John Cleese's New Year Letter

I have tweeted Mr. Cleese for permission to reprint his letter, but as I am but 1 out of followers, my voice will likely not be noticed. However, since he sent this to everybody who signed up for his emails, I don't feel he would have any huge problem

=================

Dear Fnerners and Bnerers, Once again, for a reason which dates back to 1582, we celebrate the annual re-boot of the Georgian calendar, with much jollity and good cheer, with singing, carousing, dancing and inebriation, leading to the consequent impact on personal health, as population after population succumbs to the morning after the night before.

Tomorrow (or is it already today?) is equally worthy of celebration, it being a date that even the Americans can get right - 1.1.11. So, perhaps some will turn the hair of the dog into the leg of the dog, perhaps even the dog of the dog. Just try to avoid making it the pack of the dog if you possibly can. Moving along, we won't have long to wait for the next new year. On 3rd February 2011 we move into the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, which is another great excuse to throw a party. Shortly after that, on either 20th or 21st March 2011, we have Nowruz 2570 (1390) the Persian new year, which being the Spring equinox, coincides with several other reasons to go for it (and why not?) : Purim - Jewish Ostara -Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere Mabon -Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere Holi - Hindu Hola Mohalla - Sikh

On and on and on it goes, each occasion supposedly unique and special - and so they are, just not for the reasons we give. Any excuse will do, really, religious or secular, national, international, or familial, new year, new baby, bar mitzvah, first communion, graduation, retirement, sporting victory, sporting defeat, you name it. What these occasions all have in common is that they bring us humans together so that we can try, in our sometimes generous, often flawed and occasionally dangerous ways, to break down the inter-personal barriers which exist between us on every other day of the year. It's no wonder we sometimes break things in this great effort to reverse the social norms which constrict most of us most of the time, in pursuit of the much deeper need for renewal.

So, on this New Year 2011, let us all say a very large, long and heartfelt thank you to the Healers of the world - to the doctors, nurses and paramedics, as they cope with the flood of injuries which accompanies this annual mass loss of balance. Thank you, wond'rous children of Hippocrates, for you are indeed special; you frequently stand between us mortals and the worst consequences of our desire to feel more connected with one another and less alone; and without you, life after the party would so often be much, much worse than a simple hangover.

Aside from that - thank you for all your kind messages and support this year. Remember to be extra nice to people who resemble small animals. Until next time, Jack the Cheese

Overheard in 1974 - Scientists are out for the buck

As usual, the typos and grammar are the authors.

The author is in his 70s:

The buck comes between the doctors and the patients. They provide synthetics because they are cheaper and make more money for the docs. The common cold has been a fine source of income for the medicine man for many years and he isn't about to let lose of it. Far too much of this "scientific" materialis subdued or covered by convention or the dollar sign so much of it can be taken with that proverbial grain of salt.

The messing up of our ecology by so called scientific men has also done much to dull the publics faith in scientific endevor. Ponder the friction between the various factions about the danger of weedacides and pestacides and the pollution of our land water and air. Here again the "buck" makes more decisions than good sense. Any poison that will kill insects and other so called pests will also be detrimental to man. How can all of these men who call themselves scientists view all of this pollution and not say it is bad. The more I see of people who have been abused by the bad decisions of the AMA and FDA the less respect I have for them.

Almost overheard in 1954

I was reading through a subset of the current batch of letters and had almost settled on something until I read the following from March 16, 1954:

The radio just announced that the Bevitron has been completed.

My first reaction was "Jeez, that sounds like a bad 50s science fiction device". Then I looked it up and what it actually was was the Bevatron...specifically designed to accelerate protons to sufficient energy to create antiprotons, and verify the particle-antiparticle symmetry of nature, then only strongly suspected. The antiproton was indeed discovered there in 1955, and resulted in the 1959 Nobel Prize in physics for Emilio Segrè and Owen Chamberlain. Basically, it was the ancestor of our very own Large Hadron Collider.

And, what was the reaction of the average person in the street? Apparently, pretty much the same reaction as people had to the LHC: OMG, something awful will happen.

Undoubtedly it can bring much potential knowledge, but all it makes me think of is now they'll build bigger and better bombs.

It's such a cliché, but really it's true. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Overheard from 1954 & beyond: a love story

(Identifying information has been redacted. But, as near as I can figure, the young woman starts out in her VERY early 20s. Spelling & grammar is as is. And, guess what happened between 1955 and 1956.)

1954:

Xxxx Xxxxx came home from Yyyyyy and is living in NY for a few years before he goes back. I saw him a few times but when I realized that he loved me I explained to him gently as I could that I was fond of him but could not be involved with him and was therefore breaking up the relationship so that he would not be hurt any more deeply that necessary. Cause if continued I would just hurt him more later. I did not let him leave till he understood why I did this, and though it was a sad evening I felt better later though.

1954 (3 weeks later):

Friday I will go out with Xxxx Xxxxx. He called Sunday and I am definitely in a mood to be cherished. I don't think I'm yet ready for the relationship I'm looking for and it begins to appear senseless to deny myself pleasant, if incomplete, companionship for now.

1955 (2.5 months later):

I'm slowly disentangling myself from my relationship with Xxxx, for our new relationship seems to be at a standstill, since he doesn't accept my logic for not wanting to continue, I am simply seeing him less and less frequently because I don't want to hurt him, but I do feel that my needs have changed & I am not at all desirous of being dependant on him. I am a person on my own & have finally conquered lonliness & am free to choose my own happiness & to give of myself without fear. I can decide where I want to be & why and not be afraid of other people's reactions. Still, during the time when I wanted to be dominated he fulfilled my needs & as so I feel that I must be fair to him too.

1956 (1.5 years later):

Two weeks from today I'll be married. I'm excited & happy & have no qualms or reservations. I feel that soon I'll be legalizing a relationship, the depth and fulness of which has been actuality for a long time. I'm happy and feel very womanly.

And, finally...1956 (2 weeks later):

Here it is the night before the wedding and I have such mixed feelings. mainly of course I happy, excited, content & impatient but also there is the knowledge that this is the goodby to my childhood, tomorrow I officially become woman & wife and part of a [unreadable word] new focal point of life.

Who's Peter this time?

Since I once again spent the weekend sorting out & hauling down stuff from my parent's house, I haven't yet had the time to dig through the motherload of letters from which I was going to pull excerpts for the blog.

But, one of the things I discovered was a card game called Showbiz Shuffle. Now between my vocation and my avocation, it was a given that I was going to take this. On the box, it is described as follows: "Collect actors and directors, then combine them with stunts, special effects or other pluses to make the biggest box office hits".

I started flipping through the cards and was mostly just amused by them. I was amused at cards such as the below just because:

Then I was amused by cards such as:

At least a third of the people cards are caricatures of recognizable people. I suspect that more are, but I just don't know the faces well enough to recognize them.

Then I came across the following and stopped dead:

One of the people I enjoy following on twitter is Peter Sagal, the host of the totally fabulous NPR radio program Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. I immediately went to his twitter page to see if I was hallucinating...and, no, not really:

Overheard from 1990

Today begins the first of excerpts from letters from the past. Some may be from the near past, some may be from the middle of the last century. Others from points before or after. A couple of things they will have in common:

1. There will be background information to the best of my ability, but no identifying information. I have no idea of whether or not some of these people are alive or dead. And, for purposes of what this will be, identity should not matter.

2. These slices of life will, for the most part, either human interest and/or something that interests/amuses me. Occasionally, they will be commentary on the state of the world such as this first one (largely because it was the first one I found that immediately called out to me). Tomorrow, I will be digging into the motherload of correspondence.

============

Sent by a soldier in November 1990 stationed somewhere in the Middle East waiting for what would become the Gulf War.

One of the things I meant to say in my last letter was that I am much more understanding now of how much the Vietnam soldier went through. I know that I haven't experienced the combat aspects yet, but I've faced everything that leads up to combat. Also, if things keep going the way they are now, I'll have the combat patch before I go home.

Speaking of going home, it's beginning to look a lot like Easter. If we do go to war, it will probably be between New Year's and Ramadan. The war will probably last about a month and Ft. Bragg units will be the first home after that. If we don't go in, then I'm almost certain that the Ft. Bragg units will be rotated home during Ramadan. After all, VII Corps in [sic] enough to defend Saudi Arabia during the summer. My money, though, says that this whole thing will be resolved by Ramadan.

Glimpses of the Past

While cleaning out closets in my parents' home, my daughter and I ran across just over a dozen newspapers laying on a top shelf..

For a third of them, the Civil War had ended less than 50 years previously and they had yet to see a world war.

Half of them celebrated the end of "The war to end all wars", the Great Stock Market Crash was still a 1/2 dozen years away, and Hitler would not be a citizen of Germany for another 10.

The remaining three celebrate other moments in our past.

I've decided that this blog will show little, if ever, seen slices of history. They will for the most part be human interest.

But, we begin with these newspapers. The images below are quick photos we took with out cell phone cameras. It is our intent to gently photograph each newspaper so that they can be read and enjoyed..this will take some time as they are in somewhat fragile shape.

Aberdeen Daily American - October 14, 1899

The Daily Mirror - June 21, 1911

The Daily Mirror - June 23, 1911

The Daily Mirror - February 12, 1913

The Daily Mirror - June 7, 1916

The Daily Sketch - February 16, 1918

Aberdeen Daily American - November 11, 1918

The Daily Mirror - November 12, 1918

The Daily Sketch - November 12, 1918

The Daily Sketch - July 21, 1919

The Daily Mirror - November 27, 1920

The Daily Mirror - February 28, 1922

The Daily Sketch - March 21, 1922

Los Angeles Examiner - May 7, 1945

New York Times - July 21, 1969

New York Times Special Supplement - August 3, 1969

Of Tires and Donuts

At one point today, I thought that the most stressful thing this evening was going to be coughing non-stop through rehearsal. Who knew that I would have come to look upon this vile anticipation with wistfullness.

Somewhere around 5:30pm, I got a call from my son. The sight of his phone number in my caller i.d. filled me with dread. Normally, the reverse would have been true. However, in this instance, I knew that he and his posse were driving back from Florida where they had spent a fabulous couple of days at Universal and Harry Potter land (or whatever it's called). The fact that he was calling me in mid-drive filled me with foreboding.

"Hi. When I drive the car fast, the car makes a weird bumping and when I drive slowly, it still makes it, but not as badly."

I knew that he had neglected getting his oil changed before the trip and I mentally assigned the knocking to this. I advised him to stop and check his oil levels. This seemed to be the case as his call 20 minutes into rehearsal confirmed. But, they were parked by the side of the road and it was still running and it was quiet but it had made a funny noise. They started it up when I said that it might take a while for the oil to completely relubricate..

A little while later, came another call. (Really good thing I have a minor part in this show.) Funny thing, but the tire had exploded. It seems that the bumpetyn bump of the car had been the tire in the process of going bad., but none of them had ever been in a car with a bad tire before. BUT, I had made sure that my kid knew how to change a tire. At this point, I think I will allow the text message I sent to my sister take over.

"The bumpety thumpetty turned out not to be the oil...which WAS low. It turned out to be the tire going bad and then it exploded. So, they managed to put the donut on and because none of those children had ever apparently been in the vicinity of a flat tire, it never occurred to any of them that just because the tire was bad and unrepairable...that they might...oh...need the tim. So they left the whole thing by the side of the road in the dark in southern South Carolina when they went on their merry way."

They drove along for another 45 minutes til they found someplace open that might be able to sell them a new tire. It was at this point that I became aware of the whole rim debacle and I explained in not quite the most patient of tones that it was going to cost probably $450 to replace a rim and a tire if they could even find a rim that quickly (bear in mind that we are talking the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day). I was just a little irked because a) I couldn't fathom not realizing they would need the rim and b) feeling helpless because I'm 600 miles away.

The dude told them that he couldn't put a full sized tire on a donut rim and that the donut tire was apparently fine. At this point, I'm sure my child was feeling guilty and the 4 of them piled back into the station wagon and backtracked with flashlights and the kind of enthusiasm only a roadtrip can engender in search of the missing rim. They did find it and tossed it into the back of the wagon.

At this point they were 240 miles away from their overnight destination and reckon that because they are going to drive the thrice-recommended 50 mph that they ought to arrive at some 4 in the morning. Wednesday morning, The Boy plans on getting to Wal-Mart at the instance they open and replace the donut and then they will continue their drive on the busiest travel day of the year.

I guess the lesson is this: each one of these kids are knowledgeable, intelligent college seniors, but the event was out of their respective experiences so they dealt with it...incorrectly. It's one of those things that's hard to anticipate. How do you tell someone all the potential ramifications of a situation if they a) don't occur to you because they seem obvious or b)you fear the Look of Extreme Patience. Do your best to prep your kids for life, but be prepared for them to look at life from a different angle than you.

However, at some point, he will be home and we will have Thanksgiving Dinner and we will all be thankful that we are together.

Christmas and Bouillabaisse

Every year on Christmas eve from at least 1964 until really not that long ago in the Grand Scheme of Things, my parents would play host to the Christmas and Hanukkah Caroling Party in which a good chunk of NY science fiction fandom would turn up at their 13 room house in Brooklyn and then proceed to meander about the Ditmas Park neighborhood singing sectarian, non-sectarian, and (in some cases) highly irreverent songs. It was such a joy.

While the singers were out, my mother and a core of us enthusiastic assistants would stay behind and cook for the masses. As time progressed and I got older, I took over a lot of the grunt work. As more time progressed and my parent's aged and fandom changed, the Christmas eve event became more of a in-house holiday party for 20 of our closest friends and I pretty much did most of the cooking with my sister, my daughter and my hubby pitching in. The past few years, it became a half dozen people who couldn't let go. Last year was the last of Christmas in Brooklyn.

This year my parents are down here living in an assisted living facility and my sister and I are trying to sell the house. My mother has severe short term memory loss and won't even know really that she's missing Christmas although the decorations in her facility will reminder her something's happening. But, my sister and I will bring her and my dad over to one of our houses and try to recapture... something.

But, we will make do...and the purpose of this was not to bring anybody down, but to give a backstory. At the center of every single one of these parties was my mother's Bouillabaisse. There were other stalwarts that lasted for several years and then moved on and replaced (her baklava, my fried artichoke hearts, Scandinavian rosettes). But, always there was her Bouillabaisse, beloved of everyone who tried it. I wouldn't know, because I don't like fish. But, once she wrote it down, I followed it slavishly (because I was NOT going to taste it) and I hear it tasted just as good. It is best served accompanied by a crusty piece of Italian or French bread (God, do I miss NY bakeries).

11 years ago, she was finally persuaded to actually take all her little note scraps and organize them into a cohesive recipe so that it was not lost. I will be making it this year for Thanksgiving and I imagine, depending on how Christmas actually winds up going, for Christmas. But, it is a recipe that needs to be shared. Following, exactly the way she wrote it out is:

=============

Perdita's Bouillabaise

These amounts and varieties of seafood are pretty nominal. I practically always use scrod because cod is hard to find these days and expensive when you do. I rarely use any lobster, but I usually use ocean scallops (bay scallops are too small and shrink to almost nothing when cooked). Fresh seafood is better, but frozen can be used if necessary. And, actually, chopped clams have no part in any other recipe I ever saw, but I like them as sort of a filler upper in the soup.

I arrived at this version after looking over several recipes - some much more complicated, some very ethnic, some very American. I concluded that Bouillabaise is a fish soup. Strictly speaking, I guess that this is not really authentic bouillabaise in that it isn't made with the same sorts of fish as those used in France, which like those I use, are what's available. But, the flavorings are authentic and the method of preparation is like many of the recipes I looked at. Anyway, it's what I make, and everybody seems to like it.

Shrimp - 1 lb
Hadddock, cod,or scrod - 1-1/2 - 2 lbs
lobster - 1 c (opt)
scallops,ocean - 1/2 - 1 lb (actually scallops are myown inclusion also)
chopped clams, with juice - 2 6-oz cans
olive oil - 1/2c
onion,sliced,1-1/2c
garlic chopped - 2 cloves
tomatoes, stewed - 2-1/2 c
thyme - 1/2 t
Parsley, dried- some
bay leaf - 1
saffron - 1/8t
salt - 2-3 T

Boiling water or fishstock - 1 qt (I usually use water. Stock doesn't seem to make enough difference to go through the trouble. Besides, fish scraps from the seafood store always have eyes in them which need to be removed, and I just can't)

1. Shell and clean shrimp
2. Cut fish into 1-1/2" cubes
3. Heat oil, add shrimp, scallops, garlic and onions. Simmer 10 mins.
4. Add remaining ingredients except fish and clams. Simmer 30 mins more.
5. Add fish forlast 20 mins.
6. Add clams for last few minutes.

Perdita Boardman
Dec.17, 1999

Regrets...I have a few...

I wish just one time that my kids would believe that I have been their age and been where they are now and that I have made wrong choices.

Ultimately, for their sakes, my choices (up to a point) were the right ones..without which they wouldn't exist.

For my sake, though, other choices would have been better or have given me more options. But, at the time, who knew? OTOH, I tended to go with what was easier and less scary. I love my kids and hope beyond hope and beyond prayer that they will make the choices that are right for them.

My one is still in college, so he still has time to think about it...hopefully with just his own future in mind. My other one is so all about what will happen based solely on what has come before and what she perceives should come after. Not taking into account having fun and exploring while she is young and single and still has time to play and explore her options...with no repercussions except those she can slough off in favor of the next adventure.

Me? I don't want to live through them. I'm tired, though, of people thinking I'm going through some kind of depression when I say that my choices (married, kids, age 54) are limited to things I have (in reality) no control over. I just don't want frick and frack to miss exploring all the options and wonderful opportunities they could have if they don't pick the safe and reliable.

I did and regret it more than words can express.

The longest day

So. This morning begins what I anticipate will be a LONG 24 hours.

Warning: implied semi-grossness follows.

Tomorrow, my darling husband has to undergo a certain routine medical procedure that probably most men in their mid-50s are familiar with. As a prelude, he has to be on a clear liquid diet and this evening will be adding certain over the counter medications into his diet to help move things along.

Shortly (or, to be more precise, eventually), my daughter will rise and the guilt/subterfuge will begin. Our plan is to (whichever works):
a) eat when he's on the computer downstairs
b) eat something that has no smell while cooking (pancakes, no bacon)
c) eat something we know he doesn't like and wouldn't be tempted by (artichokes)

He's been up for 2 hours and I've already heard him cheerfully (so far) remark to the cat that he has a rumbly in his tumbly. Entertainingly, he is convinced that Vodka counts as a clear liquid and that with the orange juice he's allowed will help the day go by.

...on no solid food. This could be interesting.

The Fifth of November

And, just because:

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence [or By God's mercy] he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Hulloa boys, Hulloa boys, let the bells ring.
Hulloa boys, hulloa boys, God save the King!

Griggs Timeline Aftermath

I guess there really hasn't been a major aftermath, thank goodness. But, I have been concerned if I caused anyone to doubt the crucial series of events which are the initial volley of exchanges between Monica Gaudio and the "editor" at Cooks Source Magazine regarding the magazine's copyright infringement of Ms Gaudio's work as depicted by Ms Gaudio here: http://illadore.livejournal.com/30674.html

The indignation, scorn, factual correctness and much of the bitter sarcasm heaped on Judith Griggs on the Cooks Source Magazine Facebook page were, in my opinion, richly deserved.

My contention is that, not unexpectedly, after several hours (and much media attention) that sight was lost and the pranksters stepped in to muddy the waters by creating a variety of fake accounts.

First, the status message in question that (as far as I know) is still extant on the (real)CSM's FB page. I will completely join everyone in their opinion of the stupidity/ballsiness/ignorance of Ms Griggs' email to Ms Gaudio. However, I really do NOT believe that anyone who had been attacked and educated so viciously by the interwebs for several hours would have ever posted that status. And, seriously, how could you read that after reading the original and not believe that it was a parody....if nothing else, parody requires imagination which we are all pretty certain she lacks.

Now, faux-griggs. The first faux-griggs account was set up by Ted K (I do not know Ted. But, when the first fake account (and the only one active for much of the afternoon) showed up, Ted was "her" only friend and did not show up on the friends list of either of the real Judith Griggs FB profiles).

His first inflammatory posting came shortly after the status message in question. I had a brief wall exchange with him in which he smugly did not refute my congratulations (something I regret now) on his impersonation and his somehow managing to hack the page status. He kept this up all afternoon, long after the real-Griggs had folded up both her accounts and fled. He would occasionally break character but, all in all, he was both persistent and consistent.

People have asked if it was a hack, why has it never been changed? I don't know. My inclination is if the hacker/troll had kept changing it, it would have been even more obvious that it was not from her and it had accomplished his task.

Last evening, I finally had had enough of the situation. More faux-griggs accounts had been created and a faux-CSM page as well. It was no longer doing anything productive in support of Ms Gaudio and since Ms Griggs had left the building she was no longer reaping its "benefits". Its sole purpose seemed to have become a whole lot of smug self-satisfied "wits" showing off to each other and fanning the flames of the still well-meaning individuals who were finding their way there. I have not been there today and really have no intention of going back.

I hope that Ms Gaudio and the other people/organizations that Ms Griggs and her magazine took such incredible liberties with achieve legal and financial recourse.

If you are interested in the actual original case and other infringements perpetrated by Ms Griggs, Edward Champion researched and wrote (in an incredibly quick time) about this aspect and has examples and updates in his blog here: http://www.edrants.com/the-cooks-source-scandal-how-a-magazine-profits-on-theft/

The Griggs Timeline

Much of this I have from observing. Some of it is inferred from actual correspondence with the faux-Griggs.

The original editor had 2 pages: her "professional" page (J.d. Griggs [sic]) and another FB page for personal stuff (Judith Griggs). They both originally had her picture on the profile and were somewhat loose as to amount of info a non-friend could see. As the day wore on, the woman changed her profile pictures to country-ish pictures of strawberries and quilts and locked down tightly the amount of info available. Finally, she fled entirely and both her legitimate FB pages went away. At NO time did either of these entities directly post or acknowledge the debacle.

At some point in early/mid-afternoon, someone (who I call Ted for a decent reason) created a faux Facebook entity called Judith Griggs (since, obviously, FB has to allow multiple people with the same name). His original profile pic was a plate of pink cookies. As the afternoon wore on, he changed the profile pic to her picture. At around this same time, he figured out how to crack the Fan Page and posted a bogus status calculated to irritate people. He then began posting inflammatory posts/responses on the Cooks Source page, but several times he broke character. Because of the rapid postings on the page, you really had to be paying attention (and for some stupid reason I found this fascinating) to catch all this.

Later in the afternoon, it seems he finally has had the chutzpah to start posting as Cooks Source Magazine.

By now, most people seem to have lost track of the genuine severity, lack of ethics, lack of knowledge and sheer gall of the original situation.

The woman has fled. Her site has gone. Her advertisers have pulled away from her.

The fact that this has by now has almost completely degenerated into sport and people trying to either be "witty" or gross and only for the benefit of themselves since she will not be seeing it is more than reason enough for this page to cease. And, it is being egged on by a Griggs-person who has nothing to do with anything except to be a flame-fanner.

Hamentaschen

1c Butter, softened
1tsp orange zest
1c sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp orange juice
2 1/2c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
Preserves/jam...whatever flavor you like (we usually use apricot & raspberry)

1. Mix all ingredients together. Batter/dough will be thick
2. roll out to between 1/8" and 1/4" think.
3. cut into 3" rounds
4. dot each with a small amount of jam. (This is the part where judgment/experiment comes in. Dot sounds small, about 1/2-3/4 tsp is about right.)
5. turn up edges to form triangle and pinch together, leaving small opening in center. If you accidentally make them 4-sided (which is easy to do), don't worry they still taste good.

400 deg oven until lightly browned

July 1st, 2010

So...midnight.

A time of mystery, of possibilities...of new beginnings.

It's just turned midnight on the East Coast and while one could argue that I was born in Chicago and that I still have another hour, it's my birthday so nanny nanny boo boo...

Happy Birthday to me.

I'm not sure what the next year will bring. So many things have happened during the last couple of months (more about that maybe later today...kinda zoning right now) that I have to wrap my mind around.

The things I know are these: I'm (gulp) 54 and not likely to get younger, I've gone back to school to get a degree in Visual Media that will hopefully let me work in the TV/Film field in some small way, I have 2 great kids who are making their way in their respective fields, and I have to deal with the fallout of 2 aged parents who refused to plan for and acknowledge the future. This last will impact every aspect of my life from now into the foreseeable future.

Are there challenges? Yes. Is it scary? hell, yes! Is it exciting? Beyond words.

Happy New Year.

Getting ready for a reboot.

I've wiffle-waffled with this blog. It's been a few things and I've never been happy with it. I've renamed it and its url (although kind of annoyed that someone else has cafekarina, but oh well). Now, I'm not going to try to give it a specific direction, but will do travel reports, city reports and movie reviews or whatever the heck I feel like doing.

I'll still be feeling things out and hoping that blogspot can do some of the things I want it to do. The official changeover will be July 1st...a new year for me and a new year for my blog.

Logo shows

Twitter's @dailyshowtune got a website do-over and wonders if someone can recognize all the shows in the banner:

From right to left then down:
1. Avenue Q
2. Hello Dolly
3. Cats
4. Annie.
5. Phantom
6. chorus line
7. hair
8. billie elliott
9. wicked
10. west side story.
11. sweeney todd
12.Les Miz
Thirteen is bad luck.
14. into the woods
15. lion king
16. music man
17. dream girls
18. little shop of horrors
19. Cabaret