Carolyn Tillie

Damn - then why did I waste my time watching it!?!?!? :blink:

9L - that is perfect and probably more the direction I'm going to go in. The homeless shelters I worked with were one-day stints and nothing more long term. I am already connecting with some local charities where I might be able to do something more substantial. I've talked to a lot of people in the past few days about the Corps and it seems the one thing that *they* don't tell you (which I alluded to earlier), is the huge health risk. More people suffer life-long debilitating health issues during their service time and while a 20-year old body has a better likelihood of recovering, someo

Jack Ryan night... Started with Patriot Games and just started Clear and Present Danger. I often fall asleep to Hunt for Red October...

Hmmm... Who are you referring to as "these guys"? And how do you know they aren't criminals? Are there specifically indictable acts which were committed?

I don't think that was a SNAFU. I have read here in the NYTimes that they routinely serve entire carafes and then charge by how much is drunk out of it. Surprised they didn't explain that fact when delivering the wine...

This Friday is National Doughnut Day. And here is some of the history (with pictures and song, if you like):

Suicide. So very, very sad.

Age 76 Only one more Golden Girl left...

Thanks, Jaymes. That seems to be the pervading warning in all the sites I have been reading. There is a rather high separation rate of volunteers due to health reasons. More than I would have expected. I have a lot more reading to do and will probably go to one of the local presentations.

Mine is from Djibouti and he brought me some of his wife's cooking over the holidays. I'm still not sure what it was...

Yeah, I was up all night reading these sites. Just curious if anyone here had first-hand experience.

Comcast has figured out that I download a *lot* and have severely clamped down my internet ability. Speedtest.net says I have a download speed of almost 25 Mb/s, but several downloads I've had going for almost a week are barely going at 6 Kb/s.

Thanks - this all helps. Looking at their website, the countries that interest me are the Eastern European ones; Turkemistan, Algeria, Macedonia, etc... I did some ESL training *years* ago and admittedly, my ability to learn languages is less than stellar.

Grant, there were a few women there who had been standing in line since 4:30. Lisa and I got there about 4:50. I would HEARTILY recommend going on a Tuesday or (possibly?) Wednesday.

I do belong to and volunteer for a handful of charities already, now most of them art-related. But last year, I met one of my best friends delivering food to homeless shelters. They have all just been somewhat limiting for some reason. But what makes the Peace Corps so difficult, do you know? Those are the sorts of things I am curious about. What a typical stint might be like, etc...

I am at a serious crossroad in my life. I no longer have a cat, I don't have a relationship (or the prospect for one), and I work for days on end in an apartment I can ill-afford on projects that may or may not provide an income. Maybe it was the recent birthday that is making me question my life, but I'm curious about joining the Peace Corps and would like to chat with people that have a) either done it themselves, or b) know someone that has. Pros, cons, whatever. I have no idea how serious this idea is, but I lack direction other than this constant 14 to 16 hour work days.

The bacon beignets are infamous because they are so good they are bad, yes... Seriously, I have only been blogging about fried dough for a few short months and these are some of the best I've had. I haven't yet written up what Stephanie and I ate for breakfast last Monday, but it was a travesty compared to these.

A good friend sent me this link -- artist Mark Ryden who paints in a style reminiscent of Blythe dolls with oversized eyes, the guy has some seriously twisted images...

This should naturally lead to Gangster #1 with David Thewlis and Paul Bettany. Be warned, though. It's brutal. Ooooh.... A movie I haven't seen! Can't be any more brutal than Irreversible. Talk about brutal! There's the only movie I've never been able to finish watching and I have a really strong stomach.

The full write up: One of the top destination restaurants in the city for the last six months has been Melissa Perillo's Frances. I had the distinct pleasure to dine at the Fifth Floor under Perillo's command and was looking forward to experiencing her new endeavor. The reservations at Frances are booked up weeks in advance and it is only the fact that a handful of bar seats are left open for first-come diners that enabled me to plan my birthday celebration. Lisa and I arrived a few minutes before they opened and a line had already been established for a few of those choice non-reservati

Seeing the recent BritCrime flick Harry Brown put me in the mood for some vintage Michael Caine. I started with the original Get Carter which, if I had seen before I don't seem to recall but I thoroughly enjoyed. That segued into Day of the Jackal with Edward Fox, an actor I think is very underrated and overlooked. I'll probably finish up the evening with The Limey and/or Sexy Beast, although I would prefer to stay with the early 70s era. I'll have to see if I own the Ipcress File...

I was trying to remember their name! One of the best restaurant-made duck confit was had there.

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Actually, the fact that I like to eat early weighed in my favor. They keep the bar seats open and if you get there just before they open, it is possible to snag one of those. Probably easier considering it was a Tuesday as when Lisa and I were leaving, about 6:00, there were still many open seats at the bar. I wouldn't try it on a Friday or Saturday.

You best bet is downtown Healdsburg. My favorites include Barndiva, Manzanita, and the Ravenous Cafe. Willi's Seafood Bar and Scopa get pretty good reviews as well. Bovolo is fabulous for lunch (their pork sandwich is amazing). Many people REALLY like Cyrus and I suppose I should give it another try one of these days, but I went there shortly after they opened and found it pretentious and precious. It has gotten better ratings in subsequent years. I've also heard amazing things about Farmhouse Inn but have yet to go.