"Hurt My Feelings" - Clones, 2001

I didn't think I was going to be blogging today at all. What with all of the awful news from the world's financial markets, I just wasn't inspired to write anything on Lord Celery.

But...something that happened to me this afternoon at work has given me inspiration.

I was proofreading the text for one of our company's web-based courses. This one involves some very basic hydrocarbon chemistry. One of the topics discussed is pour point.

Now, a simple description of pour point, for people in the oil business, is often something like the following:

Pour point is 5 degrees F higher than the temperature at which the hydrocarbon liquid stops flowing if chilled.

But during my proofreading, I realized that I had made a one-key error on the keyboard - when typing the above statement -and had invented something called "pout point".

So what's pout point? Well, I figure it's that second just as feel your lower lip beginning to protrude (and maybe twitch a bit, too) when someone has done or said something to hurt your feelings.

I've been there before, too - lots of times!

Janet

"A View From the Inside" - Adult Rodeo, 1999

Today's post is about what John and I did on Saturday morning. I wanted to get photos and links together before posting the story, so I really couldn't post this until today.

Last weekend was "Open Weekend" at the BBC all over the UK. For our local BBC Oxford affiliate, Saturday was their open day. I had gotten tickets for John and me to participate via the BBC's website, after hearing about it during one of BBC Oxford's newsbreaks one evening in August.

So he and I arrived at BBC Oxford's building for our 10am tour time. Here is the building that houses the radio and television studios, on Banbury Road (and right on my park and ride bus route).


(Click on any of the images for a full-sized version.)


Eight of us were assigned to Judith, one of the BBC Radio production people. Judith is in the red T-shirt in the photo below. I am just behind her (peeking over her head), and John is to her right as you view the photo. (I swiped this photo from BBC Oxford's website, by the way.)




Before I describe the highlights of our visit, let me mention one thing that really struck me as we toured the BBC's facilities. The BBC have a goal of making all of their employees versatile in all media - radio, TV and web. They want their producers and editors to be able to work with either TV or audio content. They want as much job interchangeability as possible within their staff. It's an interesting concept. Judith suggested that slowly but sure they are getting there, too.

Our group's first stop was outdoors. John and I choose to see the workings of the BBC Oxford radio car rather than the TV car. So did one of the other guys. It was probably a good choice, too, as we later learned that the TV car's transmission distance is so short that they really can't do any remote reporting (not even outside of Summertown, the area of North Oxford where the studio is located)! However, Mark Watson of Radio Oxford can go all over the place with his vehicle and huge retractable antenna, and it was very interesting to see all the choices of equipment he carries. We participated in a fake remote broadcast - John and I playing "villagers" being interviewed about how we felt about the possibility of pet alligators being discovered in our village - and then we got our photo taken with Mark and the back of his vehicle. (We didn't have too many photo ops, unfortunately. The BBC, as you might imagine, aren't too keen on photos being taken of their equipment.)

We then moved into the newsroom, where we got to experience the genesis of news stories...whether from the BBC itself or from local sources. Most fascinating was the editing equipment. They demonstrated the sound-only equipment (and would I ever like to get my hands on it for editing recorded DAB broadcasts!) and then the audio + video editing for BBC Oxford TV (shown as part of what's called "South Today"). We also saw the location within the newsroom where guests are often interviewed for national BBC broadcasts - you know the ones, when there's an Oxford professor, politician, etc. being interviewed as part of a national story. On TV it looks quite plush. Actually, it's a chair, backdrop, camera, etc. stuck in a very small corner of the newsroom!

Next was a visit with the BBC Oxford webmaster and watch how he updates their web pages. It looked remarkably like what my office-mate does for our company...except that the BBC guys have better computer screens! Interestingly enough, I caught a typo in the fake web page that was being demonstrated - the county name had been written as "Oxfirdshire". I couldn't help but notice. That's what I get for doing so much editing and proofreading these days!

The next two stops were probably my favorites, though, as we got to see actual working studios.
First, we got to spend some time with TV's Geraldine Peers (who is even more petite and more attractive in person than she is on TV), a favorite of John's and mine. Geraldine is the main anchor for BBC Oxford's news items. She's only on for 10 minutes or so Monday through Thursday, but she gets a full 30 minutes on Friday. She demonstrated a lot of the equipment she uses, in her tiny little studio space, and we met and talked with her producer. In the process of seeing how efficiently her little studio is set up, the producer pulled a green curtain across the wall behind where I was standing. That curtain is used in order to provide a neutral background for superimposing whatever image they want - like a weather map, for example. They then showed us a mock-up of how the weather forecasters work, and I got to be the "weathergirl" for the occasion! It's quite tricky to point to the correct location on a map that isn't really behind you at all, given that you're only able to watch yourself in a small TV monitor - and Geraldine also told us that the weather people have to essentially memorize their weather scripts, as they don't have any sort of autocue machine to help them with what they saying. I asked Geraldine what she does if she discovers that her part of the broadcast isn't long enough. She told us to watch for times when she's giving the web address, mailing address, etc. (along with a card showing that same information being put on the screen), as that is a standard we-are-running-too-short filler. And, she added, if she repeats things (like the web address) more than once, it's a sure sign that they are running especially short on material!

Geraldine was very friendly and accommodating to the visitors, and she left us with a very positive impression on us. John already had quite a crush on her, and I'm sure it's now even stronger!

Our last stop was the BBC Oxford radio studios. TV for the BBC only came to Oxford about seven years ago, so radio remains the largest part of what's done in the building.

We got to meet Louisa Hannan, one of the presenters for Radio Oxford weekday mornings, and we spent about 15 minutes in the studio with her. She told us how the radio equipment works and how she uses the fabulous computer software package (was it really called Radioman, as I remember?) which helps her keep track of everything she needs to know and do. She asked for a volunteer to work with her on a prewritten radio script, and I did all but push John's arm up as her volunteer! He was absolutely fantastic - and I wasn't the only one who thought he sounded like a natural - so BBC, would you be willing to give him a try at BBC Oxford? He's be just great at DJ'ng and/or reporting! (I hope you kept his work as a possible audition tape!)

Louisa was also very nice to all of us, and spending time with her and with Geraldine added such a personal touch to the tour!

Neither John nor I took any photos in the two studios, but here are photos of the two lovely ladies from cards we were given at the end of the tour.

Finally, the tour came to an end. One of our fellow tour-team members took our photo out in front of the BBC building.

And one of the items within our goody-bags was this curious set of wind-up chattering teeth...

Cool, huh? I've never had any before. And now they are proudly residing on top of the bookcase behind my desk at work. Perfect for a former-trader, right?

Oh - one more thing. On their website, BBC Oxford have a short video which will give you a similar version of a tour of their studios. If you like to take a look, you can go to the first website I linked on this post and then click on "Tim Bearder shows you around BBC Oxford" to see the mini-tour video.

Thank you, BBC, for a really terrific morning!

Janet

"Night Shift" - Commodores, 1986

Today's Formula One race in Singapore was an exciting first - the first night race!

The photo on the left, by the way, is my friend Vince from Singapore, who got to attend a practice session. Lucky Vince!

To those of us watching from home, the setup of the course looked a little treacherous. Besides the bumps that come from using city streets for an F1 course, there was that awkward location of the entrance to the pit lane.

Although our personal favorite - Lewis Hamilton - didn't win, at least he "podiumed" (a newly-coined verb). Massa had a difficult struggle with his fueling hose. But no one (as far as I've heard so far, anyway) has blamed anything bad on the lack of natural daylight.

Singapore obviously went all out to make the event a success, as the people of Singapore are certainly capable of doing. And the lighting was spectacular. But...

John and I agreed that we just didn't enjoy the event as much as we'd anticipated. Perhaps it is because, for us at home, our view seemed really restricted. We never got to see any aerial views, so we didn't have a lot of perspective for what we were seeing. We saw only bits and pieces of the course (much like the spectators there) and never had a feeling of how the various parts of the course were connected. I just don't think that the "night race" idea is very TV friendly. The cameras seemed to have a bit of trouble adjusting to the intensity of the lighting.

Still, it was quite an event...and well worth 2+ hours of our time yesterday afternoon!

I have always had a real fondness for street courses. Who couldn't enjoy the Monoco Grand Prix, with its incredible scenery! And I got to go to a US Grand Prix race in Detroit back in the 1980s, as I was working for one of the sponsors (Elf - the French oil company). That was a terrific experience...although I don't think that my hearing has never been the same since!

Janet

"Class Act" - James Hunter, 2008

I was very sad to hear this morning of the death of Paul Newman, at 83.

The Entertainment section of the LA Times website has an excellent page available with links to a lot of articles about Newman, including his obituary.

I don't think I need to comment any more, as the title of this post says it all.

Janet

"Banned" - Shona Laing, 1992

After having been banned from performing there many years ago - with the Beatles - Sir Paul McCartney has performed for the first time in Israel. That's very exciting, especially since McCartney is promoting Middle East peace while in the area. I really do hope that his contribution will help the process.

Here's a link to some of the BBC's coverage of the event.

After work yesterday, John had an especially perceptive comment about McCartney's concert. He's guessing that Paul's first song in Tel Aviv last night might have been...

"Hey Jews"

Sorry. That's about as awful as my pun earlier this week. You can see why John and I were attracted to each other, can't you?

Janet

"Show Your Teeth" - Audience of One, 2000

No, this isn't going to be another post about "Gimmee a Lee", cute as he is!

John found a very interesting article on the BBC's site yesterday about American versus British teeth. Take a look. It's often a hot topic of conversation around our house! (While obviously not artificially whitened, my own choppers went through years of being shoved around by braces.)

Have any Lord Celery readers ever tried to distinquish Americans from British adults only by looking at their teeth?

Janet

"Watching the Detectives" - Elvis Costello, 1977

Given how much business travel I've done since moving to Britain, I am subscribed to email lists of travel warnings from both the US Department of State and from the Foreign Office in the UK. So I'm accustomed to getting lots and lots of notices in my inbox about what's going on in various parts of the world. They generally come with the same style of title, so I know exactly what they are when I see them.

This morning, though, there is an email in my Yahoo account inbox which puzzled me. The subject line reads...

Ghana CSI

You can see what's coming, can't you? I'm thinking that CBS have decided to expand the "CSI" franchise to include a foreign location! But why Ghana, of all places? What an interesting idea! I wonder when the new series will begin? Who will star in it?

Then I realized that in this case "CSI" stands for Country Specific Information, and the email had come from the State Department in Washington. How dull.


Janet

"Barely Breathing" - Duncan Sheik, 1996

Kids can be sometimes be a little scary. Apparently, British children are especially dangerous.

Case in point - a serious warning that we received from department store chain Marks & Spencer on Sunday.

John and I spent part of Sunday afternoon in Oxford, shopping for some new clothes for him. Marks & Spencer was our starting point, and we found a lot of good things there.

When we took some clothing up to the counter to pay, the clerk got a plastic shopping bag ready for us. Here's what it looks like...


(Click on either image for a full-sized version.)

Nothing special there, at first glance. It looks pretty much like you'd expect any shopping bag to look, anywhere in the world. However, if you look a bit closer at what's written on the very bottom of the bag, you'll see the really sinister warning about what British children do to adults here...

I don't know about you, but I'll be more careful in the future when I see British children. I'd like to keep breathing.

Janet

"I've Got the Music in Me" - Kiki Dee Band, 1974

Have I ever before blogged about "soundtracking" - music that plays in my head, as the soundtrack to my life? (Apologies to the band of that name.) I think I have.

My brain often plays little tricks on me, in the form of what it picks to "play" to me. This morning was one of those cases. And it involved a really awful pun as well.

The park and ride lot I use to get into Oxford has glass recycling bins on the property. Now that's very handy for us, as our local council will recycle everything but glass via home pickup. We are provided with a council-sponsored with bottle bag, though, so that we can easily store the empty bottles to take to a bottle bank somewhere in the area.

So this morning, I took our full bag of bottles with me in the boot/truck of the car. As I got to the lot well before the 7:15am bus was leaving, I took the bottles over to the receptacles before getting on the bus into Oxford.

I emptied the clear ones first. Then there were a few green wine bottles for the green-glass bin.

As I dealt with the green bottles, I realized there was a song playing in my head. At the risk of scaring all of my readers away, I'll tell you what little joke my brain had made.

My brain was singing "The Green Green Glass from Home" to me (to the tune of "The Green Green Grass of Home").

I told you it was an awful pun. You were warned.

Janet

"Just Old Buildings" - Restless, 2004

John and I went into Oxford this afternoon to shop for some new clothes for him. When we arrived, we went into a newish Pret location on Cornmarket for a bite of lunch.

(Click on any of the images for a full-sized version.)

It's an especially nice location. The interior of the conversion has been well done. And I knew it was one of the older buildings in Oxford. But I didn't know how old until I spotted this plaque on the wall near where we were sitting...

Wow. 1392! It's not that often that I eat a sandwich in a building that pre-dates the discovery of America!

Janet

PS It occurred to me this morning that I didn't post an exterior shot of the building - so I took one this morning, on the way into work...

"Look Through Any Window" - Hollies, 1965

As I was changing the sheets on our bed this afternoon, I glanced out of one of the windows. The weather has been really beautiful today, and I was especially enjoying the view.

Perhaps you'd like to join me - and you can click on the photos for full-sized versions.

Then I stepped into the doorway of John's room - as we call it - and found him hard at work on his laptop...

So that's a glimpse of life in our household in North Oxfordshire this afternoon!

Janet

"If I Could Say What's On My Mind" - Temprees, 1972

I realize that I'm one week late with this post, but I wasn't able to write it on the day it happened.

One week ago today, as everybody knows, was the anniversary of "September 11th" in the US. This year's anniversary found me heading to London to run the afternoon session of one of our training classes in a hotel near Tower Bridge.

I wasn't thrilled about being in London on the 11th, to tell you the truth. And then I realized that I was just being wimpy and silly - we never know when something could happen. And we can't put our lives on hold as a result.

So I headed off to London in the morning, on the Chiltern Railways from Banbury to Marylebone Station in London. From there, I took the Bakerloo line on the Tube system, connecting to the District or Circle Line at Embankment.

And it was on a packed Tube train that something interesting happened.

The events of seven years ago had nearly overwhelmed my thoughts since I woke up that morning. I was listening to a shuffle of favorite songs on my iPod Nano just to keep myself occupied during the trip to the venue. And I was glad to have the distraction, too, when I realized how crowded the southbound Bakerloo Line was that morning. I jammed myself on, ending up almost in the doorway. I turned down the iPod's volume a little and took a big deep breath. Well, at least I was on the way.

And when you'd think that nobody else would fit onto the train, a few more jammed into the Tube car at the next stop. We were about halfway between stations when I finally noticed who was standing right in front of me.

It was a United Airlines employee. He was in full uniform, and there was his "United" name badge on his coat. The badge identified him as part of a flight crew.

I so wanted to say something. How sorry I was about the loss of so many of his colleagues seven years ago that very day. How awful it had been. You know, something like that.

But I just couldn't. I felt paralyzed. I just didn't have a clue what to say, so I said nothing.

Perhaps if the train had been less crowded, I would have been more assertive. I don't know. Maybe it was just too painful to talk about.

But I didn't have long to think about it. He was gone at the next stop.

I still feel terrible that I didn't speak up.

Janet

"So Far Away" - Dire Straits, 1985

Here is how John and I watched the live coverage of Hurricane Ike's terrible visit to the Texas Gulf Coast last weekend...


(Click on the photo for a full-sized image.)

Thank you, KHOU, for the live online stream! It kept me from feeling quite so far away from those I care about in the Houston area.

Janet

Go see what I've been listening to at Auditory Cortex.

"Joined-Up Writing" - Blueboy, 2000

What follows is a poster on a shop on one of the main shopping streets of Oxford. I'm sure you're going to have to click on the image to be able to read the captions, so go take a look.

OK. You could go to the advertised website to find the connection between The Doctor and the Bride of Frankenstein.

I, however, would rather ask my blogger friend Stevyn for his thoughts, since this is right up his alley (and he's really clever, too)!

Janet

"Falling Sky" - Martin Zellar, 1994

With all the bad news in the market over the past few days, I'm reminded of a greeting card I saw years ago - probably while I was living in New York.

The sky is falling. Sell sky.

(Sigh...)

Janet

"Like A Hurricane" - Neil Young, 1977

Sorry for being quiet the last few days. I had a stressful time from Tuesday through Thursday, and I guess it took its toll on me on Friday and Saturday. I'm feeling a bit better now, but I really won't feel completely well again until I'm sure that all of my Houston-area friends are all right.

You see, Ike came visiting the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday. That's my adopted home. Although not born in Texas, I spent more than half my life in Houston. And there are a lot of people I love living in the communities around Houston.

Incredibly, John and I were able to keep a connection with what was happening in and around Houston for 36+ hours thanks to KHOU's internet coverage. I'm sure we've seen much more of the coverage than our friends have, as Houstonians lost power in the midst of Ike.

I managed to get several of my friends on the phone today. I haven't yet reached my best friend Claudia, but she has two big, strong sons to help her should she have had any problems. I'll feel better once I've spoken with her, though.

Let me show you what has happened to a terrific part of the world...

Any of you who have ever walked down Seawall Boulevard in Galveston, this is what it looks like there today. Had Ike been stronger, I'm not sure there would be much of Galveston left - the island took a direct hit in the early hours of Saturday.

And this is what has happened to many of Houston's lovely trees. So far, none of my friends had trees crash into their houses.

I hope my friends get their electrical power back soon. I went through Hurricane Alicia in Houston back in 1983, and I remember how dreadful it is to live there for a week without any air-conditioning, refrigeration, etc.

Janet

PS Interesting - I've just received an email update from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office which reads as follows:

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary and Natural Disasters section (Hurricane Ike). We now advise against all but essential travel to Houston, Dallas and southern and eastern Texas and western Louisiana.

++++++++++++++

UPDATE: Monday morning 15 September - I've had an email from one of Claudia's sons, and she and all of her family are ok. No power, some minor damage to the area around their homes, but otherwise ok. That's really great news!

"Bang Bang" - Cher, 1966

Just in case today is the end of the world - as scientists near Geneva try to replicate "The Big Bang" - it's been really terrific knowing all of you.

Oh...and if there's time, you might take a look at the BBC's coverage of the event.


Janet

Read what I'm listening to at Auditory Cortex.

"Don't Look Back" - Chyna, 1999

I've been trying for weeks to get a photo of a sight I often see when driving into the Oxford-area park and ride in the morning on the way to the office. This morning, I finally managed...although he was in the lane to my right approaching the roundabout, so it isn't quite as effective as I'd hoped. It would have been more fun if he was directly ahead of me. Still, at least I managed to grab a shot!


(Click on the photo for a full-sized version.)

All the sign says is "Ahead". What's - or who's - ahead? More information, please!

What always comes to mind when I see this truck is, "Of course you're ahead. If you were behind, then I wouldn't be able to read your sign!"

Janet

"Lovely Day" - Bill Withers, 1977

Is today's subject a reference to the British weather? Not at all, sadly. We're getting rain, rain, and more rain - enough that parts of the UK are flooding again. No problems for us, thankfully.

No, the subject has to do with today's anniversary in our house!

Thirteen years ago today, a fantastic man in Hertfordshire posted a bulletin board message to a women from Houston (me!), in response to an "Introducing Myself" message on CompuServe's UK Forum. Following forum protocol, I introduced myself because, in another part of the forum, I had posted a question about the Hillsborough tragedy. I had been watching a "Cracker" episode which had Hillsborough as its root, and I didn't fully understand what had happened. The UK Forum seemed a good place to begin. (Remember that there was no "googling" in 1995!)

John didn't respond to my Hillsborough note but did to my introduction message. He was on the forum that day, because he's posted a question about an Aztec Camera song called "Killermont Street". Something about what I'd written in the introduction must have caught his eye, and he sent me a return welcome note.

One thing then led to another...

From that point on, we began corresponding by email on an almost-daily basis.

A few months later, we spoke on the phone for the first time.

In June 1996, we met in person in New York City....neutral territory, and a city we both love!

In October 1996, I made my first trip to John's home in Borehamwood.

In January 1997, John made his first trip to my apartment in Houston.

In December 2002, I moved to Britain.

In March 2005, we got engaged.

In January 2006, we got married.

And that brings us up to today's anniversary! We didn't exactly rush into things, did we?

It's not too often in one's life that one moment changes everything. Thirteen years ago today was one of those moments for John and for me!

Janet

Come see what I've been listening to at Auditory Cortex.

"The Chain" - Fleetwood Mac, 1977

I didn't like receiving chain letters, and I'm not crazy about cyber-chain letters either. But I've been tagged by a favorite fellow blogger - Stevyn - so I'll give this one a try.

Here are the rules...

1) Link to the person who tagged you.

2) Explain the rules.

3) Reveal six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.

4) Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.

5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged.

+++++++++++++

OK - here goes...

1. I have a different blood type than my brother does or than our parents did. They were/are all Type A, and I'm a Type O. I'm also the only one of the four of us who is nearsighted. That led me to wonder, as a kid, whether or not I might be adopted. But I'm too much like other family members, and everyone assures me that I'm not an adopted child. (I often thought I was probably from another planet, though.)

2. As a very young child, I was allergic to sunshine. My parents had to make car trips in the dark, as a result. I outgrew the problem by the time I was a few years old.

3. When I was young, I submited a poem about the Beatles to radio station KXOK in St. Louis and won a contest they were running. The prize was a telephone call from Louise Harrison Caldwell, George's older sister, who was then living in Benton, Illinois. As a result of that phone call, some of my friends and I had opportunities to twice visit her in her home, and we heard all kinds of interesting family stories...and got to see family photos!

4. I can't stand having peas on the same plate as my other foods, as I don't like other things contaminated with "pea juice".

5. I buy only white paper products - like toilet paper, kitchen/paper towels, tissues, napkins, etc. They can't be colored, and they also can't have any prints on them.

6. Every time I've gone to South Africa, I've spent far too much time watching which way the water flowed down the drain in sinks and toilets.

+++++++++++++

Feeling as I do about these sorts of things, I'm not going to tag anyone. However, if any of you would like to participate, please do. Actually, it was kind of fun. Oh, and if you do, please send me a note and let me know. I'm curious enough to want to read other people's submissions!

Janet

"A Horse With No Name" - America, 1972

Many times in my life, a misunderstanding of words has created a phrase which, to me, would make a terrific band name or title for an album. That is happening to me more and more since I've known John, as we have such similar (i.e. wacky) senses of humor/humour.

The most recent event, though, happened to me at work this week and involves my officemate. And here's the album title that was generated:

"A Horse Named Bob Thornton"

If anybody wants an explanation, I'll be happy to provide it. (This could, therefore, be a way to test whether or not I actually have any readers today!)

Janet

Take a look at what I've been listening to lately at Auditory Cortex.

"Borderline" - Madonna, 1983

I've heard something in the British press that's almost too bizarre to be true. Which means it probably is true.

It is being reported over here that soon after Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was announced as McCain's choice for his running mate, concerns about her lack of foreign policy experience emerged. And supposedly some Republican party spokesperson explained to the press that the fact that Alaska and Russia share a border gives Governor Palin foreign policy credentials!

(Is that technically true about their sharing a border, by the way - considering the existence of the Bering Sea? Update - John tells me that they do indeed share a border...the border being in the Bering Sea. It's that line on my map, I'll bet. Duh...!)

I wonder what Medvedev/Putin would have to say about that?

Janet

Go see what I've been listening to at Auditory Cortex.

"You Can Get What You Want" - Ricardo Silveira, 1989

With all of the recent focus on my home country in the British press - because of political conventions and hurricanes - I was thinking about a very "American" story this morning as I got ready for work.

On one of our trips back to the States in the last couple of years, we had lunch in a cafe with service up at the front counter. Neither John nor I can remember exactly where it was, but those details don't matter. It was somewhere in either Texas or New Mexico.

Displayed on the counter where you order food was a red Coke cup, with a sign in front that said 99 cents. Coke was fine with me. John, however, had a craving for root beer that day.

So in his very best English accent, John very politely asked the guy at the counter if it would be possible to get a root beer, rather than a Coke, as his beverage.

The server grinned and said, "Sir, this is America. You can have whatever you want!"

Janet

What have I been listening to lately? Go see at Auditory Cortex.

"Tragedy" - Bee Gees, 1979

As we all know, the current economic downturn is tough on everybody. Some people are losing their jobs. Some are losing their homes. Some - like my John - are having a tougher time finding a new job than expected. Many people are wondering how they'll keep their families fed and clothed.

But let's all take time out from our hectic lives to think of the plight of poor P Diddy (or Sean Combs, as he is known in some parts of the world). A report yesterday says he's been forced to stop using his private jet because of high fuel prices.

A moment's silence, please...

Janet

Come see what I've been listening to at Auditory Cortex.

"Afternoon Connection" - People Under the Stairs, 2008

I decided, at the last minute, to take a day of vacation today. (Labor Day isn't a public holiday in the UK.) Among other things I've been doing is following the progress of Hurricane Gustav.

It's incredible, isn't it, to be able to watch live TV from one of the New Orleans stations in a study in a vilage in England...

Janet