12/27/2008

Viviane

She is doing great ,fitting in and gaining some weight poor little thing, she was all skin and bones.
a very sweet dog, crazy, but thats fine , she fits in with us.

Prish and Bianca like her and have accepted her.
For me this is the only good thing to come of Coal's untimely death,
the chance to save and give this little dog a new start with people that love and care for her.

I still miss Coal....everyday....sigh.

















M·A·C Cosmetics | Dame Edna



"Hallo Possums!"
As mirthfully minx-like and tongue-in-chic as her dazzling persona,
Dame Edna's eponymous limited-edition colour collection reveals the wit of her makeup passions...
Like our muse, it's "spectacular"!

I am so getting this stuff.....:)








12/17/2008

ViViee as Bup says....

We after alot of thought , have decided to rescue a dog,

a female american eskimo 3 yrs old that was in slavery as a breeder dog in a puppy mill,

she is terrified of people and very timid.

I want to help her and give her a good home.

Plus heal her mental trama and give her back her life.

her name is Viviane.

She will arrive Friday Morning.

The girl's name Vivian \v(i)-vian\, also used as boy's name Vivian, is pronounced VIV-ee-en. It is of Latin origin, and its meaning is "lively". An ancient personal name; a saint's name. The name has been common only since the 19th century. In Malory's "Morte d'Arthur", Vivien was the Lady of the Lake and also the enchantress of Merlin. Though not linguistically related, Vivian has been used as an English version of the Irish Gaelic name Bebhinn. See also Vianna. Actresses Vivien Leigh, Vivian Vance.
Vivian has 25 variant forms: Bibi, Bibiana, Bibiane, Bibianna, Bibianne, Bibyana, Vevay, Vi, Vibiana, Viv, Vivee, Vivi, Vivia, Viviana, Viviane, Vivianna, Vivianne, Vivien, Vivienne, Vivyan, Vivyana, Vivyanne, Vyvyan, Vyvyana and Vyvyanne.

Cute Animal Christmas Song

cute british animals with a good message

12/08/2008

Homeless dog tries to save dog hit by car in Chile - Yahoo! News

Ok, I'm crying again
Good dog....wiping eyes..very good dog.

12/04/2008

ThinkGeek :: Pet's Eye View Digital Camera

interesting

ThinkGeek :: Personal Soundtrack Shirt

Finally












ThinkGeek :: Star Trek Interactive Tribbles

cool

11/29/2008

Grieving and Death Of Pet


The death of a pet means the loss of a non-judgmental love source.
There is no longer anything for the pet owner to nurture and care for. These feelings can be particularly intense for the elderly, single people and childless couples,( their pet was likely a child substitute).


Psychologists recognize that the grief suffered by pet owners after their pet dies is the same as that experienced after the death of a person.
Grief is the normal response to any important loss in life. Regardless of whether the death of a pet followed a prolonged illness, or a sudden accident.
Grieving people experience both physical and emotional traumas as they try to adapt to the change in their lives.


Grief is probably the most confusing, frustrating and emotional thing that a person can experience. It is even more so for pet owners. Society in general does not allow pet owners to openly grieve over the death of a pet . These grieving pet owners often feel isolated and alone.
More resources are becoming available to help the bereaved pet owner realize that they are NOT alone and that what they are feeling is entirely normal.


Read these touching poems written by someone who has been touched by the death of a loved pet.


Recognizing Pet Grieving

What many people find hard to believe is that animals can form very firm attachments with each other.
Even pets that seem to barely get along will exhibit intense stress reactions when separated.
In fact, grieving pets can show many symptoms identical to those experienced by the bereaved pet owner.
The surviving pet(s) may become
restless
anxious
depressed


There may also be much sighing, along with sleep and eating disturbances
Often, grieving pets will search for their dead companions and crave more attention from their owners


How Can We Help?

How can an owner help the grieving pet?

By following these recommendations:
Keep the surviving pet(s) routines as normal as possible
Try not to unintentionally reinforce the behavior changes
If the pet's appetite is picky, don't keep changing the food... all that does is create a more finicky pet
Don't overdo the attention given to the pet(s) as it can lead to separation anxiety
Allow the surviving animals to work out the new dominance hierarchy themselves. There may be scuffles and fights as the animals work out the new pecking order (dogs mostly)
Don't get a new pet to help the grieving pet(s) unless the owner is ready. This will backfire unless the owner is emotionally ready for a new pet, and people still grieving won't have the energy for it

11/26/2008

Every Time It Snows

For Coalo , he loved the snow.

Coal, Love you forever..
















A week ago,



my beloved teacup poodle Coal , escaped through the fence in our yard.



he was apparently chasing a squirrel, big fun and going super fast, I could not catch him and he disappeared from sight.The search ensued and was unsuccessful for days we looked , put up posters and asked everyone we saw.

Nov 13th my husband recieved a call from the neighbor, Coal had been found, my poor baby was dead, we think he had an epileptic attack brought on from the excitement of the squirrel chase, it was quick, his eyes were still open, and he was in classic "fit" posistion...

My heart is broken , my little Mr.Poo,I'm crying still, I see him everywhere , he was my shadow. He was 9, we had him for 8 years..this is so hard and hurts so much, they are so much more than 'Pets" .

To me they are fur kids, and the unconditional love in their eyes is the ultimate treasure. I'm rambling, i don't care...

The joy of this season is gone for me. I have to try and seem normal for my children ,

but my heart is broken.



11/09/2008

Peter Rottentail Costume < Creature Costumes < Halloween Costumes < Fright Catalog, Inc.

omg ,,,bwwhahahahhahahahhahah cool

11/04/2008

;;;;SIGH


Welcome to the Dark Side...............
and so it Begins.............
NOT impressed.
I open the floor for comments....

10/27/2008

Runaway poodle delays flights at Boston airport - Yahoo! News


– Choochy the poodle is a 'runway runaway.'

Boston's Logan International Airport officials say Choochy escaped from her kennel as she was being unloaded after a flight from Detroit Saturday night and scampered across runways and taxiways.

Airport spokesman Phil Orlandella says the poodle evaded airport personnel for more than 17 hours and delayed at least eight flights.

About 15 state police, firefighters, operations personnel and even electricians chased Choochy late into the night, delaying flights for up 30 minutes.

Orlandella says the poodle was frightened, tired and hungry when she was finally lured to safety with food early Sunday afternoon.

The dog was treated for minor injuries at an animal hospital and returned to her family.

Cute Overload! :)

The Bear From Ipanema

10/23/2008

TrailerPark of Terror the Movie - Directed by Steven Goldmann


we got it.....YYYEEEEHaaaww!
Based on the Imperium Comics series, Trailer Park of Terror.
Six troubled high school students and their chaperon, an optimistic youth ministries Pastor, return from an outdoor character building retreat in the mountains. During a raging storm, their bus crashes, hopelessly stranding them in the middle of the Trucker's Triangle, a forgotten locus of consummate evil in the middle of nowhere. The hapless group seeks shelter for the night in a seemingly abandoned trailer park they find down the road. However, when the sun sets, it's not refuge they find. Instead, terror finds them in the form of Norma, a damned redneck reaper with a killer body who dispenses vengeance and death aided by her cursed companions, a bloodthirsty brood of Undead trailer trash.


Picked up at WalMart,while shopping for halloween crap,

it was a toss up between this and a movie about ZOMBIE SHEEP...really.. lmao..

I Like this movie it was Tacky-tacular, and the music was rockin...'

and a few good lol's...

I still want to get the sheep movie tho :P

Cute Overload! :)

Cute Overload! :)



10/13/2008

Life Sucks » Comics Worth Reading

Life Sucks » Comics Worth Reading

Life Sucks

um...ok

9/28/2008

Cute Overload! :)

Coal is in Love, she is gorgeous :)


9/24/2008

Click to Give @ The Animal Rescue Site

do this...

9/18/2008

Joel Alden Kingston

An old friend , most excellent artist, used to model for him ,
and helped him set up his first couple exibits...
eons ago in another life...


9/12/2008

Conservative T-Shirts for Cool Conservatives

OMG I must have these they rock...perfect accessory for Fall.

9/04/2008

The Chai Story

The Chai Story

READ THIS NOW!!!!!!

Fatboy Slim - Weapon Of Choice

CLASSIC WALKEN...ROFLMAO

Hey, Baby—how YOU Dune?



Know then, that is is the year 10191.
In this time, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange.
The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness.
The spice softens hands while you do dishes.
The spice exists on only one desolate, dry planet in the entire universe,
guarded by the fearsome giant sand-llamas.

8/28/2008

Dean Koontz New Release | Shop the Dean Koontz Official Store

trixie stuff> would make a good present for someone:)

8/21/2008

Lost Zombies

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Jason Hawes >Ghost Hunters>TAPS.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

These idiots and their Bigfoot lies!

These people are the lowest life forms!
I sort of knew it was fake the minute I heard the name Tom Biscardi, and felt there was no truth to it, but Mathew Whitton, Tom Biscardi, and Rick Dyer claimed they had recovered a Bigfoot body. Now this would have been great news if it was true and would of helped the Crypto field move ahead. It would have opened the door for Scientist and Skeptics to really come together and work with the researchers. So much could have been accomplished.
Now comes the truth, today it came back as it was a rubber costume all along.
These idiots set back the field so far because of their stupid little antics. I hope these idiots are terrified to leave their homes!
Here is the story:


Bigfoot nothing but a rubber costume

Arjun Ramachandran
August 20, 2008 - 9:18AM

The supposed corpse of Bigfoot has been revealed as nothing but a rubber costume, and the two US men who boasted its discovery are now - like the real Bigfoot - missing, an investigator says.

- Bigfoot fraud
- Creature's 'hollow head'
- $50,000 sum paid

Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer, announced to the world last weekend that they had found a corpse of the legendary ape-like creature in a secret forest location in their home state of Georgia.

But the organisation that arranged that press conference, Searching for Bigfoot Inc, says it was all "a lie" and a "fraud".

Steve Kulls, an investigator, wrote on the Searching for Bigfoot website that, after examining the supposed frozen corpse on Sunday, they found it to be a fake.

"I extracted some [hair] from the alleged corpse and examined it and had some concerns," he wrote.

"We burned said sample and said hair sample melted into a ball uncharacteristic of hair.

"At that time we contacted [Searching for Bigfoot CEO Tom Biscardi, who was present at the press conference] who gave us permission to begin an expedited melting process.

"Within one hour we were able to see the partially exposed head, as I was now able to touch it, I was able to feel that it seemed mostly firm, but unusually hollow in one small section. This was yet another ominous sign.

"As the team and I began examining this area near the feet, I observed the foot which looked unnatural, reached in and confirmed it was a rubber foot.

"Later that day, Tom Biscardi informed us that both Matthew Whitton and Ricky Dyer admitted it was a costume."

Mr Whitton and Mr Dyer agreed to meet Mr Biscardi at a hotel later that day to provide a written admission of what they had done, Mr Kulls said.

But when Mr Biscardi arrived at the hotel, the pair had vanished, he said.

"The motives behind this fraud are still unknown at this time," Mr Kulls said.

"It is still unclear why Whitton who, being a police officer for the Clayton County Police Department in Georgia got up before the world and lied and was complicit in a scheme to defraud in a felonious manner."

It was also revealed that Mr Biscardi paid an "undisclosed sum" to Mr Whitton and Mr Dyer as an advance on the returns expected from the "marketing and promotion" of the Bigfoot discovery announcement.

FoxNews.com reported the sum was rumoured to be $US50,000 ($57,000).

Loren Coleman, who runs Cryptomundo - a website devoted to cryptozoology, the study of hidden animals - said the whole scam appeared to be about money.

Despite the message on Mr Biscardi's company's website, which distanced him from the fraud, she said he was likely to have been part of the sham.

"He's a huckster, a circus ringmaster," she told FoxNews.com.

"It's all about money with him. It probably didn't matter to him whether it was real or not.

"[Mr Whitton and Mr Dyer] probably started out small, as a way to promote their Bigfoot tracking business, and got in way over their heads.

"These are not very intelligent individuals."

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/world/bigfoot-nothing-but-a-rubber-costume-20080820-3yf1.html

8/18/2008

Annie Lennox - Official Website

la diva , coolness

8/17/2008

Eurythmics - Beethoven (I Love To Listen To)

long time no hear

Duffy - Mercy - Official Music Video

catchy lyrics

Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl (Official Video)

cool song:P

7/28/2008

Mojitos on the Beach

on the Beach, yaaa!

7/15/2008

Cute Overload! :)


It's the Insanely Happy Dog Show!

Who'll always smile and never frown?
It's Insanely Happy Dog!
Who turns those sad days upside-down?
It's Insanely Happy Dog!

Who's a friend to every boy, girl and cat,
And no, his face didn't get stuck like that,
He's just happy to see you, so come on, let's go,
It's the Insaaaaaane-leeeeee
Haaaaa-peeeee Doooooooooooog
SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!!

6/11/2008

Nail-in-skull survivor: 'It never really hurt' - Yahoo! News

ok now I have sympathy headache...geesh.

6/02/2008

Powerman 5000 - When Worlds Collide

I Love this song....

Rob Zombie's Brick House 2003

This Frackin Totally Rocks. and so do I....

5/26/2008

The Longest Day (1962)


Also watching this....

Fixed Bayonets! (1951)



Sgt. Rock...rocks.



"I can take an order. I can't give 'em. Some men are afraid of high places, some are afraid of water, and some are afraid to be responsible for the deaths of a lot of other guys."
-Cpl. Denno

< href="http://daveenkosky.blogspot.com/2008/03/fixed-bayonets-1951.html">">Movie review, a good one.

Watched this on Memorial day, it's a good movie...

Never Forget the sacrifice they made for us all.

5/23/2008

Kat Von D at Sephora

Kat Von D at Sephora
YAY!!!!! must have pigments!!!!!!!

5/14/2008

ThinkGeek :: Indiana Jones Officially Licensed Fedora

Possibly one of the COOLEST Hats EVER!!!!!!!!!!
I MUST HAVE IT.....Honey!!!!!

5/09/2008

Myuberpet.com - Home

oh cool :)

Beverly Hills Chihuahua Movie Trailer

gootttaaa sssseeeee thhhhhiiissss

4/26/2008

a little something


Short fairy tale:

One day, a long, long time ago.......



there lived a woman who did not whine, nag or bitch.


But this was a long time ago.......



and it was just that one day.


The End






4/10/2008

Get a Free Tee at NoStankYou.com

No Stank You

no smoking site for teens and whomever


Frog without lungs found in Indonesia - Yahoo! News

hmmmmm, interesting.

4/09/2008

Cute Overload! :)









I'm a bunneh, therefore I disapprove
Oh, and IN ADDITION, I ALSO disapprove of you disapproving of my disapproval.









Ronnie, originally uploaded by Little Bay Poo.Disapproval is just built right in to us bunnehs. It comes naturally, like kitteh aloofness, am I right Beth B.?

Posted by Meg on April 9, 2008 in Bunnies Permalink

4/08/2008

Copycat Twinkies Recipe

yum...lol

3/27/2008

3/26/2008

815 Smoky Russian Caravan from SpecialTeas

yum....

3/24/2008

Buddhist dog prays for worldly desires - Yahoo! News

NAHA, Japan (AFP) - Buddhists clasp their palms together to pray for enlightenment, but Conan, a chihuahua, appears to have more worldly motivations.

The dog has become a popular attraction at a Japanese temple after learning to imitate the worshippers around him.
"Conan started to pose in prayer like us whenever he wanted treats," said Joei Yoshikuni, a priest at Jigenin temple on the southern island of Okinawa.

"Clasping hands is a basic action of Buddhist prayer to show appreciation. He may be showing his thanks for treats and walks," he said.

Conan, a two-year-old male with long, black hair and a brown collar, sits next to Yoshikuni in front of the altar and looks right up at the statue of a Buddhist deity.

When the priest starts chanting and raises his clasped hands, Conan also raises his paws and joins them at the tip of his nose.
Visitors to the temple look on with curiosity.

"It's so funny that he does it," said Kazuko Oshiro, 71, who has frequented the temple for more than 25 years.
"He gets angry when somebody else sits on his favourite spot. He must be thinking that it's his special place," Oshiro said.

Conan, originally a temple pet, has become so popular that people come in to take pictures almost every week, the priest said.

Yoshikuni estimated that the temple receives 30 percent more visitors, especially young tourists, than it would otherwise.

"I'm glad that people feel more comfortable visiting the temple because of Conan," he said as he jokingly joined his hands and bowed to the dog.


3/17/2008

America ghost videos─The Ghost Car

whoooa,cool...

3/13/2008

The Cult - Love Removal Machine

good stuff....

3/07/2008

on my mind

“One may have a blazing hearth in one's soul

and yet no one ever come to sit by it.

Passersby see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney

and continue on the way.”

Vincent van Gogh -

3/05/2008

Patrick Swayze Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer

omg...how sad ,poor man.

3/03/2008

Paragliding chihuahua survives crash in Australia - Yahoo! News

Good on ya mate!

Pokethulhu 3rd Edition

OMG tooo funny

see the irony ,

my 7yr old has discovered Pokemon...:shudder....

I'll see if he wants to read some Lovecraft......

2/27/2008

Timbaland - Apologize - Official Music Video

from my step son

2/20/2008

Barenaked Ladies - Pinch Me

I heard this song on the radio yesterday, it is a good song listen to the words...
Love these guys >Yay Canada!

2/18/2008

From Defiant Infidel :our good friend:)

a joke sent to G-man, that I had to post...it's funny.


A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture inCalifornia when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, 'If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?'

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, 'Sure, Why not?'

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer,connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany .

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally,he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-Tech Miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, 'You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.'

'That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,' says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud says to the young man, 'Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?'

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, 'Okay, why not?'

'You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government', says Bud.

'Wow! That's correct,' says the yuppie, 'but how did you guess that?'

'No guessing _ required.' answered the cowboy. 'You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are;

and you don't know a thing about cows...

this is a herd of sheep. . . .


Now give me back my dog.

2/17/2008

Christopher Walken Receives Harvard's Hasty Pudding Award -

more cowbell...

2/16/2008

Giggle

giggle....teeheee.......chortle...

I got a Lapppppp top...(repeat) : singsong voice......

a G-man surprise :)

2/14/2008

Happy St.Valentine's Day

Famous Medieval Couples

Throughout history, men and women have joined together in partnerships both romantic and practical. Kings and their queens, writers and their muses, warriors and their lady-loves have at times had an impact on their world and on future events. The same could be said for some fictional couples, whose often-tragic romances have served to inspire both literature and true-life romantic adventures.


Below are some famous (and not-so-famous) couples in Medieval and Renaissance history and fiction.


Abelard & Heloise: Real life scholars of 12th-century Paris, Peter Abelard and his student, Heloise, had a torrid affair. Their story is told in your Guide's feature, A Medieval Love Story.


Arthur & Guinevere: The legendary King Arthur and his queen are at the center of a huge corpus of medieval and post-medieval literature. In most stories, Guinevere had real affection for her older husband, but her heart belonged to Lancelot.


Boccaccio & Fiammetta: Giovanni Boccaccio was an important 14th-century author. His muse was the lovely Fiammetta, whose true identity is undetermined but who appeared in some of his early works.


Charles Brandon & Mary Tudor: Henry VIII arranged for his sister Mary to wed King Louis XII of France, but she already loved Charles, the 1st Duke of Suffolk. She agreed to wed the much-older Louis on condition that she be allowed to choose her next husband herself. When Louis died shortly after the marriage, Mary secretly wed Suffolk before Henry could embroil her in another political marriage. Henry was furious, but he forgave them after Suffolk paid a hefty fine.

El Cid & Ximena: Rodrigo DĂ­az de Vivar was a notable military leader and the national hero of Spain. He acquired the title "the Cid" ("sir" or "lord") during his lifetime. He really did marry Ximena (or Jimena), the king's niece, but the exact nature of their relationship is obscured in the mists of time and epic.


Clovis & Clotilda: Clovis was the founder of the Merovingian dynasty of Frankish kings. His pious wife Clotilda convinced him to convert to Catholicism, which would prove significant in the future development of France.


Dante & Beatrice: Dante Alighieri is often considered the finest poet of the Middle Ages. His devotion in his poetry to Beatrice made her one of the most celebrated figures in western literature.


Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville: Fair Edward was attractive and popular with the ladies, and he surprised quite a few people when he married the widowed mother of two boys. Edward's bestowal of court favors on Elizabeth's relatives disrupted his court.


Erec & Enid: The poem Erec et Enid is the earliest extant Arthurian romance by 12th-century poet Chrétien de Troyes. In it, Erec wins a tournament to defend the assertion that his lady is the most beautiful. Later, the two go on a quest to prove to each other their noble qualities.


Etienne de Castel & Christine de Pizan: The time Christine had with her husband was a mere ten years. His death left her in financial straits, and she turned to writing to support herself. Her works included love ballads dedicated to the late Etienne.


Ferdinand & Isabella: The "Catholic Monarchs" of Spain united Castile and Aragon when they married. Together, they overcame civil war, completed the reconquista by defeating the last Moorish holdout of Granada, and sponsored the voyages of Columbus. They also expelled the Jews and began the Spanish Inquisition.


Gareth & Lynette: In the Arthurian tale of Gareth & Lynette, first told by Malory, Gareth proves himself to be chivalrous, even though Lynette heaps scorn upon him.


Sir Gawain & Dame Ragnelle: The story of the "loathly lady" is told in many versions. The most famous involves Gawain, one of Arthur's greatest knights, whom the ugly Dame Ragnelle chooses for her husband, and is told in The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle.

More couples on page two.

Think you know your famous couples?

Try the Medieval Couples Quiz.

Court of Love

In 1168, Eleanor of Aquitaine left the court of her husband Henry II and took up residence in her ancestral lands of Poitou. Having served as viceregent for the king in England, she had no difficulty pursuing her duties as a ruling duchess, and she wielded the power of a feudal lord and accepted the responsibilities that went with it. With a deft hand and a discerning eye, she turned a district that had been on the outskirts of events for forty years into the center of economic and social life.


As a result of this sudden burst of activity, Eleanor's court in the city of Poitiers drew vassals paying homage, squires training to be knights, young ladies acquiring their education, and visiting future kings and queens related by blood or marriage to the duchess. Because she was a woman of renowned beauty, charm and style as well as extraordinary wit and iron will, the poets, chroniclers, musicians, philosophers, artists, and literati who always flocked around her also congregated at Poitiers.


It was out of this heady mix of royalty and romance that the movement of courtly love emerged.


There was very little that was new about courtly love (amour courtois). Poetry devoted with great ardor to a beloved lady had flourished in the Arab culture for centuries. The "courts of love," where suitors would seek advice on matters of the heart from the queen while the king ruled over his courts of law, had also been around for quite some time. Manners were already on the rise among the elite, though they were the source of much amusement and scorn from the rugged fighting men of the nobility. The cult of the Virgin was rising in popularity. And tales of Arthur and his knights, so inextricably woven into the fabric of chivalry and courtly love, had been circulating for years.
Nevertheless, this point in history was the defining moment of courtly love -- its time to blossom -- thanks to the vision of one woman and the literary work of one man.


The woman was Eleanor's daughter (from her previous marriage to King Louis VII of France), Marie de Champagne, and she had come to Poitiers to take charge of the education and training of the young people at the palace. She had her work cut out for her. The Poitevins had not been accustomed to the ways of court life for generations: the young men were boisterous, bragging warriors; the young women had led isolated lives and were free at last from the confines of the family estate. Religious study had not taught these pubescent pupils how to behave. Marie realized that a subject that could hold their interest was necessary to use as a vehicle through which they could be taught manners and respect. One subject sprang immediately to mind.


The man was a clerk known as André the Chaplain (André le Chapelain or Andreas Cappellanus), who had worked at the king's court and may have accompanied Marie to Poitiers in her employ. Marie set him to work writing a handbook on a code of behavior concerning love. André took as his model, perhaps at her suggestion, Ovid's Ars Amatoria ("the Art of Loving"). Ovid's work concerns how to seduce a woman, and among its rules are appropriate forms of dress, approach, conversation, and toying with a lady's affections, all designed to amuse. In the Ars Amatoria, the man is in control, and the woman is simply his prey.


But André (very likely at the behest of Marie) turned the Ars Amatoria upside-down. In his Liber de arte honeste amandi et reprobatione inhonesti amoris ("Book of the Art of Loving Nobly and the Reprobation of Dishonourable Love"), the woman becomes the mistress of the game. It is she who sets the rules and passes judgment on the hopeful suitor. In Ovid's work the lover sighs with passion for his pursuit, but in le Chapelain's Liber the passion is pure and entirely for the love of a lady.


The rules outlined in André's work are in many ways far from the reality of the times. In the medieval world, women rarely had any power to speak of (Eleanor was a notable exception). The nobility were warriors, and the arts of war, leadership and politics occupied their minds. More often than not, a noblemen thought of his wife (or future wife) as a breeder, a servant, and a source of sexual gratification (his, not hers). Fidelity on her part was absolutely necessary to ensure the validity of the bloodline. Fidelity on his part wasn't an issue.
Under any other circumstances, le Chapelain's Liber might have remained an interesting literary exercise (as Ovid's Ars Amatoria was intended to be); or it might have been ignored or laughed out of serious literary circles. But with the historical background at precisely the right stage of development, in the court of Eleanor and under the guidance of Marie, André's "Art of Loving Nobly" was literature to be lived.


Please visit the second part of this feature, Literature to be Lived.


Guide's Note: This feature was originally posted in February of 1998, and was updated in March of 2007.


Sources and Suggested Reading


The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.


The Art of Courtly Loveby Andreas Capellanus; translated by John Jay Parry
Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kingsby Amy Ruth Kelly
The Civilization of the Middle Agesby Norman F. Cantor
Life in Medieval Timesby Marjorie Rowling

1/26/2008

I'm back:)

Sorry for the break , just had other stuff to do..


G-Man found this for me , so I must post:)












WNYW in New York is holding a "How True Blue Are You?" contest, soliciting fan submissions of photographs that show how loyal fans are to the Giants. Joe Gannascoli, the man who played Vito Spatafore on The Sopranos submitted a picture of he and his wife holding their dog, which they had, in support of the Giants, dyed blue.Gannascoli appeared on Good Day New York this morning to put his Giants fever on display.



Meanwhile, I reached out to the dog himself, and he was good enough to grant me the following interview.



MJD: Good morning, sir. I couldn't help but notice you're blue.



Blue Dog: You're a sharp one.



MJD: It doesn't sound like you're happy about this.



Blue Dog: Ya think so, pal? How would you like it if you woke up tomorrow morning and you were blue from head to toe? Come on, buddy. I freak out when I get those weird brown rings under my eyes, and I'm supposed to be happy when I'm turquoise? And thanks for that, by the way ... you dolts couldn't even get me a decent shade of blue. I gotta walk around here in freakin' pastels.



MJD: Yeah, that shade may be more appropriate for Easter.



Blue Dog: I'm not a bunny rabbit, either, douchebag.



MJD: Do you see any upside to the dying?



Blue Dog: At least they left my crotch white. That way, my tongue doesn't turn blue.



MJD: That's good. So, do you even like the Giants?



Blue Dog: The Giants? I don't even know who the hell they are. Who are these Giants people keep talking about? How damn big are they? 10 feet? 20 feet? Is that was all this Cloverfield nonsense is about?



MJD: No, they're not actual Giants. They're normal sized people. "Giants" is just the nickname for a football team.



Blue Dog: Oh, great ... that makes sense. Yeah, because dogs love football. I love it when they do that blitzing and the diving and the homeruns and stuff. Yeah, it's great ... hike me the pigskin and I'll dunk it.



MJD: You're not interested in football?



Blue Dog: I'M A DOG, BUDDY. I'm interested in meat, things that are made to look, taste or smell like meat, screwing with the cat, and licking myself. That's about as far as it goes.



MJD: Do you have any plans for the Super Bowl?



Blue Dog: Yeah, smart guy, I do. I'm gonna walk around at some idiot's Super Bowl party, and a bunch of morons are going to pet me and go, "Awww, look at you! You must love the Giants!" You know, like I had some choice in being blue. Before the party's over, though, I'm gonna bite a kid's finger off and pee on an old lady.



MJD: That actually doesn't sound like a bad party.



Blue Dog: You wanna come? You can come ... but if you show up without some industrial strength dog shampoo, I'm gonna pee on your foot.



MJD: I have other plans. Thanks for the time, though.



Blue Dog: Ah, shove it.