Ivet, I don't think any of us get tired of Maya Angelou.  Great choice!

Chris! I'm so glad that you have joined us and I hope you'll stay. Everyone was so welcoming when I first joined in and it's amazing how much I've learned about my new friends based on their variety of posts. It is true expression. You can provide as much Bruce as you'd like. One can never get tired of him.

Halle - I love that name! I'm jealous that you're off to Italy and hope you get this while oversaes. If you are headed to Milan or the northwest I hope you have the chance to go to Cinque Terre and swim, er, float, in the Med. It's five towns in the cliffs only accessible by train. Very quaint. I stayed in Varnaza and you can hike between the five towns, something I think you'd really enjoy. There's a great sandwich shop in the main town and it plays all kinds of American music. It reminds me of a place in my college town. I left part of my heart in Italy 10 years ago. Maybe you can bring it back. You might find it in Florence at the Piazza de Michelangelo enjoying a bottle of wine! LOL 

And in rememberance of a very funny man who died way too young, Chicagoan Bernie Mac:

“When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters on the grill, get the ice-cold beer and the cigars - that's heaven here on earth.”

I think we all feel the same.

Hope you had a great weekend!
~Jennifer

Halle thank you for that wonderful post, we will miss you.

I was looking all around earlier for a quote about this plot of ground, this England. I believe it was from a Churchill speech. Jen would you know it, or Ivet? I would call Greg but I would be forced to listen to the whole speech. If anyone else out there knows it please jump in.

thanks

JJ

JJ I don't know if this is what you were referring to but it seems appropriate for this wonderful forum of yours

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands,— This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

-King Richard II. Act ii. Sc. 1. ~ William Shakespeare

Jennie

Jennie, than you so much. I did not have enough words in the quote to do a successful search and of course I was wrong about the author. One more section from Henry V

Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

I especially love the famous line:

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

JJ

JJ I knew the King Richard quote but I just got back in town, I could have told you. I do know some stuff you know. A few days ago I saw this old movie and I am reminded of lines from it right now.

• I envy you your school days. Enjoy them fully. It's the last time in your life no one expects anything of you.

• Oh, don't worry. I'm not going into that cavity. That nerve's already dying. A live, freshly-cut nerve is infinitely more sensitive. So I'll just drill into a healthy tooth until I reach the pulp. That is unless, of course, you can tell me that it's safe.

• You're weak. Your father was weak in his way. Your brother in his and now you in yours.

• Thus far I find you rather repulsive, may I say that without hurting your feelings?

Szell: Is it safe?

Babe: You're talking to me?

Szell: Is it safe?

Babe: Is what safe?

Szell: Is it safe?

Babe: I don't know what you mean. I can't tell you something's safe or not, unless I know specifically what you're talking about.

Szell: Is it safe?

Babe: Tell me what the "it" refers to.

Szell: Is it safe?

Babe: Yes, it's safe, it's very safe, it's so safe you wouldn't believe it.

Szell: Is it safe?

Babe: No. It's not safe, it's... very dangerous, be careful.

K

Jennie , thanks for the cute scratch pad post. It's is ttooo cute!  I'm glad you are joining us!  Nothing to share tonight. I'm exhausted after a busy weekend and preparing for a very, very busy week. I wil ltry to redeem myself tomorrow! 

~Jennifer

I had a wonderful and relaxing  weekend, I met up with some old college friends at a casino resort for some fine dining, drinking and of course gambling. I have a blackjack system I like to use. It involves me walking up and handing the dealer my money so as not to postpone the inevitable. This time I tried to do that in a high stakes game but came out ahead so I went on to my true love, roulette. I know the odds are not that good, but I have always been lucky with the section of numbers from 6 to 18 so I concentrated on those and even hit big on the numbers 17 and 8 a couple times. It was enough to pay for my weekend with some to spare. I got home last night in time to see the Americans triumph in the 400 meter freestyle relay in the Olympics. The French were the heavy favorites and led much of the race only to be out touched in the last second. The Americans were cheering like crazy and the French must have looked up and thought Oh (fill in a five letter french word beginning with M). One of the French team had boasted how they were going to smash the Americans, things like that tend to fire up your opponents.

The friends I met up with are all married now, I am one of the last holdouts, so this song is appropriate. (Tom Waits)

All my friends are married
every Tom and Dick and Harry
you must be strong
to go it alone
here's to the bachelors
and the bowery bums
and those who feel that they're the ones
who are better off without a wife

I like to sleep until the crack of noon
midnight howlin' at the moon
goin' out when I wanto, comin' home when I please
I don't have to ask permission
if I want to go out fishing
and I never have to ask for the keys

never been no Valentino
had a girl who lived in Reno
left me for a trumpet player
didn't get me down
he was wanted for assault
though he said it weren't his fault
well the coppers rode him right
out of town

(chorus)

selfish about my privacy
as long as I can be with me
we get along so well I can't believe
I love to chew the fat with folks
and listen to all your dirty jokes
I'm so thankful for these friends
I do receive

(chorus)

Oh ya are any of you ladies engaged to Chris now? For some reason I have a vision of a fox guarding a hen house. It looks like you guys were getting a little cultural with the Shakespere but those were some excellent choices.

Greg

HMMM? Greg, Greg who? I used to know a Greg once and he was this short little guy with big ears, a bald head and buck teeth. Is that you? Now Chris, there  is a wonderful man, the silent type, he works with heavy equipment, very manly. Maybe I will place the name later. I would certainly recognize you if I had been invited along on your weekend get away but noooooooo.

Welcome back handsome. Your dogs were well behaved for the most part. You might want to shop for a new lamp for your study though.

JJ

Welcome back, Greg! You weren't missed as much as we thought.   Chris is a great addition to our forum with his kittens, puppies and manly ways!   Congrats on the winning. Roulette has always been good to me. I once started with $10 at Hard Rock in Vegas and won $250. Then, while waiting for high maintanance friends to get ready (I love them!), I sat and won another $100 on nickle slots! Yes, I said nickle slots! 

A beloved voice that made women swoon passed away. He's a bit risque so it was hard to find something WORDS-appropriate but wanted to post in memorial. I've edited.  Let me know if it's too much.  Here's two for him......Isaac Hayes:

Who's the black private....
That's a sex machine to all the chicks?
SHAFT!
Ya damn right!
Who is the man that would risk his neck
For his brother man?
SHAFT!
Can you dig it?
Who's the cat that won't cop out
When there's danger all about?
SHAFT!
Right On!
They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft.
THEN WE CAN DIG IT!
He's a complicated man
But no one understands him but his woman
JOHN SHAFT!

Don't Let Go:
Hear that whistle it's 10 o'clock
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
Come on baby it's time to rock
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
I'm so glad I've got you here
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
Keeps me grinnin' from ear to ear
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
Oo-ee, mmm this feelin' is killin' me
Aaaw shucks
Well, I wouldn't stop for a million bucks
(I love you so)
Just hold me tight and don't let go
Thunder, lightnin', wind and rain
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
Love is formin' inside my brain
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
I'm so eager I'm nearly dyin'
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
You've been keepin' your lips from mine
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
Oo-ee, mmm this feelin' is killin' me
Aaaw shucks
Well, I wouldn't stop for a million bucks
(I love you so)
Just hold me tight and don't let go, yeah
Whooooa, yeah
Don't let go
Come on and kiss me, kiss me sweet
Hold me tight baby and don't let go
(Don't let go)
Come on and love me
You've gotta love me
(Don't let go)
I want ya, I want ya, I really, really want ya
(Don't let go)
All night, feels so right
(Don't let go)
Hold me tight, don't let go
[Instrumental Interlude]
Hound dogs barkin' upside the hill
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
Love is draggin' him through the mill
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
If it wasn't for havin' you, girl
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
I'd be a-howlin' and a-barkin' too
(Don't let go)
(Don't let go)
Ooh-ee, mmm this feelin' is killin' me
Aaaw shucks
Well, I wouldn't stop for a million bucks
(I love you so)
Just hold me tight and don't let go, no
No, no don't let go
I need ya so, girl
Hold me, momma
(Hold me tight if it takes all night)
(But don't let go)
Don't, don't let me go
(I wouldn't stop for a million bucks)
('Cause I love you so)
No, no, no I love you so, yeah

Between losing him and Bernie Mac suddenly, it's been a sad weekend.  I never laughed so hard than watching fellow Chicagoan Mr. Mac.  He'll be missed.  This morning I learned that Isaac Hayes was a self-taught musician (a real talent).  Was going to become a doctor but traded it in when he discovered music. 

Jennifer

Very good post Jen, my grandmother always said that famous people die in threes so there may well be another soon.

  It might be considered advertising if I mention the resort I stayed in over the weekend. Here is a hint and you can look it up if you like. The adjoining town with the casino is the boyhood home of Larry Bird. He was often called the hick from............If you do check it out, look at the entry to the hotel in the adjoining town, it is breath taking. The dome and rotundra are remarkable and the restoration was painstaking.

I lay there every night while you loved me,
And I'm used to nights that go by slow.
And I wake up every morning where you left me
Wondering which way the day is gonna go.
But you never cross my mind,
Though I cry from time to time.
No, you never cross my mind.
You just stay there all the time.

Part of another Isaac Hayes song.

I found another song about telling his wife and kids he was leaving them for another woman, but I did not care for the content. I like to think marriages last.

Greg

It was a lovely place Greg and I enjoyed wandering the grounds and looking at the buildings more than the gambling. I am not sure it counts as a buisness trip but I am sure you learned a lot from the landscaping.

Next time JJ should go and I will stay with the pets, it is only fair. She can stand behind you as  you gamble and pretend you are James Bond in Casino Royale. I was happy to be at your side since all your friends had wives there, I would have been the same way at some functions.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, 
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Dylan Thomas

Is it no wonder Bob Dylan borrowed the name. Such words!!

Kelly

Kelly I finally checked out that resort, wow. That  little hotel I imagined had the largest dome in the world till the Houston Astro Dome was built, incredible! Ok next time you watch the dogs. Maybe we can post a link about the restoration?

JJ

I miss the lovely Lala and hope she gets her computer going soon. She is a big fan of Leonard Cohen, one of his songs.....

Dance Me To The End Of Love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

It is hard to hear Cohen and not think of her.

Greg

Greg, Glad to hear you had a "profitable" time, I know how the casinos can be.... had considerable time funding that wonderful city of Las Vegas.

I am not sure I agree with "the fox watching the hen house" ....lol.  I don't think I could even come close to what you bring to the table, I am content with learning from you all and possibly posting something worthwhile here and there. 

"the fox"

Wow, Greg, thanks for sending me the link to the hotel.  It is so beautiful!!!  It's always good to spend time with good friends.  Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves.

Chris, you bring a lot to the table and we're lucky to have you! 

I got a wonderful card in the mail from a friend today.  Remember those?  LOL  I love getting hand written notes.  I think that it's something no one really cares to take the time to do anymore.  My friends and I try to do it very often.  My bf and her new husband write cards to each other every so often, even while dating, to remind each other how much they care about one another.  It's really quite beautiful and I bet it's something Halle does with her husband often.

Back to the card, it was lovely and she's a great writer, er, finder of great quotes! 

"I would like you to imagine something; Imagine following your heart at all times.  Imagine always expressing yourself to your loved ones.  Imagine reaching out to others and touching their lives, just as they have touched yours.  What if you took just one minute per day to write a meaningful card of gratitude, a card that could change someone's day? 'Words are bodies or forces which move spirally and return in due season to cross the lives of their creators' "

It was so meaningful to me, I thought I would share it with all of you. 

Jennifer

Jennifer,

I know what you mean.....  little handwritten notes are the best!  I got many of them from my dad when I lived with him.  He passed when I was very young but those little things he did are what means so much to me now.   You all are so intelligent, more so than myself, maybe here and there I'll share a "note" with you that will make you proud. 

christopher

I may need to rethink the whole note thing. The last one I left was:

In case I do not see you when you get back, the dogs smashed your lamp. They were chasing each other and crashed into it. I think Incubus was in the middle of the chase too but he is smaller and hard to spot. I think he was hiding under a chair but the boys just sat there looking guilty.

We do send less informative notes back and forth though. I always found it a good way to thank friends for hospitality or for unexpected gifts.

It is good to see you again Chris and I hope you come back often, very nice quote Jen.

JJ

Carolyn, that's really nice. I'm going to keep it myself.

This brings up a good point of the forms of written word that others give to us. Their words can have such a profound impact on our lives. Choice of words can show someone's true intentions, the way and how much they care for you, appreciation, joy/celebration, grief and much more. The notes and cards I receive make me smile, always, so I say it's like "getting a smile in the mail." And yet, we forget that not too long ago most correspondence was still done by letter. Before email, my friends and I wrote letters to one another each week in college.

I thought I'd share some letters from others:

Sunday 19th

My beloved angel,

I am nearly mad about you, as much as one can be mad: I cannot bring together two ideas that you do not interpose yourself between them.

I can no longer think of anything but you. In spite of myself, my imagination carries me to you. I grasp you, I kiss you, I caress you, a thousand of the most amorous caresses take possession of me.

As for my heart, there you will always be - very much so. I have a delicious sense of you there. But my God, what is to become of me, if you have deprived me of my reason? This is a monomania which, this morning, terrifies me.

I rise up every moment saying to myself, "Come, I am going there!" Then I sit down again, moved by the sense of my obligations. There is a frightful conflict. This is not life. I have never before been like that. You have devoured everything.

I feel foolish and happy as soon as I think of you. I whirl round in a delicious dream in which in one instant I live a thousand years. What a horrible situation!

Overcome with love, feeling love in every pore, living only for love, and seeing oneself consumed by griefs, and caught in a thousand spiders' threads.

O, my darling Eva, you did not know it. I picked up your card. It is there before me, and I talk to you as if you were there. I see you, as I did yesterday, beautiful, astonishingly beautiful.

Yesterday, during the whole evening, I said to myself "she is mine!" Ah! The angels are not as happy in Paradise as I was yesterday!

--Honore de Balzac, French writer, to Evelina Hanska, a Polish countess, June 1836.


The Hague 1713

I am a prisoner here in the name of the King; they can take my life, but not the love that I feel for you. Yes, my adorable mistress, to-night I shall see you, and if I had to put my head on the block to do it.

For heaven's sake, do not speak to me in such disastrous terms as you write; you must live and be cautious; beware of madame your mother as of your worst enemy. What do I say? Beware of everybody; trust no one; keep yourself in readiness, as soon as the moon is visible; I shall leave the hotel incognito, take a carriage or a chaise, we shall drive like the wind to Sheveningen; I shall take paper and ink with me; we shall write our letters.

If you love me, reassure yourself; and call all your strength and presence of mind to your aid; do not let your mother notice anything, try to have your pictures, and be assured that the menace of the greatest tortures will not prevent me to serve you. No, nothing has the power to part me from you; our love is based upon virtue, and will last as long as our lives. Adieu, there is nothing that I will not brave for your sake; you deserve much more than that. Adieu, my dear heart!

Arout
(Voltaire)
to Olympe Dunover, the poor daughter of a lower-class women, for which he was put in jail to keep the pair a part