pontalba
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Posts posted by pontalba
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Rueben will be just fine. I do believe it's more traumatic for us than it is for the pets. Under normal circumstances of course.
I speak as someone that has had many, many cats and dogs spayed and neutered! In fact, for one particularly recalcitrant cat I actually stayed in the room, and took him home immediately. That cat is so nutz the vet didn't want to keep him there. LOL Of course I've known this vet since we moved here in 1995, and he knows I watch my cats like a hawk.
I miss having dogs. We always had both, but the last of my dogs passed about 3 years ago. And the above mentioned nutz cat hates dogs, so the choice is easy. drat.
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Pontalba, you would not believe how much time I spent working on that machine, goggles on, this weekend past. Ready in time for the next auction? I cannot say for sure......
I do believe you! I felt the vibes! lolol
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Fantastic! Thank you so much for posting.
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You just keep on dreaming big, who knows what might happen!
And about the age thing... Pontalba already said it, you never know if your 30s might be the best years of your life! I'd always thought as a teenager that I would have a degree, a husband and maybe even a few kids by the time I was 25 and lookahere, I'm 31 and I have none of that yet
I might've dreaded turning 30 when I was in my early 20s, but the closer I got to 30 the more I started thinking maybe it's a nice change. I've heard many women say they are more confident and enjoy themselves more when they're not in their 20s anymore. I've tried to adopt that belief and it's been going okay so far Pontalba, your hubby's right, you are not old, you've barely lived the first half of your life!
Def more confidence the older one gets!
LOL, I won't be old till I can't wear my 6 inch heels!
and that day ain't yet! -
I will, for sure.
AIE: Doesn't come out over here till August 6th.
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I get that type, and I get them when I'm stressed, when I'm tired, and when I eat tuna, but I hadn't had one for a while.
Tuna!? wow.
Me too, they are awful, have tried lots of different things but little helps.
. Am now trying a new health and fitness regime in the hope that my body will become stronger and more resistant to them.. At the moment the only thing that helps at all is Triptans from the Doctor.Sad day today as just took Steve to the airport for him to go back to work, will not be back for 5/6 weeks
. Had a lovely 10 days with him though so will focus on the good times. (And can actually have a tidy house and especially bedroom for a few weeks!!) Re the headaches...if I allow my head to get cold I'll get a nasty headache...so it's a hat for me, even in only cool weather.
Good luck, pontabla and Miss Mabel!
Thanks.
I have to se my neurosurgeon today.. last year I was operated on hernia and I have to check everything is ok.. but my hands still hurt and I'm a little nervous. If only i could be operated once more without doing all the hideous exams I did last years: I can't stand electric shock.
Ok, I have to be positive.. and I've been thorugh it once, I could do it once more.
My wife has shingles. It is very painful. This is her 4th week with it.
I haven't had it, but do know it's painful. Hope it clears very soon.
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Regarding using children and women as currency.
That is something from time immemorial. It's only in the last (maybe) 100 years or so that the notion of marrying for love came into vogue. And then only among those that didn't have money/wealth/position. Don't think it doesn't happen now among those with power. Alliances. Money marries money.
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6. In terms of the writing, a number of reviewers felt the difficulty of too many Thomases and too many he's - that Mantel didn't make the effort to help readers through the confusion. Do you agree? Did you find other difficulties in reading the work...or did you find her prose clear... and engaging? How else might you describe Mantel's writing?
I thought her third person, present tense, omniscient was fantastic. If I have that right.
I had a slight trouble sorting the "he" at first, then realized that when Mantel referred simply to "he" she meant Cromwell. There were several times she did, in fact, clarify that it was Cromwell speaking. All other times, she clarified which Thomas/he was speaking.
It took a bit to get into the rhythm of her writing, but once there, wow!
Maureen, I loved her humor as well. Dark, sardonic. Yes! I think that reflected the times.....and it makes sense for Cromwell to have had that sort of humor.
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5. What do you think about the title - 'Wolf Hall'?
According to Wikipedia,
I must admit that although this is a clever play on words, it's significance did not strike me as particularly important....
Agreed. I kept wondering why that title, then later I saw the name of the Seymour home. Still didn't seem particularly appropriate.
The 'man is wolf to man' is certainly more appropriate, but not obvious. If that were the case shouldn't Mantel have had something about that in the quotes in the front? Or did I miss that? lol
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No, but it looks interesting. I'd like to read more about anyone that managed to survive Henry!!
And yes, the upstairs/downstairs bit sounds great.
Thanks.
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I loved the first one, and look forward to this new one.
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Have fun with that. It's even in Robinson's squash and stuff like that.
The fact is, it's easy to avoid. I rarely drink sodas, and take my tea and coffee plain.
I don't care for fruit drinks, if I want fruit, I eat it and don't bother with the prepared juices that add sugar or junk anyhow.
I can't think of a thing I'd buy that includes aspartame. With the allergic reaction I had to it, I have to be careful.
Once when I thought to buy some of the so called diet mixes...by Atkins no less, I read the label carefully and noted it had aspartame in it, along with sucrose (!), I didn't buy it. Simple.
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Thanks muggle.
Eleonora, sending good vibes and hugs your way. Never give up. Never.
Frankie...sucky degree? rotfalol "old", "boring".....hah! No way Dick Tracy!
What a great experience though! You never know when you'll use some of that sucky degree.
AIE: My husband is older than I am, and he won't allow me to say I am old...! hee hee
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I'd like to see that program...wonder if it will at any time be available over here. hmmmm
Darn, I went to their website, and it isn't available "in your area"...grrrr lol
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I watched two films last night actually.
The Man From Earth which was extraordinary! It was set almost entirely in one room, which may sound boring, but it wasn't for a second. One of the most remarkable films I've ever seen. It's about a professor who quits his job, his colleagues come over to say goodbye and he tells them he's 14,000 years old & never ages. Fascinating would be an understatement.
The second film I saw is called Before Sunset, which is about an American man and a French woman who spent a night together 9 years ago in Vienna, promised to see each other again in six months but never did, until now. It was another well written dialogue-driven film like The Man From Earth - something I'm sure regular readers would appreciate - and it was full of thoughtful and insightful observations about life and love. The film is actually a sequel to Before Sunrise which is about that night in Vienna. I thought Before Sunrise was good, but I didn't really appreciate it until now. Thinking about it, that must be Before Sunset's greatest achievement - lending emotional heft to its predecessor in retrospect. Oh, and there's a third film coming out later this year called Before Midnight which is set another nine years after Before Sunset. Safe to say, I'm excited about seeing that.
I've ordered these three from Amazon adama. My husband says he saw Before Sunset and Before Sunrise ages ago, and loved them. I'm happy to hear there is another one coming out. So thanks!
Also, I am a ST:TOS and The Man From Earth sounds very much like a ST ep that I loved. The author wrote for ST.
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While I have yet to invent a travel machine that would take you from deepest Louisiana to darkest Angus once every four weeks, (I will continue to work on that, Pontalba
),I count on that!
I wish!!
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I used to reread The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment...ie The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart when I was upset, or blue. That was ages ago, but at the time they worked. They were like old friends.
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Had a long week at work then got rewarded with a migraine this weekend
pfftMiserable. I used to get what I called hormonal migraines. No fun at all.
Right now I'm battling a toothache. I have a root canal scheduled for Thursday. There were other issues that had to be clarified before we were sure it was root canal worthy, but it is. gak
Taking pain meds for the time being. Thankfully, I managed to sleep last night! It's amazing that a tooth on the top can affect the lower ones so much. Honestly, I think the bottom (innocent, good) teeth hurt worse than the offender topside! awk! The delay is due to waiting for the perm cap to be ready. Oy
Other than that it's been a beautiful day, some clouds, but mixed with gorgeous sunshine.
On Friday we went shopping and I bought some skirts....I haven't worn skirts in ages and ages, but I happened to wear a skirt/suit a few weeks ago, and my husband loved it on me so much I had to go out and buy skirts. lol With my 6 inch heels of course!
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Finished The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, and am debating whether to start The Crimson Petal and the White now, or postpone till closer to May.
Actually I've kind of started two on my kindle....Z : A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler, and another essay by Len Deighton about Ian Fleming. But I'm not sure if I'll continue.
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 4/5
I've wanted to read this for ages, and have a copy around here somewhere. But I downloaded it to my kindle to be able to read on the go. The film coming out next month looks to be a beautiful and lush telling of the book.
I'm a bit torn, but come down on a very positive note concerning Gatsby, it is of course beautifully written, in a straight-forward style. The story of a man with no past, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Slowly his past comes to be known through a series of vignettes, and none to savory is it. Probably. One is left with uncertainty, or at the least, ambiguity. The woman that is purportedly the love of his life, Daisy, doesn't seem much worth the adoration he bestows upon her, and is rather selfish.
Ultimately a story of betrayal and murder, but lightly told.
Recommended.
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I hope that this is allowed. I found a wonderful blog for all of us book hoarders. It's Bookshelfporn dot com. Lovely ideas on storing your beloved books.
I couldn't get much more than a heading when I googled for it. Finally I did see one glorious picture, but nothing else.
Re your hoarding books...
Me too. I rarely get rid of books, even when I am pretty sure I won't reread. After all, one never knows. 
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Thank you for that Pontalba, what a wonderful and clearly heartfelt post. I simultaneously read it and furiously scribbled titles down as I went.
Thank you Chrissy...I know I've forgotten some, but I only started making lists in 2007, and memory is not always my strong suit.
In fact another that comes to mind is Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor...I read it, first, when I was 15 or 16 and fell in love.
What a rat Bruce was though!!I've just started a re-read of Jane Eyre myself - I suggested it as our classic choice for my book group last month and it got chosen, so it's a good opportunity to revisit it, although only my second reading, it's still one of the classics I was happy to pick up again.
That's wonderful! You'll notice more details, and connect some things on the second (or third or fourth...) go 'round.
I love Jane Eyre! It's very interesting to read your post
. I'm not sure which books I'd put on mine, there are many who've had somewhat of an influence on my life, something to think about.Oh, make a list! It brings back all sorts of memories!
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Someone on another forum posted a thread asking what were our (lifetime) Trancendent Reads...whatever that means to you. So, I thought I'd post my thoughts here, as I have over there.
Transcendent books I've read, in the sense of being beyond the limits of ordinary experience, or exceeding usual limits.
I've read innumerable "good" books, hundreds, if not thousands in my life I'd venture to say. But transcendent....that's more than just good. Beyond ordinary. Exceeding usual limits. At least according to Webster.
Perhaps books that moved me, touched my heart for whatever reason, logical or not, would qualify. It's difficult to weed out the really, really good ones and just leave in the ones that affected me, affected my thinking throughout my life.
Perhaps the very first book that just made me sit up and go.......that's the way it is!, has to be Taylor Caldwell's Pillar of Iron. Marcus Cicero's life story as told, fictionalized of course, by Caldwell from actual correspondence between Cicero and his contemporaries.....his publisher Atticus, his mercurial friend Julius Caesar, Pompey....all the greats. His Orations. Caldwell begins her Foreword with this...
"Any resemblance between the Republic of Rome and the United States of America is purely historical, as is the similarity of ancient Rome to the modern world."
I was 15, taking an Ancient History class in High School when I read this the first time. and it hit me like a ton of bricks.
John Toland's 2 volume Adolf Hitler, William Manchester's The Arms of Krupp, both hit me hard.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte...love story, redemption. I've lost count the number of times I've reread this...it's different at various ages. My first reading was at about 9 or 10, the last about 60.
Same as Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell...changes with age. I've seen different aspects of all characters as I age. Again, first reading about 10 or 11, last reading about 60(ish).
Lolita, Pnin, Speak Memory, Look at the Harlequins! by Vladimir Nabokov are all filled with painterly prose that can break your heart.
Vera by Stacey Schiff...VN and his wife's marriage/life long love affair.
The Sea, The Untouchables, Athena, The Book of Evidence, Ghosts by John Banville are my favorites of his, but anything, really, that he has written.
Both Nabokov and Banville transport me like no other author. When I open one of their books it is like falling into a warm and wonderful feather bed that totally wraps me up and shuts out the world.
Malevil by Robert Merle is a book I've reread a number of times. I think this book influenced me because it shows that people will be people and fight no matter what the circumstances, but sometimes an honorable Leader will emerge that changes the course of Life. I know that is an over-dramatization, but it epitomized that possibility to me.
I must add Absalom, Absalom! by Faulkner, mostly because when I read it I felt I'd come home. I knew these people, they were my relatives, friends and foes.
Light Years by James Salter...the prose, the prose!
The Ripley books (all 5) by Patricia Highsmith....great fun, wonderfully horrible protagonist!
A Widow for One Year by John Irving...a story of endurance and love triumphing over time and age.
Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, and The Ghost Road by Pat Barker WWI...horrifying, beautiful
The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville Irish, The Troubles...story of redemption.
Follow Me Down by Shelby Foote Great story telling, beautiful prose.
What's up in April?
in General Chat
Posted
Your post was the first I heard...then CNN came through. Awful. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Two dead.