<p>Good morning all. Feel better to those under the weather. Happy cruising TA, are you leaving from Norfolk? Congrats on all of the good news. Moda, I hope that Odessagirl is as happy as your daughter with the student teaching when she begins in Feb.</p>
<p>arabrab, what’s your D’s field?</p>
<p>Geography – her thesis project involves a marketing-oriented geographical information systems (GIS) analysis. (That is, people/purchasing decision related, not physical geograpy mapping like terrain and flood zones.)</p>
<p>eddieodessa, TA is probably cruising out of Baltimore (unless she flew to Florida) as there aren’t any cruises out of Norfolk until May. Baltimore and Norfolk are both nice ports to cruise from. Great for people that don’t want to fly to Florida. We are cruising out of Bayonne ,NJ in May to Bermuda for son’s graduation but cruised out of Norfolk to Bermuda in 2011. Cruised out of Baltimore to the Bahamas in 2010. Nice to be able to drive to a port. Hope TA has a great time.</p>
<p>TA have a great time.
D2 bqck at school now, empty nest except for the dog.
Eddie it alwasy takes the guys time to adjust to things just keep at it. also thanks forthe advice pm.
H has a bad cold, guess who isnt sleeping and who will be next. Gosh I am not hat giving.</p>
<p>DTE, anytime, my friend.</p>
<p>Sevmom, we haven’t cruised yet. When we do, will probably leave from Baltimore as it is an hour away.</p>
<p>eddieodessa, Baltimore would be great for you since you are so close. Very convenient . New York and Boston are nice to cruise out of too . Baltimore’s a great city and we have family there so could leave our car with them while we cruised. Hopefully TA is having fun, wherever she is cruising from and wherever she is cruising to! Congratulations to the Ravens!</p>
<p>Good morning, all! Oh to be cruising somewhere warm today 
Happy trails, TheAnalyst.</p>
<p>I do feel refreshed from my girls “stay cation” but then again, a little seems to leave me wanting more! At any rate, happy Monday ;)</p>
<p>Happy Monday! Have a good week! :)</p>
<p>Enjoy the cruises.</p>
<p>We had a bunch of trees cut down in our yard that were similar to the one that fell on our house – 100 year old white pines with multiple trunks that have or probably have rotted on the inside at the point where the trunks intersect (not sure I’m using the right vocabulary here – is that the saddle?) We see a lot more of our neighbors now.</p>
<p>Hope everyone is feeling better and congrats on all the good news.</p>
<p>D did get the flu shot and this weekend got the flu. Go figure. I receive the flu shot on Sat. Figured with the cruise it was only fitting.</p>
<p>Good morning. I’m back at work. I felt a lot better at home than I do here.</p>
<p>Z, such great news about your D.</p>
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<p>Movie: George Clooney + Hawaii = not an unpleasant experience</p>
<p>Who was it who suggested the *Images of America *books as Christmas presents? I bought one for my MIL of a town near where she grew up. There was a whole chapter on an annual event in which she had always participated and she called on Christmas night, all excited that she had found herself in one of the pictures. Well, it’s the gift that keeps on giving to an elderly relative who is losing her memory, because she called again the other day, all excited that she had found herself in one of the pictures. Wonder how many more times she will experience the excitement of making the same discovery? </p>
<p>Did anyone watch the Golden Globes? I did the speeding through on the DVR 1 hour version. Jodie Foster’s coming out confuses me. I feel like I’ve known she is gay for most of my life. And she still feels that her privacy is so invaded? Are there really people hounding her all the time? I can’t even remember the last time I read anything about her.</p>
<p>That’s funny about your MIL finding herself in the book, missypie. I thought my Dad was the only one who could do this He found himself in his hometown’s book too, in a class group picture. I wrote down the many names he remembered from that picture. I just wish he would update the list when he thinks of new names, but I have to take the notes.</p>
<p>To answer a bit of my own Jodie Foster question, just read this online:</p>
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<p>I guess that would be rather irritating…to be totally living your normal, quiet adult life as a lesbian, with no sham marriages to guys or the like, and to have to still have people insist that you make a public declaration about it. A straight celebrity isn’t expected to issue a press release about being staight. A short man who is attracted to tall women isn’t expected to issue a press release admitting that no, he doesn’t dig short women. By being a public figure, does she have any obligation at all to talk about those kinds of things?</p>
<p>^good point, MP, particularly in movies/theater where it is likely that the percentage of gays is significantly higher than in other fields (in the Tony award ceremony last year, Neil Patrick Harris leading a song and dance number called “Broadway is not just for gays anymore!” – I don’t watch these shows generally but ShawD thought I would love it and found it and a few other numbers on YouTube). If 1/3 or 1/2 of the performers/directors/techs/hairdressers/costumers/… are gay (I have no idea what the percentage is but it can’t be low), to keep getting asked to make public pronouncements about it must seem a little beside the point. I sympathize.</p>
<p>MissyPie – So glad she found the Images of America book interesting – and her own picture in it is a bonus. It is one of my favorite gifts for older people, who mostly have no interest in stuff. Also can trigger some amazing conversations and recollections – even people who are getting a little iffy on the here and now often seem to have much more clarity of memory on their younger days. I know my dad did. (Just be happy for her each time she “discovers” herself it – and tell her that you thought she’d love it as a present. Again. 
) </p>
<p>I find the obsession with who is gay and who is not distasteful, and especially bewildering when it concerns celebrities who I do not really know and who I will never likely know. It is as if it has value as titillation, and maybe I’m just beyond that by now.</p>
<p>Great message arabrab!</p>
<p>Having a blah day. Only have 7000 steps in for my new fitness walking so I have 3000 to go! Making a new Mexican Cornbread Casserole for dinner. D2 found it own Pinterest so back to the kitchen I go. Gray and cold day, I think I need some sunshine. Found out I am reading the wrong book for book club. I thought we were supposed to read The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan and we are really reading The House Kitchen by Kathleen Grissom. Duh!!!</p>
<p>^ NM when my book club said that we were going to read The Stonecutter (by Camilla Lackberg) I told everyone that I had already bought the book. Turned out the book I had was Cutting for Stone.</p>
<p>I think my post was just officially swallowed up. NM, good for the 7000 steps! Your casserole sounds hearty and delicious as well.</p>
<p>Agree with you, arabrab. I wish that personal behavior, including preferences could remain just that–personal.</p>
<p>S1 is back at school for the final semester. I already found his favorite sweatshirt and several single socks littered in his room–yes, mom will mail them out. I do miss him! He thinks he didn’t get the job he just interviewed for, and has already sent out applications for three more. H said he wished he could interview him to give him hints, but S doesn’t want that at this stage. I told him that we will continue to support him in whatever he does after graduation–even if that means graduate school.</p>
<p>NM, I love all of Amy Tan’s books. I also loved Cutting for Stone. Perhaps we need our own book club! </p>
<p>Gray day here as well, kind of blah. H and I went and joined a cheapie gym yesterday. I need something to do other than walking. No contract so if we don’t like it, we can quit any time! He needs to exercise and I want to encourage him.</p>