Draped to the Ankles

End of an Era

Well, as you can see, I haven't been keeping up with the blogging. And since very few people even read this blog, and I really need to look at ways to cut expenses, this blog will be closing down soon. It's been great, guys!

50 Best Art History Blogs

So after years of blogging about art history and other things, and then changing my blog around 360 degrees, I have been included in a list of 50 Best Blogs for Art History Buffs. It's long overdue, even if the inclusion is for Draped to the Ankles and not Out of Lascaux. Even so, if you are coming here from that list, please feel free to check out my archives. Out of Lascaux was the first and best Art History blog back in the day, and I have kept my best posts.

And if you're here for the 19th century stuff, I promise to post more in the near future. Right now, I'm very busy getting ready to go back to school (I'm a teacher) and sewing for our show in Tombstone on Labor Day weekend.

WIP Posts

It was decided at the last Six Guns Meeting that the two new outfits would be "unveiled" at Tombstone, so I'm not going to show them anymore until after that. Don't want to ruin the surprise!

As for Tombstone, I have discovered that it will be a real snoozefest when we aren't performing. What kind of "Rendezvous" has no plans for a meet-n-greet or any other kind of get together? Frankly, hanging out in the bar all night is NOT my idea of fun. So I'm going to have to make sure the people who have expressed interest in going with me know what they are in for. Not that it wouldn't be a GREAT time to go to Tombstone as a tourist. You won't have to stay for three days. So come anyway.

Jane Austen Quiz

Take the Quiz here!

Such Eternal Delight

I just came across a blog that has the most gorgeous photos. Such Eternal Delights is a blog by a woman who is also a 19th century costumer and reenactor. I hope someday that my blog will grow up to be just like hers!

English Lesson

Apparently, Ceely's Modern Usage isn't quite dead yet. We have a new post!

My Favorite SF Authors Who Blog

SF Signal has a list of SF Authors who blog. As to be expected, it's a very long list. However, I'm still waiting for Catherine Asaro and Elizabeth Moon to join the ranks, and I have to give a big "tsk, tsk" to Lois McMaster Bujold for blogging on Myspace (I'm sorry, but Myspace is where people go when they want to be part of the teen crowd.) Anyway, here's a list of my personal favorites (the authors, not necessarily the blog).

Lois McMaster Bujold, author of the Miles Vorkosigan series, and the Chalion fantasy series.

Laurell K Hamilton, author of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, and Merry Gentry (not as good, IMHO).

Lyda Moorehouse author of Archangel Protocol and several others in the series which appears to be out of print (hmph).

Naomi Novik, author of His Majesty's Dragon.

And of interest:
John Ringo. Now, I'm not sure if he's a favorite yet. I'm still reading A Hymn Before Battle. It's pretty good so far.

David Brin, author of the Uplift War series. I like his books, but I wouldn't consider him a favorite. However, his blog is what you might call "intellectually stimulating," you know, interesting.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Author of the Chaos series. See Brin above.

I won't comment on the fact that all my favorites are women, and all the "of interest" are men. It's kind of normal for me. C'est la vie.

Meme-thingy

I don't think I've ever done one of these "tell us about yourself" meme thingies. So, since Lynn deigned to do one, so shall I.

What do you think about Ouija boards?
On the one hand, very silly. On the other, more dangerous than hand guns.

Your favorite TV shows?
I just got into Gilmore Girls, so I'm watching that every day. Current shows - House, Boston Legal, Ghost Hunters. All time favorites - Highlander, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kung Fu (ones I own entire DVD sets of).

Favorite Board Game?
Trivial Pursuit

Favorite Magazine?
Smithsonian

Favorite smells?
Vanilla, burning leaves.

Worst feeling in the world?
Having to put your beloved pet down.

Best feeling in the world?
Walking along an empty beach on a cool autumn day.

Favorite Soundtrack?
Jesus Christ Superstar (does that count as a soundtrack?)

What is the first thing you think when you wake in the morning?
"I wonder if Achilles has crapped in my living room."

Roller coaster - scary of exciting?
Exciting.

How many rings before you answer the phone?
As few as possible because the big dog goes nuts when it rings. Cats wind up on high places, and books and papers scatter.

Favorite foods?
Ice Cream, Hot & Sour Soup, pork chops, mashed potatoes.

Chocolate or vanilla?
Oh, please, chocolate, of course.

Do you like to drive?
Hate it. Would rather take the bus of walk whenever possible.

Storms - cool or scary?
Scary. I've always hated thunder storms, but since moving into my not-so-waterproof house, I dread any kind of heavy rain storm.

What type was your first car?
Well, my husband's '82(?) Toyota Corona was the first one I drove. I didn't get my license until I was 30. Our first car we bought together was a '91 Saturn.

If you could meet one person dead or alive - who would it be?
My great grandmother Elna Van Sweringen. I know nothing about her, but she has a mischievous twinkle in her eye in the pictures I have of her. I also want to know - as a genealogist - who her parents were (if she even knew).

Favorite alcoholic drink?
Kahlua and milk.

What is your zodiac sign?
Pisces

Who is your favorite poet?
Don't read poetry, though I'm fond of Jabberwocky.

Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
Um, yeah, the parts that don't get thrown away because they are inedible.

If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be?
Urban Archaeologist.

If you could dye your hair any color, what would it be?
I've died it many colors in the past (normal ones, no pink) and red is the one I stick with most often.

Is the glass half empty or half full?
Depends on what's in the glass.

What is your favorite Snapple?
Don't drink it enough to have a favorite. I prefer Tazo teas.

Favorite movies?
Far too many to list here.

Are you a lefty, righty, or ambidextrous?
Righty.

Do you type with your fingers on the proper keys?
Hell, no, I never learned to touch type. I use three fingers on each hand. I can hunt & peck at 40 words per minute.

What is your favorite number?
32

Favorite sport to watch?
Horse racing.

Favorite quote?
"He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad" - Rafael Sabatini, Scaramouche.

Around the Blogosphere

I have to point you to Urville. Urville is a thriving metropolis on the coast of France, with a population of over 20 million. It is also completely imaginary. Urville was developed by Gilles Trehin, a man with Autism. He is also a man with extraordinary talent. His architectural drawings of the city are amazing works of art. He has created a city complete within itself, from its history to its modern demographics. Check it out. (via Plep.)

Bill over at Ideofact is writing again. Always interesting to see what he has to say about culture and such.

So why do so many of us take these "sabbaticals" from blogging? With me, I just lost interest in everything, including blogging, around the time my mother died. And now that I'm blogging again, I find my interests have changed. Well, not my interests so much - I'm still in love with Art History - but what I find interesting to talk about. I feel like I've already said the "important" things and don't wish to repeat myself. Also, with the expansion of the blogosphere, plenty of other people are talking about art, so I don't feel the need to do it so much anymore.
Plenty of things to say about quilting and TV, though. And occasionally something art-related will capture my attention long enough to urge me to post about it.

Know Thy Bible

Well, seems I know my Bible:

Pretty good for someone who a) never went to Sunday school, b) was never a professed Christian, c) is now mostly a Buddhist. That's what it means to be a UU!

Feminist SF

The 5th Carnival Of Feminist Science Fiction is up. I hadn't realized there were 4 before that, but there ya go. There are some interesting things there, particularly an essay on comic books by Daddy Dialectic and an article titled Harlan Ellison has Always Been a Sexist Creep.

That brough back memories. I used to attend cons back in the 70s with my mother. I heard the stories about him, and I heard my mother and sister's opinion of him. Ellison has always been a creep, but let's be fair, he's a non-partisan creep. He hates everyone, not just women. I was kind of surprised to learn he had groped Connie Willis at the Hugo awards, mainly because I thought he would have outgrown that by now - I mean the guy is in his 70s. But perhaps he is merely trying to protect his reputation. I'm sure he's quite the curmudgeon these days, and doesn't want anyone to think he has actually mellowed or matured or anything.

I will always be amused by the story my sister tells about meeting him. She wanted him to sign "Again Dangerous Visions," which was a thick hardcover. She was holding it in her hand while looking around for him. At one point, she turned quickly and nearly beaned Ellison in the head. She hadn't realized how short he was. I think he signed it anyway.

Son of Geoffrey Chaucer

I just had to point everyone to this post over at Chaucer's Blog. His son, Lowys, has a review of a Playstation game. What is interesting is that it is very much "like father, like son." Go read it, and see if you can't actually hear this kid talking - I hear my son talk like this all the time. Well, aside from the smatterings of Chaucerian English, that is.

9/11 Connections: Manuel L. Lopez

I am still angry.

I am usually an even-tempered person, and it takes a lot to get me riled. It takes even more to get my blood boiling the way it did on the morning of September 11, 2001. I remember watching events unfold on TV, and uncharacteristically pacing the floor shouting, "This is it! This is too much! They have really done it this time!" I know I upset my son, who was 8 at the time. I also remember crying at the thought of all those innocent people, killed just because they went to work that day. It still brings tears to my eyes. Mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. Each single person's death deeply affected a hundred people or more.

That's 299,600 people directly affected by the fall of the World Trade Center. According to the Six Degrees of Separation, every person on earth can find a connection to anyone else within six people (i.e. "a friend of my mother's cousin's girlfriend's sister's friend went to school with Bill Clinton"). Imagine how short that chain is for everyone in America and the people who were murdered in the WTC and the Pentagon.

I know it's very short for me because I still have family on the East Coast. I lived in New York City for a while, and went to school there. I know that I have only to go through one degree of separation to find connections to many of the victims, if not hundreds. I may have even known a few personally in my younger years, though I may never know for sure.

But it doesn't matter. We are all connected. And now I am connected to Manny Lopez, a man who was a husband, a father, a son, living in New Jersey, and killed just because he went to work that day. I didn't know him personally, but I'll bet I know someone who knows someone who did. But since I have not found particular connection yet, I present the words of those who did.

Manuel L. Lopez

Craving Greens and Gadgets

When Manuel Lopez was not putting in long days as a corporate tax manager for Marsh & McLennan in 1 World Trade Center, he liked to tend the big garden he and his wife had in Jersey City. The backyard plot bore beans, tomatoes, mustard greens ‹ the last an important ingredient in sinigang, a tangy soup of Mr. Lopez's native Philippines.

But while Mr. Lopez, 54, liked vegetables, he was crazy about gadgets and electronics. DVD players, laser discs, cameras ‹ "Everything that came out, he had to be the first to get it," said his daughter, Minnie Morison. "We have five or six televisions and there's only three bedrooms in this house."

Mr. Lopez often trawled the Internet in search of hot deals. "There was this DeWalt drill that kept being auctioned on uBid," his daughter said. "He wanted it so bad, but he was stubborn and he was always outbid. I was like, `Why don't you just go to Sears and buy it, and I'll pay the difference?'

"A couple days after the World Trade Center, a drill showed up in the mail. It was really weird for us.

"No one's opened it."
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 4, 2001.

Manuel Lopez, 54, home was his palace

After moving to Jersey City from the Philippines in his mid-20s with his pregnant wife, Manuel Lopez found his passion in creating a comfortable place for his family.

In recent months, he organized the remodeling of the family's duplex, paying close attention to light fixtures and other details. He also filled with house with plenty of electronic gadgets, from DVD players, stereos and cameras to a TV set in each bedroom, his family said.

It was on a morning during which Mr. Lopez, 54, known as Manny, exercised that passion for nesting that his life was cut short. Moments after arriving at work on the 98th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, he called his wife, Rosalia, to go over some details of their remodeling project.

Ten minutes after he hung up, the first jet struck the World Trade Center. His wife, hearing the news on the radio, tried to call back, but she was not able to get through to him.

"He wanted to provide a better life for his future family," said his daughter, Minnie Rose Morison, also of Jersey City.

Mr. Lopez knew hard work would provide a better future for his family, they said. He was vice president of the federal tax department at Marsh & McLennan, his employer for 15 years, and often arrived at work early.

On the fateful morning, Mr. Lopez was driven to the PATH station in Jersey City by his son, Mannie Jay Lopez, who had returned home from an overnight work shift before heading out to a class at New Jersey City University.

"He always had a joke to tell," his son said. Mr. Lopez was fond of electronic gadgets, and was an avid reader of Stereo Review and other magazines to keep up with trends in electronics.

In addition to a new TV in each of three bedrooms, Mr. Lopez kept a classic TV in the kitchen, a Sony from the 1980s, for "sentimental" reasons, his son said.

"He joked a lot and he loved to go shopping," his wife added.

It was the example of hard work, done with a sense of humor, that his son remembered. "He wanted to show me a better life," his son said.

Mr. Lopez's remains were not positively identified until more than two months after the tragedy, on Nov. 16. Officials made the identification using DNA tests, his daughter said.

In addition to his wife, daughter and son, Mr. Lopez also is survived by two sisters, Jovita "Betty" Lozano of New York and Avelina Cabal; and two brothers, Geronimo Montero and Benjamin Montero, all of the Philippines; and other relatives.

Profile by George Berkin published in THE STAR-LEDGER.

(Source:Remember: September 11, 2001 at www.legacy.com)

Manny Lopez, you are missed.

***For links to more tributes, click on the Twin Towers graphic on the side bar.
****WAIT! Don't click that right now. Apparently there was way too much traffic on that website. Just follow the comment trail instead.

Erratic

I go through periods where I think I need to post about art if I am to post at all. Then I wind up with an empty blog. But frankly, I haven't seen anything worth blogging in the art world.

Now in the quilt world, that's different. The Post Office has released stamps commemorating the quilts of Gees Bend. I talked about them here. The stamps can be seen here. It almost makes me want to start collecting stamps.

In other news, Brian has been at school for two weeks now, and he is certainly getting the full "high school experience." He encountered the vast bureaucracy of school administration when they switched his schedule on him. He has discovered that not everyone thinks his obnoxious quips are funny and now has a couple of bullies after him. He's already missed a day due to illness and missed handing in homework. He's already doing poorly in a couple of classes because he just isn't trying very hard (I obviously did not make him work hard enough at home. That would change if he quits). And he's met a bunch of girls. You can probably guess which of those is keeping him going back every day.

I caught him reading a book for English class, and at first I was happy. I didn't think they would bother with an actual book. But then I saw the book, "House on Mango Street." Brian's words were, "It's written for first graders!" And indeed, I would never have a 9th grader reading such childish writing. I'm sure that for a 4th grader, it would be fine, but it isn't high school material by any means. So, he's coasting in English. But his science class is hard. His teacher has high expectations, and Brian has been begging me to let him drop it becuase it's "too hard." What he means is, there's a lot of work involved. I encountered this attitude at home, so I know exactly what it is - pure laziness. His father and I both agree that he needs to be challenged by at least one class, and this is it. I looked at the book, and it really is basic stuff. He can handle it if he tries. I just hope he realizes that he actually has to work to get good grades in some of these classes before it's too late.

One other thing. Brian was asked to pick a book to read during "reading time" in English class (I can't imagine they get much read in ten minutes 3 times a week, but there you go.) The book he finally chose (with some prompting from his overly-educated parents): The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Very cool, B-Man!

Spammed

I got seriuosly spammed again, so the comments are closed on the last few entries. If anyone know of a spam blocker for MT blogs that is easy to install, let me know. This is when I really miss the ease of Blogspot.

Blogging Duty

Here's something every blogger should consider doing:

Go sign up to write a tribute for one of the 2966 people who were killed on 9/11. It doesn't have to be someone you know. In fact, most of us never knew the person we will be memorializing. I just think it's a nice way to commemorate 9/11 five years later. Personally, I'm still too shell-shocked to go see the new movie, but I suppose that's a good way to remember the day as well.

Manuel L. Lopez, age 54.
Place killed: World Trade Center. Resident of Jersey City, N.J. (USA).
Manuel L. Lopez will be honored by Alexandra at the blog Out of Lascaux. This was the 1684th blogger to sign up for the 2,996 Tribute project.

I've noticed some people have already put up their tributes, but I think I'll wait until 9/11. It seems more fitting.

Boy's Been Busy...

A couple of links brought to you by The Boy. The first is an entry on his favorite website Stuff on My Cat. He has entered Oliver, and he needs your vote. Scroll down to Cat: Oliver (kind of a dark picture). Vote for him by scrolling down to near the bottom.

Boy Brian (he just insisted I use his name) has also created this very cool flash cartoon. It's a loop, so it can go on forever.

Like I said, he's been busy.

Not Dead

Well, a combination of vacation, illness, school work and disk space issues have kept me from blogging for a while. I will return as soon as I finish indexing an entire book in less than a week!

Not Blogging

I haven't posted in a while, I know. I've just been busy with other stuff, particularly my three new MLS classes, shaving soap-making research, and a new reader for the store (Monroe's Second Reader, with worksheets, to be released on next week.) I've also been to the doctor for a ringing in my ears (with hearing loss) which seems to be getting louder and louder. I have an MRI scheduled for Monday morning, and will be seeing an Ear/Nose/Throat doctor week after next. Keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing serious. Also, haven't had much interesting to say. Perhaps next week.

Funny and Not-So-Funny

This test was right on target.

You are a moderate Democrat. You agree with Democrats more often than not, but have misgivings about some of their positions on key social issues, as well as their ability to defend the country. You remain supportive for now, but if Democrats keep moving to the left and taking their cues from people like Michael Moore, you may decide to jump ship.

What's Your Political Profile? A Political Cartoon Rorschach Test.

(Hat tip to Anger of Compassion.)

The Indecisive Blogger

Bloggers, do you ever write entire blog posts in your head and never publish them? I do... a lot. In fact, there are a couple of posts that I have re-written a couple of times and have never actually gotten them into the computer. I lie in bed, either at night or in the morning, and think about what I would like to say on a topic that is bothering me. I write the whole thing in my head. But by the time I get up and sit down at the computer, I think, "Blah! How boring," or "Who cares?" So, nothing gets posted. This particular post went through several revisions in my head - for a couple of weeks - before making it into print. I guess this is a round-about way of explaining why I don't blog as often as I should. Well, there you go.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog

Geoffrey Chaucer is alive and well. Who knew? Not only does he have a blog, but he offers up some choice pick-up lines for those attending the big medievalist conference in Kalamzaoo, MI. The lines are pretty funny, if you can decipher the Chaucerian English. I have to admit, I'm not quite up to speed on medieval English, but most of it was comprehensible. The funniest part is the comments.
Captain John Smyth has a blog, too.

(Hat tip to Blue Tea.)

Ceely's Modern Usage

I've started a new blog - well, we have started a new blog. Ceely's Modern Usage is about the English language, particularly American English. Craig over at The Anger of Compassion is a well-known grammar nazi, and I just like finding old rules and explanations in old textbooks. It just amazes me what we were never taught in school. And it seems like each generation learns less and less about the English language. Yes, I know that English is an ever changing language because it is a living language. However, what I see is that pieces of it are dying on the vine. How many of us know how to parse sentences? How many of us know what a pronominal adjective is? How many of us know the difference between a syncope and an apocope? Or even what those are?* One might make the case that these are archaic elements of our langauge. After all, our great-grandparents were taught these things in grammar school. But it's not that we don't use these anymore because we do. We just don't know the rules anymore.

So, we have a new blog. It's on blogspot because I just don't have the time (and can't really remember how) to create a third MT blog on my own site. Or maybe I'm just lazy. I just hope that my own grammar and spelling will be up to Craig's standards. If not, I can see trouble ahead :)

*Answers: parsing is sentence diagramming, so you won't see that here. A proniminal adjective is one sometimes used as a pronoun, as in saying "his" for "his book." Syncope is the shortening of a word by taking a letter or syllable from the middle, as "red'ning for reddening." Apocope is the shortening of a word by taking a letter or syllable from the end, as "th' for the."

Wildlife Meme

I've decided to start a meme, just a little one. What kind of wildlife can you see from your window? (Or that crawls into your house!) Here are 5 birds, 4 insects, and 3 land creatures from my yard. If you decide to do it, use the most exotic things you find (you may need to look something up.) And let me know.

Roadrunners (my personal favorite)
Woodpeckers
Rock Doves
Crows
Robins

Praying Mantids
Ant Lions
Stink Beetles (I find them in the back room all the time)
Yellow Aphids (little bastards really like my oleanders)

Texas Blind Snake (found in my mother's bedroom one year)
Box Turtles (found one trying to cross the street last year)
Lizards

In the past, I have also found quail, a rattle snake, scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes and millipedes, but not since I moved off of the mountain. Not sad about moving away from there, I have to say.

Book to Movie Meme

I found this at Atypical Homeschool where they apparently don't watch as many movies as I do. The list is of books that have been made into movies. "B" indicates I've read the book, and "M" indicates I've seen the movie (or a movie in the case of re-makes).

1. 1984
2. B, M - Alice in Wonderland
3. American Psycho
4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
5. Brighton Rock
6. B, M - Catch 22
7. B, M - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
8. B, M - A Clockwork Orange
9. Close Range
10. M - The Day of the Triffids
11. Different Seasons (includes The Shawshank Redemption)
13. M - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (aka Bladerunner)
14. M - Doctor Zhivago
15. Empire of the Sun
16. The English Patient
17. Fight Club
18. B, M - The French Lieutenant’s Woman
19. Get Shorty
20. The Godfather
21. B, M - Goldfinger
22. Goodfellas
23. Heart of Darkness
24. M - The Hound of the Baskervilles
25. Jaws
26. B,M - The Jungle Book
27. A Kestrel for a Knave
28. LA Confidential
29. M - Les Liaisons Dangereuses
30. Lolita
31. B, M - Lord of the Flies
32. B, M - The Maltese Falcon
33. M - Oliver Twist
34. B, M - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
35. B, M - Orlando
36. B, M - The Outsiders
37. M - Pride and Prejudice
38. M - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
39. B - The Railway Children
40. Rebecca
41. The Remains of the Day
42. Schindler’s Ark (aka Schindler’s List)
43. Sin City
44. B, M - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
45. The Talented Mr Ripley
46. B - Tess of the D’Urbervilles
47. Through a Glass Darkly
48. B, M - To Kill a Mockingbird
49. Trainspotting
50. The Vanishing
51. Watership Down

I once took a course in college called "Books into Film." It was one of my favorite classes. We read - and saw - Clockwork Orange, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Picnic, The Maltese Falcon, and a few others I can't remember right now. Does this mean I have an unfair advantage in this meme?

My favorite pairing - though not my favorite book or movie - is A Clockwork Orange. Both were "real horror show."

Wiki Meme

I'm always interested in what happened on my birthday, so this meme caught my attention. 3 events, 2 births, and 1 death that happened on my birthdate, found by typing it in at Wikipedia.com

1836 - Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo - After a 13-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 189 Texas volunteers defending the Alamo are defeated and the fort taken.
1899 - Bayer registers aspirin as a trademark.
1981 - After 19 years presenting the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite signs off for the last time

1475 - Michelangelo Buonarroti, Italian painter (d. 1564)
1619 - Cyrano de Bergerac, French soldier, poet (d. 1655)
*1885 - Howard Hurford Van Sweringen (this one wasn't in Wikipedia)

1982 - Ayn Rand, Russian-American author (b. 1905)

Color Changes

Ok, so about a week ago I decided I was sick of looking at the peach background on this blog. So I went through my stylesheet and replaced all the #FFCC99 with #FFFFFF. I did everything right, but that white background would not show up. So I left it. I get on here this morning, and there's my white background, plain as day. But not all of it is white. So, I've gone back and fixed the ones I missed, but I guess it will be another week before that shows up as well.

I want to redesign the whole page, but I just don't have the time right now. Maybe when I get some vacation time (smirk).

More Blogs

I do love Blogshares. I have found more craft blogs and homeschool blogs through them, although some of the homeschool blogs came by way of the Carnival of Homeschooling. Check out all the wonderful new blogs in my blogroll. I have been so pleased to find so many homeschool bloggers who don't quote scripture verses. It's very nice.

I Didn't Know I was Green At All

But this does sound like me - or at least what I hope people think of as "me."

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

(Hat Tip to Quilts Galore.)

It's all Reprehensible

I suppose if Anonymous hadn't begun his post by calling me "worthy of reproof, rebuke or censure," and if he hadn't posted as Anonymous (or "t" as the case may be) I might have responded in a more adult fashion. But I didn't. I don't apologize for anything I said, though my son may have been out of line. I don't take back anything I said, either. I just want to point out that the reason I have comments is to allow for debate, reasonable debate between people who can refrain from making it personal. I have often left up comments I considered "wrongheaded" because I recognize their right to their own opinions. I do not recognize anyone's right to attack me or my family personally. I suppose when dealing with the homeschooling issue, this may be difficult. But try.

Word Cloud

I saw this cool little item on Circle of Quiet. You can make a t-shirt from your blog. I think it tells a lot about a person. Since the larger words are those used more often, they must have more significiance. Well, they do for me, at least.

I think this would make a cool and unique t-shirt.

Four Things Everyone is Dying to Know About Me

I've been tagged!! Ok, it was my DH, but it still counts.

Four jobs that you have had in your life:

Bookstore Cashier
Education Consultant
Windows Guru and Trainer
University Lecturer

Four movies that you could watch over and over:

The Miracle Worker (with Ann Bancroft)
My Favorite Year
Some Like it Hot
Men in Black

Four places that you've lived:

New Haven, CT
Chicago, IL
Alexandria, Egypt
El Paso, TX

Four TV shows you love to watch:

Stargate: SG1
The Daily Show
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (on DVD)
Ghost Hunters

Four places you've been on vacation:

Clearwater, FL
Cairo, Egypt
Silver City, NM
New Haven, CT

Four of your favorite foods:

Chocolate
Oreo Cookies
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Ice Cream

Four sites I visit daily:

eBay
Blogshares
RewardTV
TWU Blackboard (schoolwork)

Four Bloggers I'm tagging:

Well, I no longer have 4 regular readers (you two know who you are :-), so I tag everyone. Knock yourselves out.

Stuff Found via Blogshares

Have you seen Madonna's new video for "Hung up?" (I think that's the title; I know she starts by saying "time goes by so slowly...) Anyway, the tune is good, I like it, but I sort of sat open-mouthed watching Madonna - who is about my age - prance around in leotards in an empty dance studio. OK, so there is some amount of jealousy due to the fact that I could never look like that in my wildest dreams, but I still think she's too old to do the "look at me, I'm such a sex kitten" thing. Then I saw this via Movable Walls via Blogshares. I clicked on it because the title was "Apache Madonna" and I just had to know what that was. It has a certain charm that Madonna's video lacks.

I also found this little time waster via Gambling Gringo. My DH wouldn't go through the whole thing, he doesn't have that kind of patience, but I did, and laughed the whole time.

And speaking of Gambling Gringo, I've found a few more El Paso bloggers. Here are the ones who blog in English, (and that is a post for another time.)

Helloyvetty

Sometimes it Seems if I Just Dream

Lone Star Molly (very entertaining, and the one who brought us the Red Dot.)

You may notice a dearth of El Paso bloggers. I've noticed, too, but there are still 200% more than when I started.

Arty Blogs

Blue Tea Wonderful art blog, lots of interesting things to look at. She recently found Escher creations made out of LEGGO's. But this had me entranced for a while.

Empress of Dirt, crafter, mom, photographer (not necessarily in that order.)

A Realization in Texture, Color and Movement... Beautiful photos of beautiful food and crafts.

Moon River. I don't think I've ever linked to an MSN space before, but this one has cool photos and art. Definitely a cut above the rest.

Spammed

Gah! I go away for a month and my one open post gets 96 spams in the comments. Does that seem right to you?

Animal Rescue

I have been just sick about all the animals left in New Orleans. If I had time and money, that's what I would be doing right now - rescuing animals. It's the one cause I give money to (plenty of people giving to human causes; animals need love, too!)

So I was so tickled to see this entry on a blog I came across through Blogshares. Seems Gaygaybrad is a New Orleans resident. The rest of his adventures are worth reading, too.

Bloggin' Along

I've recently become an Index Manager on Blogshares, and have found a few new and interesting blogs (and, yes, I DID need another excuse to spend even more time on Blogshares :-)

Collage Mama's Itty Bitty Blog - an art teacher with varied interests.

Art For Housewives - I would like this one much better if it weren't vibrating red on electric green. If you can stand it, lots of cool art and craft links.

Quiltville's Quips and Snips I love looking at other people's quilts.

Lazy Gal Quilting - Another one!

And here's something I did not find on blogshares, but would like to put in my dream studio someday. I like computers, but I don't like them in my sewing machines.

That book meme

I'm so excited! I got a meme passed on to me. And it was one I had seen before and been thinking about already. Thanks, Lynn.

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?
I've always thought I would be The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett, but it's such a long book, I don't think I could ever memorize the whole thing. Perhaps Love You Forever by Robert Munsch would be more my speed. It's certainly the most moving book I ever read.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
Gosh, Yes! Francis Crawford of Lymond, the main character in the Chronicles of Lymond, of which Game of Kings is the first book. I so wanted to marry a man just like him. But there aren't many who can write songs and poetry, quote the classics, wrestle, fence, sing, fight, command men, and play the lute AND pianoforte around these days.

The last book you bought is:
Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee and Stephen Miller. I bought it used, but I have been looking for it for a while. It's recommended by people who like Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire books. So far, it's looking good.

The last book you read:
The last book I finished was Archangel Protocol. The last book I read was Seeds of Time by Kay Kenyon. I didn't like it, though: the future she wrote about was just too grim, and her main characters were not very sympathetic.

What are you currently reading?
Conflict of Honors

Five books you would take to a deserted island:
1. Can I take a whole series as one book? 'Cause I need my Chronicles of Lymond.
2. Dune. When I read it at the age of 11, it really changed my outlook on life.
3. A History of Art book, perhaps by Marilyn Stockstad. The pictures would be comforting.
4. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by the Dalai Lama. He makes sense to me.
5. The Lord of the Rings series. I have never read it, aside from The Hobbit in high school. This would force me to finish it - maybe.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons)? And Why?
1. Craig, because I know he'll come up with something hoity-toity as well as funny.
2. Roxanne because I would like to know what she reads.
3. Rufus because she needs to post more often!

Yikes!

Looks like everything is falling off the page again. I guess I need to post, hunh? I haven't continued the art history series mostly out of laziness - it takes more effort to write something intelligent than to just blather on. But, none of my 3 loyal readers have gotten on my case about it, so I'm not really worried about it. I'll probably do some more later on, though.

Meanwhile, I guess I'll do some linkage to a few blogs I have come across while playing around on Blogshares.

AHA Weblogs Blog - reviews homeschooling blogs, and there are so many of them popping up all the times, this is a useful site.

The Art Cart - the intelligent thoughts on contemporary art by a University of Wisconson student. Her major is actually print journalism, but I might be able to forgive her given time.

Mix V.2 - is a gallery of creative works and graphic illustrations.

Eye of the Goof - does interesting things with retro advertising and graphic arts. It also points the way to more esoteric spots on the web.

Gironale Nuovo - art, illustrated books and book covers as well as history and commentary.

Blogrolling Again

I just rearranged my blog roll. There are so many new blogs dedicated to visual arts that I felt they needed their own category outside of culture blogs. And I'm sure some of my "Other Blogs" could be considered culture blogs, but let's not get carried away with this whole change thing, ok?

My Blogger Twin

This figures. At least I'm not Glenn Reynolds (shudder).

Your Famous Blogger Twin is Wil Wheaton

You're a friendly, funny guy (or girl) next door With more than a touch of geekiness

I only wish they hadn't used that STNG picture. Blech! I much prefer him as a blogger than a weasel Wesley. Thanks to The Anger of Compassion

Readers & Such

Ok, so I'm checking my sitemeter, and I'm still finding myself on blogrolls of blogs I never heard of! What the heck? For instance, there's Absolute Uncertainty, February 30, and phaneronoemikon. So, maybe I should just carry on. Wouldn't want to disappoint my hordes of readers, now would I?

UPDATE: I have discovered that February 30 used to be Cinderellabloggerfella, so that's cool.