Donate

Donate to the Tsunami Disaster Relief Funds.

Through: Compassion International,

Unicef,

or The Red Cross, if you prefer.

Recommended Reading

Entre Nous.

The complete guide to why French girls live so well with so little, and still manage to look great (even while eating goose liver, rich foods and chocolate). Buying quality instead of quantity, avoiding malls like the plague, and only buying clothes that are perfect, and go together. Living simply but well.

Also has French film recommendations. One of which is Chocolate, which you should see if you haven't -- even if it is directed by a Swede with a mostly American cast, it's still a great view of French living. And Johnny Depp is in it.

The Flood Part 2

The flooding continues after a stellar storm front moved in last night. The creek outside my door has risen another couple of feet, and is now about to wash up on the corner of our balcony. Very exciting. If the dam breaks we'll have a lovely flash flood a la Julie by Catherine Marshall. I roll out of town tomorrow afternoon, so I should avoid building my own ark. White water rafting would be great today...If it weren't for bridge over the employee entrance. That might be more of a headache than it's worth.

Benefits of Tour

Benefits of Tour

One of the most interesting things about touring is how separated you become from the "stuff." And shopping. When you have to ask, "do I want to carry this around for the next two months?" it keeps the urge to buy at a minimum.

I've been packing back up, and other than the mail that got out of control for the month I'm here (ads that expired before Christmas, and catalogues for clothes I can't afford crept into every drawer and crevice) I didn't bring a lot with me, and didn't buy things once I got here. There is something nice about knowing exactly how much in life you really need, and what are luxuries. On tour, luxuries are scented lotion, ear plugs, a sleeping mask, and a good pair of chenille socks. A portable CD player can change from luxury to necessity depending on the day, and how much you need to pretend there's no one else around for a minute.

We've all figured out by now that stuff doesn't make you happy, and those that have everything are miserable (and if you haven't, come work here and get first hand experience).

Of course, saying this, I have a storage unit of stuff in Texas that ONE of these days I'm going to have to drive down and move to wherever I decide to settle....

Weather

Some weather we're having.

The creek right outside my door rose eight feet in the last three days. What was completely dry before Christmas is now suitable for white-water rafting, and another day of rain will having me sandbagging my door and building an ark. Another wave of this storm will be arriving shortly, though we had blue skies for twenty minutes today.

Thailand, however, was the main focus of the weather channel yesterday in the bar. For the best, most up to date information, search for Thailand blog. The news covered the story and said that the best place to look for up to date pictures, information, and places to donate to relief organization are in our own blogshpere. Pretty cool, isn't it? One of my sponsor kids is in Thailand, but I think she's further inland. My next stop is at Compassion International to see if they've sent me an update on her condition and whereabouts. Serious stuff going on these days.

On a less serious note, California surfers are dashing to the coast in droves to hit some post-tsunami waves.

And so it begins

So here comes Christmas...

I have three consecutive days of work. Which will be nice. I like my managers and other employees, and it's always fun to laugh at the people who come and their unmerited pretentions.

Tomorrow I'm doing Christmas lunch with Grandma and Ken and exchanging presents. They are going out of town for a few days, and then moving into their new house the day after Christmas.

And then six days to kill until I have to leave town again. It goes so fast....well, this afternoon won't. I'm having my teeth cleaned.

Le vacance

So this vacation has not turned out like I'd thought. It isn't as endless and lonely as I'd expected, except when it is, and I'm not working as much as I'd hoped, except when I am -- Christmas day I'm working twelve hours. Ten more days and I'll be back on the road, packing my suitcase, driving a thousand miles, depositing stuff places, and heading back on tour. It will be nice...

The only bummer is the hobbying that I've been able to do. No bringing my new scrapbook rolly case on tour I suppose. How much do I really need clothes?

Return of the King

I've been haunting blockbuster all week waiting for Return of the King Extended Version to come back, and yesterday it paid off.

YAY!!!!!

And since I can take out three movies at a time, I think the time has come for a complete extended version viewing of the trilogy. Goodness knows I have enough quilting to do to justify it.

And the scenes they cut were so good! I was a little shocked at Saruman's untimely end -- I thought it was something they'd invented. But then I went back and read the rebuilding of the shire, which I usually skip over a bit. But, no, that's pretty much how he died -- minus falling off the tower and getting impaled. And his throat was slit by Grima, he wasn't stabbed in the back. And a three hobbit arrows got Grima wormtongue, not Legolas. But, since they didn't have the rebuilding of the shire, even in the extended version, all the changes make sense.

Eomer and Eowyn got more screen time - with an especially beautiful scene when he finds her lying prone on the battlefield. I wish they'd kept it in. It was only a few more seconds. And the Faramir - Eowyn love story was explored.

The Man who Cried

The Man who Cried

Stop me if you've heard that one. A Russian Jewish man and his daughter are walking through the forest towards a small village in the late 1920's. Skip ahead a few years. A Jewish girl, a Gypsy, a Russian, and a fascist Italian opera singer are living in Paris in the last 1930's. Any guesses how that movie is going to turn out?

Really, though, go and rent it. It was beautifully done acted and directed. It is not a concentration camp movie, though it does show the occupation. And Cate Blanchett is doing another linguistic chameleon act. She's amazing. And Johnny Depp does play a gypsy so well, better than in Chocolate, though he talks less.

A good part of the sountrack is operatic arias and choruses. And the costumes are beautiful, at least Cate Blanchett's.

Not working quite enough

Still on the movie kick. Tonight its "The boy who Cried" with Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, Christina Ricci. Should be good, and I hope it's not depressing. Either way I have Emma (both versions) to watch, and Princess Diaries 2, which wasn't as good as the first one, but cute anyway. What was up with the Raven cameo? Back to quilting, and spending my last $12 on tunafish and saltines to last until monday.

Payday! Finally...