I'm way jealous that Jan at Secular Blasphemy got to this story first.

The group of prospective jurors was summoned to listen to a case of Tennessee trailer park violence.

Right after jury selection began last week, one man got up and left, announcing, "I'm on morphine and I'm higher than a kite."

When the prosecutor asked if anyone had been convicted of a crime, a prospective juror said that he had been arrested and taken to a mental hospital after he almost shot his nephew. He said he was provoked because his nephew just would not come out from under the bed.

Another would-be juror said he had had alcohol problems and was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer. "I should have known something was up," he said. "She had all her teeth."

Another prospect volunteered he probably should not be on the jury: "In my neighborhood, everyone knows that if you get Mr. Ballin (as your lawyer), you're probably guilty." He was not chosen.

The case involved a woman accused of hitting her brother's girlfriend in the face with a brick. Ballin's client was found not guilty.

"[H]ad all her teeth". *Snicker* I'd also be concerned if I was Mr. Ballin who has the reputation in the community for the counsel of choice for those who are guilty. I thought it was a nice touch for the article to note that Ballin got this guy off.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:32 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 You know, as soon as I saw that this was a story about those crazy people in Tennessee, I just had to cover my eyes and hope for the best. I still remember when an F-16 went down in Nashville, and the only person they found with whom to do an interview was a barely competent man who had been "lyin' nekkid in the bed with his girlfriend and up and thowed her crosst t'other side of the room". My mom was barely able to speak coherently when she saw that on CNN, she was so mad--noone likes to be guilty by association! There will be no smashing people in the face with bricks at my Nashville weddin'. We're civilized people, and will use folding chairs instead

Posted by: Mandalei at January 19, 2005 09:24 AM (LcyhB)

2 A popular joke in my neck of the woods about Lake County in Northern California, which has an extraordinarily high rate of methamphetamine use and production combined with the highest rate of residents on SSI in the state goes like this: Q. What do you get when you have five people in the bar at Konochti? A. A full set of teeth!

Posted by: Mark at January 20, 2005 08:02 AM (mk4dk)

3 Excellent & amusing tales, as usual, RP. That said, I would venture that the emotion you felt was envy, not jealousy...

Posted by: GrammarQueen at January 21, 2005 12:10 PM (X3Lfs)

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I've had some very funny exchanges with the Girl Child (now 4!) over the last several days and wanted to get them down before I forget them.

Saturday evening, while watching the football game, GC proves that she can get into the mind of the advertising agency who created the Coors Light, "Cold Tasting" campaign. I could not understand what cold tasting was meant to signify, so I wisely asked a better mind, the GC, what she thought "cold tasting" meant. She replied:

Cold tasting? Frosted. Fresh. And yummy.

I suppose she has a future in either beer or advertising. Either way, she's already smarter than I am.

Last night, she became indignant when my wife would not let her do something and this was the interchange:

GC: Pappa, you have to tell Mamma what to do. You're bigger than her and she's smaller than you and she has to listen to you.

Me: Really? Is that how it works?

GC: Yes!

Me: Ok. I'll give it a try. Mamma, come here and give me a hug, please. [Hug given] Mamma, now give me a kiss, please. [Kiss given]. You're right, GC, it works!

GC: NO, PAPPA! Tell her to do something FOR REAL! [tone: indignant anger]

Me: Well, GC, it really doesn't work that way. The only reason she did what I asked was because I said please.

GC: [Stunned silence as world order collapses]

Finally, I was putting the finishing touches on some soup last night when the GC told me she had to go. We had the following conversation:

GC: Ok, Pappa, I have to go now. I'm teaching high school inside.

Me: What are you teaching?

GC: Cow.

Me: Cow?

GC: Yes, cow. How to milk a cow, how to get milk into the pitcher and then how to pour the milk from the pitcher without spilling it.

Me: This is a good thing to teach at high school?

GC: Yes. It's very important.

I want to go back to high school.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:50 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I posted, a couple of days ago, about white truffle oil and I received some interesting comments, many of which inquired generally about white truffle oil. So, I thought I'd post about it. First, the good stuff is high quality olive oil infused with white truffles so that the aroma will knock you over and the taste, when you add it to cooked food, for you don't really want to cook with it because the heat from the cooking will destroy the aroma and the taste, is divine.

These people say it best:

Truffles are one of the world's most complex and mysterious foods. Truly exceptional truffles (almost all of which from Italy) are costly, perishable and hard to find, but truffle oil captures the essence of Italy's best truffles without the expense. This truffle seasoning, made with extra virgin olive oil and a slice of real white truffle, is a flavorful enhancement for steak, pasta, fried eggs, mushroom dishes and cheese.

This olive oil is infused with the exotic flavor of white truffles sometimes know as the "fruit of the woods" and comes in small bottles because a little of its very strong truffle flavor goes a long way.

A few drops of the truffle olive oil will give the final touch of class to an unforgettable dish. Drizzled over a sliced loaf of warmed bread, it makes an unusual, deeply flavored variation of garlic bread. It is an excellent ingredient of the "primit piatti" or first course, particularly with risotto, pasta and fish dishes or just pour a few drops on a simple salad. Truffle oil is often poured at the table, so that the full aroma can escape and do its thing on your guest.

What is a truffle?
A truffle is a fungus that grows 3-12 inches below the ground at the base of certain trees and can only be located by pigs or dogs. Of the nearly 70 known varieties, the most desirable are black truffles (often from Umbria) and white truffles (from Piemonte). Fresh truffles are generally available from late fall to midwinter.

Bear in mind the truffles are horribly expensive. I got my oil at the spice sellers in the Grand Central Station marketplace where it was not ruinously priced, but not too cheap either.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 04:10 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 A truffle is a fungus that grows under trees? Why was I thinking delicate, fluffy, chocolate? At any rate; I'm not completely turned off by the fungi factor. Not COMPLETELY. I think. :: gulp :: Something to try, definitely.

Posted by: Margi at January 19, 2005 01:33 PM (zalxZ)

2 Here I go being nitpicky again, but I have to differ. A truffle is not a fungus; it is a tuber. A most delicious tuber, but a tuber nonetheless. Why so many people think it's a fungus is beyond me.

Posted by: GrammarQueen at January 21, 2005 02:32 PM (X3Lfs)

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Every so often, I pick up a totally random book and read it. Not a hard thing to do, since I just read that 500 books a day are published in these United States. This time, I picked up a book when I was a little drunk. I was in the library of a private club, after dinner, and I borrowed a book. A book I had no recollection of borrowing the next day. Well, by which I mean, I remembered borrowing a book but had no recollection of the subject matter of the book. I'm glad I borrowed it, it was really a great read. It's called: Duveen. Duveen chronicles the story of Joseph Duveen, the most successful dealer in art and Old Masters to ever hit the field. Duveen sold to Frick, Morgan, Rockefeller, Huntington, Post, Dodge, etc. He sold some of the most celebrated paintings ever to grace our shores and he sold some of the most expensive fakes and dogs, too.

One episode in this book that stood out for me was the recounting of the sabotage and assassination attempts by Germany in WW I. Apparently, there was great anger over the US funding of British war efforts early in the war and there was a movement afoot in Germany to kill the bankers, like Morgan, who were coordinating the lending. The view was to kill the bankers would kill the credits and choke Britain off completely. In fact, over the Fourth of July weekend, 1915, a man who gave his name as "Frank Holt" broke into the Morgan residence and tried to kill Morgan, shooting him twice. Holt was also responsible for leaving a bomb in the US Senate, next to the office of the Vice President. The bomb went off and made quite a mess. Holt, however, was not really Holt. According to that link above:

He was German-born Erich Muenter, and he was wanted in Cambridge, Mass., for poisoning an earlier, pregnant wife with arsenic in 1906. An unidentified Chicago source told The Times that Muenter took his two children and his dead wife's body to Chicago, where he left the children with his mother- in-law and had the body cremated. He left town and hid out in Mexico, where he worked as an accountant. He later reappeared in Texas as Frank Holt, married again in 1910 and had three more children.

Holt/Muenter committed suicide in the Nassau County jail before trial.

The Germans also attempted to sabotage US shipping during this period, convinced that passenger boats were carrying munitions for England.

Holt/Muenter was apparently involved in this as well since he had sent a letter to his wife warning her about explosions which were going to take place on several boats. The book suggests that for Holt/Muenter to have managed all of this, he would have had to have had accomplices. None have been identified.

Among the goals of the German agents was to paralyze the US economy. To that end, Franz von Rintelen, a Berlin banker and sabotage expert, sent over $4.5 million dollars to finance the placing of bombs in 35 merchant ships and to foment a strike at the Remington Arms plant. Von Rintelen worked for Franz von Papen, then military attache to the German embassy. Von Papen would go on to be Chancellor of Germany, later. Eventually, these activities resulted in the sinking of the Lusitania, which may have contained a "cigar" full of TNT in the bowels of the boat. Either way, the sinking of that boat by a German U-boat helped bring the US into WW I.

The book also contains a terrific appendix of the paintings sold by Duveen, where they are now, and what attribution they now bear. I may buy a copy of the book if only for this appendix!

One other interesting thing I learned from the book as about the existence of the Huntington Museum, in California, which contains the great paintings bought by Huntington from Duveen. I'd really like to get out there to see it one day.

Anyway, a throughly enjoyable read and I recommend it.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 03:42 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I am convinced that your idea of bliss changes as you age. Before, I mean before I had kids and my views of the world narrowed, I suspect bliss was an ice cold Bombay Sapphire martini and a Cuban cigar. I've always loved that combination.

Now? Now, bliss is waking up before everyone else in the house, as I did this morning, slipping downstairs without waking anyone, and having the kitchen to myself. I brewed an enormous pot of coffee that was so strong, it practically lifted my big mug up when I poured it. I took out all of the vegetables I chopped up last night (while dancing to 8:00 80's on WPLJ) and started cooking up a vat of chili since I know I will have no time at all to cook this weekend. In case you're wondering, cooking commenced at 6:00 this morning. It was lovely to cook away all by myself this morning, just me and my coffee.

Then, while the chili bubbled away on the stove, I made myself a lonesome, solitary breakfast that was simply sublime. I scrambled two eggs with diced prosciuto, melted muenster cheese on top of it and added, while on my plate, a thin drizzle of white truffle oil. White truffle oil is simply the greatest way to turn blah into luxe, calme et volupté.

It was bliss. I cooked, ate lovely eggs perfumed with truffles, drank strong coffee and was all alone to curse out loud to my heart's contentment at the morning's NY Times. Having children has changed me. I'd like to think I'd have appreciated this time alone before kids, but now, it was just blissful.

By the way, the chili appears to have turned out to be nothing short of fabulous.

Best wishes for a great weekend, y'all!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 01:48 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 It sounds blissful enough! Hope you have a great weekend!!!

Posted by: Mick at January 14, 2005 02:04 PM (VhRca)

2 Must find this white truffle oil. I wonder what would happen if I poured it all over . . .anyway. Heh.

Posted by: Margi at January 14, 2005 03:32 PM (zalxZ)

3 Sounds like a wonderful morning--love peaceful mornings--Never heard of White truffle oil

Posted by: Cathy at January 14, 2005 04:21 PM (Bomwi)

4 Recipe please?? How about a fair exchange of recipes?? I will give a CA breakfast salad recipe in exchange for your Chili?? Let's see enough consideration to make this binding, dependent on the will of the parties?? Have a great day!!

Posted by: Azalea at January 14, 2005 08:49 PM (hRxUm)

5 I'm jealous. My mornings either consist of a blaring alarm clock, showering and scrambling (usually futilely) to get to work on time. Weekend mornings consist of the little guy waking me up, and I'm what seems like dad and mom for the weekend. Of course I've never been a 6 am person, I enjoy nights when everyone is asleep and it's just me rambling about doing things.

Posted by: Oorgo at January 15, 2005 02:06 AM (4R+lz)

6 Breakfast at RP's next weekend. I'll bring the coffee!

Posted by: Mark at January 15, 2005 08:18 PM (mk4dk)

7 Hope the chili is even better in a couple of days - you do realize chili improves with age, right?

Posted by: Hannah at January 16, 2005 06:43 AM (7dELN)

8 Eggs and mozzerella I got (Meunster is very close to mozz, so, no prob there). But what is this "white truffle oil" of which ye speak? Can I find some 50 miles west? It sounds too divine for my neck of these woods...

Posted by: Tuning Spork at January 16, 2005 09:14 PM (CrEda)

9 You pour white truffle oil on your eggs? Seriously? Dude. RP's posh. Here I am just using ordinary salsa...

Posted by: Helen at January 17, 2005 03:06 AM (uFX1z)

10 White truffle sauce? I've heard of truffles (which are some sort of fungus right? Like mushrooms) but not white truffle sauce. Wow, talk about an exotic meal! Hope the chili is great; I love chili. Chili and crackers. Great, now I'm hungry again.

Posted by: Rachel Ann at January 17, 2005 02:56 PM (Vb1uJ)

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First, thank you all for your very kind birthday wishes. We all had a very nice time, as I will report below.

My wife and I took the Girl Child to school, ran some errands, and then came back at 11 for her little party. It was too sweet. The Girl Child sat at the head of the table with a crown that she and her class made. One boy cried. He always cries, though, because he always wants it to be his birthday. In a way, I certainly identify with him. We brought miniature cup cakes and miniature black and white cookies to hand out to her class. The students all poured their own milk, which was a first for this week, we were told. The lights were dimmed, the candles were lit, and the songs were sung. I can't tell if the Girl Child enjoyed being the center of attention but I certainly enjoyed watching it. And it was all terribly wonderful to watch all of her little friends eat their cupcakes and try to pour their own milk without spilling. A whole variety of techniques for cupcake eating was on display from, one boy, eating only the icing, to another boy, starting at the top and eat down and disregard the paper, to the Girl Child, who took delicate little bites from the bottom until she was left with just the icing -- the best part. You can't teach that, you know.

Then we got to read to the class, both my wife and I. That was fun, too. A whole room of 3-4 year olds hanging on your every word. I enjoyed involving them in the story. There would be points in the story where one of the characters would be warned not to something and I'd pause and ask the class if they thought the character was going to listen and they all shouted, "No!" and asked me what was going to happen next. I'm telling you, a jury trial is nothing compared to trying to capture and engage the average 4 year old.

The Girl Child was then brought home, still wearing her crown, and deposited in front of a plate of her one of her favorite things: chilled shrimp. She inhaled a half a pound and I left to put in an appearance at the office.

I returned, however, bearing heart shaped cakes: 2 pink and 2 chocolate iced and all was forgiven. In fact, the Girl Child ran to get her mother and announced to my wife:

Time to go eat some suuuuugar!!!

My wife was very amused. After cake, and washing the spectacular amount of chocolate off the Boy ChildÂ’s face, it was time to open the gifts.

The Girl Child received, among other things, a pair of much exclaimed over animal feet slippers from her brother (they went on immediately and did not come off, maybe, until this morning) and, as her big gift from us, an electronic drum set.

Yes, drum set. Did I mention that the nanny gave notice right there and then? Kidding. At least I hope she was kidding. The drums were a big hit, so to speak. The Girl Child took one drum stick and the Boy Child the other and they merrily banged away at them. It was nice to just watch. Happily, since the drum set is electronic, there is a certain amount of volume control built into the toy, so it may not be the end of peace and harmony forever and ever as we know it.

As for the slippers and my cryptic reference about when they came off her feet? When my wife and I put her to bed, she insisted on wearing her new slippers in bed. When asked why, she said:

Here’s the thing. When you put me into bed, at first, my feet are cold, so I want to sleep with these on. [And then did her best impersonation of an old man from Brooklyn with the shoulders shrugged and both hands held out, palms up, in the physical manifestation of a “what are you gonna do” question]

Last night was also the first official night of sleeping without a diaper. She kept telling us that she was going to wait until she turned four before she gave them up and we could not shake her. So, we all waited. I am proud to report that the night passed without incident. I waited around this morning to catch a later train so I could congratulate her and tell her how proud I am of her for getting through the whole night without a diaper, but she gave no sign of waking so I eventually had to leave. I called her during her breakfast and told her. She seemed pleased.

I was kind of excited that she was out of diapers but my wife thought it poignant and, upon reflection, sheÂ’s right (as usual). It is poignant. We have crossed a line here. Some lines, as you go through life, are not so visible, but are very meaningful and some are visible and not to meaningful. I donÂ’t really know where this one falls, perhaps somewhere in between. There is no question it is visible, but is it meaningful? Perhaps it is just poignant because it is visible. Either way, I cast my mind back to when she moved from newborn size diapers to size one and I remember how sad I was that she was growing up so fast. I have never been able to shake that feeling and I try, the best I can, to live as much as I can in the moment with my children, so as to hold on to their childhood as long as I can and to appreciate it without mourning its passing. But then you run into this visible line that you cross and you get jerked back, like a dog at the end of his leash.

Anyway, enough maudlin reflection. There will be plenty of time for that later on Saturday when we have her birthday party with 2,586 screaming children. Then, I will deserve to wallow in maudlin. And Scotch. A lot of Scotch, cause thatÂ’s good for headaches, you know?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 03:13 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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January 12, 2001, my wife and I were at NY Hospital, 65th and the River, and at precisely 10:00 that morning, my wife gave birth to our first child, the Girl Child. Shortly after giving birth, my wife basically passed out and remained passed out for about an hour and a half. That meant that when they finished weighing the little thing, they brought her to me. Now, she was crying her little heart out, not at all happy to be taken from her mother's womb and pushed out into a cold, January morning. But, happily for the Girl Child, I listened to an old nurse some months back at the hospital who counseled us to speak to the baby while in the womb. She said it would be helpful at the time of delivery. So, every night, I used to read to my wife's belly and otherwise just chat to it for awhile. The result was that when the nurse handed me my little wrapped up bundle of shrieking baby, and I cuddled her to my neck and spoke soothingly to her, she stopped crying, let out a little sigh, and snuggled into my neck, totally at peace. It was altogether magical and I sat there with her, talking quietly to her, until the nurses made me give her back to be taken to the nursery.

That was four years ago, today.

Happy birthday, my daughter, and many, many more!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 07:17 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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I was thumbing through a local guide book this weekend, waiting for inspiration to strike and help me pick a fun activity to do with the family, when I came across a reference to the "infamous outlaw, Claudius Smith" in Orange County, NY. Infamous? Really? I'd never heard of him and I'd never seen a reference to him before in any of the many books on local history I have the misfortune to own. Sounds like maybe someone history has forgotten about and I resolved to make him the next, Behind the Curtain profile. Turns out, he was the pretty fierce leader of a band of robbers during the Revolutionary War and a pretty interesting sounding guy, although I'm glad I never met him on a dark road in Orange County. Click Extended Entry below for the rest of it. more...

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:40 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Neat! I love these Behind the Curtains posts. This guy was quite the character. I wonder how accurately he is portrayed. If he was a true Crown Loyalist his activities take on an almost honorable tone, at least for his time. If, as conjectured, he was a simple opportunist he was immensely loathsome. With all of the crap coming out of Hollywood these days you'd think they could just open up a history book or two and find some gems like this. Smith is a ready to write blockbuster.

Posted by: Jim at January 11, 2005 10:43 AM (tyQ8y)

2 Splendid! What a character!!! Never heard of him either, thanks for writing about him.

Posted by: Mick at January 11, 2005 10:52 AM (VhRca)

3 If you're interested in New Jersey history, you should definitely do a search on Amazon for Henry Charlton Beck. They can get his books used very reasonably. Beck does cover this fellow and a great deal else. For a time, New Jersey was sort of the California of the colonies and the early US, since it seems to have been a place where misfits went who were unhappy in other colonies/states, so you had various kinds of social innovation taking place there. Beck is very good on this kind of stuff.

Posted by: John Bruce at January 11, 2005 02:22 PM (t28xF)

4 Claudius is a GGGG for me. He has long fascinated me - most of our relations are not as controversial. I have done a lot of research on Claudius and would be happy to share. I have far more information collected than I have analysed. Nearly every family in the immediate area was somehow affected and most have included their experiences in their family tales. How accurate these stories are is questionable - suffice it to say there are too many to assume Claudius a sterling character. I believe, as does this author, it seems, that he was at best an opportunist. Please feel free to contact me.

Posted by: Lil heselton at February 07, 2005 02:26 AM (yVXTt)

5 My father's name was Claudis Smith. My Grandfather's name was Claudis Smith. His Grandfather was named William Claudis Smith. See a pattern? I am trying to find William Claudis's ancestors. When I "googled" him, it asked me if I meant "Claudius" and when I told it "yes", then I learned all about Claudius Smith and his misdeeds. I don't yet know if I'm his decendent or not. I don't see a parent naming their child (William C. was born 1781) after someone so imfamous unless it was a family name, and maybe that's why they dropped the "u"? Well, anyway, your research was wonderful. Thank you so much for educating me.

Posted by: Kristal at August 12, 2005 01:58 PM (/Jsts)

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Over the holidays, I entertained myself with a biography of Lord Nelson, one of the most famous in a long line of justly celebrated English Admirals. Nelson was the most successful and winningest Admiral the English had during the Napoleonic wars, winning a great victory at the Battle of the Nile and dying at his greatest victory off of Cape Trafalgar, in Spain. This biography of him looked just the thing to take away with me to Guatemala. I must say that despite the books faults, and some were major, I enjoyed it just the same.

First, too much on his "Love". I think that the book went into too great detail about Nelson's various affairs of the heart. I remain skeptical that it was necessary to dissect all of them, again and again. It would have been enough to give us a flavor of them, I think.

Second, too many sentences that suggest that the biographer was making a guess. I would have liked a little less speculation and a bit more certainty. That said, it is impossible to really achieve certainty and I realize that. I just would have liked fewer guesses. I can't give any examples.

Third, Vincent, the author, takes the time to fight all of Nelson's personal battles for him here, even going so far as to attempt to discredit any Nelson contemporary critic who dared raise objections to Nelson's conduct. This grew tiresome after awhile and tarnished Vincent's reputation for impartiality. It can't really be true that every one of Nelson's critics was always wrong. That is the impression Vincent leaves.

Finally, and this is my biggest disappointment with the book, there really should have been a chapter about the operation of the Royal Navy and the life of the sailor and the officer. This would have provided invaluable context. Something about the role of naval tactics prior to Nelson would have been very helpful, too. I have some background here because I have read a bit in the area, but even I would have benefitted from such discussions.

So, on balance, go ahead and read it. It was not bad, had good maps of the battles, and gave a good flavor of Nelson's life, a life worth knowing something about.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:11 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Friday night, my wife and I went out to dinner. We dined at a private club. One of the very good things about dining at a private club is also one of the very bad things about dining at a private club: the cocktails are poured with a generous hand. I ordered a Maker's Mark and soda. Out came a glass filled about 85% to the top with bourbon and a small bottle of soda on the side. I drank it, more fool, I. I ended up with that over served feeling and somehow, somewhere in my house that night, contrived to mislay my cell phone.

Saturday evening comes, and I am still looking for it. The Girl Child comes in and asks me what I'm doing. I tell her that I'm looking for my cell phone and this is what she says:

Perhaps I can help?

Me: [Completely taken aback by having the not yet four year old girl child use the word "perhaps" in a sentence] That would be great.

GC: [Steps into the middle of my bedroom, peers around for about five seconds and calls out in a loud and determined voice] Ok! Where the HECK is that phone!?!

I did eventually find it. Just in case you were wondering.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 07:43 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 I want one! Perhaps. Maybe. Well not really at 6am on Sunday mornings. Just yet.

Posted by: Mia at January 10, 2005 09:35 AM (dCf7X)

2 lol... glad you had a good time. and she never ceases to amaze us all. (still giggling)

Posted by: standing naked at January 10, 2005 10:24 AM (/Kj2M)

3 The child has truckloads of patience!!! Lovely story, Random!

Posted by: Mick at January 10, 2005 03:08 PM (VhRca)

4 Ha, ha, ha!! Great story, Penseur.

Posted by: Jester at January 10, 2005 09:35 PM (yS8Mo)

5 I'm surprised she didn't suggest you call the cell to find it.

Posted by: Margi at January 11, 2005 02:10 AM (rKX9f)

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As you may recall from the previous post, Antigua Guatemala was a very wealthy city which was destroyed, in large part, by a combination of eathquake, flood, and volcanic eruption. The catastrophe devestated the buildings and the city in general. Some of the churches still remain unrestored. Here are some pictures I took of the volcanos, as seen from the city, and a couple of ruins and the beautiful, detailed, architectural elements. Can you imagine the wealth required to support the teaching and work for these craftsmen? I think that there is something very haunting and poignant about a ruin.

Here are the volcanos:

And here is the facade of the ruined cathedral in the main square (there is really nothing behind this facade, by the way):

Here is another church:

Here are two pictures of the rich detail I had talked about above on yet a third and different church:

and

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:40 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Been a long time since I did a today in history post and there seemed to be lots of juicy things to write about today. I am particularly struck by the number of composers who were both born and died on this day and, without annotating them, I include them nonetheless in a separate section. By the way, this is totally raw without my usual links because I am soooo pressed for time at work today. There are some really interesting people and events below, so:

Births on January 6:
1367 Richard II Bordeaux, France, king of England (1377-99)
1412 Joan of Arc
1585 Claude Favre baron de Perouges seigneur de Vaugelas French grammarian
1587 Gaspar de Guzmán Count of Olivares, Premier of Spain (1621-43)
1602 Karl Rabenhaupt German/Dutch baron of Sucha/army leader
1745 Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier Annonay France, aeronaut (1st pioneer balloonist/brother of Joseph-Michel/co-inventor of calorimeter, hydraulic ram, and process for producing vellum)
1807 Joseph Holt Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1894
1811 Charles Sumner leading Reconstruction senator, died in 1874
1822 Heinrich Schliemann German polyglot/archeologist (Troje)
1827 John Calvin Brown Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1889
1827 John Wesley Frazer Brigadier General (Confederate Army), die in 1906
1854 Sherlock Holmes Mycroft, fictional detective (via Arthur Conan Doyle)
1864 Ban Johnson Norwalk CT, baseball founder (American League)
1878 Carl Sandburg US, poet/biographer of Lincoln (The People, Yes)
1880 Tom Mix Mix Run PA, silent screen cowboy actor (Dick Turpin)
1882 Samuel Rayburn Tennessee, (Representative-D-TX), speaker of the House (1940-57)
1883 Khalil Gibran Lebanon, mystic poet (The Prophet, Broken Wings)
1925 John Z DeLorean former automaker (DeLorean)
1931 E[dgar] L[aurence] Doctorow New York City NY, novelist (World's Fair)
1935 Nino Tempo Niagara Falls NY, rock vocalist (Deep Purple)
1937 Doris Troy [Payne], US soul singer/songwriter (Just One Kiss)
1944 Van McCoy US soul singer/songwriter (Hey Mr DJ, Hustle)
1945 Pepe Le Pew cartoon skunk (Au Dorable Kitty)
1946 Roger Keith (Syd) Barrett Cambridge England, lead guitarist (Pink Floyd-The Piper at the Gates of Dawn)
1951 Kim Wilson rocker (Fabulous Thunderbirds)
1952 Armelia McQueen North Carolina (Brooklyn Conservatory), actress
1953 Malcolm Young Glasgow Scotland, guitarist (AC/DC-Highway to Hell)
1955 Rowan Atkinson Newcastle-upon-Tyne England, comedian/actor (Mr Bean, Blackadder, Never Say Never Again)
1959 Kathy Sledge Philadelphia PA, vocalist (Sister Sledge-We are Family)
1964 Mark O'Toole bassist/drummer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood-Relax)
1976 Agnieszka Zielinska Miss Poland-Universe (1997)

Deaths which occurred on January 06:
1088 Berengarius of Tours French theologist, dies
1448 Christopher III king of Denmark/Norway/Sweden, dies
1536 Baldassare Peruzzi Italian architect/painter, dies
1541 Bernard van Orley Flemish royal painter of Hungary, dies at about 52
1646 Elias Hill German architect of Augsburg, dies at 72
1693 Mehmed IV sultan (Turkey), dies at 51
1785 Haym Salomon dies in Philadelphia PA at 44, helped finance the revolution
1884 Gregor Mendel Augustine monk/heredity pioneer, dies at 61
1884 Paul Taglioni "the Great", Italian/Austrian choreographer, dies at 75
1885 Peter C Asbjørnsen Norwegian fairy tale writer, dies at 72
1919 Theodore Roosevelt 26th President (1901-09), dies at his home in Oyster Bay NY at 60
1993 Rudolph Nureyev Russian ballet dancer (Kirov), dies of AIDS at 54
1994 Tip O'Neill speaker of the house, dies of cancer

On this day in:
1066 King Harald of England crowned
1494 The first mass in America was celebrated in the Roman Catholic church on Isabella Island in Haiti. This was the first church established in the New World, founded by Christopher Columbus.
1496 Moorish fortress Alhambra, near Grenada, surrenders to the Christi
1497 Jews are expelled from Graz (Styria)* (Corrected thanks to the eagle eyes of John Bruce!)
1535 City of Lima Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro
1540 King Henry VIII of England married his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves
1663 Great earthquake in New England
1681 1st recorded boxing match (Duke of Albemarle's butler vs his butcher)
1745 Bonnie Prince Charlies army draws to Glasgow
1759 George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Curtis
1773 Massachusetts slaves petition legislature for freedom
1838 Samuel Morse made 1st public demonstration of telegraph
1967 "Milton Berle Show" last airs on ABC-TV
1969 WLIW TV channel 21 in Garden City NY (PBS) begins broadcasting
1973 "Schoolhouse Rock" premieres on ABC-TV with Multiplication Rock
1994 Ice skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked by Tonya Harding's bodyguard

Composers born this day:
1486 Martin Agricola [M Sore], German composer/cantor
1683 François de La Croix composer
1692 Rynoldus Popma van Oevering composer
1695 Giuseppe Sammartini composer
1702 Jose Melchior de Nebra Blascu composer
1728 Charles-Joseph-Balthazar Sohier composer
1791 Jose Melchor Gomiz y Colomer composer
1794 Kaspar Masek composer
1798 Ferdinand Simon Gassner composer
1803 Henri Herz composer
1807 Ludwig Erk composer
1838 Max Bruch Köln (Cologne), Germany, composer
1850 Franz Xaver Scharwenka German pianist/composer (Mataswintha)
1856 Giuseppe Martucci composer
1861 Heinrich Gottlieb Noren composer
1867 Georges Martin Witkowski composer
1868 Vittorio Monti composer
1872 Alexander N Scriabin Moscow, hallucinogenic composer (Prometheus)
1873 Karl Straube German organist/conductor
1880 Yuliya Lazarevna Veysberg composer
1900 Pierre-Octave Ferroud French composer (Sarabande, Jeunesse)
1902 Mark Brunswick composer
1902 Sofie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatte composer
1903 Boris Blacher Newchwang China, German composer (Orchester-Ornament)
1903 Maurice Abravanel Saloniki Greece, conductor/composer
1908 Menahem Avidom composer
1911 Yannis Andreou Papaioannou composer
1916 Philip Bezanson composer
1920 Earl Kim composer
1922 Finn Einar Mortensen composer
1949 Richard Horowitz composer

Composers who died this day:

1685 Malachias Siebenhaar composer, dies at 68
1697 Carlo Mannelli composer, dies at 56
1738 Franz Xaver Murschhauser composer, dies at 74
1742 Johann Georg Reinhardt composer, dies
1790 Johann Trier composer, dies at 73
1800 William Jones composer, dies at 73
1831 Rodolphe Kreutzer French composer/violinist (Kreutzersonate), dies at 64
1959 Jose Enrique Pedreira composer, dies at 54
1976 Oscar Esplá Spanish philosopher/composer (Sonata del Sur), dies at 89

Posted by: Random Penseur at 05:16 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 960 words, total size 7 kb.

Antigua Guatemala was the administrative capital of Spanish colonial Central America. It was a city of stunning wealth, dazzling architecture and art, and great sophistication. Guatemala was an important post for Spain and ranked just below Mexico in terms of desirability for fortune seeking sons of the Spanish nobility and other scoundrels. It was pretty much destroyed in an earthquake and flood in 1773 and the Spanish ordered it pulled down as they moved the capital to what is now Guatemala City. The people of Antigua, known as Panzas Verdes, or Green Bellies because of all the avocados they eat, refused to pull it down. And they attempted to rebuild. Today, Antigua is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an exceptionally charming and beautiful place. I've been there now about 4 or 5 times and I love it.

It is also a good excuse to post some architectural element photographs and innaugurate a new category of the same name. This category will include pictures of pieces of buildings, architectural sculpture or ornament or just something on a building that catches my eye. It happens to me all the time and I've decided to start bringing my camera along with me more often.

I hope you enjoy the following shots of doorways and door knockers (with one excellent wall mounted wrought iron light to kick things off and light the way)!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 04:02 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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I have been pondering, off and on for the past week, something the Girl Child said over Christmas vacation. I suspect that there is something very profound in it because my mind keeps coming back to it to kick it over again. By way of background, I think she was talking about my parents' dog who died last Autumn. I wrote about it before and I know it had an impact on the GC.

Anyway, her words:

Here's the thing: Once, there was a dog who loved me.

And then she walked away. That was it. One simple sentence (actually from a child not yet four, maybe not so simple). But I can't get it out of my head. Once there was a dog who loved me. No matter what I do, I still think its profound without understanding it or her point. Either way, I want to go out and get a dog now.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:56 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 169 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Sounds like you need to get a dog. They are wonderful companions.

Posted by: JohnL at January 05, 2005 02:37 PM (YVul2)

2 God opening for a novel, actually. Be careful, I might steal it.

Posted by: John at January 05, 2005 03:42 PM (q7uVd)

3 It's interesting how she didn't say that once SHE loved her dog, but that she was loved by it. That she knows at such a young age. Very sweet.

Posted by: Amber at January 05, 2005 06:03 PM (zQE5D)

4 But she DID say she loved the dog -- only not in those words. I don't think she wants another dog so much as she wants to know where that dog that loved went. We were at my grandfather's funeral some years ago when my nephew was about the Girl Child's age. After a few hours he tugged at and said "Uncle Bobby, Grampa's not getting up..." There were some nervous laughs all 'round and I picked him up saying "No, he isn;t, is he...?" I didn't want to get all morose and explain death to a 4-yr-old, so I kinda just mentioned that we all take "one last good-night". I said something like "Y'know when yer tired at the end of the day and want to get some sleep?" "Yeah...?" "Well, after a lifetime of days like that, we all get tired and are ready for a one last good night's sleep. Y'know?" "Yeah..." I don't know if he knew or not, but he seemed to get it enough to be at least a little less in the dark about why gramps wasn't getting up.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at January 05, 2005 11:09 PM (fs1yQ)

5 I think children are FAR more intuitive than we adults give them credit for. (Geesh. Grammar sucks, but you know what I mean, right?) And Girl Child seems to be leaps and bounds ahead of the average in this regard. She says exactly what she means and speaks from her heart. And that you take the time to really listen and are moved by what your child says to you really DOES say a lot about you, RP, as a parent. These are very good things.

Posted by: Margi at January 05, 2005 11:20 PM (rKX9f)

6 Sometimes things are as complicated and as simple as that. Especially when they are still so tender, sweet and perfect.

Posted by: Helen at January 06, 2005 05:57 AM (QL3eA)

7 Thanks for all the comments, y'all. JohnL: Can't really get a dog right now. Seems like we're just barely handling the responsibilities we do have! John: First line of a novel, huh? Why not? Beats "it was a dark and stormy night". Amber: I am constantly amazed by the little but very precise distinctions she can draw between things. It was very sweet, indeed. TS: That was a beautiful thing to say. Where were you when I was being asked these tough questions by my daughter and had her in my lap crying that she did not want to die? Boy, I could have used your help then! Margi: I usually know what you mean and love the fact that you care enough about grammer to make a point of it. Thanks for the all the nice things you said! Helen: Yup, it really was just perfect.

Posted by: RP at January 06, 2005 08:47 AM (LlPKh)

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Some days are just sadder than others, aren't they? Some days just turn your armor, that tough, calcified layer that keeps you from getting too bruised by bad news into a gossamer thin micro coating of tissue paper. Maybe its the result of having too good an imagination, something I think all good readers are blessed, sometimes cursed, with. Sometimes you can guard against those days. You take precautions. You deliberately don't read about the horrific tsunami and the death and destruction because those numbers are so great that they are statistics and you don't want to know the individual stories because it would be too much. And so you turn that page in the newspaper and you move on to the Sports Section, where life has rules and you can understand it and it won't haunt you, no matter how many times the replay shows that the kick went wide right.

Sometimes, though, your precautions fail. Sometimes, like today, you read a story and you wish you hadn't. What made me so sad today? The story of the death of a nine year old boy in a laundry chute in an assisted care facility in Harlem. The boy, his name was Frashawn, was born prematurely at six months and was seriously disabled with Down syndrome. His death is a mystery since this little boy, who only "could walk for short periods with crutches", managed to get past two nurses, through a closed door, and open a difficult to manipulate laundry chute, where he then died, wedged in the bottom. Frashawn did not have a whole lot going on his life. He had been living in this facility since he was 2 months old. His whole life, really.

Frashawn was about three and a half feet tall and weighed 100 pounds, said his mother, who visited him once a week. He attended Public School 138 and liked watching cartoons and playing his toy drum, she said, adding that he could not talk but could make loud noises.

Those who knew Frashawn said he liked to wake up early, was curious, and was among the more active patients in the 50-bed ward. In fact, many of the patients are so ill that they cannot get up from their beds, much less walk.

But Frashawn almost never missed his early-morning exploration, officials said. It was an unstructured stroll, meant to help make confinement feel a bit less confining.

At this point, I knew that even that little bit of tissue paper was gone. Why? Because I began to imagine what his death must have been like. This is what I mean about being cursed with an imagination. I imagined that this little boy, who lived a very structured life, died alone, maybe not so quickly, in a place and circumstance that he may not have been able to understand. I worry that he was scared, you see, and it positively lacerates my heart to think about that. He couldn't even talk. Its too much. I stop here.

Maybe it is self indulgent, or something else not very good, to let myself feel this for Frashawn when so many children are dead or dying all over the world. But you see, I don't know them and this article made me feel like I knew Frashawn, at least a little.

Frashawn's brother, Shamar Jones, 23, said that the family had more questions than answers. "If the Lord wanted him to go," Mr. Jones said, "he would have taken him at 6 months."

I agree, Mr. Jones. And I'm sorry for your loss.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:08 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I was perusing the obits again today in the Daily Telegraph, reading about the life of Professor Martin Robertson, a noted classicist and expert on Greek art. Sounded like a very interesting person. Professor at Oxford, wrote a lot of great looking books, and was heir to a long tradition of classical scholarship in his family. Only at the last line of the obit does the curious reader discover that the Professor's son is Thomas Dolby of the "She Blinded Me With Science" fame and that the Professor appeared on roller skates in, I presume, that very music video. Cool, no?

Now we get to the difference in emphasis. If this man's death was reported in the American press, I have no hesitation in assuming that it would have been reported under the headline: "Father of Thomas Dolby Dies". Can anyone really doubt that? No. The good Professor's life would have been swallowed up in the son's musical career. But the Telegraph does not turn this man's life on its head in that way. The Telegraph waits until the last line of the obit, thus not allowing the accomplishments of the son to overshadow the very justly celebrated accomplishments of the father. That is how it ought to be. Only the reader who perseveres to the very end will discover that the son is, or was, famous, too. I think it is a difference of emphasis and I rather like it.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 04:01 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Guatemala is called the land of the eternal Spring. I think these pictures of the flowers of Guatemala, taken by yours truly, help illustrate that name. I hope you enjoy them.

I hope you enjoyed them!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 06:56 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Back from Guatemala, safe and sound, with a tan and no worse for the wear. The in laws were well behaved, I was well behaved, even the children were well behaved.

Actually, before I continue, a quick Girl Child interchange from our last day there. I was reading when the GC came running over to bother me about something. She plopped down on the chair next to me and looked at me expectantly. We had the following conversation:

Me: What are you doing here? Why aren't you in the pool?

GC: They won't let me swim.

Me: Why not?

GC: I don't know.

Me: Well, go forth and gather some information and I'll see if I can't solve your problem, ok?

GC: Ok! [runs off and then returns]. They say I can't swim because I keep splashing people.

Me: Fine. Tell them you won't splash anymore and then they ought to let you swim. [she runs off again]

GC: They still won't let me swim! I THOUGHT you were going to SOLVE my problem!

Doomed, I am. Simply doomed.

In any event, New Year's Eve was fun. We arrived home from Guatemala on the 31st at around 1:00 a.m. I slept for a couple of hours and went into the office for a little bit. Then picked up some supplies and headed home because we were expecting some friends for dinner and a sleep over. Good thing they slept over, by the way. Four adults consumed, over the course of the evening, several tequillas, 5 bottles of wine, and some aged rum. A fun time was had by all.

We spent Sunday at the Bronx Zoo with the children and it was lovely to watch them run around and get excited by all the animals. The monkey house was, as always, a big hit and the Boy Child was practically beside himself..

Today is the big day my wife goes in to resign her current position. She received a job offer while we were gone in Guatemala for a job she thinks will be cool, for a company poised for growth, and which will offer good visibility since it reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer. In case you can't tell, this is good news.

She has decided to accept this job because we are not moving to Miami. The position was offered to someone else. No, I don't know why but I plan on speaking to them to find out. I was, on balance, a bit disappointed. Not the end of the world, but a bit disappointed just the same. See, here's the thing. I like corporate litigation. I like the issues and I really like doing fraud cases. I would have very much wanted to do this work where I had the power to put some people in jail. Now, I am just a cost of doing business. But with the power of the federal government behind me, I am a threat. So, life goes on. In fact, it goes on in a really busy way. This will be, I am told, a very high pressure first quarter of the year at the office and won't be any easier at home with the wife taking a new job. Something has to give somewhere, so I've decided to put the children up for adoption. Just kidding. Actually, adoption will be the subject of my next post so this makes a nice lead in.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Thank you all for the comments you left while I was gone. I enjoyed reading them. When I get a little time, I will post some pictures I took in Guatemala.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:04 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 610 words, total size 3 kb.

1 welcome back so glad to hear your trip was enjoyable. and yes.....i agree you are doomed.

Posted by: standing naked at January 03, 2005 11:30 AM (/Kj2M)

2 Glad you're back, Random! Good bloggers have been slim pickins lately. Sorry about the position going to another, but I'm a big believer in things happening for reasons we don't understand at first. Maybe something even better is in the wings. :-)

Posted by: Amber at January 03, 2005 12:46 PM (zQE5D)

3 Hi Ho!! Welcome back!!! I certainly have missed reading your perspective on things-be it NYC or the world. I agree with Amber re: Miami, something better is on its way!! You really wanted to live in Miami?? How is your Spanish?? Peace and prosperity to you and yours in 2005.

Posted by: Azalea at January 03, 2005 02:45 PM (hRxUm)

4 Wow, sounds like you had a great end of the year and already an exciting start to the new year. As I have already said to someone else, I am hoping for a little less uneventful year this time around. Unfortunately, my new year's eve was not full of alcohol because of being under the weather. It's just as well. Watching all my drunk friends was just as entertaining. My husband brought some Patron (since we're talking tequilla) to the party...so that was his choice of spirits. I love going to the zoo with kids. It makes the whole trip full of wonder again. Sorry about Miami, but really psyched about the wife's new job. Mazel Tov! Welcome back!

Posted by: Linda at January 03, 2005 02:57 PM (9Pzdi)

5 Doomed, indeed. But you'll enjoy the trip, I'm sure! As for the job thing: I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. So, for that situation, I will just state for the record that this OBVIOUSLY means there's something better in store for you. Just wait and see! Love, Pollyanna (heh)

Posted by: Margi at January 03, 2005 08:59 PM (rKX9f)

6 Welcome home RP!! Glad you had a grand time.

Posted by: Holly at January 03, 2005 09:14 PM (Wkg+N)

7 Thanks for all the nice welcome home wishes! And frankly, I am kind of relieved that I did not get the job, although I would have really liked the work.

Posted by: RP at January 06, 2005 08:50 AM (LlPKh)

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