Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser - Capitol Game by Brian Haig

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

The Capitol Game
by Brian Haig


Chapter 3

Cauldron never involves itself in unfriendly takeovers, for one thing.

(This company has created) a polymer coating. Paint if onto a combat vehicle, any vehicle really, and it pretends it's thirty inches of armor.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

RIP BB

Today we had to put our oldest cat to sleep. On Wednesday, the vet discovered a baseball sized tumor on his liver. By last night, he'd stopped eating and drinking and couldn't find a comfortable position due to the buildup of fluid in his abdomen.

He adopted us in the fall of 1998 as a young cat of about 9 months old. We've enjoyed him and he's loved being with us. We will miss him.




Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Mourners at the DMA


Today I got my medieval fix by visiting the Dallas Museum of Art to see the special exhibit of The Mourners, a collection of 40 sculptures carved for the tomb of the Dukes of Burgundy in the 15th century.

Carved by Jean de la Huerta and Antoine le Moiturier between 1443 and 1456/57, the unique devotional figures, known as “mourners,” were commissioned for the elaborate tomb of the second duke of Burgundy. Crafted with astonishing detail, the alabaster sculptures exemplify some of the most important artistic innovations of the late Middle Ages.

The "phenomenal" works "capture the entire spectrum of emotions connected with human loss," he said. "When the sculptures are grouped together, the viewer is transfixed."


During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Valois dukes of Burgundy were among

the most powerful rulers in the Western world, presiding over vast territories in present-day Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands from their capital in Dijon. The significant artistic patronage of the dukes drew artists, musicians and writers to Dijon, which became a major center of creativity and artistic patronage.

In their normal setting in Dijon they are only partially seen as they blend in between miniature Gothic arches lacing the base of the wealthy and powerful couple's black marble tomb. This prolific creativity and innovation extended to the ducal court’s sculpture workshop, which produced some of the most significant art of the period. The tombs of the first two Burgundian dukes, John the Fearless and

his father, Philip the Bold, are among the best examples. Both tombs were originally commissioned for the family’s monastic complex outside of Dijon, the Charterhouse of Champmol, and were moved following the French Revolution to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Impact
by Douglas Preston


Impact

"The mine in Cambodia wasn't an impact crater. No? Then what was it. It was an exit hole."

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Tuesday Teaser on Thursday

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Last Man Standing
by David Baldacci



Web attended six funerals over three days. By the fourth one, he couldn't muster a single tear. He walked into the church or the funeral home and listened to people he mostly didn't know talk about fallen men he knew better than he understood himself in some ways.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser - Killer View

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Killer View
by Ridley Pearson


Page 90

But he was riding [a snowmobile] fast, and often blind, into the path of a sniper who wasn't shy about shooting cops. He began slowing down at every curve and wishing the snowmobile didn't whine like a chain saw, announcing his approach.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Demasiado Caliente!

Argh!!!! It's time to run away from home!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

I'm Ready For Summer To Be Over

And here's why:





Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Pirate Latitudes
by Michael Crichton

Pirate Latitudes.jpg

Chapter 16

"The privateers had been formed up in two ragged lines, their hands bound."

"You are all heretics and brigands and you will swing at end of a rope in good time. Until that day a man can either live comfortably or not."

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Wow, has it been a week already? How did that happen? :)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

The Queen's Gambit
by Diana A. S. Stuckart


page 1
"Crimson flowered against the alabaster brocade, the vivid hue spreading and dulling to claret along its petal-like edges."

page 75
"Even with my chemise serving as shirt beneath it, and the plain brown jerkin tied over it, the borrowed tunic clung to my female curves in a manner that made my sex evident."

Ok, so I don't quite follow the rules. Instead of 2 teaser sentences from my current page, I try to find 2 sentences that are great teasers for the book. :)


Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

The Girl With Braided Hair
by Margaret Coel


page 63

"I don't want her forgotten. She could be any of us, any Indian woman beaten up, shot, left in the wilderness."

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Where in the World Wednesday


Today's where in the world is National Geographic's Photo of the Day by Paul Hoagie. Wow, what a picture. Manarola is one of the villages in the famous Cinque Terra. Now I'm off to see if Manarola can be added to my (already planned) Italian vacation without too much re-planning!


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.


Jerusalem
by Cecelia Holland

book cover of  Jerusalem  by Cecelia Holland



Page 14-15

If what the Templars said were true, and the Saracens were coming out of Egypt, the Kingdom of Jerusalem lay naked before them: she knew all the Christian armies were far away to the north, near Homs and Aleppo. She had to get to Ascalon, to do whatever she could.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Weekend Whimsy - Le Mans (Spoilers)

This weekend is the weekend of the Le Mans 24 Hour race. I'm a huge race fan...F1, IndyCar, WRC, ALMS, FIA GT, MotoGP. Le Mans is one of the highlights of the year. 24 Hours of racing. Ahhhhhh! I don't watch it live; because of the time difference, it starts too early for me. A number of years ago, when VCRs were used and Speed TV broadcasted all 24 hours, it was difficult due to the 6 hour length of videotapes. I'd have to get up in the middle of the night to change tapes. Now, DVRs make it easy! :) I became an Audi fan back in 2000 when they changed the entire rear end of the car in just over 5 minutes. That was incredible. This year's race was close, with the Peugeots faster, but with 2 hours or so remaining, it was Audi's reliability that won.




Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Where in the World Wednesday

Since we just returned from a week in Yellowstone National Park, today's "Where" is Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone! This is the view from Artist's Point. The falls are 308 feet high, which is almost twice as high as Niagara Falls. As a desert person, this is an incredible amount of water. WOW! This area of the park is what gives it its name of Yellowstone. Most of the park isn't yellow, but here it is spectacularly yellow.


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

We were on vacation - Yellowstone National Park - so I bought a book set in Wyoming. This is a new author, but I liked the first book, so I bought the next three in the series. This is from book 4.

Trophy Hunt
by CJ Box
4th in the Joe Pickett mysteries




The animal [a moose] had been mutilated. Its genitals and musk glands had been cut out, and its rectum was cored. Half of its face had been removed leaving a grinning skull and long, yellowed teeth.

Although water had always been considered the single most precious commodity in the state, the effect of huge releases of underground water on the surface due to CBM [coal bed methane] wells was still unknown.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Once again, I am actually reading a book!

Shroud for the Archbishop
by Peter Tremayne
2nd in the Sister Fidelma mysteries

book cover of  Shroud for the Archbishop   (Sister Fidelma, book 2) by Peter Tremayne

Brother Eadulf had been her companion on the long and tedious journey from the Kingdom of Northumbria. ... They had become friends during the council at Hilda's monastery at Streoneshalh, by the coastal town of Witebia where, together, they had solved the dark mystery of the murder of the Abbess Étian of Kildare.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Weekend Whimsy

Well, this past week has been hectic. I got a call Wednesday morning about a job and the interview was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Whew! I spent those 2 days prep'ing for the interview; I hope it pays off!!! They are interviewing at least 2 more candidates; because I was at the top of the list when ranked using résumés, I was interviewed first. Now the waiting begins. I'm keeping all my fingers/toes/eyes crossed!!!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

For once, I am reading an actual book!

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.


Four Queens
The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe
by Nancy Goldstone
page xiii

The architects of this diplomatic coup were neither ambassadors nor statesmen.

It was managed entirely by one family - a family of four sisters who had risen from near obscurity to become the most celebrated and powerful women of their time.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Where in the World Wednesday

Here is a webcam picture of a town in the Netherlands. They have a carnival in the town square. I really like the lights against the grey overcastness.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Once again, I am listening to an audiobook as I am cleaning (or surfing the web instead of cleaning!).

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Free Fall by Kyle Mills


"He just told me that the information in it could hurt some powerful people."

"These people probably think Tristian told you what was in the file; you, and I, are a loose end to them now."

Monday, May 10, 2010

Kitties for Adoption

We are fostering two delightful kitties, sisters about a year old, Dolly and Madison. The cat rescue organization I volunteer for (New Beginnings Cat Rescue) doesn't have a physical shelter other than what is at the Garland PetSmart, and so all other cats are fostered by volunteers. If you are interested in adopting them, please let me know.


Dolly

Madison

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day

My mom's birthday is May 8th, so it is always close to Mother's Day. So, Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day. I love you! Thank you for all you did and do.

My Mom

Me and Mom, my first picnic

Me and Mom

Me and Mom, my first Christmas

Me and Mom, my first birthday

Me and Mom, my second Christmas

Me and Mom, sometime before 1st grade


Me and Mom, Easter, 1990

Me and Mom, my college graduation

Me and Mom, hiking at the volcano near Las Cruces




Friday, May 7, 2010

Friday's Feature - Baby Bald Eagle


As you've read previously, I follow several webcams. One of them is of a bald eagle nest and today I discovered that the first baby has hatched. Here's a pic of the baby and Dad (?). Check out the video webcam
here.


Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Where in the World Wednesday

I miss "my" mountains. The Organ Mountains in Las Cruces, NM.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Where in the World Wednesday

Hello, today's "other" place is Yellowstone. We are going again this year and have started talking about it. I can't wait...


Morning Glory Pool


Grand Prismatic Spring



White Dome Geyser





Baby Buffalo...I love seeing all the babies: bald eagles, elk, buffalo, moose, bears. Late spring/early summer is such a wonderful time to visit.