Hey Janice,

I hope you enjoy your day off. I hope you get plenty of rest and that you feel refreshed!

Take care,
Margie

Janice…I hope you have a restful day off

Have a good evening everyone…I’m just chilling and drinking hot chocolate

Talk to you 2morrow

JD – get some rest. I think my wife Lynne is looking forward to going back to work to make
life easy again! My mother has my brother and his family and my sister and her fiancee coming
to town for a week. We’re having them over to dinner tomorrow night, and then my wife declared
the house off-limits to all! It will be good for me to get back to work on my next book – I’ve several
sources to comb through for information. I’m looking forward to it. I’m a little under the weather,
so reading my books and primary sources will consume my time as I’ll not be exercising tonight
to take it easy. Maybe just take the dog on a spin in the neighborhood for a romp. The soup was
delicious and a nice low-cal alternative to the Thanksgiving meals we’ve been eating every day
to eat our way through the leftovers. I didn’t gain any weight but feel like a tub. Maybe just
some candy to nibble on tonight instead of more pumpkin and apple pie with ice cream. I taught
my daughter about how the Puritans learned about inoculation of smallpox in part from their
African slaves and the process of inoculation. She was very interested and asked lots of questions,
though Lynne was wondering why I was doing so at the dinner table. Good point I guess.

Regards all,
Tony

Hi Janice. Enjoy your day off. You deserve it! Get that hubby of yours to pamper you some. (All mommies need a little of that every now and then.) The best Mother’s Day gift I have ever gotten was a foot spa for doing my own pedicures at home. It is one of those that have the massage action and water warmer. Talk about pampering. My husband has even given me pedicures.

Hey JD!
Hope you enjoy your day off. Kick back and put your feet up. Best rest now, as you’ll soon not be able to.

Take care!
Gwen

Hi everyone,

Finally stopped snowing here in Denver. It started snowing Friday Evening and just stopped a few hours. Got about 7 or 8 inches all together. Cold but pretty.

My girlfriend and I had a great Thanksgiving together. No Christmas tree but we’re thinking about a Hanukkah bush for Hanukkah Harry. The holiday comes real close to Christmas this year so it should be lots of fun.

JD, I saw one of your cut-ins today, the one where all we heard was your voice? sounded good though.

Deb, Margie, Gwen, and Guillaume, hi to you all. I’ll try to be on more over the next few weeks.

Sunny

Ok, sorry to do this to you guys, but I have to rant. My ex got the benefits explanation from his insurance company after we took Scooter to our pediatrician to get his ankle checked out when he still couldn’t walk comfortably after a week of home treatment. After he flunked her range of motion tests, she sent us across the street to the hospital for x-rays since they don’t have radiology on site. Well, apparently that makes her not a real doctor because he told Scooter to tell us to take him and Kyle to a real doctor, not the hospital. IT WAS ONLY AN X-RAY!!!! But of course he won’t listen to us. He thinks that I am the world’s worst mother and that I make Britney Spears look smart (and like the mother of the year).

Thanks guys.

Hey Jennifer,

Unless the “real doctor” has x-ray vision, their not going to know what’s going on with your son’s ankle without an x-ray. I’m sorry you’re having problems with your ex. You did the right thing because some things can’t be diagnosed properly without an x-ray. I do hope Scooter feels better soon!

Hey Sunny,

It’s good to see you back on the blog! Please visit us often because we miss your input! I’m glad you had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you have a great Hanukkah! I also wish you well with your syndicated program adventure that you talked about on another thread. Please keep us posted!

Margie

It’s good to hear from you Sunny Rob!

BORDERTOWN

I recently saw Jennifer Lopez’s film, “Bordertown” (2006), a provocative film that details how young Mexican women are brutalized, raped and murdered in barren fields near Juarez, Mexico, right across the border from the United States.

Many of these young women work in American-owned factories in Juarez and ride to and from work on buses. Sometimes the bus driver will take a new, unsuspecting woman who doesn’t know her away around into the countryside where he rapes her, then a friend of his rapes her, and finally one of them kills her, leaving her body, sometimes partially exposed, in a shallow grave.

This movie is riveting from start to finish. Antonio Banderas stars in this film, too. It is not the kind of movie we might expect from either star, but it does reveal as nothing else can how committed these two are to illuminating terrible, horrible crimes that are being carried out in Mexico today.

Click here to continue….

Four days away from Richmond were wonderful. Driving home in the rain wasn’t fun. I’m so sorry I didn’t bring my camera, there was a bald eagle at the lake. He or she had a 6 to 7 foot wing span.

Hey Janice,

We have had a pretty good dumping of snow over the weekend. Up to a foot is some areas, but mostly 4-8″ around town. The temps weren’t so cold though. Yesterday it was about 30 and today it was 25ish. Driving around town isn’t too bad but the highway between Anchorage and Wasilla about, 40 miles, gets pretty bad. But you still have ditch divers every day. Or the 4×4 dually pulling his snowmachines that wants to pass everyone and won’t stay in his lane.

Hey Don in Richmond, eagles in Virginia is pretty rare. I’m from Lynchburg and I don’t think I ever saw won…a lot of buzzards, but no eagles. Here in areas of Alaska eagles are as common as crows. Especially Homer, AK and just north of Anchorage. They are still great to see.

Take care,

I’m in trouble. Elizabeth is turning out to be a girly girl. We haven’t been able to towel-dry her hair without her fussing, so tonight Daddy decided to try the blow dryer. She loved it!!!!!

JD,

Have a great few days off. And when you come back can you tell me if this snow will melt before 2009 gets here? I hope it does

Enjoy your day off, Janice! You deserve a break today!

Living in New York City, you can enjoy White Castle hamburgers whenever you wish! Do you realize how lucky that makes you?

When I visit Chicago, the first thing I like to do is head for the White Castle at Harlem and Ogden in suburban Berwyn, not far from the home where I grew up.

Living in LaLaLand where so many things are fake, I have to settle for frozen White Castles from the supermarket. Decades ago, White Castle opened a location in Los Angeles, but by then McDonald’s was sweeping the nation by storm. Angelenos said “No” to White Castle in a huge way!

As we said in the 1960’s, “What a bummer!”

By the way, you’ll notice an earlier post by me on this thread on another topic, namely “Bordertown.” In addition to my comments about the movie of that name, that post illustrates how I will work around the 1,500 character limit Fox News now imposes on blog entries.

George Spink
Los Angeles

David

Actually eagles in Virginia are common. Research shows there are over 500 nesting pairs.

Morning all…

Janice you enjoy and have a most mundaful day

Im going to start mine with a coffee (plus a chocolate toffee creamer for extra yum)…watch FNC’s own “Bonnie and Clyde”…(that goes back to Guillaume’s reference to them as gansters..HA!)

Do some reading and then my father is taking me out to lunch…

Its overcast here and showers are in the forcast….

Guillaume..We did the same with the infant Jesus at Christmas Eve…He didnt show up until the…Infact the scene we had growing up was kind of rare in that the manger and the infant child were separate pieces…so the manger was there but not the baby….Its my understanding its a tad bit easier to find a set like that but not by much…AND I love the idea of how for your family the Wise men were further out from the creche (sp?) and as time went by you guys moved them closer… I think that is great!

How could have I forgotten “Its a Wonderful Life” in my list of favs!?!?!? BUT it has to be in B&W just like Miracle on 34th….Im not a fan of colorizing B&W’s….

Ok Coffee is calling….Everyone have a great day….and warm thoughts to those who find it not so great…..

Warmly
Dawn

Guillaume…Wanted to mention that I love Audrey Hepburn as well….”Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is part of a three movie collection I have of hers I admit Im a sucker for “Roman Holiday” though…There is something about B&W’s that just draws me….

Im thinking on today’s list after lunch with my dad is a trip to Blockbuster…Its within walking distance…Depends on the weather though….

(Guillaume…that last post wont make much sense cause there was a post before it that got stuck)

No, no; it makes a lot of sense Dawn!!!!
So you must love as well the comedies from the 40’s with Cary Grant!

Audrey was great. I like the special twist & style she brought to Capote’s short story. (which is actually more bitter sweet than the movie!).

I like “Roman Holiday” too but I admit when it comes to the Eternal City, I prefer the Fellini’s Dolce Vita

But I love all the Hollywood classics! They are perfect for that time of the year!!

Guillaume

Ohh sorry Dawn you are right: makes even more sense now that I read your original message !!

Yes it was hard to find a baby Jesus without the manger last year; I couldn’t believe it!
and yep my brother and I were very serious about the whole direction of the crèche; my Mom couldn’t believe it but she was glad we took care of it!

I agree with you: there is something weird – and wrong – about B&W movies that are colored.

I envy you to be able to watch our favorite Morning Gangsters live!!

Have a great lunch with your Dad!!

Guillaume

Morning all!
I’ll be brief as I’ve got to get all my work done in 2 days. I’m scheduled to be off on Wed and Thurs.

One the eagles subject, my hubby and I actually saw 2 eagles yesterday. There have been some released at the reservoir that is several miles from our home. This was the first time I had seen them over our way. We wanted to get the binoculars and bird watch for awhile, but we were already running a little late for our church service. Maybe they’ll come back for another visit.

Sunny, good to hear from you. We actually had snow flurries in our forecast, but it didn’t happen. It was cold, but the snow flurries stayed in north MS. Maybe next time for us.

Hi Dawn, Guillaume, David, Margie, Deb, George, Bill, Don and Don, Tony, Gina—all you other regulars. Hope you all have a great day!
Gwen

Hi All. Happy Day Off, Janice!
Tony, your email cracked me up – I can so identify with Lynne’s wanting her house back after lots of entertaining, I always feel that way too. I don’t think talking about smallpox inoculation at the dinner table is all that bad, though. My husband was a paramedic before he went into the military. During his hospital training before getting his certification he spent several days in Labor and Delivery and came home with wonderful tales to share. We were eating dinner with his family and his father got up and left the table when hubby says, “Her water broke all over me, it was great!!!”
Audrey Hepburn was a wonderful actress and world citizen. I don’t think I can choose a favorite movie of hers, they were all great!
Sunny, looking forward to hearing from you in Denver more often!
Hope everyone has a terrific day.

Hey Gang,

Just checking in to say hello. It’s cloudy and cold here in Cumberland–sort of describes how I feel this morning. There’s a 50% chance of rain or some precipitation today. It certainly looks like it could rain. We got almost 4/10 of an inch yesterday. I wish it was sunny out today because I could use some sunshine to get me going this morning instead of the dark and dreary sky we have now. I didn’t sleep well last night either, so that makes 3 nights in a row. It’s hard to sleep when you can’t breathe! I just couldn’t get comfortable last night, even with an extra pillow. I really could use a nap about now!

This week I’ll be deciding what cookies to bake for my annual Christmas party/open house. I decided to have the party on the 12th and my open house on the 13th. I’ll let you know what cookies I decide on for this year. I might try some new ones this time around. I’ll have to think about that. I may be brave and try a Yule log this year. Those things are tricky and they take a lot of time, but they are yummy!! Not exactly low cal/low cholesterol, but definitely yummy! I’ll keep you posted so I can make you all hungry. (We seem to be good at doing that on this blog!)

I hope everyone has a great day wherever you are and whatever your weather is like.

(Gee, I said all that I wanted to say in my allotted 1500 characters–that’s quite rare!)

Margie

Hey Gwen,

It sounds like you are looking forward to snow. You can have some of ours the next time we’re supposed to get some! I did hear that it was icy up in Frostburg this morning. (With a name like Frostburg you’d expect it to be icy and snowy in the winter!)

I hope that you are doing something fun on your days off. Time off is nice if it’s spent on fun stuff!

Hey Gina,

Thanks for sharing your dinner table story–it sounds better than some of the political discussions that plague the dinner table when my far left cousins are around! Talking about labor and delivery sounds pretty tame. The health system has continuing education programs for physicians at noon and they provide lunch at the programs. Some of those topics can be pretty brutal at meal time!

Have a great day everyone.

Margie

Hey All…

A big blanket of snow here on my mountain..around 3-4 inches fell late last night and this morning. And of course it had to be the morning I had an early morning Dr.’s appointment. I drove my sons 4wheel drive SUV, because the roads were bad here in my area, but the farther west I drove..no snow and smooth sailing.. The white stuff doesn’t seem to last long around here..it’s already melting..but it was pretty while it lasted.

Well it’s Cyber Monday..any online orders?? I haven’t done any surfing yet, but the day’s not over.

Hope everybody has a good day
I’ll check in later

Deb

My posts are getting vortexed!

Hey Deb,

I wish the posts on Greta’s blog would get vortexed instead of yours! I hope Janice can get the techies to figure out what’s going on. You can always e-mail me if you feel like chatting without having the feeling that you’re talking to yourself! I get that feeling when my posts get sucked up. Hang in there and hopefully things will get better when Janice gets back to work.

Margie

Gina, always glad to provide a good laugh.

Margie, I went over to Greta’s blog for the first and last time. Talk about incivility! Nothing
really but insults and vicious partisanship. Not really my flavor if you know what I mean.
I think I’ll stick with you nice folks.

Well, my brother and his family and my sister and her fiancee are in town and staying at
my mother’s tiny house. God help her! If only I can make it through dinner tonight peacefully,
I’ll be happy. At least the kids are excited about meeting their baby cousin for the first time.
Should provide a nice diversion from the family dynamics (which is a nice euphemism for
fighting!).

Tony

Tony….”family dynamics”…..I know what you mean…..When my father showed up to bring me out to lunch his wife was (unexpectedly to me) was with him…..Not that there was fight I wasn’t emotionally prepared to deal with her temperment and attitude style so my stress level went UP!!!! ……I would have ordered myself a drink or two if it weren’t foe the reality my father is a recovering alcoholic and I am respectful and supportive of his decision and efforts to remain sober…..

BUT a drink would have been sooooooooo Nice!
As it was I came home with a massive stress headache …..which I am not prone to….Going to Blockbuster and getting my bookwork done will have to wait until tomorrow….

“Family dynamics” indeed…Mine are better than they were years ago…..But it doesn’t take much for the stress level to go up due to “trigger” situations…

My mother and step-father are taking me out to dinner tomorrow AND that will definately be enjoyable and I won’t “need” a drink to get thru it but will have one just to enjoy…..

Glad my headache is almost gone

Hey Tony, I can relate to family dynamics. I did fine when I went up to my brother’s place for Thanksgiving, but the day after we went over to my aunt’s house. My brother & his family came down for that get together. Actually, my brother wasn’t too bad, but my cousin Paul is another story. I managed to avoid being in the same room with him & my brother because they feed off each other & act like a couple 10 year olds (or younger). Actually, I don’t think 10 yr olds would be as vicious & blasphemous as they get…Anyway, I was having a nice conversation with my cousin Matt & his wife about high schools. (I mentioned I still keep in touch with a friend of mine from HS & that started the conversation in that direction.) Matt went to the same HS as Bill O’Reilly & when Paul heard us talking he came over & started saying nasty stuff about Bill. He said something about the devil attended that school and I said, “Oh, did you go there, too?” He didn’t have anything to say to that & I got up & left the room. I’m glad my parents didn’t plan on staying for dinner because I spent the rest of the time moving from room to room to avoid Paul. He managed to ruin a nice conversation I was having with Matt.

I like your description of Greta’s blog. I’m amazed that they allow such foul language on that blog. I’m so glad Janice doesn’t allow garbage on her blog. I love Greta but her blog is way out of hand.

Well, I’m running out of characters so I must shut up. Have a great evening.

Margie

Well it helps the stress level come down that “clyde” is anchoring ANHQ!!!

Thanks FOX!!!!

Wenchie, thanks for the good idea – I’m going to have a drink before they arrive. My wife
suggested the same thing, to which I replied, “Do you think throwing alcohol into the mix is
going to help things?!” It probably will since I am a very happy drunk.

Margie, I can only say I won’t connect anyone with the Devil. On Thanksgiving, I made a comment
to my mother about showing up hours early for dinner and needless to say it set off a lot of fireworks.
I think I’ll stick with, “Oh, your son is soooo cute,” and then take another swig of scotch!

Breathe . . . .
Tony

Hey Deb,

I just saw your post from earlier that Janice released from the vortex! I couldn’t have responded on my last post anyway since I was up to 1496 characters at the end. This character counter is a pain & I would love to know why Greta’s blog doesn’t have it!

Anyway, you asked about cyber-shopping & I did some today. I ordered a gift for my boss & some clothes for myself. Both sites had 25% off everything, so that was nice! I also bought a gift for the kids of one of my friends but it wasn’t on sale. They always love the stuff I get them so I hope they like this one. I got them a beginner’s microscope kit since I loved using a microscope when I was younger. (I still do when I get the chance.) The kit has experiments & a slide set with it so I hope the kids like it. In the past I got them a pottery wheel, detective kit, butterfly garden (or something like that), and other fun stuff. I love buying stuff for kids! (Maybe that’s because I’m a big kid myself!)

The post office just shocked me. I got a package from Amazon that was just shipped yesterday & I got it today. The return address is VA so I don’t know how it got here so fast since the P.O. is notoriously slow & it shipped on Sunday. I do like pleasant surprises, however!

Hey Tony,

The package that came has a copy of your book in that I’m giving for a Christmas gift, so I’ll be sending it along to you for you to sign. Thanks for being willing to sign it for me.

Gotta go–out of space again!

Margie (1497)

I emailed Fox and asked them about the character limits per post….

I got a reply and they said its just a measure to make sure that the blogs arent abused and spammed…Its not ment to be of any inconvience…

Knowing Greta’s committment to complete and total no moderation or limits on free speech on her blog they probably decided not to put it on hers….I do believe most other blogs have some sort of moderation or reporting of abusive posts….

We are just going to have to be more concise and exercise more brevity in our comments …I know me…I can get very long winded So its probably a very good addition…

I’ve got my pen ready.

(Dinner is going well.)

Tony

Hey Dawn,

If Fox doesn’t want the blogs to be abused then they need the character limit on Greta’s blog, not this one! Like I said, I love Greta, but her blog is totally out of control and I think it’s unfair that she gets preferential treatment over the other blogs. I made the mistake of reading some of those posts today and they were vulgar and nasty. If that’s the kind of free speech Fox chooses to protect, then I think it’s pretty sad.

Margie (stated in 482 characters)

Well I guess family dynamics are universal!
No matter where you’re from, families reunions are the same everywhere in the world!
Same drama, same priceless anecdotes!

I’m truly sorry Dawn for your lunch…but I’m hopeful your dinner tomorrow will be nicer!

After the segment in AM today, I have no scruples to drink my daily glass of Bordeaux every evening after work
Although in my case it’s not the anti-aging aspect that seduces me but rather the instant anti-stress value!

And luckily, my DVR did tape Americas News HQ with Clyde! Since the topics shifted to the international arena, needless to say I have a LOT of issues to express
(keep in mind that whining is part of the French DNA!)

Dawn, do you get your rental DVD through rental stores or through mail? Mail is amazingly convenient.

Margie you just gave me an excellent idea of gift for my nephew: a beginner microscope kit!! I’m sure he would love it. I hope it’s not too expensive.

Like I said yesterday, I can’t help picturing the Vortex like Darth Vader!! With his deep voice, no wonder he needs to keep track of every single character we are using!

Gwen, I’d love to watch eagles flying in the sky! They must be beautiful…

Guillaume

Gosh did I say AM? I meant AN!
Sorry, Clyde’s past lives had me confused

I just fell under the spell of.. hedgehogs!
Aren’t they the cutest animals or what??!
just watched a couple of videos on line!!
Wonder if they make noise….

Guillaume

Greta’s blog has a 1500 character limit now, too. It doesn’t show up at the top of the box like this one, but it cuts you off if you type in or paste in over 1500 characters. The counter at the top is good. They should put that on Greta’s blog.

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!

(Picture me singing here—with gusto and perhaps slightly off key.)

Happy Birthday, dear Dawn!

Happy Birthday to you!

Hope you have a great day!

Gwen

A pleasant and civil dinner with not a single sneer, dirty look, or cross word. All in all rather
successful.

Later,
Tony

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE Dawn!!!

Have a beautiful day of celebration with people you love!!!

Guillaume

Gwen….Thank you….Sung with gusto and slighly off key is the best way to sing it and to receive it … !!!

I can tell you that barring any unforseen real tragedy…..a marvolous and joyful way is how I plan on approaching it…..and with a grateful and humble heart I will lite a candle for all those who passed on this year who won’t see their 44th….for them and the loved ones they leave behind….

I choose to celebrate living longer rather than mourn growing older…..

Guillaume…..Thanks!!! Will do just that….Dinner at Dakotas with the folks …..me thinks filet mingon will grace my plate!!

Tony …..Very glad to head you had a nice dinner!!!!!

Gwen….a reply to you exsists!!!! Check back later when the blog does it’s daily regergitation (sp)…

Happy Birthday Dawn! I hope you have a great day and that all the family interactions are peaceful and stress free!

Hey Guillaume,

I’m glad I inspired you about the microscope. The one I bought was a little more expensive because it has glass optics instead of plastic and I’m buying for two kids. You can get the microscope separately or in a kit with a book on experiments and a slide set. I bought mine through Edmund Scientific. They also have less expensive ones, too.

Hey Tony,

I’m glad your dinner went well! A pleasant atmosphere is always easier on the digestion!

I hope everyone has a great day.

Margie

Margie…..Thanks!!! It will be stressfree…. The folks are very easy and comfortable to be arond…..None better!!

What a great attitude you have about your birthday and aging, Dawn. I hope your day is as special as you are!!! Happy happy HAPPY Birthday!!!!!!!

Good morning, All.

Happy Birthday Dawn!!

Hope your ok! Well miss you for the day