John Lennon & My Uncle

I heard a story in NPR this morning that got me to thinking...

As a wee tot, I spent most of my time at my grandmother's house, with my aunt and uncle. I thought my uncle was the coolest thing on the planet. I idolized him and everything he did.

So when I was about 5, and he was 16, we used to sit at the dining room table with a big, orange cheap cotton bag of newly procured stamps and spend hours sorting, dividing and arranging the new acquisitions into our stamp albums. He bought me a paperback stamp album, less than a quarter of an inch thick, and he worked in this hefty three ring binder book. We would commandeer the table all night, drinking coffee (yes, I drank coffee at 5), and playing with the paraphenalia of stamp collecting: scissors, tweezers, plastic hinges, a small dish of water for said hinges, and a little world atlas to reference strange and exotic foreign countries.

Lots of great stuff can come from stamp collecting. You learn about geography, and all kinds of other interesting stuff from the colorful pictures on stamps (animals, art, politics), and you learn about visual organization as you work on a page. It teaches you patience and hand-eye coordination. And you learn to be still. Even when you are wired on caffeine.

So this NPR story was about the Smithsonian acquiring John Lennon's stamp collection.

My uncle collected stamps. So did John.
My uncle was an artist. So was John.
My uncle played guitar. So did John.

I worshipped by uncle and wanted to be just like him. Never had any feelings for Lennon.

Art Auction News

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (1844 1934).

Who is this you ask? This is the man responsible for one of the most ubiquitous works in all of art - yes, that's right, he is the guy who did 1903's Dogs Playing Poker.

And there was a little auction of two of his Dogs Playing Poker paintings, Waterloo: Two and A Bold Bluff. The estimate for his paintings was $50 -70,000. Not bad, right?

The realized figure for the painting was $590,400.

All in, baby.

16 Hours With Kadobi

My friend Kadobi (who has not made an appearance here since October 22!) and I got to work at 3 am and made spur-of-the-moment plans to hang out together for the afternoon.

This was brought on by two outside forces - 1.) it was going to be miserable and air-conditioning sounded great and 2.) Organized Living, a ridiculously over-priced container store was finally throwing in the towel and calling it a day. They were selling off their inventory, and it seemed like a good time to invest in a CD shelving system which would finally free up my bookshelves for books. I got the last three of their double maple CD units (each holds about 660 CDs) and discovered that they wouldn't fit into my car.

The Great Kadobi has recently upgraded his ride, and said he would not only take the 3 units to my house, he would carry them in for me (and they were heavy let me tell you).

I thought this deserved a reward so I took the fine young man out for a burritos at Baja fresh followed by an ice cream treat at Friendly's, served by a very, very attractive waitress named Toni. Kadobi realized that this was the first time in about five years that he had ice cream that didn't come out of a cardboard container. Poor Kadobi.

So we were about 5 minutes late for the movie, but that was alright because although I am pro-previews I am most anti-commercials. Well, there was a line at the ticket window, and we finally got in, now about 10 minutes late and my anxiety was on the rise.

We got to the theatre, and lo and behold, they were still showing advertisement slides. When the show was going on 20 minutes late, Kadobi had had enough and went to see the management. He returned to a smattering of applause, and the show started. Ah, my hero, Kadobi. Neither of us had ever been to a movie that actually started late, and this one was about 30 minutes behind.

THEN, they had to play several minutes of ads which were completely aggravating. THEN the previews, which I was predisposed to no longer enjoy (though War of the Worlds looks darn good), and THEN Batman Begins began.

This review captures my feelings pretty well. I thought the film was great, and so did Kadobi, though we were the only ones to applaud at the credits. There was just enough action for him, and just enough plot and development to keep me entertained (not to mention awake, as we had been up since 1:30 in the morning) .

We got coffee for the road and Kadobi took me home, at almost 8 pm. Sad for him, he had to be back at work again at 3 am.

You heard it from me - he's a great date, girls.

Guitar : An American Life

I heard about this book on NPR, and went right tout to get it.

What an engrossing tale. A Fylde guitar is ruined by an airline, a wife makes a promise to replace the guitar for the grieving man's 50th birthday, and the man sets out to have a guitar custom-made. In the interim, the author, Tim Brookes, describes the history of the guitar in all of its incarnations. It is a beautiful history lesson, fascinating and then oddly tense as you wait with the author through various stages of luthery from the wizard at Running Dog Guitars until the grand day the custom concert jumbo guitar is unveiled.

Absolutely excellent. Oh, plus it has an extraordinary cover - peek under the dust jacket. When I walked into work with my new treasure, all of my co-workers were fawning over the book design, then broke out into an unending discussion of guitars...it was like heaven.

Watch What You Say...

I got to work at the leisurely hour of 7 am.

I like that shift because it has the amazing benefit of enabling me to stop at Starbuck's on the drive in, something patently impossible to do on my 3 am shifts, which is really when I need it.

Anyway, as I was going through my morning routine, putting my Craftsman leather box knife holder on my belt, finding my nametag, getting out my store keys, looking at the previous day's figures, a co-worker innocently said, "How's your day?"

To which I innocently replied, " Great, not not much can go wrong by 7 am."

Then the phone rang. Seems H__'s car had been stolen.

Too Good To Be True

Got up early and goofed around, being completely without direction or purpose. Before heading off to work, I stumbled upon this.

Just call me Gisele Verga. And, for the record, Miss Brazil becomes Joelma Fontana.

I kinda like it.

New Music Tuesday - Manhattan Transfer Live (1978)

How great is this album? (And I do use the word album because I had this on vinyl long, long ago.) This is the final Manhattan Transfer album to be reborn on CD - I never thought I would have this one!

I haven't heard this album in a long time, since I no longer have a turntable, but I knew there were several songs that were outstanding on this disc.

Well, I love this concert. Boy, they were something back in the day, the day that featured not only my boys, Wayne Johnson on guitar and Don Roberts on sax, but the days that included Laurel Masse.

I have always been a fan of Snootie Little Cutie, but had forgotten how incredibly great Janis Siegel was on In the Dark and Laurel Masse's amazing Je Voulais (Te Dire Que Je T'Attends) . The brief accapella Sunday is magnificent and the goofy stuff performed by Tim Hauser and Alan Paul as their alter egos are just silly.

Ah, when music was fun...those were the days. Go get this CD. Now.

Tremont

H__ and I decided to have a little adventure today and ventured out into the unknown areas of Cleveland. We had both heard great things about Tremont - an area filled with art galleries and great restaurants, and it seemed a fine way to spend a lazy, gorgeous afternoon.

Smarter folks than we would realize that most galleries are closed on Mondays. We happened into The Banyan Tree, which was accidentally open because the owner had a few tasks to take care of. H__ dropped some quid, so at least the shopkeep paid for the electricity today...

She suggested we try Fat Cats for lunch, and I am glad we did. It is a very cozy, colorful place with helpful, friendly staff and some really nice art work on the walls. We both had the Angus beef cheeseburger with cheddar cheese, apple cider bacon, "pomme frittes", house ketchup, and arugula greens. It was great. Now, the "pomme frittes" look mighty weird, but they are very tasty. The view of downtown from the patio is very nice, and the colorful University Townhouses off to the right of the restaurant are extremely intriguing.

After lunch we drove around the neighborhood a bit, and while it is true there is more than their fair share of churches per square block, and great looking little cafes and trendy bars, perhaps because it was a lazy Monday afternoon, there was no real activity, and the place looked a little desolate and deserted, and really didn't have a good vibe.

We agreed it really wasn't our kind of place.

And The Pile Keeps Growing...

So as Faithful Readers might recall, was going through a period where I couldn't find a book that interested me at all, and I was quite worried about not being able to come up with a Ten Best List of books for 2005.

Well, so much for that. Here is the list of books that I have recently acquired that are currently stacked on my bedside table, just pestering me to get on with them...

1. Guitar : An American Life by Tim Brookes (in progress) (great pictures of his completed guitar can be seen here.)
2. Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table by Linda Ellerbee (in progress)
3. Death and the Sun : A Matador's Season in Heart of Spain by Edward Lewine
4. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
5. Byron – Life and Legend by Fiona McCarthy
6.Granite and Rainbow: The Hidden Life of Virginia Woolf by Mitchell Leaska
7. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
8. The Stones of Summer by Dow Mossman
9. Franky Furbo by William Wharton (another recommendation from H__)

# 10

H__ could not stop raving about the book she was reading. She called me to read lines that struck her as incredibly funny, and then she said that I would really like the book because it was written the way I speak.

Well, with such a flattering recommendation, I couldn't wait to start it, and she graciously loaned me her copy. The book is The Girl's Guide To Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank.

I started reading the book, and found myself wondering if somehow the interior contents had been replaced, as what I was reading was not in any way what I was expecting.

I finished the book this evening, and though I did not find the book funny at all, it was a pretty good read. It was something I would have never chosen on my own, and the story lingers with you, which proves that it was a worthwhile book, but I found it to be rather sad. This review really sums up my opinion quite well.

It continues to amaze me that two people who like each other so much can have such disparate tastes in literature and music.

Go figure.

Matrimonial Madness : Opposites Do Indeed Attract

Can someone please tell me what in God's name is going on?

As if it wasn't bad enough for Tom Cruise to get engaged to Katie Holmes – odd, inappropriate and strange as that combination is – the madness has finally hit my girl, Sandra Bullock. After all of these years, strongly single and fabulous, she is selling herself down the river to Jesse James, the tattooed behemoth from Monster Garage.

Why, oh, why?

Man Walks Into A Room

I picked up this book for two reasons: some of the plot resonated with me, and I liked the cover.

Yes, I believe you CAN judge a book by its cover, and I had even started a 'zine (Judged By Its Cover) back in the day, when I reviewed books based solely on the cover art...but I digress.

Nicole Krauss (Stanford graduate) is a tremendous writer, and this small novel is a treatise on memory, solitude and intimacy and personal history. Itbegins with a Columbia University professor, found walking in the Arizona desert, with no memory of how he got there. Turns out he has a brain tumor, and its removal means that he can live, but with no memories past the age of 12 or so. He then has no idea who his wife is, and must deal with the loss of his mother, again. This memory loss makes him feel freed, rather sad. He ends up back in the desert, and crosses paths with two men who change his new life...

An interesting and compelling work, with thoughts on crafting a life, and what the past really means.

New Music Tuesday - Dreaming Wide Awake

I love this CD.

I eagerly purchased Lizz Wright's first release, Salt, and although I really wanted to like it, I just couldn't. (still don't actually)

But this CD is just beautiful - simple, elegant, quiet. Lizz's voice is intimate and lovely, the arrangements are very simple. Very mellow, good listening.

So Much For That

Always remember that it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind.

Also, remember that if a Taurus tells you that she is not interested in debating a subject, you should just concede the point, because no further discussion is going to occur.

And so, the summation of these two key points is that no one will be relocating any time soon.

A Great Night Swinging Out at The House Of Blues

Heather and I had a great night out at the "new" House of Blues.

We met at the bar for drinks, and much to my dismay, they did not have Knob Creek ! They did, however, serve Booker's. So I tried one. And, okay, so I hadn't eaten all day, but before I had finished half of it, my head was spinning and I was unable to put a sentence together. I am looking forward to trying one of these again, to see if it really does pack a punch. In any event, it was a fine, fine bourbon.

Now the atmosphere of the House of Blues restaurant is designed to encourage you to party. The walls are covered with "outsider art", some of it interesting, some of it terrible and one piece, a hand made calendar by the restrooms, is awesomely disturbing and moving. It is also one of the loudest rooms I have ever been in. So don't plan on having any meaningful conversations.

The food is excellent. I had the "fall off the bone" stewed half chicken with mushrooms and onions, white rice and buttered baby carrots. The portion was enormous, and it was cooked perfectly. For dessert we shared a monstrosity that they innocuously call a chocolate walnut brownie served with caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. Exquisite.

If you are going to a performance after your meal, you get to go down a secret hallway and by-pass all of the folks waiting to get in, which is kinda cool. After we were security-wanded, and had our plastic wristbands fastened securely, we were allowed in.

The venue is a very nice size, not too big and not too small. There are no seats, so everyone stands, either on the dance floor in front of the stage, or, as we did, back by the bars. The opening act was trip-hop gal Kinnie Starr, and she came out alone, and proceeded to do a little rap thing with some pre-recorded beats. As I am predisposed to hate opening acts, I wasn't expecting much. Both Heather and I thought that it took some guts to get out there all alone and we were pretty impressed. That quickly dissipated as we realized that her first number was her masterpiece, and the "songs" became more and more unpleasant. We took this opportunity to explore the venue, and noticed some seating in the balcony. I enquired if one might sit there, and I was informed by the security guard that they were private box seats, that went for $1000. We thought maybe we would just stand for the show.

Finally, Swing Out Sister took the stage. I had never seen them (well, it is Corinne Drewery that I came to see) and was very excited. The crowd was obviously very loyal and loving, and I saw many a fan carrying around old Swing Out Sister LP's...
The show was excellent, and Corinne has a charming and warm personality, and it is very clear that she loves performing. Her voice sounds just as good in person as it does on the recordings.

The only negative thing I have to say is that she had the most unfortunate A-line dress - white, with enormous red poppies all over it. Not only was it completely not flattering (as Heather commented, "She could have the body of Madonna under there - who would know?"), after every song Corinne was pulling at the neckline and shoulders. Hmm...she also looked too much like Courtney Cox. I was hoping for the black leather Diana Rigg catsuit from the Somewhere Deep In The Night CD, so you can imagine my disappointment in the Poppy Dress.

Other than tragic couture, the show was awesome, and I highly recommend catching their show if they come to your town.

New Music Tuesday - A Little Country

Okay, I really haven't lost my mind.

The other evening my store manager put the bluegrass station on the XM radio. This song came on, and let me just tell you, if you ever want people to move quickly and get all fired up, just play this little ditty called "Douglas the Dog." What a great song. Naturally I had to go out and find the CD which was from the surprising source of The US Navy Country Current Bluegrass Quartet : Navy Blue Bluegrass.

The other CD treasure of the day is Gail Davies - The Songwriter Sessions, which arrived as a special bonus gift from my Penpal. It is a two CD set, and I have only yet gotten through one of the discs, but I have been enjoying it very much. Gail is a sadly overlooked talent, and it was very nice to revisit her on this new record.

Remembering Anne Bancroft

I was very sad to learn of the passing of the marvelous Anne Bancroft today.

Most of the tributes revolve around her performance in The Graduate, and sure it was amazing, but for me, my favorite Bancroft movies are 84 Charring Cross Road and the little-known and overlooked Garbo Talks.

Her partnership with Mel Brooks always struck me as wonderfully amusing and resulted in another of my favorite film moments - Brooks produced David Lynch's The Elephant Man, in which Bancroft plays the actress Mrs. Kendall - a tender, significant part.

Broadway dimmed its light for Ms. Bancroft. She will be very missed.

Open the Coffers

I spent the day at Crate and Barrel, assembling a shopping list for the house. I picked out two great red velvet Porter chairs and a round copper Collina cocktail table to set in front of the leaded glass windows in the living room, and a round Galerie dining room table with leather Pullman chairs. I guess the Tudor nature is just calling out for round tables...Anyway, it was a nice feeling to be taken seriously by the staff, and also nice to actually spend money on a practical investment like furniture.

After putting the items on hold until H__ could come and see them, I wandered into an art gallery because I could see several Frederick Hart sculptures from the windows. In keeping with the theme of the day, the gallery staff were really selling me on what a great investment a Hart sculpture would be for me, and I agreed. Unfortunately, the sculpture in question was ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Yeah.

When I got home, H__ called telling me that she was laying on her chaise lounge, designing the piece to be hung over the fireplace. Something fabulous with cascading gingko leaves she thinks. I can't wait to see it...

Literary and Cinematic High School Regression Day

So, I left H__'s this morning, stopping by a new and different Starbuck's for the drive home, and watched a very interesting film called, Gypsy 83.

It is the story of a young woman (Gypsy 83) and her misfit friend, Clive, who leave their small town home of Sandusky, Ohio and go to New York so that Gypsy can perform at The Night of 1,000 Stevies, as she is a Stevie Nicks impersonator. Apparently, this is a large subculture. Anyway, on their adventures, they met a washed-up lounge singer, played fiercely by Karen Black, and an escapee Amish man. I thought the film was very interesting and a great coming of age flick for a certain audience.

I then read a book I bought solely because of the blurb on the cover, which is blatantly pathetic, but there you go. It said:

If this isn't really Alice Sebold, Donna Tartt or Barbara Vine writing under a pseudonym...

And I so love Donna Tartt, that I tried it.

First of all, it has a pink cover. Second of all, it has the off-putting title of The Bitch Posse.
Thirdly, it turned out to be a pretty good book. The characters are well developed, and sadly real. And the author makes good use of the old saw about a butterfly wings changing the weather around the world. She follows the lives of three women, chronicled the lives they create after experiencing a very dramatic event. The event, the great tragedy, is withheld until the very end, wrapping up the story very neatly. Very complex characters, and it was well written.

But was it Donna Tartt? Heck, no. But I fell for it.

Yes, It Was

As we were not going to get into the house until the late afternoon, we had to find ways of amusing and distracting ourselves. This involved two trips to Starbuck's, reading the New York Times and several magazines, driving around other neighborhoods and napping.

Finally, the magic hour arrived, and we went to see the place. The landlord was standing outside with a beautiful Shetland Sheepdog (Cassie, after Mary Cassatt), and I immediately made friends with the dog. We walked Cassie for a bit, getting a verbal history of the neighbors and neighborhood, then we were given a tour of the garage and the backyard and the various flowers and herbs and whatnot. Then, finally, we were taken inside. The entryway was almost like a castle tower, stone and arches, and a freestanding curved staircase raising up two stories. It was breathtaking. Entering the living room, the first things we noticed were the beamed ceiling, the enormous leaded glass windows, and the great expanse of wall over the fireplace to the ceiling which was just begging for H__ to create some masterpiece to feature there.

We passed through the dining room, checked out the large kitchen (sadly, an electric stove) and the many closets, the two bedrooms and two baths. Then it was upstairs to the fabulous library, and the extra added treat of the finished third floor that had five big rooms. Then it was down the back stairs to the basement, which had another three rooms, including a very large laundry room, with a built-in table for folding clothes - and a laundry chute, which in my younger days I am sure I would have been tempted to use inappropriately.

Standing in the basement, we agreed that we would take it. The landlady told us that we were horrible negotiators.

So off we went to fill out the application and copy documents and write the deposit check. Now, one would think that finding a copy machine in Cleveland would not take you an hour...but somehow it did. It was during this hunt that my dear Penpal phoned to tell me good news / bad news. The good news was a terrifically successful business day she had had, and bad news was one of those things that you know deep in your heart is true at the time, even though someone is telling you that it isn't, that it is all in your mind. Then one day, they own up to it after all. So, not BAD, really, just tiresome and annoying.

Following that, copies hot off the press, we then realized that we had forgotten to eat all day (Lord knows we didn't forget to drink coffee though...) so we stopped in to Eddie Sands' Blueline Cafe for a meatloaf dinner that was less than wonderful. Then we dropped off the forms and money, and headed back to H__'s, quite exhausted.

"We Found Our New Home"

H__ and I took a little break late this afternoon and met for lattes at the new Isola Bella, a wine bar and cafe and possibly a florist, I'm not sure. It is certainly a lovely atrium setting, elegant and peaceful, and they do make the greatest lattes I have ever had. While we were waiting for the drinks to be made, H__ got a call about the house we had read about in the paper. She wrote down the address and planned on driving by on her way home.

I drove home, cashed my paycheck (I love payday) and was just getting out of the shower when H__ called with the cryptic message reproduced here in its entirety:

If the inside is anything like the outside, we have found our new home.

This, of course inspired me to drive back up to Cleveland, and H__ and I took a walk to see the place - a magnificent Tudor house with a fantastic front garden and two-story leaded glass windows in the front. We can't wait to see the inside tomorrow!

We stopped in to Captain Tony's for a pizza, and went back to H__'s, anxious to explore the house.

And You Thought The Birthday Festivities Were Over

My Penpal sent a surprise birthday package to me at work today, and I have already covered how I love receiving stuff at work. So, I eagerly awaited my lunch when I could open it and enjoy.

I am now the proud owner of the hardcover version of Byron: Life and Legend by Fiona MacCarthy. Both my Penpal and I wanted to read this when it was first released, but never got around to it. I sent her the paperback version because I couldn't find the hardcover anywhere. The bonus about this copy, then, is it came with two dustjackets! I think I will send one to her, so she can wrap it around some other book...it will look great.

The other grand surprise was the DVD package of Funny Girl and Funny Lady. Ms. Streisand played an enormous role in my teenage years, and Funny Lady played a formative piece in my development. As for Funny Girl...I had never seen it before meeting my dear Penpal, and it was her favorite Streisand film. So, to be the proud owner of both of these means a lot. It's hard to choose where to begin: The Roller Skate Rag or How Lucky Can You Get?

And that is the natal Month Celebration Wrap-up Folks!

New Music Tuesday - Mea Culpa

So there I was at work this morning, and a very familiar little guitar riff came on the radio.

"Oh, it's the Manhattan Transfer doing "How High the Moon"from Bop Doo Wop...I'd know Wayne's guitar intro anywhere. How cool they are playing it on the radio..." I thought to myself.

THEN I realized it was really the Les Paul/Mary Ford original recording. And THEN I realized what an incredible job Wayne Johnson, the MT's guitarist had done on their recording. It sounds just like Les Paul. To duplicate such a distinctive sound and way of playing is very difficult, and Wayne's homage is extraordinary.

So, my music assignment today is for you to listen to both of these versions. Also, check out this great site - about a quarter of the way down the page is a photo of the set-up Les Paul used to record the song. Cool.

Since I am on the subject, I think that my favorite guitar solo of all time is "Sing Joy Spring" from the Manhattan Transfer's 1987 Live album. I am also a huge fan of Jon Hendrick's lyrics for the song, but Wayne's solo is sheer perfection to my ears.

Sideways

Finally got around to watching Sideways.

My fears were realized. I really disliked this film. I thought the men characters were despicable and the women were ridiculous. Not having any characters to relate to or even like, or care about, made for a tedious viewing. The scenery was nice. Virginia Madsen is easy on the eyes, and for a moment, after she arrived on the scene, I thought there was some hope for the film. But no. Her character was stupdily annoying, too.

Waste of my time I tell you. But God bless the folk at Film Snobs for sharing my pain.

Sideways: D Virginia Madsen: B- California: A

Security Breach - A Sign From God

So, I went into my garage this morning and saw all of the crap (which, ok, is minimal, but still) strewn about the passenger seat of my car.

The crooks made off with my portable CD player and my cell phone charger.

What is annoying about this, is the fact that they couldn't clean up after themselves (not being interested in my window scraper, extra pens and napkins, a space tail light bulb and the car's owner's manual), and the fact that I leave my car unlocked because the lock doesn't work on the driver's side, and the passenger door doesn't even open - I hope that freaked them out a little) AND that I have an electric garage opener...it never occurred to me that someone would just go and pull it up...

It is definitely time to move.

Mercury Butt Syndrome

I intended to get to bed early, and foolishly turned on the TV for a few moments - only to discover the main cause of a drastic condition I deem "Mercury Butt Syndrome" was on.

Yes, anytime VH-1 is doing and "I Love the..." or some countdown I just can't get up off the couch and end up watching like 4 or 5 episodes....

It's so ridiculous.

Power Review

I was scheduled to sit down with my manager and assistant manager today to have my quarterly review (and raise), but when the time rolled around, I was on a roll cleaning out our "backyard" (the alley) and finally getting many pallets of product into the store. So I asked if we could just have a power review and I could keep on working until it was all inside the stockroom. So my manager helped out and we made four stacks of boxes that touched the ceiling. My manager had the "honor" of getting the last two boxes onto the stack using his patented "free throw" technique. It is pretty amazing to watch. Lots of skill, there.

As for the review, it went very well, and I am nicely compensated - again.

Always Nice To See You

MyFriendJason stopped by ye olde workplace bright and early this morn. He wanted to pick up some boxes for his move before we fed them all into the bailer. And he did not come empty-handed.

He arrived with a lovely triple grande latte from Starbuck's.

New Music Tuesday - Brazil Rules

It's getting to be that time of year, and I wanted something great and fun.

So today's acquisitions are: Rosa Passos' Amorosa and the big excitement of FINALLY replacing my vinyl with a shiny CD of David Byrne's Beleize Tropical: Brazil Classics 1, one of my all-time favorite recordings.

To re-visit Brazil Classics 1, well, I still love the opening track Ponta de Lanca Africano, by Jorge Ben, which is so good that it is easily worth the price of the CD. Other classics are Caetano Veloso's Ile Aye and San Vicente by Milton Nascimento. I am so very ecstatic to have these songs back in my repertoire!

Ms. Passo plays a fine guitar, and is a pleasant vocalist. The CD is a lovely mix of acoustic bossa nova. The stunning opening track, Voce Vai Ver, is again, so good that I would have gladly payed the price of the CD just to have that track.

The summer is off to an auspicious start.

The Case of the Atrophied T Rex Arm

Seems my friend H__ went and hurt herself and had to go to the hospital. She has a deep muscle strain or something like that, meaning that for two weeks she can't lift anything over ten pounds.

I thought that she needed some cheering up, and that lifting a fork full of orrechiette pasta was no where near ten pounds, so I took her to Sergio's for dinner. Sadly, it was too cold to sit outside, but we still had a great time.

When her two weeks of recovery are over, I told her left arm would be all weak and skinny and atrophied, just like a Tyrannosaurus arm. Useless and feeble. Artists who use their hands (and she is left handed as well) don't think those kind of statements are funny...

To appease her, I agreed when she suggested that we get a movie. Her choice was In Good Company, which I had forgotten starred Scarlett Johansson -sigh. It was a quite enjoyable little entertainment. And most rare - it had a good ending, not the trite, usual Hollywood romantic, wrap-it-up ending. Did I mention Scarlett Johansson's gravitational pull of quiet fascination?

In other recovery news, my PDXTraveller received the results from her battery of tests, and they were ALL NEGATIVE!!!!!

Let the pigeons loose, and the celebrations begin! She is off to begin classes for her Master's degree, and I hope that the sun shines on her for a long, long time!

If I Were A Rich Man

Well, if I were rich, I would have blown a ton of money at this auction.

Getting the urge to unburden yourself, to clean your closets and lighten your load is great. When you are Barbra Streisand, it is another animal all together.

So Mrs. Brolin was divesting herself of a lot of personal clothes, wigs, jewelry, a vehicle, stage props from her concerts, set models from movies she directed...and costumes from those movies.

There were many nice things to be had, and many items went for reasonable amounts. But in my opinion, there were a few "must haves", and one item in particular that if I were independently wealthy, I would have bought in a heartbeat, to give to my dear friend, my Penpal.

And that would be Judy Maxwell's cap from "What's Up, Doc?". As these things happen, it was one of the most expensive items of the auction, going for $9,600.

It would have been worth it.

One of the most recognizable items was the white sailor top Barbra wore on her guest appearance on the 1963 Judy Garland show. It sold for $28,800. Also of interest, was the blue sailor dress worn in the concert segment of the 1965 television special My Name Is Barbra (which features the amazing "I'm Five"), which brought in $14,400 to Streisand's coffers. And if you thought you could get a bargain on the SUPERMAN T-shirt from the Streisand Superman album, that little piece of cotton would have cost you $6,000.

I have the catalogue from Streisand's 1999 Christie's auction, when she unloaded her collection of Tiffany works and art nouveau furniture...so I am hoping to add this catalogue to my collection as well.

Let's Hear It For Civilization

For some strange reason, I have Sunday morning off, just like the normal folk.

Imagine a Sunday of Starbuck's, the New York Times, leisurely sipping your latte outside while reading and listening to the birds chirping on a sunny, pleasant morning... yep, that was my morning.

I met H__ for brunch, and strolled into work relaxed and tranquil.

My PDXTraveller called me at work in the evening, and I was relieved to hear her voice - she sounded much better than I was led to believe. She was even making jokes and things seem to be ok. Her tests will be back soon, so I am keeping her foremost in my thoughts until then...

Thoughts On Sports

There are only two times that I ever touch the sports page of a newspaper: during the summer Olympics to read about the US Swim Team, and during horse racing season.

The front page of the NY Times section this morning showed Afleet Alex winning the Preakness, after crossing paths with Scrappy T and almost stumbling. Jockey Jeremy Rose grabbed Alex's mane and pulled him up, not only keeping him from falling, but managing to come ahead and win the race.

(In other related horse racing news, the Kentucky Derby wining Giacomo was named after Sting's son, and is owned by Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records, with Herb Alpert of Tijuana Brass fame)

So, I got to thinking about what these things have in common, and I guess that I am not found of sports that last a long time - both horse races and swimming races are over relatively quickly.

As a child, my weekends revolved around getting home from whatever we were doing in time for my mother and her husband to be able to settle in for marathon sessions of watching football or golf and yelling at the tv. And sorry if this offends anyone, but there is nothing stupider than spending an entire afternoon sitting on your ass watching golf. Really. The old adage about watching paint dry is true here...I mean, fine, go play golf if you must (which I personally find equally boring and hot and lacking purpose)...but to WATCH it? Oy.

And both sports are really based on individual skill and talent - I guess I am not a big fan of the "team".

Buddha and Bullock

To focus my day, I thought that cleaning the house after visiting Starbuck's would be a good plan. After a hour or two, I had compiled a tidy list of cleaning supplies I needed, which meant I had to run around town for awhile, which meant that I screwed off most of the day with shopping.

But, judging from yesterday's event, I must have been a spiritual place, because I found a wonderful Buddha head sculpture which has a place of honor in my newly cleaned and tidy home. Now I have to see about getting my altar table back from BC...

For my evening entertainment, I went to see Crash for two reasons. One, it was getting very good reviews and two, somehow Sandra Bullock slipped in a movie and I knew nothing about it.

Crash is absolutely wonderful. It is powerful and magical, and sadly real. It is the story about race relations and the inherent distrust of the Other every single group in the world has for another group. It is intelligent, realistic, painful and true.

And surprise of all surprises, Sandra gives an amazing performance. She really can act. I am formally retracting my earlier statement in the Miss Congeniality 2 review about if I wanted to see acting I'd go to a Julianne Moore film. If you want to see acting, go see Crash. Everyone involved has given a passionate, moving performance.

A Phrase I Could Do Without

So I got an email from my PDXTraveller, which included the following phrase:

I may have cancer elsewhere

Black type on a white background. Amazing how such a short little sentence can disrupt your whole existence.

The world is never as simple as being black or white - it is always a shifting gray, and sometimes it is very cloudy, and hard to find your way through.

It's My Friday

A few times a year, my store sends out a flyer, which means we become even more busy than we regularly are. Because of this condition, I took for a team, and stayed an extra couple of hours today, before punching out for my weekend.

As it also happened to be payday, I did a little shopping on the way home, picking up a lovely book of Edward S. Curtis photos and, something I never, ever do - I bought a shirt - FULL PRICE - at the GAP. I scope out things all of the time, and bide my time waiting for the inevitable markdowns. But what can I say - this one so fulfilled my deeply buried but omnipresent desire to be a seventies guitar player... just had to have it.

My Stressful Hectic Morning

Well, it had to happen eventually.

This morning was the most hectic, hardest morning I have had at work. It took divine intervention to get everything off of the floor and out the backdoor into the parking lot (which we refer to as our "backyard") before the store opened at 9 am.

I spent until 1 in the afternoon stacking and shrinkwrapping nine (9) pallets of backstock. Let me tell you, Faithful Readers, that is a LOT of boxes.

But, just when you think your day is going to hell, what should happen but someone who has the day off drops by at 8:50 in the morning with a real Starbucks triple grande latte just for you...

So, I guess it really wasn't so bad after all.

Events of An Uneventful Day

I was so eager to get off of work today, that when H__ called at 5 pm asking me to go look up a definition she needed to complete her current art project, I was not as pleasant as I should have been.

Once I was sitting in the nice, comfy chairs at the barnes and Noble, sipping a double espresso and flipping through a dictionary, I felt much better and became much more civilized.

I dropped in on H__ to see how the projects were progressing, and we ended up taking a walk and dropping by a diner - what is greater than that - for dinner.

On our back to her place, we longingly stalked the beautiful apartment building down the street, and our thoughts turned once again to finding a place to call home...

New Music Tuesday - Electric Oasis

I like quite a bit of world music, and have recently discovered a passion for trance/chill beats.

So when I saw this CD, I had to have it, and I have been very pleased with it. A lot of great beats under some beautiful Arabic melodies. As the marketing says : Where ancient Arabian melodies meet contemporary grooves to create the new heartbeat of the street. Perhaps a bit overblown...

I listened to this with the gang at work, and most everyone really got into it. It's good to work to; it's aurally interesting and stimulating - certainly not something that you have heard before. Song titles such as Scheherazade, Move Your Belly, Sandstorm, Mirage, Blue Bedouin capture pretty clearly what you can expect. Naked Rhythm (Alex Spurkel and Avi Sills) and Ro-Je are favorite artists on the disc, and Naked Rhythm has some MP3's from the disc posted here for your listening pleasure.

And you get a lot of music on this disc - for better or for worse.

The Makings Of The Next Blockbuster

So early this morning, leaving Starbuck's heading to Kent to go to the library, I heard this story on NPR.

It seems police in Kent, England found a man dressed in a formal black suit and tie, soaking wet, walking along a beach. He could not communicate with the authorities, so they took him to a psych hospital, Medway Maritime Hospital .

While he was there, the only communication he provided was to draw a (very nice) picture of a grand piano. They took him to the chapel, where there was a piano and he played lovely classical music for several hours.

His identity remains a mystery.

No Refunds, No Returns

I spent most of last evening ill-advisedly working on my great, fabled novel. It is my deepest wish that one day in the very near future I will complete it and put it to rest. It seems I was neither emotionally or intellectually strong enough to deal with things the writing required of me last evening, and a mild gloomy depression has taken up residence.

When I got to work this afternoon, my heart was just not into it. Not that there was a single thing I could have realistically been doing that I would have found satisfying...
So I asked a fellow manager that since I used my day off poorly, if I might have a “do-over.”
That is not one of the benefits my company offers... Go figure.

Thwarted

I had grandiose plans that I was going to go the library first thing this morning to book a flight for the afternoon to New York City. Just to fly in for the morning, and leave late in the evening. No big deal.

I wanted to take H__ to see the exhibit of Gregory Colbert 's photographs at the Nomadic Museum on Pier 54.

Apparently, I have no airline karma whatsoever. Being a Taurus, I could not accept my fate so readily, and kept trying various maneuvers to realize my goal. After about two hours, I consented, and with weary eyes and a psychosomatic headache, I lost all interest in doing any other work there, and dejectedly left.

The Last Of The Birthday Festivities

I had been so looking forward to today for so long now...and my day - the 13th - starts out walking under a ladder at the bookstore ! Luckily I am not the superstitious type...

As I was driving up to Cleveland, I called H__ and asked that if she had a spare hour to get a cup of coffee with me. Happily, she did. We were going to walk over to Cafe Limbo from her house, but she felt too warm, and so we drove. She always manages to get the parking space directly in front of the joint. It's uncanny...

After a lovely chat on a lovely afternoon, it was time for me to take my leave so I could go to Sergio's, where I was meeting Heather for a triumvirate of celebrations.

As we rounded the corner back to H__'s house so I could get my car, we noticed that about 100 feet in front of where my car was parked a minivan was engulfed in flames and pouring a huge cloud of noxious smoke up into the sky.

I offered to pay H__ to chauffeur me to Sergio's, as I did not want to be anywhere near the impending explosion when the flames reached the gas tank of the minivan. Declining all financial bribery, H__ did some nice illegal driving maneuvers and we quickly arrived safe and sound at Sergio's, where H__ and Heather finally got to meet for the first time. Heather invited H__ to join us, but she was at the end of her day. Heather said she respected H__'s ability to be so honest - it means that you respect that in others. I thought that was a cool observation.

{ I want to take an editorial moment to report that I have received several emails from Faithful Readers speculating about H__'s identity, and every one of them assumes that H__ is Heather. H__ is H__. Heather is Heather. }

This dinner marks the first time of being able to sit outside on the patio of Sergio's this season! We ordered a libation to get the party started, a dark Brazilian beer, Xingu. Heather has finally graduated with her hard-earned Master's Degree, and in addition, we were celebrating each of our birthdays.

We had a great meal, the coffee (which goes without saying) and the now standard (it seems) coconut cake - which Heather approved of as well.

Although Heather and I talk on the phone to each other frequently (well, we voice mail each other frequently), we have not seen each other since our last meal at Sergio's, which was on St. Patrick's Day. Now here it is, Friday the 13th. Nothing bad happened, other than the umbrella for the table across from us started to fall our way, threatening to impale us, but it was caught before a scene was created.

It was so nice to spend time with Heather - I have missed her very much and I am very selfishly glad school is out! She better not be thinking of getting her PhD anytime soon, that's all I'm gonna say on the subject...

So, Heather drove me back to my car, as she lives about four blocks away from H__ - convenient, huh?

My trusty car was sitting all safe and sound, with nothing but a large circle of cinders in the street to tell the tale of the burning minivan.

I headed home, and clouds rolled in for the predicted thunderstorm.

By the time I arrived home, there was only a steady gentle rainfall, a distant rumbling of thunder, and wonderful clean scent filling my apartment. With fresh air and clean linens calling to me, I took a magazine to bed, and had a wonderful, sound sleep.

Drive Thru Safari of the Dead

I felt like I was on one of those "hop in a Jeep" nature safaris today whilst on my weary commute to the workplace.

When turning onto the on-ramp of the highway, right there on the curb railing sat a red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Ok, that was cool. Off to a good start, right?

But about 50 feet down the road, there was a dead mallard drake (Anas platyrhynchos). I drove for miles pondering the possibilities that would result in hitting a mallard, or wondering if maybe it just had a heart attack. Do birds have heart attacks?

To round off my macabre roadtrip, I passed four corpses of does on the side of the road, certainly a new record. And, if you think your job sucks, check out this career report from CNN. And if you want dessert, check out the menu...

Edvard Munch : The Film

"Kitty Griffing" and I had plans to go to the art museum after work for dinner and a movie.

When we arrived, "Kitty" took me to the Ingalls Library, deep in the bowels of the museum. As I have been going to the museum since I was an infant, it was disturbing to me that I had never set foot in this library.

Well, it was amazing. The best part was the periodicals room, which has every art and photography magazine imaginable just sitting there...I was in heaven. Then, the icing on the cake, the back wall had countless auction catalogues for Sotheby's and Christie's, and "Kitty" and I spent a good long time oohing and ahhing over great works of art being auctioned off. Now I am obsessing about collecting auction catalogues. It is very to interesting to not only see what is available, but to see the value placed on it.

So we dragged ourselves away and went to the museum cafe for dinner, where I got a very nice Mediterranean chicken with corn relish and red potatoes and "Kitty" had a melange of cold salads. We took our meal outside to the courtyard, which we practically had to ourselves and had a lovely time dining by the fountain amidst some fine sculpture.

Then it was time to go see Edvard Munch, a film by Peter Watkins from 1974. The film received rave reviews such as:

"A work of genius." Ingmar Bergman

and

A classic of world cinema, EDVARD MUNCH is considered the summit of the artist biography film ...

Most reviews I read in preparation tended to be positive, though there were some critics who found the film repetitive and exaggerated. "Kitty" and I would be in that the latter camp.

First of all, it was three hours long. And three hours of repetitive scenes, replayed over and over (The definition of repetitive, I am aware), and silent, longing looks between Munch and his mistress...dull dull dull.

There was one brilliant scene, showing Munch creating his 1885 work, The Sick Child, in which he attacks, scores, and brutalizes the canvas. The sound of the scraping and the intensity in which the scene is filmed, left my pulse racing, and I was thinking that the previously tedious film was turning a corner, but no, it immediately returned to its insipid storyline revolving around the mistress. I am sure she influenced his art tremendously and all, but I really wanted to see more of his process, not endless emotional masturbation.

I have rarely been so happy when the credits start to roll as I was on this night.

Leaving the museum, the temperature had dropped about 10 degrees and it was down right cold outside. Which necessitated a stop at Starbuck's, for warmth, and to keep me awake for the long drive home after the three hour tranquilizer....

New Music Tuesday : Camiel

A great discovery. I can list on one hand the CD's that I am able to listen to from beginning to end without itching to hit the "forward" button (and maybe I will post that soon). Today's CD joins the list.

Sunset, by Dutch guitarist Camiel will be my soundtrack of choice for the summer, or for a great beginning to a evening at home entertaining.

It is hard to pin down exactly what this sounds like. My favorite track is El Alba, which is beautiful with his excellent acoustic guitar playing and lovely piano accents. Second is Sigueme, with a smoky female vocal in a foreign tongue.

Two "spoken word" pieces, layed on top of a great soundtrack, are evocative and haunting: Follow Me and I Would.

The CD is, in the very broadest sense of the word, smooth jazz, without the hideous soprano sax that that term conjures up for me. But is deeply rooted in disco, groove, R&B, soul and Latin rhythms for good measure.

To finish off this great recording, Camiel had the good sense to record this live with real instruments and an orchestra...no dubbed in samples. There is a nice, open aural space created from the live recording.

Can you tell I dig this?

Remembrance

When I was a child, the month of May was heavenly.

The most important people in my world were my grandmother, my uncle and my mother.

My birthday began a week long celebration of us, and it seemed to me that the four of us were bonded together in a very special way. After my day, a day on which I was completely indulged to do anything I wished, my uncle's birthday was 6 days later on the 9th, and then my mom's birthday, a week after mine on May 10.

Rounding out the celebration, my mom's birthday usually fell on Mother's Day, which was the perfect excuse to include my grandmother in the partying as well.

Perhaps that is why that even now, in my 40's, a sneaking sense of glee overtakes me for a bit when my birthday draws near.

I would love to go back in time to my grandmother's house on Lang Drive in Pennsylvania and watch the celebration in the dining room...

Happy Birthday, Mom.

What Passes For Excitement 'Round Here

Yeah, ok, so this will sum up my life pretty well at this point:

The big excitement of the weekend was that I didn't need a jacket, and gas was under $2 a gallon. (ok, it was $1.98, but still..)

The Final Cut

I had been wanting to see this film for quite some time, and I really enjoyed it.

Robin Williams (in the third installment of strange roles –following Insomnia and One Hour Photo) plays the role of a future mortician-psychologist-filmmaker. In this version of the future, people have biochips implanted at birth which record everything they experience. At death, a Cutter (Williams) gets the memory chip, and edits together the pertinent moments and images from that person's life. His work is shown at a ceremony called “The ReMemory”.

The ideas raised in the film are quite good, and what I really enjoyed about the film was that both sides, the pros and the cons, the ethics and economics, of the issue were presented. The film clearly gave time to the protestors of the chip, and nicely answered some questions raised early in the film regarding their appearance.

I have to admit to seeing the final outcome long before it arrived, but that was ok. It still was a suspenseful film, well-crafted and certainly well-acted.

It is a film that lends itself to thought and discussion – and you don't get those too bloody often.

Birthday Festivities Continue

Following work today (which coincides with my weekend kick-off), I went to H__'s house, where I received many wonderful gifts. The beauty of knowing artists is that you can be fairly sure that on gift-giving occasions you will receive something handmade, original and wonderful.

H__ made a glorious card of vellum, with stitching and art work, as well as a necklace and wonderful shadowbox with a removable beaded Buddha face pin.

We left for dinner, and you will not believe this, I requested to go to Valerio's, a restaurant in Little Italy. Shocking, I know. We had a very nice meal of pollo au funghi, and a cappucino, then decided to walk about the neighborhood as it was a lovely and finally warm evening!

We wandered into Anthony's Cafe and each had a homemade latte gelato. That was pure heaven.

As we continued on our stroll, we found a gallery that appeared to be open, La Bella Vita. The owner, Barbara, invited us in, and we immediately were impressed by the incredible murals she had done on each wall. The place is a work of art – my favorite room is the small back “clearance” room, which is painted with deep orange clouds and a night sky...the room was once a bathroom, and I could just imagine soaking in a tub under the ceiling fan (the ceiling was at least 10' high) in this beautiful atmosphere...

H__ was in heaven, and dropped quite a bit of quid. We had a terrific time there. Sadly, as I had been up so early, I was getting very sleepy and had to call it a night.

Birthday Festivities

People were compelled to sing to me this year in honor of my natal day. The festivities started out with my morning latte and the Starbucks crew singing the birthday song. I headed up to Cleveland where I was joining my friend, "Kitty Griffing" (see Policy Change - next post). We were going to see Masterworks From The Phillips Collection currently on display at the art museum, before the museum closes for renovations for SIX YEARS.
I arrived before "Kitty", and was horrified to see bus after bus lining up by the museum. The place was overrun with children. I was filled with dread.

Well, "Kitty" arrived and we bravely entered the exhibit and attempted a strategic deployment to the end of the exhibit first, to get away from the swarms of children.

My favorite pieces were all four works by Paul Klee (especially 1937's Picture Album), a marvelous piece by Kandinsky which I have never seen before, and a gorgeous small canvas, Melancholy (1874), by Edgar Degas.

The big showstopper is supposedly Renoir's The Luncheon of the Boating Party, which is all well and good, but it made me REALLY want to go and see J. Seward Johnson' s bronze life-size reproduction of the painting. That would be cool.

We then went to check out the Drawn with Light: Pioneering French Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art exhibit. I think my favorite piece was seeing Nadar's 1855 portrait of Alexandre Dumas père. I had seen it often in books, but it was truly beautiful in person. As were the works by Eugène Atget, of course. Many of his works look like fairy tale landscapes to me.

Before we knew it, it was time to cross the street, walk by the Geary building and get some lunch at....Sergio's! At lunch, I received a call, which was the second rendition of the birthday song so far. I am happy to report that today, under the influence of "Kitty", I tried dessert there for the first time, a magnificent coconut butter cake with a divine warm sauce. It was truly amazing.

Knowing my proclivity for ruins and cemeteries,"Kitty" then drove me to a tiny, hidden cemetery. I was completely enraptured and can't wait for the opportunity to return with my camera. It is an outstanding hidden treasure.

She then took me to Hessler Court, which is the oldest street in Cleveland - it is paved with "bricks" which are made from wood blocks. Mindblowing!

A few friends called, and more singing.

After all of this fun, I had to go to work.

My co-workers felt compelled to bring out a big sheet cake, in front of everyone at the registers and sang the birthday song yet again, over the intercom. I like it much better when the guest of honor is not me. Still, it is very nice to be remembered and celebrated.

Policy Change

At times I have been hard pressed to come up with a name to disguise the identity of real people who make an appearance on the blog.

So, I have decided that from now on, when a good name does not present itself readily, I will resort to using that individual's porn/stripper/drag queen name.

This is a little game we play at work which never ceases to amuse me. Just take the name of your first pet and the street that you lived on, and Viola! You now have your porn/stripper/drag queen name – whichever is more appropriate for you.

I feel compelled to share with you my stripper name which is Misty Lang. If I went with my second pet, I would be Boots Osborne, which is most certainly a jazz saxophonist. My best friend's name would be Scruffy Butler, and I've decided Scruffy is Boots' drummer in the jazz band.

Somehow, I see a novel in this....

Please feel free to amuse me to no end, and post your name here...

New Music Tuesday - Rebekah Jordan : The Trouble With Fiction

H__'s neighbor dropped off his daughter's self-produced CD the other day, and after listening to it, H__ passed it along to me.

A mere 6 tracks, but instantly likeable. The definite highlight is her version of Stevie Nicks' Dreams, the final cut. However, all of the other songs ( which she wrote) are very good, and at this moment my second favorite is track 2, The Art of Losing.

Rebekah sings and plays the piano, and has created a nice folky-pop sound, enhanced surprisingly by the inclusion of a cello. You gotta love that.

I hope her career takes off. Do go and see her if you have the chance.

Domesticity, Part II

In keeping with my low-key weekend, I spent almost the entire day, following the Starbuck's stop, at the library. My research took me to many different places today, and six hours passed in the blink of an eye. I would have continued, but the need for nutrition was overwhelming.

I stopped into my old haunt, The Franklin Square Deli, for my usual, a tuna bagel, one of my favorite treats.

Following that I spent a few hours at the bookstore, drinking coffee and picking up the new issues of Modern Painters and Art in America.

I was trying to decide whether to purchase a number of books, and confronted with so many choices, I simply fled with my coffee and magazines.

For some reason, I was compelled to read short plays of Samuel Beckett, plays by Jean-Paul Sartre, a biography of Ray Bradbury, poems by Billy Collins, the collected works of Jules Verne, Well's The War of the Worlds, short stories by Russell Banks, and several film reference works. With this disjointed collection to choose from, it was impossible to gauge my reading temperament. Magazines seemed to do nicely.

The rest of the day was spent on the phone, with many leisurely conversations.

Domesticity

There are those days when the best thing is just staying in your house – cleaning, doing laundry, being domestic. It was that day today. I even got to cook myself a meal, a rather simple thing to be sure, but not one that I have time for very often. While I was doing my dishes, a dove flew onto my windowsill, and sat there watching me. Most birds would be frightened (I would assume) by my movements, but this dove stayed on my sill, sharing a little moment with me.

What a reward for keeping a clean kitchen...

Untimely Movie Review: The Astronaut's Wife

When I got home from work (Thursday currently being my Friday night), I was really too tired to do much at all, so I watched this film which I have no recollection of ever being released.

The Astronauts Wife stars Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron, a happily married couple whose world is going to be destroyed. The plot is a basically a riff of Rosemary's Baby meets the Abyss, in outer space. Now I know why I don't recall any publicity when this came out in 1999...

For some reason, throughout the film, I was always shocked to see Johnny Depp...I kept expecting him to be Keanu Reeves because this film seemed like a lesser version of the Devil's Advocate...so many similarities, but with weaker characterization. To wit, happily married couple, one of whom is Charlize Theron, leave their little world and go to Manhattan (to a ridiculously stylish and ultra-expensive apartment) where Charlize thinks she is going crazy and the man is somehow...changed.

Charlize's hair (mimicking Mia Farrow's Rosemary's Baby style) was great. And the final confrontation was done exceptionally well and was actually surprising...it just took a long time to get there.

New Music Tuesday – Cheryl Bentyne : Let Me Off Uptown

I scored a promo copy of Cheryl Bentyne's new CD this afternoon, and from the first few seconds of the first track, I knew I was going to love this one. And I do.

A tribute album to Anita O'Day ( which puts me in mind of Cheryl's bandmate, Alan Paul's tribute to the great singer), this CD is chock full of great, accessible tracks. As C. Michael Bailey said,

There is a population which craves musical excellence but may not crave the experimental edge. Cheryl Bentyne’s new recording is perfect for the latter group.

I must admit to not being nearly as familiar with O'Day's body of work as I am with, say, the previously reviewed Miss Peggy Lee. But spending time with this disc has made me curious...so perhaps we will see her pop up here again in the next month or so.

My must-listen tracks are the last, Waiter, Make Mine Blues and It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream.

Six Obstructions

Before I had to be at work this afternoon, I watched a documentary called, The Five Obstructions. Lars von Trier tracked down his film maker hero Jorgen Leth, and asked him to to re-make his film The Perfect Human five times, each time following rules (obstructions) imposed by Lars.

It was fascinating to watch the creative process, and to see Leth's inherent artistry and ethics be unvanquished by Lars' boundaries. My favorite version of the obstructed films was the fourth, in which Leth is forced to make a cartoon. He, of course, is incapable of making a cartoon, and instead makes gorgeous art. The fifth version is a beautiful summation of the experience, and a great way to end the film. Very outstanding.

Now, for the Sixth Obstruction: I keep hearing rumors of snow. Lots of snow. Down where I live, the sky was just white, but a white that was impenetrable after about 100 feet. So, with a heavy heart I set out on my journey north.

It is a well-known fact that my place of employment is the very epicenter of where the snow coming down from Canada looses steam and drops dead from exhaustion. So, the roads were clear and fine until I got about 10 minutes from work. Then it all started. The exit ramp off the highway wasn't plowed, and the snow was drifted to a height that was over my car's grill. All the street lights were out. Trees were down everywhere due to the weight of the snow. Most folks lost power for several days. And still, the snow kept falling.

The good news was that my store was deserted after 6 o'clock (it being Passover and all) so we got a lot of work done early.

By the end of my shift we had received 27” inches of snow. Being outside, trying to get work done in the middle of the night with that amount of snow is ridiculous. Everyone was cold, and wet and cranky. Everyone's shoes and socks were soaked. And there is just no way that you can be a happy, productive sort with cold, wet feet. So we left early tonight, at 12:30 in the morning.

It's a Date: A Movie, Dinner and the Theater

I had an excellent day today. The day started out at Bruegger's Bagels for a nice bagel with egg and cheese and a hazelnut coffee, then a stop at the Weathervane Playhouse to purchase tickets for The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. While I was there, I noticed that there was an Indian restaurant across the street from the theatre. I was so excited to discover this -who knew an Indian restaurant was in my neighborhood? But, it was still early in the day...

Next up on today's schedule was a matinee of Sin City. I was very reluctant to see this film, as I have little tolerance for the level of violence I expected to see. But I was very intrigued by the look of the film, and intrigue always wins.

Well, it certainly is an amazing piece of art. Really mind-blowing. I can't speak to whether it is true to the novels, having never read them, but I have a feeling it is. It is a gorgeous film depicting a brutal and ugly world. I didn't really care for the theme or the plot,and I was glad when the film was over, but I am very glad I experienced it. It is truly amazing.

Following the film, there was time to stop in at home to shower and change, before arriving at the Saffron Patch. I was a bit worried as I quickly perused the menu and did see any vindaloo offered. I don't know what came over me, but I asked the waitress if they served vindaloo and she said that they certainly did, they just didn't have room on the menu. I found that odd.

Anyway, the vindaloo came, and I must say it gets a B+. It was more like the vindalooo I was searching for than the offering from Cafe Tandoor, however, the naan at the Saffron Patch cannot hold a candle to the naan at Cafe Tandoor, but that fact did stop me from placing four orders for the stuff, so I look at that as a positive.

Now it was time to go to the theatre to see Charles Busch' s Tale of the Allergist's Wife. I had to go because last night, while reading the paper, I saw a picture of the production, and my friend is one of the leads! Allow me to quote from the program:

Margo Parker (Lee) Margo won a Chanticleer for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Weathervane's The Dining Room in 1985, during a decade in which she was very active at Weathervane in plays including Daughters, Brighton Beach Memoirs, What I Did Last Summer and Dracula. She has more recently been seen in the Coach House productions of Without Apologies and The Cocktail Hour.

I would like to add that she is also an accomplished film actress, starring in a little three minute film my partner, John, and I made for the Project Greenlight contest for HBO.

It was great to see her on stage again, and the show was pretty entertaining. Margo extended an invitation to go out for drinks with the cast after the show, and it was great. It's always a good time to sit around and to listen to actors re-hash what went wrong in the show, and other production gossip.

Movie Review: Miss Congeniality 2 - Armed and Fabulous

I have always a had weakness for Sandra Bullock. I figure if I pay my money, it could be a silent movie as long as Sandra is on the screen for 90 minutes and I will be happy.

That being said, I was happy when I left the theatre.

But really, the film has gotten undeservedly terrible reviews. The film is a pleasant little diversion. And by the last third, when Sandra is sporting very little make-up, and a great tailored FBI black suit and shades, it became much more enjoyable for me.

Regina King, one of the highlights of Ray, is saddly underused, but as I have mentioned, I paid to see Sandra be Sandra. If I wanted acting, I'd go see a Julianne Moore film...

Coffee Talk

H__ invited me to join her at Cafe Limbo for coffee out on their lovely patio after work today.

There always comes a time when conversations turn serious, and today was the day for that.

For me, this afternoon was a testament to the extrordinary work that was accomplished in those three long years with my therapist. In the recent past, there would have been no way that this conversation would have ever existed. I never would have been able to participate in any meaningful way. I was quite proud of my growth and accomplishments in this area.

So, all in all, it was a beautiful afternoon.

New Music Tuesday - Pete Belasco : Deeper

A self-described sucker for cover art, I was drawn to Pete Belasco's CD, Deeper, at the store today.

It was described as neo-soul / jazz, conjuring Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield. How bad could it be? So I gave it a listen, and deemed it a very nice CD for quiet evenings alone. Well, not really alone...
There really isn't a stand-out track here; the tracks all ooze into one another to create a wonderful mood and ambiance. This is a disc to just put on, and enjoy yourself.

One caveat, men singing in falsettos - not usually a big favorite of mine, but in this setting it works due to the atmosphere evoked from the interplay of the vocals and the sax solos.

Indulge and enjoy.

A Very Long Day

I had to be at work today at 10 am to have a meeting with our district manager. In other work environments, this would have made me very anxious, to say the least, but in my lovely little current job, I was actually looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with him.

The meeting went incredibly well, and we got to sit outside (a cherished treat in this climate!) at the chess tables in our center. (Where I work, they have created a chess area, with a giant ground chess set for the wee folk, where the pieces are as tall as the kids, and many chess tables complete with heaters for the evening, umbrellas for the rare days of sun, and clocks to time your turn. There is even a "chess guard" on duty, to help you learn the game, or to mediate fights, I suppose. I have yet to see that happen though...)

Following the meeting, I went in to work, and left at 11:30 at night.

A Day Without A Plan

H__ and I had the most minimalist of plans of today, and sometimes the form of an afternoon just stays ambiguous, no matter how hard you try to impose structure onto it.

We wandered down to Coventry Road, intending to pick up a display stand for my glass marble (to no avail). Then we decided to stop in at The Winking Lizard for a quick meal. The food and the draft root beer were fine, but the volume of the music was very disruptive to conversation, and we both were getting cranky and eager to be on our way.

Back at H__'s house, we watched the aforementioned Rivers and Tides, as H__ is also a big fan of Andy Goldsworthy. She truly loved the film, as I thought she would. The highlight for me was that while the film was on, H__ was making a bracelet for her sister. It is an art that mystifies me. It is incredible to watch a big pile of tiny things become one thing with its own inherent order and logic. Many similarities then between Goldworthy's Zen practive and H__'s art; however, I am happy to report there was no fatal collapse after hours of delicate work as so often happens to Goldsworthy.

Fine Food and Fabrics

It will come as a huge surprise to all Faithful Readers that I went out for dinner tonight with H__ and that we went to Sergio's. Just for the record, there ARE other residents in Cleveland. Really. I just don't go to them.

The meal was completely perfect, as it always is, the service prompt and efficient, and the Brazilian coffee was addictive and exquisite. Oh, and we had a great time, good conversation, etc etc.

Back at H__'s house, she showed me one of her newer projects, that being two quilts she is making from fabric samples I have been hoarding from my previous job at a luxury bedding purveyor. They are going to be wonderful works of art, wall hangings, lap quilts, or coverlets. I can't wait to see the finished products.

As an extra bonus, she is also whipping up two pillows from my fabric samples of my very favorite Matteo sheet ensemble...hopefully with silk cording on the seams...absolutely divine.

Yes, I adore my bed.

New Music Tuesday – E.G. Kight

So there I was at work, minding my own business, when some kind soul changed the XM Radio to the blues station for me. And this Phantom-conjuring song, complete with steamy sax solo, came on, and I had no idea who this performer was.

Checking out the display, it said : E.G. Kight. Not only did it not ring a bell, it looked suspiciously like a typo. So I stopped into the record store, and lo and behold if E.G. Kight isn't a blues-singing, guitar playing performer that would give K.T. Oslin a run for the money. Granted, K.T. is certainly country, but I think it has something to do with their ages, and that they go by their initials - in any case, they seem to be one and the same in my book.

The CD is Takin' It Easy, the track is When You Were Mine. A very unexpected discovery, and a great companion for those days when you easily exhaust the K.T. Oslin oeuvre. Nice, simple, honest arrangements. I am quite sure she would be a hoot to see live in some little bluesy dive.

The Volcano Lover

This year does not look promising for compiling a year-end wrap-up of the best books I read, since it took me well over two months to finish Susan Sontag' s The Volcano Lover.

Not that it is a boring book, because it isn't at all, but it is very dense. And not the sort of book you can use to read a few chapters in before drifting off to sleep. No, this is a wide-awake, must pay strict attention to it book.

Superficially about the love triangle of Sir William Hamilton , Emma Hamilton, and Admiral Horatio Nelson, the book's main theme is a discussion of collecting and the temperaments required to be collectors.

It is a wide-ranging and intriguing work, made more so as it is historical. When I finished it, I had to go and check out biographies of Nelson to see pictures of him, and Emma. She was a great beauty in her day, being the muse of many painters including George Romney.

My favorite parts are the early chapters dealing with Sir William's first wife, and her romantic involvement via music with her young admirer, William. It was sheer poetry.

And the final chapters of the book are wonderful, recapping the story through the first-person recollections of several characters, a change from from the previous chapters told by the omnipresent narrator.

I do recommend this book, but only if you have a vast amount of time and attention to give it. But you will be rewarded for your patience.

Weather Report - Part Ten

I have to note for the record that today is the first day I was able to be outside without a coat.

Hoopla and Huzzah!

And for those of you familiar with Dennis Deal's infamous production of Robin Hood, now would be a good time for a Duck Dance...

The Spring Social

Tonight I threw a party for my store.

With the help of my excellent taskforce, we assembled a sit-down, family-style Italian feast (antipasto, warm bread and European butter, salad, pasta and meatless meatballs, eggplant cutlets with mozzarella, Prosecco wine, and Italian water and sodas, and the piece de resistance, a homemade tiramisu).

We played a short and humorous "game show", kind of a cross between Weakest Link and the Price is Right, then ate, then, with the help of the Master of Ceremonies, the talented and marvelous Jeff, everyone was presented with an award.

The truly amazing thing about the evening was that all 53 employees came to the shindig. My manager said that he has never seen a 100% turnout at a company event in his life.

It was a great night filled with laughter and camaraderie.

It lacked in only one area, that our very own BIRTHDAY GIRL was not able to stop in and be the guest of honor. In any case, I wish you a most happy birthday, my friend, and I look forward to a sinful meal to celebrate with you.

New Music Tuesday – Pink Guitar

I swear this is a very bizarre coincidence.

I got an email the other day from my friend informing me that this year's Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Album was Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar, which he happens to be featured on. So now he is a multi-Grammy winner! Congratulations!

I swear I knew nothing about this album when I made my previous NMT post last month entitled Pink Piano...wow.

Anyway, here is my review of the CD...

The opening track, the Pink Panther theme by Laurence Juber is absolutely mindblowing. Virtuosity at its finest. The next great track is the theme to Peter Gunn by Pat Donohue.
My third favorite track is the lovely and touching Dear Heart by Wayne Johnson. Read his liner notes regarding why he chose that tune..

And by the way, Wayne's solo disc, One Guitar (2003) was listed as the #2 out of the Top 20 Acoustic Solo Guitar recordings to own by Jazziz Magazine! Samples are on on his site - check it out!

Rounding out the disc is the very surprising theme to the TV show What's Happening, which gets an incredible makeover by Mike Dowling.

This was a great discovery. If you are into guitar heroes, you have to check this one out.

Near or With ?

When one is presented with a life-changing decision, list making is often quite useful. In the past I think I was more inclined to run into things without thinking too much about the consequences. On the other hand, before I moved out here to Ohio, I very carefully analyzed the pros and cons of my decision with a trained professional, and neither of us could have foreseen the series of unfortunate events that unfolded, nor the direction the good events would take me.

What pleased me about my though process on this particular subject, made more delicate as it concerned someone else as well, was that we independently came to the same conclusion.

NEAR is better than WITH.

Or, to be succinct I can thank Whoopi Goldberg for this one:

"Anyone living with you, who is not you, is a problem."

Weather Report Part 9 : More Friggin' Snow

Yes, that's right. Off to work I go, and I get to be outside dealing with about a foot of the stuff.

Granted, I don't have a lot of patience for the stuff to begin with, but believe me, it has been used up long ago.

What I really liked about Washington and Oregon was that if for some reason you had a yearning for snow, you could go TO it - go to Rainier, or Hood or some other volcanic peak of your choice. The white stuff just stayed up, very well-behaved and didn't infringe on one's getting around hardly at all. Here, it just comes down and fouls things up whenever it feels like it. Very ill-mannered, in my opinion.

Rumspringa

What is up with this? They say it is going to snow today, in mid-April, and they are right.

Luckily, I had no reason to leave the house. H__ had been quite ill the past few days, and now has a week-long visitor. I took advantage of this opportunity to become domestic and do my laundry and ironing, and to watch a documentary entitled Devil's Playground.

The film was different from what I expected, though after seeing it, it is hard to recall what I was expecting. It is a philosophical meditation on what it means to have to make a life-altering decision at the age of 16. Amish children are allowed to venture out into the "English world" at that age, to discover the world of electricity, malls, cars, music and drugs. They are given a period, referred to as "rumspringa", to decide whether or not they want to join the Amish church. If they join, they are baptized and taken in to the community. If, for some reason, a tragedy would befall and Amish teen who has not made their decision, the Amish believe that their soul will be lost forever.

The film adequately captures the difficulty of making an unchangeable decision about the rest of your life as a teenager. The teens are portrayed in all their wildness, given their first taste of the modern world and "freedom", yet they are also surprisingly philosophical and understandably overwhelmed and confused at the task ahead of them.

This is a little film, but one that will make you think about many things that we take for granted and never question. Maybe we should.

No Fooling ! A New Member of The Family

A moment to wish a hearty congratulations to MyFriendJason, My Adoring Public Jaimie, and the rest of my work family that went off to forge a new outpost on the other side of town.

My best wishes to you all for an amazingly successful store!

But keep in mind that we, your OLD store, will humiliate you in an inter-store tug-of-war competition...