Cravings...

We are broke.
Beings we had only 3 dollars the other day and Larry's been to work I'm guessing we are now beyond broke.
We have all of today and all of tomorrow to slog through. Then on Friday, beings the first is on Saturday, I'm supposed to get my SSI payment in the bank. Unless they are bastards and deposit it in on Friday night. I hope this is not the case though...

We have very little food. All I've had to eat for the past day is egg drop soup. Nothing more than lightly seasoned chicken broth, a egg and some chopped up green onion.

I'm sort of really hungry!

The kids are all fine for food though. Tis is why I'm eating broth sos they can have the food we do have in the house.

However.

I am suffering a powerful craving for KFC's grilled chicken. Oh! I am so hungry right now for it I think I may go crazy!

Gaw this is awful! Just awful! well the babies are up so I gotta run. I just thought I'd share this.

On Friday I am, among paying bills and ordering uselessness from the internet I've been meaning to order for months but now it is going on clearence so I'm sure I best act now or else... am going to buy some KFC grilled chicken.

And Larry told me depending of if we have the girls or not we might... gasp! go out to a place to eat. Ryon's steakhouse/buffette! Woo! I don't remember the last time we went out to eat at a place. Oh when my folks were up in April. :-) But that doesn't count really. Oh God steak. Buffette. drewls... :-)

Randomness. Thought ala carte .

I'm up early.
My head ache had been gone but I can feel tendrells of it sneaking back in... Ug.

Ooh! KFC's grilled chicken was just on TV I want some. It is so yummy! I very well may get some on Friday.

T-mobile is on crack. They shut off my 710 number as I went over the 150 limit of money. They want 119 to cut it back on. :-( That is a lot of money. Well I'll pay them. Still.

As you can tell this is quite random. I really don't have any one thing to say.

I learned more about that birth orgnisem in Texas that slottered her three and a half week old baby son. It just keeps getting worse and this is just what the police can say. I get the impression there is more but honestly?
The B.O. stabed the baby boy in the chest, cut off his head, sliced off part of his face, ate some of his brains and chewed off three of the poor little baby's toes!

The news presenters on our local Fox station couldn't get it all out in one go. You could tell the man, Mark Alfard was just gobbsmacked. I don't think I could be depened upon to report that story. I'd puke or cry or say a whole bunch of naughty words and get a giant fine from the FCC. If I were the doctors or nurses needed to care for this thing in hospital I'm not sure I could. I would not be able to keep a civil toung in my head or be detached. Why should this thing be allowed one more day at life after what it did?

And look it is going to claim it was suffering PPD Or post Partum psychosis or Disassotive Identiy Disorder or PTSD or whatever. I ligit deal with this stuff daily pretty good now but now things like this bitch will just make the world look at those of us who are mental ill even worse.

I just. I don't even know what to say. Really I don't...

Moving on then. Ate his brains? WTF? Okay really going to move on.

The Mermaids book is done. shshsh I've captured it on the HD so it can live on my iPod. You know and I know there are people out there that do this and as long as they don't make money off it who is it killing? I mean really?

Going to rip "That Night" if I start it now it might make it back in the post before the postman gets here... Or I may just send it back tomorrow.

The Mermaids book is really sort of strange and I sware I must of read it before. It doesn't suck. It is just weird but kind of good.

The fix it man is due round in a while. Our sinkpig is leaking. That's garbage disposal for you alll who may not call it the sink pig... It is leaking and we can not use a whole side of our sink.

Uuh I have to run as the dishwasher just cut off. I'm finishing up the kitchen and finishing up the dishes.

Okay back.

Yesterday I got a podcast DONE on using the normal full facebook site with voiceover. I tried it and wound up crashing facebook. :-(

Alright well I'm out of stuff for now. Having mint chocolate chip icecream and sweet tea. breakfast of champs. :-)

Finally!

Finally!
Our questionibly unstable postman came through! 3 of the now 5 books are here.
Mermaids, which is what I'm reading now.
That Night
Taxi from Hell.

These are the ones that have come in. I'm still waiting on a really old ham radio book and now one that was sent out today about that disorder where people think they have whatever illnesses that are talked about on TV.

I so totally can not wait 'til we get the digital talking books and players. I might be able to download directly from the internet. I say might as I'm on a mac and this may only work with windows.... If it only works through windows. I guess I'll pester Larry to hook up my old windows box to the giant screen TV. Can think of other useful reasons to have it up and going again.

Well. This is happy news. Very more happy than the horror I posted earlier.

Mother says devil made her stab and decapitate her baby - Americas, World - The Independent

Mother says devil made her stab and decapitate her baby -
Americas, World - The Independent: ""

(Via .)

***WARNING!!!***

What follows is very very disturbing. Actually, if you want to know the God's honest. And forgive the crude language. What follows is very fucking disturbing. Just O my God... Comments after the story are my own... I'm reposting the story in the event the link doesn't work. First heard it on the news this morning and just couldn't take it all in... Here it comes. If you are sensitive, beware...

Mother says devil made her stab and decapitate her baby
Monday, 27 July 2009
Police found a three-week-old baby boy decapitated and stabbed in a Texas home and his mother "screaming that she killed her baby" after the devil told her to do it.

The mother, Otty Sanchez, 33, of San Antonio, was taken to hospital in a critical condition with self-inflicted stab wounds to her chest and stomach, said San Antonio police spokesman Joe Rios.

Investigators took a sword, a machete and a kitchen knife from the home.

Officers also found two children unharmed at the home, though it wasn't immediately clear where they were taken.

Sanchez would be charged with capital murder, Rios said.

Rios said police were called around 5am yesterday and found Otty on the couch "screaming that she killed her baby," whom police identified as Scott Wesley Buchholtz-Sanchez.

Rios said she told police that she was hearing voices.

The baby was also missing body parts. Police are investigating claims that the mother made about eating those parts, sources said.

Rios said initial information showed the dead baby was Sanchez’s only child.

From The Belfast Telegraph

###

Comments by me...

WHAT THE FUCK! AHHH! Just AHHH!

With this out of the way. Wait no? AHHH! Sweet Jesus what? I don't even know what to say?
What?
A Three week old baby?
Stabbed?
The head cut off?
Kitchen kinfe, Sord, Meshetti?
What the fuck?
and. Oh God. missing body parts? Mother claims she ATE? them?
Oh God.
I. Don't. Even. Know.

I bet she's going to claim post partum depression or psychosis or something.

I know it can mess you up and she's not the first mother, come to think of it the first mother in Texas to murder her child(ren) and claim PPD.

I had PPD really bad after having Skye and Benjamin. I have suffered with many aspects of mental illness over the past several years. I know it can get very bad. I know this. Maybe that is what happened here. It seems lots of parents are flipping out on their poor little kids but is that an excuse?

I think in the UK, if I remember correctly, if a mother harms and kills her child in the first year of life they go into hospital and get help but don't get done up on murder.

I can see this as being helpful but being a mother myself. The thought of hurtting my babies? Oh God. Yes they can drive me mad to the point I feel like I'm loosing my rag. but this is when I pull my frayed nerves around me and put them in their room where they are safe and I take some time out and listen to the iPod or blunder around playing the SIMS or do something 'til I calm down.

How horrible.

That poor little love. He probily woke up or wasn't sleeping and was crying because he was wet or cold or hot or felt yucky or was hungry or who knows?
I bet this mom was all stressed out or whatever, I remember the weeks and months after bringing home Skye were just awful Awful Awful I don't know how I got through it and I had Larry here. I couldn't picture being on my own. I would of gone crazy...
Well I don't know if she heard voices or not or is just saying this... But what makes my stomach drop is. This poor little baby is crying. and sees his mommy and then gets stabbed! Now if I accidently cut my finger it hurts. One time I stabbed through my fingernail and into the finger on accident and it fucking hurt. That poor little baby. Jesus God above... Oh.
And then... Oh God she cut the poor baby's head off? Really? Oh God. I just don't know. I'm sorry WTF?
Oh God... And then this woman must be barking mad as she. Did I read this right? Claimed to eat EAT some of the baby's bodyparts that are now missing?

O my God.

Those poor police that had to see this. The poor M.E. or whoever looks into deaths in Tx. And how in the world do the nurses and doctors like come in to care for this woman? Do they know what she did? Well surely they must as her name is all out there in print and in media and all. Oooh I am going to have to ask my mom who is a nurse. I don't think I could take care of her if I did my toung would have to be reattached as I'd of bitten it right off.

Well. Back to the mothers in the UK. I wonder if they fix them so they can't have any other kids or do they provide supports or are they not allowed near kids like sex offenders here in the states? I could only think living with having killed your baby would be worst than any term in the pinn.... Or anything the law of man could do. I just don't know.

E. Lynn Harris dies at 54. 23 July 2009

E. Lynn Harris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: ""

(Via .)

Just went to Audible.com to poke around for books for want of something to do. I was stopped cold when I saw a little section on their site called "Remembering E. Lynn Harris".

Oh no! I thought. No way. Can't be...
E. Lynn Harris, is a writer whom I've read for years and like quite a lot.

Our worlds are miles and miles apart. I'm a white straight stay at home mom from the middle of America and he was a black gay business man from down south.

A lot of his books delt with young black men who were trying to come to terms with being gay. And I found that very interesting. I like stories wherein the people the story is about come to acceptence, or sometimes not, with something about themselves or their life. A disability, drug use and recovery, being gay, or whatever. Oddly though a lot of my favorite writers are gay.

Mr. Harris wrote an autobiography called What Becomes of the Broken Hearted. I've got it on Audible along with several of his other books. I think I am going to download it on the iPod and listen to it again as it is quite good. And as our sour old postman failed to ever show up yesterday I'm at a lack of items to read. Oh I've reading things alright but the ones I do wish to read are not here... Maybe tomorrow...

Side note. This blogging on the fly is rather addictive. I wish I could post to Open Diary this easy... Ooh I gotta go poke Larry. He's played snooz alarm tag for the better part of an hour and I haven't heard any noise for a while now. Gotta go roost him out of bed. He hates that I do this but it is better than him being late and even more cross... I sware it would be sensible if you've got work at seven in the morning to come to bed before two...

Digital Talking Books and Player Some Thoughts and useful links

Back in the day I can remember TalkingBooks coming in largeish black boxes with buckles and straps. Inside were large blue books and upon opening the book you found several sleeves holding large black record disks.

To play these I had a brown record player with a built in speaker in the lid. The lid could detach or could snap on and you coul d take the recordplayer along with you, given that the place you were headed had electric power.

I used to sit for hours and hours on end listening to these records. I can remember falling asleep to them, then when the side of the record was over I'd be woken up by a loud gravely sound. This was the player arm of the player going round and round and round accross the braille lable that was on the first side of every record. I'd have to get my mom, often times out of bed to fix it. The last record I remember getting was "NightMares and Dream Scapes" by Stephen King. This book was on flexible record disk and didn't play very well on my then older than dirt record player.

Some of the books I remember listening to are Pinoacho, the call of the wild, all the wizard of oz books, Tom Soyar and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Oh how I wanted suc h a car! Along with these one books about a cat who went into space... I wish I could remember what they were called. And The Pippi Long Stocking Book Oh and Black Beauty which I listened to so much my mother was totally sick to death of it.

For the past 25 or so years the TalkingBook program have used tapes and a big giant clunkey talkingbook player (tape player). Tapes had the advantage over records in that they didn't get scratched up and they played longer per side. A record I think had maybe 45 minutes to maybe an hour. The tapes have about 85 minutes per side. 1 4 track tape has about six hours of play time... So you got longer play times and you could get more book on less physical media. The tape containers AKA little green boxes of joy, took up less room than all the records and so it has been for almost as long as I can remember.

Tapes have several drawbacks.
They are not toddler or kitten proof. If you leave a tape out and have a toddler and or kitten, the next time you see your tape it will have all it's innerds pulled out into a shiny slithery brown rats nest of tape. Pitty if it is the first or last or only tape to a book.

Also the toddler and or kitten aren't the only threts to the ongoing workings of a given tape. Sometimes for some reason your tape player will just pick a tape and eat it. The tape ribben will become hopelessly emeshed in the player and you quite honestly have to cut your losses.

Or.

The tape will be so old and clapped out that just at the most interesting bit, or half way through the first side a ear splitting squigy little screetch will take up rendering the tape useless! Completely useless.

Or the stupid things's sound is so bad you can't hear it.

Well take heart! There is hope!

For the past several years the NLS has been moving ever so slowly twords "The Next Big Thing"!

Skipping totally over CDs which other TalkingBook like services world wide have been using, the NLS is going digital!

First there was the RD (recorded disk) and then the FD (flexible disk( and the TB (TalkingBook format unknown)
and then RC (Recorded Cassette) Now just in time for the second decade of the 21st centuary, several years behind Audible and Overdrive we have...
Drumb roll please...

DTB! or just DB for *fan fair here* Digital talking Book!

Which is a talkingbook who is digitally recorded.

These books will be on little cartrages, glorified memory cards and plug in, I'm thinking like the old school Nintendo/Sega/Vic 20 cartrages plugged into their respective players... A whole book can fit onto one cartrage for most titles. The annoying falts of the tapes are gone. Even the digital talkingbooks players are solid state. NO MOVING PARTS INSIDE! Which is grand because no moving parts means less stuff to conk out.

And.

If you have an exturnal hd you can download and play the books directly from the internet thus giving you straight away access to a book. Cutting out the postman!!!

I am very pleased about this.

I learned yesterday that they will start handing out the players within one to three months, laborday has been touted as a possible starting date. I am excited... All the digital yummyness of "Audible" without the price. All the instent gradification of overdrive books without the frustration of A. being wait listed for a book and B. finding the book you want only to find it doesn't work on Mac for some stupid DRM reason... For more information and pictures. Visit the links provided in the end of this post.

I've waited for years to get my grubby little mits on these tap er digital books... and it is almost here! Yaahoooo!

NLS/BPH: Player Description: ""

(Via .)

A Very Interesting Feature: MarsEdit Bookmarklet

I think I have found possibly the best feature in MarsEdit.
I can not tell you how many times I've been on a page, like an article on Wikipedia, or a random news story or somebody's YouTube and I'll of wished... "I wish I could blog this and have my readers, assuming I've got readers out here in blogger/blogspot land, would say.

Well the Tech Gods have answered my prayers.

Enter the Blog This Bookmarklet.

You are on a page. You want to blog about the page. Easy. Just go up 'til you hit your bookmarks bar.

If you've this hidden away you'll need to unhide it and really it doesn't take up a whole load of room at the top of your screen.

VO around until you hear "Blog This button". Press it and booomp! There it is! A shiny new MarsEdit blog window. Simly fill in the Title if you want it to be different, add tags and blog away. Publish it and there ya go. A whole blog on that page detailing the strange things found in the stomachs of people rushed to hospital, or whatever it is...

It will show some of the webpage and any highlighted text you may have. For this first "blog this" thing I didn't highlight any text. However there are a bunch of HTML looking bits and bobs down under the text, linkage I'd assume or some such to the "Blog THis" spot on MarsEdit's webpage. I accidently blundered accross it late last night. When I went looking for it a while ago I could not find it anywhere! Thankfully Safari has a detailed history page and after a few fals starts I found it and thus share it with you.

The only problem VO users may have s draging the link up to the bookmarks bar. I employed the use of system zoom having shut VO off for a moment. I'm really not quite sure what to tell you prhaps clicking on the link? Because when I dragged it to the bookmarks bar it had a "Add to bookmarks" message box come up soyou may want to give that a go, or contact the Red-Swetter software people as I think I've heard they are keen on helping out with accessibility. Unless hey are the weird software company who gives no response. No this can't be right as their softwar is quite useable by VoiceOver. Well enjoy!

MarsEdit Bookmarklet: ""

(Via .)

MarsEdit -- A Review Of Sorts

Earlier this week I signed up for a blogger account. God only knows why. I mean I've so many options open to me. They include the OpenDiary.com diary I've had for six years. I stay with this one off and on as I've developed a small community of friends and it's been my main blog when I get tired of all the hype from all the others. Will still use it eventhough I may not use it much at times. Then we had a livejournal account for a short time. I just didn't like it just because I was silly and didn't totally get the whole "BLOGGING" thing. Then I think my next one was MySpace. And I liked that one until I started getting reports of people, friends and family, not being able to access the blog and MySpace got too junked up. I still have a MySpace account but haven't updated it in quite a long time. Then we have FaceBook's "Notes" feature. I like this but it has the drawback of having a limit on how much one can rant about in a given note and anyone who knows me or has read me I can go on and on and on and on.

ONe problem I've had with all these services is they are web based and you have to be online to use them. One thing I hate is I work really hard on an entry and hit the post button and sit and wait and wait and wait and all I get back from VO is "Busy" and then the stomach dropping notice that Safari quit unexpectedily... And unless I was using OpenDiary that autosaves your last sesson, there a well crafted, or at least wordy document has gone to that trash basket in the sky.

I'd love OpenDiary even more than I do now if they designed a OSX platform for an off-line blog editing program. And who knows this MarsEdit that I *AM* going to get around to talking about may be able to handle Open Diary.

So. I had been hearing on things like Screenless Switchers and the Mac-cessibility podcast and on a few webpages people talking about this MarsEdit thing.

I had thought early on it was a website publishing tool, but when I found out it was just a blog publishing tool I was thinking forget it. And passed it by.

However, as I've this new blogspot account, and I remember hearing about blogspot on the little website for MarsEdit I figured what the hell. Once I found out it had a 30 day free go I downloaded and installed it.

The only problem was it came to me in the form of a zip file and I still, after having switched to mac over a year ago haven't the slight where zip files go when they become unzipped files.
But this was solved when I first tried searching for any new files downloded that day, and then for the keywords "MarsEdit". This second one paid off and it looks as if the things unzip in the same folder the zip files are downloaded to. I recently changed where my download files go but am thinking of changing it back.

Once installed I went to my Macintosh HD and to applications and then made a little icon pop up on my desktop. Could of stuck it in the doc and this I may still do, I'm just lazy and have yet to drag it to the doc.

As I remember it, other than finding the MarsEdit program after unzipping the program was more or less straight forward to get running.

I'm sorry. I hadn't intended on reviewing a software so early on in my blogspot life and didn't exactly pay strict attention to how easy the install was. Installing stuff is still an area on the mac that slightly confuses me. Perhaps as it isn't as big a dramatic pain in the ass as installing things on Windows. Ya tend to really remember the painful things in life...

Well obviously I've got it up and running and I don't remember having to employ my government issued "sightling in a box" (TM).

Okay well when you first run MarsEdit it walks you through connecting it with a blog. It asks you if you've one already and if you haven't any it will help you set one up. After this you can connect other social networking things like Twitter to it and there ya go.

I really haven't fooled around with it a whole lot outside of filling the internet with even more crap than it otherwise would have.

I haven't clearly sorted out how to envoke and make use of the spelling checker. It seems a bit strange so might in future copy my finished blogs to TextEdit or Mail to spell check. For now though, you get my stunningly misspelled blatherings right from my slightly wonky brain to the world.

For the most part I've not run into too many problems using voiceover with the program. All the toolbar menus are nice nad labled although there is a bit down at the lower right that says "B" and makes a beepy noise at me. Not sure what that is about. Also you have to make sure the publish to thing isn't set to drafts otherwise when you hit publish to blog it jst publishes locally and will not show up on blog spot. This has got me the last two times I've gone to publish. I set it like this in settings so I could be sure to have a copy even though there is a save draft option. All you have to do is go down and change from draft to published in the pop up button and it should publish your blog in moments.

Another feature I really love that has been around for ages that I'm late to the party with are tags. I love tags! You can sort your posts into tag groups so if you blather on and on about Ben Folds and say the nice young men in the clean white coats want to see how obsessed you are, they can poke around your blog and see you've 493857203437584921 entries where in you've talked about Ben Folds. Or Macs, or blogging or whatever.

You can make your own tags and the list grows as you write about new things requiring new tags. You make them up and add them and they are kept in a nice little list with check boxes and so say your second blatherfest about Ben Folds you don't have to retag it you just check the Ben Folds checkbox. Easy as pie.

One last thing I'll say before I go to is one good thing about off-line editing is if you need to hunt up sites for information you can go to Safari and look stuff up without going off your edit page. Also the publishing seems to take place much quicker.

I think I will buy this program next week when I get money. It is $30 USD and seems well worth the money. There are some things like adding media that I don't know how to do yet and as I learn I will share but for now I strongly recomend this program. It is fairly accessible and over all makes blogging easy as composing an Email. I'll paste bits from the marsedit website below in case my rambelings haven't been convensing enough. *smile*

The addy is:

http://www.red-sweater.com/marsedit/




Press, Awards, and Links
“Nearly every word I write for Daring Fireball is published through MarsEdit.”
John Gruber, Daring Fireball



“Anyone who’s ever lost a Weblog post owing to a browser freezing or site going down will appreciate this tool.”
Lisa Schmeiser, Macworld



“MarsEdit is a joy to use.”
Derrick Story, O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com

You love MarsEdit, too? Why not blog about it?
Also consider showing your love by putting this badge on your site. Thanks!


Badge by Rick Graham

MarsEdit 2
Download And TryPowerful Blog Publishing For Your Mac.
Write, preview, and publish without a web browser.


Why Blog From Your Mac?Why Blog From Your Mac?
Browser-based interfaces are slow, clumsy, and require you to be online to use them. While your blog's web interface struggles to perform the simplest of tasks, MarsEdit uses the power of your Mac to provide an amazing blog editing experience. MarsEdit is a desktop blog editor, so you can write a blog without giving up the comforts of your Mac.



Intuitive Interface
MarsEdit's no-nonsense interface works just like email. Edit your drafts in a convenient text editor, spell-check, and publish.
Flickr Powered
Quickly scan your entire Flickr library, then insert an image into your blog post with the click of a button.
Wildly Compatible
Works with WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, TypePad, Movable Type, LiveJournal, Drupal, and Vox. And that's just to name a few.
Easy Uploads
Upload images and files directly to your weblog. When you want to reuse an item, just select it from the media catalog.
Perfect Previews
Build a template to match your blog, then let MarsEdit's live preview show you how your posts will look before you publish them.
Re-Blog It!
Add a "Blog This" bookmarklet to your browser, and start new MarsEdit posts with the click of a button.
Powerful Markup Macros
Tired of typing the same things again and again? Set up macros with MarsEdit to easily insert commonly used snippets.
Offline Freedom
Write when you want to, without an internet connection. Fine-tune your masterpiece on the plane, and publish when you get home.
Use Your Favorite Editor
Combine the power of MarsEdit with your favorite editor. Integrates cleanly with BBEdit, SubEthaEdit, TextMate, or TextWrangler.
Custom Features
Extensive AppleScript support makes it possible to add features we haven't even thought of. The sky is the limit!

Note to self... Get a flicker account. Why doesn't photobucket get support? Ah well just as well as all my photobucket album is a jumble of unorgnized crap. I do want to post pictures in my blogs so what is one more photo album site online to go with "MySpace, "FaceBook" and "PhotoBucket"? LOL Well that's all Ive got to say. Go download this nifty little program. I'm sure you'll like it too. P.s. to myself, read the help files and pay stricter attention next time you get a software that you may review so you don't sound like a kid making up a bookreport on a book they didn't read just skimmed. LOL It will make you look less demented...

Good Greef, I'm a demented teenager trapped in a 32 year old woman's body!

How about we give this another go? I had this all done, but got quite distracted by the stepdaughters and friends being yet again dropped off with very little warrning that I somehow screwed up how to post... So here we go again!

I was checking my Email a short while ago. I was looking to see if the woman from grad services from Guide Dogs had wrote back regarding my Fleming's retirement. She hadn't. She might be out and if I remember correctly, Thursday and Friday are her days off? Well. I'm going to give her 'til the first part of August to get back with me. If I've not heard anything then I'll ring the school directly and tell them. I like working with this woman as we've been in touch for the whole of Fleming's working life and she's been my "Go To" person in grad services. Although the rest of the people in grad services and most of the staff and trainers that work at Guide Dogs are all really good people. I can't think of too many GDB employees that I dislike or can't manage to get on well with...

Well at any rate, the Guide Dogs lady has yet to write me back.

What I did receive was the standard assortment of mailing list traffic and facebook messages telling me somebody commented on my status, or sent me a message, or commented on someone else's status I already commented on, or wrote on my wall or whatever facebook thing happened.

Then down at the very bottem. I saw in the "From" field Ben Folds.

Yes! As in that Ben Folds! The Piano God most loved music person along with Sufjan Stevens and Iron and Wine, who really is just one person called Sam Beam,.

Well here is this Email. And here it says "Ben Folds" in the from line. and for a split second I think maybe he Emailed me? Naah. Then I laugh to my self for thinking such a stupid thing.
It isn't from Ben Folds, not directly anyway. It is a newsletter sent out by somebody someplace at the record company Ben Folds is with. This newsletter gets sent out every so often to let people who sign up for it all the latest Ben Folds related news, ture dates, new projects, contests and the like.
I keep forgetting I've signed up for it so am always suprized for a moment when it comes in.

Besides that. Why would Ben Folds who is important and talented and who has a life and family and job and all write me? I'm a nobody. A fat stay at home mom in a largeish metro area in the heart of America. A nobody. What would a somebody like him want with a nobody like me?

Oh how I would love to meet him though. I wouldn't be all stupid about it like some people though. I don't understand people that try to rip famous people's clothes off or who fling under garments at them or who shreek and stammer or whatever.

I've got a friend in St. Louis who love love loves Kid Rock. She follows him around the country as she is able. She will flirt with him and all but she's cool about it and I think it's cute. She's also perhaps the ballziest person I know for all she does to go see Kid Rock. Makes me smile because I wish I could be that bold with Ben Folds.

But I'm shy. Plus I don't go all in for the frantic freenzy that most fans show for whoever they like.

Like these teens and preteens. Shreaking and sworming and fainting and what not. It is crazy...

If I could meet Ben Folds though. I'd just tell him thank you for the music. It has been part of the soundtrack of my life for the past twelve or so years. got me through a lot, good and bad and gave me courage when I'd of otherwise chickened out.

I've only got to see one show of his in person in 2004 and I had to overcome a lot of fears to do this. I took the 14 hour one way bus trip with Fleming, my guide dog, from where we were living in Denver to here in KC where the show was. That was one thing I was nervous about. Then I had to overcome two big fears that presented themselves at the show. The fear of strangers in crowds and being out in the open outdoors.
I nearly chickened out several times prior to getting through the ticket line... But once Ben came out and started singing my mind was able to focus on that, on his music and I forgot myself for a few wonderful hours.

It would also be nice if I could make friends with him. Like my Kid Rock loving fan has done with the people, the Van Zant brothers in I think it is Lenard Skinerd... She's on good terms with them and I'd love to be like that with Ben Folds.

I wouldn't be like a lot of people who only befriend a famous person just so they can get money and their picture on TV with that person and get a book deal for a "unauthorized tell all behind stage" sort of book that says every bad thing the famous person has done.

I'm not a stupid person. I know Ben Folds has probily done a lot of "bad" things. Everybody does and just because some one is famious is a right to blow whatever it is up? No. That's crazy...

No no. I'd just want to be his friend because he seems like a really nice down to earth interesting sort of guy.
Sure I think he's cute and adorible in a slightly geeky sort of way. He's just rather charming like that. But he's a wife and children and so I wouldn't be looking to be on the make for him. Even if he were single. I am not. Nevermind how much I may complain about Larry in this blog or elsewhere in my other blogs. He is first and formost my partner and the father of my children and so I will stand by him nevermind how stupid I think some of the stuff he does is or how frustrating or moody he can get. If I had a chance to spend a night with Ben Folds I would maybe like a nice quiet dinner someplace not fancy and maybe spending a long while just talking or looking at TV or whatever or just having fun. With his wife and kids and Larry and Skye and baby Benjamin...

Well. In this Email there was a link to follow Ben Folds on Twitter. I have been wanting to follow him on Twitter but I can never tell if the "Ben Folds" in the search results is really him or if it is someone playin' at being him, as I saw on livejournal or maybe it was here on blogger or blogspot or whatever. or what. I forget how I found his myspace page. I think I just typed it in or maybe a firend found it for me...

I wish I could find his FaceBook if he has one. There are a few FaceBook profiles under Ben Folds or Benjamin Folds or his whole name Benjamin Scott Folds, but again I don't know if they are him for real or someone who has his same name or someone playin at it.

Well this twitter link was the real deal so I went to start following him.
So now I and sixteenthousand others follow him... The letter says he responds to his fans that tweet him, my goodness that sounds dirty. But I doubt the likes of me would be noticed by the likes of him.

I wish he'd go on a ture with Sufjan Stevens and Iron and Wine. I wish they would make an album, the three of them together. Oh if that, if either of thsoe happened? I'd die and be in music Heaven!
What's more? I think he likes these other two. I've seen them pointed out on his myspace blog. Sufjan most memoribly as I didn't think anyone else knew of Sufjan. God I love Sufjan. As much as Ben Folds, those two are tied for first place with poor old Sam coming in second or third place.

Their music is peaceful and nice and creaitive unlike the cookie cutter pop crap that is spit out of the big media michine factory.

So there I am now, along with sixteen thousand others following him. I would join his fanclub but I'm afraid that that is the last checkbox to be checked on the list of "You might be obsessed with Ben Folds if" list.

I mean I already:

1. Know all of Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five songs by heart
2. Cart the tickets from the only Ben Folds show I've ever been to as good luck charms in my bag.
3. Named my baby son Benjamin, not totally for the fact of Ben Folds but partly.
4. Pre-ordered and counted down the days 'til the release of "Way Too Normal" last year

5. Stock him on Twitter and MySpace

6. Write long blathering blogs about him every so often

7. Dream about meeting him in person.

8. Have actuial dream dreams at night about seeing/meeting him. No no sex btw.
9. Read his wikipedia entry to learn more info and already know a good chunk of info on him. Also nearly put off having my daughter Skye so she would have the same birthday, 12 September. Her birthday is one day earlier on 11 September which I had swore up and down I would not pick for her birthday because of the fact it was 11 September. I was about to say 12 September but I was so sick of the pregnancy and everything by that time I didn't much care any more, plus I figured everyone would think me nuts for picking 12 September because that is Ben Folds's birthday.

Number 10 would be me. A grown woman housewife and mother joining the Ben Folds Fan Club. A fan club. at my age? Right... Truly that would be the time to call the nice young men in their clean white coats to come and take me away...

This Week In Talking Books (20 - 27 July 2009)

WARNING! My spelling is crap and I've not sorted out how to use the spell checker in Mars Edit. So for now please forgive the spelling. May have to resort to writing this in Mail or Text Edit and checking it from there, but as this is so long and I quite lazy. Ya get what ya get. :-) Enjoy and do leave comments, although none about spelling as I know there are heaps of errors in her already. Thanks.

Notice:
The books listed here are the ones currently checked out. However I have not received all on this list but should in the coming days... Book Reviews forth coming...
Books marked with a * are books I'm listening to at the moment.


Title: Mermaids
Author: Patty Dann
Format: 1 Sound Cassett
Read by: Polly Stone
Subjects; Modern Fiction, Short Book,
NLS Book Number: RC 025287

Description:

Fourteen-year-old Charlotte Flax and her young half-sister Kate have always lived an itinerant life--thanks to the wanderlust of their promiscuous mother, whom Charlotte refers to as "Mrs. Flax." In their most recent relocation to Grove, Massachusetts, Charlotte hopes to make good use of the presence of the convent up the hill; her great goal in life is to become a saint
Notes: This movie was on one of Comcast's digital movie stations, I'm guessing lifetime movie network or some such. Autumn was watching it and I got into it too. She told me what it was called and I did a quick book search. I found the above result and as the description of the book sounded like more or less what is going on in the movie, I figured it must be the book the movie was made from... So of corse I ordered it straight away.

Shipped on: 23 July 2009

Title: Taxi from Hell: Confissions of a Russin Hack
Author: Vladimir Lobas
Format: 2 sound cassettes
Read by: George Backman
Subjects: Economics, Adventure, Biography and Autobiography,Medium Length Book,
NLS Book Number: RC 34918

Description:

Filmmaker Vladimir Lobas left the Soviet Union for the relative freedom of New York City and a position as a free-lance radio commentator. In 1977, facing $4000 worth of dental work, Lobas is lured by an offer to earn big money as a taxi driver. His questionable language and driving skills make for a rocky start, but eventually Lobas owns his own cab. He discusses his adventures and those of other Russians

Notes: I was looking for another book I saw on Audible.com. If I find a book there, I see if it is on NLS first. If it is I order it and if it is not I put it on my wishlist to buy at a later date. The only time I'll buy a book from Audible that is also on NLS is if the person reading on Audible is better than the NLS reader. The title cought my eye as I've been in a few hellish taxis in my life. Also greyhound cross country busses and the odd airliner... Which reminds me. Someplace on NLS there is a book by a male flight attendent telling all about the crazy stuff that goes on in the air. Sort of like the A and E TV seeries "Airline which Larry and I loved to watch but was yanked for some stupid reason. It is however on iTunes and it like Ruby, Six Feet Under, random Dr. Drew inspired serees and children's TV for Skye and Benjamin looks like something I'm going to be spending future money on. Hah hah

Shipped on: 23 July 2009

Title: That Night
Author: Alice McDermott
Format: 1 Sound Cassett
Read by: Rita Hottois
Subjects: Young Adult Book, Short Book, Modern Fiction
NLS Book Number: RC 27158

Description:

Set in suburban Long Island in the sixties. Rick and Sheryl, high school sweethearts, eventually become lovers. Then Sheryl discovers that she is pregnant and according to the strict conventions of their time she must go away to have her baby and never see Rick again. As Sheryl's mother prepares to take her away, Rick takes matters into his own hands



Notes: This is another book that I saw as a movie in my Senior year of high school. It looked like it would be a good book so I checked it out and listened to it and it was not so much a good book. About seven years ago when I helped out at the talking book library in Topeka I took it out again and again I didn't quite like it. Third time is a charm? Mabye. I hope now that I've grown more as a person and can look at things from a different point of view than those I had both in high school and seven years ago I will get what this story is after. Then again there is a good chance it could be lost on me... We'll see.

Shipped On: 23 July 2009



Title: The radio amateur's handbook
Author: Archie Frederick Collins
Format: 3 Sound Cassettes
Read by: Merwin Smith
Subjects: Hobbies and Past times, Medium Length Book
NLS Book Number: 16588

Description:

An aid to the beginning or experienced radio amateur, covering fundamentals of construction techniques, elementary electronic theory, FCC regulations, and information on more complicated apparatus




Notes: In my mad quest to get my ham radio license I'm reading any and everything I can get my hands on. The book is very very old and a lot of the information is out of date. However, I want to read it for historical value and in the hopes it can explain all these horrid old things like Ohm's law, electric curcuts, radio waves and frequencies and all that complex stuff I do not understand.

Shipped on: 22 July 2009


Title: Anybody Out There? *current Listen
Author: Marian Keyes
Format: 3 Sound Cassettws
Read by: Anne Flosnik
Subjects: Medium Length Book, Adult Fiction, Strong Language, Sexually Explicit, Psychological Fiction, Foreign Setting, Family Story (single Generation), Mystery and Detective, Suspence, Romance, British Accent
NLS Book Number: RC 62269

Description:

After a taxi injures her in New York, Anna Walsh from Watermelon (RC 47300) returns to Dublin, Ireland, to recuperate. She observes her wacky family's escapades but gets nervous when her husband doesn't answer her e-mails. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2006

Notes: It took me so long to copy down the subjects NLS files this book under I forgot what I was going to say about it. Oh I know. It is set in Ireland and I love Ireland as my ancesters are from there, a lot of them. I'm a big fan of a lot of Irish writers like Frank McCourt and Brinden O'dear I've forgot his name. He writes "The Mammy" and "The Chislers" and "The Granny" Oh O'Carol Brendon O'Carol and others who I can't think of right now.... This is one of those Audible finds. I saw it under the "If you like this you might also like" segment under "The Devil Wears Proda" which I loved...

Shipped on: 20 July 2009



Title: Angels
Author: Marian Keyes
Format: 3 sound casettes
Read by: Jill Fox
Subjects: Adult Fiction, Medium Length Book, Sexually Explcit, Strong Language, Modern Fiction, Romance, Woman Interest, Long Book, Humor Fiction, General Fiction
NLS Book Number: RC 63939

Description:

After losing her job and leaving her husband, Dubliner Maggie Walsh joins her best friend, Emily, in Los Angeles. Maggie reinvents herself in the entertainment scene by writing scripts and experimenting with new lovers, but she reconsiders ending her marriage. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2002


Notes: This is another Audible.com find. Just ordered it as the snippit on Audible sounded interesting.


Shipped on: 20 July

Title: Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge *Current Listen
Author: Jim Schutze
Format: 2 Sound Casettes
Read by: Christopher Walker
Subjects: Crime and True Decetive, Journalism and the Media, Violence, Sexually Explcit, Strong Language, Medium Length Book, Biography and Autobiography, History United States, Law and Legal Rights, Adolessent Problems
NLS Book Number: RC 59940

Description:

Journalist investigates the 1993 Florida slaying of twenty-year-old Bobby Kent at the hands of seven young people. Depicts the suburban middle-class but decadent lifestyle of the victim and his killers and the trial that followed, including an "urban psychosis" defense theory. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language. 1997


Notes: Nearly done with this one. Should finish it later tonight thus this will be my first book reviewed. If some of the other, shorter books make it here tomorrow or Saturday they might make it in the book review as well. I plan on posting book reviews on Sunday...
I don't want to give everything away, but there are bits in this book that were just. shocking. Was listening to it with ear buds this morning whilst laying in bed and I must of commentedd, I was totally lost in the story. Well my talking caused Larry to wake up well he was half awake already, to ask me what was wrong. I pointed to the tape player and told him sorry there was just some shocking bits in the book.