Darling Daughter and Her New Dog

My Darling Daughter has gotten herself a new dog. AS IF she needs another thing to worry about. I admit though, she seems to really be enjoying it and the dog certainly seems happier than its probably ever been in its entire life! She has spoiled this dog. Its pathetic ....

See what I mean? That's the little creature sleeping on my daughters bed as though she's human. My daughter sends me these pictures via her cell phone and pretty much insist that I oohhh and ahhh over the dog. I'm surprised she doesn't have it in a car seat! LOL

Celtic Woman - Mo Ghile Mear

Celtic Woman performing Mo Ghile Mear (A New Journey) live at Slane Castle, Ireland 2006.

The singers are: Hayley Westenra, Chloë Agnew, Órla Fallon, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, Lisa Kelly and Mairead Nesbi.

Enjoy .....

Random Thoughts on Marital Bliss

My Beloved Curmudgeon and I have a reasonably happy marriage. Most of the time we get along well, enjoy the same things, have basically the same views (I'm not quite as hard-core as he is), think the same things are funny and have the same cynical outlook on life.

In between those times we tolerate each other as best we can.

The content times last longer now than the 'why am I putting up with this?' times. There have been times, over the years, that it was the other way around. Maybe as time has gone by we've both mellowed out a little and gotten a little more accepting of each other's eccentricities.

I have learned a few things along the way about marriage. So I'll pass along a few of my little pearls of wisdom ... (Lucky whoever is reading this!)

From the beginning I noticed that he and I are at approximately the same level of sloppiness. We are pretty much equals in the amount of messiness we can stand.

As I was piddlin' around the house this weekend, straightening and cleaning I was struck with that reality once again.

We both work more than full time in demanding, stressful jobs. Neither of us feel like cleaning and scrubbing when we get home. So I do most of my cleaning on the weekend. But I can't avoid the fact that in the last few years that my housekeeping has definitely gone downhill.

I should hire someone, but I have to get the house clean enough to hire someone to clean (g). So I still do it myself.

Whenever I start cleaning, he gets up and empties the trashcans. It doesn't matter how much is in the trashcans, it can be one single piece of paper. But he'll go around the house emptying all the trash cans. Equal labor???

I think he feels he should be doing something since I'm cleaning.

So for today's little pearl of wisdom:One of the keys to marital bliss is compatibility in the amount of slovenliness that is acceptable to both parties in the relationship.

goede nacht

My Life and Feminism

I've spent my entire adult professional life competing with men in the work place. I've had a lot of successes and a few disappointments. Over the years I learned the truth and adjusted myself to the business world accordingly as best I could.

Women's liberation was pretty well entrenched in our workplace psyche when I started my professional career. I remember starting out with the naive assumption that it was a level playing field. I thought if I worked hard I would succeed. I thought hard competent work equaled success in the business world.

Even back then it bothered me that the women's lib movement made the assertion that in order to be taken seriously we had to dress, look and act like a man. Remember the styles of the 1980s? The broad shoulders, the short masculine hair styles, jackets and scarves that looked like neckties? I wore those things to my job. It didn't make any difference. I was still paid less than my male counterparts. I was still hit on by the men at work. Men still patronized me as a cute little thing rather than as a serious colleague. I still had to be twice as tough as a man to be taken seriously and that only succeeded in getting me called a bitch.

The parts that really bothered me were the pay and the fact that men would work games on me, as a female, that they would never consider even trying with a male colleague. It also bothered me that women's lib didn't seem to value femininity. I thought, and still think, that the feminine has a lot to offer and should be valued equally. I don't believe it's necessary that we are all the same in order to be of value to society.

Another thing that feminists did was increase a woman's work load. I've been accused of being a workaholic. When I've heard people say that about me I wonder where that comes from. I never wanted to work as hard as I worked. I thought I had to. I felt guilty if I didn't. Think about it for a minute. If your house is a mess who is blamed for that? The woman. It doesn't matter if she works 60 hours a week and the man in the house works 40 hours a week. It is still her responsibility, in most people's minds, to keep the house and feed the family. In the past, the man was the provider for the family. He still mostly is, but it has changed so that if the family is struggling financially more and more people blame both the man and the woman. If we are honest with ourselves we do see it that way.

The result is that most of us are chronically exhausted and not much good to anyone.

In an odd sort of way, women's lib devalued both the feminine and the masculine. We were supposed to all morph into some kind of androgynous being that none of us really found attractive or wanted to be. Remember Prince? I never have understood what was wrong with appreciating and celebrating the differences. We both bring important characteristics to the table. Ying and Yang, the perfect circle of completion and all that.

When I look at the feminist blogs in the blogosphere I see self-hate and man-hate. I'd be willing to bet the women who write those blogs have not had to compete with men for jobs and respect in the business world. They couldn't make it with that kind of skewed thinking and complete lack of appreciation for the masculine and the feminine.

After all this time it hasn't changed. Human nature is what it is. You can not make a woman into a man or a man into a woman (most of the time!). The question is whether or not we can learn to appreciate what each brings to the table.

A few weeks ago I had a life changing experience. It was one of those things that happens that leaves you feeling like you've been kicked in the stomach and you're not quite sure where the lick came from. This followed on the heels of another experience that already had me thinking about how I had been living my life.

I learned early in my adult life that life is neither easy nor fair. I don't mean that I learned that intellectually, I learned it at a level that I understood it and quit expecting fairness or an easy road. Once I understood that, my life became easier. I quit being so angry when things did not go my way. I was able to look at events in my life more philosophically and objectively which helped me make more rational decisions about the direction I would take things. I was better able to forgive myself for my shortcomings.

Through the years I learned that I had a lot more gumption and courage that I would have ever known I had. I learned I could go toe to toe with pretty much anyone. It's been a long time since I have felt intimidated by anyone in the business world. I learned I was competent, capable and efficient. I learned I could do it. I could compete, even on an uneven playing field.

I learned that life is still not fair or easy. But that's okay.

And now I know that it's okay not to do that anymore. I don't need to. I don't want to. I've spent a certain amount of time immersed in self-pity and anger. But the bouts of self-pity are starting to be further between and of shorter duration. I have spent a lot of time exploring ways to free myself from the brutally political world of business.

I'm starting off in a new direction, a new venture. I don't have to prove anything to women's lib or anyone else anymore.

After all this time, I'm still standing.

My Little Darling's Last Halloween

I'm trying to organize my photos and ran across these photos of my daughter. My li'l darlin' thinks she was scary at a Halloween party she attended. She sent me these photos and I don't think she's scary looking at all!!! Sadly, its gotten to where I only see either of my kids through photos. They both live so far away. She doesn't seem to mind helping decapitate some poor soul with a guillotine! But then, she's nobody to mess with that's for sure. She may look like a sweet little something and she is, but she's also a power to reckon with. Neither of my kids are wimpy. The pictures below are of her and her boyfriend. He was dressed like a nerd! lol

The Wedding

I finally got some pictures of THE WEDDING. That would be my son's wedding we went to in December in Germany. German weddings are interesting in that they go on all day and all night. They start in the morning when the bride and groom have to go to the local court house and get married by the State. I thought that would be just a small official signing of papers and swearing oaths and that would be that. No ... I would have been wrong if I'd thought that. The ceremony at the court house was every bit as long as the religious ceremony they had later in the day. On top of that, EVERYONE came to the court house ceremony as well.

The bride and groom sat at the front of the office and the official sat behind his desk. Everyone else sat in the room and spilled over into the hallway. We waited while the bride and groom signed papers - a lot of papers. When the ceremony started the official gave a very long talk on the meaning of marriage, etc. They had hired a translator for our benefit, which was very thoughtful of them, so everything was said in German and in English.


After that ceremony there was a gathering in the landing at the bottom of the stairs and then it was off in their chauffeured, decorated car with all of us following them in our respective cars, honking the horns and in general calling attention to them. We drove all over Beyreuth honking. Even in the cold weather, people came out on their balconies to wave and other cars honked as they passed us. It was actually fun.

After the ride through all the streets in town, it was off to the castle for the wedding. This was actually the hunting lodge of the woman in the painting above the fireplace in the photos. We had toured their castle a few days before. That's how I knew that. They didn't like it out at their castle so their built a bunch of places in Beyreuth so they could be in the city. They also built the Beyreuth Opera House where Wagner sometimes performed. But that's off the subject. It looked like a castle to this American girl. We don't have castles like that here.


Before they got into the castle, they had to cut through this heart. There were several of these hearts that stopped them along the way and each time they had to cut out the heart to go on. Josh apparently cut faster than Michi. By the time they were at the second heart, he just cut all the way around before she had cut her half very far.

One of the funniest events they did was to have a doll that Josh had to diaper before they could go into the castle. Michi tried to help him, but they wouldn't let her. Being a good Southern boy, after some failed attempts to figure it out, he took out some duck tape and taped the diaper on. I was so proud!!!

After the diapering and heart cutting and other very cold activities, we headed into the castle. We had a brunch. Then socialized. Then had another ceremony that was very similar to the first one only there was music and it was conducted by a minister. Then we had cake - and I don't mean a little cake - there was a table with about a dozen cakes. Then we ate a zillion course meal. Then the 'music man' showed up and there was music and dancing into the wee hours of the morning. A fantastic time was had by all. It really was wonderful.


Here are a few more pictures from the day ....

American Marines at the Grand Canyon

from Blue Star Chronicles

Problems in France

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in love and its causing quite a stir over there.


Here's the thing. His wife of 12 years decided to up and leave him just weeks after he took office. Apparently, she went back to a former lover. He was so upset about her leaving that he had to be hospitalized briefly - but that was a state secret at the time. Well, no sooner did she move on to her former lover than he met a look-alike younger version of her and now he's 'besotted' as they say over there.


Everybody is worried.


His supporters are worried because he's not acting like himself. He's been a workaholic, but now he's daydreaming and canceling appointments and jetting off to exotic vacations with his model girlfriend, Carla Bruni. They are also concerned because its affecting his official duties. For instance, the Vatican wouldn't receive him because they don't receive the girlfriend of a world leader. They say he really needs a First Lady, but many question whether she's the right First Lady. You see, she's got quite the past.


Carla Bruni's nickname is 'maneater' if that gives you a clue. She's been known to break up marriages and date men like Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Donald Trump. Plus, she's pretty high maintenance and seems to be leading the President around on a leash. The general consensus is that she will be the end of his career. Many seem to think its her resemblance to his former wife that has him so obsessed with her.


Its not that the French mind affairs.


What they mind is that they are so public. Sarkozy has stated he just won't hide his life from the public. The French find that appalling. They say its just not done. Affairs should be carried on in secret!

It is not at all what the French expect from their head of state. As one Paris-based friend of mine remarked, Sarkozy has "betrayed the national code of honour".


Despite its sybaritic image, France is a fundamentally provincial country which respects social order and prefers affairs to be secret - a situation helped by draconian privacy laws.


"Sarkozy has opened the curtains on a country which was happily eating cheese and climbing up the backstairs to visit mistresses," says my friend gloomily. "France likes hypocrisy. It does not like sexual openness. We are not Italy."


Sarkozy, of course, has a different interpretation. "I broke with a deplorable tradition in our country, that of hypocrisy and lies," he said yesterday.


"With Carla, we decided not to lie. We don't want to hide."

So are we witnessing an enormous cultural shift in France or a president who has taken leave of his senses?

To make matters even worse his former wife, Cecilia Sarkozy, has written a biography that is very damaging to Sarkozy. This is the third book about Sarkozy's love life in the less than a year that he's been France's president. Not good. Cecilia is now claiming that she didn't intend for her conversations with French journalist Anna Bitton to be published. Bitton says that's just not true and says this about Cecilia: "ice-cold, blue-blooded empress' and a 'poor little rich girl who is addicted to shopping". Ouch!


Some of Cecilia's assertions ....

Sarkozy is "ridiculous, badly behaved and not fit to be president" Cecilia Sarkozy says in a new book, adding for good measure that the women in his life are just a 'bunch of slappers' (or des petasses fardees, as the French would have it).


Even the president's female political colleagues do not escape her barbed tongue: they are just "boring wallflowers, and now that there is no First Lady, he needs to surround himself with pretty young things dressed in Dior".

Hmmm .... nasty, nasty. Pass the milk! Stay tuned ... I'll keep you updated when I find out what the next chapter of this soap opera is. C'est la vie!

They Also Serve

Tribute to military families. The magic for me in making this video was featuring real military families. They are the true stars of this video. Produced & Directed by John Donegan Productions.


I developed and wrote the treatment (the script) and cast, directed, shot and edited the video. My script received Pentagon approval to shoot with the 101st Airborne at Ft. Campbell and the music video actually premiered in a theater there for the troops before being broadcast on TV. It now can be viewed in almost 200 countries on Armed Forces TV.

Al-Qaeda Threatens Mavis Leno

In the video that was recently released by the American Al-Qaeda Member Adam Yahiye Gadahn, he lashed out against Jay Leno's wife, Mavis Leno and First Lady Laura Bush. He called them hypocrites and warns that they, along with other Americans, will be punished.


Mavis Leno's wrongdoing? She has worked to help the women of Afghanistan who have suffered under the Taliban. He threatens the First Lady for the same reason.


He says we are in a fight to the death with islam. Once again, the islamist tell us what their intentions are. Once again they tell us that they intend to kill us all and that they view this as a global war with their ideology. Once again, we don't listen.


WorldNetDaily

The American leader of al-Qaida lashed out at the wife of late-night talk show host Jay Leno in a newly released video-taped message warning fellow Americans of coming "punishment."


Al-Qaida propaganda chief Adam Gadahn, aka. "Azzam the American," singled Mavis Leno out for rebuke for her feminist views and criticism of the misogynistic brutality of the Taliban. He also heaped scorn on first lady Laura Bush, suggesting they are both hypocrites.


"Doesn't it seem strange to you that Mrs. Jay Leno and Mrs. George W. Bush ... have failed to express their outrage at this criminal misogynistic behavior which your government and its allies are engaged in and encouraging in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia?" Gadahn said, according to a transcription and translation of the 50-minute screed, spoken in Arabic and English.


Leno has been honored by feminist organizations for working to help the oppressed women of Afghanistan. She was one of the first celebrities to draw attention to their brutal treatment under the ousted Taliban regime.


Gadahn, who is wanted by the FBI for treason, claims U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq are handing over control of parts of the country to Shiite militias who are more brutal than the Taliban, targeting women for gang rape and assassination.


He says they "specialize in sidewalk murders of allegedly immoral women," and their "track record is no better when it comes to their treatment of women." Al-Qaida is comprised of Sunni Muslims.


"Doesn't it seem as though your angry celebrity female activists only spring into action when their campaigns don't conflict with your regime's foreign policies," Gadahn said, "and in fact, serve their colonialist designs?"


Gadahn went on to warn Americans, after tearing up his passport on camera, that "atrocities" against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan "will never be forgotten, nor go unpunished."


"You're now in a battle to the death with the Muslims," he said, adding that only releasing Muslim prisoners, leaving Muslim lands and coverting to Islam will spare Americans from "punishment."


"Don't wait until it's too late," he warned, "until you've seen the punishment with your own eyes."


Gadahn did not make specific threats against Leno or the first lady during the video.


In 2002, Leno told CNN's Larry King that she did not plan to travel to Afghanistan to meet with the women she helped liberate, because she feared for her safety.


"I have not been there because the Taliban are well aware of my campaign," she said. "They know what I look like, they know my name."

Paratrooper Carries the Flag of his Father

Pfc. Alexander Cesario of Somerville, N.J., a forward observer with A Co, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, displays his father Adam's American flag on a rooftop in Baghdad's Suleikh neighborhood. As a Soldier in Vietnam, the elder Cesario flew the flag every day - including a three day period when he was missing in action - and his son now carries it with him on patrols in Iraq. Photo by Sgt. Michael Pryor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs.

Flag of My Father: Paratrooper Keeps Flag Carried by Dad in Vietnam Story by Staff Sgt. Mike Pryor, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Baghdad, Iraq


Like any Soldier, Pfc. Alexander Cesario always makes sure he has all his essential equipment before he goes outside the wire. For Cesario, that means his weapon, radio, and night vision goggles, as well as one special, personal item – an American flag his father brought home from Vietnam.


Cesario, a Somerville, N.J., native serving as a forward observer with Company A., Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, has carried his father’s flag with him on every mission since being deployed to Iraq a year ago.


The flag was first acquired by Cesario’s father, Adam, 61, when he was a young paratrooper serving in Vietnam. The elder Cesario never let a day go by without unfurling the flag, no matter where he was or what he was doing.


“(My dad) flew that flag every day, even if he had to put it up on a radio antenna,” Cesario said.


At one point, a mission went wrong and Cesario’s father was cut off from the rest of his platoon. For three days, he had to hack it out of the jungle alone, with the Vietcong in hot pursuit. But even on the run, he still managed to raise the flag each day.


“He didn’t stop moving at all for those three days, except to fly that flag,” Cesario said.


When Cesario’s father returned from the war, he put the flag into safekeeping. He was so protective of it that even family members were rarely allowed to handle it.


“It was like his prized possession,” Cesario said.


Nothing could make the elder Cesario part with the flag until Alexander, 19, was deployed to Iraq this year. After he began patrolling the streets of Baghdad, Cesario decided he wanted to carry on his father’s tradition. After some arm-twisting, he convinced his dad to mail him the flag.


The flag arrived with step-by-step instructions on how to take care of it, Cesario said. He recalled the final step with a laugh: “If you lose it, don’t bother coming home.”


Despite the threat of exile, Cesario takes the flag with him everywhere. It is his way of paying tribute to his father, he said.


“I wanted to honor him,” Cesario said, “It meant a lot to him, and because of that, it means a lot to me.”


Cesario keeps the flag tucked into the front flap of his body armor, close to his heart. He said he’s looking forward to redeploying and returning the flag – now a veteran of two wars – to its rightful owner. Eventually Cesario, who is single, said he would like to pass the flag on to his own son, when he has one. There’s only one problem.


“I’ll have to pry it away from my dad first,” he joked.

I love the fact that we still have wonderful young men in this country who are still willing to stand up and be counted when the country needs them. Generation after generation, the United States produces these awesome young men (and women).

We're Home!!!

We are finally home!!!! We had a sehr Frohliche Weihnachten! (very Merry Christmas!) in Bavaria. I believe it has been one of our best Christmases. The German's certainly don't have the flair for wanton consumer consumption that we have. What would the retail world do without Americans? They'd go under, I believe. We spent Christmas (the 24th) with our new German in-laws. I agonized about what to buy them. I didn't have a clue what to expect. I didn't want to show up with overly extravagant gifts or overly small gifts. I didn't know them. I didn't know what their customs were. I just didn't know what to expect or what to take to give them.


I was pleasantly surprised when we showed up at their home to the freshly decorated (real!) tree trimmed with real lit candles. The slightly English speaking father of the house announced that they spend the evening celebrating the birth of Jesus, singing Carols and eating a traditional meal. The family exchanged simple, relatively inexpensive gifts and the rest of the evening was spent eating a fabulous meal and attempting to communicate in the odd way we found to communicate with none of us speaking the others language. We found common ground in laughter and love for our children who had married just the day before. I received gifts that included a porcelain angel, a metal plate with Bavarian scenes hand carved on it and a long leisurely evening around a dinner table spent with new family and new friends. It was a memorable and wonderful evening.


Now we are back in our own home. I'm looking forward to my own bed and a few days of relaxing rather than jamming across Bavaria. My son has two modes of operations, sleep and full throttle, so we fit a lot in to the two weeks we had there. Not to mention these semi-old bones need a couple of days of time zone recuperation and hopefully warmth seeing as these semi-old bones aren't accustomed to walking around in the snow and cold as if its a summer afternoon stroll. Frozen to the bone pretty much sums it up. But in a good way.


We have been traveling for 24 hours and I can't hardly think straight and I look like I've been rode hard and put up wet. My pen did something funky while I was filing out my declaration forms and leaked ink all over my fingers and hands leaving black stains all over them. I managed to break 5 fingernails during the trip today so my hands look pretty embarrassing at the moment. I spilled Mountain Dew on my sweater. When we were going through customs I dropped my passport and we couldn't find it for about 15 minutes. We only found it (in the fold of one of my suitcases) after a frantic search through the entire customs area with a customs agent holding me at his station while Beloved Curmudgeon retraced our steps looking for it. The customs guys periodically told me that this was not a good thing. I suggested that perhaps I should look instead of Beloved Curmudgeon as he can't find his socks in his sock drawer. The customs agent didn't think that was funny and told me, rather forcibly, that I could not and WOULD NOT leave my bags to go look. When I finally looked down and saw the passport in a nook of the suitcase and gave it to the customs guy he just motioned us through. The irritated look on his face and his exasperation left us laughing that he undoubtedly figured we couldn't possibly be terrorists when we were that incompetent. The whole thing was feeling a little like National Lampoon's Our Family's Christmas Vacation. We were a mess, exhausted, we hated the actual traveling but the overall trip was fantastic.


I hope you all had a special Christmas this year and spent time with the people you love and enjoyed the truly meaningful things in life, like schnitzel and the magical way that a well made bratwurst sandwich and gluhwein warms the body and soul when strolling through a Christmas Market when its 20 degrees. Its a wonderful thang!

Merry Christmas to all!

We Are Loving Germany!

We are having a blast in Germany. We got here in the early morning hours last Thursday and after getting lost in the Frankfurt airport and somehow circumventing customs and coming out on the wrong side of the arrival terminal, we found our son (or he found us) and we started making our way back to his city via many stops en route. It was absolutely wonderful seeing him and his fiance and immediately getting a tour of a couple of German towns before we got back to his apartment.

The second day we were here (I think ... cause time is completely out of whack for me!) we went to Rothenburg. One of the cultural differences that has really struck me here is that regardless of how cold it is outside ... and cold only begins to describe it ... people still get out and go places and do things OUTSIDE! My first real taste of that was our day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (that means that this town of Rothenburg is the on that is above the Tauber River. Apparently Bavarians might have several towns with the same name and distinguish one from the other by where they are located. This one is distinguished from the others because it is located above the Tauber. Now you know!). Rothenburg is an ancient, medieval town that is well preserved, has survived many wars and continues to thrive.

As anyone reading this surely knows, it is one thing to know something intellectually and something altogether different to know it through close observation. Our day in Rothenburg impressed upon me the very different sense of history and time that Europeans have from those of us who have spent our lives in the 'new world'. There are buildings in Rothenburg that were built in the 1400s and 1600s. Those buildings have stood and are still in use since long before Western man had a clue that the Americas even existed. They still believed that the world was flat. Just think of the history that has transpired since the day someone decided to build those buildings and build the wall around that town. Their perspective is much longer than ours in more ways than one.

As I mentioned, the German's don't stay inside when its cold. I lived in Michigan for a few years and really kind of expected it to be cold in much the same way it is in Michigan. Its not. At all. We are woefully unprepared for the cold and have had to buy more to keep warm because we are spending most of our days and evenings outside in spite of the minus 2,000 degree weather. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I'm not sure its much of one. My poor Southern bones are just not used to being this cold.

We spent all day and well into the evening outside, enjoying the sites and sounds of Rothenburg. And it wasn't just us crazy people. The place was full and everyone was walking around, enjoying the Christmas market, enjoying the shops and doing tourist-y things in the frozen place. They even put their babies in strollers and take them out - thickly wrapped in some German material that has a super sekret ingredient for warmth. 'How do they stand it', I asked my Beloved Curmudgeon, with chattering teeth and shaking bones. He said they are used to it. Its their culture, he said. They just don't let weather stop them from what they are doing. Oh.

At one point we go into one of the horse drawn open air carriages for a pleasant tour of the town in minus quadrillion degree weather. The driver of our carriage could have just walked straight out of central casting. He spoke to us in German and when he saw our blank stares, he spoke in English. His English was good as far as it goes. He was obviously accustomed to English visitors. Imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger's accent and multiply that by 100 and you will have some semblance of an idea of how this man sounded. His red hair was cut short in what appeared to be some sort of buzz cut, at least what I could see of it under his hat. He had the complexion and demeanor of a man who had spent most of his days exposed to whatever elements God provided from day to day. I imagined that hard work without complaint and hard were his lot. I imagined that was just fine with him.

He told us the outrageous price for a thirty minute carriage ride through town enhanced by his guided tour. We turned over the Euros and got into the back of the buggy. I greedily pulled a heavy woollen blanket over myself and offered to share a corner of it with Beloved Curmudgeon. Beloved Curmudgeon took what I offered, which wasn't much I'm ashamed to say. My Soldier Son and his fiance climbed into the other side and under another blanket. Somehow that blanket offered an unbelievable amount of warmth. I wondered if they made wool thicker in Germany. The horse chose that moment to urinate on the sidewalk. Our driver/tour guide said something to the effect that we would have to wait on the horse as he must clean up his pee. He went to the back of the carriage and pulled out a large container and once the horse was done he poured the contents of the container on the pee and then we began our tour. As the driver got back up into the carriage I commented on the cold. The wind was blowing and the only warm part of me was what was under that wool blanket. He looked at me quizzically and stated, 'It is winter'. Why yes, it is. That was the end of that.

As we went along our driver would point out sites of interest, such as ancient torture chambers and places of hanging and punished those who needed public humiliation to keep them in check. He seemed to enjoy describing these techniques to us. Maybe I just imagined that, but I don't think so.

Both of the horses pulling our wagon had to stop and ... how do I put this delicately ... answer the call of nature. This called for the driver to stop, grab a bucket and put it up to their rears to catch the waste. It was not a pretty sight or pleasant smell. My son thought my reaction was hilarious and only made it worse by making funny remarks. He was sitting further back than me. They were right in my face. The second time this happened it was the horse right in front of me and our driver seemed to enjoy that my son and husband were making viscous fun of me while I tried to catch my breath somewhere ... anywhere ... away from the smell. As he held his bucket behind the horse and turned more or less in my direction he remarked that the shop on the corner right next to us was a great place for very large sausages if we were hungry. He described the sausages in detail with a twinkle in his weather worn eyes. I looked at him to try to determine if he was joking or completely oblivious to the sight and smell that was permeating the entire wagon at this point. I didn't want a sausage right at that moment.

As the day went by it became more and more obvious to me that the Germans don't let the weather interfere with their good time and have a variety of ways to keep warm. The market place was full with happy and festive people. St. Nicholas was there digging through his knapsack for gifts of brochures to give out to whoever. The night watchman walked the grounds in black robe and carrying a long wooden double bladed axe that was a very convincing crime deterrent. My husband and son climbed the highest tower and saw the world from that height while we watched from below.

By the end of the evening, even though I was still chilled to the bone long after we had returned to the warmth of my son's apartment, I understood why the German people go out regardless of the weather. They, at least the Franconians, are a people who enjoy life and find any excuse whatsoever to have a festival. In fact, as best as I can determine, they have festivals all the time. By the time we went to the local Christmas market (again) last night, I wasn't so cold. We stayed till it closed, had a fantastic time, meet a lot of random people, I laughed till my face hurt at stories told in German that I couldn't understand but were still funny and I didn't feel all that cold. I've discovered some of the secrets of the locals to keeping warm. It really is a lot of fun. We are just loving it here!

We are leaving for Munich in a couple of hours for a couple of days. I just wanted to steal a few minutes to say hello and write a quick update. I know my son will have us up well before dawn to start the trip. He's gotten so bossy (smile). I apologize for the wordiness and will try to cull it down a bit when we return from Munich - although then we are going up north for the wedding so who knows when I'll be online again. I'll also try to tell you about our trip into the mountains to go to a Monastery at the very top of an icy/snowy mountain and try to order food that we didn't know what it was and they couldn't tell us. Its all an adventure ( ;) ) Thanks to all the wonderful people who are posting here while we are gone. I hope everyone will visit their blogs because they are great people and have a lot to say that is worth reading!

Survivor China Votes Off James

WHAT is going on with this season's Survivor!!??!!?? First we have Jaime Dugan trying to play an immunity idol that wasn't really an immunity idol. Now we have James with two immunity idols and he doesn't play either one of them!

JAMES!!! What were you thinking? You had two (TWO!!!) immunity idols. I don't think anyone has had two immunity idols before in the history of the show and you STILL got voted off! Why didn't you play one of the idols!

He explained at the end that he just held on too long. Yes, I would say you did. You were one of the best, most common-sensical players this year and you had TWO immunity idols! They did blindside you, no doubt about that, but you knew you couldn't trust them. I think you just got too sure of yourself. I think having two immunity idols left you feeling invincible. And really, why didn't you share them? That would have won you a lot of good will! Especially considering you wouldn't have had the immunity idols if Todd hadn't told you where they were. Big mistake, in my opinion.

I thought right up to the end that you would pull out the idol and save yourself. But you didn't and now you are gone. The show will be less interesting because you were a very likable player. Of course, you won everything which is why they got rid of you. They knew they couldn't win against you if they ended up in the last show with you. THAT is why you should have been watching your back better.

Well, he showed a lot of class in his leaving comments. He kept his dignity and he never took a bite of the apple. He knew better than to let himself be tempted. Unfortunately, his teammates not only took a bite of the apple, but as Amanda said, baked an apple pie.

Good luck, James. I have a feeling this isn't the last we see of you.

I Called the Wrong Number to Germany

It has really been great having my Soldier Son back in Germany. I haven't seen him, but I've talked with him quite a few times and he sounds wonderful. He's so happy to be back. I can tell he's changed some, but not necessarily in a bad way. He's older, if that makes any sense. He's grown into a man.

It kind of reminds me of a summer he spent with his father. We were living in Michigan at the time and so both the kids went to Georgia to spend the summer with their father. His voice changed one night. Literally. I talked with him one day and he sounded like himself. The next day he sounded grown. That's kind of what this feels like. My frat boy son went to Germany three years ago. At some point he became a man. Then he went to Baghdad and 15 months later he came back in charge of things, confident and self-assured.

The thing is that I didn't have his new phone number. I had his girlfriend's phone numbers, but not his. I thought maybe he still had the same number. I knew he probably didn't, but I needed to tell him something and thought I'd dial the number. A man answered the phone, 'Hallo'. Okay, it sounded KINDA like Josh, but not quite - and sometimes he does answer in German so I thought MAYBE it was him.

'Hey Josh', I said with a question in my voice, I wasn't sure it was him at all.

The man on the other end of the line said, 'Vlsdknfj oelejoei aoiej cvlkn e oeijfa cne voe rijfa['ew jfcaocnv oe.'

That wasn't Josh. Now I was sure of it. I didn't know what to say but I was raised to use telephone manners, so I couldn't just hang up. That would go against all my raising. 'I'm sorry, I dialed the wrong number.' I said. I then waited for a reply as if that was a reasonable thing to expect.

The man then replied, 'Wekndkdnfowe lkjsoeih hiohopies neoweihf eoifho veojff'olsn.'

He spoke in full sentences as though we were carrying on a conversation, which made no more sense than me speaking to him in full sentences. But again, it was against everything I was ever taught to just hang up. If he'd been a salesman who had called me it would have been different. But I had called him and had an irresistible need to explain that I was sorry I had disturbed him. I again apologized, 'I'm sorry, I've dialed the wrong number'.

This bizarre and ridiculous tete-a-tete went on back and forth two or three times. I finally apologized and just hung up the phone and laughed to myself. I just called Germany and carried on a conversation with some stranger in a different language that neither of us understood for a couple of minutes. That's just strange.

I never did get ahold of my son that evening.

Well, it was funnier in person.

Johnny Cash - I Won't Back Down

Don't cha just love Johnny Cash? He's great and this video is a wonderful tribute to our Soldiers! I hope we won't back down.

I'm Reviving This Blog

I've decided to revive this blog. I've renamed it 'My Blue Star Life' because I still have Blue Star Chronicles that I've been keeping up since I moved it from this location.

My plan is to use this blog for more personal stuff, like posts about my children, my husband and my life.

I guess we'll see how it goes :) Don't forget to continue to visit Blue Star Chronicles.

Blue Star Chronicles Has Moved

If you are here you are in the wrong place.

Come to

the new

Blue Star Chronicles

see ya there

:)

Blue Star Chronicles

Check out new posts on the new Blue Star Chronicles site.

Iraqi Doctor Says he Killed Patients

What is it that Liberals don't Understand?

The French 'I don't Wanna have to Work for a Living' Riots

The Embarrassment that is Cynthia McKinney

While America Sleeps

Peace Gets Stoned

And daily Open Track Backs.....

All at the new Blue Star Chronicles blog.

Please update your links....

http://www.bluestarchronicles.com

Donald Rumsfield on Operation Iraqi Freedom

Read about it at the new Blue Star Chronicles blog.

Please update your links to Blue Star Chronicles.

http://www.bluestarchronicles.com