And I Haven't Packed Yet, Either.

My life is in utter chaos these last days. I've got workers in my kitchen who skive off with the countertop and cabinets and now can't be found for more than 48 hours; a dog with a cracked tooth; a flu bug; a friend with a stroke; a passport visa that should have been taken care of back in September but the powers that be thought it would be wayyy more fun to wait until it was impossible for me to trot off to Vienna and get it, and then say: Go get it! NOW!!! Jump Over That 50 Foot Fence NOW!!; a short road trip; a magazine story deadline looming Sunday that has only been partially reported and not at all written; and then off to Algiera again for a few weeks (where the visa fits in) starting Monday.

If you see a man at a bar with some cabinets and a countertop, please put him in a taxi to my house.

Ugh

No posts because I've been out sick for a few days. Down for the count. I should be back up and it today or tomorrow.

The Threat in Algeria

When I was in Algeria a couple of months ago, I watched a CNN reporter talking about terrorist threats and he mentioned Algeria along with a host of other countries. I wondered what he knew that I didn't.
Terrorism is an old foe of Algerians, and we knew the situation when we signed on for the work--although Algiers seemed pretty well fortified and hadn't been targeted in quite some time.

A few days after this CNN reporter's mention of Algeria, a grenade was lobbed at a Haliburton shuttle bus in Algiers, followed by a load of machine-gunning. One person was killed, several were injured, and we were told to be more careful than we were already being--no daily patterns that could be tracked, no visiting mosques, and, as usual, no taxis. A report by the terrorist group was issued to Algerians, telling them to stay away from Americans, lest they end up as collateral damage.

This group was responsible for the massacre of 200,000 of its own countrymen during the 1990s, and still manage to pull off about one bombing a week, although usually not in Algiers.

It seems they'd like to change that. The GSPC, as they're known in French, has recently partnered, such as it is, with Al Qaeda and issued a video threatening French and Americans who "support" the Algerian government, calling them "looters."

I'll be back there soon, but only for a couple of weeks. Not much time to "loot the government."

The Needle Was THIS Big!!

The cringe factor is a little high on this one, so suffice it to say that the needle was about the size of my forearm and I really, really, really screamed in pain. No kidding.
The dentist laughed. And to get an Austrian dentist to laugh is a big deal. Must be the schadenfreude they're always going on about.

I screamed and kicked my leg out and tore the upholstery off the chair and he chuckled.

When the needle was out, and before my mouth was too numb to talk, I told the hygienist a little story about her boss, within earshot of him, of course.

"This dentist you're working for... he's a terrorist."


"Yes. I am a terrorist," said the terrorist dentist. "Except I have a license."

Castles and Kitchens

About an hour ago I went out to the patio to get some more firewood for the evening. I noticed the castle* lights were on, and that because of the barren trees in my yard, people hanging out along the castle can see into my messy kitchen. One would think that would be motivation for me to clean it up.
Or I could wait til Spring when the leaves are back on the trees.


*The Schlossberg is an 1,100-year-old castle that was built with ransom money from Richard the Lionheart.
--King Ottakar of Bohemia married a Babenberg at the Schlossberg, thus dramatically increasing the size of the empire.
--Every summer, Shakespeare plays are conducted in the castle ruins. I can hear the actors and the audience in my backyard.

It's Gladio, Daddy-o

"The City of Falling Angels" was John Berendt's excuse to live in Venice for awhile--we call it "research."

I'm only 1/3 of the way through the book, but he writes about Gladio, a CIA operation in the 1950s that trained guerrilla fighters to fend off a would-be Soviet invasion. Similar operations were also set up throughout Western Europe, including here in Austria.
Apparently Gladio operations took on a larger role than that originally assigned to it. According to Berendt's book, it was behind three attempts to overthrow the Italian government, even as last as the 1970s.
Meanwhile, Italy has had something like 60 governments since the end of WWII.

CNN's "Got the Whole World" Back to Front

I kept thinking that they'd eventually realize their mistake and take it off. But there it is, every day. That stupid ad on CNN that makes me cringe.
The commercial: While a blondish white guy wanders around looking amazed and a little befuddled at events that loom toward him, the song "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands" plays on and on. It seems the marketing folks at CNN think a Christian Jesus tune best represents its international audience. How diverse and unifying is that, CNN? Are all the non-Christian viewers supposed to be in the dark about the origins of this song?
Who okay'ed this? Who signed off? Who thought it would be a good idea? And WHY is it still airing?

The Wonder Years (or: Ghost of Holidays Past)

I'm the blondy with the attitude on the right, starting to learn how to show some leg. I'm surrounded by my brothers and sisters. Mom is in the middle, and judging by the serene look on her face after the Christmas gift-opening frenzy that was the morning, it seems she's already hit the egg nog.
We're dressed in our McCracken finest, getting ready to go to Mass, which was still conducted partially in Latin (and where Mom's egg nog will come in handy).

Those hospital blue walls would soon be spiced up with paisley velvet wallpaper (gold). The carpet in the living room was shag (bright red).

There was a wood-paneled station wagon in the driveway, a pool table in the rec. room, a home entertainment center in the den with a lazy boy parked to the side of it, and a yellow rotary dial telephone hanging on the wall in the kitchen.

It was about the time of the moon landing.

Good Omen

I dreamt last night that someone--no face, just hands reaching out--gave me a brand new deck of playing cards. They were larger than normal size, and the face card showing was a queen.

It's Over. You Can Come Out Now.

Remi hid under the covers until the fireworks were finished... just her nose and an eye peeking out...