Chaos Theory

Hey Kiddies: Look what I got… A book for Caitlin. Mad Men...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:19:32 -0500

Hey Kiddies: Look what I got…

A book for Caitlin.

Mad Men for John (I guess we can cancel them in Netflix!).

Gran Torino just because it’s good.

One of my very favorite movies when I was little. Set in a German war camp, it made a huge impression on me.

I went as the coat-taker, drink-filler, and dish-washer at my...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:13:00 -0500

I went as the coat-taker, drink-filler, and dish-washer at my mom’s annual cookie exchange today. All of the sixteen women there were born somewhere between 1929 and 1936 and had grown up/lived in all areas of the U.S. so they weren’t just midwestern born and bred.

I was at a table of women who had watched Barbara Walter’s Most Fascinating People and here’s what I learned:

They are NOT a fan of Lady Gaga. What’s with her clothes? Or lack of clothes? What’s with her name? That’s what passes for entertainment? I don’t want my granddaughter watching her. All agreed that Barbara pressing her on the lesbian question was out-of-bounds.

No one seemed to care for Glenn Beck.

They all admired that nice black man who had pulled himself up by his bootstraps. (I hadn’t watched so I don’t know who they were talking about, but the general consensus was that it was Tyler Perry.)

They did NOT like Michelle Obama and wanted to know what’s up with her arms? Who cares about her arms?

They really liked that nice young gay man…Adam Lambert!!

They started on Sarah Palin and were interrupted which greatly saddened me. I really wanted to hear what they thought of her.

They were furious furious furious with the Wall Street bonuses and very scared of health care reform.

Had quite a discussion about whether it’s pronounced Missouri or Missourah.

They started talking about foods they didn’t like and, at some point, I think everyone of them said, “Well, growing up, we had to eat it whether we liked it or not. It was all we had.” At that point, I thought “The Depression scarred everyone. They’ve had a hard life and have earned a hard-won right to be retired and have their own opinions.” (I will say that they always seem to be harder on the women than the men.)

They were all sweet and many were batty…but fun. Not so good at the baking cookies part.

I have this entire poem memorized.

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:07:36 -0500

libraryland:

crumpledheart:

Dirge Without Music

Edna St. Vincent Millay

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.

Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains, —- but the best is lost.

The answers quick & keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,
They are gone. They have gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

libraryland: tiffkitti: This book will come out in April 2010...

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:38:32 -0500

libraryland:

tiffkitti:

This book will come out in April 2010 and it is amazing, I highly recommend it.

In 1911, a young Peruvian boy led an American explorer and Yale historian named Hiram Bingham into the ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. Hidden amidst the breathtaking heights of the Andes, this settlement of temples, tombs and palaces was the Incas’ greatest achievement. Tall, handsome, and sure of his destiny, Bingham believed that Machu Picchu was the Incas’ final refuge, where they fled the Spanish Conquistadors. Bingham made Machu Picchu famous, and his dispatches from the jungle cast him as the swashbuckling hero romanticized today as a true Indiana Jones-like character. But his excavation of the site raised old specters of conquest and plunder, and met with an indigenous nationalism that changed the course of Peruvian history. Though Bingham successfully realized his dream of bringing Machu Picchu’s treasure of skulls, bones and artifacts back to the United States, conflict between Yale and Peru persists through the present day over a simple question: Who owns Inca history?

In this grand, sweeping narrative, Christopher Heaney takes the reader into the heart of Peru’s past to relive the dramatic story of the final years of the Incan empire, the exhilarating recovery of their final cities and the thought-provoking fight over their future. Drawing on original research in untapped archives, Heaney vividly portrays both a stunning landscape and the complex history of a fascinating region that continues to inspire awe and controversy today.

For John & Cait

Who is Calamity Jane? Calamity Jane??? That’s who they all...

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:31:00 -0500

Who is Calamity Jane?

Calamity Jane??? That’s who they all guessed…when everyone knows it’s Carrie Nation.

(Note: She’s usually portrayed as a crazed hatchet-wielding nut job, but the reality is much different. At that time, most women could not or did not own property, divorce, or vote. Men could drink up the family’s money, return home, and beat their wife and kids with impunity. She saw saloons as the enabler and tried to get rid of them in the only way she could…with a hatchet.)

Oh, the Noise

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:42:00 -0500

I’m upstairs and your dad is downstairs in the office. Here’s what’s happening:

He’s doing a color rendering which requires artistic ability but little thought…

Springsteen is absolutely blaring.

Your dad is singing along (enough said about that).

He just came up for a beer and went back down to his office.

It’s Friday!

Sometimes, when the cold is biting, some things, like sushi,...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:22:01 -0500

Sometimes, when the cold is biting, some things, like sushi, spaghetti, or burritos, just won’t do.

Sometimes, when the cold is biting, you need a hearty midwestern meal. A meal made up of things that my grandmother would have recognized. Sometimes you just need meat loaf.

Cleaning out drawers and look what I found—-your...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:08:00 -0500

Cleaning out drawers and look what I found—-your dad’s old “Cosby” sweaters.

I’m getting rid of them before he sees them or else he’ll probably want to wear one on Christmas…

amycarr: thecaleb: Cloud Tower To Float Over London for 2012...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:28:24 -0500

amycarr:

thecaleb:

Cloud Tower To Float Over London for 2012 Olympics : TreeHugger

Great article. Read it then go to www.raisethecloud.org for some more great renders and information. I hope they can do it.

It would be beautiful and iconic if they can pull it off, but I’m not so sure I could go up in there. I can’t even walk over a grate without cringing…

whoa…

Minimalist Posters for Iconic TV. Some I get—-others, I...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:17:00 -0500

Minimalist Posters for Iconic TV. Some I get—-others, I guess I’m too stupid.

Click link for more

Blanka || Sex and the city

When Clinton left office, we donated a (very small) amount to...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:26:00 -0500

When Clinton left office, we donated a (very small) amount to his library and foundation.

I like to think my donation helped pay for the fairly large sign in the library that says:

“I think one of the great problems in the Republican Party is that we don’t encourage you to be nasty.” Newt Gingrich 10/95

The great thing is that Newt was not trying to be funny or ironic.

Anyway, we get a Christmas card.

(The picture is from a trip to Cambodia and the girl is receiving antiretroviral treatment through the Foundation.)

caitlinoppermann: Usually when you think “too soon”, it’s not...

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:51:00 -0500

caitlinoppermann:

Usually when you think “too soon”, it’s not in response to disrespect from that person’s own family.

This is not only “too soon”, it’s just gross. This family never even pretended that they weren’t ready to jump at the chance to make millions off of their brother’s death.

The “Family Comes First” sound bite at the end of the promo isn’t very convincing.

absolutely spot on. i would hope this goes down as the most unwatched series ever but feel that it won’t. i guess supporting all of his family when alive wasn’t enough. whatever network is doing this…shame on you; his family is beyond shame.

finally

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:27:00 -0500

finally

amycarr: rhapsodyinj: For some reason the KC Mayor’s Christmas...

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:02:00 -0500

amycarr:

rhapsodyinj:

For some reason the KC Mayor’s Christmas tree really annoys me. I don’t care if it’s bigger than the one in Rockefeller Center. I’m not impressed. It’s not pretty.

Agreed

I’ve never seen the Rockefeller tree, but I’ve always thought the KC tree was ugly and I’ve never known why. Don’t know if the lights are wrapped wrong or they accentuate the shape of the misshapen tree or it looks like the tree is encased in nylon or what…but it’s always ugly.

When the Lady met the Queen … – The Marquee Blog - CNN.com Blogs

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:13:36 -0500

When the Lady met the Queen … – The Marquee Blog - CNN.com Blogs

libraryland: selfdoubt: Canadian children’s writer L.M....

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:27:36 -0500

libraryland:

selfdoubt:

Canadian children’s writer L.M. Montgomery, (books by this author) born Lucy Maud Montgomery in Clifton, Prince Edward Island, in 1874. Her mother died when she was a toddler, and her father sent her to live with her mother’s parents. There were no other children around, just Lucy and her grandparents, and she spent a lot of time reading and writing poems. She left home for a few years to teach, but when her grandfather died, she came home to live with her grandmother, and she stayed with her for the next 13 years. And during that time, she wrote her first novel, about an orphan girl with bright red hair who gets sent to live with a couple from Prince Edward Island who were hoping for a boy instead. It got rejected over and over, so she put the manuscript away in a hatbox and turned to other things. But eventually, she got it back out, read it, decided it wasn’t that bad after all, and sent it out again. This time it got accepted, and in 1908, Anne of Green Gables was published and became a classic children’s book.

Oh Anne with an “e”. Also, I think one of the best tv/film adaptations of a book…ever

Well, that was just plain unexpected. Amy Sedaris grouped with...

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:54:06 -0500

Well, that was just plain unexpected. Amy Sedaris grouped with these guys in a commercial during an NFL football game. Maybe the only person who might have been more unexpected would have been her brother…

awesomespaces: daniellekiemel: I would adore a house like...

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:17:53 -0500

awesomespaces:

daniellekiemel:

I would adore a house like this.

mobilephoto: 12/6/09 - 9:09AM - Brooklyn

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:32:10 -0500

mobilephoto:

12/6/09 - 9:09AM - Brooklyn

Well, this was just decadent… And, BTW Caitie, your dad...

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:49:00 -0500

Well, this was just decadent…

And, BTW Caitie, your dad likes the book you suggested—-world’s fair and serial killer—-what could be better?