Overheard in the Newsroom

"No, I was not pregnant, I was just retaining lots of water." - Dave Simanoff

I Know the Secret of the Da Vinci Code..

The Da Vinici Code  

The The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is truly two books.

First it is a masterful mystery novel. Second it is a political book that has a very specific agenda.

The story is good and the author did a really good job with writing a book with lots of twists and turns that keeps the reader interested. It does get a little long at times and unfortunately I guessed the family secret early on but I still enjoyed it. It was intelligently written and had lots of interesting things to say.

With that said I do see Brown's agenda, it is to discredit the Catholic Church, and in turn takes down all Christian religions, in any and every way possible. I do understand there were/are many bad things the church has done...but I also am Catholic and this book has not changed that or my practices. But I knew understood that when I got into reading this book. So I will go with the fictional story Brown told and say it was a pretty good mystery. You have to read it yourself to find out where to find the Holy Grail.

Breaking Potter News

According to the AP the next Harry Potter book's name is Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. So it's about someone 1/2 magical and 1/2 muggle I imagine. There's no word on the release date yet. Hopefully it's soon. I am terrible about waiting patiently.

Also, the Stanley Cup will be in the newsroom tomorrow. Will be taking photos. Nothing like touching the People's Cup! Yes Laura and Greg, you MUST be soo jealous!

The Randyman Can...

Here's a tribute to my neighbor Randy at work as created by the Mistress of the Doodle, Pat...sang to Sammy Davis Jr.'s Candyman..

"Who can lose his cell phone? Eat a bag of goo? Buy a bag of pretzels and demolish it by 2? The Randyman can ...."

She's very talented that one..

Harry's Growing Up

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azcaban 

Saturday night we went and saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This was different than the other two movies. This Harry is getting older and bolder (as well as more handsome I think, but that's another story.) Harry meets his godfather Sirius (said like serious) Black and more about his parents and their past. This is a really building a bridge to the next installment where serious stuff starts to happen.

What is cool about this movie is that the new director brought a new set of eyes to everything. You see so many parts of Hogwarts that were not shown. It was visually stunning. From Harry's ride on Buckbeak, the exciting Quidditlach match played in a monster thunder storm to the freakish dementors, it was a feast for the eyes.

I was a little disappointed though. (I know, anytime you read a book first it happens)I felt some of the charm of the book was really missing. I just felt more satisfied with the first two on how true they were to the book. I thought that the explanation at the end was too brief and was left to ponder if you hadn't read the book would you really know what is truly happening. I'm not sure you would. But never-the-less, this movie was entertaining. From the purple Knight Bus that squeezed between two buses to Emma Thompson's wonderful portrayal of Prof. Trelawney, there were some gems to be found. You know I'll be looking to pick up a copy of it when it comes to DVD.

I finished the Da Vinci Code the other night. Will give my impressions soon.

It's Randimonium!

I had an editor stop me in the mailroom to tell me that she is concerned for my safety. She's afraid the pile on my deskmates side of the desk is going to consume me. I am little worried too. Who knows what may fall out of the pile? Or what? When you leave food wrappers sitting around...you just NEVER know.

Overheard from him today: "I thought I had yesterdays Times on this desk. Have you seen it?" I don't know where even to begin looking I told him.

I would like to take a photo, to show the rest of the world what I sit next to, but he's been her most mornings when I remembered my camera. May a friend with a phone camera will take a picture for me, so the flash won't be so noticeable.

Run! It's Randimonium!

I'm Arthur, King of the Brits!

Found this cute quiz. Makes me want to watch the movie!

"Bring out your dead!"


You are King Arthur of the Britons!
You like to hear yourself talk a lot, namely about
some damn grail. Those closest to you are just
there to serve you and bang your coconuts
together. For some reason Mystical beings come
to you and set you out on quests. If only more
people understood you, perhaps you'd get that
grail afterall.


What Monty Python Holy Grail Quest Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Genealogy of my Scarf

I love scarves. I don't think I have the right body to wear them all the time, especially around the neck like I would love to, but I love em' anyways.

Today I woke up and thought, I want to wear a scarf! I pulled out a long, relatively thin one, with green bands on the outside and some flowers towards the ends that come to a point. First around the neck it went. It looked cute, but too constrictive for me today. Then I started playing with it. I have never tried to wear one in shorter hair (since I haven't had short hair that many times the chances of my trying it aren't as high). Today I am. Very summary with the long ends trailing down the back.

This is a special scarf to me. It was my Grandmothers. My mom's mom. After she died we were in her apartment going through her things. It was sad, but interesting. You really learn a lot about a person when you sift through their belongings. Really you are sifting through their life in a way.

I chose to bring home this scarf. It's not beautiful and it has a small stain. But to me it is beautiful because who it belonged to. So I'll continue to try to find different ways to wear it and enjoy it because wearing it makes me smile.

Oh No, Make it Stop!

The other night hubby and I were watching a little TV and he stopped at a show called Pride on A&E. It's a made for cable movie about a "pride" of lions that talk. It stars actually some big stars including Kate Winslet. It looks like those TV commercials that show talking animals, but it's longer and kinda obnoxious. It's like the Lion King but not really.

Picture of the Day

Oh Mrs. Mophead, Your Scarf is Lovely! 

I was crusin' eBay looking at vintage scarves and came across this. Apparently Mrs. Mophead is used in all this sellers pictures. Just a little something for everyone to smile at.

Any other suggestions for a title for this picture?

Never Know What You'll Find!

The Wall Street Journal had a great article today about a used bookstore in New York City called the Strand. It seems that people often forget to flip through books before selling them. It talks about all the interesting things the clerks find in them.

From naughty photos, birth certificates, famous writers notes, arrest rap sheets and letters to historical documents and photos. Here's some fun excerpts:

At the Strand's main desk, Richard Lilly said, "Let this be a warning to those who don't look through books before they sell. Bored clerks see it all." He laid open a copy of "Diverse Images - Photographs From the New Orleans Museum of Art." Lodged between pages 62 and 81 was a spent bullet. "Another piece of a life that can't be tracked," said Mr. Lilly, who runs the Strand's art department. "It could be worse. At least there's no blood."


"Yesterday, I found this really cool picture of this naked wrestler guy," Ms. Thompson says. In the fiction department, Ben McFall says: "I have a collection at home, which I can't bring in, of men in negligees. How do these things get away from people?"
Easily. A letter from Mrs. Robert E. Lee once dropped out of an old novel at Main Street Fine Books in Galina, Ill., birthplace of Ulysses S. Grant. Books from the Crypt in Gaithersburg, Md., found a 1933 horse-race tip-sheet in a 1938 copy of "Astounding Stories." Christmas Every Day, a used bookstore in Dallas, acquires leftovers from Christmas dinners in leftover Christmas books.

and

Snippets caught in books never solve these mysteries, but a while ago, Will Bobrowski did add up some clues. He was shelving a book on the Third Reich when an envelope dropped out. Two letters were inside: one from a woman to a Dr. Muller in America; and one signed by an Albert Kesselring. There were two snapshots: one of a group of Nazi officers standing at a table, and another showing one of them leaving a building with Benito Mussolini.
"I went crazy doing research," Mr. Bobrowski says. Soon he knew that Field Marshal Kesselring led Hitler's forces in Italy, was convicted of war crimes in 1947, was pardoned in 1952 - and was the man walking out of that building with Mussolini.

Just a reminder to flip through those books before donating or selling them. You never know who'll be reading you personal papers.

Quote of the Day

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt, 'This Is My Story,' 1937

I saw this and I really liked it. I see this happen so often where people base their self worth and base it on how others tell them it should be. The allow people to put them down so often and never fight back. Also, I am a big fan of Eleanor Roosevelt. That women should have been president. She was way ahead of her time.

Happy Dad's Day!

Father's Day 04' 

Happy Father's Day to all Dad's out there! Spent a nice evening with my father tonight. A nice dinner, lovely conversation and some yummy drinks.

The picture is him with a lovely shirt that came from one of my sisters. Very nice.

I wanted to take this moment to thank MY dad for all the awesome things he has done for me and my family. I didn't understand why he did many things when I was younger, but now that I am an adult I am seeing it and hearing myself saying things that have come out of his mouth. I am very lucky to have a Dad like I do. And in case you haven't heard it enough, thanks Dad, I love you!

Wife Carrying Contest

According to a NY Times article, the World Wife-Carrying Championships is July 2-4 in Finland. Yes, I typed correctly, wife-carrying. The husbands carry their wives for 250 yards through a land and water course. And the winner received the wifes weight in beer. Apparently the Estonians have won more than anyone else and the event is incredibly popular.

Sounds like a redneck sport to me. It's good to know there's rednecks everywhere in this world and not only hiding out in Plant City, Lakeland and Pinellas Park Florida.

Overheard in the Newsroom

"You're not going to use the good bacon are you?"

If all of you could have seen the face on the guy who said this to his wife and how serious he was, you would see just how funny this is.

It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

Rocks Anyone? 

These are all the rocks that came out of my front yard. And hubby said there were a couple that will remain in the ground. Which is fine. He got the liner to the pond up yesterday and was very happy with himself. I would be too. It was grueling and he did the really hard part. Now we have to move all the dang rocks!



flower 

This is one of the canna lilies from my front yard. It's blooming like nuts right now. These were one of the suprise plants to show up.

This just in, Madonna's now Esther?

Saw this from a wire report this afternoon...

By Daniel Rubin
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
From this day forth, Madonna shall be known as Esther.
So sayeth the 45-year-old Material Girl-turned mystic in an interview scheduled to air Thursday night on ABC.
From the mother of Jesus to the Queen of the Jews - we're kvelling!
The singer formerly known as Madonna, a student of the ancient Jewish Kabbalah, told the news magazine "20/20" that her mother, also Madonna, "died when she was very young, of cancer, and I wanted to attach myself to another name. ... This is no way a negation of who my mother was. I wanted to attach myself to the energy of a different name."
The Old Testament's Esther saved her people by appealing to her husband, the Persian King Ahasuerus, nearly 500 years before the New Testament's Madonna gave birth to Jesus.
The modern-day Esther is now on her Re-Invention tour, appealing to Madison Square Garden fans this week in a glittery bustier, black short-shorts, and thigh-high boots.


You know, you think she would have learned from Prince and the whole changing your name thing? But noooo... And Esther? Sounds like an old Jewish lady, well, I guess with her studying the Kabbalah so much, she's just about there.

America's Favorite Cat??

I don't know about that, because I am partial to my lovely cat Tiger, but I do know that Watson the cat is pretty funny. Visit his new web site at
America's Favorite Cat - The Good Life in Alabama. The cat has pretty good computing skills and a way with words. I'm adding him under distractions.

Favorite Posts from the Past...

Monday, August 25, 2003
Feelin' Perky!
Well, after a monstrous cup of crappy office coffee I am feelin' fine. I am typin' really, really, REALLY fast right now and am getting LOTS of work done. Maybe I should drink bad coffee every day so I could get all of my work done by the end of 2 days instead of 5! Sounds fabulous to me.

I always love to read what I wrote when I was hopped up on the coffee. It's like I'm a different person.

And this story cracked me up too.

Friday, August 01, 2003
Can Stupid People Kill You?
Thanks to Skippy Simanoff for pointing out this great article from the Weekly World Report.

Here's the great opening:
Idiots in the office are just as hazardous to your health as cigarettes, caffeine or greasy food, an eye-opening new study reveals. In fact, those dopes can kill you!

Well, as with anything in the Weekly World Report, take this with a grain of salt. :-)

Oh! And a BIG thanks to Skippy for bringing me in the COOLEST pen ever! When I get home I will have to take a picture of it and post it. Do you have a Rockem' Sockem' frog boxer pen? I do! Thanks again!

Very funny. I still have the Rockem' Sockem' light-up frog boxer pen. And it's still the coolest pen on my desk.

Quote of the Day.

Saw this one on the Bloomberg machine this morning and thought it was funny...

"No man goes before his time--unless his boss leaves first." - Groucho Marx

How silly. It doesn't work that way around here being bosses come and go in my department. I'm on my third main boss and been through 4 sub-bosses. People go when the new bosses come usually.


And a quick thanks to Pat for the cool plant she brought in for the new house. It's cool. We're not sure what it is, but she says they really grow well. Another plant note, one of my red plants out front not has a beautiful bright orange flower on the top and it looks like there's more to come. I took a picture this morning and hope to get it up here soon.