Throw me somethin', mista!

1. Weekend before last, ATM & I hosted Alannah & her 16 y.o. daughter Stella. Alannah is one of my favorite people.  It goes w/o saying, but I will anyway: she is easy going, intelligent, kind & fun.  She's managed to single-handedly raise a polite, smart, stylish teen.  Stella was completely engaged with us and didn't spend any more time on her phone than her mum & I did.  I had big fun!  We went to the races in Hot Springs, a first time for Stella.  I very much love hosting company, but especially these two.

2.  Freshly painted bedroom walls.  Pink!

3.  Speaking of pink, I've been spending a great deal of time in our little pink bathroom.   The LUSH product line keeps me busy (and squeaky clean) with their bath bombs, toothy tabs & scents.  Nothing like a warm bath during this so-called "winter".  Even better with natural and (mostly) vegan products.

Look at my darling elder cat! 15 y.o. this July.

4.  Nile Rodgers + Daft Punk

5.  this isn't happiness


6.  Planned Parenthood 


7.  ATM.  No matter what I bring to the table, he never flinches.  If I need someone to reel me back in, he's pretty reliable.  He takes me anywhere I want to go.  A great guy.  I'm a lucky gal.

8.  As I write this, I yearn to be in New Orleans.  We had a most splendid time there this past weekend.  I love Jen + Paul, our hosts.  True sweethearts.  We arrived at their cute home in Bayou St. John, Mid-City to be treated to some of the best damn gumbo I've ever had.  Look at that color!  A proper roux.

We ate gumbo, drank beers, and got geared up to go see the Endymion parade.  The weather conditions were miserable (cold rain) and we weren't even sure that they would roll, but we trekked anyway.  Despite everything, I couldn't stop smiling.  We were definitely rewarded for going out in those dreadful conditions.  Endymion, my first Mardi Gras parade, did not disappoint.


ATM, Jen + Paul:

Me with the horse head mask!  Photo by ATM:

After getting thoroughly soaked and weighed down by beads, we started walking back towards J/P's place.  We made a stop at Parkway Bakery & Tavern for the best poor boys & fries with gravy ever ever.  Ever.  We did not eat a single raw oyster on this trip.  As disappointing as that sounds, we made up for it with these.  That's some kind of power.  It even made having wet feet o.k.  Do you understand now?  These are the poor boys and fries you've been looking for.



 


Walking home.  "If Ever I Cease To Love"



The morning after at the long house.  Left side.



Bart, the little porch puma.  A prince.






The stoop on which one gets stoopid:



Around the corner:



Grocery shop a few blocks away:



Honestly, we weren't fully recovered from the previous evening when we caught a cab to go catch beads @ the Bacchus parade.  The cabbie got us as close as he could before he gave us some walking directions and a loving "good luck" and "be safe".  When we arrived, a parade was passing through but, it wasn't Bacchus, it was Thoth, which was a pleasant surprise.  After catching the tail-end of Thoth (and a few beads), we did some waiting waiting waiting.  People had been lining the streets since 9 a.m.















Catch & release:



After waiting for an eternity and accidentally seeing Will Ferrell as King of Bacchus (we figured he'd be at the back of the line), we decided to blow off the parade and go to the WWII Museum's restaurant called the American Sector for a hot dog, a milkshake, and a sit down. All of the walking (Mardi Gras makes travel by car very difficult) and waiting made us all very tired.









It wasn't a late night as we had to get up earlyish the next morning to make our way home.  I did not see not one tit!  How about that? Before we left town, we popped into Cemetery #3, since it was so close to J/P's house.



Gris gris?












Took a few shots of the bayou:









Go here:



En route home:



I want to travel to other places this year, but New Orleans presents a problem.  The pull is very strong.  I'd go there just to have a meal.  Much love to Jen + Paul for havin' us on such short notice!

Next day @ work:

Her jazz

quick friday morning playlist for getting ready

1.  I went through a brief Dory Previn phase, alone in my room at Third St. house, that I had forgotten about!  I was sadly reminded when I learned that she passed away a few days ago. I don't know about this video.

2.  I will always have a soft spot for this Bad Girl.  

 3.  I watched Still Bill the other night.  It's very precious and sweet.  Bill Withers is a national treasure.

4.  The earnestness in her voice.  So heart wrenching! :

5.  Whenever ATM & I get indifferent about what to listen to, we always pick the Talking Heads.  You can't go wrong.  This is my favorite:

6.  Do people still dance? I never go out:

7. 

Fucking weather

Pardon my French, but "inclement weather" drives me batty.  Everyone goes daft and is all of a sudden incapable of driving.  Snow balls! 

I looked at prints to improve my mood and listened to Ivan Smagghe on BIS (ff to the 24:00 min mark to skip the interview):

This PSA available here.

Kitty!

This is a stay in, eat pasta, and plan an ensemble for Mardi Gras kind of evening. 

nightly grind

The past few days have been foggy as I've been properly sedated, which is great!, because that pain was unreal.  I do not want to feel that ever again. 


I managed to get an appointment with my DDS today.  The dentist, he took an x-ray and then he said, "hmm" and then "yep", and then he ground one of my teeth down some.  It didn't hurt because it's partially fake anyway.  The way my bite is, the back teeth are the only ones that touch.  Since my jaw is misaligned, one particular tooth absorbs the impact when I bump & grind (aw yeah) in my sleep.  It's going to hurt like hell eventually.  That's the terrible pain I'm experiencing now.  I tried to discuss TMJ with him, but he waved it off, even as I persisted, as it's a hard thing to diagnose apparently and insurance companies do not cover it.  Doc is certain that a mouth guard will help.  It isn't clear to me how it will make the pain in my neck and head go away.  I suppose that's my problem.  It was what I was going to the doctor for before this whole tooth emergency began.  I'm now convinced the both problems are related, so. Aha.


I've looked into it, but can't afford acupuncture, sadly.  It was something that I was genuinely excited about, but it's not covered by my insurance.  Chiropracters are, on the other hand.  I booked an appointment for this Friday morning.  I don't want to rely on pain relievers.  They're great, believe me, but it's not something I want to become dependent on.  


Besides from being tired all of the time and having some pain which, oddly, is not relieved by taking Vicodin, I'm fine.  Maybe a little complainy.  Misery, company, and all that.




Right before all of the horribleness went down. Photo by ATM:

Everything's great, thumbs up!

Here is a post where I will try not to bellyache about my maladies: an old splinter being pushed out by my body (ouch!), a toothache (noooo!), and pains in my back and neck from a pinched nerve (little lightning bolts emanating!).

No, no, I'll try to be smart and highlight the pluses.  +++

I am getting new spectacles.  It was near impossible for me to choose because of problems that arise from having too. much. choice.  I kept picking this particular pair, so I just purchased them before I could change my mind again.

If you have prescription glasses, then you probably already know what it means to get a fresh pair. No more glare, no squinting, no spasms, and no d'aches.  The clarity is magical.  It's a whole new world!

+++

So, we're going to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras!  The timing's proper as the weekend before Fat Tuesday is a 3-day one.    Thanks to lovely Jen & Paul, we've got accommodations, not to mention their excellent company & NOLA wisdom.  I'm so excited because I've never been to Mardi Gras festivities and, too, I was really just missing the city in general.  Once you get it in your mind that you want to go, you will find a way to get there.  It really didn't occur to me to actually go, but then I was digging through the record bins at Goner last weekend and I pulled up the 9th Ward Marching Band's Creepin' Up the Street LP.  I didn't buy it (yet), but was intrigued, so I jotted their name down to look up later. 

Maybe it's a combination of my being Southern, loving New Orleans, and liking marching bands (it was one of the tolerable things about high school), but I totally got a lump in my throat AND was shaking my ass watching their videos.  How fun!  I immediately sent them fan mail and inquired about their schedule for this year.  I hope we get to see them.  Even if we don't, I don't think we will be disappointed, because there's so much to do, but it would be terrific!  And I ended up ordering that record .  Ninth ward!

+++

Earlier today, I was perusing my twittah feed and noticed a post from Lloyd, owner of Get This! Gallery in ATL, urging us to check out the art of Heather Mcpherson.  I got on ye olde hand held wizard device (because that's what it is) and gave him a ring.  Firstly, it was really good to catch up with Lloyd.  For those who know & adore him, he's doing well.  We might meet up in Miami for Art Basel.  Secondly, it looks like I'll be acquiring some art.  The significance is twofold: we've been having a hard time committing anything to our walls, walls in which we own.  I don't know why.  It's annoying.  But, hey, here's something I feel confident about!  Too, for detractors of twitter, this is my second time this week that I've purchased art this way.  Breaking news, good jokes, band updates, recipes, links to art -- it's tailored to your liking, so if you don't like it, it's your own damn fault.  I think this is a boring argument, though,  because if you don't get it, you don't get it.  But, if you don't get it and are trying to, keep trying!  Damn.

Anyway, here are the pieces I'm looking at...




And I actually purchased this print via  twitter.com/jonny_pirate

peace love & soul

Truly rest in peace Don Cornelius.

In case you didn't know, this is an open invite event.  Please come.  Bring your best vegan/vegetarian dish and some of your favorite vinyl.  TOFU HAPPENING is a truly enjoyable event, so mark your calendar!  Also, we are looking for a location for the next one -- any volunteers?

What's tops in January 2012

1.  Internet radio: I know what I like and you know what you like & we can make playlists all day and night, but sometimes you've gotta get out of that vacuum and leave it to the pros.  Good DJs are ones that introduce me to new (or new to me) music.  A few of my favorites:

• The Crystal Telephone with Rotary Rachel.  I'm not going to even try to peg her style, so just have a listen.  If you don't listen to her show, you should at least follow her on twitter.  She is so clever & funny, I'm afraid if I go on about it, it will reveal my crush.

• Beats In Space with Tim Sweeney.  This is for folks who have an affinity for electronic music.  If that's not your bag, I can't help you.  Move along.   

• They're Only Records Paul with Paul Thomson.  This one's good for classics, variety & weirdness. 

These radio stations are usually pretty reliable, too:  KEXP (Seattle), WFMU (NY), and WNYU (NY) 

2.  Broccoli slaw -- seriously.  What can't you do with it?  Burrito filler, veg egg rolls, salad, and so forth.  It's so good for you, but more importantly, it's very delicious.  If you can't figure out what to do with it, then what are you even doing in the kitchen?  Since we're talkin' food, let's give high praise to clementines and the fact that I learned to cook aloo gobi and quite well, too.

3.  Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  ATM hasn't been since the 90s and I haven't been in say... 10 years?  We try to take a mini-holiday in January to combat winter blues and for the past couple of years, we've gone to Dallax.  Being short on both time & $$$, we decided to have an in-state break.  Good idea! you say.  And how!  We stayed at the Crescent Hotel ("You've gotta do it once!" everyone said), had a really great meal at Local Flavor Cafe (start with the baked brie), and rounded out the evening with drinks at The Stone House, which is very cozy & smells faintly of cedar.  Be sure to drink way too much cava here.  Alannah knew the gang running that joint, so we could hang out longer than the 10 p.m. close time.  I had too much wine fun.  I am looking forward to going back.

So, as you look at these photos, please be on the lookout for any spooky supernatural happenings.  I haven't been able to spot any myself.  But, we spent the night in one of the most haunted buildings in America!  But, all I heard throughout the night was the radiator!

Our little room:

Resident feline putting me at ease:

Ex-, with that weak winter sunlight:

Int-:

4.  Crystal Bridges Museum of Art.  From Eureka Springs, we trekked over to Bentonville to visit the new museum.  My whole life, I've never taken to the view that Arkansas is the most backwards state of the Union.  I've assigned that designation to some of our neighbors to the N, S, E & W of us.  On the contrary, Arkansas is a gem!  A diamond, in fact.  I was born & raised here, so perhaps I'm biased.  But, if one maintains the dim view that this is a place lacking any culture or substance, then I'm convinced you've never even been here OR that you never left the River Market.  Much to the world's *dismay (and numerous Arkansans), we got Crystal Bridges Museum.  I'd say that it's a work in progress, but it is still quite good.  Definitely a big score for our lovely little state.

This is my third Roxy Paine tree I've seen:

I'll only post a few of my favorite pieces, as to not spoil it for those who haven't been:

5.  Kim Deal

6.  David Bowie

7.  Scouting NY is a wonderful blog by Nick, a movie location scout.  If you are like me and always wonder what it's like to go into certain buildings around here, this is like that, but in glorious world famous New York City!  Bookmark this one.  Nick is raising $$$ to make a film.  I'm willing to bet that it's worthy of a few of your dollars.

8.  Apartamento Magazine.  It is self-described as ''an everyday life interiors magazine", which is spot on.  Doable interior design & decorating, mostly with what you've got.  With a little rearranging and better lighting, your home can be wonderful!  Good voyeuristic content, as you can peek into homes of other's, but not in a Better Homes kind of way.

9.  Weekends @ home.  It's hard fighting the urge to hop into the car and just go to Memphis, Hot Springs, or NWA.  But, with the upcoming trip to Vietnam, it makes sense to stick around and work on the house.  I like it there with the hanging out, cooking, and even cleaning.  

10.  Turner Classic Movies.  If the t.v. is on, it's probably on this channel.  I recently watched Pressure Point, starring Sidney Pointier -- his performance was so great that I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until I was gasping for air.  Watching old movies forces me to slow down and pay attention and really listen.  I love looking at the sets and costumes.  I actually enjoy being horrified by old timey thinking and ideas.  Some things, good and bad, don't change.

At least we don't have to peel wallpaper.

I took off work early today because I was feeling terrible.  I've gone and slept through the day, and pretty soundly too.  It was just what I needed because I'm feeling much better.  ATM was so kind to pick me up some aloo gobi take-out, so I'm proper fed.  I've taken a quick lesson in Vietnamese online and had a bath.  I'm on top of my game, so, how about some freewheelin' writing whilst listening to The Cramps?  Apropos.


On Monday, we were going to paint our bedroom walls.  What started out as a straightforward project is now a full-blown undertaking.  ATM started spackling problem spots and I was about to begin laying painters tape on the molding when we realized that if we wanted to do a job well done, then we'd have to paint the ceiling AND the molding before painting the walls because it appears the previous owner did not lay down tape, or pretty much do anything properly in this house ever, and got that ugly paint everywhere.  It's infuriating.  Every project here is contingent on our fixing the mistakes of the past.  Pish.  Anyway, it'll be so rewarding when we are done.  And every time we do something to this house, I love it more.  You just wait and see.  We will turn this little house into something else.


Here is our inspiration.



The current hue, what we call nicostained, makes the light very weird and disorienting.  The lighter color will definitely correct the lighting situation and our mood.  And I am very happy that we're even paying any attention to our bedroom, since there are so many other things around here that needs to be fixed, replaced, or remodeled. 


If we have time, we will start dismantling the cabinets over the stove.  I've stopped making weekend plans for the time being so we can hang around to work on this old house.  I'm glad to do it.


Tet is on Monday, the 23rd, but we'll be celebrating this Sunday at the temple.  As usual, I'm looking forward to it.  Year of the Dragon.  Collin won't be accompanying us, which saddens me.  I've gone with Collin more than anyone and we've gone for many years.  At any rate, I really hope that erryone has a crackin' good new year!  

01-13-10

f r e e

This is such an amazing opportunity, I had to post it right away: You would have access to 400 free online courses from top universities if only you clicked HERE.

It allows you to download these audio & video courses straight to you computer or mp3 player, so it's very convenient.  

Brilliant.

Oh-twelve.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  OH, TWELVE!  I've got some things I'd like to accomplish this year including trying to honestly care for myself, travel big (Viet Nam in March. Possibilities: Chicago, Arizona, New Orleans, & Miami), perhaps get something significant done to the house, and KMHD and I will lay out a timeline for our future business endeavor and start doing the dull tasks that entails.  That's a manageable list.  I broke a big, nasty habit last year (smoking cigarettes - eeeew!) and would like to try to either break another bad habit or start a good one.  I'm not going to file all of this under 'resolutions' because it's something I'm constantly working towards anyway and I don't think I really gain from the benefits of a new year bounce.

The Cabin/NYE was sublime this go around.  It's really all in the company you keep.  ATM, KMHD, Jonathan, Steve & Shawn were the stars of the show with special guests Andrew & Hannah.  I did miss Collin, though.  I stayed up beyond the stroke of midnight, drank steadily throughout w/o forming a sour disposition or a sour stomach, and this hangover is actually manageable.  Nothing that copious amounts of ice water, couch lounging & a Lush bathbomb can't help.  Over the course of the evening, I took stock of my life -- I like where some things are going, but some things (and people) make me really unhappy.  A few adjustments and straight up severing negative ties and everything will be much improved.  Housekeeping.

Anyway.

I can't tell you how many times I've considered closing shop and starting anew.  I've struggled with content & substance and the lack thereof.  But, wait, didn't I start this thing as a place to keep track of what I've been up to, so it'd be sequential and orderly when I need to do some recalling?  It's a journal.  Picking up regular readers, really, is just bonus.  Thanks for being here.

I think the struggle, too, is that I can't write.  Ho ho!  THERE, I SAID IT.  I do not have the talent to express in written word, and sometimes out loud, what it is I'm feeling, which is ultra frustrating.  If you don't have anything to say, don't, right?  Too, I don't like having my time wasted, so I try not do that to others.  I don't want this to be a waste of time, mine or yours.  Schizophrenic.  Paranoid.  Uch, I'll get it sorted.  

I do know what I don't want FEAR ANTS to be & that's a start.