No statue exists to Chamberlain because he did not want to push the matter. There were those who argued he had inflated his part in the bayonet charge from Little Round Top. Perhaps his reluctance to have a statue put up reflected a wish not to outshine the deeds of the men he commanded, perhaps out of a guilty conscience for exaggerating his own ( Read more... )

"It's my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of sumbitch or another." -- Joss Whedon, from the episode "Jaynestown" of Firefly

"When smashing monuments, save the pedestals. They always come in handy." -- Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, from Unkempt ThoughtsIt began ostensibly with a statue. The sorry events that culminated in ( Read more... )

Oh, how I wish to
post a scathing review on
Yelp! or on Glassdoor.
Is salvaging wounded pride
worth risking a future job?

Once again I see
Sarai, Hagar, Miriam,
three women weeping.
Would their many sons could stop,
ashamed by their mothers' tears.

A crane falls, killing
faithful in a holy place,
today of all days.
A sad accident only,
this I sternly tell myself.

This is the coat of arms for my late husband Herr Wilhelm Baumhecker (MKA Brian Keveney), to be used at the SCA 50th Anniversary Shield Wall.  The stump is blazoned or, but he preferred it proper.  I hope this suffices.


( Read more... )

What goes on behind
closed doors is getting lots of
play, to hear it told;
again whited sepulchres
will get their 15 minutes.

And a variation on a theme:

One who turns away
custom is a fool in this
economy, right?
Were you going under, and
have found the perfect excuse?

Since November 2009, I've taken up the Tanka Challenge issued by gurdymonkey. In April and November, I try to write one tanka per day for the length of those months. If you are curious, here are the rules.

Let us leave the pranks
to the amateurs and the
posers on this day.
Look! Tiny green buds appear
on the bush outside the gate!

Dear Diocese of Miami ( Read more... )

I saw the first part of Mockingjay over the weekend. The melody in the movie for The Hanging Tree was haunting, but the one thought up for this fan film made almost two years ago is equally so. I love this father-daughter teaching moment. The actors could have both been darker of hair, but that's a minor quibble.  Enjoy, everyone.

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