Hang the Moon

Calming the Baby Beast.

2010-11-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?) | Film | Review | The A.V. Club

2010-09-10T11:05:00.000-04:00

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?) | Film | Review | The A.V. Club

There is no way I have any idea where to start to talk about Harry Nilsson. Best case scenario, you stumble upon him and feel you are the only one who knows about him. You then either jealously guard him from the philistines who will never get him the way you do, or rabidly proselytize about him to friends and strangers alike.

I have been looking forward to a documentary about him for years.

Buy his music. His voice is indescribable.

Read about him. He is a funny, unforgettable musician.

2010-04-01T03:36:00.000-04:00

Playing the Fear Card - The Daily Beast

2010-03-05T16:55:00.000-05:00

Playing the Fear Card - The Daily Beast

http://libelreform.org/petition/submit.php

2010-01-27T16:55:00.000-05:00

http://libelreform.org/petition/submit.php

Learn To Fucking Spell | I Am Paddy

2009-12-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

Learn To Fucking Spell | I Am Paddy

NaNO

2009-12-02T10:58:00.002-05:00

Finished!

I didn't keep the blog this time whilst writing the book. I was busier this month, and just barely made the word counts.

I have now written the first drafts of two novels, and it is almost unbelievable to me. I told myself as my kind of New Year's resolution for 2009 that I would get something completed this year, and eventually make some money from it. That is still my goal.

I love the thirty day writing plan, I stand by it. Chris Baty, thanks again for writing the book.

In September I wrote a YA novel, and this time it was a Fantasy type book. I never thought I'd ever complete a book.

Day 6

2009-11-06T11:00:00.001-05:00

National Novel Writing Month

I am doing it again!

This time officially.

New book, new idea, new genre.

NaNoWriMo

2009-10-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

Doing it in November!

30th Day

2009-09-30T09:49:00.002-04:00

The final day of writing the novel.

I am sad to see it go.

I started out euphoric...EUPHORIC!...that I had the idea and the hook. Then gradually it became alternately a grind and a delight.

Now I am thinking my ending will be down beat.

I will log back on to say when I have finished.

Thanks.

Day 25

2009-09-25T12:12:00.002-04:00

Hey! Wayne!

What?

I got a new complaint!

(quoting M.Meyers on MTV once.)

So, good day, and welcome to Day 25.

I am pacing around, listening to Pandora Radio, trying to figure things out.

I'm still behind and kind of stuck.

24th day

2009-09-24T10:17:00.003-04:00

I am very happy I decided to write a novel in 30 days as per Chris Baty's No Plot No Problem.

I will also do this in November.

It is a lot of things: scary, inspiring, creative, frustrating, lovable, hateful...

But I like my 30 day novels like I like my men, so...!

Still behind in the word count but catching up quickly.

Rolling to the denouement!

Day 23

2009-09-23T11:35:00.001-04:00

I haven't written here because I am a bit behind in the word count.

So I'm off.

(But you knew that!)

Days 17 and 18

2009-09-18T10:39:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know. Life does intervene sometimes, you know. And, yes, writing is life, life examined, an unexamined life is not worth living, blah blah blah...your mouth.

So I will put my writing hat covered head down and push on.

16th Day

2009-09-16T11:45:00.002-04:00

I admit, I got a bit behind on the word count yesterday. I wasn't upset about it, because I'm cool like that, but I was behind.

I just caught up, and read in Chapter 7 (Of No Plot No Problem by Chris Baty) about a 6000 word jet pack thingie that I am thinking of trying.

I am on the record about flying cars. I am firmly behind this jet pack idea.

Day 15

2009-09-15T10:48:00.002-04:00

I just read that Keith Floyd has passed. Then I found out he has had a blog right here at Blogspot the whole time! I had no idea. I loved his shows, at least the ones I found on US TV. I know he did a ton which were shown in England. He will be missed.

So, day 15. I'm off to read Chapter 7 in No Plot No Problem.

Then writing.

Day 14

2009-09-14T14:27:00.003-04:00

Having free floating anxiety today. It's a thing with me. Not specifically about the novel. Just life in general.

I have cycles that happen day to day. Week to week. Month to month, etc. Sometimes I can predict them, sometimes they are unpredictable.

Today I felt a good one coming on. I exercised a little harder. I browsed Levenger for some treats. I try to keep things calm.

It's an in and out day for me today.

I will finish the quota and that will make me feel a little better about things.

Lucky 13 (?)

2009-09-13T12:42:00.002-04:00

Day 13 and I am sitting and staring at the cursor blinking on the screen.

I am back up to quota as of today. If I keep staring I will not be.

I feel I may have to resort to my Cheap Word Count Trick today: The Character Who is a Bad Poet. (That is trade marked by the way.)

Or more history of the area...?

Yeah, it's a good book. What?

Day 12

2009-09-12T11:24:00.002-04:00

Novel writing in 30 days. Day 12. I am slightly behind in the word count today. I do not want to get kicked out of the VIP lounge!

I resolve to get the count back on track.

It's Saturday. What coul;d go wroung?

Ha ha. See how funny my book must be?

Going now.

Day 10 of the Thirty Day Novel

2009-09-10T09:31:00.003-04:00

I played Beatles Rock Band all day yesterday. So great, even for oldsters like myself. Or should I say especially for oldsters. We were there when it all happened man! The game is fun and challenging, even if you think you know the songs in your sleep.

So I had banked a few words in anticipation of the game and I am on track for today.

Back to writing. Some cheap tricks and no hyphens!

Day 8

2009-09-08T11:10:00.002-04:00

Just read Chapter 6 in No Plot No Problem by Chris Baty.

Week Two.

Thanks for the warnings, Mr Baty.

Getting started now.

The Seventh Day

2009-09-07T23:54:00.001-04:00

I ended up over staying my welcome in NJ yesterday, but man was it worth it.

So I had double the quota today and I have, as of now, just about made it.

Happy Labor Day!

Wake me up when September ends!

Fifth Day

2009-09-05T11:15:00.002-04:00

Sometimes it feels like I am really struggling with the words, but I push through and then I just add a new character!

Thank you!

Going to try to get at least half my quota, then a long drive to a beach.

Day Four

2009-09-04T09:54:00.002-04:00

I got up today and thought: Maybe if one of the characters writes poetry...then I can make the word count!

Is that wrong?

Holiday weekend on it's way! Will I meet the quota? I know you are on the edge of your seats to see!

Third

2009-09-03T10:07:00.002-04:00

I had such a flow yesterday and what I think is a very good idea plot-wise. Nice sunny day, a walk, quiet, writing... One of those times when you think you're going to live forever.

But I am not George and this is not Shampoo.

So back to work.

Two

2009-09-02T11:05:00.002-04:00

Woke up this morning with Flagpole Sitta going through my head. I don't know if that's good or bad.

Had a kinda cheap but fun idea for the book today. Will I use it? You bet!

Still having fun and excited about doing it today.

I've gone for a walk and had a banana, so here I go.

1687 on the first day

2009-09-01T23:49:00.001-04:00

I'm happy and pleased and probably headed for a fall...

More tomorrow.

Kiss kiss

Community

2009-09-01T11:15:00.003-04:00

Can I just say how much I am looking forward to the show Community?

I have been waiting for years for Chevy Chase to fulfill his promise to me. To be funny and charming and comedy's Warren Beatty.

I know, I know. I will settle for funny.

We will do it together Chevy. You do that voodoo that you do so well; I shall sit back and rake in the funny.

Chris Baty

2009-09-01T09:06:00.003-04:00

Is one crazy mofo. He's the NaNoWriMo guy.

This month is my first attempt at writing a novel in 30 days.

I am literally shaking with anticipation. I know it won't be pretty next week, I mean, at least that what he says. And I think he knows what he's talking about.

So I will begin.

Just saying I would do it has given me a sense of purpose I didn't expect.

I held off writing, journaling, blogging, and such -like for awhile so I'd start relatively fresh.

So...here I go.

More Later.

Number One

2009-07-20T14:24:00.001-04:00

Bim Bim Goes
Trickbop

Juliabydulia

This is a new cartoon about Bim Bim the Monkey.

long time

2009-07-14T18:04:00.002-04:00

Okay, so it's been a while since I posted an entry. I have been assing around on Tumblr.

http://trickbop.tumblr.com/

I also have a spot at Posterous, which is a good place to blog and post pictures as well.

http://bricktopicus.posterous.com/

Also, Twitter at me, if you get the chance...

http://twitter.com/bricktop01

Yes, as you can see, I am all over the goddamn place. Which may explain why I am actually not anywhere.

As Harry Nilsson said, in The Point!... "A point in every direction is the same as no point at all."

Maybe I just need to settle my butt down and write write write. I am starting to read "No Plot? No Problem", which, as many folks already know, is by Chris Baty, creator of NaNoWriMo. I am writing a book with my writing partner, and damn but we're good at the procrastinating. I want to apply the book-in-a-month idea to us and our project.

So, instead of reading Baty's book, I am writing on here.

Insidious, ain't it?

Short Answer...

2009-06-30T15:03:00.003-04:00

for yesterday's question: NO.

As of today, the me from 10 years ago would not want to hear any of this mess from now. (Mental mess. Life otherwise is okay.)

Yes, in many many ways, things are much improved from then. Good and bad can always be found in my life. It's the focus, according to people I take wisdom from.

People from whom I take wisdom.

When I focus on the good things, I feel as if I have come through a lot, and I am out the other side, and it is a relief. I have six people in my life I love. I love them very strongly and want to do right by them. That is important.

Ten years ago I met someone who changed my life. This person continues to change my life. Change is good. A few people I know hate change. I like it a lot. Not that I throw a party every time something is altered in my life... It's just good for the crops to get a nice rotation going.

Right now today, I am upset by some changes. They have to be integrated. Or some things have to be discarded.

Hunch.com

2009-06-29T11:21:00.002-04:00

There is a new thing online called Hunch. It's pretty cool. It basically helps you make decisions. It asks questions. Some of them really make you think.

Would the person you were 10 years ago be happy with you today?

Skip this question

The Famous Among Us

2009-06-25T18:23:00.004-04:00

Now that Ed, Farrah, and Michael have passed, I am sad. Because no man is an island, and every death diminishes us a little bit.

These were folks who were in our lives for so long, and totally taken for granted, as if we would always have them there.

They were really famous, not just sort of famous.

Eras pass when things like this happen.

EC & the SCs

2009-06-11T20:13:00.003-04:00

1. "My Resistance is Low"
2. "My All Time Doll"
3. "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down"
4. "Stranger in the House"
5. "Our Little Angel"
6. "Femme Fatale"
7. "I Felt the Chill Before the Winter Came"
8. "Hidden Shame"
9. "The Delivery Man"
10. "The Butcher's Boy"
11. "Blame it on Cane"
12. "Indoor Fireworks"
13. "I Dreamed of My Old Lover"
14. "There's a Story in Your Voice"
15. "She Handed Me a Mirror"
16. (Brand new song)
17. "Everyday I Write the Book"
18. "She Was No Good"
19. "Little Palaces"
20. "Complicated Shadows"
21. "Down Among the Wine and Spirits"
22. "Brilliant Mistake"

Encore:
23. "Red Cotton"
24. "The Crooked Line"
25. "American Without Tears"
26. "Sulphur to Sugarcane"
27. "The Race is On"
28. "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes"

Elvis Costello June 9 2009 Red Bank NJ (Count Basie Theater)

I have been a fan of Elvis Costello's for many many years. I don't like to refer to age or place or time in this blog, but I am proud that I got in on the ground floor of this one and never let go.

I have had the distinct pleasure of seeing Elvis perform many many times. We're talkin' way into the double digits here, to quote Bette Midler. I say without hesitation he does not disappoint. He takes the temperature of the room the second he walks onstage and proceeds accordingly.

His new album is "Secret Profane and Sugarcane", and the band are bluegrass musicians, and very good. I've had conversations with casual fans who are vocal about not liking EC's "country stuff". I'm not getting on the soapbox about that. I just know I love Elvis' voice, and to have it showcased in folk/country songs is great.

He understands music, is very musical, tells stories, plays guitar, is a natty dresser, a smart man, and the beloved entertainer.

My favorite song on the new album so far is "She Handed Me a Mirror". Oh, and the version of "Everyday I Write the Book" he did at this concert is the best I've ever heard. I WANT IT. "Femme Fatale", the Lou Reed song, was wonderful. It was all good, a great concert, and we saw him after the show and my companion got an autograph, which was a thrill!

I have a wish that he will keep touring into his dotage. And I will go see him until my legs can't carry me anymore.

Cleaning

2009-05-18T12:43:00.002-04:00

I may have mentioned I have been cleaning the basement for a few days.

I hate to do it and I love to do it.

I have a need to put things in categories and have them all in one place.

It makes me feel better about life in general.

I think it has major psychological benefits. It's good to know where my stuff is and that I can put my hands on it if I want to.

I will evolve spiritually one day and not need half as much stuff. I promise.

For now, I am happy to weed and toss and decide what to keep and rediscover a few cool things and put other cool things in storage.

I have also mentioned that my Mom recently died.

She was a pack rat. More than a pack rat. she was a Rat King pack rat.

I have been going through her things along with my things in the basement.

It is emotional and weird.

She kept my childhood with her in her house. So I am sorting her life and my past.

I actually am surprised I am coherent.

Once you feel it's finished though, it's a good good feeling.

MF: 3

2009-05-15T01:53:00.002-04:00

This makes no sense to me whatsoever. I am beginning to believe she is a robot created by Maxim Magazine to think like a frat boy and look like a Real Doll.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Says Megan: "Olivia Wilde is so sexy she makes me want to strangle a mountain ox with my bare hands."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Megan Fox. Keep talking, dear.

She's At It Again

2009-05-12T18:23:00.004-04:00

Transformers beauty Megan Fox is attracted to women as well as men - but would never consider dating another bisexual female because she wouldn't want a male's "dirty" leftovers.

The actress - who has an on/off relationship with former Beverly Hills, 90210 actorBrian Austin Green - admits she is drawn to sexy women but would only sleep with a lesbian.

She tells Esquire magazine, "I have no question in my mind about being bisexual.

"But I'm also a hypocrite: I would never date a girl who was bisexual, because that means they also sleep with men, and men are so dirty that I'd never want to sleep with a girl who had slept with a man."

--------------------------------------------------------

Megan Fox is just so captivating!

I wish I'd said this. Evey one's repeating it down at the club.*

Whatta gal. Beauty and brains too!

(*I copped that from Groucho Marx.)

MF

2009-05-08T18:20:00.004-04:00

(This excerpt is taken from MSNBC.com)

-- She's a staple in men's magazines and was named FHM's Sexiest Woman in the World for 2008. But Megan Fox says she doesn't know how to deal with the attention.

"If you know how to take control of (being a sex symbol), then it can be powerful," the actress, 22, tells Esquire in its June issue. "But I have no idea how to handle it yet, how to deal with it."

Still, the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" star, who graces the magazine's cover flashing a black garter belt, says she has a plan — and knows exactly what she's not going to do.

"I don't want to have to be like a Scarlett Johansson — who I have nothing against," she says, "but I don't want to have to go on talk shows and pull out every single SAT word I've ever learned to prove, like, 'Take me seriously, I am intelligent, I can speak.' I don't want to have to do that. I resent having to prove that I'm not a retard — but I do. And part of it is my own fault.

"I'm just really confident sexually, and I think that sort of oozes out of my pores," she adds. "It's just there. It's something I don't have to turn on."

-------------------------------------------------------

There are so many of us who can relate to this, so many of us women, spelled W-O-M-A-N, and if you are one who relates, then you know who you are...I can understand why Megan Fox is such a popular figure. I'm eagerly awaiting her write-up in next month's Ms, and the bio they will surely do of her in Discover. Not to mention The Economist.

Her sensitivity to the developmentally challenged is second to none, and that is admirable.

Which of us hasn't hated it when we feel we are forced to used big words around people to express ourselves? I know I am.

Listen, the sexuality oozing...? It's a problem. Spilling out all over, hindering people trying to get a good look at her cerebellum...We can relate, Megan. We feel your automatic sexiness. Use the handicapped ramp if it'll help. Anything to make it a little easier for you to get through the days. The long sexy intellectual out-of-control garter belted days.

That's why Megan Fox is my Friday Feckwit.

Writing Prompts

2009-05-07T08:40:00.002-04:00

Here are some writing prompts to stimulate your imagination:

(I get credit if a novel comes out of one of these!)

--------------------------------

Uncle Ed will never know, she thought, about the box of entrails I keep in the closet....

It was a bright and surprisingly clear night....

Stephen King? Why would Stephen King be calling me? Here?

As she wrenched the pencil sharpener off the classroom wall, she felt a strength she had never known...

The dog glared at him.

Living. Loving. She's just a woman.

Into each life some duds do stroll...

How could a toilet, a common house commode, have followed me here? Where did it get the address?

This is not for me, Sister Clarissa thought, as she began the tumbling routine from the top...

I sat and sat and sat and still Monday Night Football did not come on. Then I remembered it was Saturday.

My dear girl, he quipped wryly, did you not notice the noose when you walked onto the lanai?

How many times could one person win Wimbledon? The years bore him out.

------------------------------------------

Use these at the start of a story, in the middle, as a last line even!

Share your (short short) stories in the comments!

Writing is fun.

Basement tapes

2009-05-02T23:41:00.002-04:00

Cleaning out the basement today!

Hey, what could be more fun? A LOT of video tapes and cassette tapes...a lot of memories.

I always always start out strong, and get a headache, and have unpleasant feelings associated with childhood memories, and want to quit. But I don't.

We made a big dent. Plan to do more tomorrow.

To be continued....

Last Day of BEDA

2009-04-30T19:01:00.002-04:00

"The HonestScrap award comes with a caveat or two. Firstly, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Secondly, you have to tag 10 people with the award.”

1. I wish I had a lab in my basement as big as Dexter's from "Dexter's Lab", no nosy sister like Dee Dee, and I wish I was as happy turning a screw with a wrench as he has been.

2. I wish I had the money to live in New York City in high style.

3. I am a natural redhead

4. My temper gets me into trouble on many occasions.

5. I have often pretended to like things I do not like for a very good reason.

6. I don't give out personal details on the Internet; some of these are very personal.

7. My worries can be very molehill -like and I frequently make them into mountains.

8. My mother & grandmother recently died within 2 weeks of one another.

9. Guilt keeps me up some nights.

10. When I said that I was lying I might have been lying.

Okay. Consider yourself tagged, those of you who read this and have a blog!

The Cube

2009-04-29T13:00:00.003-04:00

I copped this from JuliaBydulia's blog "I never met a giraffe I didn't like". She's cool. You should check her out.

She copped it from a vlog, nerimon's, who is Alex Day, and he is vlogging every day in April.

He's cool. You should check him out.

This is one of those "personality tests". Here is Wikipedia's entry on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cube_(game)

It's had a book devoted to it, as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Cube-Keep-Secret-Annie-Gottlieb/dp/0062512668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241024988&sr=1-1

AND...it's in a deleted scene from the film "Serendipity".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240890/

So, here goes:

Picture a desert landscape.

Picture a cube in this landscape.

Picture a ladder. Put it in the landscape.

Picture a horse. Put it in there.

Then there is a storm. Where is it in relation to your scene?

Now, flowers. Place them in your scene.

That's it. The thing about these "tests" is, when you do it, it's done, and can't be done again.

So, here is the interpretation:

----

-----

----------

---------------

The Cube: You

The Ladder: Friends

The Horse: Lover

or some one or some thing you love

Storm: Troubles

Flowers: Children

your children, or creative endeavours

So obviously, the size and shape of your cube represents how you think of yourself.

The ladder... do your friends lean on you, do you feel they are a burden? Etc...

How close is the horse to your cube? What does the horse look like?

(Those with dirty minds may want to "reign" themselves in on this one...hyulk.)

Where is the storm? Swirling around you? Far away? Inside you??

How did you picture the flowers, how many were there, were they blooming nicely?

This makes a great game to play with friends, or with some one you are getting to know... a date? Risky, I guess, but revealing!

(Oh, and I will tell my answers if asked.)

Things I Am Afraid Of

2009-04-28T11:22:00.003-04:00

Things of which I am afraid:

Bad grammar

Swine Flu (Say it like Inspector Clouseau!)

Death

Brown recluse spiders

Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome

Being haunted by my grandmother

Being challenged to a duel by Andrew Jackson

and all that that entails

They will cancel Breaking Bad

Alzheimer's

Being misunderstood

Losing the loves in my life

Getting so fat

not P H A T... F F F A T T T

(with apologies to Z. Galifianakis)

Getting so thin

Hunger

Having to live on the street as everyone abandons me for being so obnoxious

and I have no way to make money because...I have no way to make money

Having someone move into my cardboard box when I am out getting food scraps

Zombies

Fundamentalist Christians

(sorry for the double post there)

Stroke

Parkinson's Disease

Waking up with some one's face right up to mine

(doubly so if it is Gage from Pet Sematary)

Meeting people

Talking to strangers on the phone

Hospitals

Global warming

My sugar intake

Not exercising enough

Exercising too much

Bruce Willis

(really just afraid of going to prison after I smack that insufferable grin off his bald headed face)

Going to prison

Having a human -like duck about the height of my knees waddle swiftly down the hall of my house

Being ignored on Twitter

Not blogging every f%$@*ing day in April

Bumper Sticker

2009-04-27T19:03:00.002-04:00

I first saw this particular bumper sticker in my old neighborhood several years ago.

"All Men Are Idiots and I Married Their King"

I laughed at it then and said I thought it was a good one.

I still see it around periodically, and I still laugh at it. Now some questions are raised in my mind.

Who is this woman? She's one gutsy lady if you ask me.

I am assuming her husband is literate.

This may be a conclusion I'm jumping to, but let's go with it.

I also assume he sees her car on a regular basis.

Do his friends see it too?

Maybe they are the "idiots" and they do, in fact, acknowledge him as their "king".

If not, I think that puts him in an awkward position.

It takes guts to put your opinions out there for all fellow travelers to see.

I like the insulting bumper stickers. Hey, car behind me, I don't know you at all, but, eff you!

As if merely driving behind this person makes you inferior.

Then if you have an insulting sticker and you pass them, you win!

The sticker in question, though-- the "my spouse is stupid" one -- is telling the world a brave brave gal sacrificed her dignity and married an "idiot".

Does she realize she is The Queen of the Idiots?

Thought for the Day

2009-04-26T20:22:00.002-04:00

If only family and friends read your blog, it's an exercise in mental masturbation.

The Treachery of Images

2009-04-25T20:28:00.006-04:00

Rene and georgette magritte
With their dog after the war
Returned to their hotel suite
And they unlocked the door
Easily losing their evening clothes
They danced by the light of the moon
To the penguins, the moonglows
The orioles, and the five satins
The deep forbidden music
They'd been longing for
Rene and georgette magritte
With their dog after the war

Rene and georgette magritte
With their dog after the war
Were strolling down christopher street
When they stopped in a men's store
With all of the mannequins dressed in the style
That brought tears to their immigrant eyes
Just like the penguins, the moonglows
The orioles, and the five satins
The easy stream of laughter
Flowing through the air
Rene and georgette magritte
With their dog apres la guerre
Side by side
They fell asleep
Decades gliding by like indians
Time is cheap
When they wake up they will find
All their personal belongings
Have intertwined
Oh rene and georgette magritte
With their dog after the war
Were dining with the power elite
And they looked in their bedroom drawer
And what do you think
They have hidden away
In the cabinet cold of their hearts?
The penguins, the moonglows
The orioles, and the five satins
For now and ever after
As it was before
Rene and georgette magritte
With their dog after the war

(Lyrics by Paul Simon)

Magritte is one of my favorite painters.

"This is not a pipe."

Well, can you smoke it?

Continuing somewhat from my post yesterday, this is an image.

Do we change the way we read IMs and Tweets and blogs based on what we know about the person writing? Their age? Their picture?

I say of course we do.

Is it better to just read it and form an opinion? Does comedy come from knowing the image and playing with it? Not all comedy. I like comedy that comes from knowing a character and playing to type or against type.

What does it say that I like Magritte? Sky and clouds are alright by me?

What would you do if a steam train came out of your fireplace, eh, ese?

Or you had an apple permanently obscuring your face?

Things to pause and ponder.

Or what if men with umbrellas came down instead of raindrops?

The shock of recognition. The surprise of what you think you know.

The Human Condition

Some Women on the Internet

2009-04-24T23:02:00.003-04:00

...think they are too cute. And guys on the Internet fall for it everytime.

A gal can call herself SexyGirl69 and she will get all the cyber attention she can stand. She may not be sexy, she may not 69, she may not even be a girl! Doesn't matter. Avalanche of guys.

I'm not complaining. I don't put my picture online. This may be because I'm disfigured. Or I think I'm unattractive, or old. Maybe I'm in the witness protection program. Or I believe photographs steal a piece of my soul.

I like the anonymity of the Internet. I like people relating to my mind.

I do have a lot of resentment towards women who get cutsey, in real life and online.

I don't like them getting the attention for that.

You know, "How shall I end this tweet? Oh, I know...colon dash parenthesis parenthesis parenthesis...um...parenthesis! Yay!"

"I'm so petite I can barely see over the steering wheel of my Prius!"

"I'm a scary little munchkin when I get mad!"

"I'm just about regular height in my heels, which I wear all the time! Hee hee."

"I wanted to be a ballarina but I'm just too topheavy! {{ wink }}"

I could go on. Snark much. Yes, thank you.

Intermittent Installments: movie answers person

2009-04-23T17:08:00.003-04:00

Dear Movie Answers Person,

Is there any truth to the rumor that a stagehand hung himself from a tree on the set of The Wizard of Oz? And they filmed it? And you can see him back there hanging? And they kept filming? And no one thought to stop filming for one effing second so they could get him down from there and let him die in peace and not be filmed?

(Although that must have been his aim, to have lots of people see him die. He must have really had it in for someone. Was he secretly dating Margaret Hamilton or something?)

(Cause I know if I had been dating her I'd prolly want to do myself in. She acted like such a witch!)

Is there any truth to this rumor? I've always wondered. Also, I have a bet on this. If I am right (I think it's one of those Urban Legends) a certain someone in my life will be my slave for a week! If I am wrong, I have to clean out this certain person's cesspool for as long as I live, or as needed.

As you can see, I am most interested in this answer!

Thanks in advance,

Querulous in Albuquerque

Dear QIA,

Why do people always thank me in advance? How do you know I'll pick your loser of a question?

This week, I'll be answering this question, you lucky dog!

Yes. It is true.

Frighteningly over budget, behind schedule and with the studio breathing down their necks, the producers and directors and writers and midgets of TWOO watched as Sparky Whizzer braided a rope, threw the rope around a prop tree branch, placed the noose around his neck and hung himself during the heartwarming "We're Off to See the Wizard" number, beloved by schoolchildren everywhere. They say it took 5 hours for him to die. Exactly the time it took, coincidentally, to film this charming ditty. (Bolger kept leading with his left. In another coincidence, that's the precise reason why he was brought before The House Committee on Un-American Activities a few years later.)

So keep your eyes peeled, next time you gather the family around the TV for this children's classic! You just might spot ole' Sparky and get to wave goodbye to him one more time!

Love and kisses in the dark,

The Movie Answers Person

PS --Have fun scrubbing!

Drawing

2009-04-22T23:05:00.003-04:00

75 Ways to Draw More by Michael Nobbs

Old Moleskinerie friend Michael Nobbs is sharing a delightful little downloadable.

I've made a small booklet called 75 Ways to Draw More which I'm encouraging people to download and make (via Flickr )

The book contains 75 light-hearted ideas for getting people to draw more. There will be a Flickr group of the same name in a week or two where people will be able post drawings made in response to the book.

Thanks Michael!

From moleskinerie.com

---------------------------------------------------

I saw this today and really enjoyed it. I think of myself as a non-draw -er. I get good ideas for pictures or scenes, but feel I could never get them the way they are in my brain. You know, who hasn't wanted to put pen to paper and capture for posterity a self-portrait of themselves conquering a grizzly bear colony bent on destroying unicorns? As it is, commissioning these pictures is bankrupting me.

i like it when someone tells me I can draw. Go ahead! Even if you think it's bad! Just let go and express yourself!

I want to follow the instructions in the book mentioned above.

Let's all try to draw more. I promise I will.

I Can't Think of Anything to Blog Today....

2009-04-21T21:31:00.005-04:00

So here is a video of a mob of people dancing:

Maria Bamford interview excerpt

2009-04-20T18:21:00.007-04:00

By Kyle Ryan April 20, 200

Maria Bamford is one of those comedians whose “real” personality seems mysterious. In her act, she shifts through personas and voices—her parents, bitchy former classmates, airheads, co-workers, monsters, Alicia Keys—so seamlessly and with such pitch-perfect imitation that it’s easy to think Bamford is 100 percent vessel, 0 percent real person. Of course, those numbers are way off—it’s 50-50, at least. In real life, Bamford comes across as far happier and more “together” than her obsessive onstage alter ego.

That’s hard-won, as she describes on her new CD, Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome. The title references a real disorder that plagued Bamford for most of her life. She’s mined the pathos in her material to great effect, but she isn’t joking when she describes how paralyzing the problem was. In the liner notes of the CD, Bamford writes, “I was unable to sleep at night for fear of being a rapist or a murderer or a genocider, and would have constant anxious thoughts of doing those things—to friends, family, babies, kitties, etc.—and it was especially powerful the more taboo or inappropriate the situation.” Like, say, shitting on the altar while yelling “I am a Promise Keeper!” in a church. She describes it in great detail on “Free Clinic,” one of the new album’s highlights that’s also a staggering look at the very real problems that dominated Bamford’s life for so long. Just before Unwanted Thoughts Syndromewas released, The A.V. Club spoke to Bamford about bad thoughts, recording albums, and the Nigerian man who posed as her on Facebook.

From The Onion AV Club

http://www.avclub.com/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do not have this syndrome. REPEAT: I do NOT have this syndrome.

But now I'm afaid I will get it.

I am a fan of Maria's. She is a gifted comedian.

http://tinyurl.com/dcaawg

Check her out in The Comedians of Comedy. She makes me laugh, but what do I do now? I'm afraid of having Unwanted Thoughts.

Life was better before I knew this exsisted.

My Unwanted Thought is I might have UTS.

Yikes.

Intermittent Installments: cartoons

2009-04-19T23:09:00.004-04:00

I like cartoons. I have liked them for many years, but I only just realized how much I like them. And how many I like.

This is a still from "One Froggy Evening". A Warner Bros. cartoon that I feel is the classic cartoon.

Chuck Jones. He's one of the best. This never fails to make me smile, and I still laugh out loud at it after a lot of years.

No dialog, great songs. The facial expressions and physical comedy are textbook examples of what animation should be.

Made in 1955, it is timeless, and there is no reason for it not to remain timeless. One of the songs: "The Michigan Rag" was written expressly for this short. I thought for years it was another older song the frog sings.

A nightclub singer from the fifties named Bill Roberts provides the voice of the frog, and I love the juxtaposition of the looks of the frog, and this robust, raucus singing voice. I wish Bill Roberts was my friend. I would ask him to break out "I'm Just Wild About Harry" at random moments. That would be great.

How wonderful is the poor guy who finds the frog? Tell me you can't relate to this schlemiel.

Seek out "One Froggy Evening". Watch it. Remind yourself what a funny cartoon it is.

Introduce yourself to it if you don't know it's charms.

New Zealand: Give it a go.

2009-04-18T11:39:00.005-04:00

These two guys are the group Flight of the Conchords. Jemaine is on the left, Brett is on the right.

I'm going to see them tonight in concert.

They are from New Zealand; however, I will be seeing them in the good old U S of A.

Here are Brett and Jemaine and Kristen Schaal. She is in the center. Kristen will be opening for Flight of the Conchords.

I first got to know these fine people when I saw their show on HBO.

I was hurting after The Sopranos went off. Hurting bad.

Larry David helped somewhat, but I thought I would never find a show to look forward to on HBO the way I looked forward to The Sopranos.

Oh, and Deadwood. Dammit! Deadwood!! Or I guess I should say dagnabit, Deadwood. Anyway, I usually swear like Swearingen about it, but I'll spare you that blue-aired tirade.

And so it was that I turned to Flight of the Conchords, because my housemate turned to it, and I couldn't get hold of the remote.

I watched the show for about 5 minutes, and loved it. Brett and Jemaine are funny, talented, and cute. And apparently, Porn For Women.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frankie-thomas/a-eulogy-for-flight-of-th_b_177431.html

So, as you can imagine, I am looking forward to the show tonight.

WOO-woo!

Five Remembrances

2009-04-17T13:23:00.003-04:00

From The Buddha:

I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way escape ill health.

I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.

There is no way to escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.

My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

There. Doesn't that feel better?

When you first read this, it's terrifyingly scary. I know, I was scared too. Still am.

It's all true, though. It does feel better to read, and say it, and believe it.

It's the nature of fire to burn. It's our nature to change.

What do we do when we find out we can't hold on to what makes us feel good?

When we find out something we counted on is shifting away?

How consistent are we in our interactions? Do we pay attention to that?

How many questions can we ask ourselves in a day?

Those of you reading this, please answer in the comments: Do you ask yourself these things?

You Will Go To The Moon

2009-04-16T14:02:00.003-04:00

http://tinyurl.com/crvgfg

When I was a young girl, I read this book.

Quite adamantly, it told me, I would go to the moon.

Inside there are drawings of space stations and modules, and there is a boy, in a spacesuit, traveling to the moon.

I took it as a given, reading this before bed, that when I was a little older, I would make that trip. I was aware there were no space stations or colonies on the moon. I figured, I'd just have to be patient. I was pretty certain they were working on them up there as fast as they could.

Check out the cover of the book. There is a rocket launching from someone's backyard! That's the future right there. Moonlight rocket flights from neighborhood gardens and flying cars! I expected these things.

I never believed I would see a fox in socks, or eat green eggs and ham on a train in the rain, or go on a honey hunt with friendly bears...but this book seemed so non-fiction. Very documentary and matter of fact.

I guess I'm trying to decide if I am disappointed in what has become of my future, at least transportation-wise. At this point I may opt out of moon shots, I will admit. Although playing chess as in-flight entertainment is very tempting, with the panorama of endless blackness and stars and meteors before us...

I would still really like a flying car, though.

http://www.davidniallwilson.com/the-necronomicon/icon-21-eyeroll

Thanks to David Niall Wilson for the inspiration.

Tax Day

2009-04-15T16:39:00.002-04:00

Death and taxes. The Man once said, I don't have to do anything in my life but die, be white and pay taxes. Woody Allen once said he believed in "Sex and death. Two things that come along once in life. But at least after death you're not nauseous." George Harrison wrote about the Tax Man.

Audit. The word sends a cold chill down the spine.

I knew someone who always filed for an extension. She never sent her taxes in on time.

It's a procrastinator's nightmare.

Or would that be a procrastinator's dream, because it's such a good thing to procrastinate about?

Our taxes are done and sent in this year.

America is a land of taxation that was founded to avoid taxation. ~Laurence J. Peter

I am glad I am an American. I just don't like all the math.

Blog Haters

2009-04-14T20:50:00.002-04:00

Some "people" think "blogging" is "stupid".

(BTW-- I prefer the term "Blogging-American" to blogger.)

Someone close to me has a habit of denigrating blogs and blogging.

Those who cannot do, teach. Those who cannot express themselves in complete sentences, badmouth the blogs.

No one has to subscribe to this, or read it, or worry about it....unless of course they love fine literature.

But that's just me.

So to those who make absolute fun of blogs....try blogging and have some absolute fun of your own!

Okay, sorry, that was bad.

Personal to "John":

P O O O O O P

11th Hour

2009-04-13T23:53:00.004-04:00

I procrastinated today and this is where it gets me.

A lot of things happened over this holiday long weekend, and now comes the aftermath.

I will have a let-down feeling tomorrow as all gets back to "normal", even though it was a lovely time these past few days.

When I see a lot of people, or new people, my thoughts and everything I said & did swirl around my head.

It will all sift out like when you're making a cake from scratch.

For now, I will try to quiet myself and watch it all get sorted.

Thank you family & friends for making my life livable.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T14:22:00.003-04:00

I've done many different things in my life on this day. A lot of them centered around religion.

Usually involving singing in choirs or teaching Sunday school.

I remember one year I reunited with an intermittent boyfriend. We called it the second coming.

Sunrise services in a park at around 35 degrees farenheit. Again, singing. "Warm -ups" take on a whole new meaning in that case.

Searching for eggs, and then, later in time, hiding the eggs to be searched.

Telling kids a bunny hid eggs and baskets full of chocolate & jelly beans. Did I ever actually believe that?

Telling kids a man died a long time ago because his father wanted him to, then came back to life, to pay for stuff they did wrong. Did I actually believe that?

These days I wait for the touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar to come to town. The one with Ted Neeley as JC. It inspires me. I want to ask others if they've heard the Good News ....about Ted. He keeps on playing Jesus. He is steadfast. You can count on him. He is 66 years old.

I'll repeat that: 66.

He comes out on that stage and heals the sick actors and feeds the hungry actors, and preaches to the curious actoers and I believe it! I believe in him! He comes on and belts out "Gethsemane", Jesus' big number, and we are all 25 again!

Then, every night...well, every show night... he gets crucified!

Jesus only had to do it once!!

Oh, I sincerely believe in Ted Neeley.

I believe he is out there, dying for my sins again, night after night.

I am so thankful to him.

Happy Easter, Ted.

Holy Saturday, Batman!

2009-04-11T14:23:00.002-04:00

Sometimes antiques look like this.

I like antique shops and house sales.

Yesterday, a few of us visited an antique shop. I usually go to shops away from home. This one was right down the street.

Sometimes antiques look like this:

I go to these stores with my Dad.

(This gentleman pictured above is not my dad. He is Richard Dunn.)

Antiquing away from where you live is an insight into a different area and different people.

Going to the shop down the street reminds you of your childhood.

I am lost in nostalgia today.

2009-04-10T10:41:00.002-04:00

I think this picture says it all.

I've heard some people think we are all gay, some part of us, inside.

There are definitely women I love. I haven't been in love with one, though.

Yet.

However, I am so happy about the states which have legalized gay marriage!

Vermont, Massachusets, Connecticut, and Iowa. I just want to see the wave keep going, sweeping along.

I am so proud of the U.S. when things like this happen.

April 9

2009-04-09T23:23:00.003-04:00

It's April, and cold as balls round these parts.

I like Spring to stay Spring. Warm balmy breezes and the like.

I have a friend who likes a little chill in the air, but not me. We argue about it. We really face off and get into it. In public, too. We actually argue more than is healthy for two women, especially since weather is the thing nobody can do anything about. Except dress appropriately, of course.

Yes, I become preoccupied with weather. And as I said, it's unpredictable in April around here.

I'd like to go outside more frequently without risking frostbite.
And that is my blog post for today, just in under the wire, after 11:30PM.

5. What can I learn from this?

2009-04-08T22:11:00.002-04:00

Put it this way:

Some people learn from everything.
Some people learn from nothing.

If you learn from it, you learn.
If you don't learn from it, you learn.

Some people like Alanis Morrisette, some people don't.

Mounds or Almond Joy. It's your choice.

Degree Absolute

2009-04-07T09:05:00.005-04:00

4. What's my end game?

I have a problem understanding the word "endgame". It's just one of those words I have trouble keeping in my head. It is recognized as a chess term, and a Beckett play. One definition says it is "the final stage of an extended process or course of events." In chess, it is "the final stage of a chess game after most of the pieces have been removed from the board."

It sounds algebraic to me, and that means everybody panic, here comes math.So, thinking about this, for me, was more complicated than the previous three.

When I'm stuck in a situation and it has hooked me, irritating, enraging, it helps to ask this question.

Similar to: would I rather be right or happy?

Will arguing for my point until I'm blue help me or hurt me?

If I fume about my absolute rightness for hours, or even days, will it change anything? And will I get a prize for the longest rant? Or will I just make me and everyone in my vicinity miserable?

My agitation will just confuse me and irritate others. Until we are all in a stew of our own juices, marinating in displeasure.

If someone asked if that is truly how you want to spend your day, would you say yes?

Is your endgame sitting there alone, muttering about how right you are to the gathering shadows?

When I think of the term "endgame" I think of the great TV show from Britain, "The Prisoner". If you haven't seen it, the original from the 60s, starring Patrick McGoohan, it's worth it to seek out.Not only is it one of the true pleasures in life to see McGoohan on screen in anything, it's just a terrific show. Bizarre and engrossing.

The final episodes are so unbalancing and thought-provoking, and they are what bring "endgame" to mind.

For 15 episodes, Number 6 has been insisting to everyone who'll listen, he is not a number, he is a free man! In the final installments, he finds out what freedom is.

So, what is your endgame?

Are you a number? Are you happy?

Do you know what your happiness looks like?

Do you know how to be a "free man"?

Can you let go of the outcome and step back to see what's keeping you a prisoner?

Thankful

2009-04-06T09:10:00.003-04:00

3. What am I grateful for?

A few friends and I were watching Herzog's "Rescue Dawn" last night, a film about POWs in the Vietnam war. One companion made the comment, inevitable when you see this sort of suffering and survival, that we take a lot for granted in our lives.

I got out of bed this morning, a nice comfy bed, used the bathroom, then rushed back under the covers. The heat is off and a window is partially open, so I felt that ice- shivery chill as I pulled the comforter over me and gradually warmed up. In those few seconds, I was so grateful for the warmth of the bed and my room. I can't comprehend the deprivations of POWs. Take away my blankies, I am a whiney, quivering heap on the floor.

When we forget to be grateful we lose a little of that sense of wonder at the world.

Wow, I'm thankful I don't have to type this on a typewriter...can you imagine (or remember) all that would entail?

I'm thankful I can publish this, for free, on the web. I don't have to hand it out as a leaflet on a streetcorner or yell it from a soapbox.

Some may wonder, who am I grateful to?

Good question!

I am grateful to those who help me, for experiences I learn from, for love I feel from wherever I can feel it.

"Counting blessings" is a cliche, it's true. It's a comforting thought, and it encourages me to want to be a "blessing" for someone else.

Blog Every Day April ....really, Maureen Johnson, really?

2009-04-05T12:08:00.004-04:00

Number 2: Who can help me?

Continuing from yesterday, in case you thought I left you hanging...

When you have stepped in a muddle, (that's mine, but you can use it) another question to ask is, who can help me?

Some people hate to ask, even hate to admit they need help. I have never been that proud. (I ask for help when I do not technically need it. It's like I am stockpiling help. Assistance is welcome. Why don't you come up and help me sometime?)

It doesn't have to be a literal push. Think of someone you admire. Imagine a character from fiction. Would something they have help get you through? The zing you get from your favorite novel, or song, or film may be the spark you need.

What Would Col. Kurtz Do?

Okay, not the greatest example. Although if it's self-defeating thoughts we're talking about, maybe it is best to exterminate the brutes.

Blog Every Day April

2009-04-04T11:46:00.000-04:00

(Except April 1st, 2nd, & 3rd) !

1. What else can this mean?

2. Who can help me?

3. What am I grateful for?

4. What's my end game?

5. What can I learn from this?

I read this list on a website a little while ago. I just now tried to Google it up again and can't find the original posting. It is not my idea. I just try to use it every day.

For many years I have been interested in, for lack of a better word, religions. The devices & disciplines we use to find comfort in our lives. At first, this was because I was raised Methodist and just went to church because everyone else I knew went to church. Then it morphed and deformed into extreme curiousity about how other people do it.

"Do it." Meaning everything. Extreme curiousity about other people's lives. Where they put the couch, how they argue with a friend, what they worship, what gets them through the night.

Me, personally? I have settled on Buddhism. I am still learning and do not claim expertise.

I like these 5 questions listed above. I like comfort systems which use questions. I like to get them in there, and let them bubble up.

Number 1: What else can this mean?

I'm stuck on something, something hooked into me. I took a comment about me that was not too flattering to heart. Someone pulls out in front of me as I drive. I cannot get the last stupid argument I had out of my head. Insert your nagging irritation here.

So...what else can this mean?

Basically, it means the focus isn't always on me. Drivers are not conspiring to piss me off. My headaches are not all brain tumors. Sometimes a banana is just a banana, Anna.

Even if my alternate reason is slightly silly, what helps is just to change perspective and step back and ask....what else can this mean?