I am SO mad. I had the best little post almost all done and ready to go, but somehow, I lost it. Ok - so without any further fanfare, and the ..."sorry I've been gone so long BS", I'll get right to it.
Recently I heard about an interesting story from the U.K.'s The Guardian [ThankYOU Leslie]. Evidently, a secret underground cinema restaurant combo was discovered in Paris. The local police were on a training exercise underneath the Palais de Chaillot. They then found this ampitheater-bistro kind of deal. All underground. The coppers admit that they presently have no clue as to who built and/or used it. They noted a couple swastikas, but to be fair, they also found Stars of David and Celtic crosses. Whatever.
They found quite a variety of movie tapes, with projection equipment, and full size screen. The movies were film noir from the '50s, and some modern thrillers. [Yes, I'm wondering too, any Andrew Lloyd Webber?]. "None of the films were banned or even offensive, the spokesman said" And who says Paris is a dirty city.
They also found - this next part absolutely kills me - oh what the heck, I'll just copy and paste a bit here. "A smaller cave next door had been turned into an informal restaurant and bar. 'There were bottles of whisky and other spirits behind a bar, tables and chairs, a pressure-cooker for making couscous,' the spokesman said."
Couscous! How...decadant, how...unseemly, how cute! I can hear the exchange now in the Parisian version of the Evidence Room.
"Ahh, Jacques -- here is the haul from the Catacombs."
"Merci Maurice, Hmm, let's see, films, films, fil --what? Oh, Mon Dieu!... what have we here? Ah, oui for the couscous! Quelle joie!
C'mon, you can picture it too. But the question begs: what kind of fries did they serve there?
[For the full story, http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1299444,00.html]
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Monday, April 12, 2004
Hello out there. Helloooooo. Yes, it’s been way too long, no excuses for it either. Anyway, I have no real agenda for this post, except perhaps as a shout-out to any and all who are listening: “I’m still here!” So, this will be most likely rambling, and even maybe boring, but at least it’s something.
First off, a fellow blogger and writer returned home from Iraq recently. OK, about 2 months ago. I’m not even sure where “Home” is, but better to be there, than…there. Actually if you read his posts from February, right before he left the War Zone, you’ll see some startling stuff. Ok, just go here…and see what I mean.
So, in Local News - The Dracut School system has dealt with some health scares lately, namely an unidentified rash afflicting kids at the Jr. High, and TB at the High School. TB - which is obviously scarier, seems to be very under control, with only one individual actually having symptoms, and about 4 others who tested positive. From what I’ve read, this occurrence is not entirely outside the norm. The Mystery Rash, much less life threatening, was still upsetting for parents and students alike, since it was just that…a mystery. Evidently this kind of thing happens in other settings, and clears up, no one ever finding a cause. :::Shrug:::
Of course, sickness hit closer to home with nasty sinus infection for both children in my house. Something hit me too, and I have no idea what, but it better git soon.
National TV Turnoff week is like…now…or soon…or something. We at the Campbell school will be doing our TV Un-Plugged week starting May third. Lots to do to get ready for that, but it’s always a fun time.
Karate is still fun, my husband, and partner in insanity, just started back with his training. He tore his knee cartilage in January (The day before Sempai Jen's wedding no less) and is very glad to be back doing iron bridges (NOT) and getting whacked around.
At the dojo, I kicked it up a notch - no pun intended - and had been training about 4 days a week. I even went running a couple times too! But one knee started acting up, then kids got sick, now I'm sick. This setback aggrevates me to no end, since there's a little umm...blackbelt test in June I'd really like to be ready for. I will NOT panic - NO, I will NOT. Ok I'm fricken panicking here. Grrr!
Well, I need to either rest, or catch up on many overdue projects and/or bills.
Wish me luck!
First off, a fellow blogger and writer returned home from Iraq recently. OK, about 2 months ago. I’m not even sure where “Home” is, but better to be there, than…there. Actually if you read his posts from February, right before he left the War Zone, you’ll see some startling stuff. Ok, just go here…and see what I mean.
So, in Local News - The Dracut School system has dealt with some health scares lately, namely an unidentified rash afflicting kids at the Jr. High, and TB at the High School. TB - which is obviously scarier, seems to be very under control, with only one individual actually having symptoms, and about 4 others who tested positive. From what I’ve read, this occurrence is not entirely outside the norm. The Mystery Rash, much less life threatening, was still upsetting for parents and students alike, since it was just that…a mystery. Evidently this kind of thing happens in other settings, and clears up, no one ever finding a cause. :::Shrug:::
Of course, sickness hit closer to home with nasty sinus infection for both children in my house. Something hit me too, and I have no idea what, but it better git soon.
National TV Turnoff week is like…now…or soon…or something. We at the Campbell school will be doing our TV Un-Plugged week starting May third. Lots to do to get ready for that, but it’s always a fun time.
Karate is still fun, my husband, and partner in insanity, just started back with his training. He tore his knee cartilage in January (The day before Sempai Jen's wedding no less) and is very glad to be back doing iron bridges (NOT) and getting whacked around.
At the dojo, I kicked it up a notch - no pun intended - and had been training about 4 days a week. I even went running a couple times too! But one knee started acting up, then kids got sick, now I'm sick. This setback aggrevates me to no end, since there's a little umm...blackbelt test in June I'd really like to be ready for. I will NOT panic - NO, I will NOT. Ok I'm fricken panicking here. Grrr!
Well, I need to either rest, or catch up on many overdue projects and/or bills.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Remember Dave? That nice guy, portrayed by Kevin Kline in the movie of the same name. (“Dave” that is, not “Remember Dave”). Dave ran a small employment agency, and he was all into supporting his temps, cheering them on, building them up. Dave also moonlighted occasionally as a ‘celebrity double’ for the current US president, because of the amazing resemblance between the two of them.
When the real president had a stroke, the staff brought in Dave, to pretend to be the Prez, so the country wouldn’t be thrown into chaos. Or something like that.
Anyway, this being a movie and all, Dave made a great president. He was fair, decisive, and above all, honest.
The point is, where are all the Dave’s (or Donna’s for that matter)?
Why can’t there be candidates for office that are fair, decisive, and above all, honest?
If there IS someone already in office that fits, or at least tries to fit, that description, why must others work hard to get them out of office?
This is not a piece about FOR someone or AGAINST someone else. But how many times have you heard someone going to the polls say: “Well, I don’t like Jones, but I hate Smith, so I’m voting for Jones.”
Hmm, I have an idea, Kevin Kline is a decent actor, maybe he can be on a write-in ballot, as a presidential candidate. He can represent the “Dave” party. And Ben Kingsley would make a heck of a Vice President. Remember Gandhi?
Here’s another, how about Bill Belichick for the top job? He can hire folks like Charlie Weis, and Romeo Crennel, if it works on the field, why not on the Beltway? Bingo!
I know life can’t always be a ‘feel-good’ movie, but c’mon, where is Dave?
When the real president had a stroke, the staff brought in Dave, to pretend to be the Prez, so the country wouldn’t be thrown into chaos. Or something like that.
Anyway, this being a movie and all, Dave made a great president. He was fair, decisive, and above all, honest.
The point is, where are all the Dave’s (or Donna’s for that matter)?
Why can’t there be candidates for office that are fair, decisive, and above all, honest?
If there IS someone already in office that fits, or at least tries to fit, that description, why must others work hard to get them out of office?
This is not a piece about FOR someone or AGAINST someone else. But how many times have you heard someone going to the polls say: “Well, I don’t like Jones, but I hate Smith, so I’m voting for Jones.”
Hmm, I have an idea, Kevin Kline is a decent actor, maybe he can be on a write-in ballot, as a presidential candidate. He can represent the “Dave” party. And Ben Kingsley would make a heck of a Vice President. Remember Gandhi?
Here’s another, how about Bill Belichick for the top job? He can hire folks like Charlie Weis, and Romeo Crennel, if it works on the field, why not on the Beltway? Bingo!
I know life can’t always be a ‘feel-good’ movie, but c’mon, where is Dave?
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
In Memoriam
You can go to D.C., to the Wall. It’s just a simple structure, really - just a wall. But the names - they get you. No matter what the weather or your mood - you read the names, and there’s no way you can’t be touched.
You can go to Boston too, downtown, along the Freedom Trail. Another stark memorial. Walk along at dusk and read some of the 6 million names etched in 6 glass towers. As smoke rises from chambers at the bottom of these towers, learn through snippets of stories, the horror of the Holocaust.
Among the stories that ran in tonight’s edition of the Lowell Sun [January 7, 2004], two of them share parallel themes. One story reports on the 25-year anniversary of the fall of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge. This piece covers survivor’s views stressing the inhumanity of that time, but yet strong desires to “let it go”, and move on.
A second report is about the unveiling of the September 11th memorial design. It’s a nice enough looking plan, but unfortunately some of the victims’ family members are not pleased. Mr. Lee Hanson, of Connecticut, lost a son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter on Flight 175. He’s afraid of a memorial that will be too “sanitized”, that won’t be an appropriate expression of what a nightmare that day really was, and still is. I can’t imagine that Hanson or others would want a display of graphic misery to be a permanent reminder in Lower Manhattan, but still, reminder is the key word. We need assurance that the world never forgets.
Senseless genocides committed in the name of purity, ordered by a WWII madman. Police actions gone wrong, and killing fields. Young women mutilated so that they can’t feel what we take for granted. Terrorists high jacking our planes, our country and our lives. Tragedy and grief present the universal paradox of wanting to forget pain, but yet knowing that you can’t nor should forget. How can emotions be reconciled? If we can’t move on, “they” win. If we can’t remember, they win again.
When we suffer losses, we usually have ways of coping. First might be tears, maybe rage. Eventually though, feelings even out, tears dry and we wake up another day. We have ways to mark the memories with photos, anniversary dates, scars, and headstones. Somehow, the pain has become almost compartmentalized. We can just about put it away for a time, until an anniversary rolls around, or some other trigger brings it all back.
When we are ready, we can go to these memorials - all over the world - that are symbols of horror and healing. When we are ready, we can embrace the pain, dance with it, and let it rest for another time. It doesn’t matter if we’re touching granite, steel, Lucite, or an oak tree. We’re looking to the future, by touching the past.
You can go to D.C., to the Wall. It’s just a simple structure, really - just a wall. But the names - they get you. No matter what the weather or your mood - you read the names, and there’s no way you can’t be touched.
You can go to Boston too, downtown, along the Freedom Trail. Another stark memorial. Walk along at dusk and read some of the 6 million names etched in 6 glass towers. As smoke rises from chambers at the bottom of these towers, learn through snippets of stories, the horror of the Holocaust.
Among the stories that ran in tonight’s edition of the Lowell Sun [January 7, 2004], two of them share parallel themes. One story reports on the 25-year anniversary of the fall of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge. This piece covers survivor’s views stressing the inhumanity of that time, but yet strong desires to “let it go”, and move on.
A second report is about the unveiling of the September 11th memorial design. It’s a nice enough looking plan, but unfortunately some of the victims’ family members are not pleased. Mr. Lee Hanson, of Connecticut, lost a son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter on Flight 175. He’s afraid of a memorial that will be too “sanitized”, that won’t be an appropriate expression of what a nightmare that day really was, and still is. I can’t imagine that Hanson or others would want a display of graphic misery to be a permanent reminder in Lower Manhattan, but still, reminder is the key word. We need assurance that the world never forgets.
Senseless genocides committed in the name of purity, ordered by a WWII madman. Police actions gone wrong, and killing fields. Young women mutilated so that they can’t feel what we take for granted. Terrorists high jacking our planes, our country and our lives. Tragedy and grief present the universal paradox of wanting to forget pain, but yet knowing that you can’t nor should forget. How can emotions be reconciled? If we can’t move on, “they” win. If we can’t remember, they win again.
When we suffer losses, we usually have ways of coping. First might be tears, maybe rage. Eventually though, feelings even out, tears dry and we wake up another day. We have ways to mark the memories with photos, anniversary dates, scars, and headstones. Somehow, the pain has become almost compartmentalized. We can just about put it away for a time, until an anniversary rolls around, or some other trigger brings it all back.
When we are ready, we can go to these memorials - all over the world - that are symbols of horror and healing. When we are ready, we can embrace the pain, dance with it, and let it rest for another time. It doesn’t matter if we’re touching granite, steel, Lucite, or an oak tree. We’re looking to the future, by touching the past.
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