The Ole Tomorrow Show

Today I queued up some episodes of Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show to listen to at work. I love Snyder as an interviewer. He had such an eclectic mix of guests and always treated each of them with the same amount of respect and genuine interest. It's like being a fly on the wall, eavesdropping on one fabulous conversation after another. I do so miss interviewers of the past like Snyder and Dick Cavett. There was no pretense with them, they asked real and unique questions of their guests and then sat back and let them speak. It made the work day fly by!

I started off with Ricky Schroeder, who cute as can be, shared his Starburst candy with Tom. 

After Ricky, Iggy Pop came on to perform and then chat with Tom, who seemed sincerely interested in everything Iggy said without sounding like an old fuddy-duddy who was above listening to such loud caterwauling. And Iggy was so polite. I do love me a fella with good manners.

I'd seen the interview with Wendy O. Williams, but knew I had to see it once more. Just another great interaction between two totally opposite personalities.






Patti Smith was wonderfully shy and her usual soft spoken self. So unpretentious and sweet that she's impossible not to like.




Then I watched the 1975 John Lennon interview. Tom covered Lennon's years with The Beatles and what the fellas are up to now, John and Yoko's Bed-In for Peace and their current issues with the U.S. and possible deportation. All in all, a wonderful batch of interviews by a helluva host.

The New Colossus

A-Frame in the Forest

(photo by Brandon Hepler)

John Hurt

Another exceptional talent has left the earth. I first developed a great admiration for him when he did that brilliant cameo in Spaceballs. I guess I thought he was just a stuffy English actor, but after seeing him in Spaceballs he suddenly became, to me, a real live person. One with humour and charm and I really respected him for that small role. That admiration only grew more so when I saw him play Joseph Merrick (my dear ole childhood pal!) in David Lynch's remarkable film The Elephant Man. It was such a beautiful, tender, and eloquent portrayal. All throughout his career, John Hurt delivered some incredible and unforgettable performances and I'm truly sad that he's gone.

My top ten favourite JH films:

The Tigger Movie

The Elephant Man

Alien

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Perfume

Spaceballs

Hellboy

V for Vendetta

Gentleman in New York

Lizard

Teena Marie & Rick James - I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love
Carly Simon - You Belong to Me
Duran Duran - I Don't Want Your Love
Fiddler on the Roof cast - Sunrise, Sunset
Blondie - One Way or Another
Liza Minnelli - So Sorry, I Said
Robbie Williams - Rock DJ
Bush - Comedown
Davis Gates - The Goodbye Girl
George Thorogood - I Drink Alone
Hilary Duff - Come Clean
Blues Traveler - Hook
Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
Hole - Teenage Whore
Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved
George Michael - Amazing
Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over Til It's Over
Donna Summers & Streisand - Enough is Enough

- July 17th, 2004

Office View

When my sister-in-law found out that I'd be working from home quite a bit she quickly advised me to sit facing a window. The only option in my teeny tiny place is in my room under my loft bed, facing the wall. Smarty-smart that I am, I made sure my view was way better than anything I'd see out my window.

(Sadness In Eye by Steve Keene 2009)

Thanks for the laughs, Mary.

And for the inspiration as an activist, a strong female to admire, and for your fashion flair!

The Writer's Museum

This is SO on my must-see list for Edinburgh!

(photo by Joe Daniel Price)

embACE the elephants

Former pal Hayley has set up an etsy site for her adorable daughter Ainsley (nickname Ace) where she sells handmade (by Ainsley) elephants and then turns all the profits over to an Elephant sanctuary. I ordered two last month and I absolutely love them!

(here they are with the rest of the crew - Percival the giraffe, Héctor, Freddie Apple Bear, Max the Lion, Max from The Grinch, and wee lil reindeer pal, Rodney. I haven't come up with names for my elephants, I was toying with Pollyanna and Mary Clancy, since Hayley was named after Hayley Mills, but I'm not sure yet...)

Two Goofy Goons

Today Jackson and I grabbed a healthy lunch at MOM's Organic Market in Rosemont (I'm addicted to this place), followed by silliness at Old Navy, then finally to Nana Rose's for chit chat and playtime. Next week we get to do it all over again and I can't wait! Oh, and the entire time we spent in the car we played Bingo (counting yellow vehicles) and listened to The Dark Forest, which Jackson (and I!) absolutely adore. We started with It's Mad Cool in The Dark Forest, Daddio (he was grinning from ear to ear over Al "Jazzbo" Collins' take on The Three Little Pigs) and finished our day with The Dark Forest at Sunset. Two of my favourite broadcasts of all time.

ps - those platform phony Converse All Stars I'm wearing were a gift from Kathleen Maute for my 18th bday!

Doris' Fab, Fun Style

So I re-watched Hello, My Name Is Doris (Sally Field turns in one of her most stellar performances) and wisely stopped it when the character Brooklyn came into the picture. That's when it went downhill, in my opinion. (No disrespect to Beth Behrs.) I love, love, love Doris' fashion sense. Her wardrobe was chock full of colour, timeless footwear, 1950s-length skirts, funky cardigans and chunky jewelry, scarves and hair falls and pretty spectacles. I wish Doris was a character on a TV series so we could track her clothing choices like we did with Carrie Bradshaw. Here's a few of my fave Doris outfits.

Beatriz Gutierrez

Kind of bananas over this lady's artwork and this one, Time Relativity, is vibrant and all sorts of beautiful. 

Scarecrow & Mrs. King

Spinster, party of one? Yes, hello, good evening. Season one, disc one of yet another television series is waiting for you in your mail slot. Enjoy watching it in your Sesame Street Count von Count jammie-jams while eating Love Grown chocolate Mighty Flakes. 

Oh I will. I haven't watched this show since it first aired and it's actually held up remarkably well. This series was the root to my lifelong desire for romance and adventure. 

Summer in Winter

Ever since catching a few eps of the TV series Bondi Rescue in Dublin last month I've been crazy obsessed with it. I've watched every episode I could find on YouTube and it's the perfect show to watch during these East Coast sub-zero Winters. The lifeguards are (mostly all) super sweet and handsome (though utterly hairless and therefore totally boyish) but my favourite is Terry. He's the nicest of the bunch, no question. If you are ever in need of sandy beaches, rolling ocean waves, a touch of drama, and a cast of adorable pranksters, Bondi Rescue may be the escape you're looking for...er, I mean, for which you are looking. Ending a sentence in a preposition? How uncouth! You can take the girl outta Jersey...

Jason Freeny

My Philadelphia office bestie, José, and I were gabbing about fun artists today. He loved the Gemma Correll little cat While you were out...I licked my bum on the kitchen table post-it that I left on his desk a few weeks back and this then reminded him of Jason Freeny. I immediately took to the web and wow-wee! This fella's art is so silly and interesting and inventive! I especially like Mr. Stay Puft. It's the perfect blend of cute and creepy.

Seen In Dublin

Sunday with Family

Ashlee's sister-in-law passed away very suddenly last Saturday so she and Sean (and Bailey, too, of course) were able to fly up from Jacksonville for a week. They were busy with Sean's nephews and his mother but luckily I got a chance to see them this morning before their flight back home. MJ and I had plans for lunch so it worked out perfectly.

After monster hugs and lots of "be safe", "love you/love you more"s, MJ and I were off to Panera. Hadn't seen him in ages, so we had lots to catch up on. Then it was time for a visit with Mum and we two ran down to spend an hour or so with Nana Irma, who is frail and very thin but as sweet and hilarious as ever. I made it home in time for a quick bite and some Hart to Hart (no surprise) then I'll be out the door and headed to see Bishop and Pax for the first time in six weeks. I can't wait to see them and get a big ass hug from Bish - I've missed his hugs!

A Day with Kayla!

Kayla and I hung out all day, well, from 1:30ish til 7, and it was so good to catch up with her. A fab bonus was a hug from Jaeden and a mini gab session with the new bride, my cousin Barbaraanne.

We jumped into Roark just as the snowfall began and headed to a lil' Naked Lunch in Rosemont. They have a tiny menu that's packed with yummy meals. I've never been disappointed and the portions are insane!! Ya totally get a lot of bang for your buck. 

After grub and a brief shop around MOM's Organic Market we were off to B&N, getting proper lost along the way and seeing OODLES of gorgeous mansions. We were totes blue collar and blatantly slowed down to snap pix and drool over the sprawling homes. 

Finally we, with the help of Trevor (my Australian voiced Siri guide), reached the B&N at Valley Fair in Devon. We found the magazine I wanted but it didn't have the photo layout I was expecting (musta been an older issue...). Bummer. Anyways, we did see some adorable kids stories and even some poetry books that we plan to buy off Amazon. Sorry, B&N, but you are pricey as hell. 

Then it was a stop at Sweet Freedom Bakery and more chit chat. 

(BTW - the Tiramisu cupcake was a let-down but the chocolate was a home run, as usual.)

Before I dropped her off I gave Kay her copy of The Gift of Fear and recited some of the most profound sections. I have absolute faith that she will, as instructed, read the first six chapters. It's a remarkable book and I'm glad she seems excited to read it and learn how to handle certain situations. All in all, we had a full and fun-filled day together and are already planning Roark's first road trip - back to Baltimore in the Spring! Can't wait!!!

(ps - at SFB they had Bush's Glycerine playing and I went, "Ohmigod, do you remember...wait. No. No one in this room remembers when this song came out." Kay tried to comfort this old biddy by saying, "But I like this song." Nice try, but I was clearly the oldest broad in the joint.)