DiaryLand members area

I read your most recent entry with that bot. It reminds me of Alice Bot, or Bucket Bot. It doesn't really matter what they are, just that the conversations are quite amazing. And they broke up the monotony of everyday life. Anyways, just thought I'd say hi, liked your journal, and run away and hide again. ♥

from raven72d :

International Polar Year! Is it really! And again, we do both of us need to see Antarctica. And suddenly memory carries me back to the IGY...

from raven72d :

Beautiful girls needn't bring underwear. I will check yachting stores, though. Males have different problems. I recall hotels and pensions all over Europe strung with socks and underwear and t-shirts I'd washed in the sink with tiny packets o' Woolite.

from raven72d :

I must look for both Paste and Geek, then.

from raven72d :

tell me about Paste Geek...

from raven72d :

Parthenogenesis: I agree!

from raven72d :

I kinda like the Porn Name.

from raven72d :

you should update here in the holiday season...

from captainron :

Psst, still around... Glad you're doing well... I still look for you on TV :-)

from raven72d :

My mother was from down here; my father was from Pittsburgh. So I had an odd accent/lack of accent growing up. But I lived through books. I identified with characters who had no accent/Oxbridge/precision accents. I'm never ashamed of being New Orleans-born, but I get strange about being "Southern" whenever I'm outside the South.

from raven72d :

Yay, steam-powered oyster toads!

from raven72d :

Are there axolotls out by the banks of the James this morning?

from raven72d :

20 May 08 is a a lovely entry.

from raven72d :

I loved Dinotopia--- and I want a Small Domestic Archaeopteryx as a pet.

from sallydallydo :

Argh. Yogurt chips didn't work. Notes had better. #33: Proof you are awesome. AWESOME. No math needed!

from raven72d :

Hmmm... Dorian rather than Ionian?

from sparkspark :

I'm late in getting to this, but: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

from lobo21 :

Hi. I happened by your page the other day and enjoyed your entry regarding your workspace. May I use your "imbibed some fermented diet Coke" when questioning my wife's sanity? Very funny. If you don't mind I'd like to stop in from time to time, he gun turret has definitely peaked my inerest.

from captainron :

Psst, you're still my hero... Love ya, me

from raven72d :

Yay, solar-powered Hello Kittys!

from raven72d :

Every small Russian Blue kitty needs a 24-gun privateer all his own. I'm quite sure of this.

from raven72d :

Yay, kitty and ironclad!

from raven72d :

All the best at Christmas!

from raven72d :

The dBs! Lucky girl!

from raven72d :

How's life amidst the ironclads?

from raven72d :

Do update...

from raven72d :

What exactly does one *do* with T6 and T8 Torx screwdrivers...

from sparkspark :

Damn! I have yet to see a black widow, but I did once hairspray a very aggressive jumpy furry stripey-armed spider. I still feel kind of guilty about it. I mean, he was the size of a nickel, what could he have done to me? And... I really hope that my public admission of never having seen a black widow doesn't somehow draw them to me, in an ironic twist of fate. XOX Violet oh and PS I am house-sitting a rat, and I now understand the yogurt chip concept. Mmm. Yogurty.

from raven72d :

Heifer International?

from groovyguru :

Oh you poor lady! You are in our prayers and thoughts I assure you. Joe and family

from raven72d :

Ahem: update!

from raven72d :

Update, ma'am-- update!

from captainron :

Hey were you on the History Channel discussing the big claw they used to drag up the turret?

from raven72d :

What's happening at the Museum?

from raven72d :

I loved her "Tam Lin", too.

from raven72d :

I have so got to see the Museum, Ms. H-- I must see it one day.

from raven72d :

Do you remember a Y/A novel from the late 1970s called "The 291"-- about building a Confederate raider (pretty much the Alabama) in England and trying to sneak it to sea?

from raven72d :

I'd forgoten about Horlick's...

from raven72d :

The restaurant sounds cool... I miss places like that. [Query: when was the last time anyone in the US actually ordered chop suey?] I'd like to stay in a hotel done like a Chinese inn of late-Manchu days...

from raven72d :

What are Chinatown hotels like?

from raven72d :

Happy Boxing Day!

from captainron :

That is going to be one COLD trip... Brrrrr

from captainron :

I saw the story on how they built Godspeed on the History Channel and of course thought of you :-)

from raven72d :

I want to hear "One of Our Submarines" again...

from raven72d :

I always put my faith in Alton Brown, even if he isn't actually Thomas Dolby.

from raven72d :

Thanks for the kind words, bella.

from raven72d :

Happy Thanksgiving!

from captainron :

Appliances do hold a grudge and they always know when the absolute worst and messiest time to break. :-)

from raven72d :

Do mail the business card... I love hard copies of things.

from raven72d :

I used to copy down stats of warships from early editions of Jane's... Back at 16 or 17 I had a collection of notebooks filled with info on pre-WW-1 warships. You'll have to send xeroxes of a few random pages just for my collection of Cool Things...

from raven72d :

An Ironclad Commonplace Book is a brilliant idea. Is it all Monitor and Virginia, or does it extend to facts about the river ironclads of later in the war or contemporary French and RN designs?

from raven72d :

What Ironclad facts are there in your graph-paper Moleskine?

from raven72d :

I envy you the scent of salt air off the Chesapeake. And I'm glad to hear that the wedding is still on outdoors. What was it like visiting the shipyard?

from kitchenwitch :

I love Ozymandias!!! I love Shelley!!! Good Idea! Very refreshing, and I think I shall steal it! Oooh... I think tomorrow I might post a bit of T.S. Eliot :)

from raven72d :

I'm vur' fond of "Ozymandias". That was a good entry.

from kitchenwitch :

Happy Anniversary!!! signmyguestbook isn't working properly grrr.... Anyway, I signed up to last my nickname is kitchenwitchen... If you want to add me as a friend... ~bless

from raven72d :

Happy Anniversary!

from groovyguru :

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! And, I hope that in three weeks you have as much fun as you do today.

from captainron :

Happy Anniversary (well one of them)....

from raven72d :

I ordered the little Grundig shortwave receiver you recommended... I'm looking forward to it... And how is your late-summer?

from raven72d :

Aha! Batman! That's...brilliant! And please do tll me all about shell scatter patterns... That's just the kind of info I love...

from groovyguru :

I just have to know . . . was "Batman" captured on the Monitor Cam? Ohhhh please, please, PLEASE say he was! If he was it could work out to be big for you guys. You may be able to get additional funding for your area since there is a BATCAVE possibly on your site. We know he is an endangered species because he would be regularly fighting dangerous supervillans, doing pushups in the middle of the road, laughingly dodges lightning bolts, and psychological profiling has revealed a high probability the Batmobile has been changed to a '72 Pinto. In other words, you better act quick! GroovyGuru

from captainron :

BTW, even if you hadn't put your name on that guestbook entry, I would have known it was you... :-)

from captainron :

Hi Anna, I saw the Godspeed yesterday under full sail. Very pretty vessel... As for geography, you have one of yours up here and I hear Bob Ballard from URI is down your way mapping what remains of the Monitor site with side scan sonar. Small world....

from raven72d :

The Mark Twain dinner... sounds brilliant.

from sallydallydo :

WHOA! Major eekage! FUN! Can't wait to read all about it!!!!

from raven72d :

But... will the Monitor actually go upriver and shell Richmond? If not--- why not?

from captainron :

Oooo, ooooo, I want to be a VIP guest :-)

from groovyguru :

I have been in a Monitor Cam Marathon the past few days. Even when it was off center to see the seated guests. The canopy is fantastic perched atop the turrent, a real thing of beauty. Also, the ensign looks great on there. I cannot wait til sunrise so I can stare jealously at it some more. As for now, I have to be content with watching the grainy nighttime version . . . and all in all it that is not that bad. CONGRATULATION and BRAVO ZULU!

from raven72d :

Congrats!

from raven72d :

Remind me to tell you about the time Mister Taylor was arrested at the Led Zeppelin concert here...

from groovyguru :

Well hello again! I have just settled in with a glass of iced tea and found the National Geographic channel has "Raising the Monitor" on as I type this. I thought I would stop in and say howdy. So there is an annual Led Zeppelin day, is there . . . I can see that. My first solo concert was Bob Seager and the Silver Bullet Band. Pretty good but not the idealic Zeppelin "dream" first concert. I have to admit I am a little jealous. Well, back to the 1860's for a bit. Good to see you update again. The Groovyguru

from raven72d :

Ummm... earwigs will actually eat hair.

from raven72d :

The Blanche Devereux entry is just...brilliant.

from raven72d :

I always liked Baphomet. After all-- he is a cousin of Master Leonard.

from raven72d :

Did you have to say, "I (state your name)..."?

from raven72d :

Were there strange and arcane rituals around being sworn in as a curator...?

from raven72d :

I am so writing Mister Taylor about "Miss Taylor"/Mistella wine. He'll go into an utter hissy fit.

from raven72d :

There's something so utterly "Home Improvement" about a cable-ready refrigerator...

from raven72d :

A book. You must do a book of spammish poetry.

from raven72d :

American Samoa... I'm...American Samoa.

from sallydallydo :

So how did you and I both end up as Virginia? And I thought I was a South Carolina girl.

from raven72d :

Sounds like a great weekend!

from captainron :

It's abotu time you post. I almost thought you went down with the ship :-)

from raven72d :

Bauhaus the Rectangular Cat and I hope you'll update soon.

from groovyguru :

You don't know how bad I want the exhibit to open! I have been looking at the monitor cam every time I get on the PC. OOOOooooooohhhhhhh... if there were only a CSS Virginia cam (excuse the drool). Anyway, I am looking forward to meeting you and visiting the museum. I expect nothing less than to be stunned by both experiences.

from groovyguru :

from raven72d :

I love the 20 February entry... I utterly envy you seeing the Model Room-- and the Shipyard Ale.

from sallydallydo :

Thank you! I needed that!

from raven72d :

Have you read Adam Nicolson's "Sea Room"? I have to like a book that begins by explaining that when he was 21, Nicolson's father gave him three islands...

from raven72d :

Yay, Morse code!

from raven72d :

I love the poem! And I mailed off an Xmas card to you the Boat Museum...

from raven72d :

I like y'all-- useful term, same as the German 2nd-person-familiar 'ihr'. I grew up in southern Louisiana, but I never had the New Orleans/Brooklyn accent, let alone the north Louisiana "Southern" accent. My father is from Pittsburgh, my mother from New Orleans-- that may explain it. But I did grow up knowing via books and films that a "Southern" accent was of no use to males (girls could use moonlight-and-magnolias to get free drinks and romance from Northern boys). A Deep South accent for males is a liability-- unless you're Shelby Foote or Wm. Faulkner, when you can wear it as a marker for an antique gentility. When I started at New Haven, a girl in a seminar told me I couldn't possibly be from Louisiana, since I put a G on the end of words. I always wanted a crisp, precise voice with no regional accent. Though either odd hints of Virginia Tidewater and Oxbridge English would make a nice flavoring...and keep people confused.

from groovyguru :

The loss of the southern accent is a crying shame. I remember when I was in my Navy "A" training school in Rantoul Illinois, there was a little old lady who would cook for me at the local bowling lane. She would take her breaks when she was done and just ask me to talk so she could hear my accent while she sat there. Yankee migration and abundance of television have taken the edge off alot of the southern accent IMHO. These are just the natural ebbs and flows of cultural change though. I, for one, will never take a class to change my accent. I am a southerner. I am proud of it. It is a part of my culture. So it takes me a few more syllables to say what anyone else says. It just means there is more knowledge for people to absorb and more of me to love! Thank you for a great post.

from raven72d :

Oyster Wars...do tell! I'd love to know more.

from raven72d :

I hope the nor'easters created no problems for you...

from raven72d :

I still have no idea how to download anything.

from raven72d :

I have this vision of the crew aboard USS Alligator playing It's A Beautiful Day while at sea.

from groovyguru :

Well, the Civil War Sailor is almost complete. I am finishing up carving the boots and bellbottoms. I even made the little guy a pipe to smoke while on deck. I know the uniform of the day was up to the Captian's choice. For painting purposes, did the Monitor enlisted men wear blues, whites, or a combination more often than not? Thanks, Groovyguru.

from raven72d :

I have all of that except for the Hello Kitty Tarot. I am now obsessed with getting a Hello Kitty Tarot.

from raven72d :

I loved the film "Theremin"... When I was in first or second grade, some "cultural uplift" program that brought "art" to grade schools, brought a theremin player to school. That was...wonderful. "Good Vibrations" in theremin...I really love that.

from raven72d :

Basset hounds, of course, can simply levitate alongside you as you sail.

from captainron :

Just as it should be.

from f-i-n :

poor moby! I wouldn't want to be squashed in a carrier either...

from groovyguru :

I wake up this morning and find tat there is no Kitty in the cannon! What gives?!!!! Wheres the KITTY! Concerned Confederate, a.k.a. Groovyguru

from groovyguru :

I wake up this morning and find tat there is no Kitty in the cannon! What gives?!!!! Wheres the KITTY! Concerned Confederate, a.k.a. Groovyguru

from raven72d :

Buying a small sheep or two cuts down on the yard work wonderfully.

from raven72d :

The 18 August entry is a beautiful valedictory.

from raven72d :

"The Leopard" is wonderful. And definitely look for the DVD-- the director's cut, with Burt Lancaster as the aging Sicilian aristocrat.

from groovyguru :

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. He sounded like an ultra-groovy guy. I am sure he will be well remembered though as he was well thought of while he was withyou all. God bless!

from raven72d :

The thing to remember about the walkers is...everything-- everything! --goes better if mounted on casters. Especially on ice planets.

from captainron :

It's about time you write young lady. As for the walkers, it would seem that some kind of tracked or hovering vechicle would be much more effective and versetile....

from smedindy :

That's a great entry - of course the walkers rule. And as for Iron Chefs - I'm a Chen man myself. Always up for some spicy stuff!

from raven72d :

Iron Chef Michiba! Iron Chef Michiba! In my Iron Chef Iliad, Michiba of course is Odysseus...

from raven72d :

Rescuing a turtle is vur' good. And isn't "The Flaming Ship of Okracoke" a country-ska band in Cary NC?

from groovyguru :

You listed Mario Batali . . . HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN IRON CHEF? 101. Being an Iron Chef fan. I prefer Chen Kenichi myself. The Guru two call me the "Iron Chef Tennessee" . . . then they laugh. Should I be proud or concerned? NICE LIST!

from raven72d :

That's on my list of great songs, too: "Broadway Hotel". The whole "Year of the Cat" album is excellent. My all-time favourite Stewart song, though, is "Roads to Moscow". It's powerful and haunting and sad... And I rather like "On the Border" and "Old Admirals", too.

from raven72d :

I've started to hate it when people are younger than me...

from raven72d :

You're right-- it is from Powell's 'Dance To The Music of Time'... HPL is a great guide to life... Miskatonic is a great allegory for academic life, and of course Innsmouth is a stand-in for the Manx...

from raven72d :

Small Thylacines are most fond of the idea of hovercraft ferries. They find the engine noises soothing.

from raven72d :

Hmmm... Perhaps you could just tell people the blue carpet had a subtle mix of white in its fibres...

from raven72d :

You must go to merchantnavyofficers.com and explore. There are stories about British India Steam Navigation Co. ships, small dachshunds, and other cool things.

from raven72d :

I only just found that today... I always liked Justin Heyward...

from raven72d :

We need more torpedo rams. You can never have enough torpedo rams in case of alien (or Manx) invasion.

from raven72d :

The electronic malaise may be the work of the Manxmen.

from raven72d :

The Habsburg jaw may be largely a painter's myth... I had a student once who'd been a dental tech for years. She did a paper in my Habsburg Monarchy class arguing that the jaw story may be largely mythical.

from raven72d :

That's a possibility, but may fit better in a slightly different, ummm, position.

from raven72d :

You only have to worry if the cats acquire Darth Vader armour.

from raven72d :

Voles are much more laptop-oriented, I think.

from raven72d :

You must recall Steven Wright's old line about flicking the light switch in his house that seemed to do nothing...until one night a woman phoned him from Stuttgart and told him to stop.

from raven72d :

Books are good. You can never have too many boxes o' books. They enable you to build a fort.

from sunnflower :

Hi from Suburban Island- I came in through your banner. It's hard to divest oneself of books - moves sometimes help with this process. Although my experience is - not as much as hoped.

from raven72d :

I actually have no music files on my computer and don't know how to get any.

from raven72d :

Yay, Toshiba hospital! Yay, little rescued laptop!

from raven72d :

Poor Toshiba! What will you replace it with?

from raven72d :

You need the Froude set. You do. And where is the tattoo? What's the design?

from raven72d :

I have fond memories of the Bounty replica... And I'm wild for Eastern NC BBQ...

from raven72d :

You give good info, ma'am...

from raven72d :

Does Canuckia count as a country? What is Smithwick's?

from raven72d :

Trilobites are wonderful small friends to hum along with. I often think of walking small trilobite friends (often on casters) along the Carolina coast...

from raven72d :

I saw "Last Waltz" when it came out-- York Square Cinema in New Haven... Lovely, lovely music and film.

from raven72d :

I heard your CQ... I'm glad there's no distress.

from raven72d :

CQ... but no D?

from raven72d :

May I get a xerox of your presentation?

from raven72d :

What *did* ever happen to Ace of Base? And did you ever listen to Bel Canto? Get their "Birds of Passage" album.

from raven72d :

I'll have my fingers crossed for you! Let me know how it goes! And David Sylvian... I love his "Taking the Veil"...and Japan's "Gentlemen Take Polaroids"...I need to listen to Arcadia tonight, by the way... And Ultravox's "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes"... [God, I miss Night Flights and Night Tracks!]

from raven72d :

I wish I could see your presentation on 6 March...It's something that sounds fun... And everyone should have a Hello Kitty ironclad keel...

from gypped :

I don't like clowns. and my name is Claire! so not the same as your goddaughter but you know what I mean. I applaude thy goode fighte againste the clownes.

from to-my-heart :

Thank you so much for your kind note.

from raven72d :

Hydrox are brilliant! Hard to find, but I do search them out.

from to-my-heart :

ahhh that would have scared me to death...ever since I saw that really creepy cheesey sci fi horror alien clowns flick when I was a lil bitty kid I've been scared of clowns too...

from raven72d :

I'm made uneasy by clowns. I'm terrified ofthe batrachian Manxmen and the Evil Esquimaux and the vile, unhuman Andamaners...and I know that clowns are the servitors and minions of at least one of those groups.

from raven72d :

I'll miss Dr. Thompson... And remember: everyone has seen a Roman Catholic exorcism, so try for an Greek Orthodox or Orthodox Jewish exorcism...

from raven72d :

Gene Scott? No! He was the greatest of all wacka-wacka late night voices!

from raven72d :

I knew there was an advantage to using the office xerox machine! If ever you want to slowly send along pages of Waters, I'd be vur' grateful indeed. And I love garages full o' books... I must find some kind of suitable return item... Perhaps a live Steller's sea cow?

from raven72d :

T is for Titus who flew into bits... I need my own copy of Waters one day, but at $250 in rare book rooms, it may be a while. But small kitties and cool books are always worth saving first... I'd grab for my books and of course for Dorian, the vur' best Small Mongolian Pony stuffling ever... [Surely someone will reprint Waters in trade paper...!]

from raven72d :

Yay, Engrish.com! Yay, Japanese corporate cute dinosaurs! And the small mouse!

from raven72d :

Yay, Engrish.com! Yay, Japanese corporate cute dinosaurs! And the small mouse!

from raven72d :

A box went out to your office today... Is it proper to pack a mss. in styrofoam peanuts?

from to-my-heart :

awww cute.

from raven72d :

I'm miffed at B&N right now, but Amazon seems not to have the Krause readily available on CD... Which is something *else* I blame the batrachian Manxmen for.

from sumi37 :

hmmm....mine is on vinyl....I'll see what I can do....

from raven72d :

We may have to discuss a burned CD of Ms. Krause...

from raven72d :

Ah, yes! It is a great song... I'm a big Brecht-Weill fan. I will admit to singing "Mackie Messer" and "Kanonenlied" in the shower. Dagmar Krause... I must check into her. I appreciate the hint...

from raven72d :

drop me an e-mail with an address for the manuscript...

from raven72d :

There is that horrid fear of getting the Latin wrong and invoking Jackie Fisher.

from sallydallydo :

"we decided to give up Lent for Lent for the 13th year in a row" Priceless. I had decided to give up willpower for Lent, but your solution is even better!

from raven72d :

Ahhh... Oleron! I even got to cite that not long ago... "Black Book of the Admiralty"? Do tell... I like saying etoufee as "ay-toof" just to annoy people...

from to-my-heart :

All I can do is laugh..lol

from to-my-heart :

awww ty. I'm drowning my sorrows in cake at the moment and bad tv, and of course those great heart break songs.

from raven72d :

In an extraordinarily old entry of yours you raised the question: why do so many Southerners still take the Civil War so...personally? (Florence King tried to provide an answer, but I'm not sure she succeeded) My father's people are from Johnstown and Pittsburgh, and so I never quite internalized the Romance of the Lost Cause thing. But when I've taught US History, I do find it puzzling how many people still refer to the Confederates as "we" and "us"... It's not something I've ever understood.

from raven72d :

I hope to get you to read the manuscript of my doctoral thesis and comment/critique sometime...

from raven72d :

I have this sudden urge to hear Roseanne Cash sing "Seven Year Ache"...

from to-my-heart :

Glad to know I'm not the only one. :)

from raven72d :

Back c. 1972 there was an architectural group that did a presentation showing a drydocked aircraft carrier converted to be a kind of arcology/small town... Interesting images.

from raven72d :

I want Antillia postcards. And a visa stamp.

from to-my-heart :

Hmm sounds like fun.

from to-my-heart :

I like your site.

from raven72d :

I just saw a good review of a new NAM Rodgers history of the Royal Navy-- a review paired with Jeremy Black's new book... I'll work on the list-- mille grazie! And-- too bad about "obnubilate"... History Channel lacks...a sense of the clever. I blame Arthur Kent.

from raven72d :

Do suggest a clever handful of maritime books for me... please?

from raven72d :

I hope it comes back as a journal... And, well, I could be repatriated to Volpukia...or the Land of Lost Content.

from raven72d :

Yay, Modern Marvels! Yay, faux-Latin!

from captainron :

I knew you'd be a star... Now all you need to do is let us know when you'll be on.... Yippeee, now I'm two for two, I knew Trishtastic was going to be a star too and she is... Maybe I should go into the prediction business? I'd have to be better than the psychic that got hit by the train this week.....

from raven72d :

Ah, the league... I can recall reading Napoleonic memoirs-- debates about what kind of league measurements were being made in when laying out campaign plans in northern Italy. Quint's version--well, yes, of course. Robert Shaw was a perfect Sheriff of Nottingham, and he was a brilliant Quint. His version of the song was fun...and delivered in a perfect sardonic tone.

from raven72d :

I ran across the Newfie lyrics on the web... And I found the Tertias deKay book on the Monitor. Informative and fun.

from raven72d :

"Farewell and Adieu"... I like it that there are variant lyrics for both the Royal Navy and Boston whalers. And of course Robert Shaw sang it in "Jaws". I keep thinking of Richard Chamberlain singing "Blackthorne's Hornpipe" in "Shogun". I may have far too much spare time on a Saturday morning.

from raven72d :

Hmmm... I wonder where the extra three leagues came from-- poor longitude or non-standardized leagues...? Thanks for the book recommendations!

from raven72d :

The Monitor Center website-- yes! I must go to the Mariners' Museum... and have lunch there. Note: my own accent... not New Orleans, not south Louisiana, not...any place in particular.

from raven72d :

Is it really 35 leagues from Ushant to Scilly? And what's the best book on the construction of the Monitor?

from caffeinegeek :

Love the banner. That's my oldest cat at 6am. :)

from captainron :

you are glad that folks like me exist? I'm quite ordinary, you on the other hand.... Well, you know...

from captainron :

you are glad that folks like me exist? I'm quite ordinary, you on the other hand.... Well, you know...

from raven72d :

I'm not afraid of audiences or performance. Lecturing to a room full of undergrads-- or a roomful of Army captains and majors --has never bothered me. It's only being told by Real People that I'm valueless that keeps me away from conferences.

from captainron :

A = amazing friend Z = Zoasteralism?? Um, maybe not, but thanks for posting any way... Ron

from raven72d :

G2 pens are fun... and I hope you'll write me about short-wave and ham radio..

from raven72d :

I wrote my doctoral thesis on long yellow legal pads with a Pilot Xtra-Fine black Razor Point... I loved sitting up in my big chair with a clipboard and writing... Being back in Vienna 1900 while I wrote was a delight...

from raven72d :

I have to start going through old editions of Jane's again... I used to read the pre-1914 editions and just thrill to the drawings and photos...and the smell of old books... You are making me think of many a maritime thing, by the way...

from raven72d :

It's been many a year since I used to sit and read old copies of Jane's for fun, but... didn't the hull of HMS Warrior end up as a support for a oil pipeline or pumping station? That's one of the things I half-recall... like Mayflower's hull ending up as a barn roof in Devon...

from sumi37 :

yes...and the HMS Cerberus is a breakwater in Australia....

from raven72d :

I used to know where the surviving monitor-type ships of the 1860s-70s were... As late as the 1950s one of the first Romanian monitors was moored in sludge in a tributary at Danube Mouth...

from raven72d :

I was hoping you were taking all the girls' money at games of whist... or had fought a duel...

from raven72d :

Was that over the gambling debts or the knife fight?

from raven72d :

I fear, alas, that I'm too incompetent to tie knots (thrown out of Scouts) and too afraid of driving over bridges to get to the coast any longer.

from raven72d :

Edward Tufte believes Power Point to be the epitome of evil... And I know that it was probably developed on the Isle of Man by the loathsome, batrachian Manx...

from raven72d :

Great article... But Power Point is evil!

from raven72d :

A ham radio girl! Yay!

from raven72d :

Morse code... That impresses me as much as your being able to hand, reef and steer.

from raven72d :

Condolences on your friend...

from captainron :

I'm sorry about your friend. Not the best of ways to start a new year. I hope everything else is good. I also hope onbe of your resolutions was to post more in 2005. Ron

from raven72d :

I'll be here drinking and reading O'Brian... So I do envy you Thai food... Have a great 2005!

from raven72d :

I haven't read his bio of O'Brian, though I did read "Skeletons of the Zahara" in the spring. And "A Sea of Words" is just a delight to open at random. Remember: as a small hedgehog, I used to make the library get me ancient copies of Jane's and read up on warship design c. 1900...

from raven72d :

I've always meant to get a copy of Falconer's... I may have to haunt the reprint lists... I spent much time as a small hedgehog reading C.S. Forester-- and learned cool nautical things. But O'Brian gave me vocabulary and social attitudes that Forester didn't. Yes, girl: I will look for Falconer's. And...beware the batrachian Manx! (They did persecute poor Wm. Bligh...)

from raven72d :

Merry Xmas...and do send me a list of maritime history books...

from raven72d :

Wonderful story!!

from raven72d :

Somers/Summer-- now *that* I like. Hmmm... If the Roanoke colonists are buried under a parking deck in Norfolk...will they rise from the dead to devour the living? And why isn't there a Roanoke zombie/vampire novel/film? Just wait. I'll work John Dee and Richard Chancellor in somehow...

from raven72d :

Cartography... What kinds of charts and portolans and maps did the Paradise Island Company have... And where *are* the Summer Isles?

from raven72d :

Governor of Bermuda and the Summer Isles... That's a brilliant title. I envy Nathaniel Boteler that... [By the way-- whatever did you think of Lee Miller's "Roanoke"?]

from raven72d :

Hakluyt is wonderful... But tell me all about Boteler...

from raven72d :

I'd love to know Catalan! My own dissertation research was done on long yellow legal pads and the first draft was done on the same pads in black UniBall x-fine point....

from raven72d :

Everyone needs a Hello Kitty Sanrio Shinto shrine... And in January of the Year Five I shall fly the banners of Mimmy and Pochacco and the spiffy Tuxedo Sam above Mosul... nd, yes: Raoul is a brilliant name for a (free-range) pet asteroid...

from raven72d :

One day I must get you to recommend books about the techniques of 18th and 19th century mapmaking-- the kind of mapping the great survey expeditions did.

from raven72d :

I hope the holiday season and new year go well!

from raven72d :

Those are wonderful search engine leads, though... And almost a poem in themselves.

from raven72d :

A Ramos Gin Fizz! I haven't had once since a brunch in Barnford CT lo these many years ago! Thanks!

from raven72d :

I should vur' much like to own a copy of "A Synopsis of Quadrupeds", a book Stephen Maturin owns...and I'd like to have my own wombat.

from raven72d :

Since I am myself now afraid to fly, drive over bridges, or drive in urban traffic, I'm cut off from the Old Absinthe House, but I vur' appreciate the lifted glass.

from raven72d :

Perhaps if I become a physical gentleman like Dr. Maturin I can sail out aboard a sloop bound for Catalonia and see the Green Flash... I'm now wild for the sight of it. Where were you at sea when you looked for it?

from raven72d :

I live with sinus infections... I spend my summer days unable to function without pills...and unable to sleep in my own rooms.

from raven72d :

What would worry me is...well...flesh-eating skeleton zombies there inside the Monitor. In the Kriegsmuseum in Vienna, there's the conning tower of an Austrian U-boat sunk off Italy in 1918. Everytime the doors closed in the hall with the U-boat I'd get edgy, since I was convinced the hatch would slowly creak open and a skeletal hand would emerge...

from raven72d :

Enjoy the Old Absinthe House...and even the Czech absinthe. And google "Master Leonard" and see if you can find images of Master Leonard, the perfect All Hallows host.

from raven72d :

For a groundbeaking... long black cocktail dress. Beaten-silver goat's head mask optional.

from raven72d :

Will the Monitor have a skeletal or zombie crew aboard?

from raven72d :

I get Archaeology; I'll check out the review. What happens in 2007?

from raven72d :

Curator of an ironclad... I have to be thrilled at that.

from raven72d :

Why... thank you for adding me as a favorite. That's much appreciated.

from raven72d :

yay, Fighting Cephalopods of Miskatonic! (I actually still have the degree in Medieval Metaphysics I...ummm...acquired from there, courtesy a Cthulhu RPG set) And remember: Innsmouth is where the American branch of the vile Manx come ashore!

from raven72d :

Portland, Maine... Isn't that a scary, Stephen King place?

from raven72d :

i live amid a chaos of books and papers...but it's a life. i hope you'll drop by and read often.

from raven72d :

Everyone needs a revolving gun turret in the back yard. And, too, everyone needs a design charette-- even the hopelessly art-challenged, such as, well, me. Your diary is a delightful discovery, by the way.

from raven72d :

from popeholden2 :

holy moses, do you have any idea how beautiful you are?! i saw that picture of you with the pirate, and i was blown away.

from mmmme :

your layout is awesome~~I have one feline of the male persuasion~~toodles.....

from captainron :

BTW, if you had let me know you were going to Mass, I might have been able to arrange a sunset sail on Narragansett Bay for you.

from captainron :

Good to have you back, and with pictures too :-) I wish you'd post more. You are missed.

from captainron :

Floating is always good for the soul.

from captainron :

Any time my dear lady, any time. I'll look for you in the news :-)

from dublingirl :

yay.....you're back!! I am glad to hear you enjoyed New Orleans. At some point we should go there together and see what kind of trouble we can get into. Again, congrats on the job switch, as we both know Curators are the Gods in the Museum World.....Love you!! See you soon~

from sunnflower :

I like your banner.

from captainron :

Ok, I give up... What is holding up that apron on your friend?

from captainron :

Thank god he's the one on the right... Who's the other dude?

from kitchenwitch :

I locked my diary. Email me if you want the password. Love ya! Hopefully this will be temporary!

from leonmcphelps :

Thanks for adding me to your list. It's hard to find a girl that would like to pee on Russell.

from captainron :

Thanks for the kind words and happy Bastile Day

from throcky :

I really liked your banner and I really liked your diary! I, too, have a life-long fear of clowns. Intense fear. Rivals my fear of Little Debbie Snack Cakes, which MUST have been thought up by a Clown. I will be back!

from peytonsplace :

I followed a banner to your site and then realized we both read Dublingirl, Unclebob and Squirrelx. Amazing. :)

from captainron :

Mystic? Geeze, you were only 40 minutes away. I could have taken you for a boat ride ~~~~~_/)

from amigamaster :

My condolences at the loss of your little Dorothy. May she rest in peace in tiny-creature heaven. Do you have a guestbook? I am somewhat of a dense, half demented, old lady. I couldn't find one. ;) *HUGS*

from amigamaster :

Clicked onto your delightful site via your banner. Your site is one of the very best I have come across and I thank you! A pleasure indeed. I myself am a proud owner of 2 wonderful miniature schnauzers, an adorable yorkie, 6 felines, all of whom are now the children in my life, all with unique & loving personalities. I will certainly return to your wonderful site.

from captainron :

Cute kid... Mom too :-)

from captainron :

I'm sorry.... I don't know what I would do without puppy... Sigh...

from golfwidow :

Thanks for dropping by my diary. The nice poem was a bit of an aberration; I hope you won't be disappointed in the silliness that usually goes on in there. I was very sorry to read about Maude. It always hurts to lose a pet.

from leslieirene :

Hi! Thanks for joining the Hello Kitty ring! Your picture is really cute! Have a wonderful week! Blessings Always, Leslie Irene :)

from captainron :

Hey, you're cute.....

from squirrelx :

Thank you for your wisdom, and more than that, for carin' about what happens to me. Your kindness is profoundly appreciated, as is the truth value of your words. Our hearts do speak and should be heeded. I just have to learn how to shut the hell up so I can hear mine. Best, Xtine / Squirrel X

from captainron :

I'll send you the website for the 12s... and St Maarten is beautiful.

from captainron :

I always figured you were perky :-)

from dublingirl :

Cute Colorado guys eh? They must all consist of that band as there are none others out here! :D Jack Quinn's.....we have one here also. But they gave us curdled milk for the tea last time, ICK! Love you (& miss you!!)~ anneliese

from captainron :

Sure he has a locker, but does he have a monkey? Or monkees? Hey Hey

from captainron :

I hope you have a great holiday!

from captainron :

And the reason to have a restaurant open with out food being available would be????

from captainron :

There is nothing worse than being run over by voles. Oh the humanity....

from captainron :

Oooooo Curator of Education... I'm suitably impressed :-) Hey I watched a show on the raising of the Monitor the other day and wondered if you were in there some place. I had no way of knowing so I assumed every beautiful woman was you. I wanna play in the artifacts... Instead I guess I just go out and scrape some more ice off the truck. Happy Tuesday!

from squirrelx :

Thanks for the note! It's always a pleasure to hear from kindred spirits. Best, Xtine / Squirrel X

from captainron :

Welcome back :-)

from addieplum :

happy talk-like-a-pirate day, matey!

from captainron :

Wow, I wish I had a job like that, one I loved. I did once, but this damn enonomy keeps getting in the way and now the struggle for a paycheck has become more important that being happy. How sad... I like your diary. I'll be back.

from emala311 :

congrats on guessing my little quiz. you win a prize. a note from me! lol. i'm so clever! have a great day! <3

from lexdesigns :

what belle and sebastian lyric was it?

back to sumi37's profile
recommend this diary to a pal?

Other diaries starting with the letter:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Back to Diaryland