It feels like Spring!

It’s gonna change later today — more of those high winds will be bringing in below-freezing temperatures again, but for now it is sunny and in the upper 40s Fahrenheit, going up into the 50s! And that means THIS:

Yes! A little sushi, a little sashimi, a little sake… Perhaps some mysterious fortunes in our cookies!! But me and my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man will head out for lunch today!

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I actually can’t tarry here too long, gang, because Sandra sent over one more document during the night that I need to do some quick edits to and then send back over to her.

We did do some work yesterday, too — while the AC guys were here. (And, sadly, the AC guys discovered the breaker panel in the basement is corroded, which is a fire hazard. Sadly, when they got an estimate from their office for the cost of fixing it, it is $4000. Happily, when I emailed my rep at the USDA Rural Development office, sending him photos of the breaker panel along with the estimated cost and I asked him “could I get a loan?” he wrote back right away and said that I can probably get another GRANT to fix it!! He will let me know soon!)

Okay. Oops. I digress.

What I was saying is that once I get this final document turned back around for Sandra, we can send in our TV proposal!! Yay!

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So, very quickly:

Here’s this.

If you are a long-time reader of this lofty blog you no doubt recall that when I lived on E.12th Street in NYC, Richard Hell lived half a block away from me.

It turns out he STILL lives in that same apartment! He’s been there over 50 years! Below is a current photo from Interview magazine and it doesn’t even show you half of the amount of books he has in his apartment now (there are about 4 other photos besides this one). But what I also love is that, back when my first book, Neptune & Surf, came out, I mailed a copy of my book to Richard Hell.

Since it looks like he has never thrown away a book, ever, methinks maybe my book is still in there!!

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And on a similar note…

I have always loved this photo of Jack Kerouac. I used to have it taped to my wall in the bedroom of my E.12th Street apartment. (Back in the 1980s.)

But it was only yesterday that I learned the photo was taken on Avenue A, just a couple blocks from my apartment!!!

In 1953, but still!!

How cool is that??

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Okay.

Nick Cave smoking at the Chateau Marmont in LA, in 1985:

Nick Cave smoking somewhere else in LA, in 1991:

And here’s this, from a year later! Another one of my favorite Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds songs! “Brother My Cup Is Empty” from Henry’s Dream, 1992:

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And now I gotta SCOOT!!!!

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this.

I had a very great phone chat with Valerie in Brooklyn yesterday evening.

Here is a very little known fact: “Valerie” is her middle name. Her first name is actually Sheila. But her mom’s name was also Sheila, so she’s gone by “Valerie” her whole life.

Even though “Valerie” is 6 ft. 2 inches tall, and weighs around 190 pounds, with very short blonde hair, I always think of her whenever I hear this song!

“Sheila” by Tommy Roe, 1962. Enjoy, gang!!

Me.

In some other lifetime.

But today, I am going to try to breathe!! And maybe even smile a little bit!

I have so much to fucking DO.

And it is my “day off”.

And, yes, the AC guys are coming back here this afternoon to do something with the breaker box in the basement. I’m guessing it will be quick, once they get here. But there is a 4-hour window for when they will get here…

So this means I have to coral all the cats again and get them into the upstairs bedrooms. And I have to move the laptop and all my tons of notes down to the kitchen table and work down there until they’ve come & gone.

But one nice thing — I’m guessing this will be an absolute guarantee that Sandra will call in the middle of all that chaos and want to get down to work! Yay!

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Okay.

Yesterday was the Town Hall meeting for Lambda Literary. I was very impressed with it. Although I was kind of surprised by how few people showed up for the call.

But they have a lot of interesting plans that will hopefully be launching within the next 2 years.

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All righty.

Here’s this!

Yesterday was Yoko Ono’s 93rd birthday. You perhaps recall that the (Japanese) wife of my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man was friends with Yoko in NYC in the late 50s and early 60s. So the 3 of them would sometimes meet and go out to lunch together in Greenwich Village.

They even saw one of Yoko’s performance art shows in the Village, wherein, my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man explained, “Yoko ended up basically naked. It was some kind of artistic statement.”

Anyway! I mentioned to him yesterday that it was Yoko’s birthday, so I got on Instagram to find him a photo of her.

Many, many photos of her on Instagram yesterday, as you can guess, but I liked this one the best:

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Meanwhile, here’s this!

I thought this was very interesting. From Bart Ehrman’s “Misquoting Jesus” podcast:

The Surprising Reason Luke Removed Atonement from His Gospel (40 mins.):

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And not related in any way!

Keith in LA in 1972:

And Keith in Berlin in 2008:

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Nick Cave in London, 1983:

And Nick Cave, presumably in Australia, in 1979:

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And that’s actually kind of it for today. I’m really running behind here.

For several days now, I’ve been waking up sick to my stomach. And it’s not the traditional “morning sickness” because I have been post-menopausal for 20 years.

In fact, this is literally my 20th-anniversary-year of being post-menopausal! I have not missed the pre-menopausal stuff, not even for a minute. And while the peri-menopausal stuff sometimes got a little dicey, everything went back to normal for me and was completely fine the moment menopause settled in, at age 46.

And FYI yes, my body believes it is about 40 years old, tops. (My brain fluctuates, though, between 12 and 14.) These are incredible, if you are past middle-aged and interested in being 40-ish again (not necessarily these brands, but be sure to find non-GMO, organic brands):

These work for men and women, btw. Tongkat Ali and Fenugreek are especially good for building testosterone.

Anyway. I digress!

My current morning sickness is basically because I wake up in the morning and I realize it’s morning and that I’m still alive…

And that everything in my world (mostly online) has changed and I have to somehow figure it all out, pronto.

And that alone just stresses me right the fuck out.

So, that said. I am now even more behind here than I was 5 minutes ago.

So enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

Happy birthday (yesterday), Yoko Ono.

John Lennon, “Oh Yoko!” from 1971. Enjoy, gang.

And as luck would have it, today is also my great-grandmother’s Heavenly Birthday.

She was born in Arkansas in 1888. Her father was from Ireland and her mother was a Blackfoot Indian from Montana. How they all ended up in Arkansas, I do not know.

She was my birth dad’s maternal grandmother.

Her name, by the time she got married, was Lillie Louiza Queen Cordia Calihan Smith! (This photo of her has sat near my bed for the past 30 years. It was given to me by my Aunt Jo, my birth dad’s older sister.)

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Okay!

Yesterday was a big day!! The wonderful workmen were here for quite a few hours.

And now this has officially come into our lives:

Yes! Central Air-Conditioning! (You’ll notice we now have grass again and the snow is gone!!)

And if you read my post yesterday, it was exactly how I said it would be: I got the cats closed up in the upstairs bedrooms, got my laptop set up on the kitchen table, started working on getting the eBooks reformatted, and the AC guys arrived almost immediately, and then (!!) Sandra called and wanted to chat!!

It was too funny. Right in the middle of all that chaos.

But, wow, what a great chat we had, gang.

And then last evening, I subscribed to the streamer BET+ and watched the 2-part closing episodes of season 5 of “The Ms. Pat Show” and, wow, was it good.

Not only did Sandra do a great job, but I loved the whole show. I thought the writing was just really, really engaging. And very funny. I am definitely going to go back and watch the show from the beginning.

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Well, in honor of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ album, Murder Ballads, turning 30 years old:

“To celebrate, a new range of Murder Ballads merchandise is now available at the official artist store, including new designs by illustrator Matthew Lineham on T-shirt and screenprint.”

I especially like the jigsaw puzzle! With all that blue, it looks like it could make you totally insane!! (Especially if you have about 17 cats trying to help you…)

You can visit the entire collection HERE.

And while you browse, you can listen to this! Not only one of my all-time favorite Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ videos, but it’s also from the album Murder Ballads, the hypnotizing “Stagger Lee”:

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Okay, here’s this.

As you probably know, Jesse Jackson has passed away. Of the many photos on Instagram honoring him, I really loved this one:

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And here are a few photos of David Jo!

From Phyllis Stein — David Johansen at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 1973:

And David with Richard Hell at Max’s in NYC, 1976!!

And this — on the subway!

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And that is it because I gotta scoot!

It is Tuesday, so I will be stopping in at the Rural King to get cat food on my way to my clients house. I guess we shall soon see if ‘Wild Thing’ is working today!

Honestly, gang, I don’t know how old he actually is, and I don’t really think I’m old enough to be his grandmother, but I am absolutely 100% positively certain I have got to be older than his mom…. So, you know.

But there is just something about him that reminds me of all the things I loved about boys in 1974!! And for some weird reason, when I’m anywhere near him, I act about 14.

Okay! Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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In honor of Mardi Gras, I leave you with this!

A lovely song by Paul Simon, from his extremely popular album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, 1973 — “Take Me To the Mardi Gras”. Relax and enjoy, gang.

“Take Me To The Mardi Gras”

C’mon take me to the Mardi Gras
Where the people sing and play
Where the dancing is elite
And there’s music in the street
Both night and day

Hurry take me to the Mardi Gras
In the city of my dreams
You can legalize your lows
You can wear your summer clothes
In the New Orleans

And I will lay my burden down
Rest my head upon that shore
And when I wear that starry crown
I won’t be wanting anymore

Take your burdens to the Mardi Gras
Let the music wash your soul
You can mingle in the street
You can jingle to the beat
Of Jelly Roll

c -1 973 Paul Simon

After today, gang, the fucking snow should be entirely gone!

Yay!

I usually love snow, but this time. I don’t know.

My best friend on Earth, Valerie in Brooklyn, and I both agreed — there was something that felt evil about this past snow. NYC got it just as bad as we did out here in the Hinterlands — along with the below zero temperatures for nights on end and the high winds. And she also takes care of about a dozen stray cats — but they all live outside in her backyard. In little cathouses. So she was constantly worrying about them.

Anyway.

Everyone survived. And I’m just so glad to finally see this rain today.

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Okay!

I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day yesterday, if you celebrated it.

I got texts from quite a few people from hither and yon, so that was nice! Even a text from Dennis, threatening to go out to lunch again soon!

And I got this in a text from Wayne yesterday. He’s in the Dominican Republic, visiting his niece, Tessa, and her husband.

I absolutely cannot believe she’s old enough to be married! The last time I saw her, I think she was about 7 years old.

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I had a wonderful time with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man yesterday, too.

I brought him a single red rose, that I put in a really beautiful blown-glass bud vase that I found in his dining room.

And I brought him some of these —

— which I put in a small and very colorful ceramic bowl.

And then a small cordial glassful of this (which he still had leftover in his fridge from when we celebrated Martin Luther King Day!):

I brought this all out to him as a surprise, a couple hours after he’d had his breakfast and coffee. And, wow, was he delighted. It was so much fun.

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Today, I head over to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat!

I’m bringing this DVD along with me because the last time I was there, before my vacation, his wife talked about wanting to see this movie again. I told her I was pretty sure I had it on DVD and when I came home and checked, I did indeed have it:

I don’t know if she’ll want to watch it while I’m there later, or I will just leave it with her so she can watch it some other time. But it would be nice to watch it with both of them. I haven’t seen it in years. Obviously, I really liked it, though, or I wouldn’t have bought the DVD.

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Okay!

Here’s this!

Janis Joplin smiling in London in 1969!

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And this!

The Rolling Stones not smiling in London, in, like, 1963?

And then smiling in Regents Park, London, in 1964!

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From Phyllis Stein’s Instagram page.

Keith, talking to Jerry Nolan out on the street in NYC, after Johnny Thunders had just died:

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Jerry Nolan and David Johansen, sometime in the 70s:

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Keith drinking onstage, 1975:

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And this from the Kerouac Estate yesterday–

A Valentine Jack made for his mother when he was 10 years old:

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And, yes!

Nick Cave!

A photo from George Vjestica’s Instagram page on Friday — from the Wild God tour of Australia:

And in just under 4 months, the Bad Seeds’ tour of Europe and the UK begins! You can buy tickets here!!

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And I’m thinking that’s it for today. I got stuff I need to do before I head to town later today.

Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

As I got out of bed for real this morning, slid that nicotine toothpick into my mouth and then turned on the retro boombox next to my bed, this came on. It’s on the “Beat Generation” Anthology cassette.

Tom Waits, “Diamonds On My Windshield”, taken from his album, The Heart of Saturday Night, 1974. Enjoy, gang.

“Diamonds On My Windshield”

Well, these diamonds on my windshield
And these tears from heaven
Well, I’m pulling into town on the Interstate
I got a steel train in the rain
And the wind bites my cheek through the wing
And it’s these late nights and this freeway flying
It always makes me sing

There’s a Duster trying to change my tune
He’s pulling up fast on the right
Rolling restlessly by a 24-hour moon
And a Wisconsin hiker with a cue-ball head
He’s wishing he’s home in a Wisconsin bed
But there’s fifteen feet of snow in the east
Colder than a well-digger’s ass
And it’s colder than a well-digger’s ass

Oceanside, it ends the ride
With San Clemente coming up
Those Sunday desperados slip by
And cruise with a dry back
And the orange drive-in, the neon billing
And the theatre’s filling to the brim
With slave girls and a hot spurned bucket full of sin
Metropolitan area with interchange and connections
Fly-by-nights from Riverside
And out-of-state plates running a little late
But the sailors jockey for the fast lane
So 101, don’t miss it
There’s rolling hills and concrete fields
And the broken line’s on your mind

The eights go east and the fives go north
And the merging nexus back and forth
You see your sign, cross the line
Signaling with a blink
And the radio’s gone off the air
And it gives you time to think

And you hear the rumble
As you fumble for a cigarette
And blazing through this midnight jungle
Remember someone that you met
And one more block
The engine talks
Whispers, “Home at last.”
It whispers “Home at last.”
Whispers, “Home at last.”
Whispers, “Home at last.”
Whispers, “Home at last.”

And the diamonds on my windshield
And these tears from heaven
Well I’m pulling into town on the Interstate
I got me a steel train in the rain
And the wind bites my cheek through the wing
Late nights and freeway flying
Always makes me sing

It always makes me sing
Hey, look here, Jack
Okay

c – 1974 Thomas Alan Waits

Wow, gang. Me and my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man had the best time yesterday.

It started out great because as soon as I got there, I went over the notes from the caregivers who had worked with him while I was gone. I had given my supervisor a full page of ideas for how a stranger could get the best results with him, and she printed it out and gave it to the other caregivers.

And they each followed it completely and they all had “an enjoyable time” with him!!

He got out of bed, got dressed. Took his meds. Ate his meals. And even chatted! No one was kicked out of the house!!

That made me so happy.

And we did indeed go out for sashimi & sake yesterday — by some miracle, the sun actually came out and stayed out through my whole shift.

He was alert and focused and chatty during our meal (during my whole shift, actually). But I tell you what, gang, he absolutely broke my heart yesterday, in the best way.

He likes to see photos of my cats, so I showed him this recent photo. And just FYI, he also studied for & got a degree in the Christian Ministry — at a small college in Kansas, for 3 years in between working on his Engineering Degree from NYU in the mid-1950s. So Jesus and Christianity are a big deal to him, too.

He has seen photos of the cats on my bed before, but he never saw that full corner of my room. The print of Christ Pantocrator or my cross from Bethlehem, in particular.

He looked at the photo and was spellbound. He got tears in his eyes. He said, “Your room is so beautiful.” And then with so much emotion, he said, “I love you.”

He has never said that before. And to be honest, gang, no one I have ever known has ever said to me “I love you” and meant it as deeply as he did at that moment.

It was incredible.

And then, after our meal was over!! It turns out that the Peony Bistro has yet another new supplier of fortune cookies!! So much better than the last ones. Sort of mystical this time. His fortune is on the top:

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Before I forget!

It’s Abraham Lincoln’s heavenly birthday today. Happy Birthday, Abraham Lincoln. RIP. You did great things.

And here’s this. Johnny Cash sings the Civil War classic, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”:

(BTW, when I was 11 years old, I came in 2nd place — city wide!! — in an oratory competition: reciting Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. I was so proud of that plaque they gave me. It disappeared sometime after I moved to NYC. I think my mom eventually threw it away…)

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Anyway!!

Here’s a big bunch of stuff from Instagram today!!

A great photo of The Clash in Paris, in 1981:

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And here’s this!

Warren Ellis celebrating jet lag, to the tune of Johnny Thunders singing “Jet Boy”!!

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And here’s Tom Petty smiling — wow! This actually made my day:

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This brought back memories!!

The poster from Patti Smith Group’s second album, Radio Ethiopia. Photo by Robert Mapplethorpe:

The album included this song — which made my mom declare disgustedly, “She’s an animal!” (And she didn’t mean it in a good way.) “Pissing in a River”:

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And here’s this!!

From Pamela Des Barres Instagram page! A great old photo of her and Iggy!

(Excuse me — I meant to say a “groovy” old photo…)

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Okay!

Some great photos of Keith!!

I love this one — I have no idea what he’s doing but his expression is so intense, and Ronnie’s is sort of like “not this again”:

And some happy photos from Keith’s autobiography LIFE:

And here’s Keith, bored with Mick in 1975, while being photographed by the great Annie Leibovitz:

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And yes!!

While I did indeed try to find a photo of Nick Cave on Instagram, post-tour…

Here’s one of my all-time favorites from my private desktop stash instead!

Nick with Luke — just yesterday:

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And I think that is it!

It’s another splendid sunny day here in the Hinterlands. I have the entire day to myself.

I’m still waiting to hear back from Sandra re: the TV project proposal, which we will be sending off the moment I hear back from her.

Meanwhile, I might get started on those LULU videos on how to format an eBook nowadays… We shall see!!

Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!

I absolutely loved this song, gang. It was a huge Top 40 hit in 1974. I had the 45 rpm and played it on my little portable record player in my room, over and over and over.

I think it’s kind of a huge blessing that the record came out right on the heels of the film version of “The Exorcist” being such a huge sensation. I didn’t see the film back then, because I was too young, but I read the book and was absolutely terrorized by it.

Maybe that’s partly why I played this record over and over and over, even though I was Jewish. It helped calm me down. (I was already secretly way over in the Jesus camp by then though. Unbeknownst to my family.)

Sister Janet Mead, “The Lord’s Prayer”. Enjoy, gang!!