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Information for patients with laryngospasm
- Definition
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Why did I get a laryngospasm?
- Management program
- Medication
- Surgery
- Benefits
A spasm is any involuntary contraction of a muscle. If you have read much of this web site you will have seen terms like cricopharyngeal spasm or ADductor spasmodic dysphonia. The throat area has a number of muscles all of which have the potential to spasm. If laryngospasm is your condition, then the following should apply. Please be sure a physician verifies that this is your condition.
The symptoms are very characteristic.
- Abrupt, sudden onset
- May occur anytime, but often noticable when eating and talking simultaneously and you feel that something went down the wrong way
- May be awakened in the middle of the night unable to breathe
- I personally have had it happen while camping, when a tiny bug flew down my throat
- Feels like you are going to die or never breathe again
- Typically lasts less than 30 or 60 seconds
- Very noisy and difficult "breathing in"
- Rather easy breathing out, still able to cough
- Faster "breathing in" makes it worse
This syndrome results from a spasm in the adductor muscles - the muscles closing or bringing the vocal folds together. From a technical standpoint, my observation is that the lateral cricoarytenoid is the main muscle activated, but possibly the thyroarytenoid as well. As soon as your voice box or the area of the windpipe below the voicebox detect the entry of water or other substance, the vocal folds spasm shut. Evolutionarily speaking, this works very well to keep water out of the lungs - if you start to drown or that errant bug flies down your throat while you were starting to inhale, or you inhale that glass of water, then the vocal cords very immediately and very effectively, close.
That closure is a benefit to protect the airway, but it makes "breathing in" very difficult. It can happen even when only the sensation is present of something other than air entering the windpipe.
Why did I get a laryngospasm?
I believe laryngospasm is a normal response to prevent drowning or keeping fluid out of the lungs. If you truly were drowning, this is a great functional reflux. That clamping shut of the vocal cords may save your lungs from a bath and long enough for you to get back to the surface. At other times though, it can be quite a nuisance.
My suspicion is that you become more susceptible to laryngospasm after an injury to the nerves of the voice box. Nerves heal by regrowing new endings, and these new nerve endings seem to be hypersensitive. Even normal things can then trigger the spasm.
It is somewhat common after one nerve has been injured and healed such as after neck surgery on the cervical spine, the carotid arteries, or the thyroid glands in the neck. The nerve is usually weak for several months, then regrows.
It is an extremely common condition in patients having had nerves on both sides of their voice box injured or paralyzed. Actually paralyzed vocal cords are not really paralyzed. The nerve almost always regrows, and often crosses or mixes up connections and the vocal cord ends up with a rather permanent tension. Usually after a paralyzing injury, the vocal cords are actually closer together, spasm easily and can still close tightly.
As I have seen more patients with this condition, I have come to the conclusion that almost all cases of frequent, recurrrent laryngospasm (more than one a month), are due to an injury of one of the nerves supplying the muscles that close the vocal cords. With a close enough visual endoscopic inspection, some sign of that injury will be identified and many of the injuries to the nerve that trigger frequent laryngospasms can be treated.
Each individual laryngospasm episode is a self limiting disorder that will resolve on its own. However, the condition of being susceptible to frequent laryngospasms may go on for some time or a lifetime.
This movie shows a brief portion of a laryngospasm caught on video on a patient during surgery on her voicebox. Notice that the vocal cords come apart easily during a cough. However, she is breathing in with a great deal of effort and the vocal cords are sucked together. When you hear the noise of breathing in you will immediately recognize it if you have experienced it before.
Management program
An exam of the neck and throat is extemely important to eliminate serious problems. Your physician may consider asthma or a narrowing of the windpipe or even heart conditions as possible causes of shortness of breath. The symptoms of laryngospasm are extremely characteristic, but, one should never assume anything without a history and physical exam.
Knowing what the condition is and it's short duration helps patients deal with the episodes more confidently.
The Bernoulli principle - the one you may have learned about in high school physics that keeps airplanes in the air - is the reason laryngospasm worsens with stronger attempts at breathing in. The faster the air flow through a narrow area, the lower the pressure. The voice box is the narrowest part of the windpipe so it has the lowest pressure during rapid breathing. And, in fact, laryngospasm might not be a spasm at all. It may be an inhibition or lack of ability for the opening muscles of the voice box to operate momentarily. Then, the rapid airflow through the voice box, in effect, more easily sucks the vocal folds tighter together.
With the Bernoulli principle in mind, one can see that slower breathing in will effectively get more air into the lungs than rapid breathing in. In fact, we spend most of our life breathing out, as in talking, then we take a quick breath in and spend more time talking. When one has an episode of laryngospasm, one can reverse this usual trend and take most of your time to breathe in slowly and then a quick breath out can be followed by another slow breath in. This can be repeated until the spasm stops.
Sniffing creates a reflex opening of the vocal cords. While it can be difficult to sniff aggressively during a spasm, it is often possible to breathe in through the nose, slowly, and the combination of slow air movement and utilizing the nose, rather than the mouth, opens the vocal cords enough to get additional air into the lungs. Slow breath in through the nose, quick breath out through the mouth.
An observation was made by a person with the condition that if they tilted their head backwards during an episode, it made the slow breathing-in easier. I certainly think that is plausible as I find it more difficult to oppose my own vocal cords with my neck extended backwards. By stretching the neck, it effectively lowers the voice box in the neck and that may prevent some of the clamping down by the vocal cord muscles.
I have injected botulinum toxin into the ADductor or closing muscles of the voicebox and this has diminished both the severity and frequency of episodes in some people - particularily patients with bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries. It has also helped in a few cases of unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paresis where there has been recovery and the paralyzed side is now hyperactive.
There may be a medication that would reduce the "tickle" sensation that triggers the episodes. Amitriptylline has sometimes been helpful in reducing throat tickles.
- Botulinum toxin, injected into the muscles causing the spasms, may be used to decrease or eliminate (at least for a period of a few months) frequent laryngospasms.
- I have performed a denervation-reinnervation procedure to resupply the spasming vocal cord with a new nerve connection that does not cause the spasms. This permanently alleviates the spasms.
- For patients with bilateral paralysis where the vocal cords are near each other all the time, I have lateralized one of the vocal cords, successfully decreasing or eliminating the frequent episodes. My observation is that true bilateral paralysis is exceedingly rare and that most people with bilateral nerve injuries actually have synkinesis and the vocal cords close inappropriately when they should be opening, because of "crossed" nerve connections after a nerve injury.
- For patients who are having a great many episodes, a tracheostomy button can be placed into the windpipe from the front of the neck. This may remain capped until an episode occurs and then the patient may open it temporarily. This procedure requires some ongoing maintainence and effectivly eliminates swimming as an activity. I have never had to resort to this treatment in my patients.
- Understanding the disorder decreases the panic usually associated with it. Medical treatment may diminish the episodes to an acceptable level.


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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
37 Jays - Mark DeRosa Really Ties the Room Together
Provenance: Passaic, New Jersey. Not far from Hackensack. Selected by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the 1996 amateur draft out of the University of Pennsylvania. Debuted for the Braves in September of 1998.
Contract Status: Signed one-year, $750,000 contract with the Jays in January, 2013. A $750,000 cub option for 2014 is included, with a $25,000 buyout.
Back of the Baseball Card: In 15 MLB seasons, has played 1153 games with the Braves, Rangers, Cubs, Clevelanders, Cardinals, Giants and Nationals. Posted a .340 OBP, .412 slugging in 3858 plate appearances. Hit 93 dingers, including a career-high 23 in 2009 between Cleveland and St. Louis. His last homer was on April 5, 2010. Career WAR of 12.3 according to Fangraphs, including a 4.3 in 2008 with the Cubs.
2012 Stats: In 48 games with the Nationals, made 101 plate appearances, with an OBP of .300 (okay, not bad) and a slugging percentage of .247 (yeesh). Strikeout rate of 17.8%, walk rate of 13.9%.
Injury History: A long list of ailments over the past five years have served to limit DeRosa's effectiveness. Missed two months early and one month late in 2012 with oblique strains. Missed more than three months of 2011 with wrist problems, which had previously ended his 2010 season in May.
Looking Back: His medical chart screams "retire already!". He hits the ball so tepidly that his isolated power numbers over the past three season - .065, .023, .059 from 2010 through 2012 respectively - profile more along the lines of a skinny teenage infielder.
DeRosa's real skill or added value to the team is alleged to be the way that he ties the room together, not unlike like Lebowski's rug. If that's the case, then you'd have to assume that his intangible value is off the imperceptible chart, if only because the less ethereal value is so scarce as to be impossible to find in the stat lines.
It wasn't always thus, and there was a moment in his career where DeRosa had emerged as a second-tier star. After signing a three-year deal with the Cubs in 2007, DeRosa more than lived up to the bargain, posting an .800 OPS (.355 OBP, .445 SLG) through the deal's conclusion with the Cardinals. He averaged 18 homers, and filled in admirably around the diamond, getting reps everywhere but pitcher, catcher and centrefield.
Injuries have severely limited DeRosa in the past five seasons, and his wrist injury seems to be chronic. If past injury history is the most telling harbinger of future trouble, the chances of getting much more than 100 plate appearances seems remote.
Looking Ahead: The current narrative is that DeRosa is in camp to be the new, older and wiser best pal for Brett Lawrie. Maybe he's there to hide the Red Bull, or to suggest a use for his time and money that doesn't include more ink on the marginal segments of exposed flesh that the young phenom has remaining.
With today's news that Lawrie will start the season on the DL, though, it seems as though DeRosa will have a role to immediately fill in for the first week of the season, and maybe longer.
For all of the data that has piled up through a long career thus far, it is hard to say what to expect from DeRosa in the short term. Is there any pop left in his bat? And that's not to kid ourselves into thinking of him as any sort of power threat...but can he hit a double? Or send something past the infielders with enough gusto that a .235 BABIP doesn't become the norm?
Pessimistically: Gets injured quickly, ushers in the Andy LaRoche era before they even start opening the dome on a regular basis.
Optimistically: 2009 is a long time ago now, but is it out of the question to think that DeRosa could keep his OPS above .700 and play in more than 50 games?
2 comments:
If we're referencing The Dude when talking about DeRosa, can we call him DudeRosa?
- March 26, 2013 at 1:41 PM
- gabriel said...
I think it bears mentioning that DeRosa has shown a resurgence of power this ST. In 302 PA since he injured his wrist in 2009, DeRosa had 10 doubles and one home run. In 44 PA this spring, he has 4 doubles and 2 home runs, good for a .250 ISO.
DeRosa has said his wrist feels better, and the numbers support that assertion. He isn't going to be 2008 DeRosa at the age of 38, but if his wrist continues to be sound, he could actually be valuable outside of mentoring Brett "Redbull gives you wings" Lawrie
- March 27, 2013 at 3:31 PM
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February 24, 2009
Google Toolbar 6 with Quick Search Box
The new application can be launched by clicking on the Google logo on the taskbar or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Space. It combines a program launcher with a search box and it shows suggestions, web addresses and results for simple calculations.
"Sometimes, multi-tasking on the computer can be a maddening process if you have to constantly switch between different programs and files. Try using the Quick Search Box: it lets you easily search both your computer and the Web from a slick-looking search box that comes up only when you need it," explains Google.
Quick Search Box is similar to the homonymous feature from Google Desktop, which only shows results from your computer. It borrows the mix of search suggestions and navigation predictions from Chrome's Omnibox, while opening web pages in your default browser.
Google should have released Quick Search Box as a separate application or in a future version of Google Desktop. As it looks now, Quick Search Box doesn't offer enough functionality to replace Windows Vista's search box or application launchers like Launchy, the new feature will certainly confuse Google Desktop users and it's not very clear what's the connection with Google Toolbar.
18 comments:
- AnonymousFebruary 24, 2009 at 5:27 PM
Ctrl-Space is usually used for IME toggle in east Asia version Windows, so this may be a problem...ReplyDelete
The shortcut can be changed to: Ctrl+Ctrl, Alt+Space, Caps Lock, Windows Key or turned off completely.ReplyDelete
This post didn't mention whether it's possible to opt out from having the Quick Search Box installed. Is it possible to install the Google Toolbar 6 for Internet Explorer without installing the Quick Search Box?ReplyDelete
The page at Google Desktop you linked to seems to suggest that Desktop's and Toolbar's Quick Search Boxes are really one and the same.ReplyDelete
Or at least that they plan to merge them.
It would be nice if they released this separately, though at least installing Google Toolbar for IE won't affect me the way installing Google Desktop would, since I don't use IE. And since I have Google Toolbar for IE installed already anyways, just for kicks.
Nice, you can install the toolbar on your IE and when you use the Ctrl+Space search box (by the way, the shortcut can be changed) it will use your default browser, so I recommend it even to Chrome users.ReplyDelete
It can be disabled from Toolbar's settings (uncheck "Show quick search box outside the browser").ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 1, 2009 at 6:53 AM
It's like Launchy !ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2009 at 7:27 AM
I view the desktop help page, which said 'If you're using the latest version of Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, you may have a Google button on your taskbar, which also launches the Quick Search Box. '.ReplyDelete
The Google Desktop help page has already point out the 6 beta version has a quick search box.
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2009 at 7:37 AM
i have check the following page:ReplyDelete
it told me i can use the google desktop keyboard shorcut to launch the quick search box.
Argh. All I WANT is this quick search box... but I don't want to install Google Desktop (on Vista it isn't that helpful), and I run Firefox, which apparently doesn't HAVE the quick search box.ReplyDelete
Make the CTRL-CTRL Quick Search Box a separate tiny app. It's perfect as is!
- AnonymousApril 8, 2009 at 2:07 PM
Since Google Notebook isn't supported by Toolbar 6, what do I have to do to remove Toolbar 6 and go back to version 5? I need my Notebook access. It really sucks Google started Notebook and then took it away (and now seems to be unsupportive of its existence!).ReplyDelete
I am SO with Anonymous 4/8/09 2:07PM PDT... Where oh where is my little BLESSED Google Notebook Icon?!?!ReplyDelete
Come on, guys! There are a million stupid things that can go up there, why not one of your best ideas yet??
I use Ctrl-space as my Launchy hotkey, but this seems to be interfering with it. Even after I disable the quick search thing, I can't get Launchy to come up.ReplyDelete
Help me.ReplyDelete
I am using Windows 7 ultimate 32 bit and IE8.
My google toolbar version is
Version: 6.2.1910.1554/en (GGLL)
Notifier Version: 5.2.4204.1700
Dictionary Compression Version: 1.0.1801.150
I am not able to use quick search box. It is not included in the installation.
- AnonymousDecember 31, 2009 at 2:43 AM
Does anyone know how to install this Quick Search. I read all of the instructions and it said it will be installed of you install the google toolbar. I did that and nothing happens. I even clicked on the wrench for the toolbar options and there is no box that says "show in taskbar." I am running windows 7 with internet explorer 8. Does anyone have any ideas on how i can fix this?ReplyDelete
Install the latest version from Google Toolbar's homepage (6.4.1208.1530). If it doesn't work for you, download the software from Filehippo.
- AnonymousFebruary 15, 2010 at 2:39 PM
hello I've had this application google ctrl space but now that I formatted the laptop can not use this application over someone I'll tell you why?ReplyDelete
Caps Lock - - should be the defaultReplyDelete


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No doubt, nail art is seriously having a moment. But we're already at a point where certain patterns have become passé (accent finger anyone?). To keep your tips covered in fresh, fantastic looks, we've compiled Nail Art's New Wave, a collection of our favorite new patterns inspired by super-talented manicurist Julie Kandalec and Maybelline New York's Color Show Nail Lacquer – plus hints on how to execute them perfectly.
We've studied the best new nail art styles on your behalf, and the versatility of this particular design was a huge turn-on for us. Here, we've broken down the steps you'll need to perfect "The Prep Stripe," in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced variations – from a simple, two-color format, to a wild, multi-line masterpiece. Have at it, schoolgirls.
Photographed by Mark Iantosca
Like this post? There's more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and news on the Refinery29 Beauty Facebook page!


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Alessandra Rovati is an Italian food writer and lecturer. She was born and raised in Venice, and now lives in New York City with her husband and children. Her articles and recipes have appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Forward, Hadassah, Joy of Kosher, The Jewish Week, and a variety of international publications from Russia, to Italy to Australia. Alessandra has been a featured guest on a variety of television and radio programs and has spoken at universities and cultural institutes. Her lectures and classes have been widely attended in New York City and beyond.
Alessandra also posts recipes and offers a unique cultural view of Italian and Italian-Jewish culinary history on her website, DinnerinVenice.com. Her Facebook page has reached over 10,000 fans since it was established in April 2011. These recipes include kosher ingredients, but many tips and substitutions are included for chefs who follow other dietary restrictions. Alessandra has brought the food, culture and history of Italy in general, and Jewish Italy in particular, to homes throughout the world.


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The Minnesota Timberwolves have an agreement in principle to acquire Philadelphia's Thaddeus Young in addition to No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins as part of a three-team trade that will send Kevin Love to the Cavaliers, according to sources with knowledge of the teams' deal structure.
Sources told ESPN.com on Friday that the Wolves, Cavs and Sixers, barring any late snags, indeed plan to complete the transaction as a three-team trade Saturday, which is the first day Wiggins is eligible to be dealt after signing his contract July 24.
The Wolves, sources said, have been operating under the premise for days that they will land Young from the Sixers as Love's replacement. ESPN.com reported in July that Wolves president and coach Flip Saunders had pinpointed Young.
One source familiar with league rules told ESPN.com that Wiggins becomes eligible to be dealt at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, as soon as the calendar flips to Aug. 23.
Although nothing can be finalized before Saturday, sources said that the Wolves are poised to surrender a future first-round pick along with the expiring contracts of Luc Richard Mbah A Moute and Alexey Shved to the Sixers for Young, who has two seasons left on his deal valued at $19.4 million.
The Wolves already had verbally agreed to acquire Wiggins, 2013's No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett and a future first-round pick from the Cavs for Love. Minnesota would then have the option of flipping that first-rounder to Philadelphia, along with Mbah A Moute and Shved, for Young.
The Sixers tried to get Bennett as part of the Young transaction, sources said, but Minnesota was determined to keep the second-year forward to be a key piece in its rebuilding effort despite Bennett's disappointing rookie season with Cleveland.
Although the Cavs' 30-day waiting period to move Wiggins ends Saturday, sources told ESPN.com on Thursday that the teams can indeed schedule a trade call with the league that day even though it's a weekend, meaning the Love trade can be completed at the earliest allowable date.
Sources say that news conferences to introduce Love and Wiggins with their respective new teams are unlikely before next week, after the various players involved in the transactions have completed their physicals.


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This silhouette of a Carolina wren has been hand-crafted with pride in the USA from steel and individually rusted by hand for that endearing shabby chic look. Perched on a fence post, tree branch, bird feeder, or window sill, this bird profile reflects personality as well as species-specific traits. Not just a decoration for your garden or yard, this character-filled bird figure is a unique addition to the top of a door, a fireplace mantel, or a shelf in your home. Add to its whimsical allure by bending its wings so that it looks alive, as though it had just landed or is poised to take off. Indulge your love of Carolina wrens with this artistic design that you can enjoy year-round.


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Rapper Kanye West was hospitalized on Monday and reported to be suffering from exhaustion hours after he abruptly cancelled the remainder of his tour following a week of no-shows, curtailed concerts and rants about politics.
A source told People that West was "exhausted and currently dealing with sleep deprivation" but that he was "fine." NBC News and other outlets said he was hospitalized in Los Angeles after police responded to a medical welfare call.
Reuters could not independently confirm the hospitalization.
Concert promoters Live Nation said in a statement on Monday that the remaining 21 U.S. dates on West's Saint Pablo tour had been canceled, and that tickets would be fully refunded.
Live Nation gave no reasons, fueling speculation about the state of West's mental and physical health. A source close to the "Gold Digger" singer denied West was having some kind of breakdown, telling celebrity outlets People and Us Weekly that West was a workaholic who was simply worn out.
"He's just exhausted. He's been working around the clock on fashion design, both on his own line and the Adidas line. He's a notorious workaholic, so balancing both that work – which is extremely important to him – and the rigors of the tour every night, it really wore him out," a source told People.
The tour cancellation followed a demanding three months for West, who unveiled the new season of his Yeezy fashion line with an elaborate performance art event in September in New York.
In October, West's reality star wife, Kim Kardashian, was robbed at gunpoint in Paris, forcing the family to reassess their security and their high public profile.
The influential rapper, who is promoting his current album "The Life of Pablo," made headlines last week when he was booed at his San Jose, California concert for declaring his support for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
He canceled a concert in Los Angeles at the last minute on Sunday, and on Saturday walked off stage in Sacramento, California after 30 minutes during which he took aim at Beyonce, Jay Z, the media, and the music industry in general.
West later flooded his Instagram account with dozens of photos of fashion items.
Billboard magazine estimated that the tour cancellation would mean $27 million in ticket refunds and untold amounts in other tour expenses.
West has a history of unpredictable and controversial behavior.
Last year, he declared he was considering running for US president in 2020. In 2009, he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York saying the honor should have gone to Beyonce.
In 2006, he posed as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and earlier this year he released a music video for "Famous" featuring portrayals of nude celebrities including Trump, Swift and comedian Bill Cosby lying asleep in bed with him.


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Posts Tagged 'void'
Revelations of Self
Due to the fact that I've recently finished a book, there's nothing on TV, and I can't currently think of a movie to watch on Netflix you are getting another post out of me.
- I have almost a desperate desire in my heart to write a young adult book that I can't seem to shake. I am completely void of any subject matter on which I could write and grasp in vain at ideas I deem unoriginal and know that they would turn into a pathetic misrepresentation of the wonderful work already done by someone else's hand. This longing, this unborn thing in me would, with hopeful wishes, engulf the reader in the wonder of another world full of magic and perseverance. I once had a literature teacher who wrote off escapist literature as something for children only and should be left alone once you learn to read with an analytical eye. I vehemently disagree with this opinion of hers. Some of the most extraordinary characters I have come across have been found amongst the pages of fairy tales and they have shown me what true compassion, friendship, self-growth, coping, and love is while taking on the worst of foes. I don't think we are done being taught how to live with such vital concepts when we reach any certain age, so to stop allowing yourself to receive those lessons from sources that also provide great entertainment–to me–is like saying that you are done developing as a human of childlike wonder and empathy.
- I really don't appreciate it when someone tries to force a certain response from me–especially if it's one that wouldn't come naturally from me. Whether it be a judgmental statement such as "you don't actually like that, do you" to a statement that forces (usually feigned) interest from me. My mother loves to use this tactic to help spread unnecessary drama. One evening my husband and I were sitting across from her and her husband and out of the blue she says, "And that's why [he] isn't allowed over the house anymore." At no point were we talking about this guy nor do we know him. The only appropriate way I can think of to respond to this without also being pulled into needless drama is to ignore the comment. I guess my issue with expected responses is that it is a form of manipulation. When you grow up being constantly manipulated you tend to loathe it like traditional vampires loathe sunlight or Ke$ha loathes decency, propriety…soap.
- I have this terrible tendency to block myself off from others. I would like to say that I have no idea why and cross my arms and make you move on to something else, but I can't. I honestly think it's because of so many people letting me down in my life. Be it by using me as a pawn in their game or filling my ears with words and my eyes with actions full of falsehoods so that I no longer know what is right or simple lack of love and utter neglect from those who swore to care for me. I have a horrible habit of clinging to someone new in my life and divulge all of my secrets just knowing that they are the one person who might actually understand me and maybe somehow reverse the damage done. I cling to that person as a lifeline until that day that they turn out to be human and then I begin to build a wall against them so that they can't hurt me like so many others have. I can and often do forgive any trespass that occurred but I can't figure out a way to stop construction. These barriers that I cling to are higher and stronger than China's glory, but are as harmful as Berlin's shame. The simplest word-to-paper way to fix this is to trust others and understand that they are every bit as human as I am. Recovering trust, however in practice, is so hard for me. My hope is one day I will get better and that my children will grow up not seeing this side to their mother.
Ever reach out into the void so hard only to realize it's called that for a reason? Later days.
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No one will refer to him by his code name, Javelin.
For six years, Mitt Romney pursued a singular goal, fervently seeking to fulfill a dream his father, too, once held: winning the presidency.
On Wednesday, for perhaps the first time since 2006 when he sat down with his longtime advisers to sketch out his first presidential run, he had to face the reality that it wasn't meant to be.
His Secret Service protection is now gone, and there is no longer use for the code name he chose after a car once made by his father's company. There is no more campaign plane, no daily schedules to follow, no battery of aides making sure he has the peanut butter and honey to make his beloved sandwich.
Instead, some Republicans speculate he'll return to being an outcast in his own party and could relocate to the West Coast to start anew without the harsh glare of the national political spotlight.
By the end of his campaign, Romney seemed to have a sense of peace about the type of race he had run. But the man who loves data also has to accept that he was rejected by young voters, by minorities of every kind, and even by his hometown of Belmont and his home state of Massachusetts.
By the time he addressed his supporters on Tuesday night — in a massive convention hall that opened when he was governor, in the same building where he staged the national call day for his first campaign — the crowd had thinned. They chanted "Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!" and attempted to sing "God Bless America." But it was lackluster and half-hearted. Some donors, who were vital to making sure his campaign was flush with cash, had left the convention hall when the result had become clear.
The country had moved on, and not in the direction they had hoped.
Aides and advisers — some of whom had been helping Romney pursue the presidency from the beginning — had filed into the ballroom, their eyes were red and their faces were long. Bob White, who Romney has called his "wingman," gave hugs. Ron Kaufman, a longtime adviser, wrapped his arms around those standing with him. One man openly wept.
At 3:35 a.m., Romney's finance chairman sent an e-mail to a group of top donors. Romney, he wrote, wanted to join them for brunch seven hours later at the InterContinental Hotel's Rose Ballroom. Romney told the room that he was proud, that they "left everything on the field." He got emotional as he talked about the staff.
"He expressed regret — not so much that he didn't win, but that he didn't fulfill what people in the room wanted to achieve; almost like he let us down," said Mark DeMoss, a top adviser who was also involved in Romney's 2008 campaign.
"For a lot of people, if your life had been a quest for the White House and you failed, it would be devastating," DeMoss added. "My sense for him is that this will be very disappointing, but never devastating."
It is unclear what Romney, 65, will do next, but those close to him expect it could be nonprofit work, becoming more active in the Mormon Church, or, for the time being, becoming a full-time grandfather.
But even his supporters don't anticipate any political future. The post-campaign blame is already being targeted on some of Romney's longtime Boston-based aides, which could alienate him from the Washington power brokers who never fully embraced him.
"I think he just fades," said one top donor who has been close to Romney for years and spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I don't see him doing anything in Washington. Maybe some advisory stuff, speeches now and then. But I think we've seen, for the most part, the last of Mitt Romney."
Romney's wife, Ann, has rejected any return to politics. "Absolutely he will not run again,'' she said on ABC's "The View'' a few weeks ago when asked what would happen if her husband lost.
One supporter Wednesday said that the Romneys would likely move to La Jolla, Calif. They had been trying to renovate their home but put it on hold during the intensity of the race.
"He's basically a very positive person. He has a lot of energy, a lot of desire to help," said John Wright, a longtime family friend. "He's too young to sit on the sidelines. He'll find something useful to do with his time and his life."
Some of his supporters were also distraught about how Romney's campaign was run — and that it seemed to be outmaneuvered by Obama's tight focus on data collection, targeting voters, and getting them to the polls. It was all the more striking that, for a candidate who relishes data, his campaigned failed to utilize the expertise.
"I got to think that he's a little bit frustrated and angry today. He was not served as well as he could have been served," said the donor. "When you peel back the onion on the Obama operation and you look at the Romney operation, you had a 21st-century campaign running against a 20th-century campaign."
By midafternoon, some Romney aides gathered at a bar across the street from the campaign's North End headquarters, drinking beer and swapping stories. "It [stinks] over there," one aide said, motioning across the street.
Maps were still visible in the windows, showing such battleground states as Colorado and Florida. Romney himself arrived just after 4 p.m., entered a room on the lower level.
"Born Free," the Kid Rock song that greeted Romney at each event for much of his campaign, played on the speakers.
Several hours after he arrived, he came out into the pouring rain and whipping wind. The man known to the Secret Service as Javelin got into a silver Saab driven by his oldest son, Tagg. His wife sat in the front seat, Romney in the back, and he was expected to sleep at his home in Belmont.
Matt Viser can be reached at email@example.com .


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LOS ANGELES – The CIA thriller "Argo" continues to steamroll through awards season, winning the top honor for overall cast performance at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
SAG's lead-acting honors Sunday went to Jennifer Lawrence won for her role as a troubled widow in a shaky new relationship in the lost-souls romance "Silver Linings Playbook" and Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War epic "Lincoln."
The supporting film awards Sunday went to Anne Hathaway of "Les Miserables" and Tommy Lee Jones of "Lincoln."
"It occurred to me -- it was an actor that murdered Abraham Lincoln," said Day-Lewis, a solid front-runner to join an exclusive list of three-time acting Oscar winners. "And therefore, somehow it is only so fitting that every now and then an actor tries to bring him back to life again."
The SAG cast win came a day after "Argo" claimed the top honor from the Producers Guild of America, whose winner often goes on to claim best picture at the Academy Awards. "Argo" also was a surprise victor two weeks ago at the Golden Globes, where it won best drama and director for Ben Affleck.
The award momentum positions "Argo" for a rare feat at the Feb. 24 Oscars, where it could become just the fourth film in 85 years to be named best picture without a nomination for its director.
"To me this has nothing to do with me, it has to do with the incredible people who were in this movie," said Affleck, who also stars in "Argo" and accepted the SAG prize alongside his cast.
It was a brisk, businesslike and fairly bland evening as the actors union handed out honors to a predictable lineup of winners who generally had triumphed at earlier Hollywood ceremonies or past SAG shows.
"Now I have this naked statue that means some of you even voted for me, and that is an indescribable feeling," ''Silver Linings" star Lawrence said after explaining she earned her SAG card at age 14 by filming a spot for MTV.
Hathaway won for her role as a doomed single mother forced into prostitution in the adaptation of the stage musical based on Victor Hugo's epic novel. Her win came over four past Oscar recipients -- Sally Field, Helen Hunt, Nicole Kidman and Maggie Smith.
"I'm just thrilled I have dental," Hathaway said. "I got my SAG card when I was 14. It felt like the beginning of the world. I have loved every single minute of my life as an actor. ... Thank you for nominating me alongside incredible women and incredible performances."
Jones, who was not at the show, won for his turn as abolitionist firebrand Thaddeus Stevens in the Civil War epic. The win improves his odds to become a two-time Academy Award winner. He previously won a supporting-actor Oscar for "The Fugitive."
On the television side, with "30 Rock" ending its run, its stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin won the SAG awards for best comedy performers. It was Baldwin's seventh-straight win, while Fey earned her fifth SAG prize.
"Oh, my God. It's ridiculous," Baldwin said. "It's the end of our show, which is sad. Everybody is sad about that. It was the greatest experience I've ever had."
Fey gave a plug for the show's finale airing Thursday, noting that it's up against "The Big Bang Theory."
"Just tape 'The Big Bang Theory' for once, for crying out loud," Fey said.
"Modern Family" won for best overall cast in a TV comedy show. Accepting for the cast, "Modern Family" co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson offered thanks to the makers of "30 Rock" and another departing series, "The Office," saying "you all have set the comedy bar so high."
Ferguson joked that if the "30 Rock" or "The Office" stars need jobs, they should contact the "Modern Family" casting director.
The TV drama acting awards went to Claire Danes of "Homeland" and Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad."
"It is so good to be bad," Cranston said.
"Downton Abbey" won the TV drama cast award.
Julianne Moore's turn as Sarah Palin in "Game Change" earned her the TV prize for best actress in a movie or miniseries. Kevin Costner won for best actor in a movie or miniseries for "Hatfields & McCoys."
Fey, who memorably spoofed Palin herself in "Saturday Night Live" sketches, said backstage that Moore's performance was "incredible. She really disappeared into the character, she did a real film acting job. You wouldn't want a sketch acting job in that movie."
Earlier, the James Bond adventure "Skyfall" and the fantasy series "Game of Thrones" picked up prizes for best stunt work, honors announced on the red carpet before the official SAG Awards ceremony.
JoBeth Williams and Scott Bakula announced the winners, noting the value of stunt players, who often are overlooked for their contributions to film and television.
"The stunt men and women of our union are critical to the work that gets done," Bakula said. "They keep us healthy, they keep us alive, they keep us working. They keep our shows working."
The SAG honors are the latest show in a puzzling Academy Awards season in which Hollywood's top prize, the best-picture Oscar, looks up for grabs among several key nominees.
Honors from the actors union, next weekend's Directors Guild of America Awards and Saturday night's Producers Guild of America Awards -- whose top honor went to "Argo" -- typically help to establish clear favorites for the Oscars.
But Oscar night looks more uncertain this time after some top directing prospects, including Affleck for "Argo" and Kathryn Bigelow for "Zero Dark Thirty," missed out on nominations. Both films were nominated for best picture, but a movie rarely wins the top Oscar if its director is not also in the running.
Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" would seem the Oscar favorite with 12 nominations. Yet all of the triumphs for "Argo" leave the Oscar race looking like anybody's guess.
The SAG honors at least should help to establish solid front-runners for the stars. All four of the guild's individual acting winners often go on to receive the same prizes at the Academy Awards.
The SAG cast prize has a spotty record at predicting the eventual best-picture recipient at the Oscars. Only eight of 17 times since the guild added the category has the cast winner gone on to take the best-picture Oscar. "The Help" won the guild's cast prize last year, while Oscar voters named "The Artist" as best picture.
Such past guild cast winners as "The Birdcage," ''Gosford Park" and "Inglourious Basterds" also failed to take the top Oscar.
Receiving the guild's life-achievement award was Dick Van Dyke, who presented the same prize last year to his "The Dick Van Dyke Show" co-star, Mary Tyler Moore.
After waiting on stage for a prolonged standing ovation to end, Van Dyke said, "That does an old man a lot of good."


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Hey Bike Commuters! Mir.I.Am here to share a super commuter profile with you for your after-turkey-afterglow enjoyment. Say "hello" to Emily Shellabarger, a Bay Area train and bike commuting gal on the go. Although the Bike Commuter staff guys may argue that we indiscriminately love ALL commuter profiles, I've gotta say: I personally love when Cycle Ladies rep the commute because women on bikes are just plain hot! Alright, enough hype-man shiz, introducing… Miss Emily Shellabarger!
Name: Emily Shellabarger
How long have you been a bike commuter?
I've been bike commuting since I was a wee lass in the jump seat on the back of my dad's 1983 silver Peugeot. He pedaled me all over the streets of Eugene, Oregon – including the hilly commute to daycare. And, even though I have to do all the work these days, my love for biking and two-wheeled commuting endures. I've been regularly bike commuting for the last five years – two years in Sacramento and three years in San Francisco.
Why did you start riding your bike to work and how long is your commute?
I started riding my bike to work in Sacramento because it was faster than driving. I lived less than two-miles from the office. And let me tell you, that was an easy bike commute. Downtown Sacramento has all of one hill (actually, calling it a hill is generous, I'll go with incline) and it was not on my route. Just the right kind of ride for me and my creaky old Schwinn, Stallion.
Boy, was I spoiled. After the company I work for relocated from the sunny flats of Sacramento to the Bay Area, I moved to San Francisco. My current commute includes 4-miles of biking + 30-miles of train riding + 2 more miles of biking. All told, it takes me just under an hour each way and beats the pants off of sitting in traffic on Highway 101.
How does Bike Commuting help you with your lifestyle (economics, health, relationships)?
Bike commuting in the Bay Area keeps me sane. Nothing puts me in a bad mood like sitting in stop-and-go traffic. I'd much rather start the day whooshing down hills as the sun rises and pedaling my way to the train station. Plus, thanks to those San Francisco hills, I don't have to invest in a gym membership and my money can be saved for more important things like happy hour.
What do you do for a living and in what city do you bike commute?
I manage consumer marketing and social media for a renewable fuel company in Redwood City, California. I live in San Francisco, so my bike commute spans the Peninsula of Silicon Valley. When feeling ambitious, I've been known to bike the entire 34-mile route, especially on Bike-to-Work Day (and not just because six-miles from my office, Oracle hosts the most amazing free breakfast buffet for cyclists).
What kinds of bikes do you have?
My trusty steed, Stallion, a big Schwinn cruiser from the 80's. And my daily commuter, a 2007 Raleigh Cadent affectionately dubbed, Roy the Road Bike.
Any funny or interesting commuting story that you may want to share?
After moving to San Francisco I was anxious to dial in my bike route. I hunted online for the safest, flattest route and poured over my handy San Francisco Bike Routes map. I wrote out a turn-by-turn directions list. I had screenshots of the street route on my phone. I clicked through all the turns on Google street view, so I'd be fully prepared for visual queues. And I was still a bit nervous to venture out on the rowdy city streets, so I ended up bribing my roommate with coffee to accompany me on my first ride to the train station. Sometimes all you really need is a bike buddy to help get you out on the streets!
What do people (coworkers, friends) say when you tell them that you are a bike commuter?
When folks find out I bike/train commute from San Francisco to Redwood City, most people are impressed that I make the effort-or are slightly horrified.
How about bicycling advocacy? Are you active in any local or regional advocacy groups?
I'd love to be more active in bike advocacy, especially since there is such a strong cycling community in San Francisco. Currently, I'm most active with Commute.org, participating in their San Mateo County Bike-to-Work activities and clean commute challenges.
Emily Shellabarger (oh man – such a good "two-name" name, who can resist holding back that Shellabarger?!), thanks for sharing your commuter profile and a little bit of west coast sunshine with Bike Commuters! I am personally jealous of your sweet commute with that killer sunset. Want to show us your ride and plaster your fantastic commute all over the internet? Then send an email and we'll hook you up with a Commuter Profile questionnaire.


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Xbox 360 and PS3 losses total $8 billion, ex-Sony employee paints grim future
Xbox 360 and PS3 have cost Microsoft and Sony a combined total of $8 billion, according to a new article penned by industry veteran Ben Cousins.
According to Cousins' report on Kotaku, Microsoft has spent some $2.996bn on Xbox 360 since it launched in 2005, while Sony has fared worse, spending $4.951 billion on PS3. Both figures are a loss, and you can see an overview of both company's losses in Cousins's financial table here.
Cousins, who has worked at a string of high-profile studios over the years - including Sony EA and Lionhead - has shed serious doubt on the future of the home console as we know it, citing SOny and Microsoft's plan to sell each console at a loss as a reason for such poor fortune. It's a poor strategy he says, as even with a combined total of 70+ million consoles sold, both companies are still losing money.
"Consoles like Xboxes, PlayStations & the Wii U are sold at a loss", said Cousins. "It costs more to manufacture and distribute the device than it is sold for. Console manufacturers do this because they hope to make back the money from the license fee they charge for every game sold on the system.
"In order to offset the huge cost of hardware production, distribution, R&D and marketing, a hardware platform holder must sell vast quantities of hardware, and even bigger quantities of software. So much needs to be sold, in fact, that the data points to PS3 and Xbox 360 having made huge losses, despite having sold 70+ million units of hardware each.
"Of those 70 million Xbox 360s sold, a large proportion (approx. 40%) were bought after the most recent price cut of August 2009. Of the 70 million PS3s sold, a large proportion (approx. 42%) were bought since the introduction of the PS3 Slim."
With such a large proportion of consoles being sold post-price cut, it seems as if the loss-leading strategy is failing to bear fruit for both companies. The issue isn't being helped by some 50% of home console owners also owning a smartphone, tablet or both, devices which are seeing a rapidly advancing capacity for supporting triple-a game content.
Today's reveal of the Tegra-4 powered Project Shielf from Nvidia shows that mobile gaming is rapidly gaining ground, and could pose a real threat to the home console market as we know it in 2013. As a final bullet point in his report, Cousin addressed this very issue, "Mobile developers and publishers are starting to target these 'mainstream console gamers' aggressively. I work for a mobile publisher just slightly smaller than EA, and we are targeting them aggressively."
Predicting what he sees on the horizon for the industry, Cousins continued, "In the future, I see gaming as having two main markets:
"Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets will serve the biggest market—covering kids, casual gamers and the mainstream console people.
"The core and ultra-core gamers would be served by PC gaming, which will be smaller than mobile, but that will continue to grow. Many of the old-school PC gamers I know that moved to playing games on Xbox over the last 10 years are coming back to PC because of free-to-play and indie games, controller and TV support, as well as incredible digital distribution on platforms like Steam."
So now it's over to you readers. Which of the two brackets above would you say you'll fall in to, should Cousin's predictions come to pass? Are home console manufacturers really in trouble, or is this a knee-jerk reaction? Let us know below.
Thanks MCV.


text: After a season off, looks like former 'Voice' coaches Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green are set to reclaim their cushy spinning chairs. And, of course, the cushy spinning paychecks that go with them. According to an insider for NBC, Aguilera signed a deal a couple of months ago to return next season but the deal was kept under wraps. As for Cee Lo, the exec told The Wrap, "We are not there yet, but working toward it." Xtina will make $12.5 million for Season 5, which is quite a bit less than the $17 mil she earned on Season 3, but it still ranks her among the highest-paid women on reality television. Green's pay isn't expected to be anywhere near that much. Aguilera does have the opportunity to make more next year, but that depends on how much time she puts in since, weirdly, coaches are paid by the hour. (We can't even begin to compute the hourly there.) Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, the other two original judges, are also in negotiations but expected to return to the competition, with current judge Shakira anticipated to come back at some point in the future. As for Usher, no word as of yet.


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This trip takes you to two of the most esteemed vineyards in DC's Wine Country: Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, where owner Lew Parker (a recent winner of the Virginia Wineries Association's Lifetime Achievement Award) planted his first grapes in 1980, and Corcoran Vineyards, another of the first wineries to open in Loudoun. Both have grown a devoted following in the Washington DC region ― come find out for yourself why!
Choose your closest pick up location and relax on your way to two fabulous wineries in picturesque Loudoun County.
Catered boxed lunches are available to purchase for $15. Your lunch will contain a choice of sandwich or salad served with chips, a pickle spear and a fresh-baked cookie. All sandwiches come with lettuce, tomato, red onion and provolone cheese.
Depart: 10:00 AM, East Falls Church Metro
Depart: 10:30 AM, Dulles Town Center – Lower Level, between Lord & Taylor and JCPenney
Stop: 11:15 AM, First Winery
Stop: 1:30 PM, Second Winery
Arrive: 3:45 PM, Dulles Town Center
Arrive: 4:15 PM, East Falls Church Metro
*Please note times are approximate and may vary slightly due to traffic, weather or other factors. Times noted are departure times – please make sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow time for boarding the vehicle.
Price does not include winery tasting fees or driver gratuity. Tasting fees vary based on each winery and group size. Wineries subject to change without notice. Passenger minimum of 10 must be met for trip to run.
Please click here to view our Wine Tour Rules of Conduct and Policies; by completing your online reservation for this tour, you are agreeing to the Terms & Conditions.
Bookings are closed for this event.


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Perfectly Painted Designs
Decorative Painting, Interior Design, DIY Projects, Lifestyle
11/20/2016 by Jessica
I'm a design obsessed decorative painter, color consultant, and furniture restorer & painter. This is my little corner to share knowledge, inspiration, and get your thoughts. So grab a cup of joe, sit back, and be sure to say hello!


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THE TALE, the Parable, and the Fable are all common and popular modes of conveying instruction. Each is distinguished by its own special characteristics. The Tale consists simply in the narration of a story either founded on facts, or created solely by the imagination, and not necessarily associated with the teaching of any moral lesson. The Parable is the designed use of language purposely intended to convey a hidden and secret meaning other than that contained in the words themselves; and which may or may not bear a special reference to the hearer, or reader. The Fable partly agrees with, and partly differs from both of these. It will contain, like the Tale, a short but real narrative; it will seek, like the Parable, to convey a hidden meaning, and that not so much by the use of language, as by the skilful introduction of fictitious characters; and yet unlike to either Tale or Parable, it will ever keep in view, as its high prerogative, and inseparable attribute, the great purpose of instruction, and will necessarily seek to inculcate some moral maxim, social duty, or political truth. The true Fable, if it rise to its high requirements, ever aims at one great end and purpose representation of human motive, and the improvement of human conduct, and yet it so conceals its design under the disguise of fictitious characters, by clothing with speech the animals of the field, the birds of the air, the trees of the wood, or the beasts of the forest, that the reader shall receive advice without perceiving the presence of the adviser. Thus the superiority of the counsellor, which often renders counsel unpalatable, is kept out of view, and the lesson comes with the greater acceptance when the reader is led, unconsciously to himself, to have his sympathies enlisted in behalf of what is pure, honorable, and praiseworthy, and to have his indignation excited against what is low, ignoble, and unworthy. The true fabulist, therefore, discharges a most important function. He is neither a narrator, nor an allegorist. He is a great teacher, a corrector of morals, a censor of vice, and a commender of virtue. In this consists the superiority of the Fable over the Tale or the Parable. The fabulist is to create a laugh, but yet, under a merry guise, to convey instruction. Phaedrus, the great imitator of Aesop, plainly indicates this double purpose to be the true office of the writer of fables.
Duplex libelli dos est: quod risum movet, Et quod prudenti vitam consilio monet.
The continual observance of this twofold aim creates the charm, and accounts for the universal favor, of the fables of Aesop. "The fable," says Professor K. O. Mueller, "originated in Greece in an intentional travestie of human affairs. The 'ainos,' as its name denotes, is an admonition, or rather a reproof veiled, either from fear of an excess of frankness, or from a love of fun and jest, beneath the fiction of an occurrence happening among beasts; and wherever we have any ancient and authentic account of the Aesopian fables, we find it to be the same." l The construction of a fable involves a minute attention to (1) the narration itself; (2) the deduction of the moral; and (3) a careful maintenance of the individual characteristics of the fictitious personages introduced into it. The narration should relate to one simple action, consistent with itself, and neither be overladen with a multiplicity of details, nor distracted by a variety of circumstances. The moral or lesson should be so plain, and so intimately interwoven with, and so necessarily dependent on, the narration, that every reader should be compelled to give to it the same undeniable interpretation. The introduction of the animals or fictitious characters should be marked with an unexceptionable care and attention to their natural attributes, and to the qualities attributed to them by universal popular consent. The Fox should be always cunning, the Hare timid, the Lion bold, the Wolf cruel, the Bull strong, the Horse proud, and the Ass patient. Many of these fables are characterized by the strictest observance of these rules. They are occupied with one short narrative, from which the moral naturally flows, and with which it is intimately associated. "'Tis the simple manner," says Dodsley, 2 "in which the morals of Aesop are interwoven with his fables that distinguishes him, and gives him the preference over all other mythologists. His 'Mountain delivered of a Mouse,' produces the moral of his fable in ridicule of pompous pretenders; and his Crow, when she drops her cheese, lets fall, as it were by accident, the strongest admonition against the power of flattery. There is no need of a separate sentence to explain it; no possibility of impressing it deeper, by that load we too often see of accumulated reflections." 3 An equal amount of praise is due for the consistency with which the characters of the animals, fictitiously introduced, are marked. While they are made to depict the motives and passions of men, they retain, in an eminent degree, their own special features of craft or counsel, of cowardice or courage, of generosity or rapacity.
These terms of praise, it must be confessed, cannot be bestowed on all the fables in this collection. Many of them lack that unity of design, that close connection of the moral with the narrative, that wise choice in the introduction of the animals, which constitute the charm and excellency of true Aesopian fable. This inferiority of some to others is sufficiently accounted for in the history of the origin and descent of these fables. The great bulk of them are not the immediate work of Aesop. Many are obtained from ancient authors prior to the time in which he lived. Thus, the fable of the "Hawk and the Nightingale" is related by Hesiod; 4 the "Eagle wounded by an Arrow, winged with its own Feathers," by Aeschylus; 5 the "Fox avenging his wrongs on the Eagle," by Archilochus. 6 Many of them again are of later origin, and are to be traced to the monks of the middle ages: and yet this collection, though thus made up of fables both earlier and later than the era of Aesop, rightfully bears his name, because he composed so large a number (all framed in the same mould, and conformed to the same fashion, and stamped with the same lineaments, image, and superscription) as to secure to himself the right to be considered the father of Greek fables, and the founder of this class of writing, which has ever since borne his name, and has secured for him, through all succeeding ages, the position of the first of moralists.7
The fables were in the first instance only narrated by Aesop, and for a long time were handed down by the uncertain channel of oral tradition. Socrates is mentioned by Plato 8 as having employed his time while in prison, awaiting the return of the sacred ship from Delphos which was to be the signal of his death, in turning some of these fables into verse, but he thus versified only such as he remembered. Demetrius Phalereus, a philosopher at Athens about 300 B.C., is said to have made the first collection of these fables. Phaedrus, a slave by birth or by subsequent misfortunes, and admitted by Augustus to the honors of a freedman, imitated many of these fables in Latin iambics about the commencement of the Christian era. Aphthonius, a rhetorician of Antioch, A.D. 315, wrote a treatise on, and converted into Latin prose, some of these fables. This translation is the more worthy of notice, as it illustrates a custom of common use, both in these and in later times. The rhetoricians and philosophers were accustomed to give the Fables of Aesop as an exercise to their scholars, not only inviting them to discuss the moral of the tale, but also to practice and to perfect themselves thereby in style and rules of grammar, by making for themselves new and various versions of the fables. Ausonius, 9 the friend of the Emperor Valentinian, and the latest poet of eminence in the Western Empire, has handed down some of these fables in verse, which Julianus Titianus, a contemporary writer of no great name, translated into prose. Avienus, also a contemporary of Ausonius, put some of these fables into Latin elegiacs, which are given by Nevelet (in a book we shall refer to hereafter), and are occasionally incorporated with the editions of Phaedrus.
Seven centuries elapsed before the next notice is found of the Fables of Aesop. During this long period these fables seem to have suffered an eclipse, to have disappeared and to have been forgotten; and it is at the commencement of the fourteenth century, when the Byzantine emperors were the great patrons of learning, and amidst the splendors of an Asiatic court, that we next find honors paid to the name and memory of Aesop. Maximus Planudes, a learned monk of Constantinople, made a collection of about a hundred and fifty of these fables. Little is known of his history. Planudes, however, was no mere recluse, shut up in his monastery. He took an active part in public affairs. In 1327 A.D. he was sent on a diplomatic mission to Venice by the Emperor Andronicus the Elder. This brought him into immediate contact with the Western Patriarch, whose interests he henceforth advocated with so much zeal as to bring on him suspicion and persecution from the rulers of the Eastern Church. Planudes has been exposed to a two-fold accusation. He is charged on the one hand with having had before him a copy of Babrias (to whom we shall have occasion to refer at greater length in the end of this Preface), and to have had the bad taste "to transpose," or to turn his poetical version into prose: and he is asserted, on the other hand, never to have seen the Fables of Aesop at all, but to have himself invented and made the fables which he palmed off under the name of the famous Greek fabulist. The truth lies between these two extremes. Planudes may have invented some few fables, or have inserted some that were current in his day; but there is an abundance of unanswerable internal evidence to prove that he had an acquaintance with the veritable fables of Aesop, although the versions he had access to were probably corrupt, as contained in the various translations and disquisitional exercises of the rhetoricians and philosophers. His collection is interesting and important, not only as the parent source or foundation of the earlier printed versions of Aesop, but as the direct channel of attracting to these fables the attention of the learned.
The eventual re-introduction, however, of these Fables of Aesop to their high place in the general literature of Christendom, is to be looked for in the West rather than in the East. The calamities gradually thickening round the Eastern Empire, and the fall of Constantinople, 1453 A.D. combined with other events to promote the rapid restoration of learning in Italy; and with that recovery of learning the revival of an interest in the Fables of Aesop is closely identified. These fables, indeed, were among the first writings of an earlier antiquity that attracted attention. They took their place beside the Holy Scriptures and the ancient classic authors, in the minds of the great students of that day. Lorenzo Valla, one of the most famous promoters of Italian learning, not only translated into Latin the Iliad of Homer and the Histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, but also the Fables of Aesop.
These fables, again, were among the books brought into an extended circulation by the agency of the printing press. Bonus Accursius, as early as 1475-1480, printed the collection of these fables, made by Planudes, which, within five years afterwards, Caxton translated into English, and printed at his press in Westminster Abbey, 1485. 10 It must be mentioned also that the learning of this age has left permanent traces of its influence on these fables, ll by causing the interpolation with them of some of those amusing stories which were so frequently introduced into the public discourses of the great preachers of those days, and of which specimens are yet to be found in the extant sermons of Jean Raulin, Meffreth, and Gabriel Barlette. 12 The publication of this era which most probably has influenced these fables, is the "Liber Facetiarum," l3 a book consisting of a hundred jests and stories, by the celebrated Poggio Bracciolini, published A.D. 1471, from which the two fables of the "Miller, his Son, and the Ass," and the "Fox and the Woodcutter," are undoubtedly selected.
The knowledge of these fables rapidly spread from Italy into Germany, and their popularity was increased by the favor and sanction given to them by the great fathers of the Reformation, who frequently used them as vehicles for satire and protest against the tricks and abuses of the Romish ecclesiastics. The zealous and renowned Camerarius, who took an active part in the preparation of the Confession of Augsburgh, found time, amidst his numerous avocations, to prepare a version for the students in the university of Tubingen, in which he was a professor. Martin Luther translated twenty of these fables, and was urged by Melancthon to complete the whole; while Gottfried Arnold, the celebrated Lutheran theologian, and librarian to Frederick I, king of Prussia, mentions that the great Reformer valued the Fables of Aesop next after the Holy Scriptures. In 1546 A.D. the second printed edition of the collection of the Fables made by Planudes, was issued from the printing-press of Robert Stephens, in which were inserted some additional fables from a MS. in the Bibliotheque du Roy at Paris.
The greatest advance, however, towards a re-introduction of the Fables of Aesop to a place in the literature of the world, was made in the early part of the seventeenth century. In the year 1610, a learned Swiss, Isaac Nicholas Nevelet, sent forth the third printed edition of these fables, in a work entitled "Mythologia Aesopica." This was a noble effort to do honor to the great fabulist, and was the most perfect collection of Aesopian fables ever yet published. It consisted, in addition to the collection of fables given by Planudes and reprinted in the various earlier editions, of one hundred and thirty-six new fables (never before published) from MSS. in the Library of the Vatican, of forty fables attributed to Aphthonius, and of forty-three from Babrias. It also contained the Latin versions of the same fables by Phaedrus, Avienus, and other authors. This volume of Nevelet forms a complete "Corpus Fabularum Aesopicarum;" and to his labors Aesop owes his restoration to universal favor as one of the wise moralists and great teachers of mankind. During the interval of three centuries which has elapsed since the publication of this volume of Nevelet's, no book, with the exception of the Holy Scriptures, has had a wider circulation than Aesop's Fables. They have been translated into the greater number of the languages both of Europe and of the East, and have been read, and will be read, for generations, alike by Jew, Heathen, Mohammedan, and Christian. They are, at the present time, not only engrafted into the literature of the civilized world, but are familiar as household words in the common intercourse and daily conversation of the inhabitants of all countries.
This collection of Nevelet's is the great culminating point in the history of the revival of the fame and reputation of Aesopian Fables. It is remarkable, also, as containing in its preface the germ of an idea, which has been since proved to have been correct by a strange chain of circumstances. Nevelet intimates an opinion, that a writer named Babrias would be found to be the veritable author of the existing form of Aesopian Fables. This intimation has since given rise to a series of inquiries, the knowledge of which is necessary, in the present day, to a full understanding of the true position of Aesop in connection with the writings that bear his name.
The history of Babrias is so strange and interesting, that it might not unfitly be enumerated among the curiosities of literature. He is generally supposed to have been a Greek of Asia Minor, of one of the Ionic Colonies, but the exact period in which he lived and wrote is yet unsettled. He is placed, by one critic, l4 as far back as the institution of the Achaian League, B.C. 250; by another as late as the Emperor Severus, who died A.D. 235; while others make him a contemporary with Phaedrus in the time of Augustus. At whatever time he wrote his version of Aesop, by some strange accident it seems to have entirely disappeared, and to have been lost sight of. His name is mentioned by Avienus; by Suidas, a celebrated critic, at the close of the eleventh century, who gives in his lexicon several isolated verses of his version of the fables; and by John Tzetzes, a grammarian and poet of Constantinople, who lived during the latter half of the twelfth century. Nevelet, in the preface to the volume which we have described, points out that the Fables of Planudes could not be the work of Aesop, as they contain a reference in two places to "Holy monks," and give a verse from the Epistle of St. James as an "Epimith" to one of the fables, and suggests Babrias as their author. Francis Vavassor, 15 a learned French jesuit, entered at greater length on this subject, and produced further proofs from internal evidence, from the use of the word Piraeus in describing the harbour of Athens, a name which was not given till two hundred years after Aesop, and from the introduction of other modern words, that many of these fables must have been at least committed to writing posterior to the time of Aesop, and more boldly suggests Babrias as their author or collector. 16 These various references to Babrias induced Dr. Plichard Bentley, at the close of the seventeenth century, to examine more minutely the existing versions of Aesop's Fables, and he maintained that many of them could, with a slight change of words, be resolved into the Scazonic l7 iambics, in which Babrias is known to have written: and, with a greater freedom than the evidence then justified, he put forth, in behalf of Babrias, a claim to the exclusive authorship of these fables. Such a seemingly extravagant theory, thus roundly asserted, excited much opposition. Dr. Bentley l8 met with an able antagonist in a member of the University of Oxford, the Hon. Mr. Charles Boyle, 19 afterwards Earl of Orrery. Their letters and disputations on this subject, enlivened on both sides with much wit and learning, will ever bear a conspicuous place in the literary history of the seventeenth century. The arguments of Dr. Bentley were yet further defended a few years later by Mr. Thomas Tyrwhitt, a well-read scholar, who gave up high civil distinctions that he might devote himself the more unreservedly to literary pursuits. Mr. Tyrwhitt published, A.D. 1776, a Dissertation on Babrias, and a collection of his fables in choliambic meter found in a MS. in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Francesco de Furia, a learned Italian, contributed further testimony to the correctness of the supposition that Babrias had made a veritable collection of fables by printing from a MS. contained in the Vatican library several fables never before published. In the year 1844, however, new and unexpected light was thrown upon this subject. A veritable copy of Babrias was found in a manner as singular as were the MSS. of Quinctilian's Institutes, and of Cicero's Orations by Poggio in the monastery of St. Gall A.D. 1416. M. Menoides, at the suggestion of M. Villemain, Minister of Public Instruction to King Louis Philippe, had been entrusted with a commission to search for ancient MSS., and in carrying out his instructions he found a MS. at the convent of St. Laura, on Mount Athos, which proved to be a copy of the long suspected and wished-for choliambic version of Babrias. This MS. was found to be divided into two books, the one containing a hundred and twenty-five, and the other ninety-five fables. This discovery attracted very general attention, not only as confirming, in a singular manner, the conjectures so boldly made by a long chain of critics, but as bringing to light valuable literary treasures tending to establish the reputation, and to confirm the antiquity and authenticity of the great mass of Aesopian Fable. The Fables thus recovered were soon published. They found a most worthy editor in the late distinguished Sir George Cornewall Lewis, and a translator equally qualified for his task, in the Reverend James Davies, M.A., sometime a scholar of Lincoln College, Oxford, and himself a relation of their English editor. Thus, after an eclipse of many centuries, Babrias shines out as the earliest, and most reliable collector of veritable Aesopian Fables.
The following are the sources from which the present translation has been prepared: Babrii Fabulae Aesopeae. George Cornewall Lewis. Oxford, 1846. Babrii Fabulae Aesopeae. E codice manuscripto partem secundam edidit. George Cornewall Lewis. London: Parker, 1857. Mythologica Aesopica. Opera et studia Isaaci Nicholai Neveleti. Frankfort, 1610. Fabulae Aesopiacae, quales ante Planudem ferebantur cura et studio Francisci de Furia. Lipsiae, 1810. ??????????????. Ex recognitione Caroli Halmii. Lipsiae, Phaedri Fabulae Esopiae. Delphin Classics. 1822.


text:
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EPA's Office of Public Affairs (OPA) developed this Stylebook in 2008 and published it in early 2009. OPA has no plans to update this Stylebook. All communications products must conform to the guidance included in this edition. For topics or rules not addressed by this Stylebook, consult:
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text:
Lectures for a New Year: Parrots, the Universe, and Everything
Today I've got a doozy of a lecture for you. I present what is likely Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams's last public appearance -- he died of a heart attack on May 11, 2001, mere days after this talk at UC San Diego was filmed. This is a man in the prime of his life, about to be struck down. And he is cracking wise throughout, telling truly wonderful, engaging stories, but with a shattering message: just as our world is being pulled together by information technology, we are destroying species faster than ever before (unless you count, as he says, the points at which Earth has been hit by asteroids).
In the lecture, Adams recounts his hilarious adventures traveling the world studying endangered wildlife, learning about the odd, endearing lives of vanishing species...and what animal extinction means for the lives of humans. The talk was given about a decade after Adams published his favorite book, Last Chance to See. He took to the stage eleven years after the book was released, to tell its story -- this was a lecture of love, not promoting a hot new book. As Adams says in his introduction: "Virtually every author I know, their own favorite book is the one that sold the least."
Even if you're a fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide, you may not have read Adams's other work, or even heard of it. (I haven't read Last Chance to See and have only the vaguest familiarity with his Dirk Gently novels.) This lecture will convince you that the man's most under-appreciated book is well worth a read.
Topics: a monkey looking at a lemur, advances in twig technology, dragons, snakes, the Venom Fridge, forgetting how to fly, the Blue-footed Booby, the Friendship Store, condoms for recording dolphins, humans, and Carl Sagan.
Not covered: life, the universe, and everything.
For: anyone interested in nature, people who like jokes, fans of Douglas Adams, anyone who enjoys a good yarn about the natural world, and those who are not scandalized by a fleeting f-bomb or two.
Representative quote:
So just imagine if you will, this male Kakapo sitting up here, making all this booming noise which, if there's a female out there--which there probably isn't--and if she likes the sound of this booming--which she probably doesn't--then she can't find the person who's making it! (Laughter.) But supposing she does, supposing she's out there--but she probably isn't--she likes the sound of this booming--she probably doesn't--supposing that she can find him--which she probably can't--she will then only consent to mate if the Podocarpus tree is in fruit! (Laughter.) Now we've all had relationships like that ... (Laughter.) (Applause.)
Further Reading
The book is Last Chance to See, and it was made into a BBC 2 series featuring Stephen Fry. There was also a BBC Radio series in 1989, which is now available online for free...if you're in the UK.
If you're unfamiliar with Adams (which I find unlikely), check out his website, which notes that there is a Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture series. Hmm, I'll have to check that out. See also, his Wikipedia entry. Oh, and if you're going to be in London on March 11, 2012, there's a 60th birthday celebration for DNA!
A complete transcript is available. The YouTube video does not have proper closed captions.
Suggest a Lecture
Got a favorite lecture? Is it online in some video format? Leave a comment and we'll check it out!


text: ICROSS AND NGO The International Community for Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS) is a non-profit (NGO) founded by Dr. Joe Barnes and Dr. Michael Meegan in 1979. For over 30 years, ICROSS has continued to create and fund long-term locally managed health programs throughout Kenya, as well as provide technical support and expertise to programs in over twenty countries. ICROSS pioneers research in social and medical fields and partners with leading international institutions such as the Global Fund, the European Union, the World Health Organization/UNICEF and numerous universities. A fraction of ICROSS's widespread efforts focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, water purification, and Maasai community medical clinics. They manage homecare programs that assist AIDS patients and orphans, establish women's self-help groups and train traditional birth attendants and community health workers. They battle disease in poor rural areas where healthcare is unavailable through locally staffed health clinics, such as those in nomadic Maasai regions that afford the traditional communities with modern medicine in place of conventional methods. In other areas, solar disinfection of water (SODIS) programs contribute to a reduction in waterborne diseases and a strengthened cooperation within the villages. ICROSS's impacts across Kenya have proven immeasurable. Visit www.icrossinternational.org for more information on these and other programs.


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text:
Which of these raw foods and treats will end up on your Holiday List?
I think Mr. N would appreciate the braided Esophagus!ReplyDelete
Mmmmmm, sounds like sum very tasty treats, yum, yum
Loves and licky kisses
Princess Leah xxx
OMD, I thinks the Braided Esophagus sounds rather yumminess!!
Mom would love to try me on raw food...and maybe one day she will! But for now since I'm living with my Dad and his family, and since he's the one feeding me, I'm stuck with kibble and canned.ReplyDelete
Yummy drool, drool :)ReplyDelete
Oz I love your festive design on your Raw Food card!! Those are some wild and wooly names on them. Bites of duck feet sounds intriguing
Hugs madi your bfff
Schooner and Skipper voted on the Beef Braided Esophagus! They love Raw Food!ReplyDelete
I do not feed a raw diet, BUT my huskies do love getting raw treats now and then! I love your ideas!!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Such a hard choice, but I think braided esophagus is the winner!ReplyDelete
you know we love our bravo food - it is the best !ReplyDelete
Hmmmmmmm. Sounds like the dogs would love it!ReplyDelete
I think I might like duck feet or at least try a foot or two. BOL
Aroo to you,
We won your last Raw Paws giveaway so we won't enter this one. I can vouch for the absolute deliciousness of Raw Paws so good luck to everyone!ReplyDelete
Darn Buddy.... YOU eat like a KING... or a PRINCE... or somethingy.. You are really lucky. it all sounds good to US..ReplyDelete
We just got another shipment of Raw Paws treats and chews. The bundle deals have been great and we love their products.ReplyDelete
Of course it all sounds good to us!
Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel
esophagus, yum!ReplyDelete
Esophagus! Nola loves Primal.ReplyDelete
That's for the real dog in me
Lily & Edward
It all looks so yummyReplyDelete
Mmm they both sound yummy! Maybe the braided esophagusReplyDelete
Those sound good! Braided esophagus!ReplyDelete
Esophagus, but they both sound delicious!ReplyDelete
What a nice list Oz! Shiner has actually been munching on those Duck Feet lately. She loves them! And I did get her some frozen raw food at PetSmart about 2 months ago just to try it out. She seems to like it too. :)ReplyDelete
Mmmm, esophagus! paws crossed!ReplyDelete
My dogs vote for the braided esophagus for sounding delicious.ReplyDelete
Oooh these sound good! I think we'd like to try that braided esophagus, yum!ReplyDelete
Layla loves chewing so the Beef Braided EsophagusReplyDelete
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a pawprint. I enjoy reading each and every one!
Cairn cuddles,
Oz the Terrier


text:
Monday, March 10, 2008
I was kidding, about 19 years. It's still only 18. That was my little joke about how long it had been since I last wrote. Har har har. Sorry.
And also this:
lest you imagined he was about to win some kind of short hair prize or anything.
31 comments:
Ben is sporting that ever so stylish long short hair and there should be a prize, he has some fine hair!ReplyDelete
I am behind at Wondertime of course as the last of the grip of sickness leaves our house...at least it had better be over.
Hope Birdy is better too.
You're silly. ;)ReplyDelete
He's so handsome and has the best kind of hair for growing out.
I am in mad love with Ben's new haircut. I have a 3.5 month old and I want her to be like Ben and Birdy!! I love those 2. They are the cutest!ReplyDelete
PS Get that water cleaned up and the kids well and then write another book!!!
I was just checking this blog to give you heck for not posting..and now 2 posts in a row! Wow!ReplyDelete
Hang in there - it's gotta get better right? Spring is on it's way!
Oh. Ben looks much younger again. I'm not sure if it's the shorter hair, or the shave!ReplyDelete
Lynda Barry! I used to LOVE her cartoon - what was it called? You know, the one with Marlys and Maybonne? I didn't know she wrote a novel.ReplyDelete
My son would win the short hair prize - we keep it closely cropped because he is a puffy-haired child. And also because he is retro like that.ReplyDelete
My kids are STILL wild about the Sears wishbook, which is how you can tell we're rural. Great columns as usual - I absolutely cannot log in to comment. :(
Great haircut, I am new to commenting but I just eat up everything you write. Thanks for making my life brighter!ReplyDelete
I've been waiting a month for you to post so I could say something serious, and then you go and post that goofy mustache. Awesome. Love it.ReplyDelete
It feels out of place here, but I just have to say it anyway...
Thank you for your column on working at home. I work from home as well (computer programming), and while my friends think it's so cool that I can work and stay home with the kiddos, it is a hard life. HARD. Like when they're sick or having a snow day and I still have to put in my hours. Or how there is no "off" time, just the thought of "later." Some days are better than others. It looks peachy keen from the outside, and I'm not looking to change it, but I hate having to say "Mama needs to work now" when they clearly want me to play house or fairies.
I'm not saying at all what I wanted to put here... it meant enough to me that I've been a long-term fan, and this is the only column that I've ever bookmarked. I re-read it and try to remember that the grass isn't always greener. Thanks for writing about this rare and unique situation that we find ourselves in.
Oh Catherine! Your column today totally made me tear up. I can so relate .. I struggle with the same thing with my daughter, who is 3.5. Sometimes I do unleash and the regret is just brutal. I have to remind myself of the sweet moments too, and that we're both still learning to get it right.ReplyDelete
Thanks for allowing me to live with you through these moments. It's the highlight of my week and has been for years now.
I have just recently discovered your writing and I'm in love. I read Waiting for Birdy in a day, and now I get to the end of my day, and I sit and read your old Babycenter and Wondertime postings, wishing I could print them all out and make them into a book! I'm annoying my friends and family by constantly mentioning your blog sites...I hope that everyone goes out to buy your book so that your publisher insists that you write another.ReplyDelete
My husband is a stay at home dad to our 21 month old son, and he's also a fan of your work. I just have to say thank you for making us laugh and remind ourselves that we're not the only ones out there living this crazy life!
- Anonymous11:05 AM
Your last two articles at disney spoke to my soul. I wish and wish I had more patience with my 6 year old, and that I wouldn't SHRIEK at him for being who he is (a doddler at best.) I'm going to keep working on it. He's truly a wonderful kid. And hearing him shriek at his brother is my greatest guilt. Look what I've taught him.ReplyDelete
I tried twice to post a comment on disney. I can never get it to go through. Frustrating!!
Thanks again for your honesty, Catherine. You are a brave, brave woman. Also, your kids are adorable. I like Ben's haircut, too.
Once again, I can't get my name to show up. (Maybe it's me!) This is Katemma in Michigan.
That boy of yours is adorable. Long hair or short. Still gorgeous!ReplyDelete
I keep trying to comment at Wondertime and it doesn't let me.
I just wanted to say that I relate. That sudden explosion of anger is the thing I despise most about myself. I totter happily along for so long, being a fabulous mom, and them BOOM! There she is again. I work on it everyday. Containing that beast. I hope someday I can squash it, not just contain it.
Your recent columns at Wondertime have hit so close to home that it hurts -- the Ikea catalog, the intensity of little girls and the "unleashing" but what I'm wondering is what it looks like when you, Catherine, get it right? I mean how do you quell the bickering and the intensity and feel good about it and maybe even get results? The right approach is eluding me and therefore am doing way too much "speaking sharply" around here. You are so open with your blunders but I suspect you get it right 99% of the time, any insight?ReplyDelete
My son has this thick unruly hair that we normally keep short and he has been asking to let it grow out to precisely the length you have Ben's. Although he refers to it as hockey hair (he wants to see hair come out from under his helmet). Hopefully it will work out. Ben looks great with the new cut.ReplyDelete
Short hair prize- har. Also, I was so ridiculously proud of myself that I got your 19 year joke right away! (I may need to get a life someday.)ReplyDelete
What a warm 'past and future' post on Wondertime. I feel it creeping up through my toes.ReplyDelete
and please, please, the recipe for posole? :)
- Anonymous9:25 PM
Here I sit, encouraged to actually attempt some of your delicious sounding veggie recipes from the latest wondertime that arrived in my mail today! Have I mentioned I'm not that into vegetables, but your fabulous writing has encouraged me anew to leave the land of bland, boring,shunned green giant frozen world and venture into the place where a veggie does not leap directly from freezer to microwave. Yes.ReplyDelete
Have I also mentioned that every time I get a wondertime reader panel survey I make sure to SHOUT at them that the best part of the magazine and website is your writing. If I shout it at them then maybe too, I realize, I should also shout it to you!
- Anonymous3:26 PM
You are, of course, lovely, as are your family and your columns. I've been reading you for years, following you all over the Internet. And yet this is the first time I've commented, and it's because YOU MUST POST YOUR POSOLE RECIPE. I LOVE posole, but I've never made it myself, and I have no idea how to distinguish a good recipe from a 'meh' one.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous4:54 PM
Hey Catherine,ReplyDelete
This isn't so much a "comment" as a general fan letter.
I have just finished feasting--no: bingeing--on a whole year's worth of your posts. A whole year!
I learned about you last year when a big-fan friend gave me Waiting for Birdy, which I devoured and which became one of my favorite books of all time. It was right as you were making the transition from Baby Center and weren't quite set up here (when was that? a year ago? longer?) and then I got busy.
But then yesterday I Googled you, and then I stared reading and COULD NOT STOP. Just as with the book. I love, and feel so grateful for, the way you make me laugh out loud (Snorting! Hooting!) every single post and then, somehow, bring me almost (and sometimes completely) to tears. That gentle, bittersweet melody that runs through all your very funny writing is so phenomenal.
Last summer, my first novel came out, and USA Today published a little interview with me. And when they asked me what my favorite book about motherhood was, I said Waiting For Birdy. They listed it in the profile, and I meant to write you to let you know about it (in case, you know, you missed that day)... but now suddenly here it is, March.
I don't think I can put the link here, but you can find it on my website, or just Google it!
Anyway, thank you for your incredible posts about motherhood and life.
Many good wishes,
Katherine Center
I just caught up on your columns over at Wondertime and wanted to tell you that I so get the "unleashing" of anger. My 2 daughters (3 1/2 and 1 year old) have both been sick on and off since the beginning of February. No one is sleeping much in our house and everyone wants to be in mama and papa's bed. Yup, 4 people, one queen-sized bed - not a good thing, especially when the 3 1/2 year old prefers to wake up at 2:30 am and stay awake for an hour -usually crying for no reason.ReplyDelete
Last night I tried two new things, Hyland's Calms Forte 4 Kids for the kid and Herb Pharm's "Good Mood Tonic" for me so that I can stop being the screaming mom. It seems to be helping. Both things can be found at Whole Foods if you need them.
Thanks for letting me whine.
- Anonymous8:35 PM
okay, Catherine, I am writing one nanosecond after reading your Wondertime post!! I am, like the mom who posted over there, once again crying after reading writing by you! Oh my goodness, honey, I can COMPLETELY relate to what you are saying! Thank you, once again, for sharing your emotions with all of us! (yes, we know that in reality it is also your job and for profit and to feed your children, but we don't care!!!! it might as well be all of us gals sitting on couch together, sobbing!!!! smiley face here!) We love you, Catherine! I don't care if I sound like a complete and total groupie! I am one of your readers who has been with you since you started writing on babycenter, and my "babies" are now 3 and 5! It hurts my heart that it goes so FAST! Hugs to you, sister, we are all out here loving you tonight!!! (holding up lighter at this moment, while swaying with all your fellow readers at your "concert!" hee hee!)ReplyDelete
- Anonymous9:37 PM
It is Monday and on Mondays I look forward to something....oh yes my fuzzy Mommy brain remembers - bedtime for the kids and a Catherine Newman column. I just read your latest (3/24) about Birdy turing 5 - Happy Birthday Birdy! And, it was like a preview to all of the feelings which I have been putting off about my own sweet girl who will be five so soon. She is my oldest and I can not express the tangle of emotions in my heart over this - five years old. She is my little girl but in so many ways she is developing into this child who is growing more and more her own person which is exciting and terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. And, dare I even say it.....kindergarten. I am not sure how I will cope. Suggestions? Columns? Tears? Thank you for what you do.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous3:56 PM
I too was crying by the time I got to the end of the latest post at Wondertime. My first child, my daughter, my baby will be 5 in August. It is so strange that she is such a big kid now with her own things to do and feel and say. She amazes me every day.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous5:50 PM
So, I just read your Wondertime post from today (3/25/08) and bawled. Here's why...my baby girl will be 4 this year. She and I have this awesome love for each other just like you and Birdy. Anyway, you captured just how fast time goes and that precious love in a beautiful, touching way. Thanks so much!!! P.S. I wanted to post on Wondertime but can't seem to log in there anymore so I hope you do get this message. Also, what is the deal with the "marching" heartbeat sounds. That used to freak me out too!! As always, great posts!!!ReplyDelete
Happy Birthday Birdie! I remember when I started reading here and Birdie was three and I thought she was so big, and now my little one is the same age. I loved your column on it, they do keep growing...who is this little KID living in my house and where did the baby go?ReplyDelete
Did you see that there is a for sale sign at Pete's btw? I remember reading once that you liked to go there.
Happy Birthday Birdy, I feel like I have always known her. Just like i know you and Ben and Michael. Thank you.ReplyDelete