A fun flick.

We weren't going to go see "Swing Vote" because we're already in political overload, but it was the next to start so we said why not. It was actually pretty good - I cried and laughed, not a bad arc for a flick. Yes, it's politics as usual but twisted into such a way, we found ourselves laughing out loud. The music is pretty good too. The end could of been so sappy and yet it gives a pretty good message...think for yourself.

Right now I'm giving my eyes a well deserved rest and it's all about volleyball. Beach and indoor Volleyball. A little bit of home :-)

UPDATE: It's beach volleyball, the women wear bikinis and the men wear trunks, except for her China where the men wear tank tops. WHAT is that all about!?!

Sad news.

The great Russian author, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature, gulag survivor, exile and eventual returnee Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has passed away.

If you've never had a chance to read 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' or haven't done so in years, then this would be a good time to pick a copy up.

I've already pulled my copy off the shelf and will be rereading it, most likely learning something new about myself, the author and the world while doing it.

Tagged!

Okay, Selena Illyria just tagged me, but she sent me hot chocolate so no complaints from me :-)

The rules:

Tell seven random and/or interesting things about myself. Get five blog buddies to play, too and link to their blogs. Don’t forget to post the rules!

1. It was sunny today although I stayed inside and worked.

2. Because the sun was out, the thongs were on my feet.

3. I'm wearing a t-shirt, shorts and a big sweatshirt.

4. It's actually about 60 degrees outside, cold but the sun is out.

5. The cutie is away tonight,

6. So I'll be sleeping with the t-shirt he wore to mow the yard last week.

7. This tricks my mind into thinking he's there with me.

I can't think of who to tag right now so all my victims are free to go about their merry little way.

I've been tagged!

My fellow chocoholic Selena Illyria has tagged me for 5 sordid facts so let's get to it before I chicken out.

1. I love high fashion, but I wear mostly shorts and jeans.

2. I love Coca Cola Classic, but I drink fizzy water with juice and an occassional Coke Zero.

3. I love being barefoot, but wouldn't think of walking anywhere with at least my thongs on.

4. I love going out to dinner with friends, but don't really care about the food.

5. I love being tan, but now know it's bad for me so use sunscreen and hats.

I'm not to sure who to tag so I'm putting it out there for whomever has 5 "sordid" traits to have at it :-)

A bit of random ridiculousness...

Last night the cutie and went to the flicks to see Jumper. It was all right, interesting premise, but I came home with a bruised nose and swollen face.

Why? Well, I wear glasses and when I say I don't see well in the dark, I mean it. You see, I dropped a napkin and bent over to pick it up and nailed the empty seat in front of me. Misjugdged the distance or simply forgot it was there...both are possible. What made the price steep for making a mistake was the fact it's an old theater with wooden seats.

OUCH!

So, what's the positive here?

The nose isn't broke and I don't have black eyes :-)

Who knew going to the movies could be so dangerous!

Thursday 13 - #28!

Last week my TT was about where we stayed in Milan. It was a treat all on its own. I was on my own for most of it, cutie had to work some seriously long hours - even jetted off to Paris for a day. Today I'm going to list 13 highlights from the trip:

1.

The Duomo is the most noted of all the sights and it is impressive. There are a many many statues decorating the outside, even a few women, placed there over decades by different artists. I found the crypt - not my usual fortay - interesting. I should've realized then that the gems of Milan would be hidden.

2.

One night the cutie and I were in town and this has to be one of the most vibrant sunsets I've seen. The Duomo is at our back and were looking toward the Castle. Wow!

3.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is right off the Piazza del Duomo [think Traffalgar Square with all the bird - eek] and is full of shopping. No, I didn't take these pictures, mine were far too dark. I had to laugh when I noticed McDonalds was located across from Savini - way upmarket restaurant. Nice. No, I didn't spin on the bull for luck but did shop in one of my favoritebookshops - Rizzoli. Great selection :-) Opposite the Duomo entrance is the one from Teatro alla Scala. Didn't get a chance to go in but would've loved to have - it looks stunning!

4.

The Castello Sforzesco was much more than I'd expected. It's a Castle with a handful of museums inside, but it was the wildlife that caught my attention first. There are over 50 wild cats that have been adopted by the staff and they live in the walls of the building. If you can't see the one white cat in this first pic...



here is a close up...yup, he came out of the hole for scaffolding to sit in a sunny spot on the ledge.

5.

The various museums were a great mixture from Mummy's to musical intruments, but I had one favorite. I could take a picture - too dark - so borrowed these here and here so you guys can get a brief idea of what it looks like. Leonardo Da Vinci was painting the ceiling and walls in this room while working on The Last Supper. It's a pergola and so much more. It's been covered by paneling for decades before they discovered what was underneath. Eventually the limbs and trunks of the trees start digging in through the rock foundation. It is a powerful piece.



6.

Please forgive me for not remembering which church this one is and cobbling the picture together from two, but the beauty is in the differences. This is the backside and interesting to see how many different additions there have been. In front, there was a bride and groom out on the front steps being congratulated and an inside out collande full of young goths. I never really understood what the single row of columns and partial architrave were from, but it was an interesting mixture going on out front and in back. Oh, and the parc where the goths feeling romantic were decorating the benches used to be where they hanged people. Yup, had to laugh.

7.

Did you know there's a canal district in Milan? There is and it's a hot bed of fun! This is where the parties are at night and during the day the shopping is interesting. I forgot to take a picture but there was one guy who had a shop right on the canal and he painted the most incredible purses. Yes, purses that looked so real someone might of picked one off a counter. If he hadn't been closed I think I would've checked it out for one for myself. Fun, quirky, and fell perfectly into the Hot Couture series. Oh yeah, remember, I was in Milan doing research for "His High Stepper" - work, work, work :-)

8.

On the otherside of the canal was a crepe shop! Dang, can't remember what it was called but it was spectacular. The Italians seem to love Nutella. It isn't something I care for so went for a limone e zucchero [lemon and sugar] and it was divine. It was a great little shop, all of those brown things in the cupboard and handmade cones for the gelato, which is found under those brass bells. I did partake a couple of cups of gelato and it was lovely!

9.

I walked, lots. Each morning I'd take the bus to the Central Train Station and from there hop on the Metro and take it to the area I wanted to explore and walk. I enjoy finding the everyday life of these places I visit. Whenever I know I'm going someplace new I get 2 things: popout map and travel guide [like the DK Eyewitness Travel ones because they give you history of the place, details and more about what else there is besides what the place is known for]. Getting off the well known path is how I feel like I get to know some place.

10.

Walking off one of the pedestrian only streets in the Fashion District was a busy street and this was across the way. Really look at it. The windows are different, there's arches for structure but off from those above them, and up top is a fresco. It made me pause - I enjoy finding interesting things like this.

11.

When you see pictures of European cities, you often see these huge double wooden doors, sometimes with a small portal in them and sometimes not. I often wonder what's behind them. Some drive their cars through them for parking, some have private roads behind them, others have extensive gardens. This one had a courtyard with cannons. It was a museum so open to the public.



12.

You guys know me, what's a trip without some cioccolata and once with panna [cream]! Trust me, the cream was a distraction, the chocolate was so thick you ended up with a face full of the stuff before tasting the dark glory :-) The bottom cup won the award for the thickest cup...as it cooled I needed a spoon!

13.

I saved my favorite place for last - the Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte. This is a place you go to see for the structure as well as the art found inside. Although full of guards, it was all very relaxed with a gem around every corner. One room I walked throug had a young man with a lifesized portrait leaning against the wall and was cleaning it while a young woman was taking detailed photos of the hardwood floors - for repairing. The next room over is the one you see above. Those were the last people I saw for 3 hours when they closed for a 2 1/2 hour lunch :-) From this floor up to the attic was full to the brim of treasures.

My only disappointment, there was no guide for the Villa or any other place other than the Duomo. Such a shame really. The one book I came away from Milan with was The Sforza Castle with watercolors by Jack Tow and text by Amelie Gale.

Many people have mentioned to me that Milan is an industrial city and therefore boring - I beg to differ, I found some of my favorite places and things of all time here. So, if you're ever given an opportunity to visit this city, GO!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone :-)

Thursday 13 - #27!

Back at the start of December the cutie went off to Milan and I went to the New York Small Press & Independent Press Book Fair. It was a wonderful fair, met some truly interesting people, but I knew I would've enjoyed a new adventure with the cutie as well. So, when he had to make the trip again, I went along and what a wonderful hotel he found - and not two blocks away from where he was working. Let me share some of my favorite bits of the Villa Torretta in Parc Nord, Milan.


No, I didn't take this picture, it was dark when I finally thought about doing it. Oh, I guess I should give you a little background on the hotel. It's a renovated 15th century villa that was going to be torn down until they decided it was a true gem inside, because under all the years of white wash and wallpaper were the original frescoes.

The cutie and I were up every morning to eat breakfast together and there were two ways down the hallways from our room to the restaurant.

1.

Downstairs, along the outside hallway and then back upstairs [this is the view of the picture above], or down the hallway from our room. This took us through:

2.

a sitting room,

3.

another sitting room,

4.

a ballroom,

5.

and another ballroom with a coffered ceiling painted with birds,

6.

and into the hallway where the buffet was set up.

7.

And of course I'd enjoy a cioccolata [I could spend another post on this alone, it was gorgeous, thick but not sweet] in one of 3 rooms.

8.

9.

10.

Other highlights in the Villa are:

11.

This is the Torretta Belevedere, which takes some interesting twists and turns to get up to, but it's worth it. I'd bring my laptop up here and get some writing done - yeah, I know, deadlines are deadlines.

12.

This is just one example of how interesting the structure is. The picture is looking down from the 5th floor to the 3rd where there's a glass floor, through which you can see a doorway which doesn't meet up with the current floor - which is as old as mud. These types of unique bits and pieces were all over the place, with a bricked up doorway there and a odd beam ending hanging out over there. Just great.

13.

If you go outside the Villa using the opposite side as the one shown above, then you come out onto a brick courtyard. There's a park on one side and a Chapel on the other. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to go inside, we were out with associates of the cuties the night it was open for a festival. I've seen pictures though and it is as frescoed as the rest of the villa. Incredible!

The staff were very kind and gave me a copy of their guide...research guys, it's all in the name of research :-) I'm not sure how I'll use this gem in "His High Stepper", but it will definitely be there.

Next week I'll show you a few of the highlights from my various trips into the center of Milan.

Tagged!

I have the lovely Mel - Melissa Schroeder - for this tag, thank you darlin' :-) So, here are 7 random facts about me...

1. It's freezing cold and I've had my second cup of hot chocolate in over a week. This is the downside of traveling.

2. The cup before this last one was at a great place where I also had french toast, yummy!

3. My heart hopes Brett Farve wins this next match and goes on to win the Super Bowl.

4. Then again, I won't be fussed if the Giants pull it out and come through to win either.

5. I love traveling with the cutie - we see such great things, meet interesting people and can share it together.

6. Had lunch in a cafe today and it was one of the best burgers!

7. Right now I would kill for some red vines to nibble and time to WRITE!

I'm not going to tag anyone this time around because I won't be around to read what they wrote - and that's the best part. But if you fancy taking up the challenge, go for it and leave a comment with your link!

Enjoy!

Book Talk!

This is the first Book Talk! of 2008 where I'm at a computer with internet so I figured why not tell you the 4 books I received for Christmas and more.

For God, Country & Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company That Makes It by Mark Pendergrast. Forget your cola allegiences, promotional overload and all that muck, the company itself is an interesting institution and I'm looking to reading about it's history.

The Smithsonian Book of Books by Michael Olmert. I love books and this one details books from scrolls, through the craft of making a bound book, illustrations, the business of, and much more. I like the last line: "You are what you read. EXPLICIT."

I Never Knew That About England by Christoper Winn. "The term Thankful Village was first used by Arthur Mee in the 1930s and refers to those villages whose men and women all came home safely from the First World War. They were distinctive in having no war memorials, although some had monuments, usually in the curch, in gratitude for their good fortune. Among the thousands of vilalges in England, Arthur Mee reckoned there were, at most, 31 Thankful Villages, although he could only positively identify 24." The book is broken down into counties and is full of little gems like this one.

Olivia Helps With Christmas by Ian Falconer [the cutie snuck this one in thinking I'd been so busy I'd missed it's release - only I hadn't missed it - is he not the sweetest thing around!?!]

I'm sill working through Entombed by Linda Fairstein - will most like leave it on the next flight for someone else to enjoy. As for ebooks, I've started A Slave's Way Out by C.A. Salo from over at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid and am really enjoying it. This weekend I'm going to get to take with me on the next couple of trips, they are The Angelini: Mystic's Run by Jory Strong at Ellora's Cave and Dark Elves IV: Dissent by Jet Mykles at Loose Id. Both are the latest installments in series I've enjoyed reading.

Yup, I have varied tastes for my reading material - how about you? What books did you get for Christmas, are reading right now, or are going to get?

Thursday 13 - #26!

I'm Back! Okay, we returned sometime on New Years Eve and am slowly getting back into the swing of things - very slowly and with a few really stupid mistakes along the way. With very short notice as in the day after we had all their pressies shipped to the right of us, we decided to spend the holidays to the right of us - I know, but we wouldn't have carried them over with us anyway. We shopped and posted pressies to the left, wrote this sides cards and posted, packed, left SideShow Bob [prelit palm "christmas" tree], and flew away. So how did it go:

1. Hassle free getting to the airport, checking in, and made it to the lounge where we sat down with a glass of champagne and wrote the cards out for the right of us with plans to post from the airport when we landed. See we were thinking ahead! The flight was slightly delayed, but by the time we pulled away from the gate there were 50 planes ahead of us - GASP! Yes, I counted the planes waiting behind us as we rushed down the runway and hit 38 by the time we pulled up. Most of the flight was full of turbulence so sleeping was tricky - and I missed the hot fudge sundae I'd been looking forward to.

2. Despite the delay, we were only about an hour late. Luggage was there so we went up to the cafe, put stamps on our cards and posted them, then the in-laws arrived and the rush rush began. After flying 6+ hours, we drove 4 [okay I slept most of the way] to the brother-in-laws and were thrilled we had the attic room with our own bathroom and a tv. It was deliciously quiet up there - and with 3 kids under 10, that was really nice. One problem, it was flippin' frigid!

3. The next day, we went into town and did a little shopping and narked everyone off by stopping by the pub on the walk home :-) Yup, roped the sister-in-law onto the dark side. Christmas Eve we hung out at home and played with the kids - eating and drinking, you know, the usual. Later, we wrapped up pressies that had arrived before us unwrapped and then the cutie put together a medieval castle, my part was the battering ram.

4. We actually woke up early - or early for us considering our bodies thought it was about 3am. The house was quiet so I took a shower, pushed the cutie in to take one and went downstairs only to find the kiddos had dashed through their pressies from Santa. Niece #4 had been happily snoozing and the other two waiting patiently for her to wake up. BIL and SIL finally took pity on the boys and woke up sleeping beauty. It was a blast watching them play with their pressies - until the cutie showed the youngest, wildest, nephew #3 how to fling the army out of the castle via slapping the drawbridge down to the ground. Yes, someone is not in the brothers good graces but what can I say, the cutie is a genius :-)

5. Did I just call him a genius? My mistake, because the man found in town a hot pink cowboy hat with a tiara that lit up for me me. Of course I wore it, anything is better than those found in the crackers. Oh, yes, we did the christmas cracker thing, ate turkey, the cutie bbq'd a slab of beef, and enjoyed my favorite bad for you sausage wrapped in bacon. There were roasted potatoes, parsnips and more, as well as mashed potatoes that made it on to my plate - all lovely!

6. Boxing day was more of the same, only I od'd on fabulous cheese :-) What can I say, I'm easy for a nice creamy brie on crackers. The BIL was kind enough to buy in a couple of different dark beers - I know, who'd of thunk it, a girl from the left of us who never liked beer, moves to the land of ale and falls in love with it. So, yes, I had some Black Sheep - the Emmerdale special edition was all right - and a few others.

7. Because it was raining on Christmas day, we took the kids out on their toys this day and it didn't turn out so good for everyone. Niece #4 [who is 7] on her roller blades was wonderful, only going downhill gave her a few nerves. Nephew #3 [who is 3] pushed his scooter and was happy doing that - I think he'll be a demon once on the driveway and flat road. Newphew #2 [who is 9] wiped out on the skateboard and wouldn't carry it back home, in fact he put some serious distance between him and it, so the cutie and I took turns. I forgot how much balance it takes to ride one of those things.

8. The next day we made the drive north. I have always disliked this drive and it wasn't any better this time, in fact it was really bad! The FIL had to drive [and he sucks big time, the cuties hand was my saving grace] and there was traffic so a usually 4 hour drive took over 7. I admit to falling asleep at one time and woke up on screaming - no one said anything, but later I asked the cutie and he admitted his father had been speeding then slamming on his brakes. Yeah, I figured it was something like that because I can sleep like the dead if I'm tired. Somewhere along the way we stopped at an "american diner". Yup, I'm always dubious of these things, especially since a beefburger is not a hamburger. But they sold "burgers" and it was actually ok, as were the fries

9. Once we made it up to the north, we went to the chippie [fish & chip shop] and I had a sausage and chips with scraps. No, this is not a healthy meal, it is all fried, the scraps are bits of fried batter that fall off, but so good with vinegar, salt and a bun with butter, mmmm. Later we walked down to the local pub to see if the cutie had any friends in and there was the best man from our wedding, propping up the bar doing the quiz. We joined him and lost, dang, but I love the quizzes. Once that was finished we sat in a booth and were joined by another friend who was up from London for the hols.

10. This day should have been relaxing, but the FIL got us in the car again. He likes to go around roudabout on two reals and floor it to the next one. What does this do to someone who has a dubious stomach - that's right, I was ready to throw-up. We made it to the seaside in less than a half hour and I never thought the north sea looked so welcoming and that's saying alot. We stopped at a pub, I had water instead of what I would've liked to have. We walked along the front and out onto the pier before heading back to town for dinner.

11. That night we met up with best man and friend at the pub for a crawl, but because it was raining we stayed there, ready to take a taxi to the next where we'd set up to meet up with another friend later on. But we pleasantly surprised when another friend and his wife showed up. The last time I saw the wife, she wasn't doing so well. They'd done an around the world trip and caught up with us after having come up through south america [yes, she had the water]. She looks great and I was thrilled to catch up with her. All six of us grabbed a taxi to the next pub and met up with the other friend. The pub had late hours so we closed it down and they kicked us out at about 1 and walked home.

12. This day we took the in-laws out for lunch and shopping. It was an easy day mainly because I think the cutie and I were feeling a little worse for wear. Who wouldn't when one round had been a pint with shots dropped inside it. Later we went to the bowling club to watch the cuties team play away. Now, get your head around this, we were watching the game taking place a few hours drive through Al Jazerra with a turkish commentator. Yup, my head is spinning as well. They won so all was good and we headed home to pack, have an early dinner before heading off to another set of friends. They couldn't make it out the night before - no one to leave the kiddies with - so we went to them. It was great to catch up with them, they bought in bottles of coke for me and yes, I partook. In fact, everywhere I went they kindly had cokes for me - so thoughtful!

13. It was another late night - not bad for us because we thought we were still on the time here - silly us. Next morning we went drove to the airport and stayed at a hotel for the early morning flight. We watched another footie game in the bar before heading up to take a relaxing bath and sleep. Everything went well on this leg of the journey, and I enjoyed the hot fudge sundae :-) The only bad part was they screwed up the customs video thing and I missed the end of the movie I was watching, so if anyone knows how Goya's Ghost ends please let me know.

Get this, an hour and 10 minutes after landing, we'd made it through immigration, luggage collection, customs [without any questions about the duffel bag full of smokey bacon, worcester sauce, and prawn cocktail bags of crisps, oh and some chocolate as well], driving what would normally be about a 45 minute drive, and we were home! No snow to shovel, no more ice skating rink, it was all good. We dashed next door to wish the neighbors a happy new year and then we were home. It was a lovely trip, lots of time with family and friends, just what we needed to end the year on a good note and we needed that.

So, happy new year everyone, may this one be a great one for us all.

Hump Day Reflections

Outside it's an ice skating rink. Yesterday my car slid down the drive side ways, little scary but was able to make it down in one piece. My fault to, we shoveled one car lane, but not the other. Oh well, maybe it will melt.

We aren't taking the tree out for a pic in the frigid tundra like we'd planned...but thought I'd share anyway, so here it is, nice and cozy inside.

Happy Christmas everyone and may your new year bring you nothing but joy.

Off to the right of us, see you in the new year.

Book Talk!

This will be the last Book Talk! of the year, and it showcases a "problem" I have in being a bookie [a real lover of books]. My name is Tilly Greene, and I own multiple copies of the same book, sometimes by the same illustrator. "The Night Before Christmas", six copies, five different artists, and I love each one.


Might as well start out with the lady who has shown up in Book Talk! time and again, including a Holiday book. It is none other than Tasha Tudor. Maybe she has the same problem as me, because she not only illustrated the book twice, and they are both different. I don't have a favorite, just enjoy them both equally.


Another person who has already been mentioned, and is here again, would be Robert Sabuda. I think this pop-up is one of his best. This particular book is vivacious and full of wonder, just like the tale it is depicting.


Might as well stay with the trend with Lisabeth Zwerger. This is a gentle and full of dreams offering. There's an other worldly quality to Zwerger's work, and yet is very beautiful.


One of the illustrators I recently found, who I have a few books by, is Will Moses. I like the simple and old Americana feel to his work. The views of his small towns are a joy to see, and the colors used are fantastic.


This is the book I bought this year and if you see it, buy it! This is a wonderful book to give as a gift or have a copy of for yourself. Done with elegant silhouette drawnings, each page shows two views of the same action. The finale is another wow factor. Okay, it's a delightfully delicate pop-up that speaks clearly of what this tale is all about...Santa is on our rooftop. Mr. Puttapipat is on my "list".

There you go, a holiday collection to maybe inspire you to buy a book for someone on your list - or yourself.

Energy levels are flickering

Friday the cutie and I decided what to do about the holidays, whether to stay or go, and then went shopping. When we got home, some friends came over and, I confess, the cocktails flowed and I partook plenty of champagne and Baileys. Hence, Saturday started off a little slow, but we got going, shopped some more and stopped off another set of friends to do a little computer T.L.C. and partook some lovely Port from Australia [will have to remember this one for later]. We headed home to make it an early not and ended up have another Baileys next door.

Slept in and am slow to make a move - except the cutie has shown me how to make his chocolate surprise. If it works, then I'll write it up and submit it for "Coming Together: In the Kitchen", a cookbook whose proceeds will be going to 'Action Against Hunger'.

Thursday 13 - 25!

Last week I mentioned having spent some time at one of my favorite places, The Getty Villa. If you didn't know, this museum is a duplicate of the Villa deo Papiri in Herculaneum and houses JP Getty's collection of antiquities. The building has recently undergone almost 10 years of renovations. For a couple of years I spent at least a day a week up here, rifling through their old reading room. It's gone now, and so are many other things, but it is still worth a visit. They now both an indoor and outdoor theater, great lecture series, as well as visiting exhibitions. The one we saw was glass and it spanned ancient, historical, and modern examples of various pieces. I honestly wouldn't have picked this one as being interesting, but it was.

Enough, here are 13 highlights and a couple of low lights.

The Structure
1.
The outside peristyle is still the same - there's something rather relaxing about the Drunken Satyr, and his copatriot in debauchery at the other end. I could spend hours out here in the sun, listening to the water falls.

2.
The east garden is the same as well, small, enclosed and totally peaceful. There are benches running along the path for sitting.

3.
Okay, what's exciting about the roof of a parking garage? Nothing, other than it's a reclamation zone. That's right, despite being in an area prone to earthquakes, landslides, and wildfires, they still made an effort at conservation - kudos!

4.
The inside of the museum circles around the inner peristyle. Nothing changed here, although walls have been put up so there's no more immediate view of the Lansdowne Herakles in his special marble alcove.

Infamous Pieces
5.
The Lansdown Herakles is a key piece to the collection and I think a real stunner. This is one the articles I studied in depth, and let me tell you, having to take pictures of a larger than life cock with a guard standing nearby laughing is no easy task.

6.
There's been a problem with museums around the world and how they obtain some of their work. The Getty is caught up in this area, and the Italian government has asked for the return of this bronze. The Victorious Youth now has his own room, sealed so he doesn't fall apart so I guess he's staying for a long time.

7.
This gentleman, the Getty Kouros [male] was accompanied by notes for the viewers to know of his dubious status - rather ingenious of the curators. He is either a pristine very early archaic [530 BC] statue, or a flawed forgery.

Interesting Pieces
8.
The Dionysus Herm, an odd gentleman with one eye watching you check out his cock and balls. It's hard not to.

9.
The way this goddess is dressed makes the experts believes it's Aphrodite. If you can imagine this, her garments were red, pink, and blue, some paint still remains. What never fails to hold my interest is this lady's marble face. It's amazing how her hair, and most likely a veil, fell, but the face remained intact.

10.
Folds, it's all about how the sculptors were able to make such perfect folds, while still remaining true to the body beneath. Later, came the wet fabric look, where the body is show with a thin piece of wet fabric over it [another incredible approach to stone] but in 475 BC, this was HOT!

Missing Pieces
11.
The boys. I miss them so.

12. This centaur used to be the greeter at the old entrance, overlooking the outer peristyle. He is simply stunning.

13. Ahhh, Marsyas, used to rest just inside the inner peristyle, in the room of smaller greek objects. He isn't large, but he definitely packed a punch.

It's interesting how in contemporary times viewers think these pieces are stunning, but their original state is much more garish, gawdy, and scary looking. Maybe I'll do another list on what the gorgeous marble and bronze sculptures would have looked like all tarted up.

Book Talk!

Last Tuesday I started with my Holiday books, today is the pop-up part of this particular section.

If there is one thing you should know about me personally, it's that I love a good pop-up book. The ones I'm drawn to are those for adults and kids alike - they are full of energy, pop with wow, and are simply stunning.

One of my favorite paper engineers is Robert Sabuda, so it is no surprise I have more than a couple of his books. Using all white pops with colored blocks is what drew me to him in specific, and this style is prevalent in his holiday works like "The 12 Days of Christmas" and "Christmas Alphabet".



Last year Sabuda made a small(ish) "Christmas" pop-up using a few pops from previous books and a new one. Another one was done this year, "Winter in White", but I haven't picked a copy up - space limitation makes me very picky and I think these two books are great for kids or those wanting an introduction to Sabuda in particular or pop-ups in general.



Chuck Fischer may not have elaborate pop-ups like "Great American House and Gardens" and "The White House", but they hold interesting information and are visually delicious. A couple years ago he released "Christmas in New York" and it is a wonderful celebration of how the city celebrates the season. This book closes with a spectacular New Years pop, full of color and speaks almost as the night itself does, without the chill that is.



This year Fischer released "Christmas Around the World". There are pull outs of details and an ornament at the end in both of these - someone who loves the holidays will like both of these.



"Happy Holidays" is one of those tiny books found at the counter and, although they are hard to find now, it is a true gem about receiving a card in the mail. It's all in cream, tiny, simple, and a keeper.



My most unique pop-up in my holiday collection, isn't really a pop-up. Jan Pienkowski's "The First Noel" is both a shadow box and carousel, a fantastic choice for anyone interested in the wonders of paper engineering. Pienkowski is an incredible silhouette artist and here he works his magic in all white against a lovely red background. The book opens all the way up and ties open so it can be set on a table top and viewed in the round.



There you go, a small section of my pop-ups, all focused on the holidays. I hope you're now as drawn to open one of these treasures up and see how incredible they are. Next Tuesday, Book Talk! will look at the last part of my holiday books - all with the same title: "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".

I cooked!

Ok, earlier this week I told the cutie I'd come up with 3 things to cook when he returned home and he was excited.

Deviled Eggs
Mince and Dumplings
Peppermint Brownies

So yesterday I started with the last one, nothing to heavy and a treat for later. After 3 trips to the market and 1 to the shops for a hand mixer [yeah, I know, who lives in a country for almost 10 years and doesn't own a hand mixer, that would be us], two phone calls to Mom and big sis for help [salted vs unsalted butter], they were in the oven when the cutie came home. After the usual welcome home "things" he lovingly called me a fraud.

Apparently he thought I was cooking from scratch and my Peppermint Brownies mix was bought from William Sonoma [add eggs and butter, the latter of which I messed up], although it was my idea to add a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle the accompanying Peppermint Snow on top.

Nevermind, the other two things I'll make this week are from scratch :-)

Thursday 13 - 24!

The cutie and I spent most of November to the left of us, enjoying ourselves. Friday was spent doing laundry so the cutie had something to take on his trip, and I prepared for the book fair on Saturday. Well, I'm feeling overwhelmed with the to-do's and need to calm it all down so I'm going to share the trip with you all.

1. Our flight was delayed by 2 1/2 hours. This left us with a bunch of drunks who were loud and obnoxious, but that was the worst thing they did. About half way through someone behind us collapsed and there was a dash of oxygen tanks and what not, and the drunks all stared with their mouths opened. Sorry, I'm not a crash viewer, at the worst moment in someone's life, the last thing they need is to be stared at.

2. Because we were to the left, I was the driver - for the entire time. We had our first Prius and it was great. Quiet, faster than I thought - apparently the optimum speed is 65, or so the cutie kept telling me, but I drive 10 over the speed limit minus a couple to make it not worth a policeman's time to pull me over. Okay, I hit the 80's a couple of times.

3. There's a different mindset where I was brought up compared to where I am or to the right of us. People to the left of us don't talk about miles, they talk in terms of how long it takes to get someplace. The drive from the big airport takes about 1 hour 15 to my Mom's, 2 hours with traffic. At one time during this visit we used Google Maps for directions and there it was time with and without traffic! Anyway, this time it took a shocking 45 minutes and there were miles where there wasn't a car to be seen. I kid you not, this has never happened to me, there's always cars on the road.

4. First morning, it was all about settling into the usual. We hit Jean Paul's for coffee/chocolate milk and croissants and sat in the sun relaxing. The jeweler who made my ring [an old family friend] came in for his morning constitution and joined us for a bit - this is what we do when we're there. Next we walked into town and hit Friends of the Library for a couple of books, and last, to the beach to read until someone came to feed the birds - ahhh! Went back to mom's and then dashed across the road to sit at our favorite spot overlooking Rockpile. No surfers, they're working on the hillside so the beach is closed.

5. We made it to my nephew's soccer game on Saturday - he's a speed demon! Anyway, they were winning so we felt comfortable in leaving early to make the local theaters showing of American Gangster - didn't want to have to drive to one of those metroplex things. Wow, what a flick!

6. Big sis took us on her errands day - cutie didn't believe me it was an exhausting endeavor. I've since been told by niece 1 and 2 separately that she tones it down for me. Anyway, we lunched, shopped and found our Christmas tree. If we're here for the holidays we head over to a local farmer and chop one down - but after seeing this gem, we figure a little more fun is in order. What is it? A 7' pre-lit palm tree :-) The tree's been ordered because the cutie worried they'd sell out of them...kid you not...so there will be a pic [maybe I'll set it up outside in the snow - yeah, that's part of why we did it, a palm tree in the snow suits us just fine].

7. Mom was being honored at her work with a special dinner and we weren't sure we were going. Well, once we found out we were going, it was a mad dash out to get the cutie a tie, coat and pants. I wore the dress with inappropriate cleavage with my leather jacket - give us a break, we were on holiday! Nephew was fantastic, dressed up in a coat, tie and real shoes - that's a big deal, and ontime!

8. We did a wine and cheese night up at big sisters house. It was lovely, although I couldn't drink any [an adamant no drink and drive, lost far too many classmates back in high school to this practice and don't need to see it as an adult], although it certainly smelt delicious. They also gave me my b-day pressie - it was back in September - and I LOVE it!

9. Sitting out catching some serious Vitamin D, the brother-in-law and nephew phoned and asked if we wanted to meet down at the cutie's favorite haunt for beers and nachos. We put on some shoes and walked down to join them. After the third round we went across the street to the beach and watched brother in law and niece #3 surf, and nephew swim. Then a school of dolphins came by and we watched them for a while. It was simply divine.

10. Thanksgiving came and we all went up to the big sisters. They hosted a fabulous feast for 13 of us. We watched a little football, chatted with the nieces and nephew, helped a smidgen, ate plenty, and were home in bed for 8:00pm.

11. There was a visit to Fatburger, Ruby's, Husky Boys for cheeseburgers - yummy in my tummy! We also hit the Royal Hawaiian for ribs and lapu lapu's - delicious! Went out to Thai Bros with the big sister and BIL, our anniversaries are within five days of each other, so it was all about celebrations and trying to talk them in to a trip to the right of us so we could show them where all their kids have been. We also visited a new Thai place so I had plenty of tofu to gnaw on.

12. Throughout our time there, and every time we go, Jean Paul's is where everyone met up with us at some point - even my big sister came [JP bothers her but if someone else will order, it's all good]. It's lovely when family and friends come and go from the table. We set something up or just natter for ages while sitting in the sun.

13. The cutie and I did only one organized thing and it was because I hadn't made it up there yet and really [really] wanted to go. The Getty Villa has reopened. This is someplace I spent months of my life at and I wanted to see what they'd done to it and some of my favorite pieces. I think I'll save all the details on this one for another TT. Now, to share with you how the cutie thinks, he was all excited to go because there was a big fire going on at the time and had hopes of seeing flames or something - nope, there wasn't a black cloud to be seen, it was simply lovely!

So, I'm sure you picked up on the trend for our trip...basically we did sod all except sit out in the sun and vegetate. Nice! Now I'm back and it's flippin' frigid! No, this isn't my usual it's 65 and I need a jacket, it's like 30 and to the left of us will be in the 80's tomorrow! It snowed on Sunday, on top of all the leaves that fell the day after we left - ahhh, the joy of Autumn. So beautiful and done in a few weeks, now we're left with copious amounts of leaf blowing. Bring on the hot chocolate!

Book Talk!

It's December and, after taking a look at my shelves for Book Talk, its apparent I love children's Christmas books so I guess we'll look at those. A little secret I don't often reveal is that it's often the illustrations of a picture book that will have me picking it up off the shelves to look at - that's for unknown to me authors/illustrators. Anyway, let's jump in and check out some of the holiday books in my collection.

I've mentioned this author/illustrator before, Tasha Tudor, but what you don't know is that my sister and I received this book , Take Joy, in our advent calendar one year when we were young. It's a true gem of a book, full of music, stories, poems, and more. Also on my shelves are two paperbacks, The Christmas Cat and The Doll's Christmas, and her most recent book Corgiville Christmas .

Another blast from the past for many that can be found upstairs on the shelves would be Holly Hobbie. Her Toot & Puddle pigs are favorites of mine, they're often sent out as gifts for little ones. Let it Snow was just released and said to be her last with the two porcine cuties, but I think the real treasure would be I'll Be Home for Christmas .

A more recent illustrator I follow and collect is Lisabeth Zwerger. She's fabulous, and in fact has a new Gift of the Magi out, but I haven't done it. The holiday books of her that I have on my shelves are A Christmas Carol and Nutcracker . Her drawings are incredible, thought provoking for children's book, if you get a chance check out her Wizard of Oz.

As far as I can tell, Elise Primavera has only written and illustrated Auntie Claus and Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas , and that's fine. There're beautiful, vibrant, and scream with fun for kids.

When it comes to the best Christmas story in this group, it has to be Audrey Wood's A Cowboy Christmas . I remember the day I bought this one. Robert Florczak's paintings had me picking it up off the shelf, but the story had me crying. This book is a true gem that every family should have and read together.

I'm on one of those people who, if I like someone's work, must have everything they've done. British author/illustrator Camilla Ashforth has a lovely trilogy about a bear, and Willow at Christmas is a part of this set. Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig have are the author/illustrator duo for Angelina Ballerina...a few of these are signed, yup, I'm that big of a fan from the start of this series, and Angelina's Christmas is there with all the others [although I'm missing Alexander and the Magic Boat]. Ahhh, then there's Mariana's Miss Flora McFlimsey series. Wow, I even remember the bookshop these came and the owner who read stories out loud to anyone who wanted - Going on a Bear Hunt was always my favorite. Miss Flora McFlimsey's Christmas Eve , one of seven, unfortunately I'm still on the hunt for two more [Miss Flora McFlimsey and Little Laughing Water and Miss Flora McFlimsdey and the Little Red Schoolhouse]. Another author/illustrator I collect and often give out as a gift is Ian Falconer's Olivia - a wonderfully independent pig if there ever was one. Every little girl needs to have this set which includes Olivia Helps at Christmas .

William Joyce's Santa Calls introduced me to this interesting author/illustrator - I love his work, especially Buddy and The Leaf Men. Yes, he also does the Rolie Polie Olie books/series on Disney and the recent moviee Meet the Robinsons, a take off of his A Day with Wilbur Robinson.

A couple of years ago I found Silent Night , illustrated by Will Moses, and have been hooked ever since. In fact, each Halloween our local framing shop has a poster of his called Girls Night Out and I'm always tempted.

I started with a treasure from my youth, well here is another. My Mom and I were at a holiday fair and in one of the tents was two ladies, the authors and illustrators of Sophie's Surprise and although I was too old for the advent calendar, my Mom still bought this for me and we had it signed.

Yup, I've warned you all, I've been a bookie for most of my life.

So there are a few of my holiday books, next week will check out the holiday pop-ups that reside in this house.

If you're looking for more Book Talk, today I'll be over in the Love Romances Cafe from 10-4:00pm est chatting about my erotic romances.

Book Talk!

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang, is one of my all time favorite books and I highly recommend it as a great read. This is a non-fiction account of a daughter, mother, and grandmother figuring out how to get along together while coming from their various eras. There's a great timeline giving what was happening personally and politically in China. The first paragraph of the Epilogue is what pulls you in to read about this family of strong women.

"I have made London my home. For ten years, I avoided thinking about the China I had left behind. Then in 1988, my mother came to England to visit me. For the first time, she told me the story of her life and that of my grandmother. When she returned to Chengdu, I sat down and let my own memory surge out and the unshed tears flood my mind. E decided to weite Wild Swans. The past was no longer too painful to recall because I had found love and fulfillment and therefore tranquility."

Wow! Well, I couldn't leave this wonderfully rich world behind so picked up Cao Xueqin's The Story of the Stone [also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, volume 1 - The Golden Days]. Called a great novel of manners in Chinese literature, I struggled to get through, but I did. Then, for a trip I picked up volume 2 - The Crab-Flower Club, and my bookmark is still set to page 135. These books are beautifully detailed, most likely too much for me at that time in life. The Jia family is at the center, but my memory is that it was more about the son and how cherished and beloved he was.

Okay, so my second foray wasn't a success, but I was far from done. The next book I picked up was Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China by Sterling Seagrave. Oh man, yes, this was another gem! While this woman is often remembered as a monster, the book takes you to her beginnings:

"We do not even know her name. She was too private for that, and the world she lived in was uniquely designed to hide her behind multiple layers of court ritual and etiquette. Nobody ever spoke the name of the Son of Heaven or his wives, because they were demigods. She was born on November 29, 1835, the sme year as Robert Hart, somewhere in China, bu where exactly we do not lknow. Nor are we sure of her father's name or occupation, the name of her mother, or event the girl's mil-name, the name she was called as a nursing infant. She was an obscure daughter of an obscure Manchu officer and might have lived out her life in obscurity except that she was chosen to be one of the emperor's lesser concubines and had the good fortune to bear him his only surviving son. Thanks to Hart we know that she had three younger sisters and one brother who survived to adulthood. It is also a matter of record that she was fond of pretty clothes, Pekingese dogs, and chrysanthemums."

This non-fiction account of Tzu Hsi is simply rich. This woman went from being considered nothing to everything. What could possibly be next? I tried Marina Warner's The Dragon Empress, but it wasn't fulfilling so my quest for something more for the China section of my collection went unfulfilled for some time before it was broken.

While in Canada I was trolling through a bookshop and found Dragon of Heaven: The Memoirs of the Last Empress of China, story by David Bouchard and paintings by Zhong-Yang Huang. YES, finally, a scruptuous visual to go with all the words floating in my head. I love this book and often give it as a gift.



So, is my China collection closed?

Nope. This year the cutie bought me Madam Chiang Kai-Shek: China's Eternal First Lady by Laura Tyson Li. I haven't finished this book yet, time and work snuck up on me, but so far she's interesting. I'm already curious about her family so the next book might be The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave - I liked how he wrote the Dragon Empress so we'll see.

So there you go, another peek into a tiny part of my book collection.

Book Talk!

It's no secret I'm a bookie with varied tastes, and if you ever meet me, you'll know I love to talk about books. So, I thought I'd share a bit of my collection with you all, let you know why I've kept it, in some cases moved it 6000 miles away and then 3000.

Just because, I'm going to keep it random, I may talk about a them, a single book or a series, I guess it's however the mood suits. So let's get started.

Today, I thought I'd share one of my favorite books to get: A Child's Garden of Verse by Robert Louis Stevenson.



This is an edition from when I was little, hence no dustjacket [sigh, now I take the jacket's off before I read a book]. The drawings aren't my favorite, but this poem, The Unseen People, is one I remember reading over and over again. If ever you need a book for a child to be a keeper, look for this one.



I will sometimes buy multiple copies of the same book - after giving away over 3000 books a few years ago, I'm better at this, not perfect, but better - one of the good reasons to buy multiple copies is different illustrators. When I was younger and in Edinburgh, I came across a bookshop that had this "facsimile" edition, a beautiful book. The paper alone is like silk. Anyway, it was one of the few momentoes I carried home with me, oh, and I bought one for my sister and her kids. Perfect example of my one for me to see how it is and then one for them so they have their own copy - yes, they are older and know what I do and tease me about this, but I like my books to be loved by me :-), that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. The Rennie Mackintosh feel to the illustrations drew me in and said Scotland.

There is a third copy of this book in my collection and it's illustrated by Tasha Tudor, one of my favorite artists, but I'll speak more about her on another day. In the end, A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson is timeless and ageless.