Traditional Mexican Pillows

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Even though I flew cross-country from Kentucky to Los Angeles, it never

After my own pricey plane ticket and the purchase of essentials (and a Chris Mitchell , and together we soaked in the not-so-majestic sights of downtown Los

I certainly didn’t want to wake up at 6:30 (waiting on a hair dryer that

After the tumultuous journey through dingy downtown LA, dodging shifty

This became my modus operandi as Chris and I shuffled along behind a massive

Ten minutes into this madness, I was beginning to realize what a massive,

Chris and I arrived at the Square Enix booth, camera, notebooks, iPod

I quickly realized halfway into the day, stopping to rest at a stairwell,

I fought simply to keep my stamina up, sipping on apple juice and stopping as

As we took a breather on the bus ride back to our hotel, I looked at the

The day came to a close and I made an attempt to recollect my experiences. I

With my friend Matt in tow after a recess at the hotel, Chris and I set out

When we decided it was more than a little ridiculous to even attempt braving

Before heading to bed and almost immediately falling asleep, I sneaked a peek

That fact alone was more than a little tiresome. Luckily, on the second day Modern Warfare 3 and viewing Aliens: Colonial footage were definite highlights, as well as meeting familiar faces

By the time I sat down with a drink and a snack midday, I was feeling much

The amount of snapshots and video Chris and I had feverishly attempted to

In the morning Chris and I caught a quick breakfast while scrambling to find

On the way there, I sat back and reflected on this long, strange journey. As

But I won’t see everything, because I'm only one woman. I’m just one journalist

Until next year, Los Angeles. I’ll be ready for you.

Musings . . . by Karen Lynn Allen: Gideon Pillow: Coward, Liar and ...

In the movie Shakespeare in Love , Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are discussing Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter when Marlowe suggests the character Mercutio.  Later, Viola outlines the idea of Twelfth Night with a Duke Orsino.  “Good name,” Shakespeare says both times with admiration and a little envy, and I can entirely relate. As a writer, a good name can fill me with admiration, elation, and downright covetousness.  And so it was when, researching the Civil War, I stumbled across the perfidious Gideon Pillow . As I pondered the near perfection of the moniker I could only sigh deeply. Since the real Pillow could not be incorporated into Beaufort 1849 , and since naming a fictional character after a real person alive at the time could cause confusion, there was no way to include the glorious name in my book. I had to be satisfied with calling one of my characters Gideon Pickens, a weak echo at best. But there is more to Mr. Gideon Pillow than just his name! As Henry Birch says in Beaufort 1849 , “My, my. We have a complete bounder on our hands.” Born in Tennessee in 1806, Gideon Pillow practiced law in his home state as the partner of future president, James K Polk. Through his connections with Polk, he served as Brigadier General of the Tennessee Militia. Ten years later, when the Mexican-American War started up, Pillow deftly used political patronage to join the U.S. Army as a brigadier general. And then in 1847 President Polk promoted him to major general!  Lesson learned: make friends with those who will ascend to high places. So far, so good. At the age of 41, Pillow appeared to be a rising star in the military. But then he made the mistake of crossing General Winfield Scott, commander of American forces in Mexico.  Now, “Old Fuss and Feathers” Scott is considered by many historians to be one of the ablest generals in American military history. (He was also responsible for at least a portion of the terrible human toll during the Cherokee removal from Georgia, but that’s another story.) After the major action of the war--action during which Pillow had altogether shown a great deal more incompetence than competence--Pillow felt he hadn’t received enough recognition and glory.

Unfit subjects, educational policy and the teen mother

Bowker's Directory of Videocassettes for Children 1999

Civil War leadership and Mexican War experience

The life and wars of Gideon J. Pillow

Textile technology digest