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« June 2007 | Main | August 2007 »
Monday, July 30, 2007 - 22:34:05
Name That Building, Media Geeks
More on my trip to Chicago for the BlogHer conference later (short version--it was fan-freaking-tastic). For now...Can you name this facade? It's been around a while. Hint: This entrance faces Michigan Avenue.
Friday, July 27, 2007 - 06:53:06
In Flight
Well, almost. We're just about to board, and I am headed to Chicago for the 2007 BlogHer Conference. Could not be more excited.Homeland Security threat level this morning? Orange, whatever that means. Not sure how skeered I'm supposed to be. The security process is tedious, but the lines are clipping along right smart here in Little Rock, so much so that you hardly have time to get yourself organized before you're up.
Personal travel tip from me to you: Make sure your drivers' license has been renewed, mmkay? Otherwise, you get the Personal Perp-Walk through security, and probably a little more attention than you'd planned on. I have to say, though, the gal that walked me through was cheerful and polite, and it wasn't too big a deal. This is my first post-9/11 flight (I KNOW!), and walking the airport barefoot is just...weird.
In other news, loving the free WiFi at LRNA. In the last 20 minutes, I have offloaded pics from my camera onto flickr, done some Twittering, read e-mail, and made two blog posts. Brave New World, I love this part of you.
Hey, we're boarding! Next stop, Chicago. I'll be live-blogging some of the sessions over here, if you're interested in following along.
Monday, July 23, 2007 - 22:41:19
Need A Cool, Fun, Delicious Diversion?
Intended at first for kids out of school for summer, but you could probably divert anyone with this. Bella and I tried our hands at homemade ice cream this evening. We made vanilla-Heath "blizzards," and they were great. Best part? Took 5 minutes, start to finish. More details are over here, but the basics are just milk, vanilla, and sugar in a zip bag, shaken for a few minutes (4, for us) inside a larger bag containing ice and rock salt. Try it! If nothing else, it will distract you from HARRY POTTER for five minutes. Sheesh.
Friday, July 20, 2007 - 23:40:05
Arkansas Flickr Friday
This Week's Theme: Those great old barns that criss-cross our state...the ones that are being maintained, the ones that are losing the battle, and the ones that are being reclaimed by Nature. These structures seem to fascinate photographers, and we have no shortage of such images from photographers in our fair state. Oh, and rest assured that this is one of the only times that a "Flickr Friday" will contain so many of my own photos--I just happen to have a soft place in my heart for these dilapidated old barns. Please click on each individual photo for more information."Leaning Barn" by ninjapoodles
"Weathered," by JimAR, taken in Rose Hill
"Gossip Fence" by ninjapoodles
Untitled, from WestieMama
"Clagett's Farm, Buffalo National River, July 2007" by rauchdickson (for some reason, I simply cannot get this one to display, so please click through for the image--it's worth it.)
"Piecemeal" by ninjapoodles
"Log Barn Near Green Forest, AR 2" by Jim McKenzie
"Wish They Still Made 'Em Like This" by ninjapoodles
"Beware The Guard Horse" by cormack13--again, this fabulous image is a victim of the seemingly arbitrary and whimsical nature of the Moveable Type blogging platform that we use here. PLEASE click through and view it. You'll be glad you did.
"Overgrown" by ninjapoodles
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - 23:10:32
Fit to Bust, I Am, Over This New Restaurant in Cabot.
So much so that I'm treading on Eat Arkansas territory. It's called "The Daily Grind And More." I'm not wild about the name, and I've commented before on the plethora of restaurants in this area that include the phrase "and more" or "and such" in their names. Also, "The Daily Grind" suggests that this unassuming little building on Highway 5, just north of the Highway 89 intersection, houses a simple coffee shop.
Bella and I first discovered TDG during our immortalized "One Morning in July" excursion, when she was hungry, and I thought, "Well, a coffee shop should have some kind of muffins or danish or something..." WOW, did I underestimate! Pastries? Yes. From cinnamon rolls to scones to bagels to muffins and more...all the way to fresh breakfast burritos, ham & cheese bagels, and good old-fashioned biscuits and gravy. The coffee menu was amazing, and not limited to coffees (which, by the way, are all from organic, fair-trade coffee beans), but also included espressos, lattes, chai teas, "steamers" (steamed milk with any of the flavored syrups added), hot chocolate and more.
The morning Bella and I stopped in, we had a positively delightful "tea-party" experience, in which she got a "coffee cup" of her own, albeit filled with hot chocolate with marshmallows, and when said beverage was too hot for a preschooler's tender palate, the proprietress secured for her a tiny silver pitcher of cold milk with which to cool her drink. Needless to say, this child was enchanted by THAT development.
When dining in, there is even a little nook for lingerers, with cards, games, books and magazines for all ages.
It's been less than a week since we made this discovery, and we've eaten there three times so far. I think I could eat at the Grind every day, with their wide variety of soups, sandwiches, salads, barbecue, drinks, side items...and OH, the desserts. Tonight, after a ham & cheese panini and a "Don't Be An Angus" sandwich with roast Black Angus beef, roasted red peppers, hot pepper-jack cheese and stone-ground mustard, grilled panini-style, we put ourselves into sugar comas with some "ultimate brownies," and I don't regret it one bit. Not one bit, I tell you!
In case you're still unclear, this was a ringing endorsement of Daily Grind n' More, on Hwy. 5 right on the border of Lonoke County and Pulaski County. If you're coming from Cabot on Hwy. 89, and turn right (north) on 5, or if you're coming from 67/167 onto Hwy. 5 North, keep your eyes peeled for these signs, on your left, just past the Hwy. 89 intersection and traffic light: And yes, there IS a drive-through.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 23:07:43
"Order of the Phoenix" Preview Impressions
We were fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of free VIP passes, courtesy of Smith Barney, to a preview showing of the new Harry Potter movie tonight at Breckenridge Village (it opens tomorrow). In attendance was, as my Granddad would have said, "The whole fam damily," consisting of Alex, myself, and our nearly-5-year-old daughter Bella, my mother, my sister and her husband, along with their 10-year-old nephew, who is a Harry Potter FANATIC, books and films. The boy's a genius, and has every detail of these stories committed to memory. As you can see, both kids were mighty excited to be there.
The event was ably catered by Jason's Deli, which provided ample offerings in the form of box suppers of sandwiches, pickles, chips, and cookies, along with all the iced tea and sodas we could have wanted.
Alex and I dined on superb chicken salad, while Bella did her level best to tame a giant sandwich of her own. (A tip for sammich beginners: You can only open your mouth proportionately to how high you can raise your eyebrows.)
The crowd was happy, polite, and eagerly anticipating the movie. It really was a nice bunch of people gathered there this evening.
So...how was the actual movie? Well, it started out promisingly, with some of the most beautiful photography I've seen in film recently. I was wildly encouraged by this, since I'd been disappointed in news of the director change from the last one. Unfortunately, this only lasted 5 minutes or so, and the rest of the movie, particularly the people in it, were just downright horrible-looking. EVERY character, even the kids, appeared sallow and drawn, with waxy complexions and dark circles under their eyes--so much so that I started searching the Hogwarts buffet tables for citrus fruits, because it was obvious that these children had scurvy!
The grownups' reaction: WE WERE SO GLAD WHEN THIS MOVIE WAS OVER. I'm not sure how long it was, though I know it was over two hours and that it felt like a week and a half, and that it was at least three times TOO long. Good effects? Yeah, you bet. That was about it, though. We saw so little of the great character actors from this series--Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson were onscreen for probably 10 minutes total, between the two of them. Robbie Coltrane appeared for a brief 5-minute cameo. You get the definite idea that this movie exists purely as a "bridge" between the one before it and the ones yet to come. It's been so long since I read book #5 that I can't recall if I felt the same way about that book, though my feeling is probably so, but not to this extent.
Now from the kids' point of view: It didn't hold Bella's attention, but that's hardly surprising, since it didn't hold MY attention, and Bella's not quite 5 years old, and has not read any of the books. But what of my nephew, the Harry Potter savant? Well, he's quite the serious movie critic, is my nephew, and whip-smart. He rates every film he sees, either with a percentage or a 1-10 rating. This night he went with the latter. His rating for HP #4, "The Goblet of Fire," which happens to be his (and our) favorite of the films, was an impressive 8.6. Tonight's viewing of HP #5, "The Order of the Phoenix," could only command a 5.2 rating, and that from a 10-year-old Harry Potter fanatic, the target demographic. Not good.
My take? Your kids are going to want to see this no matter what they hear about it. It's inevitable. If you can talk someone else into taking them, DO SO. If they're old enough to go by themselves while you shop nearby, even better! I took a bullet for you, Arkansas. SAVE YOURSELVES.
Tribute in Action: Damion Maynard
I came across this story thanks to Gayle Nicholson of Little Rock, and was so touched by it that I wanted to share it in its entirety, as written by Gayle herself. The photos are hers also, and you can click on any of them here to see more.
Hours later, hot, thirsty & tired, I walked past a small group of people standing on a sidewalk near the Old State House. I gave them a careful nod & the most minimal of smiles, not wanting to make eye contact, thinking they were homeless people who sometimes frequent the area near the river, and who regularly ask for money from passersby.
I heard a male voice say, "ma'am?" I kept walking. "Is that camera digital?" I came to a sudden halt and looked back at him. "Would you take a picture of me in front of this building?"
The man showed Gayle a letter he'd written, which explained his mission:
"My name is Damion Maynard. I will embarking on a 3000-mile plus trip beginning at 12:00 noon on the 17th of December. The trip will begin on the steps at the State of Nevada Capitol building and ending on the White House lawn, and here is the reason.
I believe morale has been forgotten. Political beliefs aside, our military deserves to be remembered. I will walk one (1) mile for each soldier that will never see their family again due to the Iraq war. As the death toll rises, so will the miles that I intend to walk. For the dedication and livelihood that all our young men and women give us, they deserve something back. This also goes for the thousands of American families who have lost loved ones to the Iraq war. They deserve to know that their deaths are not in vain, that someone is grateful for what they gave: blood, sweat, tears and lives.
To those that have given their lives, and the families that have lost loved ones, I give my time and dedication if for no other reason than to show my gratitude for those who gave everything even their very lives. I hope to bring solace to peoples' homes, and a sense of peace to those who have none. I know this is not compensation for what has happened, but I pray it will not go unnoticed as the determination and perseverance of our military has. I do not wish to include my personal thoughts on the war, because the real issue is not the war, but the people involved in it.
Thank You and Good Day,
(signed) Damion Maynard"
News sources in other cities have featured Damion's story, noting that, "...he says the most precious thing in his backpack is his log book – which has the signatures of new friends he's made along the way. Damion says he's met members of the military, retired military members and "just lots of really nice people. " (From KUSA *TV, Megan Bengtson 9news.com)
Gayle closes her poignant piece of photojournalism with the question, "What is the difference between someone like this, and....say, me or you?" And then she leaves us with perhaps the best image of all, along with her own ponderings:
"It just goes to show that you never know what lies within a person. He told me, "I do it all with God's help, and the kindness of strangers."
And to think that I almost walked past him, ignored him, because I thought he might want something from me.
God bless Damion Maynard, and God bless our troops."
Thank you for sharing, Gayle, and for allowing me to share your story of Damion further.
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