Haunt Jaunt

This week, I am back visiting areas in the Ozark region of southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas.  As I sit typing out my Two Thoughts For Tuesday, I am a bit pressed for time.  Hubby and I have been hanging out in America's Most Haunted Hotel for the last couple of days and are going to go out on a ghost hunt tonight.  Chances are I will have to fill you in on the results of our hunt sometime later tonight.  For now I will give you  a little history of the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Thought Number One:   The 1886 Crescent Hotel

Built in 1886, the Crescent Hotel and Spa was built by Irish stonemasons in the Ozark Mountain town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  When the doors opened, the hotel catered to the “carriage set” of people living in and traveling through the town during the Victorian Era. It was a destination for the rich and famous. Tea dances were held in the afternoon while dance parties were held at night, with music from the in-house orchestra. For many years, the hotel enjoyed prosperity as a year-round resort for those seeking the healing properties of the springs that seem to be abundant all over Arkansas.

By 1908, the hotel was in decline and was opened as the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women. It catered to wealthy young women while still
catering to the tourist crowd, but neither this nor the astronomical tuition charged to the students was enough to keep up with the constant upkeep and repairs needed. The school closed in 1924.  In 1930 it reopened as a junior college for four years.
It wasn't until 1937 that The Crescent Hotel entered it's most notorious period.

Someone's Having A Birthday!

Typically I don't post on Sunday, but today is a special Sunday.  It is nonamedufus' birthday and Cheryl (obviously a different Cheryl)   over at Deckside Thoughts is hosting a surprise birthday party.  So here we all are hiding in a dark room...waiting ever so quietly....sssshhhhh...for nonamedufus to show up.

Where is the birthday boy?   Oh wait...I think I hear him coming!!!!

Perhaps they are just clowning around

Ignore the clowns.  Cheryl P. and Crabby Pants wish you a great birthday!

I Am A Lady



The Lady of Shalott painted in 1888 by John William Waterhouse

Thought Number One:  Titles

I have a new title!  Yes, it's official...well...sort of official...I am a lady.


Before I begin to try to prove my case for "ME being a lady",  let's just throw it out there,  that it is so much easier being a man as far as titles go.  For the most part the title "Mister" is one of the few titles that would be used other than a professional  designation.

Women, however, have an array of  titles that they may be called over a lifetime. Throughout the world, many titles have to do with the marital status of a woman or her level in society.   In the U.S. some of various choices have changed over the years.

For example:  There was a time that married women took on the husband's first and last name when signing legal documents. For example a woman would write Mrs. John Doe when signing a check instead of writing her own given name such as Jane Doe.  My grandmother once got a call from the bank asking her to quit signing her checks like that after my grandfather died.  She was in her 90's at the time and seemed to be annoyed  by the request.  They knew who she was after all.  The same bank didn't have a problem cashing checks that had been stolen from her  with forged signatures on them so, I am prepared to just think they are a crappy bank but back to the subject at hand.

The B Word

Today we are bringing you the Back-page news with a lot of  "B" words involved. 

Seems there is a bird that has a bit of an ego

Banish Your Bra


A French sports doctor who spent 16 years studying the busts of about 300 women sent a scare through a country known for its love of lingerie this week when he suggested bras were useless. (Useless??? ...that's harsh)

How Would You Rate That?

I was reading an interesting blog yesterday over at  Riot Kitty called  Could This Movie Be Made Today?.

She had watched the Bond movie Goldfinger and commented on some of the things contained in the movie that would by today's standards might be viewed differently.   I took a special interest in the topic as I was planning on writing a post today on the subject of a book that was made into a  movie in the 1950s that was considered scandalous....which I will talk about in a  moment.

Anyway..I always enjoy RK's take on things as she is a great blogger and  found her comparisons to Goldfinger which was released in 1964 to a current movie that she went to see.

Of course, me being me, I had to jump over to Google "Goldfinger" and refresh my memory.  I hadn't seen the movie since I was a teenager and didn't remember much other some of the characters odd names.  There was Goldfinger, of course, but there was also, Oddjob and Pussy Galore.

Last Chance Deductions, Maybe or Maybe Not

 Crabby Pants and Cheryl P. are awfully busy today rounding up all those receipts and such to figure out how much  "who owes who" so today, we are posting a post from a couple years ago.  For those of you that have been long time readers, hope you aren't bored with old information. 

Today is the day!.  April 15th is here and I just wanted to help you out by offering up a couple of ideas for last minute deductions. 

Disclaimer - these ideas are to be used at your own risk (risk of an audit and risk being thought of as an idiot).  I got my information off of the ever reliable, never wrong on any subject, have to believe it because I read it and it looked accurate enough to have me repeat it, Internet.  I am not an accountant, don't want to be an accountant, worry about why anyone would be an accountant and can hardly add simple numbers
together so would make a miserable accountant.  Never the less here are my "last minute deductions" advice to you.  Take them or leave them.  I don't really care as I don't have to pay your tax bill. I am just out here trying to be helpful.

Take One for the Team

Normally on Friday, I look around for stories that are more  "filler" type of pieces that didn't make the front page headlines.  Odd, weird or offbeat news that you may or may not of heard about.   Most of the odd types of news stories have the common component of  "That wouldn't make your mother proud!"

But for this week among all the questionable behavior and the "what were they thinking?" stories, I  am  going to talk about a story that  you probably have already heard about. Hopefully, you will enjoy seeing the video one more time.

Crabby Pants is ready to cheer for the Huskers

Just a little background  information....As my long time followers know, my husband and I have taken a number of moves to accommodate his corporate ladder climbing.  Twenty-one moves to be exact.  One of the states we called home for almost 6 years was Nebraska.  It was in Nebraska that our Kiddo #2 went to college and got a couple undergraduate degrees out of the University of Nebraska, so we have had a close up and personal experience with the Huskers.  (or at least our son and his tuition money did)

Shopping Paranoia

It's that time of year that most of my gender is eager to shop for their summer wardrobe. I seem to be one of
the few that is reluctant to get out and revamp my winter duds with lighter, brighter, funner (yes, I realize that isn't a real word)  summer duds.  I hate shopping in general but I especially hate "hunting for bargains".  Oh, don't get me wrong.  It's not the saving money part, I detest.  I love saving money.   It's the fact that the stores that seem to offer the deepest discounts, also offer the greatest measure of security.   It's more like dealing with the TSA than a retailer. The big difference, of course, is the pat-down would be on the WAY OUT not the way in.

It Could Be Funny

I know that humor can be VERY subjective.  What I find funny, you may not and vice versa.  Although, it should be noted that I can usually find humor in about anything.  Unfortunately, this trait has not always proven to be a good thing. Laughing at inappropriate times isn't always  (OK...let's say... IS RARELY) appreciated.

I think funny glasses are humorous
on some people.

I sometimes feel that I am "swimming against the stream" as far as humor goes.  This was recently reinforced when I went to a lecture on the subject of humor.  The speaker refers to herself as a Dr. of  Humor.  Self- proclaimed doctor, I am sure. Frankly, I just didn't "get" her humor at all. A lot of the audience seemed to be entertained by her anecdotes of what  she found funny at her mother's funeral.  I wasn't moved to emit even so much as a chuckle.  During the portion of her program where she hauled audience members to the stage and forced them to wear funny glasses,  I was sneaking peeks at my watch. It had to be apparent that I wasn't rolling in the aisle with uncontrolled laughter, thereby giving me a 100% chance of never being invited up to the stage.

Why am I explaining my somewhat "off kilter" sense of humor?  Well...this week, while I was trolling around for news some of this week's odd news stories, several reports  that caught my eye, weren't necessary funny in their subject matter as much as the tie-in of certain words or unlikely outcomes. 

Let's start with an April Fools prank...those tend to be tricky.  What may be funny in theory may not be so funny in execution.   I have to wonder how many times the perpetrator said "Watch this! This is going to be hysterical." only to be followed up with someone else saying "Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"

Looking From Both Sides Now

It occurred to me while filling out my most recent juror qualification form, perhaps question #6 is a PERCEPTION on my part.  What if I am certifiably crazy  but I only think I am a sane person?

Do we really see ourselves as we are?  Are our opinions of ourselves or the world around us anything close to being accurate?

This week I have noticed on a number of occasions that perhaps, my point of view might be....OK...more than might...strikingly different than those around me.