Pollyanna

My favourite quote from one of my favourite childhood films:

When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.

(ps-it should be stated that Abe Lincoln never actually said this; it was merely attributed to him in the film which was written by David Swift.)

My Twenty-Five Favourites

Here are my top 25 favourite songs of all time, in no particular order, well, aside from the first which is my all time favourite song.

The Velvet Underground "Lisa Says" live in Houston, TX 1969
Nat 'King' Cole "The Very Thought of You"
The Smiths "I Know It's Over"
Morrissey "Seasick, Yet Still Docked"
Tom Waits "Alice"
Ani DiFranco "Swan Dive"
John Barry "Somewhere in Time"
Stevie Ray Vaughan "All Your Love I Miss Loving"
Portishead "Glory Box"
Horace Silver "Song for My Father"
Cat Stevens "Trouble"
Barbra Streisand "A Piece of Sky"
George Michael or Michael Bublé "Kissing a Fool"
Elvis Presley "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"
Madonna "Love Tried to Welcome Me"
Judy Garland "The Man That Got Away"
Damien Rice "Rootless Tree"
Justin Hayward & John Lodge "I Dreamed Last Night"
Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose "Too Late to Turn Back Now"
Alpha "Sometime Later"
Rage Against the Machine "Maggie's Farm"
Bill Conti "Philadelphia Morning"
Vladimir Vysotsky "Fastidious Horses"
Michael Nyman "Dreams of a Journey"
and "Danny Boy"

Twin Peaks, NJ

Tonight at the diner with my BFF, I snuck this picture on the way to the loo. I've always loved this hallway; it's very David Lynch. Trying not to draw attention to myself, I turned off the flash and hid the camera in my palm as I snapped it on the sly. I love the slanted, shaky look of it.

Ms. Binoche

Every time I see one of Juliette Binoche's films I always think that if I had that woman's face, I could be ridiculously happy. It is completely without flaws.


(photo kidnapped from swotti)

The '66 Chevy

Driving to and from work each weekday I pass by this old beauty. The asking price is four grand and I can just see myself behind the wheel. If I owned this truck I just know that I could so be BFFs with Clint Eastwood.

Paris Again

My brother and I were once again discussing his trip to Paris. He said that after our last conversation he remembered something. When he was walking the streets of Paris he noticed a man in his early to mid-thirties, handsome, fit, and wearing a gorgeous three-piece suit. In one hand he held his daughter's hand, who Wayne said was the absolute cutest little girl he'd ever seen; the other held an enormous bouquet of bright red balloons. "It was like the cover of Bazaar magazine," he said.

Da da da DAH!!!! It's....

Super Diaper Baby!!!
It should come as no surprise that I love Captain Underpants, but when I discovered Dav Pilkey's Super Diaper Baby book, it was absolute love. I want this little guy so bad! He's just precious.
(photo kidnapped from openlibrary)

Aishwarya Rai

Does a more beautiful woman exist on this earth? I doubt it. I've seen her in interviews and her charm is equal to her beauty.
 

Beasties & Rage

Few things in this world are as spectacular as men who have a profound respect for women. In my youth I listened incessantly to Rage Against the Machine & Beastie Boys and was in awe of their intellect, talent, words, and the fact that these were men who got involved. Any time I'd become frustrated with the boys in my life, I would take a deep breath and remind myself that not all boys grow up to become hateful, immature men. Some men become great.

Ms. Hyman

In 1995 I worked at a record shop with a fabulous gentleman named Brian. He was in his mid thirties, very tall, with broad shoulders and a Cheshire's grin. One Tuesday in November we were unloading the new releases. Brian held in his hand I Refuse to Be Lonely by Phyllis Hyman. He paused and let out a long, low sigh. I looked over his shoulder at the beauty on the cover and asked who was that lovely lady he was a-swoonin' over. Not taking his eyes from her, he explained that she was an R&B singer who had killed herself just a few months back. He turned to me, his eyes looking off into the distance, and told me about the night of his bachelor party. He and his crew had gone out to a club in Philly and while at the bar, Brian noticed that Phyllis Hyman was seated just a few feet away. He confidently walked over and said, "Excuse me, Ms. Hyman, my name is Brian and tonight is my bachelor party; tomorrow I'm gettin' married. It would be such a pleasure and an honor if the last woman I ever dance with would be you." She smiled and allowed him to escort her to the floor where he danced his last dance as a single man with the talented and gorgeous Phyllis Hyman.

Ms. Hyman...

...to Brian...

...to me! One degree of separation, baby! (Ms. Hyman's photo kidnapped from abagond / foto of brian by me! lisa star / foto of me - self portrait)

"When...

...Aunt Berne walked to the corner."

Growing up, we would often visit my mother's family in the city. They lived in the middle of a block of rowhomes and when we would leave, we'd have to drive around the block and come to a stop sign at the end of their street. Every time without fail, my Aunt Bernadette would walk down and be waiting at the corner stop sign to give my oldest brother and I one last wave goodbye. It was so simple but it remains one of my fondest childhood memories.

Murphy's Loft

Cerpts' blog got me thinking about my own adventures to Murphy's Loft out in Mullica Hill. It is without question the best bookstore in the tri-state area and it's utterly charming. On my last journey I picked up a slew of goodies such as a book on Tibet, some old Life magazines from the 70s, a couple of National Geographics, a 1930 copy of Nancy Drew and The Old Clock, and a Pablo Neruda book of poetry. I seriously cannot wait to get back there and trade some of my old books for some of their old books. If you are ever in Mullica Hill, you have to check out Murphy's Loft. You will not be disappointed.

Sidney Poitier

In the early 1990s my beloved grandparents, Thomas and Irma, vacationed in Orlando, Florida and stayed at the luxurious Grand Floridian Hotel. My grandad came back from their trip and told me that while walking through the hotel's lobby he saw actor Sidney Poitier. I would have been spellbound, starstruck, gobsmacked. Not Grandpa Tom. He walked right over and shook Mr. Poitier's hand and told him how much he admired his acting and the profound affect that he has had on their generation. As I stood listening to this story with my fourteen year old jaw on the floor, Grandad stuck out his giant hand and said, "Shake the hand of the man who shook the hand of Mister Sidney Poitier!" And I totally did.

The legendary Sidney Poitier...
...to Grandpa Tom...
...to Mii! Booya!! One degree of separation.

Flashing Stars

On several occasions I have gone to this blog and a certain thrill strikes me when I see the flickering star in Jersey that represents me and then lo and behold, across the deep ocean I see another star beating in time to mine. Today's was in Macedonia. Who are you, Macedonia? What led you to my little blog and what is your name? I am intrigued by all those blinking stars and the mystery of who you are keeps me up at night. Well, whoever you are, little pink star, I wish you all the happiness in the world and hope that y'all are safe and feeling fabulous. You make my day and you ROCK!

Eyes Gallery

Eyes Gallery, located at 402 South Street in Philly has remained one of my favourite shops on South since I was a teenager. The building's exterior is garish and fabulous and the inside is gorgeous and creative. So many shops are gone from South Street, but thankfully Eyes Gallery and Garland of Letters still remain.

Betty Bacall

It's Independence Day and I am spending it out of the sweltering heat and indoors. I'm catching up on my Netflix (up next is An Education followed by Broken Embraces) and starting another book, By Myself by Lauren Bacall. I'm working my way backwards; last summer I read (and adored) Now. I've had Ms. Bacall's first book since I was a teenager, a gift of my great aunt, but I've just never gotten around to reading it.

As a grade schooler, when all the other kids were reading about and lusting after Kirk Cameron, I was following all the stars from Hollywood's Golden Age of Cinema. Ms. Bacall stood out from all the others and was always someone to admire. She came across as being vulnerable without being fragile. She was tough, but real, and of all those stars that I daydreamed of meeting (most of whom were long gone, but the imagination of a ten year old far transcends the barriers of reality), Ms. Bacall was one that I liked to think of having hot cocoa with and being the very best of friends. Even now, I'd love to step outside and share a smoke break with her, but alas, reality has set in with age and I know that shall never be (still fun to imagine, though...).

Ms. Bacall's courage, elegance, beauty, warmth, and sophistication are surpassed only by my grandmother, Irma, but surpassed only slightly. Please excuse me for now, I have some reading to catch up on. Ciao until next time, dear reader, and take care.

I ♥ Captain Kirk!

Went to the movies with my cousin Donna today and spotted the Captain in the claw machine. Oh how I wish I could have him for my very own...

Sense

"If you go to the Buddhist Meditation Center, they make you taste each bite of your food so it takes two hours - it's horrible! - to eat your lunch. But you're conscious of the taste of your food. If you're just eating out of habit then you don't taste the food and you're not conscious of the reality of what's happening to you."

I never seem to tire of watching Wallace Shawn and André Gregory in My Dinner with André. Every time I discover new little bits that I'd missed before. Last night this particular piece of their conversation really struck me, because so often I find that I eat for all the wrong reasons. Rarely is it out of actual hunger and always is it to act as a comfort or sometimes just to kill time. I totally need to make a serious effort to taste and enjoy my food...starting with that spoonful of chocolate chip cookie dough I've got stashed away in the fridge.

Linda Butler

Death of a Farm - Wall Decor, Georgetown, KY