kidsmoke

Agreed, this was my experience too. One caveat: you ought to wear a nicer pair of pants (chinos for instance) if you go to a religious site such as St. Peter's. Wearing jeans there will definitely get you some glares and you might even be refused entry. Shorts are even worse. You just want to be respectful. No idiotic booming shouts like the pair of young American numbnuts I saw at St. Peters who, upon entering, howled at each other, "DUDE!!! THEY GOT PHONES IN HERE!!!" (They did, in the very back, but it was hardly the most remarkable feature of the place.) Don't be them. I've wanted to

Definitely visit the Forum. Inexpensive, and positively vibrating with history. You are free to wander as you like among ancient pillars and ruins that are incredibly beautiful. One of my best travel memories is of going to the Forum on a lovely, warm late afternoon, with a picnic lunch of bread, cheeses and pears that we ate among the quiet, magnificent ruins. So few people were there, we felt we almost had discovered the place ourselves. So romantic and powerful! It's so amazing how they do that, so fast and accurate! I have one of Brennan from Paris. The guy totally got a perfect pro

That bolded bit....it's like Jeff foresaw this thread! Spooky.

Oh, Ashtray, Ashtray, what must we do to get you to read the fine print? It was a voucher for 15 ice cubes from the machine at the local Motel 6 (With one night's fully-paid stay....paid by you that is) and you were invited to wear the bedsheet as a toga. But not outside the room, please.

A deep bow of gratitude to those amongst our membership who take the time and trouble to alert the moderating team to spammers! These are for you: This is a big busy board (Say that 3 times fast! Too easy you say? Ok, try "Irish Wristwatch". HA! Not so smug now I'll bet.) and even though our moderating team is dedicated and vigilant, sometimes these spamming fools manage to slip past the guards. So, our appreciation to all of you who assist in curtailing their spammy bulldroppings by clicking the report button and tipping us off. The guilty parties have been bundled off to banned

Ok, everybody scoot, go discuss something meaningful. Buncha knuckleheads.

Welcome home, RJ.

What a terrific interview! I love hearing her talk, and of course I heard it all in my head in her distinctive voice. What a great story she has to tell. Sad about her sister Cleotha, but that's so touching that even with Alzheimer's she still connects to "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".

Reminds me of that great Monty Python line, "No use beating around the bush with a dead horse!" But seriously Diane, so often we read things on here and don't have time, or neglect to comment...but I personally thank you for sharing that wonderful interview clip, since I'd missed the actual show. When Colbert began by listing off all the musical genres Mavis had excelled in, and then finished off by asking her why she was having so much trouble finding her "sound", the laugh caught me so suddenly & so hard that I almost spit my orange juice all over the monitor!!! From the way Mavis and

Hmmm, echo-y in here.

Ah, what a shame. Here's the news story. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_obit_solomon_burke RIP, Solomon. You'll live on in your music.

Damn, that clip is delicious.

Now that's devotion! Bosco, so glad you are ok.

Ok, try these. They are all terrific! BASED ON THE MOVIE by Billy Taylor (One of the funniest things I've ever read. Had me roaring. ) DEAR AMERICAN AIRLINES by Jonathan Miles STRAIGHT MAN by Richard Russo WONDER BOYS by Michael Chabon That's all that's coming to mind at the moment, but they'll keep you for awhile. Wonderful, wonderful books! By the way, I picked up "This Is Where I Leave You" on your recommendation, and of course LOVED it. So thanks! EDIT: Late additions, equally incredibly great: LIGHTHOUSE by William Monahan CIVILWARLAND IN BAD DECLINE by George Saunders

From his lips to God's ears!

How cool it must be to manage such a brilliant talent, Judy!

My order is in! Nice that the first 500 pre-orders get autographed copies! These are beautiful songs.

:lol thank you for sharing that, Andrew! Made me lol.

I would totally love to read this! It's going on the list. Tropper is brilliant! I haven't read this one yet, but it's on my reading list. I strongly recommend "How to Talk to a Widower"...just fantastic. I've also heard that "The Book of Joe" is wonderful. If you like Tropper, I have a few authors I could recommend who are along the same lines, which I guess I would describe as being both funny and poignant at the same time. A lot of authors try for that blend, but only a few do it really well.

So glad those strict earthquake-proofing building codes are in effect. The damage looked fairly bad where brick buildings were involved, but I'm sure it might've been far worse if not for the building codes. It's amazing that so few injuries have been reported. Hope it stays that way. And yes Robert, thank you for reminding us all to spare a worry for the Sauvignon Blanc! I'm sure they'll recover from their trauma.

I know we have some New Zealanders among our members, and having just looked at the photos from the quake on cnn, I'm hoping none of you had any serious damage to your homes and workplaces. Here's the link: New Zealand earthquake

And thanks to kidsmoke for financing his plane ticket! Just thought I'd slip that in there I feel exactly the same about So Much wine, Diane. You're right about how intimate this recording feels!

At Supreme Pizza We raised up our glasses, and toasted absent friends The Autumn Defense Rang like a bell, pure and sweet in Hunter Center

Josh, Brennan says thanks! (I'm his mom) And we both think you take stunningly gorgeous photos! WOW.

That sounds like a thoroughly satisfying evening!