action is not a plot

I have been trying to place a film for the past few weeks. All I can recall is one scene and I can't think whether it is a foreign film or not. The scene I recall is of the main character (female) along with two or three others entering an olde threater and sitting in red plush seats. The theater is nowhere near full, there are maybe 20 others in the audience and the performance is surreal to say the least.

I blame Nick Cave for this irritating niggle. The theater in the film is so reminiscent of his acoustic song when I saw him perform. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's an international movie and probably spainish or french. Maybe Bunel.
**
So today was the last day of roam a book shop and just pick what you want. I now must read two for every one I want to buy.

En Route, JK Huysmans

Goodbye Tsugumi, Banana Yoshimoto

Ten Nights of Dream: Hearing Things: The Heredity of Taste, Soseki Natsume

The Book of Atrix Wolf, Patricia McKillip

And of course what did I not get? Wuthering Heights *sigh* May I go and get that even if I haven't read from my 51 yet? I am almost done with the three Bananas.....Halfaway through Kitchen...

I read a review of The Omnivore's Dilemma. That looks like an interesting read. Has anyone read The Botany of Desire yet and if so what did you think? Was it dry and dessicated or so fascinting couldn't put it down stuff?
***
Okay I'm going to get some sleep so I can be benevolent dictator tomorrow. I already told one group they could not do their play as is. Plot gentlemen. Every play needs a plot or you should move to the Fox Network***CV

nijonjin

I love minor scales. I didn't realise this until the point during my training when we were studying major and minor scales. I wonder if an affinty to certain scales is a key to the type of music scene one pursues? Probably.
**
I like banana yoshimoto, what I've read of her work so far: all two books. She reminds me of Haruki Murakami without the descent into surreal dada land. I like the descent don't get me wrong and can hardly wait, though wait I must until his next release. Banana seems to dance along the magical realism pool and take an occasional dip. I really liked her short story Newlywed.
***
I grew up near Japan Town in San Francisco and for three years went to a catholic school which was predominantly Japanese. Oh I did not like being my big boned anglo self. I wanted to be like Yuki, or Keiko or Dina or Linda. I got over it eventually. Moving on to an African American junior high cures one right quick :)

All this by way of saying that I loved to hang out in Japan Town: The Peace Plaza, Mr. Onishii's video shop, Kinokuniya books, the Kabuki cinema, and the American Fish Market. Never made it to the Kabuki nightclub. It's a shame too because some really cool groups played there: Madness, Siouxie, Bau Haus and the like.

There was also Japan Town Bowl which I don't know if it exists anymore or not. Ah memories. That was the place where I fully snapped my wrist and scored a perfect strike at the same time. Good thing the hospital was only six blocks away.

So as I read Banana or Murakami I can picture the scenery so clearly. Not beacuse of J town perse but because of all the films I rented, such as Tampopo, A Taxing Woman and the lik;. All the manga I read set in the everyday life of a student; all the anime; and all my friends in elementary school. For a while I even thought of going to Japan and studied Japanese for a year.

Someday maybe: after the Lake country***CV

flora

Y'know Chris I've been thinking that those gingham boots would look really cute with a skirt. I may have to get them :)

Finished Lizard by banana yoshimoto today.

N.P., Banana Yoshimoto

Kitchen, Banana Yoshimoto

The Wild Ass's Skin, Honore Balzac

The Beekeeper, Tori Amos

From the Choirgirl Hotel, Tori Amos

Permanent, Joy Division

Nine more days. This week is investigation of flowers. May the sun shine***CV

odious poultry

I finished reading Widdershins this afternoon. I won't spoil it. I will say though that while it is not neccessary to have read deLint's other works to enjoy the story, having read all his other books gave it the extra dimension. There are new characters but it's a reunion piece of sorts. And those characters not actively present still get mentioned.

Oh, and the Crow Girls make several appearances along with Lucius :) I can't wait for Make A Joyful Noise now :) Anyone going to the Widdershins release in Ottawa on June 20th?

I so want to make a crow girl jacket. Any ideas or suggestions?

***

I was talking with a parent on Friday about plans for the weekend and mentioned I had a ticket for Ministry. Then we got to talking about who was playing with them. "Umm ...... the revolting .... chickens?" Yeah and I wasn't about to name who was touring with them in other venues. Let's just say they are autonomous seekers of pleasure and leave it at that shall we?

Anyway. Last night it was all casual on my part. Not knowing if there would be a mosh pit or not I figured dressing down was better than up. Not so many of the other ladies in attendence. Can I just say: Girl, check the tranluscence of your garment. If you can't tell if the mesh is see through ask a friend. Heck ask a stranger before going out into beer imbibng testosterone land. Ummm if it matters to you that is. Lots of cowboy boots and hats. Can't imagine why ;)

Lots of Iron Maiden (the band) wear, lots of corsetry, one neubauten , several NIN, a KMFDM, and a Skinny Puppy. (I was all about the fashion show). Lots of no top converse. And of course black. One girl had pretty fushia falls and a serious bustier. One way to get the eyes to your facial area.

Obviously I got there safely: made a pitstop at Powell's - hey it was on the way. When I got there people were still going through security. There were two lines. Not to speed up proceedings. No. It was a boys line and a girls line. Apparently they were really going through bags that night.

Yeah I dare you to confiscate my Banana Yoshimoto, it's so subversive. Go on I dare you!

So there was this sign in bold letters right above the security gates saying :

NO MOSHING. NO AGGRESSION.

Okaaay this is a Ministry show right? Isn't the moshing kinda part of the ticket price?? Whatever. I pass through, pick up my on call and head up to the stage. Spyder Monkey *shrug* typical ranting and female name calling. House lights up I crack my book. Got a good six pages read before the second act.

I have never seen a show in which there was so much traffic flow. Up the stairs, down the stairs, to the bar, to the seats, to the friends and to who knows where else. It felt like an airport so much meeting and greeting.

The five minute warning was a machine gun guitar riff. Next up: the Odious Chickens* with their classic Steers, Beers and Queers. Kinda cool in a nazi era cabaret way. The lead started out wearing a tuxedo and ended the act in a very nice little black dress with matching opera length gloves. The last three numbers included a tribute to Rod Stewart's, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy", complete with costumed male member and dancing girls.

Oh and instead of a mic he used a bull horn.

By the time the second act was over I was feeling really out of it. I didn't figure out until this afternoon it was because I had had no caffiene all day, and possibly the smoked substance permeating the venue. Yeah. I'm allergic to pot.

When the warning guitar riff had been sounded twice for the main act I was really ready to go. But I had never seen them so I wasn't willing to give up this opportunity. After four songs in which lights were flashed into the audiences' eyes at regular intervals and film footage was played unceasingly throughout I realised how much more I prefered the band Neurosis to this. It could be that Neurosis copied Ministry, vice versa, or that both are products of the same inspiration. Whatever. If I want this kind of driving music I also want really attractive dreadlocked leads singing in bass voices without the pseudo flashing hypnosis.

And the audience just stood there. It was so very Orwellian.

I think the film theme last night was Whack a Bush.

My hearing is slowly coming back. It should be present enough for Sonic Youth. **CV

Poppy (not so bright)

The self imposed ennui was because, well....I've been looking forward to a concert for the past month. I mentioned it frequently. On Wednesday I took out my ticket to confirm the address so I could Trimet it. Which means I wanted to find out the route according to the local transport system which can be done handily through the internet.

Imagine my shock and horror when I read the dat of performance as: May 4, 2006.

Surely that is a compo! (typo in computerspeak) That cannot be the real date but...if it is a compo.... and today is the 24th? then.... it's... tonight (well Wednesday) and..... I still missed it!Nooooo! (Yeah it was the 4th. This month has been whacked for my remembering dates correctly. I do know that this Monday is a national holiday.)

Okay. I'm calm: now.

I went online last night. Ministry was not sold out. I have my on call printout. It is tomorrow. At 8. I know the venue. Heh I've walked there twice. Once it was even the actual venue I was supposed to be at.

I want me some Docs. Think I can find a cheap pair before tomorrow night?***CV

self imposed ennui

Booking Through Thursday

1. What are the last five books that you finished reading?

Okay I'm going to take a random guess and choose five (actually six*) I have read recently. Perhaps they were the last five. But I'm thinking that I'm missing at least one in there:

Firebirds Rising edited by Sharyn November
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
*A Murky Business by Honore Balzac
Green Tea and other Ghost Stories by Sheriden LeFanu
Mimus by Lilli Thal
the Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd

2. How long did it take you to read them?

Firebirds took three days because I was reading the stories before bed on Thursday and Friday which left Saturday to just finish it up.
Peeps was two nights for the same reason.
Green Tea and.. was read over the weekend more because it was lunch reading.
Mimus was one day in which i did little if anthing else;
and the Cheese Monkeys took two nights.

3. Did you enjoy reading these books? Why or why not?

I enjoyed all of them for different reasons. Firebirds not only reintroduced some favorite authors but the stories were a well written combination of fantasy, fairytale and sciencefiction. A Murky Business reminded me of Huysmans in a literal manner. Peeps was told through fact and fiction in an alternate chapter format which I found very appealing. In Green Tea... (finally) I met one of the LeFanu's I had read about so often but never actually read. The Cheese Monkeys I enjoyed for the class scenes but not the out of class plot. I preferred the drama to the melodrama.
****
I am now going to continue my pout.***CV

Myrkur

I am the only one of my kind in my place of employment. This does not mean I am a uniquely wonderful human being. It means I am the only person in my position. I have no peers. I have no one to chat, rant, brainstorm with. Oh, I can consult my admin. but that is not the same.

This will change next year (thank your chosen deity). Today I visited my soon to be new partner's class. Oh we are so going to rant together.

I am not sure how I feel about sharing a class. I have been given both negative and positve aspects. Right now just the thought of sharing what is happening without having to worry about the position of the person I'm speaking with, knowing it is only the benefit of our charges which is of concern is so wonderful.

If you have ever worked in the education field then you know what I am talking about when I say: what you say to whom depends on their relationship to the greater whole. Of course on thinking about it this is true for more then just one field isn't it?

I just want to be able to focus on the internal environment for a while.

Von is like listening to the Rosemarys in certain parts. Sigur Ros tomorrow :)***CV

benevolent dictator

Some days....Today was one.

Yesterday three of my charges were not present and in the afternoon I did something I have never done before. I sent a charge to the office. Can I just say that the 20 minutes said person was not present were the most peaceful I have experienced since the year began?

Today two tof the three absentees came. *sigh* one is the classes oldest, is bright, verbal, into the military, and very anger expressive. Apparently this has improved since entering my class ... *ummm ... no. I won't go there* The other is one of my youngest, is also bright, verbal and confident, with aggression issues, and considers the former to be a hero.

Watching these two today was like watching synchronised disrespect of others.

I had enough.

In the afternoon I took the youngest outside (during lunch I had a conversation with oldest about why I wasn't having older /younger partners this year and cited all my observations, including todays, which if oldest truly wanted such partnerships I simply said I needed to see some serious changes) and in no uncertain terms said I expected him to be a good role model for the rest of the afternoon.

In writing that doesn't seem so much but it sure snapped youngest to attention and for the rest of the afternoon, even sitting next to buddies? I will compliment youngest next time we meet :)

***CV

bogans aganesha

Well I need to add to my to be read list :) I picked up a copy of O. R. Melling's the Summer King tonight. Then after a conference in which the mom and I did some serious reminiscing about concerts and discussion of satellite radio I went to the DDE.

I now have:
Ministry, the Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste
Nick Cave, the Boatman's Call
Sigur Ros, Von

I listened to the untitled Sigur Ros last night and was strongly reminded of Slowdive, Swallow and Low without the deep sadness of Low. It was very appropriate to the thunder and lightning storm lashing we recieved.

I also read one (yes only one) chapter of Widdershins *sigh* :) I will savor.

***CV

twindle twindle tree

Finished Firebirds Rising this afternoon. Very thoughtful stories contained in this second volume: I haven't read the first.

I enjoyed the story by Emma Bull because she managed to convey a sense of period without citing dates. All her references were context dependent so it wasn't until Bette Davis and Louise Brooks came up as comparisons that I could say,"Oh, then this isn't a modern story," yet the situation could be. Nice.

Also, Pamela Dean's short about "alien" species and the perceptions of persons reminded me of Orson Scott Card's piggies and people without the heaviness (but I do like the Ender cycle).
***
I was planning on doing plants this week and outdoor sketching but we have already had one thunderstorm roll through. I'll still do the prep., but think I better have a back up just in case.***CV

Summer Reads?

Okay. Here is a tentative TBR list based solely upon unread books I already own. Heh. Like I'm commitment driven. Subject to erasure if I read before June 1st and subject to, "Hey that's a mighty cute book hangin' at the bar over there" changes.

****
An Alchemy of Mind, Diane Ackerman
The Wonder, J.D. Beresford
The Aleph and Other Stories, J.L.Borges*
A Sound of Thunder, Ray Bradbury
Evelina, Fanny Burney
Elementals, A.S.Byatt*
Love and Longing in Bombay, Vikram Chandra
Explicatives Deleted, Angela Carter
The Storm, Daniel Defoe
Children of God, Andrea Doria-Russell
The Bobbed Haired Bandit, Stephen Duncombe/Andrew Mattson*
Something Rotten. Jasper Fforde
The Empire of Ice Cream, Jeffery Ford*
Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman*
Strandloper, Alan Garner
Mary Barton, Elizabeth Gaskell*
Coram Boy, Jamila Gavin
To Rule the Waves, Arthur Herman*
Moominvalley in November, Tove Jansson
Howl's Moving Castle, Diane Wynne Jones
When Fox is a Thousand, Larissa Lai
Piers the Ploughman, William Langland
Uncle Silas, Sheridan LeFanu
The Monk, Lewis
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Messenger, Lois Lowry
Thebes at War, Naguib Mahfouz
Self, Yann Martel
Lamb, Christopher Moore
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Christoher Moore
Invitation to a Beheading, Vladmir Nabakov
Look at the Harlequins, Vladmir Nabakov
The Eye, Vladmir Nabokov
the Perilous Guard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Francois Rabelais
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Marcus Rediker
Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, Jay Rubin
The Heart of Midlothian, Sir Walter Scott
Scarlet and Black, Stendhal
Letters to a Young Mathematician, Ian Stewart
The Age of Homespun, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
The Sunbird, Elizabeth E. Wein (I so want 1 and 2 of this series but can't find them)
Mistress Marsham's Repose, T.H. White
Dooms Day Book, Connie Willis
Poison, Chris Wooding*
The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
***

Lest you think that these are all the unread books I currently own: they are not. They are all I could find at the moment :) **CV

salt and sugar

Woke up at 7 this morning, rolled over and then woke up at 1. I am so ready for summer break ;)

Read more of Firebirds Rising. One of the stories is called House of the Seven Librarians. Another was about a child who spouted incredibly long words. I'm tempted to read the latter to my charges if there is time. There are two words in it which they already know very well: a five syllable and 12 syllable respectively.

Fairgrounds arrived in a US postal mailer which my US postal worker squeezed into my 1920's post box. *sigh* It works for her as when she drops in the goods it is a 180 degree angled container. But when I pick it up it decreases to 65 degrees. Not the best for removing long objects.

Sigur Ros next Thursday and Ministry (I still haven't gotten a ticket) next Saturday.***CV

feed the tree

The wintergreen, the juniper

The cornflower and the chicory

All the words you said to me

Still vibrating in the air

The elm, the ash, the linden tree

The dark and deep enchanted sea

The trembling moon and the stars unfurled

There she goes my beautiful world.

Nick Cave

There She Goes, My Beautiful World

Has there been a Queen revival recently? Every day I am either directly or indirectly greeted with lyrics from We Are the Champions, or We Will Rock You, Bicycle, or some other such (and it is not the media but my charges who are doing this).

My contribution is to deliver random Freddie Mercury trivia: he had a four octave range (think about it -wow!); he sang opera; he was born in South Africa;....

In other news the heat wave has decided to take a rest, I've seen some really cool Japanese street fashion books so I may go to Powell's to spend some quality time tomorrow or not. I have not forgotten Charles: all 597 pages :)

Balzac keeps refering to Sir Walter Scott, another reason to like him.

I'm thinking about the summer reading challenge. Last summer I really got back into reading again and read something like 60 books. I've always been a fairly voracious reader but during the preceding years I had been so occupied with school and work and friends, I fell out of the habit.

If I do enter it I don't think I'll post a TBR list. I like finding references and ideas in the moment and all too often a predetermined list prevents me from reading at all. ***CV

salasaloo

Today was a day of fun or at least a break in the routine which lately is the same as fun.

I realized very late last night I and a group of children were scheduled to attend a local musical performance the very next day instead of a week from tomorrow. Yikes! I am so grateful for all the trips and detailed arrangements I have made over the past years with children on outings. It enabled me to get all the stuff together I had been anticipating leisurely doing this weekend- in half an hour.

Thus we were able to take the bus and the train and walk to our destination. Fun!

Whaa-? I hear you saying.What is so fun about taking the bus and the train and walking?!

You have obviously never seen the absolute delight children experience riding on a train when you let them in on what to look for. I love children and public transportation. One key is to draw a map of your route with them ahead of time ;)

Crazy, I hear you mutter, public transit and kids!

*Tsk* If you tell them what the rules are and discuss -discuss, not tell, why these rules are in place they will be the most intense sticklers for protocol. Really. And when we got to the huge construction site I had told them about? Wow!

Side note: I have a book bag (which I purchased from the original Banana Republic before it was bought out by the Gap) which has the Israeli military insignia on it. I used this bag today to carry the trip essentials in. Anyway, as we were headed back from the performance we first passed this amazing medieval church and one of the children suddenly asked:

Why do christians hate jewish people?

me: I think you have something particular in mind when you ask that. But maybe you mean all people?

(It seems his dad had told him a story about one person harming another and that it had been faith based.)

me: Oh. Well then it's not a case of Christians hating Jewish people. It's more like one person not liking another, for what ever reason, and not handling it appropriately. Christians believe in Christ and according to the christian bible Christ says to love one another. So if the person was christian he wouldn't harm anyone else no matter how mean the other person was. Make sense?
I guess.

***
And then somone mentioned the N party and Herr H....And why Israel exists. I hope I cleared up the misconception that Israel had always existed. (I must admit, when I explained that Israel had been given as a means of saying sorry I also slipped in the fact that the land had not been ours to give -oops)

Would you believe we had just seen Suessical?***CV

Moonly

My word of the week is agitator. As in, what you are doing is agitating. Do not be an agitator. In conjunction with the words teasing and taunting this has had a slight effect.

I am clinging to the crevices by sweat alone. Yes it is 16 days.

I plan this weekend to be an intimate one of two, to whit: Charles and I, no. one. else.

***
Ah ha Carrie. You recognized Siouxie! Therefore you are not as out of the music scene as you pretend :)

****
I am beginning to realize Balzac wrote one huge soap opera of the French Directorate. More and more names are being bandied about which are elaborated in his other works. The Countess Cinque-Sange just appeared at the hotel Godierot has recently moved into.

****
Too hot to knit. Chai has been a limp dishrag of a cat all week.


***CV

Heroin(e)

Well, in spite of the tender ministrations of two very cute Powell's employees, I am perfectly healthy (drat it all).

There are 75 missing in action copies of your book Mr. de Lint *fume*

I'll just have to check in over the next couple of days.

Back to reading Sunshine. I did pick up the latest Firebirds anthology. Short stories by various authors including McKillip, Wynne Jones, Emma Bull and de Lint. Oh and Letters to a Young Mathematician (and yes I actually have been looking for this book).

Yeah. Take a firebird and call Powell's in the morning.***CV

PS: I recently found out that Haruki Murakami's novel The Wind Up Bird Chronincle is in the top 25 sexiest novels according to Playboy. Like they should know right? Huh. Hef reads.

Monkey Gone to Heaven

All this morning on OPR the announcer kept saying how horribly hot it was going to be today. I have never heard a weather person go on to such an extent. Makes you think that there might be something else she was worried about.

It ws hot I won't deny it. In the high 90s. But not so hot I couldn't walk and listen to my new tunes. *grr this Pixies is skipping awfully.*

Frozen juicicles and lots, and I mean lots, of wet papertowels kept the community occupied this afternoon.

***

Balzac has taken a rather Huysmans turn. The more I read the more I'm reminded of the Cathedral. I personally don't mind the Catholic turn - I've always been fascinated by the Jesuits, but I can see how some readers might be taken by surprise.

***
Reread parts of Sunshine last night. Y'know Rae might whine like the chick in Labyrinth sometimes but she's got b----err spunk ***CV

Kool Thing

At this time of year I feel like a rock climber who has used up all the chalk and still has several crevices to scale.

**

So I treated myself with a visit to the incensed disc empourium (not to be confused wth the DDE). Aaah patchouli and mohawked boys:) After browsing the new discs and finding a few worth considering (Pixies, Sonic Youth and Cult) I decided to wander the used aisles. Eh. But:

There is a section categorized by weekdays which included all the used dics brought in that week on those days. What did I find?

Mark Eitzel's AMC -San Francisco

Bryan Ferry - As Time Goes By

Mission UK - Carved in Sand

Has anyone else thought the lead singer of the UK sounds like Elvis crossed with Siouxie Sue? I'm just sayin'...So I also picked up: Goo, Pure Cult and Doolittle.

I really should get some Ministry but every time I pick up one I put it back *shrug*.

***

the tiger is on its way to my mom

****

20 more days.

****CV

tincture of tea

Last night I started reading Green Tea and Other Stories by Le Fanu. During the forst story Green Tea I kept wondering if green tea wasn't a euphamism for opium. The main voice of the work is a doctor, but a doctor of what is never stated. I presume he was a preFreud doctor as there was much mention of Swedenborg.

The second tale involved a brutal squire, his two sons, a dog and a hidden buffet. Hmmm Nancy Drew and the case of the Ghostly Bulldog? I couldn't tell what the moral of this tale was, though it was set up to be moralistic, unless it was some kind of rant that only eldest children should inherit no matter how awful they are.

The third story involved an Irish tower and was interesting because it offered two very different perspectives of the same mysterious death. The first was gothic and the second phaerie like.

I haven't read the fourth yet.

Reading Le fanu is analogous to reading a lite version of Radcliffe.

***

In the introduction to Balzac's the Wrong Side of Paris there is a charming anecdote that Honore escorted Georges Sands and some others through a park one late night clad only in his dressing gown and slippers bearing a candle. When told that he might be attacked on his way back he replied no because theives would either think him mad or dangerous to be abroad in such attire at such an hour.

Apparently Balzac's "working hours" were 12am to 12pm supplied with much coffee. I like those hours :)

***CV

green tea latte

Abattoir Blues is soooo good! I think Nick got religion or something but it is Nick -y'know dark grim harsh and: Nick did you know that that flaming ball of fire in the sky called the sun is supposed to be a good thing? But if he were Polyanna then it would be like meeting a happy Robert Smith - so so very wrong.

I saw Mr. Cave perform at the Warfield many years ago. My favorite part of his show was when he sat up on stage alone playing acoustic with his shadow looming behind him. It was as if Mr. Dark had dropped by.

If you are a Bad Seeds diehard you may not enjoy this release. I've noticed that the more accessible a group or performer becomes the less old fans like them. But really read the lyrics first. However melodic the music those lyrics are Nick. (In spite of the frappacino)

**
Finished a Murky Business and started The Wrong Side of Paris today. Two knitting references within the first three pages and a wonderful description of the cloister.

I won't be seeing CDL this weekend. If I had known sooner that he was coming I could have arranged to go but the notice was too late :(

***
Ministry and Sigur Ros in two weeks :)

***CV

Pierette pirouette

Thanks to Melanie's mention of Nabokov I now have three books by Vladmir:

The Eye

Look at the Harlequins, and

Invitation to a Beheading

The summary of the last one reminds me of Murakami's work especially, Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. And the other two look fabulously surreal.

No I haven't read Lolita - can anyone explain why, whenever I hear the name Lolita, an image of Brooke Shields appears?! But I have looked at Nabakov's Blues quite frequently.

Charles de Lint is on tour and will be in Seattle this weekend. So, while I was at Powell's, I asked if they were getting in Widdershins. According to the clerk it will be in next Tuesday!!! I think I feel an illness coming on. I may have to take next Wednesday off ;p

A Murky Business has become very Perry Mason: I love it***CV

Iniquity inequity

Okay I'm going memory diving tonight.

This memory is brought to you by the Perky Goth manifesto.(Thanks Fillyjonk ;)

During my junior year in HS I was in US History AP and the instructor was great. She had catseye glasses, always wore an A line plaid skirt, a white cardigan and blouse, with sensible shoes. Her favorite hobby was to visit graveyards on her vacation trips.

So one day I'm sitting in class - it must have been winter because it had been raining for a week, and I was prety damp having just returned from a lunch hour puddle fight. So there I was in my graffiti'ed bleach spotted jeans taking a test and Ms G walks by. Oh, I also litirized my converse. So she stops and reads the latest edition and says

Shouldn't that be inequity?

Huh? Oh! No. It's iniquity.

Hmmm.

Then she continued back to her lectern.

See I'd just been to the basement of City Lights the past weekend and had found this great tag: Born in Sin and Raised in Iniquity. It reminded me of the Salem Trials for whatever reason.

I think Ms. G was a feminist :)

***CV

Abattoir Blues

Years ago, when I was dating a bass player (like we all haven't done the musician thing at least once, my excuse is he took up bass a year afer we started going out) and a fellow band member said something about my liking the Velvet Underground. I really can't think why. Unless I was really into Stan Ridgeway at the time -which I was at one point. Saw him live at Slim's. Great show. (Oh now I remember. It was something about the singer Nico.)

Anyway, I decided to stop at the DDE* tonight and so picked up some discs. One of which is The Velvet Underground Gold.I'll have an opinion later. All I can say is it started at track 12 and after a day of 8 year old would be commedians was not the best place to begin. Venus in Furs is pretty fun though.

I also aquired a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 2 disc (I knew not to start with Nick. Has anyone else read And the Ass Saw An Angel? Brrrrr), one Cure, Staring at the Sea-the Singles, and a Sigur Ros (what is it with these no name releases?!)

**

It looks as if Marie-Paul, Paul-Marie, Laurence and Michu are headed for the guillotine after being framed for burglary and arson. ***CV

*Dance Disc Emporium

The BBB

Well Balzac seems to be of the theater generation. He creates his stage very paticularly, sets all the props in meticulous order and places each character within their unique context and then the actors and actresses begin the performance. Wow. I had to pick up another of his works even though I am only on part two of A Murky Business : Corentin's Revenge. I now have an edition of the Wrong Side of Paris
**
I also discovered another collection of Borges, this time some nonfictions.
***
While perusing the Bobbed Haired Bandit I couldn't help but admire the shoes Ms. Cooney wore. Why don't they make such fun footwear anymore? There was one illustration circa 1924 that I am so tempted to try and put on a jean jacket or embellish onto a cheap 3/4 coat. :)****CV

Moll mauls mall

Scott Westerfield as writen several teen society oriented books. Stories that are oriented towards social as well as societal issues. Two I can think of are called Uglies and Pretties. After reading the flap summaries of these two I am reminded of the Twilight Zone episode: Number 12 Looks Just like You. I believe a very young Sissy Spacek starred in it - or else a close relation.

I fininshed Westerfield's story Peeps on Saturday. It deals with parasites - every other chapter outlines a real life parasite and its charateristics. The other chapters follow the life of a person infected with a parasite and his quest to track those he has unwittingly infected. The tale is cleanly told and not overly embellished which I appreciated. It's a book I would reccomend especially if you have any curiousity about plagues or salem issues.

This afternoon I finished reading Mimus written by Lilli Thal. As an alternative look into a Jester's "career" - say you thought Danny Kaye's versions were realisitc, it was spot on. Lots of references to the chrisitan prophets which surprised me though really I can't think why. Jesters were part of the premedieval era and so was christianity.

People are not nice to each other in this story and yet it has a fairy tale flavor. I'll be interested to see what other works this author produces.

Today I picked up 5 new books. Four are for a class related event and one is just for me :) Care to guess? Really it's pretty obvious.

Dr. Seuss: American Icon

The Bobbed Haired Bandit

Oh say Can you Say?

Dr. Seuss Young author and artist

Dr. Seuss

***CV

fruit juice commandos

I am hot drinks gal. I found this out one sad day in Texas when I was having dinner with my family. We stopped at a restaurant and after ordering our meals decided to have drinks as well.

Since I had never had a margarita before so I decided to try one. Bad idea. Apparently my body is so addicted to processing carbs, any kind of carbs, into fuel, sugary drinks take first place in the processing lineup. Within two minutes I knew I was wasted. Not only wasted but angry: 'cause I think getting wasted or not should be a choice.

My choice had been taken from me by the tuity fruity, umbrella sombrero wearing, overly iced drinkie. I glared at it with vidictively inebriated eyes.

I can drink hard cider cause I know how to pace myself. I can drink chocolate martinis cause I know how to pace myself - but fruit juice commandos? Yeah now I can pace myself. How? Just say NO!

I always try to learn something form every experience good, bad, or ugly. What I learned from this is why spiking fruit punch is so popular. Cause it works. ***CV

remember the margarita

Cinco de Mayo: a holiday manufactured in order to boost Chicano studies over thirty years ago: fact or fiction? Considering that it is not a celebration of Independance - that happens in September, and is in fact commemorative of an event more like the Alamo then the 4th of July? I think fact.

So if that is that case should it be celebrated in a school? Is it not more like St. Patrick's Day: an excuse for partyers to go out and party rather than a holi-day in which one contemplates the noble reasons for setting aside a specific day to honor particular events?

We made gods eyes and Mexican flags but that was more of a craft activity. I'd rather use my time and energy towards events that have meaning other than margarita mayhem.*

****

When I purchased the yarn for the gods eyes I was asked if I was making christmas socks. The Mexican flag is after all green, white, and red.***CV

*I cannot drink margaritas. I've tried. It's not pretty.

Give a finch a marble....

Tweeter the bullied finch has laid an egg. Yep. All by her lonesome in her nest.
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I love my parental community :)
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Maybe this is why May and June are so challenging. Not because it's the end of the year and the sun is out and eveything wants to move, move, move, No. It's becaue I know that beings I have spent concentrated amounts of time with will be moving on. They may come and visit but it won't be the same.
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I recently made a comment in a forum dedicated to a book I enjoyed. The comment was about certain fanfic interpretations of the story's main characters. I honestly expected to get somewhat slammed for my remarks, however true they were. What I didn't expect was to have the author post after my comment (within 20 minutes) with her own entry. Wow.

My observations were correct :)

*****CV

Amigo secreto ocho

Secret pal 8

Kha the constrictor

Saw my first albino cobra today and my first copperhead. What beautiful creatures. Though only 18 inches long the cobra had a loud hiss and was not white but dusky pink and cream :) I kept admiring the patterning on the snakes, from diamond back to python, and as I did so cable patterns continued to emerge.

I watched a chameleon change from happy happy orange to an angry moldy brown and Gila monsters are such chipper looking beings :)

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Peeps by Scott Westerfield, a book about a disease that turns its hosts into vampiric creatures, Mimus, about a prince forced to become a jester in order to save his father and a book of Oregon plants for the garden.

Hopefully good antidotes to stilted reading syndrome.

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I am meeting with the adults in charge of the child and the child tomorrow. Wish me coherancy ***CV

lemony v. Fyodor

Let me state for the record: I do not like a series of unfortunate events.

I do not like them in my house, I do not like them on my shelf, I do not like them on a bus, I do not like them anywhere. What really bothers me? aside from the fact that there was a 40+ pervert trying to marry a 12 year old girl in a children's series in the very first volume of the series?? It's the constant explaining of words in every. single. paragraph.

Look: dictionaries were made for a reason. Bah! to artistic device and clever marketing ploys.....grrrrr. I happily wander in my own world of context dependant clarity and avoid spoon feeding whenever possible.

Still I read so that I can sensibly present my case as an adult reading a book selected by a child.

Is there a Dostoyevsky in the house? ***CV

donna gato

The finches have an admirer :) Apparently a family moved nearby recently and brought their kitty with them. We thought she was a stray at first because when we saw her two weeks ago she was clean and then a week later dirty and noticiably thinner.

One of the staff decided to adopt her and took her to the vet where she was scanned and found to be chipped. Her owners were contacted and didn't appear overly concerned that their feline had been wandering the new neighborhood and hadn't been home for what they said was two days but what appeared to be a week. *sigh*

Kitty was returned to the family and guess who came visiting today?and sat in my lap for a half hour?

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Purchased: Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austin and the Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snickett (the class lit group's choice not mine)

***CV