Cayman '07 Post 6

Exhaustion...sun-wearied (and a little burned)...missin' the ones we love...yep, it's pretty obvious the vacation is almost over, as the signs are becoming obvious. Our stingray excursion was indeed cancelled today, and we found out the catamaran will resume visits out there tomorrow at 9 a.m., at which time we'll already be on our way to catch our flight back to America. Oh well, spirits are still very high all around, these aforementioned challenges notwithstanding. I've asked my boys at least a dozen times today I guess if they were still having a good time, and if they're glad they came, to which they both answered in the affirmative with much enthusiasm each time. We headed to Rum Point again, this time taking advantage of the beautiful sunshine to spend some time on the beach up there. We worked on sandcastles, ate lunch, chilled in a hammock and even scouted a couple hundred feet out into the sea (by far our furthest such adventure of the week). The drive back (about 30 minutes) was another good time of sea-side, wrong side of the road driving with the windows down and the tunes' volume up. We've heard a lot of Justin Timberlake down here, and my yahoo's are picking up quite a liking for him. His latest single (though I haven't heard it on the states radios yet) is Summer Love, a song I immediately started to dig when I got the Future Sex/ Love Sounds album a few months back, has been on frequent rotation here. I predicted to a couple of friends when I first heard it that it would be a big hit, probably hitting number 1 about summertime. Well, here's my chance to see if everyone else likes it as much as me. I noticed it's not in the Top 40 yet, but I see that two others from the album are this week, My Love (22) & What Goes Around (2). While I'm on the subject I might as well give a plug: go buy this album, it's awesome.

After getting back we chilled a while and then went down to the pool area and wound up playing shuffleboard (which is right next to the easternmost pool) for an hour or so. We then ventured down the beach to the neighboring resort so the boys could try to find their friends from Illinois, Tim & Tom, who played b-ball with us the other night, but to no avail. We then took a quick drive for soft drinks and snacks to the local gas station, and looked around at some of the side streets a bit. We noticed that although there is plenty of opulence and grandeur along the coast line with the resorts and mansions, there is also plenty of the squalid variety of living quarters as well. I doubt there's much of a middle class here...ya either got it or ya don't, it seems! On the way back, as we we're pulling into the resort's parking lot the radio began playing Daughtry's Home, and I was thus afforded a golden opportunity to show my boys how music can run parallel to life so closely sometimes. I think they'll think of our little conversation everytime they hear that terrific song from here out. By the way, it really is a great song, even when you're not watching Idol.

To wrap up the night we went back out to the beach, lounged back on the beach chair's and looked at the stars. We quickly found the big dipper and the North Star, and then my boys dazzled me with the story of love lost but not forgotten concerning Orion. I was quite impressed as they showed my Orion's Belt and told me all the details they knew...it was enchanting. After an hour and half or so out there we came back in and started packing for the travel day we have tomorrow.

So, as I wind down for the last night of sleep in paradise, I'm wrapping up my thoughts with the proverbial "bittersweet" emotions. I'm sad it's all gone so fast; I'm terribly gloomy over the fact that I'll not be able to spend time with my boys like this for some time; on the flip side, though, I'm very thankful for the opportunity that I've had, and I think I've got my batteries recharged and am ready to hit the ground running when I get back home; also, I'm thrilled at the thought of seeing the ones I love again and getting back in the groove with all my friends and family and know that I'll have a blast telling them all about our trip. I know one thing is for sure: I have no regrets for the place we chose to spend Spring Break this year, and I'm determined to work as hard as possible to ensure it's not a one-time experience. To keep my spirit's up upon arriving back home I'll make sure I spend a lot of time at Cheeseburger In Paradise and not a few hours watching the Pirates of the Caribbean series, both experiences with a lot of Cayman memories...

Cayman '07 Post 5

We saw a shirt earlier in the week that said something like: "The pirate alphabet begins with Arrrrrrrrrrrrrr". Well, today was pirate-y from start to finish, and I think my yahoo's loved it. The day started with "Pirates of the Caribbean" day at the Kids Club at the resort. The boys joined the expedition today from 8 till noon and spent their time searching for treasure and making pirate crafts and such. I used the time alone to do my favorite oceanic activity...walking the beach jammin' to some tunes on my DJ. An interesting thought crossed through my noodle while strolling along the edge of the sea. I wonder if everyone else is like me when they have headphones on, and feel like they are in a music video. As I pass people sometimes I think I look at them like they can hear the music that's in my head. They probably think I'm nuts, and sometimes I think I agree. Anyway, I chose Kenny Chesney's "Be Here (Songs From An Old Blue Chair)" to get me started. Call me crazy, but I've waited the entire trip to plug this in and listen to it straight through when I was by myself. It's quite the introspective album, and I just knew I'd like to be able to let it soak in while I was focused. A chick from Minnesota I talked to 1 or 5 times this week called it "thinking your own thoughts" when she was giving her goodbye today before she flew back with her fam to the frozen north. I couldn't agree more, and that's exactly what I do when I'm out on the sand: I narrow it all down to and have a meeting with my own mind, and try to get things settled. Few people know it, but it was on the beach in Ft. Myers, FL, all alone a few years ago when I first made the decision to make some huge changes in my life...and I don't regret the counsel I got from the crashing waves. I don't believe I made any earth-shattering decisions today, but I did enjoy the time to chill a bit. I moved on from the KC album and it's focus on introspection and found myself listening to one of the greatest "couple" albums of all time, Darren Hayes' "Spin". Sweet and lover-focused, I've listened to it at least 4 times since I've been on holiday, and it affects me every time. He's a terrific singer, but it's the lyrics and subject matter that carry this album beyond just an entertaining listen. It's def a fav of mine...

Moving on, we left after the Kids Club outing and headed to Geore Town to pay a visit to the Jolly Roger, a pirate themed ship on which we rode out a ways into the Caribbean and enjoyed pirate antics. The pic above is of us trying to get on our sea legs and keep from falling overboard into Davy Jones' locker. Since I'm writing this, we evidently made it...or did we? Sorry, that was weird. The whole adventure was fun, and the boys fo' sho' enjoyed being able to jumb off the side of the ship into the warm sea water.

After returning to land we were powerful hungry, so us scurvy dogs piled into a corner booth at the Hard Rock Cafe, Cayman Islands. We enjoyed the fare and atmosphere, then headed back on the coastal highway trip to the resort. After a short stint at the hot tub, it soon became time for us to get our weary bones back to the room and prep for the nightly crash. Our day tomorrow was supposed to be our exciting trip to Stingray City, but the wind has made for some extremely rough seas this week, and on the radio we heard of an "incident" with a stingray and a profusion of jellyfish in the water, so, um, yeah...that trip has been cancelled. Not by me, but by the coastal authorities, so I guess we'll have to try that again next time. So, I guess we'll just have to spend our last day on the beach. Arrgggghhhhh;)

Cayman '07 Post 4

"Seven steps and to the ocean" "Set, hut, HUT"...Ahh, Peyton Manning himself has probably never called a play that brought him more excitement than this one brought me. I promised I'd snap a photo of the magic football (if you're in the dark, then get with the program and read back a few posts, would ya!?!?), so here 'tis. Um, yeah...that's the Caribbean Sea in the background...and, yeah, that's the world's most perfect football in the foreground. I wouldn't trade this ball for a Manning autographed official Roger Goodell N.F.L. pigskin, 10 of 'em, in fact. Yep, today had us out on the sandy gridiron once again, and yep, it was a blast. But, I'm gettin' ahead of myself, so let me get back to keeping with the chronology.

We got up this morning, and after a healthy breakfast that I'm sure included Oreo's and Skittles (among other, more nutritious things...though I can't recall their names right now) we headed out and played shuffleboard. Oh, my...if you think it's a sport reserved for old farts on cruises, you've got another thing comin'! It takes some serious skill and athleticism to push the two-pronged three mile long stick into the edge of the hockey puck on steroids apparatus across a scalding hot, green concrete rectangle with painted triangles of nonsensical number combinations and not mess up previously struck apparatuses. I had to surf the www just to find the rules for the fool game, but once I did and taught it to my boys, they saw it as just another sports challenge, and well, let's just say the apples haven't fallen far from the tree with these two. You should see the pics I snapped of them playing the game. You'd think they WERE Peyton Manning leading a closing-minutes-of-the-Super-Bowl-drive with his team down by 5...just...gotta...score...one...more...time. Yeah, it was fun, even for me...but the best part was watchin' them get so involved. Nothing makes me as a dad any prouder than seeing them give 110%, whether it's the basketball court (hang on, I'll get to THAT in a bit), the baseball diamond, the soccer pitch, and now, the shuffleboard ?, whatever it's called.

After that we hit the room for a snack or three and then headed out to play some big time football by the sea side once again. It was quite hot by this time so the game only lasted about 20 minutes, then it was time for the pools.

While we were at the pool some dude shook down a coconut and used his machete (yeah, I'm certain he shaves with it) to cut it open for some folks across the way. They must've saw the skin and bones on me and my yahoo's b/c they sent over a nice young lady ;) and she offered us a few bites. I was not impressed with the coconut.

It's been windy as all get out around here this week. I mean, Kansas tornado windy. We spent most of the day in the pools, and the cool thing is you almost don't even need a towel when you get out. I mean you're almost dry by the time you get from the water's edge to your towel, so the towel is just a formality (seriously, how totally UNCOOL would you be going to the pool without a towel? c'mon, now). Anyway, we swam, they swam more, and I read and listened to music all day (mainly Rascal Flatts...they're unbelievable).

Until about sunset, that is. I gathered up my fellers and volunteered them for a walk down the beach at sunset. I told them that it was one of my most favorite things in all the world to do, and they were totally wearing a look of "yeah, whatever dad, uh-huh, that's nice" on their faces. Somewhere about paragraph three of my beautifully poetic discourse on how pleasant it is to walk on that part of the beach where footprints disappear in the surf, it happened. With no less excitement than a pig in poop (thanks, Michael Pollan), my boys saw a basketball goal. About 100 feet from the water is a fenced-in turfed area with a hoop! "Can we go see it, daddy, please please please?" "Are you kiddin' me, we're Hoosiers for crying out loud, of COURSE we can go see it. If you're nice and quiet and reverent, perhaps you can even touch it...go ahead, it's okay..." Yeah, we walked up to it, and yeah, we found ourselves in a little 3 on 3 in just a matter of seconds. At this point I need to mention that my team went 3 and 0. Never lost a game. Nope, not one. I even played barefoot (with a cut on my left big toe to bring home and brag about like a war wound), and we still won. My outside shot was non-existant (because of the wind, of course), but my drive to the bucket and lay-in was on, big time. 3 & 0...woo-hoo! Okay, those of you who know me are wondering what's up, since I'm not really this bragadocious about anything. You're right, you saw right through me. What I failed to mention is that the court on which we were playing was the sea-side end of the infamous tennis court where I suffered two of the most crushing tennis defeats of my life the last time I was here. Three years ago I got to talkin' to some high school kids from Chicago, they found out I played in High School, and one thing led to another. I bet a kid named Jimmy a drink that I could beat him, and well, just to rub it in he beat me twice. I think I won 4 games in the two matches (I really do know how you feel, Jabel), so the hurt has been with me for these three years. I lost a piece of my pride then, but tonight, I got it back. B-A-C-K! So what if it was a basketball game against 1) my brother (skills? well, Kobe he's not, but a worthy adversary nonetheless) 2) my oldest son (skills? yeah, but he's almost 2 feet shorter) & Tim (skills? definitely, but he's 13). It still felt good to win on that court, for once. But as I walked off the court I could've sworn a Jimmy in apparition form whispered: "loser". Perhaps it was just the wind.

So went our day...tomorrow is pirates, pirates, pirates and Thursday is stingrays, so we'll be away from the athletics for a while and learn that there is more to life than sports. But when all that other stuff is out of the way, I'm sure one of us will pick up a ball and suggest to the others it's time to get back to bidness!

Cayman '07 Post 3

Our first order of bidness today was another fantastic football game on the beach (I'll try to snap a photo of the magic ball in the sand and post it tomorrow). After gettin' all sweaty and covered in sand and scrapes it was off for a brief repast in the hammock, just to chill. Then we journeyed over the "the pool with the island" where we spent the next few hours, loungin' and goofin' off. The pools are not so full of people this week because the water is frigid in all of them. We've noticed that if you dive in and get soaked all at once it's not so bad, but if you try the "dip your toes in first" method, you'll freeze to death somewhere around mid-thigh. If this sounds like a complaint, trust me, it's forced. The cool water is a perfect contrast to the burning sunshine, and offers a pleasant refuge from the heat. A lot of music and reading for me, interspersed with splashing and dunking games aplenty with my yahoo's was my course for the day...ah, the simple things are best, for sure.

The evening was supposed to be festive at the resort with a fire-eater and limbo party, but the wind and forecast for rain forced a postponement. After petting the iguana, and feeding it flowers, we headed back to Rum Point for the sunset. The pic above is of us on the deserted Rum Point beach where we goofed off and laid low before heading back to the our place. On the way back we ate at Over The Edge Cafe, an interesting, pirate-y atmosphere of an eatery that is, quite literally, built over the edge of the shoreline and looks out on the Caribbean.

Overall we've had another spectacular day, a lack of extracurricular activities notwithstanding. I mean, seriously, we're on a beautiful island in perfect weather...what more do we need? I've got my boys, my cell phone is turned off, and I feel at once attached and detached at the same time. Everything else in life is put on hold for a few days, and my fellas get all of my attention. I'm not quite sure they know it, but I can't imagine anything I'd rather be doing in all the world than having them close to me. If I'm dreaming, don't wake me just yet...

Cayman '07 Post 2

Just another day in paradise... It's been quite busy and relaxing today. Oxymoronic? Nope, not when you're in a place like this, where it seems the busier I am the more relaxed I feel. Which just goes to show it may not be the busy-ness of the rat race back home that saps my energy, but rather the surroundings...perhaps I really should check into employment on the island...

Anyway, my two yahoo's and I took a quick trip out to Rum Point first thing this morning and checked out the scene up there. This 2nd picture is of me and Brit somewhere 'tween here and there at a spot close to the ocean. The panorama at this site was quite spectacular, and the boys just had to stop so they could snap some shots of it on their cameras. I, quite unreluctantly, obliged them and we had a grand time just looking around and taking it all in. The drive along the coastal highway (which is like a two-lane, country highway back home in Indiana, except the shoulder of the road is the Caribbean...just a small difference, right?) with the windows down and the music blaring was perfect. It was one of those times I have with my kids from time to time where I just don't want it to end. I wanted the road to go on and on and on, but that's just a dad's wishful thinking, I presume, and quite impossible. It was perfect while it lasted, and I predict the memory will last a lifetime. At the Point we meandered through the island shops, eateries and walkways and wound up out on a long pier (at which I snapped the 1st pic above, of Boston) surrounded by the turquoise sea. It's beautiful in pictures, but seeing the color of the clear water in person was breathtaking. After some time we wound up back at one of the drinking holes and enjoyed some smoothies by the sea side, and watched the people parade past on a myriad of unknown adventures. It was a spectacular morning.

Upon returning to the resort we played shuffleboard (what's the point, anyone? I haven't a clue about that game...) and then headed to the pool for a spell. They swam, I read, and all was grand in my own little world once again. I'm still convinced reading is fantastic anywhere, but in the sun it is a pleasant revelry unknown to most, otherwise there'd be more books in the hands of the sun-worshippers. Try it once, you'll be hooked...

One of the things we've been anticipating for months is playing football in the sand. We have been privileged to own the world's most perfect football (bought, of all places, at Old Navy for $2.99 about three years ago), and I'd almost swear it's magical. I plan on putting it on display someday when my boys outgrow it, and I may even charge admission for folks to see the enchanted thing! Anyway, we brought it and sure enough, it's magic works here just like it does at home. With the ocean as one sideline and the edge of the beach volleyball court the other, we trudged through the sand and played a magnificent game. ESPN wasn't filming, but if they had just an inkling of an idea how great it was they'd be upset they missed it. Covered in sand and having to wash it off in the warm sea water was another euphoric hour we shared today.

After all of this activity, little tummies were growling again so I got the champs back to the room and let them shower and change while I fixed them something to eat: a bowl of cereal for Brit and some Oreo's and milk for Bos (it's a guy trip, you should've seen our shopping cart at the grocery yesterday!). While they settled in and relaxed over some Disney channel (thanks to Neil Gabler, I'll look at all things Disney with much respect and admiration), I made my way out to the hammock with my mp3 player and the much referenced Walt Disney biography. I decided to plug in Kenny Chesney's No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, for who better to serenade here than the island boy himself? With the strong sea-breeze blowing, and the hammock holding me suspended twixt heaven and earth, Kenny's songs took me away to a season of bliss rare and wonderful. Every song on the album is terrific, but I had to pause and do some soul searching when I heard A Lot Of Thing's Different. I recalled a conversation I had with a gal pal earlier in the week in which she talked about how she wishes sometimes she'd have "let go" a little more on a Spring Break from years ago. In the hammock I thought of many times in my life I'd also have let go, and a helluva lot of times I'd have held back...yeah, I'd have done a lot of things different too, Kenny. The daylight was nearly gone and the stars were beginning to creep out, and the palm trees holding up my resting spot were swaying seemingly in time to the gentle rythms of the music when I got my next lyrical jolt from this album. Never Gonna Feel Like That Again hit me in the gut. Check this out:

It was my life and it was fun

Another season of my life is done

Another race I'm glad I got to run

Another chapter of my life is over

No I'm never gonna feel like that again

Time's rushin by me like the wind

Never be as young as I was then

No I'm never gonna feel like that again

How true, how perfectly said. I have a lot of memories of feelings I'll never recapture, but thank God we're designed to be able to hold on to the remembrances in our minds. I felt connected once again. Connected to my past, attached to every person and every event I've encountered, and eternally linked to every moment of my life by a string of memories. Yeah, life is grand.

A sudden island squall nearly upended me out of my hammock, so with the wind to my back and the rain pelting me horizontally I mosied back to the room and watched it within the safety of the structure. I've lived another day in my dream world, and I'll pillow my head tonight with recollections of it preparing me for my return to the real world in less than a week. Yes, I'm not oblivious to the fact my reverie will end soon enough, but I'm trying to grasp as much of it as I can to take home with me...

Cayman '07 Post 1

My first night and day in the islands with my boys is in the bag, and Paradise finds us in a sense of wonder and awe at how splendid life is here. As I write this I'm sitting on our beachside back porch, looking out over the Caribbean and enjoying the brisk but pleasant ocean breeze. It's a perfect 83 degrees and the outlook is for a remarkable week.

The trip didn't have such an auspicious beginning, though. Upon landing in Ft. Lauderdale, FL to connect to our Cayman Air flight we were told that the airline no longer hosted flights to Grand Cayman. Nice of them to tell us, I thought. No, we couldn't fly out of Ft. Lauderdale but they'd be happy to let us fly from Miami a little later in the evening, they said. Great, I continued thinking to myself, we'll just hitchhike down I-95 and hop a jet outta Miami, then, no problem. Besides, it's smack dab in the middle of rush hour, getting the 30+ miles down the road should be no problem at all. Whatever! Well, long story short, a hefty-priced cab ride and a whole lotta testing of my peacable, quiet, patient manner later had us in Miami, and we caught our flight...just three hours later to the island than expected. I thought it was all better once we got on board, and was making my plans on picking up the rental car at the airport and driving the 45 minutes to our resort. Wishful thinking that, I would soon find out. After disemabarking, hustling (surprisingly!) through Imigration & Customs, and venturing out into the beautiful Grand Cayman night I strolled over the the rental car counter. Yep, they were closed...and had been for 2 hours. What!?! Luckily, one of the guys at the competitors counter had come back into the office, bedecked in a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped out lookin' more like he was ready to ride his bike across town than rent me a car, and kindly hooked me up. The drive was magnificent, and I thought to myself at least 63 times about how much I really want to live here, no Wal-mart notwithstanding. We arrived at Morritt's around 11 p.m., and alas, the pearly gates had been opened.

So here we are. The pic above is of me and my yahoo's, Boston (10) & Britain (8), at one of the resort's 3 pools catchin' some rays and ready to get wet. I'm kind of a camera hog most of the time, so it's rare I make it into any pics, so I was sure to get my brother Cory to snap this one before I got completely outta control with the digi-cam. The boys are havin' a terrific time, and I'm finding the relaxed pace is giving me plenty of time to catch up with them.

It's been 3 years and 1 devastating hurricane since I've been here, but I was thrilled to look out the back window and see that the hammock I spent so much time in back then is still around. It may be a different bit of material, and perhaps even different trees (for all I know), but the location is close if not exactly the same. I've spent time there again already, and there'll be a "jeremy" print in it before the week's out, I'm sure. I brought 3 books: John Grisham's latest (and first non-fiction legal thriller) The Innocent Man, the Gabler biography Walt Disney previously mentioned in another post, and then, of course, my current Harvard Classic volume. Boston told me earlier today: "C'mon, dad, quit readin' and get back in the pool...you're on vacation, don't ya know!" I replied: "Son, reading IS a vacation for me...", and then got in the pool with him because there's nothing I'd rather do than hang out with him and his brother.

So, there you have it. Day 1 & 2 has supplied me with a cargo ship full of reflections, and I've narrowed it down to the realization that I relish most the simple things in life; relationships, reading & roamin' close to the sea. I may just have to do some job-hunting while I'm here...

Hooters...Modified

Sometimes you read the news, and an article just gets right up in your face and won't move. Yeah, well, I read one of those yesterday. It's this piece I read about the opening of a Hooters restaurant in Israel. Something about that just cracks me up. Perhaps it's my inability to think of Isreael in any other frame of mind than Sunday school, and therefore an article like this makes me think thoughts like "God is really gonna be pissed about this".

If you've never been to a Hooters restaurant, just know that it's not an owlery. No, birds are nowhere to be found there, and you'll not be viewing any Blue-footed booby's (though the ones with white tennis shoes you'll see aplenty). Anyhow, the point of the post today is how hilarious the line in the article that said the owner expected there'd be "some minor modifications to meet Israeli tastes".

Hooters...modified.

What will they change? Boobs are boobs are boobs are boobs. Will they be wearing shirts that aren't as tight? Will their shorts be a shade longer? Is there really any point? I don't plan on going to a place like Hooters to see waitresses dressed like they're at Applebee's...I mean, that's the whole point, right? Oh, I almost forgot...we all go to Hooter's for the hot wings. My bad.

Now according to Holy Writ, this is not uncommon in Isreal. In David's time they must've had a similar establishment, at which place a sultry server named Bathsheba was employed. It all makes sense now...the king of Israel was just hungry for hot wings when he inadvertently stepped into the dressing room of the local Teats (thank you, King James). Bathsheba was new, mistook the job description that told her she was supposed to give service, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Teats was the place for the deer-hunter, though, as Solomon so wisely pointed out when he told one of the servers:

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.

I could go on and on, but I think it's best I stop for now. Just make sure somebody remembers that I predict the rise of the Antichrist very soon, now that the Holy Land is hoe'ing it up BIG time.

Association of Former Pentecostals

Once again, Jabel has put me on to a worthwhile resource. I've added a link to my Surfin' the Pond section to the website of the Association of Former Pentecostals. My family has had a connection to the Pentecostal Holiness Church, an independent group of pentecostal Christians, for many years. I have a few memories from my childhood of experiences in pentecostal churches, and a large portion of my life from my mid-teens to late twenties was spent involved not just in membership, but in leadership in various capacities with them. For a number of reasons I have completely severed myself from any and all personal linkage with pentecostalism. I do have a number of friends & family, though, who are currently or formerly involved with them, so discussion about the group is quite frequent. I'm well aware of the lasting effects Pentecostalism leaves on those who choose to depart, and the tenor of this website offering "support" is not an exaggeration-that's exactly what many need.

Hollywood's Hottest Blonde

According to In Touch Weekly Christina Aguilera has been voted #1 on the Hollywood's Hottest Blondes list. I guess they haven't been reading my blog (shocker!) or else they would've realized that as the Hottest Woman On The Planet (HWOTP) she is number one regardless of her present choice of hair color. Now, since I'm sounding like a gossip mag I may as well continue the vein with a couple more comments about the bombshell blonde and say that apparantly her hair color is a reflection of her life-mood at the time. A while back when she sported black hair (hot!), evidently she was in a "sad" stage of her life. But, of course, all that changed when she met and wed her sweetheart (and all the girls say: "awwwww"), so she decided to lighten up her hair to reflect the lightening of her heavy heart.

Anyway, now that I've completely emasculated myself and joined the sissyish ranks of the gossip crew I'll sign off with an admission. My fascination with CA is strictly due to my man-ness...she's gorgeous!

Oh, by the way, in case you're wondering here's the top ten hot blondes list:

1. Christina Aguilera

2. Reese Witherspoon

3. Kate Hudson

4. Hayden Panettiere

5. Pamela Anderson

6. Gwyneth Paltrow

7. Scarlett Johansson

8. Paris Hilton

9. Heidi Klum

10.Gwen Stefani

The Thigh Of An Aroused Nymph

Though not an attempt to author a provocative post not dissimilar to a harlequin romance, this section of my blog is indeed very sexual in nature. I read today Michael Pollan's article Into The Rose Garden and now am very aware that sexual imagery long preceded the advent of television, dvd's and skin mags. The flower pictured in this post is called Maiden's Blush, a sweet and innocent sounding name that conjures up images of a giggly 12 or 13 year old girl playfully skipping through the meadow, much like Laura Ingalls Wilder. The name, though, is much racier. Consider the French name, Cuisse de Nymphe Emue, which English translation I've chosen as the title of the post: "the thigh of an aroused nymph". Pollan, in his inimitable style, paints quite an arousing picture of the procuring, planting and cultivation of roses in general, referencing this particular alba on a few occasions. As I read through this piece I recalled how even Dan Brown pointed out the likeness of a rose to female anatomy in his wildly popular The Da Vinci Code. He was, of course, deep into describing "the sacred feminine" and therefore all too eager to point out anything that promoted looking at the fairer sex with a profound admiration, mixed with a slight blushing. As a self-described lover of the female form, appreciative of the most splendid artistic beauty the Creator has placed in front of us, I'm overjoyed (shall I even say enthralled?) by the description Pollan makes of a rose bed. This place now sounds arousing and lustful, if not a little mystical. Perhaps I'll have to focus more intently on the blossoming of the rose in the coming months, and allow the age-old fascination of feminine beauty to transport me beyond just the sights and smells of a flower.

Walt Disney

My latest dive into the pool of highly recommended literature has landed me in the depths of Neil Gabler's Walt Disney: The Triumph Of The American Imagination. Some time back, before my much loved subscription ran out, I read an article in Forbes by the always interesting Rich Karlgaard in his Digital Rules segment, called "Seven Lessons Of Walt Disney". What stood out to me about his review was this pithy quote: "Walt Disney is the best business book I've read in years." Karlgaard is one of my fav's when it comes to biz advice columns, so if he says a biography about a cartoonist is the best there is concerning business books in recent years, then I couldn't be anything but all over it. I'm only about 10% of the way through, but already the reading is fireside-with-a-cup-of-java good, and is living up to the hype concerning practical business ideas. Sometimes the reminders of the old-fashioned, tried-and-true methods of an intense focus and solid work ethic, alongside a passion to succeed, serve to inspire me in a get-rich-quick fascinated society. The life of Walt Disney seems to project just these qualities, and I'm intrigued as well as motivated to continue putting my shoulder to the wheel in my attempt to accomplish my goals and fulfill my dreams.

I hadn't read anything by Gabler before that I recall, but his journalistic skills come highly lauded, and his abilities can probably be understood as almost magical seeing that he "is the first writer to gain complete access to the Disney archives". Seeing that Walt Disney died a shade over forty years ago, this seems a remarkable feat.

Perhaps this bit from the Amazon.com page will wet your whistle just a bit:

You Don't Know Disney: 10 Things That May Surprise You

1. He is not frozen. His body was cremated, and his ashes are interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California, near his studio.
2. Mickey Mouse's original name allegedly was Mortimer but Disney's wife Lillian objected because she thought it too "sissified."
3. Some of the names originally considered for the dwarfs in Snow White were: Deafy, Dirty, Awful, Blabby, Burpy, Gabby, Puffy, Stuffy, Nifty, Tubby, Biggo Ego, Flabby, Jaunty, Baldy, Lazy, Dizzy, Cranky and Chesty.
4. Walt Disney suffered a nervous breakdown in 1931 and descended into depression after the war, concentrating his attention on model trains rather than on motion pictures.
5. Fantasia was the result of a chance meeting between Walt Disney and symphony conductor Leopold Stokowski at Chasen's restaurant.
6. During World War II the Disney studio became a war factory with well over 90% of its production in the service of government training, education and propaganda films.
7. The studio stopped production for six months on Pinocchio because Walt felt the title character wasn't likable enough. During this time he devised the idea of introducing Jiminy Cricket as Pinocchio's conscience.
8. Walt Disney received more Academy Awards than any other individual--32.
9. Disney modeled Mickey Mouse on Charlie Chaplin and that Chaplin later assisted the Disneys by loaning them his financial books so they could determine what kind of proceeds they should be getting from their distributor on Snow White.
10. MGM head Louis B. Mayer once rejected the opportunity to distribute Mickey Mouse cartoons shortly after Walt had invented the character because Mayer said that pregnant women would be frightened by a giant mouse on screen.

After reading the book I think I may launch into a plan to watch all of the Disney films with a renewed sense of wonder, and a little more knowledge as to both where they came from, and the work involved in making them possible. Plus, with 2 kids it ought to be a blast just being with them through the magical journey...

*****UPDATE 5-9-07*****
I finished the book (finally!) tonight, and I must say it has been a thrilling and enlightening read. Walt Disney was an important icon while he was alive, and is no less a legend today better than 40 years after his death. From his humble beginnings and the years & years of struggles in getting his company off the ground, to the explosive growth that took place in his later years with the advent of television, the construction of Disneyland, and the massive land-grab in Florida for EPCOT & Disney World, this work chronicles every magical moment. I give it a 9.5/10.