I'm just a cock-eyed pessimist

I just sat and watched the unveiling of this year's Tour De France route Live! On the Internet! with shadowdaddy, who's attempt to upgrade to IE7 has entirely broken IE on his computer and thus sent him across the office to mine. But it was fun anyway, we got lucky enough to miss the stupid movies and talking and just see the cool "yellow line moving across France" bit. The Tour is going to Barcelona and to Italy, Andorra, and Switzerland this year. I told J we'd spend a weekend somewhere watching a mountain stage this year ... now we can figure out where we want to go ... and I ask, Alps or Pyrenees?

Here's my transcription of the towns I saw as they appeared on the screen (doubtlessly there will be a real map online quite soon, but this was a scoop for about five minutes):
( Collapse )
: And gosh it looks like Paris
: Funny how it always winds up there

Who knows, maybe I'll be nice and go to Paris with Shadowdaddy to watch the end of the Tour this year. :-)

And he hasn't said it but he's been offered a show of his own, a Christmas Carol at the Red Lion in Islington. I'm very excited for him!

My review of Creditors at the Donmar is up. God, it was good. Can we please have more 90 minute plays for those of us that want to get some sleep on weekdays?

Made it to the gym today - I've only been managing 20 minutes since the food poisoning - I seem to get a bit, er, dizzy after about 15. One more week and my membership dies a natural death. I'll see about joining again in February, after the move is all over.

Otherwise, you know, work, busy, etc. We're home tonight to pack for our trip. I think I might roast a chicken for dinner - or maybe a duck. Yum!

Inspired by this picture (of Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan's mom at her son's grave in Arlington), Colin Powell has gone out and stood up for what's right:

He told Tom Brokaw that he was troubled by what other Republicans, not McCain, had said: “ ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no. That’s not America. Is something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?”

Well, alright, Mr. Powell. Thank you for that.

I am still against the war and I don't think anyone should join up to go fight in it. I am against armies in general. But man, I am really grateful to Colin Powell for saying what needed to be said. I would be happy and proud to have him serving my country again in a high office.

Today I am experimenting and am cooking partridges.

I've never cooked them before. I didn't have a cookbook when I bought stuff to go with them at the store. I am Making It Up.

Tonight making it up involves a honey lemon sauce for the birds, parsnips and peppers roasting with them in the pan, and a spaghetti squash which is going to be shredded and serve as the bed for the birds. I'm also going to make a sauce with red wine, black currant jam, and blackberries, and pour this over pretty much everything right before I serve it.

I don't really know what I'm doing, but I think I can fake it well enough to convince the ignorant masses, or, in this case, me and J.

I also inadvertently stole a pork roast roll from the butcher shop that was sitting wrapped on the counter - I thought it was the birds. Oops. Better roast it up tonight!