will unfold at church- that the church set will ask me if i received them and i wil be able to send a thank you note..........i received a xmas letter from my grad school roommate- she is living in her 3rd house on the same street- her husband is a builder- she is a junior-league type- which i do not hold against her- i find it humourous to think that i lived with her for 2 years with no inkling that she had that in mind.......ah well....so many mysterious womenin my life........

ok, so I happen to like opening my blog the same way every time- the consistency of the opening helps me to think of what comes next- except for now, when i can think of nothing to say.

ok, so i have become so feeble at 46 going on 47 that i can no longer open a twist-off bottle of beer without an opener. My poor, arthritic hands cannot get a good enough grip to manage the job any longer. This particular milestone is not listed on any stress-assessment questionnaire-but it should be. when an otherwise healthy adult can no longer open her own beer without mechanical assitance- it is something like when i was first told i needed glasees- you ARE 40,and you should expect these things......glasses, maybe, grey hair, maybe, but the lack of twist-off capacity- now that is almost too frail for words.........maybe i will become like renoir- they will tape an opener in my hand- like he taped a brush in his arthritic hands.........as i blog- the simpsons are on- homer figured out long ago how to handle the twist-off thing- he only drinks draft beer at moes....homer is technically my age, by the way- he also graduated in 1974, though on one episode he may not have actaully graduated but that is the story of homer's life......anyway- i have discovered that i may not be able to serve draft beer in my own restaurant, even with a liquor license, until i find out if i will sell enough of any partiuclarkind to warrant buying a 1/2 keg that will stay fresh 35-45 days.....we have no idea how many beers we will sell- and i can't be drinking beer at work, or i will get no work done. life is sometimes unkind.......

ok, so we leave for spain in.......20 days- but who is counting down? i have so much to cook between now and then, i cannot imagine the plane ride over- just me and a book and a glass of wine.......(scw will sit with lo, of course) and i while i may complain about the airplane food, at least i won't have to cook it......

ok, so scw insists that people can generally be defined by a single sound.......for example.....who does tssss.......remind you of......? he says that whoo.......reminds him of me (this is really silly- he claims that i made this sound during the first harry potter movie....) the list goes on, but given the sensitive nature of this public forum, i will not disclose the other single sound bytes that define either loved ones or not-so-loved ones......

ok, so this van gogh robbery thing has me puzzled........ the following is from msnbc......


Leighton said the missing paintings were painted early in van Gogh's career. They ''have no market value since they were not for sale, but comparable paintings sold for several million dollars,'' he said.
''View of the Sea at Scheveningen,'' a small picture measuring about 13 inches high by about 20 inches wide, of a boat setting off into a stormy sea was painted in two days in 1882. The thickly applied paint contains grains of sand blown onto the canvas from the beach where van Gogh worked. It is one of his first major pieces.
''Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen,'' painted in 1884-85, shows the village church where van Gogh's father served as pastor. That painting measures about 16 inches high by about 13 inches wide.

ok, so why would someone go to the trouble of stealing 2 paintings from this fine musuem- and take those two particular canvases? why not one of the more famous sunflowers or irises? we visited this museum nearly a year ago- i am trying to envision the location of these pictures- van gogh canvases are so distinctive, and news of the theft so universal, the buyer must be someone who has no need to display them to anybody but himself.....like thomas crown, of course.....

ok, so christmas shopping this year has been made simple by those who present their lists in a timely manner- and said lists contain books available on-line......i really like shopping in my bathrobe, with a cup of coffee......of course- only 1 of 3 children have produced a list,. so the other 2 made have to take what mean mamma clicked into her cart at bn, or half, or alibris or amazon........for the record, the mean mamma wants a subscription to new yorker, and some of that really nice elizabeth arden bath stuff (in green tea scent)- available at peebles right here in danville......

ok, so my catering job gave me new perspective on just how tidywe keep our operation and just how disgusting other kitchens can get. we did a xmas party- dinner for 120- at a 'golf resort' in a neighboring county. the kitchen was huge- but incredibly gross- there was a turkey breast- whole, wrapped in original wrap- just sitting on the counter- by the uncleaned slicer- leftoverfrom some lunch event- now this was 4:30 and the prep for lunch would have been over by 12- you do the math- i put the turkey in the closest working fridge- and went on with unloading my van. the stove, convectionoven, broiler, and line of 4 fryers did not look like they had been cleaned, emptied of sludge or otherwise serviced since installation. the stench of grease was overwhelming-someone has attempted to skim some of the grease sludge off the top of one fryer, and the bucket of greasey slime mixed with french fry crumbs was still sitting on the floor- you get the picture........the party crowd was no better- they all seemed to be smokers- and the party hall had only a limited # of ashtrays- so this high-class group used their uneaten salads as ashtrays. this is the first time i have ever seen one of my salads come back with a cigarette out out in the little dressing cup...........the banquet hall was a smoky cave- with that clinging, nicotine yellow film that settles on everything and permeates the clothing and the hair...........it will take us all several days to get 'over' this event.......

ok, so this weekend, i am going to get out all of my hotel reservations and add up the estimated expenses- food, lodging, museums, car rental, etc......if i am lucky, i will only have to fill up once.........

ok so i had this really weird dream- we were catering a democratic party fundraiser in someone's home- seemed to be cleveland, actually, with its million dollar houses. anyway, the wife had had built a special closet in her kitchen for her wedding dress- presumably so she could look at it when ever the fancy struck her. it was in a clear plastic display - must have been a designer number.....there were numerous magazine racks, with issues organized by the celebrity cover- all the j;lo covers were together, and so forth.........at one pointecw was there, and someone we know in danville who used to live in cleveland, sho is a republican and would never have attended this event- asked us if we had sent scw to preschool with her son, and ecw said- no. in fact, the child inquestion attended montessori for one full day before his parents pulled him out, stating that the lack of structure would never work with their child.......the memorable part of the event was that i lost my shoes, and spent most of the time looking for them.......gentle readers, recognize any freudian elements that i have missed? i have no idea what it all means...........

ok, so i worked late last night- we hosted a discussion/study group- all men- who have existed as such since the 1850's. the group, anaconda, is not as mysterious as a fraternity or lodge, but they appear to have quirks, nevertheless. we knew that they would not cancel- despite the weather, as this group didn't cancel for the civil war.....the other group that didn't cancel was a carryout for 32- an office party AT the office in question- the food was to be there by 6 and by 7 they called and said that they were done- come get your stuff......some officeparty- 60 minutes of pure bliss.............they were surely worried about the weather. the 3rd group did cancel out- 48 driving from berea and parts beyond- i knew the moment the snow started falling that that party was off indefinitely. ah well.......5 more parties before i rest sleep all afternoon sunday...wait- the cross country banquet is sunday- no rest for the mean mamma.......

ok, so I am going in late to work- or later than usual. The snow is so beautiful- and my coffee with real half%half is so tasty, and everything right at this moment is idyllic, except for the fact that there is no newspaper- a newspaper would make everything perfect. Somehow, the computer, and coffee, and an extra half hour or so isn't quite what curling up on the couch with the newspaper can provide in terms of snug coziness.......

ok, so after supper, we all filed up the hill, in the dark and crunchy snow, to see scw's 'installation'- he created a space/sci-fi snow mountain lit up with numerous candles that glowed against the gray to black horizon. ecw thinks he is touched, i think he is brilliant- only time will tell..............

ok, so i am reminded of the midwinter trip that scw and i took to wisconsin and chicago a few yearsback to see frank lloyd wright sites- the weather was somewhat icy and a few things were not open, but i remember the trip fondly because scw is such a fabulous traveler. he and i have also been on solo trips to denver and to san franscisco as well as the infamous trip to nyc.

ok, so i love this weather so much i went out and walked a mile just to be out in it......snow reminds me of my ohio roots. not much in ohio is ever called off for weather- i don't believe that osu ever closed during my 4 years there, nor u.c. in grad school. in my first job i commuted to lawrenceburg, indiana from cincy- through northern ky by the airport on 275- there were times when i made it to work despite snow and people who lived locally didn't show up because of 'bad weather'. in the morning i will still go to work even if danville has no school because we have a carryout lunch scheduled and 3 suppers (2 onsight and 1 carryout) i am curious if any or all will cancel- but we will still be open- unless the governor closes the roads or something of that magnitude........i AM dreaming of a white christmas......as well as a much warmer barcelona........muchas i like a bit of snow- last january's trip to northern europe was a bit on the nippy side,.......

ok, so when i tried to blog this morning- publishing was inexplicably unavailable- luckily i discovered this before i wrote one single word......i am reading a wonderful book that i bought off a sales table last weekend. i bought it solely based on the name----hotel du lac-----and the cover art. turns out that it won the booker prize in the early 80's so it has a pedigree of sorts. i understand that picking books based on cover art and title is akin to picking race horse bets based on jockey and the color of the racing silks.....sometimes you get lucky.......this book is about a popular british novelist who has to 'rest on the continent' for awhile after her affair with a married man is discovered......though the checks in under her real name, rather than her pen name, people will certainly figure out who she is, even in this proper swiss hotel on the lake. while my description is rather plain, her prose is compelling. this has become a wonderful 'bathtub' book, and goes well with a glass of australian white..........

ok, so the meanmamma has metsomeone truly mean.........today a woman about my age with her daughter(early 20's) and granddaughter (maybe 7-8 months) ate in the restaurant. between the 3 of them they ate a sandwich plate, a cup of soup, and a serving of mashed potatoes. when they got ready to go, the baby was screaming bloody murder, and the mother said...i think the baby is still hungry...the grandmother said....no. i think she is just tired.....the grandmother then started putting an empty spoon in the child's mouth ....over and over,,,,, the baby kept smacking its lips, like....where is the food? ,,,but the spoon was empty every time...the baby started screaming again, so the grandmother put an empty sipper cup (with a nipple on it) in the baby's mouth...the baby kept sucking at that empty cup as they walked out.......now that is meanness or stupidity or both- we could hear that poor baby screaming as she was loaded into the car..............

ok, so the mean mamma has asked her children to submit short lists of precious gift wishes, with no immediate response. therefore, mean mamma may be forced to choose from her own list of holiday gift ideas.........cacti, capri pants, talking toilet paper (osu fight song), volleyball net, quart jar of capers, footed pajamas, free willy on video, the new crocodile hunter movie on dvd, a subscription to golf digest, knee socks, spiderman action figures, precious moment figurines, a goldfish bowl, you get the picture.......

ok, so i catered a wedding in lexington tonight for 325- at christ the king cathedral. you may recognize the name from the controversy- this is the church that allowed the baptism of the gay couple's quadruplets. i may have declined the fine offer to become a catholic when i married ecw- but i have to give kudos to a congregation this open-minded. i also have to hand it to the catholics- they are not hypocrits when it comes to alcohol- the reception was in the fellowship hall- open bar and dancing and all- these people have no problem at all with how the bible stands on weddings- they are for a good time, just like the wedding at cana. i have to pray for forgiveness on my own part in this matter- i gave up on trying to recycle the wine bottles, and the cardboard boxes and the whole mass of waste matter- the custodian came by and asked if he could take this mound of stuff out of my way and i said yes.....it was after 11:00 pm and my brain must not be able to deal with ethical issues this late. i recycle every bottle, can, box and #1 & 2 plastics that come our way at the restaurant- but i just knew that we wouldn't have room to schlep it all back to danville. gentle readers, forgive this transgression........

ok, so i survived the 2nd memorial service, attended by my brother and his son, who lives with him in d.c.- as well as my mother's sister from cleveland and her husband and their daughter (1 year younger than me) and her husband and daughter (age 21- the same age as my brother's son). many of my dad's workmates from osu came, as well as many of their old church friends. several relatives came from dad's side of the family- his oldest sister, and 3 nieces and 1 nephew and their families. it was a nice service, as these things go- cayle asked where we would go for the next service, and i was relieved to tell her that this was the final event......

ok, so we made it to cincinnati, and lived through our first encounter with sister elaine since the ecw's mother's funeral. her husband did not come- he stayed with the sister of their oldest son's wife (get the connection) who lives down the street from ecw's sister lisa. i thought it a might cowardly that mike did not come, as we all knew he was down the street. but it was nice to talk a bit with elaine about spain, and to have her confirm that castillian spanish has many different pronunciations than latin american spanish.....and that the c before an i or e comes out as th........also a doubble ll, like in tortilla comes out with a j sound, like tortija......her 2 daughters were there, and her oldest son and his wife and new baby......they didn't come until after ecw's brother jim and his wife left for their house in gatlinburg for th weekend......ah well....today we venture north to my home town, for the second and last memorial service. i will be seeing all of my ohio relatives on both sides of the family, as well as a few school friends of my own...a very few.....i am not the sort who keeps up with just anybody... i have made a point over the years to keep up with only those people who i really like and hope to actually see again......therefor, my address book is not crowded with people i barely remember and cannot really place anymore.......there are really good utlets on the way there- maybe we can stop on the way home.....a visit to eddie bauer or gap or ralph lauren would really make my weekend......

ok, so someone in my family has erased all the email addresses in the handy pull-down menu- the one that lists all of the recently visited addresses. i often use this menu to go back to frequently visited locations rather than typing in the addresses each time. someone must have visited locations too sensitive for family viewing- and erased all trace. ironically, i would not have noticed nor would i have actually visited nonfamiliar addresses- it is the only the absence of any addresses that makes mean mamma suspicious......yes, this family member could have visited princess diana sites, or michael jackson sites, but somehow i doubt that the string of sites would have been this interesting.....

we are leaving for cincinnati in a few hours- for lunch with ecw's sister lisa and brother james, and maybe a drive-by visit by sister elaine, the one who made such a hullabuloo at the funeral over the will. i would actually like to talk to her, as she is the only one in the family who speaks spanish (she has a degree in spanish, no less) and once visited spain in college (wearing mix-and-match drip-dry wardrobe made by my mother-in-law that i heard about on numerous occassions over the past 21 years........) i would feel badly visiting spain without consulting with her, even if briefly, on our itinerary. speaking of speaking spanish, my own personal dialect coach is getting on my last nerve over pronunciation of spanish words- i have been using the dk spanish tapes, which pronounces c with a th sound- words like barcelona come out barthelona......- at least according to my tapes. there is one in my midst who disputes that the th rather than c pronunciation is spain-wide- maybe only in catalonia.......and describes my attempts at spanish words with a c as lisping.......anyway- i want my sisterinlaw to clear up this whole lisping spanish thing.........

i am bringing a relish tray- with all of my favorite crudites. the jar of pickled okra has been opened (not by me) but once opened- i haven't been able to resist. i love pickled okra. i hope no one in my family blabs that there would have been pickled okra on the tray if not for the mean mamma....... maybe santa will bring a jar or two for my stocking.

ah well, here's to a happy thanksgiving for you and yours.........

ok, so this week i have noticed that i am in a decided 'time slot' when i drive the children to school. i tend to see the same person pulling out of candlewood, the same truck and cars waiting at the light at boone trail and lex-ave, the same cars dropping off at jenny rogers, etc. if my timing varies by 2-3 minutes either way, i cross-over into unfamiliar sights- i see a father and his two daughters from cayle's swim team coming out of the apt building at 4th and walnut on their way to woodlawn, only if i am running late. i see the new emh ceo walking around the hospital- making rounds?- only if i am running early. i know that i am running early, on time, or late by these markers, not just by the clock and the npr radio cadence...... to get cayle to school before the tardy bell i must be at the stanford road light before the morning business report comes on.......all of this time slot talk reminds me of my favorite bar in cincinnati- the blind lemon in mt adams. it was around the corner from the apt i shared with a friend from grad school. we would go for happy hour every friday from 5-7, and order 2 beers each, and have pretzels while we played backgammon. the bartender would automatically get out the board and pour our beers when we walked in- the price was always the same, so we knew how many single bills to take along. we got to know some of our neighbors, who also came for friday happy hour. .....once- on a double date, we went in on saturday night. we didn't know a soul-- not the bartender, not the waitresses, none of the crowd was familiar- the bartender didn't even know they had a backgammon board because no one ever asked for it on his shift....what a difference a time slot makes.....

ok, so we leave for spain 1 month from sunday......i am so fortunate to be traveling with such knowledgable and witty companions- i especially look forward to my personal dj who brings such an eclectic mix of music to long car trips (we will have 2.....) i have to hunt up the cd player adapter for the car's casette slot from the last trip. there are few people i would welcome on a european adventure- but the loyal opposition is not your usual 15 year old- i admire her sense of self and her independence and her willingness to listen to me repeat myself with good humor......

ok, so i leave for spain in 5 weeks. i can remember few new spanish words- donde est? for locations...that i can remember. truchas is trout. i have a long way to go to have enough food words in my grasp to allow for a fearless ordering...........

ok, so my alma mater is one game closer to winning a national championship. Ohio State beat Michigan 14-9 in a nail-biter game yesterday afternoon in its signature horseshoe stadium. so sweet. of course, i did not see the actual ending, as i had to go to work- that is probably why they won- because i wasn't watching. i hadn't watched a game all season (mostly because osu games aren't aired around here......) i musn't jinx the team by watching jan 3- regardless, a national title would be abittersweet memorial for my dad, the ultimate osu fan. i have many fond memories of attending osu games with him- stopping for mcdonalds lunch on the way, which was a treat then- we NEVER stopped for fast food unless we were on vacation or going to a football game. we would proceed from the parking 'field' to st john's arena where we would listen to the band warm-up- then on to the game. i remember seeing the osu-michigan game with my dad when woody hayes was still coaching, and the stadium was going to astroturf- after the game (osu won...) the students took down the goalposts and carried them down high street- and the alums took out shovels and trash bags and literally scooped up the playing field as souveniers(sp)...........everybody wanted a little bit of osu turf for their own yards......remarkable. i did get to see osu beat michigan in ann arbor- when i was in grad school and dating a boy who went to grad school at michigan.....michigan has a bottle law- so after the game- people got out trash bags and started picking up cans and bottles to get back the deposits- it was a remarkable thing to see........

ok, so there is a bright side to a funeral- all of the nice cards and letters. i look forward to the mail, because every day seems to bring another bundle of tender words and thoughtfulness. i received an unexpected note from a boy i haven't seen since i was in the 5th grade- he read dad's obit in the Millersburg, Ohio Daily Record. i was born in millersburg ohio, and occassionally feel melancholy about the move away- anyway, i was able to put my hands on a picture of max miller within 5 minutes of reading the note- it seems that the year i got my first camera- for my birthday in 1967- i brought it to school, and took pictures of my friends on the playground- his was the first, and so he has been the first photo in my first album for the past 35 years........he was just adorable then- i wonder how he has grown up. anyway, it was nice for him to write....i think of millersburg and elementary school whenever the assassination of jfk comes up- i was in the second grade and can see clearly the classroom, and the shock that came over us when the announcement came over the loadspeaker, and we were instructed to go home for the rest fo the day......it ended up being several days, as i watched the funeral procession on tv at home........i will always feel a special bond to people i was with on that day- our generations 9-11, of sorts.

ok, so my refrigerator is stuffed with food that people have brought- each and every person starts the conversation with- 'i didn't know what to bring someone who cooks for a living....' i was particularly grateful for the bag of chips......with dip......i so love chips and dip

methodist church thursday 3:30 with visitation after. stephan has selected a place to plant a tree in grandpa's memory. we would like to plant a buckeye tree- no idea if these trees are available in a non-buckeye state. i do like the idea of having a buckeye tree, though. especially if osu wins the national championship- dad would have been so happy.......

ok, so we will probably have a service thursday at the methodist church in danville, to give us closure- and have another service thanksgiving weekend in mt gilead with mom's ohio friends to give her closure. closure is essential, i believe, in the healing process- no matter how many times i say that it was a blessing. it isn't a blessing until i find closure.

ok, so my father passed away this morning at 9:08 am. my mother was with him, as the v.a. called her when the shift started to tell her that she had better come on if she wanted to be with him. she was there to hold his hand until the end. there is comfort in that small act- having someone be with you until the end. as for the rest of us- we have occupied the time since we got the call with busy work- ecw is raking leaves, and i am putting away the summer clothes and cleaning out closets. when in doubt- clean out...........he will be going directly to be cremated, as i understand it, and she will schedule a memorial aservice at her home church in ohio at some date ot be announced. this arrangement goes off the board in terms of timing- and we are left without any idea how to grieve.....be in prayer for us.

ok, so i waited inline for nearly an hour to get tickets to see harry potter chamber of secrets. the wait in line was almost as good as the movie- one meets a random crowd while waiting- and this wait was worth mentioning. for starts, the couple with a 6 year old in front of me all wore danville admiral clothing- though they live in houstonville and the child does not go to danville schools. the mother in this grouping used to work at joseph-beth, and quit because they only paid a max of $10 and hour and only gave 10% discount on books. she had to pass a test to qualify to work there, which is encouraging in terms ofjust who tells us where to find certain books....... she knows an author in georgia who writes cozy mysteries involving show dogs..........the woman just in back, with 2 children about 7 or so saw 8-mile while her children saw harry potter- but the harry potter film broke during the 10:00 showing and they came and watched the end of 8-mile with her..........which did not seem to bother her that her young ones saw anything of eminem's movie. she was only bothered to have to come back today for them to see the rest of harry potter. i let an aquaintance cut inline with me, when she announced that she was wanting tickets to santa clause 2- her children go the the christian school and she could not be seen taking them to harry potter..... satan connections, you know-- she actually said this-----though she did admit to reading the first book secretly!!!!!!!!!and to having seen the first harry potter on video- she admitted that it didn't seem too satanic to her, but the school was quite clear about its stance on the books and films........that kind of bologna gives christianity a bad name........curiously, everyone in this little enclave had seen aerosmith in concert except me.........don't even ask me how this came up.....it was a long wait........oh, yea- the second movie was scarier than the first edition......now i can't wait to see the second edition of the lord of the rings.......i wonder how long i will wait for those tickets..........

ok, so acw really surprised us all by stopping to see my dad on the way home. he can be the sentimental one, despite his protestations. this morning as i went out to get the paper, i marveled that there is still a rose blooming on the trellis- the trellis that my dad and my husband built as a gift for me. i love that trellis.......

ok, so ernst. cayle, stephan and i went up to the v.a. home in wilmore this evening to see my dad. his bed is on the floor, so he cannot fall out too far. the bed is bent up at the head so that he is really sitting up to help him breathe. he is totally unconcious- with his mouth open so he can breathe in the oxygen from his mask. his eyes flickered a bit when i first spoke to him, but he never opened his eyes nor acknowledged our presence. he is quite warm with fever- he looked so pitiful it was all that we could do to say our goodbyes without sobbing. the end cannot be far away- his passing will be a blessing, as they say.......

ok, so i have been listening to the nanny diaries on tape- as read by julia roberts. this book is escapist at best- and i thoroughly enjoyed a peak into the lives of the rich and too busy/too important to raise their own children. the'x'family mother and father are so totally wrapped up in their looks, prestige, money, clothes, etc. that they basically delegate all care of their precious 4 year old son to poorly paid help- a series of housekeepers,nannies and the like. the nanny who narrates is finishing her senior year at nyu- and was to work parttime for the family while completed her remaining coursework. julia roberts could have played the title role in the inevitable movie were the title character not 21 years old. even julia would have a hard time pulling off the 21 year-old thing at this point in her career. nevertheless- it was fun to listen to her read the story and picture her playing the character in the movie- it is such a julia roberts role.

ok, so here are 5 things that i really admire about my dad- Herbert Wayne Crown:

- he expected not only that i would graduate from college, but also that i would earn a graduate degree, just like he did. i have a picture- taken with my little instamatic- of his master's degree ceremony at osu- as well as a picture of me wearing his mortarboard.it wore a red checked dress with a red flounce at the bottom- bad choice- but i was only 8 or 9 at most at the time......he was so proud of my master's degree. there is something to be said for high expectations. sometimes children actually live up to them......he never really knew that i took a major life risk in quitting my miserable job and starting a restaurant- i hope he would have applauded the gumption it took.......

- he believed that there is no finer endeavor than travel. he reached ' all the 50 states and 14 foreign countries' - quite a mark to match. i can recall my grandmother crown (who never learned to drive)-on the occassion of a visit after a major trip- asking my dad if he was done with traveling. he told her that that there was a whole lot more to see and that he wouldn;'t stop until he saw it......not bad for a farm boy from ohio.

- he believed that every road should be 'gone down' once. he really liked the challenge of travel by instinct- he would take maps- but he also enjoyed going down roads just to see where they let out......i rarely saw him get lost. i would like to say that i inherited his sense of direction- but lightening would strike.............

-he valued the written word. i fondly recall him sitting in 'his chair' doing the crossword puzzle- in pen- with no mistakes. he also played a mean game of scrabble......

-he believed totally in recycling- both organic and nonorganic matter. his compost pile was enviable...... he also donated gallons of blood in his lifetime- the ultimate in recycling, i believe........

i can forgive him his conservative politics, i suppose.......with those 5 attributes in his plus column...........i would like to think that i could deliver a eulogy- but i am not sure that i could manage it- without choking up-

ok, so my father appears to be in his final stage of alzheimer's, and enduring his final days. He cannot swallow liquids or thickened things, and has become dehydrated. dehydration has led to pneumonia, which i fear will be his end. he has gone 'downhill' so quickly in the past few months- from sitting up and eating a meal- to fetal position with his eyes clenched shut...so sad. i can remember visiting both of my broughton grandparents, and my grandmother crown in nursing home shortly before they passed on- each was verbal and somewhat lucid- though my grandmother broughton kept crying to go home, which was so awful to hear.........my grandfather broughton told me that he stopped speaking german because his mother told him he had to choose whether he was going to be a german or an american....i told him that i regretted that i never heard him speak german. grandpa broughton was lucid til the end-blind- but lucid.......he regretted dying in the nursing home despite hsi pleas to dy in his own house- i hear that occassionally my cousin (who inherited the house) and her family see him- or smell his cigar- i think that he haunts their house as a payback..........

i regret that my mom moved dad from our hometown to live near us- because people who knew and loved my dad are unlikely to make a 5 hour drive to a funeral- i believe that he deserves better than to have a few close family members at his service after a life of good works and numerous friends. mother has spoken of having a memorial service at their home church after the funeral. i hope that that happens- especially for her to be able to have closure with so many of their ohio friends. i also hope that both my brother and his son jason make it home for any services. i have not seen jason for maybe 8-9 years. sometimes funerals are good for mending fences and retying connections..... keep my dad in your prayers......

ok, so i ran into a person i wish i knew better outside the library- she asked me if i was pleased about the election, and i charged into a diatribe about i wished that gatewood had beaten e.f. and how i wish lois had beaten whatshisname and how i wished that i could have voted for school board.....and she told me that she had mistakenly voted straight democratic ticket (there is a button for this) and therefore missed out ont he chance to vote for gatewood. she said that she gets more and more liberal as she gets older and that she is from a republican family and sees them get more conservative as the years pass.....i started laughing, because she could be me when it comes to her politics-it was refreshing to know that i am not out there on a limb all by myself- there are others who have similar views...... of ocurse, i think she really wanted to talk about wet/dry- but i no longer discuss that issue- there is too much work and anxiety involved when it ocmes to liquour l.

ok, so people are coming out of the woodwork- volunteering to help us select wine for our new wine menu.............not that we necessarily require hand-holding. both jerry and i like to drink wine, and we have favorites that we would want to include. i like australian chardonnay- i think it is buttery and golden and just lucious. i hope we can serve one that is not too expensive by the glass. yes- by the glass- we cannot actually sell bottles- it has to be by the glass.......maybe this will be a good thing- people may try a $5 glass of australian white when they wouldn't have purchased a $20 bottle.........i am also keen on alsatian reislings.....yum yum.....maybe a will like spanish reds, ya never know.....

ok ,so an analyst on npr yesterday has predicted that the country will swing back to the left of center in 2008- seems like a long, long time- almost as long as the dismal reagan years.....

ok, so this wet/dry thing has been overshadowed by a disastrous election- how could georgia voters fail to re-elect mr .cleland (a vet who lost his limbs in veit nam) when his opponent claimed he was soft on defense..........people with their heads in the sand vote republican.......people who care only about themselves fail to vote in the first place......i am terribly embarraed that my eldest child- when able and registered to vote- failed to vote. he has also failed to register for the draft and will surely be indicted on felony charges anyday soon. we may have to visit him in canada.........

ok, so we celebrated around the corner- through the precinct by precinct reporting on the radio- danville has gone wet in restaurants seating more than 100. owning such a restaurant- i am scared to death- of all the work that goes into maintaining a 70/30 split and all the work to train people to work shifts so that i can stay home some of the time. i cannot see myself working 15 hour days every day, i will not be serving alcohol on sundays because i will not be working on sundays.........oh my........i really didn't see this coming.......

ok, so i teach at eku at 6:00, but after that ecw and i will attend the annual election party at our friends the trents around the corner- where we drink to those who won- if they are democrat- and to those who lost- especially if they are democrat- and even call up republican friends to give them grief- we actually haven't done that since the dismal reagan years and the clinton victory.....- but you just never know how this vote will turn out. it is either ironic or just desserts that most of our friends are democrats- we tolerate a few 'token' republicans to say that we are equal opportunity.........we have been gathering on election night for the past 20 years-that is a lot of elections, and a lot of beer..........gentle readers under the legal drinking age- do not attempt such a gathering until you actually 1) vote on a regular basis 2) are lucky enough to find such an enclave of liberal-minded friends.

ok, so it took me all of 7-8 minutes to park my car, walk into the polling place, sign in, vote and walk out. there was no line- i didn't expect one- as the county has no real issues on the line. i did vote for gatewood galbreath, by the way, because i will not vote republican and because i believe that e.f. gives all ernies a bad name- he is no ernie- ernies are sincere, gentle souls-this ernie is a medically trained snake in the grass.....my business partner had to wait 45 minutes in line- in a danville city precinct- a good sign- lots of people came out to vote even in the rain. i think that the presence of the delcaration of independence in danville at this very moment to be quite prophetic- something important is about to happen- i can feel it......

ok, so i am going to get dressed and go to vote on the way to work. i heard a disturbing piece on npr about the apathy of the 18-24 year old voters- who seem to think that if they don't vote they won't therefore be responsible for the sorry state of affairs in america- or they don't care about the issues, or they are just too lazy to find out about the issues- needless to say, it was quite discouragiong to hear that less than 20% of eligible voters may turn out today, and the % of the young will be miniscule. acw is registered- i will be quite shocked if he shows up to vote today. ecw just got back from voting- he said that the polls were not crowded at all. he was shocked to find that my dad is still on the rolls as eligible despite being in a nursing home and quite senile.....my mother tried to vote FOR him in the last election, but was denied on this request.........there is stioll some justice in america....

ok, so i am still upset that my minister chose to discuss his intended vote from the pulpit yesterday. Dr. Thomas Valentine broke with tradition, and disclosed that he would vote no tomorrow, after great soul-searching and prayer. He breaks tradition, in that our doctoral-trained clergy have alwats maintained that ones vote is private and they have traditionally been silent from the pulpit. when the lottery came around- no word from the pulpit was uttered. i was somewhat shocked yesterday- though he did concede that many in our church would vote wet........i really would have preferred that he keep his vote behind the booth curtain.......

ok, so i had a guy come into the kitchen to ask for a job this afternoon- he smelled so strongly of marijuana he must have jettisoned his joint just before entering trc- the sad thing was- he was probably older than me- so much for getting more sensible as time passes ........gentle readers- no one will hire you if you smell like dope- and you proably wouldn't want to work anywhere that would actually hire you under those circumstances.........

ok, so we at trc cafe enjoyed watching the students troup back and forth between town and centre- the declaration, mayhaps? We did see a motely crew file past that included a tall, mysterious fellow in a black coat with the hood up..........

ok, so the trip to spain is on a countdown- less than 60 days.......i am starting to obsess about details- rereading confirmations of hotel reservations, print out driving instructions- worry that 5.5 hours from barcelona to hondarrribia is a long time in the winter- when will it get dark- how early should we start......that sort of thing. i have read through the 'graffiti wall' on european travel hosted by rick steves- our hotels in mardrid and barcelona come recommended by rick steve reader as well as by rick himself-- this much is good. i have cut and pasted many of the restaurant picks for us to try- especially the vegetarian and/or seafood ones. for some odd reason- no comments on spanish cuisine were from the basque area- rick steves doesn't cover it either- we must be going completely outside the box to travel to this neck of the woods............i like the idea of tapas, which can be ordered by pointing- i cannot locate my spanish phrase book- i may be poiting regularly on this trip......one last comment about the travel posting boards- i read one man's post about a trip he just returned from (10/30) to italy on which he put regular gas into his diesel rental car.......done that- will never do that again.......

ok, so its friday night and i don't work either saturday or sunday......so i have stayed up late eating smoked sausages and warm lentil salad because it is so good and i cannot believe that few if any others in danville share my passion for this combination.......to his credit=- dr. goodwin had this dish tonight whilst his wife margo had the chicken- nothing i served tonight was as delectable as the warm lentil salad..... ok so just how adventurous will i be on this trip to spain- will i eat roast head of veal? probably not........i have spurned fried brains in front of my favorite kin, and i have no problem spurning them again......my mother is speaking to me-surprising considering the suv test drive she made by the restaurant that i thoroughly disrupted.......women with husbands in nursing homes have no business test driving suv's.........i do feel sorrry for my mother- as my dad always traded in his old gm car for a new one every 2 years, and had a perpetual car payment- my mother has no car payment now. and has no need for one........i am sure that she misses the new car smell........

ok, so after dropping stephan off at school i saw this girl walking toward school, wearing a black cape and outfit, with whitish makeup and black lipstick- and my first thought was....halloween is over- and then it occured to me that this is one of those goth(ic) people who live in permanent halloween- like extras for rocky horror picture show waiting for a remake to break out in need of people who already look the part...truly bizarre- in my day, we didn't have goths- just people who wore hippy beads, peace sign belt buckles, long stringy hair and bell-bottoms that were too long and in tatters......maybe an american flag t-shirt or a tye-dye number........and granny glasses......somehow this image is more optimistic and almost joyous compared to the black-robed people of the night.....the hippie wanna-bes of my day just wanted legalized dope and free love.........and to give peace a chance......

ok, so i stole a fireball from cayle's halloween treat bag- and now my mouth is on fire and i am too stubborn to spit it out. i will outlast this blessed thing.......i helped ecw pass out candy at the bike shop tonight- there were lots of kids- mostly little ones with parents.....lots of overweight kids this year- i had mixed feelings about giving them more candy than they already had in their bags,,,,,don';t get me wrong- i believe that candy on special occassions is a great tradition- but some of those kids looked like everyday is party time. so sad- i read recently about an 11 year old who fell over and died in her 6th grade class- she coroner blamed her weight- nearly 300 pounds- and attributed her death ot heart failure. the parents do not accept this verdict, and even deny any responsibility (they had never placed her on any sort of a diet- believing that a diet would put too much pressure on her). ecw and i together do not weigh 300 pounds- it is hard to conceive of a 6th grader of this size....so tragic.....

ok, so as of monday, november 4- the dollar amount of goods that us citizens can legally bring into the us doubles- to $800 per person. however, the dollar amount of goods that the mean mamma can bring into the us without upsetting ecw remains the same.........over the years, many customs clearing episodes come to mind- there our honeymoon when ecw and i brought back 9 bottles of wine- mostly dom perignon that we bought at the winery in epernay- we had to pay duty, but i cannot remember if it was on the excess alcohol or if our total purchases were over $400 per person. i just remember the customs agent raising his eyebrows at our wine haul.....there was also the time that i made the mistake of declaring a jar of snails- which turned out to be ok because they were dead and processed and the ban on importing snails referred to live snails....i almost missed my connection over the jar...then there was the packet of seeds that i made the mistake of declaring- mostly because i saw the sniffing dogs- these seeds were also eventually deemed admissable- but not without much discussion and delay. htese days i don't take any chances- and don't buy anything questionable....if i buy goat cheese, i make a point of eating it on the plane.......this treat is often better than the inflight food.......

ok, so the things i want to blog on today are too personal- with regard to my mother- and i cannot bring myself to blog about them.......

ok, so i am back to working on spanish- though iknow know that scw can at least order for me in restaurants......my new strategy is to say yo quiero (so?) pescado- and point to the menu in a questioning manner- and let the waiter tell me which are the fishes....now if only i can learn the word for grilled fish- i believe i could be happy with a vacation full of grilled fishes........speaking if vacation- i dreamed last night that we ran into julia roberts at the bilbao guggenheim- and we approached her for an autograpgh- which she gave us because we called her mrs. modar rather than miss roberts......what a strange thing to dream........

ok, so this talk about game cards has reminded me about playing the barbie game with my babysitter 40 years ago- in the game Barbie-Queen of the Prom- Barbie has to earn money by landing on cash value spots on the game board, and she must use the money to buy stuff for the prom- formal dress, shoes, purse, jewelry, and she must come up with the date of her dreams by drawing the ideal date card- she wants alan or ken, but she might end up with poindexter.........she has to contend with her friends (who also get to draw cards, earn money etc.) who also want rthe dream date, the dream outfit (the black dress with the mink triim......) and the tiara......i always enjoyed when barbie was forced to go the prom with poindexter......

ok, so on the way back from picking up scw from guadaljara (sp!!) we heard an interesting piece on wuky- a show called studio 360- the discussion was about frames- the first segment was about the use of frames in fiction writing- one outer story frames one or more inner stories to give context, etc- the tales of the arabian nights was given as an example- this discussion sequed into a phone interview with architect frank gehry- who first talked of the time he read all of trollope's works in one frenzied series- and how he felt that trollope's works framed the 18th and 19th centuries- he went on to discuss buildings as frames- and how bilbao is a frame for the local culture- and how he is designing a new room for a client who recentlt bought a rubens at auction and wants a room designed to frame the work- the owner wants not only the frame the work came with, but also other frames used in the past included in some way in the room design- quite an interesting discussion- we sat int he garage for quite some time listening to f. gehry- i cannot wait to see bilbao after hearing the architect tell of it's conception as nothing short of a miracle.....

ok, so spirited away was really really bizarre in a cult-favorite kind of way- i can see people starting to dress uplike the really big baby, or the radish, or the swamp-river blob or the twin witches, or the many-armed boiler-guy or the the faceless spirit- i don't get much of the symbolism- but then i am not japanese- there was a lot of water- both at the bath house, and with the rain and the flooded raillines- there were images of greed and gluttony (the same thing?) and a plea to save the earth- of sorts- i can honestly say that at no point int he film did i suspect what was about to happen- there was no formula.......i didn't even see the pig-thing coming........we saw a throng of people congregated down the street- in front of a new building- no idea why they were there in the dark on a sunday night- no protest signs- it was curious. the graeter's ice cream was a treat..........

ok, so here are the top 10 reasons why i like the 'fall back' time change-

1. i get to sleep an extra hour without guilt
2. it was actually daylight when i woke up an extra hour later today
3. i got to reset some clocks that were not accurately set during the last time change...like this computer......
4. the newspapers have cute headlines reminding us about the change
5-10.- ok, so there are not 10 reasons- but the 4 reasons above still count.......

more about the centre homecoming party i worked last night- one of the 'older' reunions- i am still amazed at how much whiskey was consumed- entirely by males, with their wives drinking the more demure white wine........(and plenty of that, by the way) i have never aquired a taste for bourbon- so it was surprising to see grown men reach inside coat pockets for flasks from which to pour out their favorite brand- different from the host's brand- a falsk seems so -prohibition'- which i suppose is the case here- one man was talking about the 'bar in a box' he keeps in his car trunk so he is never without something after golfing or if a hostess doesn't offer bourbon at a party.......another talked about he and a friend brought 200 quarts of beer to their fraternity at centre years ago(?45?) and sold them to anybody but other fraternities.......being one of the few sober people at a party is a curious situation- happily we were in the kitchen and got to watch the uk game on the tiny tv- also got to see all of the score updates- osu beat penn state and michigan lost to somebody- now that is a good day in my book......i hope that i am not working during the michigan-osu game......that is the only football game that i watch as a yearly tradition......

i still cannot get over how much of the univeristy of cincinnati campus i have forgotten since 1980 when i finished my master's degree- driving in- with directions from my sister-in-law- i could barely recognize landmarks that should have been icons- granted- i spent most of my time in the hospital 'ghetto' to the north of campus- and always went to class from that direction. i really never ventured to the side of the law school, i suppose......

ok, so now that this test is over i am free to again think about spain- where to go, when to go there, what to eat and how to order it.......i really need a vacation- and though i will probably walk my legs into nubs i cannot wait.........

ok, so i took the 4 hour test (200 questions- all case studies re: diabetes care)- when i went in- the street was deserted-m when i came out=- there was a homecoming parade- i had to run in front of the shriners in the funny cars to get to the parking garage......

i, too, are am saddened by the loss of senator wellstone- he was a liberal's liberal- in an age when few will fess up to having any liberal leanings........

ok, so mean mamma has missed a few days- she has been studying diabetes care and treatment intensely- the test looms saturday am at university of cincinnati's law school- i will not stay long in cincinnati, as we have 2 parties to cater for centre homecoming saturday night- hopefully i will simply answer all 250 questions correctly, then quietly get up and leave........a trivial note- the law school building may have been designed by michael graves- the guy that designed all the cool housewares stuff for target........

ok, so it has been suggested that my friend would not have bothered to have come by at all had she not valued my friendship and missed it enough to ask why i had withdrawn it.....and that maybe she is also working so much that she feels as if she has no life and is reaching out to someone that she used to do fun things with...now the ball is in my court, and i have to decide what to do next to either make amends or to blow it off and forget her friendship altogether....yes, she is quirky, but that is one of the things that i have always like about her.....gentle readers, sophomore year never ends, no matter how old you get.........hence the presence of the word 'sophomoric' in our vocabulary.......

ok, so mean mamma is quite upset over an unsettling incident that just happened- at 8:00 am in my own place of business.......

of(old friend?)- 'c-w- i just know you are mad at me and i want to know why' - says 'of' as she bustles into the staff door of the restaurant as i am taking off my coat......

kcw- i didn't know i was mad at you- what makes you think that?

of- i think it is because of the incident at church- i have thought a lot about this and i am certain that it comes down to that.

kcw- i recall that incident only vaguely(regarding our daughters sneaking out of choir)- but really- how can i be mad if i don't really remember....

of- i just know that you must be mad because i don't see you anymore....

kcw- you don't see me anymore because i spend all of my time working- i am either here or in the bed......i am sorry if i gave you any other impression.....

of- as she leaves- well- i just wanted you to know that i punished my daughter for that incident, and i just know that you are still mad about it..... (of drives away in her late-model suv) and mean mamma bursts into tears because it occurs to her that 'of' has become 'unstable', and because my work has made friendships hard to keep up with. still, this incident is quite bizarre. i cannot remember a similar one unless i think back to my sophomore year- when susan weller said pretty much the same thing to me with different particulars..........maybe i need a good sign of the curse to ward off the evil.........

ok, so i am finally home from work and face more work- reading either diabetes resources or studying my lesson for eku tomorrow night- we didn't need to have class last week- as the number of chapters in the book and the number of weeks of the semester allowed me to exclude danville's fall break- so i am out of the habit of going to class on tuesday nights.....however- the paycheck from this class allows me to travel so i will buckle down and read the lesson.....i studied the diabetes stuff while the group tonight was eating, including an educational workbook that i wrote for diabetic clients while still at the hospital.....i have noted at least 3 major errors in the text- hopefully those who still work there have caught these errors and have corrected them...i am certain that my name is no longer on this piece in its recent reprints......c'est la vie....

ok, so today was a red-letter day of sorts- i had not one but two naps.........i got a chance to sleep for about 1 hour after an early lunch- while andrew was getting packed up to back to uk- and to work at k-lair, a grill on uk campus. i had to get up and take cayle to her soccer game- at which i was glad to have packed a blanket as well as a lawn chair, and a mug of hot tea- it was so cold and damp at dana.........when we got home, i laid down again, only to wake up at 6:30. i feel marvelous after so much rest- the day is gone but i feel great. still studying stuff like insulin dosages and such- my test is looming next sat am at U.C.law school in cincinnati.....back to work.....

ok, so i am a sucker for elvis costello singing the theme song for notting hill- 'she' i really like that song- so much so that i stayed up last night and watched the movie 'in fast forward mode- just to hear it twice (beginning and end). now i am exhausted and thinking about skipping church so i can have a little nap before cayle's soccer game.....

ok, so i got to cook tonight with a chef in training and a self-trained chef- and i enjoyed every minute.....they made a total mess of the kitchen- and scented the air permanently with the smell of fried grease- but the meal was great and the company was good. i will now stack my food rather than arrange it side-by-side..........

ok, so i got home from work last night to find a cycling/running friend of ecw 'staying over' before the triathalon. presumably someone staying over means that he cannot/willnot stay at home with his wife and family for some reason, which i did not ask about because i did not want to know. i am somewhat troubled by this event- because it appears to have something to do with the triathalon- the time spent in training- running, biking, etc.- some spouses may not tolerate the time spent away from the bosom of the family. it is quite possible that ecw and i have stayed married 21+ years because we encourage each other to persue personal interests and allow each other the space to do so. i don't know that i would like him underfoot everywaking moment.......when he is away doing things he loves he always comes back happy, and a happy husband makes for a good relationship....

ok, so the news at trc today is the movie about the centre/harvard game- Dr. Rousch brought in a dozen or so for lunch including some hollywood types, and they talked of nothing but the plans for the movie- the only part i caught was the analogie between this movie and field of dreams.......no idea when it will film- or if trc has any shot at getting a credit as caterer.........

ok, so i bought andrew another coat- my family is collective in their disdain for this action-......just let the boy freeze- it will teach him a lesson- to pay attention where he leaves his coat.......in reality, i am living with a family of coat-losers- to the point that i am surprised that there is no english surname associated with coat-losing- like carter or wheeler or farmer.....coatloser.......ok, so the boy loses coats........so have scw and ccw- i have not lost a coat to my knowledge- i guess it is the age- the young have less ownership when ti comes to personal belongings.....

ok, so this chicago trip has gotten me prepped to go to spain- i have a clearer vision of what NOT to pack- and a reminder that any suitcase is heavy when it is dragged up stairs...........i was also reminded that i have to be careful about where i store my money versus my passport and ccards and that none of these should be in my actual purse.......

ok, so i forgot my spanish word(s) for the day.....how about the spanish version of ok, so......asi..........

ok, so i have made another reservation with another company at the parador at hondarribia- the little fishing village up next to france. it is pricier than our other hotels, but is it a restored fortress that overlooks the sea, and i just could not resist.....

ok, so i am on the last moments of my 'vacation' and i have not gotten much rest and relaxation- andrew pointed out at lunch today that my vacations have always been more frantic than restful- so what was my point? i attended a workshop on diabetes this morning at st joseph hospital, then took andrew to lunch and for some shopping, then saw 2 clients for dr. hempel, and came home. not bad for my last vacation day.......i got lost trying to find andrew's dorm- and had to park the car and go in to get him because he had not turned on his cell phone........we ate at j.beth- whereupon i bought stephan another book by the fight club guy- called choke- which the salesperson raved about and told me most of the plot, which i will not reveal hwere in that he told me that it might be too risque for a 15 year old boy.........oh well- i assigned the sun also rises to my spanish travelers, which is risque for people of any age......after lunch i bought andrew yet another coat- which he will certainly lose- he has lost more coats at 18 than i have ever owned in 46 years......i cannot imagine losing something as essential to survival as a coat....he has even lost some of my coats, and his dad's coats............but there he was, shivering in a short sleeve shirt, looking all pitiful and vulnerable.....what is a mother to do.....

ok, so already this spanish set is causing chaos with our english set- so many words, so little time...... english is on the front, spanish is on the side......

ok, so i bought one of those magnet sets in spanish for our refrigerator- stephan has set it up and the only things i recongize so far are padre, madre, and jardin......doesn't bode well........now i must make sure that we don't start integrating the english set, with all it's poems, into the spanish set,,,,,,,,,,,my current favorite fridge blog............heave through life deliriously......don't know who wrote it- it just appeared one morning. i kind of like the sentiment,....

ok, so the mean mamma is back in danville, and so glad of it. let me just say this about this trip- it made me appreciate people who share a true passion for travel and all that goes with it- drinking in the sights, taking time in museums to get the essense of the exhibits, trying new foods, sitting back and soaking in the culture- this trip had none of that, alas- i spent most of my time getting cayle to get up off the of the floor, where she would sit in the midst of crowds because she was bored and had minimal interest in actually reading the signs about the kinds of fish in the tank, or the name of the artist and the work, or even to peer inside the mummy's coffer.......so let's talk about what i enjoyed about this trip to chicago-

- discovering that the cta now runs from midway downtown- and paying only $3.00 each way to get us 3 blocks from our hotel
- seeing the end of the chicago marathon- and getting to take a picture of jeff and karen thornton after he finished in boston-qualifiying time
- seeing the picasso model for his unnamed chicago piece that looks like a giant baboon's head- at the art institute
- seeing the desk and chair designed by frank lloyd wright for the johnson building in racine, wisconsin- kidney shaped rather than his signature angular
- seeing the tang horses at the art institute- i wish i could bring one home
- going to shaw's crab shack with the thorntons and having wonderful crab cakes and a nice sauvignon blanc
- leaving cayle's almost full juice bottle for the homeless man going through the trach cans outside of the aquarium
- seeing a tank of chambered nautilus at the aquarium
- seeing the penguin display at the aquarium- one of the best i have ever seen- i could sit there all day just watching
- seeing the special exhibit on pearls at the field museum- so many neat things- marilyn monroe's pearls given to her by joe d. on their honeymoon; -still in the case; mary todd lincoln's pearl necklace and bracelets worn at his inaguration/ his gift to her; washington's gift of pearls to his granddaughter on her marriage; 2 dresses by the french designer worth- all embellished with seed pearls; a faberge egg with pearl highlights; a portrait of queen elizabeth showing her with ropes of pearls on her dress, in her hair, etc; fossilized pearls; morther-of-pearl chalices; pearl ornaments worn by egyptian pharohs; the cultured pearl necklace worn by audrey hepburn in breakfast at tiffany's; a pearl tiara made for empress josphine; pearls worn by marie antoinette; pearls belonging to queen victoria; black pearls, pink and gold pearls; a pearlie jacket from london;
a fabulous pearl necklace loaned by elizabeth taylor; a string of pink conch pearls as big as marbles; it just went on and on- i coveted most of what was on display-
- supper at the chinese restaurant in the lobby of our hotel- a nice shrimp lo mein with a chinese beer
- watching monk on usa network last night on cable- we don't get cable/will never get cable- but i love this show...also watched cribs on mtv-

anyway- so glad to be home, and still off work till thursday morning......can't wait til spain- i feel that this trip was just practice- a reminder of all that is essential to traveling like packing light; researching all of the open days, holidays, hotel locations, special exhibits, nearby great cafes, etc. even down to the nitty gritty about packing my favorite eye shadow rather than what is in a more convenient package- i hate the eye shadow in my travel bag but i never remember to take it out between trips.....

on another note- i am counting on the l.o to bring appropriate travel music- i have fond memories of beck's devils hair cut as a backround to being lost north of cologne.......i will try to find out connector to play a cd player on a car tape player......
-

ok, so the mean mamma is heading to chicago this morning, where the temp is now a windy 58 high and 35 low.......the cta subways now run from midway- so marathon traffic will not be a problem...signing off until tuesday afternoon, unless i come across a cybercafe......pray for us

ok, so for the record, champagne from New Mexico is not a reasonable buy- even at a case price- hopefully the bride and groom love it because there is a lot left.....

ok, so i have just enough strength to write one more blog before i take a nap- i am so excited about jimmy carter winning the nobel prize for peace. he is such a fine man- a principled person who walks the walk not just talks the talk. frankly i don't see w. bush ever winning such an esteemed honor......i like the nytimes article who describe carter as a man who wages peace......

ok, so i am looking up spanish words to describe my current mood-

cansado (tired)
tengo sed (thirsty)
tengo hambre (hungry)
tengo dolor (achy)

i am almost too tired to say cansado...................

ok, so the chicago marathon runs right through my hotel 'neighborhood' on sunday morning about the time that i am due to arrive - who knew..........several from danville are running, including jeff thornton-we may hook up for supper on sunday night.....i have not packed, cayle has not packed, she is not the traveler that stephan is, and i must forgive her for this...........