Wednesday, April 2, 2025

March 2025 Books

I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You ¹ by Miranda Hart - I was first introduced to this lovely creature through Call the Midwife back in 2013. Then I watched her series Miranda and saw her here and there over the years. She was recently on Graham Norton discussing her latest book. It was available on Audible and I had a batch of unused credits, so what the hell, I grabbed a copy. I'm so glad I did. Miranda talks about her extremely long struggle with chronic illness and not being properly diagnosed with Lyme disease until much later in life. (Should I give her Kathleen Hanna's email address so they can commiserate about the hell that is Lyme disease??) Miranda's words of wisdom and tips on acceptance of self and leading a life of positivity are not to be missed. I need to buy a physical copy so I can make notes in the margins and underline and star all the most important and profound passages.  

Consider Your Ass Kissed ¹ by Ruta Lee - Prior to reading this, all I knew of Ruta Lee was that she was Ruth in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, is Lithuanian and friends with my beloved Ann Jillian (a fellow Lith-gal), and once saw Dick Gaultier completely nude, save for a cowboy belt and holster. (FYI, I learned this from an old ep of Tattletales.) This book was primarily a collection of stories of encounters with famous pals. Some people think of that as shameless name-dropping, but let's be real here. A good story is a good story and you don't censor it because one of the players is famous. 

* All the Way to the Tigers ¹ by Mary Morris - I originally got this book in physical form as a Date with a Book but never got around to picking it up. Knowing that I probably never would, I decided, before donating the book to Baldwin’s Book Barn, I would listen to the audiobook version. It wasn't unbelievably riveting or life-changing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would listen again. 

* Every Man For Himself and God Against All ¹ by Werner Herzog - I think the first film I ever saw by this one-of-a-kind director was Fitzcarraldo back in maybe 2006. Once I fell in love with documentaries I discovered that he made some of the most unique and extraordinary. That is when I really came to appreciate his talents for storytelling. Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, The White Diamond, My Best Fiend, Wheel of Time, Into the Abyss, Encounters at the End of the World, and From One Second to the Next are some of my personal favourites. It was a privilege to listen to Herzog narrate this memoir and it was wonderful to learn so much more from this true master. of his craft.

** Aggie Morton Mystery Queen: The Dead Man in the Garden by Marthe Jocelyn - I bought this at Birdie Books in Ohio when I was visiting Autumn. The idea of a young version of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot being pals and solving mysteries was too clever to pass up. Agatha is Aggie Morton and Hercule is Hector Perot - adorable! This is the third book in the series, but it made no difference. It was fun and so well done. I could hear a young David Suchet every time I read Hector's lines. Great, great book.

* The Dollhouse Caper by Jean S. O’Connell - I swear I got this for free at Central Books in Doylestown or maybe one of those Little Free Library boxes. Regardless, it was a short but super cute story of a human family with three boys and the Dollhouses, who come alive when the humans aren't around. Turns out there were a couple baddies casing the joint and looking to break in while the Humans were away on holiday. Well, lucky for them, the Dollhouses were ready to save the day. 

* Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better ¹ by Pema Chödrön - I had a copy of this for years and never picked it up. Earlier in March I took it in to Baldwin’s Book Barn so that someone else could have it. Then before the month was to end, I listened to the audiobook version from Hoopla and absolutely loved it. I'm absolutely listening to it again and taking notes.

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

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

March 2025 Donations


I came across this company's Insta page about a year or so ago. I immediately fell in love with watching all these plus size gals (and a couple femme fellas!) try on one stunning gown (or jumpsuit) after another. Every single one of them was praised to the heavens by the owner, Summer Lucille, and every video ends with me in tears. "You look so beautiful, baby." "Oh my goodness, you are absolutely stunning in that, my love." "Look at you!!!" "You look gorgeous." She constantly showers these young, and sometimes vulnerable, people with compliments that clearly come straight from the heart. As someone who never received or receives compliments on my appearance, I cooked up a fantasy in my mind of traveling to Charlotte, NC to try on some gowns and feel like the pretty girl I always wished I was, with Ms. Summer convincing me that "dang girl, you look goooood!"

Juicy Body Goddess was created to keep the everyday woman with curves in mind.  Our fashion ranges from corporate work attire to date night looks. 

Juicy Body Goddess gives girls a chance to receive a brand new Juicy Body Goddess dress with the help of our community.  You can purchase a gift card directly from our website and we will give to a beautiful young lady looking for a prom dress.   
Thank you so much
Summer Lucille 
Owner

Monday, March 31, 2025

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Up All Night - Bishop



Things to eat: pie, sushi, cookies, food...
Songs: Word Girl - What's Going On? - Rio
Places to go: Philly, London, Chicago, my Mom's crib, Seattle, Spain, North Carolina
Movies: LOTR - X-Men - Batman Begins - Rear Window - Victor/Victoria - Bye, Bye Birdie - 300 - Clerks - Big Eden
TV Shows: Lost, Heroes, V(eronica) Mars, X-Files, Golden Girls, Designing Women, SATC, Six Feet Under, I Love Lucy, 3 Stooges, Star Trek, cartoons
Outfit: pants, shirt, shoes
Boys: Kevin Sith, Seth Rogan, M.P., Bill Goldberg, Aquaman, Taye Diggs, Ed Norton, Greg Gruman

My most loveable qualities: I have good hair...
Here's what I want to be when I grow up: President of Cuba
Here's why I love sleepovers so much: Snoring...

Friday, March 28, 2025

Susan Sarandon in Interview

If memory serves, I bought this magazine at a shop on South Street in Philly, sometime in the mid to late 90s. They had a decent stack of them, but either the price or the size of the mags made me just buy the one with Susan Sarandon on the cover. I'm so glad I kept it all these years!




Thursday, March 27, 2025

Philly 2013

Back in October of 2013, Kayla and I were in Port Richmond and we did a little photoshoot in a rundown area of town. Here are some of my personal faves that I took of a place in desperate need of some TLC.