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Guest Entry: Maggie's Christmas Present

This story was recently posted by my friend, Maggie on a little weight loss support forum where we are both members.

Merry Christmas, everyone. And best wishes for the new year. I got a most unusual gift for Christmas this year. I posted about it at HDAC but thought you might be interested in what is going on in science today............

Jason admired the bracelet watch that Tony had given me for Christmas and said, “I have a gift for you, too. It’s not as pretty as Dad’s.” He brought a sack to my desk and took out a box from it. The box was marked PlayStation 3.

I was confused and thought, “PlayStation 3? Isn’t that the unit that kids play games on?” Jason opened the box and took out a disc of a Spiderman game. Somehow I just couldn’t see myself sitting around in my pajamas playing a Spiderman game. I didn’t know what to say. Maggie without words? Never! But it was true. I didn’t know what to say. How about, “Can you get your money back? Is it returnable?”

Jason was clearly enjoying my confusion but finally took pity on me and began to explain. “The PlayStation 3 is a super fast computer. It is much faster than my computer and mine is the fastest PC around.”

Still not understanding, I thought, “Okay, so I can play Spiderman super fast?”

Jason said that this computer will probably never be used to play a game. It is for folding at home.

Folding at home is a distributed computer project designed by Stanford University. The project’s goal is to understand protein folding and mis-folding and how they relate to diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Mad Cow Disease, some cancers and the biggie for all of us, Huntington’s Disease.

Basically, how it works is that a small part of a folding problem is sent through the Internet to computers around the world. The program will run in the background using unused CPU power or run as a screen saver. When the owner of the computer is away and not using it, the software written at Stanford uses the computer to fold and discontinues the folding when the owner returns to use his computer again. When the problem unit is completed it is returned to Stanford and reassembled into the collected data. Over a million computers are participating in the folding project and over 27,000 of those are PlayStations. Sony sells the PlayStation with the software for folding already installed. And we have already learned more than was thought possible. Fifty-four scientific papers have been published using the information gained. It gives me even more hope that a cure for Huntington’s is near.

Collectively, the computers make up the fastest computer in the world. And it is working for us!

Jason set up my PlayStation 3 in our conference room at work and we watched the graphics on our screen. A protein molecule tumbles over and over with a world map in the background showing the approximate location of the computers that are being used in the project. We registered my computer and soon had our first unit of work. The results of individual computers is shown at a website and I was delighted to see this morning that I had completed 1 unit of CPU work. When we tire of the graphics or need the screen for other purposes, the PlayStation 3 will be installed in the server room to run 24/7 without a holiday, even Christmas.

I know my little PlayStation 3 is only one in the million working to solve the mystery of folding and mis-folding and how they relate to HD, but I get a deep satisfaction that it is there, contributing to the solution.

Thank you for the gift, Jason.

Maggie

Maggie's husband Tony has Huntington's Disease.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season!

Christmas Carols for the Psychologically Challenged

1) SCHIZOPHRENIA - DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

2) AMNESIA - I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

3) NARCISSISTIC - HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING ABOUT ME

4) MANIC - DECK THE HALLS AND WALLS AND HOUSE AND LAWN AND STREETS AND STORES AND OFFICE AND TOWN AND CARS AND BUSES AND TRUCKS AND TREES AND FIRE HYDRANTS AND...........

5) MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER -WE THREE QUEENS DISORIENTED ARE

6) PARANOID - SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO GET ME

7) BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER - THOUGHTS OF ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE

8) FULL PERSONALITY DISORDER - YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, I'M GONNA CRY, I'M GONNA POUT, MAYBE I'LL TELL YOU WHY

9) OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER - JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS

10) AGORAPHOBIA - I HEARD THE BELLS ON CHRISTMAS DAY BUT WOULDN'T LEAVE MY HOUSE

11) SENILE DEMENTIA - WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND MILES FROM MY HOUSE IN MY SLIPPERS AND ROBE

12) OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER -I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS SO I BURNED DOWN THE HOUSE

13) SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER - HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS WHILE I SIT HERE AND HYPERVENTILATE

14) ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER - WE WISH YOU......HEY LOOK!! IT'S SNOWING!!!

Special thanks to bchand and Sedonia Sunset who contributed to this entry.

My Christmas Present

I am getting a brand new sewing machine for Christmas. It won't be "under the tree" so to speak on 12/25, but I did put a deposit on it about a week ago. I'm quite excited about it. The machine I am getting is the elna 7300 Pro Quilting Queen. Even though I'm not a quilter, this is the machine I'm getting.

I've never owned a new machine before, so this will be new experience for me. Every sewing machine I've ever owned has either been given to me used, or purchased used. When I had taken my Pfaff 1473 in for regular maintenance two weeks ago, I was asking him about getting a used back up machine or purchasing a second Pfaff for parts. He sat me down and told me that for the type of sewing I was doing, I really needed to get a new, more powerful machine. Besides, if/when the electronic board goes out on my Pfaff, that's it. I can't get a new one.

I didn't want to hear that of course, because who can just open up their wallet and put down two grand on a new machine? Not me. But what he did offer me was to make payments and when I was two weeks away from making the last payment to let him know and he would order the machine. And, if I put a down payment on it before 12/31, he would knock 15% off the price.

Back in 1994 I bought my first used Pfaff from him, an 1171 the same way. On a payment plan. It was quite old when I did buy it and it lasted me ten years. About three years ago I bought the 1473 and I really love it. I'm a "love the Pfaff brand" sewer, but this machine has some wonderful features that any hard core sewer would love to have. Most important to me is the fact that it has a more powerful motor in it than my Pfaff, which will help me tremendously in sewing the heavy upholstery fabrics as well as the glued/bonded fabrics.

Once I finally have my machine, I'll take a photo of it on my sewing table and put it up on the blog.

This entry will be cross posted on the sewing blog.

December 7th, Pre-trial hearing, Phil Spector

Update 3!
I'm here on the 9th floor with Dr. Adams. There is no one that I can see from the Spector trial, although Judge Fidler's clerk, Wendy just arrived. Hopefully the courtroom will be opened soon. Dr. Adams is still watching that dual jury trial in 107. The two juries are in deliberations, yet there is another case with the same judge that is starting jury selection for another trial. One of the juries is using courtroom 104's jury room for their deliberations. Dr. Adams just ran off since his courtroom opened just as I wrote this.

I'm having trouble keeping connected to the net in the hallway. When I tell Dr. Adams that before he took off, he tells me that all the CourtTV personnel, anyone on a laptop in the back row during trial number one had the same problem.

The hallway is somewhat empty. They're are people on benches, but it is no where full. I think one of the court reporters just went into 106. It's a face I've not seen before.

I just got kicked from the net again, but it could be because I was looking at the phone, and just jiggled the wire a bit. It's a waiting game now, to be let into 106.

Although I promised myself I would try to learn to use the built in keypad for my macBook, I procrastinated. So, I'm cheating. I've got my Logitech wireless mouse on the bench beside me, and I'm using that.

There is a mix of people in the hallway. Court employees, attorneys, and those waiting for trials that must still be in deliberations.

And y'all will just have to bear with me and my terrible spelling. I probably won't have time to spell check everything before I post it.

There was this one attorney in the hallway, but it appears that he's waiting for 108 to get started. I've seen his face before, but I don't know his name.

There's is quite a bit of chatter from the people in the hallway. Some are reading books while others are catching a last minute bit of breakfast. The hallway is getting busier, but no familiar faces other than Wendy, the clerk, who already arrived.

A reporter, a woman I've seen before has shown up.

A juror on another trial comes by and thinks I'm working. "That's a good idea." I explain that I'm a blogger, writing about the Spector trial. He wants to know how I'm connected, and I tell him my husband figured everything out, using our cell phone to "tether" to the net. The juror, Larry, and I talk about the Spector trial for a bit. But it looks like he might have to go into a courtroom soon.

I'm inside the courtroom!

The female reporter is arranging with the bailiff to set up sound for the hearing. She's from radio. I just got the courage to ask her which station she's from. It's KNX.

There are a total of five people in the gallery. (That includes me.) Wendy is talking to some one who is at her desk. The bailiff is at her station.

Another trial watcher enters, a young man in jeans, tennis shoes and carrying a red notebook. I've never seen him before, and he sits on the plastic chairs against the back wall near the door. I'm hoping my battery holds out for the next hour. I can see that from now on, even in the hallway, I'm gong to have to hook up the Mac to an outlet. During Spector I, power was provided for those on laptops. Now there is an outlet, or what looks like an outlet from here, all the way in the far left corner, right where the still photographer would set up, and behind where the CTV video control operators would sit at their little console station. I'm going to go check it out.

Darn! The problem with tethering the phone is, any movement with the phone wire can cause it to disconnect, but yes, if I have to, I could move down there and use the outlet.

Ah, the guy with the notebook appears to be an undercover detective. He's talking to other people in the courtroom, and it's clear from the conversation. It's most likely they are here to get documents signed by Judge Fidler, but I won't know until I actually see the Judge.

The bailiff leaves to get a defendant. Wendy just asked her to go get someone. Maybe the black man at Wendy's bench is the individuals attorney. Yep. I just heard him say, "I wanted to get on that case."

There's Judge Fidler.

He's signing documents for three gentlemen who have been waiting. Two of the gentlemen leave. The one who appears to be an attorney is still here.

The defendant comes in. His attorney is a woman, and the man who stayed behind must be the prosecutor.

The woman reporter from radio, leaves and tells me that the hearing is at ten am. Now it's coming back to me. I do remember meeting her at Spector 1, but for the life of my fading brain, I can not remember her first name, and I'm too embarrassed/shy to ask. But she addressed me by my first name, so she remembers my first name like a good reporter would.

Court is in session for another case. Defense attorney is asking to put the matter over for Feb. 1st. They are still hammering out charges. Everything is agreed to, and the defendant in his blue jail uniform, is taken back.

Alan Parachini, head of the court's public relations office comes in, and the KNX reporter tries to arrange with him to get the audio sound set up. Alan looks good. His hair is a bit shorter. I'm not sure if she got that approved or not, but I think so. They chat a bit, but I'm not really following the conversation.

The courtroom is very quiet. Probably no one will show until about 20 minutes from now, if they are on time. Alan left, the reporter is here with someone (another staffer?), and they talk. It's just the three of us in the gallery. I ask the reporter if they will have sound, and she tells me that Channel 5 will be filming, so they will take sound off of them. Understand, Ch. 5 will not be live. They will have to wait to take the film back to a truck or studio before they can put it on the net.

The court reporter is all set up (She handled the 30 second hearing earlier.) and Wendy and her chat a bit.

The Spector's and two bodyguards just walked in. Steven, Mikulan from the LA Weekly, who just arrived and sat down beside me, said they had to use the public metal detectors today. The place they used to go to was locked. (The private service elevators.)

Rachelle and Spector are sitting in the front row, Rachelle has her arm around Spector. She's wearing what looks like from here, a suede tan colored suit. Here hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she has these little childlike tiny flower clips in her hair.

Damn. What happened to my last entry?

Doron Weinberg shows up. Rachelle gets up and gives him a hug and a big smile, Spector smiles, and they exit the courtroom. Alan Parachini is in the back row, texting on his blackberry, and Ciaran McEvoy from City News sets up. Steven suggests I plug into the wired box in the back corner, but I tell him I better ask first.

The Spector's and bodyguards reenter the courtroom. Doron goes up to speak to Wendy. The Spector's are back in the front row, sitting next to the wall. One of Alan's staff enters, a cute young woman I remember from Spector 1. I wish I could remember all their names. Doron hands Alan Parachini his business card, and leaves the courtroom. This all looks good towards a deal being inked. Let's hope so!

Another reporter entered earlier and is sitting in row 2 behind the KNX reporter. They are all chatting it up, and then the KNX reporter asks me if I remember "Circus of the Stars." And, it's vague, but I barely remember a show like that.

The family, their counsel, Alan Jackson, Pat Dixon, and Ric Ocampo (sp? do I have that name right?) all arrive. The attorney's greet Mr. Weinberg, and Rick is chatting with him still standing in the aisle.

I catch Mr. Jackson's eye, and he waves to me. Linda Deutsch arrived with the big group, and another reporter just arrived with Sandi Gibbons. Sandi and Linda Deutsch chat a bit, and Alan Jackson is talking to Ciaran and Steven.

KTLA (Channel 5) has NOT shown up, so KNX is trying to quickly set up their microphone. I notice Rachelle is wearing some gold hoop earrings that look like they might be about 1.5 inches across.

Rod Lindblom, one of the family attorney's looks back, catches my eye, smiles and waves.

There is a bit of chatter. The reporters are trying to set up a microphone at the judge's desk. Mr. Weinberg paces. Jackson and Mr. Taylor are chatting.

The bailiff announces: "Cell phones off please!" The attorney's stand. Spector is at the table.

The Judge takes the bench.

Weinberg says he is prepared to be accepted at his attorney.

He is the soul counsel for the defense at this time. Chris Plourd is in San Diego and is unavailable since he in another trial after the one he currently in now.

35,000 pages, including trial transcript. Weinberg is giving a list of things he has to go over.

In order for me to get to the level of knowledge about the trial and the .... he needs about five months. And then, more time after that. Plourd isn't free until September anyway.

The Judge asks to hear from the people. Jackson and Dixon confer.

Dixon says they want something as soon as possible. I would ask at this time not to set (a date of) September, and come back in February, to see where we are.

Weinberg responds, referring to Plourd's schedule. "He is in trial right now." Mentions the trial/defendant. He won't be done with that, until March 12. And then, another trial after that. Brown and the one he is in now will keep him tied up until the earliest, August/September.

Judge Fidler speaks. "I think I have a resolution that will solve it for everybody. Set it as the beginning in July, up to mid August."

Just depends on Mr. Plourds trials.

Weinberg asks not to do that. Plourd won't be ready until at least July, most likely August.

Now Weinberg mentions a family vacation that he always takes in August, 2 weeks, and goes on about his boys being at an age where, this is the last time they he will probably be able to vacation with them.

Judge Fidler responds, "We will come back in May, and see what your needs are."

Alan speaks. He has a request. They may be looking at other experts. "I don't want to wait until May to know about other experts." Waiting until May is okay as far as checking where we are.

Doron is still stalling about that.

Judge says, "discovery compliance date." Doron says a date in March. Alan looks at calender. Alan leans over the gallery wall and asks John Taylor about March and he says okay.

Judge just needs the "zero of 60" date for legal purposes. Thursday March 22nd, is the next trial date time. 9:00 am. That's just a check in date.

And that's it.
The judge leaves the bench.

Then Doron asks the judge back, and asks about the Spector's gag order from first trial.

Doron asks if they can be relieved at the gag order.

Fidler responds. Any potential witness, anyone acting on their behalf, at this time he is going to keep the gag order in place.

Judge says, everyone else can, but he doesn't believe the participants should. Keep that order in effect.

How does the Judge want to schedule motions? The Judge replies, to get with the DA, work something out, and then schedule it with the clerk.

And that's it for sure. Everyone slowly mills out of the courtroom, chatting with those they know and exchanging pleasantries, talking about other cases. Etc.

The Spectors finally leave the courtroom with their attorneys.

Hopefully, I'll have more later.

The bailiffs say they are going to take the Spector's down using the service elevator.

Updated! 12:15 pm
It appears I have my dates totally off. I missed it totally when they said Friday, March 7th, for the next pretrial hearing, and it's Thursday, May 22nd, for the next "zero-sixty" countdown. The time I believe for the first hearing would be 10:00 am and in May, it would be 9:00 am.

Outside the courtroom, I met two very nice ladies, Sherri and Robin, trial watchers just like me, who saw my Market Tote and asked me, "Are you Sprocket?" Yep, that's me! We talked about the first trial a bit, and they both said that they are going to attend the second trial. Robin and Sherri said that originally, they were going to fly up to San Francisco for the Barry Bonds hearing, but they couldn't get a flight. Another thing one of them asked (I'm sorry I can't remember which one) was, "Does he always look like that?" And I ask, "You mean like, Medicated? Yep. That's how he always is." I'm looking forward to seeing both of them at the next pretrial hearing. It will be nice to have some other trial watchers to discuss the case with and hopefully have lunch with.

On my drive home, I finally remembered the KNX reporter's name. Claudia! I hope I don't forget it again.

Update: 1:35 pm
I know that Alan Jackson leaned into John Taylor and appeared to be asking him about a check in date for the next pretrial hearing sometime in March. And I thought at first, I heard March 7th, then the date "Thursday, the 22nd was passed around, after Wendy said "the 23rd, they were dark."

Linda Deutsch of the AP has a report up, but it doesn't mention a date in March. It just mentions the May 22nd date. I've sent out a few emails, asking friends in the courtroom for clarification on the next pretrial hearing date.

Update: 2:05 pm
Thank you so much Sandi Gibbons! There are two dates. March 7th and May 22nd. Both hearings are at 9:00 am. The first date is being called a "discovery compliance hearing," but will probably be more of a status hearing, to see how far the defense is, in going through all the material from trial #1. The May 22nd date is a trial date, but it is not a "firm" trial date. It will also function as a status hearing, to see how much longer the defense will need to get ready, and what is happening with Plourd's two cases, one in Imperial County and one in San Diego County. Those two cases will be the ones to watch, to see how far they get and if they have any set backs.

Online Communities

From what I've been gathering, once CourtTv becomes "TruTV," the CourtTV message boards will be a thing of the past. It doesn't appear that the massive Ted Turner conglomerate will continue to provide message boards related to trial coverage. I recommend if there are people you want to stay connected with from that community, better exchange an email addresses now. Already, there are people trying to stay connected by via small message boards that are popping up here and there. Whether they are still around a year from now remains to be seen.

There are a few established message boards that I recommend people look into. Not all are the exact same format (or forum board software) but they have been established for some time, and they have excellent moderation and dedication by several long time members.

CrimeShots is a true crime message board that has been around since March, 2004. The software is the same one used by CourtTV, however, there are quite a few more bells and whistles because the owner has utilized all the latest options vBulletin has to offer. I like this little message board. It's a well moderated community and I consider the owner a good net friend There are many long time members there who are dedicated to keeping the site updated with the latest breaking crime news. Every time I check in there are new stories to catch up on.

Crime and Justice is another well moderated true crime board that has been around a long, long time. It first started out as a small community on the EZboard group of communities. A few years ago, the EZboard servers were hacked and hundreds of message boards of all types on EZboard lost quite a bit of their history and research. That's when the founders of C&J decided to pool resources, purchase their own message board software, and move off the EZboard servers. The board software they use is Invision. This is another great, tight knit community of people who are dedicated to helping solve crime and finding missing persons. Many times on this board, I've dropped in on a new missing person story, and have found family members of the missing loved one joining in on the discussions. I consider the owner and several members there good net friends, too.

So, if you are looking for a new place to follow the latest crime story, these are two places I recommend you check out.

Limerick Contest Winner

I want to thank everyone who participated in the limerick contest, and apologize for the late posting of the winner. There were a lot of limericks that I loved, but they needed to follow the AABBA format to win.

Here are some honorable mentions, and then the winner.

Submitted by Beetle Cam
A music producer named Phil
Kept numerous guns for a thrill.
Then one fateful day
He fired away.
Though deadly, he’s out on bail still.

Now AJ and Pat at the trial
Disproved his continued denial
And showed his full guilt
(Their case was well-built)
Yet charges they had to re-file.

‘Cause one stubborn juror held out
And claimed there was reasonable doubt
That Phil did that deed,
And thus should be freed
To dance while he’s out and about.

So now we all wait for trial two
For Phil to receive what is due.
He’s left with Rachelle
(Man, THAT must be hell!)
So he might just want prison, too!

Submitted by Michelle Blaine & Hubby
There once was a psycho named Phil
who most people thought couldn't kill
He drank far too much booze
at the home of the blues
but it was the jury who was hung over and ill

Submitted by Christine Z.
There once was a guy named Phil Spector
Met Lana but didn't respect her
He fooled with a gun and it shot
Claimed it was suicide - not!
Now Spector's a famous deceptor.

And the winning entry goes to: Ritanita!She came to the stande for a lie,
She says her name is Punkin Pie.
She stumbles and thrashes,
Her "best" friend she trashes.
And now she's caught up in a lie.

The New Cat Tree

I've admired the cat trees from Angelical Cat Company for over ten years. As part of an early Christmas present to myself, I finally ordered one of their trees. It was delivered today. As expected, Sprocket took over posession and won't let any of the other cats on the tree.

Here's the tree just off the freight delivery truck.



Here is the unwrapped tree in place by the window.


And here's Sprocket on the lower bed, preventing the other fur kids from climbing up.

OJ Says He's "Not Guilty" and Looking for that Blue Barrel

OJ makes his plea.

OJ pled "not guilty" to all counts against him in a Las Vegas courthouse today. Judge Jackie Glass set a trial date of April 7th, 2008. Here is CNN's coverage of the hearing. Judge Glass, who looks like she can give one heck of a smackdown, ~loved the GMAFB look on her face while one defense attorney was spewing~ informed both parties that all motions must be filed by February 1st, 2008. Like my friend Intrepid said, "You just know she's wanting to pull the lever that will open up the trap door under the defense table that leads to the sewers under Vegas." This is going to be one hell of a trial. My friend donchais said, "You've gotta love this judge. She's the female equivalent of Judge Fidler."

Where is Peterson's Blue Barrel?

It appears Drew Peterson's stepbrother, Thomas Morphey, was the individual that a neighbor saw helping Peterson load a large blue barrel into the back of his Danali truck the same day that his wife Stacey was reported missing on October 28th. Two days later, Morphey was rushed to the hospital for what appears to be a suicide attempt. According to the Chicago Tribune:

The distraught man contacted a friend, saying words to the effect, "I think I just helped Drew dispose of Stacey." The relative allegedly told the friend the plastic container was warm to the touch, and may have weighed about 120 pounds, a source said.
(snip)
Another source familiar with the investigation said on Wednesday, Drew Peterson's 14-year-old-son is expected to appear before a special grand jury looking into not only Stacey Peterson's disappearance, but the 2004 death of Drew Peterson's third wife, Kathleen Savio, who was found dead in her bathtub.

All Headline News Story.

"It's Very Difficult, Very Difficult to Be Resonable" Book Excerpt

From: Tearing Down the Wall of Sound by Mick Brown

I had wanted to post another book excerpt some time ago, but real life crept back in and I had to get back to sewing. I'm taking a little break here, to post a long excerpt from Chapter 29, pages 384-389.

The following is from the interview Mick did with Spector, two months before Lana's murder.
His wristwatch spoke. "It's four o'clock."

Who, I asked, had been the greatest love of his life?

He looked away in silence. "Good friends," he said. "It's been Lenny; it's been John . . . It's been my friends and my little boy Phillip was probably the greatest love of my life."

Both John and Lenny, he said, were like brothers. "John--it was the perfect marriage. Just perfect. He loved the way I worked. He loved the way I thought. We just loved each other."

And Lenny?

"Lenny was like an older brother. I recorded him, supported him when he couldn't work--when they wouldn't allow him to work, and I buried him when he died. Losing Lenny and John was like losing my dad. Very, very emotional. Although I was too young to understand the value of losing my dad. Old enough to feel the loss, but not old enough to appreciate the loss until I was much older, and then I realized."

He fell silent.

"But you just learn to put things in perspective . . ." he said at last. "It's like those records; they were the greatest love of my life when I was making them. I lived for those records. I lived and breathed those records. That's why I never had relationships with anybody that could last. They were my life; they were more important than anything. Nothing competed with them." He paused, bewilderment flickering in his face. "That's why I can't figure out why they have so little significance to me today."

I asked about his three adopted children__Donte, Gary and Louis--and his face became a mask.

"I see them occasionally, but I don't have a close relationship with them; I don't pretend to. We're friends. But the only relationship I have with my children is with Nicole, with whom I'm very close. You have to have children when you're ready to have children. It's like anything. If I had made these records when I was forty, I would have bee able to handle it a lot better. I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. I knew what I was doing artistically, but I didn't know what I was doing emotionally or physically. I couldn't answer any of the questions; I didn't know what I was doing. So I certainly didn't know anything about having children or relationships."

He made no mention of his first marriage, to Annette Merar. Nor of Janis Zavala, the person who, more than anyone, had loved and cared for Spector over the past thirty years. And when I asked about Ronnie, he could not even bring himself to speak her name.

"Not to get on a dissertation about ex-wives and shit like that. But wives and marriage isn't a word, it's a sentence; and wives last through our marriage, ex-wives last forever, and all that other bullshit. No disrespect, but I haven't spoken to my ex-wife in more than thirty years; I couldn't give a shit whether she lives or dies. I've been vindicated in the courts over and over. But she can still get up forty years later and sing the same fucking song and get applause. Could a typist do that? Could a stenographer? Look at it this way; I also recorded Tina Turner. She's not complaining; she's not suing anybody. Is it my fault that this ex-wife is not Tina Turner? Maybe it has something to do with a lack of talent there that she can't get justification in the courts. Maybe the courts should say, 'You should be more talented,' but they can't say that. Maybe she's not Diana Ross, Tina Turner. I made her famous, and she resents that. But give it up, for God's sake. I don't want anybody to thank me. I just say, "Why say, "Fuck you." ' Just leave me alone! 'Oh, but he's a control freak . . .'

"If you come down to what people really hate about Phil Spector, it's that he controls everything . . ."

Did he care, I asked, what people thought of him?

"Very much. What's very important to me is respect, that people respect me, respect what I did, and think that I'm the best at what I do. Other than that, I don't care . . ."

And did he think he had been a good person?

The question stopped him for a moment. "Reasonable," he said at last. "Reasonably good. I mean I haven't done anything. . ." The thought went to silence.

"It's funny--there isn't anybody who has touched me who hasn't had some sort of success with me; anyone who has touched me in the business who hasn't made money; anyone at all. Not that it means anything, but it's interesting. Because you hear such negative shit that people say, and yet everyone of them has achieved some sort of success with me. So, yeah, yeah . . . good person."

He paused, lost in thought. "My daughter sometimes asks me, 'Dad, are you lonely?' And I say, 'Why do you ask me that?' And she says, 'Because you're alone a lot of the time, and you keep to yourself and you don't tell much about yourself.' And I say, 'Well, there's a difference between being alone and lonely.' I am alone, but I'm not lonely. I've talked to women about relationships, and I've heard what they wanted, and I walked away saying, 'Gee . . . That's what she wants in a relationship?' And I've thought, I don't know what I want in a relationship, but I know one thing; I want a hell of a lot more than that. And maybe I can't find it with anyone. I'm not searching; I'm not looking for a relationship, because maybe it's not there.

"I've got to learn to have a relationship with me and feel comfortable with me, doing what I'm doing and what I'm about. I would feel comfortable, as corny as it sounds having a good relationship with myself. It's what I've always wanted. For forty fucking years. A decent relationship with myself. A reasonable relationship with myself.

"I'm not going to ever be happy. Happiness isn't on. Because happiness is temporary. Unhappiness is temporary. Ecstasy is temporary. Orgasm is temporary. Everything is temporary. But being reasonable is an approach. And being reasonable with yourself. It's very difficult, very difficult to be reasonable."

. . .

Had any of his years of therapy been of any help?

"Not enough." He shrugged. "I don't know. There's something I'd either not accepted, or I'm not prepared to accept or live with in my life, that I don't know about perhaps. That I'm facing now. I didn't want it to be because of Nicole. I want it to be because of me. I want to get back in the record business because of me. I don't want to be like these people . . . 'I found the woman of my dreams; I'm going to be so happy, blah, blah, blah.' I made this commitment to me. I want to change for me. I want to try and have a reasonable existence, and if I can't, I can't. So I've been experimenting with medication that I think would help, and not interfere with my creative process and my thinking process, and it's been very slow, very difficult." He paused. "I couldn't have done this conversation six months ago."

Six years ago?

"Absolutely not."

Sixteen years ago?

"Maybe under false pretenses, but probably no. I wouldn't have even thought of it. I was completely . . . I was another person. I'm a completely different person that I was three months ago, six months ago, nine months ago. I am constantly evolving, constantly changing."

Even now, he said, it was difficult for him to have a meeting like this.

"I can't stand to be talked about. I can't stand to be looked at. I can't stand the attention. I don't defend myself. I don't defend others. I decided many years ago that I wasn't going to make any public statements. I'm a diabetic and as a young child I was told I could never eat chocolate and drink Coca-Cola, so I have great willpower. And it takes a tremendous amount of willpower to abstain from commenting. I commented my heart out in the '60s. I controlled everything. I was a control freak." He laughed.

"I don't like talking about the past. I don't even like meeting people from the past. It's difficult for me. I have a difficult time. Reunions . . . troublesome for me; very troublesome." It was only recently that he had been able to start bringing his old friends back into his life. "A lot of my enemies are dying off, which is a shame because they define me in so many ways."

So who were his closest friends?

He thought for a moment. "My attorneys," he said and laughed. Neither of us could have imagined at that moment just how prescient that statement would be.

. . .

Spector was still not drinking. but shortly before Christmas, he was involved in an accident that was to change things.

He was driving himself to visit a friend at her home in Beverly Hills, according to one source. Near his destination, Spector ran off the road and hit a fire hydrant. The car was undriveable. Shaken, Spector walked the rest of the way to the friend's house, where he poured himself a drink. By the time his driver arrived to collect him, Spector had to be helped to the car.

In January, Starsailor began giving interviews to plug the release of Silence is Easy. Asked about Phil Spector's participation in the record, the bass player James Stelfox was quoted as saying that Spector showed Starsailor "how records used to be made" and they had shown him how recordings were made today. How that must have hurt.

At the same time word began to leak out that Paul McCartney would shortly be releasing a remixed version of Let It Be, shorn of all Spector's additions and embellishments, and entitled Let It Be . . . Naked. After thirty-five years McCartney had finally gotten his revenge.

On February 1, 2003, my interview with Phil Spector was published in the Telegraph magazine. The cover line read "Found! Rock's Lost Genius." Thirty-six hours later, Phil Spector walked into the House of Blues and met Lana Clarkson.

Arrests Made in the Natalie Holloway Disappearance

Updated!
CNN is reporting that the three individuals, Joran van der Sloot, Satish and Deepak Kalope "were arrested on suspicion of involvement in manslaughter and causing seriously bodily harm that caused the death of the 18-year-old American, the prosecutor's office said in a statement."

Lets all hope the Aruban officials finally have new evidence that will stick to these three, very slippery boys. I can't wait to hear about this new evidence.

Update: November 23, 2007 1:00 PM
Satish and Deepak Kalope will remain in jail. van der Sloot will face a Judge on Monday. Read all about it at CNN's latest story.

Fox news is reporting that a prosecutor on the case has stated all three suspects are under arrest. The "new evidence" appears to be "phone taps" between the Kalope brothers and van der Sloot. Apparently the evidence applies equally to all three suspects. I hope this is true. There's no better evidence that a suspects own words, especially when they contradict what they told the police, months or years before.
Special thanks to True2Blues for passing on the Fox news report info.

Here is an MsNBC story on the recent developments.

Fleece & Flannel Blankie Sale

I've got four polar fleece and flannel throw blankies I'm putting on sale. There are only one each of these, no more available, and whom ever emails me first, gets first shot at purchase. The blankets regularly sell for $45.00 each + shipping and tax. The price of each blanket is now $30.00 + $8.00 shipping. California residents will be charged tax. These blankets are ready to ship. I take paypal payment only.

Dimensions: 42-43" wide x 59" long



This is a one of a kind Christmas Blanket with Snowmen playing.



This is a one of a kind Baseball blanket.



This is an HP Shields blanket. There were no more than five of these made. This flannel is a bit heavier than the others. Update: Sold!



This is a HP Owls blanket. There were no more than five of these made. This flannel is a bit softer than the other HP flannel. Update: SOLD!



Email me if you are interested in any of these blankies. This entry is cross posted on my Sewing Blog.

Update: The two HP blankets have sold.

Limerick Contest

"Oh how to describe Spector, Phil,Whose millions hired many a shill?Phil'd rant and he'd rave,Himself for to save~His mom should have been on the pill!"

A friend recently sent me this limerick, and it gave me an idea. I'll have a limerick contest! There will be a prize for the best limerick from Betsy Ross Linens. Your limerick must follow the AABBA format, and be about one of the major participants at the trial. All entries must be emailed to the blog; I will not accept entries as comments no matter how good the limerick is. The top ten limericks and the winner will be posted on the blog. Contest ends Thanksgiving Day.

I'd also like to give a special shout out to two of my long time fans. Sheryl SKS in that big city on the east coast (Hope you are staying warm!), and a very young Anna. No one believes her when she tells them she's 86! Thank you both for being loyal readers.

Update: 11/17/07
I apologize. I forgot to tell you that the prize is your choice of either a Market Bag or a Hot/Cold pack in your choice of fabric. You can see examples of my Market Bags and Hot/Cold Packs on my sewing website.

Market Line Production Continues

I'm actually making some progress with this big order of Market Line bags. Here are the bags that are all ready for their initial sew. In the second image on top of the chair, you can see some finished bags that are, I'm happy to announce, slated for an exclusive little shop in Hilton Head, SC.




This entry will be cross posted on the sewing blog.

Inside The Castle

TMZ has a series of photos from inside Phil Spector's Alhambra Castle.

Here is a link to the photos at TMZ. The captions are hilarious. How in the world did Linda Deutsch ever describe this place as "ornate, and in pristine condition" is beyond me.

Being Swamped With Sewing Orders

Ever since the trial ended, I have been swamped trying to catch up with orders that came in during the trial, and there have been some orders that I just had to say I couldn't meet, because they came in too late for me to meet the individual's shipment deadline. I am so busy with sewing!

I am currently in major "Market Line" production right now, trying to fill two big orders and a few little ones for Market Bags and Market Totes. If anyone is interested in ordering something from the Market Line, you need to email me asap, since I will be shutting down the initial stage of this production (bonding glue to the canvas bases) tomorrow night or Friday at the latest, and I won't be revisiting these bags again until February of next year.

After that, I will be in major Hot/Cold Pack production for about a week. Then I will be working on table linens such as napkins and placemats, and after that, sachets and ornaments. I'm hoping I can even get to making some Throw Blankets this year. Sigh.

So if you are interested in a Market Line bag or a Hot/Cold Pack, you need to let me know now, so I can set the materials aside for that particular item.

This is a "Mini-Market Purse, " in Cotton Fabric 323 Geese.


This is a "Market Bag" made with Cotton Fabric 301 Calligraphy Red.



This is a "Market Tote" made with Cotton Fabirc 309 Mountain Cranes Blue.



This entry is cross posted on my sewing blog.

November 6th Hearing: Moving along at a snails pace

Even though I left the house late at 7:25 am, I made it into downtown LA a few minutes after 8:00 am. Traffic wasn't too bad, even with the intense fog. I stopped into the cafeteria just to see if there might be anything that appealed to me, but I decided to pass. I spot John Taylor and ask him if I can join him. He replied, "Sure." I ask him if he's heard anything through that grapevine that I assume all attorneys are connected into, but he just shakes his head. He asks me what happened over on the CTV forums, and I give him my impressions as to what I think happened, since I still don't understand the explanation that was given to me.

We talk a bit about civil cases in general, and punitive damages. I'm no lawyer, and I'm not really following all that Mr. Taylor is saying, but what I think I understand is, even if in round two, Spector is convicted, the plaintiff still has to put on a case. We speculate on whether or not Spector will even show up, because he did claim the waiver on October 22nd. The Clarkson's are not coming for this hearing today, nor is Rod Lindblum who has a hearing in another case.

I had taken a look see earlier upstairs, and the hallway was full of potential jurors. But inside 106 it was empty so I went back downstairs to wait for 10:00 am to come around with Mr. Taylor. After I rounded the 9th floor security, Ciaran is on a bench and says hello. Although his beat is now Federal Court, he showed up to report on this hearing. I mention to him that Taylor thinks he might not even show, and Ciaran replies, "Oh he's here." And as I turn, I see Rachelle and Spector down at the end of the hall, waiting to enter Fidler's courtroom. Spector sees me and stares. I see Linda Deutsch is in the hallway, and she comes over to say hello to Ciaran McEvoy from City News.

There is a somewhat tall man (everyone would tower over Spector) semi-bald with stark white hair still left on the sides. It's a good assumption this is Spector's new attorney. Rachelle is wearing a skin tight chocolate brown pantsuit with matching jacket top. Virtually all of the matching jacket and pants outfits that she has worn to court have been overly form fitting, and the jackets, all short, usually ending at her waist. I didn't notice if she had on a pair of Christian Laboutin shoes. What was new, were the bodyguards surrounding Spector. Gone are the massive refrigerator sized guys. These two new bodyguards are tall and slim, wearing very nice suits. The only thing that makes me thing they might not be members of the Nation of Islam, is that one of them has their long hair done in corn rows. I don't know if the Nation of Islam would let their members wear their hair in such a fashion. Spector is wearing his standard Edwardian style suit with an ice blue tie. The head gear is the same one we last saw; it hasn't changed.

At first, one of the gentlemen I saw down at that end of the hall, I thought was Chris Plourd, but I was mistaken. I leave Ciaran and walk down towards the courtroom, passing Spectors group and enter 106. The place is virtually empty, but there is a case in progress with 16 jurors in the jury box and the defense attorney is cross examining a witness. Steven Mikulan from the LA Weekly is there, and I very quietly slip into the second row beside him. A see a lone tiny woman sitting at the defense table. It isn't until much later that it dawns on me that this must be the defendant. Steve and I exchange silent hellos, and I mouth that Ciaran is out in the hallway. Taylor is already in the courtroom, sitting in the back row on one of the plastic chairs. AT 9:55 am, Spector enters the courtroom with his entourage, and they sit in the back row on the plastic chairs, surrounding John Taylor. 9:58 am, Pat Dixon enters.

At precisely 10:00 am, Judge Fidler calls a recess in the current case. After the jurors file into the jury room, Taylor gets up and he and Dixon exchange hellos. Alan Parachini, the head of the public relations office is already in the courtroom. Linda Deutsch Ciaran and several other reporters show up that I don't recognize. Sandi Gibbons arrives, and I think Steven says something like, "We're all here," or, "It's just like last week," as she sits down. Whenever Sandi sees me, she always smiles and says, "Hello Sprocket!"

Spector's defense attorney and Pat Dixon are greeting each other in the well, and exchanging business cards. There are more reporters in row two, and some spectators in the back row. But for the most part, the courtroom is pretty vacant. There is a pool photographer and a video cameraman set up. Rick Ocampo is here, and I'm wondering if he will be sitting second chair or not. Then I see AJ. He's clean shaven, and someone comments on it, and either he makes a joke about it or someone else does. Jackson greets Ciaran and Steven and then he addresses me directly. He says hello and gives me a little wave of his hand. AJ says, "It's good to see you," and asks how I was doing with my time off. At first I'm tongue tied and about to blush, because, he is SO handsome lol, and I'm quite startled that he even addressed me directly. I think I reply I'm fine, and then I say to him, "I heard you've been traveling." AJ replies, "Yes! I've been down to Austin and the up to New York.

As we wait for the hearing to begin, Ciaran and Steven discuss the NFL season. What they are talking about is Greek to me, although I try to listen in and follow it. The cameramen are getting their tripods ready. Finally the Judge calls court into session and Spector's attorney formally introduces himself for the record. It's Doron Weinberg. He informs Fidler that as far as we can tell, we are well on the way to resolving issues regarding an agreement in representation. So, although he and Spector are in daily negotiations, they have not inked the deal. Weinberg asks for a few more weeks to get these final differences resolved, and mentioning the upcoming holiday, asks for a date of Friday, December 7th as the next hearing to formalize his representation. There is no objection from the prosecution.

Fidler makes sure that Spector agrees that the count for a speedy trial ~the "zero-sixty" is reset to start from December 7th, and that's it. It's all over. Everyone slowly exits the courtroom, and Sandi Gibbons tells me the correct spelling of the new defense attorney's name. She believes he works in Riordan's firm in San Francisco, has tried several cases up there, and has some articles about him in the mainstream press.

And that's it. The case continues to move forward at a snails pace. I make my way back to the budget parking lot to head home and write my entry.

I almost forgot! As Linda Deutsch got in the elevator to go up to the press room on the 18th floor, I asked her if she was going to cover the OJ hearing on November 8th. She said, "Yes."

Pay It Forward

When was the last time you did something out the generosity of your heart? You know, just did a good deed, or offered to help someone without them asking or getting something in return? How about the last time you did something for someone else anonymously? Just asking. Just wondering. Just throwing the question out there for y'all to think about.

I have been receiving a ton of emails from people wondering where I had disappeared to and "WHAT HAPPENED?" to my hat name, Sprocket, at the Court TV message board. Why was I (as I like to say) "shown the door?" Well, to tell the truth, the explanation I was given didn't make much sense to me at all, so I let it go. I decided to do what I have always done in these situations when I have been shown the door at a message board: I walk away and I don't turn around and immediately start knocking on the door, trying to get back in. It's not my style. It's not what I do. It's not who I am. What I do is move on. I let go, and walk away.

The last time I was shown the door at a forum (well over two-and-a-half years ago), I walked away. I didn't beg to be let back in, and I didn't ask for an explanation. I said, "That's fine," and let it go. My belief system has always been, if management doesn't want me, then why would I want to stay? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to stay someplace where I am not wanted. If you were at someones house, say, at a party or an event, and you were shown the door by the people running the show, would you demand to get back in? Would you try to sneak in through a back door? Not me. That's not how I act in real life, that's not how I behave on the Internet, and that's why I have walked away from Court TV message boards.

Some people on the Internet think nothing of changing personalities. They register a new name, and go right back to where they had just been shown the door. For some, they don't have any problem doing that, and that's fine, for them. I'm not judging them for doing that. But for me, there is something in my character, that just prevents me from doing that. At every public crime forum I have ever participated in, my hat/member name has always been Sprocket. I have never tried to register at a public message board under a different name, and be "incognito." I've never had the desire or felt the need to do that. Like I said previously, it's not in my nature to do that; it's not who I am.

And that brings me to one other point. Someone registered a member name at the Court TV message board as "Sprocket II," and that is not me. As flattering as that is (that someone would want to imitate me) this "Sprocket II" is not me. I obviously can't control what other people decide to do, or the names they choose to register as on a message board. However, if there ever is any name registered at Court TV (or any other place) that sounds like "Sprocket" or is spelled similarly to "Sprocket" or some other variation of my name, I guarantee you, that is not me.

I want to thank each and every person who wrote me letters of support after I was shown the door at the Court TV message board. Your kind words meant the world to me. I'll still be here for Spector round deux, so don't worry about that. As far as message boards go, maybe I'll just go where the wind takes me, somewhere, out there.

Our Halloween Pumpkin, 2007

We always get a huge pumpkin every year. This is our 2007 Pumpkin.



And here he is on the front porch at night.

My Visit to the ER, Rachelle's emailing again & Obsessed people

Visiting the 'ER'
I was in an emergency room last Tuesday, and I actually ended up on the operating table. Yep. I kid you not, and it was all because of the Phil Spector trial. Yep. The reason I was there was because of someone I met early on at the trial, and because of them I was on the operating table on Tuesday. Thankfully, I'm okay, but maybe that's because it was County General's ER, which is located on the Warner Brother's lot in Burbank. Maybe I should back up and start from the beginning.

You may remember me talking about two trial watchers I met early in June, Margaret and her son David. We met in the hallway outside 106, and we had lunch together several times, all of us in deep conversation discussing the merits of the case and the testimony of the day. Margaret and I have a lot in common. We both sew, adore kitties and love watching trials. Since Margaret didn't want to take the Metro Gold Line train by herself, her son David came with her to court several times in June and July. David was the one who overheard "W" say "You snooze, you lose," when she sat down beside him at the morning break on June 11th, trying to take an accredited reporter's seat, who had left to stretch their legs and/or call in to their office. (You can find that story in this entry, here.)

When we first had lunch, Margaret had mentioned that David was on "hiatus," and that's why he could come to court with her. When he had to go back to work, he emailed me through the blog, and we kept in touch. I remember him telling me that he worked on a TV show, but I couldn't remember which one. As we kept in touch, I found out that he worked on the NBC show ER, but I didn't know what his job/title was. When the trial was all over, he invited me to have lunch with him and Margaret, to catch up on what was happening and we worked out a day and time. It was then that I found out that lunch would be on the Warner Brothers lot. We had a last minute change of plans when the October 23rd hearing was moved to the 22nd, but fortunately that worked out fine.

David set a time for 1:00 pm, and told me at which street and gate a drive on pass would be waiting for me. When the guard asked to see my driver's license to verify that I was Betsy Ross, I had to say, "Because you need to make sure I'm the real one, correct?" The guard had given me a map with a red marker showing me the route to get to my assigned parking space. I'm sure I would have been lost without it. When I passed through the security gate, David was right there driving one of the four-seater golf carts everyone uses to get around the lot and Margret was with him. I show him my pass with the parking lot space assigned to me, and off we go, David leading the way. It's a good thing he did because even with the map, I realized I would have been totally lost. Once we get my car settled in, I got on board the golf cart, and away we went.

As we exchanged our hellos, I said to David, "I know you work on the show, but I don't know what it is you do." David tells me he's an associate producer, and he's worked on ER for five years. It's then that I tell him that ER is one of my most favorite shows, I've watched it ever since it debuted, and I never miss an episode. David replied, "That's great! Sometimes, when friends and relatives come in from out of state, they like to visit the lot but they aren't necessarily fans of the show. So you really know the story lines, and characters." "Oh yes, I really love the show," I replied. " I was watching the last episode and I was in a panic when at the end of the episode, they panned in on Abby really looking at that bottle of wine. I was, 'Oh no Abby! Don't drink it!' So, please don't tell me what happens!" David smiled and said, "Oh I won't!" On our way to the cafeteria, David points out various ER 'points of interest' sets. I get to see the "L" overhead train tracks, the set that is across the street, (for some reason the name of that particular set escapes me; I'm drawing a blank on that right now) and we stop at the exterior set for when ambulances are bringing in new patients. It was quite surreal for me to be walking around on the set of a show that I've watched and loved for over ten years. As you might have guessed, everything appears bigger on TV.

We then stop off at one of the sound stages where they are filming, and outside, David introduces me and his mother to John Stamos. He's very gracious, and greets each of us with a hug and a cheek to cheek kiss. Back on the cart, we weave through a maze of streets to get as near as we can to "Ashely Blvd." where the cafeteria and commissary are. We pass on the fine dining in the commissary, and head into the cafeteria. This is better than some restaurants; Warner Brothers studio, feeds their employees well. Inside, it's almost like what you might find in an upscale mall, with several different types of food/sections. There's Poquito Mas, a Pasta & Soup section (I can't remember what it's called), a grill, an exceptional salad bar, a desert section, and a drinks section. I head directly to the grill to get a burger sans bun with onion on romaine lettuce. I add a side salad of romaine from the salad bar, grab a vitamin water, and David pays for lunch for all of us at the cashier. (Thank you, David!) We find a table in the quietest area, and settle in to eat lunch. I give David and Margaret a detailed run down on everything that happened at the trial (and behind the scenes) from the middle of August until Judge Fidler ruled a mistrial on September 26th.

After lunch, we head off to meet David's brother Kevin, who is working on a new TV show. Many times at lunch during the trial, David and Margaret would jokingly call Kevin "the good son." The show Kevin is working on is called Moonlight. Kevin introduces his mother and myself to several of his coworkers, and shows us all the sets on the show. I'm quite fascinated by the two story high, back drop black curtains that surround the main set. On the other side of them is a continuous, full blown city skyline. It for when they are filming inside the set, it appears as if the actors are in a building up high, and you can see the skyline of the other buildings through the "windows" of the set. Margaret and are are totally blown away at the artistic design of the sets on Moonlight, and when we drop by one location, cast and crew are in deep conversation on one set, so we don't get to see that one up close. Kevin points out to us the gentleman who designed all the marvelous sets.

In the house/apartment of the female lead, I notice that there are quite a few Asian touches scattered throughout the set. I'm a big fan of anything Asian, ~my own home is entirely decorated in an Asian theme~ and I closely inspect two painted glass framed images of a royal looking man and woman hanging on the wall of living room set. Margaret makes the observation that it all looks like it could be easily lived in. Everything is quite "authentic" looking. That you could just walk onto the set, plop yourself down on a sofa, and think you were home. Several sets not in use had linen coverings with labels to note which piece of furniture they were for. I ask David if they were to keep people off of the furniture, and he said that the covers were basically just to keep everything clean, because people come through these sets all the time, and this just makes it easier.

After getting to see all the sets for this show, we head on over to where they are currently filming on ER. On the drive over, David mentions several films that he's worked on, and that he worked with O.J. Simpson on his last film, Navy Seals. So we talk about OJ a bit and his latest legal trouble. "He was the nicest guy," David said. "There was a time when my mom and dad were at this film industry event with me, and O.J. was in deep conversation with my dad about sports. This happened one month before Ron and Nicole were murdered." How forkin' spooky is that?

When we reach the sound stage we make doubly sure out phones are turned off because they are filming. The actors are set up in the area where there are several beds for patients. We are watching from a part of the set not being used, which is the waiting area. There are a ton of people walking around behind the scenes, and I recognize a few of the favorite characters who have been with the show for a long time like John and Chuny, and a recent actor J.P. Manoux, who plays the part of Dr. Hauschka, Neela's overbearing taskmaster.

Every bed is filled with someone in it, wearing a hospital gown, and John Stamos (Dr. Gates), Linda Cardenllini (RN Sam) and Chuny are working on a patient. The director is off in another part of the set that I can't directly see, and he's shouting out stage directors to Sam. There is a goof and they have to shoot it over again. David had asked someone earlier to bring him his camera out from his desk area, and John Stamos graciously gets his picture taken with all of us. David then leads us on a trip to other ER sets. We pass by small rooms that look like they are small rooms with the remains of treating a patient already on the floor, complete with fake blood. We get to another area, and David takes us to their set for the second floor, and OR1. Operating 1. And that's how I ended up on a real operating table with real equipment in there. David took my picture from the observation booth. I had the best time, and I hope we get together again soon. David said that if the writer's strike happens, he may be showing up at some of the Spector pretrial hearings until it is resolved.

Rachelle mass emails, again.
Last week I got a few emails at my blog from different people telling me that they received an email from Rachelle Spector, asking them to go look at her website and see how she's supporting her husband. You just have to shake your head with a heavy sigh and hope that we don't see as much, or hear as much from the current Mrs. Spector until round two.

Obsessed people.
I normally don't write about Internet crazies, but something reached a limit for me today and I thought I might as well share. I mean, Kim of The Darwin Exception has kept me totally entertained with her stories about the woman who calls her "Kimmer" and the neighbor lady without any heat. So I thought I might as well share with you the latest drama about this sad woman from Patasa, or some place out in the underdeveloped world like that, who just sees red when the word "Sprocket" crosses her path.

This sad little old lady has followed me from crime forum to crime forum, for gawd knows what reason, and trashes me up one side of the room and down the other. I have zero clue what I could have ever done to her, to cause her to have all this pent up animosity, directed towards me. She is a sad creature to be sure, and I would show her some kindness and/or pity if she wasn't just drop dead crazy as a loon. What I've often seen her do, is, when someone challenges her on why she hates me so much, she never answers the question. She doesn't have one. She changes the subject and starts waxing poetic about how sad her life is, and how terrible it is that most of her time and energy is spent on her crippled daughter. She recently posted over on the CTV forums that her daughter was in an automobile accident over a year ago, and now her ankle is fused and she will "never walk normally again, never run again, never dance again." And on and on the pity party goes about how sad it is about her daughter, and I'm still not getting it as to WTF that has to do with why she can't stand me, and has to trash me every place that I hang out.

And then today, she sent me a threatening message, promising to send the police to my door, if I didn't STOP doing SOMETHING....some persecution, whatever, for some who knows what Genever-induced paranoid rambling perceptions she has, that are most likely self induced. Now I understand, that what happened to her daughter is sad, and I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone, but give me a forkin' break. Whose life does not have challenges? Far worse things have happened to other people and they get over it and move on with life. They go on to live productive and happy lives. Besides, it's not like the kid is dead and buried and her killer has not been brought to trial yet five years down the road. This old lady should be grateful she's not standing in Mrs. Clarkson's shoes.

And that brings me back to the Phil Spector mistrial. How long is it going to take, to get a conviction, and justice for Lana's family? That's an injustice for you. Don't forget Lana. Go light a candle for her, as many times as you can.

Spector Goes Back To Court

Unedited draft entry.

I hardly slept last night. I had several things to do in the morning, and I didn't want to forget to do everything before I left the house. I had to find out where the library was closest to the court, so I could go write my story asap. And, I wanted to find out the name of the Judge in a case starting today in Van Nuys. Both tasks accomplished, I felt a bit better.

Mr. Sprocket fixed me a great breakfast, and I got out the door by 7:00 am. I wasn't sure what time the hearing would be, but I wanted to be there early just in case. As I enter the rear of the court building, there is a huge line all the way from the back, toward the entrance on Temple Street and there is only one scanner for the public. There's not the excitement I used to feel when I was going every day, and there was testimony. The line is going very slow, and I'm hoping there's not a crowd on the 9th floor.

As I round the second security checkpoint on the 9th floor, I see at the very end of the hall a familiar face. It's Dr. C. Carroll Adams, (CCA) and we give each other a big smile and a wave. He's still attending a trial in courtroom 107, and as he waits for that courtroom to start (promptly at 8:30 am), we chat a bit and get caught up.

I learn that it was District Attorney Cooley who over rode AJ's and PD's objections to accepting Juror #10 on the panel. Apparently, DA Cooley wanted to follow the advice of the jury consultant, who felt this Juror wouldn't be a problem. However, everyone, Cooley, the consultants, and our hard working guys AJ & PD totally misread Juror #1.CCA and I talk a bit about jury tampering, and whether or not this happened in the Spector case. There's no proof that any of the jurors were tampered with, and anything we think might have happened is just speculation.

CCA didn't know about Peter Y. Hong's transfer to the business section of the LA Times, and I'm hoping either Steven Mikulan or Ciaran McEvoy will show, so I can ask him if they know anything. CCA's courtroom finally opens, and he's off.

People approach this end of the hall but they all enter other courtrooms. The hallway is virtually empty. There are a few people on benches, waiting. Most have jury bades. Some swing their legs nervously, others pass the time reading. As some suits enter Fidler's courtroom, I try to guess which are attorneys and which might be DEA agents. When it get's to 9:00 am, I'm realizing that this thing isn't going to start until about 10:00 am.

A still photographer shows up, and Wendy, Fidler's clerk, tells him to set up in the jury box in the seat wher Juror #10 sat. It's 9:06 and I sit and wait. More attorneys enter the hallway, more potential jurors arrive but they are all for other courtrooms. A short, strange looking guy with short frizzy dirty blond hair, shows up wearing a T-shirt that says "Turkey Tournament 2006" on the back. His jeans are almost falling off of him, as he gets close to the courtroom door to read the notice left there from Spector round one. I try to think of a name to give him, and when I see his face I think that this could be a long lost Spector son because the guy has virtually no chin. I decide to call him chinman. He wanders off down towards the other end of the hall and I think maybe he was just wishfully lost.

Rod Lindbom, one of the family attorneys rounds the corner, as he comes down the hallway, and sees me he calls out "Sprocket!" His arms are open wide and he gives me a a big hug. It's really nice to see him and get such a warm welcome. We head into the courtroom and find out from the Bailiff that the hearing is at 10:00 am. I talk to him about who I've been told is still on the case beside Plourd, and he asks me if I want to go down on the elevator with him because everyone is in the cafeteria in one of the far corners. So we head down. John Taylor, Mrs. Clarkson, Fawn and one of Fawn's friends are all sitting at a table, and everyone gives me big warm greetings and asks how I'm doing. I reply that I am so sad that Mrs. Clarkson is still here. That that we are going to have to do a round two. They want to know what's going on the CTV message boards, and I reply, "Not much right now." I pass on my news of who I was told was still on the case, but it remains to be seen if they will be in court today. We all speculate on how long a rope Fidler is going to give Spector, and if anything will be accomplished today.

It gets closer to 10:00 am, and we head back to the 9th floor. I head on into the courtroom, and see Steven Mikulan sitting in his old spot. I go sit next to him. The Judge is on the bench but it is a hearing for another case. Spector, Child Bride Rachelle Short and Plourd are all sitting in the front row. A single bodyguard (I think it's Horace) is in the back row, sitting next to another black man, but he doesn't look like the type of security guard that Spector hires. He's not large enough. The attorney I was told would be still on the case is not here. Better go recheck with my source on that. Maybe the attorney was fired again. Sandi Gibbons, spokesperson from the DA's office comes in a few minutes later. Steven and I are the only ones covering the hearing, and Sandi thinks the fire kept most away. Last she heard, Linda Deutsch was supposed to cover this, but she isn't here yet. Ciran McEvoy shows up and talks to Rod. It's, almost like old home week, except Dominick isn't here. Last I heard, he was still in London, but he might be back in New York by now.

Pat Dixon walks in and he's got a fresh haircut. He looks handsome and stately as always. Rick Ocampo is already here and will be sitting second chair. AJ is not at this hearing today, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's still on a sabbitical. I've heard he's been traveling. Looking around the courtroom I see Meredith from the Court's Public Relations Office sitting by the door. Right at 10:00 am the clerk Wendy calls out, "Ready for the Judge?" Someone whispers, "What does it say when there are more lawyers here for the family than there are for Spector." It is noticably empty in the courtroom, even more so on the defense side of the room.

Plourd stands up and tells the Judge that there are two declarations. One from Spector himself, documenting his efforts to sign up a new attorney, and one from the potential attorney that has not been signed yet. He wants these to be submitted exparte and sealed, and Dixon objects. Dixon doesn't think there's anything in there that needs to be sealed. I look on over at Rachelle and notice that her hair straight down, not fixed and overly streaked again. Her outfit was unremarkable for once. Just black slacks and a half sleeve type of jacket/top. I didn't even see what Spector was wearing.

As the Judge is reading the documents, Linda Deutsch arrives. After reading the first document, the Judge grants the exparte and sealing of the document stating that it deals with financial arrangements Mr. Spector is going to get to obtain counsel. After he reads the second document, he grants the exparte on that one also. The Judge mentions that he does want Mr. Spector to have counsel that he feels comfortable and confident with, and with the sealing of the documents, Mr. Spector is not ready to reveal who his new counsel might be, and since the counsel still hasn't signed the document yet anyway. Dixon asks if the counsel will remain "Mr. X?" And someone replies, I didn't catch who, "Or Mrs. X." Plourd asks that a continuance be given until November 6th, and the Judge grants the motion. The Judge then says, "10:00 am, November 6th, oh-sixty." After he leaves the bench, all three of us turn to Sandi Gibbons for an explaination of the oh-sixty. She says that it's a straight waiver, and a set up of "sixty days from November 6th." That means that Spector has the right to a speedy trial in 60 days from November 6th. Sandi indicated that this would be the first of many continuances.

As I walk towards the elevators, I see Linda Deutsch in deep conversation in the middle of the hall with Chris Plourd. Ciaran and Steven and I all catch an elevator together, and Steven asks if we all have time to get coffee. Ciaran has to go to his office to follow up on this, but he can in a bit. I can't; I have to go shop for fabric, so we say our goodbyes until November. It's going to be more of the same, throughout the rest of the year.

I'll update this with a bit more info when I get home tonight.

The Polo Lounge, Legal hirings and things in the mail

On the bookshelf: Tearing Down the Wall of Sound, by Mick Brown, and Diana, by Tina Brown.

On the CD Player: Field Commander Cohen, Leonard Cohen, 1979 UK World Tour.

It's been reported that Phil Spector recently had lunch at the Polo Lounge, located in the Beverly Hills Hotel, accompanied by two women and two bodyguards. Did he leave the little child bride at home or was she one of the luncheon ladies? It is unknown at this point. Let's hope Spector is letting Rachelle out of that run down wreck of a castle once in a while, so she doesn't get treated the same way he treated Ronnie. I mean, a young bride has to show off her shoes every once in a while.

Meanwhile, Spector has been hiring and firing, and hiring again a member of his defense team from round one. I'm happy to report that it is NOT Linda Kenney Baden, and I'm sure there are many reporters out there who are relieved about that as well. Ms. Baden is a competent attorney, but her courtroom presence did grate the nerves of many people sitting in the gallery as well as those watching on the telly at home. It will be interesting to find out if the individual is still on board come October 22nd, the new date for the next pretrial hearing where all parties have been ordered back to Judge Fidler's courtroom, or if they will be fired again before that date.

Meanwhile, back at home, I got a delightful surprise in the mail on Saturday. This is very special for me, since I'm the one who often gives presents to people I meet, and it's usually something I've made on my sewing machine. Mick Brown was kind enough to send me an autographed copy of another one of his books I expressed an interest in, The Spiritual Tourist, A Personal Odyssey Through the Outer Reaches of Belief. I think I will have to put Diana by Tina Brown aside for now, and delve into this next.

For those of you who are interested in ordering from my collection of things I make, (or just want to write to me to say hello) please email me your inquiries here at the blog. You can a link to my email addy, here, on my profile page. The link is in the top left corner, and says "email."

Steve Huff: True Crime Weblog

On the Bookshelf: Tearing Down the Wall of Sound, by Mick Brown, & The Diana Chronicles, by Tina Brown. (I ususally read 2 or more books at once.)

On Sound: Jennifer Warnes sings Leonard Cohen. (Famous Blue Raincoat)Boy, do I have some catching up to do! Several months ago, Steve Huff stopped posting at his True Crime Blog, and went back to his roots of posting on a variety of topics at a new blog, Random Lunatic News. I read that blog faithfully. Imagine my surprise to realize today that Steve has been posting like mad about crime at a new url, True Crime Weblog for well over a month! Typing in his old blogspot url will redirect you to the new place.

If you are interested in following crime news on the net, and you don't know who Steve Huff is, you should. He is (imho), the best out there in blogging about crime, often the first to find Internet writings or MySpaces pages on a particular suspect or murdered victim in the news. I'll be reading Steve for the next week or more, catching up.

Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo on YouTube

Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo's several videos are now available on YouTube. Read his latest blog entry to catch the buzz.

The complete library of BTD films can be found on this YouTube channel. Please watch the video on lectins. It's packed full of information.

If you are dealing with a health issue that the main stream medical profession has not been able to address successfully, what do you have to lose by reading up at Dr. D'Adamo's site, or picking up his book, Live Right 4 Your Type? His latest book, The GenoType Diet ~taking blood type diet science to a whole new level~ will be released December 26th, 2007.

Juror #10 on Court TV Phil Spector Forum

Updated!
Earlier this evening, a new thread (with the title "Judgemental") was started by a poster named "Juror 10." Here is what they posted:

Judgemental

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking here since after the mistrial, and understand that many of you have questions for me. I will try and answer some if you feel so inclined as to ask.

Respectfully,

Juror 10

Several people asked him questions. Some didn't believe that it was him, until another poster said they had contacted the forum moderator who verified that it was Juror #10. I didn't get that email from the moderator, so, I'm actually not going to say that it's been verified. The poster never answers one question that was put to him, so that first post was quite misleading to say the least.

A few hours later, "Juror #10" comes back on and makes the following post:

Juror 10
Member

Registered: Oct 2007
Location:
Posts: 2

Just wanted to see how my experiment would work. The title of this thread is self explainatory. Most of you posters have proven it. Why any of you feel you need an explaination for anything that happened with this jury is beyond me. Get over yourselves. This case was not proven. End of story.


For those of you who kept an open mind about the outcome of this trial, you are appreciated greatly. Thank you for your fairness. The world needs more people like you.


I will not be back.


Juror 10

That was one of the most classic displays of passive aggressive behavior I've seen in a long time. Whoever it was, they sure must be enjoying themselves, lol!
You can be anyone you want on Internet message boards, where it's pretty easy to pretend to be someone else. Maybe even Brad Paisley, lol!

Does anyone have any comments about this manipulative event that just happened on the Court TV Phil Spector Forum?

Update: 11:55 pm
Oh, they always come back for more attention, lol!

Juror 10
Member

Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Fooling you all
Posts: 3

Venting LMAO,

So do you all feel better now that you got to get rid of some of your frustration? Or did I make it worse?

I am NOT juror 10.

Just someone who thought you needed to be shown how bad and judgemental some of you really are. Have a good night.


Sorry if I cause any of you lovely, sincere people (you know who you are) any cause for embarassment.


Peace Out
What did I tell ya. Just another chain yanker. Some people have too much time on their hands. Really, lol! That and a propensity for their brains to turn into melted cheese. Maybe it's "Chelle." Rachelle must be locked up in the Castle, because you know, Spector locked up those kids and he locked up Ronnie. And he has to threaten women with a gun who decide they've had enough of entertainment with Phil. Poor Rachelle. With no where to go, no clubs to go to, maybe this is how she passes the long hours in her wing of the castle. Making death threats to Judges and impersonating a juror. What a sad life that must be. "Chelle" all dressed up in Christian Laboutin shoes and no trial to go to every day so she can display them.