January 21, 2010 - Bits and Pieces

I can't believe it's been several days already since the last time I updated this marvelous piece of... what? I don't really have a description, I guess.

Maine, in the region where our son lives, had 14 inches of snow last night. He's really excited about having to shovel out. I can't blame him. I'd get excited too if I had to shovel that much snow. Speaking of which, they say we might have a few flakes blowing around in the air, the snow type, that is, sometime tomorrow afternoon. The other flakes around here walk around, too heavy to be blown around.

We went for our walk today, and it was cold outside. I think it's interesting that I have not seen my breath that much this year when being out in the cold. I'm not sure if it is because it has been so dry out, or because I'm no longer breathing, and I just don't realize it.

There is an opening tomorrow night down at ArtWorks. It will be interesting to see if anyone shows up for it. Many openings from last year were very poorly attended compared to 2008.

I am an official member of the Virginia Writer's Club for the year 2010. I plan on networking as much as possible to see if that has any impact on my being able to publish my book. I am almost half way through the restructuring, and expect to possibly finish by the end of the month now, or early into next month. I have rewritten the part of one character in the book, the driver person, at least the beginning part. I still have to do the last part which will come once the diary has been restructured. I like the way this is going now much better than last year. Once I have the necessities completed, query letters to publishers will be in the mail, and we'll continue to pursue that end.

I have also spent a lot of time working through the short story I finished several weeks back. I have a little more work to do on that, and I will begin sending that out as well, just don't know where to.

I began reading a new book yesterday, the one I bought on Americans in Paris during the German occupation in WW II. I read where Isadora (A Greek Dancer) Duncan's brother, Raymond, was a great believer in living as the ancient Greeks did, and so ran around Europe, including Paris, wearing a form of Toga and sandals. I also learned that of all the Americans who stayed during the occupation, only one, not yet named, was ever brought back to the US and tried for treason.

Early on, the Germans, who supposedly admired Americans, did not confiscate American property. Unless they were African Americans, and then they were tossed into concentration camps for the duration.

One of the things I enjoy when reading is learning about different people, such as Isadora Duncan. While I knew the name, I knew nothing about her. Such as, she died that the age of 49 in an auto accident in 1927. Prior to that, her two daughters were killed, along with their nanny, when the car they were riding in ended up in the River Seine. After not dancing for some years after that, she began anew, and adopted 6 young children that were in her dance class, referring to them as her "Isadorables".

I've also learned a lot about Robert Bullitt, the American Ambassador who was "elected" by the French government to be the "Mayor of Paris" during the initial occupation of Paris, and to ensure the smooth transition of the city into German hands. It had been declared an open city in the hope the Germans would not destroy it, but when a group of French soldiers decided they would fight to the death, the Germans were gearing up to destroy the city, block by block. Bullitt helped calm that situation. All I can say is, Thank God they didn't destroy it!

I am also learning a lot about the group of doctors who periodically went into Afghanistan to tend to the wounded when they were fighting the Russians. I am a little over half way through that book, looking to finish within a week and a half.

I haven't decided at yet if I will read the biography of Georgia O'Keefe, the artist, or the biography of Alice Longworth Roosevelt. Or, maybe a different book than those. Whatever strikes my fancy.

A few days ago we went into a mall we hardly ever go into and saw where Waldenbooks was going out of business. So, we went in to see what was left, as they were selling everything off at a really good discount. I picked up, among other books, the huge book of New Yorker Cartoons, a coffee table book for a large coffee table. It was originally on sale for $19.99, and I didn't really want to spend that even though I love their cartoons! Well, it was there for $8, so I bought it! I found several others I had debated with myself about purchasing, but didn't. One is the latest novel by Orhan Pamuk, the Noble Prize winning author from Turkey. I had read part of it in the bookstore before this, and did not buy it then as I had, and still have, so many books to read. Now, I have that one as well. I couldn't resist the low price. I fully expect the floor to collapse soon from the weight of all the books we have upstairs.

Lunch time!

January 17, 2010 - Movies, restaurants, and dreams of travel

Friday night we saw the movie "Leap Year". Very good movie! It stars Amy Adams and some guy. Absolutely enjoyable! Even the guy part. It's about a young woman who decides to go to Ireland to propose to her, I don't know what, male personage she's living with? And the trials and tribulations she experiences in doing so. One of the best parts throughout the movie were the scenes of Ireland! Amazing! Can't wait to go back!

When we were in Dublin way back when, we stopped at a small restaurant to have dinner. The maitre de sat us by the front window so we could watch what was going on outside, and, I think, to carry on a conversation since business at that time was slow. After we ate, he indicated he would like to present us with Irish Coffees, on the house. Of course, we accepted. That was some strong coffee, let me tell you! By the time we had finished them, I was really glad neither one of us was driving... anything. Fortunately, we did not knock anyone off the sidewalk as we made out way back to the hotel.

One other event comes to mind as well. Different night. We went to the Temple Bar area, and the Temple Bar, to hear some traditional Irish music. We sat in a corner and nursed our Guiness, listening to the music. In front of us there were five young, relatively attractive, ladies sitting there. In no time, they were joined by four, eager, young men. It was interesting to watch the play as they, over the course of an hour or so, as the young men paired off with the young women. The one young woman who was left alone, so to speak, was the only one there who had several piercings arranged around her lips, ears, eyebrows, and nose. She attempted several times to try and join the fun, and was basically ignored by the young men. If looks could kill, there would have been four dead young men in front of us.

Anyway, we were discussing the evolution of the evening on the way back to the hotel, and I remarked to my wife that what was likely to happen was that the over eager, hopeful, expectant young men, would be left sitting there at the end of the evening wondering where the young ladies were off to, thinking of what might have been. Been there, done that... but then, maybe it was just me, and they would actually score, whereas I was usually left on base wondering why the game had ended so soon.

Because of the scenery in the movie and the memories of travels past, we have decided to eventually find part time jobs doing something, throwing all the money we make into the bank, and then head to Europe in early 2011. Where to will depend on how much money was have saved up by then and how long we could stay.

Saturday morning we met our youngest son and his two daughters for 'brunch' at a place called Kuba Kuba down in the fan. For those who do not live in Richmond, the fan is an older district in the city proper that is full of interesting houses, row houses, and great restaurants. Kuba Kuba is on the corner of Park and Lombardy, across the street from where the granddaughters used to play in the park there.

The food served in the restaurant has a Cuban, Caribbean flavor, and is excellent. Just spicy enough to add a bit of zing to the flavors, but not so hot one's tongue becomes numb to the taste of the food. The prices are very reasonable, and the portions are good sized for many things, just right for the rest.

On the way to the car we passed a house for sale. It was empty, so we peeked in the windows. It looked really nice. But then, it should, since the price listed was $500,000.

Dinner tonight was eaten at Weezys, a restaurant on Cary Street across form the ever popular Can Can. We go to Weezy's when craving crab cakes. One can have 4 crab cake sliders (enough for two people), a good sized bowl of black beans and rice, seasoned, and a bowl of vegetables, all for $20. The crab cakes are $10, and the others $5 each. And, there is more than enough to fill one up and even bring home for eating at another meal.

I was only going to eat one of the crab cakes and bring the other home so I could have another complete meal tomorrow, but my beautiful wife informed me they were not good when reheated. So, I forced myself to eat them both, felt stuffed, hoping they did not go to my waist.

Can Can is our place to go on occasion for Sunday breakfast, which is affordable. We skip eating dinner there, as it isn't affordable, at least not for us.

Diet wise, I have lost 9 pounds so far, with only 16 - 17 to go! I need to lose that by April, so when I go back to the doctor to get my blood pressure checked, maybe it will be good enough whereby I can stop taking the meds for it. One can always hope.

Tomorrow, back to work on the writing! Other than the blog, that is.

Weather wise, I'm going to put the snow shovel back in the shed. Tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future, it is supposed to be warm, 50s and 60s, so I don't think it will snow.

January 15, 2010 - Earthquake...

I'm sorry, but I just have to comment on the tragedy unfolding in Haiti. I really feel for the people who are having to endure the results of this disaster.

However, I find it totally disgusting how many do-gooders have jumped up and taken the opportunity to decry the awful condition of the country after the quake for the simple sake of getting their photos on TV, or in the news to convince someone how much they really care. Our esteemed president said we will not abandon them! BS! The governments that are rushing to help did that many decades ago!

Where the hell were all these "we must save as many as we can" way back when? According to info passed along by the overly concerned news media, 80% of the people live on less than $2 a day! 80% do not know how to read or write! 80% have no access to clean water! And this was before the quake! And you people who are so concerned with saving their lives, I ask, why bother? So they can go back to starving to death, dying from the dysentery they catch because there is no fresh water? Suffering from malnutrition because they cannot afford proper food?

So, run around and do what you think will help them survive, and then, when the story of their plight is no longer newsworthy, and the photographers leave the area, fade back into your previous life and wait for the next opportunity "to rise up and save someone", while the people in Haiti go back to dying the way they were before the quake.

January 15, 2010 - Dogs and other things....

Good news - Ginny sold two paintings yesterday. Now we can eat for another month...

I keep seeing these comments about consumers willingness to spend money being the thing that pulls the country out of the depression we're in. I don't understand how people who have little or no money buying crap made in China and places other than this country can being us out of the depression.

I do not use the term 'crap' lightly. Once upon a time, I used to buy shirts from LL Bean. They were called 'canvas' because they were made from a nice heavy material, and they wore like canvas. The last time I bought them, they were no longer made in this country, and they were made from a very thin material that wore out quickly. And, contrary to popular opinion about less expensive items because they were made with cheap or slave labor, they weren't less expensive. Just recently, I had to purchase some underwear. What I was able to find was 50% more expensive than the last time I bought it, and it feels like tissue paper! I rest my case...

Also, I read where core inflation rose in 2008, and in 2009, but, SS was not raised to cover the increased cost of things. I thought it was supposed to. Am I wrong? Bonuses for bankers and stock brokers went up... hmmmm, must be their stimulus, you know, the money that was supposed to help the economy for all...

The article also said the cost of food went down last year. Obviously they do not shop where we shop. We keep spending more and ending up with less. How does that relate to prices going down?

And, have you noticed the number of big, expensive, vehicles on the roads has increased? Must be that cash for clunkers things... allowed rich people to trade in their their old BMWs, Lexus, Infinitis for newer models...

I wonder if the health care bill being considered prevents doctors from creating those groups that are becoming popular amongst doctors, the ones where they charge $1500 a year just to be able to see them? That's on top of any insurance or patient's $ they acquire as well. I'll bet it doesn't. So, what that means is that as more doctors find out they aren't going to make as much off Medicare and Medicaid, they will begin to move in the direction of 'join my club, or you can't come into the clubhouse'.

Back to Dogs -

I am not a dog fancier, or a dog lover. While I would never do anything to hurt an animal, dogs to me are smelly, slobbering, hair shedding creatures that make too much noise with their incessant barking when the loving owner leaves them out all day to disrupt the quiet of those of us who do not have to go to work.

Perhaps the way I feel is because I was never allowed to have a dog when I grew up. I can't remember every wanting one, but I know I wasn't allowed to have one even if I ever did want one.

When our sons were growing up, we did have a dog for quite a few years. He was a very good pet, but had it been up to me, we probably would not have had him. The way that we acquired this creature was as follows:

I very innocently came home from work one day, and was met by my oldest son, five at the time, who said as I walked in the door... "If Stacy swells up, can we keep the dog?"

My first thought was, "What have you been doing to her?"

Well, I came to find out that the woman who lived in the end apartment we lived in was going to move. They had just brought home a little puppy. Since they were moving, she asked her neighbors if they wanted the dog. The neighbors indicated they did, but that their five year old daughter was allergic to them, so they would have to see how that worked. That's why Stacy would swell up.

She did, and the next thing I know, we have a dog. Everyone said, "Oh, we'll take care of him, we'll walk him, we'll do this with him, we'll do that with him, blah, blah, blah...

So, as things progressed and the pet newness wore off, where would I be found on rainy, freezing days? Why, walking the dog, of course!

The apartment, and later, the house, smelled like dog; the car smelled like dog; the dog had health problems that cost us a small fortune, money we didn't really have. Yes, having a loving pet was our reward. How nice it must be for something that can't talk, work for a living, or do anything except bark and howl when fire trucks went by, and spread fleas around to ruin ones comfort, for them to be able to live in a nice place, and have meals fixed for them with no effort on their part. Almost made me wish I could live a life like that...

All in all he was a good pet, and was missed once he left this world for wherever dogs go, perhaps Hollywood to become loud mouth, know it all actors, or Washington, where they become loud mouth, know it all, congressmen and senators...

January 14, 2010 - Good and Bad...

There's a company cutting down some of the neighbor's trees in their backyard.

The temperature is 23 degrees. It's a sunny day. The snow is almost totally melted.

There is supposed to be a "soaking" rain all day Sunday, which makes me wonder what it is going to soak into, since the ground is frozen, and the water table is very high right now.

Looks like winter for this part of Virginia is over for the year.

The Indianapolis Colts will probably lose come Saturday night, since the idiots that run the team wouldn't allow them to have a perfect season. If I were a player and had a chance at a perfect season and they took it away from me for no good reason I would lose the desire to perform at my best, and if that cost an otherwise should-have-been victory, so what. I'd just have that many more weeks of vacation, and I'd still be paid a ridiculous amount, regardless.

Powerball starts here the end of January. I'll donate to that as well as donating my meager funds to the Virginia Lottery. Odds of winning are astronomical, but, someone will win, and if I don't play, I'll never even have the chance of winning.

I have worked on my book and have the base for a new start to it. I have written it, and will now let it bounce around in my subconscious as I move the rest of the book to the new version, and modify the structure as I go. I want it ready by the end of February.

In the meantime I will rework the short story and look for someplace to send it.

I should finish reading "The Angel's Game" next week, so I can then move on to yet a new book. I am more than halfway finished reading Don Quixote. Have no idea when I will complete that one. I have begun reading "To Serve Them All My Days" by R.F. Delderfield (British). It was first published in 1972, back far enough to the time when people actually enjoyed reading good stories that did not contain descriptive sex and violence.

I find that as I get older, being married to someone who comes from a large, close knit family, that any time the phone rings one becomes anxious, wondering if the caller is calling to inform about a death in the family. This has not happened for some time, and has happened several times in the past. It's just that, as big as the family is, and the fact that we're all getting older, there will come a time when the calls begin coming in on an all to frequent basis.

The calls will be from my wife's family, as there are no older members left on my side, with the exception of my mother. All her siblings have passed, as have their spouses. My sister passed away ten years ago, already, my father almost 40 years ago. It almost makes me want to rid myself of the phone, not that that would make any difference.

We are going to walk to Panera's for lunch today. It's a good three mile round trip, but it is sunny and pleasant out, and we can have soup, a salad, or something light once we arrive. Last night, we ate at a place called "Mosaics", which is probably one of my favorite places to eat. They have excellent food at a very reasonable price, and one can even order a half size of most dishes, which is an aid in trying not to overeat. I love their salmon! Last night, I had that, cranberry cole slaw, and smashed taters with herbs and a light coating of cheese! Excellent combination of flavors! I have yet to have anything there that I did not enjoy.

The thing I notice about eating in local restaurants versus chain restaurants is that most of the food in the local places have dishes that have unique flavors, whereas if one goes to a chain restaurant, I have found that most of the dishes taste the same, regardless of what one orders. Probably because the food is all prepared at some gigantic place to save money, frozen, and then shipped to wherever where it is thawed out, heated, and served. Although, the meats are probably thawed and cooked locally, still having been frozen and received versus purchased fresh and locally.

Richmond definitely has some excellent local restaurants! And we never tire of trying new ones...

January 12, 2010 - Oh no! Conan's not on anymore!

No, not Conan The Barbarian! Conan O'Brian, the guy who now, or did, host the Tonight Show! God! What I am going to do? I know! I'll continue to do the same thing I do every night at that time... sleep.

Shame on me! So little sympathy for the tragic end to one of today's most important problems. Who knows? Maybe Conan will soon be seen in the unemployment line... the same one that we now see 17 million other people in. Welcome, Conan! Can I hold your cashmere sweater so you don't get too hot while waiting to sign up for benefits?

Oh, yes, and let's not forget the "NEW" Kate Gosselin! She just received an all day make-over, adding extensions to that unruly mass of blonde hair she carted around before. Unlike other people getting a make over, this one took eight hours and was filmed. "An Extended Hair Documentary" to be shown on some pathetic TV network for people who have no lives to watch. And, they thinks she's dating already as well. I don't wonder. I know many men who couldn't wait to take on a woman with eight children under the age of ten. And a good time was had by all!

Do I sound a trifle cynical? Sorry. I just have a difficult time thinking so many people actually spend some of the little time they have on earth watching the garbage that permeates our airwaves. Oh, you think, I must do that as well, since I writing about it. Truth be known, I get my gossip from reading the rag mags in the bookstore... Like, there is a difference?

Had to turn in to Dr. Phil yesterday, which was Monday. Every Monday, good ole Dr. Phil has his "Dr. Phil Family" on. These incredible blubbering excuses for intelligent human beings have been being "treated" by Dr. Phil for six, count 'em, six long years! That makes me wonder just how effective is the treatment he's giving these... people? They were a sniveling bunch of crying and whining dorks when it began, and now they're even worse! One of them, who was fifteen when this started, has had two children by two different fathers, married some other guy, got divorced already, and has reached the ripe old age of 21. She's had her children taken away from her and cries with every question that is asked, and is mothered by a woman who cries because the girl is just starting to deal with her issues. That's about all these people do is yell at each other, cry, yell some more, cry a lot more... I'm beginning to think that Dr. Phil pays these idiots to continue to come onto his program because, as he said yesterday, it is "compelling television". Yeah, right. It compelled me to switch the channel and look for something constructive, like "Home Hunter's International" on HGTV. Now that's a good program!

Well, I need to run. The news is on, and I want to watch every minute of the press going over Canan's decision, again, and again, and again!

January 10, 2010 - Sunday - cold and dry...

Was found by the wife of a friend I worked with back in Indianapolis in the mid-70s! I was very happy to learn that they are alive and well, and that he got to retire at a relatively early age, ten years before I did. Mike and I have the same birth day, the 20th of August. However, he is ten years younger. He obviously made good use of his career time, unlike yours truly, who skated by and did as little as possible and still make a decent living. It's great that some people actually work. It makes up for those of us who never really did.

Went to Starbucks this afternoon. Got our drinks and snack, sat down to enjoy an afternoon of reading and sipping, and then discovered I had no eyeglasses with me. I went out to the van to see if the extra pair was still in there, and of course, it was not. Too far to drive home to retrieve them, so I settled down to read without them. People thought it was a little strange what with me resting the book on my ankles and turning the pages with my toes, but I managed to read quite a few pages over the several hours we were there.

Watched a bit of the NFL playoffs this evening. It was a very high scoring game, with Arizona winning 51 - 45. that was exciting... I guess. Didn't really care who won. Don't really know why I watched except that I was eating dinner and didn't feel like finding something else.

Tomorrow morning I will rise early, earlier than normal, and get to work on restructuring the book in hope I can find a publisher this year. Later tomorrow, I will go over the short story and start looking for a market for that as well. Who knows, maybe this will be the year I actually make a few $ writing. Would rather win the lottery...

No grandchildren watching this week, which means I have the entire week to work on my stuff! Bummer. Now I don't have an excuse not to. Shouldn't feel that way. It's not like I'm Benjamin Button, getting younger every day.

Speaking of which, we saw "It's Complicated" (Rated R) last night and thought it was a really good movie. Very funny in parts. Saw two young ladies in there that were not seventeen, even with a stretch. They probably paid for another movie and then just came into the theatre where "it's.. " was showing. Who would know? No one checks once you're in the theatre, and so anyone can go into any theatre they want. Hazards of multiplexes, I guess. At least there wasn't anything really bad in the movie. Most of what was in there has probably already been on TV.

Saw where good ole Harry Reid referred to the president as a "Negro", among other things, during the election season. Once again, apologies all over the place, the wording was not appropriate, blah, blah, blah... I'm really tired of all these ignorant jerks saying what they feel, and then thinking an apology sets everything okay... Why ever tell the truth? Maybe, to quote Jack Nicholson in that movie where Tommy "the handsome boy" Cruise questioned him during some trial for something or other... as Jack said "You can't handle the truth!" Unfortunately, that's the problem with most of America. Lie to us enough, even we believe it....