Current word count: 55,098

Reason for stopping: Chapters 1-35 re-edited. Chapter 36 begins the London section, and seemed like a good place to halt for now.

My friend in SFO is able to join Janis and me for Eddie Izzard tomorrow night. Yay!

I don't know why these people cannot read ... it says right in my Tribe profile that I will mock them in my regular blog. Here's the latest idiocy:

hello dear,

and how are you,i believe that you are doing great which i believe that all is in good condition of health with your family and friends.
well is my great intention to communicate with you and to know more of each other,to have a good relationship and see how it goes in Future.
you can write back to me if you are interested to know more of me and to have correspond-ant with you which my email is [e-mail redacted] and i look forward hearing from you. [e-mail redacted x2]

from a good friend of yours.
blessing

Ancient Pompeii site faces modern threats:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25735606/

Excerpt:

The 66-hectare site, of which two thirds have been uncovered since excavations began 250 years ago, offers a unique glimpse into everyday life in an ancient Roman town, frozen in time by the Mount Vesuvius eruption in AD 79.

But little has been done over the years to stop the decay, and many of the site's once glorious artifacts -- visited by 2.5 million tourists every year -- are simply disintegrating.

Frescoes which would have been a rich "Pompeii red" when excavated in the 1800s have turned pinkish grey or peeled off altogether.

a1b2c3 and myao, the latter of whom I have not seen around in some while (are you still out there?). I hope both of you have a great day.

In other news, Jeff's gout has flared up ... and, of course, we had plans that involve pre-purchased (and expensive tickets) -- Eddie Izzard. His niece is still coming up from SLO (her ticket was a birthday gift), and I've dropped a note to a friend of mine who lives in SFO, where the show takes place, to see whether he's available on short notice.

Text of my e-mail to Dan Abrams, MSNBC commentator:

Dear Mr. Abrams:

On tonight's "Winners and Losers" segment, you and Contessa Brewer discussed Katherine Heigl's remarks concerning her writers on "Grey's Anatomy." You reported the rumor that writers planned to give her character a brain tumor, so that she would not know whether her character lived or died.

Contessa Brewer rejoined, "Have them make her fat; that would be the worst."

Ms. Brewer's remark offended me mightily. She was saying, in essence, that being fat was worse than dying of a brain tumor.

One of my dear friends passed away earlier this year with a brain tumor; this brilliant man was unable to speak or move by the time he expired, leaving behind a wife and a small child who had watched him deteriorate horribly over a couple of years.

I am sure they would rather that he was fat and still alive.

Being a person of size is not a crime, nor is it worse than death.

SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Copy the text below, erase my answers, then use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial.. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Sharon
4 LETTER WORD: Soft
BOY NAME: Samuel
GIRL NAME: Siobhan
OCCUPATION: Soldier
A COLOUR: Salmon
SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Shoes
BEVERAGE: Soda
FOOD: Soup
SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Shampoo
PLACE: Saffron Walden (I am not making this town up, I swear ...)
REASON FOR BEING LATE: Spill
SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Stop!

http://tv.yahoo.com/csi-crime-scene-investigation/show/461/news/urn:newsml:tv.eonline.com:20080715:a5ac24bc_efba438f_a2b3_5433d8b5214e

William Petersen is the primary reason I even *watch* CSI: I love his character (Gil Grissom). I completely understand and respect his reason for choosing to leave the series, but I'm really going to miss him.

Good thing there's syndication ...

Found via archaeology_mag:

Russian says remains of last Tsar's son identified

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080716/sc_nm/russia_tsar_dc_4

Excerpt:

"The overall scientific results, which were based on DNA tests using three genetic systems, agrees with the hypothesis that in the second burial site the remains of Grand Duchess Maria and Tsarevich Alexei have been found," the Prosecutor-General's Office said in a statement.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Kremlin and many Russians have sought to reconnect with their pre-revolutionary past.

President Dmitry Medvedev has said he admires Nicholas II, whom many historians blame for being too weak and setting Russia on a path to civil war and dictatorship.

"His life ended in tragedy but then it began again. That's what we're celebrating today," Nadia Basharova, 50, said as she listened to a priest sing.

In honor of Bastille Day:

En case de doute, optez pour du Champagne!
"When in doubt, have champagne!"

http://ginmar.livejournal.com/1483843.html?view=48297283#t48297283

Can anyone help this nice dog?

ravan! Hope your day is a great one!

A Steve and Barry's (http://www.steveandbarrys.com/) just opened at the mall near me ... and for their grand opening sale everything in the store was $8.98! Steve and Barry's is the sole source for a fashion line called "Bitten," designed by Sarah Jessica Parker. The line ranges from size 0-22, and the "boyfriend jeans" were called out in a recent issue of Cosmopolitan as being among the most flattering for larger ladies.

I got two pairs ... and they are indeed flattering. If there is a Steve and Barry's near you, it's worth checking out.

I also got a top and a necklace for myself, two pairs of khakis and a shirt for Jeff. It's nice quality merchandise, although the store is kind of disorganized (lots of people doing back-to-school shopping, at $8.98 per item, as you can imagine ... so it was a little chaotic and messy).

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_KEYES?SITE=WABEJ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-07-12-01-36-14

Excerpt:

After a few minor roles at Paramount, she appeared in "Gone With the Wind" and then moved to Columbia, where her career blossomed.

After her film career and marriages ended, she turned author, producing an autobiographical novel, "I Am a Billboard," two memoirs, "Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister" and "I'll Think About It Tomorrow," film scripts and articles.

----
I read "Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister" many years ago; it was very entertaining and informative. This lady will be missed.

Look back here:

( Read more... )

Just got back from lunch and feel *lousy.* The air quality is horrendous due to the continuing fires in Butte County (up near Lake Tahoe) and Big Sur. We had a few nice days, but that was *it.* I didn't want the lunch I brought (it'll keep until tomorrow) and so I went over to the mall to get something. Just those few minutes outside was enough.

The Circus Vargas has put up their big top in the mall parking lot, and I thought about going over there tonight since it's Jeff's late night at the store. However, I don't think I'm going to do so; while the weather is a trifle cooler today, the smoke in the air is just dreadful.

Found via archaeology_mag:

In Istanbul, luxury hotel amid Byzantine ruins stirs debates over Turkey's heritage

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/10/europe/EU-Turkey-Palace-Dispute.php

Excerpt:

The location of the hotel complex in Sultanahmet district — a short walk from the domed Haghia Sofia church and the Blue Mosque — underlines Turkey's struggle to balance tourism and preservation. The government has lacked the resources or will to showcase and protect all of its world-class attractions, and now neglect, uncontrolled building and shoddy restoration work have degraded many historical sites in Istanbul, the center of great civilizations over the centuries.

I doubt most of you remember this, but a couple of years ago I got my SIL a replica of Julie Andrews' hat and scarf from "Mary Poppins." She wants to play Mary Poppins at a reenactment or two (the book version of the character), and I was thrilled to find those accessories for her.

Well, I ran out of stuff to do this afternoon and was cruising dresscircle.co.uk, where I found ... the parrot head umbrella! So, I called Jeff and he said to get it ... although shipping from London costs more than the danged umbrella, LOL. It was just too perfect.

Art of Deception: Crystal Skulls in British, US Museums Were Fakes

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080709/sc_afp/sciencearchaeologyentertainmentfilmskull

Excerpt:

Less than three months after the Quai Branly Museum in Paris discovered that a crystal skull once proclaimed as a mystical Aztec masterpiece was a fake, it is now the turn of the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution to find they were victims of skull-duggery.

Scientists from those two prestigious institutions on Wednesday said their crystal skulls were cut, honed and polished by tools of the industrial age, not by Mesoamerican craftsmen of yore.

brassangel! Hope you have a great day, Kelly!