Sunday, August 31, 2008

That Looks Like Fun


Just when Mongo thought he had encountered, and laid the smackdown upon, every Trek riding man-princess in my neck of the woods, a new wrinkle was thrown into the equation today.
Trek Madone...douchey corporate kit...tubular tires.
Actual conversation between Mongo and said douchebag after he gave me twelve lookbacks and realized he couldn't hold me off...and I passed him.
Mongo-"I see you're running tubulars."
Douchebag-"They're the best."
Mongo-"Mmm hmmm, if you race."
Douchebag-"I race."
Mongo-"Cars?"
Douchebag-"No, bikes."
Mongo-"Motorbikes?"
Douchebag-"No...bicycles."
Mongo-"Hmmm...I would never have guessed."

Mona Lisa


Mongo believes that this logo is one of the best in all of sports. Simple, red, white, and blue, and it shows the golfer in the athletic move of the swing itself. Anyone who has ever played golf decently can look at the image and their mind takes them away to memories of rounds both watched and played. It is said that the image of the golfer on the logo is based on Australian, Steve Elkington, who had a very classy game back in the 80's and early 90's.

On to my point...

I also believe that pro cycling needs to clean up it's image. Nothin' says under new management better than a fancy new sign out front. Pro cycling needs a good logo.

How can they capture the effort, the suffering, the exuberance, and the joy, all in one image?

The only time during a race when this all comes together is when the winner crosses the finish line. At that one moment, we as fans understand the journey. Who or what then should exemplify this moment as a representation of all that is good in pro cycling?

After thinking long and hard about this, Mongo has come up with the perfect image. The Sammy Sosa, Rock the baby, and Count from Sesame Street poses were all considered, but there is only one perfect celebration. Ladies and gentlemen...The Valverde


Federal government involved in raids on protesters

Glenn Greenwald
Sunday Aug. 31, 2008 11:46 EDT
Federal government involved in raids on protesters
As the police attacks on protesters in Minnesota continue -- see this video of the police swarming a bus transporting members of Earth Justice, seizing the bus and leaving the group members stranded on the side of the highway -- it appears increasingly clear that it is the Federal Government that is directing this intimidation campaign. Minnesota Public Radio reported yesterday that "the searches were led by the Ramsey County Sheriff's office. Deputies coordinated searches with the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Read article:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/31/raids/

TODAY'S TWD: JERRY'S CREDS

Later today, Jerry Lewis will kick off his latest telethon to battle Muscular Dystrophy. If I'm doing the math correctly in my head, it should be his 42nd since he first began hosting it in 1966.

I took a look at Jerry's credits to see if he had an established televersion in Toobworld, besides his many appearances on talks shows and variety programs. And I was surprised to find that there were only three series episodes in which he appeared as the fictional version of himself over the decades. He's been in other TV shows as other characters, - like 'Wiseguy', 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', and 'The Simpsons' - but they have their own lives separate from Jerry Lewis in Toobworld.

Here are his three appearances as his own televersion:

"Good Grief" .... Himself
- The Bear (1991)
When the town is terrorized by a bear, Ernie and his family must spend a Saturday night at home with no TV.

"Brothers" .... Himself
- Las Vegas Serenade: Part 2 (1987)
The urn with Aunt Billie's ashes has been presented to Jerry Lewis as a decoration, and Donald and Lou must retrieve it. Meanwhile, Sam tries stand-up comedy, and Penny and Jim contemplate a Vegas wedding.

"Batman" .... Himself
- The Bookworm Turns (1966)
The Bookworm stages a phoney assassination on the Commissioner and leaves a clue for them to solve. With the help of Lydia, the Bookworm captures Robin who is tied to the Wayne Memorial Tower.

Jerry was the first cameo star to pop out of a window during one of the Batclimbs. Batman and Robin were climbing the building in order to foil the misdeeds of the Bookworm (played by the late Roddy McDowall). As the decription for "Las Vegas Serenade: Part 2" notes, he figured into the storyline for a 'Brothers' storyline. But I have no clue how he got involved with the characters from 'Good Grief', unless he was disguised in a bear suit? Anybody out there have any idea?

The nature of the business has changed and the showrunners do aim for a younger demographic; so if they are going to have an episode in which celebrities appear as themselves, it would probably be somebody currently in vogue, like a singer or an athlete. Even if they were still alive, guys like Jack Benny and Milton Berle wouldn't find much call for their services as a quick cameo on most sitcoms today. And the same probably holds true for Jerry Lewis as one of the last of that era. But that still doesn't splain why he made so few appearances as himself in shows of the past.

Could it have been that they wanted to spoof the telethon and he wanted to protect its image? Who knows. But 'Las Vegas' would have been a natural!

Here are a few suggestions I had for shows in which Jerry Lewis could still show up as himself in an episode. Some of them have the perfect setting for him to make an appearance; others would be a stretch, but that's never stopped writers from working in a cameo before!

'Entourage'
'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
'Two And A Half Men'
'30 Rock'
'CSI'
'Psych'
'Monk'
'Samantha Who' - His cry of "Nice Lady!" could be used ironically here....
'Dirty Sexy Money'
'Pushing Daisies'
'Knight Rider'
'How I Met Your Mother'
'Brothers & Sisters'
'Desperate Housewives'
'Burn Notice' - Maybe some scheme going down at that hotel where he filmed "The Bellboy"? (If it even exists anymore....)
'Lost' - Hey, Billy Dee Williams showed up in a flashback!

Good luck on breaking last year's tally total!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Haudenosaunee Grandmothers File Suit Against Canada

HAUDENOSAUNEE GRANDMOTHERS FILE “DO IT YOURSELF” LAW SUIT – WATCH OUT CANADA , THE FEDERAL COURT IS BEING PUT TO THE TEST

Mohawk Nation News Aug. 30, 2008.
Canada keeps trying to pretend it’s “open season” on the Kanionkehaka/Mohawk. It’s even okay to assault our elders and grandmothers. No steps have been taken to charge the Canada Border Services Agents CBSA who assaulted Katenies and Kahentinetha on June 14th 2008. Kahentinetha suffered a trauma induced heart attack. They tried to beat Katenies to a pulp. They act like this is “business as usual”. The prosecutors have not done their duty. Because of this there has been no public investigation and the crime has been swept under the carpet.
The two women have no money, but they have found a way that might make rogue crown agents accountable. They have filed an action in Canada ’s Federal Court.
This does not mean they are accepting Canadian jurisdiction over themselves or the Haudenosaunee. Canadian agents have no right to abuse human rights or commit crimes against anyone, including those foreign to Canada . Canada has signed many agreements promising to uphold international human right standards. You don’t have to be a Canadian citizen to sue Canada . Canada ’s courts have an obligation to uphold the law.
The following “Statement of Claim” shows that we can defend ourselves. They two grandmothers filed their complaint in the Federal Court of Canada, under Section 48 of Canada ’s Federal Court Act. [You can find the instructions for filing on the Federal Court website]. To get things going, you pay the filing fee and hand in 5 copies of your “Statement of Claim”. The court clerk puts on a gold stamped seal and signs it to prove it has been filed. They serve it on the government the next day, and the crown has 30 days to answer.
When you draft your claim, just put the facts down. Make sure you don’t include any allegations that you can’t prove. For example, you need a direct witness, documentary evidence or video tapes from CBSA cameras. If you miss a deadline, your case will be finished. The crown has to follow the law too, but it might try to ignore you. Don’t forget to include a demand that federal officials follow the court’s timelines.September 19, 2008, is the crown’s deadline for answering the two grandmothers. If the crown doesn’t answer, Canada will lose by default. The court should then order Canada to meet the grandmothers’ demands. MNN Staff
STATEMENT OF CLAIM TO THE DEFENDANT (court seal)
Assault, Arrest and Illegal Detention
By Canada Border Service Agents
At Cornwall Border
Court File No. F1309-08
FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA
BETWEEN
KAHENTINETHA AND KATENIES
Persons of the Kanion’ke:haka/Mohawk NationPlaintiffs
AndThe QueenSection 48, Federal Court Act
STATEMENT OF CLAIM1.
The plaintiffs demand that the individuals who assaulted them must be charged, tried and punished and that their personal possessions must be returned.
2. Canada ’s Constitution Act, 1982 states that Canada is governed by the rule of law and everyone is equal before the law.
3. This means that Canadian officials must obey the law, just like everyone else. When they commit an assault they should be charged with an assault under Canada ’s Criminal Code just like anyone else who commits an assault on the territory over which Canada claims jurisdiction.
4. Canada has failed to apply its laws equally in the area over which it claims jurisdiction.
5. Akwesasne is a small Kanionkehaka community that existed long before the Canadian state was conceived.
6. The Canada - U.S. border was placed in the middle of Akwesasne without the consent of the people of Akwesasne.
7. The people of Akwesasne must cross the Canadian border many times a day for groceries, to visit relatives and to conduct normal community life.
8.Kahentinetha is a 68-year old Kanionkehaka grandmother. Katenies is 43-years old and also a Kanionkehaka grandmother. Sakowaiaks is their friend.
9. On June 14, 2008 Sakowaiaks and Kahentinetha went to Akwesasne to pick up Katenies on the Kanatakon portion of the Akwesasne community.
10. At approximately 2:00 pm they arrived at the Canadian border control, which is situated in the Kawehnonkeh portion of the Akwesasne community.
11. The border agent took the identity documents of Katenies, Kahentinetha and Sakowaiaks and told them to wait under the canopy. Soon they took Kahentinetha’s car keys. The three hostages sat there peacefully for an hour surrounded by guards.
12. Some Kanionkehaka elders showed up to witness what was happening.
13. During this time, several other vehicles were searched and released. Only Indigenous people were stopped. All were residents of Akwesasne.
14. At approximately 3:00 pm, a platoon of about a dozen guards marched towards the car, all wearing leather gloves, flack jackets and all kinds of equipment hanging about their waists.
15. Throughout the attack on Kahentinetha and Katenies that followed, one officer, Maurice Saucier [Badge #16121], was on the cell phone directing operations.
16. Katenies was dragged violently from the back seat of the car by a gang of hefty young men and women dressed up as Canadian Border Services Agents. They knocked her down, pinned her to the ground, and forced their knees into her head and back. They handcuffed her and smashed and rubbed her face into the pavement.
17. Sakowaiaks heard the sound of flesh hitting the pavement.
18. Katenies received bleeding scrapes and bruises on her face, shoulders, arms and legs. She was taken into the customs building and later to Ottawa .
19. No charges were read to Katenies and her request for medical help was refused. She was not allowed to call her mother and her mother was not permitted to see her or speak to her. She was held incommunicado for three days until she appeared in Cornwall court on June 17, 2008.
20. After the assault on Katenies began, Kahentinetha was ordered to get out of the car. She was afraid to get out because of what they had done to Katenies.
21. Kahentinetha heard Maurice Saucier tell the other agents to “Take her out”. She was afraid for her life if she got out of the car.
22. Kahentinetha asked “What have I done?” She was not informed of any legal charges against her.23. Several agents started grabbing her and yanking her out of the car. She was thrown around, assaulted, handcuffed, and imprisoned.
24. In the cell, the attack continued. Kahentinetha’s shoes were taken. Some officers tightened the handcuffs she was wearing several times. This cut the circulation to her hands. Pain shot up her arms. She saw flashes of light and felt sharp pains in the middle of her chest and back. She cried out for help. The guards ignored her and tightened the handcuffs more. They yelled threats at her and kept ordering her to bend down. A man stood behind her and had his hands on her pants. She received scrapes and bruises on her arms and legs.
25. Frank Horn, Kahentinetha’s brother is a Cornwall lawyer. He and his son Kanatase, happened to be waiting in the line at the border.
26. When Frank Horn asked to see his sister, they took off the handcuffs and gave her a chair to sit on. When he saw her, he immediately insisted on calling an ambulance. The Akwesasne Police stood and watched in silence.
27. The ambulance took Kahentinetha to Cornwall Community Hospital and later to the Ottawa Ontario Heart Institute. She remained in hospital for 5 days in the trauma unit and intensive care unit. The doctors told her she had had a trauma induced heart attack.
28. Kahentinetha was in excellent health before the attack by the border guards. Her health is now fragile. On June 30th, 2008 she had a relapse and was hospitalized at the Anna Laberge Hospital in Chateauguay Quebec .
29. Neither of these women is associated with any kind of criminal activity.
30. Some of the CBSA officers involved in the attack had the following badge numbers: 17012; 16320; 16511; 16121; and 16275.
31. Katenies’ identity documents have not been returned. Also missing are documents that were in the trunk and the shoes taken from Kahentinetha’s feet.
The plaintiffs request:
a) Trial on appropriate criminal charges against the individuals who committed and directed the assault against them;
b) Full disclosure of all evidence including videotapes, cell phones, files, official communications, policing agreements and wiretaps concerning this action;
c) An order that all Canadian government agencies must respect our human rights as set out in international human rights instruments that Canada has signed;
d) An order that the accused and all involved Canadian government agencies must respect the time delays set out in the Federal Court Rules of Court;
e) $10 million for physical, psychological and punitive damages; andf) Such other relief as this court may deem fit.
The plaintiffs propose that this action be tried in the Federal Court of Canada at 30 McGill Street , Montreal Quebec .
August 20, 2008
Kahentinetha _______________
Katenies ___________________
Address of Service: For the purposes of this proceeding only, service to be made care of Julio Peris, 625 Rene Levesque West, Suite 900, Montreal, Quebec H3B 1R2 – 514-933-4656 Fax 514-93309587/I HEREBY CERTIFY that the above document is a true copy of the original issud out/filed in the Court on Aug. 20, 2008 A.D.
Signed by Nicole Reimen, Agent du Greffe, Registry Officer
PLEASE NOTE: As can be seen, it’s becoming critical for legal actions to be taken to protect our rights. We have no funds. Canada is hiring costly law firms to suppress our rights. If you can donate anything to our cause, it will be greatly appreciated.Donate to: PayPal, www.mohawknationnews.com, or “MNN Mohawk Nation News”, Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0. Nia:wen/Thank you very much.
New MNN Books Available Now!
The books below, email us:Mohawk Warriors Three - The Trial of Lasagna, Noriega, 20/20$20.00 usd
The On-Going Confusion between The Great Law and The Handsome Lake Code$20.00 usd
The Agonizing Death of "Colonialism" and "Federal Indian Law" in Kaianere'ko:wa/Great Law Territory $20.00 usd
Who's Sorry Now? The good, the bad and the unapologetic Mohawks of Kanehsatake $20.00 usd
Rebuilding the Iroquois ConfederacyKaroniaktajeh$10 usd
Warriors Hand Book Karoniaktajeh$10 usd
Mail checks and money orders to...MNNP.O. Box 991 Kahnawake, QC J0L 1B0
Purchase t-shirts, mugs and more at our CafePress Store
http://www.cafepress.com/mohawknews
Subscribe to MNN for breaking news updates
http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/subscription.php
Sign Women Title Holders petition!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Iroquois
Link to MNNGet the code and banners to link to Mohawk Nation News.
http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php?page=promote.html
Your SupportMake a contribution to our newsgroup.
Secure your online transaction with PayPal®. www.mohawknationnews.com
Click on DONATE button.Nia:wen,Kahentinetha kahentinetha2@yahoo.com
Speaking & Contemporary Native Issues WorkshopsKatenies katenies20@yahoo.com
ManagerStay tuned! www.mohawknationnews.com

The Hokie Dokie


East Carolina- 27

Virginia Tech(#17) -22

"Oh Yeah!"

THERE AND BACK AGAIN

Catching up on the shows I taped while I was on vacation, I saw the second episode of 'Primeval' today. This is the one about the giant centipede down in the London Underground tunnels.

Afterwards, I checked out the notes and trivia to be found at the 'Primeval' pages in tv.com and found this:

In the opening scene, you see a Jubilee Line train stuck in a tunnel - the driver announces that it's because of a delay at Parsons Green. The Jubilee Line doesn't go to Parsons Green, no tube line does, it's part of the District line "metropolitan" network. Actually Parsons Green is on a section where the line runs at rooftop level.

That may be so in the Real World, but in Toobworld, this is the kind of deviation that can be accepted and not cause any serious continuity damage in connection with other TV shows.
The same situation came up during an episode of 'The Clubhouse' in which a subway was mentioned as going somewhere that it doesn't in the Trueniverse. At the time, Linda Stasi gave the show's producers grief for such an error, which I hope didn't mean that she thought the New York Empires baseball team actually existed!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

PS
This picture is of the NY Empires basketball court on an episode of 'CSI:NY'. It's the Toobworld contention that both teams were owned by the same corporation.


Kyul Boosh Eace Ay Poo See



"I was loose all day in turn three, but after adding some left side wedge during the last pit stop, we were able to to bring the Martini & Rossi Cannondale home to victory."

Got Any Quarters?


I used to love the video game Tron...Based on the movie Tron...Based on the novel Tron...I don't know why that came to mind.
Liquigas wins the TTT at the Vuelta. Pozzato is in yellow and sporting a sweet Dale Earnhardt inspired 'stache.

Ahhhhhhhh

Before my home becomes bathed in the smell of pumpkins and cinnamon for Fall and cranberry and pine for Christmas, I thought I'd enjoy a fragrance that I always love . . . the smell of a spa. Back in the old days I pampered myself with monthly facials, and the smell of the half-darkened room where I reclined in comfort, warm moist towels on my face, soothing music . . . it had to be one of the most wonderfully calming and relaxing hours of the month.

Eucalyptus candles come closest to smelling like a spa, but most are rather costly. I found these aromatherapy candles at Bath & Body Works and this one, Eucalyptus Spearmint, is heavenly. I sat last night with it lit, reading in my chair, and it really took the stress away. And only $10.50.

Reverse Cowgirl


"Zirbel...get your hand off my ass!"

A freshly Brazilian-waxed Dave Zabriskie defends his U.S. TT championship...VDV looks pissed!

More Thrift Store Finds

Stopped at Goodwill this evening (thrifing is the best escape from overwhelming home projects) and found this framed needlepoint scene, the sisal door mat, the rag rug, cloth napkins (I like to pick these up cheap and pack one in Harleigh's lunch vs. a paper one; 99% of the time the napkin finds its way home, but if it doesn't, it's no big deal), and these vintage pillow cases.

OH . . . . . . . . MY . . . . . . . . GOSH . . . . . . . .

. . . . . this project is taking me FOREVER to finish. I had removed the batting backing days ago and thought that the remnants that stuck (where it had been adhered to the frame with glue) would be easy enough to get off. But after failed attempts using WD-40, Goo Be Gone, and turpentine, I had to resort to sanding. It took me 3 hours, and I still have some flyaway hairs of batting that keep peeking from behind the frame.

And then the painting. In hindsight I should have painted the screen frame with a paintbrush, but I chose spray paint. Not always the easiest. In this case, since there are so many angles and such small pieces, when I spray, 25% of the spray goes on the wood and 75% into blank space. I've used two cans of primer and am onto my 4th can of topcoat and there's a ton more to do.

But tonite I'll take a break from the frame and begin cutting out the scrapbook paper to fit the individual panes. This is definitely one of those projects that winds up taking 10 times longer than you initially envisioned. I hope it's one that turns out soooo good, that is was worth all the time and effort.

The Last Summer Pedicure

Harleigh and I went to get pedicures today. I think it's one of the most fun mother/daughter things to do. Relaxing in a massaging recliner, getting our calves and feet rubbed, chatting up a storm. My ode to the last of summer . . . blue polish with sunflowers on my big toenails. Call me crazy (or, as the Asian gal working on me said, "you are a wild Mom!).

[Not a big fan of posting pictures of feet, but these toes were just too darn cute not to share.]

TODAY'S TWD: FRANKENSTEIN'S MOTHER

On those days when I can't find anything in particular to write about for the daily Tiddlywinkydink, I turn to the Toobworld timeline for inspiration. Today, I had nothing from my own collection for August 30th, so I decided to look into the history of the Real World instead.

And there I found out that today marks the anniversary of the birth of Mary Wollestonecraft Shelley, who - in the 1816 "Summer of Darkness" - wrote the novel which introduced the world to its most famous monster: the creature of Dr. Frankenstein.

In the novel "Frankenstein", Dr. Victor Frankenstein created only the one Monster. But in Toobworld, he was responsible for several different versions of the creature, and his counterparts in other TV dimensions made several more. The Frankenstein Monsters are members of the TV Crossover Hall of Fame because of the way they link the various TV productions in which they appear, including the sitcoms 'Struck By Lightning' and 'The Munsters'.

(From some background information on the novel found at the BBC: "It is frequently forgotten that the creature now thought of as Frankenstein – Boris Karloff's dumb, inarticulate beast – is massively removed from the sophisticated, sensitive creation of Mary Shelley, perfect in all but appearance.")

As for Mary Shelley, she belongs to a select group of authors who share their existence in Toobworld with their creations. Others in the same situation would include William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King. As far as the TV Universe is concerned, these writers share the same consideration as Conan Doyle by the fans of Sherlock Holmes - they didn't so much create their characters as they chronicled their "real-life" exploits".

Rather than going to Wikipedia as I usually do for information about a chosen topic, instead I have some factoids about Mary Shelley from the BBC:

MARY SHELLEY
Born in 1797, Mary was the daughter of William Godwin – a famous writer with
revolutionary ideas – and Mary Wollstonecraft, herself a writer and arguably the world's first feminist.

Her mother died days after giving birth to her – the first of many tragedies in Shelley's life. Some of these tragedies would later inspire events in "Frankenstein".

In 1812, Mary met the poet Percy Shelley. Percy and his wife Harriet were frequent visitors to the London home of Mary's father.

Mary ran off to France with Percy in 1814. She gave birth to his child in 1815 – but the baby died just 12 days later.

Harriet drowned herself in 1816, allowing Percy to marry Mary soon after. The general public was outraged.

After coming up with the idea for her novel in Switzerland, "Frankenstein" was published two years later in 1818 – Mary was still only 20.

Mary's second son, William, died aged three in 1821.

Percy drowned in 1822.

Mary and Percy's great friend, the writer and poet Lord Byron, died in 1824. Mary was devastated by this, and the loneliness caused by the death of so many of her friends and family. [Her sister also committed suicide.]

Mary died in 1851.

Although she wrote many other books, none matched the success of "Frankenstein".

Also from the BBC website:

Mary Shelley was born into a world of scientific, artistic and political
revolution. Her father and husband were famous radical thinkers and writers, and both of them (along with other important philosophers of the day) had a large influence on Mary and her novel.

One of her father's main ideas was that everyone should act only for the good of mankind; otherwise, selfishness would lead to the breakdown of society. This view influenced "Frankenstein" in that Victor largely thinks and acts only for himself, ignoring the wishes of the Monster (for example, by not creating a wife for it), thereby endangering mankind by giving it a reason to do harm. Victor is also a bad parent, deserving punishment for abandoning his creature.

Many people see this book as promoting the
revolutionary ideas that dominated the political world at the time, since Victor challenges authority (God) by creating life himself. The Monster is also revolutionary in its hostility towards authority (its 'father'). Yet both the Monster and Victor are punished with death – leading other people to conclude that Shelley is critical of political revolution.

When writing this book, Mary was influenced by the scientific revolution of the time. She had heard about one man, Galvani, who had supposedly re-animated dead tissue, and another, Aldini, who had wired up a criminal's corpse to a battery so that his jaw appeared to move and a fist to clench. Such discoveries were discussed at the holiday home of the Shelleys in the weeks before "Frankenstein" was written.

Mary Shelley was portrayed on TV several times:

Jenny Agutter (Mary Shelley) . . . Shelley (1972)

Sarah Allen (Mary Shelley) . . . Mary Shelley (2004)

Lucy Davenport (Mary Shelley) . . . Frankenstein: Birth of a Monster (2003)

Anne Delbée (Mary Shelley) . . . Byron libérateur de la Grèce ou Le jardin des héros (1973)

Sally Hawkins (Mary Shelley) . . . Byron (2003)

Cara Horgan (Mary Shelley) . . . "Romantics, The" (2006)

Tracy Keating (Mary Shelley) . . . "Highlander" (1992)
{The Modern Prometheus (#5.19)}

Vickie Papavs (Mary Shelley & Tara) . . . "Time Warp Trio" (2006)
{Nightmare on Joe's Street (#1.21)}

Emily Perkins (I) (Mary Shelley) . . . "Mentors" (1998)
{Transition (#4.5)}

Mary Scott (I) (Mary Shelley) . . . "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1951)
{The Finest Gift}

[Note: The Mary Shelley who appeared in an episode of 'Alien Nation' was a Tenctonese refugee given that name by immigration officials who were havin' a laugh.]

One other show in which I would like to see Mary Shelley appear would be 'Doctor Who'. And if the current popularity of the series continues, that could be a possibility!

It seems as though the Doctor meets a famous English author in almost every season since the show's return in 2005 - Dickens, Shakespeare, Christie. I've always wanted to see the Doctor meet JRR Tolkien, who might find inspiration for the Ents after meeting Jabe's people from the Forests of Cheem; but Mary Shelley would be an excellent choice as well.

Just sayin', is all......

Pictured in this post as Mary Shelley is Lucy Davenport, from the BBC production "Frankenstein: Birth Of A Monster". But here's an additional treat from the Movie Universe:
Elsa Lanchester as Mary Shelley in "The Bride Of Frankenstein".

BCnU!
Toby O'B

Denver Democratic National Convention, this isn't OZ

By Brenda Norrell

DENVER -- If you relied on the mainstream media for coverage of this week's Democratic National Convention, you probably visualized everyone clicking their heels together and entering the land of OZ.
While the mainstream media and politicians were cloistered together, the people were in the streets, voicing disgust over the Bush regime, which decimated civil liberties and turned the Earth into the corporate profiteers' commodity. At the same time, the Iraq war continued with the mainstream media complicit in the genocide of women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The signs reminded all that the Bush regime and Congress violated the Geneva Conventions and carried out kidnapping, torture and murder of people in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and secret prisons.
The lawlessness that prevailed in the White House and Congress was maintained by the police at the Democratic National Convention who provoked peaceful demonstrators on Monday night, culminating in an at attack by riot police who sprayed pepper spray and shot rubber bullets at peaceful protesters.
The collapse of US democracy was most poignant at the Freedom for Political Prisoners rally and march at the federal courthouse in Denver on Monday. Here, Aurora police drew weapons on people of color: American Indians, blacks, Chicanos and others. It was clear that there are two Americas and one America is filling the prisons because of racial profiling and racial injustice. While simulating waterboarding and US torture, activists demanded freedom for Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Cuban Five and other political prisoners.
With courage, US servicemen led the march against the war and occupation in Iraq on Wednesday. On Thursday, marchers demanded that US lawlessness be halted and the ICE raids against workers that are dividing families be halted. At the "We Are America," march for immigrant rights, marchers pointed out that hundreds of workers arrested in Laurel, Mississippi, in raids have been sent to one of the most racist towns in America: Jena, Louisiana.
As the so-called "clean coal," industry poured millions into the convention, protesters reminded the people that there is no such thing as "clean coal." A moment of truth came when ABC news producer Asa Eslocker was roughly arrested. Eslocker, an investigative reporter, was pushed into the traffic by a Boulder police officer. During the arrest, Eslocker was grabbed around the neck by an officer, as documented by a film crew. Eslocker was waiting on a public sidewalk to film financial donors leaving a hotel.
Meanwhile, those marchers who were sprayed with pepper spray on Monday were not allowed to wash it off when they were detained and jailed. "This is a form of torture," said one street medic, describing the poisons that are absorbed internally. Another medic described the wound of a rubber bullet. The women of Code Pink were targeted by police, with women thrown violently to the ground during arrests, as documented in videos.
In the St Paul/Minneapolis area, police raids of homes and community centers are already underway in preparation for the Republican National Convention, Sept. 1 -- 4. Protesters say they are not intimidated.
As thousands marched this week in Denver, volunteers at Food Not Bombs gathered donated foods and fed the people. In the streets, the people asked: "Is anyone really listening?" The people don't have a clue. But for those who spent this week in the streets of Denver, a new America was emerging. The people were giving voice to truth, a prized commodity in this age of US genocide, corrupt media and the corporate rape of the Earth Mother.

McCain's VP pick: Oil drilling more important than polar bears

Censored News, reader comment:

McCain's Vice Presidential's selection Palin Would deny Indigenous Rights
Praying to Four Winds

Gov. Sarah Palin is not prepared to be Vice President. She reversed Dirk Kempthorne, US Secretary of the Interior, decision listing polar bears as an endangered species. This youthful appearing governor ignored pleas of both Native People and environmentalists amid her fears of annoying oil barrens. The Governor's actions deny a way of life for American Indians, falsely believing an opposite action would hurt oil and gas development in the bears' habitat off Alaska's northern and northwestern coasts.
We don't need to punch more holes in pristine lands, nor to make our few Indians homeless. Citizens agree it's time to fight against global warming, not add to it.
Palin's pushy fundamentalist Christian views coupled with Texas bible classes would bring havoc to classrooms across Texas, which we do not need. Palin is not good for the Nation; she's not been tested. If we look back historically, it was the fundamentalists who led the worse blight on our Nation -- genocide of the Native People.
In Alaska she has taken just such a position.
This candidate's short history reveals scary positions, at great risk to Alaskans; and if the country should elect her, she's not ready to lead us. The women of this nation would be denied not bettered.
-- Kenneth
In the news:
In May, Palin said she would sue the federal government after it declared polar bears an endangered species. The Anchorage Daily News reported, "She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts ... Climate models that predict continued loss of sea ice, the main habitat of polar bears, during summers are unreliable, Palin said."
Response from Center for Biological Diversity:
"She's either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming," said Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity. ... "Even the Bush administration can't deny the reality of global warming. The governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this."

The Slow Goodbye to Summer

I am beginning to feel Fall in the air. Saying goodbye to summer is bitter sweet. Pumpkins, changing leaves, crisp evenings to sit outside stoking the chiminea fire, the upcoming holidays . . . wonderful arms to rush into after leaving summer behind. But we say goodbye to things we love . . . lightening bugs, flowers in the garden, seashells and white sand, patriotic holidays that bring us parades and festivals. Here are some pix at my kitchen windowsill, some flowers making their last appearance of the season.

Videos: Recreate 68, Democratic National Convention


Watch videos:

Denver Arts Organization Targeted by Police

By The Other Side Arts

DENVER -- Denver Police targeted The Other Side Arts, a non profit art center as part of an effort to, "clean up the neighborhood" just before the Democratic National Convention. On Sunday afternoon, a number of police officers from Denver and Aurora Police Departments appeared outside of TOSA, some dressed in riot gear, and begin to investigate the property.

Denver DNC: Mass arrested pressured to waive rights

Contacts: Brian Vicente, Director, National Lawyers Guild DNC People's Law
Project, (720) 280-4067
Miriam Stohs, Esq., Colorado Chapter liaison, NLG (303) 929-5501


FROM: NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD DNC PEOPLE'S LAW PROJECT CRITICIZES DNC COURT PROCEDURES
Denver-- The National Lawyers Guild DNC People's Law Project (PLP) criticizes the procedures that created a high risk of accused persons waiving their rights without access to lawyers or an adequate understanding of their cases. The PLP is particularly concerned with today's phone call from the Denver County Courts alerting defendants that they could appear in court on Friday, August 29 "for an opportunity to dispose of their case."

Pretty Gifts

I found these beautiful luggage tags made out of inlaid rubber that I just couldn't pass up for my Candy Spelling Gift Closet. Items like these are perfect to have on hand for office birthday gifts or to use as a gift tag on a wrapped package, or even stand alone to be stuffed with cash or check for the high school graduate who will sure to be traveling.

Turn It Down A Notch



OK...We get it, you're good. But c'mon...it's the Tour of Ireland.

Friday, August 29, 2008

I WISH THAT I ZONKED JESSIE GIRL

Here's a line from a recent episode of 'The Middleman' which could have been a Zonk:

"that 'Saved By The Bell' episode where no one would tell Jessie how bad her music really was and she had a caffeine pill freakout"

But according to the Middleblog, an official online tangent of the series, this isn't quite the exact episode from the real world. Apparently, Jessie did get addicted to caffeine pills because her music career was too hectic. But there was never any direct connection between how bad her music was which would lead to the addiction. The creative team at 'The Middleman' "took a bit of poetic license there because, hey, her music really did suck."

So since this isn't an exact copy of the 'Saved By The Bell' show from the real world, we can dismiss it as a discrepancy. It could have either been a reality TV show about the characters we know - but treating them as being as real as the characters in 'The Middleman'. Or... It is a TV show, currently in production, which chronicles the past lives of those 'Saved By The Bell' characters.

I've only seen one episode of 'Saved By The Bell' - the one that linked to 'The Odd Couple' via geography (Lichtenberg). But I know this... it wasn't just the music......

BCnU!
Toby O'B

Thrift Store Finds

Awhile back I found this paint-by-number which fits in nicely with my collection (albeit small) of desert paintings. I put it atop a bookshelf in our rumpus room. The plant is one that was from my Nana's assisted living apartment. When she as moved to a room in the nursing home section, my sister gave me this. It reminds me so much of the plants around my Nana and Pap Pap's home. (I even remember my Nana telling me that she used furniture polish on the leaves of her plants to keep them shiny!)

Today, stopping at a new thrift store in our area, on my way to Ace (gotta love a man in a red vest), I picked up this shabby chic basket and plopped Nana's plant down into it. I love all these colors.

POST NUMBER 3000!

In order to spare myself a sprained arm from patting myself on the back, I'll keep this short.....

Back on Sunday I celebrated my 4th year blogging "Inner Toob", celebrating the alternate universe fantasy world known as Toobworld. The Toobworld concept treats just about everything we see on TV as though it actually existed in another dimension.

It's a Middle-Earth for Couch Potatoes.

And today, I'm marking my 3,000th post with this entry.

Before you ask, yes. It's true. I have no life.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

TODAY'S TWD: ROBERT A. TAFT

In 1965, the late George Furth took part in an episode of 'Profiles In Courage' that chronicled Senator Robert A. Taft's opposition to the Nuremburg trials. Here's the synopsis of that episode from Classic TV Archives (link to the left):

1.08 [08] Profiles in Courage:
ROBERT A. TAFT
03-Jan-1965 NBC Sun


guest cast:
Lee Tracy ............. Senator Robert A. Taft
David Opatoshu ........ Professor Goldman
Lou Frizzell .......... Jensen
Sue Randall ........... Joan
Loring Smith .......... Marsden
Louise Lorimer ........ Martha
George Furth

Synopsis:
Dramatizes Senator Robert A. Taft's courage in condemning the Nuremburg war crimes
trials because of his belief that it was unjust to hold the trials under an ex post facto law.
Evaluates Taft's judgment in terms of equal justice under law and the concept of international law.
Synopsis 2:
In 1946, Sen. Robert A. Taft risks political suicide by taking a public stand against the Nuremberg Trials.

Here's a little background on the man and his stance from Wikipedia:

Robert Alphonso Taft (September 8, 1889 - July 31, 1953), of the Taft political family of Ohio, was a Republican United States Senator and as a prominent conservative spokesman was the leading opponent of the New Deal in the Senate from 1939 to 1953. He led the successful effort by the conservative coalition to curb the legal privileges of labor unions, and he was a major proponent of the foreign policy of non-interventionism. However, he failed in his quest to win the presidential nomination of the Republican Party in 1940, 1948 and 1952.

Taft condemned the postwar Nuremberg Trials as victor's justice in which the people who won the war were the prosecutors, the judges and the alleged victims, all at the same time. Taft condemned the trials as a violation of the most basic principles of American justice and internationally accepted standards of justice. Although his opposition to the trials was strongly condemned by many, other observers, such as Senator John F. Kennedy in his bestselling Profiles in Courage, applauded Taft's principled stand even in the face of great criticism.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

THE HAT SQUAD: GEORGE FURTH

Another actor who passed away while I was on vacation was George Furth. As an actor, Furth may be best known as Van Johnson, a citizen of Rock Ridge in "Blazing Saddles" (which has a Toobworld counterpart in the aired pilot 'Black Bart').

But Furth's greatest triumph would be for writing the book to "Company", a Stephen Sondheim musical. There were two TV adaptations of this look at relationships in the 1970s, one of them for British television and directed by Sam Mendes.

Furth also wrote the play "Twigs", which was adapted for television as well with Carol Burnett playing the four women in each of the play's vignettes.

Here is a list of the characters George Furth gave life in Toobworld:

STARRING ROLES
"The Dumplings" (1976) TV series .... Frederic Steele

"The Good Guys" (1968) TV series .... Hal Dawson

"Tammy" (1965) TV series .... Dwayne Whitt

RECURRING ROLES
"Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" .... Jedediah Bancroft
- The First Circle (1994)
- The Visitor (1993)

"Sisters" .... Mr. Rattner
- Crimes and Ms. Demeanors (1993)
- The Kindness of Stranglers (1991)

"Batman" .... Gallus
- Dizzoner the Penguin (1966)
- Hizzonner the Penguin (1966)

"Broadside" .... Ensign Beasley
- Lt. Morgan's Secret Marriage (1964)
- The Non-Permanent Wave (1964)
[Grandfather to Pam Beasley?]

GUEST STARRING ROLES
"You Wish" .... Minister
- Bride and Prejudice (1998)

"The Nanny" .... Minister
- Freida Needa Man (1996)
[A 'Nanny' website lists this role as "Rabbi".]

"Murder, She Wrote"
- The Dead File (1992) .... Jerry Bozell
- Dead Letter (1989) .... Fred Owens
- No Laughing Murder (1987) .... Farley

"L.A. Law"
- Wine Knot (1992)

"Murphy Brown" .... Buzz Ramsey
- Night of Living News (1992)

"Wings" .... Frank
- A Terminal Christmas (1990)

"The Trials of Rosie O'Neill" .... Judge Binghampton
- The Man from ELF (1990)

"Life Goes On" .... Everett Spence
- The Banquet Room Renovation (1990)

"CBS Summer Playhouse" .... Rip
- Mickey and Nora (1987)

"Salvage 1" .... Bassett (1 episode, 1979)
- Up, Up and Away (1979) TV episode .... Bassett

"Little House on the Prairie" .... Hannibal Godfrey
- The Talking Machine (1976)

"All in the Family"
- Mike Faces Life (1975) .... Gordon Crenshaw
- Archie's Aching Back (1971) .... Whitney Fitzroy IV

"Ellery Queen" .... Albert Klinger
- The Adventure of the 12th Floor Express (1975)

"Happy Days" .... Mr. Pinney
- Goin' to Chicago (1975)

"Archer"
- Blood Money (1975)

"The New Dick Van Dyke Show" .... Tom Lassiter
- House Guests (1974)

"The Odd Couple"
- The Flying Felix (1974) .... Belkon Jr.
- I Do, I Don't (1970) .... Harvey

"Love, American Style"
- Love and the Well-Groomed Bride (1971)
- Love and the Intruder (1970)

"Bonanza"
- Rock-A-Bye Hoss (1971)
- Another Windmill to Go (1969) .... Horace Keylot

"Green Acres" .... Mark Allan
- The Ex-Secretary (1971)

"Adam-12" .... Tyler Finch
- Log 56: Vice Versa (1971)

"That Girl" .... Maury
- Stag Party (1971)

"Night Gallery" .... Gillings
- The Little Black Bag (1970)

"The Governor & J.J." .... Buddy Harbach
- Check the Check (1970)

"The Debbie Reynolds Show" .... Matthew Keller
- It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Debbie (1969)

"I Dream of Jeannie" .... Farnum
- Blackmail Order Bride (1969)

"Ironside" .... Ray Harrison
- The Man Who Believed (1967)

"The Monkees"
- A Coffin Too Frequent (1967) .... Henry Weatherspoon
- One Man Shy (1966) .... Ronnie Farnsworth

"Felony Squad" .... George Dunn
- The 30-Gram Kill (1967)

"Laredo" .... Carl Strade
- Walk Softly (1967)

"The Girl from U.N.C.L.E." .... Miklos
- The Carpathian Killer Affair (1967)

"F Troop" .... Captain Jonathan W. Blair
- Survival of the Fittest (1966)

"Run for Your Life"
- Grotenberg Mask (1966) .... Arthur Neely
- In Search of April (1966) .... Osborne Parquette III

"The Road West" .... Virgil Slaughter
- This Dry and Thirsty Land (1966)
[Ancestor for Murray Slaughter?]

"Honey West" .... Sandy Corbin
- Pop Goes the Easel (1966)

"Profiles in Courage" (1 episode, 1965)
- Robert A. Taft (1965)

"McHale's Navy" .... Roger Whitfield, III
- The Dart Gun Wedding (1964)

"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour"
- Beast in View (1964) .... Jack Terola
- Nothing Ever Happens in Linvale (1963) .... Charlie

"The Farmer's Daughter"
- Katy and the Imagemaker (1964)

"The Defenders" .... Bradford III
- Claire Chevel Died in Boston (1964)

"Arrest and Trial" .... Melvin
- Call It a Lifetime (1963)

"Alcoa Premiere" .... Henry Blett
- The Way from Darkness (1962)

"Going My Way" .... Lester
- A Matter of Principle (1962)

TV MOVIE ROLES
The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) (TV) .... George Cukor
Let's Switch! (1975) (TV) .... Sidney King
For the Use of the Hall (1975) (TV) .... Martin
What Are Best Friends For? (1973) (TV) .... Barry Chambers
The Third Girl from the Left (1973) (TV) .... Zimmy

TV PILOTS
Charlie Cobb: Nice Night For A Hanging (1977) (TV) .... Conroy
Sam Hill: Who Killed Mr. Foster? (1971) (TV) .... Fletcher
Fame Is the Name of the Game (1966) (TV) .... Morgue Attendant

The characters he played in the Westerns are dead now in the TV timeline. Gillings from the episode of 'The Night Gallery' has yet to be born. As for the others, unless they died within the course of the episode or perhaps were sentenced to death for any crimes they committed (won't say which show), then they may have outlived this man who played them.

Those series that are highlighted have featured pictures.

As Red Skelton would say, "And may God bless....."

BCnU....
Toby O'B

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Florals Back in Session!

I am taking a floral events course at CCSF and am quickly falling in *lUv* with my instructors. I absolutely adore Holly and think I may have a girl crush on her!? I thought it was only me and then three other gals in my class commented on how smitten they were with her as well so I thought, well see that? She's just a great soul and damn can she make a floral arrangement!

So here I am back in class( same background as my Ikebana), watching her whip up an arrangement as she is explaining the whole Flemish look. She brought out these still life paintings so we could start to learn how to stage still life's, compliment with florals and start to understand the different styles of design.

Umm....is it just me or does THIS look like a painting????
I swear I just added my little logo to this pic, I promise you I didn't photoshop.


Whew! She's got skills and I sure can take a picture, no? haha :)
My friend Maribel made this and I absolutely love it.
Purple, lavender, and deep red is GORGEOUS!
Can't you see this arrangement at a wedding in the wine country???


Here is my little ararngement, it's got so many different types of flowers, foliage, and textures and I love it. :)

Here's a closeup: bluperum, broomscorn, myrtle, tulips, yarrow, dahlias, brunia, and dusty miller.

TODAY'S TWD: NAVAL GUESSING

In the 'Monk' episode "Mr. Monk Is Underwater", Monk knew that "the guy" (as he calls his chief suspects) was the commander of the submarine USS Seattle, Nathan Whitaker. During the investigation, Commander Whitaker revealed that his late father had once been the Secretary of the Navy.

Usually such Toobworld factoids can give me agita - or, since we're working with an undersea mystery, the bends - because it varies from an established fact in the Trueniverse. This is especially true with fictional Presidents of the United States - Toobworld should be almost a mirror image of the Real World in such aspects, since so many TV shows will refer to the current occupant of the real White House in their scripts. Once you introduce a Jed Bartlet, David Palmer, or a Mackenzie Allen, you've slid through 'The Twilight Zone' and into a new TV dimension.

Let's say, as is usual with Toobworld characters and the actors who play them, that Commander Nathan Whitaker was the same age as William Atherton. Then he'd be born in 1947, and would now be sixty-one years old.
And let's suppose we go for the average and say his dad was 30 when he was born. This would mean the Senior Whitaker was born in 1917.

Judging from the line of actual Secretaries of the Navy, the Senior Whitaker might have been 60 or older when he took the Cabinet post. So at any point from 1977 onwards, the Secretary of the Navy - at least in Toobworld - was Whitaker, Senior.

Here is a list of those who served as the Secretary of the Navy in the Real World in approximately that time frame:

FOR RICHARD NIXON
13 John W. Warner May 4, 1972 - April 8, 1974

FOR NIXON & GERALD FORD
14 J. William Middendorf, II April 8, 1974 - January 20, 1977

FOR JIMMY CARTER
15 W. Graham Claytor, Jr. February 14, 1977 - August 24, 1979
16 Edward Hidalgo October 24, 1979 - January 20, 1981

FOR RONALD REAGAN
17 John Lehman February 5, 1981 - April 10, 1987
18 Jim Webb May 1, 1987 - February 23, 1988

FOR REAGAN & GEORGE H.W. BUSH
19 William L. Ball March 28, 1988 - May 15, 1989

FOR GEORGE H.W. BUSH
20 Henry L. Garrett III May 15, 1989 - June 26, 1992
Daniel Howard (acting) June 26, 1992 - July 7, 1992
21 Sean O'Keefe October 2, 1992 - January 20, 1993

I think after this, the age limit we're looking for has reached its cut-off point. Maybe some of those men could have been up in their seventies, but I tend to doubt it.

Now, as you can see, none of those men were named Whitaker. And even though fictional TV characters have been related to real-life people in the past (Megan Russert & Tim Russert, 'Homicide: Life On The Street'; Vera Gorman & Art Carney, 'Alice'), I don't think it likely that Nathan Whitaker was the illegitimate son of one of the established Navy Secretaries, bearing the surname of the mother. Not that it couldn't be alleged that one of them had fathered Nathan Whitaker as an illegitimate son, but I don't think any TV producer is about to suggest something like that and risk legal action.

Besides, it would also have to be a former Secretary of the Navy who has already passed away, and I'm not about to spend the time figuring out who that mght be!

So it would have to be a fictional Secretary of the Navy named Whitaker, one who can be squeezed into the above list somewhere. And as we can see with the example of Daniel Howard above, there could have been an acting Secretary of the Navy in Toobworld who isn't counted among the official holders of the title.

I took this list from Wikipedia, so it might not be official. However, if it holds true then there is a space of several months between the terms of service by W. Graham Claytor, Jr. and Edward Hidalgo in 1979 during the Carter administration. An acting Secretary of the Navy could easily be inserted there for Toobworld's purposes.

And I think I've found the perfect candidate for the role.....

Here's the description of an episode of 'The Debbie Reynolds Show', courtesy of Classic TV Archive (link to the left):

1.01 [--] The Debbie Reynolds Show:
THAT'S DEBBIE
16Sep69 NBC, Tuesday 8:00pm
Guest cast:
Roland Winters ......... Governor Bartholomew
Harold Gould ........... Whitaker
Roy Roberts ............ General Arbuckle
Synopsis: Debbie sees a way to launch herself with a scoop: finding out if Governor Bartholomew is going to run for the Senate.

I'm not sure what capacity Harold Gould's Whitaker had in that episode, but I would assume it was political in nature. So it could be that a decade later, this Whitaker was given the responsibility of acting Secretary of the Navy. Now, Harold Gould is about a decade younger than my projected age for the Senior Whitaker, but that's still okay. Then he would have been 24 or so when Nathan Whitaker was born. And besides, Harold Gould has always played characters older than he really was.

So there's a theory of relateeveety that can link 'Monk' to 'The Debbie Reynolds Show'!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

OMG Mike totally proposed to me!!

Ok la, I was exaggerating.

What happened was that one day I had this conversation with Mike:


Me: "Why won't you marry me?!"

Mike: "We are as good as married."

Me: "No!"

Mike: "Why no? We are living together, seeing each other everyday... "

Me: "I wanna you to marry me!!!!"

Mike: "But we are as good as married! There is no difference."

Me: "Ok lor in that case I shall tell everyone we are engaged."

Mike, laughs: "You do that."



The first step nowadays to being engaged is to be facebook-engaged!!


Therefore, this morning when I was very bored, I logged onto his facebook account and.... totally proposed to myself.


I know... It is infinitely loserish but it is still damn shiok!! Those of you who have not been facebook engaged/married before should try it!!! AHAHAHA!!






Omg I got a relationship status request!! Got heart shape somemore!!









Mike totally wants me to add him as my fiance!!


I am touched beyond words!! Yes my love, I accept!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


*sobs uncontrollably*





TADAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ENGAGED ENGAGED ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




*hops around the room showing off non-existent 2 carat Diamond ring to everyone*


I know!! He loves me so much!! I am so blessed!!


*wipes away tears*



OK... That was really fun, even though it is a self-directed love story/comedy.


On a sidenote ah, I was told that an engagement ring is the one with the big diamond, and the wedding ring is normally just a simple band.

Then, after being married, girls wear the wedding ring daily, and the expensive engagement ring is then safely kept in a box.

WTF???????????


If Mike spends $10k on my engagement ring and $3k on my wedding ring, then obviously I wanna wear the $10k shit everyday right? Why would I keep it in a bloody box?

That's just stupid man. It doesn't make sense.

I mean, it does make sense for most girls lah since they have to work and their rings can't be too bling anyway, blah blah... But whatever!

I want my wedding ring to be fucking ostentatious!!!

Please don't talk to me about how less is more hor!! That doesn't even make sense. More is more please! Duh!!!

Talk somemore I scratch your face with my humongous diamond ah!


So anyway, I have thus concluded that my engagement ring should be the simple one (I think maybe a row of smaller diamonds... ahem... for my more toned-down days) and the wedding ring shall be like...


Wait wait wait... I shall google!!


Ok!!


Here's my engagement ring:


In my process of googling for rings, I have decided that 3 rows of diamonds is infinitely better than just 1 row



Correct what... You compare!!




Kua kua... See? 3 rows of diamonds. Nice. Ahem. So much for toned down days.


So anyway, as for the wedding ring, I am inspired by this science teacher I used to have in River Valley. She's very pretty!!

And since I am so short and so talkative/naughty, I am inevitably placed in the front row of classroom seats.

In fact, I am not only in the front row, I am right in the middle, just beside the bloody OHP projector.

Everytime this teacher uses that contraption, her wedding ring REALLY sparkles underneath the intense light as she uses the hands to arrange her transparencies.

Bling bling bling... I spent hours getting distracted by her chioness ring!!


And her ring is a single humongous (or so it seemed to me at that time) solitaire diamond one.




Not 4 clasps:



Yuck



Not 6 clasps:



Boring



But the magical number of 5.





I don't know... I guess its a small detail, but to me it's quite important coz I really do think it's much chioer this way!


Hahahaha!! Talk so much, skarly nobody even wants to marry me lor!!


Wait, why is this one so chio?







Pink diamond leh!! Are real pink diamonds even purchasable in Singapore???


p/s: We are not really engaged. I'm just being boh liao.