Tag Archives: love

Sorry I’m Late!

August 7, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Wow, gang.

Just another one of those things that make me insane–

When I awoke this morning, I decided to register over on fiverr again — as a private writing/editing coach.

Many years ago, when it first got started, signing up was easy and everything was sort of immediate and personal.

I could put up an add that I was a writing coach and I listed my contact info — and then I got some students that I really enjoyed.

It was so simple.

Now it’s like you’re applying to be an astronaut. It has taken 3 hours so far– and now I’m waiting to get my tax paperwork approved. That could take a couple more days…

It doesn’t actually matter because it’s not like there’s any hurry or anything — especially since I might be on jury duty next week. I just suddenly thought it would be a cool idea to be back on fiverr. I enjoy helping other writers.

Anyway.

Things on the web that used to be easy and much more person-friendly are now few and far between. (And within a nanosecond, they want you on their phone app instead…)

(And don’t even get me started on the constantly swirling shark-infested waters that now pass for the endlessly, endlessly, endlessly updating “LinkedIn”… Jesus, you know? When do people find time to just write?)

All I can say, really, is that I’m glad I became a professional writer back when it was actually really fun. And full of people and community and in-person meetings.

I don’t know how new writers can even stand it these days. But I am an old-timer now. What can I say??

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Okay!

That aside!

Guess what I discovered about my brand new and super-fast Honda Accord yesterday, gang????

I will try to set this up so that you can feel the joy the way I felt it!

ME (on the highway heading home and going about 20 miles over the speed limit): “Jeez. This new car is so fast! I better slow down.”

MY HONDA ACCORD (woman’s voice suddenly filling my car): “Police reporting up ahead.”

Holy shit, gang! That’s, like, not legal, right??

But I went down to the the speed limit, pronto, and sure enough — up ahead on the left, a black & yellow Sherriff’s car was sitting there, waiting for speeders!!

Wow! I love my fucking new car!!!

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On the “read a poetry book a day” front —

I decided that today, I am going to read a slender, amazing book that I haven’t read in years. It was written by my favorite poet — Frank O’Hara — whose poetry I “discovered” when I was 15 and I absolutely fell in love with him.

By then, he’d been dead for almost 10 years.

But this particular book — which was already legendary — I didn’t find until 1984, when I was already living in NYC (not far from Frank’s old apartment, and I was working where he had worked: the Museum of Modern Art!):

I am really looking forward to reading it. To see how I am going to react to all his wonderful words, and all the fantastic NYC imagery, all these decades later.

I’m guessing it will be a little bittersweet.

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Okay.

Not much in the “here’s this” department, since I spent all those HOURS on fiverr this morning…

But here’s this!

And I’ve posted it here before, but I love this photo of Keith:

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Okay.

If you go to the UK side of the Nick Cave store — you can pre-order some of the Brighton Beach homecoming merch! But it is only on the UK side of the store.

And Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Belgrade, Serbia tonight! If it’s not too late, you can still buy tickets here!!

Then they’re off to Romania!!

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And honestly, that’s actually it for now. I gotta scoot! And a terrific thunderstorm is now filling the skies across the Hinterlands so I want to go down to the kitchen porch and check on a couple of those cats!!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s scoot outta here with this–

Live in Paris, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “God Is In The House”. 2007. Enjoy, gang.

We’re getting it figured out around here!

July 30, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Wow, I’m tired this morning.

I slept great, so I’m not sure what’s up. I absolutely need a nap. But I did have a great evening last night.

Mostly, lots of texting — in between studying French, reading Jesus’ Bible: A Concise History of the Hebrew Scriptures, still reading John Cooper Clarke’s autobiography, I Wanna Be Yours (it’s a really long book, but I’m almost done and I’m still loving it) —

I also got texts from several people, basically all at once. Including from Wayne — who really got me chuckling, I must say. His text auto-corrected itself and so, unbeknownst to him, he updated me on his Cadillac surgery from yesterday. It took me a moment to realize he’d had “cataract” surgery. But that sent us off on a little tangent that was so funny. (I then remembered perfectly why I had married Wayne…)

I also got a few texts from my buddy Steve, the guy I’ve been friends with since we were 11. He asked me out for lunch for Friday! So he and I are meeting at Bummies on Main tomorrow! It should be really fun!

I love this specific photo because it looks like it’s totally abandoned out West somewhere…

I also got a few texts from the girlfriend who told me recently about the hidden Convent out in the woods! We might be going to Mass there together this coming Sunday morning!! Not confirmed yet, but I hope so!!

After I was done reading and studying and texting all at the same time — I lay in bed listening to this on LibriVox. It is read by David Barnes, who is one of my favorite readers on LibriVox. (This is the YouTube link, but it is the very same audiobook that’s on LibriVox.)

Written in 1373, Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich (7 hrs):

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I thought this announcement today from the Laurie Beechman Theatre in NYC was really cool. (This is the theatre under the West Bank Cafe on W. 42nd Street.)

“The Laurie Beechman Theatre and York Theatre Company are thrilled to introduce the first three “Stars To Be” as part of their new Star to Be Project, which gives support and performance opportunities to the next generation of theater and cabaret artists.

Created in response to the rising costs of producing live performance in New York City, the program removes financial barriers for emerging performers, writers, and creators while ensuring the theatre can continue its legacy as a vital incubator for new work. The goal is to bring these talents to a wider audience through solo performances, guest spot opportunities, and Beechman sponsored industry showcases.”

The first show in the series will be on August 27th. You can get info and tickets HERE.

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Johnny Depp’s Art Exhibit, “Figures of the Fringe”, is headed to Shanghai in August! (I believe this is the same “A Bunch of Stuff” exhibit that I saw in NYC with Wayne and just loved.)

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On a very sad note–

Glen Hansard, an Irish singer-songwriter/musician, died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin yesterday. (Here is his obituary in the NY Times.)

He was not a musician I was familiar with, but there were outpourings of grief all over Instagram yesterday. Including this:

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Okay, here’s this lovely photo of Johnny Thunders from Phyllis Stein.

In NYC in 1973 (photo by Toshi Matsuo):

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And the huge Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ homecoming bash in Brighton has officially gotten underway. There have been a couple of videos on Instagram but no photos yet! (A really, really long line to get into the Resident record shop there.)

But in the meantime, here’s this!! From the fantastic FB page!

By tomorrow, there should probably be a lot more photos, and then tomorrow night is the actual SOLD OUT concert.

I’m guessing it’s gonna be off the charts!!

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And I believe that is it for now!

I’m gonna go out and take a walk and see if it helps me get my energy back.

This evening I’ll be at the Historic Arcade, in the Archive Bottle Shop & Lounge with Debbie!! A little live acoustic music, beer, wine, and charcuterie boards!! Plus, most importantly, (quiet) conversation!!! Yay!

Okay.

Have a great 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! (It’s got a lot of Keith stuff!!)

The Rolling Stones – Speaking In Tongues | The Official Podcast (Episode 6) Enjoy, gang!

“It’s funny how that weather app on her phone never resembles the actual weather outside! She should probably, you know, just look outside.”

July 26, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Yes! We have yet another gorgeous morning here today, gang. That rain & thunderstorm stuff still hasn’t happened yet — and now they’re saying tomorrow…

I guess we’ll see.

But this means I get to take another gorgeous walk out there again today.

This village is so fucking pretty in the summertime. There are a few mobile home-type houses here, but most of the houses are really old yet really well maintained — so much character, no 2 houses look alike here — and the village itself (population around 1,354) is surrounded by tall cornfields this time of year. And beyond the cornfields, are the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. Tons of really green trees extending up the horizon, wherever you look, for miles and miles and miles.

When the sky is blue, and it’s not too hot & humid, it just takes my mind to a whole other place.

I really, really love walking. And even in NYC, I loved walking. And even though I really miss NYC, and even though while I’m walking here, I really have no clear idea of how I got here — it still sort of rescues my entire soul.

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Okay, first.

Today is the 5th anniversary of the passing of one of my dear friends, Kent. He and I met when we were 12 and became fast friends for life.

Kent loved books and music — in High School, he turned me on to people that I instantly just loved. For instance, Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Waits. To name just two.

Kent had a PhD in Geology and primarily worked for NASA most of his adult life. (And if you think that I’m a conspiracy theorist, you should have known Kent! For instance, he studied the actual moon rocks as part of his job. He said, “Those rocks didn’t come from any moon…”)

Anyway. Kent was wonderful. So smart, so funny.

Kent was also very good friends with my friend Steve — the guy I’ve known since we were 11. We texted yesterday, sort of unable to believe that Kent’s been gone 5 years already.

RIP, Kent. We still miss you so much.

Kent, visiting from Texas — holding one of Steve’s kids. (Steve has 4 children.)

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Today is also this!

Happy 83rd Birthday, Mick Jagger! (Below, he is about 27, in the era of Exile on Main Street.)

And here’s this, from 1985! This record was really popular back then –when I was working with my best friend Valerie at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC! “Lucky in Love,” from Mick’s solo album, She’s the Boss:

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Okay. This happened yesterday and sort of stunned me.

I was looking through a bunch of old photos that I found stored in the chest of drawers in the guest room.

There was one big envelope of family photos — and it was quite an assortment, between my adoptive family and my birth family.

A lot of the photos, I’d forgotten I even had.

There was a photo of my birth dad from 1954, but on the back of the photo, I discovered that the address of the house they lived in at the time was written on it. (My dad was 9 years old in 1954.)

I decided to Google the address!

I knew that by the time my dad and his family had moved to Ohio from Kentucky, my grandfather was a serious alcoholic. My great-grandparents had moved my grandfather to Ohio and bought him some land, to try to give him one final chance to start over. Instead of starting over, though, my grandfather died from complications with his alcoholism, leaving my grandmother alone with 5 kids.

As an adult, my birth dad had told me that they had been very poor because of his dad’s drinking. But seeing the actual house yesterday online, still just stunned me.

Built in 1901. 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Absolutely tiny, although it still sits on a decent amount of land. And the house is not far from where my birth mom lives now, I could easily go there and see it. This is the house my dad lived in when I was conceived:

And just FYI, this is a school photo of my dad that same year I was conceived (he was 14, my birth mom was 12):

By the time I was born, he was 15 and in jail for stealing. He was put in the women’s jail, though, because — as you can see– he was a little too young to be thrown in with a bunch of grown men.

However, even though my dad went on to be a US Navy SEAL, serving in Vietnam for the entire duration of that war — even getting injured by a flame-thrower on the Mekong Delta during the TET Offensive — he still maintained that being stuck in the women’s jail for 6 months when he was 15 , was the worst time of his entire life.

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Okay!

Here’s this from that FB page yesterday! Nick Cave!! Adorable!

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All righty!

I guess I’m going to get started around here. I’ve already had an interesting morning — watched the Sunday Catholic Mass from a church in Ireland. Then suddenly felt inspired to read some poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky in a book I’ve owned for about 40 years that was totally falling apart– what a trip down Memory Lane.

Later today, is the live Zoom call for Ross K. Nichols’ private Yachad Group, which promises to be very interesting. And in the meantime, I guess I’m going to go take a walk and think about my life.

I still have a list of things to do, writing-wise, but I am making really great progress with it. By this coming week, I should be able to make some real time to sit and get that memoir underway.

Okay. Have a beautiful Sunday, wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s leave with this.

A great video Kent sent me about 8 years ago. It’s beautiful. (This is a song by New Order, the video is from 2012.)

“To celebrate New Order headlining the first year of the UK’s newest festival, the Brythoniaid Male Voice Choir were commissioned by Festival No.6 to record their own unique version of ‘Blue Monday’. The 60 members of the Brythoniaid Male Voice Choir, formed in 1964 in Blaenau Ffestiniog, recorded their interpretation of the seminal track in the studio, then filmed the video on location at the stunning Portmeirion, location for Festival No.6 . Surely the most unique setting for a festival the UK has ever seen?”

Kent’s comments to me: “Apparently everyone in Wales can sing.”

Festival No.6 presents the Brythoniaid Male Voice Choir – ‘Blue Monday’ . Enjoy, gang.

Not only great, but it turned my hair brown!!

July 20, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Yes! My first cup o’ joe on my first morning of freedom! So great!

And the stress was so non-existent around here, finally, that it turned my silver hair back to the lovely shade of brown it once was!!

Honestly, gang, it feels so interesting. This freedom thing.

And it is such an incredible morning, here! When I awoke at 6AM (again, second morning in a row — I’m trying really hard to sleep in later and stay up later), it was only 55 degrees Fahrenheit outside! Wow.

When I stepped out onto the kitchen porch to feed Rasha and Kon Tiki, the sun was up and the flowers out there were loving the cooler temperature. They looked so vibrant and full of life.

Anyway. It is just sort of a perfect morning.

I don’t remember the last time I didn’t feel the pressure to “do” something. And what’s weird is that I actually have a ton of things I want to do. But it’s all writing-related. At my desk. Or reading-related, downstairs on the couch.

I do not have to get into the car and drive the 30 miles to town and back until Wednesday — when I meet Kara for dinner to celebrate my birthday!!! Yay!

I actually have stuff on my calendar now that goes clear to November (possibly even to March, depending on a phone chat I’m having tomorrow). So it’s not like I don’t have things to do, but the difference between constant caregiving and just thinking about my own life now and the things that make me happy…

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Okay.

And here’s something that always makes me happy — a midnight text from Wayne, that also had a link to a song on YouTube!

Here’s the song!

“Save It For Later,” covered by Pete Townsend and The Deep End:

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I thought this was very interesting.

From Ross K. Nichols’ Sunday School yesterday–

“We all know who killed Goliath, right? Well, I thought I did until I realized that the biblical writers who told the story were not on the same page.”

The Goliath Story Has a Giant Problem (43 mins):

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And in keeping with my new approach to my own life, here are these!

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And during his break before the upcoming SOLD OUT Brighton bash, Warren Ellis posted some photos that I really thought were great. I think they were from the Australian tour earlier this year (?). Here’s 2 of them:

Colin Greenwood:

Warren himself:

And since the Bad Seeds are indeed on a break until July 31st, we go to the private desktop stash for that photo I love of Nick Cave from yesteryear — smoking and waiting!! Near the water!!

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And, oddly, that’s really all my “here’s this’s” for today.

But in honor of the fact that I now not only have time to get to work on that memoir of my life in the 1970s, but I am also finally in an emotionally calmer place wherein I can actually deal with my memories of my life in the 1970s…

Here’s this from the desktop stash!! Best father-figure ever!! (IMHO)

Keith, smoking…

And with that, I’m gonna finish up the laundry and maybe take a walk before it gets too hot out there.

And then–

Have a lovely Monday, gang, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!

From all the way back in 1957, but I mean it more than ever today!! Feel free to join me on this new path in life–

“Come Go With Me” !! The Del-Vikings. Enjoy, gang.

Oh no! Look what we missed!

July 16, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Even though I’ve been a fan of Joe Satriani’s for 40 years….

I never knew when his birthday was.

It turns out that not only was it yesterday (see yesterday’s post wherein we didn’t wish him a happy birthday), but more importantly, he also turned 70 yesterday!! Wow!

Happy belated 70th Joe Satriani!!

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And speaking of yesterday’s birthdays–

Phyllis Stein wished Johnny Thunders a really lovely Happy Heavenly Birthday!

And she also posted a great photo of the New York Dolls at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC in 1973! (Photo by Richard Drew)

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Here’s Bill Burroughs not smoking in a bar in Paris in 1962!!!

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Yesterday, I discovered that over at that really beautiful, newly restored Historic Arcade in Newark (where my friends have that beautiful Art Gallery)–

Historic Arcade — oh, and note that bookshop at the left there. That’s the bookshop that said I could drop off a review copy of my new novel.

It turns out, that on Thursday evenings, from 5:30 – 7:30, they have live acoustic music in the Arcade! Since I’ll be on “vacation” starting next week, I’m planning to go over and check it out!

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I just wanted to add that I continue to hear from writers & publishers regarding the upcoming M. Christian tribute anthology and the amount of love people had for that guy is really just a joyful thing, gang. I am so glad that I am involved in this project.

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This was very interesting– about Flock cameras.

From yesterday, 1 hr.

Tucker Carlson:

Whistleblower Reveals the Largest Mass Surveillance Operation in History and the Coming Slave State

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And I guess we can now focus on Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds!!

You know, even though it seems like every show they’ve done since this current tour started has been incredible, the shows seem to somehow be more & more amazing every night.

First, a couple more from the show in Nimes–

From George Vjestica:

And Nick Cave–

And Nick with a couple of Bad Seeds–

And the rest are from the show last night in Vienne, France.

First, the seste list! (Often spelled “set” but since they are now in France, we decided to spell it differently!!)

Some of the Bad Seeds!

And Nick Cave!!

And tomorrow, they play Carhaix, France. You can buy tickets HERE. And then that will be it until the SOLD OUT extravaganza in Brighton!

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And while we’re at it, here’s this!

While the movie, “The Bad Seed”, came out in theaters in 1956, before I was born, there was always a big buzz whenever it showed on TV in the 1960s.

I was a very young girl when I first saw it on television and it scared the bejeezus out of me. It was SO CREEPY!! (The little girl turned out to be a psychopathic serial killer…) Here’s a 4-minute clip:

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And I guess that is it for today!

I will not be posting here tomorrow because I have my final early client tomorrow. (And then only 2 more clients after that, and then Sunday is my final day before retiring.)

Today, I’m going to try to focus on just making myself happy — probably here at my desk. But I also want to take a walk before it gets too hot out, and do yoga. Anything to take my mind off how difficult it is to tell each of my clients goodbye. But, wow, do I feel loved, gang. And I know that I’m going to be missed. But I also know that I have to focus on my own life again before time gets completely away from me.

Have a good Thursday, 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 woke up singing it to the cats this morning.

I loved these guys so much, in all their various styles.

The Bee Gees. “Too Much Heaven.” 1978. Enjoy, gang.

“Too Much Heaven”

Nobody gets too much heaven no more
It’s much harder to come by
I’m waiting in line
Nobody gets too much love anymore
It’s as high as a mountain
And harder to climb

Oh you and me girl
Got a lot of love in store
And it flows through you
And it flows through me
And I love you so much more
Than my life..

I can see beyond forever
Ev’rything we are will never die
Loving’s such a beautiful thing
Oh you make my world a summer day
Are you just a dream to fade away

Nobody gets too much heaven no more
It’s much harder to come by
I’m waiting in line
Nobody gets too much love anymore
It’s as high as a mountain
And harder to climb

You and me girl got a highway to the sky
We can turn away from the night and day
And the tears we had to cry
You’re my life..

I can see a new tomorrow
Ev’rything we are will never die
Loving’s such a beautiful thing
When you are to me, the light above
Made for all to see our precious love

Nobody gets too much heaven no more
It’s much harder to come by
I’m waiting in line
Nobody gets too much love anymore
It’s as high as a mountain
And harder to climb

Love is such a beautiful thing
You make my world a summer day
Are you just a dream to fade away

Nobody gets too much heaven no more
It’s much harder to come by
I’m waiting in line
Nobody gets too much love anymore
It’s as wide as a river and harder to cross

Nobody gets too much heaven no more
It’s much harder to come by
I’m waiting in line
Nobody gets too much love anymore
It’s as high as a mountain
And harder to climb

c – 1978 Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb

Yes!! The new glasses are ready!

July 9, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

I don’t know if I have time to go out and pick them up today. We’ll see. But certainly by tomorrow afternoon. And I can’t wait!!

I truly hate the glasses I currently have… I am really, really hoping that with those new glasses, I’ll be able to see again!

Okay. So.

The good news is that my “chat” with Sandra (for well over an hour yesterday) went splendidly.

We have both agreed to shelve the TV show for now. And maybe forever. Because we both want to focus on the play. (“The Guide to Being Fabulous”.) Yay!

We are still aiming for the Staged Reading to happen in the Fall, but — and as usual, I can’t go into the details yet on the blog — it will be at an entirely different venue. One I didn’t see coming and I am truly excited, gang.

Wow.

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Okay.

I have a phone chat scheduled at noon today with Ralph Greco, Jr. He was probably M. Christian’s closest friend/colleague. (Ralph is someone I have worked with off and on for 30 years.)

We’ll be going over the basic ideas for the tribute anthology and then I need to formally write up the Call for Submissions. But to be honest, just from the emails I’ve already sent out to people privately, I already have most of the contributors onboard. I maybe only need 3 or 4 more writers.

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On another sad note–

Bonnie Tyler died earlier today. Thanks for everything, Bonnie.

And here’s this again– I will never get tired of this song:

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Switching gears–

Here’s this!

A couple of Rolling Stones!

Ronnie Wood, sort of with wings?

And Bill Wyman, smoking!!!

Oh, and here’s Marlon’s little leg, Keith, Anita, and Mick, in a crowded elevator a long time ago…

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And since I wasn’t here to post to the blog yesterday, I have a bunch of Nick Cave photos!

Another one from Poland:

A bunch of great ones from Stuttgart!

More Stuttgart (I don’t think I posted these yet, but I posted them to my Instagram page already):

Now, I did go to Lisbon (Portugal) yesterday — just quickly — hoping to get my picture taken with Nick Cave, but I couldn’t find him anywhere and had to come straight home. You know, because I’m, like, busy and stuff. However!!

Here are some luckier ducks in Lisbon yesterday!!

The Bad Seeds play Lisbon tonight — or perhaps, now — and you can buy tickets here! And they will be in Spain on Saturday!!

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And that is it for now.

Starting tomorrow, I have EIGHT caregiving shifts left, gang. And then that phase of my life will be over.

I am getting my momentum back, for sure. I am starting to feel my own life returning. But I still have some broken feelings around the edges of my heart. But on we must go. I still have “miles to go before I sleep”…

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.   
His house is in the village though;   
He will not see me stopping here   
To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   
To stop without a farmhouse near   
Between the woods and frozen lake   
The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   
To ask if there is some mistake.   
The only other sound’s the sweep   
Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   
But I have promises to keep,   
And miles to go before I sleep,   
And miles to go before I sleep.

Enjoy your Thursday, 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.

Breakfast-listening music.

The more I listen to this song, the more I think Tom Petty wrote it not only about being a kid and loving rock & roll, but also about loving the Beatles — in particular, the man who became his dear friend later in life and who had recently died: George Harrison. (Verse 2)

Well, needless to say, I love this song. So haunting and beautiful.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. “Dreamville,” 2002. From The Last DJ. Enjoy, gang.

“Dreamville”

Goin’ down to Lillian’s music store
To buy a black diamond string
Gonna wind it up on my guitar
Gonna make that silver sing

Like it was Dreamville
A long time ago
A million miles away
All the trees were green
In Dreamville

I keep wakin’ up all by myself
With a bluejay in my brain
Flappin’ his wings, makin’ me sing
It was just about to rain

Like it was Dreamville
Where I was born
Light years from here
And the air smelled good
In Dreamville
In Dreamville

Like it was Dreamville
A long time ago
Light years from here
And the trees were green
In Dreamville

Ridin’ with my mamma
To Glen Springs Pool
The water was cold
My lips were blue
There was rock-and-roll
Across the dial
When I think of her
It makes me smile

Like it was Dreamville
A long time ago
A million miles away
All the trees were green
In Dreamville, in Dreamville

Yeah it was Dreamville
A long time ago
Light years from here
And the air smelled good
In Dreamville, in Dreamville

c – 2002 – Tom Petty

I can dream, can’t I??

June 28, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

It’s funny to think that, even though I live way out in the middle of fucking nowhere, my “big dream” is to go even deeper into the middle of fucking nowhere and spend the night sleeping under the stars!!

My neighbors just bought a new tent and, for now, they have it set up in their backyard.

I can see it from my kitchen window.

I have a tent, a sleeping bag, a couple of camping chairs, a ton of camping dishes & cookware — all of it stored in my storage closet. Because, apparently, going camping again is just some weird sort of pipe dream I have. But I hope that the 2 little girls who live next door get a lot of use out of that new tent and have the time of their lives this summer… (heck, even if they only stay in the tent while it’s in the backyard!!)

Okay!!

Yesterday brought some really great news.

I can’t go into the details yet on the blog because we have only begun discussing it, but the publisher I am currently working with asked me yesterday if I’d like to undertake the M. Christian tribute anthology — meaning, be the Editor of it.

It was an absolutely unqualified, “YES!” (M. Christian was a long-time and very dear colleague of mine and he passed away in January.)

I will keep you posted with the details.

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Okay!!

Yesterday also brought some really FUCKED UP news.

A couple of weeks back, I got notified by the Muskingum County Courthouse that I was up for jury duty, and to keep myself available from July 1st through September 30th to potentially serve on a jury.

Okay, so, in what world does that kind of commitment make sense??

The Agency sent a letter saying that I needed to be excused from that because I have clients booked all summer long who count on me.

But yesterday, the courthouse sent me a letter back, saying that my request to be excused was denied.

I was unbelievably furious (plus, I have already done jury duty several times in NYC and also in Columbus, Ohio — why am I always being called upon? It absolutely makes me want to stop registering to VOTE (they pull jurors from the voting registry)…but then I can hear my ancestors, who fought in the Revolutionary War and helped to create the glorious US Constitution, shouting: “Are you out of your fucking mind??? You can’t give up your right to VOTE!!”)

Anyway. I am really pissed off. I left word with the Agency that they need to call the courthouse Monday morning and try to fix that.

Not only can I in no way afford jury duty, I was just getting my mind/life back together by finally having a schedule I can work with all summer long.

Someone’s Revolutionary War ancestor, saying: “You can’t give up your right to VOTE!”

And the letter arrived just as I was getting ready to head out to my shift.

And I can’t take a bunch of rage and depression and frustration and hopelessness, into a client’s home. So that was a real challenge– clearing my vibrational air and finding a better emotional place for myself in a sort of nano second.

But I did. And I had a great shift with the retired Chaplain. As usual, she and I talked about some very, very interesting things. She is almost 89 and has had a harrowing life. I always learn so much from her.

Also–

Oddly enough, in yesterday’s mail, right alongside the letter from the Courthouse, was a card from one of my supervisors at the Agency. (Depending on which town a client is in will determine who my supervisor is for that client.)

Anyway. As of now, all 5 of my clients are with the same supervisor, and that supervisor sent me a “Thank You” card, saying how much she appreciated the quality of care I give my clients and how she never has to worry when she sees that my name is assigned to one of the clients on her list.

That made me feel really appreciated, but also really determined to not have to waste my gifts serving on a jury. Again.

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Before I forget, tomorrow morning, I have an appointment to get a new pair of glasses. I absolutely hate the glasses I currently have and I want a new pair. But this could mean that I won’t get a chance to post to the blog tomorrow.

Marilyn does glasses and coffee! I don’t usually dress like that in the kitchen, but the rest of it is, like, totally me.

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Okay!

Here’s this!!

The B52s, perpetually celebrating National Sunglasses Day!!

And while we’re at it!! This was on the Oldies Radio Station on my retro boombox next to my bed the other evening!! Yay!! Yes, I knew every word and sang along quite loudly!! “Love Shack”, by the B52s, 1989:

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And here’s this.

From Phyllis Stein — David Jo, and Keith, smoking (and Delbert McClinton) at Tramps, NYC, 1985!!

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Here’s this!

A lovely photo of Dwight!! He’s currently on tour in the U.S. of A.!

And here’s this — his fantastic duet with Buck Owens, back in 1988. “Streets of Bakersfield.” The first time I heard this song was on the radio in my birth dad’s kitchen, out in Nevada. And my dad then regaled me with the story about how he smoked a joint with Dwight, outside a gig in Los Angeles. (My dad had been a roadie for my Uncle Ralph, who was a Country music singer back then. At that time, my Uncle Ralph had songs on the Country charts and Dwight was just starting out — he’d been the opening act for my Uncle that night.)

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I loved these!!!

Early photos of Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart! Be still my heart–

And here they are with The Faces:

And here’s this — 1971, The Faces, “Had Me A Real Good Time” !! Classic!! (“I was glad to come, I’ll be sad to go, so while I’m here I’ll have me a real good time!”)

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And here’s this!

From George Vjestica. The Bad Seeds play Antwerp tonight!

And here’s a great photo of Nick Cave! Since he was onstage in Italy, I guess he wanted to point out his Gucci shoes?? Not sure!!

The Bad Seeds play Berlin on Tuesday!! And you can buy tickets here!

And here’s this–

Nick Cave &The Bad Seeds / “Papa Won’t Leave You , Henry” Live Lingen June 16, 2026:

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And that is it for today. And as I said, I might not be posting tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, I’m gonna do a little yoga, then do a little thinking (I’m finally coming to a good-feeling place regarding the almost-in-progress new memoir), then head out to see the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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More breakfast-listening music from the “Rockin” Down the Block” CD collection (1987)!!

The Vogues!! “Five O’clock World,” 1965!! Enjoy, gang!!

“Five O’Clock World”

Up every morning just to keep a job
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob
Sounds of the city poundin’ in my brain
While another day goes down the drain
Yeah, yeah, yeah

But it’s a five o’clock world when the whistle blows
No one owns a piece of my time
And there’s a five o’clock me inside my clothes
Thinkin’ that the world looks fine, yeah
Oh my lady, yeah

Tradin’ my time for the pay I get
Livin’ on money that I ain’t made yet
I’ve been goin’ tryin’ to make my way
But I live for the end of the day
Yeah, yeah, yeah

‘Cause it’s a five o’clock world when the whistle blows
No one owns a piece of my time
And there’s a long-haired girl who waits, I know
To ease my troubled mind, yeah
Oh my lady, yeah

In the shelter of her arms everything’s OK
When she talks, then the world goes slippin’ away
And I know the reason I can still go on
When every other reason is gone
Yeah, yeah, yeah

In my five o’clock world, she waits for me
Nothing else matters at all
‘Cause every time my baby smiles at me
I know that’s it’s all worthwhile, yeah
Oh my lady, yeah
Oh my lady, yeah
Oh my lady, yeah

c – 1965 Allen Reynolds

A Happy Father’s Day To One & All!

June 21, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

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:

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!!

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!!

June 20, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

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

June 16, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

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.

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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!!