Welcome newcomers! Please introduce yourself
Come on in!
Coffee & Tea under the window, platters of treats on every table
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Newspapers are in their regular spot next to the door
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Please recommend (and unrecommend the Cafe from yesterday)
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May the 4’s be with you
Good morning! I’m going to lovely Philadelphia this afternoon for my oncology class! Woo-hoo! Where are you going, kb?
Wow, I got so much work finished yesterday, I might even have time to hang in the cafe today…yippee!
Ah, Lucky, Lucky you!
I actually got a lot done myself yesterday . . . but somehow I don’t think my boss will go for me hanging out at the cafe as a reward.
With a mother whose survived 3 major bouts of cancer, I have to say that I’m all in favor of oncology classes. And I’m thankful that people like you take them.
It’s an interesting class, especially because I write alot about cancer. Unfortunately, the time is limited, so we can’t discuss things in as much depth as I would like. One of the interesting things that is happening with the newer treatments and earlier detection of cancer is that it’s becoming more of a chronic disease entity.
How’s your mom doing now? We just found out recently that my son’s best friend’s 10-year-old sister has lymphoma…5 tumors present at diagnosis. Fortunately, it’s responding well to chemotherapy, but I can’t even imagine what the parents are going through. Just a few weeks ago, she and the boys were out collecting money for the Katrina victims, and she seemed just fine, and bam, in the course of 3 days, she went downhill so fast she wound up in the hospital.
She’s doing fine, thanks. It’s been nearly 20 years since the last time. She had colon cancer in 1977, liver cancer in 81 and a giant tumor in her cheek in 1987.
Also, 2 of my cousins – siblings (on her side) have had Hodgkin’s Disease. One didn’t make it (she was misdiagnosed for years), one did. My cousin who didn’t make it was 13 when diagnosed. And I have a very good idea what those parents are going through. Cancer is horrible, but especially horrible when children have it.
Good Morning! Good Morning!
I’m your guest host today & a terrible one I am, at that. I’ll be off to work in a bit and gone for most of the day.
But, I will be back this evening with a fresh lounge and my full attention!
Please say Hello if you’re here, I’d love to see you before I leave.
katiebird! Better get those windshield wipers going. And while you’re driving down that wet road, have you got the defroster on? I don’t know about you, but I am NOT looking forward to the 24 degree temperature, nearly 50 mph wind gusts, and 90% humidity that we’re supposed to get today/tonight.
and waddya want and make it snappy because Kansas ain’t the center of the universe, no matter what your Board of Education might think. Oh yeah, nice mohawk. *nice but snarky*
Well done!!
I’m waiting for my bagel, cc, & lox I ordered below. Or above. Depending. And then there are time zones.
boran2 is supposed to bring it — what the hell kind of bagel do you think you’re going to get in Brown County Indiana –a Mickey’s D’s soft bagel obscenity?
Anyway, I have to go write some more deathless prose.
We are expecting mid-70’s coastal here in Northern CA…come on by for a warm sunny afternoon.
Rain due for the weekend…of course! It’s only sunny when we are work – lol!
I had an interesting experience this past week. I did something that did something to my back – not at all serious – but I was in a lot of pain for 4 days.
In the past, I would have eaten my way through those 4 days. Something about that pain triggered my hunger, or at least a very powerful urge to eat. And, as I said — in the past I would have done it, at least some of the time.
This time, I didn’t at all. I thought I would cry from frustration a couple of times. But, having set this absolute rule for myself, I didn’t break it.
And now I know, that if the rule could help me through that experience, it will get me through the holidays as well. Today, I can eat whatever I want (that’s the general rule — actually until my brother’s wedding next month, I hardly eat anything), I just can’t eat between meals or take seconds.
The engine that makes this a really powerful idea is that time flies. It seems like I’ve been doing it for just a couple of weeks, but it’s actually been 3 1/2 months!
That is remarkable. Good for you!
But Puget4 and Florida Mom both have emotional ties to eating and it’s no joke, it’s no triviality we can tell people to ‘deal with.’
My issue is purely mechanical. Having had unstable blood sugar for so many years I’d become trained to be afraid of the smallest hunger pangs. The diabetic low-carb regime dramatically reduces those, and eliminates their quick escalation.
But years of bad training don’t disappear overnight. I certainly know that from music instruction.
Good luck, we’re all cheering you on.
is back to bed — I’m operating on only about 2+ hours sleep right now. š Got to bed about 11:30, but didn’t get to sleep till after 1 am, woke up about 3:30 am and wasn’t able to get back to sleep, so decided to get out of bed about 10 minutes ago.
Did my morning iPod update (downloaded last night’s Mike Malloy and this morning’s Rachel Maddow), and considering heading over to the exercise room in about 25 minutes. Our complex actually has two fitness rooms, one on each side of the complex (we’re a big place, 500+ units); the spouse checked out the one on the east side and it actually has some different equipment including some sort of Nautilis weight system, so I may walk over there this morning — the walk to and from will work as warmup and cooldown respectively. My doctor wants me to work out only three days a week till we figure out what’s going on with my “female issues” including the low energy; hopefully I’ll be able to start working back up to more days a week.
Hope everyone has a great day…I’ll check back in later…
I have a book I could lend you that would put you to sleep for sure.
I wish our city would build neighborhood fitness centers. It’s the one thing I miss about apartment life.
I hate when I wake up and can’t fall back to sleep. Usually reading does the trick for me, hough.
I wish I had a gym right here…
Cali, didn’t I see that you volunteered to be one of the new Wednesday guest hosts for this place?
Popping in with some female issues suggestions here…
I’m not sure how old you are Cali but get a copy of “The Pause”. Women can start going through peri-menopause – the 10-12 years of changes as early as the late 30’s. Low energy and mood swings, are part of those early years. Irregular cycles from none for 6 weeks to some that are 15 days long can be part of the problem. Most doctors just pat us on the hand and say we’re too young – BS! Thank heaven for my female nurse practitioner.
Okay…middle aged woman random advice over with! :^0
Thanks for the recommendation. Have an appointment Friday for an “endometrial biopsy”; endometriosis does run in the family but I thought I might miss out by not having kids. We’ll see what turns up under the scope. My gyn brushed off my concerns about the weird bleeding as being related to birth control pills, but my regular doctor is concerned so I’m able to sic her on him! (She’s mainly concerned with the bleeding causing low energy, but she doesn’t want to stick me on more medication.)
Did go back to bed for a few hours, now about to head out and do some of the errands I didn’t get around to yesterday, along with a fun stop at the Apple Store to see if there are any new games I want/need for the computer. š
Oh, and Kansas, dear, I might be able to take a Wednesday in December — if all goes well the spouse will be back on his regular schedule and I’ll actually have my mornings back! š
Okay, time to make like a hockey player and get the puck outta here…got a bus to catch… š
those biopsies are miserable…treat yourself to some tea and a rest Friday afternoon. My Gyn – a lovely woman about 35 – apologized before and after…I felt worse for her…
I’ll email you a couple of book titles when I get home tonight. The erratic cycles are really really normal…uncomfortable but unless its heavy The Pause says they body is basically having a hissy fit!
I didn’t have kids…still having the same stuff as my friends that did have kids.
Sally,
Could you post those titles for all of us? I looked up The Pause at my library, and it seems to be permanantly checked out.
I’m guest hosting the FBC in the morning…I’ll post the list for all…blogging to share info – what a concept! lol!
Oh, Thanks! And I’ll pass the titles on to my sisters (emailing information between family? What an idea!)
Since katiebird can’t hang around for her guest hosting, I’ve volunteered to take over her tables to practice for my upcoming guest-host stint on the 23rd.
Expect lousy service because I’m on a deadline for some functional specs. But it won’t be entirely awful as I will be hanging about because I hate writing func specs and have to take breaks to cool down my brain.
So whenever you see me
appear, you’d better hoot n’ hollar to get my attention.
BTW, we are having storms and losing power is very common (last night, for instance). So if I disappear for hours and hours, you’ll know why.
Thanks Andi! I know you’ll do great.
I’m off to work (about 10 minutes late).
just like I do everyday — the upside of working at home is that you don’t have far to go to get to work; the downside is that you don’t have far to go to get to work.
My “office” complete with personal assistant.
Andi … I love your PA! Very brave though, to lie behind a wheeled chair… :^)
She has me well-trained. I always get in and out of the chair by swiveling it.
I don’t think I got a chance earlier to say how much I liked the photo of your living room. It looked exactly as I would have thought it might. You guys have a really nice place.
But what are functional specs? Useful eyeglasses? (Okay, I’m playing slightly dumb here, but I am too weak to resist some puns.)
(oops, there goes the pun) are when a customer decides to enhance or customize their system/software/work process and you have to grab them by the throat and threaten to torch every vague, worthless flowchart they have tacked up on the wall in order to extort enough information from them to write up a detailed description of what they had been doing, what they want to do, and how you are going to get them from one place to the other. AKA statement of work.
Sounds like an action movie. Are you really Bruce Willis?
never had to write something like this:
. Separating the functions that must be done through CE from those which must be done on the server. All interaction between the tool and the user must be done with a CE Client AI. All processes which involve Omnimark, Xychange, and XPP functions accessed through Web Services will be accomplished through a Support AI.
I thought all interaction between the tool and the user stopped when Demi dumped him. ::snap::
Hi katiebird, AndiF, CabinGirl, Cali Scribe!
Off to work myself soon – downtown – not going anywhere fancy.
It’s snowing very heavily this morning – covering the ground and trees. The first real snow of the season.
I’m feeling stiff today – had my first game of winter Ultimate last night. It was exhibition, getting team numbers sorted out etc., so not for points. We played indoor, so it got all steamy and smelly! And little rubber bits from the fake grass kept appearing in my shoes!
Here are some flowers for the cafe:
Chrysanthemum, taken 11.13.2005 (large)
Anyways. Hope everyone has a great day. I’ll check back in later if I can get some free time!
Ooooh! Thank you for my new wallpaper!
flowers or is your garden still blooming.
Oh yeah and gorgeous photo — as always.
I have to satisfy my craving artificially … by <gulp> buying flowers. Everything in the garden is covered in snow right now. There is one lone red rose still struggling valiantly… I wonder how I could capture it covered in snow… hmmm … š
(PS. I haven’t forgotten about the garden view … I have some shots from mid-summer that I have to locate, and post.)
It’s my day to represent all those people whom Boo describes in the definition of “don’t be a prick,” as being “not as smart as you.” Today I’m not as smart as anybody.
What’s the game of Ultimate?
If I keep this up, somebody’s sure to write, “Kansas, what’s google?”
That’s a darn good question, Kansas… what the heck IS Ultimate, anyway?
I have to sit next to you today in the “not as smart as you” corner. Of course, that’s my regular seat… should we raise our hands before asking the next question? (tee hee)
Whew! Thanks, Nag! I hated to be alone here, waving my and wildly and being IGNORED. Maybe if you wave, too, they’ll realize they have to deal with the children. As my son said one day when he was about four years old and I was preoccupied chattering with a friend, “Pay attention to ME, Mom!”
It’s team frisbee game, with some VAGUE similarities to football, if I remember correctly. (I haven’t played since the fifth grade…)
Ultimate is team frisbee. Found out more than you ever wanted to know here
Wow, looks like fun–if you don’t mind hurling your body into space, and bouncing on the floor, and getting hit between the eyes by a flying disc. I’m impressed that anybody here plays it.
I’m into Ultimate Raking Leaves.
I do Ultimate Web Surfing. Today’s challenge? Remembering to eat dinner.
Hi kansas and Nag!
CG and Andi described it already … sort of like football in the end zones, offense and defence, “touchdowns” to score, etc. It’s a lot of fun. This is the Ottawa Ultimate league site.
I think there are a few players here at BT: I know ejmw plays. CG played, and I think ask played at one point too.
š
I want to play indoor ultimate…but are people over 30 allowed to play?
As long as you’re healthy enough (ie., it does require some athleticism in that you have to run around). But I’ve seen all ages represented – from teens to older.
It sounds like we probably shouldn’t play — at least not without supplemental hospital insurance coverage. It is very unfair that we become so
much less than pliant as we
mature.
But in my mind, I’m still 25…that should count for something…exactly what, I don’t know.
The farthest I’m going today is my barn and pasture. Not very fast paced, but you never know what wonders you can see: it wasn’t long ago that I spotted a white coyote in the neighboring field. This was taken one foggy morning about a month ago. It’s been my desktop wallpaper ever since.
that make you feel that you could just walk right into them. Wonderful shot (but where are the horses?).
Here’s Bella on that same morning. Now that she’s been with us a few months, her sweet personality is coming out more and more. She’s getting quite attached to me and often nickers when she sees me outside. I just love her to pieces.
Boy, who knew that “ask and you shall receive” could provide such immediate gratification. That’s a wonderful picture as well and equally deserving of wallpaper status.
She’s purty…almost what I would imagine “Black Beauty” looked like.
I feel as if I haven’t seen you for awhile, Nag. Or maybe you’ve been here on the days I’m gone. Beautiful, evocative photo. Love that dip below the gate–plenty of room for dogs and kids to slide under.
I’ve missed you too, Kansas. This was a lucky shot. The sun was actually out and gave the fog a luminescent quality. It actually made that old Agway gate photogenic!
There surely is not much that’s nicer in the whole world than a horse nickering to a human it likes.
Nickers to everybody today! Not to be confused with knickers.
that my sex life is better than yours.
lol! Talk about “no contest.”
your imagination is way better than my real thing.
This is lovely Nag… Andi above said it … Looks like you could walk right into this one!
I’m going across the Hudson to work, not very exciting I’m afraid. But the road up to the bridge is reminiscent of the PCH in California, winding and challenging along a cliff, with great views of the river. Not fun in the winter though. Howdy to all!!!
and I’m supposed to be offering things to you but could you bring me a nova lox with cream cheese on a bialy when you get back?
That’s the spirit! NOW you’re getting into this hosting business.
Same for me, too, please. Lox, cc, on a plain bagel, please. One time, years ago, not understanding the purity of bagels, I tried bragging to a NYC Jewish friend that we had blueberry bagels in K.C.
“Yes,” said she, with horrified gaze and arched eyebrow, “but consider the source.”
because you said bialy, which are better than bagels, which are too chewy, and despite the fact that you said lox, which are best left to cats, and even despite the fact that I will now spend the day wishing I had a bialy, which if I had one, I would put on it butter, lime pickle, and kim chi because cream cheese is, well, cream cheese.
a short sword that probably belonged to Ashurbanipal’s grandfather, I can relate to that.
I had my bialy with humus this AM, tomorrow I’ll save you all some.
that’s one I’ve never thought about (and probably won’t start now).
Howdee!!!
Is that the Saw Mill Pkwy, or are you further up?? (I remember seeing someone in that area on the frappr map, but can’t find the link right now)
It’s the Bear Mountain Pkwyt to the Bear Mountain bridge. A real eye opener in the morning if you haven’t had your coffee yet.
I’ll try to post a photo of the view later.
Sounds cool…
.
It’s 15:00 hrs in The Netherlands with extreme pleasant weather – Indian Summer – especially the weekends. I’ll assume it has come to an end, as Nag’s photo could have been taken ½ mile from here.
KNMI Weather Institute De Bilt
Anyone reading the morning papers – or is it all electronic media news?
Dutch News Headlines
and don’t miss Ariel Sharon’s son with Republican scam difficulties.
He is expected to be sentenced in a plea bargain for 6-8 months jail time.
Pa’s rise to Likud power in 1999 elections, sounds familiar in the greatest democracy of the ME.
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
All web media for me. I gave up our local paper years ago for reasons of general feeble mindedness. Theirs, not mine, I think. Neither do I watch local news, except for weather, because it’s all-crime, all the time, and I don’t watch national tv news except in case of disasters. I like watching Anderson Cooper blowin’ in the wind.
More than you wanted to know.
I’m with Kansas… no newspapers, unless it’s an online version. The local newspapers just piss me off with their opinionated reporting, not to mention all that damn paper to get rid of.
Hey, Oui, what kind of winters do you have? Does the Netherlands have a maritime climate that helps to soften the blow? I’d love to see your country someday…
.
The Dutch love for ice skating, touring and sprint has been challenged by warm winters – global heating phenomena. Warmer climate will be hard for outdoor landscape painters loving the Dutch winters and beautiful floating clouds.
«« click on pic to enlarge »»
To check the true winters in the Netherlands, see the calender for the famous Frisian Elfstedentocht, the best and toughest skating tour lasting between 11 and 14 hours depending on the hardship of weather. The toughest of them all was in the year 1963. Heroes are made of the the sportsmen reaching the finish and boys become men and the endurance of women will be admired.
Graph January Mean Temperature
Wikipedia :: Frisian 11 Cities Tour
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Love the painting Oui! Snagged that beautiful scene for some of my winter blogging pics!
A friend of mine years ago had a giant fabric kite which I think he said was Dutch. He would lean into it, crosswind, and could pass automobiles travelling the road beside the lake.
I don’t know, that looks like winter to me. Oh boy, thanks for the link to the online gallery… there are some absolutely beautiful images there. All that reminded me of the Dutch painters that I loved when studying Art History…
This is by far one of my favorites by Jan Van Eyck. We even had to study the mirror to see how Jan painted himself into the scene. This one’s entitled “Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife Giovanna Cenami (The Arnolfini Marriage)”. Giovanni was a real looker and it SHOULD have been called “Giovanna’s Nightmare”. Jan Van Eyck gallery
Online media 95%, local – Ottawa – newspaper and televised news 5%.
PS. You are always bringing us such interesting information. I really appreciate it. Thank you!
The question regularly wandering through my brain
“Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?”
Another busy day at work…deadlines end at 4:30 today for the critical stuff….thank heavens! Too long without pootie pictures so…let’s all join these 2 in a sunny window…
Look at that, girl! Almost 70 comments and it’s still so early that the West Coasters are barely out of bed. Diane hasn’t even checked in yet. Keep this up and when katiebird gets back she’ll need to open a 3rd Cafe.
Say, you’ve known me long me long enough now, you don’t have to be formal — just Andi is fine.
Umm, if open another cafe, are you going to do or am I? If it’s me, it’ll have to wait till I have time to go get a template and figure out how to change it — which is my whiny, pathetic way of asking if you’ll do it.
I’ll do it right now–anything to stop that whining!–since I have to leave pretty soon, too.
I don’t have to call you Ms. f any longer?
. . .I can’t do is close this cafe.
Everybody please direct people to the next one when it’s open. Thanks.
It said closed and now it doesn’t.
…with peeks out the window, and several toto-walks to nearby scenic spots.
We’ve jumped into winter mode here in Puget Sound. This is about as brown and bare as the landscape ever gets. The coming week is scheduled for identical days of 40F froggy-foggy mornings, shooting up to 45F with partial sun in the afternoons.
This comes just as Florida Mom is set to arrive tomorrow. I’ll be going into Seattle to pick her up, swing by the waterfront for a quick fish lunch, and then out to the rural sound where we dock the boons.
We get along famously, but the big challenge will be her habit of asking Gooserock interesting questions approximately every 4 minutes throughout the work day. At least we can keep her disoriented with liberal radio, an unknown delight in her part of Florida.
Here’s a reprise of last night’s dusk over the Olympic Mountains, since the cafe was so quiet.
Gooserock! How is Puget4 … is she feeling better?
Thanks, Olivia. I’m on a run this morning on my
way to work-work. I’m feeling much better now.
Good morning everyone. I’m at work today, and after that I’m going to go home. With perhaps a stop off at the bank to open a savings account, because bonddad says we all need to save more, and I have not got the best relationship with budgets.
I’m still high off last week’s election results here in Virginia. A new Democratic governor. My own very wonderful state delegate re-elected (and I got a hug and a kiss from him at the victory party!) And lots of other victories in the other local delegate campaigns. Only one of “our” guys lost. It really is a shame about Leslie Byrne. I had hoped she’d make it so that we could run a progressive woman for governor in four years. But this is Virginia.
The best thing of all is how it feels that we’ve got the momentum going our way. How excited all my volunteers were to be there. How much hope we have for the future. I’m really looking forward to next year’s elections. We will be challenging strong incumbents in Congress and in the Senate, so it’ll be an uphill battle, but I’m looking forward to it all the same.
How are y’all?
I don’t think we’ve “met” before. Nice to see you here. Congratulations on your recent victories! It is nice to read good news for a change.
You’re the one who had the diary about remembrance day! or one of them. Veterans’ Day in the US weirds me out. It’s like someone or other here said, it is this celebration of militarism.
I didn’t even know why November 11th until I took a trip to study abroad in college. Eight weeks: four weeks on WW1 in France, and four weeks on WW2 in England. The professor’s name was Andy Wiest and he’s one of the best teachers I’ve had the privelege to encounter. A museum display is a museum display – sometimes no more than a passing curiosity – but when Andy Wiest is there to tell you stories about it, it’s something else again. Complete strangers would often join our cluster of students gathered around to hear him tell us about the wars.
We saw the cemetaries. We saw the beaches at Normandy. We saw the ossuaries. We even walked through the forts of Verdun and the forest nearby. And there were unexploded shells lying on the ground. One big enough I couldn’t have fit my fingers all the way around it, if I had dared to touch it. A collapsible shovel for trench and privy-digging, rusted through. Pieces of barbed wire. And the trenches, eroded, grass-grown, filled in with time, almost 100 years worth of time – but still there.
One of the things I remember most, the moment when it really hit me what these wars had meant in Europe, was the list of names carved on the wall at the entrance to the Waterloo train station in London. It was a list of names of people who had died in WW1. I guess they had worked for the railway or something – I’m not sure. But that type of stuff was everywhere if you looked. People there still remember. We Americans, we don’t remember. We don’t understand. Not unless we’re lucky enough to have the chance to go and see.
I haven’t paid off those student loans yet, but it’s the worthiest debt I ever took on.
I think it’s hard to explain the subtle difference. In Canada, it is not at all about celebrating war or militarism. It’s about stopping. And remembering what happened, why it happened, how people were affected – both here and away, native and foreign etc. It’s about deep reflection on what was lost… and how we could prevent it from repeating…
Thanks for sharing your memories!
Howdy! I beat Gooserock to the punch this morning
with this sunrise shot. Looking west toward Olympic
Mts. Enjoy!
click to enlarge
Great light on the mountains.
Have a great day at work.