Dead Dreams

Senator Edward Kennedy dies at age 77

Not overly surprising as most victims of brain cancer (as the article points out) die within a year. I am saddened for his family but I'm not going to be one of those lionizing him. I had serious issues with most of his political views and there was just something about the man that irked me.

I saw Camelot at Goodspeed Opera House earlier this summer. I've been listening to the musical on my ipod and thinking alot about that era - the 1960's - and the mythology surrounding the Kennedy's. Many point to the lies of the Nixon administration as when ordinary, middle-of-the-road Americans started losing faith in their government but I wonder if they knew, sensed, the lies of Camelot. It would explain the explosion of rage that was the late 1960's. People just knew they were being lied to all along and with the murder of the dreams they just... exploded.

It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear.
The climate must be perfect all the year.

A law was made a distant moon ago here:
July and August cannot be too hot.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
In Camelot.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
In Camelot.
Camelot! Camelot!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But in Camelot, Camelot
That's how conditions are.
The rain may never fall till after sundown.
By eight, the morning fog must disappear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot!
I know it gives a person pause,
But in Camelot, Camelot
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

It's the reprise that is most haunting:

ARTHUR:
Each evening, from December to December,
Before you drift to sleep upon your cot,
Think back on all the tales that you remember
Of Camelot.
Ask ev'ry person if he's heard the story,
And tell it strong and clear if he has not,
That once there was a fleeting wisp of glory
Called Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot!

Now say it out with pride and joy!

TOM:

Camelot! Camelot!

ARTHUR:

Yes, Camelot, my boy!
Where once it never rained till after sundown,
By eight a.m. the morning fog had flown...
Don't let it be forgot
That once there was a spot
For one brief shining moment that was known
As Camelot.

Richard Burton, who could not sing, does a brilliant job of conveying the pain, the anguish, the soul-crushing weariness of Arthur before he dies. You are almost happy for him that it is over and he can find peace. I would imagine that being a myth, or being part of one, must be a burden almost impossible to bear.

"The disadvantage of my position," he told an interviewer, "is being constantly compared with two brothers of such superior ability."

May you find peace in the Summerland Edward.

Odd, wandering thoughts day

Google has a new doodle which led me to the information that this is the 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope.

400 hundred years. My mind started wandering down a path of thought about all that has happened in the past 400 years, all that human beings have accomplished - the good, the bad, the ugly. Take a look at wiki's list of events for this day in history.

I found a new place to live. Not a house, but it's a nice place. I'm probably moving the weekend of September 12. I've sicced a lawyer on the condo's owners to get out of the lease and get the security back. Nothing is ever simple, is it?

Your government at work or why I keep avoiding the news

C.I.A. Sought Blackwater’s Help in Plan to Kill Jihadists.

“It’s wrong to think this counterterrorism program was confined to briefing slides or doodles on a cafeteria napkin,” the official said. “It went well beyond that.”

I'm moving on to less stress-inducing topics. It's too damn hot and life is too damned short to be this angry.

~ ~ ~

Rick Bayless FOR THE WIN!

I had a hard time getting into Top Chef Masters even though some of my favorite chefs were showcased. It was... meh... to me, for some reason. But I'm tickled beyond belief by the Bayless win. Love!Him! and I'm really happy he won.

Top Chef Vegas... well, we'll see. There are always so many of them in the beginning I have a hard time keeping track. Bacon donut? Gross. Just!Gross! Also, I wasn't thrilled with the chef (Mike? I think) who whinged about losing to a girl. Jackass. Pack your knives and go chef. See TWOP later in the day (or tomorrow) for the re-cap.

Not paying attention

Dad got me hooked on NCIS earlier this year. He's the typical older parent in that he doesn't want anything for birthday's, Father's Day or Christmas and he doesn't want anyone spending any money - especially on him (for what it's worth Mom is just as bad). He is a typical male in that whatever he "needs" he just up and buys - which can be annoying. A few years ago sister Gretchen came up with the plan that we (the five chillun) would provide Dad with one seaon of JAG for each birthday, Father's Day and Christmas. Sadly, the show was only on for ten years so that only got us through three years of the afore-mentioned gift-giving occassions. Thankfully, JAG had a spin-off in NCIS. Sadly, it's just starting season seven (and the five of us are awaiting his season six Christmas present to be released at the end of the month) so we've already run out of options for his birthday next March. Dad loves all things Navy, John Wayne, Navy, The Quiet Man, MASH, Navy... and we've run out of options having provided vhs's, and now dvd's, of all his favorite movies and shows already. There might have to be a road trip to Annapolis in March. Not that that is a bad thing. Hm... Navy men...

In any event, Dad's gotten me hooked NCIS. Mom mentioned that USA network was running marathons of the program and guess who is glued to the show most nights? Other than Dad? Yeah, me. In addition to enjoying the fun and banter of the early years of the show (which seems to missing in seasons five and six), I'm loving me some Mark Harmon. Damn! If I'm not careful I might turn into fangurl at the rate this is going. Because of my latest obsession I haven't been paying attention to the world at large. I heard something about some fool woman accussing President Obama of being Hitler, the health care policy being a "Nazi" policy, and Barney Franks giving her a "smack down" and I was WTF?

"Do you really think that's thoughtful conversation? Do you really think that advances your arguments? I mean I thought you were thoughtful people who were here to have a conversation. I guess I don't understand. Is it because you don't like what I'm saying? What's the matter with you all? I don't understand your mentality. What do you think you accomplish by yelling?"

Representative Frank frequently annoys me. Grates, really, and he's no stranger to shouting down people he doesn't like, but I agree with him this time. What am I missing by not paying attention to the news these days? How did this fool woman come to the conclusion that the health care plan is a Nazi policy? Do I want to know?

Probably not.

While watching Mark Harmon each evening I've been stitching Daisy Collage by Laura J. Perin. It has been taxing because of my limited ability and it distracts me from Mark. Or Mark distracts me from Daisy. It could go either way. I might finish this project by next August at the rate I'm going.

I'm going to have to give up on Daisy for a couple of weeks - I'm moving again. Serious water leakage in the condo that management is doing nothing about has me looking at houses. Small, 1,000 sq ft or less, and I am hoping to move by September 12. I've had nothing but water problems for the last seven years and when Mom mentioned that to Dad on Sunday he said:

What do you expect, she's a Pisces

Hm.