Beauty

[just bee]

I just heard the news I've been dreading for a very long time.

Charles Krauthammer has issued a letter:

I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me.

In August of last year, I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen. That operation was thought to have been a success, but it caused a cascade of secondary complications which I have been fighting in hospital ever since. It was a long and hard fight with many setbacks, but I was steadily, if slowly, overcoming each obstacle along the way and gradually making my way back to health.

However, recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.

I wish to thank my doctors and caregivers, whose efforts have been magnificent. My dear friends, who have given me a lifetime of memories and whose support has sustained me through these difficult months. And all of my partners at The Washington Post, Fox News, and Crown Publishing.

Lastly, I thank my colleagues, my readers, and my viewers, who have made my career possible and given consequence to my life’s work. I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny.

I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.

[just bee]

Of Dogs and Men

By Charles Krauthammer Tuesday, June 10, 2003

The way I see it, dogs had this big meeting, oh, maybe 20,000 years ago. A huge meeting — an international convention with delegates from everywhere. And that's when they decided that humans were the up-and-coming species and dogs were going to throw their lot in with them. The decision was obviously not unanimous. The wolves and dingoes walked out in protest.

Cats had an even more negative reaction. When they heard the news, they called their own meeting — in Paris, of course — to denounce canine subservience to the human hyperpower. (Their manifesto — La Condition Feline — can still be found in provincial bookstores.)

Cats, it must be said, have not done badly. Using guile and seduction, they managed to get humans to feed them, thus preserving their superciliousness without going hungry. A neat trick. Dogs, being guileless, signed and delivered. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

I must admit that I've been slow to warm to dogs. I grew up in a non-pet-friendly home. Dogs do not figure prominently in Jewish-immigrant households. My father was not very high on pets. He wasn't hostile. He just saw them as superfluous, an encumbrance. When the Cossacks are chasing you around Europe, you need to travel light. (This, by the way, is why Europe produced far more Jewish violinists than pianists. Try packing a piano.)

My parents did allow a hint of zoological indulgence. I had a pet turtle. My brother had a parakeet. Both came to unfortunate ends. My turtle fell behind a radiator and was not discovered until too late. And the parakeet, God bless him, flew out a window once, never to be seen again. After such displays of stewardship, we dared not ask for a dog.

My introduction to the wonder of dogs came from my wife Robyn. She's Australian. And Australia, as lovingly recounted in Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country, has the craziest, wildest, deadliest, meanest animals on the planet. In a place where every spider and squid can take you down faster than a sucker-punched boxer, you cherish niceness in the animal kingdom. And they don't come nicer than dogs.

Robyn started us off slowly. She got us a border collie, Hugo, when our son was about 6. She knew that would appeal to me because the border collie is the smartest species on the planet. Hugo could 1) play outfield in our backyard baseball games, 2) do flawless front-door sentry duty, and 3) play psychic weatherman, announcing with a wail every coming thunderstorm.

When our son Daniel turned 10, he wanted a dog of his own. I was against it, using arguments borrowed from seminars on nuclear nonproliferation. It was hopeless. One giant "Please, Dad," and I caved completely. Robyn went out to Winchester, Va., found a litter of black Labs and brought home Chester.

Chester is what psychiatrists mean when they talk about unconditional love. Unbridled is more like it. Come into our house, and he was so happy to see you, he would knock you over. (Deliverymen learned to leave things at the front door.)

In some respects — Ph.D. potential, for example — I don't make any great claims for Chester. When I would arrive home, I fully expected to find Hugo reading the newspaper. Not Chester. Chester would try to make his way through a narrow sliding door, find himself stuck halfway and then look at me with total and quite genuine puzzlement. I don't think he ever got to understand that the rear part of him was actually attached to the front.

But it was Chester, who dispensed affection as unreflectively as he breathed, who got me thinking about this long-ago pact between humans and dogs. Cat lovers and the pet averse will just roll their eyes at such dogophilia. I can't help it. Chester was always at your foot or your hand, waiting to be petted and stroked, played with and talked to. His beautiful blocky head, his wonderful overgrown puppy's body, his baritone bark filled every corner of house and heart.

Then last month, at the tender age of 8, he died quite suddenly. The long, slobbering, slothful decline we had been looking forward to was not to be. When told the news, a young friend who was a regular victim of Chester's lunging love-bombs said mournfully, "He was the sweetest creature I ever saw. He's the only dog I ever saw kiss a cat."

Some will protest that in a world with so much human suffering, it is something between eccentric and obscene to mourn a dog. I think not. After all, it is perfectly normal, indeed, deeply human to be moved when nature presents us with a vision of great beauty. Should we not be moved when it produces a vision — a creature — of the purest sweetness?

[aprilskies]

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@just bee wrote:

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@aprilskies wrote:

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Another reason not to hoard.  Tastes and skin change.

What is the definition of insanity?

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@aprilskies

Don't get me started!  I've come a long way with backing off of all the backups, but there's still a tendency to collect the items I like when there's a sale.  I'm fully stocked on Acure shampoo and conditioner and now I'm wondering if that was just another error in judgment.

It's weird.  The three varieties I have all have similar ingredients but the results are all very different.  And, of course, there are other factors that affect how your hair looks from day to day, but now I'm not so sure I like one of the varieties.

And that could change.  Who knows?

Man -- already one week down this month and what a week it was!  Here's hoping everyone can relax this weekend...

We need to revisit "fun."

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@just bee, agreed. ...on fun.  I am starting too get my mojo back. At least, trying too.  Not saying I am going to be blazing any trails but we do need to shake it up - A LOT!!!

On the backups - I do find this hard, especially when you do like something and there is a sale.  A sale is also a good time to try other products in a line, you just never know what will work. I still need to work on the backup thing.

I have a ton of shampoo. Some I am using as handsoap. When I tried the HASK line, I got a variety, they are cheap enough, but I only really ended up liking one so the rest I am using up at the sink. Some of them are too moisturizing, my hair is better with a bit of texture.  I still have a slew of other brands though that also may of not worked for me.  Some of these I will try again and see how I like them. If not, they will take their turn at the sink or I will find a good home for them.

Which of the acure shampoos did you love?

[aprilskies]

Well, I can say I am enjoying using my mu again. I only do a quick 5 min routine with just the basics so far but I do like the process.  Why did I abandon it for so long. I dont have to ditch my powder foundation, I just made sure to moisturize just a little bit more and my face feels good and evened out.  I really like balance n brighten so easy and quick. I have to pull out the Bare Minerals one again.  I dont look to cover everything up so these work well for me.

I think I just have to resign to the fact that I do love mu even though I dont reach for it all that much.  It is just fun.  I find myself looking at all of the new products that are coming out. ....and skincare.  But, I have not purchased -yet!  I do find myself lately relaxing with all of my excess and just enjoying the products. I always felt anxiety over them and still do but I think I am giving up the fight and just enjoying them instead of just trying to get through them.I know I have to toss a few because of how old they are, but so be it.  I just cannot allow myself to keep stressing over it.

In using my eyeshadow palettes again, there is no way I will ever possibly use anything up. I just dont go heavy on the mu so I probably have enough for 2 lifetimes +.  

HEP has been going great for the last 4 days. I am have gotten back to intermittent fasting and I have stayed away from the snacks. The weekend is coming up so that will no longer be the case, but I am feeling good about that because it hasnt been easy.

Alright I have chewed off your ears enough. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

[just bee]

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@aprilskies wrote:

Which of the acure shampoos did you love?

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@aprilskies

I'm not sure if I love any of them!

I started with argan oil & pumpkin (mega moisture), then I ordered coconut & marula (simply smoothing) and lemongrass & argan (curiously clarifying).  I wanted to try pear & fig (body beautiful), but only the conditioner was available.  Still waiting for the shampoo to reappear...

Strangely, the one I thought would be a mistake -- the lemongrass -- has kinda won me over.

[geezerette]

@aprilskies

No, no exciting purchases lately.  I just have been getting in my purchases from when I caved on the Memorial Day sales.  I didn’t get anything exciting, some were just replacements for the eventual retiring of when I get a spot of some of my go-to-town clothes that won’t come out and will need to be delegated to around-the-house clothes.  I never buy any of that unless it’s on sale.

I did get a few different pieces, and of those, I would say that about 40% I should not have bothered with.  Probably why I’ve never bought them before.  I really knew I shouldn’t have done so this time either, but, you know how it goes.  Not so bad that I’m going to return, but they’ll probably end up in the donation bag before the season is over with.

So far, I’m doing well for June.  For once, I’d like to make a whole month without buying anything but replacements.  Now is as good a time as any.

[aprilskies]

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@geezerette wrote:

@aprilskies

No, no exciting purchases lately.  I just have been getting in my purchases from when I caved on the Memorial Day sales.  I didn’t get anything exciting, some were just replacements for the eventual retiring of when I get a spot of some of my go-to-town clothes that won’t come out and will need to be delegated to around-the-house clothes.  I never buy any of that unless it’s on sale.

I did get a few different pieces, and of those, I would say that about 40% I should not have bothered with.  Probably why I’ve never bought them before.  I really knew I shouldn’t have done so this time either, but, you know how it goes.  Not so bad that I’m going to return, but they’ll probably end up in the donation bag before the season is over with.

So far, I’m doing well for June.  For once, I’d like to make a whole month without buying anything but replacements.  Now is as good a time as any.

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I know. It is crazy how something so seemingly simple, isn’t.  

I think as far as skincare, mu, haircare go, I think I can do a no buy for June. I don’t believe I have purchased anything in this category yet this month. I will take a gander around to make sure.  If yes, I will try it for these categories. Oh, I did buy a replacement hair product but I don’t count replacements. Those are truly needs otherwise I wouldn’t of replaced it and I don’t hold off on replacing something I need.   I may need to commit to this because I have been sniffing around mu lately. 

A true no buy in all categories.  Phew not sure I am ready for that. Lol.   Maybe around September. 

[just bee]

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@aprilskies wrote:

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@geezerette wrote:

@aprilskies

So far, I’m doing well for June.  For once, I’d like to make a whole month without buying anything but replacements.  Now is as good a time as any.

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I know. It is crazy how something so seemingly simple, isn’t.  

I think as far as skincare, mu, haircare go, I think I can do a no buy for June. I don’t believe I have purchased anything in this category yet this month. I will take a gander around to make sure.  If yes, I will try it for these categories. Oh, I did buy a replacement hair product but I don’t count replacements. Those are truly needs otherwise I wouldn’t of replaced it and I don’t hold off on replacing something I need.   I may need to commit to this because I have been sniffing around mu lately. 

A true no buy in all categories.  Phew not sure I am ready for that. Lol.   Maybe around September. 

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@aprilskies

@geezerette

It can be done.

Tackle the beast one week at a time.

This is where laziness comes in handy.  Sometimes I get the urge to buy something but laziness kicks in and I just never get around to it.  I can't believe I finally got off the stick and bought a replacement computer.

The new monitor showed up yesterday and today the PC will arrive.

Now BH wants me to organize my files and prune documents and email.

It can't be done.

[rnmom]

@just bee- I love that writing! So sad that the author isn't long for this world.

I think I have one of those dogs of the "purest sweetness". I've grown up with dogs my whole life, think I've lived with 7 so far. While I've loved them all (except for one my folks had when I was a kid, she hated us kids) the one Chessie I have right now is absolutely the sweetest girl I think I've ever had. She's not the best behaved, she's chewed up my slippers, my brand new kitchen table and even parts of the house, but she is SO sweet that I can never stay upset with her for longer than a few minutes. She's not quite 5 now and I sure will miss her when she's gone. I can't even imagine it. 

[Squirrel Lover]

Just Bee--I am sick about Charles K. When he was on special report I had a rule that no one could speak when Charles spoke. No one! He is a conservative god to me and I cried terribly yesterday when I read his letter. 

I will miss him so very much. I was waiting with baited breath for him to come back to special report. Poor Bret Bair he was a dear friend to him. So sad this week has been terrible. I loved Anthony Bordaine's tv show. He was cool and smart.