I'm Still Standing

It's been a very busy few weeks, but I'm still here! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feU_agiqr0E&feature=related

Edward

I took my daughter to see Twilight today. It was a well done adaptation of the book. I think the reason all the girls (and their moms) are crazy about Edward is because of his absolute devotion to Bella. His old-fashioned chivalry makes the hearts go pitty-pat. Once they establish a relationship, she knows that he truly, deeply loves her.

Where's my fainting couch?

Lost

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuJaEkCIu-w

Happy Thanksgiving

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qsEY9xw_D8

Geeeez!

6:30 a. m. is too damn early when you didn't get to sleep until 3:00 a.m.

Jardin d'etoiles

I just came back from seeing Quantum of Solace. Loved it! Daniel Craig has won me over. Still like Connery better as written, but Daniel is pretty darn close. Ian Fleming explained the title in his short story, and I agree with his statement. It's sad, but it does happen. :( I know that all too well.

There were lots of chase scenes (of course) and in one of them, Bond is in a boat. Everything was moving very fast (uh, duh!), but I think his boat was named Jardin d'etoiles. If it wasn't, I still like that - a garden of stars. Purty!

The letter Q is prominent (for Quantum) but the character Q is nowhere to be seen. Lots of fancy computer screens, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suXkdsftsVU

I've noticed that I like to use a lot of parentheses. Yep, not great if I were writing a proper paper, but so what... :)

Never An Honest Word

I told a big, fat whopper of a lie last week. Don't worry, it wasn't to or about anyone who reads this blog (Whew!). It was a white lie, meant to smooth over some unpleasantness. Given the choice to do it all over again, I would, but I had to think long and hard before I did it. I tried to think through all the possible paths, and that one was the best. I'm just saddened, and angry at the two jerks who put me in such an akward position. So big, fat raspberries to them both.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq5_pEO8a8U

Thanksgiving decorations are up. Our house looks so bare with the Halloween decorations gone. Next year...

Bread and Circuses

My opinion on the latest election:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_yQUjoX458

'Nuf said.

Bad Day

Today was not one of my better days. Construction had the highway down to a crawl, so I had to take the back roads and was almost late to dance class. Had a bad Tagged experience, I'm tired and cranky, and ready for a new day. I'm ready to get through this day and move on to the next.

The good thing that did happen this week is, as I was dancing at home, Patrick the parolett whistled at me. That did make me smile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIcFgl6zf3A

Ooooooh, kilts!

This is just too funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GusQdYt_FE


We had a GREAT time last night, scaring kiddies and a few adults. My sister and brother-in-law did such a fantastic job building and providing props for our dead pirates theme. So much fun! It's especially fun for me, because for the other 364 days of the year, I'm very shy and quiet, but on Halloween, I can be bold and loud and scary. Fun, fun, fun! The weather was perfect, and it wasn't a school night. Yeah! Three cheers for us.

We haven't posted this year's pictures, but in a week or so, please visit us at http:web.mac.com/spacedout17/Gargoyle_Manor

We can't wait for next year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok6vuPq-2AU

Happy Halloween!

Have a spooky, scary day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nI2bVtQ6Kk

The Needle and the Good Done

I love my sewing machine! My parents gave it to me several years ago (the old one stillworks, but not as well). I wish I had an odometer on it. I have been using it quite a lot lately. I sewed the sail that is covering our house for Halloween. The machine is a great one, 'cause that was a heck of a lot of sewing!

I've also made my daughter's Halloween costume, and a pair of black slacks for orchestra. It's also gotten used for the dance costume I'm making. It's coming along, and most of the rest that's left to do is hand sewing, but there is still some work left for it to do. Then it's on to the red skirt that will hopefully work both for dance and Christmas. We shall see if I get it done in time. A tiered skirt will be quite a lot of sewing.

Sewing machines hold the world together. I often go into a material shop, and there are not many ladies in there, and some material shops have closed. But then I go on a Saturday, and the lines are long, and that's a good thing, because that means it's not a dead art. It's sad to think how few still sew or cross stitch or knit. I've tried to learn to knit, and I'm lousy at it. My grandmother knew how to tat. My sister tried to learn from her, but never quite picked it up. I've heard it's reallllly hard. My little sewing machines have made clothes for the kids, clothes for me, dance costumes years ago, and several veils recently. It sews and binds and connects mere pieces of cloth into memories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvb65dCMjZI

Skating Away

Well, busy, busy, busy! We have been busy decorating for Halloween. My daughter's costume is done - Yeah! We still need to do more painting on the props, and the wind blew down a few things, but the gargoyles are up, and after a lightbulb change, look really great!

My little sewing machine has been busy, too. In addition to costumes, I've also been working on a dance costume. I got some of the material today at 60% off - Yeah again! I'm normally not a red person, but this material called to me. I turned away on three different trips to the fabric store, but I couldn't turn it down at such a bargain! I can also use it for Christmas and other fancy occasions.

We keep seeing the yellow parakeet, so it's good to know it's still hangin' in there. The weather has been nippy yesterday, so I hope it continues to do well.

I voted Tuesday. I'm glad I did it, but I'm so tired of the whole thing. I'm ready for it to be over. Almost two years of campaigning, and this is the best we can do?!?!?!

Happy candy corn to all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDosgkws0-c

Nairobi Trio

It's been a busy week. We had lovely rain, which didn't cancel our neighborhood watch picnic. It was nice and cool, better than our usual summer get-together. It was nice not to worry about what to make for dinner. I brought dessert, lemon bars. I like to make desserts, but cooking dinner ain't my cup of tea.

We have more Halloween decorations up. My brother-in-law made an awsome ship for our dead pirates theme. We met some new neighbors down the street while we were at the picnic. We pointed out our house, and they know us now. Still haven't really met our new neighbors. We shall see how long they stay.

I had fun at dance class yesterday. I was able to demonstrate some of the moves with my skirts, which was fun. I had been bringing my zills (finger cymbols) to class ever since I began, but had not had a chance to use them. I was seriously thinking of not bringing them to class, but fortunately I did, and we actually started using them. Yeah for me!

My daughter's pirate costume is almost done. I have to sew the blouse, and it will be done. Yeah for me again! :)

Edie Adams passed away. I don't know why, but this skit of her hubby makes me smile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uw03hS_EMY

Between the Bridge and the River

Yesterday I finished reading Craig Ferguson's book Between the Bridge and the River. First of all, Craig is a crazy Scotsman, and his book reflects that. There are a lot of cuss words, but I think he put so many in because of his frustration with the network censors. I'm still mulling over what I think about it. I thought I had fully appreciated it as I read it, but then at the end he asks several questions for discussion, and I realized I had missed a lot of points he was trying to make. Hmmmm...

We had a great time at Six Flags yesterday. I rode the Tony Hawk roller coaster, which spins as it speeds along the track. My son and daughter said that it spun more than the previous times they had ridden it. Great. I enjoyed it (I think) but I was very dizzy afterwards. I'm not a big fan of roller coasters, but it was nice to say I had survived it.

We also went on the virtual roller coaster, Superstition, which is hosted by Elvira. I enjoyed it, with nice graphics. It's so funny - I closed my eyes on Tony Hawk, while my daughter loved it. She closed her eyes on the virtual roller coaster, because she was afraid of the scary graphics, which weren't that scary. We are often so opposite in our approach to life.

We went through the Skullduggery haunted house, which is pirate themed. We are doing dead pirates in our yard for Halloween this year. We got a few decorating tips, but it wasn't that scary to us, because we pretty much expected what they did. The people in front of us apparently were scared often, because we could hear their screams.

We tried to see the first show in the Southern Palace, but the sound system had a meltdown in the middle of the performance. We were able to catch a later show, and enjoyed it a lot. The Final Freakout was well done, also.

I went to the doctor for a checkup yesterday, and the computer to the X-ray machine crashed. So what else is new? I can crash a computer just by walking past it. I wish I could turn that "talent" into a way to earn a living, because I am so good at it. Several years ago, I was in a store, waiting to check out. The man in front of us had no problem, but when it was our turn, the computer crashed, and they had to go into the back room and reboot the computer. It has happened several times since, not as catastrophically, but often enough to make me wonder...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ_Nf7yGxbc

Melange

Our new neighbors will be in for quite a surprise come Halloween. We have already started decorating, and I wonder how they feel about the lengths we go to. My daughter met the little girl next door. We have several lizards around our house. We love them because they are cute and eat a lot of bugs. The new neighbor girl saw one, and thought it was creepy. Wait until we get the gargoyles mounted on the roof!

We did most of our indoor decorating last night. So happy to have the laughing bat back out. Hee, hee, hee! I have my little graveyard Studio 56 set up on the buffet. I have to get batteries for my musical rodents, and install batteries in the spinning bat. He sings this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMwdAc1Dzfg&feature=related

Had my dance class today. It's always so nice to get out and stretch. I need to practice more at home, but the day zips by. Today was especially busy - dance class, went downtown to pick up a job, home for lunch, then off to pick up my daughter from school, and on to harp lessons. Whew!

Pushing Daisies is on tonight - Yipeeee! It's so quirky. Love it. Uh-huh.

Good Time

It's been a pretty good week. It's been a year since my hip replacement. My dance teacher was surprised to learn that I'd had it replaced. I listed it on the form when I first signed up, but she probably doesn't read them herself.

The weather has been a little cooler, and we are starting to put out a few Halloween decorations. I love Halloween!

The yellow budgie is still on the lam. If he is not caught before winter, it may be hard for him to survive. He is such a pretty, bright, sunny yellow. I hope he makes it.

I got a free bookcase today. I'm not sure where I'll put it, but I'll figure it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs5f8CYyLBo&feature=user

The Ghost and the Revolving Door

Well, the revolving door keeps on a'spinnin'. When we moved into our house, 22 years ago, Nana was our next-door neighbor. Her husband was the one who developed this neighborhood. She was a great neighbor, and everyone called her Nana, even those not related to her.

A few years ago, she was getting old and frail, and had to move to a home. Since then, there seems to be a revolving door to her house. For the first few neighbors, I would make them a cherry cheese cake and welcome them to our block. Now I don't even bother. Today as I pulled into our driveway, I saw the moving van again. I wish I could buy the house myself. We shall see who moves in next, and how long they will last. We think Nana's ghost may be haunting the house, and it will take a special family to move in and make her happy. At least her rose bush is still growing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NxtFHNqq1Y

Sword & Shield

Had a bad day yesterday. Melted a few telephones and burned a few text messages. Better today.

You have a choice now. The first link is poor quality, but it has two songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B48iBM01Fs&feature=related

The second is better quality, but only one song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qx8fFpWcFQ&feature=related

Life is full of choices. Or, you could choose not to watch either. :)

Tempus Fugit

Brief and to the point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxEPQcX0NJU&feature=related

Three Statues

So, I've mentioned before how unaware I am sometimes. I try to pay attention, but I get so focused on one thing that I block out other things that I need to be aware of, also. I go outside each morning to change the water in the bird bath and fill the bird feeders. I will also often pull a few weeds in one of my gardens, or pick up twigs that have fallen from the oak tree. This morning I noticed that one of the squirrels had been digging in my day lily garden, and had scattered dirt on the bricks that edge the garden. I bent over to brush the dirt off. I have two little statues in that garden. One's an angel, and the other is a blue bird. I was so focused on the dirt that it took a moment before I realized there were three statues. What!?! It was a dove, sitting perfectly still, in exactly the spot that I would put a statue if I get another one, evenly spaced with the other two. I took a few steps back to make sure I didn't frighten it, and talked soothingly to it. After a few moments, I went back inside. I really enjoyed being that close, and it didn't seem nervous at all, or maybe it was paralyzed with fright. I went out again a little later to make sure it wasn't injured or sick, but it had left. It was a nice peaceful encounter that I will hopefully remember for a long time. Now, if it had been a snake, it would have bitten me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI0gdIWJ4-w

We Are Family

I haven't posted in a while - did y'all miss me? :) Didn't have much to say.

I had a good day with my sister today. We are preparing for Halloween (it's getting closer!). We went to different Halloween stores, and looked at costume patterns. My costume is ready already. The weather is getting cooler, so it's starting to feel like fall (it's getting closer!). So, I enjoyed the time spent with my sister.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw6F3Sf-PGw

I have started reading Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson. It is very bawdy, but as he says, he is European.

Enjoy the day, and this beautiful weather!

Ne Me Quitte Pas

My daughter was lucky enough to see The Magic Flute last night and La Boheme tonight. It was a great opportunity. Thinking about La Boheme got me to thinking of the song La Vie Boheme from the play Rent. I thought about including that link as today's video, but I know some of y'all read this at work, and that is R rated. So I thought of another French song, which I like a lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE3TofjbcfE

Otherwise, it was an average day. Sometimes boredom is a good thing. :)

Fairies

Boring day, not much to say, but I did come across a song I had not heard before. It's harder rock than I usually listen to, but I love the title, so enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvbA8FBd_Vo&feature=related

Life Is Bizarre

I'm glad Hurricane Ike did not cause more destruction than it did. Galveston is a great city, but there's no way I would live there, and risk losing so much. We got just the right amount of rain.

My living room is dusted, the kitchen is almost clean, the bathrooms are almost clean. Yeah! Not exciting, but much needed.

Not much else going on today, but last night's dinner was very interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nVKn0l2mo

How High Is The Water, Mama?

So far we are just getting some nice showers from Hurricane Ike. I hope it has done all the damage it's going to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSz6X5NMXnM&feature=related

I made it to Bird Mart today. So many pretty birds! I bought a toy for each of my birds, and some bird seed. It was very hard to find a parking place because there was a gun show also going on. I saw my friend, Michelle, and we enjoyed chatting for a while. She breeds birds, so she bought quite a few.

As I was about to fix some lunch, I looked out the back window and saw a very pretty yellow parakeet. I often see a parakeet after Bird Mart. At first I thought it was just random, but it does seem to happen frequently during a Bird Mart weekend. About a month ago, my daughter and I saw a white parakeet in a neighbor's yard, but that one must have been random. I wish I could have caught the parakeet and found a good home for it, but they are so hard to capture. I did put a spray of millet out for it, so maybe that will help it get by.

Love those pretty, pretty birds!

Backwards

I did what I said I was going to do, well, sort of. I did clean up the kitchen a little, and dusted the furniture in the living room. At least it's a start. While I was dusting, I moved the cage of Patrick, my parotlett. I cleaned his stand, put his cage back on it, and continued dusting. After a few minutes, I noticed that he was looking at me with a strange attitude. It took me a moment, but I finally realized that I had put his cage back on the stand backward. I apologized to him, and promptly turned it around. He looked much more at ease. As a general rule, birds like consistency, and get stressed when the routine patterns are changed. Even a new food or toy can stress them for a while.

The backward cage reminded me that so often I get things almost right, but there's always some little detail that I've overlooked. Usually it's just a minor thing, and I'm being overly critical. But I often have the "Doh!" feeling. I think that's what I like about Zen. There's a parable of a master and student who take their shoes off and put their umbrellas down before entering a house. The student was celebrating moving on from being an apprentice because he had studied with him for so long. After they were settled with their tea, the master casually asked the student which side of his shoes the student had placed the umbrella. The student realized he was not as self-aware as he thought, and studied with the master for seveal years after that. Now, umbrellas and shoes are not critical life choices, but too often we do miss the important details. So, I'll try to be more aware of what I'm doing. And my umbrella is nowhere near my shoes. :)

So, here's my apology to Patrick, and I like the song a lot myself. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY-EwIsqjNk

Breaking Dawn

I haven't posted in a while because I've been reading Breaking Dawn. It's over 700 pages, but I couldn't put it down. I'm too old to be staying up that late to read and read and read. Stephenie Meyer also has written a book called Host, I think. I'll have to check that out. I've also heard that she is back on her Midnight Sun project, so let's hope it's in the works.

Now that I'm getting my life back, I need to get caught up on house cleaning and other mundane chores. Sigh. Fantasy is so much more appealing than cleaning. I like the saying "My house is clean enough to be healthy, but dirty enough to be happy." It's time to balance it out a little bit more.

The song for the day is from Muse, a group that Stephenie Meyer praises quite a bit. I wasn't impressed when I listened to snippets of their music on iTunes, but I think it's growing on me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qCddbntc1I&feature=related

Quazy

Don't ask me why, but Quisp cereal has been on my mind today.
http://www.quisp.com/cartoon/index.html
It was one of my favorite cereals when I was young, probably because of the space theme, but also because it was good. It's still made, and can be bought over the Net, but it's not sold locally. :( It also reminds me of Noodles Almondine and a few other foods that I liked but cain't get anymore.

I also used to like Yardley makeup, especially Floating Island Blush nail polish. It's funny that I can't remember where I parked the car, can't remember important details, but I can remember the name of the nail polish, back 30+ years ago. The mind is a strange thing.

I am *so* enjoying Breaking Dawn. In a way I want to read it as fast as I can to see what happens, but then again I want to take my time and savor it. This may be one that I read twice.

Have a quazy day today!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80TAVW3paBA

OMG!

First things first. I knew I'd think of a song to go with my last post, and here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdnSxVK0WzM

Okay, now, OMG! I finished reading New Moon this morning. It was so funny - I was reading in the back room, and my daughter was reading in the living room. We met in the hallway because we finished at almost the same moment. I immediately marched myself to the library, so afraid that all the copies would be checked out or on reserve. They had two copies! Yeah! Otherwise, my daughter and I would have been tooth and nail to read it first. :)

I read the preface in the parking lot (couldn't resist) and OMG! Stephenie Meyers writes wonderful hooks in her prefaces to get the reader hooked. OMG! My son has just started the series, and one of his friends is now hooked. OMG! All these readers working on the same series. It feels a lot like Harry Potter, with the same desperation to read, read, read.

One sad thing about this series. Meyers had started another one, Midnight Sun, but she was too trusting. She sent a rough draft out to be read by a few close friends, probably the same people she thanks in her previous books, but one of the $%^&* leaked it onto the Internet. So sad that the people she most trusted ended up stabbing her in the back. She said she is so disheartened that she has put it aside for a while, and may scrap it altogether. :( Let's hope she becomes inspired to pick it up again.

It's become a fever in my blood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYxoAJ3Boyc&feature=related

Laterna Magika

It's interesting how one thought will lead to another. All day today there has been an ad to the side of the screen showing a magic lantern. I didn't even pay attention to what the ad was for, but it got me thinking about a show called Laterna Magika that I saw at HemisFair in 1968 in San Antonio. I bet my sister remembers. It was a projected movie with live actors in front, which was very advanced for the time. I went to their Web site http://www.laterna.cz/. They are from Czechoslovakia, and are still performing.

I also remember a fountain that people could turn the knobs and control the flow of water; very cool. There was also a fountain or sculpture of a bird or a flock of birds. I need to dig out those old photos and look at them again. I also had my first taste of curry there, and man was it hot! I could only take a few bites. Now I love curry, but I like to add just a little, not enough to set the plate on fire. Even though I'm from Texas, I'm not much on chili peppers. Just a few on my nachos is all I care for.

It was a good trip, and my family and I enjoyed it. If I put more thought into it, I could probably think of a good music video to link to, but it's late, and I really want to go back to reading Eclipse. I'm halfway through, and it's addicting! (But I ain't going to rehab).

Who Is John Galt?

Since my nails are still black (and beautiful!) I decided to wear my black John Galt T-shirt. I loved Atlas Shrugged. I do consider myself to be an Ayn Rand capitalist. I want government to stay out of my life as much as possible. I think the budget would be much smaller if there were not so many pork projects and special interest groups. Protect the borders, maintain national transportation structures, such as roads and bridges (but not a bridge to nowhere!), but otherwise stay the hell out of my life.

Ayn Rand was around 12 years old when the Russian revolution turned her world upside down. Her father, who was in the pharmaceutical business, had his whole livlihood taken over by the state. If I remember correctly, the family home was also overrun, and others took up residence. No wonder she hated Communism so much.

I think it goes against the frontier spirit for so many people to have their hands out, waiting for the government to give them so many things. I feel sorry for the people affected by Hurricane Katrina several years ago, but I read an interview with one who was upset with the apartment she was "forced" to live in. Nice apartment, big screen TV, but it wasn't good enough for her. Tough cookies! As Thomas Paine said, "That government is best which governs least."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gutY7NnNuyA

Miscellaneous Musings

I had a good day dancing today. I had my black veil, and my nails were painted black, so it was a good day. I got lots of compliments, even from the teacher. Yeah!

It's been cloudy yesterday and today, but only a very brief shower from Gustav. Maybe we'll get some rain today. I didn't water my garden yesterday, because I was sure we would get more rain. I watered today, so I bet we'll get a lot. Sure would be nice.

Viva La Vida is on the radio now, so that also makes me happy.

I checked out Eclipse from the library, because I cain't wait until it comes out in paperback. I'll buy it when it does come out. I've only read the first chapter, but I like it so far.

Today's video is Jerry Reed. RIP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8KBhnebwE&feature=related

Pictures At An Exhibition

These are the cakes I made for Mom's birthday and my parents' anniversary. There is a huge fake diamond on the anniversary cake, because the 60th is the diamond anniversary. There are two dove at the front of the cake that are kind of hard to see. Thanks to my son for teaching me how to post these. Love ya!

Heaven and Hell

Here's a little bit of Heaven:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VAlPq2dc4w

Now that we're down to 2 months before Halloween, here's a taste of Hell:
http://web.mac.com/spacedout17/Gargoyle_Manor

Can't wait for Halloween!!!!!!

The Eggplant That Ate Chicago

I am a plant murderer. Every time I bring home a new plant, my family snickers and scoffs, because they know the poor plant is doomed. I just don't have a green thumb. I can sometimes grow African Violets, and I have a couple of gardens that I try not to kill. I do really well with irises, because they are so hardy they can withstand even me.

Last year, my sister gave me a sweet potato vine, and we expected it to die when winter came. Amazingly, it survived, and is now taking over my front yard. It is so cool! I have formed its tendrils into a galaxy shape, and it looks pretty. Last night, I measured one of the tendrils, and it was 9 feet! I am very pleased.

Can you spot the mistake in the lyrics of the song?

http://www.actionext.com/names_n/norman_greenbaum_lyrics/the_eggplant_that_ate_chicago.html

For Paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGYQtNAHbX4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcT7u7abiZ4

Joy of the Wonders of the Universe To You

I have been depressed about the lost of a high school classmate, but I had a pleasant dream this morning. Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek greeted me with "Joy of the wonders of the Universe." That's a mouthful of a greeting when a simple "Howdy" would do the job, but I felt a sense of peace. So, it was either a message from the Cosmos, or something I dredged up from my subconscience. Either way, it was nice. So, to you all I say, "Joy of the --"
Oh, you get the idea. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9V5yUsrmdg

Barnacles and That Kismet Thing Again

A few days ago, a friend of mine (hi CLO) discussed finding some barnacles at the beach, and how she wants to someday paint them. Now, barnacles don't come up every day in my normal conversations. Then my brother-in-law (hi) is helping us with Halloween decorations, and this year's theme is dead pirates. He suggested putting foam barnacles on the ship. Great idea, but a little strange that it popped into a conversation so soon after reading about them.

I Google imaged barnacles, and came across a site that mentioned barnacles and Waldo the Wonder Rat. Now, as you've probably guessed from my previous posts, I love rodents. I just think it's so strange how things keep circling around.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.weepeeple.com/images/barnacles10.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.weepeeple.com/news/augustnewsletter.htm&h=325&w=432&sz=67&hl=en&start=52&usg=__wBZjwFm-2cDjwzn546z_iLpovb8=&tbnid=7lqmkBjKHJVNlM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=126&prev=/images?q%3Dbarnacles%26start%3D42%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN


So here's a song with a nautical theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEIDep_UMmk&feature=related

Now, in a Cosmic sense, if there's any deeper meaning, I can't find it, but it sure does arouse my curiosity!

To Laugh and To Cry

It's been a really bad week. Last Wednesday was very draining, and then on Friday I found out that a classmate was in the hospital. He passed away, and I've been very depressed the last few days. I was not close to him, but he literally saved many lives, and it's lousy that we had to lose him so soon.

I was a bit hesitant to go to dance class this morning, but I knew I needed it. It felt good to do the stretches (which I need to do more of at home). It was good to get out and socialize, and the instructor is so upbeat and funny. It was nice to laugh again. I know the next few days will be hard, but I enjoyed a little escapism. But for now, back to reality, which means more proof reading.

Pibroch

pi·broch: mournful bagpipe music - a piece of music written for the Scottish Highland bagpipes, consisting of a theme and variations, often with a mournful tone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxiHgm5UEsA&watch_response

What Dreams May Come

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLco7-yDrI0&feature=related

Twilight

OMG! I just finished reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight! I loved it! It was funny and suspenseful and I can understand why teens really love it. It's not just for teens though. I enjoyed it, too, because the main character is very clumsy, as am I. I went to B&N today (after I went to the new Apple store) and bought the next book in the series, New Moon. The third book is not out in paper back yet, but will be soon. It will be hard to wait for it, because if I read the second book as quickly as the first, I will be ready way before the paper back one is out.

I saw an interview with Meyers in which she said that it started off with a dream she had, and when she woke, she wanted to know how it ended, so she had to write it for herself. It's so interesting how our subconscience works so hard while we aren't even aware of it. The fourth book has a chess set on the cover, and I really love chess.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhNu_dmcfgw&feature=related

I also looked for Craig Ferguson's book, Between the Bridge and the River, but it is sold out. The clerk who was helping me is also a fan. He checked to see if any of their other stores had it, but it's not to be found, but it is being reprinted. That's a good thing for Craig, that his book is doing so well.

That's it for now. Maybe I'll go start reading now! :)

Devil's Advocate

I so enjoy being a devil's advocate. I love discussing different issues, and taking an opposing stance, just to get others to consider all possibilities. The role of devil's advocate was started in the Catholic church. The goal was to offer counter claims to consideration of sainthood. The church felt the need to view the question from different viewpoints, to not be locked into one opinion, to have a back-and-forth examination of the facts as they were understood. Too bad they didn't feel the same way about scientific facts. Giordarno Bruno and Galileo would not have suffered as they did.

I feel that is a vital role in today's society as well. Too many are willing to accept global warming as fact, when it is not agreed on by a lot of scientists a heck of a lot smarter than I am.
To question, to provoke deeper thought, even if you may agree with the person, is a useful goal. It's good to double-check the facts, to probe more deeply into what you believe, and why you believe it. I think we need a few more devil's advocates.

Switching gears to an extreme measure, here's today's song. Belly dancing is now popping up in all kinds of music, and there is a style of dance called dance fusion, which mixes ancient dance moves with modern music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygctbqBijFk


So ends the last week of freedom before early morning schedule for school, and so ends this post.

Horse Feathers

This should have gone with my last post, but I hadn't had a chance to hear it myself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPJAdJ3vMuw&feature=related

And this is just because I like him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7oZXt_71CE

The US is still doing so well at the Olympics.

That's it - I got nuthin' else.

Oh Yeah? So What!

Yeah, that's right, I didn't post anything for the last several days. I've been busy, and I ain't got nuthin' ta say. I've been watching the Olympics (yeah us!), and reading Twilight (funny book!) and went to dance class today (yeah me!). So, I got nuthin'.

I was looking through the TV Guide, and saw a blurb about Russell Brand. I've seen him on several talk shows, and he's a hoot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQlvqWW3tGc&feature=related

So, that's it. No song for the day, no deep thoughts, no insight, no witty remarks. Maybe tomorrow the muse will sit on my shoulder, but for now I'm off to read more Twilight.

Water

Whew! I read 144 pages today (well, it's after midnight, so technically it was yesterday). It involved problems laying water and sewer pipes. Lovely (not). I often learn a lot as I read, but I don't think I'll be able to use the knowledge I gained today. At least it's done, and I'll be happy come pay day.

I thought about including a youtube version of Night Thunder by Michael Martin Murphey, but I couldn't find one. "Love me like water, water, water, water." I had never heard of the song I am including, so it was nice to hear a new song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teve9ju4HC0

It's been kind of a boring day, with no earth-shaking awakenings, so I'll shut up for now, and go read some fun things. I'm almost a third of the way through Twilight, and I'm enjoying it a lot.

Bull in a China Shop

Tonight we celebrated my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. I can't imagine how much patience it must have taken to put up with each other for 60 years. Even though marriages have ups and downs, it is quite an accomplishment.

We ate at a wonderful steak house (yummmm!) and that got me thinking about steaks, which in turn led me to think of the movie For Pete's Sake. I love the scene where the bull goes through the china shop, and nothing is broken until she knocks on wood, and everything just shatters. I think life is like that sometimes, skating on thin ice, and getting by quite well, until one more thing brings it all down.

I'm stuffed and ready for a nap, so that's all for tonight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D8G_J6Ro1E

Kismet

I am in awe of the forces that swirl around us that we are often not aware of, and yet I do sometimes take the time to examine. When my kids gave me an iPod 2 years ago, I went onto several music sites to think about songs I wanted to download. That led me to a site that originates in The Netherlands, and they had a notice that they were looking for someone who spoke English to help translate lyrics. That's how I met Mark. I have been able to help some. There was a song that was popular in The Netherlands that was a reggae version of the Peter, Paul and Mary song 500 Miles. Mark had never heard the original version, so I was able to send it to him. He has now become an email friend. Remember the old term of pen pal?

Mark led me to a social network site called Hyves. On Hyves, I met Remi, who loves astronomy as much as I do. There was a study done on connections in email networks, and there really are quite often only 6.6 degrees of separation. I do believe in Kismet, and I'm anxious to see if Hyves leads me to other interesting contacts, or where else in my life connections will be made.
I'm also learning a few words of Dutch. Vrienden means friends, uitloggen means log out, and verstuur means send.

A high school friend, Tim, knows a young lady who works with my son. I was amazed that seemingly random people knew each other.

I also loved the PBS show Connections. It was so well done, and I learned so much from it. It showed the interweaving of inventions, accidents, and, well, Kismet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cS0lT0dQJA&feature=related

See, during my search for the link above, Kismet led me to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2wAjOIbMv8&feature=related
I love the movie and the song.

I'm also happy because we got lots of rain last night. Yipeeeee!

Dis N Dat

Today the kids and I had snow cones. We try to have them at least once during the summer, and it's been too hot lately to go out and enjoy them. It was a little cooler today, so we enjoyed our summer tradition. It's hard to believe that they will be back in school all too soon.

Idina Menzel was on Craig Ferguson's show tonight. She played Elphaba in Wicked. She sang I Stand tonight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-kO8bH0QQ8&feature=related

A beautiful song from a beautiful lady.

I also have seen several ads for a new movie called Bottle Shock. One of the stars is Alan Rickman, who did such a great job as Snape in the Harry Potter movies. I'm not sure I'll see the movie. I may rent it when it's released to DVD. He is a good actor.

Thinking of Alan Rickman got me to thinking of Rick Wakeman. It's a stream of conscience kind of thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-OtpZnCS8U
I chose Anne of Cleves because from what little I know about the history, I think she was one of the smartest of the six wives.

Dat's all for dis post. :)

To the Left

Yea, I know I didn't post yesterday. I was busy getting my daughter ready for school, and I didn't have much to say. I have started the book Twilight, and I like it a lot so far. One of my daughter's classmates was also reading it while we were waiting in line.

The US Olympic team is doing really well. Phelps is great!

Today is Left-handers Day. Yipeeeee! I have my banner taped up on the front porch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX31sAh7GPA

I'm off to my dance class soon. Hope it's a wonderful day for everybody!

The Greatest Generation

I just finished reading The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. Such a wonderful book! I learned a lot, like Nazi agents reaching New York and Florida by submarine. It was wonderful the way the nation worked together. The book also talked about gains made by blacks and women who were able to step up and prove they could get the job done. I especially liked that most chapters were short bios of one or two people who exemplified their group. It was nice to read a chapter or two at a time, and not have to recall the entire book to remember a plot or cast of characters. We are so fortunate that their generation made the sacrifices needed to save the world (cheerleaders included).

I've been watching the Olympics. Right now the US gymnastics team is in medal contention, and Michael Phelps has won several gold medals. Great job!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jkhpTB8INs

Turn Left

Wow! I just finished watching a Dr. Who episode titled Turn Left. Since I'm a lefty, it immediately caught my attention. Without giving away too much, it's all about the choices we make in life, and how important one little decision can be. One seemingly minor change in life's path can have such a profound difference. The universe can be saved or lost. Wow! A person who thinks they are not very important can make all the difference. Loved that episode! I'm gonna need time to think about that one more. I might even watch it again. I hope it will help the next time I have to make a choice. I'm glad I *chose* to watch it!

Today has been a mousy day. Google has been putting up some cute graphics for the Olympics, and today it was an adorable mouse. If you missed it, click here:
http://www.azakers.com/gallery2/post-images/corporate-logos/google/2008-olympics/
It's a mouse lifting weights, so the little mouse is also very mighty. Ties in real well with the theme of Turn Left. I also played Mouse Trap with my daughter today, so I'm happy with my mousies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3GVbIT4UuU&feature=related

Another Brick in the Wall

I watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics last night. It was very beautiful, but I kept thinking of how many people had been forced out of the little homes they had to make way for the Olympic stadium. I love the architecture, and I especially like the nickname, birds nest. I know fireworks are dirt cheap there, but I kept wondering how many meals that money could have bought. On the other hand, it was a great employment opportunity for many of the construction workers, and people who got jobs working there during the Olympics. If the air had not been polluted already, all the smoke from the fireworks certainly made it so.

I was proud of how average citizens helped to clear the algae from the lake where the sailing events will be. I'm not sure many Americans would take the time, or be willing to wrangle with all those strands. I'm sure it didn't smell that great, either. I hope it's made into animal feed or fertilizer, or something useful.

I know the Olympics is supposed to be about sportsmanship, and not about politics, but I wish the Olympic committee had been more forceful about China's abysmal human rights record. I wish Tibet could just be left alone. I doubt that will ever happen, but one can dream.

The only reason I would want to go to China would be to see the Great Wall. It was the topic of one of the short stories I used when I tutored. Otherwise, a noisy, crowded city is not my idea of a good vacation.

Have a lovely day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DnUxLISFcA

Viva La Vida

I love this song by Coldplay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTjFP_iORYg
I think I may need to add it to my list of songs I want to download.

It's a strange song (I seem to like strange songs a lot). It's interesting that the tempo is upbeat, but the lyrics are so melancholy. I think I understand what he's trying to say, but I read more into it each time I hear it. I especially like the bell. It is a huge bell, not some wimpy little cowbell or chime. The percussionist has to put a lot of soul into it, which must be a wonderful release of energy/emotions. I remember ringing the bell at the old Olla Podrida shopping center. Boy, does that bring back memories!

I think at each stage of my life, I tend to look back and wish for the stage I've just finished, but then I move on to the next, and I usually like that one even better. But I do miss the old stages, some more than others.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been a busy day, so not much time here.

I learned today that Long Black Veil was co-written by a woman born in Texas. I knew I liked that song for a reason.

Here's something else that's really silly. I love to watch Craig Ferguson, and he did this the other night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ucPBEpocs
I went to youtube and watched what he was referring to, but it wasn't as funny as he was.

It's late, and it's been a busy day, so th-th-that's all, folks!

No Such Thing As A Coincidence

LOL! Shakespeare was mentioned again today, this time in my daughter's harp lesson. The goal is to play at Scarborough Faire, so of course Shakespeare and Good Queen Bess were mentioned.

I'm in a good mood again today. Had a fun time at dance lessons. Still lots of work to slowly and carefully stretch those muscles. My daughter is also getting buff, holding chili cans to build up her harp muscles. We are keeping each other going, because I try to do it when she does. Snake arms don't come easy! :)

Time to hit the shower!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsxX3ue5vR4

All the World's a Stage

I've been watching several Dr. Who episodes recently. I really liked The Shakespeare Code. I was glad I had just read Shakespeare's Wife, because I understood a lot of the references more clearly. The episode was well written, and I liked the actor who played Shakespeare. The episode showed how the three witches came into Shakespeare's life. It showed the Globe audience impressed by what they think are special effects. Very smart script.

I learned about a new book on the history of Hubble, and all of the politics involved behind the scenes. It's now on my list, once I get caught up with the ones already waiting for me.

So, I'll leave you today with words from The Bard himself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChTBKjtfd2w

Things That Make Me Smile

Yesterday I talked about the mouse and flamingo, and how it makes me smile every time I look at it. There are a lot of things that make me happy. I watched Celtic Thunder on PBS last night; Celtic music, men in kilts, and bagpipes, yeah!

I got a paycheck, which always makes me happy, and I promptly bought a book, which makes me very happy, and I used my Barnes & Noble discount, which makes me realllly happy. I bought Stephenie Meyer's Twighlight. I hadn't really heard about this series until Breaking Dawn was released, which has a picture of a chess board on it. I thought I'd at least give the first one a try, and see if I get hooked on the series. I probably won't start it until I finish Greatest Generation. Every once in a while I will have two books going at the same time, but I like to keep things in line, and not scramble my brain, so I plod along one step at a time.

This song always makes me smile. It's cheesey and silly, but I enjoy it. Many think it's too much
saccharine, and there are some who probably won't watch it all the way through (you know who you are), but I like it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbh9c0noR4s

Have a smiley, silly kind of day.

The Broadsword and the Beast

Talking about my broadsword (both figurative and literal) got me to thinking about passing things on to my kids. They both want to inherit my sword when I pass away. Most everything else is pretty well settled. She will get my jewelry (there are some Egyptian pieces she really wants NOW), and he will get most of the books and the astronaut mouse. It's that sword that will be the sticking point.

I've already decided that when the time comes, I'll call them over about once a month and dole out more boxes of stuff that I'm ready to part with. I especially will be ready to pass on or sell my "dust collectors", but there are a few that I won't want to part with for quite a while. Some are memories from vacations, and some are just too cute. One is a mouse riding on a flamingo that always makes me smile.

At least, that's what I have planned. I could die in a car wreck tomorrow (ain't that a cheery thought), but at least I've discussed it with the kids, and I think it will be an easy transition. I'm thinking about all of this today because I was talking with a neighbor last night, and she asked about how the settling of my mother-in-law's estate was going. It is such a mess, with a back-stabbing former BFF smack in the middle. My M-I-L has been gone for over a year now, and she is still giving me headaches and heartaches. I hope my passing will be much smoother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESg4Hnzdy5U

Here is a partial translation that I got from Google, the most important ones that speak the most to me. If ya want the rest, I encourage everyone to Google them. I love this song, and have it on my iPod:
No quiero que me manden floresI don’t want to send me flowers
Lo que me des, damelo en vidaWhat you give me, give it to me in life
No habra razon pa' que me lloresIt won’t exist reason to cry for me
"No Llores, No Llores, No Llores, No Llores""Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry"
Ay! No llores, no llores por miAh! Don’t cry, don’t cry for me
No hay razon para que llores asiThere’s no reason to cry for me
No te preocupes, deja el llantoDon’t worry, stop crying

Smiling is much more fun than crying, so enjoy this life, however long it lasts.

A Firm Hand

I'm having a much better day today. The cake was a success, I'm proud of my accomplishments, and Mom had a good party, so everyone is happy. It's a painstaking process of putting on all the little dots to cover the cake. My hand gets really tired, but I think it was worth it. I'll try to upload a picture if I can.

I also had to have a firm hand in dealing with an electronics store. My daughter's phone needed to be recharged, which is the first time since she got it. The charger wouldn't work, so I had to take it to the store. At first the salesman was nice, but then tried to sell me a new charger. I asked him why we should buy a new one when the one we had already purchased didn't work. He started getting rude when we said we had never used that one, but we finally convinced him we were telling the truth. Now, even if she had used the charger every day since she got it, it still should not have quit working. He finally gave us a new one. Sheeeesh!

I hate conflict, and will try very hard to avoid it, but sometimes ya just gotta stand up for yourself. This is one of the songs that I use to find the inner strength when I know I'm going into battle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3RNdU2d0PY&feature=related

Hope the waters are calm for everyone today.

Total

There was a total solar eclipse today in Russia and neighboring countries. I wish I could have been there. There is nothing like watching the sun being blotted out. I can see how people in ancient times must have been terrified. There were many astronomers who were able to predict them, but I'm sure the word did not get out to many of the peasants far from the noble courts. It is an awe-inspiring experience. I'm just glad it was during the summer, because otherwise a lot of astronomers would have frozen in Siberia.

This is a strange video, but I really like the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55nTwg5NIPM

Today is a busy day, with baking (done), assembling a cake, being a taxi driver, and trying to get some proof reading done. When it's all finished, I'm sure I will be proud of it, but it's the getting there that will be interesting. The cake didn't cooperate, and will need serious spackling with the icing.

I'm dealing with a lot of bad karma today, and sometimes ya just gotta dance it away:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXNApZ2ALiQ

Opa!

Paint It Black

Yipee! Another good day today. I had searched for some black nail polish, but since it wasn't available locally, I had to order it on line, and it came yesterday. I am wearing it now, and I really like it. I usually don't wear polish, and when I do, it's usually clear or a pale beige, very natural looking and understated. But today it's kinda nice, and I'm wearing my black Who is John Galt shirt, so all is well.

I had seen several different black polishes in the stores, but I had found Hyde in the Dark by Creative on line, and really wanted that one. It has a bit of shine to it, and when it's in the sun, it really sparkles. It takes some getting used to. I'll be doing something and look at my hands and think, "Gosh! Oh, that's right, I painted them." Sometimes dark nail polish will startle my birds when I'm taking care of them. I even did my toe nails, so I'm having fun with it, and I will be ready when Halloween comes around. I might even wear it from time to time just because.

I have been running errands all day, and I need to get some proof reading done, but it's nice to chill for a while and admire my nails. :)

Some fitting music for today's theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5LSXkgHMgU

P.S. -I tried to click on the link to make sure it worked, and it may not, so you may have to copy and paste to get there. Sorry.

The Long Black Veil

Good news! We got some yummy rain today! It wasn't even enough to register in the rain gauge, but it was so nice! I even heard thunder. There's a chance we may get more rain tonight. That would be lovely.

I was able to combine three of my favorite things - I love Halloween, Celtic music, and belly dancing. I am working toward a black costume for Halloween, and I made a black veil yesterday. It's plain black, and the trim is a dark iridescent, with mainly blue and blacks. It is a very long one. I was going to make it the regular 3 yards, but there were 7 extra inches on the bolt. I had to trim the jagged edges, so it's only an extra 4 inches, but it looks so purty!!! It swirls very nicely. I'm well on my way to a Halloween outfit. Yeah!

You may be asking, "What does that have to do with Celtic music?" Well, The Chieftans have an album in which the title song is Long Black Veil. It's a strange song, but I really like it, and Mick Jagger does the vocals. So, I've combined several favorites into one. Happy, happy, happy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=888TFXZ6Ko0

That's all for now!

Pipers and Poets

Oh, I got to see four men in kilts last night! Eric Idle was on Craig Ferguson's show last night. During the interview, pipers came in playing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. It was great. Eric and Craig continued their interview using cue cards because they couldn't hear over the pipers. Too funny!

The book I read before Highland Rogue was Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer. I really enjoyed it, but I think many people would think it's a bit dry and boring. I gave it to a friend of mine as a birthday present, but I know she will like it because her degree is in history. The book talks mainly about Ann, of course, but it also gives insights into how women survived during that time. Many women were widowed at an early age, and I learned a lot about how they fed and raised their kids. I also learned a lot about child mortality, and how many women died in childbirth.

I also learned about how marriage was viewed. If a man and woman pledged themselves to each other, they were considered married, and the church ceremony was just a formality. But this was also a time when marriage banns were supposed to be posted and announced twice. Often the couple would have the honeymoon night, then go to the church. It was not scandalous, it was expected. If a woman became pregnant before a marriage, the midwife was not supposed to help her unless the woman stated who the father was. Such a strange mixture of scandal versus propriety. So, I enjoyed it, and learning about how many women were so independent, but it is a bit of work to plow through it. I thought it was well worth the effort.

Today's song is for those who need to get away from all this danged heat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4IU4eTmtNs

Have a great day, and stay cool!

Scottish cuties

Does everyone have their laundry hanging out to dry? Good! It's so hot today, I bet it dries as soon as it's hung up. I actually wished for a clothes line recently. We love Halloween, and this year our theme is dead pirates. My very nice sister gave us several bolts of white cloth, which we dyed with tea/coffee, then needed a place to hang it to dry. We ended up draping it over our back fence. I'm sure the Brothers were thrilled. I sewed it all together to make a sail, and it looks so cool! It covers almost the entire front of the house. Can't wait!

Now it's time for (ta-da!) my first book report:
I just finished reading Highland Rogue by Tess Mallory. I don't read a lot of romantic novels, mainly because the writing is often so bad, but I enjoyed this one. It caught my eye because the cover has a Scottish cutie in a kilt, and I am a sucker for men in kilts. He also has a tattoo in the shape of a triskelion, which looks really cool. One of the characters is named Ian, and I am very fond of that name!

The writing and plot were pretty good. Since I'm a proof reader, any typos are like nails on a chalk board, but I try to overlook them. This story involved time travel, so it was a little different from the normal bodice rippers. It was good summer reading, no real thinking, just imagination and who can resist those men in kilts?

BTW, any apparent typos in my posts are actually correct, as I never make any mistakes. :)

I'll leave ya with a song for the day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtTo4RbBbVc&feature=related

Starbird

Dippin' a Toe in the Cosmic Pool

Greetings all!
With a lot of thought, and a lot of encouragement from a friend (you know who you are), I have decided to dip my toe into the world of blogging. We shall see how it goes. I'm not like Madonna, ready to jump into new experiences. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPqOVdDUqL4
I like to take things slow and ease into new experiences. So here goes...

First topic of discussion: laundry
I heard a report on the news Friday that many energy conscious people have gone back to the world of drying their clothes on the line in their back yard. I remember how the clothes always smelled so sweet and fresh after drying on the line. The only problems were when our dog, Beau, decided to tear them down or when the weather was bad. We didn't even have an electric dryer when I was little, so in bad weather we had a wooden rack that we put by the floor heater. We learned to put Beau on a tether or bring him inside when clothes were drying outside.

Now for the villians of the story: Some Homeowners' Associations are not allowing residents to dry clothes on the line because they are "unsightly" in their opinion. Get a life and stop staring at other people's laundry, for Heaven's sake!

Well, I'll close my first venture with a quote from Bert Balladine that I love:
"You haven't got anything to dance about until you're over thirty-five anyway."


Starbird