All posts by marilyn jaye lewis

writer, editor, publisher, thinker -- all-around joyful gal!

Going Good in France!

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The TV pilot pitch is going very well in France today, gang!!

I will keep you posted!!

I might not be able to post tomorrow morning, though, because I have an early shift. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, a selfie from Peitor at Series Mania today!

Peitor at Series Mania in Lille, France

Okay! Have a great evening.🥰🥂I love you guys. See ya.

One of those great mornings!

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A little chilly, but SUPER sunny! And my shift today is with my favorite 94-year-old Japanese man!!

I never, ever know what lays ahead when I first enter his kitchen each morning, but without fail, the journey he and I undertake together (mostly to the past) winds up, by the end of my shift, being astounding.

I always learn something new about him, of course, but also about myself, and usually about life, in general.

He was married twice — first, to a young Japanese woman, who was studying piano at Julliard when they met in NYC in the mid-1950s (she was friends with — an as yet unknown — Yoko Ono, and so the 3 of them would have lunch together in Greenwich Village!! You know, how cool is that?). They ended up having 4 children together — 2 in NYC, and then 2 more were born when they lived in Tokyo. One of the children, a son, very, very tragically died several years ago, but from that son came 4 grandchildren.

He was then married a second time, late in life — to a Latvian woman whose family came to the US as refugees during WWII. This second wife was the absolute love of his life. The house is still full of her essence, her world, her photos, her books, her music & movies. She seems like she was a really wonderful woman, full of life.

She passed away 6 years ago, but they were together for just over 20 years. I’m bringing all this up, because my client believes that this wife, her spirit, is what brought me into his life. And I tell you what, gang — I feel that way, too. I really do. I always smile and quietly say hello to her every time I let myself in through her kitchen door.

Anyway! Wow. I digress!

All I was really going to say is that it is a great morning over here in the Hinterlands.

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Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File yesterday morning that was very interesting. It was one of the few RHFs that I didn’t agree with — mostly because I thought he was being too hard on himself. But also because I think it is up to each individual to discover what the purpose of his or her life is.

But it was still really interesting. It dealt with dividing one’s focus between being an artist, and having a spouse and family. He said, in part:

“You wonder whether this is a mental illness. I believe it is. The artistic impulse is an exquisite derangement – like drugs, like love, like faith, like grief – a complete and full-force commandeering of the body and the heart. It is a kind of possession, a thrilling seduction, an enchantment, as the ink and paint flow and dance. So demonically exhilarating is this sensation that we think – “This must be the purpose of life!”

But, John, it is not….”

(You can read it in full here.)

Basically, I don’t agree with anything he said there. But it did give me a lot of interesting things to think about, in relation to my own life as a writer.

If you are a loyal reader of this lofty blog, then you no doubt recall that I really, really wanted to have children when I was younger. But I went through 2 marriages to men who either did not want children or couldn’t have children, and this was really, really hard for me to come to terms with.

I did come to terms with it over time, because, in hindsight, I know I would have been a terrible mom. My writing meant everything to me — whether it was my songwriting, or my fiction writing. And I would have ended up being really short-tempered and tightly wound most of the time because i would have wanted to give my all to ALL things. But more importantly, I would have wanted my privacy. Constantly. My own world to write in.

If you’ve ever read Virginia Woolf’s classic essay, A Room of One’s Own (1929)– about how “a woman must have money and a room of her own to write fiction.” I read that book in 1983 and it has continually rung true for me throughout my life — needing a room of my own (i.e. “Marilyn’s Room”). Throw the reality of caring for children into that mix, and my mind probably would have exploded. I would have wanted to give 100% to all things, and it can’t be done.

Anyway. I enjoyed reading that Red Hand File very much because it gave me a lot to think about!

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Okay! I gotta scoot!!! BUT– before I scoot!! Peitor is getting some very interested responses to our TV series pitch over there at Series Mania in France! So we will have a ton of work to do when he gets back early next week.

Meanwhile.

Enjoy your Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I love this photo!

Sort of like “destiny awaiting me”! Times Square in 1960 — the year I was born!! (I lived a block from here for a couple of years in the early 80s, during my first marriage.)

Times Square 1960

Weird Day at the Range

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Well, the good news is that I got 3 unbelievably great bullseyes.

The bad news is that they gave me a different type of Glock 9mm today — a Luger — a style I hadn’t used before, and it was way over my head. I think you have to have gigantic gorilla paws — or something equally powerful — to get that gun to do anything. My hands simply were not strong enough to even load the gun.

Literally, I could barely load the gun. I managed to get 4 bullets loaded on three different tries. And the 4th bullet — I couldn’t get it to fire, or even get it out of the gun in order to start over.

It was so frustrating.

And the range was really crowded this morning. All the lanes were full. That alone triggers my autism — all those people. Meaning that I go way deep into my protective psychological shell. And I almost immediately lose the ability to communicate.

Plus, the instructor was really busy since so many people were there, so I couldn’t keep calling him over to help me load the darn gun — one bullet at a time, no less!

And it was doubly frustrating because those 3 bullets I did fire were the best bullseyes I’d had yet.

Long story short — I left the range after 4 bullets. But the good news is — I signed up for a session of private instruction. For next week. So maybe I can finally learn how to load whichever darn gun they give me, and how to tell the difference between guns that I can or can’t handle. And probably a whole bunch of other stuff that hasn’t even occurred to me yet!

We shall soon see!!

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In other good news!!

WOW, gang, is my house CLEAN!!

I was at it for about 6 solid hours yesterday. But every room is finally clean. And, most importantly, my guest room and the entire upstairs, is finally back to normal.

Such a great feeling. You know — bring on Easter, because the Spring cleaning is done!!!!

And that Bissell carpet shampooer — I know I keep saying it, but, wow, gang, is it a great machine. I am so glad I finally decided to buy it. It is mind boggling, how easy it is to use (it requires absolutely no bullets), and it does such a great job.

Anyway, so part of my life is working out okay!

Meanwhile, I still have the rest of the day off, and Peitor is still at Series Mania in France, so there is nothing pressing to do with the script right now, and I can just relax.

I’m trying to remember the last time I relaxed…. Hmmm. Nothing’s coming.

So I’m going to take advantage of the downtime today. Because as soon as Peitor is back home in Nice, we will have a ton of revisions to do.

And life goes on.

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Okay! Enjoy what’s left of your Monday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Keith Richards Discusses Heroin, Drug Deals & Guns. (53 seconds)

Yes! So exciting!

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The sun is almost sort of out, and a clean house is already getting underway here, gang.

I’ve done 2 loads of laundry so far, a little vacuuming, dusting — and now I’m taking a break to post here.

These are some of the cool things that happened during the week, when I was working nonstop:

For some inexplicable reason, Best Western motels insisted I take a pre-approved travel rewards credit card with a sort of “high limit” (for me, that is — fresh from my 2-year anniversary of declaring bankruptcy). So I said, “Okay!! I’d be happy to!!”

I already had one special credit card set aside for trips to NYC, but it doesn’t have travel rewards. I took this new offer as a sign that I might be traveling again soon! Just like the old days, gang. Traveling! It made me feel really happy.

Also: the husband of my client who died recently — the client I just adored — sent out an invitation to all of us who were caregivers for his wife — a dinner at the yacht club on Buckeye Lake, to honor her. I’m so excited. I can’t wait. It’s this Friday night. It’s about 30 miles from me. The food there is fantastic.

Yacht Club on Buckeye Lake

Every time I pass by the freeway exit to their house, I still miss them both so much. I can’t wait to see the husband again and just be with people who knew his precious and wonderful wife. Every time I think of that upcoming dinner, I can see her smiling in my mind’s eye.

Also: The insurance guy came by, to finalize my Medicare stuff and my long-term care insurance — and he got me a great deal for long-term care. This means a lot to me, since I know how much it costs to have someone like me come to your house every day. And/or how expensive it is to stay in a long-term care facility.

Even though my health is kind of phenomenally good, it just gives me a sense of security. Having that added insurance. And it’s only going to cost me $62 a month. Unbelievable!!!

And this: The other day was Patti Hansen’s 69th birthday (Keith Richards’ wife). Keith posted this on Instagram:

And then the following day was Theodora Richards’ 40th birthday! And Keith posted this to Instagram!

I can’t believe she is 40 years old! It’s like she was born just the other day… however. She just had a little boy last year — a boy named Gus. After Keith’s grandfather, Gus Depree. And his other daughter with Patti Hansen, Alexandra, just had a baby boy a few weeks ago — named Elvis!!!

I think it’s so cool that Keith has grandsons named Gus and Elvis — two guys that had such an influence on Keith as a boy.

And while we’re at it, this was on Instagram the other day:

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So I will have time tomorrow, finally, to go back to the shooting range to practice with the handgun.

I think it’s kind of amusing that the shooting range is a lot closer to my tiny village than the grocery store is. It says a lot about the people out here. They own guns! And also fly the American flag. And Trump flags… And the village is so unbelievably crime free…

Oh, and the other day, I took one of my clients into the local donut shop in town — Jolly Pirate:

This exact one

And on the front door was a handwritten sign: WARNING. Premises surveilled by the 2nd Amendment.

And there was a hand-drawn picture of a handgun!

And then on the next door, another sign said: Guns welcome here! Must be kept holstered and concealed!

I don’t know about you, gang, but I’m guessin’ that place never gets robbed… When not only the owner, but probably every guy and gal in the place is concealed-carrying!!

Too cool.

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And if you haven’t seen this 9-minute video posted by Mike King (Anti-NYTimes) it will upset you but you should still watch it.

Killing the Kennedys -The True Cause of “The Kennedy Curse”

And here’s this–

James Tabor – Exploring a More Historically Credible Version of Jesus’ Last Supper (29 mins):

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Okay. I think that’s it for now.

I’m gonna get back to the Spring cleaning!!

I hope you’re having a super Sunday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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More driving to town music!!

A great song by Sam Cooke (written under the pen name “Barbara Campbell” — Sam’s wife). “(What A) Wonderful World.” 1960. Totally addictive!! Enjoy, gang!!!

A quick Saturday hello!

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Lots of little things have happened this week — and, oddly, almost ALL of them were good!

Tomorrow I will have time to do a longer post about all of it. But I’ve got to dash out here soon, to go spend the day with my favorite 94-year-old Japanese client! And then — two whole days off!!

Yay!

And — yes! — on my days off, I will be spring-cleaning the remaining rooms of this house with my beloved Bissell powerbrush-pet carpet shampooer!!! Double yay!!

AND — going here:

shooting range

So.

Peitor will finally be at Series Mania in Lille, France, beginning this evening. He had a horrible time in Montreal, a horrible time in Iowa, a truly horrible time in Los Angeles, then a quick but horrible time in London… so here’s hoping, now that he’s back in his beloved France, he will stop having horrible times.

Here is a very, very brief synopsis of our TV streaming proposal, in case you’re interested (this is printed on the back of a sample photo collage, below):

“Fresh Paint is a one-hour screwball-dramedy streaming series about Dewitt Lawson’s search for the meaning of his own life, while the world as he knows it is caving in on him. Having had the great misfortune of reaching age 46 with everything having always worked out perfectly for him, Dewitt Lawson is suddenly faced with the fact that he possesses no skills whatsoever to navigate the snowballing problems of the art house film company he recently inherited from his father.

It also appears that from his love life to his spiritual life, everything that once worked for Dewitt now falls flat – has he lost his magic? Feeling stranded and abandoned, Dewitt must repeatedly learn how to remain one step ahead of catastrophe – and the Finnish Mob – while saddled with a bevy of culturally diverse, cross-generational characters, ages 22 to 85. By enrolling each of them, and their unique and often colorful survival skills, Dewitt just might get the company – and his life – to turn completely around.”

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Nick Cave sent out a really, really beautiful Red Hand File yesterday, specifically about his song “Skeleton Tree,” written just after his son Arthur’s death. He says, in part:

“…When I wrote ‘Skeleton Tree’, I could not perceive any hope in the song at all. It was a vacuum, all nihilism and void. Listening to it now, years later, I can hear its insistent beauty loud and clear. The echo is not empty, Russell, not in the slightest – we call out, and given time, the echo comes back bearing the entirety of the world.”

You can read it in full here.

And don’t forget!!

In just about 3 weeks, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ North American Wild God Tour begins!! Buy tickets here!

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That’s it for now, gang. But I will return tomorrow!!

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!

This popped up on my “frequent plays” while driving on the backroads into town yesterday. It was a really beautiful, sunny spring day! And it was sort of wonderful to revisit my wee bonny youth while driving in the Hinterlands at age 64 and a 1/2 (this song was a smash hit when I was 10) — and marveling at the thought that the Rolling Stones can no longer sing this song in public!! (Marxist woke-ism, gang).

Okay. Enjoy!! (oh, and play it LOUD!)

Here’s Hoping!!

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As you can guess, I cannot wait until this afternoon, when they make the JFK files public!!

I am seriously hoping it doesn’t end up being anything like the Epstein files fiasco. I haven’t seen any popcorn memes lately, so here’s hoping, gang.

And is it too much to hope for that they will finally reveal JFK Jr to the world now, too???

We’ll soon see.

Okay, I gotta scoot!!!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!