Sunday. Oct. 26th, 5PM at The CENTER (208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011)
“Limitless: A Collection of Commissioned Scenes and Monologues. The twelve commissioned works inspired by the prompt “LIMITLESS: What does it mean to be free? What does it feel like to fly?” will be crafted together and brought to life by a cast of five TNB2S+ performers to close the 2025 Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival. The works will then be published and licensed by Concord Theatricals in 2026.”
I believe the festival tickets are complimentary.
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So today, I am a little wonky. I am vacillating between feeling completely worn down by my life, and yet very happy about this afternoon:
Yes! After my shift with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man, my favorite Q-following girlfriend and I are meeting for lunch at Tequilaville!!! (FYI — Play the song below LOUD and SMILE. “Thank you for your attention to this matter. DJT.”)
(No, I won’t be drinking tequila today but, WOW, gang, do I have some fantastic memories of drinking tequila in days of old!!! Including but not limited to, that certain Saturday afternoon, in mid-February 1974, when I had my first taste of tequila (and smoking hash) and then lost that thing I’d been hoping like heck to lose!! That thing that, once it’s lost, you can’t ever get it back but it changes your wee bonny life forever!!! Yay!!)
(And it led to this: 6 of the most amazing months of my entire life, even though he died that August and my heart has never been the same — song below requires Kleenex):
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Someone I follow on Instagram in Brazil just had the nerve to inform me that THIS is 51 years OLD!!! What the fuck??!!! (Now I feel fucking OLD!!)
But WOW, it’s still such a great song!
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From Ross K. Nichols–
He sent this out again last night on his private Patreon account, but it was originally aired last year. It’s really interesting.
“In the opening chapters of Genesis, we read the story of creation—a foundational text in both Jewish and Christian traditions. But is there more than one account of creation in these early verses?”
The Creation: One or Two Accounts? (1 hr 17 mins):
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This was also really good. It was posted 5 days ago, but I’ve listened to it many times since then. (Ignore the title, it’s just click bait.) (15 mins):
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And I think maybe that’s it for now. I gotta head out for my shift. And be energetic and cheerful and not bring my own overall spiritual exhaustion to my client’s home. So we shall see how that goes!! But then– LUNCH!
So, 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!
Yes, I posted it recently, but it was my driving-home-from-town music yesterday. On repeat. (I really needed something to keep my spirits up. It almost worked!!)
Wow, yesterday was great, gang. Just really productive.
The furnace guy came right at noon — the moment I was finished vacuuming, in fact. And while he was down in my 124-year-old scary basement, I got some other housecleaning chores done — ones that I hadn’t done in a long time.
I washed all the lace curtains! I think that was only the second time I’ve washed them in the 7 years that I’ve lived here! This astounds me, because in the old house, I washed them at the start of every Spring.
They are all so white now that it really makes a difference in how the rooms look. And having these new glasses helps me to see stuff that had gotten really dusty that I hadn’t noticed before. So I was really happy about that. (No, I’m not exactly a neat freak, but I do like to keep this old house as clean as I can because of all these CTAS!! Sometimes spelled “CATS”.)
And I got a GREAT idea yesterday!
I could apply for a license to sell coffee and tea and turn my home into a Cat Cafe during the day!! (Then maybe people would actually come visit me, but I won’t hold my breath…)
Anyway…
So, I’m happy. And the furnace guy said I have a couple more years before I need to think about getting a new furnace. So, yay! (Oh, and he didn’t die on the 124-year-old collapsing basement stairs! Double-Yay!!)
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Yesterday, I also decided to turn this “going to see Keanu’s new movie” into a new adventure.
I discovered that there is a mall that is only 12 miles from me — a regular, old-fashioned mall. Like the ones from the old days. It’s right here in this county but I have never gone there before, or even heard of it until yesterday. (It’s off in a direction that I never drive in.) And it has a Cinemark where Keanu’s movie is not only playing, but they also have MATINEES!!! Yay! No driving after dark, when I can barely see!
And when I looked it up on Google maps, I saw that to get there from here, I would use a couple of backroads that I’ve always been curious about seeing. So I will get to see those views, finally, when I go see the movie on Monday afternoon. (I already bought my ticket to sort of ensure that I would go and not second guess myself and stay home.)
Road that I will finally be taking out of town!
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So, I have a going-to-the-mall-to-see-a-movie adventure coming up.
And tomorrow!! Me and my favorite Q-following girlfriend are meeting for lunch at our usual place after my shift! Yay.
Tequilaville
So my life is sort of weirdly nice right now. Especially weird, considering all these caregiving shifts I have for the remainder of October.
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Here’s this!
From Instagram.
John Lennon’s boyhood home (he lived with his Aunt Mimi after his mother died).
The upper room with the light on is John’s old room, and apparently they always keep that one light on.
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And here’s this–
Keith at his home in South Salem NY, in 1978.
Photos of Keith from the late 70s were so cool to me, gang, because he was finally off of heroin (for good, it turned out) and he looked so different than he had looked through most of the 1970s.
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Okay, so that’s really kind of it.
Sandra is currently busy with a very quick theater thing Off-Broadway in NYC. So, really, all I need to do is decide what I want to work on around here until her schedule frees up again in November.
I think I’m just sort of waiting for the Muse to land on something and then I’ll run with it.
Meanwhile, well, life is just really kind of nice. And I’m gonna head out here soon to go see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man. We’re just going to hang around the house today because it’s chilly and he doesn’t do too well in the cold.
Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world.
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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I leave you with this.
I was never a Kiss fan at all. This was the only Kiss song I ever could even sort of tolerate.
RIP Ace Frehley.
“Rock and Roll All Nite”, from their album Dressed to Kill, 1975. Kiss. Enjoy, gang.
I was up late (for me, anyway) listening to Phil last night, so I didn’t get out of bed until 5AM. And it only takes about 2 hours to feed everyone and clean up after them, etc., etc. (meaning, of course, CATS)…
And then, of course, I have to go back to bed with my cup o’ joe and then meditate.
And when that’s all done, I lie there and think: It’s my day off! I don’t want to get out of bed!!
But, eventually, of course, I need more coffee, so I get out of bed…
And now I’m here.
Me, as a brunette again but with no coffee
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The furnace guy is coming sometime this afternoon, which means I want to vacuum downstairs before he gets here, so that it doesn’t look like 723 cats live here.
I’m guessing those death-defying basement stairs will keep his mind off my many cats, though (yes, I’m getting a home improvement grant to get new basement stairs, but my mortgage is with the USDA RD, and as we know so well by now, the GOVERNMENT in DC has SHUT DOWN….. so no $$ until they go back to work). (Which means, I’m not getting anywhere near those stairs until they’re fixed, but furnace guys tend to be braver than me.)
[Just a reminder of what I don’t want to look like, with or without brown hair.]
Anyway.
Other than vacuuming, I guess I will be working at the laptop from my kitchen table until the furnace guy gets here. And I hate working from my kitchen table, so I hope he comes early (methinks I might be cranky today!!).
All righty!!
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Here’s this!
Another from Phyllis Stein’s Instagram page!
Lou & Rachel:
And here’s this — from Lou & Rachel’s heyday!! (I can remember so well, gang, being 15, in my new bedroom in our new house, listening to this awesome song on my stereo and, as always, dreaming of someday living in NYC and being a singer/songwriter…)
“Coney Island, Baby”, 1975, a great song from the great album of the same name!!
“Coney Island Baby”
You know, man, when I was a young man in high school You believe in or not, that I wanted to play football for the coach All those older guys, they said he was mean and cruel But you know, I wanted to play football, for the coach They said I was to little too light weight to play line-back So I say I’m playing right-in Wanted to play football for the coach Cause, you know some day, man, you gotta stand up straight Unless you’re gonna fall Then you’re gonna die And the straightest dude I ever knew Was standing right for me, all the time So I had to play football for the coach And I wanted to play football for the coach When you’re all alone and lonely in your midnight hour And you find that your soul, it has been up for sale
And you getting to think about, all the things you done And you getting to hate just about everything
But remember the princess who lived on the hill Who loved you even though she knew you was wrong And right now she just might come shining through and the glory of love, glory of love Glory of love, just might come through
And all your two-bit friends have gone and ripped you off They’re talking behind your back saying, man you are never going to be a human being And you start thinking again About all those things that you’ve done And who it was and who it was And all the different things you made every different scene
Ah, but remember that the city is a funny place Something like a circus or a sewer And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes And the Glory of love, the glory of love The glory of love, might see you through Yeah, but now, now Glory of love, the glory of love The glory of love, might see you through Glory of love, ah, huh, huh, the glory of love Glory of love, glory of love Glory of love, now, glory of love, now Glory of love, now, now, now, glory of love Glory of love, give it to me now, glory of love see you through Oh, my Coney Island baby, now (I’m a Coney Island baby, now)
I’d like to send this one out for Lou and Rachel And the Lord appeared and he has one made of two Coney Island baby Man, I swear, I’d give the whole thing up for you
c- 1975 – Lou Reed
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And here’s Phil’s replay if you missed it last night. (The first 51 minutes is about the silver market — currently at $53.44 an ounce. The intel on Hegseth starts right after that.)
Sadly, this is a one-off special “later this year” on SKY TV, which means that we will not be able to see it here in the Hinterlands…
Me, most days, but especially when I can’t see a Nick Cave one-off documentary on SKY TV.
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BUT!!
Here’s the view outside my bedroom window this morning!! (I traded this view for living anywhere remotely near where I could access SKY TV.)
This is called a valley in the foothills of Appalachia, an average distance of 3,549 miles from SKY TV.
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And actually, I think that’s it for now.
I’m gonna tidy up around here, so that I can sit at my kitchen table and WAIT. But it’s still a day off, so that’s cool.
Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world.
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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Okay, gang, I’m gonna leave you with this, because it popped up on my playlist while driving home yesterday.
Not only do I actually love this song, but it is the opening theme song to my in-progress screen-adaptation of Neptune & Surf (titled “Neptune Avenue”). Which takes place in Brooklyn & NYC in the 1920s and the 1950s. (I’m guessing that some day I’ll get enough time to finish the adaptation. We shall see.)
Oh, and lest you forget!! My primary inspiration for Neptune & Surf was Hubert Selby, Jr.s’ now classic novel, Last Exit to Brooklyn. And when my book came out (to incredibly wonderful reviews), I wrote to Hubert (nicknamed Cubby) to give him a copy of my book. And he wrote back, and afterwards we became friends until he died. From Cubby:
And here’s the theme song from “Neptune Avenue”.
“On the Sidewalks of New York”, written in I894. But this is Nat King Cole’s version, 1963. Enjoy, gang.
“On The Sidewalks Of New York”
East side, West side All around the town The tots sang ‘Ring-a-Rosie London Bridge is falling down!’ Boys and girls together Me and Mamie O’Rorke Tripped the light fantastic On the sidewalks of New York
Down in front of Casey’s Old brown wooden stoop On a summer’s evening We formed a merry group; Boys and girls together We would sing and waltz While the “Ginnie” played the organ On the sidewalks of New York
East side, West side All around the town The tots sang ‘Ring-a-Rosie London Bridge is falling down!’ Boys and girls together Me and Mamie O’Rorke Tripped the light fantastic On the sidewalks of New York
East side, West side All around the town The tots sang ‘Ring-a-Rosie London Bridge is falling down!’ Boys and girls together Me and Mamie O’Rorke Tripped the light fantastic On the sidewalks of New York
It turns out, gang, that Keanu’s new movie will in fact be playing in town at that AMC theater that is only 30 miles from here.
Which means I will definitely be able to see it in the theater — without having to drive those 2 hours (in the dark)… Yay!
Now I just have to figure out when I’m going to go. It only has 2 showings a day — in the evenings, no matinees, not even on the weekends. So that is sort of sucky. But I’m still really happy. That movie looks so fun!
Oh, and yes, btw — I did see that the announcement that he and Alexandra had gotten married was, in fact, not true! Oh well. I’m still happy for him. He’s killing it on Broadway right now, and this new movie looks really good.
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Okay!
In other good news–
I survived yesterday!
Tuesdays, from now on, are really long — a 10-hour shift. Plus, since it’s the only day wherein I am really close to the grocery store, I run my weekly errands after my shift.
So not only do I have to get up and out early, I come home kind of late and then have to put all the groceries away. AND take care of all the crazy cats who, for some delightful reason, all want to get inside all the grocery bags as I’m trying to unpack them. And trying to not trip all over them, etc.
So, Tuesdays are not my favorite days now.
However. When it’s over, I have that great feeling of absolute relief. Yay.
Not sure what that guy’s getting ready to do but apparently it helps with that feeling of “relief”…
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And here’s this!
From Phyllis Stein’s Instagram page (she has a great page , btw! All 70s punk — Johnny Thunders, The Dolls, Blondie, etc.):
The NY Dolls (& friends) at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in LA, September 1973!
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Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File this morning that was kind of wonderful. He replied to a 15-year-old German boy who had recently visited the Cave family graves in Brighton. Nick says, in part:
“…The ongoing and evolving relationship I maintain with those I love who have passed away is manifest in the everyday, often in unexpected and sudden ways. The spirits of those who have passed on weave themselves through my conversations, actions, words and songs as sources of inspiration and guidance, as real and extant as anything else….”
You know, other than that, I’m experiencing an odd sort of “down time”. I have nothing truly pressing to do.
I’m waiting to hear from Sandra about some stuff that will suddenly make me incredibly busy.
I’m waiting to hear back from the publisher regarding The Curse of Our Profound Disorder (I’m anticipating that this will take a while because she is really busy this month). (Although she did say she was “truly looking forward to reading it.” Yay!)
Also waiting to hear from Wayne with his opinion on the book, and he is also really busy right now. (While he did not say that he was “truly looking forward to reading it”, he did say that he “wanted” to read it. But one of the benefits of divorce is that I am no longer in the next room and so I can no longer come out of my room, thrusting a flurry of manuscript pages at you, saying: “Can you please read this and tell me what you think?” Which means: Drop everything. Read it NOW. What the fuck is taking you so long??!)
But, seriously, Wayne has always been incredibly supportive of my writing. In such wonderful ways, too. Here’s a piece of marquetry inlay that he made for me when Neptune & Surf was finally published. (If you did not read Neptune & Surf, this is an old Chinese sampan arriving at Coney Island in the 1920s.)
The glass is highly reflective. Sorry about that.
I’m not expecting another work of art to celebrate The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, but I guess you never know.
Anyway. Even though I need to figure out which work-in-progress I want to tackle next, I’m sort of not focused enough right now to decide.
So I’m sort of actually relaxed, which is a really weird frame of mind for me to be in.
And all the house stuff is taken care of, for now. And all my health stuff is up to date. And every kind of insurance imaginable has been purchased. (The only thing I don’t have right now is an updated DNR, but at least my Will is in place so I could, you know, die tomorrow. No problem.)
However!
I’m not really anticipating that, so I’m just kind of relaxing.
Yes! With my new glasses, I am actually able to read books again!!!
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And that said–
I gotta get ready to head to town and see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man. I’m guessing we’re gonna get sashimi and sake today, but I will let him decide! (He almost never, ever, ever says no to sashimi and sake.)
And then we will probably stop at the Nature Preserve on our way back to his house, because he loves, loves, loves looking at all those trees. (So do I, actually.)
And THEN! Tomorrow, I have the day off, but the furnace guy is coming at some point to get the furnace ready for winter. But other than that, I’ll just be going over half-finished manuscripts, trying to decide what to tackle next.
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So, have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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I leave you with this!!
I’ve posted it here before — a couple of times. But this was my driving-home-from-town music yesterday (on repeat). Because it just caresses me soul, gang.
What an incredibly gorgeous version of this song!
Andrea Bocelli, “Bésame Mucho,” 2005. From his lovely album, Amore. Enjoy, gang.
Even though I also think it’s a great day for popcorn (!), I still think it’s a really great day for the world, any way you want to look at it. (When oh when are people gonna stop hating DJT???)
I guess we shall see.
Freed hostages. Wars over.
If you missed Phil’s urgent video on telegram last night, it’s here. And he says, in part, that after Oct. 19th, silver will begin to skyrocket.
Loyal readers of this lofty blog will no doubt recall that back in late 2022 thru early 2024, when I was making a lot more money, I bought whatever silver I could afford every month. Yay.
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In other celebratory parts of the world — here in the Hinterlands…
If you missed my post from yesterday afternoon, I did indeed finish my final read-thru of The Curse of Our Profound Disorder and this morning, I will be sending the file off to the publisher in Pennsylvania. And from there, we shall see what she thinks.
I am so happy that it is done (at least the first draft). And I am still really happy with the book, but I still think it is a really strange, often brutal and intense book, with an oddly simple message: Family is everything. (And I actually really believe that.)
This picture has nothing to do with the book…
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In other celebratory news (at least for now)–
I saw my caregiving schedule for the rest of the year, and after this month is over, I am scheduled only 24 hrs a week, 2 days off each week, I have Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day off, and I get home mid-afternoon on the night before Thanksgiving, and on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve!
Can you believe this, gang?? Wow. All it took was a little polite complaining to the regional supervisor (twice).
This doesn’t mean they won’t ask me to pick up extra shifts along the way, but I can always say no to those if I want to.
This is such a relief to me psychologically, gang. You have no idea.
I bought these shoes in a thrift store in Manhattan — vintage Gucci. Aren’t they cool??
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Okay, here’s this–
The final installment of James Tabor’s series about the disappearance of Jesus’s family from the New Testament.
The Fading of the Jesus Family: Finale and Summing Up (38 mins):
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And here’s some more fading-away news that I’m actually really excited about:
MTV is over, gang. It, too, is quietly fading away…Well, not from the New Testament, from the world.
Wow. Did I used to love MTV….but that was a really long time ago. (Like, 40 years ago.)
“Money For Nothing”
I want my, I want my MTV I want my, I want my MTV I want my, I want my MTV I want my, I want my MTV
Now look at them yo-yos, that’s the way you do it You play the guitar on the MTV That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it Money for nothing and your chicks for free Now that ain’t working, that’s the way you do it Lemme tell ya, them guys ain’t dumb Maybe get a blister on your little finger Maybe get a blister on your thumb
We got to install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries We got to move these refrigerators We got to move these colour TVs
See the little faggot with the earring and the make-up? Yeah buddy, that’s his own hair That little faggot got his own jet airplane That little faggot, he’s a millionaire
We got to install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries We got to move these refrigerators We got to move these colour TVs Hoover mover, uh
Got to install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries He’s gotta move these refrigerators Got to move these colour TVs Looky here, look out
I should a learned to play the guitar I should a learned to play them drums Look at that mama, she got it sticking in the camera Man, we could have some And he’s up there, what’s that? Hawaiian noises? He’s banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee Oh, that ain’t working, that’s the way you do it Get your money for nothing, get your chicks for free
We got to install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries We got to move these refrigerators We got to move these colour TVs
Listen here Now that ain’t working, that’s the way you do it You play the guitar on the MTV That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it Money for nothing, and your chicks for free
Money for nothing, chicks for free Get your money for nothing, chicks for free Money for nothing, chicks for free Money for nothing, chicks for free Money for nothing, chicks for free Money for nothing, chicks for free Ow, money for nothing, yeah And the chicks for free What’s that? Get your money for nothing, and your chicks for free Look at that, look at that Get your money for nothing (I want my, I want my) Bozos Chicks for free (I want my MTV) Money for nothing (I want my, I want my) And chicks for free (I want my MTV) Get your money for nothing (I want my, I want my) Chicks for free (I want my MTV) Ah, money for nothing (I want my, I want my) Chicks for free (I want my MTV) Easy, easy money for nothing (I want my, I want my) Easy, easy, chicks for free (I want my MTV) Easy, easy money for nothing (I want my, I want my) Chicks for free (I want my MTV) That ain’t working
Money for nothing, chicks for free Money for nothing, chicks for free
c – 1985 Gordon Matthew Sumner, Mark Knopfler
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Okay.
I have today off. I might be hearing from Sandra but I’m not sure yet. If I do, that alone could make me suddenly very busy. We shall see.
I have a couple quick chores to do, but other than that — all I need to do is think about which work-in-progress I want to tackle next around here. What a great feeling. Making progress on everything.
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And that is it for now.
I’m gonna finish up the laundry, get another cup o’ joe, and then get that manuscript off to the publisher.
Enjoy your very happy Monday, wherever you are in the world!!
I was almost finished with my shift with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man (and we had a great day yesterday — his focus and clarity were great and we had just really enjoyable conversations all day)– anyway, I was almost done there when I got a text from the Agency saying that my evening shift was cancelled!
(See yesterday’s post about how I was sort of dreading that evening shift.)
The client had just been sent to the hospital, which is of course, sort of terrible, but I was unbelievably happy for myself!
I was home yesterday by 3:15PM. Wow. I was even able to focus a little bit and get another chapter of The Curse of Our Profound Disorder proofed and done.
This leaves me with only FOUR more chapters to go! Almost there, gang.
I have some time today before my evening shift to get a little more done, and I have tomorrow off, so I should be absolutely done proofreading by tomorrow!
“YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH POPCORN FOR THIS WEEK!!!😎🇺🇸🍿”
And Sara Hopps re-posted this Phil delta this morning:
So let’s just see what happens this week. Remember, gang. Popcorn means we’re watching a movie.
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I saw this online yesterday.
Apparently my hellhole apartment on E.12th Street in the East Village of NYC was recently for rent. (It is currently rented.)
I’d known it was “renovated” after I moved out in the fall of 1992, but this was the first time I saw photos of what it currently looks like and I think it’s awful! They’ve chopped it way down in size and it is now a studio apartment (meaning, no bedroom) for $1675 month.
When I lived there, it hadn’t been renovated in about 80 years, literally, but it was a 2-bedroom walk-through with 2 fireplaces — one in the living room and one in the kitchen. And the floor leaned way over to the east side of the building. But it was $475 a month.
Plus there was a glass block divider between the kitchen and bathroom. I had one of those very old, lead, clawfoot bathtubs and 2 big windows in the bathroom. (They’ve somehow managed to put a very small shower in the little closet where the toilet is and they did away with the bathroom completely…Amazing.)
There were also two big windows in the living room, and a closet. And there was a front door and a kitchen door. There is now only one door, entering into the “kitchen.”
You can see the whole apartment here. But here is a sample:
It’s all white, with a nice floor, but other than that, it is so narrow and SMALL!! And no character whatsoever. Unbelievable.
Considering all the songs I wrote while living there, and the short stories I wrote, and the intensely crazy and amazing relationships (and roommates) I had in there, I think it was much, much better as a hellhole apartment in the 1980s than its “renovated” version today.
It was made in 1984, in my old East Village neighborhood. So you get an actual feel of what is was like down there back then. (Violence and a lot of drugs. It was nearly impossible to get a cab to take you to the East Village after dark back then.)
The movie was written & directed by Paul Morrissey (who directed all those famous Warhol films).
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Okay!
Here’s this!
Tuning up backstage, during the European tour of 1970– Keith, Mick Taylor, and Bill Wyman:
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This was fun!!
A Tom Petty Rockumentary on MTV, 1991 (23 mins):
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From James Tabor — an interview about his new book, The Lost Mary.
James Tabor on The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus | Closer To Truth Chats (28 mins):
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I’m still loving the new glasses, gang. Wow, it is so cool to finally be able to SEE again!!
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Okay.
Oddly enough, I slept for NINE hours last night!! I can’t believe it. (I usually sleep about 6 hours.)
And for most of the night, I was having endless dreams about Nick Cave songs. It was a very complicated dream. A lot from Dig!! Lazarus! Dig!! and a lot of songs from Ghosteen.
But the minute I woke up, at 5:15AM, the fabulous chorus from “Balcony Man” was going full volume in my head!! (“This morning is amazing and so are you“)
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And I think that is it for now, gang.
I’m going to enjoy what’s left of this amazing morning (!!) and get some reading/editing done on the novel and then head out for 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!!
Me, in that no-longer-existent bathtub/bathroom in the hellhole apartment on E.12th Street, back in 1984!!
Polaroid taken by my best friend, Paul Martin, who was visiting for Thanksgiving! He had bought me the camera as an early Christmas present that year. Okay, see ya!
I’m looking forward to being back in bed tonight — but only because it will mean that the last couple days are done.
Tonight, especially, will be challenging. I’ve worked with this client before and I really like him, but he has significant cognitive impairment. Meaning, he’s basically totally not there. But he’s completely mobile, so you have to watch him like a hawk…
But it is beautiful, how his daughter pays for round-the-clock care for him, so that he can remain at home. (His cognitive impairment was early-onset, so he’s actually several years younger than me — and strong.)
I could have turned it down — I’m going to be filling in for someone else tonight — but I didn’t have the heart to, since he’s so nice.
And then last evening’s shift was an eye-opener that I wasn’t expecting.
I was with that new-ish client that I really like, who lives in that huge and beautiful split-level home in the hills behind Bryn Du Mansion , where you need a map to find the bathroom…
I haven’t been with her in just about a month and she has gone WAY downhill. Cognitively, I mean. I was totally unprepared for the change.
But again, she is someone whose daughter and son-in-law take such good care of her that it just melts your heart — the amount of palpable love in that beautiful home. It just blows me away. I am sensitive to energy, and every single room in that enormous home just overwhelms me with love.
However.
She has turned a corner that she’s not coming back from so it is disheartening to see.
I will be glad when I’m back here tonight, in the safety and “cognitively-functioning” haven of my cozy-cat-filled home in the Hinterlands.
And THIS opened, and I really wanted to see it, but YES!! — it is at the movie theater that is one-hour away from me (each way). Well, that’s the closest theater it’s at, anyway…
Keanu’s new movie, “Good Fortune”:
I would really love to see it in the theater, and I was hoping it would be at the AMC which is only 30 miles from me. But I don’t know if I will have any time this month to make that 2-hr drive just to see a movie. We’ll see.
“Good Fortune” trailer:
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Okay, Phil’s Q&A was great last night! (Well, I listened to it this morning, after breakfast.)
It reminded me of the old Phil, where he wasn’t aiming so much at the newcomers. I really enjoyed it and felt I learned some very, very interesting little things.
I especially liked the tiny little tidbit connected to this:
The Replay (direct link has more control over the ads):
So, I did take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man on a “very little” road trip (10 miles) to get my new glasses yesterday!!
I love my new glasses, gang. It’s like they’re barely there, and they have a wider lens so I feel like I can see everything. What a great feeling. Especially when I’m driving (which is always).
And the weather was just stunning yesterday. Really feeling and looking like October now, which is my favorite month of the year. So even though it was a really short drive, and no sake or vodka martinis were involved, we had a really great time.
Reverse this — with or without sake or vodka martinis, my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man does NOT drive…
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I think that might be it for now, gang. I need to get ready to get back over to my favorite 95-year-old Japanese’s man’s house! Get his coffee started and his breakfast ready!
I am planning on having lunch HERE, though, between shifts!
The Subway, where I would always have lunch before going to see my adorable client, Molly, who passed away in late January. (Which means, she will be “dining” with me, in spirit.)
Tomorrow, I have my shift with the retired minister and his lovely cat & wife. Which means I will have the whole morning to myself, to get some more reading/editing done on The Curse of Our Profound Disorder — getting ever closer to finishing it!!
Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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I’m gonna leave you with this again.
Only because I got out of bed, singing it to all the many cats this morning and they really seemed to enjoy it!
Mostly, I’m dreaming of a day when my Saturdays can be my own again. With or without “the friend”.
“Come Saturday Morning,” by The Sandpipers. 1969. Enjoy, gang.
“Come Saturday Morning”
Come Saturday mornin’ I’m goin’ away with my friend We’ll Saturday-spend ‘Til the end of the day
Just I and my friend We’ll travel for miles In our Saturday smiles And then we’ll move on But we will remember Long after Saturday’s gone
Come Saturday mornin’ Come Saturday morn
Come Saturday mornin’ I’m goin’ away with my friend We’ll Saturday-laugh More than half of the day
Just I and my friend (My friend) Dressed up in our rings And our Saturday things (Saturday) And then we’ll move on But we will remember Long after Saturday’s gone
Come Saturday mornin’ Come Saturday mornin’
Come Saturday mornin’ (Saturday)
Just I and my friend (My friend) We’ll travel for miles In our Saturday smiles (Saturday) And then we’ll move on But we will remember Long after Saturday’s gone
Come Saturday mornin’ Come Saturday morn Come Saturday mornin’ Come Saturday morn Come Saturday mornin’
So, not only did the local handyman come and put the bolts on the 2 storage closet doors (yay!)…
KEEP OUT!
And not only did I get some yoga done, and study another lecture in the Protestant Reformation course — and it was pretty horrific: The St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572 ...
But I also got SO MUCH reading/editing done on The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. Finally. I have only 5 chapters left to read, and that’s only 88 pages, total.
And I’m really liking the book, gang. Although it certainly will NOT be everybody’s cup of tea. I don’t even have a clue what the target audience might be for this book. Perhaps the publisher will have a clue (assuming she likes the rest of the book).
But what matters most to me right now, is that I am liking it — and also consistently feeling surprised by it. Especially since I now know how the novel ends. So, reading it now from the beginning, knowing how it ends — I’m sort of always feeling, like: Whoa…
It is so hard to describe this book, gang. It basically takes place in a total of 4 days, but 1 and a 1/2 days happen in 1984, and then the other 3 and a 1/2 days happen in 1986. But the entire book covers 26 years in stream of consciousness memories (of the protagonist).
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Okay.
Well, the next couple days will be intense. I have to work double shifts back-to-back, and every shift is with a client that has cognitive impairment to one degree or another.
HOWEVER!
I got a text that my new glasses are ready! Yay!
So I’m going to take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man for a drive to go pick up my new glasses. (He only lives 10 minutes from there, whereas I live 30 miles from there.)
Anyway, I’m very excited. I will be able to see again. Especially while driving at night, and both tonight and tomorrow night, I will be driving after dark. Such a relief that the glasses are ready. (5 days early.)
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All right, here’s this!
While driving the other day near the train tracks, I was humming the old folk song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and I suddenly remembered that in my early days on the folk club circuit in NYC, I used to sing a song I wrote to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” But it was about making my trip out to California when I was 18. It was always a big hit and everyone would laugh.
This was in the early days, when it was just me and my guitar.
I couldn’t recall the lyrics anymore, so I went and dug it out of my files and it’s funny how much of that trip I had totally forgotten about. Well, it all came back to me. The song is funny, but what a dreadful trip that was. It took about 4 or 5 days.
Here you go:
I Went Off to California (I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad)
I went off to California Left my world at home I put nothing in my suitcase But some vintage Rolling Stones I decided to go Greyhound Due to quite restricted funds I was doomed to tear my hair out Before my trip was done.
I was feelin’ low, sittin’ all alone In the Greyhound Bus depot-oh-oh I learned quite a lot ‘tween the hookers and the cops In an hour in Chi-ca-go. Dinah don’t ya know, Dinah don’t ya know It was dawn in Chic-ca-go-oh-oh And the things that are alive at a quarter after five Dinah, you don’t wanna know
Next, we pulled into Nebraska Downtown Omaha A man who swore that he was Jesus Was among the things I saw I was feelin’ pretty hungry But runnin’ outta dough I made it all the way to Cheyenne On seven Or-e-os.
Dinah don’t ya cry, Dinah don’t ya cry ‘though you feel you want to die-i-i When the man who’s next to you bathed in 1942 And puts his hand between your thighs – And sings out: “Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh If you hold me way down low-oh-oh-oh Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh! You’ll fceel my love begin to grow!”
By the time we got to Reno – 3 o’clock A.M. I was pretty near a coma From fighting off the men All the way to Salt Lake City A stranger, good and bombed Cursed me without reservation For the years he’d served in ‘Nam.
Dinah don’t ya know, it’s a lonely way to go And the Greyhound makes me blue-ooh-ooh But I think of brighter days, when I’ll find a better way And a house in Malibu.
Though I went to California, Many years ago I can still recall the nausea And the memories of the road Now I live in New York City I left the Coast behind ‘though New York is dark and dirty I’m glad I changed my mind.
Dinah don’t ya know, Dinah don’t ya know It’s a rough and tumble tow-ow-ow-n But a man can hold you low and a love can start to grow And he’ll turn your luck around.
Oh, someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah Someone’s in the kitchen it’s true-ooh and they’re Savin’ up their pennies in a cookie jar For a house in Malibu And singing, “Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh You can feel my lovin’ grow-oh-oh-oh Fee, fi, fiddle-y-i-oh! When you’re strummin’ on my old banjo!”
If you aren’t from the States and don’t know this old folk song, here it is:
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Okay.
If you live in Tokyo, here’s this! (I highly recommend it. It was very engrossing.)
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And while I was reading/editing at my desk yesterday, at one point, I got up from my chair and discovered this cutie on the bed behind me!
Calico!
And a couple of hours later, I discovered this!! Too cute. I had absolutely no idea they were all there, right behind me.
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And here’s this!
From Instagram.
Just because it’s a truly classic Nick Cave photo that I have always loved!
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And I’m thinking that’s actually it for today.
Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world.
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
***********
Okay!
I leave you with this. Play it LOUD.
From every single one of my playlists over the last several years, as it turns out! It keeps popping up! (I love this song.)
Rod Stewart’s 1991 classic “Rhythm of My Heart” from the album Vagabond Heart. Enjoy, gang.
“Rhythm Of My Heart”
Across the street, the river runs Down in the gutter, life is slipping away Let me still exist, in another place Running under cover of a helicopter blade Flames are getting higher in effigy Burning down the bridges of my memory Love may still be alive somewhere, someway Where they’re downing only deer, a hundred steel towns away
Oh, the rhythm of my heart Is beating like a drum With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue No, never will I roam For I know my place is home Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing
Photographs and kerosene Light up my darkness Light it up! Light it up! I can still feel the touch Of your thin blue jeans Running down the alley, I’ve got my eyes all over you, baby Oh, baby
Oh, the rhythm of my heart Is beating like a drum With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue No, never will I roam For I know my place is home Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing I’ll be sailing I’ll be sailing I will
Oh, I’ve got lightning in my veins Shifting like the handle of a slot machine Love may still exist in another place I’m just yanking back the handle No expression on my face
Oh, the rhythm of my heart Is beating like a drum With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue No, never will I roam For I know my place is home Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing Oh, the rhythm of my heart Is beating like a drum With the words, “I love you” rolling off my tongue No, never will I roam For I know my place is home Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing The rhythm of my heart Is beating like a drum With the words, “I love you” Rolling off my tongue No, never will I roam For I know my place is home Where the ocean meets the sky, I’ll be sailing Ooh, hoo-hoo, ooh
Wow, it is like a true fall morning around here, gang.
The heat was actually blowing the lace curtains around when I went downstairs this morning.
It was 41 degrees Fahrenheit (and still dark out) when I went outside to feed KonTiki of the Great Outdoors this morning — and she still hasn’t gotten into her cathouse yet. She still prefers to be on top of it. But anyway, it was so beautiful out there — the moon was still sort of full and shining down from a perfectly clear black sky full of stars.
And, YES! I awoke at 3:45AM to a text from the Agency, alerting me that they had added yet another shift to my schedule at the end of the month(!!!). This time, I emailed my supervisor and asked them to give that shift to someone else, please. Etc., etc. (I am now up to approximately 29-32 hours a week again, with only one day off each week again. And that is just too much.)
Woe is me…
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Okay!!
Well, the local handyman is coming today at 6PM, instead of coming yesterday, since he couldn’t get here yesterday until 7:30PM — apparently he was unaware of the fact that I am usually already upstairs in bed by 7:30PM… (studying French and stuff, but still. I’m up there in bed and I don’t want to change that just yet. I’ve gotten super SUPER selfish about my “me” time, even though he’s going to be doing a job that I really want done!) (See yesterday’s post about keeping any and all CATS out of the storage closets!!)
Average number of cats that always want to get into the storage closets and tear the FUCK out of everything…
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Speaking of yesterday…
I had a truly beautiful day with my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man. We did go get our sushi, sashimi, and sake (he drinks the sake, not me). And here were our fortunes from the fortune cookies. Both of them could sort of apply to each of us, but the top one was his, and mine was the bottom one!! Yay!!
Oh, and oddly enough — yesterday was the first time he noticed me slipping the fortunes into my purse.
HE: “Are you taking those home?”
ME (startled by just how many of them I’ve already taken home and posted to the blog that he doesn’t know about): “Oh, well, yeah.”
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Today is the heavenly birthday of my very first girlhood hero. He was my world when I was 11. And he opened the door to everything, music-wise, for me. Including, but not limited to: (a different take on) Elvis, Delta Blues, Bob Dylan, and Brian Jones, Keith Richards and TheRolling Stones!! Yay!
Happy Heavenly Birthday, John Lennon. (He would have been 85 today — had the CIA not murdered him, that is.)
[And just FYI — always use Yandex when you want to actually search for something that doesn’t leap to “Conspiracy Theory!!”]
[And check out the Fundamentals of Trauma Based Mind Control, if you haven’t already… just a primer.] [I only bring this up, because, at age 20, I had only lived in NYC for 3 weeks when they murdered my girlhood hero. Talk about effective trauma…]
Anyway.
And here’s this! (Remember how, just after 9-11, DJs weren’t allowed to play this song on the radio???!!!) (Hmmmm….)
“Imagine”
Imagine there’s no heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today… Aha-ah…
Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too Imagine all the people Living life in peace… You…
You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world… You…
You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one
c- 1971 John Lennon
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Well, on a happier note… as of right now, silver is at $50.09 per ounce! And gold is at $4,037. And the best is STILL yet to come!!
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Okay, well, I guess that is gonna be it for now, gang.
I really want to get back to reading over The Curse of Our Profound Disorder, so that I can get it off to the publisher already!!
Enjoy your Thursday, wherever you are in the world!!
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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I leave you with this!!
(Why wouldn’t I, on this beautiful fall morning in the Hinterlands??)
From my wee bonny girlhood in Cleveland, in the “Make America Beautiful” USA!! Buffalo Springfield, 1966, “For What It’s Worth.”
Enjoy, gang.
“For What It’s Worth”
There’s something happening here But what it is ain’t exactly clear There’s a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware
I think it’s time we stop Children, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s going down?
There’s battle lines being drawn Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong Young people speaking’ their minds Getting so much resistance from behind
It’s time we stop Hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s going down?
What a field day for the heat A thousand people in the street Singing songs and carrying signs Mostly saying, “hooray for our side”
It’s time we stop Hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s going down?
Paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you’re always afraid Step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop Hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s going down?
We better stop Hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s going down?
We better stop Now, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s going down?
We better stop Children, what’s that sound? Everybody look – what’s going down?
And it was made even longer by the fact that I had to get my groceries, etc., after my really long shift, because it was the only time I would be able to get to that part of town until next week.
But, anyway. It’s over and it wasn’t so terrible. Yay.
Today, I not only head back to see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man and most likely, take him to lunch here:
But also, as soon as I get back home, a local handyman is coming over to install bolts to both of my storage closet doors, because the cats are able to let themselves into both of these closets and they destroy everything.
I’ve been having to keep them closed with duct tape, which is really ugly. Plus, whenever I actually need to get into one of these closets (which is often), I have to deal with ripping off the duct tape, tearing paint off the door, and then reapplying more duct tape. So today will be really exciting for me! Not so much for the cats…
Cat proof. Finally.
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Here’s this!
Keith! Twice!!
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Here are a couple of interesting videos. One short, one long:
From Ross K. Nichols:
“Could the same logic Singer applies to Huff’s Christian apologetic views be applied to Tovia Singer’s Jewish views? Are the views of these two men really so different after all? Dive in to discover how Huff and Singer stumble into a shared pitfall.”
What Do Wes Huff and Tovia Singer BOTH Get Wrong? (5 mins):
And one re-posted by James Tabor (from the BBC, 1962):
T.E. Lawrence 1888 – 1935 (1 hr):
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This was really great. Prime “young Tom Petty” attitude!! I loved this.
Originally on MTV, 1985.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Southern Accents documentary (30 mins):
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Here’s this–
Finally!! It will be opening in movie theaters in the US! (I’m guessing this will involve another 1-hour trip to the movie theater & back with my dear friend Kara!! We shall see!)
[To refresh your memory — Kara, in our hotel room, when we went to see Nick Cave & the Bad Sees, back in May.]
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And here’s this!
Remember when Nick Cave recently donated 2,000 books to charity? (I think, but I am not certain, that these books were merely the ones on his night table and he no longer had room for his coffee cup…) Anyway–
And while we’re at it–
Here’s just one of the MANY great songs on the Let Love In album from 1994, “Do You Love Me?” (I could probably listen to this song over and over and over and — oh, wait! I already have!!):
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And speaking of Nick Cave–
He sent out a very interesting Red Hand File yesterday, that mostly discussed his day. And cereal. He says, in part:
“…the first letter I see is yours, Sammie. “Check your privilege,” you say. I close my eyes, lean back, and do precisely that. I reflect on how music, which started as a hobby, became my calling- my avocation turned vocation- as love and need became intertwined, and how profound a privilege it was to be in this position. I think about all of it, my job, my friends, my family, and how it all could have been so different had fortune not been on my side – extraordinary luck, cosmic happenstance perhaps, the kindness and generosity of the world. I take none of this for granted, Sammie, and in the back of the cab my heart flows with gratitude….”
Okay, so on Monday — as far as “reading the novel over from page one to the end”– actually, Sandra called me, in need of an emergency “bio” update, for her upcoming theater performance in NYC at the end of October.
It took a couple of hours, and by the time I was done with it, I didn’t get to make much headway in proofing The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. I’m only 28 (!!) pages into it, but I have tomorrow off, so we shall see!
Meanwhile… if you are interested in Sandra’s amazing career!
Sandra Caldwell Bio
“A true entertainer in every sense of the word…” - NY Times “A black trans woman of immense poise, beauty, and – pardon me, I can’t help it – charm…” – Variety “A provocative entertainer combined with powerful vocal skills, Sandra Caldwell has it all…” –Toronto Star
Sandra Caldwell is a celebrated African American actress, singer, and writer whose 45+ year career extends throughout the worlds of film, television, and theater.
Starting out as a jazz singer – her first love – she performed with top orchestras in some of the world’s finest venues, including the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, and the White House Jazz on the Lawn series. In her early days, she was a fixture in the café society set in numerous nightspots across the country, also hosting the radio show, Sunday Afternoons with Sandra Caldwell on Jazz FM91 in Toronto.
On television, Sandra has been seen in recurring roles in The Gilded Age (HBO, seasons 1/3; Dir. Deborah Kampeire), Fantasma (HBO; Dir. Julio Torres), as well as in High Maintenance, The Book of Negroes, 19-2, Soul Food, and, as a series regular, in Little Men. She had guest-starring roles in such hit shows as Law & Order: SVU and Rookie Blue. Sandra was a featured performer in many TV movies, including Good Fences with Whoopie Goldberg, and Disney’s The Cheetah Girls.
Sandra’s film work includes The Jackie Shane Story (Dir. Michael Engle), Any Other Way (Bangor Films; Dir. Michael Mabbott), along with memorable work in past films, such as Milo & Millie, Murder at 1600, Shall We Dance, and Maya Angelou’s directorial debut, Down in the Delta.
In theater, Sandra appeared in the musical Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Shubert Theater); the Original Workshop for Ragtime (Live Ent. Productions); the drama Coming Through Slaughter (Necessary Angel Theater, Toronto); and was nominated for a Dora Award, Canada’s highest theater award, for her work in Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies (Sterling Productions, Toronto).
Notably, in 2017 in the NY Times, Sandra came out publicly as transgender while in rehearsals for her transgender leading role in the critically acclaimed "Charm" (MCC Theater).
Additionally, in 2020, she spoke candidly about transgender representation in the media, in the “enlightening and heartfelt” (- LA Times) Netflix documentary “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen” (Dir. Sam Feder).
A bona fide heroine of today’s LGBTQ+ generation, Sandra’s long awaited self-penned, one-woman show, “The Guide to Being Fabulous”, a jazz musical that tells the real story of Sandra Caldwell’s unparalleled life, was presented, in 2023, by Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto.
From a young runaway, panhandling on the streets of DC, to the Moulin Rouge in Paris, to her role as Mama Morton in “Chicago” at the Stratford Festival (“4-Stars!” – Toronto Star), she has done it all and endured it all, without losing sight of her comedic timing, her turn of phrase, or her compassion.
Yes, an entertainer in every sense of the word; ladies and gentlemen, we give you… Miss Sandra Caldwell
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And now, I guess I’ll scoot!
Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!
Thanks for visiting.
I love you guys. See ya!
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I leave you with this!
Late-night listening music!
Yes, after my long day of caregiving, I practically went straight to bed and just hung out there, watching the rain outside the windows as the sun went down. I did a little French. But mostly I just laid there.
And then I listened to this, in the dark, over and over and over…
From Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Sins of My Youth”, from the album Hypnotic Eye, 2014.
So beautiful. Enjoy, gang.
“Sins Of My Youth”
You will find no wicked way in me Look me over, you will see You will find no weary change I’m worn and wounded, but still the same
Whoa…… Let me tell you the truth I love you more Than the sins of my youth
When the past gets up in your face Memories slide out of place All those things that were hidden away Ain’t so bad in the light of day
Whoa…… Let me tell you the truth I love you more Than the sins of my youth
You say you love me wish you liked me more I’m no angel that’s for sure Said you forgave me, each time I was caught But you still paint me as somethin’ I’m not
Whoa…… Let me tell you the truth I love you more Than the sins of my youth
Marilyn's Room 