Rose & Chamomile shampoo.....

"Your hair smells good. It smells like 'Fruit Loops'."

The last 5 Books I've Read.....

• Failed States by Noam Chomsky...without a doubt this is my favorite Chomsky book yet...he managed a biting sarcastic wit throughout, while delivering the facts in a most direct manner...informational and eye-opening...highly recommended!...modern day governmental abuses? imagine that!
  
• The New Nuclear Danger by Dr. Helen Caldicott...while this information is "older", this book still delivers a punch that most people probably don't realize is still relevant, most likely even more so...nuclear is most definitely NOT the "new green"...well written as always by Dr. Caldicott...
  
• Hubris by Michael Isikoff & David Corn...I found this an interesting read, in a different style than I've read some of the same subject matter...new twists and facts, very compelling...the Bush (W) administration never ceases to amaze me with it's horror and corruption!
  
• Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci...This book is about Islam in the world, and how that religion impacts our world, past & present...Ms. Fallaci fascinating as always...her style emotional and sensational, she's persecuted for this...I found the book itself quite interesting and enlightening, but the speech/afterword was a dissapointment...I thought it boring and had to feel that it layed blame on many people who would not be her enemies at all!
  
• Shadowplay by Tad Williams...I was one of the people who read the first book, Shadowmarch, in it's online format, when Tad wrote two chapters a month for us subscribers. So I truly couldn't wait for this second book. And oh, yes, it did not dissappoint. My copy had a lot of editing problems, but oh well...my only complaint really, is that I read it too fast, and now must wait ???? for the next book??? One of my all-time favorite fantasy writers, and an all-around great guy, too. I met him at a "Barnes & Noble" in Reston, VA during one of his speaking tours.
  

The Last 5 Movies I've Viewed.....

• Clerks II...Hilarious and annoying at the same time. I so dig Jay & Silent Bob...Only funny if you have seen the first Clerks movie...
• Marie Antoinette...Way to go, Sofia Copeland!! What a beautiful, visual treat. And what a vastly different and interesting take on a historical subject...
• John Q...One of the few times that I have enjoyed a Denzel Washington performance so much...jerks your emotions, but it's great...
• The Insider...this was good, but not great because of a couple of unreal premises, fine acting...
• Babel...Wow...interesting all the way through...my favorite aspect being Japanese Deaf culture...
  

My darling, I shall miss you...

Oh, Kurt Vonnegut.

The Post Office, 1993...

Max, "Mom..."
Me, "Yes, son?"
Max, "Mom, do you douche?"
Me, "No, son. Mommy has a self-cleaning oven."

dream segment (a couple of weeks old)...

I am riding in a car with my father, who is driving...he is driving on the incorrect side of the road, I tell him this and then calmly suggest that he pull over so that I may drive...he agrees to this, saying that he is tired...I get behind the wheel and take us toward our destination which was one of the places he worked when I was a child: Purceville, or the newspaper in The Plains...so I am turning left onto a road, and he is no longer in the car, I am talking with a woman on my cell phone about him, I am telling her about the driving mishap...she knows him, and sympathizes...as I drive this road I realize that I am very near her office, I pull into the parking lot, and go inside to introduce myself to her...we chat a bit, then I go on...

Amazing Visual Morning...

Driving to work this morning the sky was just amazing. I, of course, did not have my camera with me. Nor could I turn around and go get it! I was running late. The early morning sky was full of altocumulus clouds densely packed. The sun's rays were beaming out under each clump of cloud. Shining a small sundog at each puff. Luckily, I was on a road which did not have much traffic, so I could look as I slowly drove along. Beautiful beyond measure.

I give it a "10"...

And then some...Modest Mouse's new song "Dashboard" has to be one of the most dance-able songs ever!!! My hips get loose each time i hear it...yeah!!!

Here is my 1976 Gitane bicycle. I rode it to Nova Scotia and back when I graduated from high school. For a long time I didn't own a car, just rode my bike everywhere. It was originally bright yellow. One time I painted it silver, then red. I retired it in 1992. Recently, I've kept it in the front yard as an art installation. Many miles.

flow recall...

pen to paper this line of
brain-blood to heart
my ambit of words to thoughts
electric
sparks behind my eyes

wet snow...

oh
this coffee is perfect and
look
the window is fogged
i remember
i dreamed
of a red fox crossing the yard

Raptor Dichotomy.....

Early last Sunday morning we were driving up Rt. 50 heading toward Paris, VA. Chuck drew our attention to a large bird flying toward us. At first we think "hawk", then we think "vulture", but then as the large bird flies close over the car we all look up and see that this is a Golden Eagle. I turn and look behind us and watch the eagle fly a circle and then land in a tree at the edge of the field. We are amazed and delighted. With the Shenandoah River fairly close by (especially if you are an eagle) this does not seem out of place. What a beautiful bird. The excitement stays fresh with us for many miles.
When we get home from our trip, I find an article in the Washington Post which tells us of the Bush Administration's decision to remove the Bald Eagle from the endangered species list. This is to occur on February 16, 2007. The deputy director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service attempts to assure us that this will NOT mean "open season" on the eagle. Here is the most outrageous thing: this decision has been brought about by the persistence of a 69 year old man in Minnesota. He is a Libertarian "property owner" who is miffed that he cannot subdivide and sell some pieces of his land as he wishes because there is a bald eagle nest on one area of his land. There is a rule that stands now where no building can occur within 330 feet of an eagle nest. He filed a federal lawsuit in 2005 which he won this past August. Even though the bald eagle population is estimated to be 7,000 nesting pairs at this time (up from 417 pairs in 1963, thanks to the pesticide DDT) , I still find this decision outrageous.

Dream Segment.....

I am going to see The Dead in concert after work. I am going with Dawn K., and others. I am trying to find somebody to pick Melian up from school, and take care of her while I am at the concert. The woman who I have set up to help cancels. I decide to take Melian with me, and we talk about this, feeling happy. We walk down the steps to find our seats. A guy going up the steps tells me to be careful. I tell him that I've been coming to this venue ever since it first opened, so I know about the steps. They are very worn and shabby. I think about missing Jerry Garcia. Talking with Dawn, we're both wearing tie-dye shirts. Mike gets angry and bossy with Dawn, and I ignore his bad attitude. Dawn & I laugh. A friend of mine takes his guitar up to the stage during intermission and talks with Bob Weir, trys to play a song, but forgets how. I think he's nervous.

August 2006...

Obviously it's nap time for Maggie & Ed. 

"I see this every day".....

My friend Derek has a number of photos, etc. with this quote as his commentary. I took inspiration from the quote to add this photo, with the same loving feeling that the quote evokes in me. It makes me think of one of my favorite Gertrude Stein pieces. She writes of repetition as a form of love.

11/28/06

my cathode-ray brain
will not let me sleep
causes my eyes to open
there, silhouette of the cactus
plate-glass window
sky lit by the
second quarter moon
galvanic jolt
get up!
time to write...

Human Stupidity & Greed, once again.....

The Washington Post reported last week this little snippet from Addis Ababa, Eithiopia: "Rare Abyssinian lion cubs are being poisoned at a zoo in Ethiopia and sold to taxidermists because there is not enough money to care for the animals, the facility's administrator said." It is estimated that there are only 1,000 of these lions left in "the wild". They are smaller than African lions, and have a black mane. First of all, I am not a fan of zoos. But let us just assume that the idea here is to protect an endangered species. By poisoning them to improve your bottom line? If your zoo cannot afford to take care of the animal, would not releasing them into the "wild" be more logical. Thus giving them at least a fighting chance for existence? Better than being stuffed and sold. Which reminds me, December 5th is the last day to call your Senator and back the bill to save wild horses from slaughter. It's S.1915: The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Congressional switchboard: (202)224-3121.

On Stage.....

When I am at work, I feel the weight of the security cameras. Scott could be watching, or he could be asleep, or doing something else. I know they both watch the monitor in the evening, but during the day? It's creepy. I make faces at the cameras, scratch myself, do pirouettes for them...I make broad gestures as if I were a blackjack dealer at Atlantic City...nothing up my sleeve!!!...I wonder how much of this might just be paranoia, and how much a strong sense of psychic awareness? I am used to security cameras, I used to work at "Giant" grocery store! We had them at "Super Fresh", too, but they were basically for show after A&P decided to pull the plug on any financial backing for our store...anyway! I was just thinking about how cute the front camera looks with its Festive Holiday tinsel all lovingly wrapped 'round it...

Mystery Pizza.....

I dream.....Jess and I are going around Boston...we are planning a trip to England together...one of our friends is amazed by this...we're meeting our kids, and heading back to our homes...as we come up to Jess' house, there are two pizzas on the concrete steps...we each think they are from someone different. ..I hold one of the pizzas in my hands, it is very tomato-y, i taste the sauce...as we go into her house, Jess thanks the guy who is there for ordering the pies...he says it was not him...

Pieces of a Dream.....

Ozzy Ozbourne has actually been Ian McShane all these years. Black Sabbath, fronted by Ian McShane. I am looking through a book which is filled with photographs and album cover art (done in the Frazzeta style, of course) showing Ian singing and hanging out with the band. I feel amazed by this revelation, and want to tell Chuck about it.....