Vanitas

As promised, we dragged Patrick and Lydia to Frist Fridays for Art and Denny Diamond. Unfortunately (fortunately for the other 3 in my party) since we weren't looking to score dates, the whole Denny Diamond scene was a bust. Tim pointed out that Lydia and I were probably the only women there who didn't own every episode of Sex And The City on DVD. Judging by the general demeanor and the loud ticking of a hundred biological clocks, he's probably right.

We opted to stay indoors for a Docent tour of the Renaissance To Roccoco exhibit, and I fell in love.

Apparently there is a specific type of still-life painting referred to as Vanitas. The idea is to feature items showcasing the transience of life, such as bubbles, snuffed candles, skulls and broken pottery. There is a piece on display by
Juan de Valdes Leal that has captivated me and spurred me to discover more about these paintings.

Ironically, as a Warren Zevon fan, you'd think I would have caught on sooner.

Lileks Withdrawl

I know what it's like to be burned out. I know what it's like to be busy. But gosh darn it, I need my Lileks Fix. He's one of the few whose tipjar I'll hit--he's that good. If you aren't familiar with his work, now is a good time to get caught up on Bleats and Screedblogs of yore.

Hot August Days: August 1

I've accepted the challenge to post one thing per day that I enjoy.

My August 1 pick:

Steeleye Span's Time album. I enjoy most Celtic music, because it is lyrical, emotive and melodic. I'm surprised how rare that actually is in the music world. This particular album is by far the best of Steeleye Span's works and blends traditional Irish Folk with Rock. The best song on the album? Hands down, The Old Maid In The Garrett/Tam Lin Reel.

I promise that I won't do one album per day, because although I could, that would be wussing out. And kind of boring.

The Way Of All Mice

Is the Disney magic slipping? I hope not. Tim and I have a trip planned there soon.

Stemming The Tide

Bill Hobbs wonders aloud about the dearth of Nashbloggers typing about Frist and Stem Cells. I actually started a post on this around midnight and gave it up as a fool's errand. However, fool that I am, I'm back on board.

What do I think? Full Disclosure: Well, I'm a libertarian who votes Republican because most libertarian candidates to date have been unelectable whackos. As far as I'm concerned, there should be a HUGE limit on any type of Federal spending for any extras. Federal dollars are, after all, my dollars and your dollars and the dollars of the guy across the street. I don't like the idea of someone taking my hard-earned money by force and giving it to something I have no desire to support or participate in. That includes theoretical scientific endeavours with limited militaristic application, like stem-cell research. It's been around for awhile now, and private-sector funding is largely responsible for the current advances. I would personally like to see funding for both stem-cells and nanotech to stay firmly rooted in the publicprivate sector. (Edited...my mistake. Talk about Freudian Slips.)

The kernel of my thought on this is even more cynical. Frist wants to be President. He's had some major Q Factor gaffes in recent months, and he is watching Bush's numbers drop. (Lest we kid ourselves, the RNC is undoubtedly watching, too.) In order to keep a Republican at 1600, there has to be a decisive appeal to the floating centrist voters. Bringing the Doctor Whatever out against a very unpopular Bush decision, and doing so over a dead newscycle (i.e. the weekend) is coldly calculated to keep voters in the RNC camp. Nothing more.

Are We Finally Seeing BounceBack from Mega Churchitis?

I am a member of a good-sized church that I love. My favourite thing about it is that it preaches the Word and teaches the Word and lives the Word. You can't buy Starbucks in the narthex and you can't swim laps in the baptistry.

I am increasingly puzzled and troubled by many aspects of the Mega Churches, and even more troubled by pastors of smaller congregations who attempt to remake their corporate worship traditions and facilities in an effort to draw more contributing attenders.

It sounds, from this and this, as though I'm not the only one.

Thanks For The Meme-ries

Since I can't just keep blogging about fake nakedness, I picked up this meme from Big Orange Michael.

Appetizer
-Name 3 people whom you admire for their intelligence.
1. Abraham Lincoln
2. My Father
3. C.S. Lewis

Soup
The last food you tried that you really didn't care for.
Ruby Tuesdays' Onion Tangles


Salad
If you could rename the street that you live on, what would you want it to be called?
Pennsylvania Avenue

Main Course
When was the last time you were genuinely surprised?
When they saved a promotional poster for me at Borders. I didn't think they would.

Dessert
Share a household tip.
Get rid of the musty smell in an unused room by setting a saucer of Windex in a windowsill for an hour.

Naked Naked Naked

Last week it was simulated sex in GTA: San Andreas. This week, it's the naked people in Sims 2.

Naked Sims are about as appealing as store mannekins. ( Although my sister WAS offended by the nipples on the headless fake ladies at Dillards.)

Thank The Lord For the Nighttime

Yesss....!

Tonight is Frist Fridays. I love to to go to these, because they're great for seeing the exhibits, having some free nosh and watching the people. Most of the bands are okay.

Tonight is a different story.

Tonight is Denny Diamond.

Denny Rocks. It's like seeing Neil Diamond, without the nasty underwear throwing.

I Miss My Mr. Bad Example

The most insidious thing about iTunes Shuffle Play is that you suddenly hear a much loved voice from beyond the grave.

I wasn't expecting to hear "Mutineer". It always makes me cry, and this time was no exception. Let's grab our coats and get out of here, indeed.

Casting Call

"They" are reportedly making a movie about Lance. We are very pleased, in that we cannot get enough of his triumph over cancer story. Every day that I am limited by my insidious health condition , I feel that yellow-bracelet-wielding tyrant of Nietszchian triumphalism goading me forward.

Tim has heard that the front runner in the casting is Matt Damon.

Personally, he and I (Tim, not Matt), both strongly feel that Jamie Bamber would be ideal.

Can't you just see it?

The Drones Need You. They Look Up To You.

My favritestest God game ever is in the lead in this development poll at Firaxis. This game is teh pwned!!!11!!! or whatever. ( I don't even know if this is a good thing. Can ANYONE tell me what pwned means in leetspeak?)

I am shamelessly addicted to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire, or SMAC/X, as we know it in the geek world. Help me stuff the ballot box.

Backstory

For all of us who failed the 12 step program, this is a great site.

The linked article is in reference to the book I just finished last night.

West End Grills

Kay West laments the influx of chain dining on West End. I can't say that I'm too surprised; nor can I pretend to be aggrieved.

I don't understand the demonization of chain restaurants, and I find the bemoaning of their influx to be somewhat class-ist. Corporate restaurants thrive precisely because of their size. A chain can afford to take a bad appetizer off your bill. They can afford to keep the restrooms clean and offer larger portions of both food and beverages.

Most importantly, and key to the survival of any business on West End Avenue, a chain can afford decent parking. Nashville is a car culture, and becoming moreso every day. Restaurants like Houston's simply can't draw customers because the parking is a nightmare. That's precisely why we don't eat there, and why we've stopped going to Tin Angel. Chains pave lots (sorry, Joni) and build garages. They have the money, and on West End, that's the main issue.

12 Steps for BookAHolics

Inspired by Big Orange Michael, I have compiled the simple Recovery Program for Bookaholics. There CAN be liberation from our sad problem!

1. Admit you have a problem.
-Do you have more than 5 books in your TBR pile?
-Do you have your library card number memorized?
-Have you ever passed up a night of heavy drinking to stay home and "finish this one so you can start this other one?"
-Have you ever emailed an author? Repeatedly?
-Do you talk about Harry and Ginny, Charles and Mallory, Lord Peter and Ender Wiggen as though they are close friends or family members?

2. Believe in a Higher Power
Hint: Publishers, Agents, Editors and Authors do not count for this category.

3. Make a decision to turn your life over to God, as you understand Him.
Hint: If you have chosen "Jeff Bezos" for this step, you must go back to Step 1 and start over.

4. Admit the exact nature of your wrongs
-Spending grocery money on impulse paperbacks.
-Covertly destroying the history file on your browser so that family members won't releaze you've spent three hours at www.barnesandnoble.com
-Reading the latest Frank Peretti novel during Church. Christian author or no, you still should have listened to the sermon.


5. Be entirely honest.
-Admit that you don't really care for Anna Karenina and find it pretentious
-Admit that you look forward to the next Patricia Cornwell, if only to see how strange she's gotten.
-Admit that you don't like Jonathan Kellerman's Author Photos ever since he shaved his 'stache.
-Admit that you don't finish every book you review on Amazon, but you still post reworked jacket copy . (This is the special Harriet Klausner Step!!!!)

6. Be ready to have God remove your shortcomings.

Hint: If you are weeping at the thought of giving up your library card, you must go to step 1 and start over.

7. Ask God to remove your shortcomings

Hint: Slow reading and peeking at the end of the book do not count.

8. Identify people you may have hurt.
-Family members whose weddings you have missed to go to Book Release Parties
-Librarians who are constantly overworked by filling your special orders.
-The UPS man who has to lug the Amazon packages to your front door.
-Everyone you've ever mentally assasinated for dogearing pages and cracking spines.

9. Make direct amends wherever possible.

-Buy plants or gift certificates to restaurants. Resist the temptation to buy those cute B&N gift cards, even though they have your favourite characters on them.

10. Take personal inventory and admit when you are wrong.
-If you take more books than pieces of lingerie on vacation with your husband, there may be lingering issues.
-If your kids are still eating Cap'n Crunch for dinner on occasion because you have to find out how Reacher gets out of the latest impossible trap, you may be in the wrong.

11. Continued prayer and meditation.
Hint: It is best if these are free-form and not from a book. Yes, Dr. Johnson wrote many lovely prayers. However, it is best to move away from the source of your problems.

12. Spiritual Awakening

-You are now able to buy a purse that isn't big enough to hold a paperback.
-You are now able to cancel your membership to www.audible.com.
-You are now able to quit trolling www.bookcrossing.com for obscure new reads.
-You are now able to wait for paperback releases on Harlen Coben and Preston/Childs.
-You are now able to throw away junk mail, and not use it for bookmarks.

These days of freedom will come for us all.

Choir

I'm doing some work for my church today. Is there any word that looks wierder than "Choir"? I keep typing it over and over. It is starting to make me feel a bit odd. choir. choir. One of these days I'll get the official spelling changed. 'Kwyer' isn't as pretty, but it doesn't make me feel auquard.

Sad Truth: Big Bird Makes More Money Than I Do.

The time is long overdue to stop subsidizing PBS.

ETA: Factsto please commenters.

Pay No Attention To The Mac Behind The Curtain

Funny.

Why Is Everything a Big Fat Hairy Deal?

John Roberts' membership in the Federalist Society is raising eyebrows over at Nashville Is Talking. His apparent inability to recall being a member is throwing up red flags in the easily-agitated Left Of Center camp.

I personally think the answer is a little more Dilbert and a lot less Oliver Stone than folks are making it out to be. I've been a (Insert Fancy Word For Secretary HERE) many times in my life. It works like this: a stack of mail comes in, with bills, trade publications and the odd letter that reads:

"Have YOUR name listed alongside the Premier Members of YOUR FIELD". There's a lot of yadda yadda krep about values and not killing the whales or not killing the constitution or whatever, and then there's a form to fill out and a box where you check what type of membership you want. $65 gets your name listed in a book, $80 gets you the listing and a free subscription to a quarterly newsletter, etc.

Because every office has a subscription budget, it is usually viewed as good publicity to throw the token amount at the organization and get your name on the books. It's just one of the myriad silly ways that the wheels of the business world grind fine and slowly. So, the (Insert Fancy Word for Secretary Here) just fills out the form, charges the company credit card and voila, you're a member of the organization.

I'm not saying this is how Roberts was a member of the Federalist Society and doesn't recall it. But, hey, why not? I think the world tends to be less of a muddle of malfeasance than others would like to suggest.

Half Blood Prince Survey *SPOILERS*

I promised my take on the latest Harry Potter book. The Harry Potter For Grownups group has circulated this survey, and I'm reposting it here, with my answers.

If you've read the book and have an opinion, please post the survey to your blog and link back here. I think it'd be fun to get even more opinions. We have to have something to do for the next two years.


Warning. This is LOADED with spoilers.

***Spoilers Inside. Don't Send Howlers*******


1) Is Dumbledore truly dead?

K: Yes, I think so. After the speech he gave in the first book about death being the next great adventure to those with a well-ordered mind, I think that it would be a shame for him to not approach death honorably.


2) Do you believe Snape betrayed Dumbledore?


K: I honestly cannot make up my mind. I think that regardless of whatever backstory exists about the AK curse on the Lightning Struck Tower, he did betray DD on some level.


3) Are Lupin & Tonks really a couple or is this a red herring?


K: Yes, they really are a couple, and an adorable one. Why does no one want to believe this?

4) Who loved Snape? Has Snape loved anyone?


K: I think Snape has loved Lily and LV


5) Will any of the trio die?


K: No. I hope not. I've had a hard enough time with DD's death. Losing any of HRH would really ruin the series for me.


6) Will Harry & Ginny reunite?


K: Yes. I think that the love they have for each other will be instrumental in LV's defeat.

7) Will any/all of the trio go back to Hogwarts for book 7?


K: Yes, but not permenantly. There's too much going on in the world. Besides, how on earth is Flitwick going to be able to keep Harry's attention when he's constantly running off to find Horcruces?


8) Is Harry's scar a horcrux?

K: I hope not. I think it is something like horcrux backwash. Basically, LV had already split his soul so much that when the AK backfired and almost killed him, some of his traits and talents rebounded into Harry.

OR:

Snape told Dumbledore that LV intended to make Harry a Horcrux and LV and Snape spent the Famous Missing 24 Hours destroying the Horcrux part of Harry already, thus leaving him with the scar. This could also be the reason why DD trusts Snape.



9) Why wasn't Fawkes seen in any of DD's memories?


K: Cause he wasn't there. My dogs aren't with me everywhere I go......


10) Which major characters are most likely to die in book 7?


K: Hagrid. And hopefully Voldemort.

11) Will DD's portrait be able to help Harry?


K: Yes. If only for exposition's sake. I think the fact that the portrait is sleeping is one of the most touching Christian images in the book. Several times in the New Testament we are told that those who have passed on are not dead, but asleep. That's God's way of telling us there is more to come. Dumbledore's portrait is "sleeping" in the same way.


12) What role will McGongall play in book 7?


K: Trying to hold Hogwarts together.

13) Will Harry go back to the Dursley's as he is supposed to?


K: Yes. He has to find out Petunia's secret. I still think that the person she overheard telling Lily about the Dementors was Snape, NOT James.


14) Will the DA or OOTP reform to help Harry?


K: Yep. Except that I wasn't aware the OOTP ever broke up.



15) Will Wormtail repay his lifedebt?

K: Of course. Maybe not intentionally, but he will.


16) Will the imprisoned Deatheaters escape from Azkaban?


K: Of course. Don't they always? Besides, there has to be a showdown with Lucius.


17) Will Kreature hinder or aid Harry if he appears in book 7?


K: Both, but any aid will be reluctant.


18) What is your take on Harry having "his mothers eyes"?

K: We saw the significance already with Harry using the resemblance to lure Slughorn back to Hogwarts.



19) Did Snape actually help LV at Godric's Hollow?


K: I think that's the key to the Famous Missing 24 Hours.

Explain.

Check out this art exhibit. (Hat Tip: Lileks).

Look at the name of the exhibit.

Now explain to me how a couple of those are even supposed to be remotely comfortable.

Mahalia

Those who know me well know that my love for Mahalia Jackson is almost boundless. Although Tim has forbidden me from naming our daughter Mahalia, I still think it would be a great idea.

This past week we watched the Gaither Tribute to Mahalia Jackson. It was very well done, even though they didn't perform my favourite Mahalia song.

All of this to say that it was extremely moving to hear If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again with my mother in the room. I definitely appreciated that experience.


There are many versions of the song on iTunes, but the best three are Mahalia (of course), Lynda Randle and Mavis Staples.

Good way to spend 99 cents. Especially if you'll be spending time with your mother in the near future...

ETA:Better link for If I Could Hear

Harry Potter Book Party (NO SPOILERS)

Yes, I will have a post with spoilers, but this ain't it. So chill.

My observations on the Fort Wayne, Indiana Barnes and Noble Harry Potter Midnight Release Party:


There were more teenagers there than at the last one. Everything you've ever heard about teenagers is true.

On an entirely related note, there were dozens of magazines disappearing down the fronts of pants. The police didn't care, because they were too busy making sure that the hundreds of paying customers lined up without killing one another.

For every $4.95 magazine that went home at a five-finger discount, the Barnes & Noble seemed to have sold $20.00 in impulse-book-buying. Nothing like having a captive audience in your store for 3 hours.

On an entirely related note, there are going to be a lot of people who are reading the latest Jeffrey Deaver book this week.

Getting a yellow "Reserved" wristband with the number "102" on it does not guarantee that you will receive the 102nd book sold. It merely means that you will be able to line up with numbers 101-150 at the Parking Lot Entrance. Had you known this earlier, you wouldn't have spent so much time hiding in the Classical Music section with your impulse book buy.

On an entirely related note, teenagers don't steal any Hilary Hahn cds.

Even though you are not the 102nd book sold, you are still out of the store with your precious cargo by 12:10 am.

If you are visiting your parents, who are decidedly in the 'Harry Potter is Sinful' camp, you cannot spend ALL day reading it, so you miss your goal of having it read within 12 hours of purchase. You DO have it read within 16 hours of purchase, however lame this may seem.

On a related note, it is possible to read a hardback book on the second step of a swimming pool.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

*gasp*

I'm coming up for air. We've been at my parents' house for an extended vacation, hence my exposure to bad Sherlock Holmes and failure to blog.

Quick Recap:

DSL blows compared to Cable internet.

If I were Catholic I wouldn't need to spend time in Purgatory upon death, because I spent an hour at the Shipshewana Flea Market.

Finally got some good Mennonite eating at the Essenhaus.

Visited the gravesite and museum of one of my favourite authors.

Ate at a lovely new restaurant in Roanoke, Indiana.

Watched my sister turn a year older.

But most of all....


HARRY POTTER

(posts to follow)

Worst Sherlock Holmes Movie Ever

We watched this last night. I do give full marks to any movie that features a swashbuckling Sigmund Freud, but watching Holmes detox from his cocaine habit was just torture.

Best Line: "They're the world's smartest horses...AND THEY'RE TRAINED TO KILL!!!!"

TennCare in Perspective

Brittney (correct spelling....) correctly chastens me for not talking about Darfur more in this space, so I shall.

Number of people about to lose their TennCare benefits: 323,000

Number of people already killed in the Darfur Genocide: 400,000

Number of people displaced in the Darfur Genocide: 2.5 Million

ETA: Neither is more deserving of our attention than the other. As a Christian I feel very strongly that people who are suffering anywhere deserve our utmost.

Darfurthermore

Brittany from Nashville Is Talking has this to say:

I think it is weird that 50 people die a horrific terrorism attack in white, Western Europe and everyone is asked to be "quiet please" and told their opinoins don't matter.

100,000 people are more are raped, pillaged and murdered during a horrific genocide and no one says jack shit. (I've seen no post at PitW about being quiet for those killed in the Darfur region.)

Regarding Darfur I've addressed it here (*archives, June 7)"and will continue to address it. However, I didn't have personal friends in immediate danger in Darfur, nor did I once live and study in Darfur. Ergo, London is closer to me than Darfur, and I write what I know. Where are the posts on Darfur over at NiT? When NiT is covering NOW, why is there no questioning of NOW's noticable lack of real involvement on Darfur? Why won't NOW join the List of Signatories at SaveDarfur.org?

Darfur and London are two seperate stories, both deserving of attention and response.

I think the larger story on Darfur is how many organizations and individuals use it as some sort of trump card in any argument, without making any real commitment. Do I think we should intervene in Darfur? Yep. Most definitely. But then again, I'm in favour of ending genocide wherever it occurs.

Stool Wars

No matter how great your new toy is, someone always has to do you one better.

Man, I thought the tire blogging over at Instapundit and Althouse was bad. Now we in Nashville have Potty Blogging!

Life is both cruel and hilarious.

The Thorn In The Rose Ceremony

I have been fascinated by this story for the last week. Although as a writer myself, I don't know if I would claim responsibility for these debacles.

Episode III

This is hysterical.

Hat Tip: Big Orange Michael.

He doesn't look either big or orange, but his name makes me think of that Andy Griffith routine, What it Was, was Football .

Next We'll Do Freebird

I'm actually taking requests. Either that or this is a veiled way to get me to shut up about London already. [I'm three chords away from Bruce Springsteen with the whole London thing as it is. ]

Shark week has been underwhelming me for awhile. It has become like the prom--all this hype, and you buy a new dress, still nobody really actually does anything. I first got into sharks when I was eight. I loved them and wanted to marry Robert Shaw. Aside from being the world's weirdest eight-year-old, I amassed quite a bit of knowledge about them. Anymore it seems like Shark Week is pretty basic. So, eh.

On to the Tour. Or, as it seems to be known the world over, Watch The Peleton Peddle Madly While We Focus On Lance. Or, as it is known in our house, Watch All Your Laws And Orders So We Have Room On The TiVo. (Law and Orders? Never can decide if that is a compound singular subject...Tim W., help!) Lance is a phenomenon, and is riding like he means it. It's bittersweet to watch, because as much as everyone talks up Vinikourov, and as strong a showing as Ulrich is putting on you know that this is the Last Lance. Team Discovery is rockin, though, and I am SO glad to see Georgie getting his props. I'd like to see Levi Leipheimer move up a bit in the standings. He's at 26, and well-enough recovered from the 2003 crash to do a decent run.

My new favourite, however, has to be Floyd Landis. He's the Mennonite boy from Lancaster. Always gotta root for the homies.

Lots of bloggers are blogging this Tour. If they aren't in France, I generally don't care, because OLN has topnotch coverage, but I do like TDF Blog.

London Part III

I watched Sabrina during lunch today. Audrey Hepburn's character falls deeply in love with Paris, and waxes rhapsodic about the City of Lights. I never got it. I went to Paris at seventeen, when a girl should be ripe to fall in love with the romance of rivers and bridges and tree-lined avenues. After a brief stay in a cockroach-infested St. Denis hostlery, we moved on. And I finally fell in love.

With London.

Falling in love with London instead of Paris is like marrying the tech geek instead of living in bohemian squalor with the art major. What can I say? I'm a practical girl. But we practical girls know that the tech geek harbours rivers of passion untapped by most folk.

London is a temple to history and art, commerce and science, medicine and music. It was, for many decades, the center of the world empire. Its clocks set the beat of time for the world. Romans, plague, fire and Huns have taken stabs at this great place but it still stands. Dr. Johnson's dictionary was born here. The world's first blogger, Samuel Pepys lived here.

There is a network of London-lovers all over the world. We recognize each other by brief smiles whenever this movie is mentioned. We are the ones who shudder every time this place is misidentified as London Bridge. We are the ones who secretly harbour the desire to have been married here and to be buried here.

I'm sad today about the bombings, but I know that the two cities attacked today (London and Westminster–there I go again...) will stand as ever.

London, Part II

Hat tip to Jason for this link to a London Blogger.

I thought Tim would LOVE this bit:

10:55 - Metropolitan Police say they'd tell us more if they knew what the hell was going on. Tony Blair to address the nation shortly. I'm rather glad I cycled to work today...

I wander[ed] thro' each charter'd street

Bombs explode in London.

Explosions were reported at the Aldgate station near the Liverpool Street railway terminal, Edgware Road and King's Cross in north London, Old Street in the financial district and Russell Square, near the British Museum.

Three of these stops–Edgeware, King's Cross, and Russell Square–are ones that I know well from my too-brief time over there. I am heartsick.

Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

Sir Winston Churchill, Speech, 1941, Harrow School

Okay, I Thought It Was Funny...

Setting: I-40 Eastbound in Construction, merging down to one lane. We're right at the place where 2 lanes narrow down to one, and even though flashing warning signs have told us this for the last half mile, the man ahead of us has not yet made his peace with the concept.


Tim: Okay, guy in the Honda. Either get in or pull over.

Me [looking at license plate]: Oh, man! An Ohio driver. If there's anything worse than a Tennessee driver, it's an Ohio driver.
I hate Ohio drivers.

Tim: [patiently and silently listening to an Indiana girl rant]

Me [reverting to second grade]: So, what's round on both ends and high in the middle?

Tim: Harry Knowles?

Dry Spell

It's the middle of summer.

Tim and I decided to play hookie and see a movie. Kind of a cloudy day, so why not?


Message to Hollywood. Movies are supposed to fun and escapist. Especially in the middle of summer.

There is nothing in the Green Hills 16 Screen Complex that is even remotely interesting. Cinderella Man? Should have been a Christmas movie. Don't feel like spending 2 hours watching Russell get his beautiful mind beat in. Pig Vomit Sideways is in it, but that still doesn't make it feel like a summer flick.

War of the Worlds? So not going there. Tom Cruise can kiss my butt.


Besides, if I want to see commercials for reruns on cable, I'll stay home. I can't sit through that stupid TNT What Is Drama ad one more time. What is drama? Well, it's trying to figure out a way to get to work with your car in the shop. It's trying to figure out how to keep the lights on when payday is four days after the shut off date on the electric bill. It's watching your high school friend die of cancer. I think we all know what drama is. We don't need C list actors from rerun cop and hospital shows opining.

Guess we're just going to the Apple Store and coming home.

Blue Eyeshadow and Hot Pink Lipstick

Those are the two things that the cool girls in Jr. High stole from Hook's Drugstore on the corner. It was part of what went into being "cool", along with Jordache jeans and a Unicorn Trapper Keeper. The rationalization was that Hook's made plenty of money but twelve year olds didn't. Makeup costed way too much for people who got $3.00 a week in allowance, and it just wasn't fair.

Blue eyeshadow is not so cool anymore, and Hook's actually went out of business. But the cool kids are still stealing. The music industry makes plenty of money, but software coders in their twenties and thirties don't. Music costs way too much for people who make $28K a year, and it just isn't fair.

Pink Fred

David Gilmour looks like my grandpa. The sun looks the same in a relative way, but you're older.

Just Like Regular Court With Tomatoes And Sour Cream

What a novel idea.

"I'll pick people who, one, can do the job, and people who are honest, people who are bright and people who will strictly interpret the Constitution and not use the bench to legislate from," Bush said.

It'd be nice to see a judicial body in that building. The Legislature is across the street.

Every Time A Bell Rings

I add another blogger to the blogroll....

or something like that.

I've just added "Nashville Truth". Be sure to check him out on a regular basis. For those of you interested, be sure to check out his sister blog Our Utmost . for daily thoughts from and related to Oswald Chambers.

It Brings Tears to My Mennonite Eyes

This post from Glen Dean hits the nail on the head, and states my position clearly.

Welcome To Chicago

Gunshot Recognition Technology




The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it, moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live -- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.

Jumbo Shrimp

Stumbled across this recently:

Progressive Christian Beliefs

I agree that the face modern Christianity presents to the world isn't always the best. However, I don't think we need to dilute the central teachings of Jesus to look good in response to Television.

The public stereotype of Christianity must change; what I value in Christianity is in danger of being lost, as Christianity, as portrayed on television, resurrects the heartless, rule-based purity culture that Jesus himself rejected. I have no theological degrees to contribute, and offer these thoughts not as an authority, but in an appeal to your own thoughts and prayers, that we may move forward together.

(Emphasis mine)

Maybe It Has A Chemical Imbalance

War Of The Worlds didn't do so hot this weekend.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise's sci-fi tale took in $77.6 million over the long Fourth of July weekend, lifting its total since debuting Wednesday to $113.3 million, according to studio estimates Monday.
That fell well short of the all-time high held by "Spider-Man 2," whose $180.1 million haul in its first six days led Hollywood to a record Fourth of July weekend last year.
The top 12 movies took in $160.1 million, off 25 percent from that 2004 record weekend.

That's not bad, but it's not great either, especially given the doubleheader of Spielberg and Cruise that the studio expected.
They're whistling in the wind:

"This is not a sequel. It's not based on a comic book and a young fan-based property. This is based on a 100-year-old literary property," Friedman said. Spielberg and Cruise's "movies tend to play longer, stay in the marketplace longer, so I think as it relates to 'Spider-Man 2,' we'll have to wait and see what the long haul brings."

I read books. I'm older. I normally see Spielberg's movies in theaters. I'm not paying money to see this film, because Tom Cruise has acted like a deranged duck from one end of the world to the other for the last six weeks. His decision to single-handedly undo all of the good done by mental health professionals in the last century was it for me. I'm betting it was for a lot of other people, too.

Where Is NOW's RESOLVE?

Thirty years on, you are probably aware of Roe V Wade and the ripple effect it has had on society.

Here in Nashville you probably heard the mass squee from the Roe Fangirls when Sandra Day O'Connor broke up the Supremes. At last, and just in time for the National Conference! It was as if Davy Jones was playing the prom.

The agenda focus was back on Choice, and protecting women's right to choose. Why does NOW keep fighting a battle it's already won, when there are other hills left to climb?

Egalia writes of the rally and says to me in her comments

No one is threatening to pass a law to forbid you from having as many children as you like. You, however, appear to support passing laws that will forbid other women from making their own decisions.

Get real. That is NOT feminism.

No, no one is passing a law to forbid me from having as many children as I like. HOWEVER, as a woman with fertility issues, I'd like to know why NOW isn't equally vocal about the push to have insurance companies cover fertility treatments.

Apparently the right to pursue pregnancy as an ideal is not as kosher with NOW as the right to end it.

I Am So Proud To Have A Vagina

Sitar has long been our favourite Indian restaurant. Nestled in the cradle of life, it sits between Baptist Hospital and the Vanderbilt campus. When you eat there you can expect some of the best Indian food and some of the oddest company. I go as much for the vibrant mix of neo-Hippie grad students and harried nurse practitioners as for the kheer and gulab jamon.

Today's crowd had a different ingredient in the mix.

The National Organization for Women is in town, and they came for the Sag.

Usually we hate the corner table in front of the window where they always stick us, because it's right under the speaker and you can't get away from the music of Bollywood. Today, we couldn't hear the music because the conversation from the table of four Womyn to my right was pretty intrusive.

Overheard:

1. "I don't give the general public much credit. They don't know what's going on. I was talking to a friend of mine on the Hill the other day and she was starting to explain to me what she was doing and going into the detail. I said 'I know, I know' and she said 'oh yeah. I forgot. We're in the Beltway. Most people are clueless about what we do.'"

2. "So was Karl Rove convicted? He should be because that's treason." said the Indian Woman, who a minute ago didn't give the rest of the world credit for knowing what was going on. "No, but he was indicted" said her friend, the Vice President for Membership at NOW. [ Karl Rove has not yet been indicted, much less convicted for his role in the outing of Valerie Plame. I know this, despite living my life a good 600 miles from The Beltway.]

3. The Michigan girl, after much talk about how well the Pistons played this year ("What sport is that?"--Vice President For Membership of NOW) went on to talk about the general ignorance of the Midwest. The Indian woman then went on to talk about how most Americans are " afraid of big city folk because they are all from small towns where everybody knows everybody. Outsiders are scary." This polemic then continued as the four Comrades In Estrogen decided that Bush became president solely on the strength of American ignorance of Beltway Facts.

I am disappointed. Why? Because women's rights are good thing, and an important thing. There are places in this world where women are stoned to death for being raped. I love that we live in a country where women's voices are finally counted. I was so disappointed to hear women, who ostensibly fight for the rights of other women, implicitly denegrade any female who disagrees with them.

I live in the Big City, and am not afraid of most of my neighbors. I also voted for Bush because I take seriously the idea of liberating ALL women. Even those who live outside The Beltway.