Kathy Riordan

Kathy Riordan
Location
Florida, United States
Birthday
April 27
Bio
One woman's view of life and the universe. Follow @katriord on Twitter. Some nice people have said some incredibly nice things about me, which I appreciate, including being called "The mayor of Twitter" (@palafo), "The Queen of Twitter" (@lizadonnelly), "One of the funniest women on the planet" (@LATimestot), and "A friend to many" (@BillGatesZune).

My favorite poetic form, waking to sleep, going gentle, and loving thunderbirds.  Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

 

 

 

i thought i'd write a little villanelle 

 

 

I thought I'd write a little villanelle

To tell the world just what I thought I'd see

When past the bea… Read full post »

NOVEMBER 6, 2009 4:40PM

In Praise of Guinness

graceomalleyspub 

Guinness sign in the window, Grace O'Malley's Pub, on south Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  (photo: Kathy Riordan)

 

If I reach back into the far recesses of my memory, I still can't pull out the first time I ever had a Guinness.  I can, however, generally, and without much… Read full post »

NOVEMBER 6, 2009 8:41AM

Holding a Soldier Close

autumntrees 

 

It's enough to completely stop a heart.  The being told.

I heard again today, soldiers lost.

My heart stopped.

Not at war, they said.

Not off an ocean away, in the face of known dangers, presumed risks.

Home.

I thought of soldiers and soldiers.  My husband as he left… Read full post »

NOVEMBER 4, 2009 5:20PM

Happy Happy Birthday, Big Bird!

bigbird-ig

 

You didn't have to do more than a Google search Wednesday to be reminded it's a special occasion. . .Big Bird's birthday, the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street, which premiered November 10, 1969.

Google did a special tribute to the BB on its search page. 

 … Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
NOVEMBER 3, 2009 10:03PM

Finally, Standing in Line for My Own H1N1 Vaccination

vaccination-300x225

Actually, it was a pretty short line.

Last year, the first thing we did upon arriving in Florida after a summer in Wisconsin and long drive south was head for the polling booths, anticipating long waits for the US presidential election.  And there were waits, of about three hours, but… Read full post »

NOVEMBER 3, 2009 10:35AM

These Things Can't Be Helped

 

 

She sang beyond the genius of the sea.- Wallace Stevens

 

seashells-on-beach 

Seashells, Captiva Island 

 

Some things can't be helped.  I suppose that need to do laundry in the middle of the night, to write lists, to clean closets, to pack and unpack, to settle, and not s… Read full post »

NOVEMBER 2, 2009 9:17PM

Making Mr. Right

The command of a Russell Crowe in Master and Commander.master-and-commander

 

The sexy maturity of a Sean Connery.sean_connery_older1226353743 

 

The sensitivity of a Liam Neeson.liam_neeson 

 

The je ne sais quois of a Thomas Crown.imgThe Thomas Crown Affair3 

 

The savoir faire of a James Bond. roger-moore

 

The vu… Read full post »

NOVEMBER 2, 2009 8:35AM

Antiquing in Murfreesboro

 

 

If you ever find yourself south of Nashville with time to kill, antiquing in Murfreesboro is just the ticket.

 

horseantique

For dreaming of circus ponies. 

 

michaeljacksondoll 

The timely collectible. (See Off the Wall, below.) 

 

doll

Howdy Doody to you, too. 

&… Read full post »

This is a poem I wrote for my oldest niece, Megan, when she was born, recalling a visit to Bruges.

 

at the beguinage 

for megan

 

 

The little canals in the city of lace

all lead to one place, and gratefully plead

not for pity, but peace

at the… Read full post »

bearstoryouthouse

 

It was a scary, scary night.  Dark and scary.  Dark as dark.  Scary.  

The bonfire at the camp was long gone, flickering low on simmering embers, children tucked in their sleeping bags in the back of a station wagon.

Three little girls, maybe ten, maybe eleven… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 30, 2009 8:10AM

The Other Star of 'This Is It,' Guitarist Orianthi Panagaris

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24-year-old Orianthi Panagaris, the lead guitarist for Michael Jackson's "This Is It. "

 

If you found yourself in a theater watching  the much hyped Michael Jackson concert rehearsal film, This Is It, as I did last night in Nashville, you likely found a happy surprise tucked inside… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 29, 2009 6:11AM

Texting Top Chef: Vegetarians Crash Craftsteak

leeks 

 

So is this the show now or is this a rerun?

Rerun.

When is the real show gonna come on?

Twenty minutes.

Oh.

Wow glad I ate first.

Yeah.

What did I miss?

They're making dinners based on TV shows.

Oh.

This one's doing Flintstones.  Pebbles and Bam-Bam.

Oh.… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 27, 2009 11:50PM

Get Your Hot Mormon Muffins Here

Hot off the presses, Hot Mormon Muffins: A Taste of Motherhood, just in time for Foodie Tuesday:

 

muffins_0001_Layer_3_full 

 

The calendar, featuring twelve Mormon women in vintage poses, comes complete with muffin recipes. . .in case the vintage poses don't do it for you.

 

On the Web:   &n… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 27, 2009 9:30AM

Holy Mama, That's a Mambo!

Where's Tom DeLay when you need him? 

Monday night all of the remaining couples on ABC's Dancing With the Stars faced off in a traditional ballroom style competition, doing a four-minute mambo marathon with couples being tapped out in succession until only one couple remained on the dance floor.… Read full post »

OCTOBER 27, 2009 12:35AM

One More for the Road (for cartouche)

For Patricia/cartouche, because you can always use some traveling music. Thanks for the words:

 

 
 
 
 
 
OCTOBER 26, 2009 11:38AM

Why Ivanka Matters

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Forty years ago, the wedding of a wealthy New York socialite to the daughter of a wealthy New York businessman at her father's golf club in New Jersey would have been viewed as just another society wedding, the bride wore white, champagne all around, wasn't she lovely?

Attention would b… Read full post »

OCTOBER 25, 2009 9:38AM

Under a New Mexico Sky

 Scan 092980000

 

Some things are just as they seem.  So when a blank canvas stretches across the imagination painted by the image of turquoise heavens blanching down on ribbons of lilacs, adobe and sagebrush, it is just what it is.

Heaven.

Canyon Road in the springtime.  Taos in DecembRead full post »

I've been trying to post some different things on the weekends when everything is more relaxed--the Muffin story, photos of the northwoods. Here's the first time you'll see me post poetry on Open Salon, something I wrote many years ago for my father after he died.

Have a great weekend,Read full post »

Some of you will remember that last week I did a fluff post on casting a movie of my own life, with pics of the actors/actresses/celebrities I would choose if casting my immediate and extended family members, and a few other people who've passed through.
 
I did not include in… Read full post »
Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 23, 2009 9:03AM

White House Releases Official Obama Family Photo

If you checked the White House's Flickr site early this morning, you found out why famed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz has been spending so much time at the White House lately.

 

leibovitzPresident Barack Obama, Sasha Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Malia Obama, in the Green RoomRead full post »


Jess sunrise
Sunrise at sea.  (photo: Jessica Watson) 
 
 
 
Sixteen-year-old Jessica Watson would sound like a typical teenager updating her blog, were it not for her special circumstances.

From her most recent entry:

"The sun's still shining and the water is an even more amaRead full post »

Ever since the call went out to find Miss Freaky Troll Super Fab some dishy new digs, I've searched high and low in all my favorite haunts for just the right thing.

Since Freaky is known to be a surfer, and has been seen occasionally lurking behind umbrella drinks, I pulled outRead full post »

Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 21, 2009 9:57AM

Crazy Train

 


Kelly Osbourne performs a paso doble with her partner, Louis Van Amstel, on ABC's Dancing With the Stars, to Crazy Train, a song made famous by her father, Ozzy Osbourne. 
 
 
 
 
 
It wasn't the most powerful or polished paso doble of this or… Read full post »
Editor’s Pick
OCTOBER 20, 2009 4:26PM

Mass Exodus: Pope Opens Rome's Doors for Anglicans

 
 
 

 
 
In an unprecedented move, Pope Benedict XVI has made it possible for disaffected Anglicans to enter wholesale into the Roman Catholic Church.
 
 
 
 
On the Web:
 
OCTOBER 20, 2009 9:30AM

The Little Old Lady from Dubuque

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A western shepherd, and his flock.  (vintage postcard) 

 

 

If you've ever wondered who the 'little old lady from Dubuque' was, wonder no more.  

 

At that particular junction… Read full post »