New Music Tuesday - Rockabilly and Blues

I love Margo Timmins. I got to see her in a very intimate setting (Music Millennium in Portland) awhile ago, and not only does she have a wonderful voice, she is one of the coolest people around.

So I rushed out to get the Cowboy Junkies new one, Early 20th Century Blues, and it has immediately won a place in my heart. It, for the most part, is very simple with little production. It makes one think of the masterpiece, the Trinity Sessions. My favorite track, at first listen, is This World Dreams Of which is a little Angelo Badalamenti meets Holly Cole during the Trinity Sessions. A very good release.

The second CD today is the new one from Mr. Brian Setzer, whom I adore. This one, Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records , is done very simply, with just Brian on guitar, and a trio of piano, drums and bass. The best track I think, is Johnny Cashs' Get Rhythm. Being a stickler for production details, I was thrilled to see that Setzer used recording techniques from the 50s: vintage microphones, and even a rusty old water cistern for reverb. A few of these songs are familiar, but most are rare, and some have never been recorded before, so it makes for an interesting listen.

I love Brian's voice, his playing and his sense of fun. I wasn't disappointed.

Happy Birthday to the Phantom

I believe the day starts out with the Beatles singing "Today's your birthday..." very loudly from the alarm clock/ CD player on the bedside table...that is, unless you are not at home and are off to some lavish resort in Napa...

Lobster is definitely on the menu for dinner, and good music is in the air. Some presents to unwrap follow.

Dessert is taken care of...

A Visit With The Penpal!

What a lovely afternoon was spent in the company of my West Coast Penpal.

Not only was it great to see her, she brought with her some welcome cool weather!

We spent about 5 or 6 hours mostly just sitting around, drinking coffee and talking, all you could really want from a visit.

It was terrific to be together again. And even though you are a great Penpal, you make an excellent "In-Person Pal", too.

Happy Birthday To You, Femmebot!

What a year it has been for you.

I hope you are able to make it out this way again soon.

At any rate, I am sure up for some pra ram. Any excuse is a good excuse in my book.

And mostly I hope that this year does not start out with finding a floating corpse in the river...

New Music Tuesday - From the Stacks of Hollywood Stafford

Well, Ol' Hollywood hooked me up with two choice CD's.

The first one is The California Guitar Trio: CG3 + 2. This is a very cool CD, but here is a call-out to Brokenbrush, and any one else who has a VERY expensive audio system with tube amplifiers and thousand dollar per foot speaker cable... WATCH THE BASS! There is a LOT of it on this disc. My fav track is Melrose Avenue, the disc opener. Skyline and Dancing Anne are great as well, and Zundoko-bushi, a Japanese traditional tune is like a soundtrack to the 60's Batman show, which made me immediately get out my neglected Aquavelvets CD, Guitar Noir, a give that a little love.

CD #2 was a 2 disc "chill" set called Later. There are many excellent tracks on here, and if I weren't so persnickety, I'd probably just put the discs in a let them play. That's how well it works. But me being me, I have to copy some tracks and re-arrange them. Oh well, it keeps me out of trouble...

CaptainStLucifer Turns One!

Happy Anniversary!

On the occasion of my one year blogging anniversary, I want to take this opportunity to thank the folks in my life.

First of all, MyFriendJason, who got me started on this year-long obsession. You rock.

And my very first Faithful Reader, MyAdoringPublic. Who is cooler than you?

To my first post from a stranger, thank you Ivy.

To old friends (Penpal, BC, Wayne, Heather, FemmeBot, J, the Dark Lord and his Consort, Mean Customer, Uncle Jebb) and new (Hollywood Stafford, Kitty Griffing, Zeke New Buffalo)

To the welcome recent corporeality of The Phantom.

And to all unknown visitors - thanks for reading.

I look forward to this year with great optimism and excitement. Thanks again!

You Are What You Eat

If you are to be installed as the Archbishop of York, well, you know you gotta throw a party.

And while this is not likely to happen to me, it might happen to YOU.

So I now present the grocery list from George Neville's installation in 1465:

Amongst many other items, there were -

1,000 sheep, 7,000 capons, 1,000 egrets, 400 peacocks and 103 cold venison pasties.

All together there were 42,833 items of meat and poultry served, with a dozen porpoises and seals thrown in to prevent palate fatigue.

Start cooking now.

And I Don't Live In Vermont,Why?

This just figures.

Those lucky folks in Montpelier, Vermont got a new chocolatier (shades of "Chocolat", no?) and not only was the day gastronomically sweet, it must have been sweet on the eyes as well, because who was clerking behind the counter on opening day?

None other than Mrs. Jesse James - Sandra Bullock.

I could have given up Starbuck's for a taste of Sandra's macaroons.

For the Birds

1. As I was walking over to get a bagel and egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast on my "lunch" break at 9 am this morning, I saw a guy taking pictures of a store front. I walked up to him and asked him what he was shooting with, then instantly saw the flash of yellow on his neckstrap...

Yes, he was shooting with a Nikon D70, the very camera the CStL is saving up for! Not only did he let me hold it, and shoot a shot or two, he spent a long time telling me how very pleased he was with it...an excellent product review. So, as he was showing me how easy it was to delete crappy pix, he was flipping thru the images , and showed me some great shots of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus)he took in a barn...he zoomed way in on the eye of one, said, "Look how blurry the eye is...bang! It's gone." Funny, nice guy.

2. Driving home from work, I wished I had his D70 with me...there on the on ramp to the highway was a dove sitting on a barbed wire fence. Yes, I am sure it is trite story, but it was pretty beautiful.

New Music Tuesday - Adriana Evans

Well, I can't tell you how much I hate not being "in the know". So, imagine my displeasure at discovering that the fabulous Mary Stallings has a daughter who is also a vocalist, and released a self-titled album in 1997. Upon hipping up to this, I placed an order for the CD and anxiously awaited its arrival, and oh, I was not disappointed.

This is a great CD from beginning to end, one of the very few that you can sit through although I have to admit to getting a bit squirmy by the end...I'd probably chop off the last two tracks...but that's me.

Adriana shys away from her mothers forte of torchy jazz standards, and forges ground in neo-classic soul, with real honest-to-god- strings and horns. She sets a great steamy groove and has some impeccable pipes.

Oh, yes, we like this one.

Triumvirate of Oddities

A couple of days ago my Penpal told me about a book that sounded so like me, so appealing to me that I literally went right out and bought it, without even flipping through it. I started it last night after work, and finished it this morning. What an excellent little diversion.

I was completely gone, hooked by the first sentence:

One night last summer, all the killers in my head assembled on a stage in Massachusetts to sing show tunes.

The book is Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation. In it, Sarah takes several road trips visiting sites associated with the assassinations of three presidents: Lincoln, McKinley and Garfield. I learned quite a bit from it, but this is not all dry history and politics. Vowell is hilarious. And getting the scoop on Robert Todd Lincoln (not to ruin your enjoyment, but he was at all three assassinations....oooh, eerie, no? She coins him "Jinxy McDeath") is worth the price of the book. You should check it out. Really.

Then I came home and watched a good little film, The Station Agent, which starred three great actors (keeping with the triumvirate theme today) Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale and most especially, the always marvelous, Patricia Clarkson. This is a film about one man's seach for solitude, to be alone, and how he comes undone by the human desire for companionship. the characters are likeable in their flaws, and my only complaints about the film are that I don't have any interest in trains and the ending came too soon.

And finally, today is Herman Melville's birthday. On my last day of work at the old store, my manager and assistant manager took me out, and spent an hour and a half talking about fishing, working on fishing boats in California, and my manager's favorite novel Moby-Dick .

To celebrate Melville's birthday, NPR repeated this quote from Moby-Dick:

Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian

I don't know if it's true, but I sure think it's funny. Oh, and Melville also makes a cameo in Vowell's book...

Last of the Summer Films

In keeping with my impromptu aquatic theme for the summer, I got Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. It had many things to recommend it: a story about a faux Cousteau searching for the elusive jaguar shark that killed his friend. Perfect subject for the film festival. And bonus points for Anjelica Huston. And the oddly attractive Jeff Goldblum.

My decision is that I have enough information on hand to say that I truly dislike Wes Anderson films, although at least I sat through to the end of this one, unlike the unbearable Royal Tenenbaums.

Not even Anjelica saved this one for me. It was tedious and I wanted those hours of my life refunded. But since that can't happen, I was amused by this little tale of missed product placement about the Zissou Adidas.

Why No One Wants To Vacation With Me

I have an absurd fascination with Antarctica and Alaska. They are places I would really like to vacation. I know, I know. Faithful Readers have suffered through my many weather reports this year, of me bitching about the snow, but there you go.

When reading the great Terra Incognita by Sarah Wheeler a few years ago, I was really annoyed to learn that many places she was visiting in Antarctica were warmer than it sometimes is in Ohio.

All of that being said, I wanted air conditioning and went to see the documentary, March of the Penguins. Walking out of the theatre, it is very difficult to not think that God was sitting around, smoking dope, having finished off a Domino's pizza, and was like,

Dude...so I'll make this bird, right? But it won't fly! It'll swim. And..and...I'll make it walk 70 miles in the snow and ice to a breeding ground. Yeah. And..when two of these, let's call them penguins, mate, the female will lay an egg...and..get this...then will pass it off to the male, who will hold it on top of his feet ( burst of giggles) for like, say, three more months, while the women penguins walk BACK 70 miles in the snow and wind to swim in the ocean for food, 'cause, like, there's no food there..just...snow! (Great guffaws of laughter)...ok, ok...so then the women penguin comes back, feeds the chick, gets the chick transferred to the top of HER feet, and then the dude penguins, now weighing 50 percent less because they haven't eaten for four months...they've just been standing there in 100 mile an hour winds out on the ice with a really fragile egg on the top of their feet, which could freeze solid in like a minute if it hit the ground. Right! Ok...yeah, so they do this a few times till the chicks are old enough to live in the cold, then the parents take off, leaving the chicks unattended, until finally the ice starts melting and the chicks leap into the sea...with no lessons or nothing. Ohh...dude, I can't do that....it's too mean. Oh, wait wait...I know. I'll dress 'em up in tuxedos....

This is why no one vacations with me. Its not so much the destinations as it is the fact I come up with crap like the above...

And also this...I heard you, Morgan Freeman, narrating this film. You were in Batman Begins, weren't you? Batman = Penguins. Wheels within wheels.

Anyway, this is a marvelous, amazing film, which really points out the dedication, and I suppose you can read into it and call it love that emperor penguins have the capacity for. And what is cuter than a fluffy emperor penguin chick learning to walk? Nothing. Go see it.

Sometimes It Just Doesn't Matter

I heard on the radio this morning that it is going to be 95 degrees today - but "it will feel like 101."

Glad to know it will feel hotter than 100 degrees, and certainly so much hotter than 95.

I think the heat is making me a wee bit testy.

But after spending the balance of the day in the air-conditioned library, I am off to the air-conditioned movie theatre to catch a documentary shot in Antarctica. It's a theme.

I'll tell you about the film tomorrow.

New Music Tuesday - Si*Sé

I was turned on to this, my second favorite disc for my "Summer of '05 Soundtrack" by Tin-Ten, and I am so very glad that she sent it my way.

It did take some work to locate a copy of the disc, however, so be prepared if you are so inclined to purchase it, which I highly recommend. Yes, Si*Sé and Camiel, and you should be all set for the summer.

The disc is a great blend of Latin rhythms, chilled out with some threads of soul and electronica, plus the group features a viola player. That makes them too cool right there. And Carol C has a great voice.

The pick of the litter as far as the tracks go would have to be Bizcocho Amargo, then Slip Away, Aire and My Sol.

Here's a happy little coincidence that I enjoyed as well : a quote from their press:

Listening to their music is like walking through the streets of New York, urban and full of culture.

Which puts me in mind of Manhattan Transfer's Walking In New York.

Ya Never Know Who You Are Going To Run Into, Part 2

I got off of work at 2 this afternoon, and rushed home in the hopes of catching the last two hours of the Akron Arts Expo, since it is in my neighborhood, and usually proves to be a good time.

So there I was, having finished my snack of a ketchup-y hotdog, and strolling about the fair, passing a lovely late afternoon which featured a terrific, cooling breeze when you weren’t in the direct sun. Suddenly, an arm wraps around my waist from behind (not a usual occurrence I am sad to report) and a voice says,"So, is that all you do on the weekends? Go to art shows?" And it was my NewlySingle friend who accompanied me at the Cain Park Arts show on the 9th!

In addition to the art, which was pleasant, they had the good sense to have some bagpipers. That always make my Celtic heart happy.

Things That Are Wrong With The World, Part One

It should never, ever be 84 degrees outside after midnight.

Ya Never Know...

...who you are going to run into.

There I was at work yesterday morning, somewhat minding my own business, when "Hollywood Stafford", my co-worker and I get into this great discussion about music. He earns mega-super bonus points for not only knowing everyone I brought up, but liking them as well. Then he took it over the top by running home on his lunch break to get two CD's to share with me. Looks like New Music Tuesday of the Future...

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh, but it gets better Faithful Readers. I tell him about my blog, and he tells me, HE has one - and not only that, I have been on the email list for the main site of his blog for a few months now. I've been a fan of his for some time now! It was like meeting a celebrity! The CaptainStL's heart was a 'flutter the rest of the day.

Be a good sport and check out the sites. And you can read his post on this same story...he beat me to it!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

After work today, I met Heather downtown at the New York Spaghetti House for cocktails (love that Knob Creek I tell you) then we wandered across the street to meet 40 of our former co-workers at Jacobs Field, to watch the Indians take on the Kansas City Royals.

Last year we attempted to go to two ballgames as a store event, but the games were rained out. It was surprising that the weather today, though initially very hot, was actually quite pleasant in the evening, once the sun quit beating down on our section of seats. The Tribe, of course, lost to the Royals (5-3), but at least we weren't rained out this time.

It was great to see many of my old co-workers again, and we spent almost the entirety of the game just visiting with each other. At one point, when Cleveland scored one of the runs and the crowd went wild, and they started with the Queen song (We Will Rock You - ok, I liked that part), it just seemed like a distraction to the party we were having in the stands. Oh yeah - we were supposed to be watching the game! After many innings of musical seats, as we took turns getting refreshments, and visiting with each other, it was time to head on home.

The Jake is actually a beautiful ballpark, and I sort of wish that I had the slightest interest in the action on the field, which I was sadly lacking. But the party in the stands was great.

New Music Tuesday - Carly Simon

Today's review is for my Penpal, who has been a fan of Carly Simon since we met in the glorious 80's.

Awhile ago, I sat down to try to figure out my favorite song of all time. For the moment, the winner is the Flamingo's I Only Have Eyes For You.

So I picked up Carly Simon's new CD, Moonlight Serenade, because she does that song, and a bunch of other standards. Happily for me, my favorite track is I Only Have Eyes For You.

The CD is nicely done, and Carly's voice is pleasant. There are no surprises here. It is a lovely little mood piece, great background music for a quiet dinner with someone special, a bottle of wine...that sort of thing. Nothing dramatic, not overly produced, no heavy string arrangements, but nothing truly moving either.

This has been released as a traditional CD (which is what I got) and a dual disc with a DVD, for the more rabid fan out there.

An Embarrassing Secret

I love Stewie on the Family Guy.

Meg:"Everybody! Guess what I am?"
Stewie:"Hmm, the end result of a drunken back seat grope-fest and a broken prophylactic?"
- from And the Wiener is

So much that I own three seasons of the show on DVD.

I may even replace my mangement catchphrase of Mr. Burns ("Excellent!") with "What the deuce..." It could happen.

Six Minutes

In keeping with my inadvertent summer theme of oceans and sharks, I must share with you this amazing story I found on the web. Now, maybe it is really amazing to me because of my own backstory.

My aunt, Lily, took me to see JAWS in the theatre when it was first released, and I was about 11. This incited a long-term fascination with sharks, which included making my mother take me to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute the next summer, because I was sure I was going to be a marine biologist just like Richard Dreyfuss, and that’s where his character studied. Then, my science teacher got me a dogfish to dissect for independent study and I was so smitten with him that I took the shark to all of my classes that day. I am sure that the smell of formaldehyde really enhanced my high-school popularity.

(note to MyAdoringPublic – and you thought my planaria regeneration story was an aberration, huh?)


So, it seems that there was a Monster Shark fishing tournament in Martha’s Vineyard today (home of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Edgartown, where JAWS was filmed, and Carly Simon).

And hopefully the picture will be up for awhile because the tiger shark these dudes caught really is a monster. I have never seen anything like it. It weighed in at 1,191 pounds and was 15 feet in length. That is a whole lotta shark.

Now, here is the other part I can relate too, as these folks have my kinda luck…

The shark was so big that it put a lot of drag on the boat, and they arrived six minutes late for the closing of the contest and were disqualified. The winner was a 378 pound porbeagle shark.

That, as they say, bites.

Girls Night Out

After work today, Heather and I met up with "Kitty Griffing" and "Tin-Ten" for a dual celebration - to celebrate two birthdays and to see the wonderful Christine Lavin (who is neither and ex-nun nor an ex- cafeteria lady) in concert at Nighttown.

This is the third time I've seen Ms. Lavin. The first time was with the "Babes" at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and the second time was at St. John's Pub in Portland. At the Portland show, Christine sat out in the lobby and was giving people free "sparkle" manicures prior to the show. I read on her website that her new thing is to have a knitting circle before the show. Since Nighttown serves a killer prime rib, I was not out in the lobby, but I don't think she was knitting in Cleveland, although she mentioned stopping by a local knitting store, Fine Points, earlier in the day and spending $300.

We had terrific front row seats, and Christine was magnificent as always. We laughed through the whole show. She opened with a new song called "Windchimes" which starts out like the very worst hippy folk song you ever heard and ends up with three sets of windchimes hanging off the headstock of her guitar...before she removes them and starts pitching them off the stage. She did an excellent "Sensitive New-Age Guys", "Good Thing He Can't Read My Mind," and "What Was I Thinking?" and although I told her I was hoping for the epic "Shopping Cart of Love", Christine said that she didn't remember it - I will forgive her since the thing is 15 minutes long. But she gave out two recipes ( french toast bread pudding and petit pan au chocolat - which takes 10 hours to prepare). And she closed the show with her wonderful glow-in-the-dark baton twirling extravaganza. Gotta love that. Absolutely a wonderful show.

I picked up her live DVD, Girl UN Interrupted, so I can show everyone the great baton work at my leisure.

Trackin' Drac'

Ooh, what a lovely book. If only I had discovered it in October. And be warned for some reason, when reading this book I was possessed to get Indian food, and Thai food, and well, really just good spicy ethnic dishes...

The book is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It has gotten a bunch of great press, and it deservedly so. The story is superficially about the search for Dracula, alive and well and walking amongst us. He doesn't cause so much havoc as you might expect, being confined to Europe and making most of victims librarians and historians. But still...

The story is a great travelogue of foreign countries, and time weaves in and out. It blends wonderful gothicness with a well-thought-out mystery and features endearing characters that you actually care about and want to succeed. And that is difficult when it is so compelling to root for the sexy and powerful vampire. Not this time.

Get it. Enjoy it. But maybe wait for October when it will be more delicious. And have some good food on hand...

Foolish Indeed: Another Bad Summer Movie

I picked up the "new" Werner Herzog "documentary", Incident at Loch Ness. Any review that needs phrases in italics does not bode well at the start.

The publicity for this, well, I don't know what it is, film, documentary, crappy waste of time makes a big deal about not coming right out and saying if it is fiction or fact. What it is, is stupid. How anyone can ruin scenery of Scotland, the promise of Nessie, and great adventure is beyond me.

So much for high adventure on the water.

New Music Tuesday - Motown Remixed

Saw this CD today, and was drawn to the great graphics on the cover, so I had to buy it.

This is a pretty good compliation, though I would have restructured it. Once a good groove gets going, they put in a down-tempo song, or an endlessly chilled out number that ruins this disc for getting people motivated at 5 a.m.

That being said, most of the tunes work very well, especially Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On and DJ Smash's Essential Funk Mix of Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Take Big Bites

There are few items in the world I covet, but one of them may well be my Penpal's hand-written postcard of encouragement from Linda Ellerbee. We have both been long-time fans of Ms. Ellerbee, and read both of her previous books. So when I walked into the bookstore and saw her smiling face on the book jacket, I immediately picked it up.

I was little scared reading this at first, because she didn't "hook me"..and really it wasn't until the chapter "Nadia's room - Santorini 2002" that she hit her stride. But then she hits it out of the park. That chapter alone really was worth reading. It made me look up where she stayed when she was writing the book, and after looking at the pictures, I can see how some beautiful work got done there - it is exquisite. The final chapter, "The River of No Return - Thames England 2004" was also wonderful.

It was terrific to visit with her again, and I am looking forward to the novel she hinted at...

Yet Another Moive Coincidence

I've been meaning to watch Laurel Canyon for some time. A woman record producer, played by the wonderful Frances McDormand. What else does one need to know?

Well, the opening credits start, and who is in this film but Mr. Batman himself, Christian Bale. Freaky.

Well, the movie as a movie was just ok. But I really loved McDormand's character, and she was very attractive in a dangerous way. She actually reminded me in many ways of my guitar playin' TunaMusic friend. Yes. Very interesting.

And though they claim the ingenue is Kate Beckinsale, who adored in Cold Comfort Farm, I find it hard to believe it is the same gal...although in linking up this post, (ha, she was Flora Poste in CCF - how I amuse myself) I see she was in Van Helsing, one of the very worst films of all time, that I happened to see with my Penpal in an actual theatre for my birthday, and I had no idea it was her in that, either. However, I have to admit at the time thinking that whoever that actress was looked darn fine in the gothic matador get-up.

Movin On

What a full day.

It started, as my Saturday's do now, at 1:30 in the morning. Following a full ten hours at work, I met MyAdoringPublic for lunch at Claddagh. MyAdoringPublic was already sitting at a great table out on the patio, a brilliant choice as there was a delectable breeze to mitigate the sunshine. We were meeting to celebrate our mutual one year anniversary as managers for our company, and to also celebrate the fact that starting on Monday, I will be working with my old crew at the “new” location, which opened in April (as Faithful Readers will recall). A black and tan and an enormous plate of fish and chips (and I had requested a HALF ORDER – beware! You get a huge amount of food!) made for a lovely meal.

Following our lunch, we went back to my store so that MyAdoringPublic could visit with the staff, and I had a few things to wrap up myself. Then I was off to purchase tickets to a concert for next Saturday, in which a foursome of ladies will be celebrating two birthdays. It should be a riot.

Then, I was off to meet my newly-single friend at the local Arts Festival. I have not been to the festival in about 10 years, but I had always looked forward to spending a leisurely afternoon strolling about and gazing at art. I found a pretty good parking space, up the hill and one residential street away from the park entrance. As I was walking down the hill, I passed a young entrepreneur selling lemonade. And you know, a refreshing lemonade was exactly what I needed to make my walk more pleasant. And just so you know, the red cup is $1, and the blue cup is 50 cents. And the young man was quite accommodating about filling the cup to the top with ice for me. And he was saving up for a toy. "Which toy?" I asked. "Depends how much money I make." What a healthy attitude.

It was about 5 by the time we arrived at the festival and used our cellphones to triangulate a rendezvous- I knew they would be handy for something someday - and I am glad we didn't attempt to get there any earlier...the sun was still devilishly bright, but the evening was cooling down nicely. While we had a lovely time strolling about, it was getting on 7 pm, and I needed some energy. A surprisngly good cup of coffee and a Dove bar enabled me to make the one hour drive home, where I read a few pages of my current book, and slipped into a dream.

More Things I Don't Know Too Much About

Trying to expand my knowledge this summer, I picked up Jane Smiley's A Year at the Races: Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money, and Luck, because though I like watching horseraces, I really know nothing about them.

This book follows the trials and tribulations of one of her horses, Hornblower, (who tells a horse psychic that he wants to be called Wowie...more on that) as well as being of memoir of the author's love affair with horses in general. I was never bitten by the horse-love bug as a child, but my best friend at the time, Jodi, LOVED horses...so that was my frame of reference.

I enjoyed this little peak into an unknown world, but seriously, the horse psychic part was truly unsettling. But I suppose it makes a better book when your main character can express himself...

Here's To You, Mr. Scopes!

One of my proudest achivements at my job is the little sign in the produce department.

Right next to where we sell organic bananas, we have a rope hanging from the ceiling, with a fiberglass chimpanzee clinging to it. At the bottom of the ropeI tied a small, wooden sign that says:

Mr. Scopes Organic Bananas - 29 cents each

Every time I pass it, it makes me grin. I was afraid some customer would complain and it would have to come down, but the reality is that probably no one else has ever even noticed it, and it has survived for almost two years now.

I bring this up because today while I was driving home, listening to NPR, I realized that is the 80th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial. I called the store and asked them to put a little crown, or a lei or something on our own Mr. Scopes. He looks mighty good for his age.

One Of the Best Ads Ever

I hope this link stays up for awhile.

This just cracks me up.

It is my fantasy that my employer will open a store there, too.

New Music Tuesday - Elvis!

Well, I picked up this truly amazing Elvis CD, Tiger Man.

It is a compilation of the two live sets Elvis did for his 1968 Comeback special. Elvis is having a great time through all of these numbers, fumbling lyrics, starting over, cracking jokes. The crowd does, indeed, go wild.

This is such fun, and musically alive. I played it for my co-workers in the morning (stopping the CD before the two Christmas songs - they would not have been well received at this time of year I fear), and everyone was either singing along, or laughing. We were all in a great mood.

As an added bonus, Elvis looks amazing in the cover photos - I love that tight, black leather suit. Oh, yeah.

Things I Don't Know Much About

I grabbed this book right off the new release table. I have always had a fascination with the theatricality of the sport of bullfighting (I am a Taurus after all), and here was chance to actually learn something about it.

Death and the Sun: A Matador's Season in the Heart of Spain by Edward Lewine follows the very, very handsome Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, the lasin thehe line of the greatest bullfighting dynasty in Spain, as he trains and prepares for his season in "sun and shadow."

After finishing the book, I was consumed with researching all of the locations and toreadors that were mentioned and studied up on the greadynastiesys. And now I know how a bullfight operates. Whether or not you agree with the sport is one thing, understanding the grandeur of its history and its ritual is quite another.

Another Afternoon With Kadobi

I drove up to work early this morning, to take care of some paperwork and employee reviews that were due that I had not been able to finish because of the CarTrauma of yesterday morning. I sat outside at the chess tables and drank coffee and did my paperwork, feeling very civilized, and then Kadobi and I thought that another matinee was in order.

I was starving, and Kadobi consented to join me for lunch. There were several options within walking distance of the theatre, and we chose Hoggy's Barn and Grille, because neither of us had ever been in there.

It is a great looking, low-key kinda place, and we think it would be fun to make a reservation for a romantic meal in one of the silos. But that's us. I tried the mac and cheese, the asparagus with almonds, and a pulled chicken sandwich - all of it was great comfort food.

When we were walking back to the theatre following our meal, Kadobi realized he left his sunglasses there and ran back. At the same time, as in any good farce, from the other side of the restaurant, our server emerged, running Kadobi's sunglasses out to me. That was good service. I'm glad we left a sizeable tip.

Today we went to see War of the Worlds. Big H.G. Wells fan. I even like Tom Cruise - easy on the eyes, y'know (but not excusing the Katie Holmes madness...)? And while it was a pleasant enough diversion (being that it was air conditioned, as you know, my prime requisite for summer afternoons, and this theatre features good coffee AND reclining stadium seating) but I have to state that the ending is potentially the worst ending in film history. Perhaps in all of the storytelling history of mankind. It's that's lame. So, I suggest just getting up and walking out about five minutes before the end. You'll thank me.

Spontaneous Summer Film Festival

Leaving my abode at 1:50 in the morning, my car decided that it did not want to go anywhere. At all. So I got an unexpected three day weekend while my car was being repaired. I took advantage of this opportunity to clean my house, do laundry and watch an impromptu summer film festival.

The first film was one I swore I would never see, but things happen, and it seemed to be perfect for lounging on the couch on a warm summer morning. The film is Open Water, and the blurbs from Sundance on the cover were the final straw that convinced me to give it a try. The film was actually quite engrossing, and unnerving. And watching the "Making Of", in which it is revealed that the husband and wife filmmakers shot the film on the weekends, flying to the Caribbean from New York for two years, and filmed with real sharks, made the film truly impressive. I will not ruin the ending for you, because for me it was incredibly powerful...so much so that I sat up straight on the couch in disbelief, and replayed it. It is a very subtle and underplayed scene - and it is very haunting. I thought I was well aware of the true story it was based on, so the events of the ending conflicted with what I thought I knew - turns out I was wrong anyway. So, the film festival was off to a great start. Open Water: A-

Next came the "summer" film I REALLY wanted to see : After the Sunset. Why? Salma Hayek and Pierce Brosnan sipping rum drinks in the Bahamas while planning a diamond heist and wearing almost nothing? Perfect. A perfect little entertainment, if you don't think about the reeling amount of impossibilities, and concentrate on Salma Hayek building a patio in her overalls. The "action" is, at best, not too strenuous, and for my film festival, it had the added benefit of the intrigue climax taking place while scuba diving. I appreciate these little synchronicities.
After the Sunset: C- Salma Hayek Building a Deck: A+

The final film was pretty bad. In fact, I can't really come up with any reason whatsoever to watch it.
Ocean's Twelve: D

The surprising thing about life is that to quote from my friend Mary " you don't know 'til you get there - and that's for sure." My expectations were: After the Sunset: A, Ocean's Twelve: B+ and Open Water : C-. Shows you what I know.

Power Shopping

Thankfully, I don't do this very often....but after work I went to the mall, and in a span of two hours dropped a goodly amount of quid. It helps to know exactly what you want and where to get it...there was no browsing involved today.

My acquisitions: a new Fossil watch (that's #10), Ralph Lauren Polo shoes, Ralph Lauren Silver cologne, Banana Republic Modern cologne, two shirts from the Gap, an Aveda hairbrush, sunglasses, 5 pairs of underwear from Victoria's Secret (sorry, just can't bring myself to say "panties"), and a little sculpture that caught my eye.

Potential Signs of the Apocalypse?

In part because of the lack of work that was accomplished, due to the hours spent cleaning last night, this morning things were a little hectic in the workplace.

This meant I spent from 8:30 until noon outside cleaning what we refer to as "The Backyard", which in reality is the alley behind the store. We keep our pallets (plastic and wooden) back there, as well as our cardboard bales, milk crates and other extraneous things t hat will not fit into our tiny stockroom until some organization has been imposed upon it. And while this doesn't sound so bad, today it was 105 degrees outside. For real.

Right after I finished, the skies opened and we had a minor deluge. The highlight of that for me was Uncle Jebb walking our customers out to their cars on by one, under a giant golf umbrella. He was soaked to the bone in a matter of minutes. That's service, people.

The Cleaning Party

We had a little party tonight after the store closed at 9 pm.

Everyone came in to clean. Yep. There were spray bottles of cleaner and bleach, new rubber matting to replace the old matting, buckets, sponges, industrial strength rubber gloves, razor blades and 50 pairs of hands.

It is absolutely amazing what 50 people can accomplish in two hours. The best part of the night, for me, was the sound of everyone working and having fun together. I now it sounds weird, but we had a great time, and we have shiny, sparkly store to show for it.

Happy Birthday

I want to take a minute here to publicly wish my one and only, BC, Happy Birthday.

You'll always be the older woman.

New Music Tuesday - Back in Time

After my long association with the magnificent, extraordinary Duffy Bishop, I thought it was about time that I pick up a Janis Joplin CD. (For those not in the know, Duffy starred as janis for over a year in a play in Seattle, and toured Japan in 1997 with Big Brother and the Holding Company.)

I chose Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company, because an old video of Duffy blasting the roof off of a joint singing the final notes of Ball and Chain, the microphone held down at her bosom, has got to be one of my favorite musical moments of all time. So I wanted to hear Janis give it a whirl.

Actually my favorite track on this CD turned out to be Turtle Blues, then Ball and Chain, Piece of My Heart and Sam Andrews great opener, Combination of the Two.

I am really glad I picked this up.

The Night of the Great Deluge

So there we were at work, getting the pallets off of the truck, when we were subjected to one of the hardest, loudest thunderstorms I can remember. The lightning was so close to us we could actually see where it was hitting the ground. Several of the young men were helping with the truck ( a process that takes about 40 minutes) and they quickly disrobed down to their shorts and were yelling and kicking water at each other. It was about this time that I (sensibly being the only one in a rain coat, although it served no purpose as it was soaked through as well) noticed the water on the pavement was about three inches in depth, the rain kept coming, lightning was flashing, and we were handling very large metal machines. So I called the game and got my boys inside STAT.

About 5 minutes later, that's right, the rain stopped. Go figure. But we got rewarded with fresh, hot pizzas from Pizza Hut. We deserved it.

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...