Can I share this with you?

As we embark upon hotter months, I feel guilty for staying indoors on those bright, sunny days with nice cool breezes. Those days are numbered. When it is humid and cloudy, as it has been, I open the curtains and have no problem staying indoors and taking some time to enjoy the cool birthday gifts I received from Mr. C. We've been listening to a lot of Sammy Davis Jr and watching Rat Pack films. Sammy's version of This Guy's in Love with You is really dreamy. Happiness is box sets.

I also received Semina Culture:Wallace Berman and His Circle. I saw the Semina Journal displayed at the Beat exhibit last year (HRC, you know with the beautiful Kerouac Scroll?) and fell in love with it but good luck finding any to look at and possess. The book is great!

It's also been fun finding Nina Hagen clips on Youtube.com. Nina on the Merv Griffin show with Don Rickles, surreal. I think I understand German better than I thought. Watching the documentary on the Hagen women without subtitles, I manage to really understand it quite a bit, or so I think. All those years of listening to German on the shortwave or all those linguistics classes, paid off. I have an ear for languages, or so I think.

This video goes out to Del Rioans and their very special problem with the city council right now. Hope you guys win the fight and things return to the way they were!

This was a cool flick

Night Tide is a film I could watch over and over. It has a dreamy quality to it.
I would love to watch it together with the film Three Women. 

Upon waking,

I feel as if I was just here moments ago and the clock displays 6:07. True story.

Minute to Minute Minutiae

Happy Birthday Puck!

I can't get enough of the Banagarams. It is so simple, easy to play, comes in a banana shaped bag and so addictive.

So the Paramount 2009 Summer Film Series schedule is now out. YES! it is tres early. I think this is the earliest it has ever been. I must say that at first glance, this year started to look disappointing:Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind love them all but...they put these out year after year. Things atarted to look up with Dames, Leave Her to Heaven, Shoot the Piano Player, Amarcord, Lola Montes, and East of Eden. The rest I'm not too sure about. They boast 70 films, but for now I can only get excited about six.

So I'm still holding my breath with the garden but it looks like a real garden this year, I don't want to jinx it,but, blooming bromeliads, this is a first for me!


It will be interesting to see how the Silkies Gen2 turn out being raised by a real hen and all. Will they be better adjusted than the ones I raised last year? My Silkies know their names and come when called and one of my proudest achievements was raising a roo with a great demeanor. Keet is brave yet very friendly and warm with humans. He was the smartest chicken I had and is now heading a huge flock in Wimberely. I hear from his adopted mom from time to time.

Already I think I have one roo. Nacho was born a whole 30 hours after the first two and is already the largest of the three. He doesn't peep or squirm when picked up so I'm betting he's a little roo. All the chicks get a lot of handling, without it they could turn out aloof and even mean, no one wants that.

No one wants this either:

Scamming bibliomaniacs

Back in 1989 Claudia and I fell for a book scam where you choose as many books as you like and pay only the postage which was advertised as being $4.95. We sort of went nuts. I don't remember the titles being much good but for some reason we were determined to place an order. I think it had something to do with being out in the world and wanting to begin our singlewomanoutintheworldfinallyanadult bookshelf. I ordered a few anthologies: Edgar Allen Poe, Fitzgerald and for some reason a History of the World, History of Art and 10,000 Quotable Quotes.I have never really liked books made up of nothing but quotes, something so frustrating about it but I thought it might help me in college. That book ended up in a Half-Priced Books stack years later along with several other quote books I managed to acquire over the years.

Two huge boxes arrived at the college post office. They were filled with our heavy paperbacks and we proudly carried them back to our dorm room. It had worked, we weren't scammed and they even threw in the tote promised in the ad. A few days later we received notices at our PO boxes to pick up packages. The clerk appeared with two more huge boxes from the book company. This time we were puzzled as we carried the heavy boxes of mystery books back to our dorm. We hoped we hadn't been naive and stupid enough to fall for a Columbia House scam. We were wise to those. Nothing in the brochure mentioned more books or joining a club. Opening the box we found titles we would never order like Zoya and Star-By Danielle Steele, Leadership Secrets of Atilla the Hun and The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure. These titles are embedded in my mind forever. We had received the exact same titles and a letter explaining that the book company thought we'd be interested in these selections based on our previous order. If we did not want to keep the books all we had to do was check the box and use the label enclosed to return them. If we decided to keep the books all we had to pay was $65 for the books and shipping and handling. So we packed up the books and trudged up the hill from the dorm and back to the post office.

We quickly felt 14 again when the clerk said postage would be $65. SHIT! Shipping for our first order had been $4.95. We had been scammed. We were cash poor. Our parents had set up accounts for us at the cafeteria and bookstore, all we had to do was walk up to the counter and the money was deducted from an account. This $65 business was rather shitty because all I had was $100 on me and that was my movie, music,outing fund. Hard to believe that 1989 was such a cheap time compared to today. We ended up paying using our meager entertainment funds and walked back to the dorm feeling stupid.

The brochure had no phone number so we wrote letters of cancellation and mailed them. We received another nightmare box of books but refused them at the post office. Soon after that we received a letter explaining that if we purchased three bestseller titles (every single one of them was $15) plus shipping that we could terminate our membership. We'd already lost $65. So we did and that's how I ended up with: The T-Factor Diet,The Closing of the American Mind and Wealth Without Risk. non-fiction seemed worth the money I had to cough up even though at the time my life was so far removed from anything these books had to offer. Later we discovered that if hadn't used their label we could have shipped via media mail for something under $5.

What I share with Iggy Pop, Tony Danza and Queen Elizabeth

On my 2nd birthday. I woke up and was still in bed when my mom came in with the Fisher Price Little People House set. It had a bow on it and the first thing I did was try out the doorbell. I don't clearly recall memories from another birthday until my sixth in 1977.

I woke up and at the table, sitting next to the cream of rice was my birthday gift. Earlier that year my Grandmother bought me a Rand McNally children's "Elf  Book" book called Beth's Happy Day. It was about a little girl who had a number of birthday surprises as she went along her day. For some reason that story really made an impression on me and I remember thinking of how my day would be just like the Beth's Happy Day story since it already began with opening a gift for breakfast.

The doll I received was Happy Birthday Tender Love by Mattel, she'd blow bubbles and a candle on her plastic birthday cake. I took her to school with me that morning. I heard this song on the car radio and it played most of the way to school. It made me feel happy and I remember just about everything I saw and thought en route to school that day while the song played. The memory ends there, no recollection of anything else that happened once I opened the car door.

Lucky me

When they passed out the Lucky J's flyers at my gym we were all trying to think of where the restaurant could be. I had chicken and waffles before en route to New Orleans so it didn't sound strange to me. It was funny hearing everyone remark on what they thought was an odd combination.

It's a roach coach! Next to my favorite Home Lumber company. It's a charming lil place with outdoor seating. So we had the whole chicken and waffles and sprung for the extra maple syrup. The waffles were so delish! The fried chicken...maybe it was a bad day. I'll give it another try. But we're going back for sure.

I love my hood, it's like a small town,I have everything I need within a few blocks in any direction. I feel pretty good.

Let it rain

How quickly those grey clouds can take form. Without warning on nice, sunny days.

I'm getting a miniature goat or a classic car out of this.

Happy Minutiae

Finally, I can walk outside and cut a rose. This Spring the Del Rio heirloom rose bush had a growth spurt and we are able to enjoy the roses indoors and out.

April 10th brought us three new chickies, this is actually old news. I am hoping they are all female. If not I already have a list of forever homes for the roos.

April 18th my friend Bonnie and I will be watching our collaborative efforts hit the catwalk at the annual GRAPHIC Art Bra Fashion Show and Auction. We entered: Under Re-Construction. I take a lot of photos and how I missed photographing the art bra before it left my house, I don't know. Hope to get photos at the show.

My Grandmother finally gave me her recipe for empanadas. Actually, she sort of gave me her recipe. Basically she gave me a list of ingredients without measures and told me to make the dough so that it is not sticky and make the pumpkin filling so that it is sweet with a hint of cinnamon. I lucked out the first time, taste just like hers.

Her theory is that giving away a recipe to be followed isn't the way to get our favorite dishes and desserts to taste like hers. Making them the way she does is the key. So basically I watch and listen and remember the taste and consistency of things to arrive at the finished product. That is how she was taught.

I've been so busy enjoying Spring I have sort of let my website go. I'll be returning to it real soon with some new items and a new look.

Interests Du Jour:
1.Strangers When We Meet: Awesome film! Lots to look at, great actors and a storyline ahead of it's time. I must see it again. It's going on my Movies to Create By list.
2.Miniature Goats
3.Trumpet Flower Vines
4.Sewing
5.Free time
6.Empanadas
7.Deserts
8.Bromeliads

If RTN would improve their line-up life would be perfect. It seemed really cool at first but it's pretty bland now. It's all DVD for retro shows at our house. I heard that Unreliable Sources (with that ignorant goober) was gone, but he is still listed on their website. Who is that guy? More Night Gallery, less moron.

No Tea Party for me.

Mr Gage

Mr Gage
Originally uploaded by Tera in the Isles

I just about love all his paintings. They have a style and evoke a mood and time I'll never know. I own two.

Nacho

Silkies Gen2
Originally uploaded by Tera in the Isles

It can never be a bad day when I can see such cuteness in my own backyard.

Third and last chickie just born.

Third and last chickie just born., originally uploaded by Tera in the Isles.

TGIGF?

I'm staying up late tonight, it is past midnight and way past my workweek bedtime. Ducky's eggs began to crack and I'm waiting for chickies to appear. It can take a few hours. There is a chance that we'll get off early on Good Friday? Every year a few lucky state agencies always get Good Friday off. I think it has something to do with the 4th of July falling on the weekend and a floating holiday thing. There is some esoteric rule for us though: Governor Perry can call the day off when the legislature is in session on the the third day of the full moon in a year ending in an even number, maybe that's an odd number.... then we'd get a half day.

In my office, employees who don't use vacation time show up with dark circles under their eyes or dressed for a picnic with a cooler in the car ready to hear that we can go home. It never happens. Well, I take that back, it happens, I just don't remember the last time it did. Since Governor Perry has been in office it has not happened.

In the past you hear the rumors all day long that work is about to be called off, will be called off. Rumors that the Governor called the day off but it's up to the department to make the official decision. Rumors that the day has been called off officially usually sends those too lazy or unwilling to fact check out the door. Come Monday morning, the time sheets are disputed.

What does happen every Good Friday is employees grow restless and distracted, unable to work because at any moment they all want to hear the day has been called off. The day continues though, emails and phone calls trickle in from happy friends and relatives who are meeting up and asking what the status is on the day. Some do sneak off. Others grow more and more pissed off having lost their usual, daily work flow and just mingle with the other disgruntled and sleepy co-workers.

I am contemplating take the day off to be around when the chicks are born. Then again, I might go in for a half day in the hopes that I won't have to take those last four hours from my own vacation time. I know, I'm playing right into it. If someone brings in candy or donuts, it's pretty much a free for all and it's accepted that no work will get done. Good Friday.

#3

Dig the Sermon

Herman Munster-Beatnik

Listening to Nelson Riddle's Route 66, it really succeeds in putting pictures in my head. The winding mother road and a fast moving car somewhere between Illinois and California then along pops up a small town that dots the landscape, briefly, as the car drives non-stop into the sky. His album Cross Country Suite is a cool collaboration between Riddle and Buddy DeFranco who met while playing for Tommy Dorsey. It's not for everyone but I dig the Nelson Riddlenss of it. Longhorn is an interesting tune.

Let's go to the farmers market?

I just realized that if all goes well I won't need to visit the farmers market this summer. I did enjoy going last year with my friend, Renee. Wow, all the money I'll save if I can harvest cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants,squash and herbs from my own garden. In addition to fresh eggs. That is exciting to think about but I don't want to get ahead of myself. Last year things looked really promising until June, then the brown thumb hit. Hopefully I did everything right this year. If not there is always the farmers market on a Saturday morning and that's fun!

Greenwich Village on Sunday

Dig the sermon here.

April Fools?

Those Nigerian money scams get more and more creative. I just received a letter from Femi Babalola, out in some mysterious and faraway land in cyberspace. He emailed me that his grandmother recently passed away leaving what seems like a puppy mill and it is his duty to find good homes for these puppies. His career as a marketer has taken him to the the US Chamber of Commerce where he came upon my name and email address. How interesting. I always wonder who makes up these stories.

I  have replied in the past. Have to be really bored.  While you think it might increase emails, it actually made them stop for several months. One of my replies read:



My Dear Friend,
I have finally taken it upon myself to hire a secretary to handle my foreign correspondence. As you well know, I am quite popular overseas. I have answered many a last of kin email and as a result have been generously rewarded. I can hardly keep up with the emails or the wealth.

Since I was last contacted I have had several changes of address before finally taking up residence in the western United States region. I now live in a 123.5 room mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I had to settle for a previously owned mansion as the engineers, architects and construction workers could not understand my original blueprints for a house made from all the seashells I had collected along the beach when I was destitute, years ago. I have a small home in Fiji and just got it wired for digital TV. As you know, not an easy task in Fiji and it cost me several thousand dollars, but I quickly recouped thanks to several recent last of kin opportunities.

I'm purchasing an island next month so I am most interested in this new transaction. I apologize for the delay in my reply. It has taken me so long to forward this email to Ademola, my secretary, because I was unable to get my gold plated laptop to work while on holiday on the Riviera. I took this as a sign to perhaps stop and breathe… and put off business until I return.


Please correspond with my secretary who will handle the transaction: Ademola Johnson: ademolajohnson140@googlemail.com

Sincerely,
Notta Suker