Happy Holidays!

True Grit

Got invited to a free screening of True Grit with my Indy Film Buffs peeps @ Landmark Cinema. Loved the very stark landscape and the bare trees. Hearing the wind blow made it seem so cold. It seemed shorter than 2 hours, which I guess is a good indication of must see movie.

Weekend In Review - Moser Party + Fixing the Toilet

Woke up Saturday morning with yet another cold. ACK! When will this end? Icing on the cake - the flush lever on the toilet breaks. Great!

Well, it's my fault; I saw the signs coming and I didn't do anything. When I flushed the toilet, it seemed like I had to push the handle down reeeeal far. Saturday morning, when I flushed - nothing. Ahh...let me guess... Yep. The trip lever (hey, thank you interwebs) broke. It's made out of plastic and it looks like it's a common thing to break. I could manually flush it. Oh boy!

Ace Hardware was my first hardware store stop. I even had pictures of the broken handle and flush valve area. The guy said he really couldn't see the pictures (WTF?) but it would be a simple thing to replace. No biggie.

"Pick out any flush lever/handle kit and here's a chain. You can use your fingers to take off the nut on the side of the handle."
"Uh..wait. Mine does not use a chain - it's a plastic or rubber piece."
"Well, it might have a plastic piece, but it's got a place for a chain. Unless it's something I've never seen before, it uses a chain."
"hhmm....."
That guy needs to get out more.

Back at the ranch, sure enough there's not place for a chain. It's all rubber. Krap. Well, no problem - I've got those wire jewelry tools. I can use them to modify the chain and connect it to the plastic flapper valve thingie. It took me forever to get the lock nut from the inside behind the handle. I could not use my fingers as previously advertised. I had to get pliers and move it a tiny bit and then get a knife and screw driver to get it off. But...wap wap waaaaap. The handle I bought will not work; I need an angle mount handle. Ding! Off to Lowes.

I return home with my newly purchased universal flush handle kit ready to concur known Russia. I chop out the new flush lever from its fancy packaging. They make these handles specifically for side or even angle mount tanks. Did not know that. I read the instructions. Crazy. You have to put the unit into the tank *before* you do anything else and get the lever to match up. Mine's at an angle, so I can see needing to do that. But...and it's a big one...Then you remove the lever from the handle AND FLIP IT OVER. That's so that this standard lever will work angle mounted. Then you take the lock nut off and inset..blah ...blah ...blah. But...and here comes another one...I cannot find the hex screw tool anywhere. I know, or thought I saw a hex screw tool in my handle's package. I can't find it anywhere.

Meanwhile, during all of this, one of the DBAs from work (not to be confused with some other DBAs) has decided he wants to rebuild a database and needs a restore. It turns out he has a job in place that deletes files - with out making sure they are backed up. Really?

I look and look, and I can't find the hex tool. My bike hex tool won't work either. The smallest one is too small and the next size up is too big. Ratz. I'm done for the day. I'll start again tomorrow since I have to make yet another trip to Lowe's. I almost bought 2 handles in case something went wrong.

Moser Christmas Party @ Eddie Merlots. Wee!! That's always a fun time. The food is just Yumsville.

One more trip to Lowes by the Pyramids Sunday morning, and I'm finally good to go. The handle is actually a bit more posh looking than the previous one.

Tillsammans Ensam

I watched Together alone. I don't mean that in poor-pitiful-me way. I mean that in a play-on-words kind of way. The joke's on me. I was supposed to watch this as a Film Buffs dealie @ Jeannie's, but work got in the way.

As usual, it took me a couple of days to watch it. The sound track is really cute. You get recognizable power acts who were famous world wide and you get a bit of music from the Swedish pop scene. The first day I watched it, I made to the part with Nazareth's mega-hit - Love Hurts. I remember when that song came out. It was HUGE. It's one of those songs that gets in your noodle and rolls about for a bit. The movie ends with Abba's SOS. Talk about a noodle sticker.

Trafficked

This was a drive-way moment for me; teen age girls describing their lives as prostitutes in Oakland. They sound very wise beyond their years in spite of the unimaginable lives they've led.

I Know Where the Guitar Godz Live

They live on Pandora, more specifically, they live in my Wolfmother radio station. Like most peeps, I have a collation of stations. My Kula Shaker station was the bomb until... I started giving the thumbs up or thumbs down on some artists. It morped into a mid-ninties mega hit station. Ugh. Light bulb moment. I created a Wolfmother station. Holy cow. Now I'm getting Hendrix, Black Keys, and Audioslave.

D'uh. You've just got to make the proper sacrifices and the godz will smile.

Crap Week - But It Started Out Swell

So many peeps at work are sick, so it's no surprise I finally caught whatever is going around. It started Monday morning - first thing. I'd gone to the Indy Film Buffs Thanksgiving get together the night before. Oh, such yummy stuff. We watched Pieces of April, which is quite the perfect Thanksgiving flick. Lisa was quite the hostess with the mostess.

Data center move in SYC. Thank the godz I'm not there. I only have to coordinate things from this end. I didn't get the short straw this round.

Guzaarish

I haven't seen a Hindi movie in ages, but I became intrigued by the poster question. It didn't look a typical Hindi movie poster; there was a deliberate style choice being made. These three posters have a definite Christian iconographic look to them with Spanish undertones. The placement of the fingers and the size of the hand in first poster is indicative of of hands in early Christian art. There is also a hint of a halo around Ethan's (Hrithik) head in all three posters. Sofia's (Aishwarya) hair, jewelry, and clothing have a Spanish feel to them.

Obviously I had to see the movie since I'd made such a fuss about the posters.

The walls of Ethan's home were the color of blue patina you sometimes find on aged copper. The house was full of Christian and Spanish religious iconography. In one scene the wall behind Ethan has an image that could have been taken right off of a Byzantine church wall. It all looked a bit like Spanish retablo paintings. Part of the way through the movie Sofia takes part in a Flamenco-ish dance number complete with air Spanish guitar. Sofia's character is clearly an homage to Frida Kahlo. Frida wore Tehuana Indian maiden dresses and large chunky jewelry; she dressed like no one else. Sofia wears long flowing dresses that look to be hand made from Mexican folk art fabric. She also wears very funky chunky earrings. In one scene she has her hair braided and pinned across her head in Frida's style.

The odd juxtaposition of styles and Ethan's jazz/ballet dance/magic scenes made for quite a visual treat.

Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ the Vogue

They rocked it!

Still Crazy on Thanksgiving

I've had the DVD for this movie lying around for months. My DVD player died and I've just not gotten around to replacing it. This movie is not available for download from Netflix. So...I took it to my mom's for Thanksgiving viewing. I saw it many moons ago, but it's been tugging at me again. I can't help it. Maybe it's because I was a child of the 70's, but I cannot resist a rock and roll film portraying rockers from that decade. One of my fav scenes is when the Ray Simms character played by Bill Nighy, angry that he's turning 50 and can't get the vocals quite right, slips out into the night after taking something from a Dutch dealer in the corner (who turns out to be Mackenzie Crook from the UK version of The Office) and ends up falling through the ice. He managers to get out by using his platform hills to break through the ice. A hundred and one uses for a platform shoe.

The Short Films of David Lynch

The Indy Films Buffs selection this week was The Short Films of David Lynch at Jeannie's house Tuesday night. What a hoot. It sort of morphed into this mini therapy session.

I like the surreal-ish daydreams sitting right next to the mundane style. Not a good description, but that's all I can come up with. The best part of it is, everyone in each film accepts the surreal-ish daydream stuff as mundane. Many have tried to imitate his style and few have succeeded.

Mexican Double Feature @ IMA

Saw Las Abandonadas and Santo y Blue Demon Contra los Monstruos at IMA last night in the Toby with the Indy Film Buffs. The first movie proved that you can be too pretty for your own good. Dolores Del Rio was simply beautiful. Orsen Welles, who dated her for 4 years, once remarked that he was incredibly impressed by her lingerie, which had been made by nuns in France. The cat dancing cake ball scene is a delight.

The second movie was a scream. Mexican wrestlers (who, btw wrestle just like their American counter parts), Monsters, and a mailman dance sequence proved to be a hoot. It turns out the dancing mail man is someone called Resortes. My fave visual was the part with the carriage riding goons holding torches with the little guy - compete with a hump - manned the horses. Kitty Man and Tiki-Brain Guy rocked it.

Saw Heartbreaker on Sunday at Landmark Theatres with the Indy Film Buffs group. What a cool group of peeps. It was refreshing to see folks who don't have the Starbucks-Hollywood look. Venessa Paradis is so oddly attractive. She's whippet-thin and quite tiny. Almost like a child. I like the fact that she has her own boobs and not a pair off the shelf. I'm sure when Johnny Depp saw her for the first time he flipped out. They do have matching cheek bones, I believe. Romain Duris' teeth are thankfully chipped. Not an original story, but packaged in a very palatable way. I did catch myself laughing out loud a few times.

Starman

I cannot imagine watching this in 1972. It must've been mind blowing seeing two blokes in jumpsuits -n- boots slinking about with guitars. As a kid I would've loved it.

I like this picture of Bowie and Mick Ronson dining on a train. Such snappy dressers them.

Ok - this is really weird. I "google" mick ronson in Google News (I meant to select Images) and I get a CNN article about photographer Mick Rock dated yesterday with the picture above as the first selection. Too funny!

Here's Mick R's response to the above pic:
"Those two f***ing queens," laughed Rock. "Dressed to the nines and having a British Rail lunch."

"What they're eating is so mundane and they look so exotic. It's one of my biggest selling photos."

Saving the Amargosa Toad

I heard this story on the way to work one morning this week. A cattle rancher, a brothel, and a lady in a golf cart work to save the Amargosa Toad.

il castrato or how i found my muse

I can' stop thinking about il castratos. I keep reading about Farinelli and Caffarelli articles. People in the audience would faint listening to them sing. They could hold a note for a minute or longer. They had wacky stage names and were the toast of Europe. They threw tantrums. They were the pop stars of their day. What's not to like?

...ineluctable, strange, desirable thing of star quality...

I'm going to do some more pictures based on the castrato concept.

Fall Back It's Strictly Ballroom and Danny Deckchair

Got through the second season of Trueblood. I like how the second season focused on Tara and her relationship with Maryann and Eggs. I liked the development of the relationship between Hoyt and Jessica. I loved the introduction of Sophie-Anne Leclerq and her crew of hot human hang abouts. Yah! Sam got to be the hero. I keep trying to get away from this show, but I keep getting pulled back into watching. It's easy to relate to the small local dinner/bar, the plain - no place like home homes, combined with the very fantastical creatures who live there. Having the best opening credits song doesn't hurt either. I know I'll watch Season 3 when it comes available.

Lost my inner-webs connectivty sometime around noon on Thursday. Not a big deal...right? Turns out this kid named Luke had tried to call me earlier in the week to let me know there might be a problem with my cable, but I shut him down. Of course I have no patience since the "Plumber Incident". Ended up having to call Saturday to have something done. Otherwise, I'd have to drive into work to check on the servers when the time changes.

I saw Strictly Ballroom for like the 4th time. I am attracted to the low budget feel good Australian films. Danny Deckchair, Muriel's Wedding, The Castle, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert - to name a few.

Bride of Frankenstein

Continuing in the monster vein (ha ha ) I watched the Bride of Frankenstein at IMA last night in The Toby with the Indy Film Buffs group. Very cute - I'd never actually seen it before. I've got to stop watching monster movies.

Is It Ever Going to End?

Madness, I tell you. The monster movies just keep coming. I watched Rocky Horror Picture Show (why?) and a few more episodes of Trueblood. I even watched a RHPS version of Glee. When is going to end? RHPS reads better as a play than a movie. Dead Garry liked this movie - A lot. I remember his VHS copy was so beat up from playing it over and over and over... For me, once they get to the Eddie for dinner scene, the forward movement just pretty much stops. Frank-N-Furter just keeps singing and singing. They hit us over the head with the guy-in-a-bustier. I get it already. I'm wondering if all the participation sprang from audience boredom. I now see how it all ties together with the original film, though. The tank for the original Frankenstein was used. Riff Raff tortures The Monster/Rocky with fire and he breaks loose. Then, on top of that, Riff Raff destroys Frank-N-Furter. At least he stops singing at that point.

Gods and Monsters, Harold and Maude, and The Green Slime

Heading into Halloween, I watched Gods and Monsters again. The ending is quite sappy-lame, but Ian McKellen just shines as James Whale in his last years. I wanted to see more of the blast from the past making-of-his-movies scenes.

Harold and Maude was a favorite of Dead Gary. Not sure why even watched it again. I like the movie for 3 reasons - 1. The scenes around the San Francisco Bay area are just yummy. 2. The clothing that the potential wives wear is just a hoot. 2. The cars. There are a couple of Mustangs, Camero, El Camino, VW Beetles and last but not least - the Jaguar/Hearse.

Someone mentioned the Hendrix-ish theme song for The Green Slime at Meet the Film Buffs. Ho boy!

Red Light - da bomb

I freakin' love this video! What's not to like; kool kats and cars. Meows and Muscle Cars. I'm pretty sure that's the chase scene from Bullitt.

The Weekend in Review - Oct 23-24

We shot photos of mercat at the last photo session at the zoo on Saturday. I'd like to keep up the habit of photographing on Saturday mornings. Two more classes left in the series and they will involve mounting and printing photos.

I didn't make it to The Shining and Pre-Halloween Party hosted by one of the Indy Film Buffs peeps. The power went out in the neighborhood around 5:30 and didn't come back on untol 7:30. I needed to take a shower and I had clothes in the dryer. *sigh*

I watched Frankenstien at home downloaded from NetFlix via the Roku. I must say, there were some really good bits and quite well edited. Mae Clarke was lovely as Elizabeth. Thin as a rail. Ludwig carrying Little Maria's lifeless body through the village must've been quite graphic for it's day. When Fritz grabbed the abnormal brain because he dropped the "good" brain all I could think of was Mary Feldman explaining to Gene Wilder how he'd gotten the brain of Abby Someone.

I started watching Gods and Monsters Sunday night.

I got caught in the rain, again, while walking on Sunday. Not sure why I continue to do that. It's clear that it's going to rain soon, but I do nothing. I keep an umbrella in the car for emergencies, but I never take it with me.

I also saw the last episode of Nurse Jackie. Not sure what I think. I like the fact that she's quite flawed, but I really don't get it. For me, something is missing. She's got the most perfect (in some folk's eye) life outside of work. Having her addiction be the catalyst behind her behavior would be kind of lame and way too obvious.

The Indy Film Buffs meet Tuesday night at Conerstone Cafe and Friday night we meet at IMA for The Bride of Frankenstein.

Quaalude Cupcake

Well, not really. I've been watching episodes of Nurse Jackie. Someone brought cupcakes to work and one of them had sprinkles on them just like the episode where Jackie's pills have opened in her kleenex holder and the "sprinkles" are falling on to her daughter's cupcake. So, of course, I had to eat one.

Got my hair cut later on in the evening. I decided to go with bangs this time; something different. Such straight hair...my hair dresser calls it "doll hair". Ha ha ha! My new cut looks suspiciously familiar.

The Week in Review - Oct 11 - 17

Saturday the 9th - Shower started draining really slow. Call a plumber, who turned out to like to talk dirty on the phone starting Monday. I'm also not able to get channels with Dish. I'd had problems off and on, abut now I was unable to get any channels.

Monday Oct 11 -
Things were working out...Cable Guy and the Plumber were going to show up after noon. I'm at work and I figured it was about time for Plumber Guy to call and Ding - the phone rings, but the guy is whispering. WTF? Hello!! Who is this!! I'm thinking the guy is talking to someone else at the same time. It's not clicking yet. Then - all becomes clear. The number showed up as Withheld. D'uh.

The guy proceeds to talk dirty, but he's actually whispering dirty. WHAT??!! Me - "You've got a wrong number." Whisper, whisper. Him - "No I don't." I hang up. WTF??? Ring...ring. It's the guy again. Me - "Listen you've mistaken me for some who cares." Click. He calls back 2 more times and I hit the Busy button. I couldn't believe it! It was definitely an older guy (the plumber was an older guy) whispering. I decide to call his number using my desk phone since he wouldn't know who it was. His business number. Yep, he answers and yep - if he whispered it would sound like Phone Stalker Guy. And...I was thinking....I bet he calls in a few minutes to tell me that someone is on their way to my house. Yep - 5 minutes later (or less) he calls my cell - displaying his business number. I go along and then call back and get a girl on the switch board. I cancel and proceed to find another plumber.

I get a new plumber, but he's busy and suggests calling Just Drains. A guy was available after noon. Perfect! The new guy shows up and tells me that it would only take a minute. I've never heard that before. He ended up calling another guy to come help him. Meanwhile, he used a snake, a larger snake, a wet -n- vac. The second guy shows up and suggests a plunger. They made a huge mess - water splatters all over the place. The theory is - there's a shampoo cap from the previous peeps and it moves near the trap and then back away.

Anyway...Phone Stalker Guy won't leave me alone. I don't pick up the phone, but I know it's him when the number on my cell displays - Whithheld. This is getting old...

Not the end. He calls - Withheld displayed as the number - 2 more times after that - at 1:00 PM and 1:16 PM. And he even called while I'm talking to Cable Guy. He called that night at 1:11. He must like ones.

Tuesday - Indy Film Buffs @ Cornerstone Cafe. I've forgotten all the movies I was going to add to my Netflix queue.

Thursday - Vegetarian Group. Siam Square in Fountain Square. Fun! Yum yum yum!

Saturday - Morning at the Zoo in Exotic Animal Photo class. We couldn't photograph the walrus - he comes out at 10:30. My dentist office calls me to info me that my dentist passed away Oct 6. Saturday night watched Diabolical Dr Z and The Blood Drinkers at the Indy Film Buffs cult movie night.

Chan is Missing and Chop Shop

I saw both movies this weekend and really liked them both. It was refreshing to see "real" people for a change.

Chan Is Missing follows two taxi drivers in San Francisco's Chinatown, Jo and Steve, who take it upon themselves to find Chan Hung; a gentleman who may have taken their money. Filmed in 1982 in yummy black and white, we see the seemingly droll, but oh so interesting day-to-day life of the Chinese American struggling to keep a piece of their heritage and still eat apple pie. Please note; there is a mistake in the Washington Post article - The hip Chinese cook wears Samurai Night Fever shirts, not Saturday Night Fever shirts.


Chop Shop follows Alejandro in his day-to-day quest to not only survive, but better himself. Sadly, this is not fiction. A few years out of high school I remember needing tires for car and having to money. Someone told me I could go to Rosstown (it's on the corner of BFE and Nowhere) and get cheap tires. This turned out to be a barn surrounded by stacks and stacks of tires (how did they all get there?) manned by 4 scrappy waifs barely 10 years old. You give the Waifs your order and off they scamper up and down the piles of tires - $5 bucks each. I think about them from time to time and wonder what became of them.

Lee Hamilton

When I was a wee lass, I can remember my grandmother having trouble with her Social Security. I don't know any of the details, but I remember is was a big deal and I also remember that Lee Hamilton was somehow involved. I remember being at a parade that I believe went through Brownstown and this guy in a white shirt and tie came over to where we were. My grandmother introduced him. "This is Lee Hamilton; he's a great man." I'm not making this up. She had us shake his hands. I've never forgotten it.

On the way to work this week, I heard the following Morning Edition interview with Lee Hamilton.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130149474

Bye Snake. I'm Sorry.

Frank Frazetta

Frank Frazetta passed away Monday. He was such a part of my life growing up. My brother and I delivered news papers 6 days a week, and when we finished collecting/delivering on Fridays, we were allowed to purchase 1 magazine at the local drugstore. That's when I started getting the monthly issues of Creepy and Eerie. Frank's work would sometimes grace the cover. Beautiful stuff.

Rattlin' Bones

I found a CD of new songs from 2008 while cleaning the bedroom over the weekend. Yep - 2008. Just gonna leave that alone for now. Anyway, the songs on the CD weren't anything to write home about except for this gem from Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. This song has everything I like - complete desolation, bones, devil trying to buy a soul.

Rattlin' Bones

Ute anyone?

I saw a segment on Top Gear for the Australian ute - Maloo. Yes, the Maloo link is from 2004, but it's a good description and it shows these puppies have been around for a bit. I love the trees in picture above. It kind of looks like what Gandalf would drive if his horse was in the shop and he needed to load up fire works. A 2008 review gave it 4 out of 5 wombats.

Luck of the Irish?

I heard an NPR broadcast with Nigella's St. Patrick's Day Baking Tip: Just Add Guinness on the way to work Tuesday. I thought she was a delight! I even laughed out loud. But, on my, I winced when when I looked at some of the comments at the online article. Ouch! I'm going to stand by my guns,though and check out more of her recipes.

Bank Robbery Dream

I'm in an area, a bit like Broad Ripple (small neighbor-ish) but, larger buildings and wider streets. Big older buildings converted into shops. Quite airy buildings - lots of glass. I'm driving down the street when I see a guy crossing. I stop. He turns to "look". Not "look" as in, hey there's a chick, but "look" as in I'm about to do something and I'm counting eyeballs. He walks into a large white building, again, an older building that had been modernized. At the same time, an old ford truck that had been painted white with red trim sped in front of me and appeared to be blocking traffic. ( No, it's not all white - there's a lot of brownstone buildings and just a few
white buildings. ) WTF? Yet another truck comes from a different direction and does block traffic. Uh....then it breaks loose. Gun shots - crap - this is a bank robbery. Meanwhile, I'm still in the street outside what I now realize a bank. People run out of the bank and I'm kind of stuck and just sit there. Finally, I drive down the street a bit and I see the guy who I saw at first walk in the bank. ACK! He's one of the robbers, but no one is after him. And...he knows I saw him. ACK! He follows the car for while down the side walk. He makes it clear he knows I saw him. I get out of the car and go into this building. Once again, it's an old Brownstone building that had
been turned into a place for shops. Keeerist, the guy has followed me in here. Is he just trying to get a way, or does he know I'm one of the few peeps who saw him? I decide to call you and get your opinion on what to do. No answer - I leave voice mail. I keep thinking that I've got to not look like me. I've got an extra sweater with me, but that's not going to change the way I look that much. Pretty exciting. I go into a restroom to think that turns out to be co-ed a la BSG. I try to call the cops - no answer. I need to put my hair up, lip stick, whatever. I start looking at the chicks near the sink. What can I grab from them and put on? I need a hat.

My Life as a Dog and The Exiles

I watched the Swedish film My Life as a Dog over the weekend. It had some themes that kids deal with; adults lying, being tossed aside. I loved it when he went to live in Småland . Interesting tidbit - Michael Jackson saw the film at one point and contacted the star.

My mom got her porch built over the weekend as well. My garage door popped off Sunday night - the door didn't go all the way up and I hit it - and I got it fixed in the same 1 hour period.



I also watched The Exiles. Yum, yum, yum black and white. The film follows a group of Native Americans through one day/night in a seemingly mindless shuffle of booze and bars. I grew up knowing people who did the very same thing. They'd go out and party all evening and whatever happened, happened. No planning really. Just shuffle off night after night, after night.

Rosa

I had an appointment with a dermatologist this morning. My face thing gets better, then worse. I was not going to try to figure out what it is via the web. They shuffled me into a little side room and told me to sit on the edge of the table thing. The doctor will be with you in a bit. I turned around to see what was on the other side of the room and froze. It was a poster - at least 24 x 36 - of Rosa Parks on the bus. I've never seen an image so moving. I started to cry. I could not image a woman doing what she did. She wouldn't give up her seat and was arrested for it. Yes, the poster is a picture taken a year later, but it's got quite the punch. She could finally ride on the bus where she wanted and she wouldn't be asked to move again.

I've thought about her all day.

Rosa Parks

Millions

I watched Millions this weekend. I'd actually started watching it once before and decided to stop. Not sure why. How can you not like a Danny Boyle movie?

Iron Monkey

I watched Iron Monkey this past weekend. What a delight. I rarely sit and watch a movie all the way though, but this was an exception. I happen to catch this on IFC during a rare channel surf. Very clever choreography. Like a lot of people, I am drawn to wuxia films for various reasons. Some of them are just drop dead yummy gorgeous - House of Flying Daggers. I was seriously ready to wear nothing but leather and silk after watching HoFD. I see in the Wiki link that the costumes and props were created from Chinese paintings of the time. Some of these movies have wonderfully complex characters - Orchid and Chief Fox in IM. Some of them have this sort of vast sweeping story - Hero.

I can remember watching a wuxia movie as a little on late night tv. A warrior steps into a room and all walls - there were more than 4 walls - spun and fell flat while this beautiful warrior brandished his sword.

My Snow Bunny Sigmund

Sigmund is my cat-shaped snow bunny. He went out with me last week when I decided to take some snow pictures around the house. I think he looks cool inside the natural shelter.
I also got a picture of the heavy snow that had fallen on tree branches.

If Fish Could Fly

I just now remembered my dream from last night...

This is so crazy. It was summer I was doing stuff in a garage. Stuff like helping some peeps I didn't know move things around, or clean maybe. We were next to some lake. Probably a man made lake. Oh my! A fish jumped out of the water - I saw it heading for the shore/beach - and it flew out of the water and into the air to catch bugs. It landed on a table outside the garage. Yes. I told people to turn and look at it. It was a kind of light mossy green color. I tried to a get a picture of it with my cell phone camera. AHAHAHha.... Then it slid off the table and back down to the water.

Rear Window

I saw Rear Window this weekend. I've seen it before, but every time I watch it I pick out something else I missed before. I love the whole living in Greenwich Village in the mid-fifties look and feel. You had the dancer, the songwriter, the sculptor, and the non-artists living in the same complex. Grace Kelly is just so beautiful and delicate. It's easy to see why Prince Rainer III was smitten and had to have her. She looked like a princess. Unfortunately for Hollywood, she had to give up acting when she became Princess of Monaco.

Of course the picture of Grace above is not from the movie. I just love pictures of beautiful women and pure breed dogs.

Man of the Century

Man of the Century is adorable. It's filmed in yummi black and white and features a guy stuck in the roaring twenties, but living in the modern world. The best part is the big musical piece featuring a song called Nagasaki. What a delight!

Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History

I heard an interview with Diana Wells' on her new book on the way home from work yesterday. I believe I've got to check it out. It was one interesting tidbit after the other.

Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History.

They Say Our Love Won't Pay the Rent...

Marianne Faithfull's birthday was Dec. 29. No, I am not a fan. I ran across some pics of her on someone's blog while searching for something else. That never happens. I scrolled over a still of her and Bowie singing I Got You Babe from his 1980 Floor Show. Oh -- off to YouTube. It still packs a punch after all these years. It's so cute when he shakes his chest feathers.

I Got You Babe - Bowie and Faithfull

Now for something completely different. Apparently Tiny Tim and someone named Eleanor Barooshian did their own version. Tiny Tim was the precursor to William Hung. He was a talk show staple for years. Eleanor sang with a chick group called The Cake. But, that's for another time. Please note - she sings the guy parts.

I Got You Babe - Tiny and Eleanor