Odds and Ends

Hi StephanieB, and Thank you Nan for setting this up. I'm here - will it be easier for you or shall we keep to the other?

Particularly bad Kona winds today preclude breathing. All awake with a head full of exasperated sinuses due to VOG (volcano smog)and mean dispositions. Much like the Santa Ana winds in So. Cal. Watering becoming necessary as cracks are forming in the yard and the grass crunches when walked upon. We need rain. Of course, HNL is getting all of our rain, and it is flooding because it is flat and no drainage.

I don't know about those winds, but the Earthquakes we had here years ago split open the earth swallowed a herd of cattle and slammed shut again. Fortunatly nothing like that has happened lately. However, one never takes cracks in the ground lightly anymore!

There seems to be a conversation of the worst events in your areas of the world. Hurricanes, anyone?

How about AOL e-mail going down?? And I can't e-mail my friend. Hang in there friend, I'm here, I'm writing, just can't send. But I am a willing recipient from you my dear!

That is a disaster, indeed, but I'll bet your friend is stacking up things to talk about later. AOL will cause a world crisis if it goes down for very many others.

How about forgetting that your 7 y.o daughter lost a tooth and the toothfairy forgot to pay a visit. Happened to me. When I realised that I forgot, I was mortified. But I saved face hopped in the shower told the little one to eat breakfast and quietly slipped in a left $1. Good or what???

Yes, very good. job of sneaking in the back door!

Ah, the ingenuity of Motherhood. Laura, I'm impressed. That's the the saying Necessity is the Motherhood of Invention?! Good morning all!

StephanieB, are you still having trouble with AOL, or is this just an abberation? With AOL world-wide, that beats cracks in the ground and other assorted calamities. The AOL mess means the world cannot talk with one another. Let us know how you are doing!

Aren't you right. Luckily she was too tired this morning to realise what I had done.

(Marcia) StephanieB, are you still having trouble with AOL I am convinced that AOL is responsible for all the evils of the world...well, at least the cyber world ;-)

(Nan): I am convinced that AOL is responsible for all the evils of the world...well, at least the cyber world ;-) When my son dragged me kicking and screaming onto the Internet so I could talk to him more frequently (he'd just moved from Hawaii to California), he signed me up with a private server. He chose the largest in the state, and there have been no glitches. Eudora is still the best Email handler, etc. He had said I could use AOL, but begged me not to; then he rattled off all the reasons why I should spurn their attempts to gather me under their huge cumbersome wings. I have been so glad I listened to him And, I am equally sorry for those still hampered by their idea of what an Internet server should be.

Nan, to answer your question, she has been comandeered by the hospital whose ER is not Email friendly, but she can access the Boards at The Spring from there.

MarciaH: It is so nice to eavesdrop when there are people talking about you. Perhaps we could write a story about this? I am here and can run in and out (to see you) every few minutes. MedPartners made the business section of the paper, or if you want the scoop, can go to www.medpartners.com. The company that was going to buy them backed out because of their debt load, and their stock has dropped by about 40%. S:-)

I didn't know you were a lurker. Interesting comments you make. Perchance another disaster? Is your location now any saner than perviously?

I'm on business line, so until later or the boss goes out, I'll have to check in as I can. Found the url. Very curious. Take care, dear!

Checking? I'm here!

Let's see...Darcy's Cyber-Space Courtship. Lizzie has an antiquated cpu but a n up-to-date modem, so downloading files and jpgs of her beloved takes up more room than she has. He sends her a wonderful map of exactly where he lives, but every time she tries to see the fine details by moving the slider across the bottom and down the sides, it freezes up. Then she has to reboot the whole computer and hope her half-written letter of appreciation back to him is still there. Alas, it is not, so she tries to remember the clever wording of the missing missle and writes another...

No pic's today.I checked @ home!! Disappointment abounds!!:-( Sorry I was gone so long taking care of a Critical pt. Delivered her to ICU just now!!! Now if the rest will behave! Me:-)

I am severly disappointed, also. It was the "best" one of me I had. Next I take them to be copied so I can send them Priority mail and assure you of an image. I'm going to check through my Email files to see when I sent it. Sorry about your Critical, but that's your kuliana, and that's why you're there. Tell them it is siesta time...=)

I'm sitting here looking at your computer wallpaper, and it's driving me crazy...very pleasantly. Does it do that to you, too. Do you have nose print on your screen?

yes. i'm ready to go home,yeah!!!!

Switching over!!!

See you in a bit. Glad to be leaving now, bye! S:-)

I saw STRICTLY BALLROOM recently and now I'm really interested in Paul Mercurio who's the actor/dancer in it. Does anyone know anything about him? I can't find any PM webpages so I can't get any info. All I know is that he's Australia's top dancer and choreographer and he has children and owns a house. Is he making any more movies? Someone HELP!

Maybe you should register http://www.paulmercurio.com? Sounds like a fan page waiting for a creator.

Meow, I'm feeling a little catty today. The GB Packers shall save the day!!! Hopefully so will the Bronco's on their end of town. Hope you had a good night, didn't let the BB bite!! See you when you roll out of the hay! Love ya! Just me!

Found this at work, thought you might like it! The Golden Years The Golden Years, Have Come at Last, I cannot See, I Cannot Pee, I Cannot Chew, I Cannot Screw, My Memory Shrinks, My Hearing Stinks, No Sense of Smell, I look Like Hell, My Vody's Drooping, Got Trouble Pooping, The Golden Years Have Come At Last The Golden Years Can Kiss My A__! Good Morning to you all!

Good morning. That's an amazing little poem to begin a Sunday! Is it still raining (in that case you should have some flooding) or is it sunny and everything is turning green? I hope the second to allow you a better day. But, why the Bronco's over a good Pennsylvania team??? All is quiet here. I shall be in and out depending on how busy away from me the man of the house gets. Hope hope !!! Later!

Good morning Nittany, that is a cute thing someone put on here about the Golden Years. Hey I'll change my loyalties for you anyday, Go STEELERS!!!!! No rain tonight but someone in Hawaii is sending storms our way. The Pineapple Express we call it! There was one here Friday & Sat. am=nother coming tonite and tomorrow, and then another on Wed. You know we have to blame someone for our troubles. First it was el nino, now the pineapples, You can't win!! Do people in Pennsylvania balme California and Washington for their weather. Look forward to talking to you whenever possible, Did you have a good sleep?? Had ikimail this am. Was not very prolific in my answer at 0430!!!! bye, see ya later.MEOW!

Thank you for your loyalty to me amd for rooting for the Steelers, but if God doesn't also, Denver is going to grind them into iron filings! Elway and his linemen are just too good! Loved Stephanie's poem. I'll have to thank her for it - but what does a young thing like she is know about these things...=P The Pineapple Express isn't my fav Wx either. It brings the dry air and I have problems from that. And Honolulu gets the rain and they have no idea what to do with it - that is if HNL is as I remember from living there years ago. I made and cleaned up a big breakfast just now, and broached the 52 days from now event to R. Said ok. No enthusiasm, but no anything else other than ok Guess we can keep counting =) Take care !

Will try for food at 1300.! See you then at the regular spot!

I'll be there - 1100 here! I've been learning how to do your wav files with the family Geek. I'll print out the relevant info and bring it along. We'll get HIM talking for your computer, yet! Trav Ag tom'w for sure. Oooch!

Scratch above message, I went to lunch. Could not connect w/my ISP, so unable to talk!!! Whine, whine, whine, meeeooooowwww! Sorry about the Steelers, I switched alliances, and was rooting for them in the last few minutes while trying to connect! Love ya, Cachet!

For some reason, this is not showing new messages, when you post. I have to keep going out and coming back in (sounds like something else, huh?) this computer is very slow. Glad you suffered no flak, yet. Will keep holding my breath for you. Well the GBpackers are playing and it is very quiet here, We will experience the afternoon rush post game!! Still sorry the Steeler's lost. But I guess it was a great game. Will check this again at 1400, (1200) if it remains calm. Meow!

If you are there, I shall actually check in 15 minutes, This day is dragging, since you are being so wifely!

PAUL MERCURIO Does anyone know anything about him? I can't find any PM webpages so I can't get any info. All I know is that he's Australia's top dancer and choreographer and he has children and owns a house. Is he making any more movies? Someone HELP! First of all he's NOT Australia's top dancer and choreographer. Australia has many excellent dancers, and Paul is simply one of them (and getting a little over the hill...). He does some choreography - he had a group going for a while called Australian Choreographic Ensemble which I saw perform in Melbourne - very interesting modern dance, very different to SB!. He's certainly not our top choreographer - Graham Murphy would make that claim I think. In real life he is taller and much more muscular than he appeared in SB. He is the son of an expat American actor who lives in Australia called Gus Mercurio, and is married to another dancer (Andrea Toy). They live in Sydney. He must have a bad agent - since SB he has been in some stinkingly bad movies, notably "Exit to Eden" and "Joseph". You can find his filmography at http://us.imdb.com/cache/person-exact/a114402 Hope this helps.

Cachet, was wondering where you were. I've been watching Steelers play poorly and GB seems to be doing OK. Am I getting though. Family Geek-son has been writing out how to help you put wav files into your machine. We'll di it!!!

C: Are you going to stay on this for the rest of the afternoon? As soon as the game is over, I'll be here full time. Sometime during your drive time he wants to disconnect my CPU and put the new line in then replace the old line so I can talk to you till the Phone Co puts the new line in service. Help me to remember to tell you the number of this new line for emergencies - and please tell someone in your family to Email me if anything happens to you! Heaven forbid..! I'm sort of a captive audience in LR - he's a bit out of joint today, so I'm helping him assemble something. It is hurting my hands (the old C-T again).

I already thought of your request and have asked B or mom to let you know if something untoward happens. Yes, I would like a number I could reach you at if needed. Yes, I will probably be on this the rest of the afternoon. But once I am home will return to the usual format. Please tell iki, (if that is who is helping w/the WAV files) I was not very oriented this a.m. and will write to him later. 0430 is not my best thinking time, even writing to you was somewhat difficult, my mind is still sleeping . . .I hope what I wrote makes sense to you! Go be with R. tell him it hurts your hands, and don't do it. Wouldn't want your paws to be raw, 52 52 52 52 52 52 52 and counting . . . .

Iki is indeed my Geek, and I have the printed copy in my achy - breaky hands. I will also fwd it to you and perhaps you and/or B might work on it. Or, you can wait and watch me fumble with it. I did mine from scratch, and the MIDI files. This is going to be sooooo neat, I can hardly stand it =) Numbers will be forthcoming - usual format. You were perfectly understandable to me - you always are =) Take care!!!

Good. I was thinking so long about what to write that time slipped away and I had to rush thru it. It is still "Q" here, but that will change after GB game, I am sure. Newest rumor about FH: They are going to deliberately fail the inspection so they will be closed by the bigwigs, and then they won't have to pay comp to staff. Isn't business wonderful!!! They are also not well looked upon in finance market, due to big drop in stock price, 50%!!!

That irritates me in places I cannot reach. The dedicated workers take the fall and the shysters take a tax write-off. It's the spiral-threaded wood fastener time again. I am so sorry; too bad there is not some way to put a lien against everything they have so you are compensated. Grumble here. I finished then he complaind I do everything in a big hurry then complain it hurts my hands. Well, that's just too bad. I told him I was sorry I had done them at all! Grumble grumble. I'll be glad when we're on the old format!!!

Ah, well what goes around . . .I keep saying. Relax, take a deep breathe and have him scratch behind your ears. . . that will make it all better. If you purr nicely, it will make him feel better! Tell him he can do the screws himself! Don't worry 'bout me, I shall survive, My partner and I will write a book, and invite a curly redheaded guy to star in the movie version . . .now won't that be fun?

That's the first real smile inducer I've had all day. Thanks for that! I seem to be making lunch now...GB is gonna win this game. YEAH!!! talk to you in a while...=)

Look on #59, nice pic of our friend!!! That will bering a smile to your face!!!

Thank you, I shall go check. The phone work I told you about is commencing now so I'll check back when I can - don't know how long I'll be off, but I will check Email when I can get back up. Then here if you are not there. Bye for now! N =)

I can't get into 59 without it downloading the entire file. m It must be tired today. So, I'll check when the Pacific Lineman is done with my dedicated line! Take care and talk at you as soon as I can..=)

I am back on line. Are you???

First of all he's NOT Australia's top dancer and choreographer. He's certainly not our top choreographer - Graham Murphy would make that claim I think. Sorry Kate about that. I meant to say "ONE of the top dancers and choreographer" but I was too lazy. He must have a bad agent - since SB he has been in some stinkingly bad movies, notably "Exit to Eden" and "Joseph". I agree with this. I haven't seen any of his other movies because they all seem to quite bad. Thank you kindly Kate for the info!

Met someone from Fairfield, this a.m. Said to go to Zuni's next visit, world famous????

How, "met?" For real or cyber-spacically? Never heard of Zuni's. Is it a place to eat or to see something??? Good Morning!

I was a little slow this morning, and you have given up waiting for me. I was answering Email when it occurred to my numb little mind that they could not be read for many hours. Silly me!!!

A relative of a patient I took care of, he was telling me about this little town he lived in outside Sac. I asked where he said Fairfield. Told him I knew someone there. Zuni's is world famous for Sushi!! That is what he said. Says all theJapanese pilots go there for real Sushi!!! I have not given up!!

Sorry for the double post. I did not do that!!! Do you mean to tell me there are two people living in Fairfield?! Over here people amke their own sushi and "sushi bars" as such are nonexistant ( at least here ). All bars serve it as do lunch wagons and restaurants of all types. How's the flu?

I have a sore throat, that is all so far, and an occasional catch in my throat, which makes me cough!! I feel all right so far. How's the back and shoulder????? Better I hope!

Well, I think! At least so far. I have been pondering how to get out of tonight, but as Sec of the Club, I had better be there. Glad you are not worse, but wish the throatwere better. You do wear a mask and wash your hands often, so that should minimize your exposure...hope...hope!

no to the first, yes to the second. You go and have fun, but if you get home early, you can write!!

going to lunch at 1200, now just have to get B off the net, so I can get on it!!

Is that "no" a personal preference? Would it be locking the barn door after the horse has gotten away to start now? I shall go as required, but you know where my heart will be.

I find that we will not be going till about 10:30pm your time to set up the after-game hospitality. So I can commune till about 10pm or so your time. Will regale you with the abysmal story attached to tonight's "festivities" another time.

Things must be frantic there or all connections are down. You are not here. I am and it is lonely.

hooray!!!! I shall rush home to spend my time with you!! Did you get my meesages?? the laptop spent 10 minutes just loading the first message, then 10 sending a reply!!!!! Then it went down. I only have 30 min, so I was very frustrated!!! Meeeeooooowwwww!!!!!!!

I got three messages the last of which were about how slow your laptop was.

I tried to answer all Q's in one message!!!

Make that 2 messages.

Ok I got the all-Q's message. Thanks. My Email is full of strangers. Bummer!

well the first one was the one that took so long to gooooooo toooooo youuuuu!!! so, the second one was where I tried to ans all! Remember, I want him to tell you he loves you many times, not just once!!!!\ You like him better'n'me, or you'd have MY voice calling when I send you mail!!!!

Not true, and you know it...Snitty person =p I have wav files of him and none of you....sniff....sob...=( I make do...with what I have...

R brought home 2 embroidered sweatshirts for us to wear!!! Looking Good!

us=you and I or you and he??? You know I was teazing you about the wav's??? My throat hurts, I want to go home!!!!

Yes, Dear, I knew!!! "Us" does not include him! They are for you and for me =)

Sorry about your throat...Really really so sorry...How much longer do you have to work. Bet you have a fever, too! Poor Dear!

til 6pm my time. I haven'y taken my temp. but maybe I'll get to go home if I do!! Tell me what they look like (the sweatshirts. Does this mean he likes me????? Or at leasdt tolerates me???

He accepts that you are somebody special to me and when I told him I needed to find matching shirts to wear for you and me, he surprisd me with them. He MUST like you....he'd never done this kind of gesture before =) Our colors are red, white and Navy blue. The white Sweatshirts get dirty easily. The nave and Red ones ran in the wash. So, they went to ash (a sort of oatmeal looking color) which is my least favorite, but.... Across the chest it reads in Navy blue embroidery: University of ..... at ..... (spelled out) (big letters - the team name) in red Softball (in Navy)

Sounds Cool. I think I shall like it, and to match as well. I'm glad he doesn't hate/mistrust me anymore!!

How could he??? With all of the good vibes in here about you!!! Do you think Jeans would be good with it? Twins, you know =)

definitely! but you in jeans, does not fit the image!! But. . .we'll alter the image, huh???

You don't think I wear hiking boots without wearing jeans out onto Lava flows, do you!! It'd rip everything else to shreds. For outdoor sports I wear jeans. Whether I'm watching or playing. I think I may just surprise you after all.

True, never thought about that!! Sorry! I have a fever, they won't let me go home. Only 99.3, but going up, I'll feel better when I'm home . . .and talking

That must be an interesting image you have of me. Love to hear about it. S]Was it from what I wrote, what my pic told you or iki?

I am so sorry your fever has become apparent to you. I will feel better also when you are home safely. I have turned down dinner out to be here with you.

You shouldn't do that. I'll buy you dinner when you're here to make up for it. How about the Bonaventure? It rotates. I don't know where the image comes from, but I should kow better cause iki told me you hike, and so di you. You can't do that in slacks and sandals, huh?

I am here and I rebooted and everything, but still no incoming. Are you there??

I am trying telepathy....please try 72....seventy-two! I am here!!!

I am here!

It has taken me 15 minutes to get here I kept getting an error message, but persistence pays off! Where's Nan, she needs to know that it is not always AOL's fault!!! I shal;l be here tomorrow too! Someone asked me to work for them and I agreed, just because I hate being a slug! And 2 days off in a row makes me feel like a slug!!

As I am...This time I guess Friday night is swamping everyone's lines...but you are right, this time the fault is not with you!!! Shass we go back and keep this in reserve?!

I . . .don't know! Can you not receive e-mail again?? We can talk here or via other lines, tele . ..pathy??? or something else???

I am on both this and Email now!!!

Nittany, I can not send or receive e-mail. please look for me here!!!

Dearest, are you here?

I am cooking in the kitchen and didn't hear your announcement on IM...Then I sent 2 or so Emails and no response - now I will put this here. Did you call and get the answering machine? I was listening for who was on there but they hung up. So here I am...i'll be beck in 1/2 hour as soion as I feed to beast this freaking breakfast which I won't be able to eat. Please Call back - I'll answer!!!

Please try again - I am here

Regarding the problems we've been having, I got this from Kaylene Thaler, the wife of Dave Thaler (who wrote the software that we run on): Terry, I am not sure how you managed to get items dated Feb 7, 2036. Using the messages in /usr/bbs/errorlog I can tell you that something happened on Sept 4 1997, Jan 17 1998, Jan 22 1998, Jan 27 1998, Jan 30 1998, I also verified that this same date problem was recorded in you system logs. For example when running last you can see the following: jyerby ttyp2 flex.com Fri Jan 30 15:50 - 15:50 (00:00) date { Fri Jan 30 15:10 date | Thu Feb 7 08:39 terry ttyp0 ns2 Thu Feb 7 08:30 - 20:30 (12:00) tedchong ttyp0 apso.djmarkets.com.sg Thu Feb 7 05:31 - 05:32 (00:00) geoff ftp tcnet01-62.austin.texas.net Thu Feb 7 05:20 - 05:59 (00: 39) terry ftp cool.spring.com Thu Feb 7 04:40 - 19:45 (15:05) lafn ttyp2 hot Thu Feb 7 03:29 - 03:36 (00:07) geoff ttyp0 tcnet01-22.austin.texas.net Thu Feb 7 02:33 - 05:17 (02: 43) spew ftp knife-ppp.mesas.com Thu Feb 7 02:24 - 02:25 (00:01) geoff ttyp2 tcnet01-22.austin.texas.net Thu Feb 7 02:13 - 02:30 (00: 16) stacey ttyp0 164.92.70.230 Thu Feb 7 01:48 - 02:26 (00:37) terry ttyp3 hot Thu Jan 29 19:31 - 20:34 (1+01:02) terry ttyp2 hot Thu Jan 29 18:37 - 20:58 (02:20) (you can see a stripped version of the last.log file on www.spring.com ~kaylene/last.log to see more examples of Feb 7 showing up where it shouldn't ) It seems that somebody was playing with the system time on your computer. The all/since/-7 routine seems to be "broken" because of these entries made during the time when your computer reported the date to be on the year Feb 7, 2036. Yapp searches through a current item, and finds the first entry that has a time that satisfies the restriction, then displays all the rest of the responses to the most current response. This means that for the drool conference item 67 everything after the entry on Feb 7, 2036 is considered since -7. To "fix" this problem requires fixing the item file itself. (Or freezing all affected items, restarting them, and hoping that nobody sets the date to Feb 7, 2036 again. This approach will take 7 days after freezing the item before it is really seems to be fixed.) The real solution that is probably most appropriate to look for the items with the "bad" dates, and then set the dates to be the same as whatever the next "valid" date really is. I can't think of a nice way to do this, so make sure you create a backup copy of the item before you begin to edit anything. The other option is to simply replace all the Feb 7, 2036 with some fixed date in the past, instead of in the future. The lines that need to be updated in the _* files are the ones that begin with ,D7C5 I ran the command: find . -name '_*' -exec grep -l "^,D7C5" >> ~kaylene/fix.files {} \; And you will find the output on www.spring.com in ~kaylene/fix.files. This contains the files that have "bad" timestamps in them (that I had read access to). I didn't have read access to all the items in all the conferences, so I might be missing a few items that need to be updated. The lines that start with ",D" are the date lines in the item entries. The information that follows is the number of seconds elapsed (since the start of computer time), displayed in hexidecimal. You must leave the ,D on the line when you update it. If you want me to do the work to write a script that can be run to fix the problem (for all/since) , it would not be considered part of your existing Yapp package. The problem is not in "Yapp" but with your system. I don't know who or what is causing your date to change, so I don't know if it will happen again. If I do the work, I estimate that it will cost about $200 to fix the problem with the most appropriate solution (finding the next appropriate date, and replacing the bad date) or about $100 to just replace all the bad dates with some fixed time in the past. I would also need to have cfadm access to the files. Kaylene

From Kaylene: "I have a script that should update the item files and fix the problems you are having with all/since." It's costing me $200, but it should fix the problem we've been having with all/since. It was that date being 2036 that caused all the havoc. And that was due to CMOS problems on the server.

So, have all the problems in drool ceased to be problems? Has anyone noticed the change?

I just recieved a report that Nan is having a hard time entering responses in this conference. I am entering a response using Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 to see if I can duplicate the problem.

Thanks Kaylene!

Just added heidi and karen as hosts of Drool... if I spelled the names incorrectly or they need to be capitalized or changed, please let me know...

Heide is spelled like this and Karen is spelled like that

Congratulations again, Heide and Karen. We have resources for the support of hosts, and one of the best of these resources is Kitchen Manager. There is also an online guide for hosts accessible from the Spring's main page. We'll be happy to happy you and the drooleurs.

"happy you" sb "help you"

and, they have now been listed as hostesses as Heide and Karen, again if this is wrong, let me know...

Let the hosting begin!

Amen to that!!! Welcome again, Karen and Heide, may you the drool last forever!! hee hee:)

Thanks, Terry and Kitchen Manager, but nothing looks any different. Checked out the Web Hosting section from the Home Page, but didn't see anything about how to delete messages, start new topics, etc. Need help :-( SOS

okay, heide and KarenR are now listed as hostesses of this here conference... if things don't look different now, please let me know...

OK, I see a retire and kill button at the top. What about to start a new topic? Two other things: email and a place to load pictures that will be linked to various Drool topics. Don't we need a subdirectory? or access to an existing one? *pushy, aren't I?* (that's rhetorical)

Also something called a public_html file????

okay, okay...you should already have a Create Topic button... the rest I'll set up as soon as I can...

the Creat Topic button is the fourth button, first row...

Oh, e-mail me a password to use when I create your requested directories...

(LisaJH) The party was great: drag queen heaven, if you know what I mean. :-) Indeed, I do ;-) There's nothing like the Halloween parade in NY--absolutely nuts. It was fun being the token straight female. *sigh* I know the feeling. It seems to be my lot in life ;-p I was having a wonderful time until I realized the "girls" (as they called themselves) all looked better in their dresses than I did in mine�..::sigh:: LOL! The trick is to hang out with guys who know they can't look like Marilyn Monroe. One of my best friends is the possessor of an unusual face and a wicked sense of humor. Instead of going for pretty, he goes for hilarious. I think my favorite was the year he dressed up as Baby Jane and carried around a nearly life sized, soft sculpture Joan Crawford doll he made. Honey, I was cryin'! ;-D I have a picture of that somewhere, I should really try to find it--you'd love it.

(LisaJH)But isn't it also great to have friends who are fun to be with, possess great style AND can cook? Hey, I can cook!!! (LisaJH)LOL! Oh, Nan, you MUST find the picture! ditto...

(LisaJH) But isn't it also great to have friends who are fun to be with, possess great style AND can cook? Let's not forget the part where you don't have to worry about what you look like ;-) am trying to remember the name of the documentary about the drag sceen in NYC. I have never seen it, but have heard it is really good. Have you seen it? For some reason I think it has the word *wig* in its title.... Wigstock? I haven't seen it, but I do have a couple of friends who were there for the filming. Since everything is fun for them, it's hard to tell when something is especially good...bless their happy hearts ;-) (LisaJH)LOL! Oh, Nan, you MUST find the picture! (wer) ditto... I'm looking...I'm looking...

Hey you guys, I found it ;-)

my online life is now complete... thanks, Nan!

Damned attractive!! ;-p

What a pair of Dolls.....They sure hid the" kitchenette".

Isn't he a hoot? You have to be a brave man to walk around like that ;-p

Nan, I have been out of town on business for the past week, and I must say that seeing this photo was well worth the wait!!! LOL! What a screamola! :-P Ah, now I MUST rent Wigstock (yes, this was the movie to which I was referring). Thanks for the laugh, Nan.

Anytime, m'dear. Now, I think I'll disable that link. He wouldn't be a happy camper if he knew the whole world could see it...or maybe he would. It's hard to tell, ya know? ;-p

I knew I should have copied it for a rainy day... :-(

Read this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000576481449931&rtmo=Q9SOxzxR&atmo=Q9SOxzxR&pg=/et/99/5/3/nmel03.html You'll get a laugh!

Incroyable! I wonder how big the cucumbers are?

Ladies, we will be using this Topic for Gi's Bridal Shower. I will ask everyone to bring a dish that you think CF might have eaten that we might enjoy as well. All the preparations will be done here and I look forward to hearing from the firthettes. We want all the gifts listed here too. We may be able to coordinate a chat time as well for the shower as soon as we set a date. Gi, where are you planning to honeymoon? If it's Spain be careful, they're growing "one size fits all" vegetables. ;-))

Yippee!! "A party is a party, but a bridal party...Ummh?" I have no idea what i'm bringing yet, this will require serious thought... how does a life size cardboard cut-out of Colin sound? Or are you more a china girl? BTW- Karen that was SO FUNNY!!!! :)

I always wondered why I avoided the melons altogether and went for the grapes, instead! It had nothing to do with flavor, I gather =P

Now we know the *real* reason Pamela Anderson Lee had her breast implants removed. Now I can sleep at night she says with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Sorry, Moon, this has nothing to do with Gi's shower (or does it? I'll bring the melons).

This is just the kind of spirit I look for when organizing a party.

Other than Spam Pate' (I actually got the recipe yesterday during the softball game!) and Poi, what else would you like me to bring? How about fresh white pineapples? These are very mild and sweet and are never commercially exported. Flowers? We have over 22,000 varieties of orchids and leis in anything from exotic protea to Plumeria and tuberose and gardenias.

Hi Everybody...Glad we are getting started...lots to do. Talked to Nan this weekend...(we're meeting for lunch end of May in NY)I told her about the shower. She is willing to do anything **after** Tuesday when finals are over. I feel she'll come up with something clever on the day of the party....maybe she should be in charge of the cake...!! **** No Poi , Marcia :-) But how about a pikaki lei . V. dainty. Second, a plumeria one . I bet you can find a pic of these to show the firthettes. We should have a theme for gifts.... (Moon).... bring a dish that you think CF might have eaten Maria...in THOTP. Actually, I want to "have what she had"....

SB: I have no idea what i'm bringing yet. Or are you more a china girl? I read somewhere that in England one could buy P&P (and Darcy) related china, pot holders, coasters and other things. Does anyone in Britain know anything about this? Maybe I could bring a wet linen shirt (sorry, no CF inside though!)

Evelyn, Pikake it is. several strands like the lady in front of me wore yesterday. It looked like ivory and smelled like heaven. Actually, they make lovely bridal leis, or garlands to drape over a prayer book or altar. And Plumeria. Plumeria was my first lei, and just inhaling the fragrance makes the original feeling of really being in Hawaii come back to me Deep red ones smell like cinnamon! I choose the yellow with white tips because they are the most fragrant. Oh, and we must have white ginger leis, too. The most ezquisite fragrance a flower ever had. Lovely and feathery, they tend to bruise, but would be lovely on the tables around the candles or down the center.

Yes, Ma'am, No poi. I agree, Nan should have the cake to play with, clever and creative computer lady that she is. Perhaps the outfit du jour for the event would be a damp linen see-thru shirt?!

So happy to hear that Nan will be free to join our party. I'm looking forward to all her creative ideas. :-) Marcia, I love the idea of all of us wearing leis. I can just close my eyes and smell them. Very festive indeed! Ladies, we must continue working on the menu. I'll be researching "la cucina Umbra," for those dishes he probably enjoys. Of course, with desert we will have his favorite amontillado to drink.

Hallo ladies, glad to meet you here ;-) Please pretty please, no eels or oysters, spam or poi... Or I'll hurry home and eat my dog's food :-( I love the leis idea! Lidya, your wet shirt will be a treat- even without him in it! (S B Robinson)Or are you more a china girl? Ummm...I don't know... Which would fit better inside Lidya's shirt?

I promised you on 113 that we would not dreamof corrupting your taste buds with things unmentionable and/or inedible. Only the finest for our lovely Gi =)

Gi, it's so nice to have you drop by. We still want to know where you will be honeymooning.

Hmm... the life size cardboard cut out of Colin it is! And since Lidya's bringing the shirt, I'll make sure its the shirtless version. Er... is anyone planning on bringing a pair of Darcy Breeches? ;)

(Moon Dreams)We still want to know where you will be honeymooning. So do I! So far, it's a mystery.I'd like somewhere in Europe, Italy or Scandinavia. Antonio wants Thailand or Brazil [I don't mind either :-)], but we haven't decided yet.

How about Italy? Umbria, perhaps? Whoops, it's your honeymoon! That will not do! Never mind!

(SBR)And since Lidya's bringing the shirt, I'll make sure its the shirtless version. I gotta tell you, SB, that is about as nekkid as you can get. A shirtless shirt. Hmmmm...Who shall model this item. Is it like the Emperor's New Clothes? =P

Yes...yes...I know!!! He is going to be a cutout with a bare torso? Could we bear to cover it - even briefly - with a shirt of any kind?!

Maybe Nan can do a trick or two. It is a happy thought indeed to have a cutout of ODB at the shower. Let's all wear indelible lipstick. I still need to hear more food suggestions. Gi, your honeymoon ideas all sound great.

Moon: I still need to hear more food suggestions. What sort of food do you have in mind? Darcy related or contemporary food?

Yes fill us in on the "Foodie theme" and we are more than happy to oblige.

BTW do we also have a colour scheme in mind , to co-ordinate everything or did I miss that bit?

Haven't been to a bridal shower in years, but there used to be *themed* showers? One involved having to get something for different rooms of a house or hours in a day. Do people still do those types of things? Could be interesting. Will think about menu items later. Something Colin has likely had? hmmmm. We know he visits the Colonel! ;-D

Hmm... menu item... Chocolate flavored condoms? or, would that be catagorized under 'gifts'? :)

Chocolate flavored condoms? or, would that be catagorized under 'gifts'? :) Kitchen gift

(Lydia), What sort of food do you have in mind? Darcy related or contemporary food? We have a theme for the food. We will have food that Colin might eat. That's why I'm checking into Umbrian cuisine but there is still so much left. Think of his movies and the UK, Calif. (might he like sushi?), etc. Go to it!

I just got here for that CC, we were all posting at the same time! Somehow, I doubt he has tasted those.

Oops, meant to write "kitchen appliance" ;-)

(Moon) Somehow, I doubt he has tasted those. Didnt he buy some a couple of years back? or is that just a rumor? (Karen) Kitchen Appliance LOL! And ever so much more exciting than a toaster! :)

Yeah, Susan, but he still wouldn't have "tasted" them! hee hee:) Or else, we hope not;p

ROTFLOL!!! Anyway going on with the theme---- Paul Ashworth likes curry (great scene , you will love it when it comes) so we should have some of that for sure!!

But of course NOT Vindaloo, because as we all know, you can't use certain "kitchen appliances" when you've had one!!!

(Karen) Oops, meant to write "kitchen appliance" ;-) (Moon) Somehow, I doubt he has tasted those. Too funny. (Lizza) But of course NOT Vindaloo What's that? (I do get the drift of its effects). Colin liked shellfish when he lived in Canada.

Colin liked shellfish when he lived in Canada. But I thought we were picking out food that he ate in his films. In 3DOR Walker had "tirami....squid" in his rucksack. Think anybody will have seconds?

But I thought we were picking out food that he ate in his films. Not only, also what he might in Umbria, UK, LA and his films. We know he loves cr�me brul�e, I think we can skip the tirami squid. ;-)

(Moon) I think we can skip the tirami squid. ;-) We have a tasty dried variety of squid over here called Tako. When someone asks you if you like it, better be sure of how they are spelling taco / tako. It is very chewy and tasty on hiking trips, but in closer quarters it is pungent. I send my son "Care" packages of such things for holidays and his office mates have forbidden him to bring it to work. They do not like the fragrance, apparently =P I also am curious about Vindaloo. Sounds like a port-a-potty!!!

but in closer quarters it is pungent...I send my son "Care" packages of such things The same son to whom you send care packages of Spam? He must have *some* sense of humor :-D

Vindaloo is just a spicy Indian stew. What are it's side effects that would be problematic? ;-)

Karen, thank you for the Vindaloo definition. Come to think of it, there might be some connection between a spicy stew and the need for relief from its outcome ;) My Son is a Geologist. They eat weird stuff. On one hike he backpacked tins of Beenie Weenie (Thinly sliced vienna sausages in baked beans) which he heated for supper for us over a lava flow (Jiffy-Pop Popcorn also works well on lava flows!). It sits on my shelf as "disaster" food in the event we are without electricity for a period of time and cannot cook. It is not something one would just open for lunch when other things are available. He really likes that smelly tako. Like Limburger cheese, it smells terrible but tastes good. My favorite nasty to send home to the most refined people is little elegant rice crunchies mixed with tiny dried whole fish (sunken eyeballs and all). My sister used to have me send her some whenever she was entertaining folks whom she did not care for much, but were in the business. Its dish usually emptied last, and she found the little fishies in all sorts of odd places the next morning!

Don't you wonder what surprise he has in store for me for Mother's Day?! Speaking of which, Happy Mother's Day to all who have little ones (two or four legged varieties included).

(Marcia)... tins of Beenie Weenie Yuck!!....Right down there with Spam and Poi. Hey...how about teriyaki beef jerky, that's not half- bad. (Esp. washed down with a MaiTai!!!)

ROTFLOL...(Evelyn)Right down there with Spam and Poi. You're right about that! Especially the direction of the place on the list of edible items. He is also into "tuna pucks", which is a flat tin of tuna whacked onto a plate and eaten as is. He ate fried chicken and pot roast when I fed him. Where did he go wrong?! =P Hey...how about teriyaki beef jerky, that's not half- bad. Turkey jerky is also good. Ummmm....!!! They make fish jerky. I cannot get that stuff past my nose let alone into my mouth. A wad of that stuffed into your cheek ought to keep wayward strangers from sneaking up to steal kissses! MaiTai's are good for any excuse you need. Vitamins from the fruit juices =) Especially if it is made with the blackest molasses obtainable. But don't try too many during an evening cruise on choppy seas. Maitai's are not as good coming back as they were going down! (That's what the big boys told me!)

Karen, have you ever had Vindaloo? It's not JUST spicy but damn damn hot and spicy and it's a big joke over here, because you would NEVER order one unless, you were a) a culinary retard b) you were senseless from alcohol c) you loved the recent pop hit ("Vindaloo")and had no musical taste either! but of course Paul Ashworth is not any of these!!

So how's our "menu" looking ladies?

No, I've never had vindaloo. Not a big fan of Indian food. In the US, Chinese food is like your Indian food, much more prevalent especially as takeout or takeaway. However, I love *damn damn hot and spicy food,* the hotter the better. I must have a cast iron stomach lining. Will have to check out this vindaloo stuff, sounds interesting! BTW, isn't anyone who eats KFC a culinary retard? ;-)

(Lizza)So how's our "menu" looking ladies? As far as I can tell, all we know about the menu is what is Not going to be included. (Karen)...isn't anyone who eats KFC a culinary retard? ;-) I thought Spam-eaters held that distinction ;)

Lizza)So how's our "menu" looking ladies? (Marcia)As far as I can tell, all we know about the menu is what is Not going to be included. Weeellll..we do have champagne (Moon)....and the cake (Nan). I thought you were bringing the Creme Brulee, Lizza. Shellfish (Eileen...but"I read somewhere" he bought that for MT ..cause she liked sushi)

I hope he likes sushi too because it goes very well with champagne. It can be our appetizer. The Umbrian region has some of the best tartuffe ( a rarety which by ounce can cost more than gold), so it is very likely he has eaten "Penne ai funghi e porcini con tartuffi." Which could be our entr�e. For desert we have his favorite "cr�me brul�e" plus Nan's mega-surprise cake. ;-)) With his favorite Amontillado of course. This is as official as it gets. Now for the other dishes ladies let's hear it.

My mouth is watering just at the thought of it------ And the food sounds pretty good too!!

Karen, next time you're over we can try a vindaloo!!

(Lizza)Karen, next time you're over we can try a vindaloo!! Hey, me too. I like Indian food. Tried to get K&H to go for an Indian meal in Notting Hill. No soap. But then that was D-Day ( of 3 DOR) and no one was eating.

Karen, next time you're over we can try a vindaloo!! OK, Lizza, you're on!! But if doesn't make my scalp sweat, then I'll be very disappointed! ;-) Maybe I'll just mozey (sp??) on up to Devon Ave. in the meantime...

Gi, finally located your shower topic. Do we have a date selected for this shower? After reading the menu suggestions, we really need to allow time for dear Gi to recover. Let's hope she has a cast iron stomach.

We'll ply her with so much champagne she won't know what she's "eating!" Karen and Evelyn, just don't eat that spicy food before getting back on the plane. There's nothing *quite* like taking an international flight while having an emergency of the intestinal kind! Ugh!

The date of the shower will be the first week in June, before Evelyn and Co. leave for London, and after Nan is free to frolic with us once again! Will be setting the definite date soon. Must hear from Gi first.

Whoops. Evelyn you're on, I look forward to it!!! I am afraid I am not around in the first week of June, so I will lend all my support leading up to it!

Lizza, there is no set date yet, we want you to come so maybe we can do it on the last week in May. We just need Nan to be free to join us too. Nan?

(Moon)Nan? Nan is slaving away as we speak...finishing up her exams. I will be in NY last week in May. But Nan will be around..'cause we're having lunch on the 28th.Go ahead and have it end of May...I've already sent my gift via Karen!!

...and I've received it. Gi is going to be mad!! ;-)

Think I need one of those animation programs for the other one. Could be part of the entertainment.

Hallo ladies I seem to be back on line with different ISP, different e-mail address, and the same trouble staying connected :-( Anyway, please let me know if I'm supposed to visit this topic (great fun)or keep away from it (as in: surprise). Having very little experience of bridal showers, virtual or otherwise (not a Portuguese tradition, unfortunately)I do not really know what to do. (Darlene)After reading the menu suggestions, we really need to allow time for dear Gi to recover. Let's hope she has a cast iron stomach. I have not! And I'm on a diet...So the last week of May seems the better date (except for the 26th, when I'll be on Emergency duty)so I'll have time to recover... I want Lizza with us too! (Karen)Gi is going to be mad!! ;-) Am I really? I can't wait! ;-)

(Evelyn)I've already sent my gift via Karen!! (Karen)and I've received it. Gi is going to be mad!! ;-) (Gi)Am I really? I can't wait! ;-) I don't know whyKaren said this.....I paid a lot of" virtual money" for that" virtual gift!!"And had to go all the way to LA to get it!!!!

I too am curious, Evelyn. Gi, feel free to stop in anytime, we want to hear from you. How about Thursday, May 27, for the Bridal Shower? Can someone please confirm with Nan? Please R.S.V.P. as soon as possible. :-)

What time are you contemplating?

Messages can be posted throughout the day so we can all be here at various times.

And, there will be plenty of Dom Perignon, food and cake at all times. ODB should make an appearance thanks to Nan, and we will have live music playing from The Solisti Venetti with lovely Baroque music to a special appearance by the "Living the Vida Loca," cutie pie.;-))

Thursday, May 27, for the Bridal Shower? Can someone please confirm with Nan I'll let Nan know. But she will be in town, because we are having lunch that day in New York. So she will relay my good wishes :-) ***** Would be nice if Gi could be in Chat to greet some of the guests.... set up a time.Evenings in Europe is good...gets the aft. in the US

For me, May 27 will be fine, and I'd be delighted to meet all who can be at Chat in the evening (European). We can adjust the time nearer to the date. Evelyn, maybe you and Nan can be at the shower together?

Evelyn, maybe you and Nan can be at the shower together? Thank you Gi....an error on my part....I shall see Nan on the 28th. But I shall make sure she knows about the shower.And her responsibilities. Anyway, I sent my gift....hope you like it...:-) (No hints...it's a surprise, Moon)

Thanks, Evelyn! Ladies please R.S.V.P.

I have just spoken to Nan.I updated her on all the Spring news. She's got the date of Gi's shower and "The Cake" assignment. Hey, we're rolling.

Moon, I'll be there, but I am not sure how we are doing this. I have never been to a virtual party. Since I will be providing the flower leis for guests and Bride, shall I send pictures? That day or the day previous since we are so far behind you? I think you will get better response from the ladies if we know what is going on. Cannot imagine what Evelyn sent, so I do not know what I am supposed to do. Please help!!!

Marcia)Cannot imagine what Evelyn sent, so I do not know what I am supposed to do. Please help! Evelyn sent a "virtual" gift (think picture) to Karen who has kindly consented to send it on (think scan). Comprende?

(Marcia), Since I will be providing the flower leis for guests and Bride, shall I send pictures? That day or the day previous since we are so far behind you? Yes, Marcia, do send the pictures the day before. We can not do this without your lovely flowers. For those who have scanners, that is the best way. We will be posting all day here for Gi's Shower on May 27. Thanks Evelyn, I feel better knowing that Nan's on the assigment. ;-)

(EvelynEvelyn sent a "virtual" gift (think picture) to Karen who has kindly consented to send it on (think scan). Comprende? Aha! Thought so. Thank you. The wheels in my head are spinning in anticipation and with great vigor. I shall not let you down!

May 27th, any time? Count me in!

And I can "attend" as well. I've never done this before either, Marcia.

I'll be here too! In truth, I am greatly looking forward to my first virtual party. :) I would bring something, but I dont have a scanner :(

Esbee, do not let the lack of a scanner deter you. I went flower "shopping" yesterday and what success I had. I stored the picture locations (use your right hand mouse button then bring up a wordpad page and paste it there)of centerpieces, leis and lovely other things which I will forward to Karen if I cannot manage to post them myself (but, I think I can!). So, look for something you would like to give her...copy the url and get on with it. Fun!!! BTW, those who have done this, feel free to correct ny mistakes in the above directions. I know you will ;)

Ladies , I feel AWFUL now because in going for the last week of May we are not able to include Evelyn. I did not mean to "set" the date by virtue of my comment, but it seems to be going very smoothly. I have just booked up the hotel I need for 28th , so 27th will be perfect. I am another complete novice at all these things but AM so looking forward to it and will be preparing (or trying to) my virtual contribution. As luck would have it , I have a hair appointment and manicure already booked for that date, just like you would before a special occasion, so Gi I will be all ready and waiting for the funn to begin!!!

BTW Marcia , I will come to you for help, you've got it all down to a fine art and Karen too.

Let us have a dry run on my "art" and see just how fine it really is!

Aha!!! Ididit Ididit Ididit !!! Now, if I could only include the fragrance...

Just Gorgeous Marcia, I can smell the heavenly perfume from here!!!

Thank you, Lizza Dear. I wonder if we should make them smaller for the party? However, If I do you will not be able to enjoy the detail. Hmmmm... anyone?

Marcia, I like them just the way they are, we love detail. I too can smell them all the way here. Well done girl!

Thank you for imagining the heady fragrance. 'Tis there. I shall not shrink my pictures, then, but I also wanted to check lest I use up more than my share of bandwidth. We are going to have many types of leis available for your selection, since I do not know preferences or what you will be wearing =)

By the way, that is a Plumeria Lei (known as Frangipani in French Polynesia). It was easy to post, thanks to my printing out Ann's excellent HTML tutorial.

My Frangipani trees are in bloom, one white, one pink. I look forward to seeing the rest of your selection.

Marcia, you did a fine job. No need to change anything. With the method you used, you wouldn't be able to shrink the picture unless you designated in the string the image's height and width in pixels. (Just for your info) I've been collecting some images for Gi's gala gift. (Shush! Don't tell Evelyn that I haven't done anything with hers yet) Gi, you're going hate us. ;-) But then again I always hated showers... Used to sit in the back and make snide comments with my friends as the bride-to-be oohed and aahed about towels or electric can openers or something even more boring. And god forbid, if they made you play games!! As I recall, the number of snide comments had a relationship to venue (church social room) and use of a microphone. Hon, you're not missing anything if "showers" are not traditional in Portugal. But this virtual one will e a riot!!

I didn't have one either, but this one as Karen said will be a riot!

Karen, I understand the difficulties of shrinking pix with HTML. What I was considering doing was posting the thumbs of the "click here to see what you are really getting" larger pix. However, thanks for the warning. I shall add it to Ann's notes. I had 'um all. My baby shower was on St Patrick's day and I was told it was a costume party. I came as the Jolly Green Giant (7 1/2 months into the pregnancy), and I knitted my husband the nastiest Kelly green bow tie you ever saw. Do I need to tell you we were the only ones wearing green?!

(Karen) (Shush! Don't tell Evelyn that I haven't done anything with hers yet) I HEARD YOU....Oh fearless leader.....I'm at the front of the queue!! And tomorrow I am sending you some food that I want you to bring. Sadly, I won't be able to attend.But I wanted to be included.I am bringing Beef Wellington, Lobster Stuffed Tenderloin,& Beluga Caviar.Somebody better go to Glascow and bring back some Scottish Smoked Salmon...(none of that Canadian or Maine one for us!!) Marcia...how about some pupus!!

We have lovely pupus here. I shall begin the list with mounds of fresh chilled fruit: white pinealpple which is sweeter and less acidic than the exported yellow sort, and mangoes. Had I been the creator of the Garden of Eden, I would have made mangoes the forbidden fruit - it is sinfully delicious. Of course, plenty of Litchee and white strawberries (they taste just like the red ones).... off I go to get my pics. Thanks, Evelyn! Hmmm...fresh water prawns, pipikaula, taro chips....

Posting the thumbnails will work too, Marcia, but the one you did looked fine and didn't take much to load. Size in inches isn't everything. Kilobytes are! ;-) Evelyn, what did you do? Rip the photographs out of a cookbook? Hey, I've got about 15 years worth of Bon Apetit's here. Should be lots of possibilities...

Of course, I shall bring freshly ground Kona Coffee for those partaking. Anything else? Guave juice? Passion fruit?

We are Soooo lucky! I did a food search for pictures and I came across wondrous stuff. I have the lovliest Jellyfish salad ready for your consumption. Just in case you wondered, it *is* made from real jellyfish! Bon Appetite =)

(not going to tell them it's made with dried jellyfish that's been reconstituted?)

Marcia, you were on such a delicious roll until the jellyfish. Ugh! Put that on the same table as the Spam and that other icky dish you mentioned! LOL re: your baby shower. At bridal showers around here they save the ribbons, bows, etc. from the opened gifts, tape 'em all to a paper plate and make the bride wear the blasted thing as a hat for pictures. I tried, but couldn't escape this tradition at my shower. I was 34 when I got married and lobbied for a "pigs flying" or "hell freezing" shower theme, but my sisters wouldn't go for it. See what you're missing, Gi?

make the bride wear the blasted thing as a hat for pictures. From where I usually sit (in the rear), that's usually the highlight! ;-P "pigs flying" or "hell freezing" shower theme, but my sisters wouldn't go for it. LOL!! Sometimes you just gotta put your foot down. I shall file those away for future use.

What could be better than to come home and read 72!!! LOL!! These things are new to me too. For sure a riot!!! Lucky Gi.

welcome, wer! Good to see you =) About those tasty and chewy jellyfish...they are reconstituted from a salted state then cut into strips. Yummy brown sauce consisting of peanut butter(!), shoyu, sake vinegar, and chili oil is used to coat them thoroughly. Arrange on cucumber slices and top with cilantro. Never had the pleasure of tasting them. Have you, wer? I just think if you have to hide the flavor under peanut butter and chili oil, it must be pretty bad. Over they go with the Spam and poi and r w sea urchins. It was just such a pretty picture..!

I've consulted my caterers and have made my selections for food to bring to the shower. For an an appetizer, there will be crostini topped with crab and spiced shrimp salad. A main course of whole roasted salmon. I have a lovely tiramisu for dessert with cappucino. Did someone need a creme brulee? I have one available. Also, did you want a layered smoked salmon and shrimp mousse terrine, Evelyn? Been slaving over a hot stove all day...whew... :-)

And Moon, why Umbrian food?

We mustn't (grammarians, I never use that contraction [or any contraction] in written English!) forget to also offer KFC in case "you-know-who" happens to drop in!!

We didn't [always use contractions, especially when in labor] forget. KFC was mentioned early on as a food we know he's had. What do you expect from Livia, after a grueling day at the hair salon? ;-D

(Karen), And Moon, why Umbrian food? I was just thinking about something he might eat there. Remember the theme: Food that Colin might have eaten, in films or in life. For now every food item listed he has probably eaten, although, crostini topped with crab is an original (not sure about that one). I see that far table where marcia is placing all those (un)delectables is getting bigger.

Oh no, Moon, I promise to put only the most tasty and recognizably edible items on the table from here on in. It was just that I thought it was a joke, or made from gelatin shaped into fish. When I read the recipe and saw the picture, I just could not resist posting it. (Lashes with wet noodles are in order for the miscreant!)Besides, I am a dear friend of the Bride's.

Marcia, I must tell you that I am tempted to taste that jelly fish dish and I must thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Karen, what about that chocolate and vanilla creme brulee we had at Spagos? I think THAT would be a big hit!

I've had much better creme brulees than that one.

Wow, that was a quick response! I had a wonderful vanilla creme brulee on Saturday night. It was like heaven!

Another question from the newbie - Me =) Are we all going to try to post pictures on the day of the event or shall the flowers be delivered ahead, and the fruit, too? I think there will be serious overload if all of these things show up on the day of the shower! When shall I begin to send my things? BTW, it is exceedingly difficult to find pupu pictures on the internet. Words will not suffice?

Good questions Marcia. Karen, what do you suggest?

It's only going to be a problem for those who check this topic out once in a blue moon. They will bring up this topic and there will be a jillion new messages, many with images, and they will go through "loading image hell." Mr. T used to have a good expression for this situation: "I pity the poor sucker..." ;-) For all of us shower attendees, I don't think it will be too overwhelming. But if you want to get the place all decorated beforehand with the flowers, go right ahead. Also, some of mine will be links, requiring an offsite visit. Any of you tech guys out there feel differently about it?

Would you rather I post the pictures here, or post links. I think the flowers should be here...! I have leis for everyone, table decorations and floor-standing large displays to greet you when you enter =) However, whatever works best, I will follow the advice of the more technical of you wizards. WER?

(let me think on it unobtrusively over here in the corner...)

Tuberose and rosebud lei. Exquisitely fragrant.

As a thumbnail it would look like this:

I am wild about tuberose, Marcia, that, is the one I will wear. You should definitely post the bigger size, we get all the details. There's nothing like sensory overdose: the champagne, the food, the music and the fragrance.

Moon, you do not have to decide yet...I have several tuberose keis combined with other flowers, and one which is totally tuberoses. They are a big favorite of mine, too, and though they get a little bashed, they still smell wonderful. I agree on the pic size. The tiny ones look like they are made from rags! This particular site where I am getting these pictures has done an especially good job with their graphics. Wait till you see the great floor-standing 5'tall arrangements. Spectacular!

Oh it's beautiful Marcia!!! I vote for the larger one as well, the rose buds are so charmingly displayed between all that lovely white tuberose. I think I'll wear my lai on my head like a wreath, and tell myself I look like an Aurthurian maiden. (Just call me Gweneviere) :) *oh dear, i think i'm feeling the effects of to little sleep*

For those wishing to wear the lei in their hair, we have haku wreaths made just for that purpose.

Marcia, love those treats. Just found out what the menu at the Amfar gala was: (asparagi in salsa al cerfoglio, noce di vitello con polenta e cipolle, fragoline di bosco): Asparagus in a chervil sauce, veal with onions and polenta, and wild strawberies for dessert. We can add this to our food that Colin has eaten.:-)

Smells totally divine Marcia, you are our fantasty florist, I mean virtual, but you know dear.

Important date change, please mark your calendars. Gi's Bridal Shower will be on Thursday June 3. I hope this is not an incovenience to anyone and Evelyn will now be able to join the fun. I will also take this opportunity to announce two upcoming birthdays: Marcia on May 31, and Heide on June 4. It would be fun to celebrate their birthdays right here as well.

No problem. More time to shop. It would be fun to celebrate their birthdays right here as well Great idea! (Marcia) For those wishing to wear the lei in their hair I'll wear one if you promise me I'll look like her!!

Eileen, consider it yours, and I *know* you will out-do her anyday of the week. Her flowers are bouganvillas. You may have any shade of them you like from white through ivory, yellow, orange, coral-salmon, pink, rosy red, through the fuchsia she is wearing. Silver fern will back it and I will see that maile is tucked in for frangrance. Just wait till you see the bridal leis I have chosen for Gi and Antonio. Not flashy but terribly lovely! (I am all chicken-skin!) BTW, bouganvillas dry just the color they are when they are picked. Take care of your Haku lei and it will be beautiful around a larve pillar candle on your table!

Oh yes, here is another sort - I love the colors of this one - but only one small picture of it was found.

Oh That's Lovely Marcia! I'll take that one :) (Although, I suspect that it will make my pink cheeks look even pinker) Unfortunately I'm going to be out of town on June 3rd. :( But... I'll take along my laptop and try to check in for the shower- It promises to be great fun! And Happy Birthday Heide and Marcia! xoxox to you both! :)

EsBee, you will be the St Pauli Girl come to life! Yours is red roses, stephanotis and tuberoses with local greenery and pods and wee filler flowers to make it full. It is my favorite, also. Thanks for the Hauoli Na Hanau ;)

Marcia, are you also looking for arrangements for the table? If so, may I put in a request for birds of paradise, anthurium, ginger, orchids, et al. Love them exotics... Am also developing an affinity for flexed roses too!

Marcia, wonderful flowers, I am anticipating my lei(?). Esbee, I'm glad you have the laptop, I'd hate to exchange one of you for the other :-( Will Lizza be here on the 3rd? RE:birthdays: I now see a wonderful succession of online parties ;-P This is getting better and better!

Thank you everybody for accomodating me.... it was kind of you Moon to re-arrange the date.I shall notify Nan. **** Centerpiece: I once went to a wedding in Hawaii and the centerpiece was white birds of Paradise and white orchids.Very dramatic. *** Wonderful idea to celebrate Heide and Marcia's B'days here. Better you than me:-)) **** And this year, we can really have a BIG party for Colin's B'day!!

White birds of paradise and white orchids?!! Wow! That's a must. Thanks for moving the date, Moon. Evelyn went all out on Gi's gifts. She's a big spender. ;-)

Karen), birds of paradise, anthurium, ginger, orchids, et al. Love them exotics... Mixed with old oaks and some splendid palms and you are chez moi! So glad the date change was not a major disruption. I agree with you Marcia, we will have a big bash for Colin too.:-D

Karen), birds of paradise, anthurium, ginger, orchids, et al. The very large white B of P are from a palm-tree-sized plant called a traveller's palm. Hunting commencing as soon as I post Karen's table decor.

Could someone please tell me what flexed roses are? We have wood roses....!

(Karen) Evelyn went all out on Gi's gifts. She's a big spender. ;-) Aw...it was nothin' (**blush**,**blush**..[like Dopey of the 7 Dwarfs]) Nothin' is too good fer 'r girl...!!

Lovely, Marcia. I think I've had similar arrangements made up. Now you need to get some close-ups of those naughty anthuriums! :-0 Flexing is what they "do" to roses; it's a arduous process of manually opening them to achieve a certain look. I'll see if I can locate one out here someplace.

Juen 3rd is okay for me, but I won't be around until late afternoon or early evening. I start jury duty that day :-/

Here are the Anthuriums. One baby shower I attended used them as a centerpiece. They were much smaller than these, and had white bracts (the heart-skaped part) and rosy-pink infloresences (the erect oblong item arising from the center of the bract) The Mother-to-be was hoping for a son, so we carefully tied blue bows on each and every one of the erect items - about 24, as I recall.

LOL!! Gives new meaning to the "language" of flowers!! Simple and beautiful arrangement. (still haven't gone looking for those flexed roses yet).

Karen, I searched for flexed roses. They must be something new, because the net came up empty. Will try again...I can always use the flowers for CF's Birthday and Heide's and mine =) I think everyone should get virtual flowers on their birthdays, don't you?! I take requests. Still looking for the Traveller's Palm cum White Bird of Paradise. Twice the size of the regulars, but the colors are sooo dramatic...sigh! Both are Strelitzia...so I should be able to find them somewhere...looking!

And, in honor of Laurence Olivier, Baron of Brighton, on the anniversary of his Birthday, I present his memory with Cattleya velutina

My mouse is thoroughly tired and I'm putting him to sleep, but here's what I could find without having to resort to cutting out pictures and scanning. And last, but not least (although these roses look a tad too open)...

Let me try that one again. It's too pretty to lose.

Oh Karen, How very lovely!!! Thannk you! BTW, should anyone want to know, I have wheedled out of the Bride elect that her wedding colors are Salmon and green. The shade of green I do not know, but I think a silvery green would be lovely...=)

Copied the wrong thing. Here it is:

Oh Karen, How very lovely!!! Thannk you! BTW, should anyone want to know, I have wheedled out of the Bride elect that her wedding colors are Salmon and green. The shade of green I do not know, but I think a silvery green would be lovely...=)

Hey, there's lots of salmon on our shower menu ;-)

Don't know how that happened, but the sentiment is there. both times. I saw your cesterpiece before you posted it. I used the right mouse button and arrow on the missing pic icon, view image, and there it was - the comment with the picture is that they are blown open. I would guess with careful use of air guns.

(Karen)Hey, there's lots of salmon on our shower menu ;-) Happy thought! Alas, there are very few salmon-colored flowers in Hawaii. Can only think of Protea. And, it is about impossible to find any orchids that precise color. Any species! Still looking!

Yes, that was the webpage vs the pic itself. Anyway, most of those roses were a bit too open. Flexing roses requires putting closed ones in warm water the day before and then coaxing them open by hand. Perhaps blow dryers are used. ;-p You can usually tell them by the fact that the petals are still curled inward but they are full and arranged as these are above...all bunched together.

Beeeeuuuuutiful, ladies. A feast for the eyes. BTW, Marcia...great idea to have Colin's birthday on #110... his very own real estate.

I wish I could copy flowers too! What exactly must I do? What equipment should I have? This is so great, so beautiful! Of course we will have his birthday on #110. It is a tradition started with the birth of www.cf.com last year. It would be great to have a direct link to #110 from cf.com so anyone who may wish to comment can. Maybe Nan or Renate can set it up.

Moon, I sent you an Email explaining how I do it - straight from Ann's HTML tutorial.

Time to offer pupus for the early arrivals. Just the foretaste of things to come. I give you Ceviche, Sashimi, Smoked Marlin, King Crab & Bay Shrimp. served with a Thai Peanut Sauce & Sweet'n sour Sauce.

Beautiful roses, Karen! I don't think they are too open at all, this is exactly how I like them. And Marcia, I'm not sure that you'd call salmon the hue that I call by that name... It is a sort of delicate orangey pink, think the fresh fish, not the smoked one... But I like most pastels. As for the green, the small round green thing at 4 o'clock on the pupus dish is more or less it... To the American ladies, I have a favour to ask: we still haven't decided where to go for our honeymoon because Antonio would really love a cruise but apparently European cruise companies will not accept dogs. Does anyone know, or could any of you get the information, on whether there are any american cruise companies who would accept a small (3 kilos) yorkshire terrier to travel in the cabin? The three of us thank you in advance.

(Gi)whether there are any american cruise companies who would accept a small (3 kilos) yorkshireterrier to travel in the cabin? I shall call tomorrow and report before I leave. But I know Karen has a good cruise contact.Happy to do it:-) ***** Marcia...such goodies you are giving us. Now, don't work too hard....

This is a hungry business. I hope the weight gain is all in the cyber-area because I keep dashing off to the kitchen to see what is edible and quick so I can get back to posting. I have a whole page of location URLs for pupu photos and one for flowers, and they just keep getting longer. Wait till you see the choice of leis. Some are so fancy they cost upwards of $80 - and I buy the $2 kind or make them myself from my own flowers. This in not work, Evelyn, I am having such a good time. Can you not t ll?!

Good thing I just had dinner. That pupu platter looked very good. I'll check into the cruise thing for you, Gi. If anyone is having any trouble or doesn't know how to post pictures, contact Marcia or me. You don't necessarily need any special equipment. Glad you liked the roses, Gi, but I'm not sure those were of the flexed variety, but as close as I could come without scanning them in! ;-)

Ladies the flowers look gorgeous! (Marcia) EsBee, you will be the St Pauli Girl come to life! LOL, oh dear... did the St Pauli Girl wear a wreath of flowers? didnt remember that :) (giggle giggle) I'll definately bring my laptop and demand my fair share of phone line access on the day of the party! Wouldnt miss this for anything! :)

Karen, I'd never heard of flexed roses before... Thanks to you and Evelyn for checking with the cruise companies... Marcia, don't bother, poor Patas can't go, so we are not going either. We'll think of something else. I have to admit that a caribbean cruise is not my idea of a perfect vacation... I'm afraid I'd feel trapped and bored in a ship with 5000 other people, but Antonio is very keen to go sometime. A cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean might be interesting because there is a lot to see, but not a very good choice now because of the Balkans war.

jpg I hope this works!

I will have to try again when I have more time.

(that's what you wanted right, Moon Dreams?)

I have to admit that a caribbean cruise is not my idea of a perfect vacation... I'm afraid I'd feel trapped and bored in a ship with 5000 other people My DH and I took a Carribean cruise for our honeymoon and thought it was great. After the hustle and bustle of putting on a wedding, it's very relaxing. They do all the thinking for you. But 5,000 other passengers? Yikes! I don't blame you! Nice pics, everyone.

Oh William, thank you! This man never sleeps...must be all of that Kona coffee he has been ingesting ;) Bouquets to you this morning, too.

JPG img src=http:// etc

I blew it again!

That was your doing Marcia, BEAUTIFUL!

Yes! This worked! Thanks Marcia! I was looking for a salmon colored orchid. :-D

I think I have created a flower monster! No, not at all. Our chairlady *must* have the thrill of posting her first picture and watching - as her heart stops beating - as the photo emerges like magic. Congratulations, dear!

The lovely let above is the most incredibly scented one there is. White Ginger. My alsolute for fragrance, but is not as showy nor as crush-proof as others. But the fragrance more than makes up for it. Heavenly... Thank you, Moon!

Lovely, Moon. You did it! BTW, saw white anthurium on TV tonight. No baby blue ribbons on the whatchmacallits though. ;-D

Moon, congrats, and the salmon coloured orchids are beautiful! Thank you, and Marcia, and all, for this very beautiful thing you are preparing

I've been away for a few days, but I can see that the preparations are going full steam ahead. Great work! June 3rd sounds good (one day after my DH's b'day). BTW, my own birthday is January 10. Gi, am I right in thinking you live in Portugal? I thought I read so in an old post.

I appreciate your kindness. Cheers!

What the ..... I did everything the same! (????)

I had tried ballons first. I hope this works!

I think I am being pre-empted by the newly successful Moon. I'll peddle my flowers elsewhere....;)

DON'T YOU DARE!!! I bow to you, Marcianess.

January 10 Wot!! Ya gotta get with the program. Two days after Elvis' B-Day.

(lidya maccarthy)Gi, am I right in thinking you live in Portugal? I thought I read so in an old post. Yes, you are right, I live in Lisbon, Portugal.

Gi: I've tried to reply to your last email and it came back twice as undeliverable????

Gi's email is broken right now. All of my things have come back to me as undeliverable - and we commune daily. Gi, dear, if you are reading this, anything I have just been saying about you and your credentials is taken from your own posting on 113. Sorry if I embarrassed you :(

Moon dear, how about our transportation to the party? Planes? Trains? limos? bicycles? Dogsleds? How about pix of the site. Grand ballroom of the...? etc etc must be pix out there of some of this... ;)

Oh!!! Now you're making me nervous. As always, the teacher should give the examples Marcia. :-)

We can all meet on the SS Jolly Roger.

I think it would be nice to have the shower on the above ship, in 18th Century dress. The ship can stop and pick everyone up. Hawaii, LA, Miami, NY, Boston, UK, and dock in Lisbon for Gi.

Oh! Excellent idea Moon! :) And is she captined by a certain Fitzwilliam Darcy, by any chance? We could have a mutiny amougst the guests, and overthrow the dear Capt, making him a prisoner in the captin's chamebers. Of course, to ensure that he doesnt escape we would have to tie him down to the bed... *ahem* ...maybe i should go post this at 34... ;)

Think how beautifully the leis will adorn our clevages, and our hair!!

SB, why would he want to escape such lovely company?

Okay, I was born exactly 7 years and 7 months after Colin Firth. But yet, we share the same number of the month;) For those of you who know my bday, don't give it away, please. Have fun!

...and I was going to volunteer my house for the shower. Here are a few pics:

BTW, I posed for the statue. ;-)

LOL!!!! Karen, that's not what I saw when I was there;) I saw more statues!

Didn't I see that house in one of the Godfather movies? Really, Karen!

You ladies never let me down. Whenever I post a thought then go to bed, when I awaken and reboot, you have taken it and run in all directions. Brava! Now, to find me a dogsled...to retrieve Helena, of course ;)

Putting Laura down as April 10. If that is incorrect, we will celebrate then, anyway. Elvis' birthday? You might have just as well suggested your milkman's.

Good job, Marcia! Indeed you are correct! Now figure out the year and you'll know how old I am;)

That is easy! Not a one of us is more than "thirty-something" with a few a decade or so younger ;) - despite the Volvo and Lab comment from London !

May is nearly over and June is hard upon us. I am on my way... the first leg of my journey:

(Karen)Gi: I've tried to reply to your last email and it came back twice as undeliverable???? (Marcia)Gi's email is broken right now. All of my things have come back to me as undeliverable It is working again today, I think. (Marcia)... anything I have just been saying about you and your credentials is taken from your own posting on 113. Sorry if I embarrassed you :( Actually, I embarrassed myself at the time <-o (Moon Dreams)I think it would be nice to have the shower on the above ship, in 18th Century dress. The ship can stop and pick everyone up. What a beautiful thought! Considering that I will not have a cruise for my honeymoon, it is "the thing" for the shower! Although Karen's suggestion of a house looks like paradise, but we would have to drive there in Volvos each and everyone ;-)

LOL! Marcia, which one of those hardy rowers is you? Or are you kicked back at the bottom of the boat, enjoying a tropical drink, while your nubile young friends row at your command? :)

ROTFLOL. Marcia! You are brilliant.

(EsBee) which one of those hardy rowers is you? With a straight line like that I cannot resist saying that I am the Cox'un ;)

(Marcia) Now, to find me a dogsled, to retrieve Helena of course Lol.....no need for dogs, you�re welcome to pick me up with the ship in Helsinki harbour, the sea isn�t frozen at the moment. If more salmon is needed for the dinner table, I can take some freshly caught ones with me. And bunches of lilies-of-the-valley from my garden, they will start to bloom in a few days and I love the scent.

Glad to hear you can see the ground once again, and that your lillies-of-the-valley are blooming again. I wanted them for my wedding bouquet since I was a very young girl, but I was married in August...there were none to be had anywhere on earth! That clipper ship will be hovin-to in order to take you to our party. Bring plenty of fresh salmon...I am bringing an Hawaiian version of the same =)

You ladies are too funny. More, please!

The Godfather???? Next time you're in Vence, drop in. ;-)

Vence as in Venche? (It.pronounciation) ;-))))) Marcia, have you reached the SS Jolly Roger yet? I hope your lap top did not get too wet. Elena, I am sorry to have left Helsinki out. Please let me know if we should make a stop anywhere else. Right now it is: Hawaii, LA, Miami, NY, Boston, UK, Helsinki, Lisbon. We are doubling up on the champagne at each stop. I hope that is agreeable to all. :-)

Moon, we sent the tallest guy up the mast to look for your ship. As you can see, I have transferred to a larger vessel to reach you sooner. Have a goodly stock of handsome, young, well-muscled, sun-bronzed men willing to join us. Will be able to assist in anything you might like to suggest. These guys would give you the lava-lava off their loins =)

Is that Jonathan Seagull flying besides you?

Have you not read "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'? That is an albatross! He was going to a wedding, too, as I recall (not the albatross).

Moon Dear, could you please remind us when the shower is. Which date. I remembered June 3 but it has been suggested that it be changed to May somethingth. If it is in May, I'm gonna have to whip those rowers a little or get out my 007-inspired jetboat to reach the Jolly Rodger in time.

To answer my own question, I had it straight from Moon that June 3 is Gi Day =)

I want to know if we can bring a gift. I have something in mind (a picture) and wonder if I should first send it to one of the organizers, or if I should just post it the day of the shower.

If you are sure you can post it, do it yourself on the day of the party. otherwise I will help you. Do not send me the picture - send me the location URL which is found by using the right mouse button after you have placed the pointer of your mouse in the middle of the picture. Scroll down till you have location of image highlighted. let go then go to the email you will send me and putting the mouse pinter on the body of the letter hit control+V. there will be the url for the picture you want to post OK??

Anyone interested in Belgian chocolates?

Or Crepes Suzette for dessert (pancake flamb�).

Gi's Bridal Shower is on June 3rd Please mark your calendars. Tineke, we will stop in Holland for you. Belgian chocolates go very well with champagne. Yum!

Sorry, I did close the tags.

testing

Mmmmm, chocolate. Now you're talking my language! Make that Belgium for Tineke and her case of chocolates!

Thank you Marcia.

This morning finds me enroute to Samarkand to fetch the finest things the Orient has to offer our honored Gi. The canoes are behind me for the moment and I am in transit. More as I get the chance post from the Silk Road...aloha

Marcia, you're supposed to be on your way to Miami to pick me up!!! Have you commandeered the SS Jolly Roger? Are you having too much fun with the crew? Turn the ship around and get back on schedule. ;-)))

I thought you were steering the Jolly Rodger! I am about finished on the silk route...hurying back with the goodies

See, I am about to disembark - I do not have ship - tis on the high seas wherever you left it. Shall I intercept and bring it to Miani without a stop at the west coast? Here is my treasure-laden camel ready to take me back to civilization as we know it

Is this bridal shower in Morocco?

Marcia, I wish you a safe journey back to the ship. Can't wait to see the goodies. The Silk Road is one of my future trips, I assure you. You may be giving Gi ideas as to where to go honeymoon.;-) I think Winter is waiting in LA, so do pick her up.

Winter, JanaJH in LA; a quick trip up to SF to pick up EsBee. Can anyone tell me the closest port to Kansas...That's where Stacey is and next door is OK and TX with Evelyn and Rita. I may have to get the camels out again. Just got away from the Jewel house in the Kremlin with a few goodies on my way to the coast. We Have 6 days - we can do it =) was not in Morocco - it was Mongolia!

This is not a shower, this is a deluge of wonderful things and dreams. Indeed, this is almost poetry. (Tineke, I love cr�pes Suzette, and yours look delicious) :-)

LOL! Marcia, if those camels are on the ship when it gets here to pick me up, i'll have to do something drastic! (Camel races on the deck of the SS Jolly Roger?) Moon- see you when we get to FL! :)

I trust all of you with your new Real Playera are glued to http://208.226.146.66/video/live.rpm to watch the space shuttle live. Wave at me as I pass!!!

Marcia, you come right back this instance! The crew of the SS Jolly Roger are waiting! Where on earth will we find you? Does Ray know about this? He will never let you leave Hilo again. ;-) I think I will email Captain Ahab to go on to California. SB get ready you will be next. The ladies from the midwest please chose your port on the east coast.

Marcia, you can pick up Evelyn and Rita in Galveston or they might choose to meet me in Nawlins and you can pick us all up there. I'll take the Delta Queen down, but I'll be broke when I land. Come on seven. Come on seven. Mama needs a new roof and sewer work!!

The camels are left behind and I took to Yak-back to travel to Siberia where I picked up transport to MIR. The Space Shuttle is due by in a few orbits so I must repack. You would not believe this state-of-th-art laptop I am using. You have seen those yellow waterproof watches, cameras, flashlights? I have the prototype yellow waterproof laptop - and it is fortunate, as my Yak backfired several times on the way, and it was not a *good thing.*

Shall pick up the Jolly Roger upon my landing at Edwards AFB and gather the California ladies. Then it is off for Galveston - or should i intercept at Nawlins? Does Ray know? He does indeed. He just sits there shaking his head in bewilderment as I read these postings and ROTFLOL. I think he has a suit with v e r y long sleeves standing by, just in case...=) Our Yak caravan crossing the sturdiest bridge seen all day. Will write next from ^up^ there.

Ladies, I don't know what your views are on censorship, but our government is bringing in draconian measures. Small servers like mine are going to be forced out of business and arrangements made to watch everything being sent out, or at least that is what our government is hoping to do. Appreciate your views on it. I know this is serious business but could eventually apply to all.

Anne, that is frightening. You will find images of blue lapel ribbons (like the aides awareness ribbons) which are symbolic of free speech all over the net. What is so terrible that net nanny or adult watch could not keep you from learning? Bomb making? Just go to the magazine store and buy a hunting-type magazine. There will be plenty of leads to follow in the back of those. If we protect everyone from every perceived danger, we will soon have no rights at all. How does this draconian measure sou d to you?

Whew, I am back on solid ground again and the shuttle is back up there. What a trip. Mt luggage is a little heavy...wonder if that left-over Yak is till in there? stopping just long enough to order pizza and let me off....

WOW, Marcia, you did it! I never thought I'd say this, welcome back to planet earth ! You certainly have a lot to tell us. Did you happen to see the Starship Enterprise? Hans Solo? I hope the WWF don't make a case of that yak. We did get some rather strange messages last night from some derranged alien, and I'm glad you're alright.

Happily, the derranged alien, he has been nuked thanks to Heide's swift expertise. I have been thinking...always dangerous first thing in the morning...about the JoRo. Went aboard and thinking of the week aboard that fetid ship with the only "facilities" being a board suspended out over the sea with a hole in it. What do you say to hiring a crew to scrub and paint her and upgrade the plumbing as they take her to Europe for us? We will gather the US ladies in the Concorde and jet them over in comfort and much more fragrant surroundings - complete with gourmet meal and champagne. We c n all join the newly refurbished ship in Southampton and take it up to Helsinki and Bremerhaven finally resting at berth in the port of Lisboa. Let me know...am about to hire on the nicest-looking eager, curly-haired hands I could find. Each in a tight-fitting tee shirt and Levi's which look painted on them...!~sigh~!

Shocking! I thought the ship was in top shape! Maybe we should change Captain Ahab for Captain Hornblower.:-) I would stay away from curly-haired hands Marcia, sounds dangerous. Thanks Heide, I'll know who to call in case of YK2 problems.

Hmmm, something like this? [Hope this works...thanks, Marcia, I think I figured out a work-around]

Grrr, guess I didn't....mumble, mumble...*(&^%MS Explorer....

I shall conquer this...let me try again. If we're not going to take the JoRo, I would prefer something like this: Lots of sailing comfort, but no atmosphere! There's something to be said about the JoRo after all!

Aargh!

(finally...)

(Moon) Maybe we should change Captain Ahab for Captain Hornblower.:-) Excellent idea Moon! :) and as a lovely little side topic; Costco has H.H. the complete set for only $34.95!!!! ....in the words of a fellow cubicle dweller here in my office, "he's no Mr. Darcy, but *sigh* -Horatio." (Marcia) am about to hire on the nicest-looking eager, curly-haired hands I could find. Each in a tight-fitting tee shirt and Levi's which look painted on them...!~sigh~! Now that's something I wouldnt mind viewing... perhaps we should keep them on to provide -er 'entertainment' for Gi's party. ;)

WER, I try out the dialog string (before I paste it here to submit) on the location bar of Netscape. I got "file not found" from the home1 url. So I backed up the location and got in the front door, found the boat she intended to post and sent her the difference, after testing it, of course. No typos if you paste the location url...! Thanks for the scribble url. I just might need it. We are very glad you are out there watching over us =)

EsBee, count on it. We will spend our Concorde hours thinking up fun jobs for these under used and over muscled way too handsome guys. I was thinking we could nip around Gibraltar after we pick up Gi and cruise the Mediterranean as we party and admire the lap-dancing deckhands...!!!

all join the newly refurbished ship in Southampton and take it up to Helsinki and Bremerhaven finally resting at berth in the port of Lisboa I do hope you'll be able to make a quick stop in Ostend or Zeebrugge, whatever suits you best.

Thanks for checking in, Tineke, the port is your choice. Considering where I have been in the past few days, nothing should impede our progress. Getting a little hungry again - time for a light snack of pickled seaweed and tofu and a bottle of something light and refreshing...

oh yes, and some fresh pineapple!

I saw Evelyn today. We had lunch at Sardi's (the first time for both of us--can you imagine?) and it was a lovely afternoon. Did all our Colin gossiping, looked at photos from your meeting in England, ate some wicked food and giggled like idiots. All in all, the perfect afternoon ;-) I think it's probably better that we don't live closer or we'd do that far too often. She says hello to all and is looking forward to getting back to Drool. I think her mouse finger is getting itchy...

...and I spoke to her a little later to send her shopping again! I think her mouse finger is getting itchy... I think she needs a laptop to take with her on her little trips!!

Michael says that the crabbing is very good. How about some fresh Alaskan crabmeat and shrimp cocktail.

I am watching the Space Shuttle connect with the International Space Station. It is hard to believe I was up there just a few hours ago. Lucie, have Bob get the seafood to our pilot, but be sure it is securly wrapped and put into a chill box. I do not want any of it to go missing before we get to Lisboa. I am not sure, but I do not think Gi has had seafood from the icy Alaskan waters. There is none better that I have tasted =)~~~

If you're still looking for a few good crew, I nominate this guy. He looks particularly fit, but no curly hands; just riply chest. ;-p

I, will stick with Captain Hornblower. :-) Marcia, where are you today? Is that Yak still around?

Should we dip the king crab in melted butter and eat it like lobster (since the taste is so much the same) or shall we eat it with a seafood sauce.

I vote for Brawn Butter for the King Crab and cocktail sauce for the shrimp. Yak began to smell like his name so he is gone. Am gathering the last of the food and flowers for the flight and voyage to our party to tide us over till the Alaska contribution arrives...with shoyu and chinese mustard...Ummm!

Hey, a second helping of something good is not all bad....sorry, and make that Drawn Butter...=P Love the crew - bring 'um along. I trust you have tweaked their muscles and checked those abs to be sure they are good and hard =) Munchies to go with our seafood???

I trust you have tweaked their muscles and checked those abs to be sure they are good and hard =) In god we trust, all else must be done personally. ;-)

My Yak is back! Bathed and beautiful He pined for me and would not eat so I had to keep him with me Hope you do not mind...?!

I will like you all to come for tea on May 31, in celebration of our dear Marcia's Birthday. I promise the Yak will stay outside. :-)

I shall not drink anymore champagne. ;-)))

Moon, honey, drink up! You got your picture up there and it is purty! Thank y'all for the invite. Nice little cottage. I Have sent the Yak back to his homeland. Far too hot in Hawaii for all that hair. Besides, those deck hands will need massaging for those aching muscles and I do not want to be kept from doing my share of the kneading. BTW, my sister just sent me a Victorian-type 4 tier birthday card and it is of a wedding of a couple straight out of JA, doeskin breeches and all (he is dressed on t e right.) How ever did she know?! I need a scanner!

Is that the boat house, Moon? :)

A very extravagant one, don't you think?

All depends on the boat I would imagine.

Nan - shouldn't you post your Evelyn-Colin-Drool message on 118, rather than here? (Just wondering... :-)

Sorry - I see you all practise posting pretty pictures - I must have my share. Can I do it? http://www.british-airways.com/flights/factfile/airfleet/images/m747-400s.gif

Ha! It's not quite working... Funny - I used to know how to do it. http://www.british-airways.com/lsp/wgallery/images/celtic/art.gif

Can anyone remind me, please? :-)

Arami, type img src= then the URL between "". And of course, you have to put the entire thing between these . I hope that helps.

Finally! Someone is on their way...Good! Bringing your carefully-wrapped goodies, too?! I love the tail decorations on that plane. Hardly the way British Airways used to look! Tineke, are you off on gift buying or shall we still yacht you to Lisbon?

Floral pieces need to be put in place. Starting with the largest of the pieces for the entry

That was Arami's plane, Marcia. I think I'd better take the boat, since my public-transport-jinxed brother is in the country! Whenever he comes near a train station, all trains are delayed. Last time he came home (he studied and now works in Japan), his flight was cancelled. Now yesterday, he flew back home again. His plane had a 29 hour delay!!

Eat, drink, drool and be merry!!! You will all lookm and smell goregeous and have the most wonderful Wedding shower ever. Sending love and good wishes your way and looking forward to catching up on my return next week.

Whoops, !! How could you all be anything but gorgeous? Type in haste-----repent in Drool.

Pack your jammies and a sandwich when you travel with your brother! I am not sure which way around the world he goes to get back to Belgium, but it has to be as long as my travels to London from Hawaii. BTW, stuff some chocolates in your pocket before we pick you up at Ostend (thense on to Helsinki). We just might have to bribe the deck hands with it ;)

Lizza, we shall miss you!! Full report on your return. God Speed, Dear!

To start your Birthday celebration a day early, 3 Cheers for Marcia!!!

Thanks, Tineke and Marcia. OK, here goes. If this one works, it's for Marcia, of course. Have a great day - and all the best.

Wow! ...I am speechless...and delighted. I see you learned your lessons well. But I did not know I was teaching you (either of you!) for my benefit. Mahalo, thank you, and I have no idea how to say it in Aramic ;)

I was asked to forward this to you, Marcia!

Thank you for the comming attraction. When does HE arrive?! oh man...gotta get this hair fixed...this thing I'm wearing is not fit for....Oh, sorry! Yes, thank you for the lovely card...from CF himself, I wish to presume;)

...such lovely hands....this man has not one flaw! sparkling eyes, dimpled smile, boyish charm...oh help...!

Of course, it's from the man himself. (he's afraid of the internet)

Happy Birthday, Marcia!! Are you going to share your gift ;-)?

Hrrm, I'm late again! Sorry! Happy Birthday, Marcia! I hope you had a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday, Dear Marcia!

are you going to share Tineke's present? Please!

Happy Birthday Marcia! From my orchid garden to you.

Happy Birthday, Marcia, I hope you have a lovely day.

Only for you, Marcia, on your birthday: Hope you have a wonderful day

Happy Birthday Marcia!

For you Marcia...(I hope I did this correctly)

Well! Now if I can only learn how to make it bigger... BTW, this collage was taken from Murph's Firth Appreciation Pages.

Yes!!!

Wrinkle...crumple...*untie*...opening box...wrinkle...Please have a lovely Godiva chocolate...thank you, Tineke. Shall I share the DB? These pages would not be half the fun if we did not share. Besides, I like living too much to keep this wonderful man away from his erudite and gracious adoring fans. I should not like it if someone else did that to me...so, one at a time, you may look at the picture, copy it to disk, make wallpaper, and Drool copiously as I am presently doing. If you can figure how t make him less virtual and more actual...please let me know!!! And, do not spoil your appetites on those lovely chocolates. Save space for Spam! With all of that, I can make all sorts if pupus for the party (and some of you will be amamzed how palatable it can be.)Karen, only you!!! It is not yet 7am on my Birthday and I am already wiping my eyes and ROTFLOL at your imaginations and creativity. Ladies, take a bow. And you all get gold stars to posting pictures without one nasty pink and blue didn't-wo k square which tells God and everybody you goofed! My congratulations and appreciation for the good work and for thinking of me =)

Now let me see... Happy Birthday Marcia! "I read somewhere" you wanted a new SUV... After all the travelling you've been doing, you need a very comfortable, topclass car. So this one is waiting for you when you dock in Lisbon. It is a city with many hills (seven, according to tradition) and the streets are not very well paved; also, there is a lack of parking space so we all park half on the sidewalk... SUVs are your best bet!

...unless you prefer this one:

In case British Airways is on strike, and there are terrible storms on sea, and the camels have run out of water, there are always other methods to fly to Lisbon! I'm an expert;-)

I am speechless - *again*. Large flashing colored letters?! I am impressed more than I can say. I Love Range Rovers. The Original Safari wagons made to last and last in the most inhospitable places. Decisions...decisions...decisions sigh! In the interest of Coolness, I shall opt for the bottom one, but my heart loves the red one. Thank you Gi, dear! You are quantum leaps ahead of me in HTML, but I shall catch up by the 3rd =) Lidya, AnnW, JanaJH, Elena, Arami, Moon, Barbara, and other lurkers, thank you! You have made this Birthday the best one ever.

Tineke, shall we be dropping in on Gi? Literally?! No fuss, no traffic tie-ups, no tempers to worry about. You have the spefect solution. How big a bore does that little beauty have? By the time we get done consuming all the goodies we are bringing, we shall need a bigger cannon on the return flight!

Tineke, shall we be dropping in on Gi? Literally?! No fuss, no traffic tie-ups, no tempers to worry about. You have the perfect solution. How big a bore does that little beauty have? By the time we get done consuming all the goodies we are bringing, we shall need a bigger cannon on the return flight!

..if i said it once, I've said it... sorry! Ladies, a cautionary tale. I checked the web for Portuguese Sailors just in case we needed a few more hands...and this is what I got. I am all disappointment.

I have just been in contact with JR and it is undersail again completely refurbished and beautiful for us Here are a few pictures to dream about: Under way Young rigger under sail.

Your birthday ain't over, yet, Marcia. Here's a little something for your Keepsakes. (And if this doesn't work, I shall try, try, again.) Happy Birthday!

grumble, grumble

Can anyone help? I don't want to waste any more space and must have this mastered by June 3.

Marcia, the SS Jolly Roger is looking mighty pretty, can not wait to bord. Captain Hornblower has done an excellent job! Tineke, you will not have to hold on to that canyon much longer, we are on our way!

Oooh Heide, Lovely! If at first you don't succeed....suck somthing else! (Lemons?!) Thank You, Dear!

Did I do that? Remember, it's for your keepsakes - all of them. Happy birthday, dear.

Happy BIrthday, Marci!!!. Many more to come. Thank you for all the great gifts that you give us with your presence. I hope you have a wonderful day. Love, Rita

Brava Heide! It is the most incredible feeling any time you hit the submit button and watch breathlessly until you see an image downloading. Magic! Will He fit into my heart? Count on it! =)...and his little grey underwear set...and his University notebooks...and his ring and codpiece...and that silver mine,"Here? Here...Now" aka the HHN...his fisherman-knit sweater...

Thank you, Rita. It is rarely that you get time to post anymore. Thank you for the good wishes and kind compliments. Now, for you all, my gift:

It's great to see you posting again Rita, its good to have you back. Take Care

Wouldn't you know! When I asked if there was anything I could do to help, they sent me up here to look for mermaids. It is not my favorite place. Notice the gang on deck partying? They are getting in shape for the 3rd.

Marcia, just tell them the mermaids arrive on the 3rd and to be prepared, we like to be served well. ;-) Besides you should never work on your Birthday. The flowers are lovely.

Happy Birthday, Dear Marcia! Everyone else has sent you great pics that I possibly cannot compete! hope your day was memorable!

Thank you, Laura, it was - being here with good people and out for the evening with my DB. It hardly gets any better than that! Just brush up your posting skills for the 3rd.

Or...

Wow, Arami! That looks great!

Oh Arami, you clever girl. Thank you for the Manitee (the sailors were at sea a l o n g time if they thought that looked like a mermaid) and the "real" Mermaid. Fantastic! I am totally amazed and delighted. The ship sails on...

Marcia: I hope that you had a wonderful birthday. I love all the pics that everyone posted especially the swimming fish. Gee, I wish that I was that talented. One day, I will make myself learn all this computer has to offer. Ann: Thank you for the kind words. I am glad that I am back. I did get to log on and twice today!!!!

Loved it Arami! If the crew is spotting manatees, you must be in Florida! I am packing the trunks as we speak (all according to Lady Catherine):-)

All right, Marcia, here's another attempt, as per your instructions: What a party you had! Sorry I missed it! I see Karen and I had the same idea about including Spam...no party's the same without it (*cough*) :-)

We are sailing briskly before the wind and all is well. Have gathered a good group and a few playful dolphins are acting as escort this morning.

All is peaceful on deck. Even the ship's cat is taking a holiday.

Naturally the Library would be closed on such an important day, so my wishes must be belated. But considering how much you've cleaned up already, I can wish you a Happy Belated Birthday with the full confidence that it was!

I cant believe I missed it! *beating myself over the head with the laptop I forgot to take* Belated Happy Birthday Marcia! I hope you had a Wonderful, Wonderful Day! :) Everything looks so beautiful- flowers, young sailors... I'm leaving again first thing in the morning, but I shall make every effort to ensure that the laptop goes with me this time!!! I fully plan to be here on the third! xoxo all -see you then!

It was, and thank you dear! We missed you. We need a telethon to get you caught-up cyberwise. It is not fair that you should have such limitations on your time here. However, you are not getting that grey look from hanging around indoors all the time, and the circulation in your legs much be much better than mine, too ;)

EsBee, your social life is getting in the way of Drooling? Heaven forbid. How could you! I just may forgive you - if you show up for Gi's Shower. We are counting on you Darcy life-sized cutout, you know! Have a great time, Dear, and keep in touch.

A Belated Happy Birthday, Marcia...sorry I'm late....been trying to play catch-up on all the boards.You kids have gone visual while I was away. Have to practice now. Had a great time with Nan...gave her hugs from everyone....she's a doll!! Hey, how about goin on Chat on the 3rd....is 9-10 PM GMT OK with you, Gi? If it is,....it would be 4PM ET, and 3 PM CT.

Let's see, 9pm=2100 Zulu which is 11am HST. I can do it! Thanks for the Birthday wishes, Evelyn. You did notice we have been practicing to heap best wishes and goodies on our most favored Gi. The ship is approaching Europe and the forward greeting committee is already hard at work, I see. Thank you all for the lovely welcome. Southampton, Ostend, Helsinki, we are on our way.

Note to Flower Person: Flowers sent ahead - especially the hardy Protea. Must not leave everything for the last moment...

I love the animated graphics, Arami, Marcia... Evelyn, I'll do my best to be in Chat at the appointed time :-)

Memo - Anthuriums on all tables...

What a gorgeous arrangement of anthurium! Ohhh OK, Marcia, have you been practicing (in my best Lady Catherine)? You are going to provide some indigenous entertainment aren't you? And for you ladies, without whom a party wouldn't be a party without Spam, here's a little animated version!

So much colour and movement - my eyes are hurting - LOL! Memo - Anthuriums on all tables... Another splendidly phallic image... very appropriate, I dare say. Is the bride-to-be blushing yet? ;-)

You girls are too much.....love the animation.... OK CHAT ROOM Thursday June 3rd...... To personally Greet our Gi!! 9PM GMT 4PM ET 3 PM CT 2PM MT 1PM PT 11AM HST

OOps make that 10am HST - we are 6 hours behind the ET. I was figuring hours zulu (GMT) without accounting for DST or ST in Europe.

Where is the chat room? Can I come?

Ok...I am halucinating. Ray is right. I should not spend all day and night at the computer. Now I am seeing Spam cans doing the Hula! It is enough to sober up the proverbial Drunken Sailor! A lei of orchids to inspire you - and if it is moving when it shows up, there is more to Yapp Software than even I want to admit!

Where is the chat room? Can I come? Everyone is welcomed.....go to colinfirth.com and click on to the Chat Room. Oops, I forgot.....is it all right to use it, Nan? (We discussed it during lunch and I assumed we had permission.....sorry)

all who wish to come to chat - use this direct URL http://firth.com/chat/talk.cgi

Time to get the leis out...a few at a time. This one is rosebuds and pearls. Never saw a traditional lei with anything artificial in it. But here it is..

Evelyn, someone at the P&P board at the RoP says that JE was in the movie "The last days of disco". Is it true? I thought maybe they are confusing her with Kate Beckingsale...

I am going to try and come to chat on Thursday. GI, Evelyn, Ann and Marcia I am really looking forward to it. I cannot wait . Maybe Charles will be napping fo rI am off that day. I must go for some pre op. I am having my second surgery on Tuesday of next week.

Rita, I hope you get well soon. Marcia, the Anthuriums are devine! I have seen them in pink, white and red but never in mauve. That pearl and rose lei would make a perfect birthday present for us June babies, the pearl and the rose and the flower and gem of June. :-) Karen, too funny! I'm going to try my luck with annimation next. This is such a peer pressure group! ;-))) I'll pop in to chat as well.

Marcia, don't forget to tie little bows on those Anthuriums to match Gi's wedding colors! Speaking of flowers, here's a rose from my garden: It's called 'Jayne Austin,' naturally (yep, that's really the way it's spelled).

Whew! Marcia, I finally found an arrangement best suited to decorate the food table on the far side of the room...you know, the one with the Spam, poi, jellyfish salad, etc.

Byooo-ti-ful, isn't it? Hee hee! And for a little atmosphere to go with all these flowers...

LOL! You clever ladies. The Butterfly is so sweet! And I think we can hide all of the less glamorous food items under your table bouquet. Looks like there is room for the jellied eels, too. Poor Gi, who has been on emergency call for the past 24 hours, will have the download from Hell (Karen's suggestion)tomorrow if she does not do it till then. More flowers today. We have all of the Aussies, Americans, and Europeans onboard. Partying in anticipation of our arrival in Lisbon's fair harbor. Anyone we have missed? Another Tropical mix for the entry table with guest book.

For the other side of the entry

More little proteas for the tables with some chocolate dipped Macadamias for the peckish.

Evelyn, someone at the P&P board at the RoP says that JE was in the movie "The last days of disco". Puhleeze..."Backbeat" was bad enough. I'll run over and correct it. Thanks Lidya. **** Glad so many are coming to Chat. I'll alert Nan of the Cake!!

I'll alert Nan of the Cake Please do, Evelyn. Hmmm. I'm having a craving for some icing...

(Evelyn) Oops, I forgot.....is it all right to use it, Nan? (We discussed it during lunch and I assumed we had permission.....sorry) Any Colin fans are always welcome to use the chat room, no permission required honey. But, if you need my blessing, then go to it ;-p

Time to begin planning your outfit and flower selection. I offer the following for your rumination.

Or these, Pehaps.

I am overwhelmed by these beautiful flowers. How can a girl begin to choose? I am still busily wrapping my present for tomorrow but may I offer my food selection now? In honor of Gi's color scheme salmon and green and in honor of Coolin's home away from home (Scotland), I've brought an appetizer. (I hope.)

I hope there's enough. I brought an extra fish if we need more. ;-) Coolin? Hope you get a chance to recover before the shower, Gi.

Coolin? Yes - that's just what we all need... ;-)

Coolin is like Groovin? Aren't we all? Meanwhile, busily making sure there is enough water in the vases and the leis are fresh and fragrant... Ti and Umberella tree lei

More bouquets...tropical mix...with white dendrobium orchids (which smell like cinnamon)

Carnations and Plumeria... Double carnation (also comes in red, white, pink or dyed to your specifications)

The beautiful lei for our guest of honor, The Bride-to-Be. Her choice of fragrant maile leaves twined with ilima ropes or Maile twined with rosebuds

Nan, please remove that stephanoitis which did not fully download. I will never try that again - don't care what the occasion. This is it's thumbnail

All gone, Marcia. :)

Heide's first course for all us earlier arrivals is just crying for something to go along with it. Somewhere in the world it's the right time for a little champagne: Let's start this party right!

or for those with more $$$$$ tastes:

Ladies, this Bridal Shower is performing art as it happens, Warhol would be proud! Marcia, I'm already wearing that beautiful tuberrose and rose lei, that first one I saw way back then. The champagne is perfect with the salmon, thanks Karen and Heide. Lisbon, what a city! Now Gi dear, for my present, I thought you might enjoy having your Biorhythm chart done so you can have an idea what your wedding day vibes will be in the Universe. You will also be able to check your compatibility with Antonio (to play it safe);-) as well as Colin (ahem), just put in their birthdays. Enjoy! http://www.facade.com/attraction/biorhythm/

Goody, the champagne's popped! Time to get started! I'll be back later with my gifts but right now I have a friend with me. He's a busy guy so I had to grab him while I could. Mel says: Gi, my love, my one true love! You're getting *married*? How could you do this to me? I'm just an ordinary guy from Poughkeepsie-by-way-of-Australia. You know you're the only one for me. You're beautiful, a doctor, an artist, a dancer...you have such impeccable taste in actors! Never mind Antonio! Never mind my wife and seven kids--the new baby keeps me up all night anyway. Now my life is over. I'll never be the same again. *Sob* I'm out in the rain, drowning my sorrows. No more movies for me. I'm handing all my roles over to that English guy--that Colin Firth.

And, I have also set up a little table for those of you who may enjoy a card trick. Welcome to the Cave of Magic! Please tell Captain Hornblower to give someone else a chance to play. He'll get his turn again later. ;-) http://www3.mcps.k12.md.us/users/rsfay/magic/index.html

"Gi, you shaggadelic babe, I will miss you!"

I've been drinking champagne all night (still haven't wrapped Gi's present yet). Send Mel over to me. I'll lift him out of his "Gi's Getting Married" Depression. A little Levitas never hurts! ;-) Tip for Shower Goers: When you go to one of the posted links you will lose the remaining messages and need to go back. Another way to do this is to open new Netscape or Internet Explorer Window and copy off the URLs to the second active window to check out. Back to my champagne and party games... :) Oh how did Simon do that????

I am grooming myself to attend your shower, my beloved Gi...You have broken my heart. I will now leave town and head to Hertfordshire to heal my wound.

Is he not amazing???? I believe he is never wrong, play on!

With all this champagne, I'm feeling a little tipsy: and could use a little snack before our main courses

Grab a few crostini off the platter, Moon. Not your traditional ones. These have crab on them.

OOooooh Lidya, that pic makes me dizzy, and with all this champagne........what else in this world could a girl want??

Now Ladies, to add some more beauty and intoxicating fragrance to our party.....(I deeply hope this works, I�m trying it first time ever!)

Champagne and appetizers, Karen, this party will be in full swing before it's even started! ;-) Moon, I peeked at your present and bookmarked it for later. I'm going to have a lot of fun trying the most improbable combinations! Eileen, thanks for bringing our friend, what a great idea! Mel, don't be so unhappy, I've known you a married man all these years ;-)Sorry, Karen, you can share him but not monopolize him!

Oh dear!! What�s that? :-( Sorry, gonna try again.....contacting my consult.

It took me a while to get here because I took the tram: http://home.sol.no/~igaarder/lisgal2/p2-02min.jpg

Damn, that's what comes from doing 3 things at the same time!

Moon, Austin Powers here? Do you think he won't be depressed in the company of Colin or Mel? Lidya, that's one of my very favourite pics of Colin... I've had it often as wallpaper in my PC :-)

Elena, hallo! I think you must have got the frame instead of the pic. I had the most difficult time getting it right for Marcia's Range Rover.

These guys I sent out to look for your ship:

This you will see when you come into harbour:

This is the old Lisbon with the Castle of St. George:

Good morning Gi! How lovely is the morning in Lisbon. All sunny and warm as is our Lady of the Hour. Your and Antonio's leis for the party/ wedding Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 541 of 550: Karen (KarenR) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (10:56) * 1 lines Grab a few crostini off the platter, Moon. Not your traditional ones. These have crab on them. Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 542 of 550: Elena (Elena) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:12) * 2 lines OOooooh Lidya, that pic makes me dizzy, and with all this champagne........what else in this world could a girl want?? Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 543 of 550: Elena (Elena) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:27) * 4 lines Now Ladies, to add some more beauty and intoxicating fragrance to our party.....(I deeply hope this works, I�m trying it first time ever!) Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 544 of 550: Gi (patas) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:27) * 3 lines Champagne and appetizers, Karen, this party will be in full swing before it's even started! ;-) Moon, I peeked at your present and bookmarked it for later. I'm going to have a lot of fun trying the most improbable combinations! Eileen, thanks for bringing our friend, what a great idea! Mel, don't be so unhappy, I've known you a married man all these years ;-)Sorry, Karen, you can share him but not monopolize him! Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 545 of 550: Elena (Elena) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:28) * 4 lines Oh dear!! What�s that? :-( Sorry, gonna try again.....contacting my consult. Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 546 of 550: Gi (patas) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:29) * 2 lines It took me a while to get here because I took the tram: http://home.sol.no/~igaarder/lisgal2/p2-02min.jpg Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 547 of 550: Gi (patas) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:32) * 2 lines Damn, that's what comes from doing 3 things at the same time! Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 548 of 550: Gi (patas) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:38) * 2 lines Moon, Austin Powers here? Do you think he won't be depressed in the company of Colin or Mel? Lidya, that's one of my very favourite pics of Colin... I've had it often as wallpaper in my PC :-) Topic 72 of 118 [drool]: Odds and Ends Response 549 of 550: Gi (patas) * Thu, Jun 3, 1999 (11:41) * 1 lines Elena, hallo! I think you must have got the frame instead of the pic. I had the most difficult time getting it right for Marcia's Range Rover. These guys I sent out to look for your ship:

Try again:

Sorry Gi..... My consultant is in despair on the phone and I�m seriously thinking of hiring a better one. Trouble is, I�m married to him. Btw, he�s watching #72 at work right now and telling me that the pic I posted can be seen in his computer screen!! Is he kidding me or does someone else see a bunch of flowers in the place of a XOOM advertisement in response 543?!?! I don�t. I�ll be back.

Marcia, whatever happened in your post? Good morning to you!The lei is wonderful, as were the others you posted recently. I'd wear any of them gladly. Elena, this Xoom post is a mystery! This is another sight of Lisbon with the acqueduct built in the 18th century:

Elena, your DH/consultant is halucinating. Unless it has not yet gotten to Hawaii?! Gi, at a loss for what to wear to the party? Here is something to wear to get you started

Sorry, wrong pic. This was the bridge built over the river 30 years ago, and the monument to the nautical discoveries of the 16th century, built however 50 years ago. The acqueduct is here:

Whoa mama!! That's some little trinket, Marcia. Do you have a spare or is it one of a kind. Do you think that would go with my pjs?? Elena, no can't see the picture. Just the xoom logo. Your DH is definitely hallucinating, all the better when he sees my present to Gi!! Later. We're going to have a great time in Lisbon, I can tell!

Karen, the crostini are delicious! And they go so very well with the champagne! Gi. Austin Powers doesn't mind Colin or Mel, he does not even see them. We are all he sees. ;-)

Good Morning Dear Gi, I posted a close-up of the stephanotis lei which is quite remarkable - will send you the url to look it up! Any way, It did not download all the way and all we had were blurry pixels on and on. Thus I put the small one up for you. Plus the bridal ones this morning. Maile is most fragrant, and after receiving one, people usually hang it in the closet or in the linens to make them smell nice. It is a cumerin (anise) smell - faintly and is sacred to the Hawaiian gods for good luck It is used to open buildings - we do not cut ribbons here, we untie (never cut) maile. The tuberoses intertwined have an incredibly gardenia - jasmine fragrance. You will not need to add the bottled stuff today. Next postings when those guys in their canoes find us and bring us safely into harbor...Gifts!!!

I'm jumping overboard to meet them.

I'm still in the Cave of Magic trying to figure out how he does it! Austin??? I look forward to our tour of Lisbon, but first, more champagne!

Karen I brought enough riches from Samarkand to bedeck the entire group I think. Three massive gems...some crown jewels...wait and see. Perhaps I can break Gi of not wearing jewelry very often. She loves jewels, but hardly ever wears them. We'll see about that. The assortment of food is lovely, but as is sip and snack, my typing gets worsse. Blame it on the food ;)

Lisbon is getting rather crowded... ...everyone stopped working... ...the party is about to start!! I'm on my way!! (My scanner isn't too good)

So, that's where Austin came from! I didn't have the time to go there yet. Marcia, that necklace is superb!Did you get my e-mail? Can you believe I've been online for 1 1/2 hour now without being disconnected once? This pic is a bit wide, but I want you all to have a general view of Lisbon:

Beautiful postcard, Gi! Hey, y'all!! Recognise that canon? I just love Lisbon!

Tineke, great pics! Were you here before? :-)

Were you here before? :-) Me and a bunch of friends from Uni went to the EXPO in September. We were in Lisbon for a week, spent three days at the EXPO and 4 days exploring Lisbon. We had a grand time. We all loved Lisbon, it's a beautiful city and the people are very nice.

You were! I knew I knew that cannon! You came here last year and went to the Expo and we didn't know each other at the time, what a waste!

I must leave now, because my DF (dear fianc�)will be in shortly, and I must not spend all my time here. See you all in Chat later, I hope!I'll pop in here too, to see what's been happening. This has been lovely. I enjoyed the research to find some pics for you too, although I didn't have much time for that. In the meantime I even changed ISP again, couldn't stand the other one any more.:-))

Gi, you were right about that canon being in Lisbon! BTW, opened private room at Chat for those wishing to check it out before the hour arrives

While things are quiet, I think I shall begin putting out my treasures from Samarkand for the Bride to be, but first, my trip to the silk weavers to make my choices...

I love all these posts! I've been giggling over ever so many things; dancing cans of spam, hoola dancers and champaigne. And Tineke I cant believe you were all but hanging over the ledge when you were wrapped around that cannon! Will try to make it to chat at the appointed time, but if I cant, have a lovely time. And Gi -give yourself lots of xoxo's from me :)

Whence I brought brocades for wardrobe befitting the glamorous new life she will leas on the arm of the Handsome and Attentive Antonio Accessory from the shores of the Baltic - Amber in Sterling

For her smaller but very important pieces of Jewellry I brough back a collection of naturally coloured diamonds, each a very rare piece. And a large Sapphire for her to wear on alternate days

For truly important occasions, I brought back stones with histories which read like fables. None are cursed, but all have the most interesting histories: The spoonmaker's Diamond, traded for three silver spoons before it was cut From the Crown Jewels of Portugal I brought you a 127 carat Diamond And a stunning Pink Diamond

Lastly, for those more casual occasions, an Imperial Topaz ring And a selection of Faberge eggs to admire

Lastly, and Orchid Bouquet to set before our Queen

Marcia!!!! You are amazing! What gifts you bring! Diamonds are a girl's best friend and we can see why. :-D

I know you don't wear red much, but this one time might you change your mind?

OK, check this out: A Gift for Gi and Antonio Marcia, save me a few of those sapphires. They're MY birthstones and I love them (and the other pretty baubles too) ;-) Off to chat...

Karen! ROTFOFL!!! Now I know why you raved on your return from Turkey. :-)

Gi, I also bought for you his and hers flipflops to wear at your exclusive Spa adventure. (you really never know what you can pick up in the showers there. icky stuff)

Best wishes Gi....Karen, pl. give Gi the gift I sent you...I can't figure out right now how to do this...am multi-tasking all over the place!! **** When I went to Turkey that landscape was termed "chimneys". ROTFLMAO. Little did they know about "Kreative Karen". *** Elena...I got your pictures loud and clear.

At bridal showers in the US it's customary to give china ...and crystal ...but this is always my favorite part of the shower: the honeymoon lingerie! The best part is watching the bride-to-be's reaction in the presence of her mother. See what you're spared of, Gi? Since you're bound to get duplicates (I've been to Karen's gift page), remember, you can't wear the same one twice! All the best, Gi and Antonio! XOXO

evelyn come to Chat reception

Karen -- What a great gift for the loving couple!!! The gift that keeps on giving, for sure! ROTFLMAO!!! :~D

Gi, this is from Evelyn. She went to great expense to buy this from the LA County Art Museum. It is an oil on canvas by Ed Ruscha, done in 1964:

Hey, I could have done a lot worse on the men's wear section. What I've seen out there!! ;-)

From Darlene for Gi's and Antonio's Formal Garden

Also from Evelyn, originally commissioned jewelry for for Gi: 18K gold inlaid with lapis and other precious and semiprecious gems. For Antonio: A handpainted and hand loomed silk tie.

Evelyn brought some caviar to start us off... Wonder if we'll get to dessert (before falling over)?

I thought I'd check in on Mel...he was quite despondent this morning. Oh dear! Mel says: I'm gonna stop this wedding if it's the last thing I do...I've got my troops with me now!

Can't have too much drinking on an empty stomach. Evelyn is serving beef wellington or Lobster-stuffed tenderloin

some Macadamias to snack on, too

Can't have too much drinking on an empty stomach. Evelyn is serving beef wellington or Lobster-stuffed tenderloin

Whew! I managed to divert Mel and his lads. I sent them over to the Firths and told them to chase C&L over to Newport ASAP! Mel says: *Sniff* I suppose it's all for the best. I wish you all the happiness in the world, my beloved Gi. Now let me get outta this &^$#@ costume and get back to Robin and the kids...the baby needs a fresh diaper.

Wot! Leftovers already??? For those craving a sweet bite (where IS that frosted image?) variously coated macadamias for your savoring.

Time for:

Would one drink white wine or red wine with the Lobster-stuffed tenderloin?

Hey, something cropped up and I'm late with my offering. It's only very modest compared to all the riches displayed here, but I hope you will find it interesting. There's even a little story attached to it. A short while ago the British Airways redecorated the tails of some of their aircraft using a selection of international motifs. One of them comes from the country of my birth, Poland. It's an example of simple folk art: a paper cut-out made with sheep shears and traditionally used to decorate country homes during Christmas and Easter. Framed, it would make an intriguing splash of colour on the wall of your kitchen or study. And the cocky cockerels may even remind you of that memorable relevant scene fr m The Hour Of The Pig (aka The Advocate)... I hope you like it.

I think Lizza said she was going to bring the creme brulee: I think we can hold off the thundering Scots with our tiramisu and creme brulee! Any pictures of Mel's kilt flying in the breeze??

Thank you all for a very memorable shower. I had a lot of fun. I am not sure when I'll be able to log in again, because I'm going away from Lisbon for a few days (to Albufeira, to check on the wedding preparations), so here's wishing Happy Birthday Heide!

Heck! I'll stick to champagne! Karen, it's still early, don't you dare have a cappucino now! I'm waiting for Nan's cake. :-)

I think Lizza said she was going to bring the creme brulee: I think we can hold off the thundering Scots with our tiramisu and creme brulee! Any pictures of Mel's kilt flying in the breeze??

Heck! I'll stick to champagne! Karen, it's still early, don't you dare have a cappucino now! I'm waiting for Nan's cake. :-)

Why are these things being posted twice? Yapp is getting a little drunk. (can't be me...oh no) I'll check back later for Nan's cake and Heide.

Ooops, no more champagne for me! ;-)

(Moon)Would one drink white wine or red wine with the Lobster-stuffed tenderloin Be gross...have a sip of each!!

I believe champagne goes with (hiccup) everything!

I love it Karen! As I was rereading the chat and your honeymoon, and the postings here in 72, I came to the conclusion that I have never had such a good time at any "real" shower, and I never learned so much in so short a time. We did it, and we outdid anything I could have dared imagine. Ladies, you never cease to amaze me with your creativity. Spam Lives!

Arami, your Polish sheep-shears cutout art is absolutely beautiful. Each Christmas I fold and cut large 6-sided intricate snowflakes which I use to decorate the civic auditorium for the holiday tournaments. Some are still up there right now. I will take them all down and begin again in the fall. I use the sharpest scissors I can find which are also strong. I cannot imagine how those cockerel cutouts could have possibly been done with sheep shears!!!

"Where is everybody? Join the dance babes, the night is still young!"

Gi, sorry I'm so late, is there any wine left? Best wishes to you and Antonio. BTW, I'll be happy to wash David down from time to time for you.

...I'm running upstairs to get my disco boots...be back later! (Have you already bought your tickets to the new Austin Powers movies, Moon?) Too funny. Some guests have yet to make it to the party...so it's not over till....whenever!

Karen! Austin has invited me to the premiere! Would you like to come? I can arrange it. ;-)

Marcia - they're obviously very sharp sheep shears! (Try to say that fast after all this champaigne...)

CONGRATULATIONS GI! Yikes! Hope I'm not too late! I'll take whatever leftovers there are...I've started on a new diet, so it's a good thing I wasn't around for the beef Wellington... ...wishing you lots of happiness, Gi and Antonio! (BTW-- where's the honeymoon going to be?)

Honeymoon - we are still working on the special-needs aspect of it. I from here because my time is available and my internet hours are unlimited for the monthly fee of $20.78 US. Will tell you when things are firmed up and she thinks it is as she wishes it to be...she will announce it. How could she possibly resist a trip to those naughty monks in Turkey? Moon, You may have Austin Powers all to yourself. He makes my skin crawl. I am vienese waltzing with (where *is* that cutout?!)Darcy...=)~~~

Marcia: I am vienese waltzing with (where *is* that cutout?!)Darcy...=)~~~ The cutout, my dear, is presently being lavished with luuve by moi!

(Winter)(BTW-- where's the honeymoon going to be?) This aft in Chat Gi said the wedding would be on July 3rd and they would probably honeymoon in Brazil. Don't know why they don't go to Turkey...and take Karen up on that tremendous package!!

Of course, that is Viennese Waltzing...abd I just found a few left over flowers to tuck behind your ears (left if you're taken, right if you're not, and if you are just looking, in your teeth?! Hibiscus for your enjoyment: This one is stunning! Never saw one quite like it!

Now, what do we get her for wedding presents?! I have something in mind...;-)

About that Austin Powers thing, I prefer the Real Thing: Click Here and Wait Another but Shorter I have no idea whether this will work or will blow this place up?!?!

Congratulations Gi! You have Mel, Austin, Darcy, the whole population of Lisbon, not to mention the Spa girls, all here to wish you and Antonio the best. All this eating and drinking and hula-ing has made me quite dizzy. Can't quite compare with these adorable, naughty gifts but heck, you have to put your eggs and toast on something: Sshh, don't tell anyone where I "borrowed" this.

Karen, there is no one like 007! (Sean of course);-) I enjoyed that thanks! Still got your go-go boots on?

Oops, it's not gonna work. I'll try again later. It's the thought that counts, right? ;-)

Ok Karen, which Bond-James-Bond is that? Heide, they won't hear it from me! ;)

Heide, so glad you made it! Nan should be here with the cake soon. We have been drinking champagne all day so you have a lot of catching up to do. ;-)

Marcia that Bond sounded like the latest one (forgot his name).

Heide, make sure you stop by here tomorrow.

Timothy Dalton? or newer than that? Not enough to tell, really.

I am a little surprised and more than a little delighted that we did not bring down this Topic or then entire Drool Conference with our hot postings this morning. It was a BeeYouuuTeeFyul thing to see =)

Same Guy

Congratulations Moon and Marcia for this wonderful shower. It has kept me busy and entertained for some time now. Had a great time and our chat was also great fun. Bravo ladies. (Now if I had some hands clapping, I'd post them.)

Let's see. Heide is in Bed and it is already her birthday so I can sneak some flowers out just for her to see in the morning. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDE

...a lei to greet you in the morning of Tuberoses and Dendrobium orchids

OOOH this just in!!! A gift for Gi from Downunder in Australia, Fror AnneH, a nice assortment of didgeridoos which she has promised to teach you to play.

Patas, I hope you enjoyed them. They make an interesting sound. Being rather ignorant of things 'spring' I thank Marcia for sending them through - they are rather than bagpipes.

Happy Birthday Heide!!! Look who I ran into on my morning walk. He asked me to bring him to you. (courtesy of Murph's page)

testing

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDE, And thanks Moon , Marcia 'n Karen for all the festivities and Gi'n Antonio for giving us an occasion for celebration. ***** Since #72 is "This 'n That".... here is a quote from the Telegraph... Quote from Telegraph: There is a terrific sexual charge between these two in David Leveaux's absorbing production, with Henry's formidable articulacy coming into thrilling collision with Annie's more instinctive approach to life. Dillane delivers Stoppard's marvellously eloquent, unashamedly elitist speeches about life, art and language with virtuosic assurance, while Ehle offers a performance of warm humour, glowing sensuality and sudden rage that electrifies the house. ***** Alas Stephen Dillane is 40, married with two kids....:-(( **** DAILY MAIL: big heading!! OUT TO CATCH A SLIPPERY EHLE got 4 stars!!! "...and the delectable Miss Ehle - glistening and slippery like her name- plays Annie...."

Nan, we could use that cake you've been working on for Heide. ;-)))

Time to get rid of the bolding, in case it wasn't done.

Ladies, there's no need to thank, it was a wonderful group effort. BTW, I have already told Marcia she will be co-planning our DB's birthdate on September 10, so it should be a bang! (hip lingo);-) Evelyn, so happy for JE, I'm going to try to see it this summer, since I may be in London for a week. It will be a last minute thing, I hope I will be able to get a tix.

(Moon) Ladies, there's no need to thank But I'll do it anyway. Thanks to you and Marcia for your coordination and getting our creative juices flowing! On to the next party... **Happy Birthday, Heide** Since Marcia's taken care of the flowers, let me handle the cake (sorry, there's no CF inside--I'm leaving that one to Nan). I hope you're having a great day!

Happy Birthday Heide!

Gi, here is the Millenium Knive set, a must for a new bride. Sorry, it's a bit late;( And here is the car of the future!

Would you please, please, please tell me why no one !@#$ing didn't tell me it was Heide's birthday?

Uh, Karen, it was just listed in the birthday section about three days ago! Happy Birthday, Heide.

"I feel just awful...not being able to see Heide today on her very special day. What can I do to make up for it?" Happy Birthday, dear, more present to come!!

Uh, Laura, I know. Those were from Colin.

Heide, I just received a fax from Modena, Italy and your present has arrived! It will be waiting for you this summer for you to cruise around Umbria, enjoy!

Karen.....we've only been talking about Heide's birthday for two days!! Poor Karen....she's been focused on Gi's Honeymoon all week!!! **** (Moon)Evelyn, so happy for JE, I'm going to try to see it this summer, since I may be in London for a week. It will be a last minute thing, I hope I will be able to get a tix. Week nights and matinees are best.And if you just need a single...no problem. Also if they are sold out...give your name to "James" ..there's always returns. didn't we get one for Jana for 3 DOR that way? ****** I just called the Donmar Organization and the Donmar publicist to congratulate them....I'm not the only one who is excited about the rave reviews....those guys are swingin from the chandeliers!!

"...but they are one of my presents to you, Heide." xoxo Colin

"and for later, I thought we might just use this..."

I heard it was unseasonably chilly where Heide and Colin are trysting. I caught them incognito. Happy Birthday Dear Heide!

And I was in a nearby jewellers when he slipped in and purchased this little bauble for her - a rare Lavender Spinel set in engraved Platinum

Hey Karen....how about a little animation in those Arsenal shorts,,,,,:-)

He has a sleigh ride planned for you (love the hat!)Hint: It snowed several inches of the white stuff in the Sierra northeast of LA. Might be a good place to look for them.

For my gift to you, a silver-gilt and enamel Kvosh. Anyone know what she will do with this? It was made in Russia at the turn of the last century. Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEIDE

This little gift is just to let you know we *really* do love you!

how about a little animation in those Arsenal shorts,,,,,:-) LOL!! That's going on off line. hee hee

To all those who celebrate this week - From AnneH who cannot post it because of browser problems, the player of yesterday's didgeriedoos

Happy Belated Birthday, Heide! How about a nice cruise on a sailing yacht?

Hey gang...just spoke to Nan...who sends her apologies...she has been quite ill with flu.Sounded awful. She has the** cake **ready...told her to send the URL to Karen for viewing.....yep , it's one of those...it will be circulated via emails only.I can't wait!!

Happy Belated Birthday, from me too Heide, I hope you will be coming to London to see 3DOR, so that we can meet up again.

Both reviews Variety and Harvey Karten's are now listed at the MRQE, apparently he is film critic at compuserve?

You girls sure know how to spoil an old lady. Sorry I'm late for my own birthday party. Had just a little too much fun last night to be able to log on. My cake was delicious, Evelyn, and how kind of you to make one that was calorie-free! Thanks so much to everyone for your kind wishes and fabulous gifts. I've taken my new car (Ferrari? I'm ignorant but it looks fast) out for a spin already, Moon. I'll miss somebody if I list everything but the Arsenal boxer shorts, I must admit, outdo even the dancing Spam. Now if I could only have what's in them. No smirking, Evelyn. And Karen, I hope you got a deal on that duvet cover. It is a double, isn't it? Moon, Marcia you ladies were inspirational in what you did in this topic. I was a little too dopic to participate much but the posts kept topping the previous one. I had a ball. Gi, you're a lovely, gracious lady and I'm glad you were feted so regally.

Nan's cake for Gi's Shower has been delivered. If your *slice* hasn't been delivered, please contact me.

Nan, baby!!! What a cake! If only that one cherry.... Thanks to Karen and Marcia who was able to catch me as logged on(and my DH was not home!). Perfect timming, it was delicious. ;-) Glad you liked the Ferrari Heide, watch those speed traps.

I apologize for missing the festivities everyone. As Evelyn mentioned, I'm not feeling very well. I was so looking forward to getting a buzz on, too :-/ I'll get back to you in a bit (when I'm feeling human again). Just wanted to poke my head in and say I'm sorry...

Nan..Oh Nan! You did *that* while under the WX? Cannot imagine what you would have thought up had you been in full form...gasp! Get well, soon, Dear!

Wow! What a cake, Nan! I have a stupid grin on my face I cannot remove...Sigh! And, I just watched ATA!

More JE News on The Real Thing.... Long article in Sunday London Times under Culture..... "The price of love" Ehle's performance is the most luminous, the most sensitive, the most intelligent and deeply observed of her career. She understands that Annie is the most mature of this quartet, and therefore has the most to lose. Her body moves, at first as if repressing something and anxious that his should not be observed. It is an English woman's body, voluptuous but diffident,with a sense of dignity and apprehension. Later, in the air of freedom called love, this body relaxes, subtly, quietly, but joyously. This is acting of a very high order, the actress's technigue is completely absorbed in a sense of warm, unostentatious life. It is clear from the start that, in any relatkionship with Henry, Annlie will have to be the protector, the kindly one, the sustainer." From theIndependent on Sunday "This review can hardly to justice to J. E's physical appeal. Someone will need to write her a sonnet. But her luminous performance is fascinating for the way it walks a tightrope between smiles and tears without turning cute. As Annie, the actress moving between husbands, Ehle is eloquent and forceful. Even in her extreme emotional moments, she never loses her resonance." Also ..."Leveaux has cast his rivival very cleverly with two enormouslty atrtractive actors in the leads " **** I'm otta' here....en route to London ..and that standing ovation...On second thought maybe I should just bring some Roman candles.:-) (Hey....and don't talk about me when I'm gone...:-))

Yummy cake, Nan. But are you sure one cherry on top is quite enough? I reckon it should be a plum. Better still, make it a fruit salad. Two plums and a peach on a genetically modified stalk. (But no cream, I beg you...) ;-)

Wot! No Banana?

(Arami)fruit salad...Two plums and a peach on a genetically modified stalk. (But no cream, I beg you...) ;-) LOL! I quite agree...;-)

Happy Birthday Lizza! I hope these reach you in time. :-)

ROTFLOL at your "Colin wishes Heide a Happy Birthday" series, Karen. Bravo, Nan! Great cake! Wait until Gi sees it... Hope you're feeling better. Force those fluids! If you've not left quite yet, have a safe trip, Ms. Evelyn "Donmar" B. So glad to see more raves for JE. Happy Birthday, Lizza! I can't wait to see what treasures Marcia has in store for you. In the meantime, here's a little something for you to enjoy. Smell the flowers, crack open those cheese and crackers and curl up with some juicy fan fic! Have a great one!

HAUOLI NA HANAU, LIZZA

Happy Day! I found Lizza and her own DB hiding out on a tropical island, but we have her here bedecked for the luau being held in her honor

We found the lei makers busy sewing haku wreaths for her head Dancers were practicing their Hula skills And there is that Imu I told you about where they put the pig and hot rocks and fish and veggies to cook

Oh, Lizza! Great Birthday!! Onnellista syntymäpä&ivää ja kaikkea hyvää tyylikkäälle leidille. I�d love to post a pic here for you but I�m still plucking up my courage to try that again after my total xoom recently. (I shall conquer this!)

Our most intimate friends await their arrival on the lawn The blessing is offered for the food The Pig is removed from the Imu Our friendly wait-staff await our commands Lizza showing off her new Hula techniques while wearing her coconut shell top While her DB shows off his newly-learnt skills ALOHA !!!

and just to show I did have the invocation of the gods for blessing of the food

Lizza showing off her new Hula techniques while wearing her coconut shell top very funny! How'd you manage to catch a shot of her? All these birthdays this week!! Sure did a lot of good for you to have emailed them to me, so I could file them away and do nothing. I'd better get shopping! It's getting late in the UK. Catch ya'll later.

Lizza wished me Birthday good cheer and blithely announced she would not be here for hers - something about private celebration with her own DB. Perhaps she was hoping to avoid being Spammed?! Not our Lizza, we will await her return and give her what she so richly deserves =P None of our clever ladies shall go unfeted, unacknowledged or un-lei'd ;)

LOL, Marcia! You must tell us of your own experience with the hula and coconuts dear. :-D

It's close to six o'clock here, so it's time to break out the bubbly for Lizza's birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZZA!!!

Sorry, I've already had a glass or two to get me in the right frame of mind ;-D

Since everyone is a little Spam-shy, I've found another highly desirable and valuable gift item: His and hers Star Wars The Phantom Menace watches, featuring Jar-Jar and Darth Maul (perhaps, you know which is which) ;-D

"What do you mean, Lizza's not going to attend her own birthday party?"

Decisions...decisions...! Spam or the Phantom Menace. I prefer Spam! As for the coconut shells, the only thing I thought they were good for was hoof beats of horses on a Foley stage. But, out here, we don strange things and with enough MaiTai's inside, we do not even embarass very easily. I do not drink (makes me sleepy!) so I just make these observations and take the furtive pictures =D

Happy Birthday KJArt! "Having fun with Colin" (the title grabbed me) I know you're an artist, I hope you like it!

WOW! What a party! :) and all these Birthdays! I return home to find Gi has been properly showered, and to laugh myself silly over all the hysterical posts! How I wish I could have spent the day online and enjoyed everything, as it occured. Meanwhile, Happy Belated Birthday Heidi and Lizza- and Happy, Happy Birthday KJArt! :) Have a wonderful day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN J!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN J!!! Here's the lei for your luau - it goes on for days!!! and here they are arriving.. and her escort gets into the act and as the sun sinke slowly into a molten sea, let the party begin!

Birthday-o-Rama! Happy, happy, KJ! Hmm, what to give? Moon's got the art area covered, Karen's got your cake and no doubt Marcia will get jewels or a lovely coconut bra...oh, I know. How about some dee-lightful articles of clothing from the Regency period? A must for every Darcy fan! And since we know loose clothes=loose morals, you've got to have this as well: Enjoy! ;-)

Oh, I see Marcia has outdone herself again. No coconut bra for you, KJ! Why do you need one of those when you've got such a fun-loving escort? BTW, he told me he's got a thing for corsets...

"Mmmm, those artists have such good hands, lower dear..."

Sorry, KJ, couldn't find any pictures of the scene I wanted. Maybe by next year, someone will have comprehensive Snappying!!

Too much, Eileen! LOL! What I neglected to tell you is that when I snapped the picture of her happy escort, he was on his way up the palm tree to fetch down a KJ-sized coconut for carving the rest of her outfit. Luckily, you arrived in time to preserve her modesty. In that spirit I brought her jewels which will be lovely with your dress...for a mere $19,000 these can be yours, too. Natural Black South Seas Pearls from the Cook Islands.

Karen, I guess you cannot use the HOTPig snappy I sent you - but how much better a gift could you get the dear lady?! *sigh* indeed!

Actually, the scene I was looking for was not from HOTPig, which has been Snappied quite a bit. This is from one of the crappy films being mentioned on 118. ;-)

I've missed Lizza's birthday but since she has missed it too, romping away in the islands, I can not berate myself too much. Lizza, did you get my message? Happy Birthday Karen J Like to keep your nails long, KJ? Those gashes on our DB's back say it all. A little birdie told me you may need new wheels soon...hope this helps:

Not the *P* one?! It would be a labor of some sort to wade through that to snappy the "good" parts...Yak!!!

--Marcia--Actually there's a lovely one near the beginning that I'd settle for, and finding it wouldn't require being exposed to the whole *P* thing, but it really shouldn't be broadcast onto a public board...we don't want to be accused of corrupting the morals of minors, majors, and the elderly!! :~D Up with Levitas say I!!! WOW!!! What a fabulous party and so many useful and aestheticly-pleasing gifts. Moon, that's a lovely painting, but after studying it, I don't think that's OUR Colin. It'll go up on the wall anyway...What lovely edibles, Marcia and Karen...I've always wanted my very own luau, topped off by birthday cake!! Yum!! Eileen, I really love the dress, but even with article clothing 2 applied to the max, it will still need a little alteration. Anybody know where Yards of printed muslin can be obtained? And, dear Karen, you aren't so far off...I DO have VERY good hands in that department and YEARN to apply their skills to ODB, but alas, the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet...but I can fantasize can't I? I'm not sure what "comprehensive" Snappying means, but if it means what I think it does, then I also hope so eone has it. ;-D Oooo, Marcia, how did you know I love pearls...Our birthstone according to some...Lovely! And Heide, those marks have to be Livia's...I wouldn't DREAM of discommoding the Dear Boy so I keep them short just for such occasions (Don't worry, Livia dear, it's all very chaste and comfortable......darn!) Heide, I'd LOVE one of those, but I'm not sure I could afford the insurance on it =~0. I must save up my pennies, but I'm afraid the top wouldn't be down as much here...it's been a very wet spring!! THANK YOU ALL for your wonderful gifts, and good wishes. This has been the best 55th Birthday I ever had!!! ;-D

Poor KJ - I wondered how you would fare in the library with our postings and your lack of time on the computer and need to not LOL! Bet you did, anyway! Happy Birhtday, again!

Sorry KJYArt, if I am late but Happy Birthday from me too.

Karen, cold you email me please, I am having trouble with my emails, and let me know if it gets returned and with what message. Thankyou very much.

Ann, I did receive two emails from you. One with nothing and another with the words testing inside. I will reply.

Thanks Karen, I seem to be able to send emails but am not receiving them, any ideas, its so annoying as I was hoping to hear from Tineke re the play tomorrow night.

Have you contacted your ISP? Seems strange that you can send but not receive. I have sent a reply to you, maybe a half hour ago. In the meantime, you can set up a free email account at yahoo.com or hotmail.com. For now, I'd go with the former.

Planning my Umbrian trip and thought you might like to see this. I shall be there the first two weeks of July. Scampering around the countryside. ;-)

Here is an ancient view of Florence:

Of course the favorite Italian passtime is:

This little angel always tells me where to go. ;-) Maybe he will help me find DB on my travels. :-)

Moon, how i envy you! I was in Italy about a year and a half ago, and loved it :) I bought the most beautiful tapestries in Florence! and of course glass galore in Venice! :) My cousin was in Italy for the past two weeks, he just arrived home last night. -and of course had a wonderful time. He was touring with a Bach Choir, and they sang in a bunch of Cathedrals - even St. Peter's! (hey- i was impressed) ;)

This little beauty was taken out on the open road for the first time in its life. It is our first new New car in over 17 years, and how great it feels =) Ray Drove us up to the summit of the volcano (Kilauea) and down the other side where the lava is flowing. We could see it coursing down the hill and it and emptying into the sea. The superheated rock was making the ocean boil and was sending up a thick white rope of cloud and noxious gases into a cobalt sky. We stopped at the Volcano House for a prime rib dinner on the way back. Our table overlooked the summit caldera where the only activity was many funeroles wafting white plumes into the air like so any Indians making smoke signals in the old cowboy movies. E Komo Mai !

Marcia, that was a fantastic first trip. Nothing like breaking in a car with a trip to the summit of an active volcano! :-) See what you have to look forward to Karen when you visit Hawaii? SB, music is such a part of Italy and in the summer, we always catch the most amazing concerts outdoors or in churches. Last year we went to Umbria Jazz in Perugia and to Spoleto for their festival. It is always such a treat. I know how lucky I am to be able to do it every year.

I know how lucky I am to be able to do it every year. And I'm green with envy but shall suffer through it. That photo of the Umbrian countryside was exquisite. Went to the Lago Maggiore area years ago but who could appreciate it at age 17? A lovely evening for you, Marcia, with your new baby. And no diapers, all night feedings, and crying jags. Now if Ray could only behave as well... ;-) Another birthday coming up on the 14th!

Ann, I don't know if you're able to receive e-mails now. As promised, a quick note to let you know I arrived safely. Now, I'm trying to plan another trip...I want to see the play again!! BTW, time to show off your HTML abilities, be it italics, bold or changed font , just try!

Hi, this is the last paragraph of one of many wonderful reviews for The Real Thing and sums up exactly what I thought of this wonderful play, thrilling performances, it was absolutely spell-binding and definitely the best thing Jennifer Ehle has done since P&P. Stephen Dillane was also absolutely amazing and if I wasn't a fan before I certainly am now and anyone who is a JE fan I definitely urge you to get tickets for this fantastic play, probably only equalled by one I saw a few months ago!! from Theatreworld Internet Magazine:- http://member.aol.com/mouseuk/stage/off.htm and scroll down to the Donmar "Dillane & Ehle act each other off the stage, Dillane's wonderful timing and expression, Ehle's sincerety and sex appeal. I still feel that I need to read the play or see it again in order to understand it more fully, I think I'll need to book it very quickly because everyone will want to see it, after all this is The Real Thing." the chemistry between the two was electrifying but not at all embarassing for the audience because it felt so natural, they were so good together. Ben if you are in London you must get a ticket!! It was also good to meet fellow droolers, Kirsten, Aishling and Tineke, its so nice to put faces to namesand of course Evelyn. Unfortunately Lizza could dnot make it as she was not well, hope you are feeling better today Lizza and if you can I urge you to see it as soon as possible. Sorry for going on for so long, Evelyn says "hi" to everyone, thanks.

Hi Tineke, I too have just got home, I am so glad you got back to your hotel safely and I too want to see the play again, maybe I will go on the 23rd if they are not sold out, as I believe Evelyn will be there. BTW I think I need a bit more time before i show off my HTML abilities. Thanks again for you note as my email is still not working properly. It was lovely to meet you and perhaps we will meet up again in January. Sorry everyone for this one to one message but as I said I am unable at ther momen to receive emails.

Hi, this is the last paragraph of one of many wonderful reviews for The Real Thing and sums up exactly what I thought of this wonderful play, thrilling performances, it was absolutely spell-binding and definitely the best thing Jennifer Ehle has done since P&P. Stephen Dillane was also absolutely amazing and if I wasn't a fan before I certainly am now and anyone who is a JE fan I definitely urge you to get tickets for this fantastic play, probably only equalled by one I saw a few months ago!! from Theatreworld Internet Magazine:- http://member.aol.com/mouseuk/stage/off.htm and scroll down to the Donmar "Dillane & Ehle act each other off the stage, Dillane's wonderful timing and expression, Ehle's sincerety and sex appeal. I still feel that I need to read the play or see it again in order to understand it more fully, I think I'll need to book it very quickly because everyone will want to see it, after all this is The Real Thing." the chemistry between the two was electrifying but not at all embarassing for the audience because it felt so natural, they were so good together. Ben if you are in London you must get a ticket!! It was also good to meet fellow droolers, Kirsten, Aishling and Tineke, its so nice to put faces to namesand of course Evelyn. Unfortunately Lizza could dnot make it as she was not well, hope you are feeling better today Lizza and if you can I urge you to see it as soon as possible. Sorry for going on for so long, Evelyn says "hi" to everyone, thanks.

Thank you, Ann and Tineke. We are very envious of all of you being able to get together. Am so thrilled that the play and JE's performance lived up to your expectations and probably even beyond. Say hi to Evelyn for me.

Third play in a row at the Donmar the reviewer can not rate too highly? Gee, I wonder what the first one was. Thanks for the info, ladies. I'd love to hear more. Was the audience as enthusiastic as the reviewer? Where did you sit? Did it feel just as intimate as March? Do JE's eyes really shine? Were you surprised by her performance or did you expect it? What did you do after the show? Did you dine at Nuova Luna again? Sorry Lizza couldn't make it. Sounds like a wonderful time. Echo Karen's hello to Evelyn for me. You guys might want to hang out at the Islington Sainsbury's if you don't have anything el e to do. ;-)

I might be in London between July 22-28 as soon as these dates are confirmed, I will call them and get a tix. They should be able to keep it at will call for me. I can not wait to see it. Lizza, Ann, Tineke, how about a July date? How about it Karen and Heide?

Hi Heide, the audience was very enthusliatic indeed and Evelyn, well we had to tie her to her seat, she wanted to give them a one-woman standing ovation.There was also quite a long queue for returns, I could easily have sold Lizza's ticket. Jennifer's performance far exceeded my expectations, she started slowly but jut got better and better and I think Tineke will agree with me that we were sorry when the play finished. However, a lot of the credit must be given to Stephen Dillane, the looks between the were wonderful, oh also there was one time when there was a hint of "Lizzie" and the first marriage proposal when Jennifer was speaking, both Evelyn and I looked at each other and said "Lizzie". Jennifer's eyes certainly sparkle and when she was being emotional her eyes filled with tears, as I have said her best performance since P&P, I hope she and Colin continue to do stage work they both have such stage presence and it is such a thrill to see them "live." If she isn't offered loads and loads of work in the future then there is no justice, however, she certainly couldn't do Bridget Jones as she has lost so much weight!! Yes we did dine at the Luno Nova, so convenient for the theatre and I told Evelyn about Colin's trip to the Islington Sainsbury's. Hope I have answered everything. gb

Moon I certainly wouldn't mind going again and again, Tineke youy exams will be finished by the end of July??!!

My impressions of the play: I LOVED it! It's a fantastic play. I really, really want to see it again! My mother mentioned last month that she feels like going to England. I'm thinking of phoning her and ask her if she feels like going to London to see a play, and persuade her to take me with her (there's no way I can pay for another London trip myself). It's such a witty play, full of funny one-liners. Just like Ann, I'm now a Stephen Dillane fan! He was brilliant! And so was Jennifer! I can't add much more to what has already been said. I'm just really glad I went. Was the audience as enthusiastic as the reviewer? It seemed to me that everyone in the audience was having a great time. Where did you sit? I sat in the stalls, third row. The others (except for Kirsten) all had front row seats. Do JE's eyes really shine? She never looked straight at the audience. During the play, she was looking at the other actors, obviously. And when she bowed, her gaze was fixed on the balcony above us. One comment in one of the reviews astonishes me though. Was it in the financial times that the reviewer said he had a small problem with 'too modern phones'? The telephone was the only not-so-very-modern object (along with the typewriter). But for the rest, the entire set design was very modern, modern couch, cupboards, lamps, they all wore modern clothes, definately nothing 80's about it. I liked the clothes Jennifer wore in this play, I especially liked her in these grey pants with a light gray V-neck t p with elbow lenght sleeves. I really liked the music as well. After the very last scene, at the very end of the play, they were playing "believer" and I noticed that Jennifer, just before she left the stage, was singing along " I'm a believer", with great ssshwwung! That wasn't Annie, that was Jennifer! I don't know if Ann or Evelyn noticed this, it was right before she disappeared through the door. I thought it was pretty funny:-)

Tineke youy exams will be finished by the end of July??!! Of course! By all means, let's plan another July meeting! I think we'd better hurry, before the tickets are sold out! (maybe we'd better go on a weekday) I'll be in Ireland the first week of July. July 22nd to 28th shouldn't be a problem. she wanted to give them a one-woman standing ovation But I had promised Evelyn that if she was going to stand up, so was I. I think Tineke will agree with me that we were sorry when the play finished. Definately! I certainly wouldn't have complained, had the play been 5 hours longer! and when she was being emotional her eyes filled with tears Oh yes, how could I forget to mention this? My mind's a bit blurry at the moment, gradually everything will come back (I hope!). she has lost so much weight!! You must think I'm anorexic!;-) And Ann, I forgot to tell you how thrilled I was meeting you all. I'm usually very shy when meeting new people, but I felt very much at ease talking to you all yesterday. I truly had a wonderful evening.

James noticed that Tineke, I didn't though. BTW Moon I would advise that you book your tickets as soon as you know your dates as they are going very very fast, I believe most of June is sold out.

My impressions of the play: I LOVED it! It's a fantastic play. I really, really want to see it again! My mother mentioned last month that she feels like going to England. I'm thinking of phoning her and ask her if she feels like going to London to see a play, and persuade her to take me with her (there's no way I can pay for another London trip myself). It's such a witty play, full of funny one-liners. Just like Ann, I'm now a Stephen Dillane fan! He was brilliant! And so was Jennifer! I can't add much more to what has already been said. I'm just really glad I went. Was the audience as enthusiastic as the reviewer? It seemed to me that everyone in the audience was having a great time. Where did you sit? I sat in the stalls, third row. The others (except for Kirsten) all had front row seats. Do JE's eyes really shine? She never looked straight at the audience. During the play, she was looking at the other actors, obviously. And when she bowed, her gaze was fixed on the balcony above us. One comment in one of the reviews astonishes me though. Was it in the financial times that the reviewer said he had a small problem with 'too modern phones'? The telephone was the only not-so-very-modern object (along with the typewriter). But for the rest, the entire set design was very modern, modern couch, cupboards, lamps, they all wore modern clothes, definately nothing 80's about it. I liked the clothes Jennifer wore in this play, I especially liked her in these grey pants with a light gray V-neck t p with elbow lenght sleeves. I really liked the music as well. After the very last scene, at the very end of the play, they were playing "believer" and I noticed that Jennifer, just before she left the stage, was singing along " I'm a believer", with great ssshwwung! That wasn't Annie, that was Jennifer! I don't know if Ann or Evelyn noticed this, it was right before she disappeared through the door. I thought it was pretty funny:-)

Moon, Tineke and I would love to meet up with you in July, will you let us know as soon as you know when will be going so that we can order our tickets.

"I'm a Believer" ??? As in the song by the Monkees?

Bravo, ladies, your enthusiasm is infectious! So glad such a good time was had by all. I hope you're feeling better, Lizza. Too much birthday party? Marcia, can you drive your new SUV to London in January? They're doing such wonderful things with automobiles these days! Just tell Ray you're ducking out to pick up some milk. :-)

(Karen) As in the song by the Monkees? Yes. Lots of Sixties pop, it's all part of the play.

Moon & Tineke, I telephoned the Donmar today and they have no tickets for June, beginning of July and only single seats for the end of July, including 22-28th July. I was wondering about Tuesday 27th July, and I would be pleased to get your tickets Moon and Tineke, but please let me know as soon as possible, like yesterday.

I'm coming!! Do you think I should get a frequent traveller card for the Eurostar?;-)

Ann, I still need DH to confirm the dates, I should know this week. I look forward to meeting both of you and I thank you for volunteering to book the tickets. I will let you know as soon as possible. :-D Tineke, where in Ireland will you be? I love it there and know the country quite well.

Moon, the man at the Donmar did urge me to book them today as they are going very fast. Would you mind if I book ours today for the 27th July and hopefully you will be able to go that date too. I shall of course, still be pleased to get your tickets for whenever, how many do you require and do you realise they won't be together, for that week there are only singles left, hence the urgency. If I don't meet up with you I can always ask the Donmar to hold on to your tickets for collection by you. Please le me know as I would like to book up this afternoon, I hope you don't mind but I am afraid they will be sold out.

Donmar ladies, did JE "work the lobby" in the same manner as ODB after the performance?

Hi Eileen, no that was the only disappointing thing about the evening, I think she is very shy and we were told that she actually left the theatre before the audience straight after taking her bows.(sp?) Makes me realise what a tremendous thing CF did, it must have taken him at least 20 mins to run the gauntlet of Firth fans in the lobby.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOON!!!! Have I got some presents for you!

Thank you Karen! :-D A Tiffany Box! I wonder what's inside?

Moon, update: 27th July is sold out there is a Donmar Friends thing on that night. However, apparently there are tickets available for the Saturday the 24th so we are going then, do hope that ties in with you. Tineke is also going to the Matinee on the 22nd. Happy Birthday Moon.

Ann, I'm afraid I can't confirm that date yet. I am waiting for DH to set up his meetings so that I can be free to go by myself (he would be a party pooper). I realise that the tickets are single but it does not matter because we would be able to meet before or after the play. I would hate to miss you, but I will probably have to try my luck once I know the dates.

My horoscope says that during July I will encounter individuals who are natural entertainers. Let's see...hmmm...

Happy Birthday, Moon! Here's a little something imported from Italy. If that's not to your taste, feel free to return it. However, you'll have to scour all the antique shops in the Italian countryside...you never know who you might run into. Or, you can be a "re-gifter" and pass it on. There's a family in Umbria who enjoy religious art!

Happy Birthday, Moon!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tiffany? I would have thought you'd be expecting something from: A small trinket like this: Or a small bauble like this:

"I'm not pretty enough to tempt you, Moon. Really?"

"Are you sure? After all, it is your birthday. And I can make an exception for a birthday girl..."

"Last chance, dear Moon... ...and the cow jumped over the moon...could be interesting"

LOL!!! oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, if only he weren't...... the dreams I will now have;)

Happy Birthday, Moon!! (Ann) I think she is very shy and we were told that she actually left the theatre before the audience straight after taking her bows I don�t mean to criticize her but it makes one wonder why she doesn�t want to encounter her fans face to face. Bad experiences perhaps? Ann, were there a lot of male fans in the audience like there were *some* female fans in March?? JE�s conduct really makes me appreciate Colin even more than before, if possible. Btw I�d understand it quite well if Colin wouldn�t do the signature show every single night from November to January!

Another thing, can an actress be that "shy"?! .......No, I think it just takes some guts to meet one�s audience right after a performance, to break all illusions and reveal one�s real face to people as a mere mortal.

Wow! thank you ladies for the lovely reports on JE's play. It sounds like you had a wonderful time! :) Happy Birthday Moon! If I had any html skills a'tall I'd present you with a visual delight or two myself. As it is, I shall have to be content myself with merely urging you to have a lovely day. :)

ROTFLOL! Karen! With that jewelry as a gift, I guess even he(!) could tempt me. Maybe he could come with Greenberg too. (to pun or not to pun...) Love the presents, you know my taste in jewelry. :-D Eileen, Grazie per la Madonna con Bambino. It will go very nicely next to my African fertility statues. ;-) Thank you Laura, Ann and Elena for your birthday wishes.

OOPs! almost forgot! Marcia, that SUV looks devine! How jealous I am! I'm longing for a Dodge Durango myself. ...Well, to be perfectly honest I'm long for a Hummer, but somehow a Durango seems a much more realistic wish. :) Your little road trip sounded lovely- Is Ray handing out cigars? ;)

Thank you SB, the thought is appreciated!

A quick whirlwind trip to Italy Presents picked out especially for you. To always remind you of Shakespeare in Love, a capodimonte figurine of Romeo & Juliet. For Valmont, we have two--the first called "The Courting Cavalier" and the second called "The Seduction" And, since flowers are a tradition, some capodimonte orchids.

So glad you like, Moon. Am not finished yet. I did go way over the duty-free limit. Yikes! And I did not leave anything on the shelf for Marcia to pick up. ;-p Yes, Rupert and Greenberg. Made for each other.

Moon, please try to come on Saturday the 24th, at the moment there are quite a few still available expecially if you only want one but let me know as soon as you know when you can go, I would hate you to miss it it is a thrilling experience. We have seats in the Circle , please try to make it we could have a meal in the Luna Nova before the Show. You should definitely be able to get a ticket for the matinee on the 22nd when Tineke is going but again don't leave it too late. re Jennifer not coming do n to the lobby, I don't blame her for not coming, I think Colin was exceptional in doing so and actually she is quite sweet because she wrote a very nice note to Evelyn thanking her for her flowers, but I will let Evelyn give you all the details.

(Karen--or should I say Rupert)...and the cow jumped over the moon...could be interesting" Too funny. (Moon)I guess even he(!) could tempt me Alas, you shall not tempt him... (I don't think even Richard would--have you seen his picture?) ;-P Re: TRT Was Ben there?

Happy Birthday, Moon! re Jennifer not coming do n to the lobby, I don't blame her for not coming, Neither do I. This play will be running for nearly two months, it must be very tiring! BTW Moon, I'm probably going to the South West of Ireland, region of Cork. I've never been to Ireland before. My friend and I are planning a biking trip.

Thank you Tineke! I hope you are as lucky as I was and not get a drop of rain in Ireland, especially since you will be on bikes. The Ring of Kerry is wonderful to do and I recommend visiting Killarney as well. Dublin is a very happening City. U2 own the Clarence Hotel and they often stop at the bar. And, do visit Trinity College and their library. Ann, I will try to go on either the 22nd or 24th, I just need to hear from DH. Will be v. soon now. Karen, I love all the figurines! Since you are so very good to me and so very generous with your reminders of SIL and Valmount, can I count on receiving something with Darcy, the Advocate or my darling lost boy Geoffrey? ;-)

can I count on receiving something with Darcy, the Advocate or my darling lost boy Geoffrey? ;-) Wait until you see the finale. My lips are sealed and my fingers are bound. ;-D Must go wrap up the next box.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOON, FROM ALL OF US http://conference.rheingold.com/icons/anin.gif

BTW, Rupert is most upset that you are not satisfied with him. I think this may *cause* him to turn to boys now! ;-)

Never mind them - they are very shy. On to the gifts. Your Lei is Mauna Loa style http://www.royalhawaiianleis.com/images/leis/vm198_sm.jpg And this little fellow does not swear like a sailor nor do you have to line your jewel box with newspapers. Totally trained! http://www.defactoasia.com/ef/ef12/efb1-6.jpg

Oh boy, can you tell I woke up with a killer headache and it is still here? Flowers? and the little house-trained bauble Happy Birthday, Dear - I am going to go lie down.

Aaaaaaaaa!

Moon Dear, I am going to take a huge aspirin and come back with something worthy of you. I cannot stand this. Anyway, I'd love to own this, so I thought you might like it too. (please let this go through...!)

I know this one works =)

Marcia, I hope you are rid of your headache soon. I love the lei and that sneak preview of those very worthy trinkets. :-) Thank you! (karen), Rupert is most upset that you are not satisfied with him. I think this may *cause* him to turn to boys now! ;-) He should have known he was not handsome enough to tempt me! My heart belongs to another. ;-)

As my shopping trip has gotten very tiring, thought it was time to break out the bubbly and Toast to Moon's Birthday Also here are some glasses I picked up in Murano for you. But since you know I have no shopping discipline, I picked these up as well because they were so cute. You might have seen them from the deck of the Jolly Roger. am going to take a nap now

Those wonderful eggs! Beautiful! Thanks Marcia

Karen, are you taking a nap because of the spumante? Come back soon! Love the murano glasses and dolphins. Grazie sono bellissimi. Sei stata molto carina!

Regarding the new SUV-child in our family, Ray is handing out candy bars with nuts in them - he is sure it is a boy...I told him he was looking at the exhaust pipe. Maybe he knows something I have not yet discovered?! It *is* airtight so I imagine it would handle a heavy downpour, but think of the barnacles we would accumulate driving to London. How embarrassing. The next comment would include the oddly bedecked barnacle-wagon with the Volvos. Think of the humiliation! Moon, do you think that little Faberge bauble with the solid gold coach could carry you in style to the Donmar? You might entice the DB into a ride afterward downm Rotten Row?! ...in the moonlight...

You might entice the DB into a ride afterward But Marcia ODB is picking me up, always the gentleman. :-)

For a lady who paused to think of her Keepsake by reading Beaudelaire and drinking fine wine by Moon-light...how else could it be? Never Cinderella - always the queen. *sigh*

which one do you think suits her best...? I rather like this last one

Marcia I just slipped that last one on. We are on our way! I will be back later and let you know how it went. ;-)

I agree the last is very nice. Could wear it almost anywhere! Grocery store, laundramat, McDonald's drive-thru... ;-D ************* One last message from Rupert: "The last woman I loved was named Moon and she spurned for another with a minimally hairy chest. I don't think I'll ever get over it."

(Warning: This one could take a while to load. Sorry, but I hope it's worth it.) ******************* YEAH BABY!! SHAGADELIC!! I got my mojo working, but it just don't work on you I got my mojo working, but it just don't work on you I want to love you so bad, 'till I just don't know what to do I'm going down to Louisiana, to get me a mojo hand I'm going down to Louisiana, to get me a mojo hand I'm gonna have all you women, get you under my command

Yeah!! Cool, Karen :-D

.....sometimes I really do wish that Geoffrey would visit here!

You ladies have good taste - that was a replica of Diana's favorite tiara.

Karen, you are Bad in the finest sense of the word. Whatever you ate for breakfast, you should have the patent and we all need truckloads of it. LOL dear!

I missed you all... Was away for more than a week right after the shower, to make wedding preparations. Antonio had ordered a computer for me. I asked to use an old one from the hotel, that was being discarded, but he sent it in to be upgraded for me :-)Only problem, it wasn't ready yet, so I was offline for all this time... It took me a while to read all the posts in this topic, haven't gone to the others yet... I see the party still went on for awhile, has indeed been going on with so many birthdays... I only had the chance to wish Heide a happy one just before I left. So: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOON! ...and belated Happy Birthday wishes to Lizza, Winter and KarenJ too! Of course I didn't have time to choose gifts for you, which I am sorry for, especially because I enjoyed mine so much! I haven't seen Nan's yet, nor Renate's, but am dying to! I was glad to read of the new reunion at the Donmar. That must have been great. We have finally decided where to spend our honeymoon. Taratata! And the winner is...Italy! Moon, we shall not be too far from each other...I'll e-mail you about it, shall I? ;-)

Welcome back Gi dear- you were missed! Karen -ROTFLOL! that clip is hysterical! what movie is that from? (yes, yes. I realize i'm showing my ignorance... ) Marcia- actually i like the middle crown, with the slightly crooked tip and blue and while floral design. It looks like a cross between a viking helment and Waverly curtain. :)

The English Patient was the movie from which ODB is doing his campfire entertainment segment. I do like Karen's better than the real "Yes, We Have No Bananas", but there you are...!

Now I am showing my ignorance, what is a Waverly Curtain?

Waverly is a company that provides interior decotating items, such as wall paper, fabric, window coverings and an assortment of accesories. (an alarming number of which seem to be in a floral patterns)

ah so, like Laura Ashley...That is a very old and ugly crown considering how wealthy is the head it sits upon. It was a crown worn by King Fassil, a 16th Century Ethiopian King. Now we all learned something today;)

Considering what Ethiopia has been throught in the past century, I am amazed that the crown is just a little crooked at the top. I am surprised that it exists at all!

A small voice among the many: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOON ! ! ! I haope I am not too late...Love, etc, KarenJ

I'm latest. Happy Birthday, Moon I found a mode of transportation for you to let you slip quietly away from DH to wend your way to the Donmar, be it in July or January. Not as stylish as your gilt carriage, but think about it.

To my wonderful friends for such a great party and gifts. Grazie del cuore! Moon spurned for another with a minimally hairy chest. I don't think I'll ever get over it." LOL! It seems Rupert knows me very well. ;-) Karen, I am speechless, you even managed to give me darling Geoffrey doing his mojo dance. For some reason that Doors song comes to mind, you know the one: "keep that mojo rising, rising, rising�" I absolutely loved it, thank you! Heide, great idea! That balloon will come in handy this summer in Toscany on my moondreams escapade. ;-) Thank you KJArt and Gi for your birthday wishes. Gi, do email, maybe we could meet at the enoteca in Montalcino for a little Brunello tasting.:-)

Happy belated birthday, Moon!!!!! I am, unfortunately, HTML illiterate when it comes to posting presents, though you do have some goodies on their way to your mailbox as we speak! love, winter/jennifer

Thanks, Jenn! I can't wait see them. :-)

Welcome back, Gi. Hope all your plans and preparations are coming together nicely.

If you ladies want to make Antonio feel welcome, his Birthday is June 17, Thursday. He may not resent the time she spends with us if Gi can download fun wishes for the event. I am planning already. Then there is C+LF's anniversayr which is either cotton or china according to the books, but that should not limit your imaginations. Shall we do it here or over on 110?

It will be their second anniversary on June 21. Do you think the will stop be and pick up their gifts?

Oh, I surely hope so! I am purchasing mine with that in mind. I am counting on it, in fact.

Ann, I will be in London from July 21st to July 27th. I will be ringing the Donmar today. It looks like I will be able to attend on July 22, Tineke lets meet before maybe for lunch? Is there anyway you can make it on July 22nd Ann? I would love to meet you.

I have just booked my ticket, and it was the last one left on the front row. I will be in row A seat 17. Where are you sitting Tineke?

Hi Moon, I'm glad you are going to be able to make the Matinee on the 22nd, sorry thought that you can't make the 24th, as I am afraid I can't get up to London on the 22nd. I shall look forward to hearing what you think of the play, I think it is both thrilling and funny. You should be able to get quite good seats for the Matinee,I was able to get Tineke the front row in the stalls and that was only on Monday, try and go for the stalls in the centre rows A,B,C or D but ask for the centre not the side. B st of luck.

Tineke is in A18, how about that!!!

lets meet before maybe for lunch? Definately!! I'm so glad you can come! row A seat 17. I'm in A 18. We'll sit next to each other, just perfect!!

Ann and Tineke, thanks for your reports on TRT. I saw this play many years ago and loved it. In addition to the Monkees, do they also play "I'm into Something Good" by Herman's Hermits? One of my all-time favorites (showing my age:-) Sounds like Stephen Dillane may give Colin a run for his money if both are nominated for Oliviers. How would you rate Dillane's performance vis-a-vis Colin's in 3DOR? Did Dillane come down to sign autographs after the performance? Were there any celebrities in the audience?

Hi Susan, it is difficult to compare Colin's performance and Stephen's because the plays are so different. I must say I was very impressed with SD., the chemistry between him and Jennifer was wonderful, and of course a lot of the credit has to be given to Jennifer, I always she brings out the best in her co-stars. This was, also, in my opinion the best thing she has done and she could be competing with Cate Blanchett for an award.

to continue, sorry I got called away. Neither SD or JE came down to the foyer like Colin did, but then this is a longer run and perhaps they will do later on, I wonder if Colin will this time as it is a much longer run. They both put so much energy into the play that I can quite understand if all they wanted to do was to go home, the play was reward enough. As far as I could see there were no celebrities in the audience when we were there on the Saturday but Evelyn saw John Boorman in the audience on the Wednesday and also Tom Stopppard as there. I wouldn't like to judge between Colin & SD, but I do think I liked the play TRT better than 3DOR, it was passionate, thrilling and also very funny, Stoppard at his best.

Antonio's Birthday is tomorrow, so I am getting a start on his gifts. This one got too heavy to haul around, so I thought I'd put it up today. It is in the spirit of equal play since Gi has gotten Michelangelo's David as a gift for his garden, I thought a fountain might be nice.

Gi mentioned he had a pool, so I imagined his gardens might look something like this And for those chilly evenings, another sort of fountain

Marcia, I don't think the Mayor of Rome is going to let you cart that fountain off. ;-) Tineke, where shall we meet for lunch? Is 1:00 or 1:30pm a good time since the play starts at 3pm? We should set it up now, since I am leaving for Italy on June 28th and will be lost in the countryside till then. What luck with the tickets, I can't believe it! I wonder if Lizza or anyone else might make it to the Matinee as well, or perhaps just meet us for us for lunch. :-)

Sorry to miss you Ann. :-(

I understand Antonio and Gi will have a new neighbor. I am sure they will be entertained most happily...I heard this pond was good for the occasional swim. Perhaps they will be invited over to join the Host in a quick dunk.

His lei - early so he may begin celebrating the eve of the big day in style. HAUOLI NA HANAU, ANTONIO

Rome has so many fountains, you'd think they would not miss this one...

Me too Moon, but there may be another time, who would have believed a year ago that I would have met Evelyn twice in three months.

Moon, I tried sending you an e-mail, but couldn't get through. But anyway, I would love to meet for lunch around 1 pm or even sooner. Where shall we meet? At the Donmar entrance or the Luna Nova? You can always send me an e-mail.

On this, the anniversary of his Birth, Happy Birthday, Antonio Many Happy Returns of the Day !

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANTONIO!! Dare I ask how many?

Same as his bride =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTONIO!! And I got you a little present: Yes, they're Arsenal boxer shorts. Gi has indicated an interest in those. ;-)

Oh Karen, You dear!!! The Handsome and Gracious Antonio will be adorable in them. I know these are the gift that keeps on giving ! I am sure his bride will appreciate your gesture =) Besides, with his new neighbor having that pond in front of his "house" he might be able to use them when he takes a dip.

Meanwhile, Gi will be rustling about in the trees looking for the host to emerge with wet shirt untucked...;)

JE In The Real Thing, Karen it looks as if you and anyone else will be able to not only see 3DOR in January, but also The Real Thing and if you are unable to see it in the UK, if all goes to plan it could be showing on Broadway. from the Baz Bamigboye column in today's Daily Mail:- "WATCH OUT FOR ..Jennifer Ehle and Stephen Dillane who are simply sublime in David Leveaux's superb re-defining of Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing - currently playing to packed houses at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre in London's Covent Garden - are negotiating to move the production into the West End in January. Stoppard's breath-taking examination of love, marriage and infidelity was a hit 20 years ago and remains just as vital now. Producers from Broadway are mad keen to get it into New York after t e proposed West End run" WOW

Excellent news, Ann!! We may be able to *squeeze* a showing of TRT in during our annual pilgrimage. But do you think Evelyn will be sick of show already? ;-) With the raves reviews and all the hype about Oliviers, I'm beginning to worry about Colin getting beat out. They had better pull out all the stops when the show reopens in November. Maybe they should look into having it rain on stage too! (and they could replace EMcG and rethink how Morrissey is playing Pip, just a few suggestions from a nobody)

, I'm beginning to worry about Colin getting beat out. My feelings too. TRT is certainly a better play than 3DOR. I fear the usual Colin backlash when 3DOR replays if they compare the two plays and ignore his performance. I am feeling gloomy again.

Oh, no! Poor Colin! It does not look good. :-( I am happy for you Karen et al. A double treat!

Having seen Jennifer in TRT, I think she should replace E.McG, she could certainly do an American accent and there was chemistry once there could be again. BTW knowing Evelyn now I don't think she will ever tire of seeing TRT!!

chemistry betwen CF & JE, I meant of course.

Also he could still be in contention for Awards next year, what about a TV BAFTA for Donovan Quick and a BAFTA for best British Actor and Best British Film for My Life So Far, if it ever get shown in the UK.

chemistry betwen CF & JE, I meant of course.

Having seen Jennifer in TRT, I think she should replace E.McG, she could certainly do an American accent and there was chemistry once there could be again. BTW knowing Evelyn now I don't think she will ever tire of seeing TRT!!

oops. don't know why that happened.

(Karen) and they could replace EMcG Absolutely. What were they thinking when casting her anyway? I hope she�s not reading this (!) but I really think she�s not in her right place in it. But I really like Morrissey.

It does sound like you've already awarded the Olivier to Dillane, Ann, and are handing out door prizes. (or as we old Cubs fans are wont to say, "There's always next year.") It will be a shame if that were the case. Yes, Jennifer would have been far better than McGovern (but then again who wouldn't?). She could have done the accent at least, having grown up North Carolina. Could they have made her a world-weary 30-something Lina? Actingwise, yes. But lookswise? I don't know.

That is the path I would have liked to have seen 3DOR take -- Donmar to West End to Broadway. I wonder why they decided to return to the Donmar rather than take it to the West End? (Not that I'm complaining, mind you;-) Oh dear, I know Stephen Dillane is totally deserving of all the praise he's getting, but I would so love to see Colin win the Olivier. His decision to return to the play at the end of the year must not have been an easy one, conflicting as it does with the holidays and his son's winter school break.

Susan, do you think the only reason he has returned to do 3DOR because he hopes to win an Award, I felt it was more because he seemed to be really enjoying himself and honestly having seen TRT, I wouldn't be at all suprised if it won best play, best actor and best actress!! Sorry Colin.

......Do you guys really think that Colin cares very much for awards & stuff? I believe (judging from quite a lot of things) that he�s the sort of person who does mainly what he finds interesting, rewarding and worthwhile regardless of pay or nominations....of course he�s human and loves praise like everybody but I�m sure he keeps making his own incorruptible choices in just about anything. (Yes I know, this IS pure idolization & idealization!!:-)

Elena, I think he is mostly a craftsman who is his severest critic. It is nice to be appreciated, but only he knows when he has done something "right" - the way he invisioned it. Join the large group of the IOF - Idolizers of Firth. It is almost time to celebrate!

Has anyone figured out why he wanted to be married on the longest day - and shortest night! - of the year?!

The Top 10 Reasons why he wanted to be married on the longest day - and shortest night! - of the year! #10 He needed time to meet the extended Italian family. #9 His tailor needed the extra time to finish his suit, and he still got it wrong! #8 Livia is afraid of Vampires and Vampires love Colin ;-) #7 Needed time to get over a hangover. #6 Needed the extra-time to pick out a tie, and he still got it wrong! #5 Wanted to give Livia plenty of time to change her mind. #4 Brother Jon needed the time to go through immigration at the airport with a group of illegal immigrants, all guests of the groom. ;-) #3 La torta non era pronta! #2 Needed the time to confess all his sins and swear off the Arsenal boxers. #1 It took him that long to say farewell to his adoring Firthettes! :-D Karen, to fully explain # 6 & 9, could you please post that wedding picture. ;-)

LOL Moon! I just might move that list to 113. You are so clever at this late hour on a Friday afternoon (here)...I am all amazement =)

Oh Moon, you are so good with these Top 10 Lists! Very funny! (Just guessing, but is #3, the cake wasn't ready? ;-) ) Who went shopping with him? Or more importantly, who dressed this boy?

What does Colin have in his hand? Road map? He looks puzzled!

Congratulations to the new Earl and Coubntess of Wessex

The Earl of Wessex is too funny! Colin must be very honored!

Thanks for posting the pix, karen. You are quite right about #3. Marcia, I believe you might be confusing his hand with his (gulp!), tie! Poor boy really showed no sense for fashion on that day, and, his hair!!! (I guess Louisa, the hairstylist was late). ;-))

I just finished watching the Wedding. When I heard he was given the honor of Earl of Wessex, I nearly tossed my Earl Grey! hee hee;)

Ah Edward was destined to be an earl: Edward Anthony Richard Louis Now Sophie can fantasize about life with Wessex without fear of feeling unfaithful. ;-p

Checking back, it might be his tie - inside out - but it is a very long one if it is. But, then, isn't everything connected with him that way?! ;) Edward fell heir to the Mountbatten earldom at least in Louis name. Interesting that Wessex does not actually exist, though every one of us could show you the territory on the map. They must have run out of Duchies?! I enjoyed the wedding, though it was 5am that I had to start watching it. Imagine having the queen take one of the tiaras from her collection and having it refitted for you. Sorry, Moon, I tried!

Ok, all of your pagans at heart and sun worshippers in general, it is almost time to party!

Lots of commentary by the official "talking heads" about Edward only being made an earl, not a duke. Remember what the Python boys always said? No, it's not "no one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition," but "always look on the bright side of life." There's definitely an upside to being named earl of a nonexistent region. Like: 1) Less grass to cut. 2) No worries about a peasant revolt. 3) No need to employ a sheriff to collect taxes. 4) Equal to Peter Pan of Nevernever Land. 5) Perfect icebreaker for when he meets Colin Firth. Those immediately came to mind. I'm sure you all can do better!!

6)Perfect icebreaker for when he meets Gwynnie. 7)No ancient family curse on the house. 8)Can sue Miramax for the unlawful use of his title. 9)Or, can insist on playing himself in the SIL sequel. 10) Can create his own motto: My kingdom for a Wessex! Next? Marcia, thanks for trying to get me another tiara. This could turn out to be an expensive habit. ;-)

Moon and Karen, you two! You two are absolutely hysterical and where do you come up with them?????????

11)His title is the only one from Old Norse in the immediate family, including his wife. The rest are from French/Latin. (I cannot be the only one of norse descent amongst the Droolians of Firthdom.)

Earl of Wessex. I nearly fell out of my chair. I wonder what the people of Mirmax think of that. Too bad ODB wasn't invited to the wedding, the Earl of Wessex invited to the mariage of the earl of Wessex. It would seem here though that the earl is the one with acting aspirations in this case.

In the Telegraph, they talk of the title and well, they mention Colin Firth (alas, no pic) Here is the URL

Uh, sorry;( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000772005502828&rtmo=VwqsVSDK&atmo=HHHHHHxL&pg=/et/99/6/20/nroy620.html

Laura, thanks for that. I had not searched except for the BBC and there was nothing but that she was radiant in Ivory...which we already new ;) I think it would have been appropriate for the New EoW to invite the original EoW to his bash. Both actors, one more successful than the other. I did note the lack of codpieces on this new Earl. Cannot be the real thing, can he?! Look at the little Knights and Dames of the Garter she had as her attendants - he should have been required to dress for the part. I'll say nothing of a three-piece formal morning suit in grey tweed...eeeeesh!

Countess of Wessex's wedding gown was absolutely stunning. I loved it! Much more elegant than Diana's or Fergie's!

Laura, a full grown mature woman was in that wedding gown. That is why it had so much class and style. I loved it, too, but my all time fav was Princess Anne's. The Times' account is http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/Sunday-Times/frontpage.html?1319194 Apparently the Wessex girl jokes have started though none have come to my inbox. From The Times: I say, I say, I say, how many Wessex girls does it take to change a light bulb? Three. One to fetch a new light bulb and two to pitch for the old light bulb's PR account.

True observation, Marcia. She is an adult and I think the marriage has the chance of working. If people leave here alone!

I meant if people leave them alone! It's late!

I didn't watch the wedding on tv and found out about the new title from Marcia's and Moon's posts. What a laugh! How is it possible? Did the Queen not know? Did the prince have no idea? Will they have to sail to Virginia? Is there a Shakespeare in her life? >-D On the other hand... will this give our DB more visibility? :-o Marcia, KarenJ, KarenR, Moon, thank you so much for your birthday wishes for Antonio. He finally got a moment to look at them and was touched (and embarrassed). His best friend (and best man) is staying with us and saw the presents too; neither of them of course had had virtual cards and presents before. They are both football fans - their club is called Sporting Club de Portugal, known as "Sporting". I don't think they'd wear Sporting boxer shorts, though ;-) BTW, the house next door, which is called "Bennett's", is empty... They do have a pool which is crying out for one handsome guy to jump in, in his white shirt preferably!;-)

From the This is London website (naturally written by a woman), an article entitled "Why Sophie got the title of Wessex": Perhaps as a sop to critics who decried her wish to use her maiden name for her public relations work, the bride will use the name Sophie Wessex in her professional life. It will mean a change in the name of Sophie's company, currently called R-JH Public Relations, and will doubtless provoke a torrent of Wessex girl jokes. Officially, the titles have lain vacant for many centuries. But cinema aficionados will know that the last Countess of Wessex was Gwyneth Paltrow and the last Earl, Colin Firth in the Oscar-winning film Shakespeare In Love. While Sophie will no doubt be pleased to tread in the delicate footsteps of the beautiful countess as played by Ms Paltrow, Prince Edward may be less keen to take on the mantle of his caddish, bullying and villainous namesake.

...and a cuckhold before he was even married...

LOL ladies! I think Miramax should have gotten them a print Video tape to play on their wedding night. What else did they have to use up their time away from the Queen and the adoring masses?! I am delighted that Antonio enjoyed his "presents" and cards. I predicted that he would be embarrassed =) How enchanting! Too bad we did not know about his sports team before. Oh well, there is always his wedding gift...!

And, for the men in our lives with children, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

I wonder if HRH saw SIL. I wonder if she is a fan of ODB.

I think she would have invited him to the wedding had she been a fan! Perhaps he was not able to attend.

I wonder if HRH saw SIL. I wonder if she is a fan of ODB. I see we are all having the same thoughts. I posted mine at 118 because I went there first. What an unexpected coincidence! It was very gracious of Her Majesty to throw some publicity Colin's way ;-D

A columnist at the Independent was going on about the title of Wessex: "More to the point, what is the Queen doing handing out titles to places which do not exist? Wessex is not a place with any real geographical meaning, like Sussex or Rutland or Ashby de la Zouch or Popocatepetl." "But really, if Her Majesty starts a trend of ennobling people with fake place-names, I fear their currency will swiftly decline. Any minute now there will be a Duke of Borchester. Some hobbit-loving courtier will have a word in HM's ear and become the Marquess of Middle Earth. The Earl of Gormenghast is a title that will be snapped up faster than a W-reg licence plate. Mark my words, the advent of the Count of Brobdingnag is only a matter of time." ***** Too funny :-)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY COLIN AND LIVIA! According to Marcia, this is your cotton or china anniversary. Here's my present to you, and may it always be sweet for you: img src="http://www.cotton-candy.com/bag1.jpg"

Oops! Try again:

I second that Gi, Very Happy Anniversary to Colin & Livia.

Alright, count me in as one of the well wishers. But, what I would really like to do is give ODB a great big anniversary kiss and Livia, well, we can just shake hands. ;-)

Moon - But, what I would really like to do is give ODB a great big anniversary kiss Oh Yum! Me too! :) Happy Aniversary Colin and Livia!

Since China is appropriate for the second wedding Anniversary, my gift, with love is HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, FIRTHS!

Since it is also Solstice Day, I give you our remotest evidence of our wisdom HAPPY SAMHAIN,All

I am sure they will thank you for the above gifts. Gi, do you think they will share the cyber cotton candy, I love it. This kind will be much less fattening helping me to keep those 100 lbs off.

Oh, Frabjous Day!!! Just wanted to say (possibly last, but certainly not least): **********HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, COLIN & LIVIA!!********** with my Sincere Wishes that your hearts grow ever closer with the years, and that there be many years to share and celebrate your love for one another!! (Sorry, guys, but I really wax sentimental over CF & LF, especially on special days like this...May I give as their gift the hearts of all us CF fans? Possibly overgenerous, but well earned, I think.) :-D

OK, why did none of you correct my Drudic Holiday? It is not Samhain ("sawen") which is Halloween. But, on a New Age website where I was searching for appropriate pics to post I found that notation. I wonder if the rest of that site is as erroneous?!

I'm a bit late with my comments on TRT due to work overload. Ann and Tineke have summed it all up. I just wanted to say though how much I thoroughly enjoyed the play and in fact the whole evening. JE and SD's performances were brilliant. I was quite mesmerised by SD. The time just flew. It was lovely to meet Evelyn, Ann and James, Tineke and Kristen.

I am soooo jealous! Where is the picture???!!!

Prince Andrew is going to be dedicating the Gemini Telescope tomorrow atop Maun Kea. He will most likely visit their base facilities in a beautiful new building adjacent to the UH Hilo campus - which is about a mile from my home. http://hephaestus.gemini.edu/gallery/daily_pic.html has cameras which update themselves (inky black due to it being night or they have removed the cameras for some reason) As I write this, as 8pm Hawaiian Standard Time, it is 3.27� C (about 38�F) up there with 20 knot winds. I hop he brought his anorak! This is the summit camera which just might carry the event live tomorrow http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/misc/summitview.html

The foreground observatory is the new Gemini North to be dedicated tomorrow.

Awesome!

Hi Everybody....Good to be back with Firth Friends...Really have missed you guys..... Happy Belated Birthdays to...Lizza, KJArt, Moon and Antonio.... What gifts you laid out....took 10 minutes to access this board. Gi...Glad you're goin to Italy for honey,honey....definitely superior to Thailand or Brazil.... Will do comments later on UK Trip. Will say, however, that the UK papers did comment on the Earl of Wesswex/ SIL and the Telegraph even had a pic of Colin. Glad Moon, Tineke and Ann are going to get together for TRT.I saw it 4 times and all performances were excellent...Wednesday night audience most responsive. All performances are sold out for the entire run except for only a few matinee seats.Box Office reports that TRT is going to the West End in January...no dates or venue yet...but I hope we get to see it when we go for 3 DOR. Then going on to Broadway... Critics are running out of superlative adjectives...I walked around the Donmar during intermission listening to all the audience comments and glowing!!And to think that I was worried..... All I can say is: "Move over Judi Dench....Here comes Jennifer Ehle"!!! More later....am wee bit jet- lagged!!

Welcome back Evelyn! You are unpacking and I am packing. Evelyn, would you say all the performances were the same, or did you notice some changes? I am really looking forward to seeing such marvelous performances. Have we seen the pix of Colin from Telegraph, or is it new?

*****WELCOME HOME, EVELYN***** Sounds as if you had a wonderful time...Now get some sleep!

(Moon)Evelyn, would you say all the performances were the same, or did you notice some changes? I was amazed that all the performances were the same replete with the same hand, body action etc.(SD runs his fingers through his hair at the same word in the dailogue...but it always looks so uncontrived). Notice JR's body...how her motions change from the 1st scene when she is the lover to the next when she is the wife of 2 years...v. subtle. You are in for a magnificent performance in the British theatre....far superior to anything I saw on Broadway last month. (Moon)Have we seen the pix of Colin from Telegraph, or is it new? Same ole Lord Wessex pic...The one at the wedding with the hat and plume. I sent Karen all the cuttings I found. One in a TV Guide of the South where they feature P&P as one of the sexiest movies..."where the people had their clothes on".

Sorry for the italics....I guess I'm not as awake as I think I am!!

Since this seems like a sleepy Sunday on #72 I thought I would comment on my trip to UK and answer some questions about TRT and the min-spring Reunion I must start out by saying that getting together with Spring Friends made the evening special.There were seven of us : Ann W. , James, Aishling, Kirsten, Tineke,Kimiko ( A JE fan who flew in from LA with husband just for the play!!)Sadly Lizza was ill.Special treat to meet Aishling, Tineke and Kirsten. Funny that when Firthettes meet...we embrace each other and no one feels like a stranger. Conversation takes off and you�ve got to fight to get a word in!!. *** We met at the Luna Nuova. I had contacted the publicist at the Donmar to see if we could meet JE, and she said any other day but the two performances days...she is worn out. And after seeing this play one can see why...physically and emtionally draining.I was disappointed...but understand.She is also terribly shy. I did send programs for her to sign which she did . I had sent flowers that afternoon from **everybody**. ....Spring, JE Fan Page, the List...lurkers too. I selected a basket similar to the one Lizzie and Jane carried when they were drying flowers at Longbourne in Episode 6.I selected pale pink roses, pink mini- carnations and several star-gazer lilies (pink) and babies breath. This is how I envision her...a real English rose On the card ( a cute Mary Engelbreit one I had taken over) I wrote: �We are so proud of you. Congratulations (Break-a-Leg- or what ever they say in this country...)From Your Friends on the World Wide Web.� When I received the signed programs there was a note on the envelope: � Thank you so much for coming. Hope that you enjoyed the show and have a safe flight home. The flowers are gorgeous. Thank you. Jennifer� I had not signed my name...don�t know how she knew we sent the flowers...unless Kate (stage mgr.) or James told her. The florist asked me to come and approve of the arrangement on Sat. morning ( I�m a real pain...you see!!)and I took a pic . Karen has kindly consented to scan it on. More later.

Correction:" baby's breath" I just hope the Olivier Awards have a separate category for new plays and revivals and they both can win. Each time I saw it (4) the audience reacted differently. The audience was mixed in age...resident Brits, not tourists. I saw a few Americans the last night. The first night one man stood and I joined him.... The last night�s audience seemed to be �industry� people who knew each other..There were several bravos and extended applause. It is the hottest ticket in London and everyone commented how lucky they were to be there. It was thrilling. Box Office told me it will move to the West End in January...Venue not decided yet. I will keep in touch ...perhaps it will be on when we go in January. I also went to the Globe Theatre and saw �Comedy of Errors� with a hilarious Italian actor who I swear is a Roberto Begnini clone. I passed by the Rose theatre. ..which is only in an excavating form. The Globe is an exact replica ...just like SIL...The �groundlings� stand in the front and talk to the actors. I sat on a bench on the First Tier. I also attended a performance of �Mid -Summer Night�s Dream� at Stratford with the RSC Company. Hey kids....I�ve never seen such acting. I can see why that company is so renowned. The Millenium Dome is in full view...thrilling to see it as the plane approaches London. We�ll have to go when we go in January.Correction: that should be� baby�s breath� I can�t add more about the play than Tineke and Ann W. told you. TRT is Tom Stoppard at his best...Henry is a terrific male role and SD plays it with great energy, tenderness and humor...�devoid of physical or vocal glamor�. He and Annie (JE) have a tremendous on stage chemistry. It�s a thrill to watch them on stage just looking at each other. Could Colin have played this role ?....Sure! Better than SD? You betcha�. Forgot to add that I also got SD autograph for Jana C.....anything for a Firthette!! London is still the most exciting city in the world....can�t wait to go back.

Sorry about the disjointed paragraphs....we must completely confuse the "English-as-a-second-language fans". Did this on Works...and sometimes these paragraphs take on a life of their own.... I apologize.

Evelyn, thanks for your report. What a wonderful trip!! So glad to hear JE is so sweet and considerate of her fans. That was so nice of you to get the flowers on behalf of us all. Did you notice any celebrities at any of the performances you attended? Ann said John Boorman was in attendance at one performance (getting to be a habit with him!). What did you think of the music -- did they play that Herman's Hermits song "I'm into something good"? I believe that was in the production I saw years ago.

(Susan MC)Did you notice any celebrities at any of the performances you attended? Ann said John Boorman was in attendance at one performance (getting to be a habit with him!) Yes, I saw John Boorman the first time I went. There was another familiar face...but I couldn't connect a name. ( I wished for Karen who has a memory like a steel trap!!)Lots of people who knew each other...tv, theatre?, film?..definitely entertainment industry types. ***** What did you think of the music -- did they play that Herman's Hermits song "I'm into something good"? I believe that was in the production I saw years ago. It's a lovely touch that Stoppard does in this play...very inventive...he frequently let's Henry's favorite pop songs speak for him: his first marriage fails to the tune of the Righteous Brothers "You Lost that Loving Feeling. His second marriage's survival of his wife's infidelity is announced with a burst of The Monkees' " I'm a Believer....I thought love was only in fairy tales."Very clever.At the end of the first act Annie ascends the stairs to the tune of "I'm into Something Good"..The light continues fading on her til the stage is dark. She looks luminous .

Is it any wonder that ODB is so much in demand. I have been watching some of my C.F tapes and just sit there thinking this is one h--- of and actor. The little things he does like the way he keeps saying hmm when he is talking to her after his dip in the pond. The way he drops his eyes to her cleavage for just and instant in the scene at Rosings at the piano when he says :You are perfectly right, no one who has the privalage of listening to you could find anything wanting. The silly look he gets on his face in FP when she tells him he can't smoke but he can stay the night. His facial expressions in TEP when he is sitting there in the taxi and it gradually dawns on him that she is cheating on him. I could go on and on. I WANT TO SEE MY LIFE SO FAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh Lucie, how poignant are your pleadings and observations. We too want to see MLSF and could (and actually do!!) go on and on about the wonder of this man of so many talents and such God-given gifts as a voice which will melt sheet steel, chocklit-pool eyes which can cloud with thunder or sparkle with boyish glee, or stare intently and most passionatley until there in not a woman in the place who can withstand him. I am just amazed that when I mention him to someone I have not seen for a while, that I ave to say more than his name. Does not every woman in the known unmiverse understand and feel his appeal?! Are the rest dead or just immune =P

Some pictures you all *might* want to check out! From an ROP tea in NYC. There are more pics, plus names, in separate posts by Linda. These are but two of the messages and pictures. http://www.pemberley.com/bin/meetings/meetings.cgi?read=603 Picture on the left??? ;-) http://www.pemberley.com/bin/meetings/meetings.cgi?read=609

Well, well, well, if it's not the long-lost Ben! Thanks for the details of your trip, Evelyn. The flowers were v. generous of you. Glad JE communicated her appreciation. I heard they were changing the Donmar's name to "Evelyn's Place" ;-)

(Eileen) I heard they were changing the Donmar's name to "Evelyn's Place" ;-) I know they're tired of my face...and I'm tenacious too.!!All is forgiven, though, I joined "Friends of the Donmar"...least I could do. ***** Nice pics of the ROP Reunion...Nan said I had missed it by a week or so...but But I don't know any of those people 'cept Nan. I better stick to Spring...they put up with me:-) BTW Tineke scanned a photo of our Spring Reunion at the Donmar...she'll post the URL on Springfolks.

Evelyn, I have just visited Virtual Views and apparently Tom Stoppard and Steven Speilberg where at the Donmar last Friday, WOW. TS seems to be taking quite an interest.

Someone who just attended a performance of TRT posted this on Virtual Views ! And Tom Stoppard and Steven Spielberg were in the bar chatting - a bonus! What's goin on here? These guys must be scouting!! I tell ya' it's the hottest ticket in London this summer!! Allison...bring your binnocs !!

LOL Ann...Great minds....we seem to be on the same track!!

Allison...bring your binnocs !! Will do my best, though I am not very good at spotting film directors (Spielberg excepted). I would never have recognised John Boorman!

What IS so special about Feb 7th 2036?

(Allison) I would never have recognised John Boorman! But you recognized Alan Yentob....I was impressed m'dear :-)

Don't know about Feb 7, 2036, but today is Canada Day. Have a good one!

Yes, have a good one, ay? This is one of my Canadian favorites: Butchart Gardens, Victoria And this is my husband's

And this is Gi's Wedding Day...we all send you lots of love Gi...

Here's a pretty good article about all the movies that are being adapted from classic lit for the teen audience. There are more than I realized. http://www.filmunlimited.co.uk/Feature_Story/feature_story/0,4120,62392,00.html BTW, this was not going to be my rant. It was going to be on Sean Connery and Catherine Z-J and what the male reviewers in England have had to say about this February-December romantic entanglement on the screen. I'm going to put Mel G up on a pedestal because he's sworn never to do this. Need to go find the quote about "curling one's toes."

I didn't forget that this was Gi's wedding day but thanks for bringing it up, Evelyn. Ladies, I wish you all had met Antonio, now Gi's husband. Wishing both of you the very best. Kudos to Mel. And I trust Colin will do the same (if he had the same power). Now if only Mel would make a pact not to make so many violent films.

*****BEST WISHES FOR A LIFETIME OF HAPPINESS!!***** *****To our well-feted couple, Gi and Antonio*****

Gi and Antonio, Best wishes from Hawaii and from Me

Gi, I hope the Wedding Night was something to remember;) I'm just back, well a couple of hours from seeing Pride & Prejudice at the Shakespeare Festival in Stratfod. That is Stratford, Ontario, Canada, not London! And what a magnificent performance it was! The person playing Lizzy was beautiful, witty, funny, well-spoken. However, they had her in black for the first act. I would've put her more in a blue. Mr. Darcy, hmmmmmmmmmm......... YUMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! He really came into the role during the second act (of course). He was very good. HOWEVER, the best was the actor who played Collins, he had us laughing in the aisles, holding our bellies. He had these grasshopper skinny legs and used them to the full effect! Oh he was brilliant! the woman who played Caroline Bingley was equally excellent. She seethed with want of Darcy and ill-like of Elizabeth, but was funny when trying to get Darcy to notice her. The actress playing Mrs. Bennet was performed by a well-respected Canadian actress, Lally Cadeaux, some of you may or may not have he rd of her, she was very good, but I suspect she watched the A&E version, because she sounded a lot like Alison Steadman's, Mrs. B. The girl who played Lydia was the tallest and well-endowed person, I've ever seen on the stage! But she was amazing. Lady Catherine De Bourgh, think Carol Kane playing her. She was hysterical! The girl who played Jane B, reminded me too much Kathy Griffin from Suddenly Susan. Mr. Bingley was a fairly extremely small role. Mr. Bennet, ah, save the best for last. He hit he nail on the head with this role. A dramatic pregnant pause just before he tells his wife of Collins' letter, had us in stitches. as the whole family waits to be told who is coming to dinner, he reads and rereads the letter, and two (TWO) minutes later while the family are craning their necks in anticipation, does he mention the "odious" Mr. Collins. The actor was brilliant! Teg will have production values of the play. I could tell you the stage was minimally set, but you really felt as though Meryton, Derbyshire or even outside. the way they handled the Picture Gallery at Pemberley was priceless! For those of you who can see this production, please do so. You will be glad you did!

HAPPY FOURTH!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, AMERICA!

My best wishes to Gi and Antonio too.

Here's a picture of the flowers Evelyn sent to Jennifer: And here's the Donmar entrance. Evelyn said that a notice for 3DOR is behind the door, but it's hard to tell.

Thanks Karen... There were no pictures or notices of 3 DOR inside the lobby. It is illegal to take pictures inside the lobby...I found that out when I took pix of SD and JE that were displayed. **** Also thank you Laura for the review of P&P in Stratford, Canada. Did they compress the whole 6 Episodes into 2 hours? Did they play it the same as our P&P?

They compressed the whole novel into 3 hours. It was an amazing production, truly. For those of you who check the Austen.com Tea Board there is a longer, more involved review. Teg does Stage manager work, so she was really good about describing the production values. For a minimalist stage, you really did think you were in the houses and town square.

There were no pictures or notices of 3 DOR inside the lobby. It is illegal to take pictures inside the lobby... You mean all those photos we took inside the lobby in March are contraband? Well, I always wanted to be a bad girl. Seeing that entrance again sure took me back.... Beautiful (and expensive looking) flowers for Jennifer. Laura, the P&P play sounds like a lot of fun. I'd be interested in seeing it staged but closer to home.

(Heide)..You mean all those photos we took inside the lobby in March are contraband? No...but taking pics of the copyright photographers pics of the play on display is illegal. .. Beautiful (and expensive looking) flowers Neighborhood florist...who were v. enthusiastic about sending the flowers to JE...not that expensive either...by London prices...which are astronomical.

I realize I'm a day early, but I won't be anywhere near a computer tomorrow so... Happy Birthday, Winter! From one great teacher to another... (hey, teaching was temporary for Paul, too). And some words of wisdom in case things don't work out with Miramax: Have a great one!

For those of you who don't get by the Tea Room on Austen.com, here is our review. It does include spoilers for those who are going to see the production. Laura and Teg Ah, the weather, the shopping, the swans, the production!!! Returning rather late last night, we didn't feel quite up to posting this at that time. Stratford's production of our beloved story was a joy to see. The stage was set with the bare minimum of set pieces and very few props were added to effect scene changes. For eg... for Mr. B's study it was simply a chair and side table to the stage right side of the main playing area. A large set of double doors directly upstage centre dominated the stage. These were used to full advantage throughout the show. Fabric banners were used frequently as special effects for scene changes or, the most surprising of all, to represent the gallery of portraits at Pemberley! That one was priceless! Lighting was dramatic indeed. A number of gobos (pattern projections) really helped to establish the outdoor scenes, and the dramatic casting of window lighting on the floor. Of course, the Darcy portrait was well lit indeed!! :) By far, Teg was most amused by the representation of the trees for several scenes. We both derived great entertainment from the transformation of umbrellas, coats and hats into dance partners, as well as the 'horses' (two men) pulling Lady Cat's carriage. The advancement of plot was achieved in a couple of different ways. Some scenes were combined as one. For eg. the first evening at Netherfield and the 'walk about the room' scene were portrayed as the same evening. Also, characters provided narration in many areas to communicate happenings and speed up the story. ("Elizabeth spent four days at Netherfield!") Costumes appeared more Edwardian in design than Regency. Of course, Darcy looked good in any of them! ;) However, Elizabeth's lack of colour in her outfits (primarily black in the first act, and white in the second) was disconcerting. Especially since Darcy was prinicipally in black and white as well. Most of the extras were in dark greys, the only coloured costumes being worn by Mr and Mrs B, the other four Bennet sisters, and Lady C. Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst in RED!! Caroline seemed to have the most costume changes. The officers were, of course, in red as well. Bingley, who's part was actually rather small, also had colour. Mr. Hurst matched his wife. hee hee The cast was excellent. Elizabeth was beautiful, with a clear, strong voice that could be heard in the far corners of the House. Darcy, who took a bit of time to warm up to, really came to life in the second act. Mr. Collins. hee hee hee... He really deserves a Genie for this role!! His physical portrayal, with flourishes, bows, and costume swishing made David Bamber's performance pale in comparison. The entire audience was in stitches, especially at the Netherfield Ball. :D Caroline Bingley was wonderful! Just the right mix of cattiness and snobbery. Mrs. Bennet (portrayed by Lally Cadeau) was very much like the A&E version. Mr. Bennet, a true joy to watch. His slow, deliberate delivery of his lines, with very pregnant pauses at just the right moment had the audience waiting with bated breath for him to continue. We waited, I swear, a full minute for him to announce that Mr. Collins was coming for dinner. He read and reread the letter while the rest of the cast was leaning forward in anticipation and the audience began to wonder if someone was missing something....(well, Teg was wondering anyway. that's what I get for working in theatre) Lady Catherine was most imperious. The biggest surprise came when she spoke.... in a very high-pitched 'Carol Kane' type voice. hee hee hee (and her horses were excellent) Oh, we simply must add that Mary Bennet's singing at the Netherfield Ball was truly something to hear... or not! hee hee It's rather difficult to deliberately sing off key, but she did a great job! Be not alarmed, dear Dwiggies, when Darcy's letter is placed into Elizabeth's hand. This scene was very nicely done, as Elizabeth began the read, Darcy picked it up and the other characters appeared as required to add the detail. Take special note of Kitty when the Bennet's are circling together.... she keeps tugging on the bodice of her gown to show more cleavage as she wiggles her shoulders to show it off to advantage! And at last we come to the end. A few very pleasant surprises here! Teg waited with anticipation to hear what Darcy had to say when Lizzy finally said yes! Then she was bug-eyed when there were no words spoken but rapid lip movement. hee hee hee A tidy little scene here all around. The rest of the cast appears to fill us in on what happens with each of them. Here the narration effect comes into full play. The last part of the scene, just before curtain, has Darcy and Lizzy appearing through the doors, a little girl in white with them. Darcy shows the most animation here as he swoops down and picks her up, tossing her over his shoulder, all of them laughing delightedly. What an ending!!! And a good time was had by all. We got home very very late... 1:15am. Highly recommended!! ***** Two thumbs up! :)

Sounds absolutely wonderful, Laura and Teg! How I envy you your delightful evening! :) Now Teg, ...about that date between Dr Laura and Richard.... :)

By-the-bye, might i highly recommend this delightful topic? :) *hee hee* http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/babes/45

Thanks Laura and Teg.... It was v. brave of that company to undertake this production...sounds as if they were most successful. I wish I could see it. But your splendid descriptive narrative helped me **see** it . Nice to have gifted writers on Spring!!

EsBee, I'm gonna get you for that!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KJART

EsBee, I'm gonna get you for that!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KJART

And, for that little niche for which you needed something really special...

ME!?! It's wer who is to blame- I'm just enjoying his handywork! :P

Your welcome, Evelyn! It was a pleasure to see! Happy Bday to KJ and Winter, tomorrow!!!!! Many happy returns of the day!

Thanks for the birthday greetings, Laura and Eileen! Love that pic of ODB, Eileen!!!! (that's his writing in the background, isn't it?)

Happy Birthday KJArt..... Enough loafing :-) Get thee to #98 we need your comments on FF.

Pictures of JE and Interview from the new issue of HARPER'S QUEEN UK http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/4820/ehle_int/harper.html

I just realized KJArt's listed as JUNE 8th?! She will be amazed! I suppose it would not be nice to take our things back, huh?!

Yup, missed it by a month...but you really didn't miss it...you gave me a neat luau and Heide a car, and Karen my favorite back, as I recall. So I don't mind if you take these back and give them to someone more deserving :-).! BTW...we are all complaining because our talented idol keeps getting his name off the cast lists and thus all that good and hard work goes unacknowledged. Having heard what marvelous performances they are giving for P & P, I think the CAST deserves their due, too, don't you think?! Remember: It's nice to be appreciated

Happy Birthday Winter! and KJArt, a very late Happy Birthday. :) I lack sufficent talent to post any gifts for your viewing pleasure, but feel free to imagine a lovely image of ODB posted [HERE] -with my compliments. :)

Happy Birthday , Winter....I too am "image-posting-challenged"... but you know we send our v. best wishes and love you :-)))

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINTER!! Had a few leftovers from Sunday and you know they don't keep ;-p

Also been shopping for that *PERFECT* gift, when I remembered something you had asked for...hee hee Remember, it's the thought behind the gift that counts

And one last thing...Harvey has agreed to have a smoke with me next time we're on a plane together to discuss your future employment. (gonna be a tight squeeze in those lavs)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINTER Our Dame of the Day with her floral tribute from Drool and Fellow Firthians

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!! Thanks everyone! SB-- Am imagining that you've posted the FP pic where he masterfully takes the mugs from what's-her-face's hands-- only it's my picture superimposed! Evelyn-- I am gif challenged as well. Thanks for remembering my Bday! Karen-- how DID you find that picture of MDB and I together? Don't I look so enthusiastic?! The flowers are beautiful. Thanks, Marcia. Now, if only Mom and Dad will finally retire to Hilo like they've been planning to, I can get a hold of the real ones... OK-- this is turning out to be a good bday so far, despite the fact that I had a workday from hell, and "casual Friday" didn't make any difference at all. I still managed to get your nice virtual gifts, I got a microwave from the ex-boyfriend, and am going out to dinner at my fav. restaurant. Ooo.. and Women's World Cup Soccer is on tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Winter.

Happy Birthday, Winter. In honor of your status, I thought it's time you received the full Dame regalia. I bow before you.

Thanks so much, Heide! (My word--- you've even given me the waistline I wished for!) Thanks for the birthday greeting and card, Lucie! I'm so glad to have such thoughtful friends in this community of ours...

Dearest winter, I hope you have the happiest of birthdays! We were supposed to be seeing FP today to celebrate, but I refuse to depress myself by going there. I keep telling myself it will be here soon enough. I hope you had a great day, and BTW, you and JN make an extremely cute couple ;-).

Allison, I was wondering if you have seen The Real Thing yet, if so I would love to hear what you thought of it, I loved it and am seeing it for the second time at the end of July. Happy Birthday, Dame Winter.

Monday Times: Archer plans new Arsenal stadium BY ANDREW PIERCE JEFFREY ARCHER is brokering a deal to bring Arsenal to a new stadium at King's Cross, next to a �150 million conference centre. Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mare, the Tory frontrunner to be mayor of London, is preparing to head a consortium to try to raise the finance for the centre, and has discussed a joint development plan with the North London club. He will hold talks this month with convention centre developers and tourism groups. Arsenal will be formally invited to join the scheme. A senior director has already expressed interest in the move. Arsenal have been seeking ways to increase the 38,000 capacity of their Highbury ground, which is hemmed in by housing, and have fought a long-running battle with Islington council over redevelopment plans. The club wants a capacity of about 60,000. Talks will begin before the end of the month, when Lord Archer plans to present the proposals. One option is for a purpose-built centre where delegates could eat, sleep and talk in one venue. The cost would be raised from the �300 million urban regeneration fund, which will be controlled by the new London authority, and the private sector. Arsenal's move would be partly financed by the sale of Highbury, which is worth more than �30 million. The site identified by Lord Archer is the hundreds of acres of semi-derelict land at the back of King's Cross railway station. The location would provide excellent travel links for supporters. It is next to the planned site of the London terminal for the Channel Tunnel rail link and in 2001 it will be the site of the BAA rail extension from Heathrow. It is also the favoured option of the Business Tourism Forum, whose members include the BAA, Confederation of British Industry and Virgin Rail. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry is supporting the proposals.

Allison, I was wondering if you have seen The Real Thing yet Yes, Ann, I did and enjoyed it very much. I had seen the original productionand had not liked it much. This was much better IMHO. However my enjoyment was slightly dampened by the fact that our seats were in the first row of the circle, at the side. I have never sat there before and the view is not good. The production is best viewed from the front IMO and is certainly better seen without a large wooden bar across one's line of vision! However the performances were very good. I thought SD was particularly fine as I do not remember having seen him before.

Oh no, Allison, that's where our seats are Row A, 8,9 & 10. not bothered for myself as I have already seen it but am taking a friend who has not seen it, but had good seats the first time round so can't complain. Did you see anyone you recognised in the audience and how did the audience respond, they were very enthusiatic when I went in June? I quite agree about SD, I am definitely a fan now and will look out for other things that he may be in but I do think that the chemistry between him & JE was a big lus to the whole production.

"was a big plus"to this production.

Did you see anyone you recognised in the audience No. I looked hard but nobody I recognised. how did the audience respond, they were very enthusiatic when I went in June? It was warmly received. Nobody leapt out of their seats or anything but, in London, I often think that is a symptom of fandom rather than an appreciation of the play. When I saw "Plenty" there were people standing and applauding CB when her performance was, frankly, shrill and OTT. Do I sound grouchy today? It must be the heat. I wonder is ODB's makeup is running? It can be no fun filming in Londinium in this humidity.

Happy Birthday again, KJ Art! *Grunt* *virtually moving the gifts over from last month* Thanks for the JE interview link, Evelyn. I can see why she and ODB were attracted to one another. It seems they're alike in many ways. I hope there's many great things in her future. (Winter) Ooo.. and Women's World Cup Soccer is on tomorrow! And they gave you a birthday present too! U-S-A! U-S-A! What a torturous game. So glad to see 90K people there, TV ratings up...wonder if Phaedra will do more FP advertising (in addition to that which is already planned on Fox Sports). [From 119] Karen, I also saw 'Son of Sam' and caught the musical montage. FP's was better. I didn't care for SoS--way too long. (Allison) I wonder is ODB's makeup is running? It can be no fun filming in Londinium in this humidity Reminiscent of 'Nostromo', no? Hope he has a 'waterperson' this time, too.

**GROAN** If you guys keep inventing virtual birthdays for me every the 8th of a month crops up I will be aging even faster than I am now!! Thanks for the thought, but..... <8-{

(Allison)I thought SD was particularly fine as I do not remember having seen him before. SD was in Mrs. Holyroyd. If you want to see him in a splendid film...check out FIRELIGHT. It is out on video. Fantastic love story. **** Sorry your seats were poor for TRT. The sides at the Donmar are losers. For one of the performances I sat in the first row stalls side and I could not hear some of the dialogue.Even center circle is better than side stalls. **** Glad to hear CB got a standing O....deservedly or not.....London audiences are getting exhuberant. ****** BTW THE REAL THING segment of JE's website is now complete. For pictures go to: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/4820/real_pics.html For reviews: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/4820/real_art.html ****** (Eileen)...Re; JE....I can see why she and ODB were attracted to one another. It seems they're alike in many ways If those two would have stayed together they would have gone to live in a cave in the Hebrides and we never would have seen either one!!

(Allison) I wonder is ODB's makeup is running? It can be no fun filming in Londinium in this humidity Have you found the set? Are they shooting out of doors? Have you brought a folding chair to watch? Fess up. (Eileen) So glad to see 90K people there, TV ratings up. Heard this morning that the ratings were higher than for the NBA finals this year (pffft, wonder why) (Eileen) I also saw 'Son of Sam' and caught the musical montage. FP's was better. OK, take Colin out of the scenes and put some ordinary everyday actor in it. Now, re-rate. ;-)

OK, take Colin out of the scenes and put some ordinary everyday actor in it. Now, re-rate. ;-) Well, that changes everything. You can't compare CF-less Highbury to Yankee Stadium (even if they just dropped 2 out of 3 to the Mets)!

(Karen)Have you found the set? Are they shooting out of doors? Have you brought a folding chair to watch? Arghhh! You know my guilty secret. I have been marching around London, chair in hand, on the off chance I might stumble across a film set. So far no luck:-) But does anyone know who is actually producing this film? Does it have a distributer? What happened to Mike Binder's previous film with MH?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVELYN, hope you are having a lovely day

HEY GANG, IT'S EVELYN'S BIRTHDAY!!!

Many happy returns of the day, Evelyn. Hope it's extra special! *must be if you get a dancing frog;))

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Evelyn, Happy birthday to you. How... oh, ok, I won't do that verse."

Hi Gang, Thank you Ann....Karen ...and Laura.... For all the good wishes., the dancing and singing!! Almost worth being a year older.....to get such a reception:-)) I esp. liked the cowboy, Karen. Love y'all, Evelyn....the Dancing Frog

Happy birthday Evelyn.

Happy Birthday Evelyn, you've been so good for this place!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVELYN From Darcy's Hands to your head, the only fit headwear for your exaltedness And, Fresh from me to you for a lovely evening - orchids and rosebuds

oh...there's more (irreverancy begins now) ;-D "Miss Bennet, please pardon my forwardness, but I fear I may have given you the impression that my feelings remain unchanged from last April. They are not. I have met another woman, who sets my soul on fire with her wicked humor and sharp tongue. We met in the lobby at the Donmar and I have not been able to forget her. Alas, her name is Evelyn..."

I walk the streets of London in vain. Where oh where is Evelyn to be found?

"I pond-er whether Evelyn has crossed this vast ocean before me. My life would have no meaning if she had."

"Will we ever meet again?" I know you're going to kill me *hiding from view*

closing all the tags that I was sure were closed. *slapping myself silly*

LOL Karen.

BTW we seem to have had some visitors to CHAT tonight by the name of FIRTH!! not our DB I am sure!!

Great photos, Karen. I wanna be in the one by the lake. He *needs* me!

Happy Birthday, Evelyn!!!! (a fellow Cancer, I see!) With much love, Jennifer

Happy, happy birthday, Evelyn! To the gal who always sends flowers...here's some for you. It's the "spring mix." I thought it fitting. Thanks for all your info sleuthing and enthusiasm for all things Firth (and Ehle)! BTW, what's that Darcy's got in his pocket, Evelyn (in the searching London pic)? Something for you, perhaps? ;-P

*****HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVELYN!!***** *****And many, many more!***** *****May your generous nature be returned to you ten times over!*****

The sound you hear is me laughing uproariously!!! LOL Karen....You really outdid yourself.But how can I compete with Lizzie??? ****** (Eileen)BTW, what's that Darcy's got in his pocket, Evelyn (in the searching London pic)? Something for you, perhaps? ;-P What can I say? (Blush, blush....) "The Best of all Gifts":-D **** Thank you Lucie, Winter...and Eileen's Spring bouquet....how apropos! What a crowd!! You really know how to make a gal happy....

Nobody does it better at making things happen. Heartfelt thanks to you for all you do for us, both at the Donmar and here at the board. Looks like Lizzie can't compete. Much love and Happy Birthday. And my gift to you is a reminder of what you said to us at the Donmar after telling Colin we were from the Spring. "He probably thinks we're all from a spa." Here's your very own. Long live the Spa girls!

WOW!!Thanks a Bunch.... KJArt, Heide....you're all tops!! (Gee Heide...the spa reminds me of the one at the Thanet!!, hee, hee) What a Party!!:-D

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVELYN!!!! Hope you had a wonderful day! As usual, I must ask the recpient of my good wishes to envision her own gift. However, I am sure that your imagination is fully capable of producing a vision of splendor and artistry... (by which of course I mean a scantily clad Darcy) ;) Karen -ROTFLOL!!! those pics and accompaning story line were great -how I envy our birthday girl! I wish Darcy would seek me out with such diligence! :)

(Eileen)As usual, I must ask the recpient of my good wishes to envision her own gift. I've got a great imagination.... Pemberley will do :-) (Eileen)how I envy our birthday girl! I wish Darcy would seek me out with such diligence! :) It was an "out of body experience"....

I just realized that I forgot the serve the cake. Good thing, the candle is one those that never goes out! Glad I could amuse you all...and especially Evelyn (at Jennifer's expense)!! ;-D

Such a sweet cake.... Ilike the black frosting...For mourning over b'day? ...especially Evelyn (at Jennifer's expense)!! ;-D Don't think ole Jenn has to worry :-D Loved all my gifts...can't wait til next year....!!

Loved the pics, Karen. Thanks, I really needed them today.

Yooooooo, Winter, honey... Have I got a weekend lineup for you to go see!! And of course report back to all of us. Read at the LA Times about the lineup at Outfest '99. In addition to Bedrooms & Hallways (with JE), which will have a normal release next month, there are two others of interest: "The Sex Monster" - the movie with Mike Binder and Mariel Hemingway, CF's co-stars in Londinium. Also, Binder is the writer-director of Londinium. "Man Is Woman" - French film about gay French jewish guy who has to marry (a hassidic girl) so that rich uncle won't disinherit him. Saw it last fall. Really cute. Great klezmer music. Antoine de Caunes isn't too bad to look at. Just my picks for the weekend. ;-D

Lucky Winter.....Wish I lived in LA :-(

I've just been reviewing my gifts again..... Wrote a thank you to Marcia and Terry ...but must not have tapped the submit tab.... Anyway...thank you Terry....as ever, Our Knight in Shining.... And Million Mahalos to Hilo-Marcia**for the special lei (hey, white orchids aren't cheap!!)and the tiara from "The Man Himself".You sure know how to make a gal feel special. **there used to be a song "When Hilo-Hattie does the Hilo-Hop.."Is it still around. (Songs in Hawaii never fade away:-) )

yipppeeee!!!! And I thought my weekend was only going to be limited to do some plant-shopping! (anyone know if I can grow a hefty sized bouganvillea (sp?) from a pot alone? I want something for my patio, which is entirely paved over)

(anyone know if I can grow a hefty sized bouganvillea (sp?) from a pot alone? Winter, I have a bouganvillea (sp?) in a large pot, and it is flowering beautifully. I just take care to keep it moist (but not soggy) and in a sunny spot. I have it climbing on a trellis. It is gorgeous.

Indeed, even little kids do Hilo Hattie's Hula Hop! Thanks Evelyn =) My Bougainvillas are growing in cinder from a recent eruption. Mine like to be drained well. Sand is good - beware of too much mulch and peat moss. They do not like wet feet. And, to bloom well, the more sunlight the better.

. And, to bloom well, the more sunlight the better. REALLY?! my patio faces West, and has full-blown sunglight for the better half of the day! I'm so excited...But does it shed many petals? I don't want to have it shedding on my neighbor's patio.

Oh my, a courteous neighbor! I wish mine (the ones with the big messy tree that covers my backyard) thought the same or at least cleaned up after it... ;-D Can't help with bougainvilla. Only summer time potted pots on patios here like my hibiscus. Can't hand the snow.

For a little smile, from the Guardian: A disappointing Affair? The Coming Attractions web site has posted a first review of Neil Jordan�s adaptation of Graham Greene�s classic romance The End of the Affair. While the critic, called Cichlisuite, announced "I love Neil Jordan, Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea and especially Ralph Fiennes", he/she wasn�t impressed by the Irish director�s spin on this WW2 love story: "Well, folks, simply put this film is a world-class snoozer� A story so dull that even the actors looked bored as hell on screen". The story, laden with Greene�s hallmark Catholic guilt, calls on Fiennes, Rea and Moore to play the three corners of a love triangle between two old friends and the woman they both love. According to its first reviewer, the stars don�t cut the mustard. "Ralph Fiennes is a fine actor," we�re helpfully told, "but here he is going through the motions, as are the other actors, and it feels like they are all reading off of a tele-prompter (advice guys: drink some coffee before shooting your scenes). "What this film is," concludes the reviewer, "is a serious bid for Academy attention come Oscar time, that will fall flat on its face unless it's fixed up big-time. This film tries so hard to be the next English Patient�"

My popular request, I unlinked topic 120 in drool from the news conference and now it exists only in news, there was a fear that the conspiracy theorists might spill over in to other topics and I respect that! But you can still pay homage to John John in the news conference.

Just so there are no loose ends...from The Times: London filmed top to bottom BY DALYA ALBERGE, ARTS CORRESPONDENT LONDON is about to be seen in a new light, from angles that few of its inhabitants will recognise. Camera shots will plunge down the heights of buildings such as St Paul's Cathedral, hurtle along the tracks of a Tube train and travel through the maze of sewers under Ludgate Circus, using cinematic technology that can create the sensation of being there. A �3 million film offering the new look at the capital is to be made for the new �20-million Imax picture palace on the South Bank, near Waterloo station. Stephen Fry is co-writing and starring as a tour guide in a film that will be screened at Imax cinemas worldwide. Fry acknowledged the challenge of making a film that is intended to excite Londoners as much as its tourists. The fact that London has been "blitzed and bombed and developed makes it a multilayered place", he said. Filming will begin this summer. It is being produced by Peter and Marc Samuelson, who have been commissioned for the project by the British Film Institute.

Dearest Evelyn, I hope you had a great birthday! Sorry to be tardy with my wishes (and wish I could come up with something really creative to post for you!) Karen, I am LMAO at your gift of Darcy.

(Terry) I unlinked topic 120 in drool from the news conference and now it exists only in news, there was a fear that the conspiracy theorists might spill over in to other topics and I respect that! Thanks. BTW, I saw last night (it could have been on MSNBC; my nose has been glued to the set and various channels for most of the weekend) a brief piece about the internet and conspiracy theories. Was that the Spring they flashed, by any chance???

*******Please Read********* If topics are not showing up when there are new posts (and we have not had a date problem), then you might want to check on the main Drool page if you have accidentally designated a topic to "Forget." That is one of the settings above the listing with All, New, Activity Today, and Activity within 7 Days. Click on "Forgotten" to see if any of your current topics is there. Allison, who was having this problem, has figured it out. She said that: "All you have to do, is then list all those topics which are "forgotten" and there will be a "remember" button at the top of the page. If you do not want to remember all topics, I think you should be able to list only all/119/fogotten and then you can just remember the topic you interested in." Thank you, Allison, for figuring this out.

Thank you, Allison, for figuring this out. ] Geez, I figured that out months ago and posted it when I had the same problem!

I have just discovered that Austin, Texas - the home of our beloved Spring and Drool's parent - has an annual SPAM festival...Oh my goodness!

Oh my poor nerves! :-)

When is it? Maybe we can have our next reunion there? ;-)

Still checking on that. When I found out it was strictly LOLROTF time. Winter, yes, Bougainvillas they shed their pretty bracts) which are the pretty parts...and some leaves.

I asked William about it and he replied: Spamorama. A few years back, we made a decent (or so I was told by the customers who tried it!!!) a Spam Parmesan. I am still waiting for when it happens.

He thinks it was April Fool's Day...it figures!

Oh, alright... Maybe we can start a festival ourselves!

Oh, alright... Maybe we can start a festival ourselves! Just gather up your shower gifts and you've got one! Marcia, tell William that the words "decent" and "Spam" can't be used in the same sentence!

Too late...he suggested and I complied and now there is a place far from the lofty heights of Drool: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/browse/food/54/all Oh, and btw, the gentleman who used decent and Spam in the same sentence is a professional. If he says it that way, it iS that way. Now, join me down below.

Spam memorabilia should be posted there as well. Thanks one and all.

Thanks Jana for your good wishes... I'm still smiling :-)) ****** (Karen)Re; London Imax film of London to be narrated by Stephen Fry. Filming will begin this summer. It is being produced by Peter and Marc Samuelson, who have been commissioned for the project by the British Film Institute. They were the producers of WILDE, but also....PLAYMAKER!!

Sorry about the italics...the last sentence is my comment.

They were the producers of WILDE, but also....PLAYMAKER!! What a riot! This looks like one travelogue that shouldn't be missed. Can just picture it: Bosie and Ross come out of the glass shower... ;-D

From my London Theatre Newsletter: "BBC TV are producing a new 4 million ukp tv adaptation of Charles Dicken's "DAVID COPPERFIELD" and is expected to feature some of the UK's best known actors including DAME MAGGIE SMITH, ZOE WANAMAKER, BOB HOSKINS, DAWN FRENCH, SIR IAN McKELLEN, TREVOR EVE, MICHAEL ELPHICK, CHERIE LUNGHI, IMELDA STAUNTON, PAULINE QUIRKE, and NICHOLAS LYNDHURST." ****** Oh yeah...there's no one there I wanna see!! Stuff it!!

Geez, Evelyn, I could have come up with a better list than that under heave sedation. Oh well...Stuff it, like you said!

Oh yes, another thing. Got a lovely post card from Moon Dreams in Italy. She says hi to everyone from Tuscany and Umbria. She is looking out for DB and says it is lovely in Siena. Arrivederci!

Where's Jennifer, I would love to see her back on TV. Did Moon say if she liked JE in TRT and what she thought of it, Evelyn.

But Trevor Eve, Evelyn? Yummy!

(Laura)But Trevor Eve, Evelyn? Yummy! From whence is Trever Eve yummy? Pray tell. **** I have not heard from Moon....look forward to her comments on TRT. ****** (Marcia)I could have come up with a better list than that under heavy sedation. Hey,Marcia...that's a good line...mind if I copy it? I'd like to send it to BBC casting...

Trevor Eve is 101, I remember him in "Shoestring" and that was yonks ago.

sorry about that but it is so hot here 31degrees, unheard of and set to continue.

At the end of a week of defending JE on the Pemberley Board re: being fat...awkward running etc ..(Great fun, really, no one takes it seriously...) Some guy posted this today: "All the criticisms of JE are well put... but I am simply unable to see anything wrong with Jennifer Ehle in any way, at any time, ever, period, nor do I ever intend to!" { LOL **** it is so hot here 31 degrees, unheard of and set to continue. I don't know what 31 degrees C. is..but we were 104F. yesterday....that's not just heat index...that real temp!! Can anybody top that? Makes one want to go and cool off on the Isle of Man!!

Human body temp is 37 C. (98.6 F). 31 C is ONLY

Human body temp is 37 C. (98.6 F). 31 C is ONLY about 88 F, but with their humidity, it's probably smothering!!!! ( For those interested: C X 1.8 + 32 = F) (If you remember your algebra, you can reverse that formula if you want to go from Fahrenheit to Celsius.) (I know, I know...SHEESH!)

I got this today from Breakfast with the Arts on A&E - maybe you could pass it on to Spring. They tried to get Colin but he was on location. Silvie Hey there Sunday Morning Music Lovers, This Sunday morning (8/1) starting at 9am/et on BREAKFAST WITH THE ARTS on the A&E Television Network, join me for: My interview with actress MARY ELIZABETH MASTRANTONIO talking about her new movies MY LIFE SO FAR and LIMBO . . . and my conversation with actor and writer BUCK HENRY talking about his current Broadway role in the play ART. Also . . .A Concert of the Berlin Philharmonic Concert at Waldbuhne: Russian Night. The annual summer concert set in the grand outdoors at Waldbuhne. Includes selections from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker", Strauss's "Radetzky-March", and Stravinsky's "The Firebird Suite". See you Sunday morning,

Evelyn, feel free to use that comment (and thanks for cleaning up my typo.) Is that A&E Sunday morning with the arts a rerun? I don't think I will get up at 4 to watch it is ODB is amongst the missing!

Didn't you guys see the miniseries that bested P&P at the Baftas three years ago? The Politician's Wife? That was an amazing series and TE was the husband. Minnie Driver the mistress and a dazzling turn by Juliet Stevenson. Then there was the Taster's Choice commercial where he played the long-forgotten husband to the woman who was falling in love with now Buffy's Giles;) And Trevor Eve was also in a recent mini-series, The Heat and the Sun???? (or heat and dust) something like that. He is very yummy.

Whatever you say Laura, but not to my taste but I did enjoy Shoestring the series and although I can't think who the mistress was in TPW, I am sure it wasn't MD, will have to look it up.

I be your pardon Laura, MS was indeed the mistress, sorry.

We were just doing C to F and back conversions, as we were with relatives who live outside the US today. It is about 37-38 C. here base temp, without taking into account the humidity (which is abominably high). Here in the city it is hotter as the concrete canyons retain heat. So if I've done my math correctly, we had 43 C. yesterday. But I hear a break is coming. Marcia, you might tell Silvie that she can post her information to Springfolks. I would expect MEM to talk about MLSF and Limbo.

I must give Trevor Eve a thumbs up for sex appeal. If you saw Heat of the Sun, you saw Jonathan Firth in it as well. Poor baby brother has yet to set my hormones buzzing but Trevor did a fine job. (Susannah Harker was in Heat... too.)

I must give Trevor Eve a thumbs up for sex appeal. ] I knew I wouldn't be alone!

31 C is ONLY about 88 F, but with their humidity, it's probably smothering!!!! And we do not have air conditioning! But I am not complaining - I love it. Come on Ann, it has to be better than continuous grey skies 8-))

No air conditioning! :( You have my sincerest apologies and condolences.

Sorry Laura, can't picture Trevor Eve, but DAME MAGGIE SMITH, DAWN FRENCH, SIR IAN McKELLEN, and NICHOLAS LYNDHURST. I would definitely tune in for! Oh, btw... Hi everyone!! Karen, I heard that Chicago hit the world high temp the other day at 44 C. Not pleasant at all!!

Nice to see you join us on other topics Teg! ;-D Re Temperature: Didn't realize that it was record-setting, but couldn't possibly be for the world. There are places in US that regular go up into the three digit area all the time. Bull Head City, AZ, for one. Hotter than Hades most of the time. Likely just a record for us. Coolness here or coming!! [haven't been outside yet] Electrical power is the issue for the last couple of days. Big outages, covering areas near me and tons of customers it includes many lakefront high rises (tower blocks). Com Ed is going take major HEAT on this from mayor and all the influential people who live in affected areas. Thank goodness, I've had no problems. *knock on wood* ;-D

(Allison).....And we do not have air conditioning! May you rest in peace!! ******* Nice to have you with us, Teg... Now get back to work and finish that story!!:-D ***** Like I said....can anyone top 104 degrees??!!

Yep, it hit 109 in Attleboro on July 5!!!! (well with the humidex;))

100 degrees F yesterday for me (without humidex) and don't know where it's going today. And I don't have air conditioning either.

Yes sorry to whinge (sp)Allison, its just that it goes from one extreme to another and I agree it is better than grey skies and wind and rain. I actually hope it continues for a while as we are having the outside of the house painted from tomorrow. Don't tell me I know the weather is going to change in the middle of the week!!

I say get thee to a cooling center or store and purchase one! My daughter has severe asthma during this weather, it's hell! *pun not intended!* WHAT is up with the weather pattern????? It's totally screwy!

Pop over to http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/Geo/14 and find out. Link are there for your specific area of the world.

I sympathize with all of you that are having such hot weather. In the inland L.A. areas we typically have long spells of beastly 100 to 110 degree weather throughout the summer (although with low humidity)but the last few weeks have not been bad at all. It only got into the 80's today - I think all of you are getting our heat. I have only seen Trevor Eve in Heat of the Sun, but he did make my heart beat a little faster. Had sort of a charisma thing going on :-). But AnnW, your comment about him being 101 made me LOL! He did have a bit of an older man's paunch starting (well hidden by his costume).

..but didn't you like that ending? Dancing under the African stars? A bit bizarre, given but I'm a sucker for happy endings like that. He did have a bit of an older man's paunch starting (well hidden by his costume). I'd call him stocky. Very square-like in construction. :-0

This was in Sunday's paper: BY ROGER EBERT Q. My father, who is 6-foot-4, insists that today's movies are populated by dwarves. The sight of Tom Cruise or Dustin Hoffman sets him into apoplexy. He says tall actors are discriminated against because of some sort of Hollywood conspiracy. I try to tell him that there are plenty of tall actors and that the proportion of tall, short and average height is probably no different among movie stars than in the rest of the country. He tells me I'm not paying attention. Mike Holtzclaw, Daily Press, Newport New , Va. A. You are basically correct; actors come in many shapes and sizes. Closeups are a great equalizing device (consider what an amazing impact Danny DeVito has in anything he does). Actresses who are taller than average (Sigourney Weaver, Saffron Burrows) sometimes have trouble getting cast opposite insecure stars, but it says something for Tom Cruise (who is of average height) that he loves to work with his taller wife. Here's a theory to try out on your dad: Stars of both sexes tend to have larger h ads, in relationship to body size, than the average person. That allows them to dominate in closer shots. ************ Am going to have to rewatch Circle of Friends to check on this height thing relative to Colin. Also relative to Minnie; I've seen how tall she is too!

Am going to have to rewatch Circle of Friends to check on this height thing relative to Colin I watched this last week because I was reading the book (which, as usual, was much better than the movie although Simon is described as "small and dark" --yuck). Simon has only about two inches on 'Nan-oh-nan'. You can see it best in the breakup scene. At one point he puts his hands on her shoulders and says "you're really something" and they're nearly eye level with one another.

But doesn't Nan-oh-Nan look like she towers over dumpy Minnie? And Minnie is likely about 5' 10"!

Yes, to my recollection. She must be about 6'. She was probably barefoot in her standing scenes with CF and had heels on next to Minnie. Just read over at TV Now that CoF will be rebroadcast by NBC (tame version) on 8/14.

CoF will be rebroadcast by NBC (tame version) on 8/14. Sheesh!! Those non-rumpy pumpy versions aren't hardly worth one's effort, when you can buy a brand new CoF at Best Buy for $6 these days. ;-D

...when you can buy a brand new CoF at Best Buy for $6 these days. ;-D That's one we haven't done either...CoF.

Thought this column from The Independent was pretty cute: Terence Blacker - Modern football: think Emma Bovary in a replica shirt 'Read books? Visited the Tate? Modern football is just another enriching cultural experience' You have held out for years. Your first memory was not sitting on your father's shoulders to watch the game against Preston North End. You were not given a rattle for your 10th birthday. The idea that true emotion can only be understood in the context of watching a game has always seemed idiotic. You are cultured, an intellectual. Football means nothing to you. But now you can no longer resist the pressure. The game is everywhere. No academic, artist or Cabinet minister can expect to be taken seriously if he does not support a team. Simply to prove that you are not socially inadequate, you need to become a fan. It is not as difficult as you might imagine. You have been to the National Theatre, haven't you? Read books? Visited the Tate? Well, modern football is just another enriching cultural experience. The game involves teams. Modern fans choose their teams on the basis of intellectual compatibility. If you enjoy jazzy, self-important glitter - you read Tom Wolfe, you genuinely enjoyed Starlight Express - you will support Chelsea. More introvert and complex fans - Paul Auster, Larry Sanders, Leonard Cohen types - might choose Spurs, while the kind of traditionalist for whom the revival of An Inspector Calls is a great night out might prefer Sheffield Wednesday or Ipswich. For this essential decision, yo should invest in The Cultural Guide to English Football Clubs, published jointly by the FA and Prospect magazine. At the game itself, you will notice an older man on the pitch, who runs backwards in a self-important manner, occasionally waving coloured cards. This is the referee. Until recently, referees used to wear black, but the FA decided that too many were suffering from Hamlet complexes and now put them in a dull, neutral colour. You should regard the referee as an alienated figure, like a sad yet faintly comic Chekhovian scholar: it is his inescapable fate to be part of - yet essentially dislocated from - the rama over which he officiates. He can allow a goal, or disallow it - but he can never actually score it himself. That is the tragedy of his existence. It is no more necessary to understand tactics, formations or positions of play than it is essential to appreciate the thematic structure of Wagner's Ring cycle in order to enjoy the music. Concentrate on the various actors and archetypes playing their parts in the drama. Your team may contain a want-away striker. For all his brilliance, beauty and flair, the want-away striker, like Emma Bovary or Nicola Six, has become restlessly aware that his destiny is elsewhere. The playing out of his inner conflict - every goal he scores makes his escape less likely and is, in a very real sense, an own goal - is one of the game's most gripping dramas. A more homely and recognisable character is your team's resident psycho - a term which only coincidentally has Hitchcockian connotations. The psycho is on the pitch to represent the spiritual bond between players and spectators. As he charges about, swearing at the referee, trying to break the legs of better players, he is a much-loved embodiment - somewhere between a medieval Everyman figure and Shakespearean clown - of the spirit, ambition and futility of the ordinary fan. In the centre of the drama, you will see a midfield dynamo, who propels the action forward with the driving, slightly dull relentlessness of a Steve Reich symphony, and a playmaker, the team intellectual who, like a Stoppard character, can put his foot on the ball and redefine the essential nature of human experience with a perfectly judged cross-field pass. Most teams have a doughty veteran, a Polonius figure who, at the end of each game, seems to be flat out behind the arras yet never quite dies. Occasionally, a callow teenager from the youth team might take the field to be described as one for the future, particularly if he has a football brain or a cultured left foot. Inevitably, the dark side of humanity will be evident in your team's troubled star. Like Jimmy Porter, or a Graham Greene whisky priest, or the minotaur in Maggi Hambling's "Minotaur Surprised while Eating", this character is highly volatile, a prey to inner demons, and more often than not has been to hell and back. There are attendant sub-plots: the existential agony of the back-me-sack-me manager on the bench, the ever-changing Greek chorus of the crowd and, above all, the subtleties of the post-match interview. To be fair. To be honest. All credit to the lads. Very much so. Soon these words will speak to you with the cutting, understated eloquence of a Harold Pinter play.

LOL, Karen! It shames me that you are the person who brings us selections from the British broadsheet press. All the way from the US. Here I am in the land of Firth and I only seem to find things in the tabloids! What does that say about my real reading habits.

Hey, if the tabloids were on line, I'd be there also...seeking out info on ODB or visiting aliens. Just every once and a while, an article jumps out at me. Believe it or not, this article actually has some relevance to Colin, but maybe belongs on the film discussion topic. To wit, and a playmaker, the team intellectual who, like a Stoppard character, can put his foot on the ball and redefine the essential nature of human experience with a perfectly judged cross-field pass.

a perfectly judged cross-field pass. Now I shall have to watch the dreaded P film:-)

a perfectly judged cross-field pass. When he emerges from the shower. Doesn't get more perfect than that!! :)

Thanks Karen...that article is a winner...Kudos to the author for alluding to literature..feel he was stretching it a bit..purposely, of course...but all v. amusing. I esp. liked: Until recently,referees used to wear black, but the FA decided that too many were suffering from Hamlet complexes and now put them in a dull, neutral colour. LOL I bet none of our sport writers could write a column like that!!

Sorry forgot the tags. Last sentence is mine.

Re: referee Hamlets loved the part about "He can allow a goal, or disallow it - but he can never actually score it himself. That is the tragedy of his existence." Shame that the Arsenal suppporter is not defined. I'll leave that to you Allison or Bethan. Much to ponder as am going to a baseball game tomorrow. Will be on the lookout for the team psycho and back-me-sack-me manager and never-say-die Polonius characters.

Poor MIRAMAX can't win..... This posted at the INDIE- WIRE website: "Posted By: Dave Nicholls (Cultural Studies Yr.III, University of Portsmouth, UK) (nicholls@bigship.freeserve.co.uk) I have no objection to (and indeed, am not peeved by) US money financing essentially British/ European projects, it is just that other, often better, films cannot compete with the promotion and hype the US companies can generate, however much the British budgets are rising. There is no easy solution to this, my previous mail concerns rather that these 'other' films often necessitate interested members of the audience to search harder than merely their nearest Odean or UCI. In this way, you don't so much c eate an elite, as an enthusiastic community - and this is surely at the heart of the success of independent cinema, for which there will always be an audience. International cinema is alive and well, it just requires a bit more enthusiasm from it's audience than the general yearly output of Miramax, 20C Fox et al As for the PaintballerIV project - sounds ineteresting - but we students can't really afford to finance anything. Oh for my premium bonds to come up trumps... I can only hope that Labour do not deliver false promises, with regard to their film funding policy."

I cannot remember laughing so hard in my life. Well, maybe once or twice. I mean the shower you put together. Marcia, would that I had your wit. Everyone was hysterically funny but when you started with the camels I lost it. Then the space shuttle and all. The rowers, the ships. The whole thing was truly amazing. You could not all have been chemically altered for all that time, so I see that you are all breathtakingly funny. And the food! And the parties! And to think I happened to try this topi on a lark, not expecting much, except that there were so many posts. The honeymoon (was that you, Karen?) I'm glad I was able to read it all in 1 sitting. I was afraid to skip even one post; they were all that good.

Mustn't forget Moon was our chief hostess for the shower. She and Marcia did a fantastic job stirring up the fun. BTW, where is Moon? Shouldn't she be back yet? Maybe I'll give her a call.

So true. She was (is?) an excellent hostess.

(Karen) BTW, where is Moon? Shouldn't she be back yet? Maybe I'll give her a call. Pl. do...time to start planning for Colin's birthday....only a month away.

Isn't Moon in Lake Como? I think she said she always goes there in August.

They were there already. Maybe they returned after London?

Since Julie Andrews is somewhat relevant, thought you might find this interesting from your Times tabloid: ;-D The racy past of Mary Poppins by Paul Ham FANS OF Mary Poppins will be shocked to learn that the creator of the magical nanny was a sensual Australian woman who wrote erotic verse and took a string of lovers during her long life. Pamela Travers, or P L Travers as she preferred to be known, is portrayed in a new biography as a pleasure-loving, bohemian young woman who later tried to conceal her Australian past. Like Mary Poppins, Travers travelled the world. But unlike her prim heroine, who has delighted millions of children, Travers preferred the company of rebellious Irish poets and eastern mystics. In Out of the Sky She Came, published next month by Hodder Headline, Valerie Lawson traces the character of Mary Poppins to Travers's own nanny, Helen Moorhead, a matronly Australian spinster. In her will Moorhead left Travers and her sisters little trinkets and baubles, including Sunlight soap, flannel nighties and a tape measure - items that would emerge, miraculously, from Mary Poppins's carpet bag. Moorhead was even said to have owned a parrot-headed umbrella, the design Travers chose for Poppins's magic brolly. When she was in her late twenties, Travers knew W B Yeats and fell in love with his friend, the poet George William Russell who was 40 years her senior. Travers was born Helen Lyndon Gough 100 years ago tomorrow in the small Queensland town of Maryborough, where her father, just like Mr Banks in the Mary Poppins stories, was a bank manager. He died when Travers was seven and she moved with her distraught mother and two younger sisters to Bowral, New South Wales, where she had a difficult adolescence. At one point Travers's mother, depressed by her husband's death, threatened to drown herself. To calm her sisters, Travers started inventing stories about a winged horse which turned into a headstrong young nanny borne along by a magic umbrella. In her early twenties she fell out with her mother and left home to become an actress and dancer. The heroine immortalised on film by Julie Andrews was conceived in 1926 during a visit to New Zealand. By then a 25-year-old travelling actress, she fell in love with a young reporter on the Christchurch Sun who encouraged her to write for the paper. The result, the first Poppins story, related the scene in which Mary and the Banks children leap through the pavement to a fantasy world beyond. The story was published but Travers's nameless lover disappeared from her life and she left for Britain, never to return. Before her departure Travers wrote poetry for The Bulletin, then Australia's most eminent literary magazine, and for Triad, another journal. Much of it was too explicit to be published. "She wrote very erotic poetry," said Lawson. "It contained much overt phallic symbolism and sexual references to swords, hooped skirts and the joy of losing her clothes." In one poem she wrote: Again feel your fingers in my hair Bending my half unwilling back . . . and back . . . Until the fortress of my womanhood Is shattered by your crushing, conquering arms. "She was a little nymph to look at," said Lawson. "She had red springy hair and blue eyes - an Irish look. She was slender, but not a beautiful woman. But she had so much vivacity." Her love for Russell, a father figure, is documented in effusive letters and it was she who alerted Yeats as Russell lay dying in 1935. In 1934 she had completed her first book of Poppins stories. Their success was not immediate, but she was slowly recognised as a gifted storyteller and her fame spread. In 1939 Travers adopted a son, Camillus, who became an antiquarian bookseller. She sought solace in eastern religions and became involved in the Krishna Murty sect. In later life - she died in 1995 aged 96 - she affected a grand manner and took the title doctor after an American university where she was writer-in-residence gave her an honorary doctorate. Travers was opposed to the Disney version of Poppins. According to Lawson, she accused the film company of producing a "saccharine version" of her book which failed to reveal the darker side of the heroine.

Thank you, Karen, I never thought I might be interested in Mary Poppins again, but a "darker side"... I may look up those stories.

Looks like a remake of Mary Poppins is in order but will Cate Blanchett be available? ;-)

I heard that one of the spice girls is up for the role... :p

LOL!! Puts me in mind of the Tom Lehrer lyric: "When correctly viewed, everything is lewd. I could tell you things about Peter Pan and the Wizard of Oz was a dirty old man."

Today is Kirsten's Birthday: HAVE A HAPPY ONE!!

One more time :-D Have a Happy One!!

Happy Birthday, Kirsten! Now be a good girl and stay off those cannons...;-D

Happy Birthday, Kirsten. I don't know how many it is,but you look 21!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIRSTEN!! Have an ice cream on me and give that Firth spoon an extra lick. Yum yum!

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, KIRSTEN!

Happy Birthday Kirsten!!!

Kristen is not on my list...I need all the help I can get...Happy Birthday, Kristen, and I am sorry for the oversight.

Quimby, dear, thanks for the comments on my travels in behalf of Gi's shower. Now go to 113 and read about SPAM. That is terrific, and I was just a contributing poster on that one. Enjoy!

Ooops, I nearly missed my own party here! Sorry, grils! I needed a little hint from Renate to take a look at #72 because I do not often check this board. Thanks a lot for all your good wishes. Evelyn you're flattering me! But thanks anyway, you made my day! (May I quote Mme de Merteuil: "More! I want more!" ) (Heide) give that Firth spoon an extra lick. Yum yum! You bet! And more than one, I can tell!! Karen, I couldn't see your little pic, but I suppose Eileens mentioning of those cannons has something to do with it?

For you, Marcia, this is our Hawaiian cow on Michigan Avenue:

And here's London cow:

I had no idea there were Hawaiian bovine specimens in Chicago. (Who says the internet will rot your brain?! *lol*) I note the London one is a female as is the Hawaiian one. Have you no Chicago Bulls in your collection?

Marcia, They had to retire Michael Jordan to stud!

THAT is where he went?! What a retirement package That must have been!

Your cow for the evening is PiCOWsso:

And one more... this is Muddy Holly and Peggy Moo:

How long have you been collecting these bossy specimens? No Bossy Tweed??? *lol* they are so funny!!!

Marcia, they are on display all over Chicago. There are more than 200 of them and they've become a huge tourist attraction. Go see the one I put at 98.

How big are they??? I think they are very clever for a town whose existance is due to the stockyards.

About as large as a real one would be. I'll find a pic of one with people standing around for a little perspective. I think they're just here until the end of September or October and then they'll be auctioned off for charity. Companies and organizations sponsored them.

This Sunday, there was a picture of Hugh Grant in a brightly colored shirt standing next to one of the cows on the front of the paper's arts section. He was in town a couple of weeks ago doing promotion for Mickey Blue Eyes. Evidently, he thought the pattern on the cow and his shirt matched and he wanted a pic for Elizabeth Hurley, who he said bought the shirt for him. They did go rather nicely together. ;-D

Trib posted the pic and the interview of Hugh and the cow entitled "Dottie Moo" Here's a link to the article: http://www.metromix.com/h_article/0,1156,303,00.html

Thanks Karen..... Can't wait to see them. Hey gang... FYI...Tineke and I are meeting up with Karen in Chicago end of Sept. Tineke will be on a US trip and will visit Laura in Boston previously.

Evelyn, Karen and Tineke... have fun! :-) Karen, these cow pics are great, I've been loving them. The cow and bull... sorry, cow and boy are a hoot! ;-)

I forgot to post one last night. Will go looking for another later. Saw one you might like, Gi. Not Portuguese, but close. ;-D

Cows with an Iberian inspiration: First, Guernsica And Toreador's Song

Since Murph has unveiled her new English Patient pages, I thought Moo-Glyph would be appropriate tonight. Maybe Mary will want to use this?? I doubt it ;-D

LOL, Karen...the one I like is "Rhinestone Cowgirl". It's me...I keep telling ya':-)

You'd nevah dress like that! ;-D

(evelyn)the one I like is "Rhinestone Cowgirl". It's me...I keep telling ya':-) (Karen)You'd nevah dress like that! ;-D No, but I wish I had the nerve!!

That's a real purty one. Would like to see if there are rhinestones set into the gold part in the front as it kind of looks in the picture. Need to go back and look up her address.

Karen, perhaps we could round up all these cows and offer them in exchange for Colin...like in African tribes. If Livia won't sell, perhaps she at least will lend him for his party! :-)

Karen, how about the Cubs today. Sammt Sosa 8 homeruns in his last 7 games.

You'll have to give Sammy his own drool topic?

Thought this was pretty funny. From the NY Daily News (Saturday, August 21, 1999) Blah Witch Project Good morning, ladies and gentleman. Our special guest today is the title character in a movie that has become the phenom of the summer. Yes! It's the actual Blair Witch of "The Blair Witch Project," a film that was made on a total budget of $221.53 and that grossed $177 billion last weekend alone! Welcome, Ms. Witch. Witch: BOO! Did I scare you? KZ: No. Witch: Then I just saved you $8.75 or whatever they're charging for tickets now. BOO! is a lot scarier than anything in the movie. KZ: You mean you didn't like it? Witch: I haven't seen anything this bad since "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," and at least that was in focus. KZ: Have you heard about Blair Witch Sickness? Apparently, some moviegoers are throwing up because the jumpy camera technique nauseates them. Witch: I suspect it's more than just the camera technique. KZ: Then why is "The Blair Witch Project" so popular? Witch: Hype. The lemming mentality. The inability of American youth to make rational judgments independent of their peers. The fact that a lot of American youths are as obnoxious as Heather, so they relate. Plus, the eternal truth of P.T. Barnum: "There's a sucker born every minute." KZ: But "The Blair Witch Project" has been described as a watershed moment in film history. It is unique in that, unlike other examples of the genre, its horror depends not on gory special effects, but on the audience's imagination. Witch: It depends on the audience's high gullibility and low IQs. KZ: You do realize the movie was a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival? Witch: Oh, well, then, what do we mere mortals � so to speak � know? KZ: Let me quote you a review from there: "This is bone-chilling, soul-stirring, cardiac-arrest-styled terror, made all the scarier by its exacting authenticity." That authenticity is what has some moviegoers actually believing the story is true. Witch: Exacting authenticity? (Witch collapses in helpless laughter and is shocked back to sensibility when someone shines a flashlight in her eyes.) Look, you got these three kids wandering around in the woods, shooting film � which they continue to do no matter what the circumstances. It's like, "I've just awakened screaming in the middle of the night, and must flee from some demonic terror, but being a third-year film student and totally dedicated to my craft, I will first get the camera and lights and sound ready so I can record our possible deaths." Gimme a break. KZ: Anything else? Witch: What's the first thing you learn about hiking in the woods? If you ever get lost, find a stream and follow it. These three have a perfectly nice stream right there, but do they follow it? No. They just keep walking around in circles. Gives new meaning to "survival of the fittest." KZ: What about the way you yourself were depicted? Witch: That's the worst part. The filmmakers would have you believe that I've got nothing better to do with my time than mope around the forest and hang stick figures from trees. I have a nice little business going. I sell those figures on eBay. You think I'm going to give them away for free? KZ: But you must admit the film has made you famous. Witch: How would you like your name attached to something that makes "Bride of Chucky" look like Oscar material? I was the laughingstock at the last coven. Besides, I'm not getting any royalties. KZ: Anything else you would like to say to our audience? Witch: Yeah. This way to the egress.

Blah Witch Project, huh? Too funny. I admit I'm intrigued by the movie (my DH is put off by reports of nausea but young sis says it's a "must see"). I might just wait 'til it comes to cable. Funny cows, Karen! I esp. like the pic of Hugh and Devine (oops, Dotty). So this is what they do to pass the time in Chicago these days? Heck, in NYC we had a magician buried alive in plexiglass! Heehee

Witch: Hype. The lemming mentality. The inability of American youth to make rational judgments independent of their peers. The fact that a lot of American youths are as obnoxious as Heather, so they relate. Plus, the eternal truth of P.T. Barnum: "There's a sucker born every minute." The sad reality to an otherwise v. funny piece. As for the camera work, been to film school, it is the been there/done that film, only no one thought it would sell before because the youth was a notch above in intelligence and much more indepedent.

Adi went to a baseball game in Chicago, paid a lot of money for the tickets...but when it started to rain, they cancelled the game....she wants to know..."what are baseball players made out of...sugar???" LOL. Now's there's a thought.....they play football in rain, snow, sleet etc...How about football in UK? Do they cancel for rain??

Might have something to do with the ball. A baseball can give someone a concussion or worse. Don't think the same happens with a football (US or other). Also, would you like to be holding a wooden bat during a thunderstorm? ;-D

.How about football in UK? Do they cancel for rain?? No. But cricket...that is another story......they cancel for rain, bad light and they stop for tea.

they play football in rain, snow, sleet etc... Having sat through many of these weather conditions, I often wonder at the logic (I've such fond memories of sitting in a torrential downpour on my 40th birthday watching the Jets beat the Ravens--it was as though someone turned on a garden hose over the stadium). Games have been stopped for thunderstorms, though. and they stop for tea. Hee hee!

....they cancel for rain, bad light and they stop for tea Now, that's being civilized.

....they cancel for rain, bad light and they stop for tea Now, that's being civilized I love it too!

It is just like Cricket...they break for tea, lunch and drinks (whatever they are). BTW, this is the first time I have telnetted a post in Drool...so I am guessing that you are discussing filming. Sorry if my comment was untoward.

I think we need a topic for "Sex in the City"...I want to scream "nooooooooo" :(

sorry....May I join you? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm lost :-(

Gi, it's a cable television show in the US and I think it's now being shown in Britain. The main character, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, just broke up with her boyfriend, played by Chris Noth. And he was making such progress... :(

I love Sex in the City. I have a friend tape it for me since I dont' get HBO anymore but I haven't seen last week's episode yet. They broke up again? Mr. Big is way too good for Carrie. The woman works much better as a single.

Back to my cows... walked by this one the other day. She's a beaut. Looks just like Marilyn. Maybe this belongs on Geo, Marcia. ;-D

And for the arty crowd, one more tonight... Odalisque (Reclining Nude)

Love them, Karen! Did you take those pictures in Moo York?

Oh no, the city and a newspaper have sites devoted to them here in Chi-cow-go. If you go back a couple of weeks I started to post a number of them. There's one in honor of your contribution to 3DOR on 98. ;-D

And don't forget my fave:" Rhinestone Cowgirl". Hope I get to meet her in person when I'm there next month.

I think I *shall* go back and collect them :-)

Moon, when you get caught up pl. give us a report of The Real Thing aft. with Tineke and your sighting of Colin's look-a-like at the Luna Nuova.( A relation perhaps?

It�s great to hear that you will be meeting Tineke soon. She is very sweet and also quite shy. She loves to talk about Fan Fic and we had such a riot with a CF look-a-like at the Luna Nuova. �Could it be?� �Nah� �Well maybe�look at the profile�nah�he�s heavier� �But, maybe, let�s ask the waiter to find out.� Waiter was much to busy but in the end he said he did not think so and he knows who CF is. (Colin has probably eaten there many times while rehearsing for 3DOR). I was expecting Tineke to look like the picture she posted of herself hanging of a canyon in Lisbon, longish brown hair�but she now has short light hair. She said I looked very Italian with my long dark hair, just as she thought I would. We found a cyber cafe, it was actually a gambling place with slot machines, video games and pool tables�we were the only girls there!!! And, we sent our greetings. I enjoyed TRT very much. The actors were all wonderful and I was very impressed with Stephen Dillain (sp?), which I had seen in the film Firelight(I recommend renting it). It will be interesting to see what happens at the Oliviers this year. Let�s not forget that Peter O�Toole is getting rave reviews in his play too. I�m not sure if TRT is a better play than 3DOR. I do get tired of people whining for no real reason and I felt that JE character did quite a bit of it. She looks great and I still think she would make a great Bridget.

I loved the line when JE greeted Charlotte in the play, it brought back P&P memories. :-D

Thanks Moon....I though SD was terrific too. (Moon) Let�s not forget that Peter O�Toole is getting rave reviews in his play too. Giving Peter O'Toole another Olivier is like cheering for Microsoft. The guy's an icon in the British Theatre:-) *** Funny story about the Luna- Nuova -Colin.I guess all the Donmar actors eat there.Beats KFC....but not by much.

Try the vegetarian pizza next time you go. They have a wood burning oven. :-)

I've enjoyed your cows, Karen. Did you see the spread in People Magazine, August 30, 1999? The one with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere on the cover.

(Karen) Sex and the City is a cable television show in the US and I think it's now being shown in Britain. The main character, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, just broke up with her boyfriend, played by Chris Noth. And he was making such progress... :( Sorry to be a day late and a dollar short, but I couldn't let this go buy without adding my own NOOOOO!!! I was really enjoying the gradual unbending of Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and he was my favorite character. An example, SJP: "What do you want from this relationship?" Mr. Big "Why don't we just save an hour and you can tell me what I want." Too funny. I should have known you guys would like this show. It's a bit on the raunchy side, but the writing is so witty it kills me. It's becoming the new "water cooler" show since everyone at work is gradually admitting they watch it and discussions abound on Monday mornings.

I only watched one show in its first season, but I've sort of been watching its new season. The SJP-CN relationship is what I've really enjoyed so far. Going off to Paris! HA! Another Mark Darcy. But then again, I don't know anything about their relationship before other than she was dumped. Oh well, rumor has it that there will be a string of new loves played by celebrities like Jon Bon Jovi. :-( A bit on the raunchy side?! hee hee

FYI, could be why many of the big adaptations are being done by ITV and not BBC these days: BBC1 seeks �100m for top drama Janine Gibson, Media Correspondent Monday August 30, 1999 The Guardian BBC1 needs a cash injection of �100m if it is to combat its falling ratings and fulfil its aim of reaching the hearts and minds of viewers, controller Peter Salmon said yesterday. In an effort to counteract criticism that the channel has been lowering its standards, Mr Salmon revealed at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival that he would ask BBC new director-general Greg Dyke for a large increase in the channel's �585m budget to fund ambitious plans to broadcast quality drama every Sunday night. He said that BBC1, which is currently under a review led by BBC director of television Alan Yentob, needed to produce more "resonant" comedy and quality drama, adding: "We've got to fight for a bit more cash. BBC1 is stretched at the moment." Emphasising the BBC's aim to take the high ground and make the flagship channel distinctive from its commercial rivals, he said: "I want BBC1 to remain popular but I wouldn't sacrifice its essential values to make it more popular. BBC1 is still about educating." The channel was criticised earlier this year by the corporation's board of governors in an annual review which said too many programmes on the channel, including its dramas, resembled ITV formats. Governors also bemoaned the lack of sitcom hits of the stature of Only Fools and Horses or One Foot in the Grave. Mr Salmon emphasised the importance of both genres to the success of the channel. His plan is to make sure that every Sunday night, at 9pm, he can air a "top class" drama. "There have been parts of the [last] year where I've felt the drama has been pretty thin. And comedy is always expensive and dangerous," he said. BBC1, attracts a 28% share of the viewing audience. It fell beneath what is perceived as the crucial 30% barrier for the first time last year. But Mr Salmon, who has been controller for 17 months, issued a plea not to be judged by BBC1's ratings. He said: "I think the most important thing for BBC1 is to touch the hearts and minds of as many viewers as possible. Audience share is just one of the factors. The most important thing is that BBC1 offers range. "Viewers must feel their views and interests are reflected fully in the schedule." Interviewed by the Radio 4 Today programme host John Humphrys, Mr Salmon said that the key measure for BBC1 is that 90% of the British viewing public watch BBC1 at some stage every week. Mr Humphrys responded: "Aren't you redefining the measures by which we assess BBC1?" But Mr Salmon argued that ratings are "only one flavour in the stew of how you judge a channel". "The cynical pursuit of ratings on BBC1 is dangerous," he continued. "It's important that licence fee payers feel they're getting value for money." He would not, he added, broadcast ITV's hit gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on BBC1, saying the series would be inappropriate for the channel. "It's not a price worth paying for ratings," he said. Other BBC programme-making departments such as news and sport operate using their own budgets, but drama and comedy have to be funded by commissions from the channel controllers. Mr Salmon admitted that drama had suffered from too many factual programmes in the heyday of the docu-soap, saying "the mix of fiction to factual on BBC1 could be better". But he pointed out that drama costs considerably more than a documentary series. A flagship documentary would have a budget of around �150,000 per hour, while a costume drama such as last year's Vanity Fair costs about �1m an hour. Mr Salmon said: "A �585m budget seems like a lot of money but it's not a lot in drama terms. And drama and comedy are the things that distinguish BBC1."

Thanks Karen, interesting article... ...BBC1, attracts a 28% share of the viewing audience. I'm impressed with the British viewing public....if this channel aired in the US, I bet they wouldn't get 5%. Masterpiece Theatre gets a paltry percentage of PBS viewers. Sadly, however, according to the article the British viewer's taste is also changing.They even have Jerry Springer now ! A sign of the times...everyone is dumbing down.

From Variety: Miramax Films is negotiating with Rachael Leigh Cook to play the lead role in �Northanger Abbey,� an Andrew Davies-penned adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. Austen�s first novel is about the sexual awakening of a young woman with a passion for Gothic fiction. The film�s a coproduction between Miramax, Granada Films and London Weekend Television, and it will become the second film in a two-pic deal Miramax signed with the actress after she toplined �She�s All That� with Freddie Prinze Jr. Cook is currently starring for the studio in �Never Better,� a black comedy about the tress biz also starring Alan Rickman and Josh Hartnett; and she�s recently finished the teen western �Texas Rangers� for Dimension. Austen adaptations �Sense and Sensibility� helped launch Kate Winslet, and �Emma� was a starmaking vehicle for Gwyneth Paltrow.

Well, i'm off to Washington State for a week, and shall be laptopless this trip. :( I look forward to all the exciting plans for ODB's party that should be in place when i return :) BTW- if were going to play 'pin the tail on Colin' i call 1st in line ;) EsBee

(EsBee) BTW- if we're going to play 'pin the tail on Colin' i call 1st in line ;) Am thinking that the game would be far more pleasurable if the roles were reversed! ;-o Have a nice weekend, EsBee. Maybe AnnW will have more news when you return. Dry spell, Ann? Did you burn out your search engines? Or are they in for their 2 million mile tuneup? ;-D Moon, I have prepared all the best food from Chicago for the party and have picked up one itsy bitsy present. When does the Marcia global express take off?

Karen, I miss Marcia too. I hope she hurries back to us here. :-D And do not forget to book the best Chicago Blues Band in town. Maybe we can Collin to sing a few tunes. ;-) Have fun EsBee. BTW, the pool temp. is 90 degrees. Perfect for nighttime dipping.

Oh dear!! Now I need to book entertainment. OK, will work on that.

I thought we were going to do all this on #110. Or is it preparations on #72 and the actual party on #110?

Exactly! Party on #110 and prep here. Our party coordinator has thus decreed. ;-D

Adi says" hello " to everybody....will join in the Firthday Festivities. I have been keeping her up on plans(?).Has her tickets for 3 DOR in January. Still visiting the US.

Good for Adi! Say hallo to her :-)

I've put up a page with some of Moon's pictures from Umbria. Check it out! ;-D Moon's Italy

*Sigh* Very nice, Moon. Thanks for sharing. Thanks to Karen for posting. Where, indeed, are Flick and Flock? ;-)

Believe me, I looked all over for Flick & Flock. ;-) Nicely arranged Karen, you're getting to be such a wizard. :-D

My god how skinny and girlish she looks in that pic. (AAARRGhhhh)

But *very* interesting to see the church, it�s not exactly what I expected. I suppose you didn�t have a chance to peek inside, Moon?

It was a miracle my DH agreed to take me there again!!! I could not believe my luck! I'm afraid he would not have agreed to search out the parish priest in Moiano at pasta time. I can safely say that the interiors must be very plain indeed, nothing worth stealing inside.

nothing worth stealing inside LOL!! That sounds like something our Flashy would say. ;-D

fixing the italics *bad me* ;-p And thank you for the compliment Moon. I was going to add a big steaming bowl of pasta, but thought it might look a tad undignified.

Well she really should eat more. No wonder you thought of a big bowl of food, looking at that wedding pic Karen.....Colin obviously likes very very slim women.

Thanks for posting the photos. What a romantic atmosphere. Picturesque countryside and inaccessibility. Can't get over that wild hair on his wedding day. You don't only see it on his head, you see it's shadow on his suit too. Ack! Patron Saint of the Throat? I'm not ridiculing the faith...this is just the first time I've heard of this one.

The story goes that San Biagio saved the life of a little boy who had a fishbone stuck in his throat. He performed the miracle, and the boy lived. I have a book on Saints, and, would you believe me if I told you there is one for diarreah. Changing the subject, did anyone notice the little blond boy standing behind Livia and in front of (I think), Colin's father? It might be Will, the eyes look a bit like Meg's.

Thank you Moon for the great pics and Karen for the lay-out... I too think the little blond boy must be Will...looking up at his dad adoringly. Eyes and mouth look like Meg's. Heide I think the shadow on his coat is from her veil. I bet that church roof leaks when it rains! (Moon)I have a book on Saints, and, would you believe me if I told you there is one for diarreah. Pl. share name of said saint....always like to be prepared when I don't have Immodium around on a trip :-))

Where is the picture of the little blond boy? All I get is the pics of the church and one of Colin and Liva's wedding.

I never noticed the little boy before!! It could be Will. (doesn't seem like he's from Livia's side of the family) I don't think the man would be Colin's father. Doesn't look old enough (sheesh, how can anyone tell from the rear? hair) The white-haired man looks like he may be the priest though. We need some digital enhancement. Lucie, look at the bottom left-hand corner. saved the life of a little boy who had a fishbone stuck in his throat Are there different saints for other items that could be lodged in other places? If they named the church St. Heimlich, we'd all understand.

Party Planning HQ: When will the festivities begin on 110? Renate will put up a link going to that topic for the party, starting with whatever message we want. What say you all?

Great news Karen! Let's hope we all pass the 9-9-99 scare. ;-) Renate should write a birthday message for Colin on the 10th her time as early as possible and link it then. We will all be posting throughout the day. Thank Renate for us. Changing the subject, I thought the white haired man was Colin's father. I don't think he's the priest. We all agree on Will I think he's got his nose. Evelyn, FYI, it's Saint Guido.

....I thought the white haired man was Colin's father. I don't think he's the priest. We all agree on Will I think he's got his nose. Someone sat in front of the Firth Folks at 3 DOR...Sabine? Emma? They could tell us if any of the men are relatives.The child must be Will. His almond shaped eyes just like Meg's.And wasn't Colin a blond when he was a child?

.......are you all talking about that wedding pic or is there some other pic I haven�t seen? I certainly don�t see anywhere a pic with "Will looking up at his dad adoringly". (Evelyn)Someone sat in front of the Firth Folks at 3 DOR I sat in front of an old couple who talked about Colin behind me in 3DoR. It was only my guess that they could be the Firths because they talked about him and looked like the description of his parents that somebody posted here in March. That white haired guy in the wedding pic is the same type but I don�t think he�s the same person, as far as I can tell.

Great pics, Moon and Karen! But where did you get the wedding photograph from? It is different from any of the others I have seen. BTW IMHO that child does not look like Will. He (or she) is very fair. Even as a child, I do not think Colin would have neen that kind of blond and Meg is dark.

Look at the wedding pic again (I never noticed it before) - the lower left-hand corner you will see a little boy. I thought Colin's aunt and uncle were at the Donmar that weekend. Were his parents there too? Have I forgotten something?

The wedding picture was in People magazine (July 7, 1997). Someone with Colin's hair color could IMO be that light as a child. My mother had white blonde hair until she was about 10, then it went darker. While Meg's dark hair genes would be dominant, it is certainly possible for Will to have that coloration. :-)

It's fun to speculate on who the little boy is. It certainly could be Will. Then again, it could be one of any number of children running around who like to hog in on a picture whenever a camera is present. (Evelyn) Pl. share name of said saint....always like to be prepared when I don't have Immodium around on a trip :-)) LOL, Evelyn! Thanks for the prompt answer, Moon. Is there a patron saint for nervous conditions in case I ever see DB again?

From The Hollywood Reporter about this weekend's holiday box office expectations: [Re Miramax and the movie it chose to back vs. MLSF: Ha ha!! Serves you right!] "Providence" is a coming-of-age comedy about a working-class teenager (Shawn Hatosy) whose extracurricular shenanigans get him packed off to prep school, where he must use his considerable wits to survive among the privileged. Alec Baldwin and George Wendt co-star in the film directed and co-written (with Peter and Bobby Farrelly) by Michael Corrente. Young males are the intended audience for "Providence," but even these hot-for-toilet-humor teens are essentially exhibiting indifference at this juncture. n fact, young women are the most intrigued market segment, but their mild interest will not be sufficient to fill the breach. Making matters more difficult for "Providence" is its R rating. If the age restriction is strictly en-forced, a good share of potential patronage will be excluded. *********** Playing New York only is First Run's gay romantic drama "Bedrooms and Hallways" starring Kevin McKidd, Hugo Weaving and Jennifer Ehle. *********** Phaedra's "States of Control" plays Los Angeles today. The psychological drama about a woman made paranoid by a series of random events stars Ellen Greene and Stephen Bogardus. Zack Winestein wrote and directed. Phaedra's "Floating" opens in Boston. Writer-director William Roth's drama details the life of a young former swimming champion whose lifestyle of burglarizing homes of summer residents in a coastal town is called into question by a chance meeting with a homosexual fellow swimmer. [Where is Fever Pitch?]

Where is Fever Pitch? I believe it's with the rest of our tapes, by the TV. ;-) ( Heide), Moon. Is there a patron saint for nervous conditions in case I ever see DB again? I'll have to look that one up, but I know the condition is called "Colinitis." I agree with Karen and say the boy is Will. The haircolor will change, but the eyes have it.

[Where is Fever Pitch?] Perhaps straight to video? At this point, I'll take it. My PAL-converted copy is getting quite washed out. I know we like to bash Miramax but I wonder...would MLSF have even been made without them? Their distribution strategy for this film angers and puzzles me but I hope Colin continues to make films with them. After they fire their current marketing team. I'd hate to see Miramax in trouble.

I'd hate to see Miramax in trouble. No need to start scheduling a telethon for Miramax. MLSF has been left to make it on it's own. I see more advertising for Illuminata, which the critics thought was OK and doomed to failure at the boxoffice, and which is playing at about the same limited number of theaters. The difference is in the distribution. In the case of Illuminata, you have people who WANT it to succeed badly. In the case of Miramax, it could care less. I read this in the Guardian the other day: There's something about marketing Peter Farrelly is reported to object to a misleading marketing campaign behind his and his brother's new film, Outside Providence. Miramax Films are advertising the coming-of-age story as "the new outrageous comedy from the guys who did There's Something About Mary". Peter is afraid that audiences will be disappointed when they discover "it's more in the vein of Good Will Hunting". Miramax are unrepentant. LA President, Mark Gill argues, "The first job is to get an audience in and the second thing is for them to feel that they got something good out of it". Gill certainly has no qualms about deceiving his audiences. "Is it a little bit different from what we told them? Sure, but that's common." ******** I have never read anything so irresponsible as Gill's comments. Also indicates to me that they haven't learned anything from EWS. The marketing campaign emphasized the sex angle and everyone went expecting to see some big old sex orgy. That backfired big time. Raise people's expectations like that and don't deliver spells huge failure and negative buzz. What a bunch of idiots!!

What a bunch of idiots!! You're not really surprised are you Karen? What do you think the Oscars are about now? There is no more merit, it's all marketing. BTW, EWS which got mixed reviews at the opening of the Venice Film Festival is being shown without the video fuzz orgy scene in Europe. They expect it to bring in lots of millions and save it from the 60 million it made in the States (so far), it's all greed. This year's Venice Film Festival is all about sex. That's the theme. A sad state of affairs.

You're not really surprised are you Karen? No...but I like expressing outrage. ;-D What does tick me off is that Miramax has planted the seeds (in a variety of gossip columns) for a best supporting nom for Alex Baldwin. I know, that's par for the course (as was done for AIH) and may amount to nothing.

.... (as was done for AIH) BTW did anybody see the TV interview with Rupert Everett last night on "ET"? Wasn't that embarassing? See Rupert jogging... See Rupert in church talking about mortality... (the best one)...See Rupert dancing at some Senior Citizens gathering with old ladies. God...I'll take Colin..."the non-TV-interviewer" any day.

Under Theatre news....Big Fire on Earlham St.Covent Garden last night.... Took 100 firefighters five hours to get fire under control. The fire started in some offices on Earlham St. Theatres and surrounding restaurants and bars were evacuated. "At the 250 seat Donmar Warehouse, located in Earlham Street itself, soul diva Sam Brown was due to start her concert just as the alarm was raised - but in true 'the show must go on' style, the concert went ahead after a short delay."

That Rupert thing on ET is for a Ruby Wax show on Lifetime (aka victim television). Will be checking my TV Guide to see when it's on. ;-D

Is Rupert tempting you again Karen? ;-)

Big Fire on Earlham St.... You startled me, Evelyn. Oh god, I mean thank God Donmar didn�t burn, tis a sacred place.

Is Rupert tempting you again Karen? ;-) Good thing you reminded me. I forgot he's yours! ;-D

(Karen) In the case of Illuminata, you have people who WANT it to succeed badly. How does one "succeed badly"??

From Evening Standard Friday September 3, 2:32 PM, "Actors flee West End fire" http://www.yahoo.co.uk/headlines/19990903/london/newsstory169089.html

Thanks, Renate. So Belgo's is no more. Didn't realize the fire was that close to the Donmar.

Topic 119 of 121 [drool]: Colin Firth (Part 5) Response 1196 of 1202: Karen (KarenR) * Sat, Sep 4, 1999 (18:58) * 3 lines Oh yes - baseball is incredibly easy: one, two, three strikes you're out. four balls and you take a walk to first base. A home run is when a ball is hit way out (usually into the stands in fair territory or outside the stadium) and the runner can run around all the bases to home. Football - a team gets four chances to advance 10 yards. If it keeps going, it will eventually get into the end zone. If not, the other team gets to try the same going in the other direction. Simple, is it not? Topic 119 of 121 [drool]: Colin Firth (Part 5) Response 1199 of 1202: anne hale (ommin) * Sun, Sep 5, 1999 (00:43) * 2 lines I used to play cricket years ago. My favourite game, I spend hours in the summer watching it. The pitch is between two wickets - 22yds long. The aim to bowl out the batsmen any way possible by hitting the wicket, by lege before wicket or by a catch. The batsman's aim is to score as many runs as possible. A ball running to the boundary is a four, a ball going high over the boundary is a six. All the other runs are scored by two batsman running between the wickets and score as many runs as possible without eing run out by the ball being thrown at the wicket. In a test match they play for five days, two innings each. The other is a one day match with 50 overs bowled - they hopefully the bowlers that is try to bowl maidens!!!!! I will carry on if any one is interested. Average scores can go from 400 to 100 or until all batsmen are out or at least 10 of them. Topic 119 of 121 [drool]: Colin Firth (Part 5) Response 1200 of 1202: Gi (patas) * Sun, Sep 5, 1999 (05:57) * 2 lines This would be more informative if you would translate wickets, overs, innings, ecc...:-)Thank you, AnneH, Karen :-) I don't want to bore everyone else with my questions, especially because I don't see any of those games often and will probably have forgotten the details when I do...But, Karen, what happens if they run 20 yards? Do they *all* have to move or can just one grab the ball and run? Can they not pass the ball and keep going, like in european football? Topic 119 of 121 [drool]: Colin Firth (Part 5) Response 1201 of 1202: Arami (Arami) * Sun, Sep 5, 1999 (06:56) * 6 lines Thanks, Anne! That's the best intro to cricket I've heard for 25 years! My hubby once tried to explain it to me, and all I can remember is that "when they're in the're out, and when they're out they're in..." Topic 119 of 121 [drool]: Colin Firth (Part 5) Response 1202 of 1202: Allison M (Allison2) * Sun, Sep 5, 1999 (07:21) * 6 lines Botham is but he was one of our greatest all-rounders, could bat bowl and field brilliantly, could probably score a 100 runs on his own!! And like Flashman he could bowl a maiden over (cricket joke for UK and Aussie droolers):-) Best thing about cricket are the names given to places on the field: silly mid on, short square leg, fine leg, etc, etc. It's a life time study!

I was looking for a sports-related topic (there was one where Nan used to drool over her hockey player Mark Messier??), but it's nowhere to be found. Football: (Gi) what happens if they run 20 yards? That is better! 10 yds is the minimum required. If it is not met, then the ball goes over to the other team or the team on its last try (4th) will attempt a field goal (kicking the ball over the goalposts) if it is within a reasonable distance of say 30-40 yds. A football field is 100 yds. long. Do they *all* have to move or can just one grab the ball and run? Once the ball is snapped (picked up by the Center--big hulking linesman protecting the pretty quarterback to whom he is giving the ball through his legs) everyone on both teams is in motion, i.e, running and tackling other players depending on position. The offensive players are running to get into position to receive the ball or to block defensive players who might get in the ballcarrier's way. Defensive players are defending their endzone. They are trying to get the ball away from the team on offense or merely to ensure the plays are not completed. Can they not pass the ball and keep going, like in european football? Passing is one method of advancing the ball and, yes, if a ball is passed and caught, the receiver can run as far as he is able...all the way into the endzone, where it is customary to do a little dance. ;-D Other methods of advancing the ball would be (1) handing it off to a running back (a player who specializes in running fast) or (2) the quarterback can run it himself. There are two kinds of passes: forward and lateral. Forward means the QB throws it forward and lateral means to the side, in which case that player has the option to run it himself or to pass it to another. Cricket: So the scores have to do with where the ball lands. A variation on a three-point shot. However, if it is caught, the batsman is out. Correct? Why are not more balls caught? In American baseball, a very respectable batting average is in the low 300s, which means the batter hits successfully one of every three balls. Only superplayers get into the high 300s.

Thanks Renate: Too bad about Belgo's....didn't wish a fire on them...but I hope they don't re-build...they have lousy food, IMO. Like Elena said...glad the Temple of Donmar was not affected. ***** At the risk of sounding subversive... I HATE BASEBALL....S L O W. (Pl.don't send the FBI after me :-)

Karen, The reason more balls aren't caught in cricket is that the batsman doesn't have to run when he hits it. So they normally hit it downwards. This way they can stay in for ages while amassing big scores (a 5-day "test match" is thirty hours of play (for a maximum forty outs!). Incidentally in Flashman's Lady the umpire doesn't reverse his call, an appeal is a request rather than a complaint. But don't get me started, I'm a major cricket bore.

"What I really hate about cricket is, it's such a damned good game", Tommy Judd. (Karen) There are two kinds of passes: forward and lateral. Forward means the QB throws it forward and lateral means to the side, in which case that player has the option to run it himself or to pass it to another. The quarterback can also toss the ball behind him to a running back but it has to be an under-handed toss. And it doesn't get counted as a pass. Gets more and more complicated, doesn't it? Jeez, I hope the Belgo had a decent fire exit. I shudder to think of everyone trying to cram into that rickety elevator.

I never thought I'd have fun reading about sports that I am not familiar with ;-) Thank you! Karen and Heide, I think I got the basics of football and next time I see a game I'll pay more attention to it. Anne and Mark, please go on about cricket bearing in mind that the jargon is indecipherable if unexplained :-)

Please spare a thought for the people of East Timor who are being terrorized and massacred by the pro-Indonesians after a UN-sponsored ballot where they voted in for independence. It really grieves me to see all the savagery that manking is capable of, and to feel absolutely impotent before it.

To Evelyn and other JE fans, another good review for Jennifer and hopefully the first of many for Summerfolk - from today's Times, too long to post it all but here is the last paragraph "Jennifer Ehle, whose misfortune is to possess a social conscience yet be married to insensitive Allam is as near to a protagonist and moral centre as the play offers. She suggests vulnerability, pain and disappointment behind the dreamy exterior. Like everyone else in this stunning revival, she wins your belief." She oes vulnerability so well.

Thanks Ann..Most of the reviews are pretty good....it's a real stretch for her.Maxim Gorky had an agenda in mind when he wrote Summerfolk. I am currently reading it....hard going.Takes a feel for Russian history that I don't have. **** Yes, Gi...we all commiserate with the people of E. Timor.

Just getting myself caught up here... I agree with Karen and say the boy is Will I've got the hard copy People picture. I hate to tell you...but that boy is a girl. Unless they dress their boys in pink trimmed with lace. IMO it's a flower girl/bridesmaid. She's probably got hold of the train from Livia's gown. (Karen) picked up by the Center--big hulking linesman protecting the pretty quarterback Pretty? You must be thinking of Troy Aikman ;-P (Heide) Gets more and more complicated, doesn't it? And we haven't even gotten to special teams (kickoffs, punts)! (Evelyn) I HATE BASEBALL....S L O W I don't hate the sport but I can't watch a game live (I groan every time there's a full count and the hitter fouls the ball--it's endless). Give me the highlights. Evelyn, we'd never last through a cricket match: (AnneH) But if you can imagine it they play for five days - from 11 - 6 in the evening - and it will finish as a draw if they are not all out! Saw the ad (tiny, tiny) for Bedrooms and Hallways in last Sunday's NY Times. At first I didn't recognize JE due to her hairstyle (bangs?).

I agree with Karen and say the boy is Will I've got the hard copy People picture. I hate to tell you...but that boy is a girl. Unless they dress their boys in pink trimmed with lace. IMO it's a flower girl/bridesmaid. She's probably got hold of the train from Livia's gown. I thought Karen copied it from the People picture? I don't think she left anything out. In Europe, at weddings, we do dress the page boys very fancifully indeed, ruffles silk and pink if that is the color combination the bride chooses.

I scanned the picture right out of People's pages and didn't leave anything out. It could be a girl, but there's nothing to indicate. Whatever clothing shows at the neck looks white to me, not pink. Now, back to studying my cricket... ;-D

Another thought: Will would certainly be given a role in the wedding, but no way would a little boy from LA (let alone the woods of British Columbia) get dressed up in ruffles and lace or wear pink. I don't care what the customs are in Europe. He probably wore those baggy shorts hanging off his butt!! ;-D

Hee hee! OK, maybe my copy has aged and perhaps the dress is not pink, but there's no mistaking the lace (...I beg you, no lace). And I just put a fresh pair of contacts in this a.m. 8-D

(Moon)In Europe, at weddings, we do dress the page boys very fancifully indeed, ruffles silk and pink if that is the color combination the bride chooses. (Karen)...no way would a little boy from LA (let alone the woods of British Columbia) get dressed up in ruffles and lace or wear pink. I don't care what the customs are in Europe. He probably wore those baggy shorts hanging off his butt!! ;-D Well, I am from Europe and would never dare dress a boy in ruffles and lace for my wedding - nor did I! I actually thought it was the American custom, not European, to dictate what colour and style the bridesmaids wear. Either cuatoms are different in Portugal and in Italy, Moon, or I am very ignorant of the whole system - which I probably am anyway!:-D

Read "customs", not "cuatoms" - sorry.

(Eileen)Saw the ad (tiny, tiny) for Bedrooms and Hallways in last Sunday's NY Times. Weeeellll, First Run Films doesn't have too much $$$for ads like Miramax!! But this is from today's VARIETY via Sue. "Also off to a good start was First Run�s Brit comedy of manners �Bedrooms and Hallways� with a single Gotham screen gross of $17,000. " Not bad....only one screen in one city. ....At first I didn't recognize JE due to her hairstyle (bangs?). Wig.

Boys of Will�s age are absolutely NOT dressed in lace in weddings in Nothern Europe. The difference of sexes is usually emphasixed in that occasion even in little childrens� outfits. Boys are dressed like little men. But these customs can of course be quite different in the south.

sorry, emphasized

(Karen), He probably wore those baggy shorts hanging off his butt!! ;-D That fashion faux pas arrived later. ;-) I have been to weddings in Italy, Spain, France and Belgium and the little pages wore from silks to satins to velvets to ruffles etc. It is accepted. And you should see the cute shoes that go with the outfit! Will was 6 years old then, hopefully, he does as he's told.

This is the best I could do without it getting totally washed out: Also here's the man in the back: doesn't it seem like he's wearing a robe?

sheesh....the late Marcia H is posting way later than normal, but I adore cricket. However, the nearest cricket match I can get is Australia (or NZ) and they play all night under my pillow as I sleep (via short wave.) I would adore being "stuck" in a stalled elevator with MarkG, the self-proclaimed Cricket Bore. Try me...*smile* looks like a girl to me, and pink...

Eileen re:"Bedrooms and Hallways"...I also saw the ad in the Sunday NYTimes...I want to fly to NYC just to see it!!! I need to do some investigative work to see if it will make it's way to good old Cleveland, Ohio.... I've made it a "hobby" to see films of just about all the stars of P&P, (besides Colin!!), and a friend helped me out with a recently re-run episode of the "Highlander" series that starred Crispin Bonham Carter (just for one episode). He was great! He is also in a new video release called "Basil", but it's only for a few minutes (bummer!)...he was such a perfect "Bingly"!

More, Anne, More! They are not playing cricket under my pillow of late! Anne Hale, Cricket play-by-play with Mark on the side...yippee!

Puzzled!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!! So there's something on top of this stick thing called a wicket and the bowler tries to knock it off somehow? And the batter is essentially trying to protect the wicket thingee and he swats away at the balls bowled at it. Everytime he hits the ball, depending on how far it goes, counts for points and that's how their number of runs gets so high. Sounds like batting practice to me. I think I need to see this game. Thankfully, all the cricket scenes in Flashman's Lady may be over...at least for a while The one-on-one game he played with Solomon lost me toward the end. Karin, Crispy is also in a Cadfael episode too.

Ladies the countdown to Firthday has started! Evelyn has knidly issued an invitation to Colin through his agent. He has been invited to his "virtual" birthday party at cf.com (topic 110), let's hope he checks in. :-D If you want to try out any images please do so here. All the practice should be done here and then post your birthday wishes plus gifts at topic 110. Remember friday Sept. 10th is Firthday! PS. Thank you Heide and Evelyn!

Come ladies, it's time to prepare for Colin's party! I'll just play a few tunes to get everyone in the mood. ;-)

Having momentary lights problem, I hope!

That's why we must practice here! I don't know what went wrong! But the concert's off. :-(

Your concert headliner has returned, Moon: At the end of the string, I saw this which is likely the problem: ..gif.jpg (or something like that) I just took out one dot and the nonessential .jpg because the image was a .gif. Don't you think practice should be 61? That way it will be new and fresh and a surprise for everyone when it is posted at 110. Most people don't read 61, but over there people who want to help out (like wer or Marcia) will do so.

This is the New York Times ad that people are talking about.... So far, Cleveland is not on the schedule. Watch JE's website for locations

Thanks Karen! Don't you think practice should be 61? That way it will be new and fresh and a surprise for everyone when it is posted at 110. Most people don't read 61, but over there people who want to help out (like wer or Marcia) will do so. Good idea! It was sweet of Eric to remind us. Maybe he can jam with Colin, with the Firthettes as back up singers. That is a cute poster Evelyn. How is the film? did you see it in London?

(Moon) Re: Bedrooms and Hallways... How is the film? did you see it in London? No , sadly we missed it. But Tineke saw it and said it was funny. Has several comments about Jane Austen. And in one scene one of the characters after reading P&P, dresses in Regency drag and falls in love with Mr. Darcy. It is out on video in UK...Don't think I will ever see it on big screen.Will have to get it on vid.

Poor Mr. Darcy! Poor JA!

Someone once noted that JE resembles Meryl Streep -- especially seems so in that Bedrooms and Hallways ad. While we're on JE films, Evelyn, have you heard anything about when The Taste of Sunshine will be released in the U.S.? I'm very intrigued to see Jennifer and Ralph Fiennes act together.

(SusanMC)Someone once noted that JE resembles Meryl Streep -- I had never noticed but that is true - high cheekbones, thin nose, something in the eyes... Jennifer's face is fuller, at least in P&P2. Is that what makes her prettier? She seems altogether sweeter than Streep, whom I am not very fond of. AnneH, are people in Oz getting as worked up about Timor as we are in Portugal? We're on the second day of peaceful, country-wide demonstrations. Yesterday people stopped working for 3 minutes at 3 in the afternoon, then later (6p.m.) we made a human link between the embassies os the US, Russia, China, UK and France. Today people wore white and hung white draperies from their windows. A woman from Timor works for me and she told me yesterday "I still have family there - or had. Probably haven't any more". This is all very sad.

SUNSHINE is currently opening at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival. Don't know when it will open in the US. Jennifer plays RF's wife and Rosemary Harris plays the same character older. We're all anxious to see her with RF too. She has often been likened to Meryl Streep...esp. now that she's thinner. (Alas Gi, that round face is gone) UK Harper's Magazine July 1999

What a fantastic picture of Jennifer! Pretty in pink.

Patas, yes we are. Unions are refusing all goods going from and to Indonesia, people are on a hunger fast outside U.N. headquarters, 4000 troops are on standby and we all feel helpless as the Christians are being slaughtered in East Timor, Priests have been martyred there, news this morning. Bishop Bello is here in Darwin and our Prime Minister is angry with the little help coming from anywhere else. Yes we are angry. Anne

Testing - Hello

Testing again - Happy Birthday

very good, Ann. Feel free to try out your newly acquired HTML skills over at 61 - our new little sandbox. ;-D

From today's NY Post, thought you might find it interesting: But Stallone isn't afraid to lash out at those he holds responsible for his demise, including Miramax chair Harvey Weinstein and super-agent Arnold Rifkind. He calls Weinstein "the Don King of cinema," comparing him to the controversial, electric-haired fight promoter. "Instead of making good on his promise to cast Stallone in ensemble films, Weinstein had bought the rights to the 'Rambo' series and seemed mainly to want to know if the actor would appear in the fourth sequel," reports Faludi. Stallone als says he fired Rifkin: "He sold me out." [...] Rifkind declined to comment. Weinstein was unavailable.

Stallone wants ensemble films? Poor baby! Try Woody Allen first. Harvey is the piggy that's building his brick house. who would him anyway?

He calls Weinstein "the Don King of cinema Hee Hee :-D ! I see I'm not the only one who's catty! IMO Sylvester ought to stick with action films. Copland was watchable but he was like a slab of granite.

Ann/Bethan...Miramax London is right.... There is no firm date to release MLSF yet in UK... "Why, it's still playing in the US",the person said. "Yeah...where?" sez I. I called corporate Miramax in NY yesterday and spoke to someone in the International Division. Sorry:-(

It sounds as though Miramax is going to keep those 22 copies circulating around the US for awhile. They they'll give one to Gwyneth or Malcolm to carry along next time they're flown over on the Concorde (got to watch that budget, you know!) ;-P On a more generous note, for our Jewish friends, Have a Happy New Year!

Yes, Happy Rosh Hashana!

Thank you, Eileen and Moon. (see, Moon, that's honey and apples, signifying a sweet new year!!) ;-D

Happy New Year, Karen!

I just realized: Colin is a New Year's baby (at least he is this year)! :-)

Any ideas for a honey and apple cake, Karen? Yum!

There are usually slices of apples to dip in honey sitting around as an appetizer before dinner. If we liked it, there would be a honeycake. ;-D

This sounds good! I love apples.Have to try them in honey :-)

All this talk of food, I think we'll go out for dinner.;-) (ofcourse, what I really want to do is drink that marvelous bottle of port with a certain b.day boy) ;-))) Where is Marcia? Surely she's not done with the festivities?

We're eating out tonight also. After viewing party fare at 110, will change reservation from local restaurant to Chicago.

(Karen)There are usually slices of apples to dip in honey sitting around as an appetizer before dinner. Comin' Up!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS,DEAR KAREN

Awwwww! That's so cute. Thank you all. Eileen, most of the places I've used here do a big business shipping their food out of town! The ribs fly and the pizzas go out half-baked next day air. hee hee

Renate...Thank you for "baking" the beautiful cake on cf.com. I think Nan would be proud of all of us. She sent her best to everybody... poor baby has a ton of school projects due right now, so she couldn't join in. But is with us in spirit. **** I will say this is hard work... I've learned a lot about Netscape.

Evelyn, thank Nan for me and tell her I'm glad to hear she's OK.

(Karen) most of the places I've used here do a big business shipping their food out of town! And in this franchise day and age, I can go down the street here in NJ and eat Chicago-style pizza (I'm sure it's not quite the same).

someone stole the leis...

And for good luck AHUOLI NA HANAU, RITA

When you use very large letters check your spelling first... HAUOLI NA HANAU RITA and to match her eyes, the Bismark Sapphire set with Diamonds. Weighing 98.6 carats, it is the world's largest.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RITA!

Marcia, I removed the two that didn't show up. They slow things up, looking for the images. BRB with my gifts for the Birthday girl and I have to get something out of the oven. :-D

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RITA!! Relax and Have a Wonderful Day

Happy Birthday, Rita. When you wear that sapphire, make sure you have good back support. That thing looks like it weighs a ton. Happy New Year, Karen! Eat plenty of apples and honey now. When do you fast?

Happy Birthday Rita, and the start of a wonderful new beginning

Ladies, I overslept, what a party!!! You were all fantastic! Now for a well deserved rest. ;-) Happy Birthday Rita! Heide, why did you not join our party?

Heide, thanks. I was going to do the same, but the computer froze, and by the time I got done defragging and rebooting it was so late that I just went to bed. I will know better (and do better) next time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RITA Relax and Behave... ...Aw, just relax!

Moon...Karen...What a Party!!Proud of you Both!!THANKS! And everyone who participated... Can't wait til next year!!!!

I admire very much what you've all done for Colin's birthday...what little I've seen of it. Latestarters like me were overwhelmed by the traffic jam only our DB could cause. Congratulations all. Marcia, I think it is Karen you meant to thank. ;-)

Heide, we missed you. Hope you're getting caught up ... it was quite a blast! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RITA!

Thank you so much for the wonderful party. I have enjoyed it tremendously. Yes, I have had a rough year and I adore each and everyone of you. I am so glad that I have made it this far.Thank you for your love, prayers and support. I know that I could not have done half of this without your guys. You are great!

Happy Birthday, Rita! I hope your next year will be a happy one and will make up for the difficulties in the year past.

A belated happy birthday, Rita. I'm sorry to have missed it--was away from computer witnessing a gridiron tragedy. *Sniff* I hope this year has only good things in store for you.

nyk ,We like to keep #119 strictly for CF ...#72 is more of a catch-all. And even though JE is "one degree of separation..."we use this topic for non-CF info. JE website is: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/4820/ Bedrooms and Hallways is just playing in NYC. You are v. lucky to be there!!It opened a week ago and is only playing in one theatre, the Cinema Village. You'll find the reviews at her website: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/Alley/4820/bed_art.html Pictures from the film are on the website under images. There are several around here who also admire her work.

And even though JE is "one degree of separation..." we use this topic for non-CF info. Lots of good intentions, but Jenn seems to show up wherever. ;-D There was another pilgrimage (led by our scoutmistress Evelyn) to see Jennifer on stage in London in Stoppard's The Real Thing. And Jennifer is currently performing in Gorky's Summerfolk.

....And Jennifer is currently performing in Gorky's Summerfolk. As we speak, Jennifer (JE) is attending the Toronto International Film Festival with mum ,Rosemary Harris(RH), for the gala presentation tonight of SUNSHINE her new film with Ralph Fiennes (RF). JE plays Valerie RF's wife and RH plays the same character older. (See, Nancy now you have been initiated to several of our acronyms.)

Oh my gosh, I'm still getting use to all this and it took me forever to get here. What's the title to the movie? Did I miss any conversations on "Bedrooms & Hallways" (Thank you Evelyn)

Forget what I just wrote, I'm not paying attention.

(Nancy)..Did I miss any conversations on "Bedrooms & Hallways" No. We only discuss CF films and those on topic #98. Hang in there, Nancy , you're doing fine and it will gradually become clear.

From The Independent: I'M AN INTERNET VIRGIN, SAYS BLAIR TONY BLAIR'S modernising image was dented yesterday after he admitted to suffering a "sense of humiliation" when watching his children and his wife, Cherie, surfing the Internet. The Prime Minister may be a political moderniser but he is a self-confessed computer dinosaur. He announced yesterday he would be taking a short course in surfing the Net as part of a drive to increase awareness of the benefits of the world wide web among British businessmen. Mr Blair's children may help their father with some homework studies. His wife is also said to be a "whiz" at computers, according to the Prime Minister's official spokesman. "I would encourage others of my generation to do the same - both because there's no shame in admitting the need to retrain and because my children assure me that it is not that difficult," Mr Blair told a conference on information technology. And No 10 was pulling no punches about the Prime Minister's problems with computers. "It's his age," said the spokesman. "He has been now for sometime in a job where there is human support around that does things like type." Alex Allan, a former principal private secretary at No 10, is being appointed as the Government's "e-envoy" to increase the use of the Web in British business. Mr Blair said he is the only civil servant whose website includes a comprehensive guide to the lyrics of the Grateful Dead. [tsk tsk] ;-D

Great! I just pasted this onto an e-mail to my DH - hope you don't mind, Karen :-)

Of course, I don't mind. Paste away!! ;-D

Moon, I hope you are all bundled up in preparation for (Pink) Floyd (that was funny!). Keep yourself out of harm's way.

Karen and Marcia, perhaps Tony will sign up for your personal HTML tutorial. Can't wait to see him posting pics here or at 110!

We might have to start a Deadhead topic though... ;-D

We might have to start a Deadhead topic though... ;-D Just keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the whe-el...

Just keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the whe-el... Hey, Eileen, that's the Doors! Let's get our Sugar Magnolias straight, you know, riding that train high on ...I bet you better watch your speed. That's just what I'm doing now, watching (Pink) Floyd's speed, from my cozy bunker. It looks like we will feel it all through the night. It is gigantic and I live 2 miles from the ocean. Thanks for all the well wishes, our collective prayers seem to be working. :-)

Yes, I hear Floyd is headed up the seacoast toward the Carolinas.

(Evelyn) As we speak, Jennifer (JE) is attending the Toronto International Film Festival with mum,Rosemary Harris(RH), for the gala presentation tonight of SUNSHINE... You mean that girl still can't get a date? Moon, if only Evelyn were with you. She always manages to avert near catastrophes.

Hey, Eileen, that's the Doors Oops! Ah, well, it's all before my time anyway ;-P

Pursuant to comments made at 112 the other day, I read a piece in New York Magazine last night while sitting in the beauty salon with a headful of glop. I couldn't tear out the page so I'm paraphrasing: Kevin Costner is drawing attention through recent comments he made in Newsweek Magazine. Kevin claims that Universal, the studio which released his latest baseball flick For Love of the Game, agreed all too quickly when the ratings board mandated they remove a shower scene, thus making the movie PG-13 instead of R rated. Kevin was angry that Universal didn't fight harder to retain the scene, claiming that audiences would be hurt by its absence. Universal has responded to Kevin's complaints by asserting the scene was yanked after test audiences "giggled when they saw Kevin's penis." Indeed, focus groups wondered "why do we need to see Kevin Costner's penis?" *LOL!*

Check out Topic 39. We've been having a discussion about that. Besides, I saw the movie last night... good b-ball flick!! :-D

Sorry for the duplication. As I'm not a KC fan, I don't visit 39.

(Eileen)"Indeed, focus groups wondered "why do we need to see Kevin Costner's penis?" Is not the usual answer to that one, "Because it is there!"

Is not the usual answer to that one, "Because it is there!" LOL!! But of course. Usually, at focus groups, a moderator has a list of questions. Can you picture this: "Ok, folks, question number 43, "how did you like seeing Kevin Costner's penis?" Please rate on a scale from 1 (definitely did not like) to 10 (best thing in movie) with 5 being neutral (seen one, seen them all)! ;-D

(KarenR)Can you picture this Yes I can and it has me ROTFL!

"why do we need to see Kevin Costner's penis?" "Because it is there!" Hm... We all know it's there, but why does it need to be viewed? The sight of bare female breasts was once the "forbidden" thing, and now that it's quite normal, acceptable and virtually expected, apparently it's time for men to seek parity with women, and the penis seems the only male item suitable for the challenge. I'm certain that the sight of male appendages will soon become just as normal, acceptable and expected as female breasts. Eventually we may grow indifferent to what is still sometimes descri ed as exhibitionism. I'm not wholly against it - but can't stop wondering what might be the next step in this somewhat pointless rivalry? A puritanic backlash? ...or a contest for the most outstanding assholes? ;-)

Oooh, I like the comment about the ar$eholes...too clever. But, my above statement only points out the dichotomy of taste. Men rule the world and what we get to see. Period. I am plain bored to death from having to see gratuitous breasts. Sorry, but I thought equal time would be appropriate.

I know that the talk here is of penises and KC, but I can't post on IE (damn yapp program!) Tineke is here in Boston, has been since last Friday. She's having a great time. Tonight was Flemish Stew and it was delicious! Anyway, you guys in Chicago are in for a treat. She's a doll!

Sorry, but I thought equal time would be appropriate. Ah, Marcia, I TOLD you you are a f.......and you are right!! :-)

.......But equality is shit if it means being equally exploited. Honestly I don�t care what KCostner does to give a boost to his career but I hope that Colin�s career will never (again?) sink so badly that he would have to expose his genitals for money.

What gets me is Kevin expects audiences to be "hurt" from being deprived of viewing 'willie the one-eyed worm' (which would be something to see if it were as big as his ego *snicker*). Awww--it's probably all a publicity stunt anyway!

(Elena)I hope that Colin�s career will never (again?) sink so badly that he would have to expose his genitals for money. I have nothing against seing Colin's genitals or anyone else's if it makes sense to the story, but have everything against it if is just part of the usual receipe (sp?)for making money.

I hope that Colin�s career will never (again?) sink so badly that he would have to expose his genitals for money. It has been hinted on several occasions that even when he is seen naked, he always refuses to expose himself wholly. E.g. in The Playmaker, where it would indeed make a perfect sense to the story, he was framed within several pubic hairs' breadth of his crown jewels. The swim in the pond scene in P&P was originally going to show Darcy in his birthday suit until Colin flatly refused.

Mmmm....but what about HOTPig? There is a full frontal view there albeit from about 2 miles away. Sadly my magnifying glass was not strong enough;-)

The US version (a) didn't contain that scene at all and (b) there was some very obnoxious plant life obscuring the view, except for one brief second.

This was in the NY Post today. Could someone check out the October issue of W? Maybe she mentions Colin. (she mentions everybody else) Kiss and tell WHILE Kristin Scott Thomas comes across as a bit of an ice princess in some of her movies, she'd like us to know that she often gets the hots for her male co-stars. She took a bit part in "Mission Impossible" because "I loved working with Tom Cruise. He's a dream. I have kissed SUCH exciting men." The 39-year-old, happily married mother of two is on the cover of the October issue of W magazine, looking incredibly sexy for someone who thought she was ugly and fat as a teenager. "I suppose all of this attention is what I've always wanted, for people to think I'm far more interesting than I actually am," she says. Oscar-nominated for "The English Patient," she recalls that some on the set of that film thought there was no chemistry between her and Ralph Fiennes. "Luckily, I didn't hear that unt l afterward," she says. "I knew Ralph and I were working well together - there's a buzz that happens, a kind of electrical thing. It doesn't happen very often. But it did happen with Ralph; it happened with Harrison [Ford], and it happened with Sean Penn, too." (Kristin stars with Ford in the upcoming "Random Hearts" and with Penn in the recently completed "Up At the Villa.")

Varvara Mikhailovna... A review from The Daily Mail last Sunday Sept. 12th A GRIPPING GORKY WITH REAL SPARK "......Jennifer Ehle has the hardest role as the young woman devastated when she discovers her idolised writer is no better than the rest. Looking very Slav very Meryl Streep , she is in what is very much the Streep part, the one with much hand-wringing, arm-folding and endless gazing at the sky on the brink of tears, or-as the doctor puts it-a 'cosmic question mark in her eyes'. A less magnetic actress would have left me unmoved" (My italics) ***** At last a role for a fair blonde. Full review will be posted next week on her website....

More Streep comparisons! I wonder how JE feels about that. I would imagine it's both flattering and rather irritating, especially for a young actress looking to establish her own identity.

Very nice pic, Evelyn. (Susan) I wonder how JE feels about that. I would imagine it's both flattering and rather irritating, especially for a young actress looking to establish her own identity. What an opportunity though! Somebody needs to step in and take over. Meryl's playing grandmas already. :-(

Great pix Evelyn. Good for Jennifer, this can only help her career. Maybe now her agent can push for BJD. ;-)

Forgot to mention that the pix is from the Royal National Theatre Press Kit. And the Daily Mail review is through the kindess of Aishling who sent it. Ironically...the Friday before, Michael Coveney reviewed Summerfolk and referred to "..the slightly irritating Jennifer Ehle.."( Ann wouldn't buy that paper! and you can be sure we wouldn't post it.) So two days later another critic (woman,same paper!) sees that it is Jennifer's character that is a discontent type...So take that Michael Coveney!! (But all is forgiven...he gave her a glowing review for TRT)

I know i've been compared to Meryl Streep - physically - by none other than my DH, and hate it. wonder does JE feel the same...

there was some very obnoxious plant life obscuring the view, except for one brief second. And what could be seen during that one second from all that distance was more to do with the viewer's feverish imagination than reality.

Ok, Elena, I am a f......! You are right, and the very thought of intruding on someone's personal self is repugnant to me. How did they manage to make those great old movies with no explicit sex and no nudity?! Not a prude, mind you...just not into gratuitous scenery on the screen. I have all I need at home, where it belongs! TA's (and HOTPig's) bath scenes are as close to "it" as I need to be.

I recently saw, and enjoyed, The Thomas Crown Affair. Pierce Brosnan is great looking - what am I saying, he is good enough to eat. But the main sex scene... It wasn't erotic at all. It was plain funny. But then again, maybe that's what it was meant to be.

Haven't seen ..Thomas Crown... yet but I thought that lovemaking on the marble stairs scene was supposed to be very sexually charged. But that was probably from a man. I doubt a woman who had to have cold hard marble stair edges poking her in the back and PB poking her in the front might not find it erotic either. (Sorry, cheap shot, Pierce is looking fine.) Is that Charlie Holroyd sitting to the far right in that stage picture?

(Gi) I recently saw, and enjoyed, The Thomas Crown Affair. Pierce Brosnan is great looking - what am I saying You're not saying anything wrong. He is, at least IMO and I'll bet Moon would never be the same after seeing that chest...just her type of chest. ;-D The movie was fun, stylish (lovely to look at) and could be appreciated by a mature audience. What a change of pace. yeah, the love scene was ridiculous, but who cares (Heide) Is that Charlie Holroyd sitting to the far right in that stagepicture? Do you mean two over from young Michael Caine?

(heide)I doubt a woman who had to have cold hard marble stair edges poking her in the back... My thoughts exactly! I hope the marble was at least heated ;-)

Evelyn has asked me to post my comments on Jennifer Ehle and Summerfolk. I went to see the play on Saturday and really enjoyed it. JE was excellent and played the role of Varya perfectly. She had the major role, her character being linked in some way to all the other characters (and I felt somewhat cameo parts). She was the centre of the curtain call. The response from the audience was wonderful. I thought there might have been a standing ovation, the applause was so rapturous, but no.

Thanks Aishling... Summerfolk has been extended to November 23.Originally slated, it was only til Oct. 6 then Nov.11....The Olivier Theatre at the National holds 1,250 people....if it's selling out....that's a big success:-))