Wow! I hadn't realised how long it's been since I posted here. So much has happened in the past 2 - 3 weeks. A lot of it I can't discuss online yet.

I have to really haul ass and start looking for a job in London now. This is complicated since I don't have a work permit yet, but I want to try to get work beforehand - something that will let me accumulate some desperately need funds for some plans I have in gear.

It's finally warmed up here in Switzerland. The summer has been extremely cold except for a few sweltering hot days in late spring. Then things slipped into the cold setting and we even went into the 30s a few nights. Many days barely made it up to 60. This is not what I call summer.

Like most Americans, regardless of where in the world we are, I've been following the disaster in new Orleans. I'm revolted at the looting and sniper attacks and the rapes. I'm disgusted at people who sat and demanded to be taken care of and made no attempt to organise and help themselves. I'm disgusted with people who demanded the impossible, who wanted the laws of physics defied to get recovery teams and supplies in without regard for real world logistics and distances. I'm really disgusted at a city so sleazy that they had no emergency shelter system, no stockpiled supplies, nada. But they could open their mouths and demand everyone take care of them.

On the other hand, I saw video footage of the evacuees at the Dome, and one small child's face broke my heart. One little black boy, filled with the immense dignity that children can have, struggling desperately not to lose it, not to break down and cry. His beautiful little face twisted in concentration with the effort to keep control, not to cry, to remain silent and not break down at the complete misery of hunger and thirst and everything. I would give anything to help a child like that.

Sadly, it was more smirking and arrogant faces I saw everywhere else.

I'm still feeling somewhat under the weather from a nasty bout of sinusitis the past week. The pain was unreal, hour after hour, usually worst at night. Seems to have cleared up now. But wow was that awful. I couldn't think, could barely function. Total lost week.

Another cold, wet, gray day. Further proof that Asti's cats are not normal - I cleaned their litter boxes this morning and refilled them with fresh cat litter. Normal cats would be all over a freshly filled litter box, in fact they'd be climbing in under your hands as you poured in the litter. But no, these three basically ignored me and just strolled by or found a comfy perch to watch me at this gross activity. I wish I could train the cats to be vaccuumed; the cat hairs float all over, every piece of clothing, every piece of furniture, everything has cat hairs. I vaccuum the house every day to keep it at a minimum but still find cat hairs tickling my nose or irritating my eyes.

On the other hand, they truly are not ordinary cats. They are exceptionally clever little beasts especially Sweetpea, the huge white Maine Coon cat.

Love's Labour's Lost - 2000

An update of the classic Shakespeare story, director Kenneth Branagh shot this movie like a classic 30s musical. Love's Labour's Lost tells the story of four best friends who swear off love.

This was really GREAT fun watching tonight. Andrew would have enjoyed the 30's feel with swing dancing and very clever use of famous 30's show tunes. My goodness, this was a really good job. The nice part is they kept Shakespeare's beautiful language.

Dead Pets Are Fun?
http://www.deadpetsgame.com/

To promote a book, called Dead Pets, about pet cemataries, cruel animal death in movies, the stunt doubles that make that happen, pet afterlife and its religious implications and, yes, recipes for cooking pets, book publisher Canon Gate has launched a microsite, with ghoulish music, where you can play "whack a pet with a bat." I'm sure it's all done humorously. I hope.

The music is not bad. Ok, it's slightly amusing. But keep the kids away from this, please.

I need an Athens account! Not for myself, I just need to use someone's account briefly to get a couple of files. But it's now 10 days that I have been asking, even begging friends, aquaintenaces, hell, I've even pleaded to strangers! But no Athens account.

So what, you may ask, is an Anthens account. Simple, it's a sort of clearinghouse/gateway to a wide set of information and research databases in the UK. The entire thing from research to databases/archives to Athens.org are paid for with taxpayer money. And, Athens accounts are supplied free to UK Univeristy and Further Education students...but NO ONE ELSE.

BASTARDS - ATHENS ORG AND ALL ITS MINIONS SHOULD BURN IN HELL

I politely called Athens.org to arrange a short term account. I need the thing for less than 1 day, we're talking a couple hours work here. So I thought, ok, there must be short term accounts or perhaps a 1 time access scheme for people doing research outside the University system - like museums and libraries routinely do.

But NO! You are either a student or you are the dirt under their feet. The man I spoke with in Athens Support actually laughed at me.

Bastards!

There must be someone out there who has an Athens account and can help me. There must be!

Yes, I'm feeling very bitter about this. I do research for other people all the time, come up with the work/help/file/access they need, often desperately need. But the one time I need serious help, I'm banging my head against a wall. I'm really frustrated.

OK whoever you are reading this... Can you help me get access to an Athens account?

piratesarecool4

piratesarecool4, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

You may be interested to know that global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s. For your interest, I have included a graph of the approximate number of pirates versus the average global temperature over the last 200 years. As you can see, there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between pirates and global temperature.

Damn, damn,damn, I knew there was something I was supposed to buy. A new black inkjet cartridge. Damn, I'll have to make sure to buy one tomorrow.

Sadly, I wasn't able to get 1010WINS net radio to work today. It was fine yesterday but no way today. The popup window just freezes part way. This happened previously when I first tried to listen to 1010WINS on the net. I have no choice but to use their screwy non-standard proprietary setup tho. They don't broadcast in any way that I can figure to recieve by any normal standard. Arrgh.

Thank you, lord, thank you ! I was finally able to connect to 1010WINS radio's internet stream. Oh my god I've missed listening to 1010WINS, I've missed having the radio playing in the background all day - IN ENGLISH!

Ok, big sigh of relief. Yes, of course I would prefer a local Basel station -if it was in English. But there isn't any and you get so isolated without people speaking your native language. I love Basel and think it's an incredibly wonderful city, a little gem. But, I can't wait to move to London. And yes, I actually do have a favorite local London morning drive show radio station and for the rest of the day there are several local stations I enjoy listening to.

We've just had the worst hailstorm I've ever experience in my entire life. It's the equal of or worse than the one I experienced many years ago in Richmond VA where the hail left dents in cars. The hail just now ranged from sugar cube size to ping pong ball size! And most of it was in the larger range. Bye-bye terrace plants. The older established trees and bushes are fine. But all the new tender seedlings and herbs I had recently started growing are ripped to shreds by the hail. The wind that drove the hail was very high and horizontal gusts banged open every window not double secured. The mess in the house is unreal. Water and chunks of ice driven 12 feet or more past the windows - all over the floors, furniture, papers.

And yes, there are dents in some of the cars from this hail.

I just made chopped chicken liver. Now that may not sound delicious and enticing and start craving rising within you, but that's only because you've never tasted my homemade chopped chicken liver. This stuff is gorgeous. It's better than any professionally made pate or terrine. It's simply perfect.

There's fresh chicken livers from organic grain and flower petel fed free range chickens, sauteed in Brittany butter and then finished with lashings of moscato grappa. There's 2 very large onions and 6 large garlic cloves chopped and sauteed in lots of butter. There's 3 hard boiled free range eggs. Everything is individually prepared first. Then the eggs are shredded on the fine side oif the grater. The onions and garlic are then mixed into the eggs and freshly ground pepper and salt added. The livers are roughly chopped with a large knife and then tossed into the cuisineart machine with their butter and grappa enriched juices. A few pulses with the knife blade of the machine grind them to almost the perfect course texture. Then the eggs and onions are dumoped in and the whole thing pulsed a few times. Voila, perfect texture. The taste is perfect, no need to adjust seasoning. Then the mixture is packed into a plastic container and put into the fridge to allow it to cool and the flavours to blend and develop and mellow.

This is going to be killer eating tomorrow. (I'm sure it will be the target of a late night tasting raid, tho.)

This is all the spin off of our massive grocery shopping in Saint Louis, France yesterday. We drove into France before 9am and stopped at a local patisserie hoping that a croissant would sooth and control our hunger before we reached the supermarket. It didn't work. We went nuts - the food was gorgeous and the prices were unbelievably low. Meat was cheaper than New York City prices. We were in grocery heaven.

I bought fresh roquefort cheese and made creamy dressing from it last night. I had a salad for lunch today and the creamy roquefort dressing was all I had dreamed. Oh lord, is it good!

Supper tonight is coquilles st jacques. Yumm! With apple tart for dessert.

(Tom - we bought almost a pound of local made double smoked bacon and about as much genuine black forest ham. The black forest is just up the road and local farmer still make the traditional hams on small family farms.)

14th Century houses along the River Thur

14th Century houses along the River Thur, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Remnant tower of the outer castle ramparts

Remnant tower of the outer castle ramparts, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Center of Thann

Center of Thann, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Taken standing in the forecourt of St Thibault Church.

Rangen Vinyards

Rangen Vinyards, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

The Rangen (Knight) is the most southerly vineyard in Alsace. Thann is the only locality in Alsace which can boast that the totality of its vineyard area is classified as Grand Cm. The 18,81 ha of the Rangen are planted with Riesling, Tokay Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer.

Chapel in the Regan Vinyards

Chapel in the Regan Vinyards, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Thann along the River Thur

Thann along the River Thur, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Thann along the river Thur

Thann along the river Thur, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Houses on the left bank vary from 14th to 17th century and are still occupied.

Looking towards the Rangen Vinyards.

Looking towards the Rangen Vinyards., originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Church St-Thiébaut at Thann

Church St-Thiébaut at Thann, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Started towards 1320 as church of pilgrimage, the Church Holy Thibaut became parochial in 1389, then Collegiate Church in 1441.

Witch's Eye -Thann

Witch's Eye_Thann, originally uploaded by Curved Space Lab.

Remains of the donjon of 13th century Engelsbourg (Castle Holy Angel. In 1673, King Louis XIV gave order to demolish the castle. During the demolition, the round donjon broke itself in several sections among which one lays on its edge and is since called "Haxenoïg" or Witch's eye.