Enjoying Spring
It’s here, finally. After the snow, the wind and the bitter cold, we can now enjoy pleasant temperatures. The flowers are out; the birds are singing.
I do enjoy spring. I was even born in the spring, so perhaps it’s my season.
In love with Mr. Bates
“You’re stuck with me now, for good and proper”.
I’m in love with Mr. Bates. I announce this news with giddy delight.
He’s not your typical heart throb: he’s middle aged, he’s a little heavy and of course, that defining limp. There is also that stoic personality, that straight faced look that will only hint of a smile in the presence of Anna.
Why do women fall for these dark, mysterious personalities? These men have so many secrets, it almost takes a crow bar to pry them all free. What would Dr. Phil say?
I hang my head with shame.
I’m new to Downton Abbey. I had heard of it, but thought it was just another English show about snobby aristocrats. However, it’s not. I especially enjoy their play with language. It’s educational in that sense.
I squirm, though, at the fact that they play with, grow up and then marry their cousins. (Yuck). Thank goodness Sybil saw the sense to introduce some fresh blood to the Grantham gene pool.
I am watching the show via DVD, so don’t tease me with Season 3 events. I know Mr. Bates goes to prison for life. Why doesn’t Lord Grantham use his connections and get the man the best lawyers in the country? Come on men!
Mr. Bates’ personality has changed from the first season: he’s more confidant, more defiant, and have you noticed,… his limp has improved. I do love a miracle. I can only anticipate that there is another one in his future.
Plumpynut Ambassadors
I was stopped on the street recently by two enthusiastic young men.
They asked me if I had heard of the organization called Doctors Without Borders.
“Of course”, I responded. “Anderson Cooper did a story about them on 60 Minutes”, I said quite frankly.
They then asked me if I could explain the focus of DWB’s work.
“Plumpynut” I said loudly, almost rejoicing in the fact that I knew the answer. My two young friends were surprised by my outburst but a little pleased too that someone shared a similar interest in their work.
Plumpynut is, in fact, the cure for starvation. No child ever needs to die from hunger ever again. This is a significant event in the history of mankind.
It’s a simple paste, full of vitamins, that a mother can squeeze out and place on the tongue of the infant. It’s sweet, so the children eat it easily.
In the video, it profiles one woman who buried 4 babies, due to starvation! 4 babies!
Canada needs to get involved in the production of Plumpynut. Imagine how many lives could be saved.
Drawn and Quartered
Henry VIII had Catherine Howard’s lovers drawn and quartered.
This means the condemned was dragged to the execution site on a piece of wood, hanged almost to the point of death, then the sexual organs were removed and the victim, finally, was disemboweled. The man would, obviously, die an agonizing death. After death, his body would be cut into four pieces (quartered). His remains would be left decaying, as a warning to others. Eventually, family members were allowed to return and bury what was left of their loved one.
This sentence was also used for other crimes too, not just adultery with the Queen of England.
I was surprised to hear that this punishment was enforced in Canada at Ancaster, Ontario during the war of 1812.
It should be noted that this punishment was 100% effective – there was no chance of the culprit re-offending. Was Henry on to something?
If only there were some sort of stats that determined the effect this torture had on the observers.
Happy Friday.
(The following video is not for the faint of heart.)
Facebook Fodder
I don’t get Facebook. I really don’t.
I understand the business component of it. A business connects with its customers online. We look at their page and either praise or criticize their work. Praise can sometimes come in the form of a Like - that is, I assume it’s praise.
I once asked someone to explain the “like” concept to me for Facebook. If I post an announcement on our Facebook page at work and someone hits the like button, does that mean:
- They will be attending the event and they approve of me giving them the information
- They are smiling at the picture associated with the event
- They like my witty writing
- They are a bit of a Facebook whore and like everything.
I was told “it just means they like it, Pam”. In other words, don’t read too much into it. My personality is always struggling to find meaning, though.
For example, Edgar Allan Poe has a Facebook page and surprisingly, he has 1, 171,389 likes. This is a writer who died in poverty and could hardly find enough readers to support himself, his mother- in- law and his child bride. If only he had Facebook in his day. He would probably update his page in the evenings, sitting beside the fire.
“Good evening Facebook followers. I am enjoying a glass of port beside the fire before Virginia and I retire for the evening”.
D.H. Lawrence, as well, struggled to make a living and died owning only his ragged clothes and a few books. His Facebook page has 30, 221 followers, not as much as Poe’s page, but still a considerable amount. He would be tickled pink with so much attention. His Facebook entry might read:
“Hello Gentle Facebook readers. Frieda and I are now sailing to Australia. I will let you know of our safe arrival”.
This gets me thinking: what would Hitler’s Facebook page look like? Yes, it would have been filled with anti-Semitism and pulled by the censors before he could boast about all his followers.
What about Henry VIII’s Facebook Page?
“Still no son! Damn it! I am the King of England!”
Henry’s followers would read: Ann Boleyn, Sir Thomas Moore, etc. After their deaths, would there be a caption/icon that reads beheaded? Drawn and Quartered?
My cat has been begging me to let her have a Facebook page, so I acquiesced. She has many followers – the cat across the street, her vet, and a few creepy dogs. I think I need to explain the privacy settings to her, yet again.
She posts numerous things: Meow Mix coupons, funny cat videos, pictures of me stepping out of the shower, etc.
Now, my next question is in regards to followers: she now has more followers than I do. Does that mean she is more important than I am? What if my 11 followers are really reliable? Can she count on the 16 cats and dogs who follow her page?
I am so glad she does not have a WordPress account, nor has she expressed an interest in getting one.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID
I know what you did.
It makes me sick.
I’m going to tell.
I finally got around to watching the last season of Desperate Housewives. The show has come full circle, reinforcing the themes of murder and blackmail. The final murder and outcome parallels the first season’s murder of housewife, Mary Alice Young.
In the first season Mary Alice killed her son’s biological mother in an attempt to keep the child safe, the child that she and her husband Paul stole from his drug addicted mother.
In the final season, Carlos kills Gabby’s abusive stepfather in an attempt to keep his own family safe.
This poses the question: When is murder acceptable?
The show is based on the premise that we all have secrets. Wisteria Lane has offered its viewers more than murder over the years: prostitution, terrorism, alcoholism, homosexuality, bisexuality. The Lane has been ripe with conflict.
Is it then a moral action to cover up a murder and protect the person who did the killing? Especially if the person killed is short of moral character? And can one be forgiven for such actions?
Carlos and Susan struggle more than the other characters because of their strong moral character. For Bree, Gabby and Lynette to some degree, their bond of friendship is stronger than the threat of prison.
The final season also reintroduces the notion of blackmail, or the all knowing spying eyes. Both Mary Alice and Bree find anonymous letters in their mailboxes, that consist of three lines: I know what you did. It makes me sick. I’m going to tell.
The first line announces that the secret is out. The second line suggests condemnation. The third line is a threat. The writer is going to turn them in.
This undeniably touches on the theme of sin and the sinner. All will be judged. The note is also rich with shame – shame for the action and perpetrator of the action.
Before being killed, Mike tells Susan that the world is full of ordinary people who do nasty things. Therefore, she should relax for burying a body in the woods? The justification continues: Gabby says that Ramone deserved to die. Of course, she would say that.
The final trial continues to have the inhabitants of Wisteria Lane abusing the law. Why didn’t they just confess? Carlos is the only one who offered to tell the truth. Even Gabby was going to say that she did it, to save her husband. So, apparently manipulation of the law is the way to go in life.
I am intrigued with the note, though. Imagine how other people would react to such a blatant note? I’m talking about people in your own neighborhood. How would you react to such a note in your mailbox? What secrets are you hiding?
I know what you did.
I will miss the show. It was pure entertainment. Very little value can be pulled from it.
The final episode was a little disappointing. Not all the story lines were tied up. Where were Bree’s children when she was on trial? Why wasn’t Mike’s mother at his funeral? Or, why wasn’t Zack there? Mike was his father. Also, did Susan’s mother make it through chemo?
As well, I know that Nicollette Sheridan was fired from the show, but she should have been there along with all the other dead people they profiled at the end. I loved that character!
Ah, Wisteria Lane, I know what you did, and I approve (somewhat).
