In light of this cloning business, I came to remember a novel my high school biology teacher once read. It concerned the assassination of JFK and how scientists were able to clone him. I did some checking and found that the book is called Joshua: Son of None by Nancy Freedman. It's out of print, but I would love to read it. Anybody read it?
posted by Leigh Ellwood at11:06 AM
I got one of those LifeSavers Christmas storybook packs on sale at the drugstore last night. Eight rolls - two Five Flavors, two Tropical Fruits, one Butter Rum, two Wild Cherry packs, and one Wild Berries roll. Had a devil of a time opening a roll last night; I noticed that little green ripcord is no longer there to help you cut through the foil and wax paper to get to the candy. When did they remove it? Surely nobody suspected that harmless piece of floss was a choking hazard. You're more likely to choke on the candy.
Another thing: with the Five Flavors roll are they always stacked lemon, cherry, orange, lime and pineapple? I swear every single Five Flavors roll I open is ordered that way. No candy stacking machine can be that accurate.
Oh, I have resolutions for the new year, all right.
I resolve to be able to put on clothes that don't make me feel like a Volkswagen bus squeezing into a sausage casing; and no, I'm not going to cheat and just buy bigger clothes. All the weight I lost two years ago came back post 9/11 during a bout of we're-all-going-to-die-anyway-so-why-not-eat-the-Reece's-deluxe-cheesecake pity. Now I realize I'm still going to die, but I don't want to be buried in the box that once housed the Volkswagen bus. Not when I could be buried in this instead.
I would also like to better organize my time as far as writing and reading goes. I'm getting more freelance work now than I ever have before, and I don't want my fiction to suffer. One thing I started doing is writing the outlines of a few book ideas I have, so that way I can come back to a story and already have it planned by chapter. I'd like also to apply the NaNo system to other months in 2003; maybe I could write a novel a month!
The St. Blog's Parish webring just added its 94th parishioner, er, member today. Wouldn't it be nice to hit 100 before year's end? Maybe I should give out a prize for incentive.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at2:40 PM
Couple publishes 96-page blank book about men. I've seen this done before. Once I went to a Borders (or something), and found a title called The Wit and Wisdom of OJ Simpson or Howard Stern or something like that and it was just blank pages. Can you imagine querying a publisher with this idea? Yeesh.
Teacher wants to ban the Guinness Book of World Records because it features a picture of a woman wearing the world's most expensive bikini. Never mind all those National Geographic magazines with nekkid people in them. I can think of at least three world's records that would be less appropriate for that book.
Of the Modern Library books, I've read twenty, but I'm only going to count thirteen because I have earmarked seven for a re-read (it's been a long time and I really don't remember the stories very well). Of the Pulitzers, I have read ten (some overlapped with the other list, natch). Of the fifty states, I have visited forty-one, including Alaska.
Tinkering with the color scheme, please excuse the mess. I figure since Advent's over it's time to move forward, so I'm sticking with plain vanilla for now. A new layout is coming in January.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at11:17 AM
One thing about the time I have off from work is that I can catch up on my reading. I was rather lax with my book review queue these last few months, but slowly I am whittling it away to a point where I will be able to read a book simply because I want to read it. Not to say, of course, that I didn't want to read the books in my queue, but there is a difference between reading to review and reading because the title/cover looked interesting, or reading because your sister sends a book from clear across the ocean with a note reading Read this now! Okay, I'll take my foot out of my mouth in the event certain authors who have sent me books are reading.
In the Christmas gift category, Malc gave me Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life, a perfect gift to give the writer in your life. A perfect gift to give anybody, actually. I keep a weathered Peanuts strip featuring Snoopy hard at work on his typewriter by my desk as I work; he's always been one of my muses. Guide is a wonderful collection of related strips and brief essays by noted authors about their triumphs and pitfalls. Like Snoopy, they keep plugging away, and like Snoopy they keep their heads down to focus, lest the Lucys of the world bring them down.
In the mystery/thriller category, I finished Brian Rouff's Dice Angel (Hardway Press), The Fractal Murders by Mark Cohen (Muddy Gap Press), and the forthcoming Collateral Damage by Austin S. Camacho (Infinity Publishing). Good works all around; Fractal (reviewed at Blether) is an especially engrossing procedural about three murders linked by the victims' occupations (experts in fractal geometry), and Dice Angel is just a plain hoot - imagine a hybrid of Dave Barry and Carl Hiassen toned down and relocated to Vegas. Collateral offers a good story with an engaging Equalizer-type protagonist, though the numerous technical errors put me off a bit (gotta watch those commas, people). Still, all were good stories and ones I would recommend to mystery readers.
In the Christian category, I recently finished Sonnets from Matthew by David Craig (Franciscan University Press), a chapbook of poems inspired by various passages of the aforementioned Gospel. Very ambitious and vivid work. Next up is an audio book about the Gospel and How Firm a Foundation by Marcus Grodi.
Oh, yeah? Why does the morning news look like a made-for-TV movie starring Doogie Howser and Valerie Bertinelli? Is this stuff for real? I'm not exactly a fashion plate, but what's with that woman's hair?
The Two Towers has been sold out in advance here for days at all the area theaters. I figured I would wait anyway until the crowds died down, so on Saturday we went to see Auto Focus, the Bob Crane story. Good movie, though somewhat graphic at times, and Willem Dafoe is sublime as usual. Greg Kinnear does a good job as well, and his look during his final years is especially dead-on. Don't bring the kiddies to this one, though, and don't come in with the frame of mind that it's going to be all Hogan's Hero-esque hijinks. It's a very dark story, a contemporary morality tale of how a man's failings led ultimately to his demise.
I was quite familiar with the story of Bob Crane's murder already. Being a mystery lover, Crane's story fascinates me in particular because it has never been officially solved. While his partner in sexcapades John Carpenter (Dafoe) had been tried, he was eventually acquitted due to lack of evidence; the case had been botched pretty much from the beginning, I had read, and since Carpenter is also dead we'll never really know the true story. I went into the film believing Carpenter was guilty, but now I am not so sure. I realize biopics do not always portray the actual events with 100% accuracy, but having seen Auto Focus makes me wonder if Carpenter really had reason to kill Crane. The guy was an out-of-work electronics salesman who got his jollies taping his activities and riding celebrity coattails. By the end of the movie Crane is wanting to end his seedy lifestyle and make a serious career comebacK - to that he ended his friendship with Carpenter. Had I been Carpenter, I would have sulked for a while, then searched for another celebrity onto whom I could latch, or leech. Being connected to the murder of any man, famous or otherwise, would have prevented that. Talking about it later, we theorized it's probable Crane was offed by a jealous boyfriend/husband who tracked him down.
Probably the most poignant scene in the film for me was when Crane was having breakfast in a diner with his parish priest. He is telling the priest about how he likes to play the drums to unwind after a day of shooting Hogan's Heroes (this is before he starts with the sex tapings), and how he is doing this in area strip clubs. Naturally the priest discourages the behavior and suggests that since he too is a musician, Crane should join him and some other parishioners to play music instead of going to the clubs. You can see Crane working it in his head that the priest is probably right. You can also tell that Crane is also trying to justify his behavior, that if he just plays the drums and does nothing else (no looking, no touching, etc.) he is really doing nothing sinful, just as he earlier tried to justify to his wife that the racy magazines he hid in the garage were there to fortify his interest in photography. It was almost as if Crane was seeking permission to play at the strip clubs, as if he was not fully aware that what seemed like an innocent act would eventually spiral downward into greater sins. In a way, too, it seemed like Crane was fishing for a stronger response from his priest but was not satisfied with the answer. For me that scene really spoke of Crane's vulnerability, and it's difficult not to feel sorry for him. At the start of the film he says he wants to be the next Jack Lemmon, and he probably could have achieved that if not for the paths he chose. We'll never know.
So it is in real life, I suppose. Some things we do may not seem sinful now, and we think nothing of the repercussions it will have on our futures. It's okay to do A so long as you don't do B and C along with it, we reason, yet we don't realize when we open the door to something that seems harmless it doesn't mean harm won't come. Such was the case with Bob Crane - he did A and avoided B and C, but eventually dove headfirst into D, E, and F.
One thing I do have to wonder, though, is if Crane lived right now during his Heroes prime, would his behavior have stained his career like it did in the 60s and 70s. The scenes where Crane is working on a Disney film are amusing because the execs are concerned about Crane's lifestyle; now Disney owns ABC, which allows nudity and racy content on NYPD Blue and has given television shows to the anti-Catholic David E. Kelley and people with criminal records. Several years ago Hugh Grant got caught with a prostitute; now he's up for a Golden Globe award and still maintaining his A-list status. Funny how things change. Whatever your opinion of Crane - he was either a sinner or a man ahead of his time - he certainly did not deserve his brutal fate.
Some other notes: the actor who played Werner Klemperer was very good (voice was a bit too high for Klink, though), and the only other Heroes actor who figured much in the movie (aside from Crane's second wife) was Richard Dawson, who indirectly brought Crane and Carpenter together. I'd be curious to know how Dawson feels about this movie; he's not exactly portrayed in a good light. I also wonder if sometimes he wonders if that could have been him found dead in some motel room instead of going on to a successful career as a game show host.
Hmm, maybe we could get OSV Press to publish this one: the St. Blog's Parish Cookbook. Perfect for those annual church bazaars and holiday meals.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at12:51 PM
Holy accolades, Batman! Little Flowers and A Summer Knight's Tale are both finalists in the 2003 EPPIES contest for Best Inspirational Novel! FrancisIsidore's first year and we have TWO titles in the finals! WooHoo!
Not only that, but Tim Drake's Saints of the Jubilee made the finals in the Non-Fiction: Philsophy category!
I don't think 80% of the films nominated for Golden Globes have come my way yet. I didn't even know Chicago was released. I, of course am just puzzled that the Foreign Press has yet to introduce the Best Performance by a CGI Character. Gollum would have had it in the bag. Dobby and Jar-Jar have nothing on him.
An interview with me. Me!
posted by Leigh Ellwood at11:21 AM
One more for the drinking game: one shot for every time Nârwen blogs about St. Philip Neri, Venerable Newman, and/or J.R.R. Tolkien. Bonus shot if she actually quotes any of them. Go get some nog.
How the Grinch Stole the Really Smurfy Winter Solstice Holiday Spectacular
Or something like that. I've just been thinking about Christmas cartoon specials lately, and I have concluded that they just don't make them like A Charlie Brown Christmas and Grinch anymore. I don't follow many of these new cartoons, but I did watch the Spongebob special the other night, after which Malc turned to me and said, "Where can I get some of the stuff the writers were smoking?" Seriously. This show was part live-action, hosted by a guy in a pirate suit who played his role with all the subtlety of Keith Moon with a belly full of Starbuck's. Sandy and Mr. Krabs were underused as well.
I've been reading on some blogs of late about how such specials don't even mention the word 'Christmas' anymore, about how some of these cartoons depict a generic festival similar to the season - gifts are exchanged and it snows. Victor Lams mentions in his blog the P,B, and J Otter show where all the cute, furry animals celebrate the Hoo-Ha-Hoo (Hoo-Ha-Wha? Clearly they're not related to the otters of Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas). I don't watch that show, but I'm sure the festival wasn't as bad as the notorious Life Day as celebrated on the Wookie planet Kashyyyk in the Star Wars Holiday Special. I'll bet Harrison Ford still has nightmares about this.
Come to think of it, I don't recall any other specials aside from Charlie Brown and one based upon the comic strip BC that remotely alluded to the birth of Christ. Did Rankin-Bass ever do a Nativity story?
Does this remind you of that Buddy Jesus statue from Dogma? I don't know about this. If I hear later that the manufacturers are adding Kung-Fu grip, well, forget it.
A nice review of Pete Vere's Schism will be posted on eBooks 'N' Bytes. It reads in part:
Schism is a heady mix of Catholic fiction, mystery, suspense and horror. A strange cocktail indeed! But the writer does not falter when he brews one magic potion after the other, as he immerses his readers in an edgy atmosphere. The winter and summer, the fields and the forest are rich in ideas, the trademark of someone with immense potential. The rebellious nature of the author is palpable and adds an extra charm to his narration.
1. So, what do you want for Christmas this year that you probably won't get? There really isn't much I want for Christmas this year. I don't know, I'm sort of becoming disenchanted with the idea of getting presents. It's probably because the house is already crammed full of stuff we never use anyway, so why add to it? However, I would like eventually to get the upgraded Photoshop, but it's too expensive for us right now.
2. What do you know you will be receiving for Christmas this year? I know I'm getting the Paul McCartney live album, because I was there when Malc bought it. I even wrapped it and told Malc I'd pretend to look surprised in front of his parents when we open gifts.
3. If you had the means to do so, what presents would you get some of your fellow bloggers? Be specific, it's more fun that way! I think I'd get everybody at St. Blog's (and non-St. Blogger's on my Blogroll) one of those gift cards for a restaurant, like Olive Garden or something so they can have a nice dinner out (or $100 worth of margaritas) and the deluxe LoTR DVD set. Dinner and a movie!
4. Do you support any organizations that provide for the less fortunate during the holidays? Or do any volunteer work? We give to the local Union Mission and Toys for Tots, and whenever my church holds a gift drive I try to donate something.
5. Each year about this time, I notice church attendance seems to spike, then drops off sharply after Christmas. It tickles me that these folks think they are pulling a fast one on the Big Guy. What is the most recent thing guilt has motivated you to do? I can't possibly answer this with one example. I'm feeling guilty for answering this at work.
6. According to the commercials, the only way to truly tell someone you love them on Christmas is to let them "Unwrap a Jaguar" automobile. Are there any examples of excessive commercialism and/or blatant disregard for the "Christmas Spirit" that really get under your skin? This might not count, but there have been instances around here where people have had their lights and decorations vandalized or stolen. That's just poor.
7. I remember a song where the singers wished they could teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. What would you like to teach the world? Esperanto.
BONUS: Do they know it's Christmas time at all? If, by they, you mean the voices in my head, then yes.
Finally finished The Fractal Murders (good book); now I just have to review it
Got another editing assignment
I don't know if this is a positive or not, but I'm moderator for the day at blogs4God.com, too. I'll try not to wield my power over everybody too much.
Bright enough for you? This color is for the third week of Advent, then it's back to violet for the final week. Still working on a Christmas color scheme.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at5:00 PM
Some thoughts on Star Trek: Nemesis, which we saw yesterday afternoon: good movie. Not a great one, but good enough to pay matinee price. In the realm of TNG movies I would rank it behind First Contact and before Generations and Insurrection. I won't give too much of the story away, but I will point out a few things:
Wil Wheaton wasn't cut entirely. You can see him in the wedding scenes sitting behind Beverly as Picard gives his toast. Don't blink, though. When his name came up in the credits Malc wondered where he was until I had explained it. Malc didn't even recognize him.
How in the hell did Janeway make Admiral before Picard?
The villain looks a bit too much like Richard O'Brien from twenty years ago and sounds a bit too much like Harvey Fierstein.
A St. Blog's ring member has suggested, now that the ring has almost ninety members, that I should implement a tool like the one at blo.gs. People could then go to the St. Blog's Parish webring page and see which of the member blogs are updated. This involves things like pinging and RSS and other foreign words my little brain can't digest. Can anybody help?
posted by Leigh Ellwood at12:25 PM
2002/12/13
Scroll to the bottom of the Booknotes section of the St. Augustine Catholic for a short blurb on Saints of the Jubilee, featuring a quote from YKW.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at2:29 PM
Space Food Sticks are on sale! Remember these? Remember the 70s? They used to sell these in the lunchroom at Sacred Heart Elementary along with Carvel Flying Saucer ice cream sandwiches and Little Debbie snacks. No, these aren't the original sticks from thirty years ago, either; production never ceased.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at9:58 AM
I forget which St. Blogger had the link to this originally, but today I found BuyNothingChristmas.org, set up by a Mennonite calling for a non-materialistic holiday. I wish I had found the link before I bought all those copies of Livin' La Vida Vigoda for the family. Not to mention this for Mom's sitting room. (Thanks St. Cecilia for the link.)
posted by Leigh Ellwood at8:57 AM
2002/12/12
I haven't read this one. In fact, I don't recall reading any of the Narnia books. I did see that cartoon movie of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was little, though.
The sixth book written, you're nevertheless the first chronologically. You not only describe the creation of Narnia and tell where the White Witch, the lampost and the wardrobe came from, you get to bounce between worlds with the help of Uncle Andrew's weird magic rings.
Two observations made at last night's company Christmas party, while I was still sober:
1) Everybody truly does have a body double. Being that I have only been with the company a few months, I don't quite know everybody who works there. To further complicate matters, outside vendors and regular customers are invited to the Christmas party every year, so that throws in even more people I do not know and probably will not see for a long time, probably not until next year's party. Having said that, we had a good time nonetheless, yet I admit I could not help staring for much of the party at this one gentleman who could have been the guy I used to date in high school. It was never anything serious, just a few dates, but he was a nice guy. I don't think his clone at the party noticed me staring, and I hope Malc didn't, either. :-) Mind you, I had no prurient interest in the man, though seeing him did awake some memories - I wasn't always very nice to my high school semi-sweetheart, and I have to admit I did spend some of the night feeling bad about that. That's not what precipitated the drinking, however.
2) To what will we dance in the future? The band played a mix of good dance songs, from Jimmy Buffett to swing. During "In the Mood" we watched one couple (I won't dare call them old; they certainly didn't act it. Let's go with "silver-haired") cut up the floor. Malc leaned into me and said, "I hope I can move like that when I'm his age." That got me to thinking: assuming Malc and I make it another 30 or 40 years, what nostalgic songs are going to be played at the senior dances? Can you actually picture a group of sexagenarians bumping to Limp Bizkit thirty years from now?
Addendum to the previous movie post: another fan agrees with me with regards to Trek villains: Khan. Is. The. Best. Trek. Villain. Ever.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at4:26 PM
"We huddle behind the curtain right before we’re going to play and pray before the show," [drummer] Laboriel reveals, "which is something Paul said he’s never done before."
Sad news in the writing world: poet Stan Rice has died of cancer. You might be more familiar with his wife, Anne. They were married for more than four decades.
Anne's phone message to her fans talks about his death; she mentions that Stan was the inspiration for Lestat, something I did not know. I wasn't too familiar with his poetry, only what was found in the chapter breaks of some of Anne's novels. Rest in peace, guy.
There's an interesting forum in the comments section of Jordon Cooper's blog, regarding why people are "de-linking" him from their blogs because Jordon links to Andrew Sullivan's blog. Sullivan puts on an interesting and succinct political weblog, yet some of Jordon's readers are not happy for the link because Sullivan is homosexual, to say nothing of Jordon's suggestion that people donate to Sullivan's blog fund. This is despite Jordon's insistence that the link on his blog is there only for political interest.
Reading the post makes me wonder just how far one can take this practice. Example: a person (we'll call him Link Blogger) "de-links" Jordon's blog from the Link Blog because of the Sullivan link. Later, while browsing some favorite blogs, Link Blogger finds many of them (which are linked from Link Blog) link back to Jordon, who links to Sullivan. Would Link Blogger "de-link" due to third-party links?
I realize it is not possible to not offend everybody at the same time, but I personally think the linking business is a bit silly. If you think you would be offended by Andrew Sullivan because of his beliefs, sexual preference, whatever, don't click on the link. If HR Pufnstuf offends you, don't click this link.
We've been hearing so much in the news about what Jesus would drive; reading Jordon's blog seems like a setup for a grand "Whom Would Jesus Link" discussion.
Okay, forget the lead chicken. I've been inspired by the $26 purse made from an Altoids tin that I saw at this gift shop in my neighborhood. Its creator had painted the inside and glued pictures on the outside, then poked holes in one end to attach a small strap. So that's what: a couple bucks for the mints and glue; go to the coffee shop and rip off a magazine for decorations, then attach a shoe string from a pair of Docksiders. Twenty-six bucks.
The pictures here didn't come out well because I used the cheap-ass camera mentioned in today's Monday Mission. I had an empty Snoopy Mints tin, wherein I pasted some pictures and other things:
Next, I hammered two small holes on the side and used some leftover rosary cord and beads to create the handle, then I attached an extra Miraculous Medal. In fifteen minutes I had a kitschy new rosary case. I'm still looking for something to cover the outside.
Now I need to figure out something to do with those flat tins I keep getting from AOL.
Wow. Remember when art used to be about looking at pretty pictures? Now it's about making lead casts of fried chicken. This stuff makes money, too! I think I'm in the wrong business; I am seriously considering art as a new hobby. I'm going to need about twelve boxes of Captain Crunch cereal and a pack of multi-colored Sharpie pens.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at3:28 PM
1. Do you get sick very often? What illness do you find that you've had most frequently? I don't get sick often, though it appears that I tend to come down with a bad cold around Christmas. For the past two years after Christmas Day I wound up on the sofa unable to move.
2. I know a man who flat out refuses to go to the doctor's office. You'd need an ambulance to get him near a hospital. Not me, I'd rather go as soon as I feel sick so I can get better. Do you mind going to see the doctor when you get sick? Do you know anyone who just refuses to go to a doctor when they get ill? Any idea why they are like that? We have a relative who, in the first seventy years of her life, had been to see the doctor twice - both times accidents were involved. She never went for checkups or GYN appointments or anything else. She just never liked doctors. I, on the other hand, will only go if I think it's something serious. Thankfully, it is not very often I have to do that.
3. How about visiting the dentist? Do you go get a check-up every six months? Or do you dread going? I dread going, but I go every six months anyway.
4. I've heard about a diet pill called "Thermolift" that allegedly gives you quite an energy rush. Although I've thought about getting some of these pill for the times I need a boost, I'm probably not going to take the plunge. Have you ever taken any diet pills, energy pills or energy drinks? How did they make you feel? Do you still take them? How come? At the recommendation of a friend, I took something called Metabolift for a little while. The first day I took the pills and my heart beat wildly the entire day. I felt so jittery, as if I had downed a pot of espresso; I thought I was going to have a heart attack. No, I know I need to lose weight, but I'm going to do it the old-fashioned way: exercise and eating better. I do, however, like the Clif bars and Zone bars. We take those on biking trips.
5. Have you heard about "gastric bypass" surgery that many celebrities are doing to lose weight? What are your thoughts on this procedure? Would you ever consider it? How would you feel if a relative were to decide to undergo the procedure? I actually know somebody who had this done, and I admit she looks great. She runs a support group for women who have or are considering weight loss surgery. Personally, I am not in the position to have this kind of operation because I am not that overweight, but I do not think that people who opt for it are "taking the easy way out," as some people may think. I have known overweight people who can't help their situation - they don't go out and eat at McDonald's and Ben and Jerry's five times a week - and if they feel surgery can help, I just hope it's safe.
6. What do you think the opposite sex needs to experience to fully understand what it is like to be your gender? If a man can walk a mile in my control-top pantyhose, he's completed half the journey.
7. And to lighten things up a bit before we go...what's the most worthless gadget, infomercial item or "looked like a bargain" item you have ever purchased or owned? That cheap-ass Iconcepts digital camera. Good thing I got half my money back in the rebate.
To whom in the Jacksonville Jaguars organization do I send my resume for the head coach position? I have a feeling there's going to be vacancy.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at10:16 PM
2002/12/07
I don't get EWTN, but if you do you might want to catch the 12/13 edition of "The World Over." They are supposed to talk about the Catholic Writers Festival in Steubenville, where I spoke on e-publishing. Doubt I'll be mentioned, but if it happens I hope they get my name right.
posted by Leigh Ellwood at8:44 PM
2002/12/06
Some quickie book notes before I slip back into the cold:
The announcement of the EPPIE nominations has been delayed. Seems some entries for the first round were not read and marked, so the judging committee is scrambling to find people to read them. I'd volunteer, but I'm ten books deep into my review queue, and I'm saving myself for the final round. Hope one of my books made the cut.
Finished Colleen Drippe's Godcountry, an interesting science-fiction story about a for-hire mercenary who takes on a dangerous mission in the colony where he was once enslaved. A longer review will be up at the Christian review blog soon. Right now, I'm trying to finish The Fractal Murders (mystery) and Seeds of the Dogwood Tree (Christian).
There's some pretty serious stuff happening at home. Won't go into details now, but it's enough to keep me from blogging for a day.
Please remember my father and a family friend, Gentle Raines, Jr., in your prayers tonight. Gentle, or "Sporty" as we have called him for years, has a liver ailment which is getting worse. My dad...well, I won't get into it now.
St. John of God, St. Monica, St. Urban of Langres, St. Martin of Tours, pray for us.
Since it has been nearly ten years since I last took the GRE, I'm going to have to take the test again. I have put off graduate school long enough, and in my current situation it is getting more and more apparent that I am going to need an advanced degree to do better than I am now. It's been nearly ten years since I took such a test, and I am nowhere near prepared for the next test. I'm considering getting one of those pre books Barron and Kaplan publishes. Can anybody recommend anything?
posted by Leigh Ellwood at9:10 AM
I loved FOTR and I think TTT was even better, in the sense that it had all of the qualities of the first film, plus the extraordinary, never (sic) seen before Helm's Deep sequence that made ATTACK OF THE CLONES look like it was shot in a barn with hand puppets.
A few more rambles before I break for the morning: I think we figured out how TNN is able to show movies uncut. While watching Goldfinger last night Malc noticed how the music sounded tinny at times. If you looked closely enough, Bond seemed to be moving faster than normal in some scenes, as if the film was sped up for time purposes. Not good. Goldfinger is probably the only Connery/Bond flick I have seen entirely - the film has one of the better theme songs. I don't think the filmmakers would appreciate some cable channel monkeying around with the film.
Speaking of Bond themes, I haven't heard the new one but I do keep reading on the Internet and in the papers that Elton John hates it. Being the success he is, I'm sure his opinion holds weight in some circles, but I'll give Madonna the benefit of the doubt before I decide to hate the song, too. For the time being, however, my Top Five Bond Themes remain (in no particular order):
Thanks to Zorak and Mike for the suggestions. I'll monkey with the font color 'til we get something readable. :-)
Meanwhile, Catholic women looking for yet another webring to join should check out St. Therese's Guild, a 'spinoff' ring for female St. Bloggers. Not sure what would happen if a man applied (don't ask, don't tell, especially with all these androgynous Internet user names), but I suppose the menfolk could start a St. Anthony's Guild or something.
Advent layout. I'm keeping it simple. Christ's entry into the world was simple, so why not keep the theme? Just hope the purple doesn't irritate too many eyes. Wait 'til we get to the pink!
posted by Leigh Ellwood at8:39 PM
Book recommendation: Net Crimes and Misdemeanors by JA Hitchcock. You may have seen Jayne on Good Morning America or Montel, or maybe you have heard her on NPR. Jayne's story of Internet harassment and abuse was national news a few years back, and Jayne has since become a wonderful advocate for Internet safety. Net Crimes is an invaluable resource for anybody concerned about online safety and privacy, which should be just about everybody who uses the Net.
It is rather ironic, though, that I would make such a recommendation on a blog. Many people I know involved in online abuse cases and such aren't big fans of weblogs, since some weblog owners tend to reveal too much personal information at times. I'm guilty of it myself, though I try to rationalize my behavior by telling myself that I'm trying to sell books. I can't sell books if I'm hiding in a hole. Reading Net Crimes, however, has helped me to see how I can stay safe online. You stay safe, too.
You get them in the e-mail, too. Usually I have a chuckle and delete, but I thought this one was funny. Author unknown:
In the beginning, God created Man and saw that it was good.
And then God created Woman and saw that it was good.
And God said, "I must keep my creations healthy."
And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
And Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to Man, "You want fries with that?" And Man said, "Super size them." And Man gained pounds.
And God created the healthful yogurt, that Woman might keep her figure that man found so fair.
And Satan froze the yogurt, and he brought forth chocolate, nuts and brightly colored sprinkle candy to put on the yogurt. And woman gained pounds.
And God said, "Try a fresh salad."
And Satan brought forth creamy dressings, bacon bits, and shredded cheese. And there was ice cream for dessert. And woman gained pounds.
And God said, "I have sent you healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."
And Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained pounds, and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.
And God brought forth running shoes, and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds.
And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and EPSN2. And Man gained pounds.
And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil."
And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.
And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also.
And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And Satan saw and said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.
And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.
1. Suppose God (or your deity of choice) grants you one miracle. Consider the world in which we live. Consider your life and family. What would you request for this miracle? Are you sure that is the best way to use it? You only get one. The brain says "world peace," but the mouth says, "give me money." Actually, given one chance for a miracle I would probably ask for a baby. I have everything else.
2. I believe that prayers do get answered, but I realize not everyone agrees. Have you ever had an experience where you truly believe your prayer was answered? If you don't believe in such things, how come? What is your philosophy on prayer? I do believe prayers are answered, regardless of outcome. Say you pray for one thing to happen and it doesn't; I don't think it means God isn't listening, but that there is a reason why the prayer isn't going to be fulfilled. Eventually God will reveal the whys and why nots. Once a relative was diagnosed with cancer, and I prayed for her recovery. It's been three years now and she is fine. Some people will say that she is alive because of good medical care, but I like to believe God had a hand in it as well.
3. Have you ever lost a pet? That is, have you ever had a pet get loose, run away or be stolen? Did you get it back? How did the loss impact your life? I have never owned a pet.
4. Getting together with family at the holidays is great, I just love it. Most of all I love the food. What is your favorite holiday food? Stuffing. I could eat it every day. I could eat it for dessert if it was socially acceptable.
5. One thing I've noticed about the holidays is that no one makes pumpkin pie like my grandmother. She has totally spoiled me on her recipe, I just don't like the taste of anyone else's pumpkin pie. Are there are dishes or desserts that someone in your family fixes better than anyone else? My mother-in-law makes this seven-layer dessert bar thing that I have never been able to duplicate. Of course, I don't ask for the recipe because I don't want to know what's in it. Seems every time we ask we don't like the answer.
6. Since I have no brothers or sisters, I am always wondering what it would have been like. Now that I am older, it kinda stinks that I will never be an uncle. Do you have any siblings with children? How does it make you feel to be an aunt or an uncle? If not, would you like to be have nieces and nephews? Would you make a good relative to them? I have one nephew, brand new. I'm still getting used to the idea, and since I have not seen him in person I really don't know what kind of aunt I will be. I imagine my sister will be the nice aunt and I will be the weird aunt who gives questionable presents and tons of candy. I never had an aunt like that, so maybe I'm compensating for something.
7. I am putting together a CD of great holiday music. Do you have any suggestions of what songs (title/artist) I should include? I love the Band Aid "Do They Know it's Christmas?" song. Also: "Gabriel's Message" by Sting, "Blue Christmas" by Elvis, and the traditional Christian hymns, doesn't matter who sings them. Now, if you're into something a little more demented, there's "The Night Santa Went Crazy" by Weird Al, Bob and Doug's version of "Twelve Days of Christmas," and the singing Jingle Bell dogs.
O God, You gave St. Peregrine an angel for his companion, the Mother of God for his teacher, and Jesus for the Physician of his infirmity. Grant, we beg You, through his merits, that on earth we may love our holy angel, the Blessed Virgin, and our Savior, and in heaven bless them forever. Grant that we may receive the favor we now ask ... through Christ our Lord. Amen.
