london calling....

ok, so i was all set to blog about something else this morning.....when i read about the london tube/bus bombings.....and i lost my train of thought.......700 wounded...at least 37 dead......countless more in shock....folks who just got off the bus/tube....those who were hurrying to get on but were too late......on the way home i listened to an interview with a 94 year-old lady who had walked from here home to the nearest hospital...to volunteer...just like she had done in wwII during the blitz........we forget that london is no stranger to mass terrorism....only in the late 30's and early 40's it had another name......and it was ongoing......a constant worry......luck of the draw, with some houses spared on any given block and the rest flattened.....and compared to the twin towers and the pentagon......london surely lost more folks during the blitz to nazi bombing raids........this little lady said that when the red cross calls for volunteers....everybody who CAN volunteer must come out and help...and so she was tending the wounded as best she could....'with an extra cup of tea' is how she put it......even tony blair did his best churchill imitation in his speech to the nation....to carry on and to not let the terrorists put the nation into a state of terror......and constant fear.......

positive signs

ok, so i read the following in an article about whether your date is into you...or not....and though i have no need for this specific info....i find the subject of body language compelling....

Body-language clue #1: The Reach
The first universal sign of interest is something called symbolic reaching: “It’s when your hand is subtly reaching toward the other person,” says Wood. An example of this, on a dinner date, is resting one’s arm and hand on the table, rather than close to the body, with fingers pointing to the other person—as though you’re ready to reach out and touch them. (And if your date does reach out and touch, so much the better: That’s an iron-clad sign of affection.) On the other hand, if someone sits on their hands or conceals them, that indicates a lack of interest.

Body-language clue #2: The Mimic
Another sign of interest involves the hands and then some—it’s something called “matching and mirroring.” What’s that? It’s when your date mimics your gestures, voice inflections and patterns of communication. And it’s a good thing. “Their voice will speed up if yours does, or slow down with yours,” says Wood. “It happens subconsciously—when we’re attracted, we tend to merge into one another in this way.” If you’re noticing that this happens on the first date—your date is shrugging the way you do when sharing a story, or places his complicated dinner order in the same joking way you do—well, chances are there will be a second date.

Body-language clue #3: The Blink
While some people give you full-on eye contact when they’re interested, here’s another little-known sign that your date is way into you: Frequent blinking. “When you’re highly attracted to someone,” says Wood, “one of the natural responses is to get nervous and blink a lot.” So if that cutie across the table seems a little flustered and is batting his or her lashes a lot, congratulations—someone’s interested in you.

Body-language clue #4: The Distance
Part of body language is not just what you do with your body, but how close you position it to the person you’re dating. “If someone’s not interested in you,” says Wood, “they’ll leave a lot of space between your body and theirs…two feet or so. But if a person sits or stands right next to you, or even 16 inches away, that reveals physical intimacy—and real romantic interest.”

Body-language clue #5: The Stance
Compatibility clues are even located in an area that’s ordinarily overlooked: The feet. “Where the feet go, the heart follows,” says Wood. “The lower portion of the body is under the least control, and the feet are the most telling of how someone feels.” So if your date is think, “Hey, I really like this person,” his feet will move towards you—say, they’ll stretch their legs out under the table at dinner. That’s a very clear declaration of “Let’s get closer.”

flannery

Ok,so.....the washington post had an article today about flannery o'connor....an author i have never read.....and the piece was a revisit to a book reviewvwritten by the journalist 25 years ago when flannery's letters to a friend were published posthumously.....flannery's mother zealously guarded her daughter's privacy....and thus there remain a colection of letters to an anonymous woman, whose identity is either unknown to the author's remaining family....or a wellkept secret....the following is an exerpt:

"Part of the difficulty of all this is that you write for an audience who doesn't know what grace is and don't recognize it when they see it. All my stories are about the action of grace on a character who is not very willing to support it, but most people think of these stories as hard, hopeless, brutal, etc."

The letters began when the woman known only as 'A'...wrote to flannery asking about the religious themes in her fiction.......they corresponded over flannery's remaining 9 years...she died of lupus at 39......letters are so precious thesedays of quick 5-line thank yous...and brief emails and singlepage christmas greetings......that someone wrote enough letters to fill a book is remarkable.....the following is an excerpt of the 25-year old book review of flannery's letters

"She was, these letters tell us in ways her other writings cannot, a great woman. Like all of us, she had her vanities, her moods, her fits of petulance and selfishness -- but these only made her more human. She had saintly qualities, but she was no saint. She was a great writer who, out of a clear and unwavering vision, told stories that at moments reach the luminous borders of perfection. These letters must be counted among her finest and most durable work; they will be read so long as there is room in the world for love, faith, courage and laughter."

I will leave only these blogs when i go....and unless someone downloads them in a timely fashion.....the idle blogspot will be deleted as per policy.....i suppose these blogs could be construed as correspondence.....to myself...or to the abyss.......and most are too chatty to be considered on the borders of luminous perfection....they simply are what they are....and that may be as good as it gets.....

tours to blois......

ok, so the tour de france started out the team time trial in tours.....and made its way along the southern sid eof the loire past amboise....and on into blois......and i was so envious i could have burst.......this area of france is so marvelous....for the scenery, the food, the wine.....the ambience.......i have been to lunch in amboise with both of my children on 2 separate trips.......to blois with my parents and brother.....to tours....well......lots of trips to this region.....and i would go again tomorrow if the opportunity popped up.......the last time we were in amboise, our middle school group happened upon the danville high school group out on their own daytrip from paris......now that is a small world.......but i digress from the tour de france.......the American Dave Zabriskie crashed just a minute shy of the finish...and not only failed to finish with his team....a no-no in a time trial, he lost enough personal time to lose the yellow jersey....he is now dropped down to #9....still mighty good for his first every tour de france.....but far lower than he would have been had he not crashed......i felt so sorry for him as he finished alone.....and bloody, in his torn jersey and shorts.......and so lance is now in the yellow.......but the road to paris is a long and tortuous one....lots can happen between now and july 24........

tongue-tied......

ok, so......I spent extra time today with a client.....because I was fascinated with her speech impediment ....not in a pitiable, or patronizing way.....more in a clinical way that one can and should approach symptoms that are not readily understood.......I watched her tongue carefully....and concluded that she may be tongue-tied......which means that there is a small band of tissue holding her tongue too close to the bottom of her mouth....restricting movement ....and thus blurring pronounciation of certain words.....she was older, and at ease with her vocalizations....talking a mile-a-minute in almost unintelligible strands of sound......which I struggled to understand ......w-sounds, t-sounds, j-sounds..and d-sounds were the hardest to make out...I have associated tongue-tie with speech difficulty after a breastfeeding workshop highlighted the condition as a cause for poor feeding........and the speaker mentioned that a baby with tongue-tie is usually born to a parent with the same problem.....resolved or unresolved .........and that it is ethical to ask the tongue -tied parent if they also desire treatment........a small snip is all that it takes.......to make a world of difference........but I didn't ask my 65+ client about her speech therapy history..././.because the opportunity never came up.......fascinating........so fascinating

more on tomkat.....

ok, so this tom and katie business is getting out of hand......when tom was recently on the view, a show i am currently boycotting, tom took her to the bathroom with him when he needed to go......and sent three scientology handlers with her to the bathroom when she needed to go.....she is never allowed to be alone........how weird is that?.........and so i was tickled to see this online.....

Katie T-time

Back when it was chic to wear a "Free Winona" t-shirt, fans were simply concerned that actress Winona Ryder might serve a little time for shoplifting. Much more is at stake for Katie Holmes, who could be facing a life sentence with sofa-jumping, psychiatry-loathing weirdo Tom Cruise. Thus, the "Free Katie" T-shirt is born. Get yours for $35 at www.oliveandbettes.com. Not a dime goes to Scientology.

that is just too funny........

manual labor

ok, so i got up early to do some heavy duty gardening work before the sun got too hot........i had a gift rose bush from brother nick called le marne to plant......and a few end-of-season perrenials purchased half-price........and to put these in the ground meant that either new bed space would have to be dug.....or dead stuff moved out...or both.......i opted to enlarge the middle bed by a foot or so.....and move about a few things.....and while i was at it......i decided that now was the time to move three roses from their overgrown locations to the middle bed which gets good sun.......the bushes in question were once in a sunny place, before the trees filled in overhead.......and now they each look pretty ragged given their neglected state........3 hours later i have finished the musical chairs version of gardening.....mulched, watered.......and newly showered....i feel quite accomplished for what could have been a lazy day off......there was plenty more that could have been done.....like trimming back dead stuff....especially the hundreds of daylily stems and the rose campion stalks........and the......well.......every gardener knows that one is never done with garden tasks.......there is always something to move, something to trim, something to weed.......always something........but not today, because i am not yet caught up on my quota of relaxation.....and i have a book to work on....the new one by nick hornby........seems like a nice way to spend a holiday afternoon......reading a novel about 4 people on top of a london building trying to commit suicide,........on a holiday.......

diversions.....

ok, so i have knitted all of the yarn that i had for this afghan project.....and i don't think that what i have made so far will be wide enough......and thus i have to find other things to do with my time while i locate suitable materials.....i could clean, tidy and organize.......or.....i could look for real estate on-line.......i have no real need for any realestate in these parts....as i plan to saty here for the long haul........no....i amuse myself by looking through online galleries of homes for sale....int he dordogne....provence.....girona, spain....paris......looks like a buyers market right now.......like the rush to provence after the book a year in provence cameout is over.....and now there are lots of homes available....or so it would seem.....not necessarily cheap homes....but.......and then there is the aprtment for sale on ile st louis........with great views.....no metro stop close by....but i suppose i could manage to drag my sorry self to either le cite....or stmichel/notre dame...or maubertmutualite.....there is certainly a right bank station as well....i am not as familiar....and all of this is fantasy, unless one wins the lottery.......but as a wednesday/saturday player.....i must prepare myself for the possibility of needing to invest a large amount of cash......hope does spring eternal......

thirtysomethings.....

ok, so we went to a party last night...given by one of the thirtysomething cyclists in the area........and as one would anticipate.....thirtysomething cyclists have thirtysomething friends...mostly......and thus a great percentage of the crowd was either pregnant, or with a spouse who is pregnant....or who just had a baby...or might be considering having a baby...and all were tanned/buff/pictureperfect...and while i suppose i could have thought of things to say to these folks.....many of these couples go to our church....that was mighty difficult in that the live music was too loud for such conversation......i can manage to talk loudly to be heard by someone i know well...but i am less apt to do the same with people i only know in passing.....and so i chatted only with a handful of partiers.......the mother of a boy that went to montessori with my middle child.....and the spouse of an older fellow who rides with my spouse on occassion.....and a couple from our bookclub.....but mostly i spent my time watching the taped stage 1 of the tour in one of the 3 garages on this property....the original ownder was a builder....and he built wherever and whatever he wanted....but i digress.......we brought along a bottle of red bicyclette.....a wine that is much advertised of late.....and it is not worth the sticker price.......it wasn't bad....just not worth the cost......and, it was much better than the beverage alternatives.....a bourbon punch.....and a cooler full of sangria.....both these options looked like hangovers waiting to happen.....but then...this was a thirtysomething crowd........the view of the fireworks was nice......but they were over much too quickly, and we were back home and in bed by 11:15.......thus is the lot of the fifty-somethings......who value a good night's sleep over most diversions.......a concept that the thirtysomethings will figure out one day......

grunts versus groans.....

ok, so i have finished watching a fortnight of tennis.....and i must say that this has been one of the loudest tournaments ever......loud in terms of sound effects from both male and female players as the ball is either served, returned, or missed.......shreaks, whoops, and downright gutterals.....to the point that the commentators starting discussing how nice it was to hear lyndsay davenport's racket strike the ball.......because that is a sound one cannot hear when the player emphasizes each hit with audibles.....it could be worse, i suppose.....the grunters could go so far as to say distinguishable words......i believe that fines would be levied toward the player who could not hit the ball without....say the f-word...though should ratings get low enough...i could see the television producers encouraging such behavior........and so after a really long, and delayed match...venus really stepped up her game to win......and i am happy for her, as i would have been if davenport had won......she is nearly 30...and thinking about retiring and getting married and having a life......or at least a life that doesn't include tennis tournaments and living out of a suitcase.....the only way that i shall see the men's final is if the match goes long and church goes short.....which could happen.....i am also impressed the martina navratilova is playing doubles and mixed doubles again this year......she is just 48, and to still be in the game is quite gutsy and determined.....i think that walking 2-3 miles on the treadmill is acceptable, so go be in such great shape at our advanced ages is over-the-top......nice to be going from wimbledon to the tour de france........no need to find amusements again until the beginning of august..............

sandra day o'conner

ok, so i spoke too soon about the justice who was supposed to retire last week, and how he must have decided not to do so......and now sandra d 'c has decided to do just that.....i have mixed feelings about her departure......she was basically conservative....appointed by a conservative president..........but i agreed with her recent dissenting opinion on the eminent domain issue......and on her contention that dna testing must be a positive match in death penalty cases......but other of her opinions i have difficulty with.....and thus the ordeal to pick a replacement........one that can make it through a senate fillibuster......because the democratic senators have already promised a fillbuster in the event of a radically conservative nominee.....dubya best choose wisely on this nominee.....

klatch

ok, so this evening after work, i went to a coffee klatch....without the coffee......a semi-regular gathering that i look forward to attending.....with some of my favorite females.....no that is not the right....or left...term....because i know these ladies as more than females, or gals, or moms.......maybe the term is lacking in the language.......even meanmamma doesn;t quite fit.......but we shared a nice 75 minutes of stories that cannot be repeated/described/noted/exposed.....and that is the nicest part.........the zipped/lipped part......like women have always done in a back-door/over coffee sort of way.........huh.......i miss out living in the country....and not enjoying a college sort of existence......but i will cherish these opportunities to be on the edge of that life.......and though i am sad that the l.o. left early to see wilco....i am glad that i had the mother of the l.o.....and the mother of heathcliff...all to myself...........

le tour.....

ok, so le tour de france starts saturday.....amid much hype in the sporting/cycling world....lance's last season.......with the introduction of lance's new clothing line 10//2........which promises a portion of proceeds go his cancer research through his foundation....10//2 is the date in which his cancer was diagnosed in 1996...the new nike commercial is mostly lance's press conference from 1996...in which he explains why he is leaving cycling....for treatment of cancer that has spread from prostate into his abdomen, lungs and brain......but that he hopes to return to cycling someday....wow.....one almost forgets that he was near dying........but i digress.....the following is the schedule.....

Stage 1 Fromentine - Noirmoutier
Stage 2 Challans to Les Essarts
Stage 3 La Chataigneraie to Tours
Stage 4 Tours to Blois
Stage 5 Chambord to Montargis
Stage 6 Troyes to Nancy
Stage 7 Luneville to Karlsruhe
Stage 8 Pforzheim to Gerardmer
Stage 9 Gerardmer to Mulhouse
Stage 10 Grenoble to Courchevel
Stage 11 Courchevel to Briancon
Stage 12 Briancon - Digne-l-Bains
Stage 13 Miramas to Montpellier
Stage 14 Agde to Ax-3-Domaines
Stage 15 Lezat - St-Lary Soulan
Stage 16 Mourenx to Pau
Stage 17 Pau to Revel
Stage 18 Albi to Mende
Stage 19 Issoire - Puy-en-Velay
Stage 20 St-Etienne to St-Etienne
Stage 21 Paris

always a different route.....i would give my eyeteeth to be in france, traveling along just to gawk and watch in wonder.........but.....instead we will watch taped coverage everynight......and wish we had seen lance ride just once........

sometimes you get what you wish for.....

ok, so this cnn report made me laugh out loud....maybe this little town can bring in a higher tax base with an ex-supreme liberty hotel.....i admire the minds who thought this up........

ellen et al

ok, so I was too sick today to chance work....and amused myself with tennis, dr. phil.and ellen......all watched while knitting.......it was a rerun....rats.....

success

ok,so......I have finally figured out how to blog from my pda......

Fake flowers....

ok,so I pass by irony everyday on my short drive to work.......past houses landscaped with a variety of fake flowers within walking distance of nurseries selling real flora.....one has to wonder about someone who would stick a fake stem into dirt and walk away......did he/she fail to notice just how artificial it looked, or did he/she yell to everyone within earshot.....come lookie at my little garden ........either scenario is painful to consider but each is plausable.....the three nurseries I pass have marked down perrenials.....I have plans to stop and take a look at what is left...to add to my overgrown beds.......so I can yell to all within earshot ......come look at my little garden.......

toast

ok, so i grilled out chicken quarters......and while i read the time issue about lincoln and the civil war and slavery.....and mary todd...i managed to burn them to a cinder........ouch........but i digress from lincoln.....and the op-ed piece by barak obama.....enough to bring any but the conservative right to tears......and mary todd.......bless her lexington heart......was she crazy, or just out of synch......yeah...she was redoing the whitehouse while we were at war......but didn't jackie kennedy do somewhat of the same thing......when you get down to it......except jackie didn't ask to be involved in the decision making stuff....and mary todd did....so was she crazy, or just ahead of her time.......or was she depressed to have buried 3 out of 4 of her children.....leaving that last one to commit her to a mental institution.......yep, mary.....you weren't crazy enough........leaving that last one to do you in, in the end........seems the younger lincoln thought that because his mother was tryin to auction off her clothing to raise money to pay bills she must be crazy.........is that like having a yard sale?.....or did the lincoln's not want anybody to know that they were hard up for cash after abe was assassinated.......maybe she was just eccentric.....i have visited her home in lexington.....and her mental state is never mentioned in the tour, nor is her son's betrayal of her in the end........good thing she was ill before the era of lobotomy, or electric shock.......she would have been toast for certain.....as it is.....i see her as just a feminist, ahead of her time.....and misunderstood by the motley crue........

good for bill.......

ok, so i am so proud of william rehnquist.....who did not retire today as was widely expected.....to the point that most news sources have lists of possibilities......and dubya has his short list kept on cards held close.......but dubya......this 80 year old guy could outlast your presidency........despte treatment for cancer.....and his wheelchair status.....he could just be the wra........weapon of republican angst....the guy who dubya cannot even begin to intimidate, the guy that the right cannot begin to reach with their potential for smear campaigns........this learned man might just be the kind of guy that needs something to wake up to everyday.......like law and justice......and a guy who has little need to scan the newspapers for bargains on cheesecake.......just for something to do now that he is retired.......ironic.....being a republican appointee....but these days republicans are starting to break ranks in the days of reason versus the religious right.......heck...if i were bill rehnquist.....i wouldn't leave until i keeled over.......just to prove my point............lifetime appointment...can't fire me

s.a.t. reading section...the mean mamma version

ok, so it became clear over supper that some who read my blog do not read it clearly........and until said personages are able to verbalize a reasonable comprehension of say....the knitted body-parts section of this blog.....i see no reason to continue.......tosca.......all you have to do is to give me a sign..........or knit a fig leaf...........