President's Park, Williamsburg, VA

The Babe was out romping around in her excursion to DC and got to drive through part of Virginia. The Babe said that she even drove by the exit to Ft. Belvoir (my birthplace) but, she said, the large sign commemorating the event must've blown down.  Oh, well, budget cuts....

One of the places she drove through was Williamsburg, which is very pretty as is all of Virginia. But not all of Williamsburg is as pretty as you might think: there was one place she drove by that she had to tell me about: President's Park. President's Park is a park near the freeway that is dedicated to the presidents.  There are 10' tall busts of all the presidents there with a small sign with a few sentences about the president in front of each statue. You can wander around and look at all of them and be edified and inspired. 

It's actually a trifle silly. It's sillier still because they want $12.75/adults for admission, which seems a mite steep to me, but that's just me. Take a look at the website and see what you think. 

President's Park, Williamsburg, VA

Bad cakes

Cake Wrecks is the latest silly thing.  Yes, she's got a book of bad cakes.  It's fun and tacky.  

Bad cakes

My new favorite superhero!

Created by Natalie Dee.

My new favorite superhero!

Stupid British sharks! :)

From a BBC comedy show. I really like the sharks.

Stupid British sharks! :)

A doughnut mecca in Portland

Patricia pointed out something on a listing on Facebook, that I live not far from Voodoo Doughnut in Portland. This is a place that has incredible doughnuts including, she pointed out, a bacon maple bar. Personally, I'd call this a Crime Against Nature except for the fact that it just sounds so right. :)

Voodoo Doughnuts offers all the usuals in the way of doughnuts, but they also offer some specialties that look promising. I'm keen to try their apple fritter that's 'as big as your head'.

A doughnut mecca in Portland

Rossini's "Cat's Duet"

This will make up for the general NSFW-ness of the previous post. Now, I have to admit that I'd never heard of this piece before, but it's charming! The following is from a concert in Seoul, Korea, Nov 30, 1996, of Les Petits Chanteurs a la Croix de Bois.

Lest you think that this is a complete shuck, here are two divas, Montserrat Caballé and Concha Velasco, singing this on Italian television in 1990. The boys do a better job IMO.

Rossini's "Cat's Duet"

Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, and totally NSFW

Brian sent this. It's a slide show of 18 shirt slogans that will not get you laid. I can really identify with shirt #3, although the arrow could just as easily point straight up, too. (Hey, I'm a guy! I recognize that both options are completely true.)  

This is fairly tasteless stuff, hence the premise of the slide show. Don't say I didn't warn you.  

Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless, and totally NSFW

A poem from Leigh Ann Hussey

I was just looking for an article that I wrote in 1986 in a pile of old papers and I found an amazing poem by Leigh Ann Hussey.

Leigh Ann Hussey was an amazingly good musician who died in a motorcycle accident in May 2006. I knew her through various circles for a long time before that. When she was in Seattle in 1987 or so, she spouted one of her poems off and I was enchanted and asked her to write it down for me, which she did, and signed it.

I will arise arise and go now,
And get my coffee cup
And some strong coffee pour there
With cream and sugar laced—
Nine cupfuls will I make there
When I have gotten up
And drink them all
Ere the world I face.

I will arise and go now,
For always, night and day,
I hear the coffee boiling
With gurgles in the pot
When I lie beneath the covers
Or in the twilight grey,
I bless the world
When my brew is hot.

A poem from Leigh Ann Hussey

Making a buck off of gullibility, part XVIII

Hey, here's the funny website du jour: Eternal Earth-Bound Pets. When you're Raptured, what becomes of your pets left behind on Earth? This group will take care of them for a fee.

From the website's opening page:

You've committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind.

We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.

Damn, they've already got someone covering Oregon.

Making a buck off of gullibility, part XVIII

Clippy finally messes with the wrong Word doc

About gahdamn time....

Clippy finally messes with the wrong Word doc

The joy of having kids--I never knew until now

I've been following an online friend's blog this year. She had a stillborn son and she and her family are putting their lives back together. It's been worse than anything she could've imagined or ever wanted to imagine. I can pick up a tiny fraction of what she's going through and that's quite hard enough, thank you.

They're thinking seriously of trying again and she is wondering about any number of things, not the least of which is the sense of risk. I just posted something that I realized I wanted to post here, too, because part of my reply made me realize how much I've learned in the last 9 years with The Babe's three kids, who I love and am enormously proud of.

Children are always a risk, no matter what the age. And it never gets easier. I've learned that through being a stepfather. I worry about them all, even my 31-yo oldest daughter, no matter what, no matter when. But I've also discovered, much to my surprise, that it's all worth the risk, too. And that's something I never knew until I had kids to love of my own.

The joy of having kids--I never knew until now

The Blessed Virgin Mary makes an ironic appearance

(Not really SFW, but very, very funny.)

The Friendly Atheist has this article about the appearance of the BVM in an ironic location. But, hell, if Jesus can appear in tortillas and mildew stains, the BVM can appear in... uh...

Be sure to read the comments, which are also very funny.

The Blessed Virgin Mary makes an ironic appearance