May 28, 2004

Top 5 Jazz Songs

  1. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday, Harry "Sweets" Edison
  2. Freddie Freeloader - Miles Davis
  3. My Favorite Things - John Coltrane
  4. The Girl From Ipanema - Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto
  5. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five

May 27, 2004

Top 5 Breakfasts

  1. Baked Potato Omelet at Austin Java
  2. The "Quickie" at Red River Cafe
  3. Brian's Special at Austin Diner
  4. Any omelet I make at home with red onions, cheese, and herbs
  5. Belgian Waffles with Pecan Butter at Trudy's

May 26, 2004

Top 5 Memories

  1. Standing with a handsome Venetian watching Winter being burned in effigy on the canal, with the natives singing in dialect about fish soup
  2. Hearing a nightingale for the first time in the cemetary at San Miniato in Florence, then seeing the Duomo across the Arno, and weeping with sheer joy
  3. Having my portrait taken when I was five - lots of attention all day!
  4. Diving the Great Barrier Reef and meeting both Wally and "Nemo" in the space of 10 minutes
  5. Hearing Fijians sing at a Sunday church service

May 11, 2004

According to Rush, it's not torture, it's just "blowing off steam."

From: Julia Spencer
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 5:19 PM
To: rush@eibnet.com
Subject: Iraqi Abuse

Mr. Limbaugh:

I take great exception to your comments that the horrific treatment of Iraqi detainees is excusable because their captors needed "emotional release" or to "blow some steam off." Anyone who derives pleasure or satisfaction from humiliating, degrading, or torturing people needs to be in a mental hospital, not running a prison. The U.S. Armed Forces should not be a haven for sadists. The U.S. military represents our country abroad, and if we in the U.S. wish to demonstrate to the Muslim world the Judeo-Christian values of our country's founders, we should follow Jesus' teachings and show love and compassion for all our fellow humans, love even our enemies, and turn the other cheek when injured instead of seeking revenge. Or are you the rare conservative who does not claim to espouse Christian values, while nevertheless seeking understanding and compassion for your drug addiction? What ever happened to "do unto others as you would have others do unto you?"

Every single person in this country gets frustrated by the inevitable annoyances of modern society, but if we all coped with our frustration by indulging the basest part of our natures and violently lashing out at others, the world would be a frightening place indeed.

Thanks for listening,

Sincerely,

Julia Spencer
Austin, Texas

May 6, 2004

Top 5 Songs About Texas

  1. This Old Porch - Lyle Lovett/ Robert Earl Keen
  2. Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You) - Larry Gatlin
  3. Amarillo by Mornin' - George Strait
  4. Streets of Laredo - Traditional
  5. Red River Valley - Traditional

May 4, 2004

Top 5 Home-Cooked Meals

  1. Steak in a red-wine reduction with green peppercorns and gorgonzola butter; mashed taters on the side
  2. Salmon marinated in lemon juice, sauteed with red onions and garlic; couscous with Garlic SASS on the side
  3. Steak salad with field greens, onions, and cherry tomatoes
  4. My mom's veal Cordon Bleu, with a hot-vinaigrette salad
  5. My mom's potato salad, which has only a bit of Coleman's mustard, not the liquid condiment