Card-carrying or not?

The other day, I was flipping through the junk mail and realized that one of the envelopes was from the ACLU. So I opened it and was reading through it and suddenly realized - I am not a member of the ACLU. WHY???

I mean, one of my favorite quotes is from The American President where Andrew Shepherd says, "For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you, Bob? Now, this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would a senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution? If you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am".

What's wrong with me that I did not join this organization? Sometimes, I feel that I have failed the version of my self that grew up in the 60's and went to college in the 70's. Though I suppose I have not betrayed that self as much as some others of my age group. At least, I'm not a Republican (shudder!).

So, now I am a member of the ACLU. Not card-carrying - but only because I have not yet gotten a membership card.

Yes, Russ, you are a member, too.

Why aren't you, Bob?


I thought this was an appropriate photo: the interior of the dome in Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda at UVA.

Airline Chicken (by Guest Blogger Russ)

Russ is in Houston for a convention. He emailed me these notes and I offered him a guest blogging gig. So here it is:

7-26-2008

The Restaurant here in the Crowne Plaze Houston Downtown is the Brazos Restaurant and Bar. They have a nice business as a stand-alone restaurant in Houston. I just ordered a chicken dish from room service. It looked very tasty to me. I’m sure you’ll agree that it looks like something I would like. It was chicken, stuffed with prosciutto, leeks and smoked provolone cheese topped with a light sage butter. The very strange thing is that it is called “ Airline Chicken Roulade”………. Why would any restaurant name a dish Airline anything? Will they give me only plastic utensils to eat it? Do they send someone who will sit next to me and spill some on me? Exactly how is this dish “Airline Chicken”? I will investigate.

7-28-2008

I had lunch in the hotel restaurant and one of the waiters was very knowledgeable. Airline chicken refers to the cut. It is a breast with some wing attached. Here is an explanation from a really interesting website I found, foodtimeline.com. It has all kinds of historical stuff about food. Ever wonder what the Vikings ate? I bookmarked it and I don’t bookmark very many sites. Here is the quote:

According to the National Chicken Council "The term "airline chicken breast" first became popular in the 1960s when major commercial airlines included full service meals on air flights that were of sufficient length/time to serve such meals. Airlines required a relatively small breast portion for a number of reasons and kept part of the wing on to give a presentation that made the serving portion appear to be bigger than it actually was and also to give it a certain differentiation from the non-airline breast. It was and still is a relatively costly product. My guess is a chef on PanAm or similar top airline developed the concept and other airlines quickly followed. Few, if any, domestic airlines still have "meals" that include "airline chicken breasts." Some caterers have this type of product for special occasion events. The Council adds: "The term "airline chicken" goes back a long way. It used to be called a "hotel cut.""

Now aren’t you glad you found out that there is a National Chicken Council?



Julie again. Today Russ attended the largest sit-down banquet the Hilton ever held. 2500 people. And they served ..... Airline Chicken.

I guess it's a Texas thing? Or a Hilton thing?



My photo today is from our trip to Washington DC. I saw this girl in the National Gallery, admiring a banner for an exhibit of artists' representations of the Bois de Boulogne.

Books, books and more books

My book-buying is getting seriously out of control. Earlier this year, I got a Barnes and Noble gift card and used it to buy several books, just as the whim took me, without knowing anything about them other than what I read on the jacket, the first few sentences, and a sample page from the middle. (That's my standard technique for evaluating a book. I'm usually not disappointed when I use this method. However, sometimes I am seduced by a title or concept, and then it's a coin toss whether I will actually like the book or loathe it.)

Since then, I've made a few more forays into book stores - while waiting at the airport, when browsing at the Train Station in DC, when in Denver because I HAD to visit the Tattered Cover when I had the chance.

(Digression -- I LOVE this book store. The comfy couches, all the hand-written notes recommending books... I would seriously spend a lot more money on books if I still lived in Denver. And I really like supporting independent bookstores. I've made a vow that I need to spend more time - and money - in independent bookstores. It's been just to easy to visit the local Barnes & Noble or order online. There aren't that many independents around any more, and the closest one - I think - is Magers & Quinn in Uptown, where the parking is a bit problematic. End digression.)

Then earlier this week, our washing machine was broken, so I went to visit Jason to use his machine, and we walked to Uncle Hugo's to buy books and get insulted. Seriously. The guy behind the cash register was obviously a geek (well, it is a science fiction / fantasy bookstore) with very few people skills. I tried to make conversation, but was treated to condescension and mockery. Jason says he insults everyone, so it's not just middle-aged women. It is almost a setback in my determination to patronize independents. Or at least, that independent. Though he did a great Schwarzenegger impression (I'll be back). And I got several more Robin McKinley books, which makes me very happy.

Anyway, today I went to the library to pick up a book on hold. I love to find books through LibraryThing or friend's recommendations, or just browsing in bookstores, and then reserve them at the library from my computer and wait for them to be ready for me. I've been using the library to trim down the amount I spend on books. Though lately, it doesn't seem to have worked very well.

And today the Friends of the Library were holding a book sale. $1 for hardbacks, 50 cents for paperback. And I came home with 10 books, several of which are very thick, and most of which I would not have bought if they hadn't been so inexpensive. I only spent $6.50. (You math geeks can figure out how many were hardback and how many were paperback on your own.)

But the thing is, the stack of books I own but have not yet read is now about 2 1/2 feet tall. And I may be missing a couple that are tucked away in my bedroom, or in the luggage from my last trip. Oops, I forgot the McKinley books from Uncle Hugo's, so that makes it nearly 3 feet tall, or over 30 unread books. Plus I've been re-reading all my Heyers, and have only gotten through about 10 of the 30 or so I own. Besides those I own, I still have two books out from the library, and 10 on my requested list.

Edit: I just scanned finished scanning the newly purchased books into LibraryThing, and went to put them on my shelves. There was room for only 1 or 2. I NEED MORE BOOKSHELVES!!!

Well, I just think of it as an excuse to read instead of wasting my time doing housework. After all, I've already PAID for those books. And if I DID do the housework, it would just need to be done again in no time at all. Isn't rationalization wonderful?

Here's another photo from yesterday's foray to the lake at sunset.

Golden days of summer

What a beautiful evening it was. Blue sky, warm but not scorching. A great day to be a teenager at the lake with your friends. And a great day to walk your dog down by the lake, and remember to bring your camera.

I've been working on making a life list. I'm certainly not ready to make it public yet, but one thing I would like to do is brush up on my photography. So I'm hoping to post photos here more regularly. If I can remember to take my camera with me...

Comments, criticisms and suggestions are welcome.

Warm, polite, intelligent and funny

Russ was just watching a biography of Steve Martin. They say he is actually quite shy and quiet. He has found a clever solution to the demands of autograph-seekers: he will hand them business cards which read: "This certifies that you have had a personal encounter with me and that you found me warm, polite, intelligent and funny." (I verified the wording here.)

I think that is terrific - and also warm, polite, intelligent and funny. So if you were to steal his idea, what four adjectives would describe how people found you?


Here's another photo that I meant to post some time ago - taken in Denver in April. I had forgotten there were pelicans at Cherry Creek Reservoir.

Dark and twisty superheroes

Russ and I went to see Hancock today. It's gotten some pans from critics, but we really liked it. For me, the main character pretty much has to sell me on the movie, and Will Smith has never disappointed me. (Not that I've seen all of his movies.) Yes, it takes a while to get the backstory on Hancock, and you could argue that it isn't totally consistent. But the character came to life.

He's one of those "dark and twisty" superheroes, as Meredith Grey would say. Like Spiderman, or Christian Bales' Batman. Even at the beginning, when he's a drunken bum causing almost as many problems as he solves, Smith lets you see that there is loneliness and despair underneath.

I liked his reluctant progress toward rehabilitation. Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron were terrific as well. The relationship between the three of them was interesting and well developed. But Will Smith sold me on the film. Of course, I have to admit I'm a sucker for the "wounded hero".


Photo for today: a magnolia flower from the trip to Charlottesville last month.

Stormy weather

After a few days of beautiful weather, we had a huge storm today. The sky was black and it rained so hard that you could hardly see houses on the other side of the street. I timed things quite well - I left work about 12:20 and came home for lunch, arriving seconds before the bottom fell out. During the worst part of the storm, my co-worker called from the office and said the power was out - and it is really dark in that office, with only a few narrow windows on 2 sides and cube walls in the middle. Even now that the rain has stopped, the power is still out, so we've been given permission to go (or stay) home. Yea for free half-days!

I'm really enjoying reading Robin McKinley's blog. I could have guessed she was a horse-lover from the way she writes about them, but her tales of riding kind of make me wish I had Athena back and could try dressage. Except of course for the horrendous cost. I think I will keep living that dream vicariously.

Here are my results for what kind of music I am. I'm not entirely sure how well this describes me. Feel free to let me know what you think. And if you take the quiz, do let me know your results.

You Are Classical Music

You are a somewhat serious person who enjoys studying subjects deeply. Art of all kinds interests you, and a good piece of art can really effect you emotionally. You are inspired by human achievement, and you appreciate work that takes years to accomplish. For you, the finer things in life are not about snobbery - they're about quality.

What Kind of Music Are You?

Car, Connections, Quizzes

Well, good news - sort of - about my car. The A/C blower was working again today. I took it in to the shop and they thought it might need a new ignition module, but had a fairly simple way to test to see if that is a problem in case it happens again. So they just kept it for the day and did routine maintenance. And ordered a part for the back-seat problem.

I just got distracted for a minute there. On Deb's blog, I found in her library a book by Patricia Wrede that I had never seen before. That led me to Amazon, and their list of "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought". I scrolled through some, and found this book by Robin McKinley - and then I found Robin McKinley's blog. She blogs about horses and bell-ringing and other interesting stuff - though her footnotes are very hard to follow.

I really like the books I've read by these two authors, and look forward to some new ones. Yea for rambling connections that lead to other connections...

Here's a quiz I stole from Deb. Sometime, maybe I should steal from other people...

The Road Trip of Your Life

You see companionship and loyalty as what's most important in life. You live life at a fairly leisurely pace. You take time to enjoy the sweeter parts of life, even when you're busy. You're willing to take a few risks in life. You may not take the road no one travels, but you're happy to take the road less traveled. You are able to find a fairly healthy balance between work and play. You work when you need to, but you never let yourself burn out. You could have owned an indie bookstore or boutique in another life.

The Road Trip Test

A relaxing weekend

Hooray for long weekends! I'm not really ready to go back to work, but I have quite enjoyed doing not much of anything this weekend.

Highlights:

1. Several walks with Russ and Bravo. And one today with just Bravo to the gardens by Lake Harriet.

2. Wonderful meals cooked by Russ, including Sticky Lemon Chicken, bacon & eggs, a traditional hot dogs and chips meal on the 4th, and this morning, pancakes with yummy homemade maple syrup from Jason and Gaea.

3. Books - read Tanya Huff's Summoning the Keeper and a biography of Georgette Heyer, and now I'm re-reading one of my favorite Heyer books.

4. Had lots of fun obtaining and arranging Flair on Facebook.

5. Dropped by North Star to see some of the horse people with whom I spent so much time in the past. Had a very nice chat with one of Karis' friends.

6. Spent some more time working on my LibraryThing catalog - and still have tons to load.

One unfortunate thing though - I have a couple of problems with my vehicle. The latch on one of the seats is broken - the one I use most often to allow Bravo access to the back. And then this afternoon, the A/C stopped working. Just the front fan, though - the one in the back still works. And it was a long drive back from Lake Harriet at 93 degrees. So now I have to get it to the shop this week.

Here's a photo of the fountain behind the Lake Harriet rose garden. I would have liked to jump in - it was really hot out there. (As always, clickable to see it larger.)

Internet overload

I've been thinking about how many different Internet sites I have now.
- I started with Picasa, which I do still update - sometimes.
- After I bought my Mac, I made a site on mac.com, but I don't update it anymore.
- Then I started blogging here - and that's a bit sporadic lately
- I found out about LibraryThing and started cataloging my books there, but I still have a lot more to add
- And there's GoodReads, where I keep track of books I borrow from the library and other people.
- I got on Plaxo because of my internet provider, but have no idea what I want to do with that
- Now I've gotten involved in Facebook, too, and have been spending way too much time working with the special applications there (like Flair!)
- And I recently created a Second Life character - just to try it out. Slow going, so far.

So I have a website, a blog, 2 book catalogs, 2 networking sites, an avatar -- and 2 email addresses (not counting my work one). And this keeps me at the computer at home - apparently until midnight on days like today - when I work on a computer all day long. Maybe I was wise back in the 80s when PCs first became popular -- I refused to do much with them because I spent my work day programming on a mainframe and wanted to do other things in my non-work hours.

Right now, I think I'll go read. Good night.

Tanya Huff

I've started reading Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff. I've read some of her short story collections (Relative Magic and Stealing Magic) and really enjoyed her writing. She is very good at characterizations, and her plots and humor really draw me in.

If you enjoy fantasy, I highly recommend her writing. My family will tell you that there must be something special about an author who can get me to enjoy stories about assassins and vampires.

This book is the first in a series about Keepers, whose job it is to plug holes in the fabric of the universe. The heroine and her cat arrive at a B&B and get stuck there monitoring the gateway to Hell in the furnace room. No assassins or vampires in this one. Yet.

If that isn't enough to get you interested, here are my favorite quotes so far:

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, evil has no imagination. Probably why so much of it ends up in municipal politics."

"Your father's likely to be worried about you being in such proximity to the hole in the furnace room."
"There's really no need to tell him about Hell, Mom."
"He's teaching in the public school system, Claire. He knows about Hell."