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Showing posts from November, 2013

Sally Mann, interview NPR and how some art leaves bread-crumb trails back to the journey of our ancestors

Sometimes I write things on my blog that are sort-of messages posted to the future for my daughters to find, as a breadcrumb trail back to any lingering questions they may have about their mother. Certainly, not all my blog posts are meant to be digital "messages in a bottle," but some are.  A few are. It's just that in real life, if you stand too close to someone for too long, you can't see them as clearly.   Distance, time, and the addition of other voices, do help. So, while they may have figured it out from my bookshelf already, there are two artists on the planet I feel speak in an emotional shorthand my heart can relate to the quickest: They are Sally Mann and Ellen Gilchrist. Sally Mann   is a visual artist, and American photographer.  Some describe her as an American (Southern) photographer.  She's best known for her large black-and-white photographs—at first of her young children, then later of landscapes suggesting decay and death.  MORE ON SAL

Chorus of crickets singing like a choir of angels

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Apparently this is the sound of crickets singing, but slowed down very, very slow. They apparently sing like a choir of angels. I have no idea if this is a hoax or not, but when I go, I sure hope it sounds like this on the other side.

November afternoon. Walk at Seal Beach.

Sun, air, water, light, child.

Yolo -- It's the weekend! Kick back and enjoy it with David Brent

And Dave at work.

Love described by man with OCD in perfect clarity: Poetry

Published on Jul 22, 2013 Neil Hilborn, performing during Individual Finals at the 2013 Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam. Order his most recent book here: http://buttonpoetry.com/product/clatter/

Very swaggy version of "Royals" sung a cappella

It's true, the Florida college group do manage to sing like angels, however I kind-of find the goldfish thing a bit distracting.

Today is the birthday of Vermont's greatest opera fan...my father

HAPPY BIRTHDAY , to my dad ,  Vermont's greatest Opera fan!  Happy Birthday To You -- The Opera! "Happy Birthday" Wagner-style And now, a random little 8 year old girl singing Mozart's Queen of the Night, just for you.  (Not really, she obviously has no idea who you are, nor we her, but this kid's facial expressions make up for everything missing in all the other videos below.)   Happy, happy, happy birthday to a swell guy who is 87 years young today! We love and miss you and would be fixing you a bourbon old fashioned right now as we speak, if 2000 miles of US of A were not parked between us right now. :( But, we love you and hope you enjoy your day! xo love you, Dad! Also --- If you can figure out how to work your computer you can watch the videos I found (borrowed) from fellow opera fans for your birthday enjoyment. A daughter's "Opera Jukebox Birthday Present" for her father! Pavarotti Last Performance "Nessun Dorma

Her. Looks great. Must see.

"How I Live Now" -- What "The Hunger Games" tried to be, but wasn't. Must see.

I'm so glad I went into this film not expecting much-- For I left completely suprised to find I was utterly swept off my feet by this gripping, thrilling tale of kids and young adults fending for themselves in a struggle for survival. I was truly sorry to see the end credits roll as I sincerely wanted to see so much more about the characters by then, and their tale. I simply can't imagine why this movie didn't get more great publicity: It certainly deserved to. It is a thrilling, unexpected delight, assuming you find End Of World stories delightful. I hope it begins to gain a wider audience asap. " How I Live Now " got "iffy" reviews, mostly, I think, because it didn't try harder to explain itself. It was strong, captivating, interesting, unpredictable, compelling and has a kick ass soundtrack, too. What's not to like, for goodness sake? I found myself more on the edge of my seat than I ever was during the extremely predicatble, so-ca

I HATE zoos. I LOVE mammals: Here's why, watch:

Good Morning! It's Saturday: Time fondly remember Bugs in drag and other weekend wonders...

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Jack Wild, my 1rst heart-throb Mickey: my 2nd heart-throb.  It was the shrooms. When I was a kid I'd wake up, get my favorite cereal and watch shows like H. R. Pufnstuf , Scooby-Doo and as much (really old) Popeye and vintage Bugs Bunny as I could find while my parents slept.  The best Bugs Bunny was when he was in drag Yep, in DRAG see link below   i nfluenced by vaudeville acts while America was distracted by WWII .  The trick to finding the really naughty cartoons was to get up super early before the networks put on their newer shows.  Somehow, even back then, I knew how subversively un-PC and risque the animation from the 1940s could be = much more funny than what the kids were getting in the '60s. (Note:  I've already waxed nostalgic about H. R. Pufnstuf here .) Now, I get up on Saturday A.M., make a pot of coffee and check out the internet while the kids sleep: It works for me.  Sometimes it sort of feels the same.

Soon enough, by Aimee Mann

promises, promises. I'll never understand why Aimee Mann is seen as the queen of dark-themed songs when her videos are so damn funny. People hear what they want to hear, I suppose. I know I do.

And now for something completely different: ART ( jokes)

Animators Doug Bayne, Ben Baker and Trudy Cooper do something hilariously creative with what some of us think about this stuff, anyway. Enjoy!

Extremely disturbing video for those of us in the food allergy community: Young man begs for help, then dies from food allergy in full view of prison guards

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22 year old young man turns himself into jail for a misdemeanor of pot possession, tells the jail about his his life-threatening food allergies, stated they had a medical file about his life-threatening health condition in their possession already and even asks prison guard about the ingredients of his food, then later begging for medical help - is abandoned and left for dead in his jail cell. This is how our country deals with food allergies in institutions?  They just walk away and let people die? Horrific and upsetting.  His mother is filing a lawsuit and I hope she wins every penny and raises awareness about how institutions disregard the severity of food allergies in all institutional settings. So heartbreaking.

Why John loved her so much

Because she was weird, but profound. Shocking but uplifting.  Laughably out-of-tune, but catchy and kind.   Unlike anyone else. Because the clown is a visionary. Because her work is still strange, optimistic, jarring, relevant and most of all, it's brave. And nobody's brave anymore. They're just thieves of days gone by. Ono's is still a pioneer.  Young at heart when life should have made it old. Because she's a one-of-a kind kook with something to say that we very much need to hear. And that's just some of why John loved her so much. YOKO ONO with Ad Rock & Mike D, Ani Taj & Dance Cartel, Greg Saunier, Heems, Ira Glass, Josh Fox, Justin Vivian Bond, Questlove, Reggie Watts, Roberta Flack, Yuka Honda & Miho Hatori. BAD DANCER When your heart is dancing Your mind is bouncing Bounce bounce bounce bounce I'm a bad dancer A busy bouncer Never touch the ground Never make a sound I'm a tough lover A sweet pusher Writing my l