Home Decor

I've been browsing old movie posters. It occurred to me that some of the most popular are so common they have become meaningless. It's too bad because all are from great films.

I happen to like Breakfast at Tiffany's but not enough to ever hang it's poster on my wall. It's sadly become so cliched.

Gone With the Wind is a favorite but do I ever need to see this poster again?


And what about Casablanca? Again, great film... tired old poster.


This one may be extremely well known but I forgive it because it's just so damn cool and Liz looks incredible.


Then, after a bit of searching, I found some lesser known (to me) posters to some of my favorite films.

Check out this one for The Long Hot Summer. I love this movie for many reasons but two most importantly: 1) I learned "Barn Burner!" was the ultimate insult from this movie and I've become fond of calling my Mom just that when we disagree. We both fall into hysterics when one of us remembers to shout out a well placed "Barn Burner!" at the other. 2) I also love this film because I don't think any man in the history of time has ever looked better than Paul Newman in this movie. Oh...My...God.


I honestly don't know which of these two posters of Rebecca I like more. They are both amazing.



Ok, some of us may have seen this poster before but I love that it's on pink and Edward G. Robinson seems to have the best billing. Ed also appears to be somewhat startled to find Fred and Barb making out.

This may be my favorite find of the evening. I don't think I've ever seen this poster before. I MUST have it. That pose is from one of my favorite movie openers.

I am also loving this poster for The Heiress. This film, of course, features one of my favorite closers to a film.

This is a fantastic Rear Window poster. It seems I'm fond of action poses in some of my darker favorites. This is just plain cool.


I, naturally, LOVE this Sunset Blvd. print. In fact, I think it, along with The Letter poster, may have just inspired a Bat Shit Crazy theme in the powder room of my future home. I can't wait!

The good, the bad and the challenge

There seems to be a name for every diet combo in the world except for mine (Dairy/Aspartame free and on Weight Watchers). What can I say? I like to live dangerously. This is all fine except that whenever I Google "Dairy Free" I get lumped in with those Glutten Free freaks. Let's be clear: I could give a crap about those Glutten people. However, all of the grocery stores are falling all over themselves to call out "GLUTTEN FREE" this and GLUTTEN FREE" that. Meanwhile, I'm left standing the in grocery aisle reading every word of every label trying to decipher what has diary and what doesn't. It's entirely annoying.

Most fun of all is the list of, oh, 35 ingredients that I'm supposed to memorize because they are all code for hidden dairy. It's a nightmare.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that I'm still going strong.

The funny news is the hushed tone my Weight Watcher leader used while discussing this whole dairy-free, reduced meat and limited processed foods kick I'm on. It seems she lost over 100 pounds eating this way. When I asked why she doesn't really talk about that fact in her meetings she shrugged and said "Nobody wants to hear it. Eating this way saved my life. It reversed my diabetes but nobody wants to hear about it." Oh dear.

Here's the challenge: I'm going to Big Bear for a Girl's Weekend. I usually pig out on these weekends. I've got a lot of planning to do to get through this one. Because I'm such a badass I'm considering leaving my "milk pills" (aka my safety net) at home so I won't be tempted to blow it. I know!

I'll try to post pix of the lake. It's supposed to be in the mid-seventies all weekend. I can't wait!

Day three

I'm still going strong. I have one helluva headache but keep forgetting to take anything for it. I'm guessing it's some sort of Diet Coke or aspartame withdrawal symptom. Ehh, I'll get over it.

Today my resident vegan friend told me that most people who restrict their diet eliminate dairy last before becoming a vegan. She says I'm definitely taking hardest step first. It seems I'm a BADASS!

In MUCH more exciting news: Mom called today and began with one of her famous "WELL!"s. t seems the guys who are doing some repairs on the house started pounding on the door. Mom answered and they asked to come in the house because "the bears are eating our lunch!". WTF?! It was about 10:30 am. WHY are the bears wandering the neighborhood at that hour?! Mom looked out the window and watched as a mother bear with two cubs sat on our curb and casually ate from the worker's coolers. Unbelievable. Mom had an appointment and said that as she drove off, the police pulled up and people stopped for pictures. It was like the zoo in front of our house. Good Lord!

Dairy Free - Day Two

I woke up this morning and immediately realized that I had just had the best night's sleep ever. We're talking about a level of sleep that I haven't had (without medication) for as long as I can remember. One friend called it (quite hopefully) a "fluke". I don't know but I sure had lots of energy today. Was it the lack of dairy or Diet Coke? I don't know and I don't care. The same friend later turned to me very sadly with "You know this means you can't have chocolate anymore, right?". Well, lets not get crazy. I may have to avoid milk chocolate but I'm pretty sure dark chocolate is still in the mix. I then told her not to worry because "any day now I'll throw back a fist full of pills and go apeshit again."

But here's the deal, I'm as allergic to cats as I am dairy but I've always hated cats and have always loved dairy. Both make me feel like hell but I learned to hate one and not the other. I could easily take a Benedryl every time I see a cat but they're a-holes so I don't. On the other hand, I've taken my "milk pills" with every meal for decades. What the hell? My body literally screams "Stay away from that wretched beast!" when I encounter a cat, and I listen, but when it says the same about cheesecake I stifle it with milk pills.

So far this whole thing has freaked some people out... a lot. Mom, of course, said it best. She doesn't approve of my dairy free, whole grain squaw bread and told me so. I told her it was intended to fill me up along with my breakfast smoothie and that she was not required to eat it. I then explained that the dreaded bread had helped me eat vegetarian all day as an experiment and it worked. I did, however, plan to have shrimp with dinner so don't worry. Mom just stared at me and exclaimed "That's not the flesh of animal!". I can't be sure but I'm pretty sure that's Mom-speak for "pussy!". She was happy to find that along with my "Just Fruit" jam I had purchased some bacon. After all, I'm not insane.

Anyway, that's the progress report. I'm dairy free and feeling great. I can't tell you how upsetting this realization is.

Diary free - Day 1

So, I tossed my beloved diary products:

(Yes, that's FIVE containers of Laughing Cow cheese wedges, what of it?!)

I replaced it all with these:

This is gonna suck ass.

I didn't even try to substitute cheese. It all looked too gross. My resident vegetarian friend suggested I wait on trying a substitute cheese until I "forget what real cheese tastes like". Oh dear.

I find that I am able to make dietary changes when I immerse myself in supporting propaganda. I've been reading up on dairy elimination which leads to vegetarianism fun facts which leads to veganism fun facts. I'm pretty sure I love bacon too much to take those dreadful steps into vegetarianism but I might be able to cut back on beef, poultry and fish. My resident vegetarian friend (who is beside herself with joy over my recent decision) agreed that eliminating things a little at a time is the way to go. The only reason I'm even considering this is that the health benefits of sticking to a plant based diet are difficult to argue with. Everywhere I turn there are magical plant based diet claims of lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and reversing heart disease and significantly lowering our risk of cancer and diabetes (God damn it). I'm of the mindset that old age is overrated and should be avoided but I've seen people die slowly at a relatively young age and that's no picnic either. If I don't continue to lose weight I'm heading down that path so it's time to make some sort of change.

I've read the Skinny Bitch stuff, and bought a couple of vegetarian cookbooks and they are pretty intense (Jesus!). They all make the same glowing health claims but so far the book that makes the most sense to me is Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. His whole "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" seems reasonable and the least hysterical. This appeals to me.

While immersing myself in dietary propaganda I found an absolutely hilarious blog by an honest to God meat lover who is starting a vegan diet for 30 days. You can check his story out here. He's a 51 year old carnivore who refers to himself as The Big Sexy. Sold!

The Big Sexy was inspired to change his meat eating ways by a cool story about a Texas firehouse that switched to a plant based diet to support their fellow firefighter who had a cholesterol level of 344 (yikes!). After a month of eating vegan together, their friend's cholesterol dropped to 196. Jesus! I'll be checking in on that site as well but mostly because the author is hot... and named Rip. Jesus!

Today I did without dairy and Diet Coke... and I lived to tell the tale. Well, I actually did one better. I not only avoided Diet Coke but I eliminated most sugar substitutes. (Yay me!) That meant no Splenda in my iced tea and no afternoon Crystal Light. This made me very unhappy but sugar substitutes are apparently going to make my intestines disolve and turn my uterus inside out (or something like that) so I'm getting rid of them too. I dug out that old box of Stevia since , it seems, it's the only acceptable sugar substitute (until further notice). I plan to use my Stevia in the fruit smoothie I'm making for dinner. My smoothie will be made with love, Stevia and soy milk... barf.

It's only been a day, so I feel no different, but I must say it was nice to not have to pop a pill with every meal. Stay tuned...

Change

I've decided to give up dairy for a while. I'm violently allergic to all things dairy but I love them so. As a result I pop what I call "milk pills" to help me digest the dairy in my diet. I pop LOTS of those little pills. I know this is ridiculous but I've been doing it for years. I realize that I shouldn't have to take "medicine" to help me digest certain foods in my diet so I'm going to stop.

I have a friend who read up on how a change in her diet could help improve her complexion. She shifted to a vegetarian diet and hasn't been sick one day since she made the change. That was about 2-1/2 years ago. I don't know if I'd ever be able to go vegetarian but I think it would do me some good to ditch the dairy and, depending on how it goes, maybe give up other things down the road.

I've been on Weight Watchers since before the new year and have lost about 35 pounds. I'd hoped for more of a loss but I've fallen off the wagon a few times but I've always hopped back on. Being stubborn seems to be working. In addition to kicking dairy to the curb I plan to avoid diet sodas. There's not one real ingredient in those evil cans and the caffeine is killing my sleeping habits. This change doesn't seem like it will be as difficult to achieve. I've done it before. It's really just a matter of breaking the habit when I dine out.

I've been reading up on how dietary changes, even small ones, can make a big difference in how we feel and how they can eliminate some annoying symptoms we just put up with. I hope to see some improvement in my sleep and my frequent upset tummy issues.

Here's the creepy thing though: virtually every website I visit on the topic of eliminating dairy seems to have a Lactaid link. That's the brand of milk/milk pills created for people like me who can't digest lactose (the sugar found in milk). When I visited the LiveStrong site on the topic the sponsors were Lactaid AND Diet Coke. That's eff'd up! It seems there are political implications with this small life change (which only encourages me). I don't lean towards conspiracies but I do believe the milk, beef, pork and poultry boards in this country are very powerful and pull a lot of political weight. I am very skeptical of the claims that "Milk does a body good" since my experience has been the opposite. I'd be up for "Beef, it's what's for dinner" but I've seen Food Inc. and I'm not impressed with the way we raise beef in this country. Of course, it hasn't stopped me from eating it but I have switched to having my butcher grind beef for me. Beef may be the next to go. We'll see.

So, if you see soy or almond milk in my fridge, don't be alarmed. It's just me trying to improve my health one bite/sip at a time... and flipping off certain industries in this country. Oh joy!

For Shandon

Shandon recently sent me a link with a note basically saying "am I wrong in guessing this is right up your alley?". She knows me well. Here is the link she sent plus other links I found after perusing hers. Such fun!!

My Daguerreotype Boyfriend - "Where early photography meets extreme hotness"

Fuck Yeah History Crushes!! "History never looked so attractive"

Bangable Dudes in History "Dead man porn for your still beating heart"

Time Machine Cougar - "Do I have to explain? It's dudes who are currently older than me, but if I had a time machine I'd want to go back and cougar them when they were younger."

A bit of peace

I watched something tonight that brought me an unexpected amount of peace about the loss of Dad.

I watched a film I'd never heard of before called The Wildest Dream.

You can read the description for yourself at the link above but it begins with the discovery of George Mallory's body, on Everest, 75 years after he went missing. His remains proved that he suffered a compound fracture in his leg... a fatal accident when on Everest. I started to get uncomfortable as the story unfolded but kept watching despite several similarities between Mallory's accident and Dad's. I even watched as one climber slips and almost falls 7000 feet. When his partner asks if he's ok the climber replies "I'm fine. Just a bad step." which is what I've always believed killed Dad... just one bad step.

Ultimately the man who discovered Mallory's body decided to try to summit Everest with the clothing and gear Mallory used. He hoped to learn for himself if it was even possible. While suiting up in replica clothing and showing it off to his family, his wife turned to their youngest son and asked "Would you wear that to climb Everest?" The boys replied "No". The mother prods "What would you wear?" he deadpanned "I wouldn't climb Everest."

It was like watching a conversation I had a more than once with my Dad. When I finished reading Into Thin Air I immediately handed it to my Dad and told him he should read it. He did. Soon after, I learned that we completely disagreed with the idea of a father making such a dangerous trek. I argued that climbing Everest was irresponsible especially for a father of young kids. "Why would anybody DO THAT?! Why would anyone dream of dragging themselves through delirium to a place called THE DEATH ZONE?" I asked. Dad calmly explained that he completely understood the urge to do so despite the risks. He said he didn't necessarily dream of climbing Mount Everest but, for instance, he'd always wanted to visit Antarctica to see Emperor Penguins. Great. He wanted to go to Columbia too but Mom and I flat out told him no way. I sometimes wonder if he snuck over there and just didn't tell us. I should check his passport. Anyway, we argued about crazy travel several times. In the end I came to realize that whatever it is that pushes people to take those kinds of freaky, unnecessary risks, I simply do not posses. It's just nothing I've ever been interested in participating in. I love to READ about those people but have never wanted to experience any of their antics first hand.

Watching the film tonight somehow made me feel a little better about the way we lost Dad. Daddy knew the risks in his job and his hiking but he felt compelled to do it regardless. I believe he planned to hike and climb until he couldn't anymore and that's exactly what he did. I told Mom about this little revelation and she agreed. Mom and I don't have that risk taking compulsion in our make up but Daddy did and we always knew it. Mom said that one of Dad's uncles was a National Geographic interpreter... who knew?! Maybe being so in love with nature and the world around us and the uncontrollable need to explore and protect it is inherited. All I know is that I dodged that gene and I'm glad. It wouldn't be fair for Mom to have to worry about me too.

I know that Dad's death was very different than a famous explorer's but the obsession and compulsion that drove them was very similar. I'll never stop missing my Dad but I'm glad he had such a great wonder of nature in his life. I never liked the risks Dad took but I remain incredibly proud of him. He left such a wonderful mark on the world. Do I think the risks were worth it? No, but I think Daddy would disagree with me just like he did so many times before.

Secret Shame

I'm here to confess. I have some secret shame that I somehow feel compelled to share. I'm not talking about now televised secret shames like watching porn, or hoarding, or eating chalk, or having to do things in threes, or anything like that, but I've got some secrets to share and the time has come. Here goes:

Deadliest Catch
My shame isn't with watching this show. It's a good show that I'd recommend to anyone. No, my shame lies in the amount of time I've spent watching it. Even reruns. I can watch this show over and over again and I just don't seem to tire of it. I'm sure I'll burn out some day but so far that day hasn't arrived. I miss Captain Phil.

Kiehl's Lip Balm
I've been known to spend up to $9 on lip balm. This, of course, is ridiculous but have you ever tried Kiehl's lip balm? Have you tried the Mango variety? It's delightful. I hate that I spend that kind of money for scented petroleum jelly but I do and I will do it again.

Super Hero Movies
I love super hero movies. I don't know why, I just do. Luckily this Summer has provided some pretty good options. I really liked Thor and I LOVED X-Men First Class. I'm going to see Green Lantern this weekend but I'm afraid my luck may have finally run out. The reviews are bleak.

Twilight Series
I, along with about two dozen co-workers, was obsessed with the Twilight books a few years ago. I loved those dumb books. They are poorly written and repetitive but I loved that Bella/Edward/Jacob thing. Of course, they lost me in the third book (hated it!) but, yes, I will be seeing the movie with my Twi-buddy and her teen daughter later this year. I saw Twilight in theaters on 3 separate occasions. 1) Opening night with my sister-in-law 2) Along with friends for a Director Q&A following a screening 3) with my Twi-buddy (college roomie) and her 13 year old daughter. The weeping guitars almost killed it for me but... there I was three screenings later.

Teen Wolf
As if the Twilight thing wasn't shameful enough, I started watching MTV's new series Teen Wolf. I've watched the first few episodes and they haven't lost me yet. I described it to a friend as "fun but sophomoric". Of course, sophomoric doesn't seem to be a problem for me, now does it. (Vampires are hotter, by the way. So much more cultured than those filthy werewolves!)

Little Women
I still haven't read it. I suck.

QVC
I like to watch QVC late at night when I can't sleep. I think it's because it's the least stressful thing on tv in the middle of the night. I don't like the jewelry shows (boring!) but the makeup and cooking slots are a good time. I'm especially fond of a segment called In the Kitchen with David. I'm ordinarily deeply saddened by closeted gay men but I just love that David. So does every elderly Southern woman in the country.

Crazy People
I enjoy the crazies. I don't mean the rude in-your-face variety crazy but I do enjoy calmly crazy people... like the old ladies who call David on QVC.

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
I don't like romance novels, and given the theme of this entry I would totally admit it if I did, I do, however, wish I liked romance novels every time I visit this blog. I just love it. I'm especially hooked on it's HABO (Help a Bitch Out) entries. Readers describe long lost novels they can't remember the names of and fellow readers try to figure out what the hell they read all those year ago.

Hallmark Channel Movies
Yes, they are saccharine sweet, yes they are entirely predictable, yes their heavy handed Christian slant is annoying, yes they assume no good can come from "city folk", but sometimes the reliability of those dumb movies is just what the doctor ordered.

Frontierville
Why do I spend time on this silly game? It's not even a game! It's just clicking around on a screen. It's annoyingly addictive. It's so lame but I can't stop. (Wanna be my neighbor?)

That's it for now. I'm sure I have plenty more to report but I just can't think of them now. I'll report more as they come. The more ridiculous the better!

Short Cut

Because I haven't listed any songs lately, I thought I'd do a speed round of the 30 Day Song challenge that I seem to be doing in 60 days. I'm listing three tonight in the interest of catching up.

Name a song from a band I hate:

Well there are a few bands that I'd call Lucy repellent but I thin I'll go with Yes. I can't stand Yes. In fact, my brother and I joke that "Yes means no." Here is a particularly annoying song from the ironically named Yes: (It literally upset me to have to look this up and listen to a few bars of it. Blechh!)



Name a guilty pleasure song:

Ooh, that's a tough one. I have so many guilty pleasure songs that I stopped feeling guilty about them. Here is one that I have had a freakish fondness for lately. I don't know why I'm suddenly loving it so much... it just happened




Name a song that nobody would expect me to like:

I think I've got to go with Gold Digger for several reasons. First of all, Kanye is an undisputed dickhead. Secondly, like so many songs out there, this one is a misogynistic train wreck. Possibly the very worst offense? It samples a Jamie Foxx impression of a kick-ass Ray Charles song. All of the above should spell out instant hatred from me but I just can't help myself... I like this one. *Hanging head in shame*

In defense of country

I was raised in a rather loud household. Not only did we speak loudly but we all listened to different kinds of music. Every corner of our house seemed to have some sort of music loudly playing. As a result I learned to be accepting of all types of music. I learned at an early age that you really can't help what you like and don't like. Some music you learn to love while others are love at first sight (or listen).

My Dad loved classical music and classic rock. Mom took a shine to country music and show tunes. My brother liked rock and punk. I liked all of the above and even learned to enjoy jazz. I didn't come to love show tunes until much later in life when I finally had the opportunity to see musicals in person. Love was born. I was a big time concert goer when I was in high school and college but that habit was eventually replaced with seeing live musicals and theater. I only recall Mom and Dad going to a handful of concerts in my childhood. I do, however, vividly recall the very first time I heard the phrase "ape shit". Dad used it to describe my mother's behaviour at a Waylon and Willie concert in the 70's. Mom apparently "went ape shit!". Dad said he'd never seen her act that way in all his life. I must have been impressed because I remember the comment so fondly.

Which brings me to my current obsession: Outlaw Country. I have gone ape shit over the Outlaw Country radio station on Sirius/XM Radio. I've tuned in from time time time with no real love lost until recently. A couple of weeks ago I caught Shooter Jennings Radio Show and fell in love. I've also become a fan of Steve Earle's show. Even the silly country girl morning show plays some killer tunes. On my commute, and later at work, I heard kd Lang, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Marcia Ball, Johnny Cash, Wanda Jackson, Mojo Nixon, Hank III, Allison Krauss/Robert Plant, Buddy Holly, Merle Haggard, Southern Culture on the Skids, and (of course) Waylon Jennings on Outlaw Country. I assure you, my day was better for it. Where else on earth can you hear that kind of killer mix?

Now, I admit that I thought the idea of satellite radio was bullshit when I first heard about it. I was then given a free three month subscription when I purchased my car. I've been sunk ever since. I can't tell you the ridiculous sense of freedom a new car, GPS and satellite radio gives a girl. Honest to God, you feel like you can take on the world with that magical three pack goin' on. When I had a nervous breakdown/meltdown a few weeks ago, I hopped in my car and drove out to the desert. My satellite radio made for some fantastic company along the way. When I arrived back home I was like a new person and listening to everything from La Boheme, Mahalia Jackson and Johnny Cash had a lot to do with it.

I hate to be a pusher but I must say that I highly recommend satellite radio. I can honestly say, if given the choice, I would seriously consider taking my satellite radio over cable tv. I know that's just plain crazy talk but I can tell you that more and more I've been tuning into my online radio connection instead reaching for my remote after a long day at work. If you ever have a shot at some sort of free trial of subscription radio, you've gotta try it!

What fresh hell is this?

This morning I woke to a day perfectly clear of plans. No obligations, no work to do, no pre-arranged plans, nothing to do. It's my favorite condition to wake to. Of course, this meant I had a decision to make. I gave some thought to taking another drive and considered driving up the coast with my camera. I thought about driving to Ojai and back for a trip to this place. Then I thought again. Instead of a mini road trip I decided to roll up my sleeves and clean out the garage. Not the fun choice but I've been meaning to do it for months and it was going to be a cool day, probably the last for several months.

The poor garage has been in a state of chaos ever since Mom and Dad redecorated the front of the house. Dad and I cleared most of it out about a year ago. After I switched bedrooms the garage took another hit. Only one car has been able to fit in there with the other junk. Mom has insisted on me parking my car in the garage since I have the newer car. This, of course, makes me feel guilty so I thought a garage clean up job would do us all some good.

When I began, the garage looked like this:

When I finished, a few hours later, it looked like this:


The pile in the back needs to be dropped at Goodwill. I also need to find a hazardous household waste drop off location for about a dozen gallons of paint and old varmint poison. Most of the stuff just needed to be stacked, donated or trashed.

Of course, the garage was Dad's domain so he was all over the place. I managed to get though it all without crying. Most of Dad's stuff either makes me wonder or makes me grin. I had forgotten about this:

I discovered this before Dad died so I could confirm my guess as to what it was. Can you guess? The window in the garage is a favorite hangout of spiders. It's a sticks with a glob of spider webs at the end. We never open that window so it's a safe, place to spin a web with some nice diffused light. God knows how many years ago Dad started twirling spider webs around the stick. It now looks like a giant Q-tip. It's a disgusting nightmare but just the weird kind of thing Daddy would do, so it stayed.

I also found this disturbing object:

It's very old and I assume it's something my beloved Papa picked up on one his journeys in Africa. It seems to be some sort of elaborately decorated billy club or nightstick made of wood and leather. I don't know the story behind it but it's either moving to Mom's room or out with me when I by my house. A girl could do some serious damage to an intruder's noggin with that thing.

I came across this stupid flag from one of Dad's old job sites:

I was NOT amused by the irony.

I then came across this:

Anyone who knows me knows my story of owls and why I love them. Long story short, every time I see an owl it's like recieving a little wink from Daddy. This was the first thing I saw in the first box I opened. I was happy to see it after the dumb flag made me so mad.

As I stacked boxes I firmly grabbed what I thought was an old strip of rubber to pull it from a some loose packing tape. You can't imagine the scream I let loose with when I realized my mistake.

I had actually grabbed the dried out carcass of a lizard who had died getting stuck on the tape. I ran in the house, washed my hands abut 18 times and returned to the job at hand. Soon after, Mom returned home. I showed her where I had moved things then noticed a mouse dash behind a box. I swiftly kicked the box smashing the mouse between the wall and the box. Mom screamed, I did move pretty quickly, and walked away. The mouse sort of stumbled out from behind the box and faced me. He stared at me for a few minutes then I watched as he turned to face the wall as if to say "I need a moment to myself before I die, bitch." It was kind of brutal but I was jumpy from the dead lizard attack and that poor mouse showed up at the exact wrong moment. A few minutes later a bird dive bombed my head as it flew into the garage. Mom was getting the mail and said "Wow. Your Dad is really having some fun with you today!" I think she was right. I also think Walt Disney's interpretation of animal life is bullshit.

Next I recovered one of my all time best gifts to Dad. Behold:

I know, it looks bizarre but it's actually genius. It's a bug vacuum. It expands to about four feet long and can suck up bugs and spiders without anyone having to touch them. It's great! With summer coming I was happy to see it again. We will be needing it.

One of the most bizarre finds of the day was this masterpiece:

What is it? It's a butter knife that's been taped to the end of a pole. I have no idea why it was in the garage but it was clearly made my Dad. I can't imagine why he needed such a thing but he apparently felt the need to keep it around. We later described it to one of Dad's old friends. He thought maybe Dad used to the get wasp's nest down or something like that. I'll never know but I'm keeping it around because it makes me smile just like that clean garage does. A trip to Ojai would have been more fun but I'm glad I stuck around and got the place straightened out. I feel much better for it.

I'm gonna pretend you didn't ask that

Today's question is: Name a song from your favorite band.

Trouble is, I hate the "name a favorite" question. I don't believe in favorites. I believe in liking many things at the same time. With that said, I'll happily list A song from ONE of my favorite bands.

Here is a song I like called Driftwood by a band called Travis.

30 day song challenge (done in more like 60 days)

Name a song that makes me fall asleep.

Well, the white noise of rain recordings are what technically puts me to sleep. However, I do have a few musical options when its time for bed. I love to listen to a Charlie Haden and Hank Jones album called Steal Away. It's a bunch of lovely old spirituals but it's apparently so obscure it can't be found on YouTube. I also like Rachmaninoff's Vespers but my all time favorite music for drifting off to sleep has got to be Chopin's Nocturnes. I don't recommend all of those minor keys if you're feeling at all depressed. These tunes could finish you if you were already feeling melancholy. If, on the other hand, sleep is what you're after, Chopin is the ticket. (I mean that in the best of ways.) There are 19 or so Nocturnes to choose from and you've probably already heard them all. Here is one you may know:

Dance!

Today's 30 day song challenge question:

Name a song you can dance to.

That's easy. I have no reasonable explanation why but I like Justin Timberlake. His music makes me want to shake a tail feather. Here's one I've been known to dance to at an office holiday party. Look out!



(The only trouble with this video is that Justin deliberately breaks a perfectly good string of pearls. I don't know about you, ladies, but that would be one sure fire way to kill the mood for me. Oh well, such is the bizarre fantasies in the world entertainment.)

I can see clearly (despite multiple head injuries)

I went in for my annual eye exam today. I visited a new doctor that a friend recommended. I'm so glad I did. It was far and away the most thorough eye exam I've ever had.

When I first did the eye chart the doctor was perplexed by the fact that my left eye is weaker that my right. I told her it had this way for as long as I could remember. I had long accepted it but, for some reason, she thought it strange. *shrug*

After some discussion, we decided to dilate my eyes since I've had blood pressure issues this past year. Its all under control now but one can't be too safe.

Doc: Hmm...
Me: ...
Doc: Umm...I've...never...
Me: What?
Doc: ... I've never... seen anything... quite like this before.
Me: What do you see?! (increasingly alarmed)
Doc: Well...
Me: ...
Doc: Have you ever had any head trauma?
Me: What?! No!
Doc: Oh, it's nothing to worry about. It's just...
Me: Yes?
Doc: You have some debris in your lens. Nobody's ever mentioned this to you?
Me: No.
Doc: Hmm. Well, it's very apparent. There are spots on the lens of your eye.
Me: ...
Doc: So... no car accidents or anything like that?
Me: Well, I did fall off a rope swing when I was a kid. My friends dragged me to my backyard and left me for dead. I eventually came to and wandered into the house to lie down. I don't think I mentioned it to parents.
Doc: ...
Me: I also crashed into my brother's best friends' older brother on our bikes. I blacked out. Oh! There was that time I slipped on a Christmas wrapping bag in my room, fell back and had the wind knocked out of me. So... maybe?
Doc: Umm... those could ALL be considered potential head injures.
Me: Well, it was the seventies. It was all about "walk it off" back then. I loved being a kid in the seventies!
Doc: *laughing and shaking her head*

SO, it seems I knocked myself senseless at some point and jack up my left eye. Who knew? The doctor is going to do some research on my spotty eye and get back to me. She was also able to see that I had high blood pressure but that it was under control. She also knew that I had allergies and asked if my eyes had been itchy. It was funny because just yesterday my eyes were incredibly itchy. I didn't know what the problem was. Turns out allergies were bugging me. I got a sample of some fun new eye drops to help with the problem.

I also got some (I think) cool new frames. Of course, it's hard to tell. It's hard to pick glasses with dilated eyes. You can't see a damn thing so you kind of have to guess and assume they look good. We'll see.

I love my new doctor. Best of all, they had owls all over the office. Remember my owl post from a while back? Well, I took the owl thing as a very good sign. I quickly told them why I like owls so much and that I consider every sighting a little wink from Daddy. I'm so happy to finally have a good eye doc.

They were playing Billie Holiday when I arrived... another excellent sign of great compatibility. I asked if they were playing satellite radio and she said that they just use GrooveShark. I'd never heard of it before. It's like Pandora but better because you can pick songs and build your own playlists. It's great! Thanks new friend and doctor. We're now life long buds. :)

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 8

Name a song that you know all the words to:

Well, I pretty much know the lyrics to everything I heard before 1979. However, if I have to choose one, I'll go with Bohemian Rhapsody. I memorized the words to this one when my babysitter had to replace her beat up copy of Queen's A Night at the Opera. She gave me the beat up old copy along with some Elton John albums that I also adore. I was about 8 years old. I don't think I understood the song at the time but I could sing the hell out of it.

"Mama I just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away"

Jesus, Mom! Weren't you concerned when you heard your children singing along to this one? God, I loved the bad choices made in the seventies. They made me the gal I am today.

You decide which version you like best:






"Any way the wind blows..."

Day 7

Name a song that reminds you of a certain event.

When Dad was transferred to Yucca Valley for work, he had to live alone in an apartment for a little while until we sold our house, bought a new one and we transferred schools. I remember Dad's sad little apartment. He hated living there during the week without us. He was in the apartment for a couple of months or so and he was miserable. I let him borrow some of my records to help the place feel more like home when he was alone all week. One of the records was Linda Ronstadt's Simple Dreams.

I still like that album but Poor, Poor Pitiful Me entirely reminds me of the move to Yucca Valley. The title was perfect for that time in my life. It not only described Dad living without us but it perfectly captured how I felt about having to move to the middle of nowhere. :(

Bacon fever

Ok, I admit it. I'm beginning to catch this wedding fever.

I'm a big anglophile who loves the Kings and Queens of England but I typically obsess on the old school royals. You know, crazy old Henry VIII and the Queen Elizabeth I are the types I like. The current Queen is fascinating and the life she's led has got to be crazy town but we'll never know. That's one (honest) autobiography that we'll never see. I enjoy her but she's not my favorite. Her grandsons, however, have long been faves. It's been nice watching them grow up. They've both stepped up to their expected duties and done well. They've proven to be great humanitarians very early on. They seem to be genuinely down to earth good guys. They look awesome in uniform. I join the most of the world in liking them and wishing them well.

As for this wedding fever, we all know the wedding ceremony is a hot ticket but the reception is supposed to be the white hot ticket. It seems Her Royal Highness will jet out of town with Prince Philip leaving the kids to party all night long at Buckingham Palace. (Can you imagine?!) This is all good stuff but so far, my very favorite wedding rumor is that Prince Harry has ordered supplies to make bacon sandwiches for those guests who make it all the way through the night and find they need a sunrise snack. I can't think of anything more fun than Harry making bacon sandwiches at 6:00 am in Buckingham Palace. I like that kid. The fact that he considers making bacon critical to the celebration of his brother's wedding celebration makes him my new favorite royal.

American Experience

I am watching an amazing documentary called Stonewall Uprising on American Experience and it's breaking my heart. I have many, many friends who happen to be gay. I consider sexual orientation to be a footnote or a fun fact about a person. In fact, when a co-worker and I went out to lunch soon after she started working with me, and she came out to me, my reaction was something like "Ooh! How exotic. It's like finding out you're from Transylvania or some other cool place!" Luckily, she just laughed at me. When another woman, who is from Lebanon came out to me, I exclaimed "OMG! I've never met a Lebanese lesbian. You're a collectible!". Again, thank God she laughed. I mention this not to feel superior but to illustrate how foolish I can be too. I only hope it's more accepting than some others.

Of course, this is today. Years ago that kind of reaction was unthinkable. Years ago to be gay was to be considered criminal and possibly a psychopath. Considering how many wonderful people I know who are gay, it genuinely pains me to hear how abused and mistreated gays were (and are) ... in my lifetime.

We've all seen black and white footage and horrific pictures from the civil rights movement. People of my generation have all been shocked and outraged by the ignorant, hateful ravings of bigots before our time. However, to hear the same insane things said about gay people is just as shocking. Seeing bigoted rants on color film emphasizes how recently these beliefs were commonly held.

The Stonewall uprising happened in 1969. It was the Summer of Love but we rarely hear about what happened at Stonewall. It's a story worth learning more about and this film does a good job of it. In the end it's an uplifting survival story but, man, is it shocking. Just a few weeks ago a dined at an Italian place on Stonewall. I turned to my host and said "Is this THE Stonewall? As in the Stonewall Riots?". It was. Cool! I didn't know many details about Stonewall beyond it being the time when (mostly) gay men fought back. It was the beginning the the gay rights movement that, of course, continues to this day.

Do yourself a favor and check this movie out. It's a great piece of American history that deserves more attention.