Tag Archives: love

A Happy Father’s Day To One & All!

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What a gorgeous day it is out here in the Hinterlands. Mild and really sunny.

A perfect day for dads to get out there and get that grill going!!

Before I get off on a tangent and forget–

Happy 70th Birthday to Chong!!

Yes, my first husband is 70 today!!

I kinda can’t believe it — I now have a first husband who is 70, and a second husband who is 72…. I’ve decided not to process these numbers and just have a happy day!!

Me, having a happy day!! And not just because I love to clean, but weren’t those pink porcelain bathrooms the BEST??!!

Okay!!

Back to Father’s Day!

I’ve posted all these photos to the blog before, but here they are again!

My birth dad, Don May.

At Midway Island, in 1973, during the Vietnam War:

Me and Don in his double-wide trailer-home in Fallon, Nevada, in May of 1993. He settled in Fallon, NV, because there is a US Naval base there, and he continued working there even after he retired from the Navy:

Photo by Wayne

A photo of my adoptive dad, Alan, and my grandma in the mid-1980s, a couple years before she died:

Me and my dad, in Cleveland, celebrating our birthdays together (our birthdays were one day apart). My mom baked the cake:

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Okay, that’s the Father’s Day stuff!! If you want to know anything else about me & fathers & father figures, you’ll have to read my almost-in-progress memoir, Joy: The Shortest Season!! Because there is a TON of stuff to say in there about all that!!

And, to prepare for it, here’s this! Again!! From 1972:

Well, and okay, here’s this–

One of my most favorite father figures of all time– Keith Richards with his daughter, Dandelion Angela Richards:

And I guess, here’s this, too:

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Okay.

Here’s this!

From the Jack Kerouac Estate:

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And the Bad Seeds show in Prague looks like it was off the charts, gang!

People started posting photos and videos yesterday, like immediately.

First, here’s the set list:

And that encore of “The Weeping Song” looked incredible. Quite a few people posted videos of it — which I can’t post here — but the energy was just amazing. So much joy, both onstage and in the (huge) audience.

And here are a couple of photos:

And here’s this — but from the other day in Lingen — “The Weeping Song”:

Tonight’s show in Austria is sold out.

Next up, though, is Athens, Greece, and you can BUY TICKETS HERE!!

On an entirely different note, though–

Nick Cave sent out a Red Hand File yesterday morning that absolutely broke my heart. Partly because it was so well written. But mostly because I deal with aging all the time now because of my job as a home health aide to the elderly, and also because I, too, am also aging. But Nick answered this question from Daffo in Australia: “What’s the worst thing about having become a really old rockstar?” Jesus. Nick answered in part:

“The worst thing about being an old rockstar is that the old rockstar’s old fans don’t know how to work their fucking phones.”

But the rest of his answer just, I don’t know. It was so vivid. You can read it in full HERE but it broke my heart.

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Okay.

Well, I am TOTALLY digging my new schedule, gang.

Last night, at 8PM, I was still down in my kitchen, having my dinner!! And watching another old ridiculously funny re-run of “Black Books”. And the sun was still up, and I could see all my flowers out there on my porch. And the cats were still frisky and the neighbors were out and about in the summer street.

It feels so great to not have morning shifts anymore — except for Fridays. And, this Tuesday, I’m covering a morning shift for someone else. But, overall, my mornings are free again and, wow, it feels so great.

And I’m excited to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat this afternoon because I haven’t seen them in 2 weeks.

And tomorrow at noon is my lunch with Wendy at 3 Tigers Brewing Co. in Granville!!

Not usually this many kids there!
They also have live music, but not on Mondays at noon…

All right.

A very happy Father’s Day to one and all, especially to those 2 of mine in Heaven.

I’m gonna listen to another lecture in Bart Ehrman’s course, “The Greatest Controversies in Early Christian History” while doing some yoga. Then water all the flowers. Have lunch. Etc.

Enjoy, your Sunday, wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

For my birth dad, who, in 1973 and unbeknownst to me, moved to Monterey, California, while I was sitting alone in my room in Ohio, listening to this song on the Top 40 radio, dreaming about who my “real dad” might be and if one day I might find him…

The Beach Boys, “California Saga”, 1973. Enjoy, gang.

“California Saga: California”

On my way to sunny California
On my way to spend another sunny day

Water, water
Get yourself in the cool, clear water
The sun shines brightly down on Penny’s place
(The sun shines brightly down on the bay)
The air’s so clean it’ll just take your mind away
(Might take your mind away, take your mind away)

Have you ever been south of Monterey?
Barrancas carve the coastline
And the chaparral flows to the sea
‘Neath waves of golden sunshine
And have you ever been north of Morro Bay?
The south coast plows the sea
And the people there are of the breed
They don’t need electricity

Water, water
(Get yourself in that, get yourself in that)
Cool cascades of clear, clear water
(Get yourself in that water)
The sun dance final scene sets the hills ablaze
(Get yourself in that water)
Horizon edges quick up the mountain’s way
(Up the mountain’s way, up the mountain’s way)

Have you ever been down Salinas way
Where Steinbeck found the valley?
And he wrote about it the way it was
In his travelings with Charley
And have you ever walked down through the sycamores
Where the farmhouse used to be?
There, the monarch’s autumn journey ends
On a windswept cypress tree

Water (Get), water
(Get yourself in that, get yourself in that)
Get yourself in that cool, clear water
(Get yourself in that water)
The sun shines brightly down on Penny’s place
(Get yourself in that water)
The air’s so clean that it just takes your mind away
(It takes your mind away, it takes your mind away)

Have you ever been to a festival
The Big Sur congregation?
Where Country Joe will do his show
And he’ll sing about liberty
And the people there in the open air
Are one big family
Yeah, the people there love to sing and share
Their newfound liberty

c – 1973 Alan Jardine

Welcome to the weekend!!

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Although mine will look nothing like the picture above, I can still dream…

Well. Wow. Did I have a great time with my client last evening! We were both so glad to see each other again.

And here’s something that rarely happens when I go for awhile without seeing a client — she was actually in better health than she was in the last time I saw her!! And she’s in her mid-80s.

She looked great and felt really good. And, wow, her home! One of the family’s private caregivers had been in to clean and dust before my client got back from Florida, so it would be ready for her after having been gone for 5 months. It was sort of jaw-dropping how perfect everything looked — not a speck of dust — especially since it is such an enormous and really, really old farm house (1800s), that’s filled with antiques.

Anyway. It just felt so good to be back in that incredible love-filled home and to chat with her again. 5 hours absolutely flew by.

I’ll be back with her again this evening — and then every Saturday evening for the rest of the summer.

One of her sons was at the house — he lives out of state but had flown back with her from Florida. And he gave me the rundown of all the places where my client likes to eat, including the country club where she has an account, and he said, “Feel free to take her out for dinner! She’ll pick up the tab.”

This is so different from how it was the previous 2 summers, which shows how much better her health is now. But anyway, it should be a good summer!

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Okay.

I guess the way to really get a podcast off the ground is to do it with the 83-year-old Rolling Stones!!

Anyway. The Rolling Stones’ podcast launches on Thursday, June 25th.

The Rolling Stones – Speaking In Tongues | The Official Podcast Trailer (1 minute):

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And from Nick Cave Official yesterday — priority booking for this talk begins June 23rd at 10AM:

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This is from Metrograph Weekend — in addition to vintage films, they also have a really cool quarterly journal.

It is an interview with Ira Sachs, the director of that movie I posted about yesterday, Keep the Lights On:

“…But perhaps the film in the Sachs oeuvre which The Man I Love most recalls is Keep the Lights On (2012), his hushed and devastating study of a relationship marked by deep attraction and mutual need, but marred by dishonesty and addiction, which is currently streaming on Metrograph At Home. …” [interview is by Mark Asch]

Director Ira Sachs. Photo by Jac Martinez

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And from Ross K. Nichols last evening– the video touches on the James Ossuary scandal, the Shapira Scrolls, and the Jehoash Inscription. (Ross will be going into more detail about the Jehoash Inscription in his Sunday School class tomorrow.)

From the Times of Israel, 2022. Into the Land: The Forgery Scandal (17 mins):

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And here’s this!

From June 17th!!

Bob Dylan and Eric Burdon, at Bob’s concert this past Wednesday at the Santa Barbara Bowl:

And from a mere 41 years earlier…

The first time Bob Dylan and Tom Petty played onstage together (which led to a lifelong friendship, recordings, and many tours together).

Bob and Tom at Farm Aid, Sept. 22, 1985!!

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And from Facebook (yes, I really have no clue why I’m back on Facebook… but anyway):

Nick Cave and Mick Harvey, smoking on a bed!

And don’t forget, tonight the Bad Seeds play Prague!! (Which is truly the one city I would really love to see before I die, since it has that intense connection to Franz Kafka.)

Buy tickets here. Tomorrow’s show in Austria is sold out.

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And that is it for today.

As I continue to get accustomed to my new schedule — wherein I have so much more uninterrupted time to sit and write…

I came to a sudden decision early this morning that I will wait on continuing work on the Caiaphas play until after I attend James Tabor’s conference in late September, in North Carolina. That conference will cover all the most up-to-date archeological news on topics that underscore my play.

And, instead, I felt like I really wanted to begin work on my memoir about my life in the 70s. Finally. (Joy: The Shortest Season.) And, wow, gang, that feeling felt really good. To finally sit down with it and let it come out. So we shall see!

Meanwhile, enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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From the drive home last night– speaking of getting ready to write that memoir…

Neil Diamond, “Shilo” live, from Hot August Night, 1972. Enjoy, gang.

“Shilo”

Young child with dreams
Dreaming each dream on your own
When children play
Seems like you end up alone
Papa says he’d love to be with you
If he had the time
So you turn to the only friend you can find
There in your mind

Shilo, when I was young
I used to call your name
When no one else would come
Shilo, you always came and we’d play

Young girl with fire
Something said she understood
I wanted to fly
She made me feel like I could

Held my hand out, I let her take me
Blind as a child
All I saw was the way
That she made me smile
She made me smile

Shilo, when I was young
I used to call your name
When no one else would come
Shilo, you always came and you’d stay

Had a dream and it filled me with wonder
She had other plans
“Got to go” and I know that you’ll understand
I understand

Shilo, when I was young
I used to call your name
When no one else would come
Shilo, you always came

Come today
Shilo
Shilo

c- 1967 Neil Diamond

Getting back to normal already

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Well, getting close to normal, anyway.

Last evening, the Agency assigned me a new client for Friday mornings/afternoons beginning next week. She seems like a really sweet lady, and she’s only about 20 minutes away. (Only a few blocks from the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat.)

Plus the Agency has me signed up for Hospice training (paid training) next Wednesday — a one-time class.

So, you know, my schedule is filling up.

And on Monday, my beloved pal Wendy and I are going out for lunch (!!) at one of my favorite spots in Granville —

3 Tigers Brewing Co. It has a lot of Vietnamese food, but other stuff, as well. It’s inside an old fire station:

This Thursday morning, my insurance guy is coming over to just check up on all my policies. But in the late afternoon, I might head over to the Historic Arcade again in Newark, because my friends who own that new art gallery there are sponsoring a Heisey glass & crystal collectors thingie in that center walkway (below).

I don’t collect Heisey, but my grandparents had a huge collection when I was growing up. It might be nice to see if I recognize any pieces that they used to have, too. Just to get out and see people and do something. I just don’t want to slide back into that depression.

The Historic Arcade

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Yesterday, I tried to take it easy and keep my mind off of everything that’s been going on around here during my vacation.

I’ve been reading this, and I really love it:

I Wanna Be Yours, an autobiography by John Cooper Clarke. From 2020.

It is so easy to get lost in this book, even though I didn’t actually know anything about him or his varied career in the 1970s punk literary scene (in England). But I saw the book on someone else’s page on Instagram and it looked really cool. So I ordered it. And I really like it a lot.

So that kept my mind off things.

And today, I head back to my Tuesday afternoon clients. So I’m feeling kind of “normal.”

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As far as “here’s this’s” for today, here’s this–

From Phyllis Stein, it was in a group of photos she posted of Johnny Thunders with his daughter:

But there was nothing that really caught my eye in the “Keith” department — which is odd, considering there are like 10 trillion photos of him floating around out there.

So here’s a favorite from the desktop stash — Keith wearing Marilyn and setting a good example!!

And there wasn’t anything more from the Bad Seeds show in the Netherlands that stuck out for me, either. There were a lot of good videos, but I can only post photos here.

So here’s one from the desktop stash, too — Nick outside of a gig with fans, but I can’t remember where or when. Not too long ago:

We will see what emerges from tonight’s show in Germany!! You can still get tickets, even though it probably starts in, like, 5 minutes… And the next show is Thursday, in Denmark. Buy tickets here!!

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And from James Tabor yesterday — a new interview.

Study the Dead Sea Scrolls! Dr. James D. Tabor (20 mins):

Okay, well, here’s this!

The Agency just texted and asked if I can go work with my new Friday client tomorrow morning! So I likely won’t be posting here tomorrow.

I’ll close now and get this day underway.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!

I love this short — it makes me think of me and Valerie! (about 5 seconds. From the “Black Books” TV show):

Last Day of My Spectacular Vacation!

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Wow. No comment.

I’m actually in a good place this morning, though. Finally.

Valerie had her first surgery this morning — it’s already over, and she texted me that it went great. So, probably by midafternoon, she should be able to hold a can of beer again…

Yesterday turned out to be a really good day for me. (Oh, except for ANOTHER thunderstorm with really high winds that came late in the day, and lasted about 45 minutes…)

But yesterday, at noon, James Tabor had a private zoom call for his Tabor Research Group. It lasted over 2 hours. It was the first time in a while that I was able to be on the actual call and not have to listen to the recorded version later.

Then I did yoga while listening to the final lecture James Tabor gave in his class, “Christianity Before Paul” back in late May.

And then at 4PM, Ross K. Nichols also had a private zoom call for his Yachad group. I almost never get to be on his zoom calls live anymore. That one went over 2 hours, as well.

But all of it was so interesting. Archeological stuff, historical stuff, Biblical stuff — the zoom calls were things I can’t post about here, because the calls were private. But they really helped take me out of myself yesterday and really get my thoughts going in other directions that I really enjoy.

Then I had a Mediterranean-style flatbread pizza for dinner while watching a couple of reruns of “Black Books” on Britbox and laughing a lot.

So eventually I went to bed in a good place.

If you’ve never watched “Black Books”, it ‘s a British comedy, from about 20 years ago (4 mins):

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And the Post Office left me a notice in my mailbox that Chong, my first husband who now lives in Seattle, sent me a Registered Letter!! That means $$. Yay! (I emailed him and he confirmed that. He just wanted me to have it. He had no idea what was going on in my life right now.) So, in a few minutes, I’m heading to the post office, and then to the bank.

So, even though I have only 9 hours of work ahead of me this week, the flow between God and me and the Universe feels very, very positive.

Oh, and even though Jonathan Cainer passed away many years ago, I still like to visit his Astrology site. His nephew took it over when Jonathan died. And oddly enough, yesterday, when I was still having difficult feelings about having made such sudden changes to my shifts with the Agency, my horoscope yesterday said this:

“Since people naturally turn to you for support, you sometimes need to be reminded that support doesn’t have to mean self-sacrifice. Venus, in your neighbouring sign Leo, encourages you to focus on your emotional world and make space for your own needs and desires. Not every problem is yours to solve. And not every request requires a ‘yes’. By encouraging others to access their own strengths, you’ll reclaim yours. It’s important, because as we move towards the Solstice, you deserve to feel lighter, and free to enjoy the opportunities ahead. “

Wow. That sort of felt re-affirming, too. That these changes needed to be made because I have been losing myself and my mind for a while now. (And today’s horoscope was even better.)

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Okay.

Here’s Keith and Tom Waits during the recording of the incredible album Rain Dogs, in NYC, 1985!!

FYI– I would be very careful about taking any advice that Keith wears on a T-shirt…

And while we’re at it, here’s this again — “Clap Hands,” from Rain Dogs:

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And here are a few more photos from the Bad Seeds show in the Netherlands on Saturday night!

Warren Ellis’ solo with boot!!

Another really lovely photo of Nick Cave!

And I loved the drama of both of these, meaning the Big Screen images.

Nick overseeing George Vjestica:

And then this — I thought it was such a great photo:

The next show is in Germany tomorrow. You can buy tickets here!!

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You know, something else that’s helping me a lot around here–

Ever since I finally upgraded to the iPhone 16e, I have been having a lot of trouble with my eyes.

I turned down the brightness on the phone screen. I only turn on the Bluetooth when I’m playing music in the car. I try to wear the bluelight-blocking glasses whenever I’m looking at the phone.

Still, so much intense eye strain. Just awful.

I took the cell salts for 16 days and they worked great. But as soon as I stopped taking the salts, the eye problem came back every time I was looking at the iPhone.

Well, I finally found out how to tone the bluelight itself way down. (As opposed to just the brightness.) So now it is basically redlight.

Wow, what a HUGE difference. Immediately, my eyes felt the relief.

{In Settings, go to Accessibility, then select Display & Text Size, then scroll down and choose Color Filters, then select Color Tint, then Intensity.]

So between feeling a sort of spiritual relief now with the changes I’ve made with my schedule at the Agency, and now this relief in my eyes EVERYTIME I look at the phone (which is a lot), it all comes together to help me be in a better, calmer place.

We’ll see how any new shifts eventually pan out this summer. For now, I’m working tomorrow afternoon, and then not again until Sunday afternoon. But that could change if someone calls in sick. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, I’m gonna head out now and retrieve my Registered Letter! And then enjoy the final day of my vacation before I have a bunch more days off…

Have a great Monday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!

Mick Jagger Talks New Rolling Stones’ Album, Favorite Songs, More (8 mins):

What’s Wrong With This Picture??

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Well, mostly, it’s raining here again!

But other than that — yes, it’s going to be another day of driving hither & yon. And I am determined to just be in a good mood.

Yesterday was insane, gang. It didn’t resemble any kind of a day off that I’ve ever had. I already had a few errands I’d wanted to run yesterday — locally. Which I did do. But yes, I added a 60-mile drive to go see my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man, fix him some breakfast and a cup of coffee. And then quickly train a substitute caregiver to take care of him yesterday.

And then back home I came — only did SIX loads of laundry yesterday. I’d been planning to do all the bed linens for when the cat sitters would be here, so I went ahead and did all that anyway, even though my trip is cancelled. And then, yes, I vacuumed the whole house!! Again!! (But, wow, does it look great now that all the carpets have been shampooed.)

And I took care of all the flowers outside, and all the cats, both inside and out (got the outside cats ready for flea season). Cooked up some dinners to have in the fridge through Thursday. Etc., etc.

I was absolutely wiped out by 4PM.

And, yes, I did get a text from the Agency at 5PM, asking if I could quickly go back to my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house this morning, before my regular Tuesday shift in a different (nearby) town, to quickly train another new substitute caregiver…. (His regular caregiver that works on my days off is still sick, and I think the woman I’m training today is going to cover my shifts on my upcoming days off.)

And the worst part is that he is still having trouble with his new artificial leg and he fell on Sunday and gashed his head and the paramedics were called in.

It doesn’t stop….

Anyway.

So, yes, I’m driving back out to his house this morning, then over to my regular Tuesday clients, and then after that, the Agency has their annual caregiver appreciation gathering! So I have to go to that before finally coming back home.

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Meanwhile!

Happy Birthday Johnny Depp! I think he’s 63 years old today.

“He’s everywhere!!!”

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Okay.

Yesterday, Simon Parkes had a really great update. If you aren’t a member of Connecting Consciousness (it’s free — join here), you can’t watch the video. But it was very, very encouraging. I think good things are going to finally be happening later this summer, gang. We shall see!

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The Max’s Kansas City Project — a charitable foundation — is having it’s 60th Anniversary!

The NYC night club has not been in operation for decades, but the Project is:

“…dedicated to providing emergency funding and resources to financially distressed individuals in the creative and performing arts for housing, medical and legal aid. One time grants are awarded ranging from $500-$1000…”

“… committed to empowering teens through the arts with a focus on substance abuse and suicide prevention by mentoring and motivating them to make healthy choices…introducing teens to the creative arts as an outlet to meet the challenges of life in constructive ways, mentoring them and raising awareness on the dangers and consequences of substance abuse and addiction,”

You can donate here!

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I was very happy to learn yesterday that I can still at least watch the Lambda Literary Awards live on YouTube on Friday night, since I won’t be able to attend the celebration in NYC (which was the primary reason for my trip).

You can tune in here if you also want to watch:

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Legendary Country singer/songwriter/musician, Rodney Crowell, will be on TalkShopLive on Thursday June 11th at 6:30PM, Eastern Time.

He has a very interesting new album coming out on June 26th:

“I guess you could call it a lost album. I stumbled upon it in my vault at home. I’d forgotten about it completely. Largely recorded two decades ago, this record includes features by some of my great friends including Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Benmont Tench, as well as Emmylou Harris and Lera Lynn.”

You can pre-order it HERE.

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Something’s happening tomorrow but I can’t remember what…..

Oh! THIS!! FINALLY!!

You can still by tickets HERE, gang!!

And meanwhile…

I’ve been watching this documentary from 2011 on Amazon Prime the last couple of nights. “Autoluminescent” — about the late Rowland S. Howard.

“…featuring rare archival footage and exclusive interviews with the likes of Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Phil Calvert, Lydia Lunch, Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore, Ollie Olsen and Bobby Gillespie.”

It’s really good:

And here’s this, while we’re at it! “Autoluminescent”, from Rowland S. Howard’s incredible album Teenage Snuff Film, 1999:

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And other than a bunch of other frustrating stuff that’s involved with trying to maintain a 125 year-old house out in the middle of nowhere all by myself…

I keep checking in on Tommycakes. She is still with us, but very much declining. Honestly, I didn’t think she would live through the night last night, but she did. And she’s still eating, so that’s an encouraging little sign.

Here’s a photo of her in the dining room from a couple of years ago. Weenie is on the chair under the table. The two were inseparable! He was her nephew… He passed away in May of last year.

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I’m thinking that is it for today. I have a lot to get organized here, mentally, before I get into that Honda Civic again and head back into town!!

Have a Terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world, gang!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

I don’t know if they’ll be opening their shows with this song again, but let’s get ready anyway!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, LIVE, “Get Ready For Love”! Enjoy, gang!!

No, Not Here!!

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I mean, aside from the fact that the above is a depiction of a skyline that doesn’t really exist anymore…

Anyway.

I am really trying hard to not get depressed over not being in NYC this weekend. Aside from the fact that I love NY, I also really need some time away. I was looking forward to just being in the hotel room. Just being away from everything, if only for a few days.

But on we go.

And depending on what Sandra has to say when she gets back from Atlanta, I’ll find out if I’ll still be going to NYC in November. We shall see.

Meanwhile, Tommycakes is hanging in there. (See posts from the last few days if you have no idea what I’m talking about thus far.)

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Okay.

Not positive, but it looks like Johnny Depp is back in the Bahamas! (Perhaps to celebrate his birthday, tomorrow??!!)

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And from George Vjestica (one of the Bad Seeds) over the weekend– the rehearsals are over!

And now it’s only TWO DAYS until showtime!!! You can still buy tickets HERE!!

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From Phyllis Stein —

Another great shot of Willy Deville in New Orleans, 1992:

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And today is the heavenly birthday of my most favorite person that ever lived.

I know I say this every year, when I post a photo of him either on his birthday or the anniversary of his death, but I’ll say it again– life on Earth has never been the same for me since he died.

We met in our Junior year in high school, in the theater department, and remained best friends up until he died from AIDS in October of 1999. Here, he is in my kitchen in the paradise apartment on E. 12th Street in the East Village — visiting for Thanksgiving. I think it was 1986 or 1987.

Happy heavenly birthday, Paul. I miss you so much.

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Okay. I’m gonna close with this today. Hopefully, my spirits will be better tomorrow, gang. The Agency just texted and begged me to go stop in at my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house and at least make sure he gets something to eat, because the caregiver who was scheduled called off. Jesus.

But here’s this — beautiful Nick Cave in beautiful color:

Have a good Monday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting gang.

I love you guys. See ya.

Here we are in the Hinterlands!

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It’s a beautiful Sunday morning here. After thunderstorms all night long…

But the new Central Air Conditioning is unbelievably fantastic. What a godsend, truly. I slept really well. We ignored the thunder and lightning and high winds all night long…

Plus, I had moved all the outdoor potted plants and flower pots onto the kitchen porch yesterday, to keep them safe from sailing away on the wind, and when I went out onto the kitchen porch at 4:45AM this morning , not only was everything perfect, but Tiki was out there, sleeping happily in a veritable jungle of blooming flower boxes.

I am of course trying to just look at the positive stuff this morning, although yesterday was a really difficult one — having to decide to postpone the trip to NYC, which I was really looking forward to.

But now I have a total of 6 days off to just relax — and God knows, the house is CLEAN!!

I found out yesterday that the “trip insurance” is practically a scam. So I am out the cost of the airfare to NYC, but it wasn’t that expensive. Still. It was sort of the final straw (I also found out yesterday, by way of a “little bird,” that Sandra might be going into semi-retirement but hasn’t told me yet… She’s currently in Atlanta, shooting another episode of the “Ms. Pat Show” for Paramount+. So we’ll see how she’s feeling when she gets back.)

When I got home from my shift yesterday, I called Wayne to sort of vent about everything — he and I were going to be having dinner together on Thursday in NYC. He told me the same thing had happened to him once, regarding “trip insurance”, but it had ended up costing him almost 3 times as much money as I’d lost.

Later, during the night, Wayne sent me this on WhatsApp. It made me feel better because I had sent a REALLY nasty email to Travel Guard yesterday, and I hate sending nasty anything’s to anybody, but after reading this, I’m guessing mine was just one of millions they probably receive:

And then, around 3AM, when I got up to use the bathroom, I saw on my phone that my niece had sent me a friend request on Facebook! Yay!

Technically, we follow each other on Instagram but she hasn’t posted there in a few years. She is my half-brother’s daughter — the half-brother who is half-Cherokee and absolutely nothing but trouble.

Here she is at age 6 months, in 1997! I had bought her that little dress she’s wearing:

So that was a very nice alert to find when I looked at my phone at 3AM.

And late yesterday afternoon, I finally got an email from my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn. Mentally, she’s doing better, but she does have to have surgery on both hands on June 15th.

So here’s hoping that when I finally get back to NYC, she and I will both be back to normal.

And as soon as we can get everything sorted back out, we’ll get that mini-podcast up and running, finally.

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At least both of my shifts yesterday were really nice ones. And the torrential rains didn’t start until early afternoon, so my drive back out to that guy’s farm yesterday morning was just lovely.

And his home was almost an hour’s drive from my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man’s house. And from a whole different direction than I usually take, so that was a lovely drive, too.

And, yes! Me and my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man had a great day!! Finally, we were alone! The house is back to normal!! And we went out for sashimi & sake and had a really lovely time (ALONE) together!

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As for Tommycakes, I’m just taking it moment by moment, and I hope she will last for the whole summer but when she goes, hopefully I will be here for her final journey.

For readers who are new to the blog — Tommycakes is one of my rescued feral cats. Meaning, she is not domesticated. Feral cats attack people, so they can’t be put into pet carriers– you have to trap them in order to transport them anywhere.

I have (humane) traps in the basement, but the traps are so traumatizing to them that at this stage, since she is so frail and thin, I doubt Tommycakes would survive getting trapped. And even then, no vets around here will handle feral cats. When Daddycakes (her brother) was dying, I found one vet 45 miles from here, who was willing to let me bring him in. He was so far gone and suffering at that point, that I just wanted him to be put to sleep. So the vet was willing to do that for me.

Otherwise, with the ferals, I have to just let God take them in their season. So far, Tommycakes is at least still eating.

Tommycakes with one of her kittens, 13 years ago

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Okay.

Speaking of trying to look at the bright side of things!

74 years ago today, my adoptive parents were married!

Their wedding day was a really happy one. And so was their honeymoon. I’ve decided to just think about that part of it today and let all the rest that came afterward just go…

Happy heavenly anniversary, Mom & Dad. RIP.

And on June 4th, Tom Petty’s 2nd wife, Dana. posted this:

They had gotten married earlier, in Las Vegas, but had their official Wedding Day on June 3rd. Little Richard (on the far right) was the Minister who married them.

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And here’s this!

My birth dad, Don May, and his older brother, Earl, were friends with the Country singer, Johnny Paycheck. They all grew up together in Greenfield, Ohio. My dad’s younger brother, Ralph, who was a professional Country singer as an adult in Nashville, was friends with Merle Haggard.

When Johnny Paycheck met my Uncle Ralph in Nashville and found out he was one of the May boys from Greenfield:

JOHNNY (to everyone in the room): “Those Mays were so poor, that when they had me over to lunch, they fed me mustard sandwiches!”

My dad later concurred that they’d been very poor…

And meanwhile, here’s my favorite Merle Haggard song — a song I first learned about in an interview Rolling Stone Magazine did with Keith Richards!

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And here’s this!

The Rolling Stones in London, 1971!!

And the Rollings Stones at some other time, backstage someplace!

And the Rolling Stones, nowadays:

Photo by Mark Seliger

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And here’s this!!

The Birthday Party by a swimming pool!!

And don’t forget!!

THREE days away!! Buy tickets HERE!!

And Nick Cave sent out a really lovely Red Hand File the other day! Wherein among other things, he had some great things to say about Freddie Mercury!! I loved Freddie Mercury!! And I got to see Queen in concert in Columbus in the mid-seventies. Wow, what a great show!!

But Nick also had this to say about the upcoming live shows this summer — for the band and audience alike — a quote from the song “Rings Of Saturn”:

“This is the moment, this is exactly what we were meant to be“

To read it in full, visit HERE.

Photo by Lauren Krohn

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And that is it for now.

I’m gonna do some yoga. Water some flowers. Then head out to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat.

I am doing my very, very best to just keep moving forward, gang.

Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

*********

Let’s close with these.

A song from 1980 that ALWAYS reminds me of those first months, living in NYC right after moving there from Ohio.

Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”, 1980, from their album The Game:

And here’s this!

“Rings of Saturn” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, 2016, from their breathtaking album Skeleton Tree. Enjoy, gang.

Crazy days in Crazeysburg!

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It’s coming up on Homecoming Weekend here in Crazeysburg — wherein they block off 2nd Street and put up carnival rides and games and have live music, and all the local kids have a blast.

It’s called “Homecoming” because anyone who has prior connections to the village are encouraged to come back for an evening and reminisce.

The hard part about it for me is that it marks the anniversary of the horrible tornado we had 2 years ago. I can’t separate the sight of all the carnival rides going up now, from the sight of all that destruction the tornado caused that year. It happened the night before Homecoming Weekend. The rides were not hit, but many, many homes & a couple of businesses were destroyed.

And all the destruction happened literally 2 minutes from my house but the only street that got hit at all was 3rd Street. But it got hit really hard. No one died but a lot of people were taken to the hospital.

The gas station on 3rd Street that night:

Anyway. It’s over. The gas station, at least, looks better than ever. And I’m trying to just feel those “happy” feelings when I see the carnival rides getting assembled now…

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All right, so on a much less stressful note, but alas, still a little stressful–

I am hoping to take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man out for sashimi & sake today because it is a STUNNING day out there today! His daughter is still there, though, so she might have other plans. We shall find out.

She heads home on Friday. It has been a really long trip for her.

At the very least, I hope I can get him over to the Nature Preserve near his house. Just getting him around trees in the sunshine makes him so happy. So we will see how today goes.

Hoping for a little of this…

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Well, my relationship with the Caiaphas play deepens but I still have more questions than answers about how the story is going to unfold.

It requires a lot of sitting and staring. Or driving and staring, as the case may be.

Perhaps even flying and staring — if we cast our thoughts ahead to next week, when I leave for NYC!

Meanwhile–

Ronnie Wood has added another date to his upcoming tour. This one in Lisbon!! You can buy tickets HERE.

And here’s part of Keith’s heavenly birthday wishes to Charlie Watts from yesterday:

And speaking of Keith–

Obviously, I loved this!!

Keith and Anita in Venice in 1967. Maybe smoking, but I’m not completely sure…

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Okay!

Guess what happened 41 years ago on this very day??!!

One of those rare albums that absolutely stopped me in my tracks was released. The Firstborn is Dead. By Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

It was my first exposure to Nick Cave’s music and the scope of his songwriting astounded me. (I still have my copy from — lo! — those 41 years ago…)

And don’t forget!!!

7 more days and counting… (buy tickets here)

And here are these, just because I love them!!

Nick, proving he’s sober? Not sure.

And the happy Bad Seeds 13 years ago! (Their smiles are just contagious, right??)

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And that is kind of it for today.

I forgot to mention that the huge PRO carpet shampooer did indeed arrive and it has been assembled, and tomorrow — my day off — I am going to shampoo all the carpeting in the house.

And I’m also going to be putting out the last of the flower boxes — on the 2 windows of the barn. (Actually, they are fabric flower “boxes” that hang off the sills.)

So, summer will officially start around here tomorrow.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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

Let’s close with this!!

Yes, it’s from the Oldies FM Radio Station, but it was when I was getting ready to get into bed last night — not getting up in the morning.

I loved this song when it came out, gang. I was living in the paradise apartment on E. 12th Street in NYC — just a stone’s throw from Allen Ginsberg, Richard Hell, and — a couple blocks over — Iggy Pop!

And upstairs from me was the awesome playwright Pamela Enz. We spent many an evening at her kitchen table, sharing a bottle of red wine, smoking cigarettes, while also sharing whatever writing we each had done during the day.

Anyway! This song reminds me of all that!

Pet Shop Boys. 1984 “West End Girls.” Enjoy, gang.

I’m puttin’ this here, but I have no clue…

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It is another really gorgeous day here today and I’m hoping that I can take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man out for sashimi & sake today, however–

His daughter was taking him to pick up his new wooden leg on Wednesday and I don’t know yet if it fit correctly or not.

If it didn’t, he will only have one leg for a while and it is WAY too difficult for him to get around. So we shall see when I get there! But I hope things went great. It would be so nice to take him out today.

His daughter heads back to Seattle this evening, so starting tomorrow, things will be back to “normal’ around there. With or without the added leg…

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Okay.

It seems like a lot has happened since I posted here on Wednesday.

Here’s a very cool thing:

Yesterday evening, there was a sudden, very brief, and HUGE price drop on roundtrip airfare to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the weekend of James Tabor’s Patreon Research Group conference!!

So I got my plane ticket!! Which means I’m really going. The price dropped from over $400, each way, down to $107, each way!!! And shortly after I got the tickets, it popped up to $167. Which is still a great price, but, you know. Wow!

And this price drop happened right when I was starting to think that maybe I wasn’t going to be able to make that trip, since the weekend in NYC is going to be expensive.

So I guess God stepped in and said: “You’re going!! Buy those tickets!! Now!!”

Apparently, to Charlotte, North Carolina to FINALLY meet James Tabor!!

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I keep meaning to at least update you on the mini-podcast launch with my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn–

She developed an extremely painful problem with her hands. Some sort of nerve-related or arthritis-related neuropathy, but she didn’t know where it was coming from. She had an emergency appointment with the hand doctor yesterday, because they were worried she might be having a pre-stroke (!!). Man.

Very stressful. I don’t know yet what the doctor said. But things with the podcast launch are on hold until we know. Needless to say, she hasn’t been able to paint or draw , or do much of anything with her hands for over a week.

I will keep you posted.

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Wayne and his brother left Vietnam and actually began the long trek back to the States yesterday. I thought they were going back to Australia, first, but I was mistaken!

Here is a fond farewell — Wayne’s brother & a new friend in Saigon!! (And yes, I know it’s not called that anymore!!) (Wayne’s brother is a retired police officer, btw.)

And very early this morning on WhatsApp!!

From Wayne, in Dubai: “He’s EVERYWHERE!!”

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Okay!

I got an email yesterday, alerting me that my much-desired Tom Petty Zippo lighter has finally shipped!! Yay!! (Only took 5 weeks to ship it…)

This will soon be mine!!

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There is a sale going on at Nick Cave Official until the new tour starts on June 10th!!

10% off all merchandise, but you have to sign up for the mailing list & get a code.

You can do it ALL here!! (This is not Cave Things. This is Bad Seed things.)

And also–

You can still buy tickets HERE for the UK & European tour!!

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Okay, you gotta hurry for this one, because the tour is almost over!!

From Joe Satriani & Steve Vai:

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Here’s a couple of Iggy things!!

One from Phyllis Stein!! Iggy looking splendid!!

And Bowie and Iggy in Berlin in 1976!!

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I love this photo.

The Birthday Party — doing that thing they do!! You know, not smiling and looking for cigarettes and stuff!

Here’s Nick Cave with every single hair in place in Mexico City in 2013!

Photo by Fernando Aceves

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And here’s this!

Ronnie and Keith and Bob Dylan backstage at Live Aid in 1985!!

And a couple of cool shots of Keith, doing what he does!!

Looking cool in red & black, and smoking!! (And playing guitar.)

Looking cool in a pair of shades!! (And playing guitar.)

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

All right. That’s it for today.

I am so happy that all my flowers are out and summer can now begin!! (The flowers for the windows on the barn should be out this weekend.)

Oh!

My trips to the old Kohl’s and old Aldi’s on Wednesday were eye-opening, indeed. It wasn’t depressing, I’m actually glad I did it. But it was definitely like encountering my own ghost at both stores and I felt for certain that my life was a lot better back then. Pre-scamdemic, lockdowns, etc.

Certainly my career was going a lot better. I traveled constantly for writing-related stuff. My life was filled with colleagues, and friends, and family all over the place — a lot of whom have died now, or simply disappeared.

And a key thing back then — I always had a feeling of hope. As opposed to nowadays, wherein I always have a feeling of: I hope I don’t DIE before I can get the rest of my projects done!

I want to try to get some of that other kind of hope back. We’re gonna see how that goes.

And meanwhile, on SUNDAY NIGHT (!!) the write-a-play-in-a-month thing starts at the Dramatist’s Guild, so we’re gonna see how that goes, too. Such an insane idea, to try to fit this in with NYC right in the middle of it.

(And, yes, I miss all my crazy writer friends. The world was so different not so long ago…)

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All right.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

*********

Okay!

Unbelievable music-to-make-the bed-by today!!

Apparently, on the Oldies FM Radio Station on the retro boombox next to my bed, they are playing only songs that were hits on this day in 1971!!

Holy fuck.

Hit after hit after hit, all of which I knew by heart.

I was 10 years old and still living in Cleveland back then! Jesus. I played the Top 40 AM radio all the time.

When they played the song below, I literally sprang out of bed. I used to LOVE this song and I had not thought of this song since, I guess, May 29, 1971!!! But I still knew all the words and the cats loved it!!

Ocean, “Put Your Hand in the Hand”, 1971. Connect with your inner 10-year-old white girl in Cleveland, and sing along and enjoy, gang!!

Another Happy Birthday is Afoot!

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Yes!

Happy 85th Birthday to Bob Dylan!! Yay!!

Happy Birthday, Bob! May you stay forever young…

“Forever Young”

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

c -1973- Bob Dylan

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Wayne was active on WhatsApp by 4:30AM, my time, this morning.

He and his brother are in the Mekong Delta now, which Wayne knows has a lot of emotional connections for me, since that was where my birth dad got injured, on a flame thrower, and he was briefly sent back to the US to recover.

While in the hospital in the US, my dad’s understanding of how most Americans felt about the war in Vietnam completely changed. Because of that, he went AWOL for awhile when he got out of the hospital. But then turned himself in. (He was career Navy, so they didn’t put him in the brig. They just sent him back to Vietnam, where he managed to develop a serious drug and drinking problem after that. And, uh, well, let’s say, “an attitude” problem forever afterward….)

Anyway. Here’s a Buddhist temple, enroute to Mekong:

Here’s Wayne and his brother enroute to the Delta. I love this!

And on the actual Mekong Delta:

And Wayne meets a new friend!

Wayne and his brother are soon heading back to Australia to join their other brother and his wife, and finish their vacation there.

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Speaking of Australia!!

Warren Ellis posted this!!

Warren also recommended we all watch the TV show, “Mr. Inbetween”. But it appears I can’t stream it anywhere for free. Maybe you can:

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Here’s this!

Jack Kerouac and cat — and also, some good advice:

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Another lovely photo of George Harrison:

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Apparently, 58 years ago on this very day!!

The Rolling Stones released THIS single and the rest is history…

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And here’s this!

A couple of great photos of Keith with his daughter, Theodora:

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And here’s this!

A young Nick Cave, with great hair and perhaps his pajama top??? Not sure…

And Nick Cave, typing one day….

And a few hours later, still typing…

And don’t forget!!!

This could be YOU with Nick Cave this summer!!

All ya gotta do is BUY TICKETS HERE!!

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And that is it for now.

I have to say that I’m fighting depression around here, gang. I am so sick of this gloomy, rainy weather.

Memorial Day weekend (which came early this year) is usually when I buy all my flowers and get them out on all the porches for the summer, along with all the summer decorations.

I do have 2 really pretty petunia baskets, and I bought 3 colorful new outside doormats for each door. But it’s a far cry from how Memorial Day weekends usually look around here.

I’m planning to go Wednesday to get all the rest of the flowers and just wait until the weather warms up and it stops raining. At least I will have everything sitting on the kitchen porch, waiting.

Tomorrow, Rasha’s mom is stopping over so that I can show her around the house and introduce her to all the cats. She and her baby are staying here while I’m in NYC, to look after everything. So maybe that will perk up my mood — it will make NYC feel that much closer.

Oh, and I saw that the Agency added a very short early morning shift to my June schedule — back with the farmer guy that I was with Friday evening. So it will be nice to see him again. Hopefully, it won’t still be raining because usually it is a really beautiful drive out there.

Okay. Gonna try to do some yoga here and get my spirits up. I have to head out today to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat, and I do not want to be depressed around any of my clients.

So, I’m off.

Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world. (And happy gloomy Memorial Day weekend, to any of you who live State-side.) (Oh, and a belated Happy Shavuot to any of my Jewish followers. And Happy Pentecost, too, if you celebrate it!)

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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

Let’s close with this!

Last night’s lying-in-bed listening music!

First, I spent the evening studying my French, then studying a bunch of notes for the Caiaphas play. Then re-listened to Part 1 of an interview with Tom Petty, from just 2 years before he died:

Then I spent the remainder of the evening lying in bed, listening to The Essential Leonard Cohen.

So I leave you with this–

“A Thousand Kisses Deep”. 2001. From his album, Ten New Songs. Enjoy, gang.

“A Thousand Kisses Deep”

The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat.
You win a while, and then it’s done –
Your little winning streak.
And summoned now to deal
With your invincible defeat,
You live your life as if it’s real,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
You lose your grip, and then you slip
Into the Masterpiece.
And maybe I had miles to drive,
And promises to keep:
You ditch it all to stay alive,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

Confined to sex, we pressed against
The limits of the sea:
I saw there were no oceans left
For scavengers like me.
I made it to the forward deck.
I blessed our remnant fleet –
And then consented to be wrecked,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

I’m turning tricks, I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.
I guess they won’t exchange the gifts
That you were meant to keep.
And quiet is the thought of you,
The file on you complete,
Except what we forgot to do,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.

The ponies run, the girls are young,
The odds are there to beat . . .

c – 2001 – Leonard Cohen, Sharon Robinson