Splenda In The Grass

It's so lovely!

2012-02-05T22:21:00.003-05:00

Is my new Ford Explorer Limited perfect? No. But what's wrong is minor in the grand scheme. The Sync system is powered by Microsoft. So there are moments where I'll push the button on the steering wheel so I can talk to the system, and the system is off doing other things. I don't know if it's rearranging its stamp collection or it saw a squirrel, but it does get distracted. As the Ford salesman commented, "it's like six different computers, and sometimes they have trouble talking to each other."

Yeah, another win for Microsoft. *sigh* But while that sounds like a pain, it's actually minor. Most of the time it works fine, and it's a lovely convenience (you can tell it to do a TON of things) when it's working.

As for everything else that drives the purchase of a particular vehicle, this one is a home run! Marc took the Explorer to work on Friday to show her off, and one of his people described the ride as "silky." That's the best adjective I've heard, and it's quite accurate. It's not mushy--she handles very well for an SUV (and I'm just coming out of a sports sedan)--but the ride is silky smooth. She has nice power and is an all-around pleasure to drive. Add to that things like the dual-panel sunroof (so backseat passengers can get sunshine, too), the powered shade, the... oh, never mind. The list of comforts, conveniences and features could go on for pages. This is the kind of vehicle that makes us want to take long road trips.

Today, we took her for a quick jaunt down to Robert Moses State Park, where we saw the deer and parked briefly for a couple of photos:

Click on the photo to see a larger version and enjoy all her beauty!

When we got back near the house, I finally (okay, I've only had her 6 days, but still) tried the feature that makes her park herself. With the push of a button, she found a space and whipped that steering wheel back and forth, maneuvering perfectly to the curb. Amazing!

Closing in on the new car

2012-01-10T20:46:00.004-05:00

As you may recall, I'd previously mentioned that I've been car shopping. The Lincoln MKT was a serious contender, but since that time we learned more and decided it wasn't a fit.

So now we get back to one of the other finalists, the Ford Explorer. Happily, the more I learned about the Explorer, the more I wanted one. I even have a probable color picked out, so I can tell you it probably will look like this:

We'd both sat in Explorers in a couple of dealers (have to shop around to see what you can leverage in a final deal!), so we knew it was comfy for driver and passenger (vital for our long drives). The features and technology--and everything else about it--we liked a lot. That left the test drive.

We took that test drive on Saturday. Wow, we were impressed! What a nice ride! It doesn't have quite as much speed as the Infinitis we have now, but it's still plenty of get-up-and-go (the Infinitis are silly fast--not that I was complaining). The Explorer has more than enough power for those highway on-ramps and passing needs.

So now I'm doing the "I'm not in too much of a rush" thing with the salesman. Can't seem too anxious! His numbers already are far better than the other dealer, but there's always some room for sweetening the deal. Still, I think this is the one, and I feel like a kid waiting for his birthday present! :)

Dog baths

2012-01-08T16:15:00.005-05:00

I'm a little late on posting these, but the New Year brought both birthday celebrations for the eldest and youngest members of the pack, as well as baths for all three of the kids, since the weather was warm enough that we weren't concerned about any residual dampness in their coats when they'd go out a few hours after their baths.

We'll start with the birthday girl, Bernice, who turned 14 this year...

This is before she got brushed out, so she still has some stray undercoat pieces marring her beautiful black fur

She's looking pretty good for 14, isn't she? We're worried for her and know she's much older than the vet thought she'd ever be, but we have to take comfort in knowing we've done well by her and she still has a good life!

This doesn't quite capture it, but 12-year-old Mandy gets very poofy after a bath!

Actually, Mandy gets poofy and very smooth. When freshly cleaned, her fur is so soft, it feels like a mink coat!

Mandy can be talkative, and this was especially so after the bath!

Someone wound up in a cone, because he wouldn't stop trying to groom the "stink" of shampoo off of himself!

Last but not least is a photo of Mandy that really captures her mood after a bath. Ears down, sad looking face... In fact, we were considering a little work in Photoshop to add numbers to make this look like the complete mugshot that it really is...

Well, at least this shows some of the poofiness!

Seems like we should have the Dragnet announcer, saying, "Mandy T. Dog was tried in Department 187 of the Superior Court of the hamlet of East Meadow and convicted of kibble theft in the 3rd degree. She's currently serving a 15-minute timeout on the couch."

Catching up

2011-12-07T21:48:00.003-05:00

So when we last chatted, I'd had a hard day. Fortunately, most days are far better than that one. Things are going pretty well. Work has been busy, but I'm doing good work. And Marc and I have had lots of fun since--and we continue to. Life is good, and it's important that we all focus on the good as much as we can, since many have much tougher lives!

Let me share one event I recently enjoyed. This actually happened before the last post, but I hadn't put these photos online yet. For once, not photos I took but, rather, a couple of photos I'm in. These are from Gotham Rugby's 10th Anniversary dinner...

Me (second from the right) and some friends

I'm in this one, with a few more of the boys. Can you find me? (Click on it for a better view.)

Unfortunately, Marc couldn't join me for this fun party. I hate going to events without Marc, but he had a work event that night that he had to attend. In fact, his event is an annual one that I usually attend, too.

Fortunately, there's another rugby party this Saturday--the far less formal End of Season Dinner--and Marc will be going to that one.

We're also looking forward to attending next year's Bingham Cup tournament in Manchester. We've attended a few Bingham Cup tournaments, including the one in Dublin a few years ago, and it's always a fun event!

I could go on sharing, but I think I'll stop there, mostly because I'm tired! :) I hope everyone who's reading this (both of you?) is doing well!

I should have just skipped today

2011-11-17T22:13:00.003-05:00

Maybe I should have hidden under the covers all day. Whatever, I've sure had better days. Work had a ton of headaches, but nothing was worse than the drive to work this morning.

I hit a squirrel.

He ran right out in front of me, just feet away. I slammed on the brakes, but I heard the thud, and I saw him in the road in the rearview mirror. Much as I'd like to think he was just stunned, I suspect it was worse than that.

I usually go home a different way than I go in, but today I retraced my route. I didn't see a dead squirrel on the street where I hit him, but I suppose someone could have disposed of the body. Still... no, it's silly to hope that he was just stunned. Squirrels generally don't walk away from these things. I know it was unavoidable, but I hate what happened. I hate that some dopey squirrel got itself killed, but that's how I am. I ache for every dead animal I see in the road, whether it's a squirrel or a raccoon or anything else.

Would it be an easier life if I were a heartless bastard, instead of hurting for every little creature I see? I don't know, but I am who I am.

Lyon

2011-10-30T20:52:00.003-04:00

I've again neglected my blog. So how about we go back to posting photos from last year's trip to France?

After Nice, we got back in the car and drove up to Lyon. When we got there, we found that our hotel--one of the best rated hotels in town--wasn't in the old part of Lyon. Still, I found the view lovely and had to take a shot. This was done hand-held, bracing against a window frame, so it isn't exactly perfect...

An interesting feature of Lyon is the traboules. They're passageways that run through buildings, connecting streets and courtyards. Many of them are open to the public. Our friend Eric, an American who has been living in France for much of his life, took us around and showed us through some of his favorites. Here's a view from inside one...

All kinds of interesting architecture back in those passageways...

Check out one of the many little details!

Many of the windows have crosses built into them. In a country where Roman Catholicism is the official religion, one might think this was just a common profession of faith, but Eric explained that these windows go back to a time when there was a window tax. Having the cross apparently gained an exemption; hence, lots of crosses built into windows...

Another traboule, with Marc & Eric up ahead, Marc videotaping as he walks

I seem to recall these wells having some sort of religious use back in the day--yeah, that's all I've got. Can't remember what was said about them!

There's something special about this shop that got me to shoot a photo through the window...

What's special is that this is the Miniatures Museum, and everything you're seeing is tiny. The chairs are maybe two inches tall.

I loved the name of the pub in this next shot. I particularly liked the drawings at either end of the awning (you may have to click on the photo for a larger version, so you can see it well).

Please note: you shouldn't encourage your dogs to smoke. It's not good for them!

A building I found interesting

A street in Lyon

I suppose that's enough for one post. Hope you enjoyed it!

An important day

2011-09-28T22:05:00.006-04:00

Ten years ago today, we received a wonderful gift. The gift gave himself to us. His name was to be Dodger, and he walked up to me on a Brooklyn sidewalk, skinny, hungry, dirty and looking to share his love with people who would care for him. We gave him what we needed, but we got the better part of the deal.

Thank you, Dodge, for all the years of love and fun. I hope you have many years left to share with us!

Didn't have that in mind at all!

2011-09-27T21:25:00.003-04:00

It's car shopping time. Okay, for normal people, it wouldn't be. I have six months left on my car lease, but I want to really know what I want well in advance. So I've been poking around online. I'm also the type who keeps an eye on what's new in automobiles. I even watch Motorweek on PBS. I know, sad.

On the way back from rugby on Saturday, we started visiting car dealers. I'd already seen the new Ford Explorer up close and had that on the mental short list. Oh, I should mention that I'm leaning towards a crossover or SUV now, having had enough sports sedan for now. Marc has a crossover, but we really could use something with a little more room. So the Explorer looks interesting. We also had a few others in mind.

So on the way back from rugby, we stopped at... I can't even believe I'm typing this... a Cadillac dealer. Yes, Cadillac. We looked at the SRX. I liked its looks and had read some good things. Unfortunately, we sat in it and took an instant dislike. The legroom wasn't enough for Marc, the stitching on the headrests wasn't stitching but rather a sort of application, and the issues went on from there. I really expected to like it a lot and was disappointed that we found a lot not to like.

Okay, on to our next stop. We have friends who love Subaru. So we went to a Subaru dealer. I'd seen the Outback and thought it looked nice, so I wanted to check it out. Again, sitting in it took care of that. Neither of us was impressed. Actually, I'm sure Marc was relieved that I didn't like it, since I tend to say Subaru as Soo-Ba-Rooo (think Scooby Doo).

Here's where it gets interesting--well, for me; you're probably bored to tears by now. The Subaru dealer was a combo Subaru and Lincoln dealer. I hadn't even noticed those being together, but we later saw another dealer that was Ford-Lincoln-Subaru, so I guess there was some kind of deal to pull them together. Anyhow, Lincoln wasn't really on my radar, but we took a look at the MKX crossover as long as we were there, and it was quite nice. Definitely a contender. We were going to leave it at that when the salesman said something about the MKT. To me, it looked like a stationwagon (if they even call them that anymore), and I honestly thought, "hmmm, that thing is pretty ugly." Here, take a look...

Okay, not horrible, I suppose, but not as sleek as the Caddy. Here, check out the big butt on this thing (not that I should talk!)...

So its looks didn't wow me, and I'd like more ground clearance (the past winter's snowstorms made things tough). Still, I hopped in it to check it out. Oh my dog! It's sooooo comfortable, and the available features are amazing. As I said to Marc, of the cars we've checked out so far, this is the one that had me immediately imagining being on road trips with him and the occasional visiting friends. From the technological features to the "Eco-Boost" engine to the huge (HUGE) sunroof to the refrigerated compartment in between the second row seats (okay, so those are options that would up the price), I really was blown away. Plus, it's top-rated for safety. I'm amazed that this vehicle is relatively unknown.

Also interesting are the "meh" reviews it has gotten, including by Consumer Reports. Meanwhile, when I checked Owner Satisfaction in its category, I found that it blew away every other car, including Acura, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti and even its fellow Lincolns. I feel like I found a secret. With that said, I don't know if I'm getting one, since I haven't even driven it yet. That's yet to come.

So really, a Lincoln? I saw that as a car for someone a lot older than me, but the MKT definitely is a contender.

We also went to the Toyota dealer to check out the Highlander. I was particularly interested in that one, because they have a hybrid version available. Unfortunately, I was troubled by "fit and finish," as they say. Since my headaches with the Infiniti I now own come from easily dented (and I mean really easily!) sheet metal and paint that is marked way too easily, I would like something a little tougher. My prior vehicle was a Volvo that didn't pick up so much as a scratch in the years I had it. This Infiniti, in comparable conditions, is all marked up and has a few dents because of its tinfoil construction! Too much of a headache! More importantly, I didn't find the Toyota seat supportive in the right places. My commute is too long to compromise on such things!

So what are we left with? Well, Marc has ridden in a Buick Enclave and said it's very nice. That's reason enough to go check it out.

Other than that, I've checked out other vehicles online and eliminated quite a few, either due to feature issues, underpowered engines (New York roads are not for the meek--getting safely from an acceleration lane into traffic during rush hour can require some punch) or price. A couple of the ones I liked looked okay until I started adding features, like navigation and such, at which point their prices ballooned to huge amounts.

So I suppose the current short list is:
Ford Explorer
Lincoln MKT
And maybe the Buick Enclave, but I haven't even sat in one yet.

Of course, with six months left on my current lease, I may yet find something else to like, but I really am surprised at what's on my list. I really didn't have Lincoln in mind at all. Go figure!

Gotham Knights vs. Brooklyn Rugby

2011-09-19T21:20:00.007-04:00

How about some more rugby photos? Two days ago, Gotham played Brooklyn. It was a hard-fought match. Brooklyn won, but Gotham put up a good fight and I was proud of the boys.

As always, click on the photos for larger versions.

One of Brooklyn's guys

That's Zander flying through the air. Zander is handsome, athletic and a native of South Africa. Love that accent, Zander!

This is Joe. Joe is a friend and an absolute sweetheart. He's straight, but we don't hold that against him. Hey, the boy can't help it if he was born that way! Now if he'd just work on those skinny legs of his! ;)

This is Mike. Mike is new to Gotham. Mike isn't hard to look at!

Another of the new boys

Okay, that will do for now. Hope you like those. If you want to see the full set, go here.

That shouldn't be cause for praise

2011-09-15T21:21:00.002-04:00

A week and a half ago, one of my staff members, Joanne, lost her husband. He had cancer, and it took him from her when he was just 48 years old. Last week, there was a wake and funeral. The wake was on Wednesday, and the funeral was on Thursday. Everyone wanted to go to the wake. People could have gone in the evening instead of the afternoon, but so that everyone could go to the wake together and show Jo our complete support, I closed the department.

Today, a longtime employee of another department who has known Jo for years made a point of telling me how wonderful she thought it was that I did what I did. I know the look on my face had to be complete confusion. At first, when she mentioned what I did for Joanne, I honestly wasn't sure what she meant. Then she explained that she was talking about closing the department, adding that "everyone is talking about it, and is so impressed that you did that for her. And that you went to the funeral, too."

Are other bosses so cold-hearted that doing something so simple stands out? Really, what else would I have done? This is one of our own, and she suffered a horrible loss. The right place for all of us to be was by her side, and that meant me, too, both for the wake and the funeral. I'm just amazed that people were amazed. Am I not enough of a prick to be in my job? Sometimes I wonder. But I'm not changing. I will continue to do the right thing as I see it. In the end, I have to look at myself in the mirror, and I want to be happy with the man I see. It's unfortunate that an ordinary gesture of kindness is noteworthy. It really shouldn't be!

How about some rugby photos?

2011-09-11T11:48:00.006-04:00

I still need to share more travel photos, but yesterday brought the start of a new rugby season, so I will focus on that right now. We played the Montclair Rugby team. They won, but the Gotham Knights held their own. We really looked good out there against a traditionally strong team, so I have high hopes for the remainder of the season. Here are a few photos from yesterday:

That's Rob. He's new to Gotham, and he's very fast. He pulled away from those other guys and just kept going!

While I try to limit my admiration of members of the opposing team, this guy looked like a big version of Prince Harry. Needless to say, he was a bit of a distraction!

Here we see a guy "accidentally" breaking Elliot's nose. This same guy was given a yellow card later in the match.

My boyfriend, Joe. Let's just hope my husband and Joe's girlfriend don't find out! ;)

This is James. Sadly, he's just a visiting player. I'd be happier if he were local. He's not hard to watch!

If you're interested in looking at the full set of photos, they're here. Enjoy!

Kids today don't have what we did

2011-07-21T20:12:00.009-04:00

For all of the technology and advances over the years, there's something missing that people even a bit younger than me can't grasp. The end of the last Space Shuttle mission this week brought that home for me. When I was a kid, the dreams were bigger, or at least that's how it seems to me.

We were actively pushing to go to the stars. We were pushing hard. Whatever our differences, in this country and around the world, we could stop every now and then and marvel at what humanity--and America in particular--was accomplishing. These were such proud moments. Of course, those younger than me know the Shuttle, but they know it for routine missions, occasional problems (like tiles falling off as the old workhorses aged) and the occasional terrible disaster. But what they don't know is the thrill of it being new. The thrill of it being our next step into space. The amazement at what looked like a plane, but it could go to orbit and then land like a plane. The wonder, fear and nervousness as we watched the test flights, the first launch and the first landing.

I was three years old when man first walked on the Moon. My Mom loved to tell the story of how I, at three years of age, watched the astronauts taking off from the Moon's surface to come back to Earth and said, "why are they going up?; they're supposed to be coming down!" Hey, it was a decent observation for a three-year-old! :)

But let's stick to the Shuttle. For anyone who is too young to remember it (I was 15 when this happened), just imagine it. There's this amazing new machine, but what if something goes wrong? Brave people are risking their lives. They took the Enterprise (yes, named for the starship--but appropriately so, as they both carried our hopes and dreams for the future) up on the back of a 747, released it and landed it in tests. But then it was time for the Space Shuttle Columbia, may she and her last crew rest in peace, to go up for the first real flight. Up to orbit on columns of flame, and at the end of the mission back on a fiery re-entry before coming in for that nerve-wracking landing.

So imagine it. You're watching the Shuttle come in. She has chase planes with her as she glides in. And she does glide, but she really drops like a rock with wings. As they track her in and you see her approaching the runway, you can't imagine that it's safe to be coming in that fast. And as she gets closer, it's not like a jetliner with its gear out for miles as it lines up for its approach. No, it's seconds away from landing and there's no gear down. Twenty seconds before she's going to touch the ground, the gear start to come down. Twenty seconds. And in she comes. Here, watch...

And remember, we were sitting there, biting our nails and hoping nothing would go wrong. "She's going awfully fast!" "They're almost there. Where's her gear? Why isn't the gear down?!" And then down they came with seconds to spare. And then it went so perfectly, and she made her picture-perfect landing...

There's no Super Bowl, no World Series, nothing that is like the triumph of that moment. That amazing accomplishment of mankind. That fulfillment of a dream and the promise of so much more to come.

We need more of that. We need those dreams and those big things to reach for. That's missing today, as far as I can see, but I hope it's not missing from our future. It will be a better future if we can chase those big dreams! Not everything is dollars and cents. Some things we do to learn, and, at the same time, to dream and grow bigger as a species. We need that!

And while we're at it, imagine the first launch. Would this even work. We all watched it live...

And we were all thinking--or yelling--go, baby, go!

Dream big, everyone! Look at what we can do!

All a matter of perspective

2011-07-17T17:40:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a fun day. We went to hang out with some friends for "lobsterfest." Our friend Rob, with the help of his wife, Laura, cooked a huge bunch of lobsters, along with ribs he slow-cooked in a smoker in his back yard, some clams and various other delights, capped off with a fabulous cake Marc had made.

At the same time, we were learning some terrible news. Remember when I posted something a few days ago, referring to it as a good day? Well, that's where the perspective comes in. From our perspective, it seemed to be. But from the perspective of our friend Jase, as we only found out yesterday, it was probably the worst day of his life. You see, the night before, his mom was murdered by a stalker.

We sent him a card, and we'll certainly watch for the arrangements, so we can go support him. We'll also do anything we can to be there for him after the formalities are done, when the weight of it all really hits. But Marc and I are both at such a loss. One or the other of us will stop during the day and just say, "I still can't believe what happened" or words to that effect.

I've lost a number of loved ones, including my parents. Marc has lost his dad and other loved ones, too. Losing a parent is crushing. Still, there's something about such a sudden, senseless loss that is beyond most of us. The killer went on to kill himself, so at least Jase and his family won't have to endure a trial and looking at the evil man who did this, but I can't even imagine... I hope he's finding some solace somehow. We're certainly sending our best thoughts his way and our hearts are pained for our friend's terrible loss.

Our hearts go out to you, Jase. We love you, and we're so very sorry for your loss!

A good day, and the world's a better place

2011-07-14T22:25:00.003-04:00

I was hoping we'd wrap up negotiations with one of our unions today. We've been negotiating for months, and I was hoping it would reach an end. Alas, that wasn't to be. Not the end of the world. These things can take a long time until the sides find the right little patch of middle ground.

While that was a disappointment, it freed me up to join Marc for a program at the Long Island Gay & Lesbian Youth Center. Initially, I thought today's union negotiations would go into the night, as they often do when negotiations appear to be reaching their final sessions. But when they didn't, that freed me up to go to LIGALY's PEP (Pride Empowerment Project) Career Forum.

Marc and I, along with several other professionals from a variety of organizations, were able to share tips with teenagers in the PEP program on how to search for a job, prepare for an interview, dress for an interview, etc. We fielded a variety of questions, and I think it was a fruitful night for the attendees.

The best part came at the end. A transgender kid we knew from prior LIGALY events asked about a problem few people have to face. She looks more like the he she'll eventually be, and she likes to go by a male name but legally still must use her legal, female name on applications. She wanted to know how to deal with telling people she really goes by a male name. We were able to share what I think was sound advice, but that's not the really good part.

The good part came afterwards. She mentioned that it's a catch-22, because this situation makes it harder to find work (already tough for a 19-year-old in this economy), but she needs to find work to afford to pay for the court filings, etc., necessary to make a legal name change. With court filings, legal notices she'll have to put in those tiny listings in local papers, etc., we're talking probably a few hundred dollars. Maybe $500 at most. So Marc and I agreed with a guy from a staffing agency who was on the panel for the event that we'd all split the cost so she could get the name change done and move forward with her (soon to be his) life. Also, one of the LIGALY people will reach out to a law firm that has been a supporter of the organization and get them to do the court filings (we know them... they'll do it). There's even a shot at the staffing agency finding her work at the same time, so that was a bonus.

This sweet young person was pretty overwhelmed (if you're wondering, her family has refused to help her), and she had to give us all hugs. We told her that when she's our age this amount of money won't be so hard to come by and then she'll be able to help others like we are, and she'll know what a joy it is to be able to help. We're so happy to have been able to offer help that her own family has denied her. And tonight the world is just a tiny bit better place. :)

Blogging beats Facebook

2011-07-13T21:57:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I use Facebook regularly, and I've been very bad about keeping my blog updated. I'll try to do better!

A reminder of the value of blogging came tonight when Marc asked when we'd first met a fellow blogger face-to-face. I was able to search my blog and find a record of that meeting and what we did on the weekend when we met him.

That's the thing. Facebook is an online social medium, but blogging is, at its heart, an online version of a diary. It's a log of one's life (or the parts one wishes to record) maintained on the web, as you all know. That's where the name comes from.

I have photos to share, since I never finished posting from last year's France trip and I haven't even started on this year's trip photos (including a photo of hot Parisian firemen with Marc). Of course, there are rugby photos to share, too, as well as bits of stuff from our lives. So I will endeavor to do better. Blogging is so much richer than Facebook, and I'm sorry I haven't done more of it!

By the way, the blogger mentioned above is our dear friend Greg. Amazingly, our "in real life" friendship with Greg appears to be a bit shy of three years in length. Funny, but it seems like we know him a lot longer. Yes, we know him online for longer, but it really feels like we met him much further back than not-quite-three years ago.

Nice is nice!

2011-04-02T13:10:00.005-04:00

After the flower market, we walked back to our hotel. It wasn't too close by, but any walk through old Nice is lovely. Here are some shots along the way:

Lots and lots of mopeds in the south of France!

Click on this to check out the sign in the back window! That made me chuckle.

I could have grabbed a book and sat in front of one of Nice's fountains all day!

There are several (seven, I think) of these statues on poles around the square. They light up at night (but I don't have a shot of that--sorry!).

These guys were kind of part Native American, part Yanni on the pan flute. Whatever they were going for, they made a pleasant sound that carried a long way in the stone-covered squares.

Those tracks (you can see them in one of the above shots, too) are for a light rail system that runs through the area. Like much of Europe, the transport options are far better than ours!

I think you could walk along these streets, eat at a different place every day and never run out!

Check out the coloring on that building on the left!

Next up: Lyon!

We interrupt our France trip (yes, again)...

2011-03-28T21:04:00.004-04:00

We'll get back to France. But first, a few local photos. Why local photos? Because we just got a new camera. No, not a new SLR. Instead, it's time for a new "point & shoot" camera. I did a lot of research, shared what I learned with Marc, and we chose the Canon PowerShot S95...

We got the camera yesterday, and then we went to Huntington to get haircuts, followed by lunch. We grabbed lunch at a Greek restaurant, and it was great. More importantly, the light in the restaurant was pretty crappy for photos, so it gave us a good chance to see how the new camera really performs.

The restaurant

My date

He got the camera away from me

I got a hummus appetizer--forgot to take a shot before most was gone!

Silly Marc got a salad! :-)

Marc got chicken souvlaki for his entree, and I got a beef gyro. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures before it was too late...

For dessert, health food! (Well, chocolate's good for you!)

Check out the color in that last shot (click on it for a better view; and even that is a reduced size, as full-size is quite large, the camera being 10 megapixel). If you're into photography, you know how difficult lighting is in a setting like this. Harsh overhead fluorescents, the lights in the case... nothing here says "good photo," but it looks great! So far, I'm very pleased with this camera. No camera like this can be like an SLR, but it really does a great job and will be great for those times when we want to be able to take some photos but don't want to lug a big, heavy SLR.

Back to France

2011-03-18T21:40:00.004-04:00

I'm such a bad blogger these days. But I love my blog. So let's get back to the flower market in Nice!

I look at this and imagine living there and doing my food shopping in this market.

Yummy tomatoes!

Check out these beautiful avocados!

Just looking at these makes my mouth water!

The famous Socca stand

Famous? Well, so it seems. Every travel show we watched while preparing for the trip showed this stand.

So how was it? Dunno. We didn't have any. Maybe another time. :)

Okay, one more non-France post

2011-02-13T14:52:00.005-05:00

I'm watching SyFy (although I still don't know what was wrong with calling the channel Sci-Fi). There's a Star Trek movie on; granted, the crappy first one, but it's nice background while I do other things around the house. By the way, did you know that the woman who played Lt. Ilia (the bald hottie--for you pervy boys who like girls--in the movie) died in the late 1990s at the ripe old age of 47? Sad. Way too young to die!

But this isn't supposed to be a sad post. This post is about a commercial that has been running during breaks in the movie. It's for a show on SyFy called Merlin. More specifically, the post is about the guy who plays Arthur, because he is what got my attention. He's a British actor named Bradley James, and any time you want to get a present for Marc and me, feel free to tie a bow around this young man (or some part of him) and leave him here at the house, preferably in the bedroom, although "in front of the fireplace" wouldn't be a bad location either...

With his boyfriend? Okay, maybe not.

Some snowstorm photos

2011-02-12T21:55:00.005-05:00

I'm taking a break from the France photos to share a few shots I took after one of our recent snowstorms. For this late January storm, I got up early and was out with the snowblower a little after 6am. I cleared our walks and the walks of our neighbors on either side. I also started our cars, so they'd warm up and the windows would be easier to clear. Then I went back in and got the camera as Marc came out to clear the piles of snow off of the cars. Here are a few of the photos I shot:

You can see how deep the snow had gotten

Here, you can see my path continued out to the corner--and I also went up to the steps of the neighbor's house

And off towards the neighbor on the other side

And my favorite photo is the last one. Not because it's Marc cleaning off the cars, but because of the mood and lighting...

I really think this one's worth clicking on!

Okay, back to the nice, warm south of France for the next post! :)

A good book

2011-02-09T20:20:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'll admit that I was leaning more towards 4 stars instead of 5, but it is a very good book. I went with 5 after thinking about this book as compared to others of this genre. (Okay, plus I know Alex and helped edit the final version of the book. There, I admitted it!) :-)

The Secret Soldier by Alex Berenson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alex Berenson keeps getting better as an author (and I already liked his work)! In a genre not known for its subtlety, Alex Berenson brings us an introspective but still very tough leading man, a tough-as-nails hero who can see his own flaws. There's nuance and subtlety in his story, and that's what makes this book special. It's not the simplistic good guy-bad guy story that usually dominates this genre; instead, we feel the complexity of the real world and the difficulty of truly deadly situations. The good guys don't always come out on top, and the heroes aren't perfect, but there's plenty to cheer for in this terrific book!

View all my reviews

The Sunday Flower Market in Nice

2011-02-05T22:17:00.002-05:00

One of the delights of our stay in Nice was the Sunday Flower Market. It was half a mile or so from our hotel to the flower market, so we set out by foot, determined to visit the market before leaving for our next stop (Lyon) which was scheduled for that day. Had I planned around the flower market, I might have made the Nice-Lyon trip a day later.

Anyhow, in a trip that I've already milked for months of blog posts, I'll be splitting up the photos from this one market into at least two, so this post isn't too long.

I could add comments to these photos, but I think most of them speak for themselves. The one thing you may not get is how big this market is. It's huge, running for blocks, and it's wonderful. Anyhow, let's take a look at some photos.

Before we went to the flower market, we'd already decided that we loved Nice. This market just cemented that feeling. We've since discussed the idea of someday renting an apartment in town for a month (this would be well in the future when we can take such amounts of time), and it really is such a nice thought. Sometimes I imagine how great it would be, taking day trips from Nice and making meals from items we bought at the Sunday market. One day!

Nice, France

2011-01-29T21:45:00.004-05:00

I was going to title this "Nice is nice" which it is, but I typed it and even I found that to be a groaner. :) Still, Nice was a lovely town, and I know we'll go back there. In fact, we've talked about renting an apartment for a month at some point in the future. That may be a pipe dream--certainly it won't happen while we're in the middle of our careers, since no one's going to give us a month off--but it's a nice thought.

In an upcoming post, I'll share photos of some of the older parts of town and the flower market, which really is terrific. For now, I want to show you our hotel and a stop we made during our side trip to Monaco. From our little bed & breakfast in Aix (where we met the lovely Espelette, introduced to you a few posts back), we changed gears and checked into a very fancy hotel in Nice.

The main drag in Nice is the Promenade des Anglais, and our hotel was right on the Promenade, facing the beach. It was quite a sight, particularly once the sun went down. Hotels are usually just a place to rest, but this one needs a place in the trip photos:

The hotel building is in the shape of a horseshoe going back from that columned facade. The space between the columns is open, so we had a view from our room right out onto the promenade and the beach...

I understand that there are large shutters that can be lowered between the columns, in case a storm comes up. While we were there, they stayed up, but each room had a powered shutter that dropped down to lock out any noise, so the room became dark and quiet when we wanted to sleep. The rest of the time, we could open the glass doors and go out onto the balcony.

That area down there (in the above photo) contained a pool, as well as an outdoor dining area. It was very nice.

At night, the sidewalks were alive, thanks partly to the casino downstairs...

From Nice, we drove east for a trip to Monaco, driving through the famous city of Monte Carlo. Along the way, we drove along the legendary Grand Corniche. During our drive, we stopped for lunch at a little local restaurant and ate at an outdoor table with a lovely view...

Here's the appetizer...

And the entrée (which isn't the right word in France, as the entrée isn't the main dish there)...

And finally dessert...

Everything was as tasty as it looks! Truly, a wonderful meal in a stunning setting!

I know it's winter, but this is ridiculous

2011-01-23T20:17:00.003-05:00

The weather forecast says tonight's low temperature will be 2 degrees Fahrenheit. That's horrible. And dangerous for anyone caught out in it.

Last night, when I put the dogs out, it was 11 degrees, and even that was too cold for them. We went out when I got home from dinner with friends, and one of Bernice's back legs cramped up so severely that she did a 3-legged hop back in. I massaged it for her as soon as we got inside, and she was okay.

Later, when we did our last outing of the night, Dodger went to the back of the yard to do his business, but when he was done, he stopped partway back and was panicked. He was holding up one front paw, trying to put it down repeatedly and looking at me to clearly convey that touching the ground was painful (and he was scared and confused, which is something no doggy ever should have to endure!). I felt so horrible and was somewhat panicked for him. So I ran across the yard, scooped him up in my arms and carried him back in. Then when we got inside, I told him it was okay (and it was--he seems none the worse for wear). I felt so bad for him! He really didn't expect what was out there or know what to do.

Anyhow, I'm being extra careful with them tonight, and I shared what happened with Marc (he was out of town for a few days and is back now), so he'll watch them, too.

The first day of the rest of my career

2011-01-17T20:50:00.002-05:00

Today was a big day for me. My job had lost some of its luster in the past couple of years. I won't air dirty laundry, but I wasn't happy with how my skills were being utilized (or, in some cases, weren't being utilized). There's far more I can say, but there's no point in that. The bottom line is that I really wasn't happy. The important part is that this story has a happy ending!

A job came open in one of the other hospitals in our network. Their recruitment process took a few months, but it's a high-level position, so that's to be expected (not that it reduced the stress I was feeling). In the end, I got the position and today was my first day. (Well, I had a couple of split weeks between the old and new during a transition period, but this was the first regular, full-time day there.)

The new place is a good hospital with very friendly people who are happy to have me there. Plus, the new job is a promotion. So it's all good. Can't wait to really make a positive difference there!

Happy Birthday, Bernice & Dodger!

2011-01-01T19:32:00.005-05:00

Today, Bernice is a teenager. At one point, not too long ago, we weren't sure she'd be with us through December, let alone for her birthday. But she has powered on through, and she's still going strong. For a girl whose life expectancy (according to her vet) was 10-12, making it to 13 is pretty good, and it certainly calls for a celebration!

Dodger also reaches a milestone today, but we're less certain of his age. Bernice's birthday is a guess, but it's pretty close, since we knew her rough age when we adopted her, but Dodgie was a stray off the street, so this is more of a guess. His designated birthday is January 1, 2001. So he's officially 10 years old today (although he may be just a touch older).

Marc provided homemade cake for the kids, and the celebration was on!

The crowd gathered...

And the candle was lit...

Marc explained that they should make a wish and then blow out the candle...

Dodger listened carefully and agreed to blow it out for all of them...

The candle was blown out...

And Marc cut pieces for our honorees and their sister Mandy...

First up was the senior girl, our teenager, Ms. Bernice. Note how she's wearing her best t-shirt, and see how she has a very ladylike eating technique...

Next, Mr. Dodger. You may also address him as "Your Majesty"...

Last but not least, Ms. Mandy (also known as "The Divine Miss M"). She ate her cake so fast that I didn't get a shot of it going down...

So happy birthday to Bernice and Dodger! May the year ahead be a healthy one, and may you have many more happy ones!

A book review (and then maybe we'll head back to France)

2010-12-31T15:52:00.001-05:00

Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When I was in college, I read a book called The Hunt for Red October, and I loved it! Then came Red Storm Rising, another terrific book. In fact, I'm getting ready to read that one again. More great Tom Clancy books followed.

For years, Tom Clancy turned out great, thrilling, tightly written books. Then he started to slide. I gave up on him a number of years ago. His writing style had suffered, and he couldn't keep his political views from making blatant, ham-handed appearances in his books. Sharing the writing with others hasn't helped.

I saw halfway-decent reviews of Dead or Alive, so I thought I'd give him another try. Sadly, things aren't any better. The writing is plodding and in need of a good editor, and his political views aren't at all subtle. I might be able to live with him espousing his political views (even though this is supposed to be fictional entertainment, not a political work), if the rest of Dead or Alive were a taught, entertaining read. It's not.

For my money, I'll stick with newer authors like Alex Berenson and Vince Flynn. They're far better!

View all my reviews

Cap d'Antibes

2010-12-04T19:58:00.004-05:00

On the day we drove from Aix-en-Provence to Nice, we traveled along the French Riviera and stopped in Cap d'Antibes for lunch and a little look around. Cap d'Antibes has been a resort town for a long time.

See the fort on the more distant point in that last photo? Near where I took the photo, there was a reproduction of a painting of the fort that Monet had done in the 1800s, so one could see the painting from the view where the artist stood. There were a number of reproductions like this around the waterfront, as a number of great artists have painted parts of Antibes.

This plaque commemorates a British agent having been put ashore there by a submarine during World War II

If you click on that last one, depending on your screen you may be able to read some of the text.

This was part of the park area across from where we had lunch

Around here in suburban New York, people of Italian descent played a game like this called bocce. In France, it's called boules.

A fountain in the waterfront park

Next up, Nice!

Espelette

2010-12-04T19:14:00.003-05:00

I know what you're thinking. Espelette? Like the pepper? Yes, just like! (Okay, maybe you don't know those peppers. That's okay.) But in this case I'm actually talking about a Beagle puppy.

In Aix-en-Provence, we stayed at a B&B called Villa Valbelle. The owners have a puppy whose name is Espelette (actually, by now, I suppose she's not a puppy anymore). She was adorable, and she was thrilled to have guests who were happy to play with her!

Before we left, I went looking for her, so I could take a few photos. When I spotted her, she was at the other end of the property. So I called to her, and she came running.

What a face!

The puppy at rest

Espelette having a word with someone

Before we leave Villa Valbelle, I have one more photo. We went out for some great food in Aix, but we also decided to hit a local market and have a more modest couple of meals. Here's a shot of some of the food...

It was simple stuff, but the tomato and that salad were fabulous. The bread, from the boulangerie next door to the market where we bought the other food, was wonderful!

Two posts in one week? Really?!

2010-11-13T12:52:00.004-05:00

Yes, my pretties. Two posts in one week. I've so neglected this poor blog lately, so why not share more, even though I posted just 5 days ago?

First up today, the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct. According to Wikipedia--so it must be true!--the Pont du Gard once carried 44 million gallons of water a day. The multi-level structure is still in great shape today and is a tribute to great engineering, quality building and probably a lot of slave labor.

Seriously, do you think anything we build these days will look this good in 2,000 years?

And I think this is about the only time we got in front of the camera ourselves during the trip...

Not to be missed, the scenery near the Pont du Gard...

Isn't that gorgeous?

Next up, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. While it's a lovely area, what we really were looking for was the Glanum Arch, another leftover from the Roman Empire.

Our first view of the arch

And from the other side

And if you're wondering what the underside of the arch looks like... well, so was I. So here it is...

Alongside the arch is the mausoleum...

There's plenty online about Glanum. An interesting article discussing Van Gogh's time in this area is here.

The Glanum arch and mausoleum are just a small part of the entire Glanum site. We drove around to look at more of the area. This sign can give you some idea...

If you click on this, you'll see the circular area in the bottom left of the map/diagram. That's the arch and mausoleum.

Lots more France to come! (Bored yet?) :)

La Couvertoirade

2010-11-08T19:27:00.003-05:00

Shortly after driving across the Millau Viaduct, which you saw at the end of the last post, we made a stop. La Couvertoirade is a town founded by the Knights Templar. When I was doing research for our trip and learned that a stop there wouldn't take us too far off our route, I couldn't resist. As a history buff, the idea of walking in a town built by the Knights Templar was a thrill. If you're not familiar with the Knights Templar, they were Crusaders, a law onto their own, answerable only to the Pope. For an idea of their view of Christianity and those who didn't toe the line to their satisfaction, think of them as a Christian version of the Taliban or al-Qaeda. These were not nice, tolerant folks, and I wouldn't want to meet any of them. Even so, they are a significant element in European history.

Looking around La Couvertoirade, it's clear that it once covered a much larger area than what now remains. And what does remain standing is made up of parts that were built by the knights and other parts that are more modern (around 500 years old, as opposed to the 800 years for the parts the knights built). Then there are the shops built into some of the spaces, but that commercial aspect doesn't change the fun of walking through this slice of history.

Arriving at La Couvertoirade, one parks in a lot and then walks in. Walking in, the first prominent feature is this...

This is a pretty typical view inside...

See that kinda brown spot in the center of the walk? Here's a closer view...

I'm not sure, but I think he may be an original Knights Templar dog. It's that whole drinking-from-the-grail thing, like in the Indiana Jones movie.

No? Not buying it? Okay, fine. He belonged to one of the shop owners.

A path in one of the original sections

Part of the original fortifications

And if you really want to see the name of the game at La Couvertoirade, 21st-century style, here it is...

What's "show me the money!" in French? :)

Okay, next up, some shots from the south of France!

A few more Loire Valley shots, and then we head south

2010-10-03T19:28:00.003-04:00

I closed the last post with a shot of a covered bed inside Azay-Le-Rideau. So let me share a few more shots inside the château. First is a shot of what was the kitchen...

A large fire would be built and pots would be swung out over it

And for relaxation after dinner (not that the master of the house was cooking the meals!)...

As we left, this lovely view was one of the last things we saw on the way out of the grounds...

That was our last château before we wrapped up our Loire Valley visit and headed south to Provence. As part of our travels, I had planned to take a route that would bring us across an engineering marvel, the Millau Viaduct. While the name may not sound impressive (a viaduct?), the Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world.

We stopped before we crossed it, so we could get a good view and I could get a few photos. To do that, we had to park in a parking lot near the bridge and hike up a rather impressive hill. It had a walking path, but it still was quite a climb. (I was pleased, on the way back down, to see a young man in pretty good shape breathing quite hard as he hiked up there.) Here's a photo I took once we got up there...

Next up actually won't be Provence. Rather, we made another stop on the way, and I have some photos from that. I would promise not to take so long for the next post, but I try to keep my promises and I've been bad about posting lately! So let's just say that I will make some effort to post again soon and leave it at that! :)

Not done with the Loire Valley yet!

2010-09-13T21:22:00.004-04:00

Let's go back to France! When last we left off, we were looking at the hunting dogs at Cheverny. Now we head to...

Or the shortened version, as we barbarians from America call it, Azay-Le-Rideau.

It's a modest little place.

Here's a view from the chateau, looking toward the front gate.

Notice the gate house? They do love their wisteria! Here's a better view...

And what's a chateau without a moat?

Amazing how nice the moat looks after the trees have had a few years (okay, about 500 years) to grow!

Azay-Le-Rideau didn't have a lot of furnishings inside (some chateaus do, some don't), but what it did have made up a few interesting rooms. Here's a bed...

I have a few more from Azay-Le-Rideau, but I think we should stop there for now. Lots more France photos to come! (Think I can milk this so long we'll be ready for our next trip when I'm done here?) :)

A small improvement on the way

2010-09-09T19:59:00.004-04:00

As longtime readers will recall, we did major renovations to this house (pretty well gutted most of it, in fact) before we moved in. One thing we didn't do was replace most of the windows. We put in a few new ones that fit with changes we were making--including a kitchen window, an upstairs bathroom window and a bunch of windows in our newly upgraded sunroom--but most of the house's windows were left untouched. We installed plantation shutters over them, but the windows themselves remained.

In recent years, we've talked about the age of those windows (guesstimating 30 years) and how much heat/air conditioning they leak. So we've been window shopping. No, not window shopping; window shopping! It's a lot more difficult than it might seem.

We finally settled on a window company a couple of towns over from us that has good reviews (on Angie's List, among other places) and had someone come and scope out the project. He has now been back to write up the details and formalize the agreement. We got a good price, and we'll also get a tax credit (we just had to get windows that were sufficiently energy efficient--but it's an investment that will keep paying us dividends, so it's a win-win).

Added to the insulation value of the new windows, they also should make the house even quieter. Not that it was particularly noisy to start with, but the less noise that gets in, the better.

In discussing our options, after the guy's first visit, Marc and I decided to take things even further for part of the project. Among the windows we're replacing are all of the ones in the upstairs bedrooms. To make sure we get the best possible insulation and to make things as quiet as possible, we're going to replace those with triple-pane windows (as opposed to the usual double-pane windows). The three panes of glass, put together with energy-efficient coatings on the glass and inert gases between the panes, are supposed to provide top-notch energy insulation and really should do a great job blocking sound.

Yes, folks, this is exciting news in the life of a homeowner! And for those of you who've visited the cheapest bed & breakfast in town, this is good news for you, too... your stay is getting even comfier and quieter! So be sure to book your room soon! ;)

Canine surgery and more from Cheverny

2010-08-25T20:45:00.003-04:00

I'll continue the France photos in a moment, but first a note from the canine front. You may recall the need for Dodger to have surgery a couple of years ago to fix a torn cruciate ligament in his back right leg. I posted a few times about it. In the end, he healed well, and you'd never know the leg ever was a problem.

Well, about a week ago, Mandy was running in the yard when she suddenly yelped and pulled up her rear left leg. Opposite side from her brother's problem leg but the same behavior. Sure enough, the same thing had happened to her. So today was surgery day. She's in recovery now, and we hope her healing and return to normal use of her leg goes at least as well as Dodger's recovery did.

Now then, let's get back to those France photos. We were heading out the back of Cheverny to check out the Orangerie and some of the grounds:

A view of the back

From the perspective of the main house, looking towards the Orangerie

The path to the Orangerie

The Orangerie itself

An interesting thing at Cheverny--they still keep a kennel of foxhounds. So, of course, anything with dogs got our attention. Since they were just lounging about during our visit, we got a good look at the whole pack:

They slept in a giant pile, sprawled all over each other...

And then there was a bark in the distance, and everyone was up!

Of course, they barked and howled in French. First the bark in the distance, and then dozens of dogs jumping up... "Sacré bleu! Le woof! Le woof!"

Well, that's what it sounded like to me... that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it! ;)

Anyhow... there was a sign asking people not to excite the dogs...

And yes, while my French is far from perfect, exciter is "to excite." Even so, this is how they translated it for those speaking English...

Who knows, perhaps "exciter," when used in that sense, is colloquially taken to mean "tease." Not that it matters. I tend to get too concerned about these little things! :)

Okay, still plenty more to come!

Château de Cheverny

2010-08-01T21:22:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. We've been busy, including a lovely week we just spent in Provincetown. But now, let's continue with some photos from France. Next up, Cheverny.

Château de Cheverny, another understated little house

Let's step inside, shall we?

Who said those people could get into my shot? The nerve! ;)

Love the ceiling

And back outside, where we'll head in the direction of L'Orangerie...

More to come!

A short France post

2010-07-05T21:41:00.002-04:00

Just a few shots this time, but we're looking for quality, not quantity! :)

A last few shots from our visit to Blois...

And then we went to visit Chambord. Chambord is impressive, both in its design and its size. First, a shot of the whole place...

If you click on this one, it's at pretty good size. I don't post the photos to the blog full-res, but this one is a pretty good size.

Then we'll zoom in some to give you a sense of the scale of the place (see the people?)...

Here's an even better view of the people standing out there...

Go back up and look at where this fits into the whole place to get a sense of the size!

As you can see, it's a just a little place. Seriously, it was just a "hunting lodge" for the king, as he already had other royal residences. It's good to be the king!

More from Blois

2010-06-29T21:59:00.003-04:00

Let's go inside! As you'll see, the château is very reserved and understated in its interior design. (Yeah, that's likely.) :)

As always, click on the photos for bigger versions...

Understated fireplace

Love the tiles

All of the châteaus (or at least all of the ones we have seen) have their own chapels, so the royals could be good Christians while oppressing their subjects. If nothing else, that has left lots of pretty stained glass around...

No idea what this is, but it's impressive!

The salamander is an important figure in French royalty and is found in many of their homes...

Okay, we'll stop there for now. Plenty more to come! :)

Château Royal de Blois

2010-06-21T21:57:00.004-04:00

Next up, Blois. Blois is particularly interesting, because it's a collection of several different architectural styles, as new sections were added over the centuries.

On the way into the château, we were reminded that any number of towns in this part of France trip over themselves to mention their connection to Joan of Arc. As we entered the grounds of this château, we saw this sign:

As with so many of the châteaus (châteaux?), the sculpture inlaid in the very walls is quite impressive...

Click on this one and check out the details!

And here you can see one small section of the buildings...

Here's a closer look at the top of enclosed staircase in the last photo...

As a last shot (for this post), here's a view from the center of the courtyard...

More to come!

Continuing our visit to Chenonceau

2010-06-13T20:26:00.003-04:00

Without further adieu...

This is the view inside a château-length hall that goes out over the river:

Something I didn't expect, but I suppose it's not surprising, given this country's (and continent's) history:

In English, "Here, 2254 casualties were treated during the war, 1914-1918."

For those of you who may be history-challenged, "the war" would have been the First World War. Sadly, another followed, but it's a strange feeling to look down that lovely, peaceful hall and think of it lined with beds, filled with horribly wounded men. Between the horrors of "The War to End All Wars" and what passed for medicine in those days, it must have been a nightmare come to life.

On a happier note, here's the outside of that same hall:

A couple of views from the hall:

To close this post, here's one of the full-time residents of the grounds:

That's a muskrat. There are lots of them living along the banks of the canals when you walk in. They're along the water, eating, and basking on the grass.

More Chenonceau

2010-06-04T21:04:00.003-04:00

Let's see. Where did we leave off? Outside, I believe. So back to the gardens!

There were lots of pretty flowers, even though it wasn't prime blooming time there...

And the gardens--and fountain--were lovely...

Then there was the house near the gardens. Perhaps it's a groundskeeper's shack?

How long do you think it took to grow wisteria like that?

And then we went inside. Have I mentioned that there's a lot of stained glass in France? Chenonceau is no exception...

That's it for this post. Hope you're enjoying these!

Some France photos for my poor, neglected blog

2010-06-01T20:20:00.005-04:00

I've become such a neglectful blogger. Well, let me try to make amends with a few photos, with many more to come. We began our recent trip to France in the Loire Valley. We stayed at a lovely little hotel near the Château de Chenonceau. So that château was our first stop.

As you enter the grounds, you cross what would be the first obstacle for an unwanted visitor...

It may have been meant as an obstacle, but it's just pretty now.

Then you walk down a modest, little path that leads you to the château itself...

Along the way, there's some Egyptian influence to be seen...

Next, you see the first part of the gardens...

One interesting additional measure, apparently meant to isolate the property, if needed, is this...

If you click on that last one (and, of course, I know you're clicking on all of them for better views *g*), you can get a better view of how it's put together. If you were to reach up and pull down on the near end of the lever, the little draw bridge would come up, leaving a long drop right down to the water below.

Fortunately, such measures were unnecessary, so we were able to walk across this little drawbridge, so I could get a nice shot of the château...

I hope you enjoyed those. There are many more to come, but I plan to spread them out a little. Not because it gives me lots of things for the blog; rather, because I love reliving the trip this way! :)

Paris chocolate

2010-05-06T11:26:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I didn't plan to blog again before getting home, let alone today, but I need to sit for a while anyhow. We went out for six-and-a-half hours and, except for about a half hour break for a bite to eat, we were walking the whole time. I think we walked about every street in Paris. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little, but my legs are killing me, as is my back from carrying my 100-pound camera bag the whole time (and I barely touched the camera!).

We shopped and shopped. My favorite stops were at the chocolate shops. At three (of the several we visited), we bought some items to share with, among others, our coworkers when we get back... because orking cows is tough work! We also bought some to bring to our cousins tomorrow night, since they're having us over to their home for dinner.

Anyhow, we went to a few chocolate places on Rue Saint-Antoine, our favorite being Jeff de Bruges, where we bought a few items. Then we went over to Rue Saint-Honoré, where we visited Jean-Paul Hévin (well, his chocolate shop), as well as Chocolat Cluizel (the establishment of Michel Cluizel--apparently, chocolate aficionados know the name). It was fun, as the staff in Jean-Paul Hévin's place noticed the Jeff de Bruges chocolates bag and raised an eyebrow, and then the staff at Chocolat Cluizel turned up their noses (discreetly, of course) at the bags from de Bruges and Hévin. Well, sorry, but we're comparing, and you'll all just have to deal with it! :)

On that note, I'm going to go collapse for a few minutes!

I should post more

2010-05-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

So we're just wrapping up a fun morning here in the room (you know, playing cards and discussing philosophy), and I realize I haven't posted anything in a while. So what should I do? A trip update on here or head out for fun in Paris? Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.

How about I use the trip details and photos for posts after we're back home? Okay? In fact, I can stretch that out for a long time!

Thanks, I knew you'd understand! ;)

The France trip continues

2010-04-28T23:03:00.000-04:00

Oh, we've been having such fun. Running ourselves a little ragged (okay, a lot), but it's worth it. We have been to places like Aix-en-Provence (and we're currently staying at a B&B outside of that town), Arles, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Avignon, the Pont du Gard and other stops. And that's just the past day or so. Tomorrow, we head to Nice.

There will be photos to post eventually (but I can't do anything with them here, so please be patient if you want to see them). And Marc has been shooting tons of video, but that will takes a long time for him to edit after we're home. Besides, I doubt we'll try to make anyone sit through our trip videos. That's more for our enjoyment.

The main reason for this post is to share two things, First, someone should do a study of why French food is so fabulous. There are many reasons, but there's one area that I think deserves special focus: dairy products. Again and again, we encounter tastes that simply don't exist back home. In the case of dairy products, it's not just the fresh ingredients and excellent preparation. I think another factor is the availability of unpasteurized milk and milk products. In the US, all of our dairy products are pasteurized (unless you manage to go directly to a dairy farm that will sell it to you straight from the cow). I know it's meant as a public health measure, but the complete lack of real, raw milk and milk products seems to make a difference. At least that's my guess until I see an actual study.

Last night, we delighted in desserts that were delicious beyond measure. Marc ordered creme brulee, and I ordered profiteroles. We literally dubbed these the best of each item that we've ever encountered. I don't mean to diminish the work of the pastry chef at Bastide du Cours (in Aix), because he/she did an amazing job, but there's something about the taste of each dish that went beyond what seems to be possible back home, even when we eat at the very best restaurants in New York. I don't know how to explain it, but I think a big part of it goes right to the simplest part of each dish: the raw ingredients.

Okay, so the second thing I want to share is this: we've been to France before, and sure we've seen hot men here (there are hot men everywhere), but what is going on these days? I can't believe the number of breathtakingly gorgeous men walking around here. And not just in this town. Everywhere we've gone! As an added bonus, the dopey loose pants thing isn't in fashion here at all. Every one of these men was wearing pants that fit quite well and did wonders in showing off their fine butts! Yum!

Oh, while we're on the subject (and since I'm not on Facebook, where I might offend some delicate sensibilities), have I mentioned how great vacations are in general? It's like my husband almost goes into honeymoon mode! Yes, folks, fucking feels better than anything else I know, and that's just the truth! So the trip and the sights are great, but our repeatedly trying to get pregnant ain't so shabby either! Yes, we have fun at home, but the level of things just takes off as soon as we start our time away. So nice!

On that note, it's bedtime here. And eventually we may even get some sleep! ;) Goodnight, all! :)

First day in France

2010-04-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

It's late here (almost midnight), and we have an early start tomorrow, so I can't write much. But I wanted to assure all of my readers (yes, both of you) that we're having a fabulous time in France. Our OpenSkies flight was late but otherwise fine. We arrived at Orly, got our rental car and headed out. We stopped at a rest stop on the way for a sandwich you'd never find at an American rest stop :) and then finished our trip here (Chenonceaux). We're at the lovely Hotel La Roseraie, a charming little place (at a very reasonable price). The proprietors are very friendly, and the room is nicely appointed and quite comfortable!

For dinner, we went to a little local place up the block, called Au Gateau Breton. They spoke French there (quelle surprise!), but we speak enough to get by. The meal was absolutely amazing! The tastes were out of this world, and everything was so fresh! Also, the total for a meal with appetizers, main course, cheese course (I don't like strong cheeses, but they worked with me and gave me some delicious selections that were "pas forte," as I requested in my broken French), dessert and coffee was 46.40 euros for both of us (about $62). For this kind of meal, that's dirt cheap!

I'd like to write more, but we really do need to get back to our room (the wi-fi in this 285-year-old hotel can't penetrate the walls--that darn quality contruction from the early 1700s!--so we have to sit in the bar area to use the computer).

Okay, time to call it a night. BTW, I haven't taken a single photo so far, but I'm sure I'll get one or two before we're done! :) Goodnight!

Just sayin'

2010-04-14T22:15:00.003-04:00

When I was growing up, the Asian kids didn't look like this...

Yes, he plays rugby. He's not on Gotham. He was with a team we played against this past Saturday. Still, there's always plenty to admire on the rugby pitch.

Speaking of rugby, if I were a better blogger, I'd have posted a bunch more rugby photos. Maybe soon.

But if you don't see rugby photos in the next week or so, you won't see any for at least a few weeks. Why? Because my husband and I are leaving our home and pups in the care of our friend Jeff at the end of next week and heading out for two weeks in France! I can't wait!

A book review? On here?

2010-04-06T21:59:00.004-04:00

Yeah, well, I can't think of something better to post. I just started using a site called Goodreads. A friend pointed me to the site. I just started using it, and since it suggested I cross-post a review on my blog, I figured I might as well. It's a short review, but why not? So here we go...

Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm a longtime fan of Michael Connelly and his Harry Bosch series of novels. He has yet to run out of steam in this series. With an overseas element in this latest novel, he has added a new twist and level of excitement. With surprises, painful twists and challenges that reach the very core of this intense character, taking the reader along for the ride, this is a thrill ride of a book. Connelly is one of the most compelling writers working today, and I loved every page of 9 Dragons.

View all my reviews >>

A few photos

2010-03-25T21:12:00.003-04:00

First, I have an important photo to share. I recently made a chocolate-cherry bread, and I snapped a photo. Here it is:

So why is this an important photo? Okay, it's not, but it was a fabulous loaf of bread! :)

In other news, a couple of weeks ago, I went to rugby boot camp. This is an annual event meant to screen prospective new members and help the veterans get back into practice for the upcoming matches.

On the way there, I was treated to this bit of spelling excellence:

Now, as for rugby, there's plenty to see, as always. Of course, I mean the sport itself. The hot men do nothing at all for me. ;)

Some of our veteran hotties are still around, like Christian...

And there were new guys. Such as Joe...

This shot doesn't even do him justice!

Of course, Joe's okay if you can deal with his skinny legs...

I think I'm in love! ;)

Speaking of being in love... Rugby coaches often aren't much to look at. I suppose that's true of many coaches. Perhaps they're former athletes and once were hot, but many just... well, some are nice guys, but visually I don't usually expect much. So when I heard we were getting a new coach this season, that wasn't exciting from a lustful point of view (although a coach who could help us have a winning season would be nice!). But then I saw the new coach...

Marc took that last photo. Nice shot, hon!

A book review to Never Forget

2010-03-08T20:39:00.003-05:00

I get daily book reviews from Powell's Books. They're drawn from various publications, and I use them to look for new things to read. A recent review was worth reading for a different reason. The book being reviewed is Richard J. Evans' The Third Reich at War: 1939-1945

Even if you don't plan to read the book, read the review by William H. Gass (copied below). It's worth reading and remembering, lest we forget the story of an advanced society gone insane:

In order to prepare private citizens for the military, a humiliating and painful bullying is generally prescribed. Its aim is to inculcate obedience and create callousness. Leaders must be resolute and heartless, prepared to send any enemy "to their deaths, pitilessly and remorselessly," as the Fuhrer demanded. Next a campaign of denigration of the chosen opponent is undertaken. This is designed to reduce the humanity of the enemy and to prepare a social web of support for behavior that is basically cruel, immoral, and normally disapproved. It strengthens every aspect of your plans if the society that you represent brings to the project a tradition of paternal domination and abuse, reaching from the family to the Kaiser and to its final station, God. Deep feelings of injury, inferiority, and large reserves of resentment -- the fresher the better -- are nearly essential. Any widespread unhappiness within your country can then be directed at the selected scapegoat by every available instrument of indoctrination and propaganda. If the enemy can be enticed to return fire, that will help solidify the nation's resolve. Since a saw's cut is painful either way it moves, the soldier knows that it is safer to risk death at the front rather than execution in the rear. A general sense of uneasiness helps, as if you knew someone were watching where you walked, reading your mail, and overhearing you talk. This atmosphere of anxiety can be sustained when the agents of power are pitiless. The master craftsmen of the Third Reich, whose state-of-war posture is so painstakingly studied in this superb but disheartening history of bad behavior, had set their sights upon Poland at the time the third and final volume of Richard Evans's masterwork begins, and had made all the necessary preparations I have just enumerated.

The novelty of the war that was beginning with the German attack in September 1939 -- aside from the journalistically popular concept of Blitzkrieg -- was its unusual aim: not the defeat of another army but the destruction of a population. From Germans already living in Poland the SS formed militias of men whose grievances toward the indigenous population reached murderous levels with astonishing ease, and bands of "red legs" of this sort, obeying only the orders of their hearts, began organized shooting parties. The size of the payback for alleged Polish atrocities was 4,247 on October 7; by November, in Klammer, 2,000 had been added; near Mniszek, 10,000 more Poles and Jews of every age and sex were shot at the edges of the gravel pits that were to serve as their graves; in a wood near Karlshof, 8,000 more were massacred. The cleansing continued, picking up speed as efficiencies improved. Finding so many murderers among ordinary people had not proved difficult. Moreover these unconscionable activities were not the result of a long harsh military campaign and disappointing losses but were available for use the moment the war began, with its immediate, immoderate, and overwhelming victories.

The German army, when it began to do its part, specialized in burning any village in which the least resistance was encountered. The SS, as well as the regular police, were initially disposed to carry out the murder of specific persons instead of the anonymous many, and to be singled out might be a victim's only victory. This slaughter was ameliorated (the word cannot be read without a grimace) when the authorities recognized that Germany had a serious need for workers, with so many men gone from their jobs and away for the war. Every available body was then rounded up and sent off as a labor replacement wherever one was needed in the Fatherland. The "recruitment" of foreign labor was a considerable preoccupation of German bureaucracy during the entire war and eventually included putting to work prisoners of war from both fronts. Many a Polish house was emptied or a village stripped of its population, so that looting and pillaging became a military habit, and the rape of women was implicitly encouraged by the army. The greed of many in the high command was as huge, and as frankly bragged of, as Falstaff's pride in his belly. Hitler wanted to establish a museum of stolen property in his hometown of Linz. Goring desired to display his art as he did his hunting trophies above the many sofas furnishing his numerous schlosses.

This Great War was not one war but many, fought in different places, under different circumstances, and at different times; but the German troops remembered to bring with them to new encounters the bad habits formed when they invaded Poland. Their behavior was still able to produce surprise. "Where is the traditional German sense of honour," wrote one inhabitant of occupied Athens. "They empty houses of whatever meets their eye. In Pistolakis' house they took the pillow-slips and grabbed the Cretan heirlooms from the valuable collection they have. From the poor houses in the area they seized sheets and blankets. From other neighborhoods they grab oil paintings and even the metal knobs from the doors." Of course, the pillowcases became bags for bearing off heirlooms, and the knobs, if metal, were needed back home. Looting was rarely random among the officer class.

Like a monstrous babe born from the brow of Rabelais, this war was only a few months old and already it had become a major crime against humanity. The German government, noticing that too much booty was escaping the clutches of the State, simply announced in September of 1939 that it had acquired for its own use the contents of the entire store. Acquisitions then began in earnest. The army took over farms and anything else that might supply food; universities lost their scientific instruments; every iron object, length of copper, or zinc downspout, steel girder, tin saucepan, and -- yes -- doorknob, was scooped up, melted down, and sent to work in the mills of the Reich. "Even the Warsaw Zoo's collection of stuffed animals was taken away." There appeared to be a bounty on Polish priests, who were deported, incarcerated, shot. Schools were closed and their equipment destroyed. Businesses were commandeered and landed estates requisitioned. As the winter grew harsh, the German police borrowed the Poles' sheepskin coats if they saw a serviceable one pass in the street. In town after town, the names of the avenues and alleyways were replaced. In sum, everything Polish was banned, burned, stolen, eaten, removed, imprisoned, or deported, and sooner or later entire populations were slaughtered far more carelessly than cattle.

With acres of their fields burned, crops requisitioned, and farmers enslaved, the population began to starve. Rations, if you were a Pole, came to no more than 669 calories a day. Jews received 184. An officer's spit might contain that much. Robbers roamed the roads and forests. Diseases spread as the body's resistance failed. In France, when Germany overran it, refugees fled one city only to fill another. Friends turned upon friends. Denunciation replaced "bonjour." So the campaign of extermination was going nicely. Thin women were the only ones around but nonetheless inviting, exchanging syphilis for a few hundred calories of love.

On the eastern edges of Poland, where the Russians were employing very similar methods of murder and deportation, conditions, though sometimes different, were no better, and the killing contest, at an admittedly rough count, continued to turn out a draw. Jews scarcely knew which way to run nor dared they stay in place, since anti-Semitism was, in Poland (as it was in Hungary, Romania, Ukraine), a flourishing native plant. Evans is succinct: "The deliberate reduction of Poland to a state of nature, the boundless exploitation of its resources, the radical degradation of everyday life, the arbitrary exercise of unfettered power, the violent expulsion of Poles from their homes -- all of this opened the way to the application of unbridled terror against Poland's Jews."

There are several strategies one might employ for lessening the guilt of the Germans without denying the fact of their crimes. A number are currently operating in the guise of (fraudulent) memoirs or romanticizing movies. A few such were cited earlier this year by Jacob Heilbrunn in an article for the New York Times Heilbrunn remarks that "the further the Holocaust recedes into the past, the more it's being exploited to create a narrative of redemption." Recently, stories of German opposition to Nazi actions have become particularly popular. There is, however, little that is exotic or daring about the occasional leaflet campaigns the Social Democrats managed to set going as late as the summer of 1934. Evans, in his second volume, points out that "by this time, almost all the other leading Social Democrats who had remained in Germany were in prison, in a concentration camp, silenced or dead." Even those who would endeavor to kill Hitler were mostly motivated by their conviction that Germany was finally losing the war, rather than by any deep-seated objections to his policies. At least, that was the opinion the London Times found in its review of Germans Against Hitler by Hans Mommsen (2008) and Luck of the Devil (2009) by Ian Kershaw. Although one dead fly may ruin an entire porridge, an innocent olive will not render benevolent a poisoned glass.

Richard Evans is a veteran of these revisionist wars, having earned a few medals for his testimony against one of honesty's enemies, David Irving, who had the chutzpah to sue Deborah Lipstadt (a professor at Emory University) for libeling him in her book Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory (1993) -- a careful exposure of this movement's bowel-like (regular, hidden, contemptible) strategies. Evans's evidence has been presented in his own Lying About Hitler: History, Holocaust, and the David Irving Trial (2001). Irving lost his case, but these apologists are not easy to discourage. They lurk about the edges of conflicts like this, especially now that the Internet lends its facilities to any voice that cares to attach a pseudonymous name or academic title to a site from which they can fire off innuendos, profit from ignorance, and cast suspicion. Another excellent exposure of revisionist methods can be found in Pierre Vidal-Naquet's Assassins of Memory: Essays on the Denial of the Holocaust (1987). If there are any purely "intellectual crimes," denying the reality of the Holocaust is surely one of them.

Still, one excuse that I rather like is the presumption that any group of people, finding themselves in the same sort of situation, their histories stocked with similar resentments, would act in a comparably vengeful fashion. Suppose that I have been a pitiful powerless person my whole life, and the victim of war, humiliation, and economic collapse. Now, suddenly, finally, I carry your life in my holster, I can act with impunity and at whim, but I must remind the world of my elevation by repeated demonstrations, the more vulgar, petty, and disgusting the better. So after I have raped this Polish -- Tunisian -- Greek -- Gypsy girl, who certainly deserved it, I shall invent little sadistic extras to demand of her: that she clean the public latrines with her blouse. Jewish bystanders shall be required to doff their silly hats. Polish scum shall be made to lie flat in the mud and kiss dirt. While they are thus prone I shall try not to wobble when I walk upon one of them, but they are incorrigibly lumpy.

But it was the Romanian members of the Iron Guard who did the human race proud when they forced two hundred Jewish men into a slaughterhouse, flayed them from their clothes, and made them walk the line to their stockyard executions, after which their corpses were hung up on meat hooks that had been run through their throats. Those German "doctors," who looked upon the Jewish children in their hands very much as we do laboratory mice, yet wishing to erase any evidence of their experiments upon them, considerately shot the kids full of morphine and had them hung on hooks for SS men to yank as one has to tug when extricating clothes from a crowded closet.

"Croatian Ustashe units," perhaps out of friendly rivalry and to demonstrate that victims didn't have to be Jewish, "gouged out the eyes of Serbian men and cut off the women's breasts with penknives." They also carried out clever sting operations by promising amnesty to any villager who converted to Catholicism and then beating to death with spiked clubs the 250 who showed up at a Glina church for the conversion ceremony. At other times they just used ordinary hammers.

Richard Evans's three volumes of disagreeable details, masterfully ordered and presented with ruthless clarity, are not centrally concerned with actual fighting, although a good account can be found there. His indictment is principally based on the political and cultural climate that created a monster out of an apparently civilized nation-state. And it does not fail to quote from countless witnesses whose eyes had to shed -- like tears -- their disbelief of a barbarism for which only the human species could find the evil energies. Whether one must wear a yellow star . . . excuses are inadequate; whether one is banished from the queue for daily rations . . . excuses are inadequate; whether one is murdered in an unimaginably mean way . . . excuses are inadequate; whether that wretch whom I shot from a passing window turns out to be twenty or two thousand destined to crumple into open graves . . . excuses are inadequate; and if we feel rage . . . well . . . welcome to our ambiguous skin: victor hates victim for making him victorious.

Murder machines, such as those gas-driven engines of death that the Germans designed to facilitate their task, are the sort of thing that catches the popular imagination, but the quiet, at no point wholly observable, method of starvation is the ultimate choice: profitable while being cheap, and requiring no implements, no death chambers, no immediate executioners either. Disposing of the bodies when you have shot five hundred in the woods, or at the end of a week of inhalations when you have more corpses than you know how to discreetly burn, becomes an increasingly sensitive and annoying problem; so it is comforting to contemplate how economical starvation is, beginning with the victims feeding on themselves, thus reducing smoky fats, with a good chance they will finally fall upon those of their own who have fallen and endeavor to devour them. For sport, in a camp for captured Soviet soldiers, guards would bet on which dogs might leave upon their prisoners the most damaging tooth marks, but this was purely for entertainment and not very efficient for murder on a mass scale.

If you kill all the Jews, who will be left able to accuse you? Hardly anyone else will care and many will be quietly grateful.

The war against the Soviet Union began as felicitously as the invasion of Poland: many quick and easy victories, rapid advances, inconveniently large numbers of captive soldiers, much pillaging including the seasonal collection of winter coats, frequent rapes, pointless vandalism, random killings, and the gradual re-realization that prisoners might be better used as workers than as starvelings. To demonstrate who among the barbarous was Hun in Chief, the Nazis attacked fine homes and furnishings as if the mirrors were shooting back. Soldiers burned some of Tolstoy's manuscripts when they arrived at Yasnaya Polyana, and in Klin drove motorcycles back and forth over sheets of Tchaikovsky's musical scores. Mostly, though, soldiers complained of the miserable conditions of life that Russian villages offered them. "Partisan resistance prompted further reprisals, leading more to join the partisans, and so the escalating cycle of violence continued." This inevitability, ironically, seems to have escaped the notice of present-day nations. What is the use of an upper hand if you can't spank someone with it?

One of the many shocks this book delivers is the reader's realization that -- after following a trail of murder and usurpation through two and one quarter volumes, during which death is more frequent than the words, cruelty and conflict more common than punctuation, murder spread equally over all their pages -- the killing is now going to begin in earnest. "There is also some evidence that Ukrainian nationalists in Lemberg nailed bodies to the prison wall, crucified them or amputated breasts and genitals to give the impression that the Soviet atrocities were even worse than they actually were." I'm glad they had a good reason. Despite the fact that some Ukrainians were mighty busy beating Jews with the poor man's arsenal -- clubs studded with nails -- the Nazis complained that their attempts "to incite pogroms against Jews have not met with the success we hoped for."

Entire cavalry brigades were now assigned the task of destroying Jews. One such group especially distinguished itself by shooting "more than 25,000 Jews in under a month." At first, the executioners were not to waste bullets on women but simply to drive them into the Pripet Marshes, the greatest area of swampy woodland in Europe, where they might drown; the marshes were only deep enough for wading, however, so the women, like the men, had to be shot. The Germans were not to be slowed by these setbacks. They found ravines, and in the one called Babi Yar, after undressing and lying down in neat rows -- victim upon the just victimized as blanket upon sheet -- the Jews were bulleted behind the neck to a total of 33,771.

Men cannot imagine such numbers. They can only perform them.

Any reluctance that was felt by members of the military was overcome by an anti-Semitism almost as old as their ages, by fears of reprisal for themselves, because of the shame they felt at being taken for sissies, and on account of the payments in plunder that fed their greed. "The great majority of officers and men took part willingly . . . and raised no objections." In some cases, Serbian prisoners would be used to collect from a fresh kill of Jews the contents of their pockets, and the soldiers would risk giving these people penknives to cut off ring fingers. A handy chart, of which Evans has many, shows by means of variously striped shades the numbers killed in the area stretching from Leningrad in the north to Vilna (248,468), from Minsk to Kursk (91,012), Kiev to Stalino (105,988), and Taganrog to Simferopol (91,678) during the years 1941-43. Only once more shall I give in to outrage and cite another particularly instructive moment among thousands that might be chosen, in order to draw your attention to Hans Kruger, head of the local security police in Stanislawow, Galicia, who threw a picnic for the shooters to enjoy between shootings and oversaw the massacre "with a bottle of vodka in one hand and a hot-dog in the other."

By the time the United States entered the war, the expansion of Germany's murderous ambitions had grown from one of forcible Polish relocation to pogroms that involved the whole eastern front, subsequently to the entire continent of Europe, and bore unmistakable signs, finally, of global aspirations. This would mean that the assimilated Jews of Germany, who had lost their homes and many possessions but otherwise had been "merely" harassed by a lengthening list that included petty bans on buying flowers or being forbidden to sit in deck chairs or rules denying them cats, would now be removed to camps in the east. The boxcars began their tryouts for grainy documentary movies. Between October of 1941 and February of 1942, fifty-eight trainloads of those "useless eaters," 53,000 Jews who were declared unfit for forced labor, were carried to numerous relocation sites.

Who could have imagined there were so many Jews; that just removing them to overnite ghettos in Poland or Ukraine would put such a strain upon every mile of track and every engine's boilers; that so many departments of government would be required, soldiers to shoot them, munitions to make, guards to control them, shovels to dig and to cover their graves? Better methods had to be found for both death and disposal. Perhaps those employed with such success in the programs of euthanasia might be brought into play -- sealed chambers and car exhaust -- and camps built solely for death's purpose. So thirty gas vans were built in Berlin. They could kill sixty at a time, an improvement of ten over previous model years. Occasionally a child survived whose mother had so severely swaddled it the fumes could not penetrate the cloth. It was a doubtful stroke of luck since the guards would smash such babies' heads against convenient trees.

Timing became important. Himmler had to bawl out one overzealous police chief in Riga who had a trainload of Berlin deportees killed too promptly, thus possibly alarming those Jews still in Berlin and causing them to be more difficult to handle. The range of extermination now clearly included the whole of occupied Europe. Yet it was the twentieth of January 1942 before the infamous Wannsee meeting on the final solution to the Jewish question took place.

The propaganda machine was making its own carbon monoxide. Everything the Germans were doing to the Jews the Jews had done to Germans, or would do if they could. They had started the war; they were eating away at the Reich's magnificent culture; they wanted to destroy Germany as it presently stood. Goebbels instructed the media to be unrelenting. "The Jews must now be used in the German press as a political target: the Jews are to blame; the Jews wanted the war; the Jews are making the war worse; and, again and again, the Jews are to blame."

During the years 1941-43, Berlin Jews, who were not supposed to have their composure ruffled by hearing the worst of bad news, heard the bad news nevertheless and escaped by suicide. It was a wonder there were any trains left able to carry munitions. The idea that many people still didn't know what was going on represents another wild lie. If the Jews, who weren't supposed to know, knew, everybody did. Like the disciplined lines of white crosses at Arlington, numbers representing the sizes of the shipments march across Evans's text. Perhaps these pages more accurately resemble a schedule of departures than a cemetery, but their meanings are the same.

Until November of 1941, the extermination camps had not yet been built. A score of SS officers would run them; Ukrainians, taken from their own camps and given special training, would provide the raw manpower; and a few specialists recruited from the victims themselves (tailors, carpenters, cobblers, und so weiter ) could supply the standard operative skills. All that otherwise might be needed, aside from the airtight gas chambers to create the corpses, earthen pits and crematoria to manage their disposal, were some houses for the SS and barracks for the auxiliary servants of the industry. These camps were extraordinarily efficient except that sometimes the wooden killing boxes began to leak and had to be replaced by concrete ones. At Belzec, the first of these specialized death camps, 75,000 Jews were gassed and their bodies burned in its initial thirty days of operation. Eventually, the number would approach 600,000.

The second camp was modeled after the first except the gas chambers were housed in a brick building. Hot weather, however, caused the corpses in the burial pits to swell and rise from the ground in small hills. This putrefaction began to contaminate the local water. A horrible smell was pervasive and seemed to beckon rats and other scavengers, so the SS filled a pit with wood and set it on fire, but bodies that are already all bones burn badly, even when placed on grills and turned now and then, as you might on a company cookout. Cremations continued to make problems, and scientific studies were undertaken to discover the most efficient methods of getting air to and around mounds of corpses so that the fire could breathe. As the Jews, naked, their possessions confiscated for auction in Berlin, were driven to the gas chambers at Treblinka, the third camp, by biting dogs and men with whips and iron bars, their wails of despair and screams from pain were alarming others, so the SS recruited a small orchestra to drown the hubbub by playing local hit tunes.

When, in April of 1943, Himmler ordered the camps closed and their presence erased, the job was almost done, although the task had become more difficult and on several occasions a few prisoners of war and a passel of Jews had broken out, killing several guards and embarrassing officials. The Germans covered some sites with shrubbery, trees, and flowers; this concealment remained rudimentary, but even the most inadequate erasures would give comfort later to those who denied the existence and/or operation of the gas chambers. By the summer of 1944 grave robbers had arrived, looking for the gold that might have been missed, only to turn up bones and rotting clothes.

Evans supplies very instructive details of the camps' procedures so that we may measure just how flourishing evil can become when provided with healthy circumstances. The novelty of Auschwitz was the use of a chemical pesticide called Zyklon-B, whose most active ingredient was sulphuric acid and whose lethal fumes were discovered by an accident that asphyxiated a cat. It was used in obedience to the following directions: "The men were herded into the room, the doors were sealed, then powdered Zyklon-B was shaken down through holes in the roof. The warmth generated by the bodies packed into the chamber below quickly turned it into a deadly gas."

Some camps were for show, like the back lots of movie studios, and were unable to make direct contributions to the killings, only mislead chosen visitors about them. In a few ghettos (Warsaw is the best known) there were uprisings as well as scattered signs of individual resistance by the Polish underground; but what slowed the German war on humanity (besides the Soviet army) was simply the size and consequent inefficiency of it. Evans ascribes the principal cause of the monstrous behavior required of its organizers to their "visceral hatred of Jews," but the word "visceral" tends to beg the question. How was anti-Semitism, so patently false in all its ages of activity, able to lodge itself in so many minds and thereafter weaken -- no, remove -- their moral character? How, in general, do people become slaves of foolish ideologies, support them with treasure, allegiance, and time, and act, at their behest, so vilely, so contrary to their own interest? History is full of absurdities masquerading as absolutes. Like whooping cough, beliefs get to children early, make their symptoms chronic, hold out useless hopes, and offer vain excuses. It is reason's business to disbelieve, but the voices of reason have as much effect here as frogs in a swamp.

This book has many themes that a reader might follow instead of the bloody course I've chosen, such as the struggles for power among the many Nazi administrators when any one of them was trying to obtain status, protect his perks, or strengthen his grip, during both sweet times and sour. Hitler repeatedly replaced one medal bearer with another and blamed them for trying to save their troops when the order was to die. Meantime, in the midst of a war that was not going well, there were other wars that developed a personality of their own the way Verdun did during World War I: such as the siege of Leningrad ("the city's inhabitants were starving, eating cats, dogs, rats and even each other"); the struggle for Stalingrad ("even those who were not hospitalized were sick, starving, frostbitten and exhausted"); or the Battle of Kursk ("the greatest land battle in history").

As all the wars that made up the Second World War began to go badly, so did the temperament of the German people and their enthusiasm for it. It could be observed that Party members no longer wore their Party badges. After the bombing of Hamburg, angry citizens who observed that symbol in the street might tear the insignia from the wearer's coat. The Germans could become audibly grouchy if the government cut their ration of bread, but not so much when it killed Jews. By this time in the concluding history of the Third Reich the numbers in the text no longer refer to murdered undesirables or captured soldiers but to bushels of imported wheat, the total of factory workers building airplanes, or the limit of calories allowed each citizen; and the narrative, always heavy with statistics, is likely to sink out of the view of the eye.

In the aftermaths of heavy and repeated bombing, dazed German citizens were forced to find places among the ruins of their cities to bury bodies wrapped in paper like parcels, since the cemeteries were full and incineration was not feasible. What could burn, had. The dead were hidden in mass graves amid household furnishings -- beds, jars, pots, clothing, carpets, cabinets -- strewn about in a tumble of plaster, bricks, and stones. The picture Evans paints contradicts the view, frequently held, that the bombings did not have any noticeable effect on the German people's will to fight. That will was weakening rapidly, as was that of the armed forces, increasingly beset on multiple fronts, misled by Hitler's intransigence, and compelled by the Soviets' superior numbers to retreat. Such cohesiveness as remained depended upon a continuing hatred of Jewry and Soviet Communism, loyalty to their comrades in arms, and a realistic awareness of the consequences of defeat; as well as a fear of their own officers, frantic to maintain discipline, who were fond of courts-martial, and the firing squads that shot 21,000 men as a result of the incredible 3 million trials ordered for numerous offenses. The Reich also began to lose allies -- Bulgaria first, then all of Italy, whose failures Germany was required to punish by corralling 650,000 Italian soldiers for chain-gang-style labor (50,000 eventually died in harness) and executing 6,000 on the occupied Greek island of Cephalonia who resisted.

As the German armies fell back they enjoyed the classic revenge of burning any hospital, handy town, field, or manor they encountered, as well as employing some of the lesser forms of vandalism: feasting in occupied homes, stealing bedding, toys, clothes, shoes, and relaxing after their larger exertions by trying on the owner's hats, smashing what would readily smash, and leaving toilets aswim with their stools. Jews were required to ransom themselves with gold. This could occasionally work. Members of the partisan resistance were sometimes shot in conveniently located catacombs, an admirable economy of means. The German troops did not fail to use geography as a weapon, flooding the Pontine marshes back to pre-Mussolini levels and reintroducing malarial mosquitoes that produced at least 98,000 cases for them in two years, not all deadly, although the Germans took the local quinine with them when they fled. Straight-out germ warfare was unusual for the Nazis, who preferred more indirect methods -- to overwork and starve their victims until they fell ill of disease.

Death is the repeated motif of this essay, and necessarily of Evans's monumental book, because death and the threat of death were the principal tools of Nazi rule -- the noose, the gas, the gun. For citizens, a list of actions punishable by death might begin with the use of a weapon while committing a crime, hoarding food supplies, damaging military equipment, or making faulty munitions, and end with anything that hindered the war effort, including an injurious comment. Criminals serving a term greater than eight years were too costly to the state to keep swaddled in prison's comforts and were likely to be packed off "for extermination by labor." Some due for release before eight years had passed were retained until they qualified for this extinction. "So many executions were taking place in Germany's state prisons by this time that the Ministry of Justice allowed them at any time of the day instead of, as previously, only at dawn." And the prisons filled and emptied like bowls of peanuts on a bar.

So hospitals, prisons, courts, police, ordinary murderers, labor gangs, suicides, soldiers, Gestapo, the SS, partisans, local militias, enemy fire were all active agents of death, death from all sides the way a billiard caroms: death that fell from the air, death borne by swampy water, death that opened from the earth as if every furrow were a mouth, death by whispered denunciation, death by every means imaginable including highway accidents, common fevers, cancers, strokes, and old age. Yet only one Nazi unit was called the Death's Head, indicating considerable restraint. Of course, there was little need for public boasting about the regime's death-dealing skills. The two Christian institutions (the Lutheran and the Catholic Churches) were quite aware of the killing sprees in their countries of residence but remained mum out of fear of reprisals either from the regime if the Nazis won or from the Jews if Germany lost. This also may have been the most common attitude among the general population. "From 1943 onwards, they were mentally preparing themselves to deflect this retribution as far as they were able, by denying all knowledge of the genocide once the war was lost."

That the war was lost only increased the feverish pace of the killings, which were now defended as a moral necessity, a task to be completed despite temptations to tenderness, and because the cleansing was almost complete. Himmler's message was: The world may condemn us for carrying out such an unpleasant assignment, but somebody's got to do it. The Jews who remained to be gassed lived mostly in Hungary, whose Admiral Miklos Horthy had refused so far Hitler's requests to hand them over. The German army moved in and immediately began carrying out their obligations by transporting 438,000 Jews to -Auschwitz before Horthy was able to put a stop to their shipments.

In the last days, to settle old scores while pretending the enemy was within, Germans began killing one another. It was nearly as if anyone who looked gloomy should be shot. But they were still killing with dedication if not cleverness and invention: 565 inmates of a women's prison were, in the middle of an icy winter, walked to another jail 22 miles away. They kept falling over one another until only 40 remained. From households there was little to loot, but women were still available for rape. Former dignitaries, foreign and domestic, who hadn't been murdered but held hostage instead, were executed forthwith. Those in prison for whatever reason were killed simply because they were handy, just in case, and because the Jews were already dead and someone should be dying: "Sick inmates were shot in their beds . . ." Advancing enemy armies made the murder industry in the concentration camps a matter of some urgency. Yet evidence of gas chambers, shooting locales, and burial parks had to be removed too, and it was difficult to clean up and kill at the same time. Russian prisoners of war, retreating along with German troops, died of weather, deep snows, and neglect. Killing was now casual wherever you were in the combat zone. Death marches so disorganized they "meandered across the country, even doubling back on themselves," at least emptied a camp by scattering bodies over treks of sometimes 250 miles. Nothing but surrender or the arrival of Allied armies slowed and finally ended this last deadly tantrum.

When the Red Army reached Auschwitz it found many corpses, but the SS had left 7,000 prisoners in some stage of life, and they had not destroyed every evidence of the camp's activity. "Russian soldiers painstakingly catalogued 837,000 women's coats and dresses, 44,000 pairs of shoes and 7.7 tons of human hair." Finally, the Germans had acquired enough coats.

The Nazis were down for the count, but the count was only at nine when Allied warplanes kicked dozens of towns nearly out of existence (Dresden, most infamously) and the Red Army arrived to repopulate the ruins by raping the women who remained. They brought with them destruction, pillage, theft, murder, and savage revenge. Death, it seems, was also an Allied deity.

Evans, after his usual sober and responsible account of how the end came for Hitler and Goebbels, writes: "The deaths in the bunker and the burned-out streets above were only the crest of a vast wave of suicides without precedent in modern history." This penultimate killing was sometimes done out of an ancestral sense of honor, or from the shame and indignity of a trial that would brand them as criminals, or to avoid the mistreatment of their displayed corpses, or out of despair for Germany and the failure of their enterprises; but not often because they were wrong, not because they were guilty, not because they were moral monsters and could no longer bear the creatures of evil they had become.

Afterward, death would add still more to its roster with trials and hangings. Not just the guilty paid its price. In what was perhaps the final irony, many survivors of the camps would kill themselves because they were alive.

Never forget, my friends. It can happen anywhere. It doesn't start out with people declaring "let's kill all of the [minority group of choice]" but rather with small bits of hatred spewed by evil men and women, without good men and women standing up to them. Without resistance--and particularly in difficult times--such people gain a foothold and ratchet up their hatred step by step.

It took Germany only a handful of years to go from a beacon of academic achievement and advanced culture to unleashing evil and terror upon the world that could scarcely have been imagined. And lest you think it was only Germany, those who would jump at the chance to join in the slaughter came from all over Europe, as you just read and probably knew already. And let us not forget Stalin and his henchmen with their contribution to slaughter on an unimaginable scale.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Well, so much for that boycott

2010-02-15T16:16:00.003-05:00

My readers (both of you) may recall my post about Amazon's practice of selling dog-fighting information. I gave up buying from them when I learned of this.

More recently, I've learned that they're far from alone. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's... in fact, every online bookseller I could find sells these materials. Apparently, no one wants to risk being accused of censorship.

I can hardly boycott every bookseller, so I guess I might as well abandon my Amazon boycott and just write a new round of protests. I'll just aim at a larger audience now (if I'm going to tweak Amazon, I might as well hit B&N, Powell's, etc.).

I still think it's wrong to sell such materials. There are limits to free speech--just as yelling fire in a crowded theater isn't protected speech, selling materials like this, the sole purpose of which is to teach readers how to conduct an illegal (and cruel) activity shouldn't be supported.

In any case, as I tilt at windmills, I suppose it's good to be able to buy from a major retailer again. I just wish they'd wake up and stop hiding behind their misplaced "we don't censor" nonsense. Every such retailer censors, for they can't possibly carry everything in print. It would be very nice if they gave this some actual thought and did the right thing!

The problem with Facebook

2010-02-06T21:00:00.004-05:00

Facebook has a lot going for it, no question. I certainly have spent enough time on there. But there are problems.

For one thing, lots of people tend to seek one out on Facebook. These people include current friends, as well as people from college and high school (many of whom weren't even real friends back then) and even a few family members. Now, this blog certainly isn't private; anyone can view it. Still, it's not my full name hanging out there, and the various high school and college people aren't following me on here. For any who are, they've chosen to go along for the ride that is this blog. That includes everything from our travels to rugby to sex.

Speaking of sex, I recently was reminded of the perils of Facebook when I made a sex-related comment in my status; something about a great bath... I wrote that "I was going to say the bath 'didn't suck' but that wouldn't be quite accurate" or words to that effect.

That's it. I may not remember the wording exactly right, but it wasn't any more explicit than that. And that got me a note from someone I knew in college who felt it was "TMI." Rather than get into a debate, I just deleted it.

I haven't been blogging enough, and that's one more reminder of the value of this blog. If you visit this blog, you know I may rant about politics, post some photos, talk about sex (even in graphic detail) or go on about just about anything else.

If I want to talk about the fabulous sex Marc and I had this morning when he got me hard and slid his hot, tight ass down on me, I will. I don't want to worry about one of the 258 "friends" on Facebook getting upset (speaking of that "friends" list, I may trim it a little).

Facebook serves a purpose, but I still need a place to share whatever I want!

Speaking of sharing, how about something nice? Friends and long-time blog readers will recall that Marc and I are supporters of LIGALY and the LI GLBT Network. They just launched a new ad campaign, aimed largely at confronting HIV in the African-American community but also meant to fight homophobia by increasing awareness in our suburban communities.

James, a friend and LIGALY staff member, sent me a photo he'd snapped of one of the ads on a railroad trestle (they're also on Long Island Railroad platforms and the sides of buses)...

Click on the photo for a better view!

In case any of it is hard to read in the photo, it says, "I am gay... and this is where I stay, pray & play. We have always been a part of this community."

It's a simple message, but it's a great message. I love it, and I really loved the first time I saw a bus go by with it on there, big as life.

Justin Bartha

2010-01-24T21:00:00.002-05:00

We just watched the movie The Hangover. Not my cup of tea. Now, I didn't dislike it quite as intensely as Marc, but it still wasn't for me.

It did have a few redeeming elements, notably a few cuties and a pretty pussycat (can you call a Siberian Tiger a pussycat? Well, I just did).

My favorite part of the movie was Justin Bartha. In case you haven't laid eyes on him, here's a photo...

That is all.

The dangers of police power

2010-01-21T21:39:00.003-05:00

Law and order is a good thing, but there are those of us who rightfully worry when some alleged "patriots" say that civil rights are secondary to fighting the terrorists. The problem is that bad people can hide behind such claims and trample the rights of citizens and non-citizens alike. Worse, some well-meaning people we'd ordinarily tend to trust will go too far and any of us could see our civil rights (even those of us with limited civil rights) go right out the window.

For the past several years, I've been concerned about things like the misnamed (politicians are such assholes) "USA Patriot Act." By the way, did you know that USA Patriot Act is an acronym for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism"?

How long did they work to come up with that load of crap?

More to the point, special powers granted to law enforcement are fraught with peril. Many conveniently forget this when they're scared (especially powerful white people who are unlikely to fall victim to the inevitable abuses), but perhaps if the mistakes are repeated enough times we might learn from them. Sadly, but not surprisingly, we have more evidence of what happens at times like these: F.B.I. Violated Rules in Obtaining Phone Records, Report Says

From the article: "On four occasions, the bureau made inaccurate statements to a court that authorizes national security wiretaps about how it had obtained calling records, the report said. And agents twice improperly gained access to reporters' calling records as part of leak investigations."

If that doesn't scare you, it should!

Also, the FBI "improperly obtained calling records for more than 3,500 telephone accounts from 2003 to 2006 without following any legal procedures."

I'm a very law-and-order kind of guy, but there must be a balance. Without protecting civil rights, law and order can quickly slide into a police state. This is just a reminder that it doesn't take much for things to start to go too far!

NYE photos

2010-01-13T21:42:00.007-05:00

And now, for your entertainment, here are a few photos from our New Year's Eve party...

Matt and John

Isn't John's tiara lovely?

Marc and John pose together

Yacov was there, and a good thing! What party is complete without a gay Orthodox rabbi?

Greg (Yacov's partner), Yacov, me and Marc

There were some other guests, but those are the only photos I got.

We had a great time!

Oh, by the way, you can't really see Greg's hotness in the photo above (although I'm pretty sure Yacov likes that look, and that's what really matters), so I stole this photo from Greg's Facebook page:

Honestly, that's not even the greatest shot of him. You can't really see his beautiful eyes (or beautiful thighs). When Greg first appeared on the rugby pitch, I heard a fair amount of "WHO IS THAT?!"

Really, he's a great guy. If he were ugly, we'd still adore him. That he's so hot is just a bonus!

NYE and other stuff

2010-01-04T22:17:00.002-05:00

We had a fun New Year's Eve party here at the house. I have a few photos to share, but you'll have to wait for another post for those (because I don't have them uploaded to the right place for blog sharing). It was nice, even though some friends couldn't make it.

Other new things? Hmmm. Well, I bought Wii Sports Resort for our Nintendo Wii. I've been so obsessed with the swordfighting game that my shoulder hurt last night from all of the virtual battling! I also bought a charger for the Wii remotes. Yeah, I buy exciting things, don't I? :)

Not much else to report at the moment, but that's probably a good thing. A friend got laid off today, so that's not good, but he seems rather relieved for a variety of reasons. Having been down that road a few times, I know what he means. Sometimes work gets bad enough that being forced to move on is a relief. Hang in there, Greg. As you already have the wisdom to realize, life goes on and new opportunities come along!

On that note, I have three canines who need some assistance. Those darn doorknobs are a pain when you don't have thumbs, and they need to go out!

A great relief

2009-12-30T20:45:00.002-05:00

Mandy

That pretty girl had us very worried over the past several days.

The story starts a few weeks ago. Mandy, who has had digestive issues over the years, once again was having diarrhea and other related issues (a fever, etc.). This has happened in the past, and a course of antibiotics and Lomotil always took care of it. So the vet put her on those, but the problems didn't go away.

When she went back to the vet last week, just before Christmas, he x-rayed her abdomen, and there was something there the size of a grown man's fist. He couldn't say conclusively without an ultrasound, but it looked like a large mass (just holding up the x-ray film to the light, I could see it clearly, and I normally can't make out anything on an x-ray). If it turned out to be solid, they'd need to biopsy it, but there was a good chance that a solid mass would mean... well, it would mean we'd soon be losing our little girl. I wanted to vent about it last week and thought of blogging about it, but I didn't want to bring anyone down right before Christmas (particularly since I know some of you know Mandy from visits here).

On Monday, she went back to the vet and had her ultrasound done. It took until today to get the results. It's NOT cancer. I'm so relieved that I'm nearly in tears now, just typing that. Amazingly, it's not any kind of mass. It's her stomach. Not where it should be and quite distended, so she needs some help with that, but it looks like it's a completely treatable problem.

It seems she has some kind of issue causing her stomach to back up, so we're doing smaller meals (and have been for several days) and spreading them out through the day as much as we can. Also, the vet had us pick up Pepcid from the drug store. It seems dogs can take the same medicine we do, so she's going to take half a pill twice a day to help her stomach be more comfortable and settle down.

Next week, we'll touch base with him. He may do another x-ray then to see where things are. She has a small nodule on her spleen, but he's not too concerned about that. We just have to help her get her digestion straightened out. If it doesn't resolve on its own, they may do endoscopy or (and I really hope this isn't needed) exploratory surgery to try to fix what ails her. So she may have some unpleasant (and expensive, of course) things ahead, but at least it looks like she'll be okay in the end. Considering that I was literally in tears last week, thinking she might be dying, this isn't so bad!

Tired

2009-12-15T21:39:00.002-05:00

Last night, we stayed out quite late. It was for a good reason. Our friend Jerry Dixon was doing a holiday show, with the help of others, including his partner (and a man we're also privileged to call a friend), Mario Cantone.

Jerry has performed on Broadway, and he has the voice to carry it off. He was amazing, as was every guest singer who joined in, among them Tony Award winner LaChanze--she was amazing. Words can't begin to do her justice.

A real surprise was that there were a number of Jerry's colleagues from the entertainment world in the audience, and he got them to participate in some amazing riffing near the end of the show. The whole thing was just a joy.

The tough part was that the show didn't even start until 9:30, and this was a "school night." By the time we got home, it was about 1am. Then the night got to be even more wonderful, as my husband was in full-out honeymoon mode. Far be it from me to pass up on that, so we were up much later. It all was worth it! Wow, was it worth it! ;)

But now I am tired. And, of course, I had a meeting after work tonight.

Speaking of that (and I was thinking I was going to end the post a few lines ago, but then I remembered this part), last week the LI GLBT Network held a town hall meeting after the NY Senate defeated the marriage equality bill. At the town hall, I got up and spoke. I really don't have the energy to really try to recap all of what I said, but it went really well. I got a round of applause and people congratulating me when I went back to my seat. Fast-forward to tonight...

Tonight's meeting was a group of lawyers and judges I belong to. One of the presenters at tonight's meeting is a lawyer who was at the town hall last week. I asked him about what he'd be presenting, and he said, "whatever I say tonight, it can't begin to compare to your speech from last week." I felt so proud. Wish my Mom could have been there! :)

Maybe the mean people have it right

2009-12-06T21:03:00.002-05:00

I don't really mean that. Mean people suck, and I'll never change my opinion on that. Still, sometimes I wish I could just tell some people to hit the road. When someone is doing the "woe is me" routine, I can't just tell them to fuck off. If they had encountered some serious heartache (illness--their own or a loved one's--or long-term unemployment or the loss of a loved one), then I could understand the melancholy. But the ones who just want to wallow in it really drive me nuts.

Through the years, I've also had the good fortune to know people who pushed on, no matter what happened. Not that they didn't get sad or upset, but they didn't take that as their long-term license to drag everyone else down.

I always try to be optimistic. I think it's the smart way to live. Yes, life has its pain, no question. I've gotten through my fair share. Still, what's the point of worrying about the bad things that could happen?

Back to my original point... I'm too nice to some people, and that gives some the feeling that they're free to dump on me. This Intertubes thingie has just made it worse. Going back to my days on IRC, I was way too supportive to people who didn't want support; they just wanted to spread misery.

Now comes Facebook. Mostly, it's a fun way to keep up with friends, but I recently got a friend request from a guy from overseas. We had a mutual friend in common, so I said okay to the friend request (even though I usually limit that to people I know). At this point, I suspect the mutual friend doesn't really know him, either, but that's another matter.

This guy chats with me whenever he sees me online. It's always the same thing. He needs a job, but you only can get one if you "know someone" or pay someone off. He wants to go out with someone, but he's afraid of what will happen. And on and on.

His problems may well be real--although I've also learned the hard way that people are quite bold online and make things up with impunity--but what am I supposed to do about it? I've encouraged him to tackle his problems head-on, talk to friends to find work, take whatever jobs he can and build from there, etc. Regarding dating, what can I really say? He says he's bi, but, from what he says, he really seems to be gay but scared. Given where he lives (even worse homophobia than here), I can understand that, but what can I do about it?

I've given him what advice I can, over and over again, but he just seems to enjoy having a pity party. I dread seeing him online, and it makes me hesitate to even go onto Facebook. I know I should "unfriend" him. I also should delete him from Yahoo IM, as he asked to be on there, too.

I just feel so mean cutting this guy off. Still, I don't owe him anything. I'm tempted to say, "you have to stop dumping on me, or I'll unfriend you," but I don't know if there's any point. We don't seem to have much in common. Maybe I should just make a quick, clean break. However I do it--if I do it--I know I'll feel guilty. Of course, this is why it has been week after week of being depressed by someone I've never met (and, in all likelihood, never will meet).

This probably is a flaw on my part. *sigh* No, I don't want to be a mean person, but it would simplify some things!

Interesting times

2009-12-03T21:21:00.004-05:00

You may know the curse, "may you live in interesting times."

In a sign of the enduring bigotry of so many people, and the enduring cowardice of so many politicians, the New York State Senate yesterday soundly defeated legislation that would have granted marriage equality. Those who follow me on Facebook already saw a rant or two. I could go on about the factual inaccuracy of those who claim religion has a place in our government. Anyone who truly knows what the Founding Fathers believed knows that they were very strongly against religion playing a role in the government. Separation of church and state was a vital requirement for them.

I also could go on about how recent events are driven by ignorance, hatred and tyranny of the majority. But if so many really are worried about the sanctity of marriage, then I guess it's time to outlaw divorce, as some have proposed. Certainly, there's no greater threat to marriage than divorce. In fact, Marc and I got married in Connecticut, but we've seen no destructive impact on straight marriages, despite our efforts. We were told our wedding would be a threat, but all of the straight married couples we know stubbornly refuse to have their marriages destroyed by our getting married. So I guess we're not the big threat; time to go after divorce!

Okay, I'll stop. And yes, that was me not going on about this. I really could write quite a bit.

In another interesting development (and on a completely different subject), a local university announced that it is eliminating its football program. The football program was started in 1937, but the university decided it could no longer justify the expense. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I can't imagine it happening if not for this amazingly crappy economy.

So I know what you're thinking: this is too depressing. Just show us more rugby photos. My, you're so pushy. Well, fine...

That should hold you for now. Seriously, I hope you like those. More to come! :)

Geek moment

2009-11-29T20:19:00.002-05:00

I find things like this fascinating: Pectoral Muscles Give Geese the Oxygen for Himalayan Journey

Just the idea that there are animals that have evolved to be able to fly over the Himalayas, reaching heights of 30,000 feet. It's a short article and, to me at least, an interesting read.

Mandy and some rugby photos

2009-11-28T21:52:00.005-05:00

When a new camera comes home, the dogs can count on being among the first subjects. So here's one of the first shots I took with the new camera, a Nikon D300S (a photo I'm sharing for no other reason than I think she's beautiful and I love her)...

This photo immediately validated my high expectations for the camera. When I looked at it in full resolution, I could clearly see Marc's reflection in her eyes (he was sitting next to her on the couch).

Now I think we should enjoy (or "tolerate," if you don't like rugby as much as I do) some rugby photos! You already saw one hottie from the playoffs two posts ago, so now we can look at some action (no, sadly, not that kind) photos...

Had enough? I guess that will do for now, but there's more to come! :)

Recap of recent fun

2009-11-25T22:26:00.002-05:00

Since I have been such a bad blogger lately, I'll go back and share a few things I missed. One recent bit of fun came a little under two weeks ago. I had some friends from work over for a Friday night party. At the same time, our friends James and Ademil came out to join us and stay for a couple of days.

Friday night was a blast. As we expected, my work friends and my non-work friends hit it off beautifully. The only issue was the eventual complaints of a couple of the straight girls from work because James and Ademil (both of whom are hot guys!) are far more interested in each other than they've ever been in any girl. Sorry, ladies! They're on our team!

On Saturday, we went out to the North Fork for some wine tasting and a nice lunch, and then we headed back here, stopping to food shop on the way. As we did, the guys went into a party store to buy some birthday decorations for yet another friend who was joining us that evening. Cesar (the birthday boy) and Bruce joined the four of us, and we had a lovely dinner, followed by James' homemade flan for dessert. Great stuff!

On Sunday, we took James and Ademil to Robert Moses State Park for some time at the beach. Recent storms appeared to have taken their toll on the beach. Even if it was high tide when we were there, that didn't really account for how short the beach seemed. I guess it's time for the Corps of Engineers to come fix it (every so often they send a dredge to recapture sand from just offshore and pump it back up to the beach).

So how about some photos from that lovely weekend?

James and Ademil at our favorite Winery, Pindar Vineyards

By the way, James (in red) is about six feet tall, so that should give you an idea of what a big, strapping boy Ademil is. (Did I mention that they both play on the rugby team, too?)

James borrowed my camera and took this photo of Marc and me

This is a shot of Cesar, taken at a recent match (I didn't take photos at dinner)

Just sharing these photos was a fun reminder of a great weekend with friends. Perhaps I'll post some beach photos another day! :)

Need to get back to posting

2009-11-23T22:45:00.004-05:00

I've been a really bad blogger. I've had things I could post. I've gone to rugby matches. We've had friends out. I even bought a new camera recently. Did I blog about any of it? No. Sorry!

Okay, time to get going again. Since it's late, and I'm tired, I'll keep this short. I'll share just one photo from this weekend's Northeast Rugby Union playoffs. It's not an action shot, although I can't help but think of the action I'd like to have with the subject of this photo. Had I really been thinking, I'd have gotten a full-length shot, because this was gorgeous from head to toe. Here you go...

If you want to know what to get me for the holidays, that's it! Not to worry, I'll share him with Marc.

I'll work on posting again soon. Sorry for being absent for so long. Bear with me!

New must-see TV

2009-09-28T15:06:00.004-04:00

I've just learned of a new TV show, premiering in a few weeks on the USA Network, called White Collar. I can tell you it's destined to be a great show. I did a little research to find out what it's about. Apparently, it stars this guy...

What's that? You want to know what it's about? Well, um... It stars this guy...

Clearly, it's going to be a great show! ;)

High Holy Days Hound

2009-09-18T23:07:00.003-04:00

I heard Marc playing this video and commented that that's the worst sounding shofar I've ever heard (watching it, it's also the smallest one I've ever seen). Setting that aside, this is hysterical...

Rugby photos

2009-09-16T21:36:00.002-04:00

I know, I know. I'm barely doing anything with the blog, other than posting rugby photos. I'll try to be better! For now, though, how about some more rugby photos? These are from last weekend's match against Brooklyn.

These aren't the most fabulous shots, but I'm happy to have gotten even decent shots. It was nasty weather. Aside from trying to protect the camera from water, the light was too low to get the kind of shutter speeds and depth-of-field I really need to get good stuff. So anyhow, here we go...

Isn't he handsome? That's our friend JR.

Our buddy Andy got some ribbing about this one--not only is it a high tackle, but it looks like he's trying to choke the guy!

The good thing is that Andy has a good sense of humor--he made that one his profile photo on Facebook.

Okay, that will do for now!

My favorite photo of the day

2009-09-05T23:22:00.002-04:00

There was rugby today. The full set of photos is here, but I'm not going to post any here just now. Instead, I'm going to share my favorite photo of the day--one from the sidelines:

My boys got the attention of some kids

We took Dodger to today's match. We thought he might like the field trip (for the most part, he didn't--he's generally happy at home), and we thought it would be nice to trot out The Brown Hound, as we start handing out business cards for his new photography business.

During the match, I looked across the field and saw the scene above. What could be sweeter than that?

Rugby!

2009-09-02T21:07:00.003-04:00

There's some news, aside from there being more rugby photos. Last weekend, we were invited to photograph the All Star Sevens Tournament ("Sevens" refers to the size of each side in the match--about half the usual size, it makes for a quicker match). On an adjacent field was the Liberty Cup, a small tournament that included teams from the NYPD and FDNY, as well as military teams from Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune (yes, Marines playing rugby!).

But before we get into the photos, let me share the news. For years, Marc has been encouraging me to make a side business out of my photos. I got more encouragement last weekend from a rugby friend. Having finally gotten the message, I am happy to introduce you to Brown Hound Photography. It's more than rugby photos. We also offer landscape/seascape photos and photos of some structures from our travels in other parts of the world. The site will grow as more photos are added in the weeks, months and years ahead. Marc is working on the design and marketing side of things, as well as being my assistant, pack mule and all-around helper when I'm doing my thing.

Okay, so here are some photos (and I strongly encourage you to click on these for a better view):

The Marines play against the NYPD

See the blond Marine on the left side of the photo? He looked even better up close (sorry, no "up close" photo). *drool*

Oh, yeah. There were some women playing, too.

Okay, okay. I'll try to behave. The truth of the matter is that these ladies had some serious skills! They could have kicked the asses of a lot of male ruggers. I said to Marc that I really had to admire how well they played!

How about that for a jump?

By the way, if you go to the homepage of USA Rugby, the first photo you'll see is that last one (at least for now... and for the past 3 or 4 days). The second photo also is mine. (It was a good week!) :)

Okay, I think that's enough for a blog post! If you want to see more, go to the gallery. There are 193 photos, and some nice ones, if I do say so myself. (Actually, since it was nasty, gray weather, I'm quite pleased with the results. Low light isn't good for rugby photography.)

And remember Brown Hound Photography for your photo shopping needs! :)

Labradog blogging

2009-08-28T22:42:00.003-04:00

Tonight, I decided to remove the lens from my camera, lock the mirror in the up position and clean the sensor using air blown from a Giotto Rocket. After doing that, I wanted to test the camera--you know, to make sure I didn't do something wonderful like damage the sensor. (This is an accepted way to clean the sensor, so I didn't think I was taking a big risk, but I needed to check after I was done to be sure.)

Needing a subject to photograph, I was happy to see Mandy come over and volunteer. Not that she's a cooperative subject, but I had to make do! ;)

I love this one

Yeah, that's all I've got, but keep your crosses fingered... there's rugby this weekend! Unfortunately, there's also some very nasty weather in our area, so we may not get there. Still, if there's enough of a break in the rain, we may try to get to the tournament and get a few photos.

Very cool stuff: building block of life found in a comet

2009-08-21T21:14:00.007-04:00

Yes, if you're an amateur science geek like me, this is very exciting! Can a visit from the Vulcans be far behind?

Seriously, finding one of life's building blocks in a comet is more evidence that life can, and probably does, exist in lots of places in the universe, not just here. I'm sure this is more reason for the Jeebus nuts to hate people like me (you know, there's nothing about this in that book they love), but I can't help but be fascinated by the universe. Thinking... a dangerous thing! ;)

Read more here: Astronomy.com - Life's building block discovered in comet

Sunflower photos

2009-08-13T21:13:00.003-04:00

In our travels with Pua and her daughters, Averie and Caris, we stopped at Pindar Vineyards. Next to the parking lot was a field of sunflowers (interestingly, the Pindar website says they're having a sunflower photo contest).

Averie and Caris loved the sunflowers and decided they needed photos among the flowers. Since the girls are so pretty, I just have to share a few of the shots.

Averie among the flowers

I'm not sure what this one was about, but the girls wanted it. I'm sure I'm missing some reference.

Aren't they beautiful? Too bad I like boys. ;)

It was a fun day to cap off a fun visit. I hope they come back soon!

Pua's visit

2009-08-10T15:14:00.008-04:00

Wow, did we have fun! Now, if we had a hot male blogger and his two hot sons visit, you'd read that and say, "I'm sure you did!" Perhaps you'd even roll your eyes. ;) However, we were visited by three lovely women, and we had tons of fun all the same! Yes, the lovely Pua and her gorgeous* daughters, Averie and Caris, came to stay with us, and we really did have a wonderful time! (*Pua, if I weren't so completely gay, I'd do my best to see if either of those girls likes older men! Wow, they're hot--and so polite, too!)

They arrived last Tuesday night and stayed until yesterday morning. Make that EARLY yesterday morning. Their flight departed at 6:10am from LaGuardia Airport, so we all got up at 3:30am to get ready and take them there.

Friday night and Saturday were the high points of the visit for Marc and me. On Friday, we had a number of mutual friends over for a dinner party, and, on Saturday, we took Pua, Averie and Caris out east for some sightseeing.

I only shot a handful of photos during their visit (bad me!). For this post, I'll stick to Friday's dinner & drinks get-together.

The always handsome Jase

More straightgirl beauty, in the form of Deidre

Three lovelies: Caris, Averie and my Bokey

Pua and Patrick D

Pua and Patrick L

Wayne, who never seems to age

Pua had to step away a few times, to make sure California keeps running in her absence!

After thoroughly inspecting and cuddling with the guests, Mandy went to guard the sofa

A certain Famous Author was in attendance. Feel free to caption this one yourselves! ;)

I love how this shot of Deidre turned out. Deidre, honey, if I were straight and we both were single...

The pups got lots of love from Pua, Averie and Caris. We've had lots of canine sulking since they left!

If this looks like one giant dog, that's because Mandy moved into the shot--probably moving in for a butt sniff while Bernice was sharing love with Pua.

This really was a great visit. Pua, Averie and Caris are wonderful and lots of fun. On top of that, they're very courteous guests! They don't leave messes behind them (if you've had many houseguests, you'll appreciate how nice that is!), and they always thought of how they could make things easier on us. Our thanks to all three of them for being so thoughtful and for all the fun we had during their visit!

I'll have a bit about Saturday in a separate post (and I'm sure Marc and Pua will have more to share on their blogs).

I really should blog more

2009-07-28T20:43:00.005-04:00

I keep thinking of things to share here on the blog. Sometimes I take the lazy way out and put them on Facebook--it's not the same, but it's easier--and sometimes I just let the thoughts slip away.

We have lots of things going on around here. We've been getting various things done--none really exciting enough to be worth your reading time! But there is one very exciting thing that is worth sharing: Pua and her daughters will be visiting us next week!

We had a visit from Jeff this past weekend. Yes, I know, huge surprise! An old friend commented the other day that he suspected Jeff lived in our attic. Well, not quite, but we're very close to him, and he's only a LIRR train ride away, so we do see him a fair amount.

We had some nice weather this weekend, too. After Jeff headed home (not that I can't do this with him here), I even managed some time in the hammock, finishing a novel I was reading.

So things are pretty good around here. Work has been quite busy, but hey, I'm working, so, in this economy, no complaints! (Actually, I work at a great place, and I really can't complain, in any case!)

And, on that note, let's continue where we left off with the rugby photos...

Yes, he's got something shoved up his nose--it stops the bleeding!

Guy on another team warming up...but feel free to imagine your own caption. :)

And I think we'll end it there. That does it for the tournament, but I didn't share anywhere near all of the photos. If you want to see the whole set, go here.

More Gotham Rugby?

2009-07-14T20:28:00.004-04:00

Various things have happened recently. Some good, some not so good. I'm certainly hoping the recent spate of deaths has passed. We knew too many people who lost loved ones. So I hope that's done for quite a while!

On the plus side, we went to see Hair on Broadway. The tickets were a birthday gift from our old friend Jeff (he bought them around my birthday, but he had to buy this far out, so we could get good seats). The show was great! It's the best show I've seen in a long time. [I'm back to amend this post. Marc tells me it actually was a wedding gift. Well, that was the same day as my birthday, so I was close.]

I know I mentioned something about posting more photos from the Kansas trip. Not that there were that many, but Marc is posting them on his blog. There are some nice ones, so go check out his blog, if you haven't yet.

Since I still have rugby photos left (somewhat fog-shrouded though many of them are), I figured I'd keep going with those.

That can't be comfy!

Another effort (as you may recall from a prior post), but that shirt just won't let go!

I guess that's enough for one post. Hope you like them!

Worth reading

2009-07-03T13:11:00.000-04:00

"Confirmed: God is slightly gay
Just ask the animals. As soon as they stop having all that homosexual sex"

Wichita visit

2009-06-28T21:20:00.002-04:00

We went to Wichita for a couple of reasons. One was a family reunion for Marc, and the other was to catch up with some friends.

I took some photos during the trip, but I have yet to find the time to go through them and upload some. Not that there are many--it wasn't that kind of trip--but I just haven't found enough time to go through the few that I took.

For now, I have a photo of one of our hosts. We spent much of our time with our friends Brad and Bob, but the photo isn't of them. They're pretty cool guys, but the photo is of the coolest guy at their place. His name is Vincent, and he's quite the cool cat. ;) Here he is...

Notice something missing? From the top of his head on one side? Hence the name.

He's a real character. At first, he was a bit standoffish. You know, kind of like a cat. Then, while I was sitting beside the pool, he came over and let me scratch him. After I did that for a little while, he reached up and grabbed my hand with his paws, keeping his claws retracted, and began licking my hand. It was a very nice "thank you." The problem is, when I played with him later, he got friskier and then there was some claw action. He didn't leave a scratch, but I could have lived without that! :)

No, I don't have a photo of the pool (it's a big in-ground pool that was lovely on a hot day) or their fabulous house. I was more focused on relaxing than documenting the visit. The guys are great to hang out with, and I hope they know how much we appreciate their hospitality. All in all, it was a great visit! Thanks, guys!

Let's keep going with the Long Island Rugby Tournament

2009-06-27T22:15:00.004-04:00

Lacking anything more exciting to share, let's look at more rugby photos. But before we do that, let me say that we had a nice time today at a brunch hosted by the Long Island GLBT Network. The special guest at the event was Congressman Steve Israel. We really like him, and not just because he's an equal rights supporter. He also is an intelligent, articulate man with a record of speaking his mind and splitting from his party when he thinks they're wrong.

So that was nice, but now let's look at more rugby photos...

There are a few more in this series, but let's skip ahead to my favorite two...

Is it so much to ask for the shirt to have ripped off of him? But nooooo, it has to be well made! Damn.

Okay, time to go see what my husband's doing and then get in his way. :)

Hope you're all having a good weekend!

Might as well post more rugby photos

2009-06-25T19:15:00.004-04:00

I never did finish posting rugby photos, so I might as well share some more. Yes, Farrah Fawcett died today, although that was somewhat expected, as did Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson's passing is shocking, and I find myself really sad over it. He was a musical genius and a troubled soul, as so many geniuses seem to be. By coincidence, Marc and I were discussing that very subject relative to Mr. Jackson just a few days ago.

Today's news, just days after the empathetic pain from two friends losing loved ones, is downright depressing.

Anyhow, rather than dwell upon these sad losses, let's look at some lovely rugby players...

This young lady was being driven nuts, watching rugby balls flying around but being unable to get to them!

As always, you'll get bigger versions if you click on them. Hope you enjoy them!

A great Christian explains traditional marriage

2009-06-19T23:37:00.001-04:00

An impressive storm

2009-06-15T22:05:00.002-04:00

We're in Wichita, Kansas. We went out to dinner with our friends Brad and Bob. Now we're back at our hotel, sitting in a room on the 15th floor of the Hyatt Regency. On the way here, we endured blinding rain, and our car got pelted with hail.

From our windows (it's a corner room, so it's great for observing), we've watched some impressive wall clouds head our way. As I type this, rain is pelting the window, there are bolts of lightning all over, and we can see things being blown sideways in the outside lights.

I don't think we're in much danger. The weather radar was showing reds and purples heading our way (and hail isn't a great sign), but we can head to the bathroom or a stairwell if there's any sign of a tornado. Even a big one shouldn't do too much damage to a building like this. We just need to make sure we're not near any windows!

I'll stop now, since we may lose the Internet connection (the TV's already out--amazing this still works). Back to watching the light show!

Out Idol

2009-06-01T19:41:00.008-04:00

Long Island Gay & Lesbian Youth (LIGALY) runs an annual competition called Out Idol. There's a similar competition on television--if you've heard of it, you may know that it's a singing competition, as it Out Idol (on which the TV show is based, if I'm not mistaken). ;)

We have been judges at the competition for a number of years. I'd like to say it's our excellent ability as judges of singing, but I suspect our giving money to LIGALY and their parent, the Long Island GLBT Services Network, probably doesn't hurt!

This year, there was some serious competition. Usually, we get a couple of decent singers, as well as a group of nice kids who aren't going to be turning out albums anytime soon. This year was different. The three finalists all were excellent. The winner had an off night, but he still did great.

Unfortunately, the only video of it was taken with a little handheld camera, and it doesn't pick up the sound too well at points (watching the video, our winner doesn't sound nearly as good as he did in person). Even so, this gives you some idea of his sound.

It doesn't hurt that Jimmy's a good looking kid (too bad this doesn't get close enough for you to see his beautiful blue eyes). I suppose it also doesn't hurt his allure that he's reporting for duty with the US Marines in July (yes, he's a gutsy kid, especially since he's sticking his neck out beyond the way Marines usually do--the venue for this competition should explain that well enough). But he really won because he has a terrific voice.

And if you're at all interested, if you watch to the end, you can see me and Marc. I speak third and Marc is fourth.

When we tallied our votes and the audience votes, we were in a dilemma. We had the unusual situation of, in effect (the math is a little weird), a tie for second. Jimmy had won and the other two singers were in a tie. What's funny is that Jimmy wasn't always an audience favorite and apparently took the "tie" the wrong way. He thought the other two were tied in a way that left him in third. Then a friend of his in the audience says, "you won!" (you can barely hear it in the video), and the look on his face is priceless. Take a look...

Long Island Rugby Tournament

2009-05-31T16:33:00.005-04:00

Next up, photos from the Long Island Rugby Tournament. Normally, this is a great event, as it's a multi-team event (so we get to see a smorgasbord of men) and it's held at the beach (not on the sand, but on fields right next to the beach). Unfortunately, this year, the location and weather conditions brought overcast and fog for portions of the day. Even so, I got some decent photos which I will begin sharing now...

Hmmm. That looks like they might be having fun. And the fog is almost romantic, no? :)

Rugby mind meld

I love that last photo (actually, the second-to-last isn't hard to look at, either--that's Richard--so many hot men on the team). That's Simmy (his nickname, of course) in the last photo. He's been serving as interim coach, and his thoughtful look is great. That and you get a glimpse at the pretty color of those eyes if you click on it for a larger version. Simmy is quite easy on the eyes, as well as being a very nice man.

Stay tuned! More to come!

I need some advice

2009-05-27T21:50:00.002-04:00

Okay, my friends, I need some advice. I'm trying to decide if Marc and I should support a new charity (he generally lets me handle these things). We support a number of good charities, including some that help members of the military, because we believe in helping the people who are defending our country. It doesn't matter if we agree with the particular actions the military is ordered to take (the Iraq war comes immediately to mind)--we still support the troops who are going in harm's way for the country.

So here's why I want your opinion. This weekend, watching a TV show, I learned about something called Operation Mend. This is a program that provides surgery to try to repair some of the horrific damage done to our troops by things like roadside bombs. Horribly disfigured military personnel have the opportunity to get plastic surgery to make their lives more liveable. This is complex stuff, usually taking many surgeries to get to a decent outcome. For people so terribly injured, the damage will never be completely gone, but it's definitely made better.

So you may now be wondering why there's a question about giving to this program. Why the hesitation? Well, here's the thing: I've read about the program online, and I'm not sure exactly what difference my money will make.

I haven't seen anything that says the number of surgeries is dependent upon the amount donated, or that UCLA (where this program is based) is losing lots of money on the program, or that the surgeon is taking no pay (or less than his usual pay) for this work. Not that he doesn't deserve to earn a living, but I can think of more needy people to support.

I also feel like this is something the government should pay for--how can they not, since these are people who were wounded in service to their country? Even so, we've never let that stop us before--we regularly give to the USO and also have given to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and the government should have those covered but don't.

Really, the question is whether we're helping the wounded with this one or just sending money to people who already are well paid. There is government involvement (the program info says it's "a unique partnership between Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and the V.A.-Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System"). Even so, the program asks for donations, saying the donations help cover related costs, like travel, counseling, etc.

I'm just not sure if I buy it. What do you think? I'm especially interested in feedback from military families, like a certain blogger I know, but I value feedback from all of you. So what do you think?

So have you seen the new Star Trek movie yet?

2009-05-26T21:55:00.003-04:00

It was fabulous. The actors handled their characters well, and the entire movie struck an excellent balance between paying homage to a storyline that is as much a part of American life as many "real life" things and starting the whole thing over, so that new life was breathed into Star Trek.

While I was quite happy with the movie--so happy we saw it twice (see Marc's blog entry for more on that--one of three entries he did over the past few days)--this post isn't really about the movie. Rather, it's about the eye candy in the movie. Specifically, one particular piece of eye candy (and there are several very handsome specimens to choose from). I had seen most of the hotties in this movie in prior movies or TV shows, but one man who appears right at the beginning of the film got my attention. As in "WHO IT THAT?!" In the film, he plays George Kirk, father of Jim Kirk. The actor who plays him is an Australian named Chris Hemsworth. I found a few photos online. In case you haven't seen the movie, have a gander...

A little scruffy, but he was very clean-cut in the movie (befitting an officer, I suppose).

Of course, while he's handsome, he's not too well built. ;)

Too bad he won't be in the sequel. I guess I'll just have to look for him in other movies!

This day in history

2009-05-24T19:36:00.003-04:00

Today is the 165th anniversary of Samuel Morse sending the first telegraph message, "What hath God wrought?"

With that, I would like to share this semi-relevant quote from Albert Einstein: "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."

You have to love a man who is so off-the-charts smart and also can bring a smile!

Picking up where we left off

2009-05-23T21:45:00.002-04:00

Continuing from where the last set of rugby photos (two posts ago) finished...

By the way, the helmets a few of the guys wear (as in that last photo) aren't hard like football helmets. They are what they look like in the photos, just a head covering. So why wear them? Well, one of the main reasons is to protect the ears. You see, guys have gotten their ears torn in this game. Yes, torn, as in separated (at least part of the way) from their heads. I've known a number of ruggers who needed to have such injuries repaired surgically.

All in all, it's just a gentle, friendly game. ;)

The tall guy in the middle is Paul. He was the guy profiled in the NY Times piece I linked to in my last post.

Two of the nicest guys you could meet

Another nice guy, and you should see the build on him--wow!

That should do it for that match. If you want to see all of the photos, go here.

I still have photos to share from the Long Island Rugby Tournament, but we can start those another time. I hope you liked these!

One of our favorite straight guys

2009-05-17T12:45:00.001-04:00

If you read this blog, you've seen Paul. He's one of Gotham's star players. He's a sweet guy, and he's also gorgeous. Sadly for the gay boys, he's straight--but that's a very common affliction. ;) We love him just the same.

This week, The New York Times did a profile of him. It's beautifully done. Take a look.

More rugby

2009-05-16T10:49:00.002-04:00

Am I burning you out on rugby? I hope not, since I have lots more photos to share!

By the way, sorry for the delay. Things have been busy!

I'll stop there, in case your eyes are glazing over. More to come!

A few more photos from the Gotham rugby match against Brooklyn

2009-05-07T20:34:00.004-04:00

It's not a rugby match unless guys are limping off the pitch.

This one is definitely worth clicking on, so you can get a better look at the guy holding the ball. That's Christian, and Christian is very easy on the eyes!

This guy had changed shirts earlier, and I'm very sorry I didn't get a shot then!

That's it for this post and this match. Not to worry, if you like rugby photos, as there are more from the match this past Saturday (these were from the week before), and we have a tournament this weekend!

More rugby, starting with the hot man's kick

2009-05-04T20:41:00.003-04:00

As promised at the end of the last post, let's take a look at the follow-through on that kick...

Look at those legs!

And we'll hold it there for now. Still more to come!

Continuing last week's rugby photos

2009-05-03T11:42:00.002-04:00

There was rugby yesterday, but I still have lots of photos from last week to share. So I'll keep sharing those photos, and we'll get to yesterday's shots eventually. Let's continue...

(As always, click on the photos, if you want to see a larger version.)

I'm not sure if you can tell from those two photos, but that man was HOT! Anyhow, I'll stop there. There's one more photo to go with those two, and I was impressed, both with his athletic prowess (you'll see!) and my capturing it. So I'll save that shot and open the next post with it! :)

(One of) Mom's tree(s)

2009-05-02T21:39:00.003-04:00

You may recall that the public library in our town planted a tree in honor and memory of my Mom. There also was one planted in a nearby County park by the county, and there's one that was given to us by friends that we planted in our back yard. (My Mom touched a lot of lives and many people wanted to honor her memory.)

Yesterday, on my way home, I drove past the library and saw Mom's tree. I wish I had gone past a few days earlier, since the cherry trees are a little past their peak in this area. Even so, it looked beautiful... fittingly. (Sorry, I had to stop and dab a tear. There aren't a lot of things that get me that way, but I really miss Mom and Dad.)

So I went back there today with the camera and took a picture. Mom's tree is doing nicely...

Rugby!

2009-04-29T20:26:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, Gotham played against the Brooklyn Barons at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers.

Marc and I both went. Marc hung out with friends from the team, and I took photos of the matches which I'll now start to share...

No skinny legs here!

Okay, I'll stop there for now. More to come!

Can we please calm down?

2009-04-29T20:09:00.003-04:00

The media aren't helping things, of course, but I think everyone is getting a little too excited about this swine flu outbreak. Yes, sure, it could be a problem, but it doesn't seem all that deadly. Besides, everyone is worried about this strain of swine flu that has killed only one person within US borders, while no one bats an eye at the usual seasonal flu outbreaks every year.

Yes, this swine flu strain may wind up killing a bunch of people (and has already killed some poor folks in Mexico), but really! One person here. A hundred or so in Mexico. And our normal, seasonal influenza? Well, that kills around 40,000 people in the US alone every single year. 40,000! So let's keep some perspective. If it gets bad, we have treatments that weren't even imagined 90+ years ago during the Spanish flu pandemic. In the meantime, a bunch of people here in New York had or have this swine flu, and no one here has died. So it may not get too bad at all. I hope it won't. Yes, it's a worry, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it just yet!

One last note to the government of Egypt: you're all morons! Slaughtering every pig in the country won't make any difference! I know you have doctors over there. Have none of you listened to any of them? I'm sensitive to pigs being killed, ever since I learned that they're smart like dogs (that's why I don't order or buy pork--because an animal that smart will be in terror and can't be "humanely" killed), but this doesn't even rise to that level of thought. This isn't about whether we should kill pigs. After all, those pigs were, no doubt, headed for Egyptian dinner tables eventually. No, this is just about panicking and doing stupid things. Your pigs aren't going to give you this flu! No matter how/where it started, the pandemic fear has to do with people passing it to each other! Morons.

Wine tasting & the Equality Awards

2009-04-20T19:06:00.004-04:00

Our friends Byrne, Andy and Nate came over Friday night to spend the weekend with us. We had a nice dinner Friday evening (filet mignon, salmon and veggies), and Marc made breakfast Saturday morning (matzo brei and blueberry pancakes), and we took our time getting around, since we were going to the Equality Awards Gala that night and didn't want to make too long a day of it.

Early in the afternoon, we headed east. We stopped at an outlet store in Riverhead that we all wanted to check out. Then we continued on, stopping at the fabulous Modern Snack Bar in Aquebogue for lunch. After that, we drove to Pindar Vineyards in Peconic for some wine tasting. I took a few photos there...

The front area at Pindar

Andy and Nate check out the tasting selections

Stained glass lets light in through the rafters

Marc and Andy

Nate samples some wine

Pink Champagne

Nate and Andy

And then, on to the Gala...

They clean up nicely, don't they?

Marc, Andy, Nate and Byrne gather for a group photo

Sunday was nice and relaxing, too. Andy and Nate had to leave pretty early, but Byrne stayed until mid-afternoon. Despite it being a relatively full weekend, it was over way too fast. We had a great time!

More rugby photos

2009-04-12T12:16:00.002-04:00

Well, we certainly got pulled away from those rugby photos. Time to continue!

More to come!

I think I'm in love with an Iowa senator :)

2009-04-09T18:26:00.004-04:00

Okay, maybe not love, but I do admire what he said in response to legislative efforts to overturn the Iowa Supreme Court's decision on marriage equality (the video is embedded below).

I've already drafted a letter to him (I think actual paper with a signature says so much more than e-mail), thanking him for this. Regardless of his political affiliation, what he has done is a wonderful defense of equal rights. I think a letter of thanks is well deserved!

The bullshit of bigotry

2009-04-06T20:56:00.002-04:00

Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court found that denying same-sex couples the right to civil marriage is a violation of the Iowa constitution. One of the many bigots who screamed about the decision was U.S. Representative (Republican--shocking!--of Iowa) Steve King, who said, "If judges believe the Iowa legislature should grant same sex marriage, they should resign from their positions and run for office, not legislate from the bench." I expect Mr. King, if he has any integrity, to speak out again today.

After all, the Vermont legislature voted overwhelmingly (95-52 in the VT House) to approve gay marriage in Vermont, and ONE man, the Vermont governor, has vetoed it. Given what Mr. King said about the few judges legislating from the bench, and Mr. King's respect for the legislative process, I'm sure he'll be coming out with a statement condemning Vermont Governor Jim Douglas for his veto of the gay marriage bill the legislature passed. Just because the governor's personal beliefs about what's right tell him to veto this, does he have any right to override the will of the legislature? Of course not! So go get him, Mr. King! (But I hope you're all okay with my not holding my breath waiting for him.)

Wedding ceremony, vows and a photo

2009-04-03T21:25:00.005-04:00

I've been pondering how this all made/makes me feel. It's hard to put this into words, but one thing I do know: getting married has strengthened my resolve to fight for marriage equality. I already had thrown my support behind the fight for our civil rights, but it really hit home this week. I already believed that civil unions weren't enough, but it has a very personal impact now that has touched me to the core.

So on this day when another state's Supreme Court has acknowledged our rights--"If gay and lesbian people must submit to different treatment without an exceedingly persuasive justification, they are deprived of the benefits of the principle of equal protection upon which the rule of law is founded"--I will happily share more from our wedding of just two days ago. (What we say is in italics, if I didn't screw that up.) :)

The ceremony
We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Marc and Jess. There are many things to say about marriage. Much wisdom concerning the joining together of two souls has come our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures. With each union, more knowledge is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though I am unable to give all this knowledge to both of you standing here, I can hope to leave with you the knowledge of love and its strengths and the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time. The law of life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to Life, posterior to Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of Earth. If we learn no more in life, let it be this.

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. With full understanding of this, you have come here today to be joined as one in marriage.

Please join hands with your partner and listen to that which I am about to say...

Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth pass, remember...

Like a stone should your love be firm; like a star should your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass quickly. Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, let peace be with you always.

Stand fast in your hope and confidence, and believe in your shared future just as strongly as you believe in yourselves and in each other today. Only in this spirit can you create a partnership that will sustain all the days of your lives.

The Vows
Marc and Jess, we are here to rejoice and to recount with one another that it is love that guides us on our path, and to celebrate as you begin this journey together. It is in this spirit that you have come here today to exchange these vows…

Jess, repeat after me:

I, Jess, take you Marc to be my partner for life/
I promise above all else to live in truth with you/
And to communicate fully and fearlessly/
I give you my hand and my heart/
As a sanctuary of warmth and peace/
And pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor as I join my life to yours.

Marc, repeat after me:

I, Marc, take you Jess to be my partner for life/
I promise above all else to live in truth with you/
And to communicate fully and fearlessly/
I give you my hand and my heart/
As a sanctuary of warmth and peace/
And pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor as I join my life to yours.

Rings
Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing of them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness, you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight.

Jess take Marc's ring and put in on his finger, and repeat after me:

Just as this circle is without end
My love for you is limitless
Just as it is made of indestructible substance
My commitment to you will never fail
With this ring, I take you to be my best friend, lover, and partner for life.

Marc take Jess's ring and put in on his finger, and repeat after me:

Just as this circle is without end
My love for you is limitless
Just as it is made of indestructible substance
My commitment to you will never fail
With this ring, I take you to be my best friend, lover, and partner for life.

Pronouncement
Marc and Jess, Your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. Above you are the stars and below you the earth. Like the stars your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow. If you would have the foundation of your marriage be the devotion you have for one another, not just at this moment, but for all the days to come, then treasure the hopes and dreams that you bring here today. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, having faith in your shared destiny just as strongly as you have faith in yourselves and in one another today. Only with this spirit can you forge a union that will strengthen and endure all the days of your lives.

As you have consented in this ceremony to be partners for life, and in accordance with the law of CT and by the virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of CT, I now pronounce you partners in marriage. Congratulations!

Candle lighting
Within each human being burns the spark of the Divine. When two people love one another with devotion and freedom, they kindle the awareness of that spark in each other as nothing else quite can do. The lighted candle is symbolic of the cosmic creation and the light and truth in the human heart, mind and soul. Fire also symbolizes both purity and passion.

Take into your hearts the warmth, radiance and light that the flame represents. Let it light your way on the journey of life that you are about to embark on.

If at this time you wish to affirm your free choice to unite as partners in marriage, please light the unlit candle together now. (We lit candle together) As you bring your individual flames together to symbolically form the new and greater flame of your marriage, never forget that the light of your union is made up of your unique, individual expressions of light and is continually sustained and renewed by your connection to each other. May the light of your marriage be a beacon in the night, a safe harbor from the storms of life. May your future be made infinitely brighter by the light and the love that you share.

------------------------------------

And that was it. Marc had some tears in his eyes, and I fought hard not to start crying myself, since I thought that would make both of us emotional wrecks. Still, it was quite an amazing feeling.

By the way, if anyone wants to get married in Connecticut, let us know. We'll be glad to give you the contact information for Maureen Davis, the Justice of the Peace who officiated at our wedding. She did a lovely job.

To close this post, here's a photo with the Justice of the Peace: