Yes, well, Ringo Starr turns 80 today, if you can wrap your mind around that!! (I can’t.)
I was a huge Beatles fan as a little girl. When I was 5, there was a Beatles cartoon that was shown on TV very early on Sunday mornings in Cleveland.
I’m not sure why it was shown on Sunday mornings, since most cartoons (that weren’t religious, like Davey & Goliath) were shown on Saturday mornings.
However, The Beatles cartoon was shown on Sunday mornings in Cleveland and I absolutely loved it. And at that point, Ringo Starr was my favorite Beatle. But, also, at that point, I only knew what they looked like as cartoons!! Then, when I was a little bit older and saw the movie A Hard Day’s Night on television, and saw what they actually looked like as non-cartoons, I was absolutely smitten with all of them.
Anyway. I can’t believe that Ringo is 80. He looks fantastic, btw. I follow him on Instagram so I see his posts all the time and there’s just no way on Earth he seems 80. Unlike Paul McCartney, who has become very “Sir Paul”-like, Ringo is still really groovy.
When I was 10, after The Beatles broke up, Ringo released a single that became a huge hit in the US and the UK. I remember buying the 45 RPM at Woolworth’s and then playing the record un-endingly for months afterward. I just loved the song — “It Don’t Come Easy.”
George Harrison produced it. (This is a shot of them using a Moog synthesizer during the Abby Road recordings, but I’m guessing they looked exactly the same when they recorded “It Don’t Come Easy”!!)
Well, all I can say is happy birthday, Ringo. That guy has seen so much. And yet he still seems like a really happy guy.
All righty. Back to the editing on The Guitar Hero Goes Home today. Yesterday was a complete wash out, work-wise. I was not able to focus. I am going to try like heck to get some work done today, though. We shall see.
Okay, gang. Thanks for visiting. You know what I’m leaving you with today. Play it loud!! Be happy & enjoy your day. I love you guys. See ya.
“It Don’t Come Easy”
It don’t come easy,
You know it don’t come easy.
It don’t come easy,
You know it don’t come easy.
Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues,
And you know it don’t come easy.
You don’t have to shout or leap about,
You can even play them easy.
Forget about the past and all your sorrows,
The future won’t last,
It will soon be over tomorrow.
I don’t ask for much, I only want your trust,
And you know it don’t come easy.
And this love of mine keeps growing all the time,
And you know it just ain’t easy.
Open up your heart, let’s come together,
Use a little love
And we will make it work out better.
Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues,
And you know it don’t come easy.
You don’t have to shout or leap about,
You can even play them easy.
Peace, remember peace is how we make it,
Here within your reach
If you’re big enough to take it.
I don’t ask for much, I only want your trust,
And you know it don’t come easy.
And this love of mine keeps growing all the time,
And you know it don’t come easy.
I know you’re going to stop believing me, but it is yet another unbelievably beautiful day here today, gang!
And I am off to town here shortly to get the groceries.
Sorry for not posting yesterday, but I actually was totally wiped out from finally completing Letter #8 for Girl in the Night. Not that it was so taxing to actually write it, but every day that I worked on it last week, the temperatures hovered around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. So it was more the relentless heat hovering around my desk each day that wiped me out.
During the evenings, though, it really cools down around here and then the house is wonderful by morning. But, again, today, it’s supposed to zoom up to 94 by midday…
So!!
I did go to Granville last evening to have dinner with Kevin (the director of Tell My Bones) and his husband, at the Granville Inn. My first time being out and about and socializing since March 14th.
I had such a great time. I was really sort of anxious regarding how I was going to feel to see the inn during a pandemic, with everyone wearing masks and all that, but honestly, it was not so bad. They’re just face masks, right? It’s not as if some sort of irreparable horrific deformity has befallen anyone — it’s just a mask.
And we ate out on the patio, so were able to keep our own masks off the whole time. We were there for 3 hours. I could not believe how the time flew.
And I made a vow to myself before getting out of the car to not talk about politics. But, of course, this is America, and the overwhelming amount of artillery focused on removing Trump from the White House is hard to not at least mention.
I am, of course, opposed to Biden and that whole crew (and curious why more people aren’t talking about the news re: the Obama-Biden collusion on the Logan Act re: Flynn … hmmm.) Anyway. I’m not voting for Biden because I don’t trust him or any of the machinery in full force behind him right now. So I have no clue how to vote in November. And of course, some of the things I feel about what’s going on in Washington right now had to come up in conversation — because they asked me.
And when I replied (trying hard not to get on my soapbox) they both sort of stared at me and said “How do you know all this stuff? You should run for President.”
I didn’t say this, but what should really happen is that more Democrats should leave the realm of CNN, and make a determined effort to seek out a news source that just relays facts, without the selective omissions and opinions, and then I think more & more Democrats would know this same stuff. (And I don’t think that too many Republicans are actually in the dark about how the news is getting reported & by whom — because we Democrats are notoriously known for thinking with our hearts, our compassion, and not studying the facts for ourselves. Which is why we are so easily led astray by drama and hysteria.)
Anyway, if more Americans would try harder to seek out facts for themselves, then more of us would see that on ALL sides we are receiving a dramatic distortion by those who would profit from us believing their lies. ALL sides. And right now, I think that the Democratic Party is the worst I’ve ever seen it.
I’m guessing a bunch of people are just going to vote for Kanye West at this point…
We actually did not talk too much about politics, per se. Although we did talk a bit about the progressive/liberal “Hitler Youth” mentality that continues to sweep the college-aged generation of Americans right now. That is truly scary and just fucking awful. (And what’s worse is that they probably don’t even know who the Hitler Youth were because so many public school-educated young people all over the US are not taught History or Civics anymore.) (Or Art, or Music, or Drama…) (They’re taught anger and intolerance with a little entitlement thrown in.)
And we also talked a little about what China is doing to the Uyghur women in those internment camps (!!) involving shaving their heads and then trying to sell the hair to Americans… And why aren’t more Americans alarmed by that? And by the uncomfortable parallels to Auschwitz? Or by the global pandemic of slavery in the world right now?
Mind-boggling to me. All anyone wants to talk about is “get Trump out of the White House” and all problems will be solved.
Well, all that aside, it was great to be out with friends and have dinner at a place I truly love.
Some good news — the Nick Cave Instagram site announced today that those videos the fans submitted for Bad Seed TeeVee will be shown on Friday July 10th and on Friday July 17th, in a 24-hour loop, starting at 10am BST. So that should be kind of amazing!!
Beyond that, I’m getting back to the final edits of The Guitar Hero Goes Home later today — once I get back from town. I want to make sure the temperatures are at their peak around here before I get down to any serious work at my desk…
All righty, gang! On that note — I’m outta here. Have a great Monday, wherever you are in the world. Thanks for visiting. I will leave you with some travelin’ music as I prepare to scoot right out the door! “Travelin'” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, off of Nobody’s Children from their Playback Collection. Listen and enjoy and maybe even scoot out the door, too, and go somewhere!! Okay. I love you guys. See ya!
Travelin’
Well I’m travelin’, travelin’ baby, travelin’ on
Well it’s good to see you but I can’t stay long
No I’ve got a travelin’ fever, baby, got a travelin’ jones
No don’t look for me in the mornin’, baby, I’m gonna be travelin’ on
I’ll be good, as good as gold
To the next or maybe better
Wait for me down the road
Keep one eye open for my letter
Cause I’m gonna be travelin’, travelin’ baby, travelin’ on
Lord it’s good to see you but I can’t stay long
Oh I’ve got a travelin’ fever, baby, got a travelin’ jones
Well don’t look for me in the mornin’, baby, I’m gonna be travelin’
Gonna be travelin’, gonna be travelin’ on
I’ll be up before the sun
Get a big jump on the morning
You should have known all along
You should have known you’d get no warning
And I’m gonna be travelin’, travelin’ baby, travelin’ on
But lord it’s good to see you but I won’t stay long
Oh I got a travelin’ fever, baby, I got a travelin’ jones
Yeah don’t look for me in the mornin’, baby, I’m gonna be travelin’
Gonna be travelin’, gonna be travelin’ on
Travelin’ on, travelin’ on
Travelin’ on, travelin’ on
Well I’m travelin’, travelin’ baby, travelin’ on
Yeah it’s good to see you but I can’t stay long
Yeah I got a travelin’ fever, baby, a travelin’ jones
Well don’t look for me in the mornin’, baby, I’m gonna be travelin’
Gonna be travelin’, gonna be travelin’ on
I can’t tarry on the blog today because I am almost finished with Letter #8 for Girl in the Night: Erotic love Letters to the Muse.
I got so much done on it yesterday, gang. I was at my desk for 11 hours — in 90 Fahrenheit degree heat, so it was a bit exhausting. But I’m happy with how it’s going. It’s going to be one of the longer chapters.
In the middle of all my progress yesterday, I got a text from Peitor wanting to know if I was available for a “quick” conference call with the line producer (they are both in LA).
ME: I'm in the middle of another project right now -- how long will it take?
HIM: 10, 15 minutes the most.
ME: OK. but no Zoom, I don't want to be on camera
Well, an hour and fifteen minutes later… it actually was a great conference call, though, and I’m so happy we had it. I just keep getting more and more excited about Abstract Absurdity Productions, gang. Even though it’s still going to take a while to get things up and running and filming. Just some really talented and enthusiastic people are getting on board and they are being so helpful. We are so blessed.
Meanwhile…
Loyal readers of this lofty blog will no doubt recall the 4th of July coffee mug!! It comes out once a year. (It doesn’t look it here, but it’s way too small; instead of 3 refills of morning coffee, I get about 17!!) (Which also means going up & down the stairs 17 times…).
But there you have it — my first cup of 4th of July coffee out on my kitchen porch at 6am this morning. It’s yet another gorgeous (hot) day here in Crazeysburg.
All right. I’m gonna close now. I want to get back to work on Letter #8.
If you live Stateside, and still like being an American, I hope you enjoy the 4th.
If you live elsewhere, have a great Saturday!! And thanks for visiting!!
Since so many Americans seem to hate America right now, I will forego anything patriotic and leave you, instead, with “La Marseillaise”. Who can find fault with that, right?! (Especially that final verse!! Yay!! Just an all-out testament to tolerance.) (If you don’t know “La Marseillaise,” it’s the French national anthem. They actually taught us this in elementary school in Cleveland. Nowadays, I don’t think they even teach our own national anthem in our elementary schools, let alone the national anthem of any other country’s…)
Well, all righty!! Enough!!. I love you guys!! See ya!
Last night was the night that Crazeysburg did our fireworks in honor of the upcoming July 4th weekend. And living here, I have to say, you’d never know there was any unrest in the world in any way at all.
I’m guessing that over at the ballpark, where they set off the fireworks, they asked people to at least observe social distancing. I didn’t need to go over there because I could see everything from my kitchen porch. So I don’t know for sure. But everywhere else, it just felt like a regular, low key and wonderful, small town 4th of July holiday getting underway.
And I have to say that the full moon that’s getting underway now, too, was so beautiful last night that it was hard for me to focus on the fireworks! The moon was peaking through the really tall, 100-yr old pine tree in my neighbor’s backyard. And gently rolling clouds were setting off the moon like some sort of painting. It was just lovely. (And down on the ground, the fireflies were once again putting on an amazing display of their own.)
The little kids across the street — and they are really little — would scream every time a firework boomed really loud. It was so cute. (Not so cute for my poor cats, though. When I came inside, all 7 of them were hiding in my bedroom closet! It was so funny to see them all come spilling out of there about an hour after the noise was finally all over.) (The door to my bedroom closet doesn’t close all the way, so that’s their favorite place to hide. It’s a good-sized closet and easily fits 7 cats.)
Anyway. I’m gonna scoot for now because I made really great progress on Letter #8 for Girl in the Night yesterday and I want to continue the momentum. I might stop back and post again later.
Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world!! Paul Weller’s new album, On Sunset, finally dropped today, after many delays due to the virus causing shortages in the stuff they use to press vinyl records. But it’s out now and it is a really lovely album, gang. I leave you with the song “Village,” which actually dropped back in May, but I still really love it. Especially the way my life feels these days.
Okay, thanks for visiting!! I love you guys. See ya!
“Village”
Here I am, ten stories high
Not a single cloud in my eye
Not a thing I’d change if I could
I’m happy here in my neighborhood
And all the things I’ve never been, I’ve
Never seen, I don’t care much
And all the things I’ve never done, I’ve
Never won, I don’t care much
I never knew what a world this was
‘Til I looked in my heart
And saw myself for what I am
Found a whole world in my hands
And all the things I’m supposed to be
And all the things that you want from me
I don’t know why, I don’t know why
I don’t know why, I don’t know why
I don’t need all the things you got
I just wanna be who I want
I don’t need all the things you hold
In high regard, they mean nothing at all
And all the things I’ve never been, I’ve
Never seen, I don’t care much
And all the things I’ve never done, I’ve
Never won, I don’t care much
This village is where I’m from
It’s one place that I call home
You wanna show me another side
But I’ve got heaven in my sights
I never knew what a world this was
‘Til I looked in my heart
And saw myself for what I am
Found a whole world in my hands
And all the things I’ve never been, I’ve
Never seen, I don’t care much
And all the things I’ve never done, I’ve
Never won, I don’t
The Nick Cave website announced this morning that on July 23rd, a “live stream” concert with Nick Cave, performing alone at the piano in Alexandra Palace in London, will stream on the DICE app!!
It will stream in 3 different global time zones so check that link above there for details. I don’t know what the global exchange rates are, but for the US ticket, it was only $20. (And seating is only limited by the number of people who can sit on your phone at once!!)
As luck would, of course, have it, July 23rd is my dad’s 90th birthday and I will be driving home from Cincinnati that evening, but oh well. It’s always best to have nothing whatsoever to do for months, and then cram all upcoming events into the same day. (My life seems to excel at that, with or without a pandemic.)
But I am, of course, very excited, and will endeavor to not speed more than my customary 95 mph the entire 100 miles that it is between my dad’s place and my home.
Yay!!!
I got some more good-ish news yesterday. Sandra called to tell me that she’s having a phone conference today with the theater company in Toronto that will be producing our play (this one is mostly her play, about her life; but I’m a contributing writer on it and we’ve been collaborating on it for something like 7 years now. Literally. It was supposed to be produced in Toronto this Fall, however, as we all know too well by now, 2020 no longer exists in the abstract, only in the immediate upfront here & now, day after day after day, hour after unpredictable hour …)
Anyway!! I will be super excited to hear what they chat about. I’m guessing our production date will be reset for 2021, but no clue yet exactly when. (And rest assured, gang, that there are still a TON of rewrites needed for that play!! So I can’t wait to be indescribably super busy again. It will finally feel like real life around here.)
Today is the day I’m supposed to chat with my accountant in NYC re: Abstract Absurdity Productions, but he never actually confirmed a time, so I’m not certain if it’s happening today or not. We’ll only know for sure if the phone rings…
Meanwhile. Yesterday did not pan out as planned. Kevin (the Director of Tell My Bones) had to cancel our dinner plans for the Granville Inn, and instead, we’ll be going there on Sunday evening. I was really disappointed because it has been 3 and 1/2 months since I socialized in any way and I was so excited for the chance to not only go out with someone but also to go to Granville, but that’s how life seems to go these days. We’ll do it on Sunday, instead.
Granville Ohio in the summer
After I got off the phone with him, I went outside and took a walk — just to sort of focus on something else. It was just a gorgeous day. I took a bunch of photos during the walk and posted them to my Instagram account, but here are a couple them.
Across the street from my house, looking east.
The first one is of the train tracks in front of my house, but looking East this time — in the direction of Coshocton County, which is just a really beautiful county, gang. (You can’t see it from here, it’s too far away. I’m just saying that it is really beautiful there.)
Looking west, from the main road in and out of town
And the second one is of the main street through the village. If you look way in the background, that hill is where there are always a bunch of cows grazing. By the way, by the time you’re at that hillside, you are already over Wakatamika Creek and well out of the village.
I know the street looks deserted, but I actually waited for a bunch of cars to drive by first.
Plus, it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday and not a lot of folks were outside at midday.
Okay, well, gang. I guess that’s it for today!! I hope you have a terrific Thursday planned for yourself, wherever you are in the world! Thanks for visiting!!
I’ll leave you with the song “Idiot Prayer” — the title of Nick Cave’s upcoming streaming event. It’s a song I really like but I won’t say why I like it so much. It’s from the album The Boatman’s Call — Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 1997. (This is a really beautiful album, gang, if you aren’t familiar with it. Some real heartbreaking gems on this album, plus the title is really easy to spell.)
So, listen and enjoy! I love you guys. See ya!
“Idiot Prayer”
They’re taking me down, my friend
And as they usher me off to my end
Will I bid you adieu?
Or will I be seeing you soon?
If what they say around here is true
Then we’ll meet again
Me and you
My time is at hand, my dove
They’re gonna pass me to that house above
Is Heaven just for victims, dear?
Where only those in pain go?
Well it takes two to tango
We will meet again, my love
I know
If you’re in Heaven then you’ll forgive me, dear
Because that’s what they do up there
If you’re in Hell, then what can I say
You probably deserved in anyway
I guess I’m gonna find out any day
For we’ll meet again
And there’ll be Hell to pay
Your face comes to me from the depths, dear
Your silent mouth mouths, “Yes”, dear
Dark red and big with blood
They’re gonna shut me down, my love
They’re gonna launch me into the stars
Well, all things come to pass
Glory hallelujah
This prayer is for you, my love
Sent on the wings of a dove
An idiot prayer of empty words
Love, dear, is strictly for the birds
We each get what we deserve
My little snow white dove
Rest assured
Here in Crazeysburg, the cocks — excuse me — the roosters are out and about, which is always exciting, and it is yet another incredibly beautiful day!!
(I’m kidding about the roosters, gang. They don’t actually allow you to keep chickens and such here in the Village of Crazeysburg itself. You have to take 14 steps out of the village if you want to do that.) (And I’m not kidding about that part.)
But that reminds me: A million years ago, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers did a live radio broadcast out of Chicago, where they did just a killer (sexy) version of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Little Red Rooster”!
(This whole broadcast is actually really great. It totally kicks A. I don’t think it’s on an actual album or CD, but there is an MP3 download of it that you can get everywhere.)
Okay!! So!!
Today’s kind of a big day for me. Today is my big foray into Granville, Ohio, to have dinner with Kevin (Director of Tell My Bones) (in some future make-believe land, that is. All theater in NYC is shut down until 2021. I’m guessing NYC will never get back to normal, at this rate.)
Anyway. Kevin and I are having dinner at the Granville Inn and I have not done anything social, let alone been to the inn, since March 14th. I’m not entirely sure that I remember how to behave in public, but we’ll find out. Plus, this will be the first time I will put on my eye make-up in 3 and 1/2 months. So weird.
But I’m excited!! And also nervous. Because life is just plain different now. I’m guessing that if I let go of believing in anything I ever knew before, I should do all right.
Yesterday, I was working on Girl in the Night, and I guess I’ve just been doing too much typing these last few days, because the bones in the tops of my hands started to really hurt. So I took one extra-strength Tylenol and within minutes, my hands felt great but I was so sleepy I couldn’t even sit at my desk anymore! I had forgotten that those darn pills make me sleepy.
So the bulk of the day was not entirely productive, although I did have a nice day, regardless. And the lawn guy came to cut the grass, so the weeds — yard — is looking really spiffy.
And of course, by 9pm, I was quite perky and wide awake. And remained that way for a few hours, but I didn’t really feel like working at that point. So, after streaming another episode of Professor T., I just laid around on my bed in the dark — well, with the lights out. My bedroom is never actually dark because of the streetlights outside my window.
But I laid around on my bed in the dark, stared out the window at the truly beautiful night, watching the blinks of the fireflies wane, and I listened to Phoebe Bridgers’ new album, Punisher.
It’s kind of a depressing album, but it’s still beautiful and the lyrics are great. If I were closer to her age and not old enough to be her grandmother, I would likely relate to it a bit more, but I still really love her way with words. (Although the entire album makes me think of the song “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol. So I ended up playing that beautiful, non-depressing song over & over, and then finally fell to sleep.)
But back to listening to Phoebe Bridgers — I was thinking, once again, how incredible it is for young women nowadays to be able to make any kind of music they want to; to write any kind of songs they want to and have them sound however they want them to sound. Because it definitely didn’t used to be that way.
Plus there’s room now for so many more women musicians and songwriters and performers. They used to sign about one or two per genre, and then get behind them for about 2 albums, as long as they proved to be massive hits. Of course, back then, there was so much more money at stake for the various music industry gatekeepers, and all that’s been thoroughly “disrupted” now by everyone wanting so much music for free (and I won’t get political today, I’ll just say, that Socialist tendencies are so great, gang; it helps make everybody equally poor).
However!!
I do genuinely think it’s so great that women in music nowadays have so much more freedom to express what they want to express, however they want to express it. And I think that’s just so beautiful.
And something else that is amazingly beautiful, is the Red Hand Files thing that Nick Cave sent out today. You don’t even have to know his music, or know the album Ghosteen, to be able to appreciate what he has to say about love today. You can read it here if you are so inclined.
On that note, gang, I’m going to get started here. I’ll leave you with both the beautiful song “Punisher,” by Phoebe Bridgers, and the equally beautiful though very different song “Chasing Cars,” by Snow Patrol. Relax and enjoy!! (Or float off into the stratosphere is probably more like it!!) But either way, thanks for visiting! I love you guys! See ya!
“Punisher”
When the speed kicks in
I go to the store for nothing
And walk right by
The house where you lived with Snow White
I wonder if she ever thought
The storybook tiles on the roof were too much
But from the window, it’s not a bad show
If your favorite thing’s Dianetics or stucco
The drugstores are open all night
The only real reason I moved to the east side
I love a good place to hide in plain sight
What if I told you I feel like I know you
But we never met?
And here everyone knows you’re the way to my heart
Hear so many stories of you at the bar
Most times alone and some looking your worst
But never not sweet to the trust funds and punishers
Man, I wish that I could say the same
I swear I’m not angry, that’s just my face
A copycat killer with a chemical cut
Either I’m careless or I wanna get caught
Ooh, I’m not
What if I told you I feel like I know you
But we never met?
It’s for the best
I can’t open my mouth and forget how to talk
‘Cause even if I could, wouldn’t know where to start
Wouldn’t know when to stop
So far, it’s been just an amazing summer. The weather, I mean. And today is going to be yet another gorgeous day!
Before I forget, I did post another chapter yesterday on the In the Shadow of Narcissa website. This one is titled “I See God Everywhere.”
Also, yesterday — remember, a few days ago, I posted that photo of my new Val Kilmer coffee mug, with the Doc Holliday movie quote? I had also posted that photo on my Instagram feed and apparently Val Kilmer saw it, because he sent it out on his own Instagram feed yesterday. (The limited edition mugs are only available until tomorrow — July 1st.)
Well, that was a totally unexpected little thrill, however, it sent quite a number of scammers to my Instagram feed yesterday. Now that I’ve made my account public, anyone can follow me. But I patiently go through every single follower and block anyone that seems like a scammer, and they were coming all day yesterday.
And it was fun to have my picture posted there, too — the cup is sitting on the cafe table out on my kitchen porch:
My trip to town yesterday was splendid! I have never seen the Honda dealership so empty. I think there were maybe 5 people sitting in the waiting room (myself, included). Most people wearing masks, but not everybody. But the seats were all placed 6-feet apart.
I kind of liked it, actually. Usually, it’s a mob scene in the Honda waiting room! And it can take forever for them to finish your car. I was there less than 30 minutes, and they had changed the oil, topped the fluids, rotated the tires, and even washed the car. So, you know, one of the sort of “nice” things about the virus, I guess.
Tomorrow evening, Kevin (the director of my play) and I are finally going to go have dinner at the Granville Inn. I have missed that place so much, but I’ve had my trepidations about going there while it was easing out of lockdown because everyone has to wear masks. And I’m sort of afraid to see it like that.
Those non-mask days of yesteryear…
But, tomorrow, we’re going! I’ve been hearing that it’s crazy busy there — meaning, busy while remaining at 50% capacity. So we’ll see. I haven’t been there since St. Patrick’s weekend.
Then on Thursday, I have a phone conference with my accountant in NYC, because Peitor and I have to formally set up Abstract Absurdity Productions. I always love talking to my accountant because he is always a straight shooter and I get off the phone sort of in renewed & devastating shock over just how fucking much every single fucking business-related thing costs.
Still. It’s better to know than to be surprised when you can least afford it.
And then sometime later this week, Peitor and I have a conference call with the line producer in LA to see just how we might be able to come up with a budget that doesn’t undersell our film but that doesn’t make all of us fall out of our chairs, either!!
Other than that, life is pretty much quiet around here. I’m going to be tackling Letter #8 again for Girl in the Night. I’m hoping that the unexpected detour into In the Shadow of Narcissa will help Letter #8 seem fresh & brand new today!! I do love the 3 and 1/2 pages I’ve written (and re-written and re-written) so far, but I really, really would like it to finally finish itself, you know? It’s dragging on forever.
So, on that note, I will take my leave, gang! I hope you have a terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!! Thanks for visiting. I leave you with one of my favorite songs from my wee bonny girlhood (mentioned in my new chapter for In the Shadow of Narcissa — I absolutely loved this song when I was little, gang, although a bunch of children were singing the version I knew back then): “This Land is Your Land” by the late, great Woody Guthrie.
All righty!! Enjoy. I love you guys. Have a great day. See ya!!
I’m heading out early today, gang. Have to drive to one far away town (30 miles) to spend some quality, post-lockdown time with those guys at the Honda dealership! My very grown-up car informed me last Monday (the last time I was actually in my car) that it was time for an oil change.
Then I’m going to drive to the other far away town and get the groceries.
It’s a stunning day here today, gang, so it’ll be nice to do all that excessive speeding on the highway with the music blasting! (And just a quick note to those of you who are new to the blog — there are usually only about 3 cars on the highway out here in the Hinterlands (no exaggeration!), and in the Honda, it’s almost impossible not to speed.) (Plus, you can drive these Hondas for 10K miles now before you need an oil change. I find this astounding.)
Okay!
Well, I did finish that new chapter for In the Shadow of Narcissa yesterday, but I still want to tweak it. So that’s what I’ll likely do when I get back from town.
On that note, though, I gotta scoot! Thanks for visiting, gang. I leave you with a song that I’ve posted here many times, but I just love it. And something I saw at about 4am this morning on Instagram that took my breath away, has had me singing this song all morning!! “Breathless” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, from their double-album with two impossible-to-spell titles from 2004, Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus.
All righty!! Have a wonder-filled Monday, wherever you are in the world, gang! I love you guys. See ya!
What a lovely Sunday here in Crazeysburg, gang! And even though yesterday was mostly about thunderstorms and torrential rain all day long — that, too, was wild and sort of beautiful.
And the skies cleared up unexpectedly by 5PM. The storms were supposed to go on straight through until today. But the skies cleared and then last evening was sunny again and really lovely.
I streamed two episodes of Professor T. yesterday (the Belgian TV crime series on PBS) — I know, I said I wasn’t going to binge watch it, just sticking to one episode per evening. But the rainy afternoon sort of called out for an episode of Professor T! So I watched an episode in the afternoon, during a thunderstorm, which was atmospheric and wonderful. Then another episode in the evening, when it was just so fucking beautiful outside the screen door in my kitchen.
I also got a lot of work done on a new chapter for In the Shadow of Narcissa yesterday. I might finish it today. (I like to think I will, since each chapter is well under 1000 words.) Then I’ll get back to Letter #8 for Girl in the Night: Erotic Love Letters to the Muse.
Things with Valerie in Brooklyn are still exhausting and very emotional for her right now, so any book projects requiring cover art are still on hold.
Oh, and that reminds me. In July, I will once more be participating in the Smashwords Summer Sale. All my eBooks there will be $1.00 and one of the Muse Revisited books will be free. I don’t know which one will be free, I simply agreed to participate and they take care of the rest. (And I think you have to buy at least one eBook this time to get the free one.)
And just a head’s up — once the new cover art is made for The Muse Revisited collection, those manuscripts will be re-edited. The editing in those books right now is not that great. I look forward to editing them myself and completely re-packaging them, not to mention having them available in trade paper for the first time, ever. (The stories themselves have all been in trade paper, many times over. However, the 3-part collection as it is now has never been in traditional print.)
And Twilight of the Immortal will once again be in trade paper, as well. That one did come out with a traditional press several years ago, but has only been available as an eBook for quite a while now.
So, I’m excited!! Because, God knows, I need more stuff to do here at my desk!!!!!
All righty. On that note, I’m gonna get back to work on this new chapter for In the Shadow of Narcissa. I hope you have a really great Sunday, wherever you are in the world!
I’m leaving you with a song I was reminded of on Instagram this morning. “Cassiel’s Song” — by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. It’s from the soundtrack of a Wim Wenders film from 1993, Far Away, So Close! (A sequel to Wings of Desire.) (The song is also on the Bad Seeds’ album B-Sides & Rarities. 2005)
And oddly enough, just yesterday afternoon, I had taken Judy Stone’s awesome book from 1997, Eye on the World: Conversations with International Filmmakers, down from the bookshelf and had re-read her Wim Wenders interview from June 1988.
It was a really interesting interview because he talked a lot about when he was young and sort of struggling to not only be a filmmaker but to come to terms with his nationality. (You can still buy the book, even though any filmmakers who became successful after the mid-1990s won’t be in it. And a number of the very well known international filmmakers who are in it have passed on now. But if you love international cinema, it is a real treasure. (And huge!! Almost a thousand pages, with 200 interviews with filmmakers from 40 countries.)
Okay!! I’m off!! Thanks for visiting, gang! I love you guys. See ya!
We’ve come to bring you home
Haven’t we, Cassiel?
To cast aside your loss and all your sadness
And shuffle off that mortal coil and mortal madness
For we’re here to pick you up and bring you home
Aren’t we, Cassiel?
It’s a place where you did not belong
Were time itself was mad and far too strong
Where life leapt up laughing and hit you head on
And hurt you, didn’t it hurt you, Cassiel?
While time outran you and trouble flew toward you
And you were there to greet it
Weren’t you, foolish Cassiel?
But here we are, we’ve come to call you home
And here you’ll stay never more to stray
Where you can kick off your boots of clay
Can’t you, Cassiel?
For death and you did recklessly collide
And time ran out of you
And you ran out of time
Didn’t you, Cassiel?
And all the clocks, in all the world
May this once just skip a beat in memory of you
Then again those damn clocks, they probably won’t
Will they, Cassiel?
One moment you are there and then strangely you are gone
But on behalf of all of us here we are glad to have you home
Aren’t we, dear Cassiel?
It’s not terribly hot here today, but we’re going to have nothing but high humidity and rain and thunderstorms all day and on into the night.
The good news (although I actually like rain and thunderstorms), but the true good news is that the problem I was having with my lungs after the virus — catching my breath during days of high humidity — that residual effect from the virus is almost completely gone.
So, apparently, I won’t have that problem for the rest of my life, as I was starting to fear. So that is some truly good news.
I don’t actually have a whole lot to blog about today, mostly I am focused on my writing projects and the (ever-shrinking!!) To-Do list for Abstract Absurdity Productions.
I might actually try my hand at another chapter for In the Shadow of Narcissa. However, as I’ve stated here on the blog before, I’m not sure if I will keep posting the new chapters to the website or not. I am seeing sings (also signs!!) that it is being downloaded in foreign lands, probably by someone gearing up to pirate it. In fact, they are probably annoyed that it’s taking me so long to finish the darn book!!!
I do apologize — my brain has not been working properly since something like early March…
Okay.
I checked out the new Tom Petty video yesterday — the one that is a sample of the upcoming Wildflowers Pt. 2 collection that is at long last in the works. (It’s called something else, though, that’s not the official title.) As I said yesterday, the “new song” that dropped yesterday, is a homemade demo he made of the song “You Don’t Know How it Feels” — a hit from his Wildflower solo album (1994).
I have to say that Tom Petty’s homemade 8-track demos (made when he was extremely famous and very rich) sound remarkably better than any 8-track homemade demos I ever made!!
The demo is okay, but the video, gang — I thought it was GREAT. It was created and directed by Ben “Blaze” Brooks and Aaron Hymes. And I just loved it. And I think that Tom Petty himself would have loved it. It’s posted below for today’s listening music!!
BTW, if you weren’t aware — Tom Petty was also an artist. In fact, he went to art school after high school but was quickly expelled for not attending classes because (according to his biography) he was too busy doing a bunch of, well, sort of intimate stuff with some girl!! Anyway — he drew, he painted. He was very talented in that way, too. So I think he would have loved the video these guys made because it relies on some of the iconic artwork Tom Petty did during his career.
Okay, on that note, I really gotta scoot!! But thanks for visiting, gang. I hope you enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world!! I love you guys. See ya!
Marilyn's Room 