Monthly Archives: November 2025

Why not have some more WEATHER??

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Jesus, gang.

Another dreary cold day with HIGH winds — and a little sleet!! Who the heck is in charge of the weather these days?

Whoever you are, could you quit with the high winds already??? It’s been something, like, 5 days in a row now. (“Thank you for your attention to this matter.” DJT)

If I didn’t have to go back to town later today and then drive home after dark tonight, I wouldn’t mind so much.

And I don’t really care that much that it’s supposed to snow tomorrow, when I’ll be out having an early Christmas lunch with Wendy and Kara. It’s those high winds I can’t handle.

Anyway.

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Okay.

Sad news yesterday.

The playwright, Tom Stoppard, passed away at age 88.

He wrote one of my favorite plays of all time —  “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” (1966). From my POV as a writer, I thought he achieved something completely spectacular with that play. It’s really funny but it also totally fucks with your head — especially if you are reasonably familiar with “Hamlet”.

“The play expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the courtiers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the main setting is Denmark…”

RIP Tom Stoppard

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And today marks another sad occasion.

The magnificent Shane MacGowan has been gone TWO YEARS now, as of today. I can’t fucking believe it, gang.

From The Pogues’ Instagram page this morning:

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Well, as long as we’re at it–

From Phyllis Stein’s Instagram page — another great photo of Willy (Mink) DeVille, from 2000.

I had no idea he ever had a horse farm in Mississippi!

Here’s another song of his that I used to love listening to on my Sony Walkman while walking alone around NYC at night in the early 80s! “Just to Walk that Little Girl Home”, 1979.

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And here’s this —

Another gorgeous photo of a Native American. I have no idea from which tribal nation, or when the photo was taken–

(Oh, and, NO, I have not heard anything more yet from Wayne on the manuscript for The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. Nothing since his comments about Jack Kicking Eagle. I’m not tapping my toe and glancing at my watch or anything, because I know he’s busy…. but come on!!!!) (And the publisher has at least been in touch but she hasn’t finished reading it yet, either…)

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Okay– back to Instagram…

And a veritable bonanza of Nick Cave photos on Instagram this morning!!

Mostly from photographer Ross A Waterman:

And Nick in furry ears!!

And Nick in Berlin, in 1987. I don’t know who photographed it:

I could look at this photo all day. Unfortunately, I have to do a bunch of other stuff…

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And an update on how Christmas is progressing here in Crazeysburg!

This morning, I put the Christmas flannel sheets on my bed!!

Jesus, gang. I just can’t emphasize enough how overwhelmed I feel about the potential of getting all the Christmas stuff out with all these frisky young cats in the house now.

But, on Thursday, I am having breakfast with a friend here (oddly enough, NOT in Granville, but only about 2 seconds away from Granville…):

Don’t let this empty parking lot fool you. There is usually not a single solitary place to park!!

And then I think I will spend the rest of Thursday getting the Christmas stuff out.

I’m at least trying to psyche myself up for that outcome, anyway. We shall see!

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Other than that, I have 28 more caregiving shifts until 2026!

(I don’t think I’m going to do a daily countdown, but I guess you never know.)

Meanwhile, I have to go wash my hair now, then do some yoga, then feed my lovely self and then head on out in the sleet and cold and wind… to go look after the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat.

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.

The classic “A Rainy Night in Soho” by The Pogues, 1986. As always, just beautiful. Enjoy, gang.

“A Rainy Night In Soho”

I’ve been loving you a long time
Down all the years, down all the days
And I’ve cried for all your troubles
Smiled at your funny little ways

We watched our friends grow up together
And we saw them as they fell
Some of them fell into Heaven
Some of them fell into Hell

I took shelter from a shower
And I stepped into your arms
On a rainy night in Soho
The wind was whistling all its charms

I sang you all my sorrows
You told me all your joys
Whatever happened to that old song?
To all those little girls and boys

Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The ginger lady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you talking in my head

I’m not singing for the future
I’m not dreaming of the past
I’m not talking of the first time
I never think about the last

Now this song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there’s a light I hold before me
And you’re the measure of my dreams, the measure of my dreams

Sometimes I wake up in the morning
The ginger lady by my bed
Covered in a cloak of silence
I hear you talking in my head

I’m not singing for the future
I’m not dreaming of the past
I’m not talking of the first time
I never think about the last

Now this song is nearly over
We may never find out what it means
Still there’s a light I hold before me
And you’re the measure of my dreams, the measure of my dreams

c – 1986 Shane MacGowan

That Went Well!

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I’ll just say up front here that the agency managed to find a GREAT substitute caregiver for whoever it was that called off on Thanksgiving Day, and my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man had a really good holiday!

And he ate a TON of food! Yay!

And my shift with him yesterday went reasonably well. (I say “reasonably” only because with or without the food, he’s still sort of rapidly declining.)

I’m heading back over there soon and I am trying to keep a sort of “positive” outlook.

I can’t help it, gang. The more I think about work, the more I think about retiring. I don’t want to say that I’m “counting the days”, because I don’t know the exact day yet that I’m retiring, but let’s just say I have 29 shifts to go before 2026….

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Okay!

I don’t really have much to post about today, but here’s this–

From the Jack Kerouac Estate Instagram page, from left: John Cohen (back of head), Larry Rivers, Jack, David Amram, and Allen Ginsberg.

And in case I never posted about this before…

Back in April 1993, Larry Rivers turned 70 and his wife had a small birthday party for him at their loft on E. 14th Street , and I was invited to come to the party and sing!

I don’t remember what I sang — no more than 2 or 3 of my songs. I only remember that it was so cool to meet Larry Rivers!!

Me at Larry Rivers loft April 1993

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And speaking of so cool…

Nick Cave sent out a really cool Red Hand File yesterday! It was ostensibly about a woman who’d had a dream about the spirit of her dead son. But it was more about how a lot of human beings these days dismiss their spiritual side. He said, in part:

“…Sadly, the world we live in now has largely abandoned the mystical and sacred side, treating it as an unserious and unnecessary impediment to human progress. We now dwell in an essentially materialistic age, and weird experiences that disturb this rational world are often met with scepticism and derision. Unloved, this aspect of our nature can wither and die. I believe we ignore this strange and otherworldly activity at our peril….”

You can read it in full HERE.

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And I think that’s it for today!

I’m working on a little project about E.12th Street and I am really enjoying it. It stems from those photos I recently posted here, showing how my “hellhole” apartment there was “renovated” after I moved out in 1992, and is now a sterile over-priced cubicle. And it has made me see those Alphabet City days of the 1980s in a whole different light.

Yep. Hard to believe, but it was actually better back then.

Okay.

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys! See ya!

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Okay.

I leave you with this!

One of those songs from my wee bonny 12-year-old girlhood that helped lure me to NYC… (and I’ll point out here that several people he sings about here, were photographed by Peter Hujar and I eventually saw those iconic photos in Peter’s apartment!!! See yesterday’s post.)

Lou Reed, “Walk on the Wild Side” 1972. From his legendary album Transformer. Enjoy, gang.

“Walk On The Wild Side”

Holly came from Miami, F.L.A.
Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, “Hey, babe,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
Said, “Hey, honey,
Take a walk on the wild side.”

Candy came from out on the Island
In the back room she was everybody’s darling
But she never lost her head
Even when she was giving head
She says, “Hey, babe,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
Said, “Hey, babe,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
And the colored girls go
“Doo do doo do doo do do doo…”

Little Joe never once gave it away
Everybody had to pay and pay
A hustle here and a hustle there
New York City’s the place
Where they said, “Hey, babe,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
I said, “Hey, Joe,
Take a walk on the wild side.”

Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets
Looking for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the Apollo
You should’ve seen them go, go, go
They said, “Hey, sugar,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
I said, “Hey, babe,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
All right, huh

Jackie is just speeding away
Thought she was James Dean for a day
Then I guess she had to crash
Valium would have helped that bash
Said, “Hey, babe,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
I said, “Hey, honey,
Take a walk on the wild side.”
And the colored girls say,
“Doo do doo do doo do do doo…”

c – 1972 Lou Reed

“It’s beginning to look a lot like –“

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Well, not so much.

I managed to get out 2 Christmas potholders. The snowman spoon-rest for the stovetop. 1 Christmas placemat for the kitchen table. A Christmas dish towel.

And a Christmas coffee mug from my stupidly large collection of Christmas coffee mugs…

And that was it.

I just wasn’t up for anything more than that yesterday. I figure I’ll wait until I am truly in the Christmas spirit and also have a ton of energy.

I did watch a little bit of Yogi Bear!! (See yesterday’s post.)

Yogi’s Christmas Caper

Well, I didn’t exactly watch it. It was on the TV in the kitchen while I made a big pot of soup for the weekend.

But that was about as festive as I got.

And now I’m getting ready to head back over to my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house and I am really dreading it, gang.

I’m not dreading seeing him, I’m just dreading what I will find. I am really, really hoping the Agency was able to find a good last-minute replacement for him yesterday — a caregiver that would be able to persuade him to get out of bed and to EAT. (I can’t stress enough how difficult he gets when he has a caregiver that he doesn’t recognize.)

One of his far-away family members texted both me and the private nurse yesterday, to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving. And of course I was polite, etc., but I really wanted to text back to the private nurse and say:

ME (texting furiously): “Why didn’t you fucking TELL me you were fucking going away??!! He ran out of FOOD!! He didn’t eat for TWO FUCKING DAYS!!”

(Also see yesterday’s post.)

Anyway.

Instead I just let it go.

NOT ME!! Who did this?!?!?

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Anyway.

When I wasn’t NOT decorating for Christmas, I did some yoga. Then started yet another new course! I finally finished the course on the Protestant Reformation last week (wow, what an intense course, gang), and while I wait for James Tabor’s new course on Christianity before Paul, I started a 36-lecture-course on Alexander the Great.

I really have no idea why this course jumped out at me, but it did. And I listened to the first lecture yesterday and I was instantly fascinated by it. It’s not just on Alexander but also on the era of Greek history in which he lived. And the sharp divide in people’s opinions of him back then.

I knew none of this stuff so I think it’s going to be very interesting. However, the moment James Tabor’s new course becomes available, I will set the Alexander the Great course aside until later.

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Meanwhile —

This was so cool.

From NYC LGBTQ historic sites on Instagram!! Peter Hujar’s old apartment in the East Village has just been made an LGBTQ historic residence site!

(Here he is in his living room. I remember this room so well, gang. It is where all his most iconic photographs were displayed.)

(If you are new to the blog, back during the AIDS crisis in NYC, during the mid-1980s, I was a volunteer with the Visiting Nurse Services of NY, and Peter Hujar was one of my patients up until he died.)

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And I think that’s it for now.

I need to sort of get myself together for today’s shift and then head into town.

Enjoy your (Black) Friday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visitng.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this.

James Tabor posted this video to his private Patreon group yesterday.

“The roads of the Roman Empire restructured mobility in the Mediterranean area. This animation movie reveals the diversity of Roman roads, from paved roads leading to major ancient cities, over wide camel tracks in the Egyptian desert, to steep roads in mountain passes.”

Travel the Roads of the Roman Empire (8 mins). Enjoy gang.

Happy Thanksgiving, Gang!

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If you live State-side, I hope you have a great holiday!

Oddly enough, I woke up at my usual 4AM this morning, but WASN’T exhausted at all!! Funny how that works when I know I don’t have to get up and go to work…

However, I’m still not 100% sure I will get that Christmas tree up today. We shall see how it goes. It feels a little overwhelming right now, but my mood could change as the day goes on.

That terrible wind we had all day/night yesterday damaged part of my new gutter, so I’m super excited about that! I sure was so hoping I would have to find yet another handyman — this one who can go up on my roof and re-attach part of my new gutter… for, you know, a nominal fee.

Aarrrgh!

No! Not THAT kind of handyman…. Although, you know. Anyway!!

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Okay. Yesterday.

Jesus, gang. I will at least say, upfront, that the day ended very nicely once I got home from my shift.

But the minute I arrived at the home of my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man, I discovered that he hadn’t eaten in TWO DAYS!!

His private nurse was away on vacation. I had no clue she was leaving town or I would have done his grocery shopping on Saturday, when I was last there. (The nurse usually does all the grocery shopping, but I leave her a grocery list on Saturdays.)

There sat my grocery list on the counter. And there sat his fridge with almost nothing in it. Not even cream for his coffee.

I was super excited about the thought of getting him out of bed immediately and heading to the grocery store in the rain, the plummeting temperatures and the high winds — the day before fucking Thanksgiving! (When you can’t find a parking spot that’s anywhere near the store!)

Not exaggerating at all in any way!

He’d also had a caregiver from the Agency at his house on Monday & Tuesday, who did not know that you can’t prepare food for him and leave it in the fridge. It has to be on the table beside his chair in the living room where he can see it, otherwise he will forget to eat. And that’s what happened. For two fucking DAYS.

Her notes said that he was being really, really difficult on top of not eating. He hates when he has unfamiliar caregivers. And reading over her notes made me, of course, feel guilty about planning to retire. I realize the Agency will have me train someone before I leave for good, but still. I pictured him starving to death and dying in short order.

Anyway, I was so fucking upset from the minute my shift started. Mostly because the private nurse had not texted me that she was out of town. She’d only texted, asking me to pick up his Thanksgiving dinner.

So I got him out of bed and off we went. He was so disoriented and weak, which of course made me more upset. I stopped in at the Agency, which was on the way to the store, and I politely vented to the receptionist about the client not having eaten in 2 days!

I didn’t want anything in writing/typing on the Agency app, where the family in Seattle could read that their 95-year-old dad, who lives alone and has no short term memory left, hadn’t eaten in TWO FUCKING DAYS!! Meanwhile, the family pays the Agency a fucking fortune to make sure that their dad fucking EATS…

Jesus fucking Christ, I was so angry. But luckily, the receptionist at the Agency is just incredibly efficient and really nice, and she started emailing the right people, right away. So I felt a little bit better when I left there.

And I ended up taking him out for breakfast at the same place where I was picking up his pre-ordered Thanksgiving dinner. So that saved time. And the day wasn’t totally ruined.

And he collapsed in his recliner in the living room the moment we got back, and he slept there for the remainder of my shift until I woke him to say goodbye and have a happy Thanksgiving….

….wherein, as I was preparing to leave, a text came in from the Agency: Could I possibly work with him again on Thanksgiving because the scheduled caregiver had just called off sick…

ME: “FUCK! “

ME (also): “NO. I CAN’T.”

(But I said it a lot more politely than that.) And then I left post-it notes written with a big black sharpie all over his kitchen in hopes that the caregiver who gets sent in there today will have some sort of chance in hell of getting him to eat his Thanksgiving dinner…

AAarrrgggh,,,,

Then I got in my Honda and drove away…

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However, when I got home. I got texts all evening from friends, hither & yon — old and new — wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving (and other stuff). Which was so nice.

And then my birth mom called! Right at a moment when I was actually holding my phone! So she didn’t go straight to voicemail!

We had such a great chat.

I ended the evening just feeling great about everything–

(except maybe about work…).

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Okay!

Here’s this!

Back when the Boys Next Door really were Bad Seeds!!

Nick Cave and the Boys Next Door

And this, from Nick Cave Official—

A reminder that their new “LIVE GOD” album will be out December 5th!

“Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announce their new live album Live God, a stunning testament to The Wild God Tour, which wowed audiences across the UK, Europe and North America in 2024 and ‘25, and which travels to Australia and New Zealand in 2026.The album will be released on 5 December 2025….”

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And I think that is it for now!

I’m gonna go have another cup of coffee and try to decide if I want to just relax today (i.e. — watch classic Yogi Bear cartoons??)

Or put up the Christmas stuff.

Or perhaps BOTH!!

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Have a great holiday and/or Thursday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guy. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!

As my CD player in the kitchen prepares for that most wonderful season to get underway!!

Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. Enjoy, gang.

A Happy Pre-Holiday Hi!

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I won’t say it, gang!

I’ll just let you guys presume from now on that I am so fucking TIRED!

Jesus. Those 10-hr Tuesdays kill me. Not so much the amount of hours, but the fact that I never stop moving the whole time I’m there.

Getting the meds sorted out 3 times. Cooking two meals, then cleaning up after that. Help with the showering (while I get just as wet from the handheld shower sprayer spraying everywhere), and then help with the getting dressed, and the Physical Therapy exercises. Then tracking it all, in writing, in the notebook. Then tracking it again, in typing, on the Agency’s phone app.

Then, yesterday, we went to the hair salon. (Male/female). And guess what? It was a Christian hair salon. I’ve actually never seen anything like it. It was really tiny and really cool. They had so much pretty stuff, including one of those fake fireplaces that are totally hypnotizing. And the people who work there, and the other customers, were so friendly.

The salon had a lot of Christian/Christmas stuff for sale. My favorite was a tee shirt that simply said “Forgiven” across the front of it. How cool would that be? To walk all over the world, with a shirt that tells everyone you’re forgiven? I really loved it.

Anyway. It was raining and cold yesterday, so I had to deal with getting the walkers, folded and unfolded, then in and out of the SUV, etc., in the rain. So that was fun, too.

However!

Just as we got home from the hair salon, out-of-town family members arrived who are visiting for the holiday, so the client said, “Have a great holiday, Marilyn! You can go ahead and go home now.”

Wow! That meant I was able to get to the grocery store before dark and get home a whole hour early.

But probably the best part was , as I was leaving, the client and the client’s family (who I’d met before) all hugged me goodbye and said, “We love you, Marilyn.”

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That’s still the hard part for me — knowing that I’m getting ready to retire and nobody knows yet.

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Today, it’s not so cold, but it is still raining. And more of those high winds that I absolutely LOVE…

I’m heading out soon to see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man. We’re not going out for sashimi & sake today. But I do have to go out later and pick up his pre-ordered Thanksgiving dinner for tomorrow. He just stays in the car, though, when I run errands for him. So hopefully I can just dash in and dash out —

I don’t mind doing any of this stuff, but I am just so — well, you know!!

Yes, I need a vacation!!

And first thing this morning, as my eyes opened at 4AM, I thought about tomorrow, and how I have one day off to spend lugging out all the Christmas stuff. Put up that enormous tree and decorate the whole house–

–with 723 frisky cats, getting into everything!!

However.

Once it’s all done, it is so worth it, gang.

Christmas Eve 2023

And Monday afternoon, I’ll be with Wendy and Kara, at Snapshots in Granville, for an early Christmas celebration! I am so looking forward to that, and I am already getting into the Christmas spirit.

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Okay.

Here’s this!

A great shot of the Rolling Stones, in Chelsea, 1971:

And Keith, in color! From back when he was called “Keith Richard” — no ‘s’.

It’s weird to see him in color back then. So many of the photos of them from that era (the 1960s) were in black & white. I have seen photos of him in those pants so many times, and I had no idea what color they were…

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All right.

I suppose I better scoot and get a little more coffee and then get ready for this day!

Have a terrific Thanksgiving Eve, if you live Stateside, otherwise, 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!

Boy, am I really loving this Oldies FM radio station that I have the retro boombox in my bedroom tuned to.

This morning, as I sat up in bed (again), holding my nearly empty coffee cup, stared at the rainy streets outside the window and tried to convince myself to finally get the day underway, I switched on the radio and lo! & behold!

Fucking-A!! What a great song!! Suddenly, I was singing and getting up out of bed…

Enjoy, gang.

“Free Fallin'” from Tom Petty’s massively successful first solo album, Full Moon Fever, 1989.

“Free Fallin'”

She’s a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She’s a good girl, who’s crazy ’bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too

And it’s a long day, livin’ in Reseda
There’s a freeway, runnin’ through the yard
And I’m a bad boy, ’cause I don’t even miss her
I’m a bad boy for breakin’ her heart

And I’m free, free fallin’
Yeah I’m free, free fallin’

All the vampires, walkin’ through the valley
Move west down Ventura Boulevard
And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows
And the good girls are home with broken hearts

And I’m free, I’m free fallin’
Yeah I’m free, free fallin’

Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a
Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a

I wanna glide down over Mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky
I’m gonna free fall out into nothin’
Gonna leave this world for a while

Now I’m free, free fallin’
(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a
Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a)
Yeah I’m free, free fallin’
(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a
Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a)

(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a)
Yeah I’m free, free fallin’
Oh!

(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a)
Free fallin’
(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a)
And I’m free, oh, free fallin’
(Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a
Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a
Free fallin’, I’m-a free fallin’, I’m-a)

c – 1989 Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne

Me, again!!

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I know you’re probably really tired of hearing me tell you how tired I am, but I am so fucking tired today, gang. Jesus.

Now it’s like I can’t even handle 3 shifts in a row. And I can’t.

I can barely handle one shift in a row…

Because now that I’ve finally decided that I want to fully retire in January — well, now I want to retire today. And so every shift, that’s all I think about: I want to retire today.

Anyway. Onward.

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Okay!

I have today off!!

And the only thing I really need to do today is go to the Dollar Store and buy some cat food.

Other than that, I am going to stay home and just putter around. Vacuum, probably. The laundry is already half done. And that’s it, as far as chores. The rest of the day is wide open for whatever I want to do.

Write, probably.

Or, more succinctly: Figure out what I want to write. Probably.

I’m also trying to get myself psyched up for Thursday.

Thursday is of course Thanksgiving. I don’t have to work, but I’m not celebrating Thanksgiving since there’s no one nearby to celebrate it with. So I’ve decided to take the whole day and get all the Christmas stuff up.

Normally, I like doing that but last year the foster cats wreaked havoc on the Christmas tree. And this year, I now have kittens to add to the mix. They are almost 8 months old already but they are still frisky and curious as hell about everything new that pops onto their domain.

So I’m worried that they’re going to actually break stuff that I’m really fond of. But I don’t want to not decorate…

So we shall see.

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Other than that —

Here’s this!

I believe the “A Bunch of Stuff” exhibit has opened now in Tokyo — or, at least it is getting ready to open. I’m not sure which.

From Johnny Smoke’s Instagram page:

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And here’s this–

Jimmy Cliff has passed away, gang. He died today in Jamaica, at age 81.

From RollingStonesBrasil on Instagram — Keith, with Ronnie Wood and Jimmy Cliff:

And here’s this — Keith, Ronnie and Charlie Watts, in LA in 1978. Their version of Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come”.

And here’s this again. Probably my favorite Jimmy Cliff song! “Vietnam”. 1969.

RIP Jimmy.

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Here’s this!

It was in my phone stash. I found it yesterday while trying to find a photo of something else!!

Nick Cave, July 2022. Smiling!!

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And here’s this!

Also from Instagram. I thought it was so funny. I texted it to Wayne…

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And I think that is it!!

I’m gonna finish the laundry. Vacuum. Collapse — again. And then figure out what I’m gonna do today.

Enjoy your Monday, 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 was trying to force myself to get back out of bed this morning and start the laundry, get another cup of coffee, get out of my nightgown and put on some actual clothes, etc. I switched on the oldies FM radio station on my retro boombox next to my bed, and one of my all-time favorite Tom Petty – Stevie Nicks songs was just starting!

I took it as an auspicious sign to get this day started, too.

“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”. 1981. Enjoy, gang.

“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”

Baby, you come knocking on my front door
Same old line you used to use before
I said yeah, well, what am I supposed to do
I didn’t know what I was getting into

So you’ve had a little trouble in town
Now you’re keeping some demons down
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my heart around

It’s hard to think about what you’ve wanted
It’s hard to think about what you’ve lost
This doesn’t have to be the big get even
This doesn’t have to be anything at all

(I know you really want to tell me good-bye)
(I know you really want to be your own girl)

Baby, you could never look me in the eye
Yeah, you buckle with the weight of the words
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my heart around

There’s people running ’round loose in the world
Ain’t got nothin’ better to do
Make a meal of some bright-eyed kid
You need someone looking after you

(I know you really want to tell me goodbye)
(I know you really want to be your own girl)

Baby, you could never look me in the eye
Yeah, you buckle with the weight of the words
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my
Stop draggin’ my heart around

Stop draggin’ my heart around
Stop draggin’ my heart around
Stop draggin’ my heart around
Stop draggin’ my heart around

c-1981 Tom Petty, Mike Campbell

“She’s always taking such lovely drives…”

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Well, strike 2, I guess.

In much the same way that I recently took a lovely drive to go to a mall and see a movie — and then turned around and came home…

I went to that new church this morning — and, wow, another really lovely drive along backroads. It is a really gorgeous fall morning here. But when I got to the (tiny) church, the parking lot was completely full, along with every single parking spot on the street for several blocks!

And it looked like it was going to be standing room only inside that tiny church.

So I turned around and came home.

I’m guessing it’s because it’s that “New Friends Celebration” service, and they are also honoring local first responders today, too. So I guess every one came from far & wide.

I was disappointed, but I tried to focus, once again, on how beautiful the drive was. And it was only 10 minutes, each way.

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Okay.

Here’s this!

Keith with a puppy! (From that long ago era when men wore scarves instead of ties around their necks. And it looks like that could be Charlie behind Keith, with the cigarette.)

And Keith with sunglasses — and a cigarette!

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And Cave Things sent out a reminder that the Black Friday sale is still going on! Until December 5th, 5PM GMT.

Up to 70% off!! On items including, but not limited to, GOD PENCILS!!

$7.00 + shipping, They’re not just for Sundays anymore!!

Nick Cave’s God Pencils

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Okay, well. I guess I’ll do some yoga now, since I now have plenty of time before my shift.

Have a great 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!! Again!

You know, I really was disappointed in turning around this morning and just going back home. And I was also disappointed because I could tell that it wasn’t going to be a church I was going to feel comfortable in.

This is the kind of church I feel comfortable in — my old church back in downtown Columbus, where I was baptized:

United Church of Christ, East Broad Street

I loved this church and the minister there was fantastic! But he has since retired and the church is an hour away from where I live now.

Anyway. I was disappointed this morning. But as soon as the GPS guy in my car stopped talking, THIS SONG came on my playlist!!

I can’t tell you what this song does to me, gang. It just calms my soul right now. So that helped.

“Lime Tree Arbor”, 1997. From Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ The Boatman’s Call. Enjoy, gang.

Everything new is heading this way…

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I can just feel so clearly, gang, that everything in my world is changing.

And cycles are coming to a close; and new, as yet unknown, cycles getting ready to begin.

But first–

Today is the “official” day that he was taken from us:

RIP JFK

Also, check out this from Phil back in 2021, if you haven’t already:

JFK Part 3 – “A shocking alternative theory to the JFK Assassination aftermath.“

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Okay, yesterday, when I was with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man –after we came back home from having our sashimi & sake — and, OH!! The restaurant has yet another new fortune cookie supplier and they are awful! His fortune was totally lame and my fortune cookie was empty!!

(Could this be yet another sign that cycles in my life are ending???)

Anyway. I digress…

After we came back home, he fell asleep for an hour, because of the sake. And since I don’t drink sake, I was totally sober and puttering around, tidying stuff, gathering the laundry and getting it ready to do when I go over there today, etc.

And even while I was sort of sad, looking around me at all the amazing stuff in his home, from all over the world, and all the memories I have now of spending time with him that I am really going to treasure, I clearly felt that I was leaving. That when I retire, I’m going to totally retire.

And move on.

And after I left his house, on the drive home, I was feeling profoundly grateful to all the clients I’ve had over these past 15 months. I felt like I’ve learned what they wanted to tell me — about aging, about the past, about family, pets, possessions, and preparing for dying.

And I had the distinct feeling that it’s my turn now: to live out the remainder of my life in the best way that suits me.

What a feeling, gang. It was so empowering. Going into the last chapters of my life now, with my eyes wide open from all the things my clients have taught me.

Wow.

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And this is sort of unexpected–

Tomorrow morning, I might not be able to post here.

Several days ago, I got an invite in the mail from a small church in the next town over. Tomorrow is there annual “new friends in the community” service, with a Pastor’s reception afterwards, in the fellowship hall.

The church is very small, and while their hymns are done in bluegrass style, they are otherwise very conservative. KJV (which is the bible style I was ordained under). And no drinking, no smoking, no partying, no LGBTQ+ shenanigans, etc.

But as loyal readers of this lofty blog perhaps recall, I have been looking for a new local church. Every church imaginable in this area has invited me to attend their church — Methodist, Evangelical, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Mormon, and Jehovah’s Witness.

For some reason, this church’s invite popped up and appealed to me. So we’ll see. I am definitely feeling like I’m going to at least check it out tomorrow morning. And then, after that, I will have to head to my shift with the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat…

The actual church

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I don’t know, gang. It is such an interesting feeling — retiring. I have no idea what lies ahead, but I feel really confident about all of it.

Even if nothing I write ends up selling, I honestly don’t mind. I don’t mind self-publishing stuff — I’ve been doing that for years already.
And I’ve already experienced (for a couple of decades) that incredible feeling wherein every single thing I wrote, sold. Everything. Fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, memoirs, essays, novels, novellas.

All over the world.

I had publishers in the Philippines, in Japan, in Spain, Germany, Italy, France, London, Denmark, and of course, all over the US.

I had two books published by the Book of the Month Club!

And this morning, I was lying in bed with my cup of coffee in reach, and as the sun came up, I was thinking about the book signings I did in Boston, in Cambridge MA, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and, of course, all over NYC.

Lots of trains, planes, and rented automobiles!

And all of this was for my erotica. Not for some lofty tome, right? Erotica. A genre that no one will touch anymore.

Such different days. It was incredible.

And the trips to Los Angeles, to meet with producers about my various TV projects (not erotica!), and having those various producers tell me that I was a great writer…(And not a single solitary person EVER hitting on me! So different from the music business…)

Wow. It was all exciting. My 30s, 40s, and 50s. And yet I don’t need to repeat it. If I do, great. But honestly, the chance to just write what I want to write and just experience my life before it zips by in a flash. Those are the prospects I’m actually interested in now, gang.

It just feels incredible.

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Okay. I gotta scoot and head back into town!

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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

I leave you with this, on this auspicious anniversary.

The Screaming Blue Messiahs, from their phenomenal album, Gun Shy, 1986. “President Kennedy’s Mile.” Enjoy, gang.

Okay, well. Good morning!!

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I have to say, gang, that I have tried many times to get that virtual Nick Cave art exhibit to work, but I can only make it through the opening images and then I can’t go down the long hallway.

It is so frustrating to not have the kind of skills I need to do this thing!! But I will keep trying…

(If anyone has any helpful advice, please leave me a comment! “Thank you for your attention to this matter. – DJT”)

Meanwhile…

Before I forget, beginning December 8th, all my eBooks on Smashwords will be free to download again in their Annual Holiday Sale. Warning: These are erotic titles and intended for adults only.

There are 4 titles there: Freak Parade, and The Muse Revisited Vols. I, II, & III. All of them are pretty old, but they still seem to fly off the shelves during the free download sale. So I thank you in advance! And I will remind you again as the date gets closer.

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And as a reminder — on LULU, I have a total of 12 titles. These are, for the most part, my newest books and eBooks.

You must scroll down and select “Show Explicit Content” to see these titles. All of them, except for Twilight of the Immortal, are absolutely for adults only.

(Although, all over the Internet, it says that Freak Parade is suitable for ages 7 and up — on what planet it’s suitable for a 7-year-old, I absolutely don’t know…)

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Okay!

I forgot to post this yesterday! So I post it now, along with a new one.

Keith, of course!!

From Stonesdata, Keith in 1972:

And this — during recording sessinos (sometimes called “sessions”) for Beggars Banquet, 1968. What a great album:

And here’s this, from Beggars Banquet:

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I started watching this film on the Wonder Project channel last night. It’s an old one — from 1997. But I am really loving it:

You can also watch it on Tubi, Netflix, etc.

“Soul Food”:

“The story centers on the trials of an extended Black American family, held together by longstanding family traditions which begin to fade as serious problems take center stage.”

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I also started watching Season 2 of “Man on the Inside” (Netflix) last night. I laughed out loud a couple of times, which is saying a lot for me, since with most new TV shows, I just don’t appreciate the writing styles at all anymore.

But this show is targeting an older audience, so a lot of the things they get right:

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Okay, so today, I will be with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man and we will be going out for sashimi and sake! (And fortune cookies!)

We haven’t been there in about 2 weeks. They will wonder what happened to us!!

I will try to make the most of each of my shifts with him, because I really think I am going to simply retire from everything when the New Year comes around, gang. Even though the Agency knows I only want to work 25 hrs a week right now, they have texted me no less than 4 times in the last 24 hours, asking me if it is at all possible for me to pick up an extra shift…

I can see me “retiring” except for the 3 shifts with my Japanese man, and the texts from the Agency probably would just continue…

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Well, I think that’s gonna be it for today. I gotta get moving here and head to town.

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys See ya!

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I have my retro boombox tuned to an Oldies FM radio station, and when I turned it on this morning, they were playing songs that were on the Top 100 in November 1975. (Yes, a mere 50 years ago…)

Not only did I know every word to every song they played (even the dreaded disco songs!), but in November 1975, I was still stuck in the mental hospital. So all the songs I heard this morning took me right back there.

Not the most joyful time in my life. But I did have a radio by my bed in there and I listened to it every night.

I leave you with this. This was playing while I made my bed this morning, and I knew every single solitary fucking word to it, even though I hadn’t heard the song in ages.

The Eagles. “Lyin’ Eyes”, 1975. From their massively popular album, One of These Nights. Enjoy, gang. (And let’s just be grateful that time passes.)

“Lyin’ Eyes”

City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile
A rich old man and she won’t have to worry
She’ll dress up all in lace and go in style

Late at night a big old house gets lonely
I guess every form of refuge has its price
And it breaks her heart to think her love is only
Given to a man with hands as cold as ice

So she tells him she must go out for the evening
To comfort an old friend who’s feelin’ down
But he knows where she’s goin’ as she’s leavin’
She is headed for the cheatin’ side of town

You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you’d realize
There ain’t no way to hide your lying eyes

On the other side of town a boy is waiting
With fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal
She drives on through the night anticipating
‘Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel

She rushes to his arms, they fall together
She whispers that it’s only for awhile
She swears that soon she’ll be comin’ back forever
She pulls away and leaves him with a smile

You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you’d realize
There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes

She gets up and pours herself a strong one
And stares out at the stars up in the sky
Another night, it’s gonna be a long one
She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry

She wonders how it ever got this crazy
She thinks about a boy she knew in school
Did she get tired or did she just get lazy?
She’s so far gone she feels just like a fool

My, oh my, you sure know how to arrange things
You set it up so well, so carefully
Ain’t it funny how your new life didn’t change things
You’re still the same old girl you used to be

You can’t hide your lying eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you’d realize
There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes
There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes
Honey, you can’t hide your lyin’ eyes

c- 1975 – Glenn Lewis Frey, Donald Hugh Henley