picking up stephan.........

ok, so first thing this morning, in a driving rain, we ventured back into town, parked at the restaurant, and walked on down to centre for the closing ceremony of governor's scholars program.................said ceremony took forever......... of course.....just to pass out 335 certificates took over 30 minutes...................and then the loading up of the cars in utter gridlock took forever.........the 3 trips with armloads of stuff down countless flights of (wet slippery)stairs.........and then the sidetrip to get chinese carryout................so finally he is home............talking a mile-a-minute to his older brother about the experience...................and i am not at the restaurant....................we pulled right out of that parking lot, and drove away.............and didn't look back...............

billy blues...........

ok, so we had a blast having dinner and drinks with our good friends the morgans and the hempels- listening to our good friend colin's band billy blues..............colin gave me grief from the get-go because 'i was not keeping up' with him..........to which i replied.........'it is not book club at my house...........so i will just stick to a few glasses of wine..............'the band dedicated the following robert johnson song to me........

come on in my kitchen........

Mmm... you better come on in my kitchen babe, it's goin' to be rainin' outdoorsThe woman I love, took from my best friendSome joker got lucky, stole her back againYou better come on in my kitchen babe, it's goin' to be rainin' outdoorsOh, she's gone, I know she won't come backI've taken the last nickel out of her nation sackYou better come on in my kitchen, baby, it's goin' to be rainin' outdoors[Spoken:] Oh, can't you hear that wind howl?Can't you hear that wind howl?You better come on in my kitchen, baby, it's goin' to be rainin' outdoorsWhen a woman gets in trouble, everybody throws her downLookin' for her good friend, none can't be foundYou better come on in my kitchen, baby, it's goin' to be rainin' outdoorsWinter time's comin', it's goin' to be slowYou can make the winter, babe, that's dry long soYou better come on in my kitchen, 'cause it's goin' to be rainin' outdoors

you have to imagine the harmonica that went along with it............the best thing they played was brown-eyed girl by van morrison, a personal favorite..........at some point we all got up to dance...........a good time............

indigo bunting............

ok, so for a split second i thought i saw a bluebird on the tree just beyond the deck.....whilst i was reading the danville paper and enjoying a glass of wine...................but then i knew better than that.....it had to be an indigo bunting............a smaller, vibrantly blue version that loves the cedar trees that grow wild in these parts.............i only saw the one.....which seems sad considering that all the other birds seem to be traveling in pairs these days...........we have several pairs of cardinals about...or so it seems...if they are the same pair they are quite the gadabouts.............and there was a pair of wrens within sight as i read the morning paper with coffee............so..............does an indigo bunting sighting bring as much luck as a bluebird?..................

once in a blue moon..........

ok, so tomorrow, july 31st, is the second full moon in the month of july....which makes it the 'blue moon'....................though the cnn article i read denies the 'blue' part................supposedly a blue moon is just the same to the eye as any other full moon..........and the only moon to have a bluish or lavender cast is one seen after a volcanic eruption or a major fire.....due to the minute dust particles in the air.................we shall see.................. and the 'once in blue moon'.......... part...simply implies that because the event doesn't come around often it must mean something...........we shall also see about that...............

all over but the paperwork........

ok, so my days as a restauranteur are all over, except for the paperwork.....and it is only then that the champagne will flow..................my coworkers gave me a gift certificate for a nice dinner out....at beaumont inn, ..i enjoyed the irony.......i rarely go out to supper, even at trc........., and so i have not been to beaumont inn in 4 solid years....i am actually going to supper at trc tonight.....with 2 other couples to hear billy blues, a local trio made up of 2 centre professors and a doctor............i have never actually been to dinner at trc since andrew graduated from high school..............2 years ago...........and certainly not since we hired the new chef...............who, by the way, wore an osu cap and football jersey in honor of my last day...................joe davis, my friend and fruit/vegetable purveyor gave me red hot chili pepper earrings..............gail gave me a frame that can hold our picture taken together.............so.................i am now home, in the afternoon, having picked cayle up at camp............and it is going to rain any minute.....so it is of no use to try to swim at this point...............i do believe that i will risk a nice nap....................

help is on the way.........

ok, so i was more than impressed by john kerry, with his video, his patrol-boat comrades who still keep in touch, by the tribute by the man he saved, by max cleland,  byhis daughters, and sons, and by his massage of reconciliation..........and hope................i doubt that dubya can produce such a scene on stage.................because it seems that all he will be able to bring on stage would be his war-years drinking buddies...........and his saudi friends....................

simple gifts............

ok, so my friend joe davis has sent small gifts inside each of his fruit/vegetable deliveries, over the past 4 days..............they come labeled.......we are to day 4.........leavin'for shor......ha!...........i will really miss him, as i have talked to him on the phone daily for the past 4 years.............he left a high pressure job to take on a produce business............so he and i have lots in common.............i am bailing out before he.......and i really hope he hangs in there................i went around at lunch and took pictures of favorite customers ..........the judges (who are not all judges.......the true judge went to law school with sandra day o'conner, and he was instrumental in getting her to danville for centre's graduation this year....)...the professors (yes, they are both real professors....who read this blog, by the way)...............as well as my mom who came by to have a late lunch with me................in some regards it is like being at your own funeral, with people telling me how glad they are that we took the big risk 4 years ago to open up the place.............and to talk about how they will miss me.........though i am only going a few miles down the road..............i will surely not be a lady who lunches in my new career...........i can actually become a lady who exercises over lunch.....as the health department is just minutes away from the anderson-dean park, with it's lovely 2 mile walking path.................a sandwich on the way over, a book on tape....and i could start training for my alps hike on day 1....................i did take a photo of gail with my mom................my mom really likes gail, though she seems to have no idea that gail and my brother could one day become a couple.....if he would ever decide to settle down again...............hope springs eternal........yes, hope is a simple gift..................

the gift of time........

ok, so my new job has already given me a substantial gift...........they told me on the phone this morning that it would be ever so much more convenient for them if i did not start until august 16.....when a new pay period begins.....rather than august 9 when i said that i was available..........gentle readers.......this means 2 weeks off in the summer......in one lump...........which i have not experienced since andrew was born..............and that was 20 years ago.........and i was otherwise too engaged in having a newborn to enjoy the nuances.........part of the time we will be gone, granted......but we will be going to some of my favorite places............which include the bennington pottery factory, the crabtree and evelyn (sp) outlet in manchester,  vt..yeh, i also like the coach outlet...........but my spouse does not........wouldn't a coach briefcase just be perfect for my new job?...............and blue mountain in the adirondacks.............we may just have to take cayle to see the grandma moses exhibit at the bennington art musuem............and maybe travel down to western mass to see norman rockwell's museum......i cannot recall that we have been there since the boys were tiny..........we were once nearly asked to leave the red lion inn in stockbridge during lunch because one or the other would not/could not stop crying.............all of these places are within a few hours drive of sister marilynn.......and she really needs to rest during the day...so we might as well take day trips...............for the next week, my mother has offered to pay me to sort out her attic.....now there is an offer............because we should probably just schedule a yard sale for that following saturday and dispose of half of what she moved from ohio..........but that would also require sedation (on her part...........) so who knows what i will do.......my spouse has also offered employment for the week catching him up on bookkeeping........and i would also like to drive up to cincinnati and visit my friend jane.............little time for leisure, when you think about it..................

gonna ride this donkey.........

ok, so the reverend al sharpton had the very best line in his rousing address to the dnc...............in answer to a speech given by gwb last week, whereupon bush asked black americans whether the democrats took their votes for granted.....and reminded them that the republican party was the party of abraham lincoln..................sharpton reminded us all...that though lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation...............he never made good on the promised 40 acres and a mule............it was not until democrats were in office that blacks received the right to vote................'and we gonna ride that donkey as far as we can take it.'...what a great line................

nap...................

ok, so when is an afternoon nap a bad thing?..................today, it would seem........i laid myself down to read the new yorker...and woke up three hours later........feeling like i had been beat up...........gentle readers.....please remember that this week there are no children at home........and i arrive home early on wednesdays .............and the cyclists ride on wednesday evenings........i could theoretically have slept til 8:45 pm with nobody attempting to wake me up....................so what ever happened to the fantasy about a nice little nap, after which one wakes refreshed and energized...............whoa...............all i want to do now is to go back to bed...............

an ethical decision.....

ok, so as predicted..............the lexington health department people called to schedule an interview within hours of my verbal commitment to m.c. health department...........and i graciously declined their offer of an interview......given said previous commitment...though i briefly toyed at the opposite decision..............i could not have lived with myself if i backed out of the m. county job at this point................it would have been rude......and while i am mean, i try really hard not to be rude..........so i thanked the contact person, and said that i might be interested if and when the job opens up again.........because you just never know about these things................i feel so much better...now that this dilemna is over...................

ted, howard, ron, barak, and theresa

ok, so we watched more of the convention last night....didn't tune in soon enough to hear ted kennedy or howard dean.......but i was impressed by ron reagan's plea for stem cell research funding, and his not-so-subtle jibes at an adminstration so tied to the rightwing that it can see the differences between potential life (fertilized eggs, for example) and stem cells...........with ron reagan's appearance, the republican's will have a hard time evoking the memory of ronald reagan..............especially since the remaining reagans have been so public in their disagreement with the bush administration over this issue..........on to barak.......a rising young political star who made a tremendous impact on the crowd with his good looks, passionate phrasing, and personal charisma......he reminded me of a young mlk.........he is what the democrats need to expand their base to non-committed people of color........and lastly theresa heinz kerry...........who spoke so eloquently of the american dream as seen by immigrants like herself...........maybe not as polished as hillary, but she is a force to be reckoned with...........of course, monday night's speeches were still on people's minds today at work........my octogenarian doorman, a republican.....whispered to the hostess......'i think clinton's speech really clinched the election for kerry..........'i can only hope and pray that he is right...............

life of pi.........

ok, so i am but 30 minutes into this lovely book.......and all i want to do is to tell the l.o. that she was so right about it...............i needn't have put off this book for so long.................

god bless america.....

ok, so in this land of free speech.......i am so very glad we have michael moore to shake things up............

jimmy, caroline, hillary, and bill......

ok, so i regret that i did not have the radio on.....as i missed jimmy carter's speech at the dnc.........he missed the televised slot.........i have the utmost repect for jimmy, an author, and activist, a habitat builder, a sunday school teacher......and nobel laureate...certainly a wise voice in troubled times............i did see an interview with caroline kennedy........the remaining force in a family filled with both promise and tragedy........when asked if she work for kerry in the campaign, she replied...'i have been working for john kerry' since i was 14 years old......'she has dedicated the remainder of her public career to the nyc educational system......she is so articulate..........and then there was hillary's introduction speech............my goodness, but that woman can deliver words so effortlessly....and so poignantly......she is so well-spoken, so passionate...so insightful....so remarkable.........for the right winger's to use her as their whipping girl.......send money so we can reign in hillary.....just shows you how dense the rich can be...............last, but not least.......was bill............one of the floor reporters with a microphone later mentioned overhearing 2 delegates from ohio gasp......'god, he's good'...........yep......the man is the ultimate orator................delivery, timing, substance, charisma.........he focused on his new status as a rich man.....and went from there as to all that gwb is doing to preserve his wealth.....on the backs of middle and lower class americans...........i have to give him credit for having the guts to take that path..........but it was quite effective..........it brought that issue out into the open.........and to bill's advantage.................he never once bashed bush......though he coined quite a phrase............'strength and wisdom are not opposing values'...........................implying that while bush may be strong enough to lead us in time of war, he has not a lick of sense...................of course, we know that...............but many fools may feel compelled to vote for him 'so he can finish the job'...................ecw and our friend mark went to see farhenheit 911 last night.................he came home riled up, just like i was 2 weeks ago...............these are the days when we must talk to everybody we know...about getting out and voting....for a strong leader, who has both wisdom and sense..............and the initials jfk.....i guess this reality has eluded me...........but i think we all deserve a bit of the jfk feeling of goodness in america.............

glass half full.............

ok, so at least 2 folks have asked 'so how much will you be making'.......as if it is their business..............and as if it would be the deciding factor...............for the record..........no, i will not be making what i was making when i left the hospital....let me repeat...that job was hell on earth.......the strain has taken years off of my life................which makes this job appear to be more like a paid vacation..............another quotable quote from today's lunch crowd.........'kathy, you look more relaxed than i ever ever known you to be.............'...........there is something to be said for the worth of reduced stress/angst/tension...............

anonymous tributes......

ok, so today i received an anonymous goodbye gift..........possibly from someone who wanted to see if could spell the word........very sweet/thoughtful.............i also received a tasty treat from my fruit-and-veg friend joe davis..........who hinted that it was the first of 5............worth staying til friday for...................i had a woman come right into the kitchen today to give me a hug.....and to tell me that she will miss my cooking................from now on my cooking will be limited to onsite only.........you have to marry into this clan, or be invited over.....................

updated schedule.....

ok, so now that i actually have a job.........an di do not have to worry about being at the restaurant's phone number during the day waiting to hear about a job........i have rethought my last-week hours...........i will be leaving friday at 11:50 am.....so that i can pick up cayle after 4-h camp at noon..............no reason to go back to work afterwards.............i will just fade into the sunset............and let others fill the large carryout order friday night...........

$60 mil waste of time and money........

ok, so the democratic convention is the ultimate waste of time and money.......given that the candidates have been decided...the platform worked out.........if the candidates wanted to rally the faithful.....for $60 mil...thye COULD have hosted 50 individualized state events........1 per day for 50 days.........no worse than 50 stump speeches...gathering the faithful in each state capital could be combined with fundraising.....which could conceivably net $60 million rather than cost $60 mil............an afternoon of security per state would spread the cost  burden from a single host city significantly.............just an idea...........i feel sorry for those bostonians.....having to deal with flak-jacketed troops for the next few days.............. 

quote of the day........

ok, so my new boss-to-be called today.....to make sure i was really interested in the nutritionist job................"we were surprised after you left on friday that someone of your calibre wanted to work here........."...the implication being that i could certainly get a more prestigu=ious position if i wanted to drive to lexington..........gentle readers........my bruised ego really needed a boost like that.........so i will be working at the m.county health department.........37.5 hours a week.......in casual clothing....18 minutes from the house...close enough that i might be able to drive children to school on some days.............the job itself is beenthere/donethat.....but that is ok for someone who has cooked fulltime for 4 solid years.........i'll just ease back in to the professional world.....and make the best of it...........i am pleased..............

cooperstown..........

ok, so we will be driving up to new york this sunday..........with a detour to niagra falls......but not one to cooperstown......not this time around...............we went there as a side trip years ago........and we marveled that pete rose's belongings from his best season were there......but not his face on the actual walls of the hall of fame.................i bring this up now because there was a little balloon on-line this morning........testing the waters for the potential for george steinbrenner to be in the hall of fame....given his great contributions to the sport....................gentle readers...............for charlie hustle to be denied entrance to the hall of fame because he gambled on baseball, sullying it's reputation somehow....like making money off of it diminished it..............but for george to be somehow allowed in.......because he enhanced the game....by buying and selling human lives in the hopes of making money off of the sport..............how does this make any sense................ i was intrigued ot read on-line about the induction of paul molitor to the hall of fame............i am pretty sure that i saw him play once against the reds at riverfront..............he seemed to be a passionate player..............my age, actually...from reading his bio..........which means that he is pretty darn young to be inducted...............which brings me back to my point............passionate players belong in the hall of fame......whether they were saints or not.............well.......only god himself need be the judge..................for me............i would like to see pete rose inducted on next year's ballot..................and if george steinbrenner make it there before pete.................then all hope for the future of baseball as we know it lost.....................

jason bourne...

ok, so we went to see the bourne supremacy..........a truly thrilling film...with a chase scene that just kept coming.........what a ride...............the only problem with it was that it wasn't the bourne supremacy........they could actually still a movie from that book, because they movie they did make had absolutely nothing to do with the book....except for the name jason bourne.......they are already making plans of the bourne ultimatum....which cannot be anything like the book at this point because they killed off the wrong people in this movie ....for the record......i did keep all of this to myself during our time at the theatre.......gentle readers...i once upset my spouse terribly during a viewing of the firm.....because i was so distressed about the needless changes to the novel that i kept pointing out the mistakes.............and my behavior reached annoyance status.............ah well.........my daughter is now in love with matt damon.........despite the reality that he is a professional killer................. 

lance.........

ok, so lance pulled it off...6 wins in 6 years......8 years  after his testicular cancer had spread to his lungs and brain.....he is quite a guy..........not anybody that i would want to be married to...what quite a guy................

a tale of woe..........

ok, so i am watching bos vs nyy on fox tv....and i missed the bench-clearing fight while i was swimming.........................these people are crazy...........................when u.k. loses...you never hear opf bench-clearing brawls.............or when osu loses.......but when baseball and the upper east is involved...............there is so much passion...................crazy...but passionate...................... what i do like about mlb is the body-type..........good ballplayers tend to look like people i am akin to........stout.....shortish.....solid..........as opposed to people that i am not.....tall, thin......yes....there are many reasons to watch mlb.......................

gambling granny............

ok, so this article was on the web this morning........

countdown..........

ok, so today is the last saturday that i will work for some time.......at least work at trc...............and i am so glad..........i resisted the notion of opening for saturday lunch.....because saturday is errand day.......and people have too much to do to spend time sitting down for a leisurely lunch..........and so saturday lunch remains our slowest lunch day........a reality that will soon be the worry of others............there is lots of paperwork yet to finish up with my leaving......paperwork that i need not physically be in the building to read over and sign.......yes....this week will be sad.......but next saturday, when i do not have to go in to work....i will be elated............

the frogs in the pond.....

ok, so there are no fewer than 5 tiny frogs hanging out on lily pads in our pond now that scw has put in actual plants...........well....now that he has thinned out my mother's pond plants....and carted them down the street..........5 frogs....they are so petite.........and certainly capable of gobbling up all of the area mosquitos...................it feels so comforting to have such amphibian life on our property........we certainly live in a happy habitat.........

another chance sighting...........

ok, so as i was pulling the van out of my trc spot........i espied scw walking out of the baskin-robbins with david and an unknown female.................walking my way......scw...being quite casual....extended his hand through my open window and introduced himself.......in cousin edwin's manner from lambsheim......'stephan'......he said....shook my hand......and then whispered......i believe in you..............and was gone.........................imagine the german accent of cousin edwin.....stephan.........well....it was good to see him before the interview....................

the interview......

ok, so the interview went well........considering that i have not interviewed in recent memory.............the committee was unpredicted.........a nurse who i used to work with at the hospital........who was pleased that i remembered that she won a recipe contest for her pumpkin roll..........another nurse who was featured in a food/nutrition column i once did for the newspaper..............an administrator who had once heard me speak.......and a director who was impressed that i had done enough homework to have called my neighbor...who is the director of our local health department...to ask about the job openings, working conditions, skeletons............as well as to have called 2 different people who have worked with him...........so that is how we got started........aside from my passing out my resume and shaking hands........and putting names with faces.......the job(s) is basically doing things that i have done before......i was assured as i left that i would hear from them with an offer monday or tuesday....i just do not know for which opening.....and at this point i'll not quibble............the job is close enough that i can drive cayle to school before going to work.....there are more paid holidays in a single year than i have had off in 4 years.........and my favorite chinese carryout place is on the way home................we did not talk salary......the salary listed in the paper is actually more than i am, making now................so i will not quibble about that either..........frankly, i would consider this job to be an improvement in my quality of life...........37.5 hours a week, good benefits.....lots of days off.......low-key dress code......close to home.....no saturdays/sundays......rare evenings..........life is good........................or will be after i hear from them.........i have put by a nice bottle of champagne.......but i am saving that for when the sale of my share in the restaurant has gone through.................

chance meeting....

ok, so both my spouse and i have had a chance meeting with a person who has impacted our lives,,,,,,,,,without having to go to heaven to wait on our 5 people each..........last night, at the swim team banquet....a woman i knew marginally when i worked at the hospital approached me...and basically told me the same story she told my husband several days ago......she had been at swim practice one of the mornings when cayle's birth mother had been waiting for her to finish so they could go and do whatever..........and cayle's birth mother had struck up conversation, first about the revealing nature of swimsuits, and then about her concerns about the daughter who no longer lived with her.................well.....this person took it all as a personal affront, for danville, and for us in particular...and reportedly took it upon herself to tell the birth mother that her daughter could not have better parents, nor live in better surroundings, not attend better schools, and though it must have been hard to give her up...she needed to get over it.........gentle readers.....i had not looked forward to the swim banquet......because it is 3 hours of tedium...but i was mistaken about this year's banquet......i really needed that boost................

military perks............

ok, so this article on enhanced military perks is laughable........free breast enlargements,  for oneself and one's dependents..............on the taxpayer's dime, no less........only in america do we worship massive mammaries enough to pay for them with federal funds.............gentle readers..............for my money, large breasts are nothing to wish for..............they swell up even further at the whim of hormones.......to the point that sleeping on one's stomach is much too painful for words.............their sheer extra weight causes skeletal misalignment/backaches, and the only available undergarments tend to look like souvenirs at dolly parton's theme park............when my ship comes in, i will have a breast reduction, thank you very much.....reckon the government will pay me for my unneeded 'natural tissue', so that some deserving servicewoman need not use that nasty silicon?..........just doing my part for the war effort................

updated resume

ok, so tonight i updated my resume...which is to say that i created a resume.......no file of previous resumes appears to exist...........it has been a long, long time since i interviewed for any job...............so the resume-building process was good...in that it reminded me of key points i need to highlight in the interview friday..............i look good on paper....but i must sell myself in person.....not always easy to do.....................gentle readers....keep me in your prayers............

haute couture

ok, so a bit more on the wedding i attended over the weekend.......the bridesmaids dresses were babyblue satin....short cocktail dresses.............nicely cut..........until you looked again...........and they were made quite shoddily.............gentle readers......satin is a bitch to sew......seams (haute couture means....good seams, by the way....) with satin must be sewn using an extra layer of tissue paper on top to keep the fabric smooth..............and the tissue removed carefully afterwards.............these seems were really gathered, and puckered.........and carelessly iron, if ironed at all..............the group in back of us in the pews....commented to his wife....are those dresses homemade?.................i am sure that they were not homemade.....just poorly made..............oh my...............i will not be going into the bridal business, despite my critique.............yes...i could do it better...but having made 1 bridal gown in addition to my own.......well....i'll not do it again unless a daughter-in-law to be asked me to do so..............then, and only then...will i come out of my self-imposed bridal gown retirement...........

pretend prada......

ok,s o my friend gail came to work today with a pink possibly pretend prada bag that she bought from a friend who was selling them out of her car....................who cares........it is so cute....this from a person who does not covet purses..............but i could enjoy the lifestyle implied by that pink bag...........of course...given the choice...i would have chosen red or black...........

less mean....

ok, so today i feel 10 years younger and less mean..........which may have something to do with my trc last-day countdown.........come to think of it...i have only been the mean mamma during the time i owned this restaurant......which means that i maybecome reborn as mother theresa or some other saintly person after the paperwork is all signed and i am officially done with this business.........so instead of meanmamma....my children can address me as the reverend mother........ha...........

interviews.....

ok, so i am interviewing friday at m. county health department...for 4 separate job openings............this job is 18 minutes away..............

bad writing contest...

ok,  so i enjoyed this article about the contest..............i would say that i wish i could write this badly, but that would really open myself up for unwanted comments...now wouldn't it?...............

camp nelson......

ok, so today we travel to camp nelson, near the kentucky river south of nicholasville......to the military cemetary.......my dad's ashes will find their final rest amongst other veterans........of many wars.......i believe camp nelson itself was used during the civil war and wwI, so the graveyard would have a similar history.......at the very least i am relieved that his remains will no longer be in my mother's upstairs closet...........mother, cayle and i are meeting the minister there, and we will travel on to lexington to shop afterwards.......gentle readers....the shopping part was my mother's idea...not mine........i suppose she needed something enjoyable to look forward to as a followup...........

water heater woes.........

ok, so our water heater has died.............the third water heater in as many years.....which is ironic in that we had the first water heater for 19 years........only to burn them out quickly thereafter......at least this one died without drama.....the last one shorted out and caught fire in the middle of the night........and thanks to smoke alarms we were able to catch it before it ignited all of the boxes of stuff in the storage room in the basement........this morning i washed my hair in the sink.......cold water but with only my head wet i could handle it........tomorrow morning i must do toal immersion......and i do not relish the thought of a cold shower.............i understand that elite spas offer cold plunges to rejuvenate the skin...............ha!

ap scores......

ok, so the ap scores here........and i cannot open them until their rightful owner says that i may do so.....and it is driving me crazy..........no, you cannot read them when put up, unsealed, to the light............

an encouraging sign that i married the right man...

ok, so we were driving along the george washington parkway toward downtown d.c......and we saw a turnoff for langley as well as one for the george bush center for intelligence/cia.........and we both broke out laughing....................i call that real family values..............

party while we were gone?.........

ok, so it would appear that a gathering was held at our house while we were gone.........thankfully, as our eldest gets older he gets more sensible.........he apparently hosted a cookout for 2 of his friends(?roommates?) who drove down saturday afternoon with him......and who drove back saturday night with him.....at least that is the story we heard from grandma, who he called while he was here.............he was also kind enough to leave the leftover burgers in the fridge..........

welcome back.......

ok, so we just got home from the wedding in dc....such a lot to say about the weekend........we listened to the book...5 people you meet in heaven....on the way up.......a really good choice for driving with one's spouse, i suppose......because there was a lot to talk about..with regards to the book's notion fo heaven......that when you die, you will meet with a total of 5 people who explain your life to you....and give closure to issues that require it....so that you may finally find that everlasting peace we hear so much about.........if you have not read it, gentle readers....it is worth your time........especially if you need a good cry.......my spouse does not keep fast food napkins in his vehicle........as he eats no fast food in his car.......so there was nothing to use as i wept at the surprise ending........the mapquest directions were superb.....though we became concerned when the gw parkway detour led us through what seemed to be the pentagon parking lot......we did not get lost or turned around in locating the hotel, the church....both in view of the capital..........the wedding was lovely, karin's dress was elegantly simple, and the ceremony was brief......we did a group photo on the steps of the church....which is attached to the private catholic boy's prep school that matt attended.............there was a shuttle bus for the 4 block distance between the hotel and church.........we would not dream of riding 4 blocks when we could walk..........so we were somewhat late in getting to the reception......which began with an open bar, raw oysters on half shell (yes!!!!!) shrimp, crab cakes.........oh my........i ate my fill before we could get through the line to get a glass of wine.......such a long line........and then joined all of the attending inlaws/outlaws.........when it was time for round 2.....2 brother-in-laws got in line.....after taking orders..............after an eternity...they returned with everybody's beers, but without my wine....so i got up and got in line.....with one sister-in-law in tow.......apologizing because it was her spouse that forgot.............we were in line forever...when the oddest incident occured.....this young guy (late 20's-early 30's) was standing with his back to the line, beer in hand....chatting with 2 women who were at least 2-3 feet away from him.....and his body posture was menacing.........just butting up to me, but not enough to knock me over.......and this went on until i finally turned to him and said 'excuse me'...and he nearly yelled at me something about my having cut ahead of him in line...........and he basically made a scene......gentle readers......in my midwestern notions about lines......you face ahead when you are in line....and there is no 2-3 foot gap between you and the people 'next' to you in line....further....if you are in line for drinks at the bar......you generally do not have a beer in hand...........i did not ask these people if the line started in back of them because they all had drinks...........and had their back to the bar.........what greedy preppie lushes....who get back in line for drinks before they have finished their first drinks.....and have the callous gall to accuse others of being gauche............my niece ( the sister of the groom) was standing right beside the bar...and she quickly got a glass of wine for me from the bartender....ahead of everybody, by the way....and she assured me that she did not recognize any of the three (1 guy, 2 pretend-blondes in ill-suited dresses......)..so they were probably friends of the bride, and not the famiial groom..........at dinner,  for which we were seated shortly thereafter....this crew was seated as far from the wedding party as could be.....which meant that as friends of the bride...they were not that important to her............i, of course, have replayed the scene numerous times in my brain......because i was caught utterly speechless........i was not expecting to be rudely accosted by an oafish cad....and i missed out on any witty, scathing comeback............and with my reputation for meanness to uphold.........ah well......... i have already made a plan to be person #5 in heaven for the callous-beer-drinking jerk......and i will explain that his failures on earth stemmed from his self-absorption.....and general snotty attitude........
 
after the brunch this morning, we traveled back across the potomac to reston....to visit my brother....at his home.....for the first time in 7 years.........today was a sunday, even workaholics have to take a day off sometime....and all of our other family vacation visits have been midweek....when he was 'unavailable'.......so we stopped by for a total for 90 minutes........whilst he availed us of his techie toys.......flatscreen tvs......in 2 rooms....a huge collection of dvd's...alphabetized............2 huge computer screens set up with his pc so he can do programming on #1 and view the results on #2........and a new laptop and at least 2 pda's and several phones............and no guest room.........as the 3rd of the 'bedrooms' is now his personal gym.........this really upsets our mother.....who has never seen his house....because my brother is never available when she wants to visit....and because there is no place to sleep of she did come........again.....ah well......at least we kept our chatter to the weather, his house, his yard.....and away from politics.........
 
so,......back home........no hot water....as we have discovered....but back home................

danville doyenne.....

ok, so danville's doyenne stopped by yesterday to pick up carryout lunch.....at about 2:00 pm....in her baby blue flannel pajamas.....no robe, by the way.....just her pajamas and walking shoes..........presumably nancy had just gotten out of bed, and was to hungry to get dressed..........heaven only knows what other stops she made before or after trc...........

bell bottom blues.....

ok, so ecw and i are traveling tomorrow to d.c.....and if there was one really good guess as to the identity of tom_baker......he would appreciate the following lyrics.....
 
Bell Bottom Blues
by Eric Clapton
Bell bottom blues, you made me cry.I don't want to lose this feeling.And if I could choose a place to dieIt would be in your arms.
Do you want to see me crawl across the floor to you?Do you want to hear me beg you to take me back?I'd gladly do it becauseI don't want to fade away.Give me one more day, please.I don't want to fade away.In your heart I want to stay.
It's all wrong, but it's all right.The way that you treat me baby.Once I was strong but I lost the fight.You won't find a better loser.
Chorus
Chorus
Bell bottom blues, don't say goodbye.I'm sure we're gonna meet again,And if we do, don't you be surprisedIf you find me with another lover.
Chorus
I don't want to fade away.Give me one more day please.I don't want to fade away.In your heart I long to stay.
 
 
 
of course,    my guess may be far from reality,...but the lyrics are good either way................. 

watch those carbs......

ok, so my spouse and i are going to d.c ...alone...for the first time in maybe 20 years.....and the only return email we get from my brother is about how mean the kerrys are...and how lustrous and genuine the bushes are....such lovely people....................my feelings about the entire controversy has to do with carbs.....those who are actually consuming them are happier than those who are not...regardless of party......................enough said...........................

recycling......

ok, so the recycling community has heard about my departure.....and is lobbying for my partner to continue/...for the record....i have personally transported tons of trash to the recycling center.....6 days a week for 4 years is a lot of trash...............the maven of recycling in danville is lobbying with my partner for a commitment for continued commitment..............if you are within the sound of my written voice....call my partner and lobby for recyling...................

potential diagnosis....

ok, so i fear that i may succumb to alzheimer's disease, but the following article may prove me wrong......
 
Alzheimers often mistakenly diagnosed 
 
PHILADELPHIA, Pennslyvania (AP) -- Ask anyone to name a brain disease that causes dementia and eventually death, and the most likely answer you'll get is Alzheimer's disease.
Though that's one correct answer, it's not the only one. And a group meeting here this week is trying to increase medical and public awareness for other degenerative brain syndromes that are as misunderstood and underdeveloped as they are destructive to victims and families.
Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is an umbrella term that includes several related brain disorders. They generally strike people in their 50s -- a decade earlier than Alzheimer's typically hits -- and can take a severe financial, as well as emotional, toll on the sufferers' families. Like Alzheimer's FTD has no cure and no confirmed treatment to slow the slide into dementia. About 4.5 million Americans are believed to have Alzheimer's; the number with FTD is unclear because it is often misdiagnosed. "It's where Alzheimer's was 20 years ago in terms of the lack of recognition, information, knowledge," said Helen-Ann Comstock, chair of the Association for Frontotemporal Dementias. "This is a disease that hits at the prime of life, making it financially devastating for families and baffling and embarrassing because it's not always recognized." Just days before a major conference on Alzheimer's disease begins this weekend, families and doctors focused on FTD are gathering. "It's tough to say how many people are being inaccurately diagnosed but in all likelihood, half of the folks (with FTD) are being missed," said University of Pennsylvania neurologist Dr. Murray Grossman, a member of AFTD's Medical Advisory Council. "It's so important for us to spread the word, to make sure that we're getting accurate diagnoses, especially since we're on the cusp of potential treatments." While Alzheimer's is marked by memory loss, FTD patients retain their memories of people and events. They instead have trouble speaking and remembering words, and they may become extroverted or withdrawn, make inappropriate remarks in public, exhibit rude or childlike behavior, and appear selfish or apathetic. Sometimes compulsive behaviors develop, like walking to the same location day after day, constant hand-clapping or rubbing, or humming the same tune for long periods. The symptoms often lead to patients being misdiagnosed with a variety of disorders including Alzheimer's, stroke, bipolar disorder or depression. As a result, frontotemporal dementia can go undiagnosed for years. Comstock's husband was misdiagnosed twice with Alzheimer's before a third opinion months later concluded that he actually had Pick's disease, a type of frontotemporal dementia. At the time of his diagnosis in 1978, Craig Comstock was a 44-year-old math professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in California, a researcher and a fixture on the community charity circuit. He died seven years later, bedridden and unable to eat or drink. In an unusual move not typical of most medical meetings, families of FTD sufferers were invited to attend the Philadelphia gathering and take part in discussions to arm them with information about caring for their loved ones, Comstock said. Grossman said researchers are looking for ways to stabilize a protein in the brain that seems to degrade and disappear in these dementia sufferers. "We believe frontotemporal dementia is as common in the under-65 population as Alzheimer's disease is in the above-65 population," he said. "What we find is important not just for FTD but for patients with Alzheimer's disease."
 
gentle readers....should you ever wonder what i, the mm, obsesses about daily at  3:00 am..it is the loss of her wits....as proved by both her grandmothers.....and her father............

good news....

ok, so acw's tuition bill arrived in the mail........zippo balance.....after subtracting kees money from ky lottery.....and his scholarships........of course there is the apartment rent....and food........i must give credit to this young man....he has made fabulous food choices since deciding to live on his own........lots of fruits and vegetables.........lean meats........very little fast food.......acw has done very well managing his money..........and we are so proud of the passion he has shown for his classes, and his writing..........yes...good news indeed..............

more thoughts on f-911....

ok, so it has been nearly a week since i saw THE MOVIE......and i must say that i am more disturbed about the imagery now than i was when i sat in tears at the kentucky theatre.......for starts........i have never fought in a war....my dad once taught me how to shoot cans off fence posts at my grandpa's farm....once.....i would not shoot the gun again.....thus my sibling inherited valuable weaponry from both sides of the family, with no opposition from me at all........i was too young for viet nam, and too female....as the times saw the situation.......the heart throb who was a senior when i was a freshman in high school.......well, he got drafted....and when i ran into to him years later at ohio state.....he was just starting college at the time....he showed me the ring that he made in viet nam...... from a quarter....by drilling out the middle and beating the rest to fit his finger......he had so much time on his hands between the acts of violence that he would not talk about........he also seemed disappointed....because by that time heart throbs did not impress me........that, gentle readers is another story.......back to f-911.......my point is this....i have never been in a position where i was called upon, or felt pressure to...enlist..lt alone kill anybody, or brualize anybody, or torture anybody......my sibling was more than willing to enlist....and serve for 20 years.....i have never asked him if he has ever killed somebody.....because 1) i do not want to know and 2)we cannot discuss the weather with out arguing at this point.....and that is why the point made by the loyal opposition, in her blog......resonated......THE MOVIE is quite polarizing......it is very us versus them........now, for the record....i cannot see how it could have been otherwise.....and the comment on rachel's blog was well-put.....while nobody filming in d.c. came forward and comforted ms. lipscomb.......nobody in baghdad came forward and comforted the woman whose uncle's house was blown to bits........us versus them......except that some of us, especially highly ranked elected officials, have a hard time figuring out just what side they are on.....and for that i am grateful for m.moore...for having the guts to point this out............had it not been for the negative comments from the bush white house...i might never have gotten around to seeing the film............

a new book i must buy..........

ok, so this is from mcsweeney's web site.....

THE BOOK

The Future Dictionary of America is a guide to the American language sometime in the future, when all or most of our country's problems are solved and the present administration is a distant memory. The book includes contributions from almost 200 writers and artists, including Kurt Vonnegut, Art Spiegelman, Stephen King, T.C. Boyle, ZZ Packer, Michael Chabon, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Safran Foer, Joyce Carol Oates, Jim Shepard, Rick Moody, Sarah Vowell, Richard Powers, Chris Ware, Jonathan Ames, Gabe Hudson, Julie Orringer, and many, many more. The book also comes with a CD, compiled by Barsuk Records, featuring new songs and rarities from R.E.M., Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, Tom Waits, David Byrne, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, They Might Be Giants, Death Cab for Cutie, and many others.

THE GUARANTEE

All proceeds from the sales of this dictionary go directly to groups devoted to expressing their outrage over the Bush administration's assault on free speech, overtime, drinking water, truth, the rule of law, humility, the separation of church and state, a woman's right to choose, clean air, and every other good idea this country has ever had. These groups include the Sierra Club, America's oldest and largest grass-roots environmental organization; Common Assets, a new organization working to protect the commons; and many other specific projects relating to the 2004 election–mobilizing and educating voters, getting people to the polls, door-to-door organizing, and other efforts.

THE CONTEST

Below are a few sample definitions from The Future Dictionary of America; some others will appear here over the next few weeks. There are almost a thousand in the book, which may seem like a lot, but the wild thing about the future is this: no one knows what's gonna happen! That's why they call it "the future"! And so we are asking you to create some of your own. Please send your definition, pasted in the body of your e-mail, to: definitions@mcsweeneys.net. The contest will go on for about a month or so, at which point our elite team of definition-pickers will choose five favorites. These five winners will each receive a copy of The Future Dictionary of America, and we will post their definitions online, along with some others that catch our fancy. The 97th definition we receive will also receive a book, though that book will not be The Future Dictionary of America.

A FEW DEFINITIONS

blowkay [bloh'-kay] adj. of an attitude, typically exhibited by the electorate, that elected officials who have sexual relations outside of marriage while in office are less deserving of impeachment than officials whose decisions lead to the loss of human life. Folks say the new senator from Rhode Island is a skirt chaser, but as long as he doesn't send thousands of Americans off to die in a war on false pretenses, he's blowkay with me. —RYAN BOUDINOT

No "There" There Kid, the [noh thayr thayr' kid] n. an honorific position involving one sixth-grader chosen from a national competition whose responsibility entails the public monitoring of all significant press conferences of major figures in a governing American administration. The sixth-grader, seated unobtrusively beside the politician's podium, is responsible for ringing an electronic bell when, in his or her estimation, a question asked has been entirely left unanswered. The politician speaking is then given the opportunity to try again. If, in the No "There" There Kid's estimation, the question still has been entirely left unanswered, he or she rings a second bell, at which time the original questioner is allowed a redirect: i.e., "What I meant for you to answer, sir, was not why you and Vice President X were testifying before the commission, but why you felt the need to testify before the commission together." The politician is then given a third opportunity to respond. If, in the No "There" There Kid's estimation, this third attempt also leaves the question entirely unanswered, he or she sounds a buzzer, and a graphic above the politician's head is changed to read "Direct Questions Evaded: 1." And so on. —JIM SHEPARD

wankerzone [wan'-kur-zohn] n. a place where hardcore liberals and conservatives go to hit each other with pillows. These zones, which are padded and full of fun obstacles, were constructed so that a person who feels very strongly about some issue may seek out a counterpart who disagrees just as strongly and then they can swat each other with heavy pillows. The zones became taxpayer-funded, because it turned out everyone benefited one way or another, either through the entertaining diversion of watching folks engage in spirited pillow fights or through the eventual reduction in overbearing attempts to legislate other people's behavior. After a good session in the wankerzone, the two dueling parties are encouraged to sit down together and have a nice cool smoothie. —ARTHUR BRADFORD

Zzzunday [zuhn'-day] n. national holiday occurring once every 28 years, when a leap year coincides with a Sunday. Zzzunday is celebrated with 24 hours of uninterrupted sleep, in recognition of an entire generation's accumulated sleep deficit. Secondary holidays have grown to immediately precede Zzzunday, including Sleepless Friday, and a Hibernation Saturday of block parties, children's sleepovers, and retail promotional sales of bed linens, mattresses, and pillows. Traditionally, insomniacs mark Zzzunday by going out to a Chinese restaurant—if they can find one open that day. —PAUL COLLINS

- - - -

my last day......

ok,s o i have decided that my last day will be friday july 30.....i pick up scw at governor's scholars on the 31st....and have no desire to go back to work afterwards........and we might drive back to upstate new york to see ecw's sister, whose cancer treatments aren;t going well.....so i might as well call my last day the 30th.......

i so wish this were true.............

ok so this email is making the rounds in danville......

Breaking News...

Washington DC, July 6, 2004 - Congress today announced that the Office of President of the United States will be outsourced to overseas as of September 30th, the end of the federal government's 2004 fiscal year. The move is being made to save $400K a year in salary and related overhead."The cost savings will be quite significant", said Congressman Adam Smith (R- Wash) who, with the aid of the congressional research arm, the General Accounting Office, has studied outsourcing of American jobs extensively. "We simply can no longer afford this level of outlay and remain competitive on the world stage," Congressman Smith said. Exporting American jobs has been a popular trend lately. Mr. Bush was informed by e-mail this morning of the termination of his position. He will receive health coverage, expenses and salary until his final day of employment. After that, with a two week waiting period, he will then be eligible for $240 dollars a week from unemployment insurance for 13 weeks. Unfortunately he will not be able to receive state Medicaid health insurance coverage as his unemployment benefits are over the required limit.

Preparations have been underway for some time for the job move. Mr. Sanji Gurvinder Singh of Indus Teleservices, Mumbai, India, will be assuming the Office of President of the United States as of October 1. Mr. Singh was born in the United States while his parents were here on student visas, thus making him eligible for the position. He will receive a salary of $320 US a month but with no health coverage or other benefits. Due to the time difference between the US and India, Mr.Singh will be working primarily at night when offices of the US Government will be open. "I am excited to serve in this position," Mr. Singh stated in an exclusive interview. "Working nights will let me keep my day job at the American Express call center. I always knew I could be President someday."

Congress recommended being patient to those planning to call Mr. Singh, as he may not be fully aware of all the issues involved with his new position. A Congressional spokesperson noted that Mr. Singh has been given a 'script tree' to follow that will allow him to respond to most topics of concern. The spokesperson further noted that "additional savings will be realized as these scripting tools have already been used previously by Mr. Bush here in the US. Such scripts will enable Mr.Singh to
provide an answer without having to fully understand the issue itself." Congress continues to explore other outsourcing possibilities, including the Office of the Vice President and most Cabinet positions.

mapquest....

ok, so we are going to a wedding in washington dc...and it occured to me that i may need driving directions.....considering that the wedding is in georgetown...not my usual stomping grounds.......mapquest is eerie......the directions were so specific when i typed in my home address, and the hotel's address...to the point that i am instructed to turn left after pulling out of my driveway.........now that is really scary........useful to me just now...but scary.

book club schedule

ok, so this it Book Club 2004 – 2005

Date Location Title and Author

09/15/04 Hempel Life of Pi
Yann Martel

10/20/04 Griffin Angels & Demons
Dan Brown

11/17/04 Thornton Confederacy of Silence:
A True Tale of the New
Old South
Richard Rubin

01/19/05 Morgan Galileo’s Daughter
Dava Sobel

02/23/05 C-W A Moveable Feast
Ernest Hemingway

04/20/05 Rogers A Heartbreaking Work of
Staggering Genius
Dave Eggers

06/15/05 Lester Basket Case
Carl Hiaasen

bastille day....

ok, so my friends cheryl g. and sarah v., both francophiles.....came to lunch today.....and brought a small bouquet of red carnations and white daisies tied with a blue bow......a nice bastille day gesture.......i have traveled to france 3 times with cheryl, a middle school french teacher.......she may retire after next year.....so she asked if there was any way we could try to escort one more group on spring break.....cayle would have had 9 weeks of french as a 6th grader......if we opened the trip up to 6,7,and 8th graders we should have enough to pay our ways......which is the point.......i need not add............this trip would tie cheryl with deedra and scw in terms of number of trips to europe in my company....the breakdown is as follows:

deedra- 4 trips to france
scw- 3 trips to france, 1 to spain
ecw- 2 trips to france, 1 to england
acw-3 trips to france
cheryl- 3 trips to france
rachel-2 trips to france, 1 to spain
petra- 2 trips to france

i must clarify....that some of these trips to france also involved trips to other european locales......, but you get my drift.....i believe that i could handle just one more trip with 20 students aged 12-14.....especially if i know that i may also be going on this alps hike in august......two trips to europe in 1 calender year exceeds all past records.....and will bring ecw into a 4-way tie for 4 times traveling with me.......not bad for one lifetime...............

ortiz and sabaathia.....

ok, so it is top of the 4th in the all-star game......and david ortiz comes up to bat.......i voted TWENTY-FIVE times, and david ortiz's name was never on my ballot......so how is he here.?.........i am not complaining...mind you.....just curious..........he was walked.....and a-rod hit a triple to back left field....and ortiz scored for the al...to make the score 7-1...in case you are interested.......and then bottom of the 4th....sabaathia (sp).....a cleveland pitcher with much girth..........and tremendous throwing skills...a leftie...and this is where i am amazed....as a leftie...i cannot begin to throw a ball with my left hand......i can write with my left hand...and use a fork with my left hand.....but everything else has been adapted out....i use scissors with my right hand....throw/sweep/cut/open doors with my right hand........i cannot hold a pen with my right hand.....go figure.....such a confused mind.....which is why i really respect a pitcher who has figured it all out.............throwing and writing leftie...............wow.............

cut-throat......

ok, so my book club has selected 7 books for next year....after 3 separate ballots....and some harsh words......who would think that picking books would bring some of my best friends to name calling......i was referred to as a little too 'bushie' for wanting to link a trio of books together ( the red tent, davinci code and the secrets of the davinci code....) a low blow..........i did toast our host......with regards to a book he picked that i still cannot bring myself to read....atlas shrugged.......i will host our annual theme dinner on february 23....for hemingway's a moveable feast......one of my favorite books....and i did not suggest it......i pled the case of a heartbreaking work of staggering genius..........which we will also read this year.......other selections include a life of pi, angels and demons, galileo's daughter, and a few others i cannot recall.......thankfully we are not reading faulkner this year.....i detest faulkner......and we are reading a moveable feast.....maybe i will have a different drink with each course.....maybe i will go to the trouble to find out just exactly what is in a rum st. james..................

a boss gets fired.....

ok, so this letter at mcsweeneys.net is just hysterical...........my last boss was nothing to compare to this broad............

nostalgia.......

ok, so today i ordered my middle child's senior pictures...from the array of choices presented professionally in a leather binder....the photographer is in my sunday school class.....she is slowly taking over the business from her parents......who have known my children forever.........the photographer's mother took the order...and was quick to point out that she remembered scw when he was in the 'middle room' in the nursery at church....less than 6 months but older than bedbaby....got it?........and she seemed to remember every picture she ever took of us as a family...this family takes the pictures for our periodic church directory.....and therefore we have lovely professional portraits taken every 3 years or so.....including 2 with cayle.....we also have a non-church directory portrait done by renee......just after the adoption....a gift from her foster parents.........we had several shots taken......the best is of the three children.....in an outdoor fall setting......those who do not know our family history would swear that our daughter resembles our sons......we have the enlarged version atop the mantle.......in an antique frame..........there was also the nearly wall-size portrait that renee hung in her showroom for several seasons........we declined to buy it.....as it was SO BIG as to be embarassing....but we were flattered that we were in her showroom as an example of a really nice outdoor shoot...........but...back to the task at hand......i did authorize for scw's favorite shot to be in the yearbook...in the leather armchair......and for a small number of wallets to be made....the rest will be in the pose i liked the best...outdoors...standing by a wall.....ah......they grow up sooooooooooooooo fast...........

martha stewart.....

ok, so martha's sentencing is friday........i have mixed emotions about the fate of the ultimate domestic goddess.........for starts....she IS the ultimate....the one to whom all others will be judged...forever and for always........she may also be the ultimate bitch.....but she has done a lot for a nation mired in fast food and the walmart lifestyle........she raised the bar.....she put the pressure on us to do the extra touches........we really owe her........but she did get greedy....and that is also why i have mixed emotions........the drug she was so quick to dump.....is the very drug that has allowed my friend kay to find remission...........so if martha goes to jail...the sentence really should be.......2 years hard labor for having so little faith in the stock she bought..so little care for the patients who might find peace with that product...........not for trying to avoid losing $45,000.........here's hoping that martha does time...........

newsflash on the job search....

ok, so i received postcards from the state of ky informing me that my application to the m. health department nutritionist job was approved, meaning that i can now interview with them.....i was also informed that i was additionally approved for positions i had not applied for.....such as senior health educator......interesting.......i would rather hear about the job at the lexington health department, which i would rather obtain.........

let's do lunch.............

ok, so today was the day that scw's philosophy class had lunch at trc.........i made a lovely buffet....and set them in the upstairs bar area.......and i fixed things i knew scw would like.......including crumbled blue cheese to add to the tossed salad....and curried couscous, tomato celery soup......and white chocolate chunk cookies dipped in white chocolate........it is a mother's perogative.......and it was good to see him, even though i just saw him on saturday.......now i will not see him until july 31, when we drive across town to pick him up...........by the way.......we may be going up to aunt marilynn's the next week....as she isn't doing so well this round of chemotherapy.....or rather ecw is going, along with who(m)ever can go......if i have a new job i might be staying in ky.....and ecw might just want to drive on up to middlebury to take a look around.............

california dreamin......

ok, so i must be dreaming when i scan the time zones of blog readers on the sitemeter....because they seem to change.......yesterday there was a reader on a compaq server......from california time zone........this morning that same reader was recorded as having logged on in the russian federation time zone.....and just 2 minutes ago...the same reader was now recorded in our current time zone.......gentle readers.....i do not knmow how that is possible.....that single reader could not have been in 3 time zones at once.....unless, of course he or she was at the north or south pole.....but realistically..............it is kind of like the stairways at hogwarts...........

victoria's blog.....

ok, so the following sentiment is by my friend victoria....who used to be a nun.

(2000) .....
Victoria Scarborough 11 July 2004


During the past IN THE BEGINNING .,

several months, we've been fortunate to have heard some excellent, scholarly talks about what the earliest forms of Christianity may have been like. We've heard a lot about apocryphal gospels, with their differing views of Jesus and his message, and we've heard about the systematic suppression of any of those writings which did not reflect the party-line. Hopefully, this information has broadened our perspective and enriched our Christianity. While I am not a scholar, I hope today to contribute something to this discussion by examining another aspect of earliest Christianity that we somehow overlook, the fact that the earliest Christians were Jews. Jesus, or rather Joshua ben Joseph, lived and died a faithful Jew; his followers, men and women alike, were all faithful Jews. Scholars in the field of first century Christianity are united in the opinion that this Joshua ben Joseph did not intend to establish another religion but that his life and ministry were embedded solidly within Hebrew tradition, especially the Hebrew prophetic tradition. The Acts, both canonical and apocryphal, indicate that the earliest disciples continued worshiping at the Temple, continued in the daily sacrifices and prayer rituals associated with the Judaism of that time, that they remained faithful, practicing Jews.
So, what happened? When did we cease being Jewish and commence being Christian? And why? What event or events intervened to sever the faithful Jew, Joshua ben Joseph, from the faith that shaped him? When and why did we decide to ignore, even to denigrate, the traditions that gave him his life, his passion, his power? Well, these are all good questions, questions to which there are many good, scholarly answers. But the question I would like to pose today is a more imaginative one: What might we be like today, as Christians, if we had remained Jewish? If we had not turned our back on our Jewishness, if we were to hear and experience this charismatic Joshua ben Joseph as Jews, what difference might it make to us who today identify ourselves, some emphatically and some tentatively, as Christians? In short, what have we missed?
Like any imaginative question, this one can only engender imaginative answers, but I hope my particular imaginings this morning are based on some basic feel for some of the traditions of Judaism, gleaned from
several years of reading, studying, and discussing. And, as you may have noticed, the question "What have we missed?" presupposes that we have indeed lost something, a proposition with which many Christians may be uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I believe we would be better people, better followers of Jesus/Joshua ben Joseph, if we were better Jews. And so, let us imagine . . .
For one thing, I think we might be freer in our thinking about God and more willing to entertain the idea that other people might see God differently than we do. A central tenet of the Jewish faith is that God reveals Godself to each person in a different way. You can't be taught who God is, you can only experience God for yourself. You can certainly learn about how God revealed Godself to others but their revelation is not yours. The primary responsibility of the Jew is to devote sufficient time, energy, and commitment to this process of uncovering his own particular revelation. He owes it to God to discover that divine spark within himself. The first commandment, "I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other Gods before me" has been interpreted to mean that you must find the Lord YOUR God and not give yourself to the worship of the gods of other people.
This personal relationship with God, this unique and personal revelation given to each person, is then meant to be shared with the world. The Jew owes it to his family, his community, his world, to manifest the God he has discovered within himself. In this way, God is glorified and the richness of God's nature is at least partially revealed. When we see Jews poring over texts, studying the Law, or engaging in seemingly endless debate over what appear to be minor issues of faith or practice, we are seeing this process in action. We are seeing unique individuals looking inward for their divine spark then sharing that revelation with others who are engaging in the same process. Jews don't expect to agree with each other; they expect to manifest different aspects of God's immeasurable richness and complexity. If we look again at the gospel stories of Joshua ben Joseph debating on the steps of the Temple, we are not seeing Jesus under attack by the establishment of rule-bound Pharisees and Sadducees, we are seeing faithful Jews engaging in the manifestation of who they are and how they understand God. And the Pharisees are as faithful to this process as is Joshua ben Joseph. This is not to say that Jews do not believe in divine truth; it is to say that Jews recognize that the divine can never be completely grasped by any one person or any one group. It is to say that the divine revelation given to one person may appear to be diametrically opposed to the revelation given to another but that, given the enormous complexity of God, both may be true.
In addition to being freer in our approach to God, I believe we might also experience more wholeness and integration in our personal lives. Jewish belief recognizes no dichotomy between the body and the soul. Men and women are created as "nefesh", a term which signifies a unified organic being. Jews have never shunned the body as unholy, nor have they ever suggested that the spirit is anything but incarnated within the flesh. The holiest day of the week, the Sabbath, is welcomed by lighting candles and singing songs that invoke the imagery of a Bride coming to her husband. It is celebrated with wine and good food, at home, with one's family and close friends. Jewish couples traditionally make love on the Sabbath as a further celebration of the gift of life and body. As Christians we have learned to make an artificial distinction between that which is spirit and that which is flesh. We have learned to value the one and denigrate or deny the other. We have seen the one as holy and sacred, the other as evil and sinful. Isn't this dualism what lies behind the recent reactions, ranging from titillation to horror, to the possibility that Jesus may have loved a woman? We have wanted to sever the spirit of Jesus from the body of Joshua ben Joseph. We have even gone so far as to divide the world into a larger version of this same dichotomy, calling part of the world sacred and part of it profane. We have forgotten that the answer to the psalmist's question, "Where can I flee from Your Presence, O Lord?" is precisely "No where." Were we to experience ourselves more profoundly as "nefesh", we might experience more profoundly the God who permeates the things and people around us, the God who is intimately available to us through our body's senses, the all-pervading Presence who declares that there are no profane places.
Finally, if we were better Jews, I suspect we might be more responsible, more compassionate people, or at least our faith would encourage us in that direction. There is no concept of original sin in Judaism. On the contrary, man is the darling of God, the apple of God's eye, imprinted with the very image of God. However, Judaism does recognize two impulses within human nature, the impulse for good and the impulse for evil. Both exist as potentialities, not as determinants, and both are God-given. Indeed, in what may seem very strange to us who have developed some very distinct neuroses about sin, Judaism goes so far as to say that it is impossible for a person to serve God without the evil impulse. It alone is the source of vitality, vibrancy, and action.
So the issue, then, becomes one of choice. Judaism is very clear that each person alone chooses what he will become, and what kind of a world he will create. And what he is choosing for or against is what Judaism calls "tikkun olam", the repair of the world. In Jewish belief, God invites us into co-creation, into the process of redemption which will bring forth the world of compassion, righteousness, and justice that God envisions but which man must implement in the here and newness of his individual life. Within Judaism is the belief that the Messiah will come, not to bring redemption and restoration to the world of men, but only when men have succeeded in redeeming and restoring the world for the Messiah. From the Jewish perspective, every action in which we engage changes the universe, for good or for ill. If we really believed that it was our responsibility to bring forth the Kingdom of God, wouldn't that make a difference in how we exercised this freedom of choice? When Joshua ben Joseph said that the Kingdom was within us, do you suppose he meant we should leave it there? Or was he pointing out to us our ability and our respons-ability to embody God's vision however and whenever we can? As Christians, we have sometimes assumed that the world is irredeemable and that it will take the Second Coming to restore what sinful man has broken. As Jews, we might just roll up our sleeves, flex our muscles, and get busy.
The earliest Christians identified themselves as Jews, a situation which persisted into the second and third centuries CE. They heard the message of Joshua ben Joseph against the background of their shared Jewish beliefs and practices. But for much of our history, we Christians have been cut off from our roots in the long, fertile centuries of Jewish faith; we have been denied access to some of the profound insights and rich traditions that empowered Joshua ben Joseph to live, to teach, to interact with people as he did. I think it's safe to say we have even taken some wrong turns, headed in directions that Jesus himself would not have supported, because we have forgotten who and what he was. "WWJD", "What would Jesus do?" has become a popular bumper-sticker-type question among some Christians today. Perhaps we would come closer to finding an appropriate answer if the question we asked - imaginatively, of course - was "What would Joshua ben Joseph do?"




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book club books......

ok, so tomorrow is book club selection tuesday.....not quite as dramatic as the ncaa selection show on tv......but just as important.....i am bringing two......franzen's the corrections......about family dysfnction.......and david eggars...the Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, (2000) this book brought me to tears..............i saw eggars at a book signing in cincinnati...the same day that belgion boy arrived..............

adultery.....

ok, so i have read a commentary today about john kerry's sealed divorce papers....i did not see this coming.........i am unused to thinking about kerry as a divorced man....it would not surprise me of the religious right make a to-do over the divorce.....as it is written that a man who discards his wife and remarries in an adulterer...... .i have mixed feelings about adultery...whether it is real...or imagined...as in the case of jimmy carter....who only sinned in his heart.....jesus himself said little about any subject except adultery...........i consider myself in jimmy's shoes....i have thought about adultery but could not bring myself to that brink.......despite the temptation.........jimmy carter is the finest christian i can name aloud..........the fact that he has pondered adultery in his heart allows me to sleep at night..........i cannot follow through on anything except platonic results................

f-911 flashbacks.......

ok,s o i am having flashbacks..........the worst have to do with music.......in one of the grossest scenes of iraqui corpse desecration.....the music coming out of the humvee was........aqualung by jethro tull.......gentle readers.....this album is on my top 10 list of all-time greatest works of music...right up there with led zepplin IV...and dark side of the moon........so to hear it coming out of a humvee whilst american gi's are abusing a corpse just made me ill.....ian anderson was a pacifist, at best......and the concert i saw sometime during my college years...with my little brother because i could not find a date.....well...that is another story.....such scenes make me ashamed to be an american............

shame on robert mondavi....

ok, so i promised not to blog again until tom_baker logged on.....but...i have a bone to pick with robert mondavi.......i have enjoyed a wine from that conglomerate.....2001 fume blanc.....only to discover the following...today...on-line....

Sauvignon Blanc has been used for generations in France, and came to California in 1878. In the US it is sometimes called "Fumé Blanc", a name first coined by Robert Mondavi. The sales of the wine under this new name now exceed sales under the correct name. Sauvignon Blanc has pronounced flavors of a herbal variety, plus olive and a soft, smoky flavor. They can be anything from sweet to dry, but are typically very light.


i knew that i liked this wine.....and i am ashamed that i could not tell that i was really drinking sauvignon blanc.......only in america do we play the public with made-up names for food and beverages............

even more on my obsession about tom_baker.....

ok, so i have become a little overboard in my curiosity over tom_baker......the server name for a reader who looks at my blog on work-days only sometime around 3:30 pm....give or take.......this person hasn't stayed on long enough to really read many entries so dedicated......especially the one on 4th of july....a non-work day........so here is one last invitation to go back and read it.....as this shall be my last entry prior to going to work today.......so it will be on top of the heap in the tom_baker witching hour...........

ron reagan....and lynne cheney...and theresa heinz kerry....

ok, so the political scene is heating up....at least as controlled by the spin doctors......this morning...on the same page of the paper were the following stories/news releases........ron reagan to address democrats at their convention about stem cell research.....he and his mother have been quite public about their disdain for bush's position on stem cell research, which the reagan's claim is bush's bowing to the conservative right of the party, rather than seeing the reasonable potential of this research.......bush may think differently when he gets alzheimer's....but then he won't be able to think about it for long.......the other story, about lynne cheney.......struck me as quite the planted story.....the republicans trotting out the 2nd lady......now that the democratic candidates wives have been making the rounds of talk shows, 60 minutes, etc.......the fact that the cheney's have a gay daughter is well-known...and we could all suppose that at least one of the cheney parents might 'have mixed feelings' about banning gay marriage.....the article never said anything further than mixed feelings.......so one could conclude that neither cheney will give public support to those who are in favor if legalizing gay marriages.......lynne cheney would not be on public record for any subject without the blessing of the rnc.....it is all funny........on the other hand......i was appauled to hear that at a campaign stop, theresa pulled the thumb out of the mouth of one of the edward's children........what was she thinking.....for starts, a child sucking a thumb is a quaint icon for all that is good and peaceful about american life........but a woman not the child's mother pulling that same thumb out comes off as rude, callous, and almost mean........mean as i am these days....i would never presume to take a child's thumb away...especially given the stress level that child has been thrown into of late....shame on theresa....

walden....

ok,so today's first blog has been borrowed from mpr's writer's almanac....

It's the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, born David Henry Thoreau in Concord, Massachusetts (1817). He's the author of Walden; or, Life in the Woods (1854) and the essay "Civil Disobedience" (1849).

He became the first member of his family to go to college when he enrolled at Harvard in 1833 at age sixteen. He wasn't especially happy with the teaching methods used at Harvard. Ralph Waldo Emerson is said to have remarked that most of the branches of learning were taught at Harvard and Thoreau to have replied, "Yes, indeed, all the branches and none of the roots." He graduated in 1837, ninth in his class, and refused a diploma, thinking there were better ways to spend five dollars.

He changed his name to Henry David and became a teacher. When criticized by the supervisor of the local public school for not using corporal punishment on his students, Thoreau thrashed a random group of his pupils to illustrate the senselessness of it all and resigned from the school. When Emerson moved to Concord, Thoreau lived with him and did odd jobs around the house. Emerson encouraged Thoreau to write poetry, and suggested that Thoreau keep a journal, both of which Thoreau continued to do his entire life.

In 1845, when Thoreau was twenty-seven, he built a small cabin on the edge of Walden Pond, a small lake near Concord, and moved there. His motto was "Simplify, simplify, simplify." He said that his goal was "to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach." And he said, "I do not propose to write an ode to dejection, but to brag as lustily as chanticleer in the morning, standing on his roost, if only to wake my neighbors up." Walden was published in 1854. Thoreau said, "Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.


i like this guy.......wonder how he handled all the weeds after several days of rain...........

lots of rain = too many weeds

ok, so this rainy week has caused weeds to take over the beds i cleaned out so faithfully on july 5, my day off.......this turn of events hardly seems fair, yet it happens every summer.........the roses come and go...the perennials come and go......and the weeds take over by mid-july......by the time labor day rolls around......i have to fill in with mums to give the beds a bit of color at our annual pound and pedal ride/run/picnic........ah well.........i did pulled out what i could....after today's rain.........the rest will have to wait until another day.......

facial hair.....

ok, so i am amused by the variations on chin hair that one sees when watching major league baseball........some go full-frontal with lots and lots of facial hair.....full beard with mustache........others go for just the mustache.....maybe not the waxed out-to-the sides that i remember on oakland players years ago.......but respectable mustaches.....and then there is the chin hair.....some have a simple goatee.....pointed....while others sport a trimmed goatee that looks like a dot in the cleft..other shave everything except what hangs down below....curious........and then there are the creative cuts.....with clipped hair encircling the chin...with a dot in the middle....seems a lot of bother...for myself..i am not attracted to facial hair of any kind...so the effects are wasted on this fan...........

elizabeth edwards

ok, so i can appreciate this article in the lexington herald leader....especially the part about thrift store shopping........gail, this is a woman after our own hearts........

the question i forgot to ask.....

ok, so i taught sunday school this morning, out of rotation with my partner, cynthia........and i neglected to ask her where she was going........i found out just before church....and regretted that i had not asked ahead of time.....cynthia and her husband flew friday morning to nyc.....went to the yankees game friday night (sat in the coca cola box, by the way......)then rented a car saturday morning....and drove to boston in time to see boston play texas last night.........how about that....i was not even aware that they were baseball fans......just goes to show me that we cannot ask enough questions of our friends...........it must have been a great game they saw in boston.....so many pitcher changes........and great home runs.......and they were so nice to let david ortiz have the night off to be with his wife and new child.........

the politics of fear

ok, so i am still agitated by michael moore's movie.......about how bush and cronies have financial connections to an oil pipeline being built in afghanistan......and to the saudi royal family......and therefore decisions made in response to 9-11 had as much or more to do with protecting oil interests...theirs and those of their friends.......than anything else.....take bush's resistence at an independent investigation....the sitting president organized such investigations within days of pearl harbor....and of kennedy's assasination....and the oklahoma city bombing.......for bush to let the bin laden family and the saudi royal family leave the country after 9-11........without any questioning/statements.....would be like clinton letting timothy mcvey's family leave town free and clear.......turns out that companies to which bush and cheney have political and financial ties actually entertained the taliban the summer before 9-11.....remember that oil pipeline deal?......that is why bush did not want to go after bin laden in afghanistan........he did not want to jeopardize his interests there.....and so he made saddam hussein his target......he wanted to bomb iraq after 9-11, even though none of the guys who hijacked the planes were iraqi....they were all saudi....and he couldn't attack his friends he just allowed to leave the country...now could he......chilling.....absolutely chilling.....and then there is ashcroft and the patriot act.....which congress passed without actually reading.....that basically allows for a roll-back of basic freedoms in the interest of security.......i especially enjoyed the part in moore's movie when he drove around the capital area in an ice cream truck reading aloud the patriot act.......the movie is somewhat critical fo the democrats who signed on for the war....and who voted for the patriot act.......so in many ways this was not a pro-democratic film......as much as it is an anti-bush movie.......

Fahrenheit 911

ok, so we went and saw the movie....and if only 1/3 of it is true....it is a chilling account of the depths to which the rich will go to stay rich....and the lengths the powerful will go to stay powerful.......not just george w, but his papa........and his cronies.......glad i saw it......glad i saw it with scw.......will contribute to kerry's campaign.....anybody but bush...........

family visit day.....

ok, so today is the mid-camp family day at governor's scholars.......i will be driving over to centre at 8:00 am.....and bringing our boy home for a respite....and will take him back over by 8:00 pm.....12 hours out for good behavior, i suppose.......he will catch up on newspapers, time, and new yorker.....while i go to work for a few hours.....my friend gail is going to cover for me so i can take scw to see the michael moore movie......in lexington....as the new owners of both cinemas in danville are ardent republicans.....that movie will never play here at home.......as one lexington commetator put it...if the republicans want to make their own propaganda movie...they can use some of the war chest (millions?....billions?.......)....they have til november to write, produce, and distribute it....it is their choice not to do so.......

another poem.....

ok, so i like to read the poem on writer's almanac from mpr every morning.....here is today's installment.....i found it clever yet a sad reflection on our times.......

Poem: "what she was wearing," by Denver Butson, from illegible address. © Luquer Street Press.

what she was wearing

this is my suicide dress
she told him
I only wear it on days
when I'm afraid
I might kill myself
if I don't wear it

you've been wearing it
every day since we met
he said

and these are my arson gloves

so you don't set fire to something?
he asked

exactly

and this is my terrorism lipstick
my assault and battery eyeliner
my armed robbery boots

I'd like to undress you he said
but would that make me an accomplice?

and today she said I'm wearing
my infidelity underwear
so don't get any ideas

and she put on her nervous breakdown hat
and walked out the door

ok, so childe hassam did the pictures and illustrations to a wonderful book on gardens of which i mysteriously have 2 copies..........i knew i liked this guy from somewhere.......an island garden by celia thaxter.......copywright 1894 by houghton mifflin...boston  

beggars can't be choosers.....

ok, so my mother taped the last stage of the tour de france.....and somehow managed to rewind it at the end....missing the big crash within 1 k of the end...as well as the ending sprint...........how this is possible....anybody's guess...........we may get cable...against our basic principles......just because of incidents like this..................

the cake stand........

ok, so there are many ends that are tying themselves up these days.....kind of like dragnet........when joe friday had all the loose ends accounted for before the 30 minute time slot was over.......well, yesterday...the cake stand appeared.........or rather...was sheepishly delivered...by the father-of-the-bride.......1 year late.........this incident was blogged in great detail at the time....but for newer followers...i will summarize.......the couple from who we bought the restaurant......who were going to retire in florida...went for a short season....and then basically came back home semi-disappointed...they then started making wedding cakes.....special order...out of their illegal at-home kitchen.......the only wedding that we had at the restaurant...that featured one of their cakes......was the most memorable wedding because of the cake.......delivered...set up....several layers separated by white plastic columns........so far...so good....except that the columns were not adequately supported by matching internal supports.....and so.....by the time the bride arrived after the ceremony....the cake was literally leaning like the tower of pisa......to the point that we felt we needed someone to stand in back of it, wearing gloves, of course....to catch it when it fell.......bigtime lean.......hard to not notice it lean.......we had the bride cut it early....just to be safe.......and that was the easy part.......there was more cake than could be eaten at the reception......so the bride's family took the rest home.....and returned all of the white plastic columns, supports, etc....or so we thought......months later....the cake-baker aka our landlord.......sent her husband by to pick up the cake stand.....what cake stand?........he insisted on looking around....and so...since last year...he has 'looked around' for that cake stand every month...when he comes to get the rent check.......and has not found it.......there were many harsh words about the cake...the bride....a lawyer...refused to pay for it.....fine and dandy when you live out of town.....but her parents till live here....and are not on speaking terms with the cake-baker........and so...when the bride's parents actually found the cake stand in their basement.....they dropped it by trc, rather than taking it directly to the cake baker.........so now we haver to figure out how to graciously deliver it hence....i say...we leave it on their porch, then ring the bell and run away...........but knowing our luck...these people will be armed.........so we are back to plan b...whatever that is.........