Monthly Archives: August 2025

A new day begins in the Hinterlands!

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It’s cloudy again today, but I am totally digging the 65 degrees Fahrenheit! Everything is always easier when there’s a cool breeze.

I picked up another shift today with that really nice woman who lives out in Granville — who lives in that stunning home, surrounded by that incredible landscaping. (That house where I needed a map to find the bathroom last time I was there!) (Oh, and it actually turned out that I know the owners of the house — the woman’s daughter and son-in-law. Truly nice people. They take such good care of her.)

They live in the hills behind the Bryn du Mansion. If you’re ever in Granville, the mansion is easy to spot from the road…

It’s a long shift, but I don’t have to leave for a few more hours so I’ll actually have time to work on the novel today, too.

Yesterday was nice because it sort of began the “Happy 95th Birthday” wishes for my favorite nearly-95-year-old Japanese man. He got a beautiful birthday card in the mail from a son & daughter-in-law in South Carolina; one of his daughter’s called from Seattle; another son & daughter-in-law from Florida will be in town beginning today and will be stopping in to see him later; and then a nephew he hasn’t seen in years is coming to town from NY on Monday.

It made me feel really good to see him so happy. The son & daughter-in-law from Florida are taking him out to dinner on Saturday, so I decided that tomorrow, he and I will go out to lunch to celebrate — sashimi & sake — instead of on Saturday.

He doesn’t really remember that it’s his birthday, but as each little thing pops up, it makes him really happy. He loves hearing from people. Except for when a caregiver is there with him, he is completely alone in the house, as well as in the entire State of Ohio…

And this is cool!

This is an example of the wooden toy his father used to make — & sell — when he had a stall on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ, back in the early 1930s! A black & white bulldog. He made them by hand. We’re not positive, but this could be one of the actual ones his father made. (We found it online — listed as “Folk Art from the 1930s.”)

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This is also a cool thing! I ordered one today.

From Ross K. Nichols:

“The Ten Words – Shapira Fragments Poster

“This elegant poster presents The Ten Words as they are preserved in the mysterious Shapira Fragments. Long dismissed, but in the post-Qumran era increasingly regarded by many as ancient and authentic…”

It comes in 3 sizes, plus shipping. You can read about it and order it HERE.

(FYI — The “Ten Words” are also known as the Ten Commandments, but the Shapira Fragments are considered the earliest known form of Moses’ words.)

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On a similar note — well, not really, however–

The other day, I began yet another new online course and I am just loving it:

“The History of Christianity in the Reformation Era”.

It focuses on the upheavals of Christianity in Europe in the late 15th to mid 16th Centuries. 36 lectures total, really in depth stuff. From Protestantism, to Radical Protestantism, to Anabaptism, and the transformation of Roman Catholicism.

(It’s on a phone app I use so there isn’t a link to it that I can post here.)

“Ch-ch-ch- CHANGES…”

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Okay. Not on a similar note…

Phil is supposed to do another livestream tonight at 9PM eastern time, check here later to confirm.

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Nick Cave sent out another Red Hand File this morning, wherein he announced, a week early, that he and the Bad Seeds will be doing a Wild God tour of Australia and New Zealand in January!!

He also revealed that he is taking a brief vacation from the Red Hand Files, so I will attempt to not go through any sort of post-partem depression. We shall see how that goes!!

Meanwhile you can read today’s Red Hand File here.

And from last night in Bulgaria!! (And FYI — you can still get tickets here for the show in Macedonia tomorrow!! That is the final show of the tour that has tickets available.)

And in the event we DO get any sort of post-partem depression, here’s this:

Nick Cave, Berlin 1986 — and, appropriately, quite blue:

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And before I toddle off to get to work on The Curse of Our Profound Disorder!!

I rediscovered this gem on Amazon Prime:

My god, I used to love this show!! But I cannot believe it is over 30 years ago, already!! WTF??!! I must say it again: Where did the fucking time go??!!

This is from back in the days when I lived in NYC, on the Upper West Side with Wayne. And my best friend on Earth was still alive — Paul Martin, who died in 1999. We both used to just love this show. And watching these re-runs now, I can easily recall WHY. It is so fucking funny. (I watch it in bed now, after various phone calls, right before going to sleep — and I feel like Paul is right there with me.)

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And that is it for today!! Time for more coffee and some writing, re-writing, and RE-re-writing!

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!

Yes, still on a Monkees kick around here! This one is usually going over and over in my head when I am waking up at 4AM.

It was one of those pop gems written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. (Some day, I will regale you with the Carole King story from my wee bonny girlhood!! It includes the first bar mitzvah I attended when I was 11, the first boy I ever slow danced with, and a phone call from Carole King herself!!)

Okay!!

“Take A Giant Step”, 1966. The Monkees. Enjoy, gang.

“Take A Giant Step”

Though you’ve played at love and lost
And sorrow’s turned your heart to frost
I will melt your heart again.
Remember the feeling as a child
When you woke up and morning smiled
It’s time you felt like you did then.
There’s just no percentage in remembering the past
It’s time you learned to live again at last.

Come with me, leave yesterday behind
And take a giant step outside your mind.

You stare at me in disbelief
You say for you there’s no relieve
But I swear I’ll prove you wrong.
Don’t stay in your lonely room
Just staring back in silent gloom.
That’s not where you belong
Come with me I’ll take you where the taste of life is green
And everyday holds wonders to be seen.

Come with me, leave yesterday behind
And take a giant step outside your mind.

c – 1966- Gerry Goffin, Carole King

Overall, It Was a Good Day in the Hinterlands

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Yes, I finally made some headway yesterday with my novel-in-progress, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.

And without my knowing it beforehand, all 3 of the main plot points that I needed to address/resolve, decided to come together all at the same time. Same night, same place.

I absolutely didn’t see that coming, so now I really have some weaving to do, to make sure they all get the right amount of attention — at the same time. Jesus.

So far, I’m happy with it but I’m only 5 pages in to the new chapter (Chapter 12). We will see how it unfolds. I’m 225 pages in, and I’m thinking it will be about 275-280 pages, total. So we’re getting there.

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Here are a couple of beautiful things! From Instagram.

Methinks this was taken while they were having their brief affair. They sure LOOK like they’re in love, don’t they??

And, as always, if he’s not smoking, we can’t be absolutely 100% positive it’s Johnny….

But wow. Great photo. I guess it’s another Dior ad, shot in Spain, I think:

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And here’s this!

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That theater in Bulgaria looks so cool, gang! And luckily, there were quite a few great photos to choose from this time.

From last night’s show, Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood:

And someone uploaded a video of Nick talking to the audience when he got onstage, and he indicated he was getting ready to sing the first song of the night, “Higgs Boson Blues,” so I’m not sure how accurate this setlist is, but it seems like yet ANOTHER great encore!

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And now I have to get ready to go to town and see my favorite nearly-95-year-old Japanese man. I’m not sure if we’re going to get sashimi and sake today or not. His 95th birthday is on Sunday, so I want to go out with him when I’m there on Saturday, to celebrate. I don’t know if I should take him out twice in one week. (He pays for everything so, even though he’s happy to go out for lunch every single day, I don’t feel comfortable doing that.)

I guess I will play it by ear and see what happens when I get there.

Other than that, I’m really tired. Again. Ennui, I think. Even though I slept great. I have a very full week ahead of me. Again. But I’m glad that I at least got some writing done yesterday.

And on Monday, I’m having lunch with Steve — that guy I’ve known since we were 11 years old. It’s our annual “Remembering Kent” lunch. Our mutual friend who passed away on July 26th, 3 years ago — Steve was away in Florida during the end of July, so we’re just now getting a chance to go out.

Anyway.

We’re going here!! And I can’t wait!! It’s been a few years since I’ve been there. Plus, I’ve heard that one of my very favorite people on Earth is the chef there now! It will be great to say hi, if he is, indeed, working there:

Three Tigers Brewing Co., in Granville. They serve Thai, Vietnamese, and pub food:

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And I think that’s it. I gotta scoot.

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, 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 played this song over and over yesterday, as the new pages for The Curse of Our Profound Disorder began to arrive.

From his great album, Oh Mercy, 1989, Bob Dylan’s “Man in the Long Black Coat.” Enjoy, gang.

"Man in the Long Black Coat"

Crickets are chirpin' the water is high
There's a soft cotton dress on the line hangin' dry
Window wide open African trees
Bent over backwards from a hurricane breeze
Not a word of goodbye not even a note
She gone with the man in the long black coat

Somebody seen him hangin' around
At the old dance hall on the outskirts of town
He looked into her eyes when she stopped him to ask
If he wanted to dance he had a face like a mask
Somebody said from the bible he'd quote
There was dust on the man in the long black coat

Preacher was talking there's a sermon he gave
He said every man's conscience is vile and depraved
You cannot depend on it to be your guide
When it's you who must keep it satisfied
It ain't easy to swallow it sticks in the throat
She gave her heart to the man in the long black coat

There are no mistakes in life some people say
It is true sometimes you can see it that way
But people don't live or die people just float
She went with the man in the long black coat

There's smoke on the water it's been there since June
Tree trunks uprooted beneath the high crescent moon
With a pulse and vibration and a rumbling force
Somebody is out there beating on a dead horse

She never said nothing there was nothing she wrote
She gone with the man in the long black coat

c - 1989 - Bob Dylan

A 100% Complete Day off!!

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That’s right.

Even though, technically, I had yesterday off, too, I had to head to town first thing, in order to get Bobby McGee and Freddie McFee their initial exams and blood tests (they each passed with flying colors!) in order to get their surgeries scheduled for next week.

They had some anxiety during their first road trip, but overall, it went pretty smoothly and I really liked the new vet a lot. (And yes it’s costing me, literally, ten times as much as the Animal Shelter would have charged, but at least I could, you know, get them an appointment…)

Okay!

I then spent almost all of yesterday, hanging out on my bed, just sort of drifting in and out of sleep, because I was so tired. But I did force myself to do yoga. And I got a chance to catch up over the phone with Valerie in Brooklyn.

And then 2 hours on the phone last evening with Dennis!

And then after he and I hung up, and I was getting ready to go to sleep yet again–

PING! A little text from my Q-following girlfriend in town: “Phil’s starting.”

Oh, shit. I’d forgotten!!

So I tried to tune in to Phil but fell asleep after 45 mins and had to listen to the rest this morning.

HOWEVER!

It was a really good one! If you missed it and you’ve got 2 hrs and 45 mins free today, you should listen!

He gives a fantastic update on the tariffs, the Federal Reserve, the upcoming new currency, precious metals, etc. He’s working from a new script about Obama, though, so that’s interesting. And then he took some questions from the Pham on the Phapp!

(Remember, if you click the link below and watch directly on rumble, you have more control over the ads.)

Trump, Tariffs, and Treason – August 18th, 2025 (2hrs 45 mins):

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This was a really great new one from James Tabor. Essentially comparing the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) with the Christian New Testament (Hellenistic/Greek), and why/how they are so different.

A Most Troubled Coupling: The Hebrew Bible (OT) and the New Testament (15 mins):

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And another happy update!

Yet another credit card wrote to me yesterday:

THEM: “We’ve increased your credit line!”

ME: “Fucking A!!”

So that was nice. (I’m sort of spotting a trend here.)

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So, today I have the whole day off. Meaning, I am not driving to town for any reason, even though I do need a few groceries. I’m just staying put. Doing a load of laundry, probably a little more vacuuming, and, of course, yoga…(and 723 more hours chatting with Dennis later)…

But other than that!!

I’ve got the day free & clear to sit at my desk and WORK ON MY NOVEL!

Although, Val and I discussed the very real possibility yesterday that my depression, tiredness, inability to process time flying as well as my dad’s death, has got a lot to do with me not making any progress yet on the memoir (or even on “Novitiate ’66” frankly). (A 4-page excerpt from “Novitiate ’66” on my substack page — from nearly 2 years ago!! Jesus.) (For adults only, please.)

Remember those not-so-long ago days, gang, when I could work on several different projects at once, every day??!! And actually get things done??

It’s the main reason why I have such a problem with the caregiving jobs. It’s (usually) not that many hours per week, but the hours are spread out all over the place, so I rarely get a chunk of time to just sit and write!!

Me, not sitting and writing.

However, as we get ever closer to Fall, it gets easier to deal with, because, if you recall, things will change for me in a huge way then.

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Okay!

Tonight, Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood take the stage in Bulgaria, for the first of 2 sold out shows!! In a venue called the Ancient Theater — I’m eager to see what that looks like!

And yesterday morning, Nick Cave sent out a new Red Hand File, wherein he discussed who he goes to, generally, for wisdom and advice (HINT: dead people). And also something about “women being annoying” because, I don’t know — we’re always right?? Not sure.

Anyway, he said, in part:

“…Now that I am older, many of these people – my father figures, my mother figures – are no longer with us (Bob Dylan, praise be, remains!), so I tend to look to the assembled dead, those who have withstood the test of time, for direction. I regard the accumulated wisdom of the ages with no small amount of reverence. The answer is invariably there….”

You can read it in full HERE, if you so choose!

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And I’m thinking that’s it for now! Gonna get this fantastic and beautiful day underway here!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

Breakfast-listening music these days! (Although not today, because I was listening to Phil!)

Curiously enough, also from 1966 (a la “Novitiate”). A huge hit for The Monkees when they were brand new. (And I still get chills listening to this song because it was about a guy getting drafted and heading to Vietnam.)

“Last Train to Clarksville,” 1966. From their debut album, The Monkees. Enjoy, gang.

“Last Train To Clarksville”

Take the last train to Clarksville
And I’ll meet you at the station
You can be here by four-thirty
‘Cause I made your reservation
Don’t be slow, oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!

‘Cause I’m leavin’ in the morning
And I must see you again
We’ll have one more night together
‘Til the morning brings my train
And I must go, oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!
And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home

Take the last train to Clarksville
I’ll be waiting at the station
We’ll have time for coffee-flavored kisses
And a bit of conversation
Oh… Oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!

Take the last train to Clarksville
Now I must hang up the phone
I can’t hear you in this noisy
Railroad station all alone
I’m feelin’ low. Oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!
And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home

Take the last train to Clarksville
And I’ll meet you at the station
You can be here by four-thirty
‘Cause I made your reservation
Don’t be slow, oh, no, no, no!
Oh, no, no, no!
And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home

Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville
Take the last train to Clarksville…

c – 1966 – Bobby Hart, Tommy Boyce

“You’d think she’d have better things to dream about than that…”

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Okay. I’m back.

And I slept great. The AC was on, and all cats & kittens — except Doris, who is exceedingly well behaved — were out in the hall. All night. So nothing disturbed me.

However–

I kept dreaming about Trump. He was helping me fill out a ton of forms.

The dream went on and on and on. And it seemed like I was having a hard time grasping how to fill out the endless forms.

Why the heck was I dreaming about that??

And, you know — with my magnificent brain, why was it so hard for me to figure out how to fill out a form?

At least I woke up feeling like I could handle things again, just generally.

Yesterday, was more of a rough day. Mostly because I was feeling sort of disillusioned and tired. (Loyal readers of this lofty blog know how much I hate having to actually go out and work , especially double shifts, and especially since I’m, you know, semi-retired…)

But today’s a new day, and I have the retired Minister and his wife later this afternoon. And that is, overall, just a really pleasant shift. Watching reruns on MeTV or old movies that end up affecting me in some totally unexpected, emotional, way.

And it probably doesn’t surprise you to learn that they have a big beautiful fluffy cat named Autumn, who sits next to me, curled up on the couch, during my entire shift.

She does this every week. And the retired Minister and his wife always say: “She really likes you!”

I smile, but silently, I’m saying a little ruefully: Yeah. Cats like me…

And maybe I should add here — although you should be forewarned that it could give you a heart attack — I now have 3 more strays (in addition to KonTiki of the Great Outdoors) who show up for breakfast on the kitchen porch every morning at around 5:30AM.

Mr. Sandypants — the one who got shot just over his left eye, by someone with a BB gun a few months back. (Thankfully, my neighbors took on the expense of taking him to the vet, but he’s doing just great.)

And another large black cat — with a white spot under his chin and a couple of white toes. He is so sweet. I’m pretty sure he lives in my barn.

And then a small blondie, who’s missing most of her tail. Back when Brandon Mitchell was living in Crazeysburg last year, he was feeding her because she’d been abandoned by her owners, who had moved away.

Brandon moved away, too, but the cat recently found my kitchen porch…

Actually, Brandon and I saved each other’s lives last summer, as things were getting crazy-intense before the election. He would always stop by to make sure I was doing okay. (Loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall that I was in a relentless struggle with PTSD last summer.)

Brandon is a well-known Death-Metal record producer, and was an avid Trump supporter, too, which was a huge no-no in the music world, for fear that a Trump Presidency would bring a halt to all the sex-trafficking running rampant in the Death-Metal scene… So he, too, was dealing with an unbelievable amount of stress last summer, since people everywhere were basically out to permanently shut him up.

Anyway. A photo of Brandon (photographer unknown), at the opposite end of my street in Crazeysburg. What a great guy he was. He really looked out for me and for all the older folks and the kids in the village:

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Oh, but I have to add, gang, that yesterday, both shifts went splendidly. My favorite nearly-95-year-old Japanese client (he turns 95 a week from today) was in a really spiritual mood. He talked about all kinds of interesting things.

And then I went to see the retired Chaplain who is back from Florida, who I just adore. And, as always, she and I talked about amazing stuff the entire time and the hours absolutely FLEW by. When the next caregiver showed up to relieve me, I was just floored. I had no idea where the time went.

As I was leaving, she prayed over me, specifically for the success of our play, “The Guide to Being Fabulous,” and then she took my hand and said, “I love you.”

That kind of thing makes it so easy to drive off into a beautiful evening.

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Okay.

Here’s this. From yesterday morning. While I was in bed, drinking my coffee, the neighbor across the street from me was mowing his lawn and a couple of the kittens were spellbound:

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And while we wait the additional 2 days before Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood take the stage in Bulgaria for 2 sold out shows—

Here’s this. AGAIN. I love this photo!

Nick Cave in 1986:

Nick Cave, possibly waiting for an answer to why on Earth a mind such as mine would dream about Trump helping me fill out forms all night…

And since I still can’t find a link to the new “Train Dreams” song from the upcoming Netflix film, here’s this gem, instead!!

From one of the greatest albums of all time, The Firstborn Is Dead, “Train Long Suffering”. 1985.

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And I think that’s it for now. I have some things I want to do — and/or sit and think about — before I leave for my shift 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 the 51st anniversary of Greg’s death approaches in 10 days — here’s a song that always makes me think of him, no matter how many millions of times I hear it.

The song was popular back when I first fell in love with Greg, and I have a crystal-clear memory of sitting with him on the school bus one sunny morning in 1973, when the song came on the radio. We were both in Junior High School. (He was killed the following year.)

And, yes, I still miss him, gang. I told him I would love him forever and I wasn’t kidding.

Joni Mitchell’s Top 40 hit, “You Turn Me On (I’m A Radio)”, 1972. From her album, For the Roses. Enjoy.

"You Turn Me On (I'm A Radio)"

If you're driving into town
With a dark cloud above you
Dial in the number
Who's bound to love you

Oh honey you turn me on
I'm a radio
I'm a country station
I'm a little bit corny
I'm a wildwood flower
Waving for you
Broadcasting tower
Waving for you

And I'm sending you out
This signal here
I hope you can pick it up
Loud and clear
I know you don't like weak women
You get bored so quick
And you don't like strong women
'Cause they're hip to your tricks

It's been dirty for dirty
Down the line
But you know
I come when you whistle
When you're loving and kind

But if you've got too many doubts
If there's no good reception for me
Then tune me out, 'cause honey
Who needs the static
It hurts the head
And you wind up cracking
And the day goes dismal

From "Breakfast Barney"
To the sign-off prayer
What a sorry face you get to wear
I'm going to tell you again now
If you're still listening there

If you're driving into town
With a dark cloud above you
Dial in the number
Who's bound to love you

If you're lying on the beach
With the transistor going
Kick off the sandflies honey
The love's still flowing
If your head says forget it
But your heart's still smoking
Call me at the station
The lines are open

© January 24, 1972; Joni Mitchell Pub Corp (as "I'm a Radio")

End of Summer in the Hinterlands??

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Can you believe the kids here go back to school on Tuesday, and the kids in the next county over, already went back to school??

I saw a school bus dropping kids off for home yesterday afternoon. Unreal.

Back when I was in school, in Ohio no one went back to school until after Labor Day (still 2 weeks away).

Boomers were just fucking lucky. Even in the midst of the sex revolution, the war protests, the peace marches, the drugs, drugs, drugs, we had the best childhoods.

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Good news!!

The food at Harvest Pizzeria in Granville is still fantastic. Dennis and I had such a great time there yesterday. (My only complaint was that the time FLEW.)

I also discovered that I have really, really happy memories when I’m inside that place. It was my first time going back there in over a year.

It’s like the agonizing pain my legs endured because of the concrete floors never even existed. I only remember how great it was to work there. (For 3 months, 2 and a half years ago…)

Anyway, Dennis and I had a great time.

Next up–

We haven’t picked a day or time yet, but we decided we’re going to the fantastic clubhouse at the local golf course with the great views!! (Where I go with my favorite nearly-95-year-old-Japanese client.) (Dennis has been there before.)

It will be so fun to go there on an actual date! (And yes, even though we spent 2 hours together yesterday afternoon, we still spent an additional 2 and a 1/2 hours on the phone last night!!)

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If you want to keep up with Putin/Trump/Alaska —

Aquila is giving moment by moment updates.

Also, Disclose.TV (both on Telegram)

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And here’s this!

The set list from the 2nd night of Nick Cave’s solo show in Latvia was even better! Check out that encore!! Wow. A one-way ticket to Swoonsville!!

And then this was announced (everywhere) yesterday:

Yesterday, there was a link to the above mentioned song, but now I cannot find a working link for it. But it was rather haunting!!

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And Monday — this is happening!

Bobbie McGee and Freddie McFee have their introductory trip to the new vet, in order to get them appointments to get neutered.

And it can’t come a moment too soon, gang. They are both getting super FRISKY. And I have 6 — count ’em SIX— un-spayed females in the house.

I had hoped to get them signed up with that vet out here near me, but there was a waiting list to become a new patient. So…. since time is of the essence, as they say, it’s back to Granville, where I seem to do just about everything in my life.

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Okay. I think that’s kind of it for right now.

It’s a really, really gorgeous day here today. I have four shifts between now and Sunday evening, but ALL of the clients are my favorites!! So that is nice.

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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How about I leave you with this?? As a sort of Latvian encore!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “Love Letter”, from the iconic album No More Shall We Part, 2001. Such a beautiful song!! I never get tired of it. Enjoy, gang.

"Love Letter"

I hold this letter in my hand
A plea, a petition, a kind of prayer
I hope it does as I have planned
Losing her again is more than I can bear

I kiss the cold, white envelope
I press my lips against her name
Two hundred words
We live in hope
The sky hangs heavy with rain

Love Letter, love letter
Go get her, go get her
Love Letter, love letter
Go tell her, go tell her

A wicked wind whips up the hill
A handful of hopeful words
I love her and I always will
The sky is ready to burst

Said something I did not mean to say
Said something I did not mean to say
Said something I did not mean to say
It all came out the wrong way

Love Letter, love letter
Go get her, go get her
Love Letter, love letter
Go tell her, go tell her

Rain your kisses down upon me
Rain your kisses down in storms
And for all who'll come before me
In your slowly fading forms

I'm going out of my mind
Will leave me standing in
The rain with a letter and a prayer
Whispered on the wind

Come back to me
Come back to me
O baby please come back to me

c - 2001 Nick Cave

Happy Thursday, One & All!

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Yes!!

This afternoon, is our lunch date at the pizzeria in Granville!!

And to refresh your memory — it was voted MOST ROMANTIC LOOKING PIZZERIA IN THE WORLD back in 2023:

But the food there is fantastic, gang.

All ingredients are locally grown by farmers out here in the Hinterlands. And the recipes are sort of “nouvelle cuisine” but applied to pizza and pasta.

Dennis and I are both very excited! In fact, we talked on the phone for 3 hours last night, all about how excited we are! (And other stuff…)

Me, later, wearing another sundress a slice of pizza…

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Oh, and here’s something that doesn’t happen often, OOPS! I mean, EVER, in my world these days–

American Express wrote this morning to tell me:

THEM: “We’ve increased your credit limit!”

ME: “Fucking A!!! Are you serious??”

So that was really cool. I guess this means the fucking fake lockdown that completely wiped me out financially is officially over…

Yay.

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Okay.

So, yesterday, my favorite nearly-95-year-old Japanese client and I went to Peony Bistro for sashimi (and sake), and this happened:

You know how he refuses to read his fortune cookies, or claim them in any way whatsoever because he says he doesn’t need any more fortune, he’s already got enough?

Well, yesterday, for some inexplicable reason, he decided to read his fortune and it was just incredible, gang. He read it and said: “This one is true — it’s you.” And he handed it to me.

Wow. It kinda broke my wee bonny heart!

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And in other good news!

Some “sort of” decent photos were posted on Instagram from night #2 of Nick Cave’s show in Latvia last night!!

And here’s the setlist from night #1. Check out that incredible encore! The encore alone would be worth the price of the ticket:

Okay. Next up is Bulgaria, next week, but both nights are SOLD OUT.

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All righty!

You know, Dennis has listened to all of my old music demos on my YouTube channel, and he has been just incredibly flattering about that part of my long-ago career…

But the time is gonna come soon when he will need to start checking out some of my fiction. (Perhaps not ALL of it, since no one really needs to be exposed to ALL of it, do they??)

He was going to start with some of my stuff that’s available in eBook editions, but I offered to lend him print copies of my books from my own collection since they are easier to read when you’re out back on your porch and the sun is going down…

But which title to give him for his first exposure to my often unbridled and excessive brain?

Here is the short list. Please feel free to VOTE and vote often!!

  1. Neptune & Surf — my first book! It put me on the map across the globe! Won awards. Made me famous. Still in print 26 years later! But is exceedingly hardcore and exceptionally graphic.

2. 1954 Powder Blue Pickup — short. Easy to read. To the point. But is extremely hardcore. Plus, he owns a pickup truck and while it isn’t blue or from 1954, it could still fill him with many, many seemingly questionable ideas!!!

3. Freak Parade — another award winner! Very popular with critics! A lot about the music scene in NYC in the late 90s. But it is also exceedingly graphic and also kinda way too close to my actual LIFE back then… and way too much about NYC.

4. The Curse Of Our Profound Disorder — novel-in-progress, but almost complete! He could be the first person to read it, outside of the publishers! Not too sexually graphic but nonetheless graphic, a tad bit brutal, very raw, a bit relentless. The kind of book that, as you sit on your porch in the fading sunlight of the glorious Hinterlands, could make you say out loud; “Jesus Christ. Who the fuck IS this woman??”

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I guess we shall see, gang!! I will keep you posted…

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Meanwhile, I suppose I will close this now and get some stuff done before I head out to the pizzeria!

[curious typo above…I wonder how they missed it?]

Anyway!

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!

Morning listening music!!!

I absolutely loved Sha Na Na when I was a wee bonny lass and I loved their version of this song!! And I still loved it this morning, all these decades later. I sang along at the top of my no-longer-wee bonny voice!!

“Yakety Yak”, Sha Na Na, 1973. Enjoy, gang.

"Yakety Yak"

Take out the papers and the trash
Or you don't get no spendin' cash
If you don't scrub that kitchen floor
You ain't gonna rock and roll no more
Yakety yak (Don't talk back)

Just finish cleanin' up your room
Let's see that dust fly with that broom
Get all that garbage out of sight
Or you don't go out Friday night
Yakety yak (Don't talk back)

You just put on your coat and hat
And walk yourself to the laundromat
And when you finish doin' that
Bring in the dog and put out the cat
Yakety yak (Don't talk back)

Don't you give me no dirty looks
Your father's hip, he knows what cooks
Just tell your hoodlum friend outside
You ain't got time to take a ride
Yakety yak (Don't talk back)

Yakety yak, yakety yak
Yakety yak, yakety yak
Yakety yak, yakety yak
Yakety yak, yakety yak
 
c - 1958 Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

Back At It! Sort of!

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Well, I slept GREAT last night, but I still feel out of sorts today. I could really use another day off, but my favorite nearly-95-year-old-Japanese client awaits!!

Well, he probably doesn’t know that he “awaits” because I’m guessing he’s still sound asleep. But on some spiritual plane, he “awaits”! So off I must go!

OH!

And here’s an interesting coincidence — my favorite new person in the world, Dennis, is half-Japanese! (His mom was Japanese.)

I find that kinda ironic, don’t you??

Anyway. I’m thinking we will head out for sushi & sashimi (and sake) today, but I will let my client decide when I get there (and wake him!). So we shall see! (But as you know, he rarely says no to sashimi and sake…)

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This is from James Tabor. So interesting as well as exciting!!

It is in Hebrew, so if you don’t speak Hebrew, click the CC icon, then click Settings and select Subtitles, then OPTIONS, and choose your language.

“The ratio of Lead isotopes in the bones of those in the Talpiot Jesus Family tomb match the ancient water supply of Sepphoris/Nazareth, not that of Jerusalem. This is a segment of a lecture given by Moshe Sharif, retired geologist from the Geologic Survey of Israel, based on the work of geologist Aryeh Shimron and samples collected in co-operation with the Israeli Antiquities Authority.”

A Lead Isotope Connection: The Talpiot Jesus Tomb and the Ancient Sepphoris/Nazareth Water System. (4 mins):

And just FYI, assuming all the psyops in Israel are over by then, I am finally, finally FINALLY going to go to the Holy Land with James Tabor’s “Tracking Jesus” archeology/history tour –which includes going to Nazareth — when the tours resume next year. I cannot wait. It will be a lifetime’s dream come true for me.

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Well, it’s looking as if maybe FIVE people in Latvia take their cellphones to concerts with them, which is a step above the 2 people in Norway who did…

However, so far, it’s also looking as if those same 5 Latvian people also had lousy seats last night….

Anyway. This was the best I could get, photo-wise, from Nick Cave’s Solo Tour with Colin Greenwood on bass, in Riga yesterday.

A photo of Nick’s image on the large screen, from a distance:


Here’s hoping tonight yields something a little closer to the stage!! We shall find out!!

Then after tonight, it’s off to Bulgaria for 2 nights next week. Alas, both shows are also SOLD OUT.

However, if you hurry, and if you’re planning to be in Macedonia on Aug. 22nd (and who isn’t!!??) there are STILL tickets available for that show!! Buy them HERE. (Between now and the end of the tour on September 11th, the Macedonia show is the only show left that is not currently sold out.)

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Ronnie Wood has a new album coming out September 14th –“Fearless”, an anthology of his songs from 1965 – 2025. And yesterday he released the first track from it, “You’re So Fine”.

You can listen to it HERE on Amazon, but you can also listen on Spotify, etc.

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Phil is planning to do a livestream tonight at 8PM eastern time. Check here later to confirm, though.

It would be so nice to get some intel from him, finally, wouldn’t it?? We shall see.

The situation in DC gets curiouser and curiouser…. and seemingly less and less about “the homeless” and more and more about perhaps some “high profile arrests”???? As massive protests are appearing to get underway…

And that’s not counting the alleged Ukrainian assassin they took out in Alaska Sunday night….

il donaldo wasn’t kidding, was he? More popcorn, indeed!!

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And I’m thinking that’s it for today, gang. I want to try to sort of relax before I head to town for my shift.

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!

Yes! My listening music from breakfast today!!

The Monkees’ “Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day”, 1966. Enjoy, gang!!

Sorry I’m Late! Again.

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Yes, that’s me — washing all the little cat bowls after breakfast around here…

That’s how it feels, anyway.

But, actually, I’m tired because I haven’t had a day off since last Tuesday (7 shifts in 6 days) and I guess I had kinda gotten used to having 3 days off each week.

But I slept great last night (and this morning) — closed up with the AC on; kittens out in the hall again; 2 full-grown cats in the room with me who were cuddly purr-bunnies and rather sedentary. Yay.

It felt great to just keep sleeping.

I got out of bed at 5:30AM, got back in bed at 7AM, and went right back to sleep.

HOWEVER–

I’m still sleepy.

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Okay.

Simon Parkes had a great update yesterday! It was only 12 minutes but it had some good intel (DC; and Trump/Putin/Alaska) and some mostly happy updates (unless, perhaps, if you live in the UK).

You need to be a member of Connecting Consciousness (free) to access his updates, but you can join HERE.

So many psyops going on right now, gang. It is really, really exciting. (Unless of course you are still asleep and hate Trump.)

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I have nothing specific to post about today, gang. My brain is just sort of fried.

Although Dennis and I chatted last evening for about 2 and a 1/2 hours, while I was still quite coherent. So that was nice.

And it looks like we are going to have another lunch date on Thursday — at that pizzeria I worked at briefly a couple of years ago. In Granville. Where the pizzas were phenomenal. (Although Justin, who was the amazing chef back then, has since died from a Fentanyl overdose, thank you very much you fuckheads who sold him the Fentanyl…)

And the tips there were staggeringly incredible every night. I made so much money. Until the cement floors there killed my wee bonny legs so I had to quit. And then Social Security wrote and reminded me (alas, too late) that you can’t get early retirement checks and also make staggeringly great tips every night…

The pizzeria shortly before it opened in early 2023. Voted BEST SCENERY of a PIZZERIA ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! (Yes, it actually looks like this.)

Anyway.

Yes, the money (and food) there was GREAT. And long story short — I am STILL paying back Social Security.

(But I did get to see Nick Cave solo in Cleveland at Playhouse Square that year and stay a couple nights in a hotel. So I think it was great making all that money while it almost lasted…)

And just to refresh your memory — My great seat in Cleveland on September 25th 2023, before Nick Cave and Colin Greenwood took the stage. And what a phenomenal show it was, gang. It blew me away:

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Which reminds me–

Here’s hoping the humble citizens of Latvia have plenty of cellphones on hand tonight, as Nick and Colin take to the stage!!!!

From Lucca, Italy, a few weeks back, wherein Nick Cave smiled as never before:

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Word from Sandra yesterday is that we will not be rehearsing “The Guide to being Fabulous” in NYC in September. She still has some details to work out with the Director of our staged reading. So it’s looking like October, and we’ll be back in NYC.

Even though this is taking forever, and the schedule keeps shifting around, it gets more exciting by the day, gang. I’m seriously hoping that I won’t be this tired when October rolls around…

Me and an absolutely NON-WORK vacation would be so fucking nice right about now.

I have not been on Route 66 since 1993… where did the time go, gang?

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I think that’s it for now.

I have to finish up the laundry. And, yes, vacuum the house. But the fleas appear to be absolutely under control!! Yay. So different from the Hell-on-Earth of last year.

And then maybe, just maybe, I will get some WRITING done!!

Have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting,

I love you guys. See ya!

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Here’s this! Let’s dream again!!

The Rolling Stones, 1964 – “Route 66”. Enjoy, gang!!

“Route 66”

Well if you ever plan to motor west
Just take my way that’s the highway that’s the best
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You’ll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona, don’t forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino

Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You’ll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona, don’t forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino

Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well, get your kicks on Route 66
Well, get your kicks on Route 66

c – 1946 – Bobby Troup

Getting A Late Start Here!

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I am a little late posting to the blog this morning, so this will be a brief post (I think!).

The kittens had me up late — as soon as I got off my 2 and a 1/2 hour phone call with Dennis, they got an attack of the zoomies!!

And since the bedroom was closed up because the AC was on, it was sort of like the zoomies from Hell! They were zooming all over the place, including constantly pouncing on ME.

I finally had to put all of them out into the hall and sleep totally ALONE. Yay.

HOWEVER!!

I’m glad I got to the blog late because Nick Cave just now sent out a Red Hand File and it’s one of those ones that I just LOVE!! Wherein he answers 50 questions with basically “yes, no, I don’t know, go fuck yourself”!!

My favorite:

“Do you really want to tell us about a girl, still?”

“Yes”

There are a lot of good ones, though (let’s say 50!!). You can read them HERE.

And I LOVE this photo from today’s FILE (Nick and Roland):

And speaking of wanting (or not wanting) to tell us about a girl… Here’s this (again) — “From Her To Eternity” in Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire”:

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Okay!

After I posted to the blog yesterday, I realized it was Marlon Richards’ birthday!! Again! (Keith Richards’ son.)

He has one every year, like clockwork, and the years are fucking FLYING, gang!! He used to be about 3, and now he’s FIFTY-FOUR!!!

Here’s the photo his wife posted to Instagram yesterday:

And here are the photos Keith posted yesterday:

And here’s one of my personal favorites of Keith and Marlon from my wee bonny girlhood!

And here’s this!

From Instagram yesterday! Wherein Keith was a lot younger than Marlon is NOW!

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Okay!!

Is this what il donaldo trumpo was posting about yesterday?? Or at least PART of what he was posting about?? (“We’re gonna need more popcorn this week”?) (FYI — typos matter; it’s a Q thing)

DEPLOYING THE NATIONAL GUARD IN OUT NATION’S CAPITAL!!!😎🇺🇸⚡️⚡️⚡️ —TIME TO DRAIN THE SWAMP!!!

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Okay, yesterday was intense. I can’t say why because I can’t talk about the private medical stuff of my clients. But it was intense.

However, we DID watch some great TV, including the movie “Superman 2”. (From June 1981)

Not that it was a great movie, really, but I instantly remembered seeing that movie in a theater in Times Square, not too far from our apartment in the Camelot Building (on W.45th Street and 8th Ave), when I was newly married to Chong Foun Kee.

I can’t remember if he went to that movie with me, or if I was with one of my friends. But yesterday, I found it so interesting that I remembered so vividly being in the theater, and that it was in Times Square, even while I remembered next to nothing about the actual movie.

God, I loved living in NYC back then.

Camelot Building, W.45th & 8th Ave

This song still brings tears to my eyes, even though it was about something entirely different — it still captures my world back then, when we lived in the Camelot Building — even including all the drugs, booze, insane sex, all the music clubs, all the wonderfully gifted people I knew back then, and all of us were in our 20s:

"CAMELOT"

A law was made a distant moon ago here:
July and August cannot be too hot.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
In Camelot.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
In Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But in Camelot, Camelot
That's how conditions are.
The rain may never fall till after sundown.
By eight, the morning fog must disappear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot!
I know it gives a person pause,
But in Camelot, Camelot
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

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Okay, I guess I better scoot or I’m gonna be late.

I have to work today because my favorite nearly-95-year-old Japanese client’s private nurse needed the day off.

Enjoy your Monday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys! See ya!