Your Girl Friday

Welcome, Friday!

Even though I don’t work anymore, there’s still something special about Friday and the weekend. It just brings the promise of FUN™! And happy Skull Friday, by the way (note the headband)!

However, any fun I have this weekend is going to be on my own. Ken is off to Omaha for a Monday meeting with some potential clients, and he went out early to spend a little time with our good friend Mark. Ken has been instructed to give Mark a big hug from me, and he promised to deliver! We’ve been friends with Mark for a long time (we met through blogging), and I know Ken is looking forward to seeing him. Have fun, you guys!

I’ll miss having my hubby here, but you guys know I can always manage to find things to keep myself occupied. Yes...be afraid...be very afraid. Haha! Nah, I just plan on hanging out, I’ll probably watch some Walking Dead, I’ll listen to lots of music, do some reading (still working on From Here To Eternity), and just kind of putter. To remind me of my hubby, I think I’ll drink those last two Pre-Flight Pilsners that he ordered for me a while back. Some women like flowers; some like jewelry; my husband gets me premium beers. He gets me! He totally gets me!

Speaking of beer, after a quick beer run this morning (I ran into our UPS driver, Mike, delivering packages at the store, and it was fun to see him somewhere other than our front deck!), I came back, did a quick workout, and got to spend some time in the sun. It wasn’t quite as hot today as it was earlier in the week, so it was good to get out there a little more. Possible rain tomorrow, so I’m glad I got some good deck time in.

The fan I’m holding up there came from my super cool Aunt June. We were all in Kentucky last Labor Day for a family outing, and it was beastly hot and humid. She’d gotten fans for all of us, and let me tell you, it was a lifesaver! I would never have thought of getting a fan, but I was happy to have it, and I still use it on occasion. In fact, I might take it to Florida with me. If I run into Norman Reedus in Georgia on the way back, I will definitely need it. I’ll be fanning myself so hard, I’ll probably take flight! Ha!

Speaking of “The Walking Dead” (I’m all about the segue today), I had another tweet from the Governor, guys. [click to embiggenate] Yes. David Morrissey, the actor who plays the Governor, posted that he had just finished The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Speaking of presents from Ken (YES! The segue trifecta!), he bought that book for me several years ago for Christmas, and I loved it. In fact, I was so fascinated by it that I bought several MORE books about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the Columbian Exposition, in which Chicago became the “White City,” and in which the book’s story takes place. I tweeted back to David and recommended a couple of other of Larson’s books, including Thunderstruck and In the Garden of Beasts, and wrote that I think Larson is a great writer.

He tweeted back and wondered what the latter was about. I wrote back that it was about the U.S. Ambassador in Germany in the lead-up to WWII, the rise of the Nazis, and that it was FANTASTIC. I really hope he reads it, because I actually enjoyed it more than The Devil in the White City, and I didn’t think that was possible! It is a chilling book, chronicling the slow restriction of freedoms and the clampdown of the Nazis. I would recommend it to anyone, and I would love it if David Morrissey picked it up on my recommendation! I hope he enjoys it.

You know, he really is...charming. Great taste in books and music, great actor, seems like a really nice guy, and he’s really tall, and...[shaking my head] NO! Beth! Remember Andrea! And Milton! And all those Woodburians on the road! You can’t fool me, you charmer! Ha!

Although I’m still totally in Green Day mode, one of my favorite driving songs is this one, by The Rapture. Speaking of charm (Another segue! I’m on fi-yah!), “I'm fired up... the engine is running/All my charm and all my cunning girl...I wanna brake it with you.” In my-my-my-my Mustang Ford!

TURN IT UP!

Lost in Bookland

Pardon my recent absence. Along with trying to enjoy the last gasp of summer, I’ve been trying to balance my political readings with a fantastic book, In the Garden of Beasts, that just completely grabbed me. I finished it today, and here is my Shelfari review. I gave it five stars and I “favorited” it, so that should tell you how much I liked it!

"What I did not realize as I ventured into those dark days of Hitler's rule was how much the darkness would infiltrate my own soul."

~~ Erik Larson

I've enjoyed Larson's books since I read The Devil in the White City several years ago (a book that prompted me to buy about five more on the 1893 Chicago World's Fair), and this book is no exception to his unique ability to tell a true story in a narrative style.

I don't need to buy a lot of books about Nazi Germany this time around. I read dozens of books about it in high school and college, and even studied it a bit from the unique perspective of a student of the German language. This book, however, provides the viewpoint of the American ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, during the early years of Hitler's rise to power, as well as that of his wife and two adult children, Bill and Martha.

It's hard to describe the personal touch and perspective that Larson is able to provide using diaries, letters, and official papers. He is able to bring the city of Berlin to life in a vibrant yet poignant way. Larson traces the pathway of the Dodd family from the college professor's surprising appointment as ambassador, to Martha's initial infatuation with the city and its beautiful and industrious blonde denizens, to the family's eventual dismay and disgust at the encroaching brutality in the city and country.

This book left me with profound sadness and a deep sense of unease. A country with a proud history and heritage was hijacked by madmen; the insidious loss of freedoms, rights, and basic human decency was frightening to encounter, even in the pages of a book. The clampdown was incremental yet progressive, and it seems that many people were able to tolerate such abuses of freedom in the hopes that they would eventually ease.

Others were not so tolerant, and sensing the violence that was brewing, fled the country. Scientists, artists, writers, dissidents...both Jewish and non-Jewish. Those who were left saw their words censored, or censored themselves in order to survive. People were unable to speak freely for the fear that a servant or neighbor would turn them in; paranoia was rampant, and the early optimism of Hitler's unification of Germany turned to fear and loathing.

Ambassador Dodd saw early on that Hitler was not what he seemed on the surface. He had no interest in peace, and was in fact ramping up the military at a rate obviously designed for warfare. Dodd tried to warn President Roosevelt and the State Department, and tried to break the U.S. out of its isolationist mindset. After four years as Ambassador, he was replaced, and spent several years traveling and giving lectures about the dangers of a militarized Germany with a madman at the helm. Of course, he was eventually proven right, although I'm sure it didn't give him much satisfaction to see Germany plunge Europe and eventually much of the rest of the world into war.

This was a disturbing book in many ways. To see the lives of ordinary people, whether citizens or diplomats, torn apart by ruthless leaders and bloodthirsty tyrants was almost unbearably sad for me. Larson was able to bring a personal aspect to a 70 year old story and to make these people live and breathe again. The almost too easy loss of freedoms still resonates today, and can and should be read as a cautionary tale.

Recommended very highly.

How YOU doin'?!

We had a fun day yesterday! My intention was to put a slideshow up, but due to some unforeseen difficulties, I was unable to do so. I'll work on it tomorrow and try and get it up here.

(Frankly, I'm being very polite and calm. I am so incredibly irritated right now that it is taking everything I've got to keep from letting loose with a stream of profanity that would make a sailor blush. I am stepping away from the slideshow project and I am calmly writing about our day. I will include a few pictures, and I will regain my equilibrium.)

The dedication of the Habitat house was incredible. Ken wrote about it over at his place, and you can read the details there. The woman who got the house said that no one in her family owns a home--she's the first person to become a homeowner. How cool is that? It sure made me realized how fortunate we are. I thought it was neat that this wasn't just a lone Habitat house--they're building a small community, and the lady who got the house has been helping her neighbors with their houses as well as working on her own. It was a great thing to see, and I'm glad we went!

Later, it was on to my sister's house. Right after we got to Diana's, we made a trip to her museum. (Well, it's not HER museum, but she's the assistant director of the Elkhart County Historical Museum). She opened it up for us and we got to see their quilt exhibit, as well as several other cool things. This is Amish country, so quilting is big around here. I think the oldest one they have is from 1859, and there were some beautiful quilts on display. I asked Diana if they still had the Ambrose Bierce stuff, so she opened up that room for me. She got out the map that was on display at the Field Museum in Chicago during their map display exhibit. This small map is worth about $35,000! They also have his field desk from the Civil War, and a few of his map-making tools, and she said she has no idea of what those things are worth.

While walking around and looking at things, I came across a picture book that was out. It was an original from the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893, the World's Fair! A few years ago, Ken got me the book The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I loved the book, and it made me fascinated by that World's Fair, so I got several books about it. Only two large buildings survive: the one that the Museum of Science and Industry now occupies, and the one that is the home of the Art Institute. I was thrilled to find a book that was of that time period! I'm thinking I might be spending some time over there, just looking through things like that.

Back at Diana's house, she asked me, "So you're going to Vegas and you're going to see 'Love'! Ohhh, it was GREAT!" What did I tell you? Then she brought out her program (Again, what did I tell you?), and as we looked through it, she told me how great it was. When I told her we had front row seats, she said, "Ohhhhh!" Ha ha! She talked about it more a little later, and said that while she was there, she even wondered if maybe this isn't what Heaven is like. One more time...what did I tell you?! She also recommended the Liberace Museum, but I said we were hoping that the Neon Museum, AKA The Boneyard, will be open and we can tour that. She said she'd never heard of that one, but I'm not sure how much she's into signage.

I had taken my reading glasses with me, and as I put them on and held my pony tail up on my head, I told Diana that I brought them along so I could "do my new impression, doncha know!" She cracked up, and asked if I could do the wink. I obliged. I'll have to continue working on it, but I made her laugh with just that, so I'll consider that a success. The only real political discussion that came up was about the economy, which shows where everyone's main concern is at.

Diana made Pasta Fagioli, and we were all stuffed by the time we were done. She made a pineapple cake using a recipe from our Aunt June, and after that, we were even more stuffed! Mom liked all of her cards and presents, and I think she had a really nice time. Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes for Mom--she really got a kick out of it!

Also, it turns out that Diana has some really weird friends. This guy just sat around and never said a word. How rude!

Di is planning on putting him in the passenger seat of her Camaro and putting some sunglasses on him when she drives to work. I'd love to see some of the reactions to that!

Today has turned out to be a good one, too. Beautiful weather--very warm for mid-October--and we agreed that we should grill. I was looking for a sirloin steak in the freezer, and when I moved a roast, I uncovered TWO packages of Porterhouse steaks! Oh yeah, babe! We're talking Porterhouse steaks, a baked potato, and a lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing. Works for me! Hope you all had a superb weekend!