It IS You I'm Looking For!

I know I just posted something about Lenny Mud's fab etsy shop just a few days ago, BUT I saw this a few weeks ago and then Poof! it was sold. So I've been checking her site religiously and finally today it's back! I want this SO bad I am going cross eyed. Hopefully, I can cash in my change in my piggy bank and snap this beauty up before it's gone again.

(photo kidnapped from lennymud)

Marsh Series

Ladies with Pooch

Any clue where these ladies are? Somewheres in Germany I think...

You really oughta know...

...two things about me. First, I am known for having very strange dreams. Secondly, they almost always contain a celebrity. Last night was no exception. I dreamt that Melissa had a one night stand with a moustachio'd Richard Gere. She then went on to help him hide two bodies beneath the floorboards of a local Tibetan Buddhist Prayer Center and Book Shop. A shop which does not exist outside of Dreamland. (oh how i wish it would! it was so charming - a little hole in the wall that smelled of sandalwood and was top to bottom mahoghany wood. it had little alcoves -nooks and crannies- and was lined with gorgeous old bookcases filled to the hilt with a slew of fantastic reads.) One of those bodies was Nancy Spungen and the other was a nameless, faceless man.
Upon hearing Melissa's confession I was, for lack of a better word, happy(?), for Melissa. I mean, who could turn down an evening of love making with Richard Gere? Not many. However, especially after hearing of the bodies they needed to hide, I was truly disappointed in Mr. Gere. A one night stand? Really, Richard? Really? What about Carey and Homer? I mean, Melissa's a beautiful lady and one would be hard pressed to find someone not interested in her, but is a one night stand worth throwing away your wife of how many years? Tsk, tsk, Richard. Not to mention the disposal of two bodies! And under the floors of a Buddhist Center? Shame on you, sir.
It was a relief to awaken and realise the Richard Gere of my dreams is a far cry from the Richard Gere in my dreams. Whew!

Coraggio

Frank Sinatra - I Won't Dance
The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe
A3 - Woke Up This Morning
The Guess Who - These Eyes
Dean Martin - You I Love
Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour
Shivaree - Goodnight Moon
Peter Framptom - Baby, I Love Your Way
Bob Dylan - The Man In Me
Charles Mingus - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
The Beatles - You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Billy Paul - Me & Mrs. Jones
Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
Billy Joel - Big Shot
John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads
Richard Cheese - Baby Got Back
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hell
Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Parliament - Give Up the Funk
Go Home Productions - Crazy Little Fool
Bruce Springsteen - State Trooper

April 2004

LennyMud

Love, love, love this gal's shop! She has tons and tons of unique and hilarious pieces and this one is tops on my list:

(photo kidnapped from lennymudetsy)

Sunset in Philly

(May 27th, 2000)

Ship off to Sea

I ordered this photo from Etsy and it's fantastic. I love boats, the sea, and photographs, so this picture had to be mine.

Best Reason to Stay Up Late

Nick at Nite is solely responsible for turning me in to a night-owl. When they started running marathons of The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Three's Company, Welcome Back Kotter, and Taxi I was in it til the bitter end. I watched so much that I actually completed a Nick at Nite quiz in the back of a magazine, sent it in and received a lapel pin in honour of my vast knowledge of all things classic TV. (I still have it!) To this day, one of my all-time favourite things to do is to crash out on the sofa late, late at night, get some toast and chai tea and watch hour after hour of classic TV reruns. Tonight I'm looking forward to some good scotch while I watch season one of Dynasty. Hello Matthew Blaisdel...

Oddfellow's Orphanage

I've just started reading Emily Winfield Martin's book Oddfellow's Orphanage and it's completely enchanting. The artwork is delightful and the story is charming. Not since Harry Potter have I been so taken into a new world with the turn of each page. I can't wait to go home and get back to the Orphanage and it's lovely surrounding areas. Mostly I wanna get in that carriage that is pulled, not by horses, but by bears.

(photo kidnapped from theblackapple)

Oh Yeah

(photo kidnapped from collider)

In a few short hours I will be sitting in a dark theatre watching Raiders on the big screen. To say that I am anxious is a gross understatement.

(photo kidnapped from fanpop)

Jacob at the Helm

I've always liked this photo of Jake. It was taken on a cloudy day in Washington, DC when he was sitting with the Washington Monument behind him. I crouched down to snap the picture so that it was just Jacob and the sky. When I picked it up from the developer about a week later, I paused and thought, "When were we on a boat?" To me it appeared as though he was seated at the stern, overlooking the sea before him as he prepared to steer us into calmer waters.

Dreamy

Stumbled across this gorgeous photo of a breathtaking little village in Austria (Schoppernau Vorderhopfreben Üntschenspitze to be exact). Life here must be utterly blissful.

Venice - 1958

Bust of Antonio Cepparelli

Spice Jar & Dogwood Tree

by Duane Keiser 1997

Glamourous and in Mid Sentence

Happy Bday, Bob!

Bob Minnick is one of those rare, extraordinary men that I had the privilege of working with back in the early aughts. He is an artist from Moorestown, New Jersey and displayed his painting on the walls of the café where I worked. Below are copies of the two paintings I loved the most - Linda in the Dining Room and Shed. The photos obviously do not do his work justice. More importantly than his art is the fact that anyone who has ever exchanged two words with Bob will tell you that he is the kindest, sweetest, most humble and delightful human being ever to walk the earth. Happy Birthday, Bob, I miss you lots and hope you are living the happiest life ever!

The Dark Forest, Take Four - Crazy or Sane????

The Three Suns - Song of India
Nat King Cole - Night Lights
Split Enz - Dirty Creatures
Iggy Pop - The Tell Tale Heart
Joan Osborne - Crazy Baby
Pearl Jam - Crazy Mary
The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Bigtime
Ace of Base - Living in Oblivion
Suzanne Vega - In Liverpool
Leela James - A Change Is Gonna Come
Van Morrison - Cleaning Windows
The Monkees - Zor & Zam
Dolly Parton - Down from Dover
Remy Zaken and Katherine Helmond - I've Written a Letter to Daddy/Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Louis Jordan - Saturday Night Fish Fry

~August 9, 2005

4

Amber Brown Makes CDs

 
Neutral Milk Hotel - The King of Carrot Flowers - Part 1
Kevin Drew - Safety Bricks
The Shins - Know Your Onion!
Spoon - Don't You Evah
Pomplamoose - All the Single Ladies
John Lennon - Oh! Yoko
The New Pornographers - July Jones
The Go-Betweens - Love Goes On
Why? - Fatalist Palmistry
Eleni Mandell - Girls
That Dog - Retreat From The Sun
Ra Ra Riot - Oh, La
Fleet Floxes - White Winter Hymnal
Pinback - Penelope
Blitzen Trapper - The Man Who Would Speak True
Laura Veirs - Make Something Good
Wilco - Kamera
The Beatles - Birthday 

This beyond fabulous mix was made with great care by my favourite etsy seller amberbrownmakesart. Miss Amber also created the lovely felt cd case, of which I have at least twenty in my possession. (I'm slightly addicted.) Amber made this mix for me as a belated bday gift and it hasn't left my car's cd player since. My faves? Ra Ra Riot (it was on repeat for at least a week - how had I not heard of them before?), Fleet Foxes, The New Pornographers, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Laura Veirs. The final track had me lol-ing. What a sweet gal she is!

Příbram Czechoslovakia

Pluto Abducting Proserpina

Never have I seen a more gorgeous sculpture; it's absolute perfection. The detail of each muscle and the grip of his hand on her thigh is like looking at a photograph rather than a lifeless piece of stone. I simply adore it.

Beauty and the Background

The Ultimate

The following is essential for any soiree thrown by hep cats and hip chicks alike.

Louis Prima & Keely Smith - That Old Black Magic
Combustible Edison - The Millionaire's Holiday
John Barry - The James Bond Theme
Henry Mancini - It Had Better Be Tonight
Julie London - You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
Frank Sinatra - (Love Is) The Tender Trap
David Carroll - Hell's Bells
Eartha Kitt - Love Is A Gamble
Bobby Darin - Charade
Terry Snyder - Puttin' on the Ritz
Diana Dors - Come By Sunday
Sammy Davis, Jr. - Be-Bop the Beguine
Ann Magnuson - Some Kind of a Swinger
Elliot Fisher - Theme from 'Our Man Flint'
Linda Lawson - Like Young
Dean Martin - You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You
Enoch Light - Blue Is the Night
Eydie Gorme - Frenesi
Mose Allison - I'm Not Talking
The Guitars Unlimited Plus 7 - Crazy Rhythm
Vic Damone - Something's Coming

The Five Blobs - The Blob
Tiki Tones - Traitor Vic
Nancy Wilson - Call Me
Louis Prima - Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody
Dinah Washington - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
Combustible Edison - Punch Drunk
Keely Smith - What Is This Thing Called Love?
Frank Sinatra - You Make Me Feel So Young
Martin Denny - Congo Train
Miss Ann-Margaret - Thirteen Men
Gloria Wood - Oh, Honey
Bobby Troup - Snootie Little Cootie
Dick Schory's Percussion & Brass Ensemble - Runnin' Wild
Towa Tei - Batucada
Vicky Lane - You Hit the Spot
Sammy Davis, Jr. - She's a Woman (W-O-M-A-N)
Les Baxter & His Orchestra - Saturday Night on Saturn
Rosemary Clooney - Mangoes
Dean Martin - You Can't Love 'Em All
Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther Theme
Jack Jones - Wives and Lovers

Dionne Warwick - Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Sid Bass & His Orchestra - Chant of the Jungle
Steve Lawrence - Night and Day
Sarah Vaughan - One Mint Julep
Sammy Davis, Jr. - Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
Esquivel! - Street of Dreams
Keely Smith - It's Been a Long, Long Time
Louis Prima - 5 months, 2 Weeks, 2 Days
The Coctails - Whoopsy Daisy
Robert Mitchum - What Is This Generation Coming To?
Peggy Lee - Fever
Dean Martin - Just In Time
Jimmie Haskell - A Shot In The Dark
Eartha Kitt - I'd Rather Be Burnt As A Witch
Mel Tormé - Midnight Swinger
Martin Denny - The Girlfriend of a Whirling Dervish
Henry Mancini - Bachelor in Paradise
Frank Sinatra - Hey! Jealous Lover
Jack Costanzo & His Orchestra - Peter Gunn Mambo
Wayne Newton - Strangers in the Night
Bobby Darin - More
Lou Rawls - Nobody But Me

Rosemary Clooney - Come On-A My House
Esquivel! - All of Me
Ann Margaret - There'll Be Some Changes Made
Sam Butera & The Witnesses - Dig That Crazy Chick
Henry Mancini - Baby Elephant Walk
Vikki Carr - The Silencers
Mike Flowers Pop - Wonderwall
Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
Luis Oliveira & His Bandodalua Boys - Chihuahua
Keely Smith - The Song Is You
Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me
Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra - Theme From Route 66
Pizzicato Five - Rock n Roll
Louis Prima - Jump, Jive, An' Wail
Vic Damone - Little Girl
Cy Coleman - Playboy's Theme
Tony Bennett - With Plenty of Money and You
Nancy Wilson - Lot of Livin' To Do
Martin Denny - The Donkey Serenade
Peggy Lee - Heart
Mel Tormé - Forty Second Street
Henry Jerome - Moon River

(Pier 1's November 1997 mix courtesy of AEI Music Seattle, WA)

Best Surprise Gift

On my tenth birthday my maternal grandparents bought me my one and only Pound Puppy. I was stunned and it was the most memorable birthday gift they ever gave to me. So I named him Surprise and still have him all these years later.

Late January 1997

Back when I still lived at home, our neighbours had a Dalmatian tied up in their yard. I snuck out back one afternoon, put the lens up to the hole in our fence, barked, and as soon as he turned his head toward the sound, I snapped this photo. It's one of my favourites.

Pull Over, Harold

That's some view, but dig Doris' apron.

Corny But Cool

Neil Diamond - I Am, I Said
Wayne Newton - Danke Shoen
KC & The Sunshine Band - Shake Your Booty
Stevie Wonder - You Are The Sunshine of My Life
John Denver - Annie's Song
Engelbert Humperdinck - Quando, Quando, Quando
Andy Williams - Moon River
Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual
Robert Goulet & Doris Day - Anything You Can Do
Pat Boone - When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano
Steve & Edie - Sunrise Sunset
Barry Manilow - Mandy
Burt Bacharach - What the World Needs Now
The Go-Go's - Vacation
Kenny Loggins - Return to Pooh Corner
Anne Murray - Shadows in the Moonlight
Kenny Rogers - Through the Years
Dean Martin - That's Amore
Perry Como - Catch a Falling Star
Kingston Trio - Try to Remember
Hidden Track: Cookie Monster - C is for Cookie

February 17th, 2005