And wouldn't you know it - writing about it and thinking back about it, guess what I just did?

I finished the reply to you and then went downstairs to find my old Eloise book and pour through it for another hour! It's in terrible shape and some of the pages are taped in place. The cover certainly is. I eventually had to go buy a new copy.

There's an update or two, also, which I found hilarious! One of the comments that repeats, along with "a ______ makes a very good hat," there's one about "here's what he(she) likes: _________. Here's what I like: ________." In my original version from 1959, it was "here's what I like: Grass." But the modern-day update has changed that to "here's what I like: Dandelions." ROFL!!!!!

And you know what else is so cool about that?

There is a portrait of Eloise in a place of honor in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. PERFECT!

God, Eloise! She was the secret sister I never had. Always getting into mischief. Taught me words like "skibble" as in "skibble down the hallways" and "sklathe" as in "sklathe across the bed" and phrases like "I pat her on her botto which is large" - referring to Nanny's behind, which actually was "rawther" large (that's another Eloise-ism: "rawther&quot . And btw, that's "botto" with an "o" and nothing beyond it! Became a, well, rawther useful word for diaper changing time when both kids were little. And THEY both wanted to be little pranksters like Eloise, just like I did when I was a kid. And you learn important things like the Plaza is the only hotel in New York that will allow you to have a turtle, and that the reason you go to Paris is to get roses in your cheeks, and that toe shoes make very good ears, and that a box of kleenex AND an egg cup each make very good hats, and that "you have to eat oatmeal or you'll dry up. Anybody knows that." The whimsy of the writing and ESPECIALLY the illustrations!!!! OH MAN, I'm 60 years old and I can STILL kill almost a whole evening pouring over one of those Eloise books. And I still learn things about drawing and cartooning and the little details that convey motion and strong feelings and such. Among my FAVORITE books!

Oh man - don't get me started (on that one)!

But just in general: stop and think for a moment who all is here. The caliber of the participation is genuinely remarkable and highly distinguished. You can't help but learn more!

There are writers of all kinds, teachers, historians, philosophers, academics, commentators, humorists, bloggers, journalists, analysts, researchers, judges and magistrates, doctors of all derivations - both MDs and PhDs and JDs and DDSs and DVMs, PLUS ophthalmologists who really are fully and regularly accredited, unlike rand paul. There are politicians, secretaries, sociologists, theologians, reporters, investigators, merchandisers, promoters, strategists, retailers and wholesalers, restauranteurs, chefs, wait-staffers, brokers, attorneys, messengers, leaders and followers, performers, designers, actors, singers, musicians, composers, producers, dancers, illustrators, artists of all visual kinds, crafters and hobbyists of every kind, animal lovers of every kind, videographers, photographers, collectors, aviators, every kind of athlete and sports freak and every kind of nerd and geek, butchers, bakers, and candlestick-makers. There are singles, marrieds, divorcees and honeymooners, the separated and widowed, gays, straights, transgendered, bisexuals, celibates. There are students, graduates, and drop-outs, renters, landlords, owners, leasers, and even some homeless. There are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and the childless, only-children, adoptees, foster children and foster parents. There are veterans of every stripe and rank. There are fans and protesters and refusniks and war-hawks. There are wealthy and not-so-wealthy, comfortable and underwater. The insured and uninsured. The healthy, the ailing, disabled, those in crisis, and those in recovery. Celebrators and mourners. Abused and abusers. Immigrants and expatriates. Policemen and fire fighters and other first-responders, crime victims and accident victims. Business owners, middle managers, part-timers, the rank-n-file, and the unemployed. Union members and non-union members, and people who wish they had unions but live in right-to-work-(for-less) states. There are Christians and Jews, Muslims and Catholics, agnostics, atheists, cultists, conspiracy buffs, provocateurs, and devil's advocates. Blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, mixed-race, young and old and teens and the middle-aged and the retired. There are people from everywhere, every continent, many countries, speaking multiple languages. Builders and demolition specialists alike. Insiders and outsiders. We have and have had some big names - from Alan Grayson to the late Elizabeth Edwards. We have people of every political frequency on the dial - and EVERY kind of Democrat you can imagine, plus more than a few recovering, rescued, or reformed Republicans.

It's more than just a website. It's a freakin' think tank! Rich in almost every imaginable perspective and level of experience. And it's all ours! And it never closes!

Welcome to DU, vt_native!

Glad you're here! Glad to have this community to share! It's kept me sane since bush/cheney stole their first election together. It's an oasis in the political desert. It's where you CAN find Dems with backbone. LOTS of them. And it's where you need not feel alone! Either in your own feelings or opinions, or when you're grieving. I THINK it was Skittles who pointed out - "someone's always here."

I loved the "Eloise" books when I was little. Still do! Eloise and I were both six at the same time! Eloise was a mischievous little girl who lived in the Plaza Hotel penthouse in Manhattan with her patient, long-suffering Nanny, her dog and her turtle, and was both a self-described "city child" and a citizen of the world at the same time. We went with her to Paris in one book, for example, and to Moscow in another. Her room was a fright and she had this thing for wanting to pour water or champagne down the mail chute. Her mother was never there but was some sort of wealthy aristocrat who knew everybody. She referred to Nanny as "my mostly companion." Sometimes I feel as though, after my husband, DU is my "mostly companion"! That's a good way to think of it. DU really is always here. Somebody's gonna be reading and weighing in, and very often they weigh in on something you write. You can always expect that you'll be watching events, speeches, debates, conventions, hearings, trials, and live breaking news together with somebody here. Often there are threads about whatever it is, with some great play-by-play! I just love DU! And if you're ever in need of some big shoulders - some of the broadest and sturdiest on record are here. And they've already got your name on 'em.

(BTW - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and thoroughly engaging reading, those "Eloise" books! But beware - you just might feel compelled to grab a couple of pencils and sheets of paper and start drawing! The flamboyant Broadway actress, chanteuse, raconteur, witticist, and author Kay Thompson wrote the "Eloise" books and this ridiculously talented dude named Hilary Knight did all the illustrations. Intoxicating!!!! I used to pour over them for hours, just studying those drawings. Definitely influenced my own drawing style.)

Matching kitties and bunnies!!! And the big fat cat that may have eaten the turkey...

WE have a big fat cat like that! Wouldn't be surprised if he has turkey platter dreams even now!

Well, then that's when we should start getting LOUDER: "You FIRST!"

If you're not willing to put your own money where your hard-on for war is, then you can't possibly expect me to put MY money (or my kids') where YOUR hard-on for war is!

Then the proper response is: "YOU FIRST!!!!"

We'd be in our fifth year of war - in FIVE Middle Eastern countries!

And for Heaven's Sake, he actually WENT to war. He of all people should know better! He of all people should know the real costs of war, since he personally paid some. When I heard his schtick at the 2012 GOP CONvention, agitating for not one, not two, not three, but FIVE different fights we need to pick with countries over there.

Wow! GREAT map, Laelth!

Where'd you find it?

This is a HUGELY important point to keep in mind!!!

I think about this particular dynamic every time I hear somebody rhapsodizing about how reagan saved the world and reagan brought down the Berlin Wall and reagan ended Communism and reagan ended the Soviet Union.

Well... not so fast. reagan could not have done ANYTHING OF THE SORT, were it not for some guy named Gorbachev on the other end. Were it not for some dude named John Paul II drilling holes in the underpinnings all over the Eastern Bloc. Were it not for some guy named Lech Walesa softening up the ground in Poland. If THOSE players had not been in place, none of the rest of it would have happened. I liken it to a sports team. If all you have is a strong pitcher, you're not apt to win the baseball game. You need a great catcher, a great first baseman, solid coverage on the other bases and in the outfield, and some reliable power hitters. I give a HUGE amount of credit to Mikhail Gorbachev. If reagan had been stuck with Brezhnev or Chernyenko or more of the "old guard" in the Kremlin to deal with, and not Gorbachev - with his different world view and his feet firmly planted in the modern era and reality, who started opening the windows in that stale Moscow power center and letting the fresh air in - NOTHING would have happened.