emmys results

I'm usually not one to get very into any kind of awards show...but this year was something of an exception to that rule.

I let myself watch when someone I really like has been nominated.

Craig Ferguson (see my post on my favorite people with accents) was nominated for one of his episodes of The Late Late Show.

He lost it to Barry Manilow.

I was angry and turned off the tv right then.

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Anyhow, you can see more Emmy results at: http://www.nbc.com/Movies_Specials_More/Emmys_2006/

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For more on Craig:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Ferguson

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For more on Barry Manilow:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Manilow

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Better luck for Craig next time, I guess.

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Craig Ferguson [above]

Barry Manilow accepting his Emmy [below]

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lynne truss

Ohhh...I'm ashamed.

I made my list of my favorite people from Britain, Scotland, etc. and forgot to include one of my favorite authors in the world.

So here she is, and she even gets her own post!

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Lynne Truss is the author of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: A Zero-Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. It's a book about the carelessness regarding punctuation in today's world - but it's very humorous, too. She also has a new book out that I've not yet read called Talk to the Hand, which is about rudeness.

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To go to her website: http://lynnetruss.com

For more: http://eatsshootsandleaves.com/

For the original accent list click here.

most expensive

Ah, how bored one can get on a Saturday night...

I found this website called The Most Expensive Journal, and they tell about the most expensive things sold in lots of different categories...

Here are some that I liked:

http://most-expensive.net/jeans-designer

http://most-expensive.net/actress-hollywood-movie

http://most-expensive.net/photograph-world [a very cool picture, too]

http://most-expensive.net/sandwich-world

http://most-expensive.net/violin-world

http://most-expensive.net/pie-world

http://most-expensive.net/movie-ever-made

http://most-expensive.net/painting-in-world

http://most-expensive.net/amazon-sale-2005

http://most-expensive.net/coffee-in-world

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Enough for now.

That's just a fraction of them.

Find more at www.most-expensive.net

soak up the sun

This is probably one of my many favorite songs from Sheryl Crow...Kinda does something to cheer you up...I especially like the bold parts...

"Soak Up The Sun"

My friend the communist

Holds meetings in his RV

I can't afford his gas

So I'm stuck here watching TV

I don't have digital

I don't have diddly squat

It's not having what you want

It's wanting what you've got

[CHORUS:]

I'm gonna soak up the sun

Gonna tell everyone

To lighten up

(I'm gonna tell 'em that)

I've got no one to blame

For every time I feel lame

I'm looking up - oh

I'm gonna soak up the sun

I'm gonna soak up the sun

I've got a crummy job

It don't pay near enough

To buy the things it takes

To win me some of your love

Every time I turn around

I'm looking up, you're looking down

Maybe something's wrong with you

That makes you act the way you do

Maybe I am crazy too

[CHORUS]

I'm gonna soak up the sun

While it's still free

I'm gonna soak up the sun

Before it goes out on me

Don't have no master suite

I'm still the king of me

You have a fancy ride, but baby

I'm the one who has the key

Every time I turn around

I'm looking up, you're looking down

Maybe something's wrong with you

That makes you act the way you do

Maybe I am crazy too

[CHORUS]

I'm gonna soak up the sun

Got my 45 on

So I can rock on.

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Lyrics from http://www.azlyrics.com

For more on Sheryl Crow: www.sherylcrow.com

To buy a CD: www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=835220

accent pictures

Here are the pictures of the people that go with my last post, about my top ten favorite people with British/Scottish/etc. accents.

Left Column (top to bottom):

1 Craig Ferguson

2 Rik Mayall

3 Franz Ferdinand

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Second Column:

4 The Proclaimers

5 JK Rowling

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Third Column:

6 Queen Elizabeth II

7 Audrey Hepburn

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Right Column:

8 Tony Blair

9 The Beatles

10 Rex Harrison (and Audrey Hepburn)

11 The Flags of the British Isles...

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The links to sites about all of these people and, in most cases, the pictures are in the websites listed at the bottom of the previous post.

Accents - Top 10

Once more, I feel inclined to remind the world that I love accents of all kinds.
I’ve compiled a list of my top ten favorite people with British/Scottish/etc. accents. They are (in no particular order):

1. Craig Ferguson.
Craig Ferguson is a comedian and host of The Late Late Show on CBS. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland and has lived in the US for 12 years. I think he’s hilarious.

2. The Proclaimers
I’ve mentioned them before, I believe. They’re a Scottish duo from the 80s.

3. Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen of England, of course. I think that she’s great. She’s the Queen, and what’s better than that?!

4. Tony Blair
Another very cool Englishman...the Prime Minister of England.

5. J.K. Rowling
The author of the Harry Potter series. She’s from Scotland and has written 6 books about Harry Potter, with a seventh on the way. And let’s face it - the books are the best.

6. Franz Ferdinand
The band...not the guy they got their name from. They sing stuff that never fails to cheer you up or make you generally cheery. They’re Scottish, once again.

7. The Beatles
Felt that they needed to be included...for Sarah...

8. Audrey Hepburn
She plays Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, my favorite movie EVER. She actually even sang most of the songs in the movie, except for "Without You" as it was madly out of her vocal range and likewise dubbed.

9. Rex Harrison
Also in My Fair Lady, as my favorite fictional character, Henry Higgins. Henry Higgins is a professor of phonetics, and teaches Eliza how to speak proper English. I’ve posted about My Fair Lady before, too. More information there.

10. Rik Mayall
Drop Dead Fred in the movie Drop Dead Fred. It’s one of the stupidest movies ever, but comedy nonetheless. It’s one of those movies that you find yourself going around quoting all the time.

HONORARY MENTION 1:
Helen Baxendale. She's the girl who plays Emily in Season 4 of FRIENDS. Emily is engaged to Ross and is from England. They are in the marriage ceremony when Ross says "I take thee Rachel" rather than "I take thee Emily." (Rachel is Ross’s ex-girlfriend)

HONORARY MENTION 2:

Sarah Ferguson. The Duchess of York. She's in the same episode of FRIENDS.

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I realize that I’m way too bored and have way too much of a fascination with accents. Just think, we sound funny to them too...

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LINKS:

Craig Ferguson: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/

The Proclaimers: http://www.proclaimers.co.uk/2003/

Queen Elizabeth II: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page412.asp

Tony Blair: http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page4.asp

JK Rowling: www.jkrowling.com

Franz Ferdinand: http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/

The Beatles: www.beatles.com

Audrey Hepburn: www.audreyhepburn.com

Rex Harrison: www.imdb.com/name/nm0001322

Rik Mayall: www.imdb.com/name/nm0562201

Helen Baxendale: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0062636/

Sarah Ferguson: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272601/

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At some point, I'm going to add pictures for all of these lovely people, but my computer's not letting me upload any right now, so I'll try later.

You can get most of the good pics at the above links, though.

Almost Better Than Llamas

Giraffes are almost cooler than llamas and alpacas in my book. Especially baby giraffes.

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, mother giraffe 'Anqi' kisses her four-day-old baby in a zoo of Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province Monday, Aug. 14, 2006. The 180-centimeter (5.9-feet)-tall and 80-kilogram (176-pond)-weight baby giraffe made its debut on Monday. 'Anqi' has given birth to two babies successfully within three years. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Lu Chuanquan)

quiero...

An alpaca.
Or a llama.
That's right. I want one.

Or two.

Or, for that matter, a whole herd of them.

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Has anyone noticed that I like alpacas? And llamas? I think they're hilarious: so ugly that they're cute and so very reminiscent of E.T. (At least to me...)

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"The new It animal? The alpaca, with more than 100,000 roaming U.S. Ranches and a nascent market for its soft fleece. Jack (above) is from Wyoming and recently visited kids at a Laramie library. Says owner Jamie Tharp: 'He loved the camera and wanted to be the center of attention.' Clearly."
Photograph by Barbara J. Perenic, picture and caption from the 11 August edition of "LIFE" magazine, p.3.

This picture is hanging on my closet door.

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Also, from Yahoo! News:

An alpaca is shown at the Good Fortune Farm in Parkdale, Oregon. May 25, 2006. A relative of the llama, alpacas originated in South America and werefirst introduced to the US in 1984. They were initially popular in the Northwest, primarily among llama farmers wanting to diversify.But the alpaca has since generated a "Green Acres"-like following among nonagricultural types nationwide. AP Photo, Rick Bowmer.

I, however, will use my caption: "AHHHHH!!! E.T. go home!!!"

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For more on alpacas: www.alpaca.com

For more Yahoo! News pics: www.news.yahoo.com

For more on LIFE magazine: www.life.com

For the definition of the word "nascent" (what?! I didn't know what it meant!!) :

www.thefreedictionary.com/nascent

"Admiring the Moon"

This is yet another Yahoo! picture. I love them! They're always of the very coolest of things. This is a full moon (obviously) rising over Athens, Greece. I love the crowd of people standing in front of it - it makes it look like something from a movie or a book or something...very cool, if you ask me.

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From Yahoo!:

Admiring the Moon : People admire the moon as it rises over Cape Sounio, some 60 kilometers south of Athens, Greece. (AFP)

Go to: www.yahoo.com for links to more Yahoo! pictures.

"Throw the 'R' Away"

Like I've said, one thing that I really like is accents.

Of all of them that there are in the world, my very favorite has to be a Scottish one or an English one. Words are just more fun that way. Heny Higgins might not be a fan, but no matter.

This is a song by The Proclaimers - a duo from the late '80s consisting of two twin brothers from Scotland, Craig and Charlie Reid. They're one of my friend Sarah's favorites, and I'll admit that they're growing on me.

The name of this song is "Throw the 'R' Away" - and it's pretty self-explainatory from there.

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The Proclaimers - Throw The 'R' Away

I've been so sad

Since you said my accent was bad

He's worn a frown

This Caledonian clown

I'm just going to have to learn to hesitate

To make sure my words

On your Saxon ears don't grate

But I wouldn't know a single word to say

If I flattened all the vowels

And threw the 'R' away

Some days I stand

On your green and pleasant land

How dare I show face

When my diction is such a disgrace

I'm just going to have to learn to hesitate

To make sure my words

On your Saxon ears don't grate

But I wouldn't know a single word to say

If I flattened all the vowels

And threw the 'R' away

You say that if I want to get ahead

The language I use should be left for dead

It doesn't please your ear

And though you tell it like a leg-pull

It seems your still full of John Bull

You just refuse to hear

Oh what can I do

To be understood by you

Perhaps for some money

I could talk like a bee dripping honey.

I'm just going to have to learn to hesitate

To make sure my words

On your Saxon ears don't grate

But I wouldn't know a single word to say

If I flattened all the vowels

And threw the 'R' away

You say that if I want to get ahead

The language I use should be left for dead

It doesn't please your ear

And though you tell it like a leg-pull

I think your still full of John Bull

You just refuse to hear

He's been so sad

Since you said his accent was bad

He's worn a frown

This Caledonian clown

I'm just going to have to learn to hesitate

To make sure my words

On your Saxon ears don't grate

But I wouldn't know a single word to say

If I flattened all the vowels

And threw the 'R' away

Flattened all the vowels

And threw the 'R' away

If I flattened all the vowels

And threw the 'R' away

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For more on The Proclaimers, go to their website: www.proclaimers.co.uk/2003

For more of their lyrics, go to www.lyricsdownload.com/proclaimers-lyrics.html

donkey

Pictures of Cinco are some of my favorite farm pictures to take. She loves to have pictures taken of her, too.
Once I was trying to get a picture of a goat that was close to her, and she wanted to be in the picture so bad that she almost knocked me over trying to get into it.
She's in it though.

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This is just a picture that I took of her over the fence: she halted her grazing to come pose for me.

civil war minutes

Like I think I've said before, I like history. In the record of Minutes of the Session at First Presbyterian Chruch of Somerset, Kentucky, there is the following entry from the 1860s. At the top of the page, you can see that they're just talking about the basic church stuff: baptisms, etc. That's what the whole book's about. But after that, in the middle section, is what's interesting to me. I don't know if you can see it in the scan, but it says that there were two year without an entry because the church didn't have services during that time. That's because the Civil War was raging nearby, and the church was opened up as a hospital.

One church member said that she remembered, as a child, looking at the back wall of a closet in her Sunday School room. In there was a lot of writing - writing written by a soldier in the Civil War who was staying at the hospital. She doesn't remember what it said, and no one can see it now. The wall was painted over shortly after, and since then the church has been renovated extensively - and this wall was probably covered with paint again, or perhaps torn down in the construction.

The church reopened two years after it closed, and they began joint worship services with another area church, Pisgah Presbyterian. There are countless books of these church records. That's why I love old books. You never know what you'll find.

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Thanks to Carol for getting me a copy of the above page.

For more info on the Civil War, go to: www.civilwar.com

flowers of the sun...or just sunflowers

Like I think I've said before, we have a plethora of sunflowers around here, and I love them, so I take pictures of them. I was outside on a picture-taking rage and got lots of them - every one of them is different.

[below] A very happy sunflower with a very large bumblebee on it.

[below] Our dog, Raven plays with a stick behind another cheery sunflower.

Hope your day is bright and cheery...

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Sarah reminds me that 'Flowers of the Sun' sounds like a horrible movie. I think it sounds more like a really bad '70s band, but whatever.

llama

This was yet another picture that I found on Yahoo! and I thought that it was really funny.
It seems to me that it's saying "Hullo guysssss!!" in a really weird cartoon-like voice, but perhaps that's just me...

From Yahoo!

A Llama appears to make a face at a visitor at the Cherokee Trace Safari in Cherokee County, Texas on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2006. The East Texas Piney woods park is home to over 300 exotic and endangered animals. (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)
AP - Aug 05 9:34 PM

Have a great day!

church

This Sunday, I played my violin for Union Church in Berea, KY. It's a really pretty church, and has a lot of history to it, so I - naturally - took plenty of pictures. Here are a few.

[above] The pipe organ in the church is the centerpeice in the front of the church.

[below] Chairs in the choir loft, which runs around the whole top of the church in a horseshoe shape.

desolate

This is one of my favorite paintings in the world. My grandparents bought it during one of their frequent overseas travels. It hangs in their living room.
Whenever I see it, it reminds me of a certain type of comfortable desolation.

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"Men fear silence as they fear solitude, because both give them a glimpse of the terror of life's nothingness..." - Andrew Maurois

Why Can't the English...?

My favorite movie of all time is "My Fair Lady." The one with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.
It's the story of a linguist (Henry Higgins) trying to teach a common flower girl (Eliza Doolittle) how to speak proper English.
I've also read Pygmalion (the original play version by George Bernard Shaw) and it is one of my favorite books. The play was later turned into "My Fair Lady" by Werner and made into a musical.

One of my favorite songs (the other being "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?") is the following, "Why Can't the English?" and it is about the corrupt of the English Language.

...enjoy...

HENRY HIGGINS:

A woman who utters such disgusting and depressing noise, she has no right to be anywhere, no right to live. Remember that you're a human being with a soul and the divine gift of articulate speech, that your native language is the language of Shakespeare and Milton and the Bible. Don't sit there crooning like a bilious pigeon.
Ohh! Look at her
A prisoner of the gutters
Condemned by every syllable she utters
By right, she should be taken out and hung
For the cold_blooded murder of the English tongue

ELIZA DOOLITTLE:

Ohh!

HENRY HIGGINS:
"Ohh!" Heavens, what a sound
This is what the British population
Calls an elementary education

COLONEL PICKERING:

Come, sir, I think you picked a poor example.

HENRY HIGGINS:

Did I? Hear them down in Soho Square dropping "H"s everywhere
Speaking English any way they like
Uh, you, sir, did you go to school

MAN ON THE STREET:

What do you "tike" me for a fool

HENRY HIGGINS:
No one taught him "take" instead of "tike"
Hear a Yorkshireman, or worse hear a Cornishman converse
I'd rather hear a choir singing flat
Chickens cackling in a barn - Just like this one!

ELIZA DOOLITTLE:

Garn!

HENRY HIGGINS:
"Garn"! I ask you, sir, what sort of word is that?
It's "ohh" and "garn" that keep her in her place
Not her wretched clothes and dirty face
Why can't the English teach their children how to speak
This verbal class distinction by now should be antique
If you spoke as she does, sir instead of the way you do
Why, you might be selling flowers too

COLONEL PICKERING:

I beg your pardon?

HENRY HIGGINS:
An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him
The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him
One common language I'm afraid we'll never get
Oh, why can't the English learn to
Set a good example to people whose English
Is painful to your ears
The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears
There even are places where English completely disappears
Well, in America, they haven't used it for years
Why can't the English teach their children how to speak
Norwegians learn Norwegian
The Greeks are taught their Greek
In France, every Frenchman knows his language from "A" to "zed"
The French don't care what they do, actually, as long as they pronounce it properly. Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning
The Hebrews learn it backwards which is absolutely frightening
Use proper English
You're regarded as a freak
Oh, why can't the English
Why can't the English learn
To speak?
Thank you.

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For more information on "My Fair Lady," click here.

(Or go to www.imdb.com/title/tt0058385/)

pretty clouds

When I saw this, I thought that it was just a really cool picture.
It was on my Yahoo! page and it made me go "oooooohhhhh!"
It was taken in Antarctica by Australian scientists. This is a rare cloud formation.
Anyhow, if you want to see the full picture, story, and photo credits, click here.

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The link above didn't work on my computer - but it doesn't always work, so the story is below. But still, to see the picture full-size and to see lots of other great pictures, try the link.

From Yahoo!:

AFP/Australian Antarctic Division/File - Tue Aug 1, 5:48 AM ET
A rare and spectacular nacreous cloud (top) appears high in the stratosphere some 20km above Australia's Mawson station in Antartica, July 2006. Australian scientists have said they were studying what rare iridescent clouds over Antarctica can reveal about global climate change.(AFP/Australian Antarctic Division/File)

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Have a great day!

a trip outside...with my camera

Yesterday, I was outside - equipped, of course, with my camera - and thought I might take some pictures, as I love to do so and there's certainly plenty to photograph around here.

[captions are below pictures]

[The view between the trees behind our pond - looking up at the sunset.]
[A very happy sunflower. We have acres of these...]

[ My dog, June, poses on the bridge.]

[A birdhouse in the grove. There's a little creek that runs through there and we have a little picnic area, fire circle, hammock, etc.]

other blogs

I thought that I would post a link to my friend Sarah's blog because I like it...it's pictures and all sorts of stuff.
Her URL is notquitelikeatop.blogspot.com.

While I'm at it, my brother's blog is about books - and he discusses recent books and things in the news about books.
His URL is offshelf.blogspot.com.

Have a nice day!