Tag Archives: travel

“It had nothing to do with pills and booze!!”

October 1, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

No. I was totally sober.

I simply did not know until after I’d posted to the blog yesterday, that I missed a couple of birthdays!!

Happy belated birthday, Marty Stuart!!

And happy heavenly birthday, W.S. Merwin!! He would have been 99 yesterday!

For his upcoming 100th birthday next year, the WS Merwin Conservancy in Hawaii has plenty of really cool things planned. My favorite is this:

“A new podcast is in the works, by way of a collaboration with Hawaiʻi Public Radio. It will highlight the voices of some of our writers-in-residence, carrying their vision, and the work made while here on Maui, across the ocean.”

To find out about all their upcoming plans, and to sign up for their newsletter, visit HERE.

Meanwhile, here’s one of my favorite poems by WS Merwin:

“A Single Autumn” (2008)

The year my parents died
one that summer one that fall
I moved into the house
where they had lived their last years
it had never been theirs
and was still theirs in that way
for a while

echoes in every room
without a sound
all the things that we
had never been able to say
I could not remember

doll collection
in a china cabinet
plates stacked on shelves
lace on drop-leaf tables
a dried branch of bittersweet
before a hall mirror
were all planning to wait

the glass doors of the house
remained closed
the days had turned cold
and out in the tall hickories
the blaze of autumn had begun
on its own

I could do anything

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Okay!

If you’re a writer doing anything Singapore- or Asia-related, be sure to check out Jee Leong Koh’s Singapore Unbound and sign up for their newsletter:

“A transnational literary organization based in NYC, Singapore Unbound envisions and works for a creative and fulfilling life for everyone. We do so through the subversive, innovative, and empathetic powers of the arts, especially by amplifying underrepresented voices.”

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And here’s a trip down Memory Lane–

My own foray into Singapore unbound in NYC! 1981!

Me and Chong, our first Christmas!! (Chong, my first husband who now lives in Seattle, was born & raised in Singapore.)

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And here’s this!

Warren Ellis and his pup, Tupac, had an urgent update for us last evening, about vomiting in cars!

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And here’s this update from Nick Cave Official:

“Nick Cave has collaborated with PETA on a limited-edition merchandise collection featuring his original illustration of a dog and a rat alongside the organisation’s “Every Animal Is Someone” slogan. The collection includes T-shirts, tote bags and tapestries, with all proceeds supporting PETA’s work.”

You can shop HERE!

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And that’s really all I have for today. It was already 2PM when I got home from my job “re-application” yesterday (I had to fill out a bunch of tax forms, etc.) —

BTW, this is where I’ll be working again, part-time. My favorite Health & Wellness store! Comfrey Corner of Heath!

And once I got home yesterday, I had a bunch of little things to tend to.

Including but not limited to:

I had the cutest conversation with the man I’m going out to lunch with today.

We were over in his driveway, confirming our plans.

Then he said, sort of quietly, while glancing nervously over at my house, “There isn’t anyone who’s going to, you know, put a gun in my face because I’m taking you to lunch tomorrow, right?”

How cute was that??!!

I assured him that, no, there was no one on Earth who cared if I went out to lunch with him… Then he totally relaxed. He is so sweet.

Anyway.

We’re going here! Applebee’s, in Muskingum County! (Where basically everybody owns a gun!!)

And then tomorrow, he leaves for Florida for the winter.

What is it with all these people who go to Florida all winter and miss the thrill of Christmas in the snow & icy winds of Ohio???

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Well, anyway. I’m looking forward to lunch today.

And then, when I get back, I will focus on the M. Christian anthology!!

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!

If you have the time — it’s an hour and half long — I am really enjoying this. Although it’s taking me a while. I can only watch it a couple songs at a time before I have to go focus on something else.

However.

Absolutely classic Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers! 1978! I was only 18 back then. So hard to even believe that.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Live at Winterland 1978 (Full Concert Experience) (1 hr 32 mins) Enjoy, gang:

Good Lord, Gang!

September 20, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

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.

It’s Friday! It’s better!

September 4, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

I say that as if “Friday” means anything to me at this point, now that I have every day off, basically.

But still.

Yay!

And I had a long talk with Wayne yesterday afternoon, about how terrorized I was feeling — about that AI-generated “review” with my name in the byline, suddenly attaching me, after over 25 years, to a photographer who turns out to have been a snuff-filmmaking serial killer…

WTF??!! — in a great big WTF way!! Why did they fucking choose me?? (Not that I liked the guy, but still…)

Anyway.

Wayne ultimately encouraged me to let it go and keep moving forward, and to concentrate on writing the memoir now. He even said, “Send me the pages as they get written. You know I always love reading your stuff.”

That meant the world to me, gang. Not only that he said that, but it also gives me a sort of goal. A reason to write. Because Wayne’s going to be reading it…

Sort of like in the old days, when I would come in from the other room and thrust new pages at him, saying:

ME (thrusting new pages at him): “Here, read this!”

HE (glancing up from his coffee cup): “Ah, yes! Please allow me to drop everything and read this!”

So, anyway. I feel a lot better today! And now, onward to that memoir…

“And so then we got arrested for stealing the car, but we explained to the Sheriff that we were only borrowing it…”

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And speaking of my memoir about my life in the 1970s… Here’s this!!

Lou Reed in 1974!! (Photo by Mick Rock)

And while we’re at it!! From Lou Reed in 1974 — I love this fucking song!! “Sally Can’t Dance”!!

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And here’s a bundle of Keith stuff!

Keith, thinking about drinking, and looking, I don’t know — sort of shiny in 1981!

Keith smoking! And looking sort of, I don’t know — thuggy in 1981! (On St. Mark’s Place with Mick)

And just being Keith! Smoking, attitude, guitar, etc.!!

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Yesterday, a posthumous Sid Vicious wished guitarist Steve Jones a happy birthday!! (Steve is in the bath)

And directly after I saw that photo on Instagram, I saw this!!

Warren Ellis, doing it HIS WAY! (Although I’m not sure exactly what he’s doing “his way” — driving, wearing a seat belt, wearing really huge sunglasses. driving on the wrong side of the road?? You decide!!)

And of course we can’t forget THIS!!! (And if you’ve never seen this before, gang, you gotta watch it. It’s legendary.) Sid Vicious, “My Way”.

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And here’s Nick Cave!! Smoking!!

And Nick Cave more recently, sort of easily confused by the presence of little dogs?? Not sure!

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All right, gang. On that happy note…

I’m gonna refill my cup o’ joe, and get back to the memoir!

It’s a gorgeous day — a little hot, so the AC is cranking. But it’ll be a nice day to sit at my desk and relive the insanity that was the 1970s!!

Have a terrific 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!

From some of the insanity that was the 1970s!

David Bowie, “The Jean Genie”, 1972.( Although I didn’t have his album, Aladdin Sane, until 1973… ) Okay. Enjoy, gang!!

I guess you can tell it’s one of those mornings…

August 26, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 4 Comments

I’m not sure what’s going on because I actually slept great and woke up feeling really great– until I’d been out of bed for awhile. Then, suddenly, this weird energy started creeping in and, so far, I can’t really shake it.

I am trying to ignore it, though.

So, let’s get started!

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Sorry I couldn’t really post here yesterday, but I did get a lot done.

Updated Sandra’s bio/resume. Waiting on her to tweak it and send it back to me.

I’m halfway through editing the local writer’s book. However, it is such an intense topic that it takes a lot out of me. My deadline to complete it is Monday and it will likely take me right up through Monday to finish the edits.

Okay.

Here are some things that happened since I last saw you!!

The Go Fund Me drive for guitarist Richard Lloyd surpassed it’s updated goal (!!) and they have reset the goal now for $100K!! They have already raised $84,400 in just a handful of days.

If you would like to help Richard Lloyd fight cancer, please donate HERE!

And here’s this, while we’re at it!

From Phyllis Stein. Richard Lloyd, back when he was in the band Television. (And that’s Richard Hell, holding the TV set!)

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And also while we’re at it!

Also from Phyllis Stein!!

Somebody had a birthday yesterday!!

Happy belated birthday Elvis Costello!!!

And here’s this! While we’re at it… 1977! “The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes”!!

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And while we’re on the topic of birthdays…

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom. RIP.

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Okay.

If you write for streamers or films, this was very interesting.

A blog post on Stage 32 early this morning– among some of the very interesting things she talks about, she clarifies that movie theater attendance has not gone back to pre-COVID numbers.

Foot traffic is still down 27% since 2019, it’s just that the ticket prices are higher now.

Overall, a very informative read. And very helpful if you’re trying to sell to streamers right now.

The Industry Pulse: The Industry Is Reorganizing, Not Contracting – by Laura Hammer

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Here’s this!

Another beautiful photo of George Harrison!!

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OH! This made me so happy!

The other day on Instagram, a young Iranian man I follow, re-posted my post about The Guitar Hero Goes Home being on sale this week:

When I thanked him for doing that, he said: “You’re welcome. I loved that book!”

Wow, gang. You know? You just never know anymore who’s reading your stuff… I sort of feel like my books are in this weird floating void. It made me so happy to read his comment.

The Kindle eBook is 99 cents in Kindle Unlimited until Sunday:

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A couple of photos from the Kafka Museum in Prague!

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It took FOREVER, but I finally found a photo of Keith where he is in NO WAY intoxicated!!

Keith and Anita, smoking, Mod, and in no way intoxicated!

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And speaking of Keith….

A cool photo of Bobby Keys and Jim Price in Keith’s basement at Villa Nellcote in the South of France, recording the horns for Exile on Main St, 1971!

And meanwhile — I know I’ve posted this trailer here before, but this was a really good documentary about the making of the now legendary Rolling Stones’ double-album, Exile on Main St. What an incredible thing the Stones achieved back then, when everything was pretty much working against them:

Stones in Exile (trailer) (2 mins):

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Here’s a lovely photo of Rowland S. Howard, smoking!

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And here’s a lovely photo of Nick Cave that lit up my heart!!

And speaking of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds playing Bonn, Germany yesterday…

Here’s Warren Ellis, surfin’ around town before the show!

At the No. 4711 Fragrance store — I love that cologne!!

And that couple I began following on Instagram when they were at the Brighton show back in late July, were also at the Bonn show last night!

And here’s this, while we’re at it! The Bad Seeds in the US last year, singing :”Cinnamon Horses”!

And here’s Ruby with the set list last night!!

And here’s Nick Cave!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ summer tour of Europe & the UK ends on Friday, in Paris!! Buy tickets here!!

And that reminds me, gang — I was incorrect! The kids around here went back to school YESTERDAY. Can you believe it? The summer is gone….

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And that is it for today. And just in time–

Sandra just texted that her tweaks to her new bio are in my inbox!!

So I’m gonna get started around here, gang.

I hope you have a wonder-filled Wednesday, 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 watched this during breakfast.

You know, back then, the Rolling Stones were always up against so fucking much. It’s amazing they survived it all. It really is.

The Rolling Stones Recording of Sticky Fingers (31 mins):

Already a really lovely day!

August 6, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

It was supposed to rain all day today, but now it’s looking like maybe only a little rain, later tonight. We shall see!

I do not have to drive to town today!

However, since the weather will likely be nice, I will probably drive to town today!

Why? Because it’s Thursday and they have that live acoustic music over at the Archive Lounge in the Historic Arcade in Newark. I might not be able to go again this summer, depending on what happens when I show up for jury duty on Tuesday — if I get assigned to a jury or not.

Plus, I want to stop in at the bookstore there and finalize everything for the book signing next month — the owner of the bookstore is leaving for vacation next week.

Holland’s Book Nook, Historic Arcade, Newark

Oh!

And check this out!! I got word on Instagram last night that another independent bookstore — this one in Old Worthington, Ohio, (basically Columbus) — is going to carry my new book! (The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. Pre-order here!)

It looks like an awesome bookstore — The Whispering Page. It is getting ready to open this month:

“The Whispering Page is a bookstore, café, and bar tucked into the heart of Old Worthington — the kind of place you mean to pop into for ten minutes and end up staying for two hours. Browse new releases and staff-favorite reads, then settle in with a coffee, a glass of wine, or a local beer.”

And on a sort of personal, bittersweet note…

Old Worthington is where that old private mental hospital was located. It was summer, 51 years ago, that I was committed there for 6 months after a suicide attempt. The hospital has long since been torn down, but the hospital was right around the corner from where this new bookstore is located!

So, I figure, let’s tell that unbelievably terrified 15-year-old girl, locked up in a padded room one night, 51 summers ago: “Hang in there, honey. You are going to have an amazing life.”

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Some other wonderful things that have already happened this morning — not only did I get to once again see probably my all time favorite photo of Nick Cave smoking on Instagram the moment my eyes opened!!

But also, Maxim Jakubowski sent in his contribution for the M. Christian tribute anthology!! I can’t wait to read it! Thank you, Maxim!!

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And here’s this!!

Keith!! And that cigarette he smoked in 1966!!

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And here’s this!

Are they rehearsing in Shanghai??? I have no idea! But the Hollywood Vampires are getting ready for their imminent European Tour!! Buy tickets here!

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Warren Ellis is tired for some reason!!

And here’s Warren saying something about the Detroit Tigers before the 2nd show in Croatia last night but I honestly don’t really know why!!

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And here’s a big bunch of photos from the Bad Seeds’ 2nd show in Croatia last night — and wow, does that arena look incredible!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday. You can buy tickets here!

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And I believe that is it for today!

I’m gonna make a couple phone calls now. Then go out and take a magnificent walk! And then get down to work here at my desk for a few hours and then probably get into my brand new super fast Honda Accord and head to the Historic Arcade!

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!

My morning-listening music. A truly haunting song.

“Carnage”, from the album of the same name, by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, 2021. Enjoy, gang.

Sort of like vacation!

July 27, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Except that I’m getting a lot of work done…

And now the weather app is saying rain & thunderstorms tomorrow…

Hmmm… that makes 3 days in a row that it’s “tomorrow”.

I’m not complaining, though. It is another really pretty morning here in the Hinterlands!

And I had a great weekend, even though I stuck around the house and spent many hours on Zoom calls!

And I have a lot to get done here at my desk today, but I tell you, gang, I am learning so much about the small indie publishing houses that I thought had totally evaporated. (It turns out it’s just those pesky online algorithms that make them seem like they’ve evaporated!)

Anyway. I just love having all this TIME to get caught up on everything.

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Before I forget–

I’m excited about this, too.

One of my girlfriends in town told me recently about a convent she started going to for Mass and it sounds so cool. So we’re going to try to coordinate a time when I can go with her.

It’s up on a hill, totally hidden away in the woods! The nuns are self-sufficient and grow all their own food, and also have goats and cows for their dairy products. The convent is like a huge log cabin.

Here are a couple of photos from online.

Leading up to the convent:

Inside!

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Okay.

You might want to read this if you feel so inclined. (The upcoming WWIII “situation” is scripted. Hold onto your wee bonny hats, gang.)

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And here’s this!!

The Glimmer Twins not smoking!!

Yes, a few of the photos Keith posted yesterday for Mick’s 83rd birthday!

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And here’s this!

Mick smoking and John Lennon not smoking in LA in March, 1974!! (Photo by Ron Galella)

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And as we wait for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ big homecoming bash in Brighton!! (Festivities begin on THURSDAY, finally!!) —

Here’s this! From my new favorite FB page!

Not smoking, Not happy about not smoking.

And here’s this!

Nick Cave not smoking while wielding a weapon in Amsterdam in 1988!!

And I loved this!!

He looks rested, doesn’t he??

And here’s this reminder!

And don’t forget this helpful stuff if you’ll be in Brighton!!

And all these movies, if you have nerves of steel!!

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And I’m thinking that is it for now!!

I’m gonna finish up the laundry here, take another lovely walk, and get down to work!!

And tomorrow, I’m actually gonna drive to town and get groceries. I haven’t driven to town (or anywhere) since Thursday. Wow. Will I even remember how to drive??

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!

This great song popped up on my playlist this morning, even though I wasn’t driving. I was just sitting there…

A lot of interesting memories came rushing back… I just love this song.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ cover of “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart”, from their cover-album Kicking Against the Pricks, 1986! Enjoy, gang. I sure did.

Around here, we take what we can get!!

July 19, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Yes! It is currently only 68 degrees Fahrenheit!! Yay!

And even though the weather app on my phone claims that the air quality is “worse than yesterday” it doesn’t actually feel like that outside!

My hydrangeas are finally blooming around my kitchen porch!

The morning glories are blooming around my back door!

I can at least see the foothills at the end of the road — even if it looks a little “foggy”, I can actually see them.

So I’m in a really happy place.

Plus, I slept in until 6AM, since I came in a little later than usual last night (and had a bit of a difficult final shift with my favorite retired Chaplain , so I was exhausted emotionally). But it felt great to sleep in. And to wake up feeling like certain chapters are simply over now…

And this afternoon, my shift with the retired Minister and his lovely wife and cat is my actual FINAL shift—

And I am already feeling like I have my life back, gang.

And at around 6PM this evening, I will be free.

I have not felt really free (in terms of having the time to just devote to my writing projects) since before the scamdemic hit, 6 years ago. Wherein I basically lost everything except “The Guide to being Fabulous” — the play with Sandra Caldwell.

Anyway!

The sun was up when I was having breakfast, which never happens around here. And since it was Sunday, I decided to watch the EWTN Mass. Even though I’m not Catholic, there are certain things about the Mass that I enjoy thinking about.

It was too early for this morning’s Mass, so I watched yesterday’s, and I really liked Father Ricardo Pineda’s sermon and remarks. He starts at about 4 minutes in:

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Okay, there was a great blog post on Stage 32 on Friday (that I read yesterday) — very timely for me, and maybe it will be for you, too, if you have a new book coming out:

6 Free Marketing Resources Every Author Needs to Know by Jonathan Jordan :

“No matter what, book marketing is hard, but at least these tools will help you make some serious headway without having to spend a ton of money upfront.”

I found the post concise and just really helpful.

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And I also found Andrew Lloyd Weber’s remarks about Broadway extremely interesting.

He made the comments on Instagram on Tuesday, but I only got around to reading them this morning in the Broadway World weekly roundup:

Andrew Lloyd Webber Says Broadway Is In ‘Dire Danger’ After CATS Closing

He said, in part:

"The truth is that, for any show, it makes practically no financial sense to come to Broadway with things as they are. Creators, writers and directors have been forced to take minimal royalties from new shows, often surviving on a fixed weekly fee rather than a royalty. It makes it impossible for young creatives to make a living from theatre alone. Investors count themselves fortunate indeed if they see a portion of their money back. Of course, the established big hits are still profitable. But Broadway can’t survive because of three old shows."

He ends the statement by begging executives to come up with a solution to fix its current financial issues.

"As someone who is still as in love with Broadway as I was when I was a teenager, I beg the theatre owners, unions and producers to come together urgently to address what is a crisis coming to a head. Broadway is in dire danger of rivalling Hollywood’s empty soundstages with increasingly dark theatres."

All of the above has a lot to do with why Sandra and I are shelving the TV project, and also why we’ve changed venues for the Staged Reading of “The Guide to being Fabulous” but I can’t go into any of those details here.

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Okay.

Here’s this–

A shot of the Strand Bookstore in NYC:

But upon closer inspection, we see why I really love the Strand Bookstore in NYC! (It was just up the street from my paradise-apartment on E.12th Street!!)

Blurry, but that street sign says “E.12th Street”.

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What is weirder than this — the fact that I can recognize Iggy Pop’s back in a nanosecond??

From Phyllis Stein! Iggy in Miami:

And Phyllis also posted another great one of Johnny Thunders — a screen shot off YouTube:

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And it looks like we missed ANOTHER one, gang! Jeepers! SO many birthdays in July!! (Including, you know, “hint hint“: the initials are MJL.)

Someone else I totally loved throughout my wee bonny teenaged girlhood and on up into my lofty adult years (wherein he allegedly died by “suicide”)–

But I never really knew when his birthday was!

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Hunter S. Thompson (it was yesterday):

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And, yes! Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are on a break until Friday, July 31st!! So, you know, here’s this instead–

From that Facebook page that never gives photo credits or the where or when info, but I still loved seeing it yesterday morning:

And after the great big SOLD OUT homecoming bash in Brighton, the tour resumes on August 2nd, in Germany. Buy tickets here!

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All right.

That is it for now.

I still have a few hours before I need to head to town, so I’m gonna go water the many flowers, do yoga, think about LIFE (which is returning to me even as I type!!)…

Have a super 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!!

You know, the week coming up will be my week of “vacation”. And it includes my birthday, and my adoptive dad’s Heavenly Birthday. And dinner out with my dear friend, Kara, to celebrate.

And while I have a stack of all my notes for the Caiaphas play on one side of my tiny desk, and all my notes for the M. Christian tribute anthology on the other side of my tiny desk, I really, really think it’s time to FINALLY focus on getting my memoir about my life in the 1970s, Joy: The Shortest Season, underway.

So with that in mind, here’s this!

From 1974!! Yes, the very same year as the nadir of my existence! From the British band, The First Class, a song I just loved!! “Beach Baby”. Play it super loud, dance around a little, sing along and enjoy, gang!!

Welcome, Heat Wave!!

June 30, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Yes, it is officially here. It started yesterday — temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit.

I am just so happy with my Central AC, gang. And so are all the many cats! (Except that Rasha, the cat I’m cat-sitting, and Kon Tiki both seem to prefer to be outdoors in all the heat and sunshine.)

And, interestingly enough, very high heat and thunderstorms are expected for the entire 4th of July “250th celebration” weekend. Since they can change the weather on a dime now, I wonder what’s up with that? Methinks we’re probably gonna find out…

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Okay!

I absolutely loved the new optometry place I went to yesterday to get the new glasses. Sort of a complete compound– optometrists & new glasses in one building. Eye surgeons, etc., in the next buildings over.

It was absolutely incredible — the level of care, the skills, the eye-test-machines from the future that I had never seen before.

Nothing at all like the place I went to last summer — which is a sort of chain eye-glass store that is all over the country.

The staff was so nice, and I loved the eye doctor they assigned me. She went over all the instantaneous “charts & graphs” in detail, explaining everything that’s going on with my eyes.

And I love the new glasses I ordered — they are very similar to the pair I had before these current ones I got last summer, which I hate.

It was a great experience from start to finish, because, to get to the eye place, I took that really beautiful country road that goes deeper into Muskingum County — in the opposite direction of the roads I take every day, that go to the next county over.

Just a beautiful drive — farms, trees, hills. And in under 20 minutes, I was at the eyeglass place.

Yesterday morning also brought some other news, though– the Agency called the courthouse yesterday and I cannot be excused from jury duty.

After I texted my Q-following girlfriend about it, she assured me that, out in these parts, 3 months of jury duty is standard, because the population is smaller.

So, once I learned that, I decided that having to be available all summer is better than getting summoned to be available from October through December, which is my favorite time of year.

And I can get to the courthouse by taking that same back road– it will only take about 10 minutes longer than the way I usually take to that whole courthouse area of town, that’s all.

So I’ve decided to just put the best possible spin on the whole jury duty thing all summer: it’ll be a beautiful drive and it’s better than having to serve all through the Fall and into Christmas.

So on we go…

And the other nice thing to look forward to this summer, whether or not I get called to be on a jury —

I am definitely going to be overseeing the editing of the M. Christian tribute anthology for the new publisher. I’m really happy about this. I’ll be sending out a call for submissions in the very near future.

I will probably use the Internet, not a radio… we shall see.

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Okay!

Also!!

I want to thank whoever is suddenly buying the eBook from 2012, After Hours: The Best of Marilyn Jaye Lewis

The stats have suddenly jumped up in the Amazon rankings for erotic literature & fiction. Since the book is 14 years old, any jump in the ranks is nice to see! So, thank you!!

The eBook, edited by Maxim Jakubowski, was originally published by Constable Robison in the UK, but Hachette UK owns the rights to it now. It is a selection of 5 erotic short stories that were published over the course of my career from 1994 to 2010. Thanks everybody!!

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All right, before I forget, tomorrow morning I have a very early shift and won’t be posting to the blog. The same thing will happen the following Wednesday morning (July 8th.)

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And in other news!!

Here’s this! From the Oldies Radio Station on the retro boombox next to my bed yesterday morning!! Such a great song for summer…

“The Boys Of Summer”

Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer’s out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets
The sun goes down alone
I’m driving by your house
Though I know you’re not home

But I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin’ in the sun
You got your hair combed back and your sunglasses on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

I never will forget those nights
I wonder if it was a dream
Remember how you made me crazy?
Remember how I made you scream
Now I don’t understand what happened to our love
But babe, I’m gonna get you back
I’m gonna show you what I’m made of

I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin’ in the sun
I see you walking real slow and you’re smilin’ at everyone
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

Out on the road today, I saw a DEADHEAD sticker on a Cadillac
A little voice inside my head said, “Don’t look back. You can never look back”
I thought I knew what love was
What did I know?
Those days are gone forever
I should just let them go but-

I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin’ in the sun
You got that top pulled down and that radio on, baby
And I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

I can see you-
Your brown skin shinin’ in the sun
You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers on, baby
I can tell you my love for you will still be strong
After the boys of summer have gone

c- 1984 Don Henley, Mike Campbell

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Here’s this, from Sunday– photo by Michael Putland:

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And all the other “here’s this’s” today are from the Bad Seeds!!

Here’s this! George Vjestica goes shopping!! From yesterday — but the Bad Seeds play Berlin tonight!

And Warren Ellis headed to Berlin with Cookie for schnitzel —

And here’s the set list from the Antwerp show, which was another show, based on all the videos I saw, that appeared to be completely fantastic:

I loved this photo!!! Posted by radiowilly. I think it was from Antwerp, but I’m not certain:

And this was on facebook — again, I think it was Antwerp, but it didn’t specifically say:

And this is definitely from Antwerp! Posted by Jim Sclavunos this morning:

And I absolutely LOVED this!!! Definitely from Antwerp:

As everyone above has already said, the Bad Seeds play Berlin tonight. And then they play Poland on Thursday. Buy tickets here!!

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And speaking of Nick Cave–

WOW, gang.

Nick Cave sent out an amazing Red Hand File yesterday!! I absolutely loved it!! He spoke about his early beliefs about his art and how they changed over time, including:

“…There may be nothing new under the sun, but it is our distinctiveness that matters, our specialness. I deal exclusively in old, well-worn ideas, but there is still no song like a Nick Cave song, or a Morrissey song, or a Prince song, or a Lana Del Ray song, a Wu-Tang song, a Cure song, a Pixies song, a Kate Bush song, a Kneecap song, or the work of infinite other artists who have found their characteristic voice. Perhaps that is the purpose of art, and indeed life – to enchant and reinvigorate the world using those timeless ideas interpreted through our own inimitable strangeness….”

You can read it in full HERE.

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And I think that’s it for today, gang.

I can at least say that I am hanging in there, finding reasons to keep on keeping on. It sometimes feels like it’s a 24/7 task these days — looking for ways to stay focused on flowing joy and staying creative. But so far, I am still here!

So, have a Terrific Tuesday, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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And let’s close with this!!

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

The Swingin’ Medallions, “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)” !! 1966!! Enjoy, gang!! We sure did!!

Crazy days in Crazeysburg!

June 3, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 1 Comment

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

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

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

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

The gas station on 3rd Street that night:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile–

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

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

And speaking of Keith–

Obviously, I loved this!!

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

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Okay!

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

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

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

And don’t forget!!!

7 more days and counting… (buy tickets here)

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

Nick, proving he’s sober? Not sure.

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

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And that is kind of it for today.

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

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

So, summer will officially start around here tomorrow.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

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

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

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

Anyway! This song reminds me of all that!

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

An interesting bunch of hours

May 23, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Well, me and my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man did indeed go out for sashimi & sake yesterday — we had a splendid time, even though it rained the whole day and was kind of chilly.

But he was in great spirits and happy to get out of the house.

And look at this most magnificent fortune that was in my fortune cookie after lunch!!!

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So.

I did over 100 miles of driving yesterday, because I had that new client out in the hills on a farm.

And it poured rain throughout most of that driving — including the 40 miles I had to drive to get back home last night.

But what a nice client. What a nice home, on a beautiful farm. He had a great cat. And what an easy shift. The day shift does everything. I was just basically on “standby” all evening. I didn’t need to do much, physically.

However…

That said.

That little extra money I would now be getting from having this new client every Friday night all summer long…

It turned out that yesterday was the final evening shift for that client. He is steadily improving and will now only need help during the days.

The Agency texted me while I was there last evening. Oh well. The extra money for the rest of the summer, evaporated.

However!! The good part was learning that I suddenly had every Friday night off for the rest of the summer…. yay!!

But he was a really nice man.

And you know you’re on a farm in Ohio when you hang out and watch old reruns of “Gunsmoke” from over 60 years ago, while your client has his gun in its holster, draped over the arm of his recliner all evening…

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All right!

I slept in a little this morning because I got in late last night. So let’s get moving!

On WhatsApp this morning!! From Vietnam, finally!

Wayne & I still call it Saigon, even though it’s not called that anymore. But here’s Wayne and his brother in Saigon yesterday!

Wayne does not know what they’re drinking, only that it was “2 for $5”:

Here, Wayne’s brother is learning from a native, how to fit-in in Saigon!

And Wayne took this photo of a photo because he felt my birth dad’s energy coming from it — my dad was on these types of boats a lot in the Vietnam War. This is at the War Remnants Museum:

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Okay.

Here’s this!

More stuff that Johnny Depp is doing!

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And on to another Johnny!

From Phyllis Stein! Johnny Thunders, in Amsterdam, in 1985!

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And here’s this!

Leonard Cohen at the Chelsea Hotel in NYC, in 1967!

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And here’s this!

From that same photo shoot that my favorite Rolling Stones poster came from in my wee bonny teenaged girlhood — only in this shot, Keith is up close and smoking!! Yay!!

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And a couple of great ones!!

First, an old favorite — Nick Cave at perhaps his finest!! And smoking!!

And second — a new favorite!!

Some of the Birthday Party & Lydia Lunch in Berlin in 1982!!

And don’t forget!! Coming up soon!

Buy tickets HERE!!

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And that is it. I gotta scoot or I’m gonna be late!

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

Driving in the rain for 40 miles music from last night!

I know I posted it here recently, but here it is again!! Play it loud, over and over, in the pouring rain in the middle of a very green & rolling nowhere for 40 miles, sing along, and you can still smile the whole way home. I did!

“Better Things” by The Kinks. Enjoy (again), gang.