June 9, 2007

Belated Happy Birthday to Kate

Yesterday was Venomous Kate's 40th birthday. She and her handsome hubby were kind enough to invite us to the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas to celebrate.

If you live anywhere near Kansas City, I highly recommend that you go there. The food is absolutely awesome. I did not expect that at a dinner theatre, I expected 'banquet' food. I was so wrong - the food was the best I've had at any restaurant that I can think of.

Anyway, we did have a great time with Kate and her hubby. Many martinis were consumed. We laughed. We ate. We drank.

Kate's handsome hubby was our designated driver and got us safely home. Thanks, Kate, for inviting us, and believe me, life does begin at 40 - really and truly!

Posted by Beth at 7:11 AM | Comments (2)

February 14, 2007

I suck at live blogging

I had so much fun meeting so many great folks at the Dole Institute of Politics last night that I pretty much gave up on live blogging. The facilities director and his wife, Laurence and Terry (it might be Terri or Terrie, I'll have to ask her) Bush let me hang out 'backstage' with them.

Terry, oddly enough, is exactly 3 days older than I am. So I have her business card and email address, and since Lawrence, Kansas is just the next county over, I'm sure we'll get together for a birthday drink, at least.

It was very nice to meet some 'big' bloggers. John and I were very lucky to be invited to the pre-event dinner. I sat next to Judge Joseph Pierron, of the Kansas Appellate Court, and discovered that we both graduated from Rockhurst College (now University). The good Judge graduated a few years before I started at Rockhurst - when it was an all-male college. We both had been taught by several of the same professors - Dr. Rydzel for history, and several of the same Jesuit priests. I thought it was kinda funny that both of us did whatever was necessary to avoid Father Freeman's classes!

John sat next to Judge Pierron's wife, Diana Bartelli Carlin, Ph. D. Dr. Carlin is a fascinating, brilliant woman - she is the dean of the Graduate School and International Programs at the University of Kansas and a professor of Communications. She has been very involved with presidential politics as you can see.
We also sat with some KU grad students. And I can't remember their names!!! So if anyone was there, let me know who they were.

It was really a fun meal. Lots of talking and getting to know each other. Wonderful experience!

I will write more about the Blog to the Chief event later on - now, I have to get ready to go, I'll be gone for a few days and won't have access to the internet, but I will be back probably Saturday or Sunday.

Update - here is John's post, with pictures, of last evenings events.

Posted by Beth at 7:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Venomous Kate

Kate was admitted to Cushing Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas yesterday. Her blood work was not good.

So, everyone, say some prayers for Kate's quick recovery.

Posted by Beth at 7:24 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 13, 2007

We are going to have an interesting time tonight

John and I are going to the Dole Institute of Politics Presidential Lecture Series: "Blog to the Chief: The Impact of Political Blogs on the 2008 Election". We will get to meet some wonderful bloggers there. It is free to the public, and I urge everyone to try to come. There will be bloggers from the Left and from the Right. I think it will be pretty interesting.

And C-Span is going to cover it - I'm glad we are not on the panel, but we do get to go to a dinner and discussion before the event. We are waiting to see if we can take pictures and/or liveblog it.

Posted by Beth at 9:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 28, 2007

Happy Birthday, Keewee!!!

Today is Keewee's 60th Birthday!

I have had the pleasure of meeting Keewee last fall, at the Gunbloggers shoot in Reno. I could listen to her talk all day long, as she has the most beautiful voice!

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Keewee - and here is to another 60 years!

Posted by Beth at 12:35 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 9, 2006

Reno - Shooting Range

Chris and his wife, Mel have great t-shirts appropriate for the occassion. It was very nice meeting them this weekend.

UPDATE!:

Due to popular demand:

Okay, okay, I have to find out where Mel got this - I will ask, I promise.

Posted by Beth at 10:53 AM | Comments (11)

A good time was had by all

John and I had a great time at the GunBloggers Shoot in Reno, Nevada - now, I'm obviously not a gunblogger, but they let me in, anyway.

We got to meet a lot of great folks and we went to a shooting range out in the desert and I even ran into a rattlesnake!

I have a bunch of pictures. I'll be posting them today as I have time during breaks from work!

Oh, and I almost forgot, we passed the Federal Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center on our way to the shooting range.

Posted by Beth at 10:37 AM | Comments (1)

October 5, 2006

I can't wait!

Bright and very early tomorrow morning, John and I will board a plane and fly to Reno, Nevada!

We are going to the Gun Bloggers Rendezvous!

Oh, much fun will be had! Between shooting, gambling and eating and drinking - well, just be jealous if you are not going to be there!!!

Posted by Beth at 7:25 PM | Comments (3)

September 15, 2006

Happy Birthday Harvey!!!

Harvey is 40 years old today!

I have your Blue Birthday Present for you below the fold!

Posted by Beth at 4:16 PM

August 21, 2006

New Baby Alert!!!

The beautiful and talented Kelley of Suburban Blight is the proud mama of a wonderful little baby boy - Christopher Lee! Go read all about it!

Congratulations, Kelley!!!

Posted by Beth at 8:05 PM

August 10, 2006

Grow up, bloggerettes!

One of my very favorite writers ever, Helen, has been unjustly pilloried by Michelle Malkin. Michelle called her a moonbat for writing this post.

Now, I may not agree with everything that Helen says(mostly her feelings about Lebanon and Blair), but I do agree with her so far as her sadness that travel has become so difficult because of evil. As a frequent traveler, I am not thrilled that the next time I go to the UK, I can't carry on my laptop, my books, my water or my mp3 player. Like Helen, I am concerned about my belongings making it to the other end without being stolen.

But Helen has every damn right to write what she feels. And she is reasonable and sane in her post.

Michelle Malkin, on the other hand, is very unreasonable these days. She has jumped the shark, as far as I am concerned.

When Malkin first started blogging, she was reasoned and smart. But the more attention she gets in the blogosphere, the more shrill and abrasive she becomes. And what is very upsetting, as one of my dear Cotillion friends said, is that Michelle has been the victim of the very same kind of nastiness that she has foisted upon dear Helen. And yeah, I have always thought of Helen as Dear Helen.

Michelle Malkin owes Helen an apology. A big one. And until Helen gets an acceptable apology from Michelle, Michelle is off of my blogroll.

One more thing - Zoloft can be your friend. It's mine and keeps me from flying off the handle - maybe it could help others in the blogosphere!

For a much better post on the same subject, go see dear Cassandra.

Posted by Beth at 5:10 PM | Comments (12)

August 7, 2006

Blogging Law Professors

What a life it must be to teach law! Apparently, teaching law allows for enough time to become an expert in everything. At least, that is what law professors think.

For example, Ann Althouse, one of the Group of Really Cool Law Professors Who Blog, has a lot to say about fat people:

I agree that it's a mystery, but you can extract one truth: if you're still fat, you need to eat less. It doesn't matter why other people don't get fat when they seem to eat the same thing. Look at your own situation. If you're still fat, cut down. Eat less, and weigh yourself. Do it every day for the rest of your life. There's nothing wrong with you. It's just the natural impulse that allowed your ancestors to survive through famines. You have a healthy urge and a healthy body, but in times of affluence, that will make you fat. You've got to go against your nature and eat less. Until you're not fat any more. Or, as Roseann Barr once said: "Just be fat and shut up."

source

Speaking for myself, this is what I say to Ann and the other gang of law professor bloggers:

I agree that it's a mystery, but you can extract one truth: if you're a lawyer, and you are talking about anything outside of the law, you don't know what you are talking about, you need to shut up. It doesn't matter that you have a blog and other people have blogs when they seem to say the same thing. Look at your own situation. If you're still a law professor, shut up. Shut up and think before speaking/writing. Do it every day for the rest of your life. There's nothing wrong with you. It's just the natural impulse that allowed your ancestors (sharks) to survive. You have a healthy urge and a healthy body, but in times of affluence, that will make you talk out your ass. You've got to go against your nature and talk/write less. Until you're not a lawyer any more. Or, as Roseann Barr once said: "Just shut up."

Source

Posted by Beth at 2:51 PM | Comments (3)

May 21, 2006

oops

I forgot Joanie's birthday! What kind of a friend am I?

Joanie - happy 40th - a couple of days late, anyway!

Posted by Beth at 8:13 AM

May 13, 2006

I had the weirdest dream last night!

Way back in the day, I took a great college course on psychology in literature. It was a combination English/Psychology course team taught by two of the best professors I ever had the pleasure to learn from.

We had about 10 books assigned for reading. One of those was Freud's Interpretation of Dreams. As an assignment, we were to record our dreams. I learned to wake myself up from a dream and write down parts of it before returning to sleep.

So, I guess old habits are hard to break. I had a crazy dream last night - it was really kinda funny. It was partly about LaShawn Barber, a very good blogger - example -, who I had the pleasure of meeting very briefly at the Millblog Conference in DC.

I dreamt that LaShawn had built a life-size model of some kind of landing craft that the Army used to land at Cleveland. (Yes, this is a dream, folks). LaShawn had worked very, very hard at putting together this exhibit, and asked my husband, John of Argghhh!, to come take a look at it for her and to correct any historical errors.

Well, her landing craft had been outfitted with those kind of round vanity light bulbs all around the edges - and of course, there were three colours, red, white and blue.

Atop these bulbs were very lacy lampshades in shades of ecru, off white and beige.

LaShawn had also spent hour upon hour aging the craft and putting sand on appropriate places. It was a very impressive, if girly, rendition of the famous landing craft that brought the Army to Cleveland.

Well, John took one look at it, and very politely said to LaShawn - you did research on this? Poor LaShawn was embarrassed and said, yes, but the boat needed some prettying up.

Anyway, the rest of my dream was involved with watching John very carefully working around this life-size model to make sure that LaShawn would not be embarrassed at the unveiling the next day.

My guess as to the meaning of this dream?

Not sure. Obviously, I think LaShawn is a very feminine lady. John is always a perfectionist when it comes to things military. And since I'm trying to redecorate this house, maybe I'm wishing that LaShawn would come and help me make all the militaria here look a little prettier.

Posted by Beth at 7:35 AM | Comments (5)

May 6, 2006

And I thought *my* life was hectic!

This has to be one of the most interesting excuses for not blogging that I have ever read.

If it wasn't for Harvey, I never woulda known about it.

Posted by Beth at 4:52 PM | Comments (2)

April 21, 2006

I'm in Washington, D.C.

John and I flew into Baltimore/Washington International yesterday and spent the day walking around the Mall and wearing out our feet!

We wanted to go to the Washington Naval Yard, but we could not find the right exit, and then we were in D.C. and we found a parking garage, parked, and started walking.

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day - low humidity and a high of about 73 - can't get much better than that in Washington - or anywhere else. I have been to D.C. area many times for work, but I've never seen D.C. and all the government buildings and museums, etc., until now. I fell in love with the Smithsonian buildings

and the many flower gardens

and the White House

and of course, the Washington Monument

today and Sunday, I hope to be able to see more of our historic center of government.

Posted by Beth at 8:10 AM | Comments (4)

February 28, 2006

So, what high school did you go to?

It's a St. Louis thing. Anytime a St. Louisan meets another St. Louisan, we want to know where that person went to high school. It just tells you something about that person.

I met David from The Glittering Eye last night for dinner. He is from St. Louis. I know what high school he went to! His lovely wife is not from St. Louis, but I know where she went to high school anyway.

I graduated from St. Joseph's Academy, but I also attended Villa Duchesne from kindergarten through 10th grade.

So, where did you go to high school? Even if you are not from St. Louis, I want to know!

Posted by Beth at 7:28 AM | Comments (29)

February 15, 2006

Some people are a little, uh, sensitive?

Whoever this woman is, she is a little off-balance, methinks. And she is not very nice in her descriptions of people - but apparently she can dish it out, but can't take it.

Ms. Schlussel apparently hates Denmark, and Misha linked to her anti-Danish screed and fisked it in typical Misha fashion. Misha was born in Denmark, and has a great love for his country of birth, so he defends Denmark and in doing so is more than blunt about his ill-feelings towards Ms. Schlussel (who is a talk show host somewhere, not here!).

Ms. Schlussel pretty much says on her blog that Denmark deserves everything it gets from the Islamofascists.

Well, anyone who has been to Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler knows that Misha doesn't pull any literary punches when he is pissed off.

So Ms. Schlussel, who is not the nicest of people on her own blog, emails Misha and suggests that she might sue him.

Where do I get involved with this? Well, hopefully, I won't - I'm just reporting the story.

Anyway, John made a small suggestion to her on his blog, Argghhh!

The Rottweiler Emperor annoyed Debbie Schlussel, and she whined grumped to him about it [she made it clear to me in the email where she asks me if I blog out my ass that it wasn't whining. O.k.]. Mistake, Debbie. I stand by my advice, Debbie. If your note to the Rottweiler was like the tone of your email to me, that was just pouring gas on the flames. There's a *reason* Misha is called the Rottweiler. -The Armorer

Ms. Schlussel took offense that John linked to Misha and wrote him a very rude email.

I have printed that email in the extended entry.

--- Debbie Schlussel wrote:

I read your post about my "whining" to the idiot
rottweiler. Do you always blog out of your ass?
You
have NO IDEA what I said to the idiot because he
lied
and didn't post my e-mails to him. Why do you think
he changed what he wrote and posted a "retraction"?
I
NEVER threaten to sue anyone over being offended.
Believe me, his site, which I never before visited
and
won't again, is NOT worthy of my time and attention.

I've been called a lot worse by more worthies and
ignored it. But defamatory, LYING speech is NOT
protected anywhere, much less so in your precious
Denmark. I find it interesting that you are willing
to write a blog entry, when you haven't a clue and
you
never read my e-mail. Like a true idiot . . . .
Debbie Schlussel

Wow, this bitter woman gets pissed off pretty easily!
At least she signs her email with some truth:

"Like a true idiot ...
Debbie Schlussel"

Posted by Beth at 7:28 AM | Comments (2)

Around my blogroll

Kate at Electric Venom is going to Home School her son. Go over and wish her good luck! I admire anyone with the planning skills and dedication to home school. I never could have done it, I'm too much of a flake!

Posted by Beth at 6:18 AM

January 5, 2006

Sunset in Florida

You just have to over to Pam's place to see the beautiful picture she took.

It would make a great calendar picture.

Posted by Beth at 6:57 AM | Comments (1)

November 27, 2005

Allan is changing his look

You might want to stop by and check out Allan's new look. I'm waiting for him to post a picture of Ali, too.

Posted by Beth at 10:01 AM

November 19, 2005

Blogging news

Wow, Aaron just had his 1,000,000 visitor! That is ONE MILLION!
Congrats, Aaron!

In about 10 years I might hit that!

Posted by Beth at 7:45 AM | Comments (1)

November 5, 2005

A good time was had by all

I really love meeting other bloggers. I am luckier than most because I travel so much anyway, and that gives me more opportunities to meet other folks. In fact, I need to make a new blogroll - that lists all the bloggers I have met in person. That list is getting longer all the time!

I do apologize for taking a full week to finish this post, by the way. I have a very bad habit of procrastinating. A lot. Often.

This past weekend, John and I went to Straight White Guy's blogfest. Eric and his lovely, friendly, sweet, incredibly patient wife, Fiona, were wonderful hosts. They have a lovely home in Eastern Tennessee - a gorgeous, huge backyard with a huge deck and lots of trees - and a patio out in the yard, too - they even have a fire pit! And two cats - but we only got to meet one, Fred. Ginger is too shy to make an appearance among strangers, and believe me, we were all pretty strange.

John and I didn't get there until a bit afternoon of the blogfest, so we missed going to the range with the guys and/or antiquing with Army Wife, Toddler Mom (who made the 9 hour drive from Arkansas!!!). We missed meeting Key Monroe - darn it - I so wanted to meet Key!

Speaking of Army Wife - this woman is drop dead gorgeous - she is in great shape (you would never guess she has kids!) and has great hair and a great personality on top of it all. She's got more energy than I've ever had. Or at least more than I ever remember having!

I was absolutely thrilled to meet Denny (Grouchy Old Cripple), as I have been reading his blog for as long as I have been blogging. Since he retired, he's not nearly as grouchy as he used to be. And ... he plays guitar just beautifully. I love his finger-picking, and luckier still, he has a very nice voice. Here is a picture of Denny and Jim of Parkway Rest Stop as they serenaded thier adoring fans.

And Jim is super smart and super funny and has great hair and really sings nicely!:

Actually, Jim, Denny and John all have great hair. (which reminds me - last night I dreamt that John had hair down to his waist and he looked ridiculous - and if you know John, you know just how ludicrous that dream was!)

We finally got to meet Matt. We have been trying to get together with him (and Eric) for gosh - two years?

Oh, and we met Redneck - he's kinda cute, too.

Oddly, I seem to have taken tons and tons of pictures of Harvey and his lovely wife, TNT (boy, she is one buff chick!). I don't know if it was just coincidental that they seemed to be everywhere, or if they really were everywhere at once. TNT and Harvey are very lovey dovey with each other - it's so sweet! They asked that I don't publish their pictures, so I won't - except for the back of the head of Mrs. Bad Example as she sings along with Jim and Denny and Eric.

Tammi, as always, was stupendous. I really want some of her energy. I've never known anyone who is so much fun to be around - even when she is around old fogies like John and I! Tammi is one of those all too rare women who make you feel like you have known her forever. I'd tell her all my secrets!

I met a true Princess, also - Princess Cat. She looks just like Gina Davis only younger and prettier. Oh, to be young and pretty again! (yeah, once upon a time, I was a looker)

And Sissy, what a sweetie! She has the most brillient blue eyes ever! Again, I don't have permission to post pictures of her, so you must use your imagination.
Sissie came all the way from Arizona - that's dedication to her blogfriends!

That 1 Guy is a hoot, also. Unlike the unpictured chicken shits aboveT1G said it was okay for his pic to be up - so here he is - I think he's a great guy to hang out with - especially if you need protection in a bad part of town.

Boudicca and her sister also made an appearence at the blog meet. Smart, smart, smart women, those two - and very pretty, too - every guy there made mention of their now legendary beauty.

Zonker is a hoot. He was on his cellphone a lot - talking to more important bloggers, I think. He's the guy outside the door on the phone behind the flowers:

I wish I had spent more time talking to him - I really like his sense of humour.

Oh, and Johnny O is just the cutest, nicest guy around. Hope he doesn't mind - here is his picture, so all you young women can oogle him. Hmmm. I shoulda taken a picture of his butt. It's cute, too.

Not that I would know at my advanced age!

John, my love, of course, had a great time. Even if he was giving me funny looks:

There are more pictures below...

I forgot to mention that many stars from that hit movie about penguins were at the party:

Posted by Beth at 12:31 PM | Comments (12)

October 8, 2005

playing catch up on the blogosphere

1. On the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers - I'm amazed and stunned by the snobbishness and elitism of conservatives in regards to this nomination. I think their reaction is downright embarassing. Go read Baldilock's post on this. Her thoughts are very close to mine.

2. On the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize - OMG, I was completely shocked by that reward. Bad enough that Yassar (that's my baby) Arafat and Jimmy Carter have been recipients - but this is totally absurd. Jay Tea at Wizbang has a great post about this. And of course, Laurence has a few words.

3. Al Gore's take on Freedom of the American Press - just go read Hubris.

4. Caption Contest.

5. Top of Europe.

Posted by Beth at 10:02 AM | Comments (5)

September 1, 2005

Mog

I met Mog last night for dinner. We have some things in common - we each have eight cats and one kid. Mog actually works for the same entity that I am here in Phoenix working as a consultant for - small world.

Mog said she would be wearing a Frank J. T-Shirt, so I would recogize her.

She was easy to recognize!

We had dinner at the CheeseCake Factory - a first for both of us. We both came home with a lot of leftovers, too. I was thinking of finishing off my cheesecake for breakfast, but I don't have a fork here at the hotel!

Mog had a Hot Fudge Sundae for dessert.

Posted by Beth at 9:35 AM | Comments (6)

August 31, 2005

On a happier note ...

I am having dinner with Moggie of theMind of Mog tonight. Thought we'd meet at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum.

I love being able to meet other bloggers, and I'm so glad that Moggie is free this evening!

Posted by Beth at 7:43 PM | Comments (2)

August 27, 2005

Quick note

You have to go see this optical illusion over at Tammi's World.

Don't ask, just go there - very funny!

Posted by Beth at 11:50 AM

August 26, 2005

I'm adding Rahel to my blogroll

And if you love beautiful pictures and cats.
Elms in the Yard.

I found her via Laurence's blog.

Posted by Beth at 8:40 AM | Comments (1)

August 25, 2005

Alrighty then ...

Just spent a few hours editing some of the great pictures I got over our vacation -- stay tuned - tomorrow, I'll have a great story in picture that describes what the Donovan did over Summer Vacation.

Posted by Beth at 8:56 PM | Comments (1)

August 19, 2005

I am very lucky

I have been able to meet quite a few bloggers in my travels for work, and this weekend, I get to meet even more!

I need to create a blogroll just for the bloggers I know personally - Tammi, Bee Bee, Rosemary and Dean, Punctilious and Rammer, Beth and Nerdstar and Fuzzybear Lioness and Ala and her husband and now, DaGoddess and Mr. and Mrs. Smash and Doc in the Box!

And I have even met Sharon, one of my regular commenters and her husband.

And every single blogger I have met has been wonderful. I love you all.

Eventually, I hope to meet Cranky Chick and the Venomous One - they both live in Kansas - well, gee, I think Kat also lives in the area - have to meet her, too!

I have noticed that bloggers are a little different from non-bloggers. We have some pretty strong ideas, tend to be a bit more creative than the norm, and we are all a little more aware of what is going on in the world than normal people.

With some luck, I'll get to meet more of you as I travel around!

Posted by Beth at 9:49 PM | Comments (8)

August 7, 2005

Around the web

Got up early this morning, and thought I'd check out some good blogs. Here are some you should definitely read - Ambra has her monthly rant up - how men should *not* behave if they want to get a date. Very funny. Ambra (earlier I had listed Ambra's first name as Nykola - sorry, Ambra - I've had my coffee now.) is an extremely talented writer, and her monthly rants always make me giggle.

My friend, BeeBee, has an interesting and kinda gross work story.

The now un-Fanged One's Fang Fund is getting closer to the goal of replacing said fangs that were lost in an accident. If you have not done so already, go over and throw a couple of bucks into Kate's tip jar.

Cassandra, writer and thinker extraordinaire, has a good-humoured post up about Judge Roberts and his gayness quotient.

Boudicca is trying to figure out the relationship of scallops and cucumbers. Don't ask, just read.

There is a new blog dedicated to supporting 'gay' Judge Roberts. I won't join only because I'm too lazy to add the required picture to my sidebar. Said picture is hilarious, though.

Erick at RedState.Org has some thoughts about the absolutely ridiculous decision by the NCAA to ban Indian mascots of college teams.

My friend, Ala, has done some historical digging to find out that the original feminists also decried abortion.

Jay Tea over at Wizbang discusses the double standard the world takes with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Well worth the read.

Well, I can hear John moving about - he must have awakened, so I'm off to get his coffee.

Posted by Beth at 6:54 AM | Comments (3)

August 3, 2005

Poor Kate

Venomous Kate had an accident on her bike and lost and/or cracked 8 teeth. Apparently her medical insurance won't cover it. Anyway, go add a bit to her fundraiser tip jar - she has to come up with many thousands of dollars to fix everything.

I can't imagine how painful and awful this must be!

Posted by Beth at 11:29 AM

July 30, 2005

Beatiful New Addition to MSG Keith's family

MSG Keith
has a beautiful new little granddaughter. You must look at the pictures. Just makes me want to pinch those cute little cheeks!

Congratulations, Papa Sarge!

Posted by Beth at 10:19 PM

July 28, 2005

New blog!

FBL, a really nice and smart woman I met a couple of weeks ago has finally started her own blog -Fuzzilicious Thinking.

FbL will have a lot to say, I betcha!

Posted by Beth at 6:09 AM

July 27, 2005

BeeBee!

I had lunch and a lot of talk with BeeBee today. I'm telling you, BeeBee is one wise, funny, smart woman! I just love her. I feel like I've known her for quite awhile.

The next time I make it to Houston, I'm going to sit out in BeeBee's Secret Garden with her and watch SpeedoMan! That would be lots of fun!

BeeBee has wonderful stories about her childhood - I hope she gets them all written down, even if they are not all polictically correct. Heck, she could write a book and I bet it would be a best seller.

If I was really rich, I'd take all my favorite female bloggers to a fancy spa for a weekend - Tammi and Teresa and Barb and Joanie and BeeBee and Rosemary and Beth and Nerdstar and Boudicca and Ala and Punctilious. We could sit in a hot tub and have some drinks and tell stories.

Of course, by the time I shut up, everyone would be all pruny from being in the water that long!

Posted by Beth at 10:34 PM | Comments (8)

July 26, 2005

Oh, boy, oh, boy!

I just talked to BeeBee on the phone. We are going to meet for lunch tomorrrow. I am so excited! I bet you are all jealous of me!
BeeBee is an incredibly interesting woman. We talked on the phone for a long time, and I'm sure we will have a fine time tomorrow when we meet at one of my favorite Houston restaurants!

Posted by Beth at 8:26 PM | Comments (1)

July 20, 2005

Ouchy, ouchy, ouchy

Our friend, Joanie, DaGoddess, had back surgery yesterday. Go tell her how much you love her!

Posted by Beth at 9:09 AM | Comments (1)

July 15, 2005

Go say Hi to Acidman

Acidman's Blog, Gutrumbles is nearing 2,000,000 visitors, so everyone should go and link to him. And visit him, too.

Posted by Beth at 4:57 PM | Comments (1)

July 12, 2005

I'll Join This Fight!

There is a McCain / Feingold Insurrection going on. Free Speech is Free Speech. The FEC should not limit political free speech in any way, in my opinion. That is what the First Ammendment is all about!

Anyway, I'm going to post a flag on my sidebar that shows my solidarity with all bloggers right or left.

Thanks to Barb for posting about this.

Posted by Beth at 5:16 PM | Comments (2)

July 9, 2005

BeeBee's Back!

This is the best news I've read for awhile - BeeBee is back blogging!

If you have never read BeeBee's Blog, Angle of Vision, before, go read it now. She is a fascinating woman with fascinating tales to tell.

Posted by Beth at 1:35 PM | Comments (2)

June 22, 2005

Ala

Last week, when I was in Philadelphia, Ala and her wonderful husband took me out to dinner. I had a wonderful time. I ate too much, drank too much and talked too much.

Ala is as smart as a whip (should be obvious if you read her blog!). I got a really nice picture of her and her man, but I need to check with her to see if it is ok for me to post it.

Posted by Beth at 7:45 AM | Comments (1)

June 12, 2005

Oh, my

Allan live-blogged his garage sale yesterday!

I swore off having garage sales years ago when I got just one too many bargain hunters who took one look at the curtains I was selling and said "gee, what awful taste, I'll give you 50 cents for all of them".

Posted by Beth at 12:31 PM | Comments (2)

Cowards.

I really hate it when bloggers don't allow comments or even trackbacks. (Sorry, Glenn, you are indeed included it this feeling. Heh.).

Especially when they make absurd and inflammatory statements, such as this one on the Huffington Post.

I'm just saying ...

Posted by Beth at 11:33 AM | Comments (3)

April 21, 2005

More mini-linky-love

I woke up at 4:00 am - I do have a cold, darnit! And John is flying here today so we can have some fun in this lovely, crazy city.

Waking up so early isn't all bad - I had time to catch up with some of my favorite bloggers.

Check out e-Claire's post of the Minutemen on our border and how the ACLU just can't stand that those watching our border are calm and responsible - as opposed to the ACLU.

Rosemary has a discussion of where intelligence comes from over at Dean's World. Rosie puts more emphasis on genetic factors than I would. I strongly believe that nurture is as important in IQ as the X chromosome. I truly believe that great parenting makes kids smarter. Heck, Jake Esmay is a very smart young (7 yrs old) man - Rosemary and Dean should give themselves credit for being really great parents.

Joanie wants a picture of your belly!

I better start getting ready for work. See you all later!

Posted by Beth at 6:02 AM | Comments (4)

April 20, 2005

Short Linky-love

This Geocaching thing sounds like fun. I think I'll talk to John about purchasing a Magellen and checking out http://www.geocaching.com/. What a great way to get out of the house and get some exercise!

Today is Rosemary's First Blogoversary - Yay, Rosemary!

Laurence has a great post on Andrew Sullivan's opinion of the new Pope.

VW is starting a new Carnival - Karnival of Kidz

Boudicca has some choice stories about her Dad and his influence on the boys.

I have to get moving now, I will attempt (but no promises) to link to more of my favorite bloggy friends the evening.

Posted by Beth at 5:38 AM | Comments (2)

April 9, 2005

Big day for Harvey!

Today is the 6th Anniversary of the day that Lorena agreed to put up with Harvey until death do they part.

Actually, Harvey is the bestest, according to Tammi and the others who met him in Florida - the week after and before I was there - bad timing all around!

And I hear that Lorena is just incredible!!!!

Happy Anniversary, you two lovebirds!

Posted by Beth at 8:47 PM | Comments (2)

March 12, 2005

Sad News

Acidman's mother passed away this morning.

My condolences go out to Rob and his family.

Posted by Beth at 5:38 PM

And I thought I had some bad flight experiences!

I discovered a new blog (for me, anyway) this morning, and yesterday, Katie had the most amazing day. You have to read about her flight to Michigan yesterday. Here is an excerpt:

He asks me to marry him and come back to Beirut with him.

Posted by Beth at 12:28 PM | Comments (1)

February 24, 2005

Dinner with Tammi

I have to travel for work - quite a lot, as my regular readers know. It gets very lonely at times, but when I have a chance to meet another blogger for dinner, I grab it!

Tammi, our Road Warrior Survivor, met me for dinner tonight at Macaroni Grill. I had a great time. Tammi is just wonderful - you Bad Example people better appreciate her!!! This is the second time we met, and we just talked and talked, and talked - an absolutely wonderful evening.

Tammi had to drive for about 90 minutes to get to the part of Florida where I am staying - what a doll! We did gossip about the Bad Example family meet and I got the scoop on Frank and Sarah (sweet and beautiful young woman she is!).

Someday I will meet Boudicca and Harvey and his wife and Teresa and __Jon and Eric, Johnny-Oh and Joanie and BeeBee and Kate - so far, every blogger John and I have met - Rammer and Punctilious, Dean and Rosemary, Beth and Nerdstar, have all been great people. Can't wait to make more friends!

Posted by Beth at 9:38 PM | Comments (7)

February 15, 2005

Boy, am I embarrassed

When I am traveling, I usually send my husband, John, a note in the morning saying something like: Hi, handsome. Hope you have a good day, and then I often sign it something like love you and lust you.

Well, this morning, I was in a rush, and if you have gmail, you might know that when you are addressing an email, you just have to type in the first letter or two of the recipient's name.

I mis-typed and sent my morning "I love you letter" to a Jeff, not my John.

And Jeff's poor wife got it.

Oh dear.

Sometimes my life is just too bizarre for words!

Posted by Beth at 8:09 PM | Comments (8)

February 12, 2005

Meeting bloggers is such fun!

Tonight, John and I had dinner with Rammer and Punctilious of Blog O' Ram and their children and Jay Manifold of A Voyage To Arcturus.

We met at Stroud's and after an extremely long wait - what was it - 2 hours - we had a great meal and great conversation.

Posted by Beth at 11:22 PM | Comments (7)

January 31, 2005

Rosemary

I mentioned earlier that I had enough time on Friday to stop by and see Rosemary Esmay and Draco. Rosemary looks fantastic, and Draco is as cute as a button!

Posted by Beth at 6:08 AM | Comments (4)

January 23, 2005

Nerd

figures.

Snagged from Margi!

Posted by Beth at 9:53 AM | Comments (6)

January 22, 2005

I need a favor

My beloved spouse works very hard on his blog - much harder than I do on mine, that's for sure!
Anyway, he is about 3 links away from being a Mortal Human on the TTLB Ecosystem. In fact, yesterday, he was a Mortal Human, and it made him very, very happy.

I love it when my husband is very, very happy, so I beg of you, if you do not already link to John's blog, would you add him to your blogroll? Please?

Here is his URL: http://www.thedonovan.com

And if any of you are friends of Glen Reynolds, tell him that John has a very boutique kind of blog - it has a niche, and it's very well written.

Thank you!

Posted by Beth at 8:27 AM | Comments (3)

January 20, 2005

Baby Draco!

Dean and Rosemary Esmay's baby boy, Draco, entered the world yesterday. Go look at his pretty pictures!

Posted by Beth at 5:33 AM

January 19, 2005

Florida

John is going to be in the Orlando, Florida location the first week of February. I plan to fly there and join him for the weekend of February 4th.

We would love to meet some of our favorite bloggers/commenters. So, I need to know what Marriott owned hotel we ought to stay in (I have enough Marriott points we can stay free) and where and when we can meet.

Tammi, Pam and Boudicca - I know that probably only Pam is close, but if you are not too far off, give me a holler.

And I'm looking forward to a nice weekend in hopefully warm weather!

Posted by Beth at 8:26 PM | Comments (6)

January 16, 2005

Quitting Smoking

I quit smoking about 18 or 19 years ago. I smoked quite a lot - two packs a day. And I started when I was all of about 13 years old - so I had smoked for 19 years when I finally quit.

It was hard to quit, but I did, and I'm very glad I quit.

Michele of A Small Victory is working on kicking the habit. I wish her well in doing so.

I will also admit, though, that even after all these years of not smoking, I dream about smoking from time to time and sometimes I would love to light up a cigarette, but I don't.

I probably quit smoking 4 or 5 times before I finally succeeded. It is possible to quit on your own- even without the nicotine patches and aids that are available.

So good luck, Michele. I know you can do it.

Posted by Beth at 11:51 AM

January 15, 2005

KOS is just an ass.

Just thought you might want my opinion.

Posted by Beth at 11:32 AM | Comments (2)

November 28, 2004

Wizbang has added a Milblog Category

Kevin is a nice guy and takes suggestions ever so well! He has added a Best Military Blog category to the 2004 Weblog Awards.

Naturally, I am nominating the very best Milblog around.
The nominations close this afternoon, so go quickely and nominate the best Military blog you can think of!

Posted by Beth at 7:01 AM

November 24, 2004

Thanksgiving Things

David at the Glittering Eye has put together a selection of different Thanksgiving prayers and practices. Thanksgiving resources.

Posted by Beth at 7:26 AM

November 19, 2004

Ladies, it's time to laugh.

You must read Helen's story about a jerk she works with and how he got his comeuppance. You'll laugh so hard that tears will fall from your eyes.

I know I have said this many times before, Helen is one of the best story tellers anywhere.

Thanks to Ilyka for the tip.

Posted by Beth at 7:17 AM

November 18, 2004

How can I close comments after 5 days?

Even though we have MT Blacklist, this damn comment spam is taking me more time to deal with than I want.

I have heard that there is a way to close comments after a certain length of time - does anyone know how to do that?

Posted by Beth at 6:34 AM | Comments (4)

November 16, 2004

A Happy Day

Happy Anniversary to Boudicca and her one true love.

Posted by Beth at 6:48 AM | Comments (3)

October 20, 2004

Oh, this is truly venomous

Electric Venom is asking commenters to say yes or no to blogs on her blogroll.
Everyone gets three votes.
Naturally, I voted for myself (and two others).

It's a mean thing to do, but she is a venomous creature, and it is in her nature to poison the blogosphere, so we must live with it.

I suggest you go there and make your feelings known.

Posted by Beth at 6:38 AM | Comments (3)

October 13, 2004

An interview everyone should read

Our good friend, Dean Esmay, has an exclusive interview with George Elliott over at Dean's World.

Go read it. Dean did a great job interviewing!
Dean's World - Five Minutes vs. Five Years: Interview With Swift Boat Vet George Elliott

Posted by Beth at 3:28 PM

October 9, 2004

Thank goodness LeeAnn is back

We love you, LeeAnn, Cheesemistress extraordinaire, queen of bleu and Roquefort and cheddar and pepper jack - may you write and make us laugh forever. amen.

The Queen of Cheese has returned to us!

Long story as to what went on in her life, and I can relate. I have one sister, and it's a good thing that she lives in Buffalo, New York and I live in Leavenworth, Kansas, because we can not be in the same city for 24 hours without causing a scene much like the one LeeAnn describes.

I'm with Teresa's comment - let's form our own family and to heck with the ones who treat us like crap.

Posted by Beth at 7:56 AM | Comments (2)

September 29, 2004

Mrs. Lileks has it maid!

From the Bleat

At 4:59 PM I hose the living and dining room and sunporch with Pier One Citrus Cilantro air freshener. See, if I really pour it on at 5, there's a light fresh lingering fragrance at six when my wife comes home after a hard day at work. I want her to come home to a house that's immaculate, and presents no obligations or duties. Nothing to sweep or dust or sort or clean. All she has to do is eat dinner and spent the night with her daughter. I get boocoo husband points and she has absolutely no basis for complaining if I want to go upstairs and play Doom for an hour. Yes, guys, I do have it figured out.

Wow.

Posted by Beth at 6:28 AM | Comments (2)

September 18, 2004

Blogroll

I try to go through and read everyone in my blogroll at least once a week.
Today, as I was sobbing from reading Helen's story of her babies, I looked at her blogroll, and saw Margi Lowery. I looked at my blogroll, because I realize that I had not read Margi for a long time, and realized that it was not there.

Damn, I'm sorry Margi! I didn't mean to lose you. But, I have you back now.

Then I went on to blogroller and fixed the duplicate links and the no longer existent links and changed Pam's title from drowning at 2 feet under to Pamibe.

Hope that is right.

If I should have you on my blogroll, and I don't, please let me know.

And to Helen, hugs, and hugs and hugs and hugs!!!

Posted by Beth at 2:51 PM

September 10, 2004

On-line Detectives

Powerline, INDC Journal, and Little Green Footballs are all probably scaring the heck out of the Mainstream Media.

These guys did a bit of great detective work on documents that CBS's 60 Minutes II used as 'proof' that President Bush didn't attend all his National Guard meetings.

The documents are pretty obviously forged. Some very smart people on the Internet figured that out and investigated it all within one day of the airing of 60 Minutes.

Wow. And all this just one day after a journalism professor whined about bloggers fact checking journalists - how dare those damn non-journalists suspect 'honest' journalists!

Anyway, congrats to the Powerline, INDC Journal and LGF for proving to the world that bloggers can make a difference.

Maybe it's because we fact check the heck out of each other. Mainstream Media does not fact check other sources, they just parrot them.

Posted by Beth at 6:53 AM | Comments (3)

September 7, 2004

Interesting New Blogger

I have added Shrinkette to my blogroll. She is a psychiatrist and should bring an interesting viewpoint to the blogosphere.

Thanks to Ann Althouse for pointing Shrinkette out.

Posted by Beth at 6:34 AM

September 2, 2004

Our friends in Florida

We have lots of bloggy friends in Florida. Stay safe, all of you! We want you to come back and tell us everything soon as possible!

They are all trying to prepare for the storm:

Pam

Boudicca

Tammi

and Chris Muir

I am sure there are others getting ready to evacuate, so all of you be careful and remember your life is more important than anything else!

Posted by Beth at 6:22 AM | Comments (4)

August 29, 2004

Dusty Rhoades

I should have mentioned before today that John has a co-host over at the Castle of Argghhh!! now, Dusty Rhoades.
He is an Air Force (shudder) vet, but he writes pretty good anyhow. :)
You will enjoy his writing.
Obey me, and go read this! You will be glad you did.

Posted by Beth at 8:02 AM | Comments (1)

August 28, 2004

I am nothing but a bunch of pixels

I'm just a bunch of pixels on your computer screen. I just found out that a blogger who I like quite a bit has quit blogging because of a comment I made on John's blog in response to a comment he made.

Now, let me explain something. My spouse is a wonderful man, I love him dearly, but he can be so damned frustrating at time because he often comes across as a college professor might - quite pedantic, if you know what I mean. I often call John 'holier than thou' when he goes on that way.

Our blogger friend, Jack, sometimes writes in that kind of a tone of voice, also - at least I take it that way, and I told him in a comment that he was being holier than thou - that doesn't mean shit, though, because I am nothing but a bunch of pixels on your computer, Jack!!!!

I can be petty and catty and snarky, I am a semimenapausal woman, but Good Lord, nothing I say should mean anything to anyone because ... I am nothing but a bunch of pixels on your computer!!

So, Jack, please blog again. Feel free to call me a bitch, a harpie, a harridan.

I am sorry!!!!

Posted by Beth at 9:40 PM | Comments (10)

August 21, 2004

Haiku Mania

Have a few minutes for some good laughs? Go and read American Haiku: The Road to Hollywood.

Posted by Beth at 2:34 PM

August 14, 2004

About Time

Venomous Kate is back. Finally. Geeze. What took her so long?

I guess she really had a rather nice summer without blogging. I'm envious, but I'm sure glad she is back for the elections!

Posted by Beth at 7:18 PM

August 12, 2004

Two of my favorite bloggers get recognition!

The National Review Online's Dan Leroy has a great story about conservative, Black bloggers.

I was really happy to see that two of my favorites, LaShawn Barber and Juliette (Baldilocks) were among the bloggers he interviewed.

And, because of the article, I learned about Avery Tooley, who I am now adding to my blogroll. He is a conservative. He has a great sense of humor, and I like him, especially since I'm a white girl with butt - at least easy chair sized!.

Posted by Beth at 9:05 AM | Comments (2)

August 8, 2004

In case you missed it ...

Mamamontezz has new digs. I am changing my blogroll now, before I forget, and I suggest you do the same.

Nice place, Mamamontezz!

Posted by Beth at 1:22 PM | Comments (1)

August 4, 2004

Oh Boy!

I got a mention in The Commissar's Blogville 1965 High School Yearbook

I think that the Commissar must have also been a member of the Mystery Club because it took me a very long time to figure out where his permalink was for this post!

Posted by Beth at 6:38 AM | Comments (1)

August 2, 2004

Stop it, Glen!!!

Geeze, for the second time in two days, Glen Reynolds links to a nonexistant dumb blonde who talks about anal sex. Actually, she is a character in a sitcom called Good Girls Don't, but geeze, stop it, Glen, unless you are getting paid the big bucks for the advertising!

Jane makes all of us normal women bloggers look bad.

Posted by Beth at 4:49 PM | Comments (5)

July 31, 2004

Good News!

Kelley is backRevenge of the Burbs
Apparently, she has done all kinds of things - from going to Hawaii to breaking an arm to getting a job!

Welcome back, Kelley, and I truly hope your new career is wonderful.

Posted by Beth at 9:27 PM

This is my blog. Please stay on topic.

This morning I deleted a comment from Sinister Minister because it was an obvious ad for John Kerry.

Let me make this perfectly clear. If someone would like to add a comment that is related to what I am discussing, that is fine.

Just being anti-President Bush when commenting on a post that says "We are coming home", is not fine.

Please remember that I pay for this blog. It is *not* a newspaper editorial page where anyone can write whatever they want.

I will ban anyone who takes advantage of my blog in this fashion.

Goodbye, Sinister Minister.

Posted by Beth at 5:46 AM

July 29, 2004

Go tell John Happy Birthday!

It the Imperial Armorer John's birthday today. Happy Birthday, Handsome!

So far, the day has been quite nice, even though we are barely out of bed yet.

Posted by Beth at 10:10 AM | Comments (4)

July 23, 2004

If I had lots and lots and lots of money

I'd have a big weekend party and I'd fly all of my favorite people in the blogosphere here to just have a good time together. John would call it a hen party, probably, anyway, John would be in charge of inviting the blogger friends of male persuasion.

The following is not in any order whatsoever because I really love all of you!
I would invite Joanie, DaGoddess and photographer extraordinaire, Pam, the Security Nana, Samantha, Daughter of Acidman, LeeAnn, Cheesemistress and funniest women on the internet, BeeBee, writer of wonderful stories, discoverer of Speedoman, and creator of wonderful stained glass windows!, Boudicca, brave martial arts mother of three boys, Calliope in Houston, grower of corn and other veggies, Key, the only woman who can tell Acidman how to behave, Tammi, who travels more than I do!, Teresa, who moved her blog without telling me - I had to find out from John, how embarrassing!! And I can't forget Juliette, who doesn't let anyone push her around, DC, not a vegetarian! and of course, Helen - I want to be her big sister for some odd reason, and darling Rosemary (who I have met - twice! and just love her), the Queen of All Evil.

And we would all toast each other with a nice glass of champagne and have a wonderful time!

Posted by Beth at 7:48 PM | Comments (13)

July 20, 2004

Acidman's Daughter, Samantha

Samantha used to have a blog, but I think maybe she got frustrated with politics, just like I do sometime.
Anyway, I was very happy to find that she is doing some guest blogging on her Dad's blog, Gutrumbles.

Samantha has taken some great pictures, so go and enjoy her writing.

And thanks, Samantha, for the lovely link!

Posted by Beth at 8:14 PM

July 9, 2004

More Bloggy Goodness

I must admit, I have not been paying attention to anything important at all lately. I just now found out, via Baldilocks, that Michelle Malkin, one of my favorite columnists ever, started her own blog last month.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Michelle! I look forward to reading you daily!

Posted by Beth at 6:57 PM

Milestones

He's been at it for two years now, and even the evil puppy blender gave him a link today. Don't quit now, Frank!

Acidman has had 1 MILLION visitors! Wow. A lot of people have watched Rob's ups and downs and ups and downs and ups and downs and hopefully all ups from here on out.
He really does write from his soul - whether you agree with him or not, he is so worth the read.

Posted by Beth at 6:26 PM | Comments (2)

July 8, 2004

Important reminder

Lileks. Read him. Today.

Posted by Beth at 3:42 PM | Comments (1)

July 2, 2004

I've been looking around the net this morning

Found that Dave has an excellent take on Bill Cosby's utter courage in suggesting that people of color should be responsible for their lives. Jesse Jackson must be seething. (Dave, the permalink doesn't seem to work there!)

Our friend, Pam, discovered an absolute horror of a story. I shed tears over the cruelty to animals.

Joanie and Little Dude were acosted by an anti-war protester (who sounds very scary) at a rally. Read the whole story and then, read the comments.

Helen is doing admirably well at Dream Job and her Mr. Y. made lovely Independence Day invitations for their barbeque on Sunday. I hope their neighbors enjoy it! If Helen had told us about this earlier, I would have sent her some Kansas City barbeque sauces to try. So next year, Helen, remember to let me know some weeks ahead of time.

I learned about a new blogger, another Michele with one L, from both Harvey and the other Michele with one L. Read Harvey's story about her site actually being taken over, and do look at the screen shot.
The new Michele writes beautifully, and I'm glad to have found her and add her to my blogroll.

BeeBee is out of the hospital after a scary bout with pneumonia. I hope she continues to heal quickly and well! That woman can write a great story, and she is just so homey and friendly, that I wish she lived next door.

Have to run to work now, see you later!

Update: DaGoddess is beautiful and alluring, so she should live close by, too - as should Pam and Helen and well, maybe not the Micheles - they are too New York for this part of the world.

Posted by Beth at 6:56 AM | Comments (6)

June 16, 2004

No one ever tells me anything!

I blame it all on having to travel so much, but I just now found out that Boudica, one of my favorite and commentors on my blog and John's has started her own!

Here is a sample - great storry!

Boudicca's Voice: Shannon must be Irish... I love a Strong Woman!

Posted by Beth at 7:35 PM

June 13, 2004

Great time

John and I had dinner at Beaver Creek Tackle and Beer with Dean and Rosemary Esmay (and Jake Esmay!) Friday night. The time absolutely flew by and before we knew it, we had spent 7 hours talking and eating and drinking.

Believe me, John and I are not exactly social butterflies, so we were completely surprised that it was past 11:00 pm before any of us checked the time.

John and Dean hit it off and talked about guy stuff (I think) while Rosemary and I talked about everything on earth. It was fun. Hope they get down to our part of the world sometime so Dean can see John's collection.

Posted by Beth at 11:03 AM | Comments (2)

May 19, 2004

Please click on link below

At least once a day.Insults Unpunished » Two-Year Blogiversary Approaching

Posted by Beth at 8:33 PM | Comments (3)

I found a new (at least for me) blog

Well, actually, I suppose BeeBee found me - she posted a comment this evening, and I thought I'd look her up.

I like this woman. She is made of good stuff. And she writes a whole lot better than me!!!

Adding her to my blogroll now!

Angle of Vision

Posted by Beth at 7:56 PM | Comments (5)

May 17, 2004

It's Uptown Girl's 300th Post

And she did an incredible amount of linking in it. Go read her, I found some new bloggers by checking through her recommendations.

Posted by Beth at 5:39 PM

May 16, 2004

Books

Everyone in the Blogosphere (myself included) has divulged which of the 101 Great Books recommended by the College Board they have read (be it forced or voluntary).

Now, I want to know - what books have influenced you or were important to you in some way(outside of your own religion's book - be it the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Morman, etc.)?

Here is a short list of books that I love:

The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinsky> This one hit me like a ton of bricks. I highly recommend it to everyone. I read it in 1974 - 30 years ago - and the story has always stayed with me.

1984 by George Orwell

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I Robot by Isaac Asimov

The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov

Naturally, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkein

The Winds of War by Herman Wouk

There are many more books that I have enjoyed but these are the ones that I remember for years, with great detail.

So - anyone else?

Posted by Beth at 1:45 PM | Comments (2)

The Esmay Family

Last week I had dinner with Rosemary, Dean and Jake Esmay. We went to a wonderful restaurant close to the Detroit Airport called Beaver Creek.

I had never met the Esmays before, and the only picture I could remember seeing of Rosemary was the famous rack shot. So I was a little nervous that I might not recognize them.

As soon as they walked through the door, I knew that it was them. Rosemary has an incredibly bubbly, funny and smart personality, and Dean has a presence - he's so smart, you can see brains leaking from his ears.
Jake is a cutey. He spent most of the evening playing video games.

So, go to the extended entry for pictures.

I took lots of pictures, but as Rosemary and I were drinking more than we should have, some of them came out a bit blurry. This is my favorite of Rosemary - her sparkling personality shines through her eyes, I think.

Poor Dean, I think we left him out of a lot of the conversation, though he did pay attention when we talked about boobs and Renaissance Festival costumes with boob push up things. I think I kinda demonstrated. I have a pretty Ren Fest costume I am going to send to Rosemary - they are going to a wedding in a few weeks that has a Ren Fair theme.

Here is a picture of the Esmay Family:

Here is a sweet, sweet picture of Rosemary and Jake (Jake has some chocolate on his face, such a boy!):

Anyway, we had a lovely dinner and a good time, and I'll probably get to see them again in June when I return to Detroit.

Posted by Beth at 8:11 AM | Comments (6)

May 13, 2004

oops, one more thing

I have been neglecting one of my favorites lately - LeeAnn - the funniest women blogging. Go see her story about HR and Political Correctness.

I can relate - I once had a co-worker complain about me because I once told her that I had PMS - she said I was being disrespectful of women - ?????? Damn, I am a women!

Posted by Beth at 10:24 PM | Comments (1)

Short Note before I hit the hay

I met Dean, Rosemary and Jake Esmay tonight. We had dinner together and I just love them all.

I only have dial up here at the hotel, but I promise pictures once I get home tomorrow.

Rosemary is such a love, and Dean is smart and funny, and Jake is smart and funny too!

It was a great evening. Good food, good new friends, good time.

Posted by Beth at 10:21 PM | Comments (5)

May 8, 2004

Well, Rachel's back

Obviously, I'm a little late on this news, but in case you had not heard, Rachel Lucas is back blogging again.

Hope to see some pictures of her puppies soon.

Posted by Beth at 8:13 AM

May 2, 2004

Adoption

Baba Wawa's latest ploy for ratings, Be My Baby, has been a subject of discussion on many blogs. I did not watch the show for a couple of reasons - I was stuck in the DFW airport for several hours and - I can't stand Baba Wawa.

In commenting on the bad promos for the show, several bloggers divulged that they were adopted. So am I. I thought that was kind of interesting. When I was growing up I knew only one other child (outside of my family) who was adopted. Now, I see that Venomous Kate, Pam and Kathy are adopted, too.

It made me wonder how many bloggers and readers are adopted, and what our different feelings about adoption might be.

Comments, anyone?

Posted by Beth at 7:46 AM | Comments (8)

May 1, 2004

bloggin' buddies

Houdini really enjoys helping John out whenever possible. However, when John is reading KOS, Houdini has to turn away.

Posted by Beth at 8:19 PM | Comments (4)

April 26, 2004

QOAE Finally has her Own Blog!!!

The lovely Rosemary Dean, of 'rack fame' has finally set up her own blog!The Queen of All Evil.

This is long overdue. Rosemary is smart, funny and very well spoken.

Go read her! Even if she is the enemy! (as far as the Spirit of America thing goes)

Posted by Beth at 5:46 AM | Comments (1)

April 21, 2004

What Great Books have you read?

I got this from Misty.

The highlighted books are the ones I have read. Looking at the list, I think my education was pretty comprehensive.
I read most of these books in elementary and high school. I read a few in college, and fewer still since. These days I like to read science fiction and fantasy.

Author - Title

--- Beowulf
Achebe, Chinua - Things Fall Apart
Agee, James - A Death in the Family
Austen, Jane - Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James - Go Tell It on the Mountain
Beckett, Samuel - Waiting for Godot
Bellow, Saul - The Adventures of Augie March
Brontë, Charlotte - Jane Eyre
Brontë, Emily - Wuthering Heights
Camus, Albert - The Stranger
Cather, Willa - Death Comes for the Archbishop
Chaucer, Geoffrey - The Canterbury Tales
Chekhov, Anton - The Cherry Orchard
Chopin, Kate - The Awakening
Conrad, Joseph - Heart of Darkness
Cooper, James Fenimore - The Last of the Mohicans
Crane, Stephen - The Red Badge of Courage
Dante - Inferno
de Cervantes, Miguel - Don Quixote
Defoe, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles - A Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor - Crime and Punishment
Douglass, Frederick - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Dreiser, Theodore - An American Tragedy
Dumas, Alexandre - The Three Musketeers
Eliot, George - The Mill on the Floss
Ellison, Ralph - Invisible Man
Emerson, Ralph Waldo - Selected Essays
Faulkner, William - As I Lay Dying
Faulkner, William - The Sound and the Fury
Fielding, Henry - Tom Jones
Fitzgerald, F. Scott - The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave - Madame Bovary
Ford, Ford Madox - The Good Soldier
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von - Faust
Golding, William - Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas - Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Hawthorne, Nathaniel - The Scarlet Letter
Heller, Joseph - Catch 22
Hemingway, Ernest - A Farewell to Arms
Homer - The Iliad
Homer - The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Hurston, Zora Neale - Their Eyes Were Watching God
Huxley, Aldous - Brave New World This is one of the best books ever.
Ibsen, Henrik - A Doll's House
James, Henry - The Portrait of a Lady
James, Henry - The Turn of the Screw
Joyce, James - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Kafka, Franz - The Metamorphosis
Kingston, Maxine Hong - The Woman Warrior
Lee, Harper - To Kill a Mockingbird
Lewis, Sinclair - Babbitt
London, Jack - The Call of the Wild
Mann, Thomas - The Magic Mountain
Marquez, Gabriel García - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Melville, Herman - Bartleby the Scrivener
Melville, Herman - Moby Dick
Miller, Arthur - The Crucible
Morrison, Toni - Beloved
O'Connor, Flannery - A Good Man is Hard to Find
O'Neill, Eugene - Long Day's Journey into Night
Orwell, George - Animal Farm I have a first edition of this one.
Pasternak, Boris - Doctor Zhivago
Plath, Sylvia - The Bell Jar
Poe, Edgar Allan - Selected Tales Actually, I have read all of Poe.
Proust, Marcel - Swann's Way
Pynchon, Thomas - The Crying of Lot 49
Remarque, Erich Maria - All Quiet on the Western Front
Rostand, Edmond - Cyrano de Bergerac
Roth, Henry - Call It Sleep
Salinger, J.D. - The Catcher in the Rye
Shakespeare, William - Hamlet
Shakespeare, William - Macbeth
Shakespeare, William - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Shakespeare, William - Romeo and Juliet
Shaw, George Bernard - Pygmalion
Shelley, Mary - Frankenstein
Silko, Leslie Marmon - Ceremony
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Sophocles - Antigone
Sophocles - Oedipus Rex
Steinbeck, John - The Grapes of Wrath
Stevenson, Robert Louis - Treasure Island
Stowe, Harriet Beecher - Uncle Tom's Cabin
Swift, Jonathan - Gulliver's Travels
Thackeray, William - Vanity Fair
Thoreau, Henry David - Walden
Tolstoy, Leo - War and Peace
Turgenev, Ivan - Fathers and Sons
Twain, Mark - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I have read all of Twain
Voltaire - Candide
Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. - Slaughterhouse-Five
Walker, Alice - The Color Purple
Wharton, Edith - The House of Mirth
Welty, Eudora - Collected Stories
Whitman, Walt - Leaves of Grass
Wilde, Oscar - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Williams, Tennessee - The Glass Menagerie
Woolf, Virginia - To the Lighthouse
Wright, Richard - Native Son

Posted by Beth at 7:17 AM | Comments (7)

April 18, 2004

New Blogger, American Optimist

I found this blog because he left a comment about how great cats are, so I figured I owed him a look-see. American Optimist does his homework. He checks facts on Lexus Nexus - and he has a great post on the facts of John Kerry's 1995 Budget Deficit Reduction Bill.

I like this guy. I think you will, too.

Posted by Beth at 7:03 AM | Comments (8)

April 14, 2004

My husband is very protective

And I do love him for it. I was visiting a dear friend of mine this evening (haven't seen her for 2 years), so I missed all goings on as far as the Internet is concerned.

I was a little shocked at the meanness of one commenter who used the email address mickey mcbear@aol.com - Mickey McBear was the name of my golden retriever who died last autumn - since I wrote about Mickey on my blog, I am sure that no one who actually knows me would have left that comment.

Anyway, thank you sweetheart, for sticking up for me! Gee, I could say something dirty here, but I won't.

Posted by Beth at 10:01 PM | Comments (2)

It's Wictory Wednesday

I am going to vote for President Bush. Only President Bush has the resolve to finish what needs to be done to end terrorism worldwide. The economy is growing stronger. The President's tax cut has made a difference, and many people may just not be realizing it as they ready their taxes.

If you agree with me, go here to help re-elect President Bush.

No American is safe until those who would deny us our freedoms are vanquished. We are at war. This is a just war. This is a war to rid the world of Terrorism. It's about time. I'm proud that I voted for George Bush in 2000, and I'm proud to vote for him again this year.

All the bloggers listed below are also proud to support President Bush.

Posted by Beth at 6:08 AM | Comments (1)

April 10, 2004

La Shawn Barber

I don't know how I missed La Shawn Barber before, but she is a gifted Black Independent Conservative.

I completely agree with her takes on abortion and Condi Rice.

I'm adding her to my blog roll, you should, too. She is very persuasive.

Posted by Beth at 6:46 PM | Comments (1)

April 7, 2004

Wictory Wednesday

I am going to vote for President Bush. I don't agree with everything he does, but I cannot see a John Kerry leading us to victory over terrorism. Only Bush has the resolve to finish what needs to be done to end terrorism worldwide.

No American is safe until those who would deny us our freedoms are vanquished. We are at war. This is a just war. This is a war to rid the world of Terrorism. It's about time. I'm proud that I voted for George Bush in 2000, and I'm proud to vote for him again this year.

Go here to help.

All the bloggers listed below are also proud to support President Bush.

Posted by Beth at 10:45 AM

April 1, 2004

Checking out my blogroll

Dowingba got a raise - kinda - and he has a new very vibrant look to his blog. Let me tell you, it woke me up this morning!

Rosemary is having a good time today, April 1, 2004. Seems she has decided to support Kerry.

John of Arrggghhhh! has discovered that our house has been invaded by rodents.

Da Goddess's son has a warped sense of humour. I bet he is a great kid. I like him just reading about him!

Michele now has a great feature on her blog - I hope she does this every day - Tonight's Moment of Zen

Helen is not too sure that she likes her haircut - you must read this one. Oh, and Happy Birthday, Helen - she is turning all of 30 years old today.

Venomous Kate has some great looking recipes for lamb. I'm going to have to try one of these on Easter Sunday.

LeeAnn has a most interesting conversation with GM1. I nearly fell off my chair reading it.

Grouchy Old Cripple has an amazing example of Mother Nature's sense of humour.

Time to get ready for work. See ya.

Posted by Beth at 5:59 AM | Comments (2)

March 31, 2004

More on names

I will relent - partially - on my feelings about using false names. At least Patriot Boy leaves his URL, and it is not a fake one. So there is a way to have a discussion with him. I apologize for being obstinate about that.

However, leaving a fake email address that looks like this: blah@blah.edu, or this: stillfake@email.com, or this: jesussaysyousuck@hotmail.com is childish and indicates to me that you are afraid of discussion and hide behind a fake name to wreak havoc about the blogosphere just because you can.

Michele of A Small Victory also dislikes anonymous comments:

I am also making it impossible to leave anonymous comments - in a way. Sure, you can still be a jerk and leave a fake name and email address to go along with your insulting drivel, but at least I'll know I took a few precious seconds of your time to make you write something in those fields.

Posted by Beth at 5:55 AM | Comments (1)

March 30, 2004

Orcinus has withdrawn the Story

of the Political Hate Crime post he wrote about on Saturday.

I like to think that my questioning the veracity of the report had something to do with David's removal of the accusation.

If not, that's ok, too. I think it shows that David of Orcinus is an honest man who really does care about the truth and doesn't write stuff just to cause further divisions between the left and right of the political spectrum. This is what he wrote:

I have decided to delete this post for now. The story cannot be confirmed, and I have no desire to be disseminating false information. I'm leaving its position here so the discussion about it can continue.

I spoke today to Sgt. Connie Locke, the Atlanta Police Department's liaison to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. She says she monitors cases like this closely and would -- or should -- have been immediately notified in an assault case like this, and was not. Moreover, she says she personally walked the case down to APD's database center and searched for an assault case like this one and came up empty.

There is still the possibility that the case simply hasn't been directed her way yet, or that it is actually being investigated by another authority, such as Fulton County.

In the meantime, the alleged victim's friends are hoping to provide some kind of substantiation, but it has not been forthcoming.

I'm giving this case another week or so to settle out, since it is still possible that tangled wires have kept it from surfacing. I'm being restrained for now because of this possibility. But I'll post some more thoughts on this later, when the matter is definitively settled.

[For now, I'll simply apologize to my readers for abrogating my own standards for ascertaining the veracity of material sent to me in the process of getting this story up on the Web.]

Thanks, David, for doing the right thing here.

Posted by Beth at 7:09 PM | Comments (6)

March 28, 2004

Hypocrites

I just discovered that I have to wait for 24 hours after registering to write a comment to a post on the Daily Kos. I guess it so they can verify that I exist.

Why, then, do the writers on KOS think that a 24 hour waiting period before getting an abortion is a bad thing? I would think that thinking about the life a woman is about to extinquish for one day is worth the wait. And it only takes a few minutes to have a sonogram to verify that the baby growing inside its mother's uterus exists.

Posted by Beth at 8:04 AM |