THE DANCE OF THE SEVEN VEILS

[bk]

Furthermore, it just doesn't seem like a Sunday.  Although in one respect it does - no one seems be be around.  Apparently tarnation is very busy today but we're not.

[George]

Back from my travels.  The sun gave up the ghost and it is now raining - more of a drizzle, really.  That Powerbook is imploring me to at least open the box it is in.

Go ahead BK, do it!  You know you want to.  Give in.  It won't hurt...and you'll feel sooo much better that you did!

[George]

Good morning all

Well, I had a bit of an adventure whilst driving over the mountains yesterday.  I set off from Ellensburg at around 9 pm, had no real trouble with the weather because the sanding trucks had been through.  This, however, caused me a different problem...a lot of dirt and grime being sprayed up on my windshield.  I quickly ran out of wiper fluid trying to keep it clean, so by the time I reached the west side of the mountains, I could barely see anything.  I decided to pull off in North Bend, a small town just on the edge of the pass, and get some wiper fluid.  There is a gas station right off the exit, so I intended to pull off in there.  However, being barely able to see anything, I could only guess where the road was.  This, combined with certain other factors involving my own stupidity, resulted in me driving headfirst into a ditch.  Thankfully this ditch had no water in it, and I'd taken it as such a low speed that no damage was done to the car, but I was indeed stuck.  So I got out, surveyed the situation, and called AAA to come and get me out.  It was more embarassing than anything else.  There I was, with my car at a 45 degree angle sticking out of this ditch, me standing there trying to appear casual, wrapped in about three coats to keep me and my sugar gliders warm...naturally everyone had to stop and take a gander.  A few boys in their souped up pick-up trucks stopped and offered their assistance...but I felt it best to wait for the professionals.  Pretty soon the cops showed up, of course, and wanted to know if I'd been drinking...which of course I hadn't.  But they stayed around to make sure no one else on the road ran into me.  All in all, a rather unpleasant experience...but thankfully both the car and I were unharmed and able to drive away.  Thank god for AAA roadside assistance.  

What better way to kick off a new year than driving one's car directly into a ditch?

Ann, great news that you're okay!  But please don't leave us hanging...did you get your wiper fluid refilled??

[bk]

I may have to at least take it out of its box.  It yearns to be free, like the masses.

[Panni]

Good night, Gracie.

[Matt H.]

Back from fetching my friend from the airport, and we also had a delightful dinner at my favorite Chinese buffet. Overall, a good day, and also beautiful again with highs in the high 60s. And it's supposed to be this way through Wednesday!

I just know we're going to freeze to death some next week.

[Matt H.]

bk's Powerbook is itching to come out of its enclosure, and I'm itching to buy a new television. Not a thing wrong with the one I've got, but the new one would be 10" wider and be a DLP (digital light processing) high definition model.

[JMK]

I am late arriving to the partay because, though it may indeed not feel like Sunday, it must be, because I had to be up at the crack of dawn (no mean feat) and play two services at the church I work for.   Since I had not slept well last night, that was quite difficult.  I came home and promptly crashed (though not like Ann) for almost 4 hours.

Anyhoo, no one else has commented that DGM (that's Dear Global Moderator in internet parlance) BK coined yet another new word in the notes (aside from ell):  seque (with a Q).  Perhaps that's Olde English for seek.

I am also sick of AOL (who isn't?), but, likewise, am loathe to change because of my website and FF article.  My sister just signed up with another ISP after many years on AOL and after she emailed me her new address, I responded, "NOOOOOO, don't leave me here by myself."

[Matt H.]

DR JMK wrote: " My sister just signed up with another ISP after many years on AOL and after she emailed me her new address, I responded, "NOOOOOO, don't leave me here by myself.""

No worry. Some of us silly folks are still around and will likely remain AOL slaves just out of sheer laziness and no desire to go through the hassles of trying to end service with them. I understand it's not a pleasant experience.

[Mike]

Well not a good way to start the new year. I am battling similar pains in the neck, head and back that put me in the hospital in October. Luckily I have a doctor's appointment first thing tomorrow and we'll go from there. I will keep all you wonderful people out there in HHW land up to date. I just hope that I don't end up in the emergency room again.

[Dan (the Man)]

BK, I say go ahead and open the Powerbbok box, at least.  Just to check to see if they sent the right model and color.

I almost gave into an itch today at Best Buy.  I stood there staring at a Panasonic DVD recorder with a 120 gig harddrive.  The only reason I didn't buy it was that I haven't done an ounce of research into such a unit yet and didn't want to buy blind from the shelf.  I'll check it out on the web this week and if the reviews are happy, I'll go back and pick it up.

[Dan (the Man)]

DR Ann, glad that you and your sugar babies are okay after your ditch experience.

[Jane]

Jane - the gliders didn't seem to suffer any problems from being out in the cold.  I had them in their pouch, under my shirt right next to my skin, plus a warm coat and a fleece wrap over me...so I think they were alright.  They were very glad to be home.  They started barking at my mom this morning when she got up...she was a little unnerved by it...

Ann I’m sure your Sugar Gliders were nice and warm where you kept them.  Your mother should be glad they were only barking instead of making that horrible noise they do when they are scared.

What are their names?

[elmore3003]

Give Mr. Walton a kiss for me and tell him to read my BOOK!

I'm back!  I liked everything about the show except for Barry Day's "concert" narration of rhymed couplets!  Just give me the scenes and let Mr Walton have a good time staging them.  I don't need Kathleen Widdoes running in and out telling me where we now are and why!  

It was great to see so many WHERE'S CHARLEY? buddies, and afterward, Bruce Pomahac and I went for a lovely Italian dinner where I ate way too much.

I hope to see Tony and Gen this week.  I will tactfuly mention WRITER'S BLOCK and force them to kneel and become acolytes.

[Jane]

Michael Shayne good luck tomorrow and I hope this time they can find the cause of your pain and fix it!!

[elmore3003]

.

I was listening to the London Cast Recording of Noel Coward's Sail Away, particularly Elaine Stritch's rendition of "Why Do the Wrong People Travel," and it occurred to me that her delivery is almost exactly like that of Tom Lehrer's.  She swings into notes the same way, her timing is the same.  They almost have the same voice!

Well, knowing both of them, I've never seen either in the same room at the same time!  

[Panni]

       ****VIBES TO DR MICHAEL SHAYNE****

[Panni]

I can see the ad copy for the biopic...

                    Elaine Stritch IS Tom Lehrer!

[elmore3003]

Well not a good way to start the new year. I am battling similar pains in the neck, head and back that put me in the hospital in October. Luckily I have a doctor's appointment first thing tomorrow and we'll go from there. I will keep all you wonderful people out there in HHW land up to date. I just hope that I don't end up in the emergency room again.

DRMichael Shayne, let us know what's going on!

********GOOD VIBES TO DR MICHAEL SHAYNE!!!!**********

[elmore3003]

I can see the ad copy for the biopic...

                    Elaine Stritch IS Tom Lehrer!

Or vice versa!

[Ginny]

Sorry to hear that ill health and mishaps have arrived with the new year.  All the best to SWW, Michael Shayne, Ann, etc.

Holiday festivities officially ended for us this morning when we met my sister and her husband for breakfast and they left from there to go back to Michigan and we left to take our son back to Univ. of Cincinnati for winter quarter.  DH Richard and I go back to work tomorrow.

Our Rose-Bowl-watching party was fun family bonding time, but the football didn't end the way we Wolverines would have liked.  Oh, well, it's only football...

[bk]

I'm on my way to eat soup.  Keep the home fries burning - I need lots of reading matter upon my return, you dear, dear people out there in the dark.

Seque is, of course, ancient Armenian for segue.

[Ginny]

I need some advice and this seems like a group that would have lots of ideas:

Audio CD storage - we are in the market for a "tower" of some sort to store our growing collection (now about 150 and sure to expand).  I'd like something for the corner next to my new radio/CD/cassette/record player.  Floor to ceiling would be nice, with about a 15 square inch footprint at most.  Any ideas for stores, catalogs, online shopping sites?  Surprisingly, my best possibilities so far are at target.com

[DearReaderLaura]

I have nothing exciting to say today. I am currently organizing the probate paperwork, which is not exciting in the least.

[JMK]

I can see the ad copy for the biopic...

                    Elaine Stritch IS Tom Lehrer!

No, no, no--

LEA DELARIA IS ELAINE STRITCH & TOM LEHRER

[George]

Well not a good way to start the new year. I am battling similar pains in the neck, head and back that put me in the hospital in October. Luckily I have a doctor's appointment first thing tomorrow and we'll go from there. I will keep all you wonderful people out there in HHW land up to date. I just hope that I don't end up in the emergency room again.

[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]~~~Good Health Vibes to Michael Shayne!!~~~[/move]

[Dan (the Man)]

! ! ! ! !  HEALTHY VIBES OF HEALTH FOR DR MICHAEL SHAYNE  ! ! ! ! !

[Jay]

I saw Hotel Rwanda today, Dear Readers.  You think you've got tsuris in your life?  Try finding yourself in the middle of a genocide.  I am embarrassed to say that I was unaware, until seeing this film, of the horrific violence between the Hutu and Tutsis in Rwanda (a one-time Belgian-controlled country in Africa) not very long ago.  The film indicates at its conclusion that one million people lost their lives during this ethnic clash.  Mr. Don Cheadle, whom I have not seen in a film before, does a very fine job as the hotel manager--a mere corporate employee/everyman--who heroically shelters over 1200 refugees at the hotel he manages.

This film is in very narrow release right now, but will go wide at the end of the month.  If you're choosing between this and Meet the Fokkers (or however you spell it), see Hotel Rwanda first.

[Jane]

Jay thank you for the movie tip.  The paper says it is coming soon to Ashland.

[Matthew]

Just got in from seeing "The Phantom of the Opera" for the second time, and the DP and I loved it more than the first time.  Yes, I was teary-eyed at the end, it's just so beautiful.