Nemo's Dreamscapes

I discovered this YouTube channel at Maria Bamford's slumber party. She had it playing in the background at night-night time and I instantly loved it. Thankfully someone mentioned the name on the little group Chat and I wrote it down. Nemo's Dreamscapes also has an album available (I snapped it up and am thoroughly enjoying it) and a Patreon page for those that want to help support them financially (which I would consider if it weren't for the fact that "Nemo" refers to all of their supporters as "guys"). The YouTube channel features oldies - think 1920s-40s - that have additional sounds incorporated, such as rain and thunder or a crackling fire, all at a set volume so that the music sounds like it's coming from another room. This one is my fave and it's so soothing: Oldies playing in another room but you're in a dream. You can also buy an mp3 of certain tracks on Gumroad, which I think I might do. The one of oldies playing in another room - nap on a Summer day is in my cart.

Ask Dr. Ruth

Originally I watched this film on Dr. Ruth Westheimer last March when I signed up for a free trial of Hulu. I went bonkers and watched a slew of fascinating documentaries. Growing up in the 80s, even as a kid, everyone knew who Dr. Ruth was and I was anxious to learn more about her life. What a truly remarkable woman, so warm, honest, and vivacious. Her smile and giggle are contagious and I've got two of her books on order from AbeBooks. Can't wait to read her autobiography and learn all the little details that were left out of the film.

(photo kidnapped from showtimes)

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth

In reading Dominick Dunne's The Way We Lived Then he mentions good friend Jay Sebring, a famous men's hair stylist who was hugely popular in the Los Angeles area. I must have Googled him or looked him up on Amazon and discovered, hurrah!, there is a documentary about him. Even better it is directed by his nephew. Dominick spoke so highly of Sebring and about what a talented and wonderful man he was; I added the film to my Must-See list and finally bought it and watched it this evening. Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth was outstanding, especially as most of it was about who Jay really was and not merely about the manner in which he was killed. It painted a picture of his life rather than focusing solely on his death. Jay Sebring seemed like a genuinely good guy and it truly sucks out loud that someone like that was taken away at only 35 years of age. 

(photo kidnapped from original-cin c/o Sebring Family Collection/1010 Films)

Family Ties

In my quest for a new old series to watch I discovered that my local library has most of the seasons for Family Ties, a childhood favourite. I wasn't sure how it would have aged, so I came back to it with low expectations (but fingers crossed that it was as fun as I remembered). I just finished the first season and it's still really good! I love the relationship between Elyse and Steven. Meredith Baxter and Michael Gross are so effortless in their portrayal of the parents that are still pretty mad for one another. Oh, and all three of the kids are fantastic. Yes, Mallory is a typical 1980s teenage girl; she's isn't academic, is boy crazy and loves fashion, but Justine Bateman packs a lot in to a character that could be very one dimensional. Michael J. Fox was a big crush in my younger years and he gets so much out of Alex, one of the most original teenagers ever written. Tina Yothers was closest to my age when the show was on and I always liked her, especially in later seasons when she was in a band. I still remember thinking she was so cool and it gave me hope that my dorky childhood self could one day be as rad and popular as Jennifer Keaton. I already have season two on hold at the library and hope it's available by the weekend for more binge-watching! 

(photo kidnapped from sitcomsonline)

March 2021 Books

* Bunny Mellon ¹ by Meryl Gordon - I first heard of this woman thanks to Frank Langella's incredible memoir Dropped Names. It was the moment when a young (college-age) Frank was visiting the Mellon's home with his friend, Eliza, Bunny's daughter. He was reading aloud at Bunny's prompting and he mispronounced Descartes' name, causing the young crowd to chuckle. Later, when it was just Frank and Bunny, she asked him to re-read that passage, the one about Descartes. I was so struck by how regal and polished she came across and I wanted to learn more. Knowing I don't have the discipline to sit and read the book version, I bought the audiobook off Audible. I was able to finish it in a handful of days and thoroughly enjoyed it. A unique and fascinating woman.

Exuberance ¹ by Kay Redfield Jamison - I so wanted to like this but my god was it mega dull. 

* Julia Child - A Life ¹ by Laura Shapiro - I really like this woman and so enjoyed reading about her life before and after living in France. What's scary as hell is that I listened to this in June 2019 and completely forgot. A lot of what I knew this time I chalked up to having read My Life in France this past December. It was a nice refresher course on the life of Julia Child!

♥ A Season in Purgatory by Dominick Dune

* The Neverending Story ¹ by Michael Ende

♥ The Way We Lived Then by Dominick Dunne - I loved reading this mini-autobiography from Dominick Dunne with all the photographs through the years. I admire and adore him more with each of his books that I pick up. I loved it so much that when I found a signed copy I snapped it up with the quickness!

* As Luck Would Have It ¹ by Derek Jacobi - Not the most riveting of memoirs but it was so lovely to hear that Derek Jacobi had such a good relationship with his parents and that they genuinely loved him unconditionally. As a fan, I especially liked hearing the little bit about his work on Dead Again and Last Tango in Halifax. Oh and of course his relationship with hubby Richard Clifford.

* A Fine Romance ¹ by Candice Bergen - I knew very little of Candice Bergen, except that her father was a well known ventriloquist, she was married to a famous French filmmaker named Louis Malle, and she played the title character on Murphy Brown. I think the only performances  I was familiar with were her appearances on Sex and the City (and that she properly pronounced Diane Arbus' first name!) and when I was a kid I saw her in The Wind and the Lion. This audiobook is about her later life - meeting and falling in love with Louis Malle, their daughter, Chloe, her work on Murphy Brown, Malle's death, and her finding love again with Marshall Rose and their life together. It was a long-ass listen (roughly 14 hours) but it was never, ever boring. 

* The Cool Side of My Pillow ¹ by Bruce Campbell - Little brother Xavier told me about this book available on Audible and I threw down a credit and hit play. Bruce Campbell is an impossible man to dislike and this brief book was just what I wanted to hear to get in a few laughs and hear what the man himself has to say about things. 

¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.

FaceTime with the Wee Ladies

Tonight I finally got a chance to see the girls and read them a bedtime story: The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems. I made the mistake of telling Bailey that I bought vaccination stickers for when she gets her shot for COVID. Then Avery popped her head in to take control and Ashlee said that Bailey went in her room to sulk and cry about getting a shot. I was trying to get her to be excited and not be scared and it blew up in my freakin' face. In other news, Avery has followed in her big sister's footsteps and now only refers to me by Lisa Star, which I find pretty funny. After our chat and some selfies, the wee ones went off to bed and I had BFF Amy lined up next. Sadly she was feeling dreadful and we decided to reschedule. "Rats," I thought to myself, "now I have to clean the kitchen and bathroom floors..." I'm off to do that now. Blah. But looks at these two cuties in their jammie-jams being silly with their number one weirdo - me!

Red Lentil Dahl

I shocked the hell out of myself with this one. I am utter crap in the kitchen but this recipe turned out really well and gave me some confidence to try out more. It was time consuming and I had to call sister-in-law Mary to find out how in the hell you bring food to a boil (you turn the heat up real high til ya get angry bubbles then you turn it down a bit if it calls to "simmer"). 

Ingredients:

1½ cup dry red lentils (rinsed)

1 large carrots coined (thin-ish)

1 small bell pepper (I used red and chopped it in lil' cubes.)

1 large purple onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic (I converted to 4 tsp chopped garlic from a jar.)

1 tbsp fresh minced ginger

½ tbsp olive oil

3 cup veggie broth

1 cup So Delicious original unsweetened coconut milk (I used this rather than the canned full fat coc. milk)

1½ tsp cumin

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp paprika

⅓ red pepper flakes

salt and pep to taste

½ tbsp sugar (I used turbinado/raw sugar.)

Steps:

• In a big ole pot heat oil and saute onions 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

• Add ginger, garlic, carrots, and bell pep.

• Next toss in all spices and sugar plus lentils and veggie broth, bringing to a boil.

• Simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add the coconut milk and cook 5 more minutes or until it reaches the desired thickness.

• Season with the salt and pep then serve with rice and naan!

(Original recipe kidnapped from Ela Vegan - the website is a nightmare - endless pop ups and ads everywhere. It should serve 6 and calories were 302ish per serving.)

Jackson's Zoomies

I don't know why, but this thirteen second clip of Jax randomly zooming in Mum's backyard just cracked me up. He's really in to having people record him doing things in the hopes that they will go viral and be a huge sensation. I don't know how the rest of the world feels, but this shit made me laugh.

Reliving the Laughs

It had been years since I watched season one of Better Late Than Never. I downloaded the free NBC app and hurrah - they have the entire series! I am busting out laughing until my sides hurt. Terry Bradshaw laughing at Henry Winkler nearly killed me. For real, I was mid-chew on a vegan gluten free cookie and inhaled cookie dust when I started cracking up. Went into a coughing fit 'til my eyes watered. I'm tellin' ya, these fellas are out of their minds and bless them for sharing their insanity with the rest of the world. 

(photo kidnapped from pinterest) 

The Split

Before I cancel my Hulu subscription I wanted to watch a Nicola Walker series called The Split. I had no idea what it was about except that she plays the lead. Turns out it centers on Nicola and her families - her husband and kids as well as her mother and sisters (plus an estranged father). Nicola's character, Hannah, works at a divorce law firm and her mother and sister work at a rival firm that Hannah left. I'm partway through season one and it's really good. Hannah's posh clothes are fab and the view from her windowed corner office is a stunner. All I want is for that case against that rotten cheating husband to wipe him out completely and maybe serve him a proper jail sentence. Oh he is such a bastard. 

(photos kidnapped from radiotimes and hellyeahnicolawalker respectively)

Justice for One

It was such an overwhelming relief to see that the jury convicted George Floyd's murderer on all three counts. Hearing the President and Vice President speak with the Floyd family was such a comfort. I sent Bishop a text and I know we are both hoping that this leads to great change and more of these murderers are held accountable and realise that they are no longer above the law merely for wearing a badge.

Revolutionary Love - Live

I used to go to an Ani DiFranco concert whenever she was in the area but her fans get on my nerves. They'd yell at her stupid shit like "I love you, Ani!!" or shout the names of songs for her to sing. It was really disrespectful and I just stopped going. Then I got an email a month or so ago about her having a virtual concert for her newest album, Revolutionary Love. What? An Ani concert with NO obnoxious fans? Yes, please! I so hope that artists and comics continue to do virtual shows (after Corona drops dead) every once in a while for the people that can't get out or don't wanna deal with the crowds of a concert.

It was a solid show but I thought it was gonna be live instead of being obviously pre-recorded (in January of this year as the credits stated.) It felt like a documentary that was uploaded for us to view. Kinda a little lame and took a bit of the fun out of imagining it as a real-time live show but I'm still glad I attended, so to speak. Ani's hair is growing out from when she shaved it and it's very Laurie Anderson. She's gotten older and seeing the laugh lines around her mouth and eyes, the wrinkles on her neck, made me feel better about me getting and looking old. Ani has always been an easy person to look up to and seeing people my age look their age without shame makes my life a lil' easier. Oh and here's a little bonus - a postcard Ani got in Japan.

Virtual Slumber Party

Hanging out right now with Maria Bamford for my first slumber party in decades! No Ouija boards or hands in glasses to make you pee at this sleepover, as Maria advised. Her opening acts were Gary Petersen (he cracked me up when he questioned if he looks like a DJ that only plays songs from Breaking Bad. "Who wants to hear Jesse's Theme??") and Madison Shepard who was also really good. Then it was an hour of Maria and her latest plus some bits from previous virtual stand-ups over the last year or so. Her tip on if the Suicide Hotline has too long a wait was an absolute riot. Maria says to call up local businesses because the customer support department has to listen to you. "Give Domino's a call, apparently they value life." (Oooo buuuurnnnn!) Plus she wore super cute (and mega pricey) pjams! She even read us a bedtime story - Hogbook and Lazer Eyes - an absolute delight!

My request for this DJ would definitely be Benny Mardones' Into the Night from season two of Breaking Bad.

Here's Ms. Shepard with her luminous skin, hilarious expression, and fab nerdy old man glasses.

Slumber Party must-have: bedtime pals!

Maria had to let Blueberry out and we got a sneak peek of Maria's bed for the night.

Maria plays on her phone before bed - just like us real people!

Time to get in a couple chapters before night-night! (That Diet Coke can is so gonna topple over, Maria!)

Maria and Scott really did spend the whole night on camera. Someone mentioned this going down in history as some brilliant ass performance art. Damn right!

Lookee...

...who got herself fully vaxed today! 

Pix from Michel

I woke up this morning to loads of photos from Michel. My postcard arrived! Michel said he's doing okay, very burnt out from Corona, but hanging in there and hoping to get his first vax shot in a few weeks. It was a bright morning in lovely Antwerp but he said that not long ago they had snow and he sent me a couple videos. Oh how I miss that city and standing on Michel's balcony looking out over it all. The bonus text was some pics from his mother's back yard. (She lives 100 km from Antwerp and boy, do I envy that little garden.) I'm so hoping in 2022 to be able to get back to Europe and see my two favourite countries, Ireland and Belgium. These photos will have to hold me over til then!

Chagrin Falls Postie

Look who's feeding my goal of visiting Chagrin Falls!

Avery Moustache

Cats Cats Cats Dogs Dogs Dogs

I am pretty sure that I got my copy of Cats Cats Cats by Carol Benjamin through Troll Books when I was in grade school. I loved Troll Books because every couple months we would get a mini catalog form full of books for our age group. I loved the extras too, such as posters of horses and sheets of fabulous stickers. Most of the books I would get were about ghosts (nice ones) that were haunting an old house where a young girl lived. 

I am always trying to please my inner child and so recently I came across a homemade bookmarker of the cover for Dogs Dogs Dogs by Carol Benjamin. I owned the Cats one and my dear childhood friend Vanessa Anderson drew a bookmark for it and since I couldn't order the Dogs book, she made one of the book cover for me, too. She was always one of the best artists in school and just a terrific gal. Finding the Dogs bookmarker drove me to order an old copy of the book that I once so desperately desired. It's in excellent condition and the ten year old Star would be over the moon at finally having both books.

Fosse/Verdon

Two more stellar performances from Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams. This series had been on my "must-see" list since it first came out and now that I have Hulu for a month I can finally get my peepers on it. 

(photo kidnapped from imdb)

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

I love this print by Kate Gabrielle off her Flapperdoodle Etsy page. It's divine.

Hunting High and Low

The great thing about my Apple Music subscription is discovering new bands but also getting to know some artists from my youth. a-ha's Take On Me was and remains such a fantastic 80s pop song but I wondered what the other songs on the album were like. I downloaded it and was blown away by how great the other tracks are. Hunting High and Low, The Blue Sky, and Here I Stand and Face the Rain are definite stand-outs but as a whole, it's really a solid album. I'm downloading the rest of a-ha's catalogue and can't wait for my next drive where I can roll down the windows and crank up the music.

(photo kidnapped from amazon.in)

Ideal Room

My home is dark and dingy and in dire need of newly painted walls and hard-core cleaning. Seeing this room on IG made me wish it was my own. Bright and sunny, cosy, inviting, fab bookshelves, and a doorway that leads to a secluded garden. It's pure perfection.

(photo kidnapped from @stampsandstamps Instagram page - they also have a website: stampsandstamps.com which has oodles of photos to feed one's daydreams!)

For Crazy Ant Lisa

While cleaning I found this drawing by Jaeden from circa 2010 hidden under my record player. When we first were getting to know eachother, Kayla and Jaeden called me Crazy Aunt Lisa. This was because I was the only adult they knew that acted more like a kid and therefore was crazy bananas and fun. I'm so glad I kept this!!

Call the Midwife - Bring the Hankies

At last I am completely caught up on all nine seasons of Call the Midwife and I cried multiple times per episode. This show is more heart wrenching than Little House and Highway to Heaven combined. It has never had a bad episode in all these years and has only gotten better and better. 

(photos kidnapped from digitalspy - tvseriesfinale - mic - radiotimes - pinterest - thesun)