Watch the 47th Grammy's and look for DVR's Wife and Producer, Andrea Vuocolo Vanronk, and our beloved Christine Lavin [who helped edit it] February 13, 2005 8PM on CBS.
William Valdez is our Son-in-Law Extrodinaire. You can support our troops via this site, and support William, personally, if you wish. His TFT ID is 1862195 Thank you!
OK, I guess it's time to get a bit current and speak about my latest visit to Mom.
First, I need to put the disclaimer strait away lest my rels and friends get scared. Please note that Mom appeared way improved by the time we ended our visit, but the story details follows [BTW, Laura, please email me, the addy I recently received from your Mom must be an old one...thank you], suffice to say that this was one of the first times in a very long while that I felt that I might lose my Mother. She was doing so poorly. It was very frightening -- Gordy felt the same way about her health. But, don't forget, by the end of our extended say she looked better.
Details follow, including our drive down...oy! [To be continued..] ##
Another tidbit of news that hit home for me, and yet is still avoiding the reality of news I need to post, is that Liz Claiborn died. She was 78, and no, our store never carried her merchandise, but still, it's sad, and hits the gut and the part of my life, like most of it pre-WA, that was related to Gillman's WH Inc. I do also recall that after I wasw in "misses" size, one of the things I purchased outside of our store was a pair of black jeans of hers, size 4. Kewl beans, eh?
I learned about this from the WWD I subscribe to online. So, new rule, apparently, "you can't take the store outta the woman can you"?
I just have to share.. I'm watching Michael Moore on The Daily Show, and Michael just said he was scheduled to have his first hour with Larry King, and he just heard he got bumped down in time because Paris Hilton is going to be on!!!
That sums it ALL up doesn't it?
I eagerly await "Sicko". I regret that I didn't write my story when he emailed and asked, because I thought I didn't fit in with his intent...dang I have to start trusting my gut again.
NEWS! Scooter Libby gets sentenced to 30 months today.
Bush Feels 'Terrible' for Libby
June 5, 2007 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 2:18 p.m. ET
ROSTOCK, Germany (AP) -- President Bush feels ''terrible'' for the family of I. Lewis Libby but does not intend to intervene now in the case of the former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney who was sentenced to prison Tuesday, the White House said.
Bush was informed by aides of Libby's sentencing in Washington to 2 1/2 years in prison after he got on Air Force One to fly from the Czech Republic to Germany for the G-8 summit of industrialized nations.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino came back on the president's aircraft to relay Bush's reaction to the sentence.
''The president said he felt terrible for the family, especially for his wife and kids,'' Perino said.
''He says he feels terrible for them, he's sorry for all that they're going through,'' she added. Asked if Bush included Libby in the statement, Perino replied, ''Yes.''
She said that he would not comment any further at this time.
Bush was informed of the sentence just after Air Force One took off from Prague for Germany. He was given the news by chief of staff Joshua Bolten and senior counselor Dan Bartlett.
''The president has not intervened so far in this or any other criminal matter, so he's going to decline to do so now as well,'' Perino said.
Bush has made no secret of his fondness for Libby who was a presidential aide as well as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.
The president, who leaves office on Jan 20, 2009, has never ruled out a pardon for Libby.
I'm looking, and have been for a while, for a new member or two of my family...A Somali, or maybe an Abysinnian, or perhaps an American Bobtail or Japanese Bobtail, or Maine Coon cat [although methinks s/he would be not as happy with the enclosure since they tend to be truly large] or another cat that captures my fancy to join me, Gordy, Zach and Olivia.
I cam across this story about "the magical, mysterious purr" and thought I'd post it here. Thanks to catz4u/ragdoll:
The Magical, Mysterious Purr
"Once upon a time a comely princess faced a seemingly impossible task. To save her true love from death, she had to spin 10,000 skeins of linen in only 30 days. Heartbroken, the princess wept in frustration until her three cats took pity on her and agreed to help. With their rough tongues and swift, clever paws, the cats not only finished in plenty of time, but the linen they spun was the finest and most wondrous ever seen in the kingdom. The cats' reward? They were blessed with the ability to purr, so they and their descendants would forever be living manifestations of the mesmerizing whir of the spinning wheel.
The purr is more than a feline vocalization, more than a physiological oddity. Even among the cat's remarkable collection of unique attributes, the purr stands alone. It is singular, personal, distinctive true feline performance art. The mysterious, uncannily soothing vibration, sometimes felt but not heard, other times rafter rattling, is at once eminently practical and one of nature's glorious luxuries.
A cat purrs to soothe and flatter its human companions; to celebrate and reinforce the familial bond among its own kind; to lull its kittens to sleep or call them to dinner; to reveal its emotional state; to manipulate and cajole; to entreat; to acknowledge friendship or approval; to revel in joy, thanks and contentment; to please its ineffable self. As both quintessentially feline self- expression and an admirably versatile communicative device, the purr is unequaled.
Yet the purr remains a mystery. For some experts, this produces a peculiar avoidance: Some books devoted to feline nature and behavior fail to even mention the purr. The cat, whose bond with humanity is both ancient and extraordinarily intimate, seems determined to keep some of its secrets tucked away - probably right behind its purr box.
In Paul Gallico's wise classic The Silent Miaow, the narrator cat unequivocally and proudly claims, "No one has ever been able to discover how we make this subtle sound, and what is more, no one ever will. It is a secret that has endured from the very beginning of the time of cats and will never be revealed." ##
PSA - Just in case you hadn't heard yet, Michael Moore will be on Oprah tomorrow, Tuesday the 5th of June, showcasing and talking about "Sicko". "TUESDAY'S SHOW: Michael Moore: The Buzz About "Sicko" and Oprah's Summer Book.
Trailer for "Sicko"
Michael Moore's controversial new film, "Sicko," is taking on a trillion-dollar industry that affects all of us. Then, he has never done a TV interview...fiercely private literary legend Cormac McCarthy opens up. Plus see what Bono's up to this summer!
Find out more about this show and what's coming up!" ##
We salute the Grammy nomination of the late great
Dave Van Ronk's final concert album: 
