Tag Archives: travel

A very happy Friday!

April 24, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

Okay, so–

It has happened.

As of now — 1954 Powder Blue Pickup has been published on Amazon Kindle, in eBook and in print!

The eBook is available now — $2.99 (free if you are in Kindle Unlimited).

And the print book is now available here!!! ($8.95) Yay!!

“A young man with a pickup truck in 1950s America, navigates the strict sexual morals of the era by introducing a pretty, unmarried virgin to the true joys of “backdoor” sex — how it can save her virginity for her wedding night so that no one will ever be the wiser. The two agree to embark on an affair of unbridled licentious behavior with no strings attached, in the privacy of his pickup truck out on the edge of town. However, neither of them is prepared for just how well suited they are to each other’s carnal appetites, as the young woman is introduced to more and more sexual surprises, until they are each forced to admit that they’ve crossed over a line they can’t come back from without each other.“

It is a love story, but it is absolutely hardcore and absolutely for ADULTS ONLY. (“Thank you for your attention to this matter!” — DJT)

(“Wow, Jane, this is the best book you ever wrote!” — my seriously open-minded 94-year-old uncle in Virginia.) (It’s a long story, but my uncle’s nickname for me is “Jane Galloway.”)

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I am just so thrilled, gang. And I’m still sort of holding my breath, because we’ve gotten this far before…

But so far, so good. And it only took me about an hour and a half, yesterday, to get both editions back up there.

I still had plenty of time to take that walk yesterday — it was unbelievably gorgeous outside.

And I did yoga. And I vacuumed the whole house. All the windows were open, so the air just felt so great in here. Like, I could actually breathe. Yay!

And I officially put in my request at the Agency yesterday for time off in June to go to NYC for the Lammy Awards.

As of right now, I will be staying in a hotel west of Times Square, in my old OLD neighborhood — in Hell’s Kitchen, between 9th & 10th Avenues.

I lived in that area briefly when I was 20 years old, from February 1981 until I married Chong, in April 1981, and then moved with him to 8th Ave and W. 45th Street and my whole life turned around .

I don’t have the best memories from that Hell’s Kitchen apartment, or of the guy I lived with there.

In fact, below is the song I wrote later in 1981, about that brief and intense time in my life!

However, the song was very popular when I finally started performing in the folk clubs in the West Village, a couple months later. (Photo below is of me in the E. 12th Street apartment, a few years later.)

My song, “Breaking Glass” — as it appeared on vinyl in 1982!! Still available on Folkways Records!!

“Breaking Glass”

I was doomed to live in New York City
On a block where accidental babies
Went out with the trash;
We shared a two-room apartment,
Tiny and cold
To the tune of a love, by winter,
Growing old
And the sound of an angry young woman
Breaking glass.

I recall our lives were never empty
There were tears enough for the third who entered
And beckoned your past;
The hours you kept were deceitful
And it had to show
The passion of time she burned
I couldn’t control;
I was trapped in my raging fury
And breaking glass.

CHORUS
There’s no telling how the coming of love
Will find us
There’s no guessing in what way
It’s gonna set us free
There’s no doubting that the anger of love
Can break us
When our actions don’t even come close
To the people we wanna be most
And our dreams don’t work out as the glories
They’d promised to be.

Without excuses I left the table
Well, I ran like hell while I was still able
I started anew;
I’ve lost some weight and I’m strong 
And happy now
I got over the fiery anger, though
I don’t know how;
The songs we knew, they don’t drive me crazy
Well, I stopped the drinking and being lazy
It’s over at last;
The painful sheer rejection has 
All gone past;
The tunes of deceit and loneliness
Fading fast;
Gone are the days of anger
And breaking glass.

CHORUS
 There’s no telling how the coming of love
Will find us
There’s no guessing in what way
It’s gonna set us free
There’s no doubting that the anger of love
Can break us
When our actions don’t even come close
To the people we wanna be most
And our dreams don’t work out as the glories
They’d promised to be.

c- 1981 Marilyn Jaye Lewis
First of May Songs, BMI

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Anyway. I digress. It will be interesting being back in the old neighborhood — in a hotel, no less. It’s a lot nicer there now than it was 45 years ago. (Unless of course, I end up staying with Sandra on the Upper West Side, then all of what I’ve just said, changes…)

Okay!

Here’s this!!

I have never seen these photos of Keith before and I just love them!!

Photographer is Jean Marie Mazeau. Not sure, but maybe 1966?

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And here’s this!

Two photos of Nick Cave that I don’t think I’ve seen before, either!

Nick, waiting on a phone call from the distant past??

And Nick, reading from his upcoming novel And the Ass Saw the Angel, in Melbourne, in 1988 (?) (I absolutely loved that novel!):

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And this just in!

Official lyric video of ‘Haunted’ performed by Johnny Depp & Imelda May. Written by Shane MacGowan. From the upcoming “20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan”. (Pre-order here.)

Johnny Depp & Imelda May – Haunted (Official Lyric Video):

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Okay!!

You know, I forgot to mention that back on April 17th, my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man and I were not able to go to the clubhouse at the golf course that has those fantastic views! (There was a health problem with his private nurse last week, so things got screwy for a few days.)

However!! Assuming he is up to it when I get there–

We are indeed going today!! And the weather is perfect once again!! So here’s hoping that in a few hours, he’ll be having his vodka martini while sitting next to one of these windows!! (I don’ t know where I’ll be, but my guess is that I’ll be sitting right next to him!! Minus the martini!!)

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And I think that is it for now.

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!

Yay!!

From my retro boombox next to my bed this morning!!

Tom Jones! His version of “She Drives Me Crazy” from his absolutely fantastic album, Reload, 1999. Enjoy, gang.

Gettin’ ready for summer, I guess!

January 21, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

So, tomorrow!!

As part of my home improvement grant from the USDA — they are coming to install my central AC!!

They called me while I was at my shift yesterday. And they said, “Okay, we’re all set. All the paperwork’s in place. When can we come out?”

I was just flabbergasted, but in a good way. It was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit outside, with very high winds, and the last thing on my mind was air conditioning…

But there you go, gang. I am sort of stunned but it’s really happening — central AC installed in my 126-year-old home, absolutely free of charge to me.

(If you’re new to the blog — I had applied for a home improvement loan, but they said that since the house is old and because I’m old, they’re giving me a grant instead of a loan.)

But anyway, I’m very happy. And during the first week of February, both the carpenter and the plumber are coming to do the other upgrades. So, after 6 months of waiting, I can’t believe it’s all suddenly happening so fast.

Me, this coming summer, drinking coffee, chillin’ and reading with short red hair

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Tomorrow, I’m planning to work at the kitchen table while the AC guys are here, instead of up here at my desk. I’m really eager to get all these notes from Sandra sorted out, so we can make headway in getting the TV proposal back to the producer in Atlanta, who’s waiting on it.

Today, though–

It’s going to be sunny and not too terribly freezing out (34 degrees Fahrenheit), so my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man and I will be going out for sashimi and sake!!

And, YES! When I went to see him on Saturday, I did stop off at the gas station and bought one of those little bottles of pre-mixed vodka cocktails (and also another packet of those little bow-tie shaped snacks, because he loved those when I brought them over for Christmas Eve).

Well, he was so happy!!!

Not only that, but for some reason, the private nurse hadn’t done the grocery shopping yet, so there were no eggs for his breakfast when I got there. And it was about 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and snowy and icy outside, with high winds, so no way was I taking him out to eat.

So I Door-Dashed him in some breakfast from Bob Evans:

Very famous breakfast place in Central Ohio

He was super excited about that, too. It was more food than he normally eats in a week, let alone eats for breakfast, but he loved it. (Eggs, sausages, fried potatoes, biscuits, coffee and pancakes!) And since I knew I was giving him a “bottle of (diluted) vodka” later, I really, really wanted him to eat.

Okay, so that was really fun. And he had such a great time.

HOWEVER, when I got there and read over the notes from the caregiver who had replaced me the day before (I had called in sick), it turned out he had been unbelievably impossible to her.

Refused to eat. Refused to get dressed. Refused to speak to her. Refused to take his meds. He even called the private nurse, demanding to know who the stranger was that was in his house and why she was there, and then he actually threw the caregiver out! Made her leave the house and not come back. Even though the nurse explained to him that I was out sick and the girl was replacing me.

Of course he didn’t remember having done any of that when I got there on Saturday, but it kind of made me doubly happy that I had stopped off and bought him that vodka. He had such a great afternoon.

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Okay.

Here’s this.

I’m not sure why, gang, but when I saw this photo yesterday, it just sort of ignited my whole heart. (I think it’s his eyes.)

Keith onstage, somewhere at some point:

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And here are a couple photos from the Bad Seeds’ show in Adelaide!

I’m actually not completely certain which show this photo is from, but I loved the photo:

And you can buy tickets for the Sydney shows, January 23rd & 24th, HERE.

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And if you’re keeping track, right this minute:

GOLD: $4,866.94 per troy ounce

SILVER: $95.03 per ounce

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And on that lofty note, I gotta scoot!!

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

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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I leave you with this!!

I hadn’t listened to this song in forever, but I put it in the CD player in the kitchen this morning at 4:15AM and then immediately hit REPEAT, and I listened to it over & over & over, while getting the many cats their breakfasts, and me, my breakfast, then washing up dishes, etc.

I’d forgotten how much I loved this song.

Johnny Cash, “Life’s Railway to Heaven”, from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band tribute album, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2, 1989.

Enjoy, gang!!