If anyone hasn't come across the CD I'm listening to now (streamed via
the Yahoo! Music Engine, BTW), you ought to....it's wonderful!

It's finally here!  

Can't think of anything particular to say?  Not a problem!  The web's got you covered.  Just visit the Random Pirate Insult Generator (pirates weren't much on praise or warm fuzzies, I fear), or refer to this handy Pirate Glossary.

Blast ye!
Anyone who doesn't play is clearly addled, and a rum fellow.    
Arrrrrr! 

Okay, I'm easily amused. 

Go here.

Finally tonight I made what Dmitry has dubbed "Mrs. Laura's Taco Soup."

It turned out right well, and is, I finally realized, very similar to a
delicious taco soup Mom makes.  No wonder he likes it! 

I wish someone would explain to me how he can generally turn up his nose at both beans and corn, yet happily nosh them in this dish? 

Speaking of the necessity of Staying Alert while driving, I drove
downtown this afternoon to go to the library, plus get a gift
certificate to Texas de Brazil for Alex's birthday present.  Being
a creature of habit I got on the freeway, exited at Cherry, headed
north, turned right on 5th then immediately left on Burnett, where
there was a car on the left side of the street parked facing me, and
behind it a car parked facing the same direction I was driving.

Which was to be expected as Burnett is one-way heading north.  I ought not see a car facing me.

Except it was swiftly borne in upon me there have been changes afoot
downtown, as I finally noticed the brand spanking new yellow lines down
the middle of Burnett, indicative of a two way street, and when I
reached the intersection with 4th, which normally has only two stop
signs as Burnett is (was) one way going north and 4th is one way going
east, there's now a stop sign on the north side of that intersection.

Well, a toaster needn't drop on my
toes . . . immediately I grasped Burnett, which has been one way for as
long as I can remember, had morphed into a two way street.

The young lady acting as receptionist at the Texas de Brazil restaurant
warned me that not only did Burnett switch, so did Taylor. 

Is it too much to ask the traffic people to leave the blinkety-blank streets alone,
except to fill in the potholes and keep the traffic lights working
properly?  Or at least to put up warning signs on the affected
streets?  I just made that same trip a couple of weeks ago, and
everything was as usual.

Oh my, it's Fashion Week in New York City!

What can we expect to find gracing the fixtures at Foley's next season?

Actually, I think these have real possibilities.  I wonder if
they're going to be made in "plus" sizes?  If not, they should.

How'd anyone be able to tell how big I am, garbed in one of these? 

Thanks, Bill!  You're gooder'n gold, as the comic strip character used to say.

This is the Francesca chapel, now the meeting place of St. Athanatius
(sp?) Anglican church.  It's named in memory of Bill and Barbara's
late daughter.  Dmitry loathes big churches, and the cozy size of
the chapel pleased him.  ;^)

Here's the laying-flat-on-the-floor-nose-smushed-into-the-carpet
picture.  This is an extraordinarily uncomfortable position (I
kept thinking, "Hope they vacuumed real well this afternoon....wouldn't
it be dreadful if he had a sneezing fit!"), and to my horror, and the
horror of Barbara (see in the upper left corner) when we compared notes
afterward, the bishop merrily interrupted himself to provide a
"teaching moment". 

No!  No teaching
moments!  Just say whatever it is you're gonna say and let poor
Bill get up.  Fortunately it was a short observation (something
about how this is the only time he wears the mitre when praying).

The pastors gathered around Bill to pray for him.  He's in there somewhere.  Really. 

This must be where he had his palms anointed. 

Father Bill Mouser saying his first prayer in his new, official capacity. 

Congratulations again, dear Bill; I think this rates The Banana Dance:

According to various news sites, the city of New Orleans is working like mad to get the French Quarter reopened.

Who, exactly, are they expecting to visit?

When I read of the city generally being a toxic wasteland, it doesn't
inspire me to hop a flight to the hastily cleaned airport and head to
the heart of the Big Easy.  Something tells me reservations at
Antoine's and the Court of the Two Sisters will be unnecessary for a
long time to come.

Last Sunday Don, Dmitry and I hauled our weary carcasses out of bed
earlier than is our wont, got ourselves reasonably gussied up, and
headed to the Botanic Gardens for a photo shoot of Christ Chapel
families who have adopted older children.  On November 20 the
church is going to focus on adoption, especially of older children, and
the pictures taken will be incorporated into a video to be shown.

Since the proofs are copyrighted I asked permission of Jerry Tucker (of Tucker's Fine Portraiture)
to post them here, and he graciously provided it. What a nice
man!  And a magnificently talented photographer to boot. 

Here's the one that'll be used in the video.  Jerry managed to get Dmitry to actually smile!  Hey, I said the man's good. 

Of course, because he's smiling this is the photo Dmitry liked least; his preference was this one:

He thinks he looks all cool and tough in it.  We
think it makes him look like he'd grab a one-way ticket back to Russia
were it offered to him, so we firmly refused to use it as The Official
Adoption Story Photo, to his disgust. 

Yesterday evening Don, Dmitry and I were in Waxahachie for the
ordination into the Anglican priesthood of Bill Mouser, a friend of
mine for several years now (started online but went Real Life).

I forgot my camera.

I FORGOT MY CAMERA!

Could have just lain down and died, that's all.  Can't believe I
did that.  Kept intending to put it in my purse, but
procrastinated and finally dashed out of the house, leaving it on the
desk. What a photo op I missed!  Bill laying face down, arms
spread out, as he was prayed over, etc.  Pastors from Waxahachie's
Presbyterian, Reformed Episcopalian, and Bible churches gathering
around Bill, laying hands on him as he knelt and praying over him.

Marvelous!

The digital camera could take photos surreptitiously, without sound or flash, but the camera in my phone wasn't up to the task.

Barbara, Bill's wife, has promised to email me pictures once they get them.

Dmitry wasn't keen on going, as may be imagined ("CHAPEL?  On
WEDNESDAY?"), but he behaved very well, carefully following along with
the liturgy and even responding with the congregation a couple of
times.  Once we were home I thanked him for attending, as I
believe it meant a lot to Bill and Barbara that we made the trek down
there, and he gravely agreed, then surprised me by adding it "wasn't a complete waste of time."

When it comes to matters ecclesiastical, this is praise of a high order from Dmitry.