You Know Things Are Bad...

when Boone Pickens can't get financing.

Story on the collapse of his wind farm dreams here.

Some Gorgeous Gossip (and Early Alaskan Fireworks)...

You've heard that Sarah Palin resigned. Have you heard this?

EXCLUSIVE: PALIN RESIGNATION 'DAMAGE CONTROL' FOR COMING 'ICEBERG SCANDAL' ... MORE: EMBEZZLEMENT INDICTMENTS COMING?

FURTHER UPDATE from The Brad Blog: Okay, I've now been able to get independent information from multiple sources that all of this precedes what are said to be possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin's house and the Wasilla Sports Complex, built during her tenure as Mayor. Both structures, it is said, feature the "same windows, same wood, same products." Federal investigators have been looking into this for some time, and indictments could be imminent, according to the Alaska sources.

Palin's Wasilla Lake House

True? Or just gossip? Only time will tell...

Wood is Good, II: Dreamboats.

1957 Chris-Craft Capri

Chris-Craft 1941 Capri "Dame."

Chris-Craft 1942 Runabout

Chris-Craft Barrelback

Pretty wooden boats all in a row (not all of these are Chris-Craft).

Lacquered wood and polished nickel trays from Williams-Sonoma Home.

Can you think of a better way to spend a summer day than lazin' around on the lake in one of these vintage Chris-Craft boats? They're like the floating, speedster versions of the Woody (with price tags to almost match). And they do require some extra pampering (as most beautiful things do :-) but I'd say they're worth it.

Unfortunately, the water at the beach is either too salty or too brackish for these beauties but my husband grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and the northern waters of the Chesapeake, as I understand, might be just right.

At the very least, I can get those trays for my living room and put a sweating cocktail on them and dream of my vintage Chris-Craft.

Sunday Mellow.

Wood is Good.

Country Living magazine

1948 Chevy Woody Wagon

Plymouth Woody

via Habitually Chic

Woody limo

1948 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertible

My love for the Woody goes way back. I'm not exactly sure when it started but my guess is sometime around the time of my Beach Boys fanaticism in high school. A scene from "Holiday Inn" with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire also comes to mind. The last photo, a 1948 convertible is currently for sale at rmauctions.com with an estimated price tag of $225,000-$275,000. Zoiks.

I may not be able to afford a Woody but I still daydream about this car (remember's Joni's post on it here?), which is the next best thing:

The 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer is available here on eBay Motors for bidding or an $11,000 BuyItNow price tag. Consider it the yin to my Prius yang.


Even Puma got in on the action with its Cali Woody (no longer available and originally available only at its Santa Monica store, natch).

Ahhh, Woody. But that's not the end of my obsession with wood (David, get your mind out of the gutter). Stay tuned for Part II.

Old School.

I just got some new old-school Ray-Ban Wayfarers and I had my prescription done in glass because the refraction is awesome and you can get the green R-B tint.

Ugh.

It's like having a 5-lb. weight on your face. I forgot how heavy glass lenses are. They give me a headache after 5 minutes.

Unfortunately, I have a second pair on the way...

My Neighbor Has This.

It is 4:45 a.m. and I have been up for over an hour listening to the carnage.

Does he really think he is killing all the harmful insects in his yard with it? What's wrong with people anyway? The University of Delaware conducted the best-known study (Frick & Tallamy 1996) showing that only 31 out of 13,789 insects trapped (0.22%) were mosquitoes or biting gnats. The majority were beneficial insects; in fact, nearly half were non-biting aquatic insects such as caddisflies and midges that feed fish, frogs, birds and bats, the study found. Another 14% were insects that actually attack pests, such as wasps, ground beetles and ladybugs.

Where's Rachel Carson when you need her?

Happy Birthday to Me.

Okay. I know I've been ultra-busy. With spring cleaning (I'm a maniac) and Spencer's graduation and her grandparents visiting (times two!) and the prep involved and the post-prep and planting and birthdays and the beach - it's been a whirlwind! So, I'm sorry I've been so MIA but expect more of that - it's summer, after all. Hopefully, you're all enjoying it as well.

I'm going to Philly today and sticking around to see Grey Gardens, the Musical tonight. Also, I'm in the middle of painting another bathroom in chalkboard paint (it looks different from the other but equally great! What can I say? I'm hooked on chalkboard paint!).

And if it's your birthday, too, yeah? Have a great one!

Impossible.

It's not possible that you are graduating from high school today. I know they say time flies but this is ridiculous.

It was only 5 minutes ago that you were walking through the house with my belts wrapped around your diaper doing your Jack Benny impression (even though you had no idea who Jack Benny was) and swinging on your tree swing in the backyard with wild, happy abandon. I could swear just the other day you "married" Eddie Garza and had your Harriet the Spy birthday party in the playhouse. It seems so recent that I can touch you dressed up as a sunflower for Halloween. Can it really be that long since we were the Gilmore Girls looking for our new adventures?

And now I am excited for your new adventures. I will miss you as a constant source of entertainment for me but it's time for you to fly. So let's kiss high school goodbye and move onto the good stuff.

Happy travels, darlin' pie. xoxo

My Own Grey Gardens.

Gibraltar is my local version of Grey Gardens (although there's no one living in it). I have taken to playing the lottery in an effort to win enough money to restore it.

Gibraltar was built by the nephew of Caesar Rodney (of the all-night run on horseback in a thunderstorm to sign the Declaration of Independence and break the deadlock of the Delaware contigent), was afterward owned by another of the Rodney progeny and a du Pont and is currently owned by Preservation Delaware. There is a group interested in purchasing it if they can get the code changed to allow it to be made into a conference center. I do not like that idea. Neither do the residents of my neighborhood. The original plan was to turn it into a bed and breakfast or an inn.

The gardens were originally created in the 1920s by prominent landscape architect Marian Cruger Coffin (she also designed the formal gardens at Winterthur). They were restored in 2001 and are cared for by volunteers. The gardens are open to the public for free and are available for weddings and gatherings for a fee.

I also found out through My Grey Gardens that Grey Gardens the Musical will be in Philadelphia May 22 through June 28. Guess who will be going?

A GOOP Spoof.

Gwyneth Paltrow Nourishes Her Inner Aspect.

by Gabe

Gwyneth Paltrow stirred. A lilac-scented breeze pushed gently at the diaphanous curtains of her castle aerie (two servants stood beneath her castle window, one waving a giant palm frond as the other squeezed a bulb of artisanal lilac oil into the current). The silk sheets felt rough against her pearl white skin, as they always did after having been slept on for more than four hours. She would have to have them replaced; their satin comfort was gone now. Now they were like sandpaper to her temple (body). She thought of the tiny hands of child laborers in China and India, harvesting the silken threads for her midnight cocoon. Surely they would be happier doing something else, like playing, or going to school, or starring in a movie with Robert Downey Jr. She should write them a letter to encourage them to find their true spirit. She should have one of her assistants write them a letter right away.

"Dear child laborers," it would begin. "Seek your happiness." Blah blah blah, her assistant would know how to end it. She was always much better at writing letters, and aspirational websites, than Gwyneth.

Gwyenth slipped into her polar bear fur lined slippers and headed to the 4,000 square foot master bathroom to prepare her morning toilette. She rinsed her mouth with calf's milk and brushed her teeth with fresh mint leaves. She soaked for an hour and a half in the Olympic size Jacuzzi before calling out for the breakfast servant to bring her her egg white omelet with truffle shavings and gold leaf. What many people didn't realize was that eating gold was actually good for you. Although there were no particular nutritional benefits, it just made you feel good to be able to eat gold. She ate gold at every meal. That would be one of her next newsletters. "Everyone Should Just Eat Gold."

For the entire hilarious article, click here.

Even though I made amends with Gwyneth in this post, I really cannot believe I didn't write this.

Thanks to my little buttercup, Raina of If the Lampshade Fits, for this amusing lampoonery. And here's to Gabe, for writing it.

This Housing Crisis Is for the Birds.

I saw this birdhouse/dovecote at Farmer Girl in Rehoboth Beach and fell in love with it. You cannot tell by the photo that it is 6 feet tall.

You also cannot tell that it costs $2999 at Farmer Girl. $2999!! for a bird house. However, I did find it here for only $1895. $1895 for a birdhouse!! Proving that beach prices are still out of whack with the rest of the market.

I think I'll wait until it goes into foreclosure. . .

Have a great weekend!

Oh, God, Please, Oh, Please, Oh, Please.

Let this be true:

An open-label, dose escalation, safety, and pharmacokinetic study of
ENMD-2076 administered orally to patients with advanced cancer.

Sub-category: Other Novel Agents

Category: Developmental Therapeutics: Molecular Therapeutics

Meeting: 2009 ASCO Annual Meeting

Citation: J Clin Oncol 27:15s, 2009 (suppl; abstr 3520)

Abstract No: 3520

Author(s): B. R. Bastos, J. Diamond, R. Hansen, D. Gustafson, J. Arnott, M. Bray, C. Sidor, W. Messersmith, G. Shapiro; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO; EntreMed, Inc., Rockville, MDAbstract:

Background: ENMD-2076, a novel, orally-active antimitotic and antiangiogenic molecule inhibits Aurora A as well as tyrosine kinases that drive tumor vascularization, including VEGFR2 (KDR), PDGFR and the FGF receptors. This Phase 1 study was designed to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and preliminary efficacy of ENMD-2076 administered once daily to patients (pts) with advanced cancer. Methods: The dose escalation scheme utilizes 3 (or 4) + 3 (or 2) design. Pts receive ENMD-2076 once daily in 28-day cycles (followed by 7-14 days of rest between cycles 1 and cycle 2 only). Results: 14 pts have been enrolled in 3 dose cohorts (range 60 to 120 mg/m²/d). Median age/performance status is 62/1. The total number of treatment cycles to date is 45, with a median of 3 cycles (range <1 n="14)">2/d. Following drug interruption, the pt restarted at 30 mg/m²/d and continued for 4 additional cycles before being removed for progressive disease. Noncompartmental PK analysis of the first two dose levels shows that the plasma concentration of ENMD-981693 (the active free base of ENMD-2076) is dose- linear, as reflected in AUC and C_max. The estimated terminal half-life (t_1/2) is unaltered regardless of dose; however, t_1/2 is approximately 50% greater at steady state than following single dose administration. Four ovarian cancer and 2 colon cancer pts have achieved decreases ranging from 11-61% in either CA125 or CEA, respectively (4 are associated with stable disease at Cycle 2 by modified RECIST criteria). Serum KDR concentrations assayed by ELISA decreased from baseline in all patients on treatment from a mean of 9153 pg/mL (SEM 464.2) at D1 to 6987 pg/mL (SEM 460.0) at D28 (p <0.05).>Conclusions: ENMD-2076 is a small molecule kinase inhibitor with acceptable toxicity and preliminary evidence of antitumor activity in pts with ovarian and colorectal cancers.

(The final bold is mine.)

If this is true, this could be HUGE!!!!!!!!! This is on actual patients, people!!

I love you, Entremed researchers and docs involved with this clinical trial. With all my heart.

Tune in to the annual ASCO meeting on May 30, 2009 for the actual presentation of trial results. Or my blog.

John Crewdson, are you still out there?

NOTE: So I am not accused of going all New York Times, May 3, 1998 on you (here), I would like to point out that this is just a Phase I trial.

Beauty & the Beach: Shore Haus Update.

Owners John Raines and Chris Berg are pictured here in front of some of the new bird prints in store. John is leafing through a Natural Curiousities book that comes unbinded so you can frame the pages.

If you happen to be in Rehoboth Beach for the holiday weekend it's the perfect time to stop in and see the beauty in person. Shore Haus is located just after the Rte. 1 split at700 Rehoboth Ave. Or if you can't visit in person, you can always take a trip via their website and their new blog.

And, now, a bonus - the boys of Shore Haus:

Dennis

Alex

I'm thinking of doing a calendar.

UPDATE: Well, what do you know? Shore Haus is in the Washington Post today! Click here for the link.

You Go Girls.

"Bill thought he was the President, too.”