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April 28, 2004
blatantly cribbing from The Morning News Again.
...and I do it because I simply cannot help myself.
and because I need to have a reminder of what I could be writing and reading, if I weren't wasting my time with tivo and web design. . .
Frank Sinatra Has a Cold by Gay Talese
Posted by Heather at 08:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 27, 2004
can't....stop....giggling....
okay, I'm totally acting inappropriately, now.
There may be a huge jar of cremains on our dining room table but for some reason, the gravitas of the situation can't prevent me from getting the giggles here, at picturepicture.net.
you know, like when you're in a quiet moment in a play and you can't stop coughing? If you don't know what I mean, well, then I can't explain it to ya - sorry...
thanks to the morning news today:
Teens Steal Skull, Use as Puppet
(note the use of the phrase "violation of sepulchre")
Posted by Heather at 09:00 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 21, 2004
in which she probably says something inappropriate.
yesterday was my mom's birthday. and she spent it in hospital, visiting her mother, who has lung cancer. they had physician-prescribed vodka gimlets and privately mocked the other patients on the ward, which is a sign of camaraderie among the women in my family. yes, if you didn't already know this about my people, well, the gentle mocking of others (in a dry monotone, of course) is something we do.
there is really nothing to say about how my grandmother's gift to my mom was that she waited a full hour and 47 minutes after midnight before passing away. okay, perhaps I will say that if a person can, in fact, choose when to die, there is no doubt in my mind that gram actually did make that choice, to let it happen so my mother doesn't share her birthday with the anniversary of the day her mother died.
okay, there is one thing to say. "that was very nice of you, gram. thanks for that."
one thing everyone should know about funeral stuff, if you didn't already: it's totally easy and appropriate to shop around. it's not even all that time consuming - they don't want to sit and chat you up like they do with other sales-oriented service situations.
one thing everyone should know about my mom - she may be sad, and certainly misses her mom, but she still finds it in her heart to make jokes, mostly Six Feet Under oriented, and to mock other people, sotto voce, while we're waiting for various official stuff to be taken care of by various official people.
She's strong and funny as hell, that woman. strong and funny.
Posted by Heather at 04:10 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
April 16, 2004
The Nice Person At The Library Who Just Has to Ruin Everything.
I might have mentioned how I love the library. I love picking out all those books they bought with my tax dollars. I love poking around on the badly designed monochrome monitored 'online' card catalogue and seeing what's what...
I love just checking out everything and anything and not being too disappointed when a book sucks, because, hell, it's free!
and, speaking of free, I've been working my way through the free new mysteries at the free new books section at the free library.
and, so far, EVERY SINGLE BOOK has been spoiled. in a most fabulous way. In a way I wish I could have thought of.
someone, with very sweet and loopy cursive strokes, has been putting clues in the margins of the mystery novels.
it starts out small:
"notice the gun, on the nightstand - she's going to put it on the mantel, next."
and there it is, two pages later - the gun is, indeed, right there on the mantel.
then the margin clues go awry, just to throw you off:
"wouldn't it be great if it was Detective X?"
and don't you know, I think back and reflect upon the timeline and almost fall for it, reading a few pages more while thinking "ooh. detective X would SO do that" before his alibi is revealed or he reveals himself to be dyslexic or right-handed or armenian or whatever super-obvious thing would rule him out other than a schedule conflict...
and then, finally, about a chapter before the big 'whodunnit' spectacular of the book, there it is. the one 'hint' that lets you know exactly was going to happen:
"one word. 'kittens'"
and everything after that is just cleaning up loose non-mysterious ends, really.
if I were uptight about this sort of thing, about knowing how a story ends before I get there, well, then I wouldn't watch documentaries and ron howard films and hollywood teen sex comedies. (wait, maybe I should become more uptight about this sort of thing....)
but, as you may have guessed, I love this. I want to meet the mystery annotator. I want to sharpen his or her pencils. I want to re-read every book I've ever read, but only after s/he has read it.
and, of course, only after they've made notes in the margins.
it's better than a book club - no deadlines! no morning show hosts! no slugging through a dud because you're hosting the next gathering . . . just flowery little plot-exposing one-liners.
I'm totally putting my number in the next mystery I read before s/he does. I'll let y'all know if I get a call.
Posted by Heather at 01:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 14, 2004
the love child of chris rock and margaret cho
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of April 15
Copyright 2004 by Rob Brezsny
www.freewillastrology.com
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Due to a confluence of unusual astrological influences, you've been temporarily authorized to act as if you are the love child of comedians Chris Rock and Margaret Cho. Here's some of the behavior you have a cosmic license to express:
- Expose hypocrisy with uproarious honesty
- Lay yourself bare as a way to educate and inspire others.
- Shock people awake with irreverent new spins on traditional subjects.
- Risk being annoying in order to be a servant of the hilarious truth.
- Be edgy and healing, disruptive and inspiring, half-crazy and profoundly real.
I'm not usually so suggestible, but I think that this week I'll be the type of gal to do something just because my horoscope said to...
never thought I'd be following in Ronnie Reagan's footsteps....
Posted by Heather at 08:46 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 12, 2004
Buttleman Strikes Again! Yay Frank!
"This is a film with heart, about a man doing his all to chase his dream."
that, and it just won yet another award! Hooray for Buttleman!
Posted by Heather at 01:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 09, 2004
The quote I mentioned a post or two ago...
the one that had me all wistful for conversations past...
...I think I must have had some sort of physical relationship with pretty much all the women in the city: young, old, dark, fair, married or lesbian; Asian, African, American, European, even Belgian; tall, short, thin or hefty; women so clever that they couldn't stand the claustrophobia of their own consciousness; women so thick that each new sentence was a triumph of heartbreaking effort; fast and loose, slow and tight; sexual athletes, potato sacks; witches, angels, succubae and nymphs; women who could bore you to sleep even as you entered the bedroom; women who could keep you up all night disturbing the deepest pools of your psyche; aunts, daughters, mothers and nieces; crumpets, strumpets, chicks and tarts; damsels, dames, babes and dolls; all that I desired and quite a few I didn't. And then, when I was well and truly satisfied that there was nothing more to want, I did it all again.
The Calligrapher, Edward Docx.
yes. this is exactly what I was looking for.
Posted by Heather at 09:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 08, 2004
Another Redesign.
yeah. I had a lot of time on my hands today.
torn between balancing the chequebook and redesigning my MT templates, I chose MT.
I'd always wanted to have everything on one page, so, after a bit of default template wrangling, I now have it.
everything in one place. how lovely.
I should get to changing the pics on the header any day now.
any day.
just need to find a photographer to help...any takers?
Posted by Heather at 08:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 07, 2004
confidential to . . . N.
I was just thinking about him today. my dear friend N.
I'm in the bath, reading The Calligrapher by Edward Docx, and the first few chapters remind me of the strange little attic room he inhabited when we first met, with no furniture and oddly placed kitchen. (A particularly interesting paragraph reminded me of one of our conversations about women...I'll be sure to type the quote here when I find it...)
So, I'm splashing in the bubbles, looking at the lovely lady on the cover of this book, and had this nearly irresistible urge to call him up, long-distance, to offer:
"darlin, why don't you come over. I'll be the girl, you be the pillow..."
here's to enigmatic oddities.
and dark blue nail varnish.
and fondly remembered former lovers.
and pillows.
Posted by Heather at 09:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 03, 2004
one year closer to dying.....
Last week was my "Happy Fun Princess Birthday Party" week, and, in addition to the aforementioned date, I giggled with girlfriends, worked, shopped, wore a fabulous party dress, and drank like the fiend that I am. Gorgeous gifts were graciously accepted (and, according to my birthday cards, some are still in transit).
I wanted to do a whole introspective page of what I've learned and how I've grown, but to be honest, I'm a bit self conscious about the baby steps I've taken, this year.
I've secured a new full-time job with insurance starting in May.
I've cut my hair in what I feel is a HUGE image change. some days it's gorgeous, some days it's scary.
I'm blessed with girlfriends. finally. girlfriends. who are hilarious and beautiful and smart and, well, girlfriendly.
Still living in the same place, still tall and slender and lovely, still not sure where I want to be, romantically, with the current squeeze.
Ah well. baby steps, as I said.
Birthday Gift-links:
oh my gosh, this is so fun and beautiful...I need to visit streatham cemetery as soon as possible!
Posted by Heather at 12:09 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack