Tag Archives: Tell My Bones: The Helen LaFrance Story

A happy hello from the Hinterlands!

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Although I really did miss being in Charlotte last night, gang.

Still, it was so fun to get out of bed here at 6AM today and say a happy hello to all my many cats!

Even though they got along great with my mom, it was so clear to me that they were excited that things were back to normal this morning. They were all frisky as heck!

Oh, here’s something kind of exciting — I don’t know yet if it will really happen, but I hope it does!

One of my girlfriends who works at my favorite health & wellness store in town (I used to work there during the lockdowns), put in her 2 weeks notice while I was away, and I’m looking into taking over her hours!

It would be so cool to be back there, especially since I’m still friends with everyone who works there. Plus, the store is privately owned and only open a limited number of hours/days a week.

I had to leave there once the lockdowns were over, because I couldn’t afford to work retail back then. But now that I have Social Security and the money I inherited from my dad, I can afford it.

So we shall see!! It would certainly take care of this problem I’ve been having of feeling unbelievably isolated out here in the middle of nowhere since I retired…

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Okay!

This week, I have:

  1. The deadline for receiving contributions to the memorial tribute anthology honoring M. Christian. (Meaning, I then have to start editing it.)
  2. My lunch date with the gentleman across the road.
  3. And on Saturday, is my book-signing at the bookstore in the Historic Arcade in Newark!

So it should be a fun week with a nice, even sort of pace.

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Other than that —

I have a TON of “here’s this’s'” that I accumulated while in Charlotte, NC!!

So let’s get started!!

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Most importantly, it seems that this past weekend was International “Bad Seeds Take Their Dogs Out” Weekend!!

On Saturday!

George Vjestica apparently has a tiny little dog named Gucci!!

And on Sunday!

Warren Ellis took his pups out to the woods!!

And here’s this, while we’re at it! Does it get better?? Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground! The sublime “Sunday Morning”, 1966!

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It’s time for Erica Verrillo’s fantastic (FREE) publishing calls-for-submissions and writing contest updates for October!!

Visit HERE! And then click on the various links for current updates.

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And the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project is having an East Village Walking Tour for LGBTQ History Month!!

(You will notice that my old E.12th Street apartment is NOT part of the tour, but if you take the tour, please feel free to DEMAND that they stop at 511 E.12th Street anyway!! And honor all the LGBTQ cool shit that happened in my apartment!! Drugs! Booze! Sex! MUSIC!! Cigarettes!! Writing, writing, writing!! Thanking you in advance!!)

You can sign up for the tour HERE. It is $25.

“Discover LGBTQ history hidden in plain sight on this 90-minute expert-led walking tour of New York’s East Village. Celebrate LGBTQ History Month and explore places and people that made this neighborhood a center of LGBTQ art, activism, nightlife, and counterculture.

“Visit the former residences of poet Allen Ginsberg and lesbian activists Ellen Broidy, co-planner of the first NYC Pride March (1970), and Ernestine Eckstein, who was active in the LGBTQ rights movement in the pre-Stonewall years. See if you can hear the echos of dance music as we stand outside the site of The Loft, where David Mancuso hosted egalitarian underground house parties that influenced the city’s club scene. Share memories as we arrive at the former locations of nightclubs The Saint, with its legendary interior dome, and Pyramid Cocktail Lounge, where LGBTQ performers included Andy Warhol, John Waters, performance artist Ethyl Eichelberger, and more.”

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YES!! For some inexplicable reason, this is NOT on the tour!!

Punk bassist/guitarist Blaire N. Bitch, smoking in my bedroom at 4AM!!

Me with my band!

My best friend on Earth — the notoriously gay and now dearly departed from AIDS Paul Martin, in my bathtub!!

And here’s the front of 511 E.12th Street as it looks today. My apartment was the 3rd one up , on the left, with the little AC in the window (back then the fuses in the building were so old, you could not have such a thing as a working AC!! It would blow all the lights out in the building!) (I know this, because we tried it once!!)

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All righty!

Phyllis Stein gave us a scare over the weekend, saying she was basically done posting all her great Punk music photos to Instagram. (But last night, she posted again!!)

But here’s some great photos from when she was departing us–

David Jo and Richard Hell! At Max’s Kansas City, 1976!! (Photo by Bob Gruen)

David Jo with Cyrinda Fox (married for only one year, then they famously split up). At CBGBs, 1976, photo by Roberta Bayley.

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And here’s this!

Also from Phyllis Stein as she was pretending to depart us…

Johnny Thunders in NYC in 1973!!

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And a couple of Keith!!

Smoking backstage at Madison Square Garden in NYC in 1969!!!

Keith comments on Bob Dylan!! (I think he’s saying what we’re all thinking!!)

And how about this??

I might have posted it here before, but I just love it!!

(I would not have survived 1975 without these 2 guys!!)

Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards:

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A little bit more info about the upcoming Johnny Depp movie ,”Day Drinker”–

Looks like fun for the whole family!!

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AND!!

A bunch more great photos of Nick Cave!!

From Facebook! Oh No!!

Priceless!

Nick onstage twenty years ago in Paris!! Smoking!! Singing!! Facial hair!!

And a couple more from long ago…

I believe this was 1990, photo by Peter Walsh (?)

And this was possibly LA in 1990, photo by Jonathan Kirn (?)

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And whew!

That’s it!

Gotta finish the laundry here and then head to town because I am ABSOLUTELY out of cat food here!!!

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!!

From yesterday!

Elvis Costello Unboxes ‘My Aim Is True’ 49th Anniversary Edition!

Today is the day!!

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Yes, sometime in the next few hours, my birth mom arrives to spend a magical weekend with my many cats!!

(I’m hoping that the above illustration is a reasonable facsimile of how splendidly it will go!) (Except that my mom is a little tiny bit older than she appears in the above illustration…)

I’m excited, gang.

And I’m really, really hoping her visit here goes well. She knows some of my cats quite well, but as loyal readers of this lofty blog no doubt recall, I had quite a bunch more cats thrust upon me since my mom was last here.

But they are really sweet, really loving (if often super frisky) cats. So we’ll see!

I’m also excited to just be packing a suitcase again, gang.

I’m taking a smaller, lightweight one, since I won’t be checking it and I’ll have to wheel it around with me for an hour in Detroit, and I’ll only be gone for the weekend.

It’s my favorite suitcase. I’ve had it for quite a few years now. I was going through the outside pockets of it this morning and found a postcard from the Empire Hotel in NYC — where I stayed in July 2025.

And I found 2 receipts: one, from a dinner I had with Sandra that same trip to NYC; and the other receipt was from a newsstand in LAX airport! From a trip I took to Los Angeles to work with Peitor Angell in December 2018!!

I loved finding those!! So I stuck them right back in the pocket, to find again some other time.

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All righty.

I did have a splendid day yesterday. Mostly, my mood was just really good. Finally. It seems like I had some sort of turning point, energy-wise. Maybe it was the Equinox? I don’t know. But I feel a sense of relief, like I can finally move on from all the recent trauma.

I am indeed starting to get submissions for the M. Christian tribute anthology, so I’m thinking that I won’t really be doing any of my own writing until that project is complete. (The official deadline is next Thursday — a week from today — then my book signing is the following Saturday. After that, I’ll have to focus on editing everyone’s submissions.)

But whatever plays out, I’ll just flow with it.

Oh!

I loved this– Warren Ellis posted it this morning. It may seem a little down, but it had a really cool audio track that was extremely uplifting (plus I love F. Scott Fitzgerald). The 2 messages together captured how I’ve felt the last few weeks:

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And speaking of Warren Ellis–

A new selfie! Catnapping with adorable pups!

Although, on a sad note — the lead singer of Rose Tattoo, Angry Anderson, passed away on Monday:

Angry Anderson, Australian rock legend and Rose Tattoo frontman, dies aged 79

“Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson has died just weeks after being admitted to a hospital in Germany during the Australian rock band’s European tour.

“The 79-year-old singer spent 50 years in the music industry and also became a television presenter, charity worker and youth advocate.

“Rose Tattoo’s hits included ‘Bad Boy for Love’, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw’ and ‘We Can’t Be Beaten’, while Anderson found solo success with the song ‘Suddenly’.”

And, from Warren’s selfie above — here’s this (1978):

RIP Angry Anderson

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And here’s this!

The Cars are taking requests!! What’s yours?? (Mine is probably still “My Best Friend’s Girl”.)

Okay– since you requested it! From 1978!!

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From Johnny Depp yesterday!

Another movie is on its way– “Day Drinker”! (More info is coming soon, but I know that Penelope Cruz is also in it.)

And just FYI — that is my least favorite Tarot Card (pictured above — The Devil), followed closely by The Tower…

But, oh! If you read Tarot Cards (I do), this woman in Australia has the very best site for reading them!!

Biddy Tarot

I have used her website for about 20 years. Click on LEARN, then in the drop down menu: TAROT CARD MEANINGS

Her work is phenomenal.

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Okay!!

Most people probably know that London had a really hard time getting back to normal after WWII.

In fact, by 1966, still only the nouveau riche could afford outside plumbing!!

Keith, enjoying his nouveau riche lifestyle outside his legendary home, Redlands, with his pup in 1966!

And I loved this!

Keith doing what he does best!! Playing the guitar!! Smoking! Drinking! Wearing shades!! (1978)

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And I really, really did love this.

Keith with the Exile on Main St album cover art, 1972 (oh, and smoking):

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Okay, well, my Instagram feed yesterday was still jam-crammed full of birthday wishes for Nick Cave!!

So here are some more of those!!

Dinner? And smoking!

I loved this–

From Facebook!!

I had never seen this photo before. I love it!!

And one more!!

And that’s it probably — until September 22nd rolls around again (most likely in the wink of a fucking eye!!)!!

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Okay, yes.

I am going to quickly vacuum the house one more time before my mom and sister get here later —

Oh wait, I love this photo!!

This was from before I knew my mom. (I was raised by an adoptive family in Cleveland, and didn’t find my birth mom until I was 25.)

My birth mom and my 2 half-sisters and half-brother, on vacation, around 1970-ish. (The little tiny girl in the green pants is the one who’s driving my mom here today.) (Their dad, Sonny, is taking the photo.)

All righty.

Gonna get the vacuuming done and then pack my suitcase!!

Have a fantastic 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!

A little music to pack suitcases by!!

I loved this album. It came out when I was already married to Chong and we lived in The Camelot Building, on the corner of W. 45th & 8th Ave. (I bought it in a record store that was just up the block from us, in Times Square. I bought all my records there back then, but I don’t remember the name of the store!)

Anyway.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ huge hit from 1981, “The Waiting”!! From their fantastic album, Hard Promises. Enjoy, gang!!

“The Waiting”

Oh baby, don’t it feel like heaven right now?
Don’t it feel like something from a dream?
Yeah, I’ve never known nothing quite like this
Don’t it feel like tonight might never be again?
Baby, we know better than to try and pretend
Honey no one coulda ever told me ’bout this

I said yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Well yeah, I might have chased a couple women around
All it ever got me was down
Then there were those that made me feel good
But never as good as I feel right now
Baby, you’re the only one that’s ever known how
To make me wanna live like I wanna live now

I said yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Oh, don’t let it kill you baby, don’t let it get to you
Don’t let it kill you baby, don’t let it get to you
I’ll be your bleedin’ heart, I’ll be your cryin’ fool
Don’t let this go too far, don’t let it get to you

Yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part
Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part

c – 1981 Tom Petty

A peaceful morning in the Hinterlands!

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Wow, last night was, well — interesting, gang.

I’m not sure how much I want to post about it here, but I will say that I texted for about an hour and a half with a cold case investigative reporter regarding my memories of working with and knowing RC Hörsch. (Apparently the number of women who disappeared and who are now known to have been connected to him in some way is up to 7, and 5 are known to be dead.)

It was actually a sort of calming conversation. In that I was able to express what I remembered (from over 25 years ago). And also, ultimately, I got the feeling that these women will at some point get justice.

Other than that, I had a really productive day yesterday. ALL the housecleaning, laundry, etc., is DONE!! Today I’m going to touch up the paint on the walls.

Other than that, it’s all ready for my birth mom to come here and take care of the cats.

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Okay!!

Guess what day it is??!!

That’s right!!!

Happy 69th birthday, Nick Cave!!!

And some of my favorites from Instagram and Facebook today!

My favorite– which I saw on my phone at 3AM and then had a hard time going back to sleep!!

Photo by Polly Borland

And here’s the photo I posted on Instagram–

Photo by Filip Wouters

And this was the music I chose to go along with the birthday wishes! “Forever Young,” by Bob Dylan!!

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Other than that, I am once again, wiped out. But I don’t feel terrorized, like I felt through most of the last 4 weeks for various reasons:

  1. Editing that writer’s memoir and finding out about all the horrific things that happened to him in Indiana;

2. Then the first contact re: RC Hörsch being a potential serial killer;

3. Then that horrible car accident happening right in front of me in the intersection;

4. Then getting scammed out of all the money in my checking account ;

5. Then finding out that my girlhood school friend is now confined to a nursing home and is very seriously ill.

I’m just basically wiped out.

However, I really, really do feel like things are calmer for me, personally, and sort of on the upswing, because I also saw sides of people, sometimes total strangers, that were very compassionate and supportive.

And I am really looking forward to the conference this weekend in North Carolina. We have already been told that some very important announcements are going to be made regarding more 1st Century CE archeological/ossuary discoveries in Jerusalem.

Plus, I just love being in hotels.

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All right.

I saw this on Instagram yesterday and it thrilled me so much that I had to go find it on YouTube and watch it a few more times!!

I was never really into Guns & Roses one way or the other, but this is so cool. Axl Rose joins Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on “Free Fallin'” at the MTV Music Awards in 1989. I have always LOVED this song, but the emotional energy of this duet was fantastic–

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And from Phyllis Stein!

Richard Hell, smoking in NYC in 1982!!

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I think that’s actually it. I need to sort of just re-group here mentally, and do a little painting around the house.

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 another one of my all-time favorites as we once again say:

Happy Birthday, Nick Cave!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, “Jesus of the Moon,” from Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!, 2008. Enjoy, gang.

“Jesus of the Moon”

I stepped out of the St. James Hotel
I’d left y/ behind curled up like a child
well, a change is gonna come
& as the door whispered shut
I walked on down the high-windowed hall
y/ lay sleeping on the unmade bed
the weatherman on the television
in the St. James Hotel said
that the rains are gonna come
& I stepped out on the streets/ all sparkling clean
w/ the early morning dew
maybe it was y/ or maybe it was me?
y/ came on like a punch in the heart
y/ lying there w/ the light on yr hair
like a jesus of the moon
a jesus of the planets & the stars
well I kept thinking about what the weatherman said
& if the voices of the living can be heard by the dead
well the day is gonna come
when we find out & in some kinda way
I take a little comfort from that (now & then)
cause people often talk about being scared of change
but for me I’m more afraid of things staying the same
cause the game is never won
by standing in any one place for too long
maybe it was y/ or maybe it was me
but there was a chord in y/ I could not find to strike
y/ lying there w/ all the light in your hair
like a jesus of the moon
a jesus of the planets & the stars
I see the many girls walking down the empty streets
& maybe once or twice one of them smiles at me
y/ can’t blame anyone
for saying hello/ I say hey/ I say hello/ I say hello
will it be me or will it be y/?
one must stay & one must depart
y/ lying there in a St. James hotel bed
like a Jesus of the moon
a Jesus of the planets & the stars
I say hello/ hello/ hello

c- 2008 Nick Cave

And we’re off!!

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We’re getting awfully close to Thursday around here, gang!

Thursday being the day my birth mom arrives to take care of my cats while I’m gone.

All the dusting and furniture polishing is already done, and the mirrors are sneeze-free! (Meaning, where the cats sneezed on them; not that the mirrors actually sneeze…)

So starting today, we’re doing all that heavy duty laundry that you only do when houseguests are coming — all the sheets, blankets, the bed skirt from the guest room. All the extra bath towels.

Then I’ll do the final vacuuming, too.

AND– I’m even gonna touch up the paint on the walls, where the kittens scratched at it when they were younger and totally delighted themselves while making me not quite so delighted.

It’s also time to cut back the rose bushes for autumn. I’ll do that probably tomorrow. Or whenever it stops raining.

You know, just try to not only make everything look like 15 cats don’t live here, but also take away ANYTHING that would tempt my mom to undertake the tasks herself!!

I just want her to be able to relax!

Yes, even though my mom is 79 years old now, she is still a brunette… (And oh yeah, trust me — she imbibes!!)

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Okay.

Well, this happened last night.

I discovered that in 11 days, reruns of the old TV show “Castle” are leaving Amazon Prime.

I loved that show when it first came out. And I only recently re-discovered it on Prime. I always watch it during dinner now and it totally makes me calm down. I love everyone in the show, but I especially love the interactions between Richard Castle (a writer) and his mom and daughter, up in his duplex apartment in Manhattan.

I had purposely been making myself only watch one episode a night, because I wanted it to last…

Now, I can’t possibly watch all the episodes in the next 11 days, unless I watch it around the clock. (It ran for 8 years.)

Dang! I will probably just buy the whole show from somewhere online and keep watching it. Honestly, it settles down all my anxiety.

A clip from 15 years ago, Castle with his teenage daughter (1 minute):

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And then this happened last night, too.

While I was doing yoga yesterday afternoon, my eye caught site of that children’s book Keith Richards and his daughter Theodora wrote. (Theodora illustrated it.)

Keith wrote it about his grandad, Gus, who taught him how to play, and to love, the guitar.

I’ve had the book since it came out in 2014. I did read it, but that was 12 years ago. So I took it down from the shelf and saw that it had a CD inside, attached to the inside back cover! I never even opened the little pouch! Never played the CD! It’s Keith, doing the audiobook reading of it!!

Wow. I thought it would be nice to listen to it in bed, in the dark!

So after everything was done yesterday, and I was in bed in the dark, and with the CD in the retro boombox next to my bed —

I turned it on and Keith’s amazing voice filled the room.

I was so delighted!!

But since it’s a children’s book — it lasted about 6 minutes. Shit.

Too bad there’s not an audiobook out there of Keith reading War and Peace or something equally indescribably long….

Anyway.

Here’s the audiobook version of the book, but it is not Keith reading it.

Gus & Me by Keith Richards (6 mins 29 seconds):

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Okay!

From Phyllis Stein!!

Richard Hell wearing his heart on his sleeve in London in 1977!!

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And back to Keith!

Looking intense! In black & white!

Also intense, and equally black & white, but also smiling in 1981!!

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And some more great photos from Facebook! (To be honest, it’s basically the only thing I do on Facebook now.)

Nick Cave! Singing, smoking, sweating!! (Apparently, I chose 3 words)

Nick Cave smoking!!

I loved this one!!

Nick Cave and Blixa Bargeld, smoking!! Near some alcoholic beverages!! Full color!!

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And that is actually kind of it for now.

I have a ton of stuff to do around here today.

However!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Okay, this stuff has got to STOP!

I am already having way too much trouble dealing with TIME passing!!

That said–

Apparently, yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of the release of the phenomenal Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds double-album, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus !!

22 YEARS!!! WTF??!!

Well, anyway.

Let’s close with this gem!

“Breathless”, by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, from the above-mentioned double-album with the very long title!! 2004!! Enjoy, gang. (I sure have — for 22 years…)

“Breathless”

It’s up in the morning and on the downs
Little white clouds like gambolling lambs
And I am breathless over you
And the red-breasted robin beats his wings
His throat it trembles when he sings
For he is helpless before you
The happy hooded bluebells bow
And bend their heads all a-down
Heavied by the early morning dew
At the whispering stream, at the bubbling brook
The fishes leap up to take a look
For they are breathless over you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew

Still your mind
Still your soul
For still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The wind circles among the trees
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
For it is breathless without you
The fox chases the rabbit round
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
For he is defenceless without you
The sky of daytime dies away
And all the earthly things they stop to play
For we are all breathless without you
I listen to my juddering bones
The blood in my veins and the wind in my lungs
And I am breathless without you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face comes shining through
And all the morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you

c – 2004 – Nick Cave

Good Lord, Gang!

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Finally!

I think the torture is getting ready to stop around here.

At least, for a little while.

These past couple weeks were just too intense.

But some of the good news is–

I heard from Rasha’s mom yesterday (Rasha is the cat that I’ve been cat sitting for 10 months already). She has finally found an affordable apartment for herself and her baby boy, so she will be able to take Rasha back in October.

I love Rasha, she’s a very sweet (and smart!) cat, but I already have way too many cats, so this will be a real relief.

Now we’ll have enough tennis raquets for everybody!

Also!

I received the official invitation to give a presentation at the Greater Lehigh Valley Writer’s Group conference in March!! (In eastern Pennsylvania — my old stomping ground!)

I’ll be giving 2 one-hour talks over that weekend. One about networking with professionals, and one about adapting your work to markets. And I’ll also be on a panel.

(From the schedule they sent, it appears they also want me to have cookies and chat with other writers!! Some people just want everything!!)

Anyway! I’m really looking forward to it. But something tells me that March will be here in about 14 seconds...

And in other good news–

Things seem to be proceeding scam-free with the other two narrator/producers I’m working with on the audiobooks. Those projects aren’t due until early 2027, so things should be calmer now with all that.

And — FINALLY!! Amazon’s algorithm kicked in and they posted that really great review I got from the NYC poet, Ron Bass, for The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.

And I only had to jump through fucking hoops last night to make that happen, gang, by posting the review everywhere online that I could think of where I was allowed to post it! Then, voila! By 2AM this morning, it’s suddenly on Amazon! (A review that was submitted on September 16th…)

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All righty.

Yesterday was the anniversary of Gram Parson’s passing. (If you don’t know the story of his death, it is basically legendary.) (And, also, if you didn’t know, Gram was Keith Richards’ closest friend back then.)

And here’s Emmylou Harris’s stunning song about Gram’s death. She had been his backup singer at the time. “Boulder to Birmingham” (1978):

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And the day before that–

On September 18th, it was the anniversary of Jimi Hendrix’s death. He died in 1970.

His death was legendary, too, but in a not very good way at all. (Don’t get my “conspiracy theorist” brain started…)

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Okay.

Johnny Depp was indeed in Shanghai yesterday, talking about his art to a group of eager phones!!

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And here’s this!

Strummer on Springsteen!

And here’s this, while we’re at it! From 1978, Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town”!

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Here’s this!!

The latest selfie from Warren Ellis!! ……..

Hmmm.

There seems to be a sudden dearth of selfie’s by Warren Ellis!! Maybe he’s off rehearsing with The Dirty Three, who go on their European Tour beginning in October! (Check the schedule and buy tickets HERE)

Meanwhile, we can re-visit one of his classic selfie’s!!

Warren celebrating jet lag!! (I think this was after the tour of Australia.)

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Okay!

And today I’ve got a bunch of Nick Cave photos!!

I think I might have posted this one before, but I love it!

And here’s this!

Nick Cave in wings!!

Nick Cave in a green shirt!! With a pen!! And a pair of glasses!!

Nick Cave in SPEX magazine!! 1990!!

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And that is it!!

It’s Sunday today, so I gotta head to town here soon and do all the grocery shopping. (Food for me, food for cats! It never stops!)

Then I have a ton of laundry to get to today, too.

And if my brain begins to feel anywhere near normal later, I’ll try to focus on my own writing again.

Meanwhile…

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!!

In honor of the late great Jimi Hendrix.

From 1967, his legendary classic, “Foxey Lady”. From the equally legendary album, Are You Experienced. Enjoy, gang.

All righty! Happy Saturday!!

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Okay, gang.

I did indeed wake-up this morning, and I am still here.

Why I am — is anyone’s guess, at this point.

But since I am still here, I’m going to try to make the best of this day.

Starting here, as usual…

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Yesterday afternoon, I did decide to at least put in an online application for that part-time job that appealed to me. We’ll see if they call me for an interview.

Mostly, I just want to be around people. Noisy people, even. People who aren’t dying. So we’ll see.

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And sadly–

I did finally get a chance to talk on the phone with my old school friend yesterday — the one that I’ve known since Jr. High School (1972), who reconnected with me on Facebook the other day.

It was very sad. She is now confined to a nursing home, waiting to be transferred to Assisted Living — none of it is really her choice. But she is very ill and it won’t get better. And her family made the decision for her.

I am going to try to visit her before I leave for North Carolina, but definitely as soon as I get back if I can’t get to Columbus this week.

If you live in the US and you’re on Medicare, I am 100% confident to share with you who handles my Long Term Care insurance, in case you want to look into them where you live:

Bankers Life

The more I see what friends go through as they age, at least out here in Ohio, the more grateful I am that an agent from the company found me when I turned 65. They are honest and they really help you make decisions that are based on the reality of your age, your income, and where you live.

Where you live is key for Medicare and Long Term Care insurance, gang.

A couple of older people I know here in Ohio switched over to Bankers Life, when they told me how unhappy they were with their insurance companies, and they were really glad they switched.

For my girlfriend who is now confined to a nursing home/Assisted Living, and forced to be on Medicaid, it is too late. At least here in Ohio, once you’re on Medicaid, they take everything from you and your life is as good as over; your freedom, gone.

So just, you know, find someone you really trust to help you make your Medicare plans.

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All righty!

Let’s try to get on a cheerier note!

Here’s this!!

I loved Hunter S. Thompson so much, gang. He was one of my very favorite writers. (And being a hardcore conspiracy theorist, I don’t believe he “committed suicide”…)

Anyway.

My dear (and now dearly departed) friend, Kent — the one who was a geologist and used to work for NASA, and who once told me, “Those rocks didn’t come from any moon!” — was the friend who first turned me on to Hunter’s work by giving me his copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when we were 15.

I was familiar with Hunter’s name because I was an avid reader of Rolling Stone magazine back then. But this was the first book of Hunter’s that I read (and afterward, I proceeded to buy & read everything he wrote.)

And here’s something I loved: The one and only book that was ever stolen out of my apartment on E. 12th Street in NYC, was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas!!

When I discovered it was missing (I don’t know who stole it, but people came and went constantly back then), I thought: “Wow! They really needed that book!”

I thought it was so cool! And I went out and bought another copy. And YES!!! Eventually, it got stolen, too! (What a great book! Everyone had to have it.)

But the 3rd time was the charm. Here’s my current copy:

And here’s the inside cover!!

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And speaking of Johnny Depp!!

(He did a fantastic job playing Hunter in the film version. I still have my VHS copy of the movie. Maybe I’ll re-watch it on the VCR later!)

Here’s this!

From Johnny’s production company IN.2 Records — Johnny plays guitar on at least one track.

The album The Great Behind, by Glenn Richards & the Venus Lakes will be released Oct. 9th 2026. Pre-order it HERE!

Glenn Richards & The Venus Lakes – 1990Never (Lyric Video):

Great song. I am already anticipating having it on my driving-to-town playlist!

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Okay!

If you thought I was just kidding when I posted recently that “tiny Richard Hell heads” used to be very popular….

Here’s Richard Hell!! With — you guessed it! Another “tiny Richard Hell head”!!

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And here’s Ric Ocasek, on a smoke break and leaning against a trailer!!

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Oh!

This was GREAT!!

I watched it during breakfast this morning. She really gives a thorough explanation about why any gospels concerning Mary Magdalene did not make it into what became the New Testament.

“…dive deep into the enigmatic and often misunderstood Gospel of Mary Magdalene with renowned scholar Dr. Elaine Pagels. In an episode that promises to challenge traditional narratives, Dr. Pagels sheds light on the mysterious texts that reveal a different side of one of Christianity’s most fascinating figures.”

Myth Vision — Mary’s Lost Gospel ROCKS Christianity! | Dr. Elaine Pagels (14 mins):

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And from Bad Seed George Vjestica yesterday!

(My answer was: May 2, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio, USA!)

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And as much as he said he is going to relax now, I’m afraid Nick Cave is going to have to go back on tour! Pronto! The photos are really getting to be slim-pickings!!

From Facebook:

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And, yes, that’s it!!

The other day, when I was supposed to go shopping at Kohl’s with my girlfriend — she had to cancel at the last minute. Her daughter had to work late and so my girlfriend had to pick up her grandson from football practice.

But she texted this morning, and we might try to meet up at Kohl’s this afternoon. It really has been such an intense week for me, gang. I could probably use a mindless sort of outing of shopping today — a sunny day, a good friend, a store that has happy memories for me.

So we shall see!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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

Let’s close with this!!

It’s been a while! But in honor of a possible trip to Kohl’s with Cathy!!

The Sandpipers!! “Come Saturday Morning”!! 1969. Enjoy, gang.

Talk about exhausted!

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Okay, I’m not actually exhausted.

However, I woke up with the idea that I might want to take on a part-time job and get back into the world again, starting next month. (There’s a specific part-time job that I’m interested in. )

I figured I should put some sort of a resume together. I haven’t done that in a zillion years.

I found an old resume in a Documents file on my laptop. It’s from when I lived in NYC! And that is what exhausted me, gang — reading it!!

I have to share some of it with you!!

And FYI — in the jobs I had in the 1990s, I was also a full-time writer at the same time.

This one was my first management position in NYC. It was when I was 20-23 yrs old!! WTF!

1980-1983     Manager, Le Café Restaurant, New York, NY

I was the Daytime Manager of Le Café, a health-food/fast food counter- service style restaurant in Times Square. I worked the 5:45 AM – 2:15 PM front-of-the-house management shift, overseeing an average of 800 breakfast transactions and over 2,000 lunch transactions daily. In my area of the restaurant, I had a staff of 9, and oversaw 7 cash drawers in a high-volume, extremely rapid transaction environment. In my capacity as Daytime Manager, I was instrumental in keeping my staff focused, calm, efficient and enthusiastic under all forms of duress associated with a Times Square environment, including in-house thefts and armed robberies, one of which resulted in the killing of the Night Manager on the premises. I scheduled all breaks and daily cleaning assignments, and balanced 7 cash drawers at the end of my shift.

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During that unbelievably exhausting job, above, I was also a budding singer-songwriter in the West Village. So many of the folks who worked in that Cafe were also musicians!

And here’s what I was doing on W. 57th Street, from age 23-25, when I worked for Ralph Ginzburg :

1983-1985     Department Manager, Avant-Garde Media, New York, NY

I managed Avant-Garde Media’s mail order book club department and was in charge of all communications with book club members, specifically handling and bringing to a satisfying conclusion all cases involving the N.Y State Attorney General’s consumer complaint division.

And my “higher education” back then consisted of a 2-year degree in 24-track recording/audio engineering… Mind-blowing that I even got that job.

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This was interesting!

This is what I did at MoMA part-time for 9 years! At this point, my singer-songwriter career was in full swing, and I drank like a fish and took drugs occasionally and generally stayed out all night…and then by 1988, I shifted into publishing, as well.

1985- 1994    Shop Steward, in-House Catering Services, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York, NY

In addition to being the museum’s Assistant Pastry Chef for 1 year, I worked in in-house catering for the museum and was the Union Shop Steward for 8 years. I handled all complaints between the 30 union members and Catering Management and had a reputation for diffusing volatile situations in the workplace. I oversaw all in-house Union meetings and helped set-up and manage picket lines during Union strikes, ensuring that all protests remained peaceful and well-organized.

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Jesus Christ, right??!! I remember drinking a lot at MoMA and fooling around with Valerie constantly. I’d forgotten about all that other stuff!

And then when I was full-time into the publishing business, this was my final “job”, while also being a full-time writer.

2000-2006     Founder & President of the EAA, New York, NY

As President of the EAA, an international writers’ association, I oversaw the handling of daily publicity for the careers of several hundred genre fiction writers and small presses in the US, Canada, the UK, and France. I oversaw all details of the EAA’s online publishing company, including tracking and payment of monthly royalties to all writers. I testified in United States Supreme Court in support of the First Amendment rights of several American EAA writers, as well as the EAA at large, in the case of U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft vs. American Civil Liberties Union, case 535 U.S. 564 in Philadelphia. I also oversaw high-profile book-launch parties and curated related art gallery exhibits in New York.

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Yes, Supreme Court and art galleries…

I guess it’s no wonder my mind is wandering toward some sort of part-time job where I can interact with busy people again.

Not only do I feel really isolated out here in the middle of nowhere, but I am very disheartened by the publishing world these days. Especially the onslaught of AI in every area of it. And impersonal social media apps in every area of it, as well.

Plus I am reasonably convinced that one of the narrators/producers I entered into a contract with to produce one of my audiobooks, has indeed already scammed me and was likely the perpetrator of the scam on my bank account on Monday, too. (I can’t prove that last part. It’s just what my bones tell me when I piece it all together.) Yes! He has vanished. And it was ALL done on banking apps!

I’m not going to give up being a writer, but I’m kinda disillusioned with what “publishing” has become, gang. So we’ll see.

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On the happier front!!!

Friends continue to help me out financially!! Including some cash from my ex-husband in Seattle. And Wayne in NYC, just now donated to my GoFundMe!!!

And Sandra called last evening to say she could either send me some cash, OR pay for my airfare and hotel room in NYC when I go there in late January!! Wow!!

As of just now, thanks to Wayne, I have officially gotten ALL my money back — in the space of 4 days — from friends and former husbands. It feels so incredible.

And I guess I can at least say this much: On January 20th, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre on W.42nd Street, in NYC, Sandra will be doing a special “birthday cabaret” one-woman show that will be a pre-runner of our play, “The Guide To Being Fabulous.” It will be Sandra’s 75th birthday!! I cannot wait!!

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Okay.

This broke my heart.

From Phyllis Stein.

September 16th was the anniversary of Marc Bolan’s passing. 49 years! I remember it so vividly, gang, the day he died.

And this was the first T. Rex 45 RPM single that I bought– “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” 1971! It is still fantastic!!

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And here’s from Facebook last night!

And I don’t know if this was taken at Susie Cave’s 60th birthday book party on Wednesday night or not — the fan is wearing a Susie t-shirt, so I think it might be:

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And, YES!! I got a ton of housecleaning done yesterday, so I don’t have more than this to post today.

However.

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 close with this!

Keith Richards’ wonderful contribution to the upcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI” soundtrack!! The blues classic, “Bright Lights, Big City”!!! You can stream it now on your favorite platform! Movie is coming November 19th. Enjoy, gang!

What I’m Not Doing Today!!

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Answering my phone.

In fact, I might never answer my phone again!! But we shall probably play that one by ear…

I have been on my phone nonstop since the bank fraud thing on Monday afternoon, changing over every account imaginable.

And here is something I want to point out: Only 2 accounts had actual human beings that you could speak to, and the customer service lady on the Best Buy credit card helpline, was the nicest person imaginable!!

She gets my customer service award for the entire year!!

She really cheered up my morning.

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Yes, I have been either on my phone or on my laptop for the last 2 hours, trying to take care of final various loose ends with bank account updates, and I believe I am finally DONE!!

Yay.

And before I forget, I just have to say that the other day, an audiobook audition came in for my novel, Twilight of the Immortal, and wow, gang — did she nail it!! In 3 minutes!

I cannot believe she is willing to undertake narrating the entire novel (it’s a really long book). And I cannot wait to hear what she does with it.

Wow.

So, as of now, it looks like I have audiobook narrators/producers lined up for all 4 novels. (1 contract in place, 2 negotiating, 1 we will revisit soon)

Thanks again to all my friends for donating money yesterday to help me get back on a firm footing with these audiobook projects. It was such an incredible feeling, knowing that my situation mattered to people.

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Okay.

I am going to try to just take it easy today and get “back to normal” now.

And by taking it easy, I of course, mean this!

OOPS! Sorry, no — I meant this:

Yes, my birth mom should be arriving a week from today, so I want to get some serious housecleaning done — stuff I don’t do every week, like polish all the mirrors that the various cats have sneezed on, polish the furniture, really clean both bathrooms, etc.

If I do NOT do this, my mom will do it while I’m gone and I don’t want her to clean my house!! (Although she is incredible at it.) I want her to try to just relax…

With 15 cats….

So, today, I’m going to clean the house, and then I also have a live podcast with 2 writers that I want to listen to this afternoon, and then there’s another one this evening, over with the writers at Lambda Literary.

So, it’ll still be about “writing” today, just not my own!

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Oh!

And this just in!

The first “Story of the Week” of Season 2 over at Brown Hound Press has just been posted!! It is:

“I Am Coming to Asheville to Kill You” by Pearl Reagler.

You can read it HERE!

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And here’s this.

It is a screenshot of a reel that I absolutely LOVED, but it was so tightly edited that it was nearly impossible to grab a good shot.

But here’s what I could get!

Johnny Smoke has returned!!

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And here’s this!!

From Facebook!!

A bunch of framed Christian art!!

Oh wait, I mean — Nick Cave!!! Leaning on a steel guitar!! In color!

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And that is all I have today because I have been living on another planet the last few days.

I am hoping that once all the housecleaning is done, I can focus on getting the tribute anthology for M. Christian ready to be front & center on my desk.

The deadline for submissions is Oct. 1st — right after I get back from North Carolina. And if everyone contributes who has said they are contributing — I’m going to be a busy gal in October.

So I want to be ready for that.

RIP M. Christian

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All righty. I’m gonna get started here.

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!!

There is a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 50th Anniversary collection coming soon!

Celebrating the first 7 years of their career, specifically: Origins 1971-1978

This has some great little interviews of Tom from a LONG time ago, as well as snippets of interviews with the remaining Heartbreakers today.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Origins 1971-1978 (Official Album Trailer) (5 mins). Enjoy, gang!!

All right! Getting better!

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Again, I really want to thank those of you who contacted me privately the last couple days, to just send your good thoughts and prayers.

I truly, truly appreciate that. It helped me a lot.

I am in a much calmer place now, for sure. And I’m trying to just move forward.

I have decided to set up a GoFundMe drive later today, to try to get donations to help me recoup $1700 that was earmarked for the audiobook productions. All of that money is gone.

The recent book editing job I had, and the check I got from Honda last week, would have covered all my production costs, but that, of course, was in my bank account, which got wiped out Monday.

And again, just FYI — I didn’t know this, maybe you do, but don’t answer your phone if the caller ID is from your bank. Call your bank back instead, and ask if they were trying to reach you. That way, you know for certain who you’re talking to.

Also, be alert to anything concerning CHIME online bank. Not that CHIME bank is a scam, it’s not; but the police officer who was taking down my report said that CHIME bank is used a lot in banking/phone scams. And even Wayne said that he had a $45 scam involving a CHIME bank account recently.

So just be aware.

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I also have 2 pairs of vintage Gucci high heeled shoes, from the 1990s — one, a pair with those silver mirrored sequins designed by Tom Ford, that is reasonably valuable.

The shoes don’t fit me anymore because my feet got too wide. But I have such great memories of wearing those shoes in the 1990s! (And that is an understatement.)

Even this photo is an understatement…

However, I have the memories. I don’t need the actual shoes, so I’m going to offer them for sale online. Maybe get as much as $800, combined.

We shall see.

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Okay.

Later today, my Q-following girlfriend in town is meeting me at Kohl’s! Not that I can afford to go shopping right now, even though they’re having a huge sale. But we decided it would be good for me to get out of the house for a few hours and just have fun.

I’m looking forward to it. The store has changed a bit over the last few years, but it used to be my favorite store, so it has good memories for me.

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Another totally mind-blowing thing happened to me yesterday, gang.

Another “I didn’t see that coming” thing — but this time, in a really good way.

I can’t go into all the details yet, but I can say that an older gentleman who lives across the road, who chats with me frequently when I’m outside watering the flowers or getting my mail, was chatting with me yesterday afternoon.

He is very friendly, very chatty. And he suddenly said, “I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but how come you’re not married? You’re so beautiful.“

Long story short, he asked me if I wanted to go out to lunch sometime. And I said, “Yes!!”

He is just so nice. (He’s a widower.)

So we decided that when I get back from James Tabor’s conference in North Carolina, we’ll go out to lunch. That made me really happy, gang.

We love lunch!!

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All righty!

If you missed this last night, here’s the replay! (I really enjoyed this because he is so much younger than me — his take on the whole literary world now is so different from what my experiences were.)

“Rob Macaisa Colgate is the author of the poetry collection Hardly Creatures (2025), winner of the Chicago Review of Books Award and longlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize, and the verse drama My Love is Water (2025). Currently based in Chicago, he serves as managing poetry editor of Foglifter Journal and was the inaugural poet-in-residence at Tangled Art + Disability. A graduate of the New Writers Project at University of Texas at Austin, he is a recipient of fellowships from Creative Capital, the National Endowment for the Arts, MacDowell, and Fulbright.”

Webinar with Rob Macaisa Colgate, Author of Hardly Creatures (51 mins):

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Okay.

Here’s this!! It brought a smile to my face.

From Phyllis Stein.

Sid Vicious and friends!! In 1976. (Photo by Bob Gruen)

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And I loved the blonde hair…

Again, from Phyllis Stein.

Iggy in the East Village, 1976 (Photo by Roberta Bayley)

(And when I lived in the East Village in the 80s, Iggy lived 4 blocks from me!!)

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And here’s this!

From Dior!!

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And I loved this!!

Blixa Bargeld! Smoking!! In London!! With great hair!! In 1987!! (Photo by Andrew Catlin)

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And speaking of Bad Seeds….

My stash from Facebook!!

Nick Cave!!

Great hair!! Weasels or not!!

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And speaking of Nick Cave ( as if there were ever a time when I’m not speaking of him…)

He sent out one of those great Red Hand Files yesterday, wherein he answered 40 questions with very short answers. (He was celebrating the Red Hand Files turning 8 !!)

This was my favorite!! (It took me a minute to get it, I have to confess.)

“Fuck you & fuck Isreal
from MICHAEL, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

“Daer Micheal, a raelly graet plaesure to haer from you again.”

You can read them all HERE!

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Okay.

That’s it for now.

If I do set up the GoFundMe drive, I’ll post it here later.

Meanwhile, 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!

I have learned so much from Elaine Pagels over the years, about Gnosticism, the Secret Teachings of Jesus, the Gospel of Thomas, etc.

This is a quick interview, with Myth Vision. I watched it during breakfast today. Enjoy, gang.

The Secret Teachings of Jesus | Dr. Elaine Pagels (11 mins):

What a great morning!

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I’m trying to make the absolute best of it because not only is the weather perfect — and the rest of the week, we’re supposed to have a lot of rain.

But also, tomorrow morning is when I’m supposed to report for Jury Duty again. I will find out later tonight if I do indeed have to show up, so we’ll see.

But regardless of tomorrow, I am trying to just have a really nice morning here.

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Before I forget!!

Facebook is just so strange.

Yesterday, I got another really cool “friend request” from someone I’ve only known for 54 years!!

She was, basically, my best friend all through Jr. High, high school, and most of adulthood… It’s only been a few years since I last heard from her. But we’re supposed to catch up in the phone sometime today!!

We met in the 7th grade, in September of 1972.

Yes!! There is someone still alive on Earth who knew me when I looked like this and wore plaid palazzo pants to school!!

Me, in the 7th grade yearbook

When she and I were teenagers, we had mostly the same tastes in music, movies, literature, theater. We were both really smart and we laughed so hard about so much insane stuff.

I don’t know, but if you’re familiar with the playwright Eugène Ionesco, and his Theatre of the Absurd plays, our lives were kind of like that. 24/7.

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Okay!

Let’s go straight to the “here’s this’s” today!

Apparently, I need to get back to Shanghai by Sunday! (Which is also the start of Yom Kippur, so that’s dicey, right there!)

But I’ve already bought all 150 of the available tickets, so it only seems polite that I make the effort to show up…

Johnny Depp will be appearing at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai, in connection with his exhibit there, “Figures of the Fringe”!

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And here are a couple of great photos of Richard Hell!

Again, from the fantastic Phyllis Stein!!

Here, Richard Hell is seen with the “tiny Richard Hell head” that was really popular back then!

And here he’s seen at CBGBs in 1978 with Elvis Costello, who was also really popular back then!!

And I can’t help it, gang — we gotta hear this one, one more time!! Elvis Costello, 1977, “Mystery Dance”!!

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And here’s this!

Warren Ellis and one of his dogs appear to be very excited by Sundays!!

And taking a cue from Warren’s t-shirt, how about this? An AI version of the other Elvis singing Kris Kristofferson’s song, “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” the way Waylon Jennings sang it… (that’s right, but it’s actually pretty good…)

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And here’s that other thing that Facebook is good for!!!

Old photos of Nick Cave!!

I don’t know if I posted this one here before, but I love this!

And here’s Nick Cave, either taking off his coat, or pretending to wear handcuffs — or perhaps both! A long time ago! In color!

And this wasn’t on Facebook, but here it is anyway!

Nick Cave on TV in NYC, in 1990!

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And here’s this — from my own life!

This movie came out in 1968, when I was 8, and my mom and I went to see it together in Cleveland and I just loved it.

Throughout my whole life, really, I wanted to have a huge family. I really did. I used to think about it all the time. (And by the time I was in my early teens, when things in my home life were getting really bad, I had a huge imaginary family in my head that I would retreat to all the time.)

In fact, the hardest part about leaving Wayne, in 2003, was knowing that I would never have even one child, let alone the 14 or so that I wanted…. I was 43 when I left Wayne and I was already in early menopause. Wayne had finally decided that he didn’t want to have kids. So that whole dream was all over.

Anyway.

I am currently re-watching “Yours, Mine, & Ours” on TUBI. From 1968. A glorious family with 18 wonderful children —

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And that’s it for today.

I will let you know early tomorrow morning if I have to report for Jury Duty again or not.

Meanwhile, enjoy your 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.

This was sort of magical, gang.

I’m still reading the Conversations with Tom Petty book (2006) at night.

And last night, Tom was telling the part where he was going through his divorce, and to pick up his spirits, Rick Rubin had Tom (and the other Heartbreakers) come onboard the Johnny Cash albums Rick was producing at the time, on his American Recordings label.

Tom had such an incredible time doing that — it was very detailed in the book. He loved Johnny Cash.

I knew I had all of those Johnny Cash American Recordings on my phone, but I wasn’t sure which ones I still had on actual CDs. So I got out of bed, went downstairs in the dark, went to one of the many CD racks I have and turned on the light — and the very first CD I saw was Johnny Cash’s American III: Solitary Man–– with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers!! (And others.)

It really felt like magic, gang. I still had it!

I hurried back up to bed, popped the CD in the retro boombox next to my bed, turned out the light and just listened. And, wow, was it good!!

And, oddly enough, it’s the CD that has Johnny Cash’s cover of Nick Cave’s classic, “The Mercy Seat”!

So, let’s listen! From 2000, Johnny Cash’s version of “The Mercy Seat.” So different from Nick’s version, but still so good. Okay. Enjoy, gang.