I’m hoping to get to town and do the grocery shopping in between the 2 storms that are allegedly happening today.

We shall see.

Yesterday’s storm was unbelievable, gang — as far as the high winds. But, luckily, it didn’t last too long. Today, we’re not supposed to have terrible winds, just 2 pockets of heavy rain. Then SUN for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

The high winds are exhausting only because I have to gather all the flower pots and the stands and bring them onto the kitchen porch, otherwise they’ll sail away.

Then, of course, I have to put them all back out again once the storm is over.

Anyway! The neighbors all smile and wave when they see me moving everything around. I guess it’ll be that way all summer long.

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Here’s this!!

I’m reasonably sure that my old paradise apartment on E.12th Street in the East Village will be on this walking tour!! Although I’m not 100% sure about that…

LGBTQ History in the East Village (walking tour)

On June 18th — 6-8PM ($44.52 – per ticket):

In-person walking tour celebrating the history and lasting impact of the LGBTQ community on NYC's East Village.

Join experts from the award-winning NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project for an LGBTQ walking tour of the East Village. Learn how the neighborhood, shaped by economic forces, became home to some of the most influential LGBTQ artists, writers, activists, and clubs beginning in the 1950s.

Historically part of the Lower East Side, the East Village became a counter-cultural and avant-garde haven that included many LGBTQ figures, from poet Allen Ginsberg to drag queen Ethyl Eichelberger. Its affordable housing drew the likes of young lesbian activist Ellen Broidy, co-planner of the first NYC Pride March (1970), and gay "musical host" David Mancuso, whose egalitarian underground house parties influenced the city's club scene, including the Saint.

This 90-minute walking tour will begin in front of architect Louis Sullivan's Bayard-Condict Building, 67 Bleecker Street. Rain or shine.

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And don’t forget, tonight starting at 7PM Eastern Time, you can watch the Lambda Literary Awards live on YouTube:

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Okay, here’s this!

Most of the Stones, out somewhere in the 1980s!

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And Nick Cave sent out an interesting Red Hand File yesterday, regarding his thoughts on shame, and also a recommendation for a podcast!

Regarding shame, he says, in part:

“I recognise that many of my regrets stem from a time in my life that was reckless, irresponsible and chaotic, perhaps even dangerous. However, despite these wrongdoings, in many ways I am glad I lived those years outside normal societal constraints. That period gave me a great deal, precisely through the raw experience itself. I don’t say this in defiance, but because I believe there is a certain richness to life that can emerge even from its transgressions.…”

About the podcast, he says:

“…Mark Scarbrough’s “Walking with Dante” podcast – the slowest, maddest, most beautiful, most obsessive podcast in existence! Amazing! …”

You can find the podcast HERE.

You can read the Red Hand File in full, HERE.

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And speaking of podcasts…

I was finally able to have a long chat with my best friend Valerie in Brooklyn yesterday.

Things are actually a little bit better than I’d thought. She is only having surgery on one hand on Monday. Then, after that’s healed, they’ll do surgery on the other hand.

But she fully expects to be able to hold a can of beer get back to her painting and drawing when all that is over, and so our mini-podcast should eventually launch sometime this summer, gang. I will keep you posted!!

[Me — top right. Valerie — middle, bottom. Hanging with the gang in Brooklyn in the late 1980s.]

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Okay!!

Let’s close with more photos from the Bad Seeds’ Dublin show on Wednesday!! The band and fans alike, appeared to have had a fantastic time!

And here’s one from either backstage, or somewhere in Dublin:

And don’t forget, the Netherlands show is tomorrow night! You can buy tickets HERE!

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And that appears to be it for today, gang.

On the home front, Tommycakes is still eating, although she has the tiniest appetite, but at least she shows up in the kitchen at breakfast and eats. And I’ve seen her drink a little bit of water. But mostly, she just finds out-of-the-way places in the house to curl up in and sleep.

Okay.

According to the weather map, now there are NO storms predicted for today, so I guess I can get headed to town now.

Enjoy your Friday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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In keeping with the situation–

Let’s close with this!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, onstage at Glastonbury in 1998! “Red Right Hand”. Enjoy, gang!!

My stay-at-home vacation, that is.

And– YES!!! By mid-afternoon, we’ll have thunderstorms and very high winds again!! Yay.

But only for about an hour. We’ll see how that goes…

Meanwhile, it’s a stunning morning here, for now.

And — YES!! I made the drive to Columbus and back yesterday, to take my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man to his physical therapy appointment. And I only shouted (mild) obscenities at other drivers 3 times!!

But overall, the drive was okay and we considered it “an adventure” and we were both very relieved when it was all over and we were back at his house.

And then this–

YAY!!

And then after that, my “vacation” officially began.

But I’ll tell you, gang, those final five days before my vacation started were jam-packed with the Agency and clients and their families needing me to do a TON of stuff. It was just insane. It was nothing that was out of line or anything, it’s just that everyone needed everything from me at the same time. It’s not usually like that.

But I am determined to just take it easy for these upcoming 5 days. Not get depressed or anxious about anything. Let a little joy and ease flow into my life….

(Like this)

And just be happy.

Yesterday morning, I was really near tears over not being able to be in NYC this weekend, and then Iris N. Schwartz called — the poet I reconnected with recently. She and I were supposed to have dinner together on Saturday night. We had a quick phone chat and I just felt so much better.

I will go back to NYC, most likely in the Fall, for the staged reading of “The Guide to Being Fabulous”. Meanwhile, I’m here to look after Tommycakes and ease her way to the other side in whatever way I can.

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Okay!

Yesterday was the 48th anniversary of my graduation from high school! 48 years, gang.

I hated high school. It was the longest most tortuous 3 years of my life. It seemed like it would never end — those 3 years. Those 3 years alone felt like 48 years…

And now I could have gone through 3 years of high school 16 times!! And yet these last 48 years have absolutely flown by. It’s staggering, really. The speed with which life flies when you’re not stuck in the agony of high school.

I was really smart and graduated with honors, and was one of the Class Valedictorians on Graduation Day (we had one male and one female valedictorian), and I’d had leading parts in a couple of the school plays, but I mostly had a reputation for being out of my fucking mind, openly bisexual, sexually active, heavy drinking and drug-taking. I was also a professional fashion model by then. And I had some of my poems published in the school paper (without my consent, I might add — a teacher who oversaw the high school newspaper asked to see some of my poems because she’d heard I was a writer, so I let her read some and then she published them! Imagine my surprise, as I was walking down the hall one morning during my senior year and other students were coming up to me, saying how much they loved my poems!! WTF??)

Anyway.

High School.

So glad it’s over. And on we go…

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Okay!

While I was off in my emotional slump, this happened!!

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And here’s a couple from Phyllis Stein!

Fellow Ohioans who likely also hated high school–

The Cramps!

And a lovely photo of Johnny Thunders (not sure how he felt about high school, but I have my suspicions)–

And Richard Hell, maybe from that time he starred as Hamlet on Broadway?!!! Not sure. (He definitely hated high school — I’ve read his memoir — but he’s from Kentucky.)

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And here’s this! Totally unrelated to high school in any way!

From Ross K. Nichols–

“Two scrolls. Both were reportedly discovered by Bedouin in caves near the Dead Sea. One was condemned as a forgery. The other is accepted as ancient and authentic.”

Shapira vs. Dead Sea Scrolls: An Authenticity Test (42 mins):

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And here’s this–

The Birthday Party in Sounds Magazine 1982!

AND!!

Early yesterday , Warren Ellis posted this from Dublin! (Not sure exactly how the pub made him a man, but it did get my imagination going in a likely really unrelated direction…)

And THIS!!! Yay!

Set list from last night in Dublin (wow, some great older songs in there!):

And here are these!

And now you have 2 days to get your bags packed, get your passport together, and head to the Netherlands!

There are still tickets available. Buy them HERE!

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And that appears to be it for now.

I’m going to get out in that sunshine for a few minutes, maybe take a walk before the weather changes.

And then I’m going to relax and think about Caiaphas.

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!

I actually really was listening to this last night, as I lay in bed, utterly exhausted by everything in my life, past & present & possibly future…

Such a strange song, gang. Such strange days, but back then, when I was only about 8, it seemed totally normal…

Anyway. The Beatles, “Yellow Submarine”. 1968. Enjoy, gang.