Try the whine. It was a very good month.
I'll give it a 7, but I can't dance to it.

Planning my annual Christmas party for residents, recent high utilities and taxes have resulted in a drastically reduced budget for food/drinks/door prizes. This pains me. The people who have been such great and loyal tenants year 'round deserve a little token of esteem at the very least.

I called up people at several local arts, concert and sporting venues and got more than 3 dozen comped tickets for major events donated from these generous facilities. Thrilled that I'd be able to possibly have enough for everyone in attendance to win at least one pair of tickets, I crowed to the owner of the company, thinking he'd be pleased. He said "that's all very well, but please don't put your own name in the drawing."

Thank you, Captain Obvious!

Excuse me-- last I checked, I'm being compensated for my time and efforts. My concern was that the residents should feel we'd made some small effort to treat them to some enjoyable event to which they could take a pal or a significant other. Why, oh why would I want to horn in on the very gifts I sought to give them?

More disturbing, how can someone know me for this many years and be so obtuse as to think I would licentiously elbow in on goodies I actively sought for someone else? Then again, perhaps the only intention was to insult me.

Well done on that score.

SHOPPING REPORT

Several people have asked where I came up with those nutty checks by the artist Shag. Well, I got them from Message! Products, and they have a couple other featured offbeat artists, as well, but you really have to know where to look for them.

You can see Shag's style is that sort of tiki/lounge/voodoo effect.

There are also checks by an artist called Kozik. LOVE the pig with the knife. Yes, these checks can be yours!

Tell your bill payment centers what you really think of them. Dear electric company...

IMPORTANT QUESTION - OPINIONS NEEDED:

I'm about to send in my app for my chl. Larry Bartek told our class we all should be meticulous in the presentation of materials in the packet we must send in. He said you don't want to give the paper shuffler any reason to reject your application, because it may make the process take even longer or result in you not being granted your license altogether.

This got me to thinking.

I put my packet together this weekend and slipped the check in. Then I suddenly was given to wonder if the printed decoration on my check might result in a rejection of my application because they may conclude I'm barking mad. Think about it this way: some $5 an hour public employee paper shuffler is more than likely one of Obama's athletic supporters, and may be disinclined to look favorably upon this process from the git-go.

To wit, here is the check company's display image of my checks:

The artist is Shag and the picture is called Wives with Knives. A bunch of shriners are sitting around drinking cocktails whilst watching a too-many-armed blue hoochie mama dancer who has bombs in each hand and their wives are at the door with knives obviously upset that their men are having a good time looking at some lady with a better hairdo. One might conclude wimmins is violent, or something.

The big question: Should I go ahead and send it in as written with my check, or should I get a cashier's check just to be sure? Like I said, I don't want my arty pretensions to shoot me in the foot, here.

Okay, so this old graveyard in Aurora Texas supposedly holds the remains of a pilot who crashed an alien spaceship here in 1897. Yup. THis is an official state historical marker, dated 1976.

I looked around a bit, saw a lot of mid to late 19th century graves in the front section of the graveyard, but didn't notice any spaceman graves. Perhaps if you visit the place at night, one of them glows. Still, as with any place of historic significance, it's the state-generated plaque one really came to see, right? Remember the Alamo? They have a plaque. But no basement.

Whaddayaknow if YouTube doesn't have something on this place. In comments, Holly said

"Aurora, Texas" recorded by Allen Damron is a most excellent song telling the
story of the alien ship that crashed into Judge Proctor's windmill.

Couldn't find Mr. Damron's song on YouTube, but I did find this bit:

Teaser:

Sunday was a glorious day. Within a 2 hour drive of Dallas, there's a rich panoply of photo subjects. Will elaborate more on tomorrow's post. (or not).

But saw this incredible rock on a building clad in petrified wood. Looks like sandstone, looks like two lovers to me. Klimt would approve.

I think they are kissing.

Saturday was a good day.

Chuy went for his last puppy shots. Got my oil changed. Took a guitar lesson. Bids on my ebay crap went up by $100 so that's $100 more to make up for what I spent on my geetar. Yays!

You know how you let the email pile up in your in box? Well, one of the problems of buying your camera a card with a jillion chiggerbites of memory is that stuff will stack up on you and it's a bear to sort through. Now the memory card in the camera is empty, and I've got new photos for the Diorama, which I have sorely neglected for yonks. Anyhoo, the main thing is that's thousands of photos I won't be carrying around in my camera next time. It feels lighter already!

Here's a little green bottle type wasp I snapped in October. It was brilliantly colored, but impossibly tiny. You can see it next to a Varsity disposable fountain pen nib to get an idea of the scale. Click either picture to embiggenate. Nifty stuff. (The reason I was able to photograph this little guy is I came outside and found him awash in the doggies' water bowl, so I fished him out and he hung around on this concrete wall long enough for me to run get my camera while he dried.

One of these days I'll get a better handle on the intricacies of my camera. Was going to liken my camera skill set to the Wright Brothers suddenly manning the helm of a 747, but I think to do so would be to insult Mssrs. Orville and Wilbur. Oh well, one of these days...

Today will be a gorgeous day. I hope get a picture of a Texas graveyard with an 19th century alien grave. Srsly. Pictures tomorrow. :) Watch this space.

Fluevog of the day: Here's one of my oldest pair of 'Vogs still in circulation. Yes, they're gold. Yes, they're pearly. They are Michaels from John Fluevog's Angel series with the Original Angelic Sole, 100% Natural, Biodegradable, Resoleable. Resists alkali, water, acid, fatigue and Satan*. Got these shoes about 13 years ago at a shop in Austin. I have these same shoes in black/burgundy and brown/forest, but the pearly gold ones have a special place in my heart.

Step righteous over here, brothers and sisters.

OMG! Just remembered. Looking at these shoes, I was thinking I wore them to England once. I sprained my ankle in them while I was there. (*I recommend these for everything but cobblestones after too long at the pub) I was also wearing these when approached by a Cockney foot fetishist and I really can't tell that story in print because you've just got to hear the accent to really appreciate it.

No one seemed to want me to get a clear picture of these shoes, for some reason. Praline didn't want me to get a clear shot, and yes, the buttress flying through the other photo is Chu-man fu, who's going to get his 15 week shots today. What's really cool is one of the techs at my vet's office rescued a little female who was Chuy's littermate, so when I take him in, they get to romp a bit. She's a very cute girl, but, of course, I got the real gem from that litter.

Have a great Saturday!

In a perfect world, there would be a cigar bar in a former church called Holy Smokes.

There also would be a diner run by a couple named Sam and Ella which would specialize in undercooked pork, questionable eggs and dubious potaters.

There would be a landscaping company run by shade-tree law enforcement officers and it would be called Lawn Order.


That is all.

Um I'll take "Tacky Stuff" for $2000, Alex.

Went over to Oak Cliff to get some Diorama photos a few days back. Went by the Texas Theater on Jefferson Avenue. For those of you who don't know, Texas Theater was where one Lee Harvey was nabbed some 45 years ago. They've redone the sign, which is great - I think it's a lovely theater, actually.

Anyhoo, it's got landmark status, no doubt, and now some arts and theatrical events are being held there.

Anyhoo, apparently on November 22, Oliver Stone's JFK was screened there. I dunno - struck me as a little odd, as in of questionable taste.

Breda did a broadcast sort of meme tag, and I'll take the bait, all the while feeling guilty that I owe a response to a Brigid tag,which I rilly will get to soon!

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped. Never will.
12. Visited Paris. Uh, does having a layover at Orly count? If so, hated it.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Working on guitar, now.
15. Adopted a child. rescued one very noble and virile chiweenie
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Have been to Skye, but who knows where all the others were from?
35. Seen an Amish community. I'm guessing Mennonites count
36. Taught yourself a new language. Have made a study of geek for the past 14ish years.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Have had a lot of money, and it doesn't satisfy in the way one expects. True satisfaction can not possibly come from something like money. It doesn't suck, but it doesn't salve the yearnings of the soul.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock (wall) climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted drawn.
8. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie. Was an extra once
56. Visited the Great Wall of China. (my best friend has!)
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job. Uh, several
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day. so long as little kid books count

Sorry for the crap lighting, but here's some more stuff. The olive pearl and crystal necklace from a few weeks ago needed earrings, I thought, so I whipped these up late Tuesday night. I had a bear of a time finding some 24 ga wire that would go through the teeniest pearl holes, but I dug and dug and finally came up with some. It was water everywhere and not a drop to drink because I had to dig through pounds of sterling and fine silver bezel and bead wire, stuff like that, just to find the regular wire.

By the way, sterling is .925 pure, whereas fine silver is .999. Fine silver is great because it never tarnishes. Sterling will tarnish because of that other .075% metal in the mix, but I think that other metal helps make it harder. I could be wrong, though. I love Karen Hill Tribe silver from the remotest areas of Thailand, because it's usually fine silver and it has a whitish, burnished sort of quality. Plus, I generally like tribal jewelry anyway because it's so interesting. Other tribal stuff I love is Nagaland, Tekke and Tuareg tribes from Asia and Africa. Grand stuff.

Yup, the photo background is a terry cloth washrag. I know: fancy.

For some time I'd been craving a strand of irregular, mismatched white pearls for myself, so I strung these up a few days ago. I wore them Monday for the first time, and they are a nice comfortable length and look dressy but not too fussy. I'm pretty pleased with the progression of my pearl knotting. I'm still working with silk, but one of these days I'll try some synthetic thread and see how it makes up. I have my particular tastes and dislikes, but I also think it's good to be a little open-minded about materials - it'd be a shame to find out many years down the road that one preferred the material they'd turned their nose up at out of some personal and irrational prejudice.

*************************

Your Freudian Slip is showing...

In a professional capacity, someone I have to deal with said something I KNEW but which he'd heretofore never admitted. At the end of our meeting, he said there was something else he'd wanted to mention to me. He sat a moment and I fiddled with some paperwork I needed to finish, and after a while I said "was there something else you needed to tell me?" and I could tell he was wracking his brain to come up with it as he distractedly said "there was something else I wanted to criticize you for." Funny thing is, I don't think he realized what he'd said.

Now, why do I want to leave Dallas? Hmm...

Me too, Breda!

What are the odds that we would wear the very same polish on the same day?

Monday, a vendor rep on property repairing a piece of equipment came to my office to tell me the equipment still wasn't put aright.

Him: I'm going to have to have a talk with our parts supplier. He keeps giving me the wrong part.
Me: Tell him if he keeps that up I'm going to come over there and spank him.
Him, grinning: Yes, ma'am!

That's what I like to hear.

Sometimes, disparate qualities converge and result in a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Culture, taste and sensibility expand and contract and we find ourselves mere leaves floating along their tempestuous currents. Then for one shining instant the most unlikely of elements collide to form a molecule of something distinctive and in its way the embodiment of that moment's perfections, flaws and incongruencies.



From one such happy accident came this gorgeous moment frozen in amber. Al Bowlly would have a rough time making it in the professional music circuit of today with its idiotically Hollywood standards. Monia Liter's brilliant technique on the old 88's might fare slightly better but only just. But they were here at the moment meant for them, and they did what they were born to do, and in so many ways, they are the very embodiment of one of the most brilliant epochs in the evolution of the music of our species.

Find your moment and be in it.
Dare to sing, even if it's not perfect, or correct or anyone else's ideal-- someone out there wants to hear you sing.


From Wikipedia:
Albert Allick 'Al' Bowlly (January 7, 1899 – April 17, 1941) was a popular British Jazz singer in the United Kingdom during the 1930s, making more than 1,000 recordings between 1927 and 1941. Bowlly was born in Mozambique to Greek and Lebanese parents who met en route to Australia and moved to South Africa. He was brought up in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was killed by the explosion of a parachute mine outside his apartment in Jermyn Street, London during the Blitz.