December 28, 2011

How many of us grew up watching Tarzan? Cheetah was my favorite. At approximately 80 years of age, Cheetah passed away this week.
Rest in Peace Cheetah

November 21, 2011

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. Woody Allen

October 10, 2011
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My niece, Ivy Holladay is an amazing flute player. This past weekend she was selected to play in the 2011 All State Orchestra. I AM proud!

This morning my best friend and side kick, Buddy Ray (whose photo graces the top of this page)  and I are doing the usual, me sitting on the edge of the 
bed reading and having coffee while Buddy Ray brings me toys to throw into the living room. This weekend's new toy was named "Space Ball" and it can be seen here...


He had dropped it about 2 feet from my arm and being a little lazy in the morning I didn't want to get up to get it so I said to him, "give me the Space Ball Buddy Ray". He 
began looking around the room frantically so I pointed to it and said "right there... give me the Space Ball". I went back to reading while Buddy Ray ran all around the
bedroom looking for something and when he took off into the living room I thought "oh well, I guess he is not as smart as I originally thought". 
 
About 2 paragraphs later I noticed he was back, at my feet pushing a rubber toy against my leg to get my attention. When I stopped reading and looked down he had this in his
mouth...



This toy's name is "Base Ball".  Guess I need to work on my diction. teehee 

October 3, 2011
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LibraryThing.com has an early reviewers group which offers multiple books each month. To receive a free advance copy you just have to be a member of LibraryThing and request it (Ask and you shall receive, sometimes) The number of copies are limited and there is some sort of algorithm which determines who will receive an advance copy. The books run the gamut, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, children's books, etc. I was a lucky recipient of Susie Duncan Sexton's Secrets of An Old Typewriter: Stories From a Smart and Sassy Small Town Girl in September's batch of books. My opinion...

Poetic, energetic. Sentimental, temperamental. The stories I could relate to were easy reading and enjoyable. Some I just didn't get and a few weren't in line with my political bent.

August 19, 2011
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This short video tells a big story and brought tears to my eyes...
A Sad Child and the Family Dog


August 9, 2011
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I  know the summer is just about over but my #1 recommendation for a summer-time read is An Unsafe Pair of Hands by Chris Dolley. It is a British murder mystery not unlike the old-school Hercule Poirot but with  Brit Detective Chief Inspector Peter Shand leading the way.

Peter Shand is just starting out on the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team when he is called on to work a double murder case in the small town of Athelcott.

This mystery is so much fun. The humor is delightful and the plot is complex enough to keep you turning pages to the end. And the characters are marvelous, from the snobby London "incomers" the Marchants to The Moleman and even a cock-a-doodle-dooing chicken, all of whom are suspect at one time or other.

I am keeping my eye out for the next Peter Shand mystery.


June 10, 2011
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I don't mind coming to work but this 8 hour wait to go home is just bullsh#@!

Peace Out

June 3, 2011
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I am a fan of Zach Kopplin, the Baton Rouge Magnet High School senior (class of 2011) who has challenged the Louisiana Science Education Act (snicker snicker snort snort)  of 2008.  Finally, somebody stood up and spoke eloquently against the nonsense. I've signed his petition, have you?


June 2, 2011
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Another Jesus Expert http://www.dogwork.com/sdj8/
This got me thinking... could it be that Jesus was the first victim of Identity Theft?


May 9, 2011
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Spring is on its way out and summer is barreling in. This African Lily bloomed this weekend in celebration.


May 6, 2011
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Tea Party favorites in House raking it in from special interests

April 21, 2011
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This is an interesting story... at least I found it interesting...
A Goose Love Story

April 15, 2011
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After a lifetime of falling in the minority on just about every scale, I finally found a dimension that puts me with the majority...
Lifting my glass in a toast to Oxytocin!


April 6, 2011
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I sure will not argue with this finding...
Most Peaceful States

Is it possible that human beings are the most humorous of all the creatures on planet earth? -

For Lent, can man live by brew alone?


April 1, 2011
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A very happy day to all you April Fool's! (Hope I'm not one. teehee)
Now this is not a prank... but it is most interesting... a break down in numbers I can understand of the world's population.


March 22, 2011
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Are humans the most evolved creatures? Are you sure?
For your consideration.

and...


March 21, 2011
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Have you seen the new digital camera by Panasonic? The Lumix DMC-FP7 16.1 MP has settings that take out your wrinkles, whitens your teeth and adds makeup. I am not joking... look it up.  Am I the only who sees the humor in this? Maybe there should be a camera that has a feature to enter male or female for the subject and every picture is either a head shot of Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt. But seriously, for $200 I may have to get a Lumix DMC-FP7 16.1 just for the fun of it.


March 16, 2011
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The beat goes on, the beat goes on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW6Qn-XFnEA


Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain.
La de da de de, La de da de da

March 9, 2011
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Here is some sage advice...

The cure for what ails you


March 3, 2011
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I am currently watching The Doris Day Show from my classic TV collection and I felt the need to inform all the kiddies out there that Doris Day has created some of the best entertainment in my lifetime. If you have never seen a Doris Day movie or her television shows please don't watch another movie until you watch one of Ms Day's. I would recommend for your first maybe, It Happened to Jane or Please Don't Eat the Daisies. You can find them at the library in the Classics section or Netflix or check the local cable tv listings (Turner Classic Movies, AMC, Encore, etc.). Enjoy!


March 1, 2011
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It is time (past time) to recast Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men. I would like to propose the following for the "The part of Charlie Harper is now played by..." list:
1. Danny DeVito
2. Alec Baldwin
3. John Travolta
4. Nicolas Cage
5. Jack Black

or, if the writers are up to it, kill off the character by having him die in his sleep of alcohol poisoning and bring in a new character played by Steven Wright (because he is just FUNNY).

With less than 5 minutes thought I came up with a half a dozen guys who could play the part and add new laughs to the show. The show's success is due in large part to the rest of the cast and the writers. Just one viewer's opinion.


February 28, 2011
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Is there an Indian Spring? I am familiar with Indian Summer where we have a nice warm day in the middle of Fall. This weekend seemed like an Indian Spring to me. It was sunny, warm and windy, VERY windy. I enjoyed it and would not mind having another 2 - 3 months of weather like it.


February 21, 2011
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My dearest dog, Gracie passed away on January 19, 2011. She was loved by all who knew her and we miss her very much. Rest in peace Ms G and we will see you on the other side!


I just love Betty White and the work she does!!!



December 21, 2010

First, Happy Winter Solstice to all.

There are 10 days remaining in 2010 but I will go out on a limb here and say the best book I read this year was The Confession by John Grisham. (If I read a better one over the next 10 days I will amend this) Once again Grisham kept me on the edge of my seat, heart rate slightly increased and I could not read fast enough to suit myself. This is another excellent legal thriller, the genre that has made John Grisham a well known name on the best seller's list for decades.

A man wrongfully accused has been sitting on death row for nine years when the killer shows up to confess. It is a race to the finish to stop the execution and exonerate the innocent man. The story is set in Texas, a very believable scenario for such a notorious pro-death penalty state.   (Texas leads the pack with 464 executions since 1976, the next highest is Virginia with 108).

Several book reviews I came across on the world wide web criticized the author for his dramatic fictional tale and the obvious anti-death penalty slant. They did not like him cramming his anti-death penalty beliefs down their throats. Well, John Grisham also wrote a non-fiction book, The Innocent Man, a true story about an innocent man who sat on death row for years and how it destroyed him. Obviously this is a topic on which Grisham feels strongly. The summaries of this novel are pretty explicit as to what the story is about. So if you are pro-death penalty and don't want anyone  putting  ideas in your head that may suggest you rethink your position, then  by all means stay away from books like this one.

As a fast-pace-fiction-thriller fan, I loved this book. It was the most thrilling experience I can remember having while reading words on a page.


December 16, 2010

Yesterday Crystal Bowersox' debut album went out to the masses and I got mine. I love her soulful voice and have waited patiently for this album. Ok, my favorite tracks...

Kiss Ya is fun and will get ya goin
Arlene is smooth and will lay ya down
Farmer's Daughter (title track) was gut wrenching yet victorious (and I hope cathartic for the artist)
For What It's Worth most groovy rendition of Buffalo Springfield's hit and my favorite!


December 8, 2010

In order to keep my blood pressure in check, I have avoided "news" concerning U.S. politics for a few months now. Yesterday I couldn't help myself, I was curious and listened to President Obama discuss the "compromise" he reached with the Republicans concerning the Bush Tax cuts that were to expire at the end of this year. The deal, as I understand it, we will extend the tax cuts for everyone, including the wealthy in exchange for extending unemployment benefits. I will not pretend to understand this or the way things work when it comes to politics but it sounds to me like we are stuck on "bail out". No to taxes and yes to spend. At some point we have to figure out a way to generate income to start paying the bills. I sure don't want to see folks hungry and cold but what will I be reading this time next year? I wonder if Obama is getting advice from George W? Hmmm, maybe he cut a deal to get the job in 2008?
 

November 19, 2010

Brian Hare at Duke University is studying how dogs think. I would love to have lunch with Brian. From what I've seen and read I believe he is 100% right based on my years living with dogs. I find this video extremely interesting http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/18/intelligent.dog.psychology/index.html?hpt=C2 and it sort of explains to me my preference for small dog breeds, i.e. the more domesticated the breed the more human like in their thinking. And as I have been saying for many decades, domestic dogs are smarter than most people!

For those keeping score, the US continues to lose the "War Against Terror"... http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=13534628
To anyone who may be reading this who is under 40 years of age, there once was a time in America when most of the people had rights. We had the right to privacy and the right to free speech and the right to travel without public humiliation. We were innocent until proven guilty. Everyone did not have these rights but we have worked very hard to correct that. Now we are quickly taking all those rights away from every American.  The future history books (if they are still printing books in the future and maybe more importantly, if anyone still reads a book in the future) will record that the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 was the single most effective attack on this nation ever. It changed our country and not for the better. We were a prosperous people prior to and our poorly thought out reactions to the attack have put us in a storm drain spiral of deconstruction. I don't know if the designer of the 9/11/01 attack was a genius or if our nation is collectively one of the dumbest but I suspect the latter.

And one more thought...
Before you go shopping for next Thursday's feast, take a minute to watch this video and then think about it for 2 minutes...
http://www.dogwork.com/turkb4/

Peace Out.


October 30, 2010

Here's a great little book I read this week...

The Hobarts, James, Meg, Will, Lizzie and Sam, are a typical American family living quite comfortably in Charlotte, North Carolina. They enjoy all the creature comforts of the 21st century, nice home, cell phones, computers, personal gadgets, fashion, etc.

Then their world collapses when James gambles and loses all they have. The children must pack one bag each, leaving most of their stuff behind and all five Hobarts set out in a 1969 Mustang for Homer, New York to move in with Meg's parents.

It appears they are at the bottom, homeless with nothing left to lose and yet they get knocked down even further. Completely destitute they are taken in by an Amish family in Pennsylvania and slowly the Hobarts' hearts and minds are changed as well.

Surrounded by the humble hard working Amish they learn the meaning of the North Carolina state motto, "To be, rather than to seem."

An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller is easy to fall into. The characters are well developed and the Amish culture is intriguing. With the stressful 2010 Holiday Season upon us you would do yourself a big favor by reading this book and absorbing its message.


October 25, 2010

Dwight Was Right

Will health reform be repealed?

by Doctor  Kavita Patel

Big health insurers to stop selling new child-only policies

Same-Sex Marriage Becoming Conservative Cause

Surgery and sightseeing on your boss' dime

Better Farms, Improved Lives

August 6, 2010

Editorial worth reading...
How Jehovah's Witnesses helped kill Prop 8

August 3, 2010

(www.dogwork.com/photo/notouch.jpg)

July 30, 2010

Record heat, everywhere. June was the fourth consecutive month that the combined global land and sea temperature records have been broken. Yet our Congress can't get the job done.

It's the Opportunity, Stupid!

And if you are counting all the legislation that fails to pass due to partisanship, don't forget this one...

Congress Fails to Pass Aid Package for Sick 9/11 Responders

And finally, after writing three books about Jesus Christ, after the untold hours of research she did for those books, Anne Rice has announced that she is no longer a Christian. She has left Christianity but not Christ. Anne holds onto her faith and belief in God the creator and his son Jesus but she is done with belonging to any organized religion. Definitely worthy of much thought. We should all ponder this for I believe it is not only a viable option but most probably the very best option for the sake of your soul.

Anne Rice Ditches Christianity for Christ



July 16, 2010

It has now been 87 days since the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil well fiasco. The well is capped, again, and BP is saying they may have stopped the oil leaking into the gulf. So now what? Now whatever bad happens from today forward will not be charged to BP? Oh sure, you can take them to court but basically they are out of it now, right? But...  http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/toxic-dispersants-near-gulf-harm-humans-and-wildlife
"'The oil, after they hit it with dispersants, moves around beneath the surface and they can't track it,' she continues, "they are using dispersants so they can minimize their liability."

"Barely two hours after our arrival, I pull Erika aside. My eyes are burning with pain, I feel dizzy and lightheaded. 'So are mine and so do I,' she says, 'And my skin burns. Look at this." She turns her head and one of her cheeks has a light-red rash.'"

"The denials from BP, the Obama administration, the Coast Guard, and other governmental organizations like NOAA are what enrage Tracy more than anything else. In fact, BP is having response workers in Mississippi and Alabama go through metal detectors so they can't even take their cell phones out with them when they go and do their response work.

'We're living here and see this everyday. You can't tell us we don't have the BP cough that we've never had before. It makes us feel like the government thinks we are stupid little toddlers and that concerns me. They are constantly telling us not to be afraid and that is what scares the hell out of me. We shouldn't have to trade our estuary and our kid's lives to protect someone else's investment. We shouldn't have to trade ourselves.'"

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/599f13d8c137305a6a9ac22d0fcb7141/video/16098029

(I remember as a child catching crab in Grand Isle with a net, a line and turkey necks. I have never seen nor heard of anything like what is seen on this video. I did see crabs try to crawl out of the bucket to get back into the water but I never saw crabs crawl out of the water.)

"The day before, in Chalmette, Louisiana, I spoke with Dr. Riki Ott. Dr. Ott is a marine toxicologist and Exxon Valdez survivor who has been monitoring BP's actions and how they are affecting what we know about the damage the oil disaster is causing and threats posed to those working in the polluted zone.

'This is a hazardous waste cleanup,' she told me as we sat in the city hall chambers where she was soon to hold a public forum, 'BP needs to be evacuating the Gulf coast and paying for that, in addition to costs for relocating people and compensating them for what they've lost.'

It is that serious. My eyes still burn and my chest is tight, long after we exited the toxic soup of air and water that is south of New Orleans. Toxic chemicals from dispersed oil and the dispersant itself now permeate all the air, leaves, water and wildlife of the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Florida and Texas. You are breathing this same air as you read this.

The only question is, how many parts per million of toxics are now in your lungs as well?"

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White

The Louisiana Leper Home was founded in 1894 in Carville, Louisiana. Through the years it has changed hands and names but in 1991-1994 it included a minimum security federal prison. The situation was unique for the patients who called this home as well as for the prisoners. There was apprehension on both sides.

In the early 1990s, Neil White was a busy journalist/publisher working hard to provide his family with all the nice things money could buy. He got his priorities mixed up and resorted to check kiting in order to keep his business afloat.  In 1993 he was given an 18 month sentence for bank fraud.  His sentence was served in Carville’s minimum security prison and while there, he wrote this memoir.

To pass the time in Carville, White decided to view his situation as a journalist’s assignment. He proceeded to get to know the leprosy patients and their perspective on life in Carville in order to write about it.  The unanticipated result was that at the end of his time served he knew himself better and had a new perspective on his own life:

“Walking among the leprosy patients – whether in the cafeteria, the hallways, or the Catholic Church – helped me see my own good fortune. Watching them made self-pity impossible.” 

“For reasons I could not fully explain I felt an overwhelming sense of euphoria. I still did not know exactly how to change, but I had discovered some simple truths: A good life with my children did not require wealth. It was vital to be honest, without worrying about my own image. And helping others was more noble than winning awards.”

The most memorable lesson in the book, the one I hope to remember and live by comes at the end.  Over the course of his stay he befriended a woman, Ella. Ella came to Carville as a twelve year old child. When her family was told she had leprosy their belief was they could do no better for her than to put her away in Carville. She would be a shunned outcast all of her life on the outside and at the time, the Leprosarium was the best if not only place in the nation set up to care for these patients. So now in her last years of life, White finds Ella and treasures her wisdom more than the nice clothes, perfumes and fine wines he knew before coming here. White confesses to Ella his worry that he was not yet a new person and he wasn’t sure he was ready to leave this place that had taught him so much.  Ella tells White the following story:

In the early days of Carville the Coco-Cola distributor from Baton Rouge sent the chipped and cracked coke bottles to the leper colony. The business people at Coco-Cola were afraid the public would boycott them if they found out the coke bottles they were drinking from had once been used by someone with leprosy. Since the distributor could refuse to take return bottles that had chips and cracks they sent those re-filled bottles to Carville. Over the years Carville ended up with crates of damaged bottles they could not return. Then one day the patients came up with an idea of recycling these bottles. They used them for flower vases and bowling pins and sugar dispensers and they took hundreds of the bottles, turned them upside down and shoved them into the dirt around the flower beds for an attractive border. Ella showed the garden to White and told him the story of the coke bottles. Then she said,

“CoCola bottle still a CoCola bottle. Just found ‘em a new purpose... You is what you is.”

Neil White was not going to be a different man when he got out. He is still to this day the same man he has always been. But today Neil White has a new purpose.

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This page was last modified on Wednesday, December 28, 2011