Urban lovers

As conceited as this may sound, no one has ever 'gotten away'. I have release several back into the wild but none have ever escaped.

Dennis Lehane’s epic novel, The Given Day, brings post WWI Boston to life with unapologetic clarity. The story offers an insider’s view of the struggles of the average Boston cop, the rise of worker’s unions, and the suffocating prejudice rampant in the America of the time. He has also created the character I would most like to change places with.

Nora O’Shea is one strong woman. Tragedy, hope, selflessness, and community combine to make this Irish immigrant compelling and sympathetic. If I could be any fictional character, I would live in the skin of Nora O’Shea – heartbreak and all.

Purple Haiku Contest
Submission for the purple haiku contest.
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My grandfather was from Arkansas and he loved his Country music. At that time (1960-1970) the genre was called Country & Western and Jimmy Dean was a big part of it. Dean was on HeeHaw every once in a while and he always seemed to be having a whole lot of fun. He was funny in a soft spoken, kind of corny way and he had an interesting sound. I never minded listening to him on trips with my grandparents, even when I was a snotty teenage, which is about as much of a compliment that anyone ever gets from a 13 year old girl.

Rest in Peace Mr. Dean. You will be missed.

Jimmy Dean Dies at Virginia Home – CBS News.

I’m especially fond of #3.

18 Common Phrases to Avoid in Conversation | Real Simple.

Hurricane season is here and according to the experts in Colorado, it is going to be a really busy one. The prediction is for the tropics to be “active to extremely active” this year, creating up to 23 named storms. Beyond the potential death, destruction, and outrageous traffic jams, having to name 23 storms apparently presents an additional problem. According to the National Hurricane Center’s website, only 21 names have been set aside for 2010 and several of those are recycled from years past. Repeat offenders on this year’s list of possibles include Earl, a Category 2 hurricane in 1998, Bonnie, also in 1998, a Category 3 storm, and Gaston, a named storm in 2004. Like the others, the damage resulting from Gaston wasn’t considered severe enough for it to be retired from the naming pool.

Severity of damage is a subjective thing. A friend of mine bought his first home early in 2004. Being a hand’s on kind of guy, he spent most evenings after work and every weekend priming, painting, hanging new kitchen cabinets and laying a new wood floor in the living room. In August 2004, Gaston hit and put a very large tree through his roof, destroying all the work he had just finished along with his roof. Many weeks and many phone calls and insurance adjusters later, he got his new roof but the proof of his sweat-equity was gone forever.

Storms have much wider spheres of influence than one would imagine. Damage doesn’t have to be dramatic to be significant. I have a gorgeous, solid black kitty that was born under the local Walmart sometime in July 2004. Animal control trapped his mother and littermates a few days before the storm hit, so at about six weeks old the poor little guy went through Hurricane Gaston huddled alone under the store. My buddy, Zeus, has never gotten over it emotionally and consequently, is a Prozac-a-day cat for life.

Survivor Cat Zeus

Those of us who have lived in the southeast or along the Gulf coast for at least a summer or two have a storm story. Some stories are funny, some are tragic and all have a lasting impact, so if you ask my friend or my cat about this storm naming thing, they’ll tell you that Gaston needs to sit this one out.

I adore cats. In fact, I aspire to someday be the weird catlady with the dozen cats who wears huge hats with fake flowers all over them, but this is too strange even for me. This innovation seems to me to be a perfect example of just because we can doesn’t me we should.

Cats Can Now Tweet with New Liveblogging Device.

Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, and Ghost Hunters Academy: Syfy’s Paranormal Franchise Socyberty

The Ghost Hunters summer season is about to kick off. First at bat is the newest spin-off, Ghost Hunters Academy airing June 6 on SyFy. The show is entering its second season, which hopefully will be better than the first. The reality show features paranormal investigators Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango as instructors in art and science of hunting spirits. I admit that I’m partial to Tango and that he is the primary reason for me to watch. If the show is anything like last season, there isn’t a lot of excitement, no ah-ha moments to speak of. Its more like a soap opera featuring slightly odd young folks who want to find some ghosts and do it on television.

Kevin Eubanks Quits Jay Leno’s ‘Tonight Show’ (VIDEO).

I don’t watch Leno often but when I have, I’ve always enjoyed Kevin Eubanks. Good luck to him in his next project!

Tomorrow is the Big Day! The Food Network welcomes its baby sister to the world of cable programming. The Cooking Channel begins its 24-7 foodie broadcasting on May 31 and as embarrassing as it might be, I’m Really Excited! I have been a fan of the Food Network since the good ole days of Sara Live, The Two Fat Ladies, and Two Hot Tamales were the big shows. Sara Moulton hosted what I consider the best live cooking show in the history of the genre but she was cut down by her calm, quite personality. She has since been replaced by the Food Network’s version of Charo, Ingrid Hoffmann and her somewhat chesty version of Latin cooking, Simply Delicioso. I like Ingrid and her Chica references but I miss Sara and East Meets West host Ming Tsai. They are chefs, they cook, and they teach. I’m not going to mention the much maligned Rachael Ray and Sandra Lee because neither are chefs and both are annoying. Why mention annoying if you can help it? Anyway, I have my fingers crossed for more cooking and less personality on the Cooking Channel.

Oh, by the way, no offense is intended towards Charo. Her ‘cuchi-cuchi’ giggly bits crap gets to me but I do have great respect for her as a musician. If you have never heard her play Flamenco guitar, you’re missing something.