dishpantheism

2009-10-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

it's been a while. i forgot my password again and didn't want to bother with resetting it. lazy like that.

i watched a kite hover over the fields the day before yesterday. so lovely it brought tears to my eyes.

not much to say. i'll return when i am feeling a bit more loquacious. who knows when that might be.

adieu.

balloons...

2008-03-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

dominic with your wonderful balloon please say hello. i've lost your address and your heating and cooling seems to have disappeared. if you read this write me a little note. i was thinking about the lowellville baby doll dance the other day.

i finally reset my password so that i could revisit this old blog. and now i haven't got much to chat about. figures.

2007-05-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

swung until i was sick. recovering with banana milk. listening to feist.

the darkness out there is filled with freddy fender and backyard fires. mockingbirds. a man standing on the corner with his cell glued to his ear. talking about k-fed. i kid you not.

i go.

2007-01-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

so many owls!

2007-01-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

here now.

2006-07-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

i'm sitting with this little orange and white book on my lap. it's called the first book of maps and globes. i wasn't looking to read a story. i sat to type.

page 47:

the world-wide network

when a person wants to get from one place to another on land, he can generally use roads, landmarks, and signs to help him find his way. but when a ship's captain needs to find his way from one place to another across the ocean, he has no roads, no landmarks, and no signs to follow. instead, he uses imaginary lines, some running north and south, others running east and west...

the meridians aren't parallel to each other.... they divide the globe into imaginary sections like the segments of an orange.

parallels and meridians cover the globe with an imaginary network that is very important to people who use maps, especially at sea.

the book was a discard. written in the 50's. written to appeal to little boys and girls with an interest in cartography. a flourishing audience mid-century i'm sure.

benchmarks. inertial navigation. contour lines. legend. symbol. great-circle route.

not a term halts abruptly at the length of its webster's chain. not for me leastways. not this evening. there are three links to every one. i'm taxed.

i began writing here because i tend to tax others with the sheer volume of my correspondence. letters to berkeley. new york. russia. brooklyn. oakland. letters to my friend 4 miles up the road. letters to invisible people. sometimes letters to imaginary people. love them nonetheless. but it isn't a love shared by all. as a consequence nothing ever comes of it. i neglect to write at anything else.

page 5:

talking with a map

a map is a diagram of the earth's surface, as if we were looking down from high in the air. often we can learn something more easily by looking at a map than by reading hundreds of words in a book or newspaper.

many times, when we want to explain something to another person, we can do it more quickly by making a simple map than by speaking a lot of words or writing many pages of directions.

if i could draw there'd be a significant picture here. i cannot. use your beautiful imagination.

thanks to those that visited. you know where to find me.

--yours

2006-06-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

the pink mimosa is in bloom. smells luverly. the leaves close at night and open in the morning.

listening: lonely love-- the gray kid.

tow-headed nephew gave chase with a pelican feather. and the garden hose. after soaking my legs with a fine mist he explained that i wasn't really wet. contrary to the evidence. but he was steadfast in his opinion.

in other news...

what they say concerning waking sleepwalkers is true. don't attempt it. they're an indignant kind.

also a book of silhouettes. how beautiful.

2006-06-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

feels like thunder is coming. my barometer supports the feeling. love thunderstorms.

listening: dream-- alice smith.

incidentally looking forward to her album's release in sept. i've played this one track about twenty times this evening. i need some more of her stuff.

while catching the bus a transient asked if we knew where to purchase a hamburger. stress on the second syllable. and no sooner than said he turned heel and walked away. later in regard to the incident sister quoted that bit from pompoko about hamburgers facilitating discussion. clearly this is not the case. but like i always say: never trust a washbear with its naughty parts a-dangling.

i never say that.

another person came here searching for "pure bread" dogs. and the other day someone placed an ad in the paper because they'd misplaced their "dessert tortoise" and very badly wanted it back. i would too. those are extremely rare.

to bed.

2006-06-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

someone told me once that p.l. travers wasn't really a fan of children. thought of it today when i discovered mary poppins in the kitchen: a cookery book with a story. within i find no evidence that travers had an aversion to little people. the cookery is just what i'd expected. lots of puddings and sausages. shepherd's pie. rarebit. trifle. cheese on toast. and one that i actually enjoy quite a bit: kedgeree. though without eggs please. dunno. perhaps the puddings and sausages were travers's own particular exercise in hostility.

listening: perdu d'avance-- superflu.

a wonderful stack of library materials awaits. i go. spit-spot.

2006-06-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

the tamale vendor came walking by today. there's now a rather bulky parcel of tamale chilling in the box.

tiger lilies blooming. effing love those. so orange. so beautiful. picked one and vased it. behind me in the windowsill.

listening: cherry blossom girl-- air.

the train has that great wurlitzer sound. loud and warbly. i'm so accustomed to its late night passage that it only makes me sleepy to hear it.

g'night.

2006-06-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

learned to play hello kitty rummy this evening. i lost every hand. but we played on blankets outside in the shade which was quite nice. we devised ways to make the game more challenging. kitty-chan's original wasn't quite difficult enough.

listening: black cherry-- goldfrapp.

it's only just cooling off. 99 degrees this afternoon. i want to have a nap on the cool floor when the weather's like it was today.

i've some flame tree seeds. kurrajong. maybe i'll start some. they'll never flower here though.

to bed.

2006-06-16T01:07:00.000-07:00

every day. every day. mark woods delivers. niedecker and satie are some of my favorite dead people.

listening to gnossienne #1 performed on guitar by pierre laniau. how cool.

also check out the sketches of egon schiele. (via wood_s_lot)

2006-06-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

i would be ever so grateful if you would sign this. you can read about marlene braun here. and view some photos here.

thanks thanks thanks.

2006-06-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

the things that arrive in the mail sometimes puzzle me. a small unsolicited magazine about animal husbandry. inside an article about exotic pets. more specifically an article about horses. i wasn't aware that they're considered exotic. also i'm wondering who the target audience is. children? the piece finished with a q & a regarding horses. are horses expensive to keep? yes. can you keep a horse in a backyard? no. do horses require much attention? yes. somehow by the end of the q & a (read aloud by sister) i had visions of a dumpster-diving self-sufficient equine walking upright and carrying a pink bakery take-away box between its front hooves. no don't trouble yourself with my dinner. i'm good. i'll eat this and just crash on the fire escape for a few hours.

dunno.

a stray cat wound itself into chain and wire. was hanging by its hind legs. i discovered it today. still alive but totally weak. this month has seen a number of animal rescues. or rescue attempts. the cat seems quite well tonight though.

the anacampseros is about to bloom. yay! it's supposed to restore love. that is the myth. i wonder what happens to unblemished love?

listening: just like a movie star-- dominique a.

good night.

2006-06-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

at nine or so my extended family had japanese exchange students stay with them. summer meant i practically lived there with them. swimming. riding bareback. and one of the boys decided to teach me origami. a little cup first which he and his friend insisted i drink from. they said it was a wine cup. after i drank they laughed and said it was a urine sample cup. they laughed ecstatically. lengthy laughing.

i've just run across instructions for the same cup. i'd forgotten everything but the last fold. the terminal one.

tchin tchin.

listening: such great heights-- iron and wine.

good night.

2006-06-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

i got it!

listening: you're my kind of climate-- rip rig + panic. courtesy this fella.

2006-06-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

went shopping for funeral attire. when leaving the department store i spied a guy selling cherries. as he poured my buy from their green jails into a paper sack he asked what i was wearing. like so:

him: what are you wearing?
me: wha?
him: mmm. you smell really good. that's you right? no. no it was that lady.
me: oh...uh....
him: no it's you. that's nice. what fragrance is that?
me: i dunno. i think i might have accidentally-- um it's from in there. (gesturing at storefront)
him: (much laughter) god bless you. god bless.

i don't much wear perfume. but i did inadvertently walk through a cloud of dubious man-spray. irresponsibly wielded by sister. who thought it was lady's eau de toilette. and because my hands were looking kind of dry i sampled some awful hand cream. so i'm glad that my chemical stink made some preacher's day. he was a preacher btw. a cherry-vending preacher. with hair like that british jewel tea guy who used to come door-to-door and sell my gran sundries.

anyhow. the cherries are tasty. and they led me to think of neneh cherry. and then rip rig and panic. and now all i want is to hear their song "you're my kind of climate." but i can't find it anywhere. hopefully one of these new fangled mp3 blogs will post it for my listening pleasure.

little shoes came away with me. like a mish-mash of bensimon and cons and ballet flats and kung-fu shoes. i've made them sound ugly. they're not. and the price was small which also pleases.

sandalwood smells nice. spikenard. amber. vetiver. demeter's russian leather (what's with the leather daddy hat? i'd rather envision library chair). quite often i think people smell pretty good without.

well. to bed.

listening: der telefon anruf-- kraftwerk.

2006-06-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

my hair is cut. i'd like bangs but i avoid them. i suspect i'll look far too gelfling if i get those.

listening: eisbär-- nouvelle vague.

i found a chunky layered dinosaur near the post office. a chunky layered dinosaur of provo craft spanish fork utah. made in china. it's a thunder lizard to me. i believe i'll have to take some photos of chunky layered's adventures.

crickets.

it's getting late. to bed.

2006-06-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

i'm loving this mp3 blog (via i like).

listening: the zookeeper's boy-- mew.

a few weeks ago picked up a mercer mayer book called little monster's word book. i had several mayer books when small but not this one. and i think it's my new favorite. pages 34-35 contain things to do or be when you get bigger. a hobo is one option. really. i quite like the options given.

when sister was small her kindergarten or first grade class had to fill out a form about their intended professions. she wrote that she'd like to be a volcano when she grew up. most people end up in therapy trying to avoid that fate.

there's a piece of sembei that has the look of an end-of-career haggard pacman. edit: there was.

listening: i wonder why my favourite boy leaves me in the rain-- the marshmallow kisses.

2006-05-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

a man somewhere in alaska found a boulder on his claim. a jade boulder. with twisted wire and bicycle rims and a gas engine he made a saw. one slice took two months. dedication. i learned this only today.

natal plum bloomed. beautiful. now maybe it will form that triangular fruit. looks like a dog's junk. i'm just sayin'.

listening: hotel california--the cat empire.

auntie passed on. better than life in the zoo. fare you well.

i like those slightly unfinished ice cubes in the freezer. they're a shell. a little pressure from the roof of my mouth makes them crackle and shatter. i keep eating them. lately prefered to hawaiian shaved ices.

2006-05-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

how exciting! new cheburashka! yay!

2006-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

they must be cliff swallows. those live in colonies. the violet-greens not so much. but the one i found dead in my vegetable garden last year was a violet-green. ridiculously pretty too.

2006-05-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

oh! we had the best walk just now. a long while ago someone made a tree map. i could never locate the tulip tree. but as we turned down one of our favorite alleys i noticed orange light in the corner of my eye. tulip tree blooms. i snapped off two twigs. so pretty!

under the bridge the violet-green swallows have built many houses of aunt beru. going back with my analog soon to take a photo.

and here's a cute interview with aki.

listening: zou and chou-- aki tsuyuko.

now i want some banana milk. mmmm.

2006-05-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

this is the day that the rooms finally become too full to be comfortable. books and albums take over. a murphy bed begins to seem reasonable. so too the headline about the girl folded into her wall with headphones still in place. what happened to her? she lived on bread crumbs and spider eggs and licked dew from the bedrails.

listening: owlet hymn-- aki tsuyuko.

we learn of tahitian marine bacteria from the pages of travel guides. it reverses one's sense of hot and cold. numbs one's lips. one can hardly say oui or non thereafter. but would it be a problem. eat a mango. take refuge in that palm. forget about using the powers of speech. enjoy the chilly polynesian shores.

invisible friends what happened to accord? it snapped.

snarey chaser.

merci. i'm here all week.

listening: dance at happy night-- aki tsuyuko.

tra la.

r.i.p.

2006-05-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

desmond dekker has died. he was one of my musical heroes.

listening: fu manchu-- desmond dekker.

2006-05-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

i've borrowed a book about papercutting. i've started snipping already. my work is poor. with practice i'll improve.

stir crazy. can't wait to be gone. and there's still quite a while to go. sigh.

g'night.

2006-05-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

this afternoon in the park was our town's first farmers' market. the best smelling apricots. we left without them. sister is not a fan. we compromised and bought two baskets of strawberries to share as there aren't quite enough in our garden yet.

listening: agua de rosas-- lila downs.

we came upon a man bent over in the grass with a sickle. straightened and waved hello. just after passing the man a dead bird was on the street. i don't know what sort. but it was really beautiful. it had light-colored speckles on its back. the shoulder was checked with reddish brown.

2006-05-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

there's the best sort of wind blowing now. at lewis dog's house the cottonwood is lapping the lightpost. the branches look like japanese woodblock prints. so pretty.

i met someone i hadn't met in a long time. she's very ill. she kept telling us how much she wants to die. she followed each telling with a round of laughter. someone i've liked my whole life but who has rarely had a care for another human being in all that time. someone who swindled my father when my family most desperately needed the money. suddenly so frail and friendly. seemed so compassionate in a way i can't convey. this switch i thought only happened between the covers of dickens.

i chased a toad around in the street. put him in the railroad easement's grass. i really love toads. they're so cute. and they seem so benevolent. and this one didn't even piss on my hand. yay!

the natal plum is going to bloom. i'm pretty excited. this will be the first flower it's ever set.

adieu.

2006-05-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

cleaning up. the purging of many years worth of notebooks. i'd have liked to create some kind of fire from them. but no. instead they all went into plastic-y bags and will become a part of that future fascinating archeological landfill dig. right next to the perfectly preserved hotdogs somebody threw out. or the entire buried lawn mower.

someone showed me a video of an elderly irish guy who had discovered 150 year old butter preserved in peat on his property. he ate the butter and proclaimed it delicious. paper is much less hardy. what now does ephemeral mean? well.

my great-aunt has been sent to live in a convalescent home. i'm in a very poor mood. i rarely get very angry. but this news has really done it to me. really in a bad way.

tomorrow i'll resume sunshine and unicorns.

there wasn't any thunder with our rain. surprising. but there was quite a lot of rain! hooray!

to bed.

2006-05-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

one of my new neighbors is an elderly woman. this morning we discovered that her nondescript granny mobile is equipped with a car alarm. she doesn't move swiftly enough to disarm the sirens in a timely fashion. nothing about her current living situation necessitates automobile anti-theft devices. nothing. about 150 feet from her front door is a rather lively cow pasture. to the left of her house is an empty lot. to the right of her house a utilities building. my house is between her and the cows. i'm not going to steal her car. i think the cows can safely be counted out as well. and the utilities people have very soupy utilities vehicles that can move at a good clip. i don't believe they have an interest in trading down. rarely do outsiders venture here (foreboding!). in the evenings can be seen droves of local family units. children in peppermint trolleys. older children on bicycles. and sometimes adolescents on dirt bikes. nobody blinks when they spy the beige-y blandness on four wheels that is my neighbor's car. probably until the alarm alerts them of its presence anyway.

i'm being peevish. i could forgive the alarm in a place where car thefts were the norm. here a gaggle of geese would be more effective and less irritating means of protection. also far less conspicuous.

it's raining. how strange. i thought we'd not get more rain until next year. it's getting a little late in the season for precipitation. the air feels muggy.

cat caught a mouse. the soap aloe is blooming.

listening: pull up the people-- m.i.a.

2006-05-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

the shopping carts were performing an exodus. when leaving the lot one was struck in the intersection. another was wrangled and stowed in its stanchion.

watched miranda july's you and me and everyone we know. i'd never seen it. when it finished i couldn't decide whether i felt very melancholy or very happy. i've since settled on the latter. yes. and i hope to see more from her soon.

listening: the dark of the matinee-- franz ferdinand.

picked strawberries in the yard. they were warm from the sun and tasted good. a little tart though. probably i should have waited another few days to pick them.

g'night.

2006-05-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

a mother with her gaggle of children at the supermarket asked one to retrieve a purple onion. her will was done. then the youngest girl who was sitting in the cart seat put the onion to her forehead. the siblings began chanting onion onion onion onion onion onion. and the girl pulled a face just like that picture from the time-life book of the shaman possessed. i swear for god she did. looked like she was divining the future. and she waved one hand around with the onion still pressed to her face right between her eyes. just staring at the onion. and she started whispering onion onion onion onion onion onion. and then suddenly a purple onion sounded very good to me. so i got one. extraordinary.

listening: float on-- kidz bop kids.

sister brought me a matilija poppy pressed in newspaper. huge. and the boss still smells like apricots.

and we'll all float on okay...

good good good.

2006-05-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

it's jonathan richman's birthday. yay! listening to his oeuvre in celebration.

a pitbull came at us in the dark. when we turned away it followed. quickly gained us and sat down at our feet. nuzzled our trouser hems with its nose. no tags. no collar. no bringing it home for fear of giant canine battle. hope it will find its way safely.

everything is blooming and pollen laden. the air smells so very good but even i'm beginning to have allergies. i don't normally suffer from those. at night i want to sandpaper my eyes and steam treat my lungs. not to mention the sneezing.

the pinecone ginger is up. i'd been thinking i'd need to fashion a eugoogoly soon. but no. hooray!

my neighbor's barred rock clucks some right below the window where i type. scares the eff out of me at times because it has the sound of a horror soundtrack. and then more come. an araucana that's got the look of a reaper. get her! she's stolen colored eggs in this time of famine! clearly i put too much into it. my imagination runs wild.

i wonder where the city has been recruiting bus drivers. really i do. methinks straight from the bailman's lobby. i'd like to support public transportation in california but sometimes it's so ridiculously frightening.

to bed.

2006-05-12T23:50:00.000-07:00

my grandfather worked testing johnny weissmuller's vines. he also worked at goebel's lion farm. as far as i know the closest he ever came to a real jungle was southern california. or maybe the migrant workers' fruit orchards.

i'm having an almost jungle moment. it's not as tasty as the real thing.

the interior of our continent used to be forest. perhaps in some point past i could have brachiated from the coast ranges to whitman's door. the second is a forward unit. my hands don't bend so deftly. my palms are soft. jets dehydrate. cars are slow. should i start with my left foot.

listening: the skin of my yellow country teeth-- clap your hands say yeah.

if hesitation made acorns i'd be there by now.

2006-05-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

pecking away at these keys and there's a wee lilac-colored birdie on my shoulder. newly arrived from brooklyn. she has a miraculous repertoire. i'm especially surprised to hear her sing the songs of plastic bertrand! i haven't heard ca plane pour moi in yonks and i've never heard it covered before. so cool! what a perfect day to receive a parcel. thank you so much, anne! this is the best compilation i've gotten in days unnumbered. enjoying it greatly!

listening: ca plane pour moi-- thee headcoatees.

seriously brilliant comp. yay!

i believe i'll do some sewing. this week's afternoon of library servitude was slow. but i got to nose around in book stacks for hours. found three very cool vintage sewing guides. they're supposed to be boutique-ish. it says so. and a good number of the contributing authors were parsons/new school alumni or teachers. i won't be making the chain maille cloche anytime soon but the glove and wrap skirt patterns are quite nice. maybe i'll start small. a handbag or sommat.

listening: close to me-- the get up kids.

over and out.

2006-05-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

gathered firewood with father yesterday. he's really one of the most stubborn people. insisting he get to buck the large pieces into the truck while i rick them. he'll celebrate his 76th year of stubborn at the end of the month. still he splits his firewood alone.

smashed my arm in the louvre door. sometimes i'm so entirely clumsy i wonder that my pieces still adhere. i've got a big ugly welt near my elbow. gah.

voodoo lily is gigantic! i had to stake it. there are three others besides.

well. so much for this afternoon posting. i'm going back outside to plant.

listening: suzanne- leonard cohen.

there's always a guy with a guitar at a party playing this song. always. somewhere. i'm convinced of it.

transport...

2006-05-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

slayed. as a guy on a motorcycle blazed by on one wheel sister said, "he finds the wheelie to be the most efficient form of transport. little does he know nobody thinks that's cool...except jackie chan villains." love her.

also some funny tales related to martial arts. a real life miyagi. if you were contemplating it think twice before attacking that elderly japanese gent.

listening: i believe in a thing called love-- the darkness.

best line ever: my heart's in overdrive and you're behind the steering wheel.

second best line: we'll be rockin' 'til the sun goes down.

what sort of rock band is it that ceases rocking when the sun goes down? really. i want to know.

2006-05-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

a circus beetle scared the shit out of me today. crawled right across my wrist while i wasn't looking. he did not fire his stink gun at me. grateful.

humans are so visually oriented. sara's blue eye tale has me constantly circling back and pondering. and those are just the exteriors. the interior furnishings another sight altogether.

the brown-eared nanny produced two kids! they're so damned adorable. both with brown ears. but the paler one has a remarkably sweet face. nanny instructs them with the flat of her head.

can't locate the mp3 so instead new order's "temptation" is on repeat courtesy of my ibrain (patent pending).

jeff goldblum and conan o'brien together is somehow dreamy. now there're two beautiful funny gangledons. i think i made that last word up.

adieu.

2006-04-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

wisteria in my memory is harbinger of chickenpox. and the little eye-shaped scars i have are not unlike that pale pinkish lavender. ours is blooming. the scent is nice and feverish. a black behelmeted bumble bee threads it. lola chases it. she's determined to taste every variety of stinging insect. a honey bee today. yesterday a hornet that wrecked its retribution in the area of her forepaw. limpy beast.

sister noted of this evening's moon, "it looks like a trapper keeper." i had to agree.

there are ridiculously tall oats growing everywhere. picked one. ran it through my fingers to take the seeds off. tied it back upon itself. a grass snare. not the gentlest introduction to a blue-belly but my brothers taught me to do it. laid on its back a lizard is lulled with the tickly end. a matter of proper technique.

the gravenstein apple has blossomed. smells just like roses. and the artichokes have buds. hell yes!

listening: for the price of a cup of tea-- belle and sebastian.

2006-04-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

took a walk down the railroad tracks. a killdeer has her clutch in the ballast. three granite patterned eggs. she didn't drag her wing. she did make a fuss though.

had to remove my shoes and roll up my jeans to fetch some bone shards from the creek. sister's apprentice. she won't pass up any opportunity to poke around (archeologically speaking). unless horsehair worms are present. and they were. i don't fear them so i had the honors.

listening: headlights look like diamonds-- arcade fire.

it's nearly two a.m. i'm heading off to bed but had to check my electronic mail. oh aquarius. i love and hate you. your lengthy correspondences. i shouldn't read them. forced to choose between little things like food and toothpaste and creme rinse and transportation or musical goodness. if i ever become independently wealthy i'm going straight up to the city and planting myself on your floor. with nice headphones.

to bed.

2006-04-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

thunderstorms last night and this morning. so fantastic. love them.

yesterday's aquarius package was lovingly wrapped in pages of the onion. the horoscopes inmost.

aries: you will once again resort to drinking your problems away, abusing tap water in an attempt to forget your dehydration issues.

and i read libra because it's my rising.

libra: construction on the new high-rise building you're working on will devolve into lewd and inappropriate whistling as an attractive woman rapidly falls by.

what can i say. they have me pegged.

arrived: yamasuki singers/lanaya/sibylle baier. colour green is terrific (the track and the album). i think i may even have figured out the lyrics.

2006-04-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

first, oh oh oh.

went back to the downed tree in daylight. owl wrought hecatomb. full of gopher slain. and wormy acorns. a tremendous lot of walnuts. the little twigs are leafing out. someone should tell them....

enjoying malkmus and the jicks.

something reminded me the other day about my blue eye conjecture. i used to think (when quite small) that people with blue eyes see everything tinted. what stunted logic. my vision was never confined to sepia so how'd i come to such a conclusion? it must be common to children though. i'm not the only one.

none of this makes a figure in a letter. but i report it anyway. i'm likely to remember the big and marvellous without aid. sometime i might want to remember the small and incidental though.

now playing: it kills-- stephen malkmus.

there's a very pregnant nanny goat across town. chocolatey ears on a creamy whole. the owner is an old woman with long white braids and overalls. she sells the kids. i wonder if she sells milk? i could get behind that. i love fresh goat milk. i love guernsey cream more. maybe she has one of those too.

trying to imagine a wide blue world. trying to imagine a sepia one. it'll occupy me for some time.

snapped off some lilac lilacs in the alley. so nice.

to walk now.

2006-04-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

s.b. treated us to thai food. mmm.

through the cyclone wire at the derelict gas station nabbed some bluebells. a ways away some white lilacs. oh. those are nice. fragrant.

listening: juggle tings proper-- roots manuva.

domestic-y vs. nondomestic-y. are those the only choices? it's news. i choose curtain c. a tad more inclusive.

my cat-footed dog. she's wagging to the beat. listening to manuva i defy you not to shake it.

to bed.

2006-04-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

the rain has left us finally. for the moment leastways. what a moon. right on my pillow all night. so bright. kept waking thinking it was time to get up and get moving. tonight looks to be an encore.

listening: magic in the air-- badly drawn boy.

could walk for miles. the night is perfect for it.

2006-04-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

requested materials awaited at the library. peter kennedy folksongs book. a tome. already i've learned a few things. ex: avoid the cobbler because he wants a kiss a stitch and his pants are always sticky. thank you channel islands! i love the interlibrary loan.

the silhouette missing makes h street's horizon dismal. so many creatures frequented that tree. magpies. barn owls. acorn woodpeckers. small intrepid canadian boys.

next week i begin my life of library servitude. no. i'm actually well pleased. volunteering is fun.

listening: lilac wine-- jeff buckley.

and of lilacs--- they're beginning. hooray!

g'night.

2006-04-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

catching cold. again. on the upside most of the afternoon was beautifully sunny.

listening: gently johnny-- the wicker man soundtrack.

we had a marcel-pagnol-fest. form of video. maybe tomorrow while it rains i'll try text form.

the turbina corymbosa are getting their first leaves. neat-o. orange noahs too. potted the voodoo lilies. can't wait for those to bloom...even if they do smell like carrion.

to bed.

2006-04-09T00:16:00.000-07:00

this night's walk saw the undoing of the very old. prehistory. that giant oak at h and murphy avenue is down. standing at the blunt end the span touches the top of my head. huge! somebody tacked a note there asking the trunk be saved for children to play in. rot had hollowed it. very upset. in the dark it was difficult to tell the cause of the down. maybe it blew over in the storm. but much of it had been chaincut.

birthday greetings from brother included a plea for my marriage and swift reproduction. gah. take a raincheck. and like the astute youngsters said as long as supply is low demand is high. and that's the way i likes it.

listening: sea song-- doves.

a visit to the zoo. 4/7. the sloth mugged for us and moved! the spider monkeys read national geographic. then ate the magazines. the python shimmered. i waited for john cleese near the lemur enclosure. he never showed. i wanted very very badly to pet the fossa. i ogled the zookeeper. the meerkats. oh the meerkats. the capybara is nature's way of fucking up a rhombus-- hilariously.

a beautiful new subwoofer and speakers courtesy ma. the woman refuses to cease the gift-giving. attempted to console by telling me how good a deal she got. goodness but they are wonderful. no more irritating static. so crisp. luuuurve.

listening: cirkus-- king crimson.

it's late. must to sleep.

2006-04-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

i wake up a year older tomorrow. twenties are gone. a little scary.

listening: the lady and the gentle man-- bridget st. john

the goods at the record store were for sister. darn. thought superflu awaited. but no. just a roots manuva album she's already got.

bus floor stickied with dark and unknown. upon standing to unboard discovered my bottom was soaking wet-- coffee. eagerness to get home and remove my dirty clothes. sister and s.b. discussing their hunger. approaching home:

me: you order the vegetable pizza while i take off my pants.
s.b.: well my evening's shaping up nicely.

ridiculous boy. i'll miss him when he goes.

morning glory seeds are sprouting. caralluma and dorstenia newly potted.

japanese cedar burning over there.

listening: the pebble and the man-- bridget st. john

good evening.

2006-04-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

enjoying early birthday gift from s.b. and sister. latest belle and sebastian. oh yes. it has a very stevie wonder/r.e.m./jim croce/earth wind and fire-ish feeling. leastways that's my first impression. a departure. one i can get behind.

confrontation with a crazy bicyclist. crashed his cycle into s.b.'s jewels and then blamed s.b. there was a shouting match between sister and said bicyclist. threatened to use his truck next go round. kind of a bastard that one.

musical manna. aquarius package arrived the other day. more on the way. and it looks like the local record store might have something wonderful for me. for me? maybe. there appears to be some confusion.

japanese birthday celebration lunch. hooray eel rolls!

there's a framed stick-insect in a downtown window.

s.b.: i don't like that bug. i don't trust it.
me: you don't trust it? what it's plotting against you?
sister: (in remarkable insect voice) this is change for a ten! i gave you a twenty! yep. he's a grifter.

but there again s.b.'s afeared of insects and the like. he refused to let me have the spider roll too.

listening: funny little frog-- belle and sebastian

'night!

edit: speaking of grifters. the three of us encountered a man. mumbled at us. i was left standing beside him searching up some change. he said variously he was a "train jumper" ("not a hobo") and a "modern hobo." wha? modern? has hobo technology changed so drastically? he's completely reworked the bindle?

dunno.

2006-03-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

ripe pineapple smells so so so very good. we looked like absolute perverts in the produce aisle today. really. perfectly innocent though. promise.

listening: clip clap-- kahimi karie.

...hey foxy/ where are you going?

lola is giving me the eye of impatience. oh much dreaded eye!

thoughts of summertime voyage have lifted much of my blue. the unfortunate bit is i'm living in close proximity to an incontinent and foul-tempered cephalopod. clouds are imminent.

g'night.

blue cockatoo...

2006-03-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

it's late. i'm refreshing my knowledge of hemstitch.

listening: the new face of zero and one-- the new pornographers.

johnny-jump-ups are blooming at father's. the wild peony too. yay!

a long walk and a three way argument (friendly of course) about what it means to be a woodworker's woodworker etc. we could have kept on but my shoe was blistering me.

a sorche nic leodhas book of scottish songs. illustrated by evaline ness. so cute.

sister is a huge fan of things tuva and of paul pena. she brought home a pena album. we've been singing venutian lady.

there's a long island guy we see mornings. yesterday he told us he was raised up on a potato farm. weekends he'd go to the city. he called it the human zoo. today was my human zoo day. incredible.

watched hitchcock's birds. his intro commentary is so amusing. and the shot of the lovebirds swaying against the highway curves belies his sense of humor.

ta.

2006-03-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

picked up vashti bunyan today. good god. can't stop listening. and humming. i've heard her compared to sibylle baier and bridget st.john. enjoy both of them. but there's really no comparing. vashti sparkles. so pretty. plus that whole tinker wagon thing amuses.

been reading about opossums. north america's only marsupial! vive l'opossum! they have thumbs on their feet. bitchin'.

s.b.'s birthday in two days-- a spice cake is forthcoming. and a few weeks later i mark my triple ten. pointy hats.

vashti is urging me to get a blagdon cob and take to traveling. ridiculous yes but appealing nonetheless.

listening: where i like to stand-- vashti bunyan

g'night.

2006-03-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

it was snowing. big pillowy flakes. so pretty. that was 7:00 or so this morning. at around 9:00 i heard the arkansas coal miners' voices and the squeals of their fleet of grandchildren. the snow had stopped then. so what produced oohs was a lot of melting white stuff.

so many birds out. a woodpecker picking over the pine. robins. mockingbirds. a pair of winging ducks.

2006-03-11T23:03:00.000-08:00

there's really too much to do. and so. i make plans but break them. linger over the schematic. when did we become masters of perspective? i missed it. brunelleschi? none of that for me. as soon as the flat and blue is replaced by the real and blue my way is any. tower and sod.

it might snow. if only it would decide. it hails. it rains. it shines. cold is constant. but i'm tired of hearing about the possibility of snow.

went for a walk. the otherwise drab refreshed by a whole discarded calendula. i snatched it. s.b. said he hates orange flowers-- they make him allergic. it's my posie. he'll have to wear a respirator.

silly but i keep the little prince next to my bed. i can read please would you draw me a sheep when i can't sleep. it does help. very sedative. though i'd settle for any wee sketch right now.

the moth orchid is going to bloom. the plum is blooming. the hyacinth bloomed (but was broken). the wild peony should bloom. tenses.

somewhere i resemble agate. tourmaline. jasper. amber. there now. and i do feel better.

g'night.

2006-03-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

an apology to poets? it's about time! that t-rex is full of surprises.

gathered some little succulent slips from downtown plantings. the orange one is tops. nobody looks because they're all hoping for a glimpse of morgan freeman.

listening: b-line-- lamb.

2006-03-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

strolling this hazy noon. pink-bellied doves on electric lines. the almond bosses. snowdrops. 13 pale shadows ranged over. somebody's opened cote meant white scintillation.

listening: the way you close your eyes-- kahimi karie (augmented with local chorus frog)

will put out pails for the rainwater. prefered cocktail of my darlingtonia and nepenthes.

thanks to a random photo have become acquainted with the beehive ginger. so gorgeous. also pinecone ginger. these i'll have to grow someday.

correspondence is a funny funny animal. especially this lightbox form. all day it looks forward to feeding on fresh crisp font.

s.b. on again about my playing the pye-anna. but my 88 is long out of tune. possibly impossible. much like my stamina. it's said aries are great at (fiery) beginning. the zodiac can only take so much credit for my skipping attention.

thankfully i know a number of skipping rhymes. hello operator please give me number 9...

well.

2006-03-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

cinder dust brows. watching those without point helpfully at that schmutz.

i've decided it's not rhodiola but sedum confusum purpusii. i'll decide differently again. only give me time. needs me a nice crassulaceae reference. indeed.

so susceptible. two bars later and i can't stop truckin' like the doo-da man. damnable dulcet-voiced hippies.

well.

2006-02-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

someone related funny:

person1: (indignantly) what good is the mountain yellow-legged frog?
person2: what good are you?

and i really can't stop enjoying that. i almost cried because i couldn't stop chuckling.

trading hylocereus undatus for a rhodiola. for the former i learned a new common name: pitaya. apparently people ingest rhodiola. i only want to look at it. and two adromischus for 25 cents a pop. hooray!

2006-02-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

caliri has done it again. can't get enough of his stuff. dragon truly rocks. i don't watch t.v. so often. but the olympics lured me. i'm glad they did.

in other news...

while making soup i found two obscene potatoes. had to hide them under a dishtowel because i couldn't stop laughing.

two hawks were deviling a barn owl in broad daylight. very odd. there was a tiny storm of owl feather. i felt bad. i do love barn owls.

well.

happy saint valentine's day...

2006-02-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

someone needs a cookie.

...contagion of smoochy silliness. keep laughing to myself over that line.

the state of the weather...

2006-02-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

working on the dachshunds. something dreadful kept happening machinewise. the little bugger couldn't sew the intended. but the problem has resolved.

listening: the boy who never saw the light-- little rabbits

the quince is blooming. pretty!

the easterly coast is wearing a white mantel. what a contrast. but i could go for some snow right now.

every morning there's a bluebird couple on the paling beneath the magnolias. shocking blue right before the sun rises. tomorrow it will be missed. but i'll have a nice late morning. sleeeeep.

the sister and s.b. have adopted a sloth! so cool. maybe his sloth chalet will be improved. hooray!

wellidy.

welcome aboard to you and your pet...

2006-02-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

oh. after a long and crummy day i found the most amusing little parcel in the mail. a wee dino hello from brooklyn. brought a smile to my face. thank you! now i know airport officials are sympathetic to dino owners. means an easterly excursion should be had. but when...?

the dachshund is progressing nicely. some vintage fabric from the shed of forebears. orangey and bluey. i'm well pleased.

listening: if she wants me-- belle and sebastian

there was a flock of wild turkeys this afternoon. bald eagles have nothing on them. nope.

tomorrow we must have a dino photo shoot. hooray!

thank you thank you thank you!

valentine...

2006-02-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

how appropriate. making valentines and stopped to look at the site counter. someone stumbled upon this site looking for an i love you. a croatian i love you. i just happen to have been given a list of i love yous. so. here you go:

croatian: volim te
italian: ti amo
alsatian: ich hoan dich gear
welsh: rwy'n dy garu di
french: je t'aime
polish: kocham ciebie
danish: jeg elsker dig
german: ich liebe dich

enjoy.

now listening: i'll keep it with mine-- nico

the aeonium will be repotted tomorrow. it's such a bizarre creature. i wonder what it looks like in its native habitat. an aeonium field must look like a dream.

i'm reproducing a soft toy i had when wee. a dachshund. the color scheme will be much amended though. my tastes have changed.

congratulations to anne of i like on the birth of her son! hooray! go and visit her site. she's added some links to things ye-ye.

it's going to rain. and i'm going to read.

listening: a case of you-- phoebe snow

'night.

2006-02-03T18:29:00.002-08:00

the last several days my pocket's been full of king's clover. smells so good. in the morning it goes in. in the evening it comes out. pocket mulch. i've converted the sister too.

listening: the chokin' kind-- joss stone

a used copy of ulysses came away with me. i've never read that. exciting.

cocoa nibs are so fantastically delicious. there was nearly an olympian scene to determine the divvy. thankfully all ended peacefully. how diplomatic we can be.

suddenly next to the record store there's an urban outfitters. involuntarily i emitted distress sounds. where? when? how? i said one day nothing and then this. sister said it's like a tumor. you don't realize it's there until you wake up one morning and can't move your neck. months ago i heard college girls expressing excitement over the impending downtown abercrombie goiter. i'm soooo happy. we totally need an abercrombie. until that moment i was blissfully unaware of the necessity. potable water. breathable air. how in the world did i get on so well with only these? d.t. is now bountifully stocked with sweatshop wares. thank the gods.

maybe instead? or perhaps?

today we saw a man remove an entire rack of the free paper. that's because some locals were upset about a recent article therein. i won't elaborate. suffice it to say i find these preventitive measures more than a little frightening.

well.

2006-01-31T20:03:00.000-08:00

upon seeing my peacoat a man asked if i was in the navy. it was a joke. and i thought to myself: i get jokes. but 'twas not funny. no. but i laughed to be kind. and then the man complimented my diction. he was very kind. it somehow made me feel slightly fraudulent.

i have two beautiful new chairs. new to me. dux. danish. mid cent mod. a nice matched pair. they're low to the ground which is especially appealing to me. wee gams. i think the wood is teak. dunno.

news of chinese new year arrives. there is a familial conflict concerning little red beans. i've not yet eaten those so can't weigh in on the debate.

reading hugo. there was a line about the soul being the only bird that sustains its cage. not a cremesicle situation? it depends i suppose.

well.

oh. the kind man ended with an invite. a democratic jamboree. and i whinnied to say i am neither donkey nor elephant. i said i am mare. in my defense he provoked me.

i get jokes!

2006-01-29T19:38:00.000-08:00

this afternoon we had a visit from the baroness b---. for real. a baroness. a hungarian one. but she is the least baroness-ish person i can imagine. and she's loved by us. anyway probably most hungarian folk are barons and -esses. i'm talking crap.

the thousand years old cat is missing. if she were only slightly ancient there'd be little mystery in it. but seeing as she's extremely ancient the mystery is exponentially greater. under the impression she'd achieved immortality.

no one will play chess with me. first impressions are funny-- it's not my prowess related there. it's simply that nobody wants to play. and i'm so easy to beat! c'mon! anybody would look masterful relative to. but no. reduced to playing this machine.

very soon we will go for sushi. and i will insist that the last caterpillar roll be mine. we speak in excited voices.

also this afternoon the nurserywoman's aviary was filled with orange birds and white birds and yellow birds. mostly orange and white. cremesicle birds. canaries? they made some very nice sounds. for a minute i pondered having cremesicle birds. but then they just seemed so f*cking frantic and bored. like they were cats-cradling some invisible string. back and to and back and to. unspeakably frail little legs. and one wearing a toupee of grey feathers with a startled dinosaur look in his eye. it was a long minute. and i resumed my stance: birds are not meant for cages. it's an unreasonable luxury. probably most luxury so....

i dreamed about navajoland right before waking. tuba city. an outpost in the hot sand. and i forgot to wear shoes.

hmm.

she has what they call a rock on her finger. a year hence i'll attend a baroness's wedding. the shoes. the shoes. the understory of a successful outfit.

2006-01-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

looking for the revised edition of a certain style manual. phone calls were made. nobody knew what to make of my requests. we were speaking a common language. i thought.

daisy pulling. they need a food critic. i can give them anonymous. but that dusty resume. wellidy.

48 hours of the pretenders performing back on the chain gang. i love that flippin' song. listen to me sing. like chrissie hynde minus penchant for sexy leathern pants. and sans sexy voice. so...yeah...not at all.

18 mails from belle and sebastian list. two would have been sufficient. though the heading was exciting. especially en masse.

tomorrow evening we'll be swept away. timeless wonder of the english countryside or something. the chronic what!? cles of narnia. i always imagined the turkish delight looking like congealed gravy with fruity-hued overtones. or on a good day like aplets & cotlets. now if that isn't a budding gourmet.

another key jumps the ring. i'm beginning to list.

new times. new times. please. i need a new pair of shoes.

playing: seeing other people-- belle and sebastian. must incline the trend away from pretenders. yes.

2006-01-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

visited by father. gifted with a book on making paper. luverly. heavyweight and a rough deckle is my prefered. unless a bible. those are strictly onion skin.

now playing: the ravine- the sea and cake

somewhere out there is the shadetree mechanic who'll get the job done. the problem is the lack of indication. marketing is not the inherent human quality we've taken for true. maybe.

what i wouldn't give for a seat on this paper airplane. really. any donkey-tailed destination. that smudge on the atlas. the birdmark in the photobook. no. it's pamukkale. i would too.

la!

my new broom...

2006-01-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

we walked seven miles to dutchman's pond yesterday. from there you can see the new housing development. i wish i could shoot lasers from my eyes. there would be much lasering.

three egrets. two horses. one with the white nosing in small grass a la norstein's hedgehog in the fog. wetlands. you can't build those so well as you can drain them.

listening: lolitapop dollhouse-- kahimi karie.

on foothill near the church there's an abandoned avocado tree. the parking lot is covered in treads of guacamole. i decided to liberate a few of those poor fruits. and so i have. if only that sort of tree could survive on my side of the mountains. i can dream.

china lily is setting up its cups and saucers. in the dark by the post office scented before sighted.

i think spring is time to redd up shop. so that's what i'm about. redding up. and so.

so so so...

2006-01-03T21:13:00.000-08:00

happy 2006. if you are following that calendar. happy year of your choice otherwise.

listening: loro-- pinback.

enjoying a little inferior quality green tea. yes. i said enjoying. it isn't about the tea right now. a warm vessel in a cold night is always nice.

a long conversation tonight. why talk about strolling when we can get on our feet. why indeed. controlled falling.

remember the brother's jade saving his life. it turned yellow and cracked. beautiful and functional.

i've entered to win a chair. how do you like that. eames chair. wouldn't that be! lovely yes.

come saturday morning the gooseflesh will come out overwhelming. unrecognizable. i'm terrible at instructing. but i've been told that practice makes perfect. so.

ineluctable so.

listening: brittle women-- glass candy and the shattered theatre.

the rain has subsided. the greening has begun! my favorite part is the lichen. and the alley's newly remedied piss smell. i mean absence of smell.

end of cuppa. and now to read the dregs.

wahrsagekarten...

2005-12-29T16:25:00.000-08:00

yesterday i watched pom poko for the first time. animal transfirguration will never be viewed in the same light. gives alternative meaning to things such as felix and his magic sack. interesting.

jonquils are strong even at a remarkable distance. some are just appearing along the bus route. one particularly rural stop has a tree stump for seating. across from which pheasant eyes are cropping. very fragrant.

for christmas there were austrian fortune telling cards. actually gypsy. but the term given (zigeuner) i've been told is derogatory. cards themselves i've been enjoying very much. each one has the appropriate name in german french english croation and hungarian. good practice for two of those. but i don't think i'll be picking up the latter languages any time soon. also for christmas more norstein. hoorah! and clementines. and dark chocolate. and grapefruits. and morningstar japanese pine and sandalwood. very aromatic haul.

sister read parnassus on wheels aloud to me. i love christopher morley's haunted bookshop (from which this humble spot stole a name) but i'd yet to read parnassus. i'm so backward.

listened to a forgotten richman album last night. consequently gonna call up someone intelligent maybe albert camus /and say i got some hot hot jokes i wanna try on vous stuck in my head. why is that guy so ridiculous and so charming?

the transcendental mysteries of bread. of which there are many. hopefully i never amass a farm wife's anthology. though i do relish my own baked loaf.

manhattan is the pocketbook of new york and brooklyn the heart. or something like that. from the third rib. i'll have to ask sister to read that bit over again.

so.

2005-12-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

listening: my funny valentine-- chet baker

la posada tomorrow. a small girl in della robbia blue side-saddling a burro. candles. los peregrinos. somehow surreal.

lola is recovering from a nail clipping session. hates it. and kjetil has returned from the animal hospital only slightly lighter. poor dear.

there were nine sport utility vehicles lining my street today. nine. my street is small too.

early morning call from asia. again. after nearly twenty years one would expect a good grasp of time zones. but no.

when i wake up the day will be all about bread. i wish i'd never learned to bake.

correspondence...

2005-12-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

two beautiful encouraging emails arrived in the last several days. both reminders that this slate is mine custodially (adverbs!). so. i'm back.

also in the realm of lettery things the paper kind arrived this evening. not so encouraging though. no. more a bureaucratic mess. requests to quantify the unquantifiable. ridiculous really. well as long as we are inventing rules i've a few. natch!

yesterday's sunset: amazing. quite so. very purple. very orange.

sister weakened in a wonderful way. she gave me one of my presents early! did i ask? not me. i'm perfectly mannered. but she was excited and had been hinting for days. hooray!

coming home this evening towering white sycamores. one especially defined from behind a grey-blue house. the orange crown resting right above roof line.

2005-12-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

listening(on repeat): baby, it's cold outside-- betty carter and ray charles.

working on the muscovite's scarf. merino and cashmere. so f*cking soft. i'd like an entire room made of this substance. perhaps a different shade though. the yarn store had beautiful skeins of noro. and a lush. a lush that laughed exactly like a small aggressive primate from the forested depths of borneo. those make lousy clerks.

spent time with the sister. she's looking so much better. moving slowly though.

a train is trumpeting in the background. means i'll have to go for a walk soon. brr.

listening to riu riu chiu. i don't know who is singing.

yes. i'm listening to christmas music. what of it?

well.

organs...

2005-12-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

squeezed unexpectedly by the handsome jazz man. snuck up behind me. nice.

s.b. explained the loss of sister's spleen to an uninformed person. he said it's the luxury organ. and i laughed. and another friend said that it's the mortgage organ. along with one kidney. silly.

cudgels of fruitcake have returned. the bus driver was very intent on finishing his even at the expense of road safety. i almost wet my pants. no. not really. but i was afraid. fruitcake. it's not that good!

my gracious but it's cold. brr.

twice in as many days i've passed by the unfamiliar mirror and spooked myself. that person looks just like me! who is this intruder?! then quick trailing recognition and a slightly stupid feeling. like calling my own number and getting the machine. that too too rising hello i'd mistake for some courteous practitioner of b and e nice enough to take down a message for me. who was in fact me. me! which is why i let the robot man that lives inside that gadget answer now in my place.

listening: you shook me all night long-- acdc.

hiya...

2005-11-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

listening: chronograph-- sketch show.

last night was thanksgiving dinner number one at the s.b. family manse. sister is there. she showed me her staples. ornery! soon we'll have thanksgiving the second at home.

gutsy radish!

interesting. one of the fellas responsible for the excellent end credits of lemony snicket's series of unfortunate events also did some work for kcrw. neat-o.

well.

foil...

2005-11-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

sister will soon have a sexy new scar. that is the plus. the minus being she will have to take a regular course of antiobiotic for the rest of her life. not a religious one but still i'm praying it's a lengthy remainder. the spleen is no more. it ruptured completely sunday morning. required emergency surgery. much internal bleeding. in my early to mid-twenties i had plenty of steel for such an instance. but certain circumstances have weakened my reinforcements. so when i was needed it was all i could do to keep from fainting. she was so pale. today her color is better. however thanksgiving will have to be postponed.

s.b. and i walked to the library yesterday to lessen the nerves. we even took out movies. visually i enjoyed very much lemony snicket's series of unfortunate events. beautiful that. also funny. for the most. overall i did care for it. the credits were especially well executed i felt.

my friend has taken up fencing. the sort that goes mask/foil. not that purloining kind. he says he can fare alright sparring ten year olds. which i imagine might come in very handy sometime. note the friendly sarcasm in her voice.

but really i'm jealous.

accordiana and then some...

2005-11-16T23:17:00.000-08:00

kjetil will try now for the door at back. he's wised. he's also still very much tomcat. those are not fixtures for a happy house. the habit of pissing for friendly ends. or possessive ends. but soon he'll have a doctor visit. then i'll consider letting him in on a cold night. he has a fur coat! i've not even got that.

love the squeezebox. truly do. as for button pushing though i am not myself an accordion. if that is the drive the natural sound will be less like music. assuredly. what an imp. god damn imp.

sae dowie and wae. i find it a beautiful phrase. not for the dour power. more for the euphony.

sister gifted me with several new books. new to me. one entomology of 1960's era. excellent plates therein. one botanical reference of 1940's era. so. very. bitchin'. one of common cage birds which was originally printed in danish(?) in the 1940's or so. and a strange orthographical pocket-sized text in polish. that last to feed my love of books as i only really recognize two polish words: tak and nie. those are sufficient for now. mostly i like the lines of those letters. typographical adoration.

finally i've seen a picture of the green avadavat. it certainly is green.

a cricket just appeared. not the one with the bad gam from a few days back. this one has a severe staring problem. sup? timmy in the well?

well.

good evening.

discord...

2005-11-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

listening: let's dance-- david bowie.

the source of the mystery stench has been uncovered. the port-a-john across the street at the construction site. very pungent. i briefly considered calling the real estate agency to give them a heads up. but i 'spose they'll perceive when they arrive to tour their perspectives. the lost dollars will be more convincing than i could be.

three huge white spidery chrysanthemums. nice. at the market each head is swaddled in poly net. when the net is split the petals unfurl. very dramatic.

if you say run/ i'll run with you...

today i learned a valuable lesson concerning debate. when the subject is cruelty to felines sometimes there can be no discussion. but my voice can rise angrily. i can utter swear words. i can think less of a person. i can besmirch a christian holy day.

also i can listen to bowie on repeat. drink a hot coffee. think about may. i'm buying my ticket this month. i'm not sure one continent different will make such a change. i'd like to think it will. suddenly set down in a city that makes me mute and illiterate. how can the necessary upset be avoided then? postponed? it can't.

yesterday i visited the mc mullen homestead and helped my da pick the olives. he gathered the high branches because of his vertical superiority. i picked the low branches. he lent me a book. altogether pleasant visit.

had a dream about architects and ravens. giant ravens. giant aztec ravens. a curse that i may or may not have escaped. it's hard to tell in that state. or were they crows?

ah! the musical switch. a little bit o' dandy warhols. country leaver.

good afternoon.

again again...

2005-11-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

fanfuckingtastic moon now. the agate hazy bull eye. clouds are departing. breath is visible.

squirrels in their cold sequester. winter suspense. playing cards in the barracks. they still require my attention. but less these months.

that face. would you like a shawl collar and house slippers to go with your cut cavendish? i'm not making fun really. but i am laughing at you a bit. surrounded by beautiful russian women. happy belated. hugs and kisses.

the luverly dark and crisp of new jeans. oh. it's the little things.

s.b. had a moment of reward for teaching. i'm pleased for him. every thought of it makes me grin.

today my exit was sooner rather than later. fingers twined that satie was not subject. hate to miss such.

when i was a youngster i learned a song. thig tri nithean gun iarraidh. three come unasked. why are those island songs so damned depressing. and so very spot on. an t-eagal an t-eudach 's an gaol.... first phonetically and every fifth word familiar. then a better understanding but by no means fluent. fluency precedes death maybe. give me a few more decades to flub. please.

should i put on the black glinting shoes and attend? two minds over that. i haven't been to a recital in a while. i'm some sort of steel girder according to the performer. quite complimentary actually. and he passed on advice too. form of a question: who do you play for? alright. i say uncle.

my blog muscle has atrophied. there won't be any marathon tonight. so sorry.

'night.

tuck in...

2005-11-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

the squirrels are nearing extreme clean. a good few months of real sleep. and so. look for my return.

listening: ma devise-- samia farah.

nighty night.

fodder...

2005-10-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

collage-y. to keep y'all occupied. before the cold weather really sets in i must tend the squirrels. and so. enjoy some of what i've enjoyed. la.

kcrw is fine like wine. i especially like receiving the music newsletters of one eric j lawrence music librarian extraordinaire.

norstein gets some space here of course. i always enjoy him. and here and here are some older articles about the golden snail. apparently he worked with some japanese animators to create this film based on a poem cycle by basho et al. pretty nifty. it's news to me. and i really really really want to see it. yes. here is the official site. can you find the photo of the silly glasses? and here's one more article for fun.

i always find something interesting here. poetry in translation.

do yourself a favor and visit francoiz. she's talented and beautiful. she not only sings she illustrates! fancy that! i am particularly fond of the clips for si tu disais (of course).

quentin blake. that's commander quentin to the likes of you. if you didn't like him when you were small give him a try now.

he's an animal unknown to science. but his crocodile friend has a lovely singing voice. and plays the accordion! hell yes! listen. cheb and gena songs! use the links to the left. specifically the one that says music. you don't even have to read cyrillic.

one can never have enough dinosaur friends. or tiny unsuspecting germans.

i like's cake shop photos fill me with mirth. i mean it!

read this. via the always wonderful mark. something to think on.

if you need a shirt to cover your nakedness may i suggest one of these.

malcolm has discovered the clove. good on him. and intoxicating tongue numbness too.

ernesto has fantastic taste in vinyl. and he's finally added comments. whoot!

the owls have returned. their return is sweet. and complete with vikings?

well. i daresay that should keep you busy for a while. adios.

weird science...

2005-10-24T18:50:00.001-07:00

couldn't get warm today. my whole body like ice. waiting for the transfer on the way home the wind picked up. i had debated this morning about the correct sweater. but the weather. there's never any telling really. just now the heat is finally creeping back into my blood. good good.

recent dream of the red-haired girl toddler. two grey falcons on the grass behind her. something was off. brain off. and her hands did all of the speaking. she was a body of kindness. the falcons walked much of the way. then decided to fly.

today was a new measure of strange. and that without dreaming. i wonder sometimes about casting these words. what submerged thing or sea breaching thing they snag upon. suddenly in the midst of unrelated a question is fielded. i'm outfield and surprised. but yo la tengo. there with my mitt. i'm still unsure how the material of that question became a ball. and how it came into play. i'm scratching my head. (edit: mystery solved. that s.b. put it into play. well.)

tututututut. a little disappointing. as with pigeons so with people. the pretty ones are banded. and poaching while it makes the plate makes little else in the line of satisfaction. one taste of that dish is quite enough for me. thanks very much. it's afterall mostly a bloodsport. and i don't wish anybird harm. but don't i wish that those bands were painted more distinctly. it should be a law.

this morning the gentle giant appeared! right across from me at another table. i removed my headphones and he let down his read. friendly conversation ensued. how nice! but being early a chain of yawns. he has a tremendous yawn. but what would we expect? if i was a boy i would cultivate just such a yawn.

changed my phone number just now. the voice mail has someone else's messages. five of them. i saved one of them because it was too too strange. laughter of the vincent price variety and various odd muffled sounds beyond it. and then interspersed with the other person's messages one from a friend of mine. what?!

i could leave off with signing it all intials. i've even considered it. but. même chose. the name is still mine no? still in contagious circulation.

maybe at midnight i'll turn into a pumpkin.

the game of operation. don't touch the sides! it requires a most steady hand. thankfully i know one good doctor. if he removes the wishbone painlessly i'll give him three wishes. he's the only surgeon for this because he's not really one at all. and reluctant. probably faints at the sight of blood. in fact yes. yes he does. taktaktaktak.

my head throbs. i'll drink some coffee and dive into the written word. balm.

listening: bull in the heather-- sonic youth.

also edit: this is the real blogday because it's the 365 post. i considered disappearing here and beginning again elsewhere. i may still. i'll keep you posted. ahem.

blue shade...

2005-10-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

tow-haired nephew is so generous. insisited i share in his little repast of banana and grape. in fact the insistence included eating from his quite grimy paw. i must love him. nobody else would have gotten away with that. but i will be faking full next time.

listening: la valse boite-- francoiz breut et dominique a.

he's inspired the creation of a red-orange octopus. maybe felt. maybe that thing with the duelling needles. what a trip to the aquarium yields. he's also quite taken with choo-choos. and caterpillars. and as cliche as it is puppy dog's tails. really most everything is cause for a jaw drop and saucer eyes. two years old is an exhausting season.

the assumptions i make about people based on their shoes. today the supermarket was filled with wholesome and unsatisfied people. iceberg lettuce and bran-ish bread and weak-sided tan leather slip-ons. i wonder what the cons say about me. and the vodka pasta sauce and the 100 percent/unsweetened fruit juice.

now playing: our way to fall-- yo la tengo.

going to make split pea soup. how can you hate it?! said to nobody at all. but some people do hate it. baffling. so-cal has famous legumous dish restaurant. so la!

after seeing the picture of the blue shelf i feel calm. blue is calm and a color i'm not enough acquainted with. something is going to get a coat of blue paint. what blue? well. i'm just that vague.

not policing the spelling. have mercy.

it's time. must to go. good evening.

absence...

2005-10-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

best part of the day's routine unvisited. i'd like to say the time was spent in frivolous fashion. but it wasn't really. i used to abhor a schedule. now i'm sometimes sad that the weekend is so long. especially noticeable when the schedule is interrupted. i wonder what was missed.

yesterday before the market the booksale. always i look in the children's section for that special couple of devlin books i had when i was small. lovely illustrations. so far i've not found any devlins at all. but i did find a jean de brunhoff. babar and zephir. i'd never read that one. so cute! who can resist a monkey?

the kaffir may be on its way out. i was inattentive for several hot days in a row. zut! not looking so good. but i'm hoping for the best. i love that damn tree. and its tasty leaves. fingers crossed.

literature? i should have inquired which. who? what? i only know maironis. i think that means i'm very ignorant. but ignorance is curable. innit? one only has to ask.

left the tuberose in the darkest room. moved them into the brightest one this afternoon. now back again. the house is not big but still they're astonishing powerful. so good. from one end to the other intense. even with the dividing doors shut. nice.

it will be strolling time soon. lola does the antsy dance.

adieu.

regal...

2005-10-20T23:19:00.000-07:00

tuberose had. i was in a rush and so didn't acquire the nicest bundle. but they're still pretty fantastic. as i walked away from the street market nearly every person i passed in the dark turned to discern the origin of the good smell. those flowers! was uttered more than once. i drank mexican chocolate. out the window the courthouse and the clock chimes.

the sparing guy and i had a conversation about parrots. he sang me a song about a girl with flowers. he asked my name three times in the course of five minutes. and introduced himself as many. even though i noted aloud on the first exchange that our names rhymed. mnemonic polite as i'm terrible with names. faces retain though.

disappointed not to see a familiar person. but it's such a writhing wall of people in spots. to distinguish familiar in the dark would be uncommon good and difficult.

to let me pass two separate people in separate places bowed. how strange. it felt so courtly. to what do i owe? it's my regal brow. it must be. rrrm ahem. i kid you.

listening to chopin.

tomorrow up with the sun. to bed. g'night.

at the zoological gardens...

2005-10-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

the two-toed sloth is a favorite of mine. but he was hiding in his sloth chalet when we came along. the flamingos always appear to my eye as oranger than pink. most of the animals were close to the pathway perimeter of enclosure. up close and personal with the tiger. so f*cking gorgeous. and then the sadness of seeing him stand and pace the wire. well. the meerkats have returned. they are another favorite of mine. sitting with paws a-dangle. kohl-eyed and black polished nails. the nephew saw the emu and proclaimed "big turkey!" indeed. oh and the galapagos tortoise was napping somewhere obscured from sight. dang it.

like we needed more pets. the brother has obtained a rather sizeable jar of goldfish. does not bode well. five years or so ago i left for a visit to texas and other southerly states. entrusted him with caesar. beloved goldfish. really. it was a feat that i managed to have that fish for so long. years. but when i returned caesar had taken the watery turnpike to the sea. brother thought it a good idea to initiate spider fumigation in my absence. but caesar was left in la casa. i think he used his last breath to curse us. no fish has withstood since. say a prayer for us.

listening: visions of johanna-- bob dylan.

today while awaiting the bus a giant crane lifted a modular lockery thingy over the bus shelter. huge. the size of a very large r.v. but more solidly built. i picked up some construction worker argot. and i saw how they shackle the edges with metal doodads. tighten them with comealongs. or is it come-alongs? dunno. they have quite a complex hand language those workers. the sky was perfectly blue. the crane vivid orange. and the weather was perfect. cold wind from the ocean and comfortably warm sun. simmering under my headphones.

it's a weakness. how i favor the beautiful human arm. the fingers and hands and wrists. if the cuffs are left dangling my want is to replace the space with my palms. which is why i identify sometimes with those shins' lines just a glimpse of an ankle and i/react like it's 1805. there's something to it. we've already seen it all. it's unavoidable really. so seeing less has its excitement.

lola is losing patience. she wants her w-a-l-k.

there's a pink silk-floss tree blooming. when i see it from the bus window i think to myself about the pink funkadoo. it makes me smile each time. i think the silk-floss blooms autumn here because in its native clime the seasons pull a switcheroo. or maybe our seasons do. relative.

listening: venus as a boy-- bjork.

tuberose tomorrow! whooot!

quite unpoopy headed indeed. yay!

hmm. i left out the umlaut again. bad bad bad.

2005-10-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

how nice to find those electric letters waiting for me. someone cared enough to send warm wishes. that means something to me. significant. especially after a carom almost pockets the eight ball. events that make one feel small. so standing by a fragrant giant in a basin of fragrant giants makes for a pleasant contrast. even if vicariously. thank you she says.

i made away with a single pomegranate from the s.b. family manse. ssshhhh. nobody will ever know. they've got an entire grenadine works in the works. or could have if we imagine. at the very least they've the hedges for it.

listening: le ciel dans une chambre-- carla bruni. i know. i should try branching out now and again. i do listen to other songs. i promise.

tomorrow bright and early. and because of it. g'night.

foxy...

2005-10-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

before the rain began on this side of the grade i saw a fox. a fox! i haven't seen one in a while. it made me really happy. i was passenger not driver. afforded me the glimpse. right near the home exit and behind some toyon and arroyo willow and low oaks the firebreak road winds. it was there. little loping way and a tipped tail (which was the black my eye went to first). pointed face. they're a beautiful lot.

went to visit the sister and s.b. at the ol' s.b. family manor. so very glad to see those faces. before the anaheim excursion the sister made fun of my farewell hug. you call that a hug?! and now i can't deliver a proper one because of her broken bits. i won't be making the same mistake in the future. all hugs henceforth will be made to count.

the rain has drawn out what rain draws out. chorus frogs pale on el camino real. and on s.b.'s stoop an amber potato beetle. earwigs crowding the door jamb. and under the willow tree there's a particularly good smell. after closing the car door behind me i could have stood in the dark for that. for quite a long time too.

latin is not the same as italian. requiem is not the same as lord lover. i'm a big dumb poopy head. but if that's the worst sort of confusion i'll experience then i'm a lucky so-and-so. at least i have argentina.

i nearly completed a father sock! knitted like a mad person this afternoon. i'm so slow. if i'd looked up from my work an instant sooner a hello would have been had. sigh.

the black kitten/cat of the feral matre has secured a place. it follows me. it's spoiled and arrogant like most cats. however i've taken to it. to escape rain it leapt onto me when i opened the front door. it is he. but until then had no name. christened him kjetil. his face is velvety. his paws dampened either side of my neck. cold! and he seemed surprised when i turned him out the back door. kjetil was not meant for housecattery. not until he's mastered the doormat leastways.

and of mastery. i've finally gotten the hang of whistling with two fingers. my gran had tried and tried to teach me when i was younger. no go. but i discovered my own technique. et voila! i am loud suddenly.

grateful grateful sleep of peace. adored youngsters in their bed. and a good idea for me too. g'night.

hits and misses...

2005-10-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

received a call that was almost s.b. but not quite. the voice of zero modulation. the berm moulded lean and straight against canal swell. but an edge of betraying quaver to the halts. there was an accident and sister was hurt and there were separate ambulances and confusion galore. and no we don't know what hospital. and no we aren't sure of the injuries. and then hours of silence because we didn't know where or how. and then finally with the help of modern technology and a highway patrol dispatch sister was found. but her spleen was injured. her ribs broken. her wrist broken. and i wanted to crawl out of my skin because of the 2oo miles or so between us. and poor s.b. his new voice is part and parcel to his new look. he'll have a sexy marlon brando nose for the remainder of his adult years. or so i imagine. i haven't seen it yet. but tonight a call comes and my heart is more pacific. the spleen is well. the ribs will heal. the wrist has been set. the nose will mend. they'll travel back with the other family tomorrow. s.b.'s parents and sister.

and i opened an e-mail window and more bad news. the temporary muscovite mugged. and didn't escape injury. only now threading my organs back into proper alignment.

the heart's getting time off the bench. it's pounding the court etc. one day from tender/giddy and the next from terror/vex. i would like to rewind the year and replay with some favorable splices. maybe something good and grand is in the program for the next few months. i'd best wait on the creative edits.

too enhance the strange: i was trying on black party dresses while sister's bones were being set. i thought she was wearing mouse ears and riding a teacup at the time. and i was thinking how i rarely wear these black dresses. certainly a party must be given. or maybe i'll make myself a witch for halloween. it is the sister's favorite calendar day.

have i mentioned i adore her? and s.b.? to no telling and back.

my dinner is cooking. and my eyes are getting wonky from this fizzle-lighted screen. i go.

handles...

2005-10-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

on the last street what was taken for the labor of a dry hinge was in fact a cage of exotic birds proclaiming their vanity. then the orphan clothes dryer came into view. it's been standing since early summer. a sign around its middle. then diagonal the house of the tiny old irish woman. steely eyes. i used to think she was insane. now i know she just loves saint francis. she came to me once because she'd lost her gathering basket. i asked her to describe it. and she said without a trace of humor "it has a handle." she's fascinating.

at night the connect-the-dots is primarily light. amber lamps. light emitting diodes. bluey white dooryards. stars. moon. planets. planes. radio towers. in the day it's birds. in the desert it's that which casts a shadow.

tonight our shadows were crisp. i wonder what phase of moon. haven't been keeping track lately. a deer-like dog issued from origin unknown. the things that come bristling from the night.

i've missed the tuberose again. this time because i didn't trek over the hill for the market. this means i have to go next thursday. the season will be over soon. and i'm not leaving the vendor until i have me a stem or three!

this disc. a perfect feeling expressed through imperfect means. and the reflection of flaw is powerful and touching. the recognition of that striving is powerful and touching.

new socks appear on my needles. these for my father. soon i'll be working two pairs at once. the second a larger gauge for the growing moscow cold.

the house is silent. the sister and s.b. gone to cavort with giant rodents in anaheim.

to knit now.

quiddity...

2005-10-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

my eyes want to shut. maybe this is a good sign. i am most alert at night. but it is nice to have a regular diurnal mammal cycle now and again.

there's a scar on my arm from the dog bite at age seven. today as we walked home a dog came tearing out of the alley in front of us. mouth open and snarling. my breath caught. i gasped and froze. it was the spit of that other dog. the long dead dog. a ghost. and then a bicycle followed and a living man in the saddle. he hollered the dog down and continued away. i looked at the sister and before i could finish my sentence she said it for me. and we laughed with relief. no ghosts for today.

there are real dogs and better. lola is looking over her shoulder at me. now she's pointing at the door. subtle creature.

somebody's expression was stamped into me today. that kind of essential look we all have. like a gait. after the uniqueness is discerned and recorded from this place of fondness it's possible to recognize a person at a distance. a head tilt or shadow that marks one as a friend.

the house is cold. a cat outside has draped himself along the threshold. the marmalade coat. the fictive familial addition. a neighbor moves and we increase by his leave. if you name a stray it suddenly becomes yours. but we've named him anyway. after the crazed bee-keeper monk of brothers k.

mare became a nickname for the sake of celerity. and yet. what is quicker than a tendency to spook? as the hillbilly in me would say you're being a calf's tail. in other words the shy does not always serve you well. it's not a coat for every occasion. reinstate the y. the internal canter will keep wrapped in its saddleblanket. but the buck will have its tie-down too. you can approach for apples and nuzzle.

how is it we are fortunate enough to have a world class performer to ourselves? we're a portion of lucky coast.

s.b. has two new students. he had a case of nerves about their first lesson. but all went well.

alright. this is serious. eyelids flutter. to bed.

residual...

2005-10-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

at frenchman's flat in nevada my father witnessed four atomic tests. he visited this evening and he told me about them. he was in the service. the signal corps. but at one point during his time with the army he spent a week watching white blasts with dark goggles. there were revetments. on a 3 count after the blasts they were allowed to peer over the edge. he said everything was white and when he held his hands in front of his eyes every bone was visible. like an x-ray. this was at a distance of five miles. he said from that point on he couldn't imagine anyone ever wishing to unleash that power on another human being. he said anbody who had witnessed such and still wished to harm others with that technology had to be insane. unfortunately many people witnessed those blasts and felt quite differently. the greatest thing since sliced bread you know. and bumper stickers to prove it. people paid to sit in the desert and watch with opera glasses and binoculars. granted for them it was an extended distance. i suppose that's a factor not to be overlooked. what distance does and means.

the words tossed about by spectators related to killing communists. but we didn't know so much about the results of radiation. the finding out advanced by primitive means. at ground level the residual was strong. ascending it was less. but how less was a question. so pilots swallowed strips of x-ray film wrapped in little cello bags and tied with a string that dangled from the mouth. after flying through the mushroom the string was reeled up like a well draw. the film examined. thus the levels were crudely obtained.

it was later revealed to what extent the residues remained. after cancer raised its ugly head. we're a cancerous folk with our leftovers.

thanks for the cheery convo papa!

in other news...

the sunday visit was postponed until this afternoon. two visits in one day! it must be some sort of record. my dear dear friend and her two wee ones. the elder wee looked out the window and said mary i love you! heart melted. and the younger wee has the most contagious laughter. i've missed having a girl friend. primarily my friends are male. that has been the trend for the greater portion of my life. nearly the same with my friend k. we discussed this. the reasons are still mysterious.

i must rid myself of a large quantity of tomatoes. there are so many on our vines. one can only eat tomatoes for so long.

this evening's undertaking revolves around three: concerto sonata and symphony. distinguishing. i'll put on my thinking cap.

hmm. if the strains of radio are indication we've put our foot in a heap of leftovers. yes. a shit heap of residue. but led by the guy in waders and no sense of smell. father-- let's talk about horticulture next round. alright?

gah! give me the cleansing sound of pop music. better.

more morten...

2005-10-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

the norwegian music flows on. this afternoon it was morten abel. but all interspersed with this one aha song. i'm irritating me now. but i'm a sucker for that impressive vocal range. and norwegian mortens.

this morning i had to drink adulterated green tea. lemon flavored. i do not approve. but the options were few. i'll remember to bring my own sencha next time.

also this morning my head got spun. what happens when someone sneaks up behind us. and i turn and suddenly see stars. some people make this happen to me even when i'm internally trying to rein the equine tendencies in there. the urge to bolt from nerves or glee. logically what is called for is a small handshake. but the horse factor leaps simple gestures. in place of platonic displays it pumps all valves like a race to the death. the heart becomes a lozenge up by my tonsils. isn't that silly? and yet if it happened again some morning i would be well pleased.

someone entombed the cat. i suspect little girls. atop the mound were skeletal fronds. i wonder what the service was like.

why is it so warm! it is october, yeah? innit?

a gentle giant gave me an enveloping hug! oh. it made my legs melt in an everybody-get-toegther-and-love-one-another-right-now sort of way. the hugs flew! s.b. and the sister also grabbed by the giant. and then he said take it sleazy and departed. how strange.

i'm searching for something to read. which shouldn't happen. there's enough that i shouldn't need to search. but my mind keeps blanking. ah well. somewhere i keep a list of what comes next. but i can't find that either. snarf.

listening: indian volvo-- morten abel.

oh. within the span of three days we've been mistaken for twins twice. so nice. there's a tell though: i've got the little mole and brown eyes. sister is sans mole and hazel eyes. but in passing those go unnoticed i suppose.

later alligators.

mono...

2005-10-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

as i type aha issues from only one speaker. there's a short in the connection. so annoying. anyhow. i'm sort of a closet aha fan. sort of because i've only listened to 2 or 3 of their songs and only enjoy take on me. that's what i'm listening to at present. after i'd first heard sondre lerche's music i found an interview with him. he mentioned he was a big aha fan. this along with his sweet pop songs cemented my liking.

have felt the need to put my fingers in the tentacles of a sea anemone. they stick because they're stinging you. trying to stun you and eat you. but the skin is too thick. it's ridiculous that i live within short driving distance of these little critters yet i rarely visit a tidepool. must remedy that.

there's a dead cat in the street margin. a group of girls put acacia fronds over it. poke at it with the toes of their shoes. it was a feral cat. i doubt it ever received so much attention before. but as the fox would say such affection requires a taming first.

i can't remember my blogroll password. oh crumb!

bah.

i go.

wake...

2005-10-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

last night it was chicken-legged punk rockers in the dark. tonight it was someone resembling the alm-uncle. a cousin of my father's that i'd met once when i was too young to recall. i instantly adored him and his wife. i wish i'd grown up knowing them. such kind and gentle and witty people. people with a love for teasing. and it took someone's death to gather us into the same room. shameful circumstances.

this morning i was drilled in toddler lingo. a repeated request i couldn't quite grasp. and then my nephew used my pants' leg as a handkerchief (mystery solved!). i don't need to tell you it's a privilege i extend to few.

after dinner dessert was offered. at first i declined. but the alm-uncle cousin elbowed me and pointed at the cheesecake. damn it! what else goes so well with very black coffee? and when i shared a slice with the sister he sat smirking at us. eyes twinkling. himself with a bowl of something cherry-glazed. a trouble maker.

wow. it reads like betty crocker. so blissfully domestic. but it's exceptional familial not common familial which is why i'm noting it i guess.

snarf. snarf. i'm tired.

to bed.

choo-choo...

2005-10-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

these boys in black garments. occasional hands. gold-edged gestures. appear bound in the traces. the buck of steerage. the wavering. what i want to say is thaumatrope. but it's not a word for this century. no matter how it suits. bondage pants and badges and a crass alphabet see to that. big a little a bouncing b etc. these chicken-legged boys. well.

listening: temptation-- new order.

it's nice to have the correct tools for the job. until tuesday i was missing some of the tools i needed. and the money to buy them. print and sound. suddenly things begin to make more sense.

sunday's visit will make me very happy. i've missed my friend.

s.b. made a ridiculously funny self-portrait. every time i think about it i start giggling. maybe he'll let me post it. he made himself a devil with a bratty grin. remarkable resemblance. and a second similar except he's got a yellow bindle. waiting for a train.

in other sectors...

oh. there's the girl with the pointed features and the pixie-cut hair. sometimes i stare because she's just so wee and cute. i hate describing the wee people as cute. (i have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about that. i'm wee. i wouldn't say i'm cute.) but she is. and she had a mound of cookies. she very shyly offered them. if only i hadn't just eaten breakfast! fiddlesticks!

listening: the devil's radio-- robyn hitchcock.

and...

tousled/cowlick-y hair. attractive. ah me.

wellidy.

tomorrow i overhaul the blogroll. there are names to add. whoooot! but now i go to sleep. for the good-night: le ciel dans une chambre-- carla bruni.

merciful...

2005-10-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

my budget didn't allow for the surprise $6 bundles of tuberose. i had planned on the usual $1 per stem. i had planned on buying an odd number 3. odd is better for arrangements. more auspicious or something. but nobody was selling the usual single stems. and i wanted a cup of mexican chocolate. so i let the wonderful waxy tuberose alone. and the chocolate was so very good and spicy and hot. the air very cool.

i received the best news. there was a miserable weight. the weight is gone. dankeschön.

s.b. lent me a copy of a recording of some seriously somber music. and i burned a copy. it's a nice one. but somewhere in the background behind the kyrie and the wrath is a sound like a cartoon seal slapping its flippers rhythmically. an imperfection in the mother disc. s'okay. the flippering is short lived. and i can always purchase a copy sans seal at another time.

the handsome record store clerk was seen with two bundles of tuberose. i suggested to the sister that i trip him and run away with one of his bundles. and she seconded the idea saying "he'll topple like a redwood." but that would have just been mean.

ah well.

intersection...

2005-10-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

what makes a man remove his pants in the meridian? what makes him then do a jig with his cleverly crafted cardboard sign and bend over and poo for the people trapped in their cars at the stoplight? clearly it's a special calling.

and also what makes a man recount the tale over anniversary dinner in a crowded eatery? in very animated fashion too.

and finally why when the tale was passed to me did the combined details make it that much more amusing? dunno.

we'll return in two and two...

2005-10-04T23:25:00.000-07:00

enjoying my headphones when i was hit by a gigantic dust devil. it was huge! and really beautiful. except for the bits which remained in my eyes. those were not so beautiful.

this evening's debate (it's a doozy) was all about chuck woolery. we agreed upon his signature hand motion. where the dispute cropped up was show of origin. newly weds vs dating game. neither! love connection of course. it's a train wreck. and the cabins are still piling. re:reality dating shows.

also i was chided for not rolling my rr in the word burrito. correction-- not rolling it enough. we weren't speaking anything resembling spanish. so. i was stumped.

technology is great. but when i start mistaking very small flashlights for something godiva and cocoa-y then i'm in trouble. what is the purpose of a torch that small? i'm confounded.

well. g'night.