Right At Your Door

I recently saw this movie for the second time and felt compelled to urge everyone to watch it if they haven't all ready. I had originally seen it in 2006 when it first came out and I have not been able to get it out of my head. So I watched is a few days ago to see if I would feel the same way about it, and I did.

The basic premise is pretty straightforward. What happens to the lives of two people when a dirty bomb goes off in a major city like L.A.?

I don't want anyone to think this is a disaster or action movie because it's not. This is a movie about two people who have to deal with the fear and lack of control they feel when the unthinkable happens in on their doorstep.

The main characters are Brad and Lexi. Brad is a unemployed musician who stays at home while Lexi makes the commute into the city everyday in order to support them both. One morning after Lexi leaves a dirty bomb goes off jamming the freeway and cutting off all communications other than the occasional TV or radio report.

Brad, after not being able to get a hold of Lexi, leaves the house in a failed attempt at trying to locate her. After being turned away by the police and being forced to go back home, terror starts to creep into his mind. A report cautions everyone to seal up their homes and not let anyone who has been exposed to the toxic cloud in. When Lexi show up, Brad is faced with the unbearable choice. Protect himself or save his wife?

I don't want to get into a lot of detail but the ending will surprise you and leave you wondering two things. What would you have done? Would you let fear take over the way Brad did or would you have done something else? Secondly, is the government ready to handle an event like this? Would those in charge handle it this way in reality?

I urge everyone to watch this movie, here is the trailer.

Friday Fill-Ins #135

This is a weekly meme hosted by Friday_Fill-Ins

1. It's time for the vacation I will never take other than in my head.

2. Kansas; it's not a bad place for Republicans, not so good for those of us who aren't.

3. I must be hardest worker in the world considering how much time I spend there.

4. A good nights sleep is the best thing I have ever known.

5. My brain is simply Tired.

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was swimming with my son yesterday.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to not doing anything but rest, tomorrow my plans include working yet again on a Saturday and Sunday, I want to eat a steak and drink a Dos Equis amber with lime!

Alvor Giveaway!

Sheila over at One Persons Journey Through A World of Books is giving away a signed copy of Alvor by Laura Bingham. I must say I'm really excited by this giveaway already just based of the cover and book description.

Hurry up and get entered to win! The dealine is August 7th.

beginning to moth!

It's been impossible to see any good birds lately, or even go out during the day other than rushing to and from my car. It's been a fury of packing, paring down the crap, throwing away tons of papers and trash, and cleaning -- for me, for Matty, and for AB! It's been crazy. Still, I'm staying out at a nice house with AB while she dog-sits for someone, so it's been like having a hotel away from home. (Besides, my bed and the rest of my belongings left for California yesterday on the moving truck.)

I sometimes walk the dog, and I've noticed all these moths everywhere, especially at night. The ones in previous posts were seen in the late afternoon, but last night (after a hard night of cleaning out my apartment and carrying down ELEVEN bags of trash to the curb) I turned on the lights, took the dog for a walk, and came back to find a beautiful assortment of moths!

The night photography is a challenge; I just had the outside lights on, and those moths never want to land in a nice place that's well lighted. And they fly around crazy and sometimes hit me (ALWAYS in the face, those jerks!), and I have to wait for them to land so I can get a decent pic. Still, it's really neat to see the different ones in all their splendor. Just like birds, some are plain and nondescript while others are like the Blackburnians of the moth world, flashing their crazy colors. There are tiny ones and huge ones, all of them with their distinct shapes and anatomy. It's cool stuff, and it's satisfying my urge to "Document and Identify!" which is what started me birding too.

Just making sense out of a crazy natural world, I guess. It's making me a little insane that the autumn migration is starting already and I'm missing it, but I figure I'll bird myself into a delirium when I get to California, so for now I'll play with some other stuff.

And now... it's time for... moths on parade!

Sorry for the blurry on this one, but it's hard to get my silly camera to focus sometimes. Isn't he pretty? I thought it was a Crambidae (this guess was updated in 2012 when I got a clue) species, but someone found something similar and calls it a Gelechioidea species. Help? I wish I could've gotten a better photo but he flew right after I snapped this. What, moths don't like flashbulbs? Sheesh.

This guy made me draw my breath in and giggle with glee; is that a beautiful moth or what? He's definitely a Showy McShowoff, otherwise known as a harnessed tiger moth or Apantesis phalerata.


This one is scary. No idea what it is. Maybe a kind of Pyralid? I don't know.

This is a type of plume moth, which is a very cool kind of moth. I think this is an Emmelina monodactyla, but I'm not sure.

I THINK this is a dingy cutworm moth or Feltia jaculifera. The markings are right but he's darker than the example on Bug Guide. Perhaps it's a male/female thing?

No clue.

Another Crambidae?, no idea what kind.

Um, yes.... No idea. But his wings are funny-shaped like some kinds of Geometrids. But here he is again, comin' atcha!Look at those crazy psycho eyes! Run for your lives!

Do you know how many gray moths there are? SQUILLIONS, that's how many. I looked at moth pics until I was cross-eyed. I think this next one might be the same kind, only he's patterned. No idea.Someone help me.


These two images are of a banded tussock moth, or Halysidota tessellaris.

I called this one "dayglo moth" because of that bright salmon pink on him. He is a Hypoprepia fucosa, or painted lichen moth.

Right. It's a moth. With whiskers.

Yet another white Crambidae-looking moth.

Is this a mosquito hawk? Did you know mosquito hawks bite? I tried to save one, to take him outside instead of letting him stay trapped on my three-season porch at the Marsh House, and the little *(!$%*^ bit me! And it hurt for several days!

Is this a katydid? I would see his little wings move ever so quickly and slightly, and at the same time I heard a sharp little "chirp!"

I'm exhausted! And I still haven't finished IDing all these moths. Give me a hand, mothy people!

Sources consulted:
--a Bing! search of "common moths photos"
--Bug Guide's moth search
--W.J. Holland's The Moth Book, which I downloaded for free from the web thanks to a tip from Patrick

Have You Read 6 Of These Books?

This wonderful list/quiz was posted by For_The_Love_Of_All_That_Is_Written. It sounded like it would be a lot of fun to do it myself just to see how "average" I am.

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

Instructions: Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ()

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (X)

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte ()

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (X)

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (X)

6 The Bible (X)

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte ()

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell ()

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman ()

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens ()

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (X)

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy ()

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller ()

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare ()

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier ()

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (X)

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk ()

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger ()

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger ()

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot ()

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell ()

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald ()

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens ()

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy ()

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams ()

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky ()

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ()

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll ()

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ()

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy ()

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens ()

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (X)

34 Emma-Jane Austen ()

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen ()

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (X)

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hossein ()

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres ()

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden ()

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (X)

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell ()

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (X)

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ()

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving ()

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins ()

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery ()

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ()

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ()

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding ()

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan ()

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel ()

52 Dune - Frank Herbert (X)

53 Cold Comfort Farm ()

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen ()

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth ()

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon ()

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (X)

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley ()

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon ()

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez ()

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck ()

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov ()

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt (X)

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold ()

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (X)

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac ()

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy ()

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding ()

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie ()

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (X)

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ()

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (X)

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett ()

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ()

75 Ulysses - James Joyce () Started but couldn't finish

76 The Inferno – Dante ()

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome ()

78 Germinal - Emile Zola ()

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray ()

80 Possession - AS Byatt ()

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens ()

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell ()

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker ()

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro ()

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert ()

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry ()

87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White ()

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom ()

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ()

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton ()

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ()

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery ()

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks ()

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams (X)

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ()

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute ()

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas ()

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (X)

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl ()

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ()

Well I had 18 of them so at least I'm above "average" but I realize I have a lot of books I want to read that I have not gotten to yet. I better get started.

In Sickness and in Wealth

I agree with Elliot Spitzer when he asks the all important question of: "... why we have socialized the risk of failure but allowed the rewards of success to remain private."

The debate about bank bailouts and health care is missing a critical piece of context: The American economy hasn't been working for the working- and middle class for decades. It is impossible to determine who should pay for what or whether it is "fair" to ask the wealthy to contribute more to the health care of those who are uninsured, without better understanding the winners and losers in the U.S. economy over the past several decades.

One of the great accomplishments of the American economy, or at least the mythology so claims, is the creation of an enormous middle class after World War II. Americans all shared in the wealth generated by the most dynamic economy the world had ever seen. At one end of the economic spectrum, we reduced the number of people living in poverty, while at the other end, we applauded those whose work benefited the entire economy.

Between 1947 and 1967, this was a somewhat accurate image, as the distribution of income made the population look more and more like a bell curve with each passing year. Yet since 1967, this story has reversed course. For more than 40 years, income has been distributed less equitably. As we consider the policy remedies to crises that are of immediate impact—such as the crisis in health care or in our financial system—it is critical to understand the larger arc of this socioeconomic narrative. How we think of distributing the costs of reform should be informed by this larger story.

It's no secret that the rich keep getting richer, while the rest of us struggle to keep the bills paid. It's one of the reasons the public is so ready for true health care reform. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear we are going to get it.

Before 1987, it might have been reasonable to argue that overall income growth was softening the effects of rising inequality. But since then, the rate of overall growth for all but the top quintile has slowed dramatically, with the lowest quintile seeing its income grow by only 7.8 percent in the last two decades, while income for the top quintile grew by 28 percent. And looking at after-tax income, which factors in the impact of favorable tax policy for the rich, the numbers are even starker: Between 1979 and 2004, the top 1 percent of all earners saw their income grow by an astounding 176 percent.

So what does this have to do with the current health care debate?

It points to the justification for asking the wealthy to step up to the plate and give a little back!

The outcry over Wall Street salaries and bonuses is more understandable when you realize that, over the last 40 years, there has been an inexorable shift of wealth and income toward the upper end of the income spectrum. With the return to profitability of many of the institutions that needed bailouts, taxpayers are wondering why we have socialized the risk of failure but allowed the rewards of success to remain private. Where is the public's fair payback for playing banker to the bankers?

But the significance of this 40-year cycle of income distribution may be playing out most clearly in the context of health care. One of the current debates is how to pay for the costs of expanded access to health insurance. A restructuring of the system will save some money, but more will be needed, and one proposal is to get it from a higher tax on the upper strata of income earners. Given income distribution trends over the past four decades, it is difficult not to support asking wealthier Americans for some help in closing the gap in our effort to give all Americans health insurance.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Favorite Fictional Characters ---- Buffy Summers

What's not to like? She strong, sexy and can kick butt in heeled boots. Buffy Summers is my choice for the second post of my favorite fictional characters.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is still my favorite TV show of all time. Watching the character grow from a sophomore in HS unsure of her powers and unwilling to use them to a strong, independent adult who is willing to sacrifice herself for others was a pleasure to watch. Buffy was the kind of girl you would want to hang out with at the mall or have watching your back in the local graveyard.

She is resourcefull and able to fight through all the pain and hurt in order to defend her friends and the world from descending into Hell. When she dies, which she did twice, she comes back and keeps fighting the good fight. When she is beaten she regroups and comes back for more until the job is done.

She is loyal to her friends and family and willing to put them first over her own needs and safety. She is resiliant and able to change plans midway through. Wether it's in complete silence or during a song and dance number she is able to focus on her duty, do the job, and go home again.

David Ulster

Um Obliterador que faz parte da mesma equipa de Clint Roark. O típico soldado da organização, nascido nas suas fileiras, treinado desde tenra idade para um único objectivo: eliminar criaturas sobrenaturais.

Clint vê-o não só como colega de equipa, mas como um bom amigo, confidente e, em certa medida, mentor por entre o mundo do paranormal, apesar de terem, aproximadamente, a mesma idade. Um indivíduo calmo, paciente e absolutamente pragmático, assaltado por esporádicas tentativas de humor. O seu único defeito, no ver de Clint, é uma obsessiva atenção ao pormenor, nomeadamente, no que diz respeito ao seu equipamento. É capaz de verificar as armas e restantes utensílios vezes sem conta, mesmo que esteja a minutos de entrar em acção. E quem é que o pode criticar? Afinal, a sua vida depende do equipamento.

Se Clint é Iniciado, com todas as suas falhas e dúvidas, David é puro Obliterador até à medula, nem vendo os tons de cinzento que perturbam o colega.

32 Questions Asked and Answered

I was just purursing different blogs and saw this on Joys's_Blog and since she "borrowed" it from another blog I figured I would "borrow" it from her as well. So Joy thank you for doing this and answering so well that it convinced me to do it myself.

1. What author do you own the most books by?
Mercedes Lackey hands down. At 26 she towers over the Kingdom of Bookshelvia followed only by Dame Agatha Christie who came in at 16.

2. What book(s) do you own the most copies of?
Due to unforseen circumstances I only have one copy of any given book in my library. Now if we were to talk about all time it would be 5 different copies of Atlas, Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
No, if you hadn't asked I probably wouldn't have noticed. Not sure what that says about me but I'm sure it's not good.

4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Not sure I should answer this on grounds undetermined, so I will only say there are only 3 of them and I'm sure they would be very open to any proposal I may choose to make in the future.

5. What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?
Atlas, Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The Eight by Katherine Neville, All of Merceded Lackey books, and tons more. I'm one of the those repeat readers. If I love it I will read it again and again and again and again.

6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Don't remember the name but I'm sure it was an Encyclopedia Brown book.

7. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Death's Daughter by Amber Benson would be towards the top of the list. Not because the writing was bad but because the main character was annoying.

8. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Three way tie: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Suicide Collectors by David Oppegard, and Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory.

9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
I'm not tagging anyone because I don't know how. However if I could strongly recomend a book without using violent force it would be Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory.

10. Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
Not sure I have a frontrunner on this one. Might get back to this later.

11. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
If it was possible (which I don't think it is) I would like to see The Wheel of Time series made into a trilogy of movies.

12. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones by Suzanne Sommers

13. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character?
Being swept away by one of the characters from question 4 (who will stay nameless) to an isolated island made of marshmallows and hot fudge.

14. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
Conan The Barbarian by Robert E. Howard

15. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Ulysses by James Joyce

16. What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
Titus Andronicus

17. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
No preference

18. Roth or Updike?
Haven't read enough to fairly answer.

19. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Haven't read any of there work to make even a fake answer.

20. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare (only because I'm in love with Much Ado About Nothing)

21. Austen or Eliot?
Can I answer neither?

22. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I would have to say I haven't read alot of Austen the way others seem to be doing right now. Though I'm not embarrased by it. I just can't get into it.

23. What is your favorite novel?
Can anyone answer this question? I have way too many to pick from

24. Play?
If musicals count it would be Into the Woods. If not it would have to be Bent.

25. Poem?
Two of them. The Lady of Shallot by Alfred, Lordy Tennyson and My Heart's in The Highlands by Robert Burns

26. Essay?
The one answer that will be identical to Joy's. Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal."

27. Short Story?
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Still gives me chills when I read it.

28. Work of nonfiction?
TV Guides Guide to Television 2006. Best reference book in the world.

29. Who is your favorite writer?
Hmmm.....lot's of answers here, but Agatha Christie and Mercedes Lackey would top the list.

30. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Stephanie Meyer

31. What is your desert island book?
I take it this would be the only book available for as long as we are on the island. If that is the case it would have to be fairly long so I will say Atlas, Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

32. And ... what are you reading right now?
The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks, The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie, Daughter of Hounds by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell

Rep. Maxine Waters Nails the Problem

How can Rahm rein in Blue Dog Democrats when he recruited most of them? Many of us saw this coming during the last two elections.

Where the Wild Things Are, The Movie

My son and I are overly excited to see this movie when it comes out. I did not know it was even being made until I saw the trailer playing around on the computer. This was one of my favorite boooks as a kid and the trailer looks as good. The movie is coming out on October 16th which can not get here soon enough.

Yet more cool moths!

So I haven't seen any birds of note, but I've seen some very cool moths!

Unknown moth -- anyone?

Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda

Once again, I apologize for the poor quality -- that phone camera sucks. I have my stuff scattered between three places right now, but I'm gonna try to get my camera from my apartment soon. (I'm not staying there, as all my packed stuff and furniture are at Matty's, awaiting the moving truck tomorrow.)

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly even hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
Here is how it works.
Grab the book you are currently reading (anything at all)
Open the book to any random page.
Share 2 "teaser" sentences from anywhere on the page.
Please Make Sure They Are Not Spoilers! (Don't Give Too Much Away)
Just enough to pique our interest.
List the book and author so other participants can get their hand on it
if they choose to read it as well.
For this week:

Cautiously they moved along the rear of the building. Walls and fences hemmed them in on all sides and barrels of trash cluttered the path forward.

from The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks

March for Equality ... but first a word from our sponsor

The first video is adorable -- and SO true! The next one announces a national march on Washington -- VERY exciting! And I loved the passion in the final video.

Birthers on the Hill

Agatha Christie Challenge--The Mysterious Affair at Styles

When I had decided to read every Agatha Christie mystery I was just going to go about it willy-nilly, read them as I got them with no regard for publishing order. However, when I posted I was doing this on the Mystery board at the Barnes & Noble book club site it was suggested I go about it a little differently. Becke and Dulcinea both convinced me the only way to do this right was to read them in order because several of the reoccurring characters age throughout the books. I wisely bowed to their wisdom and changed up my game plane a bit.

Now I had a slow start to my self challenge but I finally finished the first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Now this was a book I had read several times but this time I tried to read the book as if it was my first time through. This was a lot harder than I originally thought it would be. I believe I managed to do a OK job at it though and here are a few of my thoughts.

This is not only the first mystery novel Agatha Christie published, it is also the first appearance of the famous Hercule Poirot. Monsieur Poirot and his "little gray cells" went on to star in over 30 novels and over 50 short stories. Leaving out everything else I have read with him in it I came away still liking this strange overly pompous, egotistical man. The man is cunning and so sure of himself he is willing to take risks with other peoples lives in order to produce the outcome he desires.

I have always found myself fascinated by a man who is described in this book as "hardly more than five feet, four inches, but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible. I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound." This description was given by Arthur Hastings who is narrating the book. Colonel Hastings would appear regularly throughout Hercule Poirot's career as a Watson like character. Poirot's reasoning and skills of observation are wonderful to watch play out as he solves the case.

This is also the first appearance of Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard. Not much is revealed about him in this book other than he had previously worked with Poirot and has full trust in him.

I loved the book and recommend if to anyone who has never read a Agatha Christie book. This is a good taste of what she has to offer as a story teller. In this book as in her others, the clues are always there for you to spot and there are never any surprises. One of the characters from this book, Evelyn Howard, describes the way bad writing in mystery novels so often goes "Lots of nonsense written....criminal discovered in last chapter. Every one dumbfounded." This is not the case for Agatha Christie books, the killer is always there to spot if you are as clever as Hercule Poirot.

This is the plot synopsis from the publisher of the edition I read (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)

Set in Essex in the English countryside. The Mysterious Affair at Styles is one of the great classic murder mysteries. The victim, Mrs. Emily Inglethorp, is the wealthy mistress of Styles Court. After an evening of entertaining family and guest, she is found poisoned in her locked bedroom. The long list of suspects includes her gold-digging new husband, her stepsons, her best female friend, and a visiting doctor. As luck would have it, a brilliant, if rather eccentric, detective is among the company at Styles.

Still here

Niblet, hangin' loose

Well, I haven't had much time for birding lately, as I've been packing and seeing friends and stuff in preparation for my move west. This morning, I managed to get some good pics, however, and thought I'd share them with you. They're not birds, but they're still kinda interesting.
Here's Niblet hanging out with AB's kitty Maya (aka Maya Papaya). She's suffering from some sort of allergy on her face, so she has to wear the lampshade so she won't scratch. Poor kid.

I saw this little moth (maybe an inch or so) in the grass this morning while walking up to work. I checked my moth book but couldn't find it. Any guesses? It's beautiful. Yellow with black, very triangular in shape. Sorry for the blurry, but I guess I got too close with the cellphone camera.

We spent this weekend moving all my boxes and what little furniture I have left over to Matty's so the movers can pick everything up on Wednesday. I will clean my apt tonight and tomorrow night, and then I have dinners and stuff scheduled with all my friends. Then we leave as early as we can manage on Saturday.

It's getting pretty crazy now, having to change phone numbers, cut off electric, etc. I hate those kinds of details, but someone has to do it.

I've been applying for as many jobs as I can find, so I'm hoping I'll get lucky. Keep your fingers crossed.

I will try to blog from the road, especially if we see some cool stuff -- and we'll arrive in California on Aug 5. Until then, probably pretty light blogging and commenting.

Harry Potter Reading Challenge

After starting my one man Agatha Christie challenge the last thing I needed to do was start another challenge. But when I was on Sheila's site, One Persons Journey Through A World Of Books, I saw this challenge by GalleySmith and could not resist. I haven't read the books since the last one came out and I think it will be a good time to check them out again. The chance at the giveaways is enough if you need any incentive to read the books. So go to GalleySmith and check the challenge out.

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross Giveaway

Sheila at One Persons Journey Through A World Of Books has a exciting giveaway on a terrific book. She is going to be able to give an autographed copy of Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross.. Please stop by and check it out. You won't be dissapointed by this read.

Jolly Mystery at the Jubilee

Talent overflows in the Fort Worth area. You just have to poke your head around corners, put a name on the waiting list on a Saturday evening, and celebrate with jubilation when the name is called. Preview night at the Jubilee Theatre (www.jubileetheatre.org) proved to be a hoot. Sam Shade: A Detective Musical had us chasing the Maltese Chicken, and no we aren't talking Chinese food.

And "No, don't do it Sam, don't sing." Sure enough, the leading man never got a number, but he kept everyone else around him singing a fine tune. Comedy, drama, and a heartfelt love song by the lascivious secretary, Lucy Lipschlitz (amazing voice of Sheran G. Keyton) kept the audience alternately laughing and applauding. Two standouts for me were Major A. Attaway and Aaron D. Petite (they played versions of the Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre Falcon characters).

All in all, kudos to playwright/composer Joe Rogers for imagination and creativity. Bravos to the fine singers, dancers, and actors of the Jubilee organization. It was an entertaining Saturday night and thanks to the city of Fort Worth/Sundance Square for FREE parking.

Support local theater: Sam Shade runs 7/31/09 thru 8/23/09 at the Jubilee Theatre

You know, "life is a mystery".

Joanne

Sunday Funnies

Let's Talk About Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

She isn't a noted Harvard Professor, or a personal friend of the president, but what happened to a little girl in Phoenix is tragic and deserves our attention, too.

Four boys in Phoenix, ranging in age from 9 to 14, raped an eight year old girl. They lured her behind a shed with the promise of chewing gum, and then sexually assaulted her.

To make matters worse, the girl is now under the care of Child Protective Services in Arizona because her family has shunned her. They claim "she brought shame on the family."

Police Sgt. Andy Hill says the father "told the case worker and an officer in the girl's presence that he didn't want her back." The 14-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with two counts of sexual assault and kidnapping.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office says the other boys ages 9, 10, and 13 were charged as juveniles with sexual assault. The 10- and 13-year-old boys also were charged with kidnapping.

Authorities cited the family's Liberian background, noting that in some parts of Africa, girls who are raped often are shunned by their families.

My sister had a better idea: "Let's shame the father for his treatment of his daughter."

In a Facebook post Margot Friedman asks: "When will we protect girls from sexual abuse? When will this issue be important enough to be raised at a presidential press conference? Where is the outrage? The national conversation?"

I'd like answers to those questions, too.