Halloxmasween

Okay okay. I finally got a pic of me in a sort-of costume as Radical Red the Riding Hood. Here:

Now please don't tell me I look like the emperor in Star Wars -- his cloak thingy was black. Of course, I forgot the red around the dead fox's neck to indicate my bloody nature. But there are skulls and bones in the basket, too. And I'm holding the sword wrong. But it's as costumey as I ever get.

And happy holidays to all.

RIPs Missed

Cal Worthington, car dealer, LA area, very tall, dressed in western gear, known for ads featuring exotic animals. I'd forgotten all about him butwhen I lived in LA in the early 70s I thought he was a hoot.

Annette Funicello
Roger Ebert
Bonnie Franklin, of One Day At A Time tv series
Harry Reems, of Deep Throat
Joyce Brothers
Jean Stapleton, of All in the Family
Esther Williams -- she couldn't act worth a damn but she sure could swim
Slim Whitman
George Jones
Deanna Durbin -- I had no idea she was still alive
Ray Price

RIPs

Joan Fontaine, actress
Peter O'Toole, actor
George Rodrigue, painter (of Blue Dogs)
Doris Lessing

Been a busy few weeks.

On a personal note, nothing new has happened or is projected to happen.

Hope all have a nice holiday, xmas or otherwise. Stay home and drink on Amateur Night (New Year's Eve).

RIP

Eleanor Parker, actress

She was 91. Best known (at least to me) in her role as the Baroness in the movie The Sound of Music. She was gorgeous and had the most perfect posture I've ever seen.

Costumes & Books, oh my

I'm still trying to get it together to get a pic of my halloween costume. Very very late is okay, right? The dog has taken over the prop animal, the sword has been retrieved, pieces of the costume are out of the dirty laundry. Now all I have to do is put it all on, fix the basket with gruesome goodies, and get someone to take the picture. Soon. Promise.

Just read the autobiography of Hal Needham. Who, you say? Just the greatest stuntman ever, the one who created airbags for stuntmen to land on, and who directed such gems as "Smokey and the Bandit," "Cannonball Run," and many more. His mantra was "if you're waiting on me, you're backing up." Yes, he had a very high opinion of his own cleverness, stamina, manliness, etc. But he did some amazing things and much of what you see onscreen nowadays came from his fertile brain. An interesting read.

Am reading "Provence, 1970," a fascinating book by the nephew of M.F.K. Fisher, one of the best food writers ever. It's about a summer when Fisher, Julia Child (and husband), Simone Beck (Child's co-author), James Beard, and a few other well-known foodies, hung out and basically created the food culture we know now -- local, seasonal, adventurous. I'm not sure the nephew's writing is up to his aunt's standard but it'll do, and the discussions of food and cooking and life are worth it.

And if you want to read another good food writer, try Elizabeth David.

Radical Red

the Riding Hood was my costume at last night's Halloween party. I was complete with a long hooded red robe, unzipped so it would billow when I strode along; black clothes, including boots; a willow basket stuffed with real skulls and a newly dead (stuffed) animal resembling a wolf (actually a fox); and brandishing a humongous ornate broadsword.

The outdoor party had two firepits and lots of folk in fabulous costumes. Amy went as a mummy, Mateo was a blood-spattered medical person, and Tillman was his usual 30's gangster type. Ed's costume was Daisy Duke -- I said, where are the short shorts? -- too cold, she said.

One guy saw me coming and spun some fancy colored lights at me -- "it may not stop you but it'll slow you down!"

Had gone to play cards earlier at Hazel & John's. Mary Jo was there as was Ernie. She stomped us all with only 40 points going into the final hand. No Blair. Then off to the party.

A fun evening.

Ip Man: The Final Fight

A rash of biopics has come lately about Ip Man, the grandmaster of Wing Chun whose most famous pupil was Bruce Lee. Tonight I went to see "Ip Man: the Final Fight." Interested though I am, I probably wouldn't have gone to see the movie, in part because of high movie prices, but I won a pair of tickets through the blog Ashevegas by knowing the name of an obscure style (xingyi).

The movie is full of known names in the HK film world. It portrays the last years of Ip Man's life, from the time he arrives in HK and begins to teach (late 1940s) to his death in 1972. There's a lot of time spent eating and smoking and teaching, and there are a few set pieces of martial arts battles. The real purpose of the film is to impart Ip Man's philosophy of life, especially as a martial artist.

I enjoyed the film very much and thought the lead actor (Anthony Wong) did a really fine job of portraying the nuances of the character. As a recreation of a particular time in Hong Kong, it was excellent.

One jarring scene was when Ip Man met with "Bruce Lee" in a restaurant. This was after Lee had gone to the States and started teaching his own version of a martial art and also teaching non-Chinese. I don't know who decided that the guy they had playing Lee was suitable, but I'm here to tell you that he didn't look anything like Lee or move like him. In short, the whole scene rang false. But it was only one scene in an otherwise good movie.

Going to MARRS

This Wednesday I start as a volunteer with MARRS, the Mountain Area Radio Readers Service. Anyone who has trouble reading print can sign up to get a special radio over which they will receive the signal.

Different days have different focuses. I'll be reading news from 11.30 to 12.30, with another reader. We'll read everything, good bad and indifferent, no editorializing. We're not choosing what to like for our subscribers, just reading so they can keep up with news. Most of the papers seem to be local ones, Asheville, Black Mountain, Hendersonville, etc. If time permits, some national or international news will be read.

I like to read aloud so I think this will be a good fit. We'll see.

Sakeness

Finally got to go to the new sake brewery here in town, one of only four such breweries in the country. They had a kickstarter a ways back and I pledged but it didn't get funded. When they tried again, I couldn't afford to pledge, but I've been following their progress.

Last week they had their grand opening of the bar part (the brewery proper has to wait on official permits). Right now, they're serving about 50 different sakes along with small plates.

I went with Mary-Anne last Thursday. Our small plates were: pork gyoza, spicy tuna salad, and ginger "pesto" noodles with shrimp. All delicious.

We got a flight of four sakes to taste:
1. Asa Buraki Naburyu Junmai "Southern Stream" -- medium dry, smooth gentle flavors, cypress/cedar notes, rich round body.
2. Momokawa G Joy junmai Genshu -- barrel matured, nutty vanilla layered flavors reminiscent of fine rum.
3. Niwa No Uguisu Tokuetsu Junmai "Garden Nightengale" -- bold, rice forward, slightly sour, essence of dried autumnal fruits.
and
4. Kizakura "blossom of peace" Kyoto plum brewed ume-shu -- plums soaked in sake for three months, lightly sweet, round lush fruit flavor.

This is my preferred order (though #4 is definitely a dessert sake so we kept it for last). Mary-Anne's order is a little different but I can't remember it.

The total was $55 for two (includes tip): not too bad, I thought.

Blue Kudzu Sake
372 Depot St.
Asheville NC

Roadtrip: Foamhenge

As promised, here are pictures of Foamhenge, a life-size replica of Stonehenge made out of styrofoam. Located near Natural Bridge VA.

This is the entrance from the field where you park. There's no-one around so just walk up. Second is a close-up of the "stones." Third is a statue of Merlin who may have had something to do with the original. Last is a picture of Amy standing between two "stones."

Roadtrip Deepness

Here's postcards of the two cave/caverns we visited, each spectacular in its own way.

 This is a photo of the "bacon" formations, which are semi-translucent. Near Lexington VA (I think).

This cave is traversed by boat and has trout that live in the waters, mostly by the dock in case you toss food. Steep trail and 48 steps down and then back up. Goes out into a made lake with ducks and spottings of elk and deer in their wildlife park all around the cave. And then back through the cave to the dock. It's the only flooded cave to visit in the country.

Roadtrip: Things That Went Wrong

Naturally, there's always something. One thing I forgot to get a pic of is the rig cabin leaning heavily to one side. Huh, I said, wonder if the guys at the shop forgot to fill the airbags. Sure enough, they were almost empty. Once I got 60# of air in them, the cabin leveled off. Much better.

This next thing is the TV mount deciding not to hold the screen level any more (the couch is below). We managed to wedge it up with library books long enough to watch it without lying down. It's now been fixed and is much easier to watch. I'm also the proud owner of a hex key set, basically allen wrenches, which are required on this mount.

Now this was a real pain. I have a plywood desk (covered in black rubber matting) that's 69 inches long, held up with two large heavy-duty L-brackets screwed into the desktop and into studs in the wall. The Pennsylvania roads were so bad they shook the screws out of the wall, thereby tossing the desktop down (along with everything on it, like computers, pens, clock, etc.). Amy got creative with bungee cords to support it enough to put light things on it and leave the space underneath for storage. Hooray for really strong latches on the cupboard doors. We've now put actual legs under the corners, and will probably do a little more shoring up. The L-brackets may or may not be reattached.

There's always something, isn't there? At least, none of it was life-threatening. I'm thinking about writing the Penn. State Tourism Bureau about their roads.

Kevin and Mark's Wedding

 Amy, Kevin, Adam, and Heather (Adam's wife). The first three all went to college together. The reason for the roadtrip was Kevin's marriage.

 The officiant at the ceremony. Most of the attendees are artists and theatre people so the costumes were outrageous.

 An important part of the procession was Princess Bucket (turtle) in her coach (wagon) escorted by fabulously costumed courtier.

 Kevin and Mark on their way to the altar spot. A lovely ceremony.

 After-party with Kevin and an ass not his own.

 Close friends of Kevin & Mark's are Kat and Mason, who have a lovely property adorned with these two hippie buses.

And their house, too, is a testament to their artistic impulses. Gorgeous.

It was a great weekend.

Roadtrip Pix

 Pie for breakfast is the thing to do on a roadtrip, right?

 Me, Jason, and Amy on a lookout seeing downtown Pittsburgh.

 Jason and Amy having tipsy fun at the bar.

 Local dragsters.

Phyllis Palm and me. She and I worked at the Madison KOA campground back in 2008 and have stayed in touch ever since. She let us park the RV at her place while we went to town to visit Jason.

Roadtrip update 2

Still no pix. Can't find the cable to connect the camera to the computer. Thought I remembered where it lives but it's not there. May be at home.

Stayed at the KOA in Bellefont PA near State College. Went to Penn's Cave with the boat tour which includes coming out the other end into a lake surrounded by pasture/woods with elk, deer, etc. and ducks on the lake. Then back through the cave to the dock, up the 48 steps, up the steep walk. And done.

Next day off to Penn State campus to see the Frost Entomological Museum. Sadly, closed for renovations until next Spring. Consoled ourselves with ice cream at the Ag College's famous Creamery across the street. Bought asiago cheese and summer sausage as a gift for Phyllis.

Thursday drove to Irwin PA to visit Phyllis Palm, a co-worker of mine at the KOA in Madison, summer of 2008. We've stayed in touch and it was great to see her. We basically collapsed on Friday and did nothing. Took her out to dinner that evening, her choice was the Eat&Park restaurant which had a good salad bar. I should have gotten that too but instead I ordered a steak salad. What I got was a glob of flattened ribeye (sort of like SteakUms) with some cheese on it, french fries under the steak blob, and then a generic salad. I ate two bites of the "steak" and pushed it aside. When I complained to the manager later, she said "sorry."

Sat. noonish Jason came after us. He worked with the both Amy and me at Reader's Corner bookstore in Asheville and has been in Pittsburgh for four years. We went for lunch down on The Strip, a commercial area for receiving goods from trains, so there are fish shops, meat shops, Polish deli shops, and so forth. Lots of street stalls, too, and crowds of people. We ate in a Mexican restaurant which started as a street stall and just got big. Good stuff.

Jason then took us on a 2-hour driving tour of the city, including up to a Lookout platform that has a grand vista of the city and the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River. We also saw the Andy Warhol Bridge which was hung with handmade blankets. There's also a Rachel Carson Bridge, along with many others.

That evening we went to his local bar, about a block away. The bartender had never heard of a gimlet so I told him the ingredients and received a highball glass of about 7/8ths gin and 1/8th rose's lime juice. Yowie. Halfway through I was buzzed and Jason walked me back to his place. He and Amy wandered in about 1am and we all crashed about 2am. Got up about 11am and went for brunch to a local cafe ( I had eggs benedict). Weak tea and coffee, though.

Then he brought us on back to Phyllis' so he could go meet friends at the Ren Fair out in the county. I went to it with Phyllis back in '08 and Amy didn't care to go, so we napped and read till Phyllis got back from her great-grandson's 4th birthday party. Spent a quiet evening watching TV and reading.

Starting for home tomorrow morning. Stopover at the KOA near Lexington VA.

Pix eventually.

Roadtrip

Just a quickie update. Access to internet has been nonexistent since last Friday. I've been so busy I haven't even uploaded pix into the computer.

We left last Wednesday 8/28 and headed for Foamhenge (near Roanoke VA), a lifesize replica of Stonehenge but in styrofoam. Pix coming.

We spent the night at Crabtree Falls  CG. Beautiful but 8 cylinders would have helped a lot. We had to stop for an hour to let the brakes cool on the way out.

Thur. visited Shenandoah Cavern. Very interesting. Pix coming. Then on to the East Harrisburg Campground which sounded sketchy but turned out to be a very nice place. Ate dinner and breakfast Fri at the Capitol Diner, a modern attempt at a classic 50s style diner.

Fri. afternoon arrived at wedding area near New Paltz NY. After some fiddling around, wound up at Creek View Campsites for three nights (no wifi, no tv). More on this later. Ate dinner at Eggs Nest Restaurant, blew off the shindig at Kat & Mason's house, and crashed.

There will be lots more on the wedding celebrations and pix to come, too. It was a fabulous time.

Left NY on Mon. am heading for Scranton PA and an afternoon spent at the Houdini Museum for a tour and a magic show. Then decided to treat ourselves to a motel room with wifi and tv, so that's where we are now. Ate dinner at Terry's Diner which has been here since the 1950s.

Heading out today for Penn's Cave, the only water-filled cave to tour by boat. And then State College KOA for two nights.

The rig has performed very well and the mileage has been good. Oh yeah, one of the support legs broke so the desktop fell down, mostly as a result of the ghastly state of Pennsylvania's road, including the interstate. Nothing was harmed but it's a pain. Amy rigged up bungee cords to keep it up for now so the other bracket doesn't tear out of the wall, too.

More later.

Updates & RIP

Well, Amy's house is 99% done -- the furniture arrived yesterday and last night she and Mateo got all the electronics hooked up and stashed in the new cabinet. Looks good. There's some touch-up stuff to do, but it's essentially done. Whew.

It dawned on me today that the roadtrip is ONE WEEK from tomorrow. Yowza. Lots to do. Today I took the rig to VJ's Auto and got an oil change and check-out and inspection (which it passed). Then off to the tag place in South Forest Center. No penalty for being expired for two  years but had to have a new plate.

Then I went out to the rig and it wouldn't start. Had that clicking sound, like it's been doing for months now. I kept telling people (male mechanics) that it was the starter. No, they said, it's too new to be bad (and besides, you're a girrrlll, what do you know?). After I got it to start, I went right back to VJ's and they tested it and, sure enough, it was the starter. So that got replaced and all should be good now.

Need to do some cleaning, both in the cabin and in the cab, and even some outside where the tree has dropped stuff around where the tarp is. Need to defrost the fridge. Need to take the rest of the bins out and store in the basement. Need to put the printer and scanner in the basement. Do a last clothes wash. Get 2nd chair for Amy to sit in at desk.

Before I put away the printer, I need to print out all the trip info, check for itinerary holes, fill them in, print new schedules, recheck, etc etc.

Next Tue. we'll be loading her stuff on board. Wed. am we're on our way. Mateo will be in charge of dogs and cat and house and cars while we're gone.

RIP Elmore Leonard. He'd been a favorite of mine for a long time, though I haven't read him much for the last several years.

Cousins & Gatlinburg etc

Great birthday party last Saturday. About 25 people. Grilling and eating and singing and fire. Sadly, no tiara -- it's lost to the tides of time. I finally went to bed about 1am and the rest went in the house.

Sunday, I got up early and set out for Gatlinburg TN about 10am for a noon lunch with Richard Harris (and wife and friend). We've only talked through email so it would be our first in-person meet.

He is my 5th cousin once removed (we think). There's a Thomas Harris who landed in Providence RI in 1630 along with Roger Penn, and we're both descended from him, me along one line and he along another. When we met, he said, I have cousins who look just like you!

Anyhow, I loathe Gatlinburg, the tourists and the shops catering to them. Richard and his wife Cristina were in town to attend the Arrowmont School of Crafts. He has a son who used to live in Asheville and may have wandered into my bookstore at some point.

We wound up at the Hard Rock Cafe (in Gatlinburg!) and I must say the food was good, though the music was just a touch loud. I know, I know. Told you I'm now elderly. Pretty soon I'll say thing like "whippersnappers" and "get off my lawn" and "why, when I was a child . . ."

It was very pleasant to meet him and wife and her friend Jocelyn (who turned out to be an ex-typesetter/prepress person, like me), and they're going to try to come to Asheville soon.

After I fought my way out of G'burg, I came back by way of 441, through the Cherokee National Forest, a beautiful and twisty drive, into Cherokee (saw the casino) and then through Maggie Valley. Both towns seemed kind of dead after the chaos of G'burg. Of course, they have 4-lane roads through town but there weren't so many people wandering around and much less traffic.

Got back home about 5pm, a long but pleasant day. Car performed well (got 30mpg). Promptly took a nap.

Big Day

So, I'm officially elderly today -- 70. Amy said, but aren't you old at 55, what with senior discounts etc? Yes, but now I'm "elderly." Haven't quite decided how I feel about it.

We have two other Leos in the friend group so we're going to do a grilling/firepit party this Saturday. I'll get to wear the tiara.

In other news, I just finished putting window tint on the cabover window and the big cabin windows. The cabover was a real pain as it's not vertical so handling the tint film was awkward. I wound up doing it in pieces -- not so elegant looking but does the job. Supposedly, the tint will cut down on heat gain and provide privacy. I can already attest to the heat difference in my tin box, but the privacy promise only works in the daytime. At night, when lights are on, you can still see in, though it's dimmer. Means I put the curtains back up.

In sad news, Eileen Brennan died. I always enjoyed her in movies like The Last Picture Show, but she was a great comic actor, especially in Private Benjamin.

Kitchens and Furniture and Trip

So Amy's kitchen is coming along apace. The counters are in and the tops should be here in a week. She found the faucet she wants. It has a huge curve on the faucet itself and the sink's really deep, so the drop will be about 18 inches. I suggested that she get a sinkmat to keep splashing down.

Today we went to a furniture warehouse and found a couch with an extension lounge (that can be put on either end of the couch). We also found two chairs, both recliners but the sleek kind. And we got a TV stand with room for the subwoofer, the blue-ray player, and the router thingy. I suggested a swivel dojazzy to set the actual TV on. So we'll be able to get rid of the two monster overstuffed chairs with huge separate ottomans and have good-looking stuff in the living room. And it's going to be repainted, too. When that's done, she'll be done with the house. Whew.

As to the trip, planning is coming along. I have routes set up for going to NY, then NY to Pittsburgh (over two days), seeing Jason and Phyllis, and then PA back to Asheville. So far, we know we're going to see Foamhenge (in VA), the Houdini Museum (in Scranton), and Trundle Manor (in Pittsburgh). There are other things on the itinerary but those are the biggies. I'm hoping to connect with an old RV friend on the NY-PA route for a short visit (LindaB). We can't wait.

Amy has informed me that she's willing to help drive but only going forward, no backing up. Heh.

Updates

Job interview last Wednesday; results tomorrow. If yes, I'll start Tues.

Doctor's appointment tomorrow. Minor.

Yard sale yesterday (Sat.) -- Amy, Tillman, and me. Nothing back into house. Stuff went to Goodwill. Clothes/shoes will go to women's shelter. Pet stuff to Brother Wolf.

Painting of kitchen Fri. Sat. Sun. Spackling, foam in a can, killz, paint -- including ceiling. Traci & Ed are finishing it up as I type.

Cabinet installation in kitchen tomorrow (Mon.). Then it'll be another two weeks before the countertop arrives. The upper cabinets over the stove area can be stocked because there're on the wall. Can't put stuff in the other cabinets because it may wrack the counters a little and then putting the countertop in will be a hassle.

We already have the new fridge and stove. The dishwasher and sink are here, waiting for installation.

In two weeks, all done. Yay! Much fun putting everything away in new spaces, organizing, etc.

Then the new roommate (Mateo) starts moving in at the end of July.

Oh yeah, I have to get a new starter for my RV. Boo.

RIP

Jim Kelly, martial artist, who played a prominent role in "Enter the Dragon" with Bruce Lee. He also starred in a number of blaxploitation films.

More maintenance

The a/c isn't putting out very cold air so it's not very useful, especially in this very humid weather. So more repair is needed. Must get it working before the roadtrip in late August.

As it turns out, I had to call the RV Tech for another reason -- the cabover window is leaking. I began to smell mold so I started pressing on the walls around the window and it felt spongy. Took off the covering I had over it and saw that the guy who'd done the reseal two years ago failed to listen to me and used silicone caulk. Double aaarrgh.

Of course, I had told him to use butyl putty and even handed him a roll of it. But he knew best, he thought, so now I'm going to pay to have it taken it out and resealed.

I'd be happy to get rid of the window altogether but that would be a bigger job than just resealing it, so I'll live with it, and I'll cover it up on the inside. I found a thermal curtain panel that stretches across the width of the cabover. That should keep both light and heat from getting in.

The tech and I are both hoping the spongy walls will dry out and be okay. If not, I'll get some of that glue-like substance that you squirt on wood to stabilize it.

The fun never ends, eh?

RIPs

Richard Matheson
Bobby "Blue" Bland

Maintenance & Roadtrip

It got up to 88 deg a few days ago so I turned on the a/c. Warm air. Damn. Did some research and found a certified RV mobile tech. It took him a few days to finish up some jobs and get here, but it turned out to be a relay that needed resetting (something I wouldn't have known to do myself) and the a/c is fine. Yay.

Amy and I are going to do a roadtrip in late Aug early Sep to NY (near New Paltz) for a wedding of her friends. We'll come back across Penn. to the Pittsburgh area where I'll get to visit Phyllis, who worked with me at the Madison KOA back in 08, and we'll both visit Jason in the city, who worked with us at a bookstore here in Asheville in 07.

I'm in the process of finding out about weird things to visit (Amy likes things like world's biggest ball of twine or a bowling ball fence [actually in Kansas]). If anybody has suggestions, let me know. Also looking for good RV parks heading across PA from Scranton to Pittsburgh. We'd also like one between the city and Greensburg (southeast side).

It'll be fun to be back on the road again, even if for a short time.

RIPs etc.

Iain Banks
Jean Stapleton
Esther Williams

Saw the new Star Trek yesterday. Here's the problem with prequels -- you know who lives. No suspense there, so epic battles between people (say, Kirk and Kahn) are just time wasters. The sets were so busy with air things zipping around and people bustling that it was hard to focus. Everything was really really big and metallic and protruding bits were everywhere (nothing phallic about that, nosiree) . And I kept identifying plot points from various books and thinking that the writers just kept dragging stuff in (like the Admiral with his dreadnaught from one of the Lieutenant Piper books).

I think more should have been made of the developing relationships that we will come to know and love. OTOH I ain't buying Spock and Uhura as lovers. They were friends who cared a great deal about each other but that's all. All I get out of Chekov is that he's some kind of comic relief, and not good at it either. Scotty (Simon Pegg) really does provide some comic relief and is very good at it, and he doesn't lose his character in the process.

As to the Mary Sue Tribble -- puhleez.

As to Cumberbatch -- meh.

As to the female characters: annoying all around. Both speaking parts (Uhura and Carol Marcus) are quite small (Uhura) or very female (Marcus). Neither gets to fight (okay, Marcus gets to slap her father, whoopee); they get to lie on the deck and look stunned/panicked. Boring.

And who played the lead Klingon on Kronus who faces Uhura? Looked really familiar. Of course, he was only there for about two minutes before Khan blew him away. I'll see if I can find out.

Remembering

I did a fast pass through my Ahnentafel chart and got info on four ancestors who served in the military. Here they are:

Ebenezer Harris of Galien, Michigan
--US Civil War 1862-65, 5th Sergeant, Co. E, 12th Regiment, Michigan Infantry. Fought at Shiloh. Great-grandfather, d.1908.

James Henry Orrell of Middlesex, Virginia
--US Civil War, 1863-64, Private, Co. A, 109th Militia & Co. I, 55th Virginia Infantry. GG-grandfather, d.1900.

Evelyn Orrell MacDonald of Wilmington, North Carolina
--WW II, 1944-45, Corporal, WAC. Grandmother, d.1967.

Harland J Harris of Galien, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin
--WW II, 1940-45, Master Sergeant, 82nd Airborne. D-day glider pilot. Purple Heart, Bronze Star. Father, d.1946.

My grandmother's second husband, William Anson MacDonald, had served in the Army in WW I but never talked about it. He was the man I called "grandaddy."

Small emergency

Well, not really. My computer had been acting funny for a couple of weeks so I took it in. It was diagnosed with "swollen battery." Seems the chemicals in it had begun to ferment, it swelled up and was pressing on the underside of the keyboard/trackpad. Quickly fixed -- for a princely sum (sigh).

The plumbers are still working on Amy's new sewer line. It's nearly done but they've been coming about 4-5pm after handling emergencies from all the rain we had last week. They're here right now and should be getting the monster machine out of the front yard and get the fence put back together. Then they have to remove a couple of bushes, including the amazingly thorny hawthorne.

The dog we're keeping (Freya) had a visit from her human, which she loved. However, then he left, and Amy had to go to work, so I got the deal with the forlorn canine. Much whimpering, moaning, barking -- for about six hours. Eventually she settled back down. I told Amy to tell him not to come visit again; the aftermath is too much trouble.

Then we're planning a yard sale.

The fun never stops.

Weather

We're getting copious amounts of rain and the high today should be in the low to mid-50s. Spring, right? At least we're not getting snow, like they did in Branson MO yesterday. How can people still deny climate change (a more accurate term than "warming" as it isn't just warming up, it's change from historical patterns).

Anyhow, Freya (aka Houdini) has been tamed by a stout cable that snaps on her harness. Out back, there's a tree we pass the cable around and she can snuff around about 12 feet but can't quite reach the road. We haven't been able to put her out front in the fenced yard because of sewer line replacement so the yard's churned up. Even in front, we have to cable her to the porch so she can't climb the fence. She's a great dog, though. I like her a lot. It's going to be sad when her owner finally takes her away. He hasn't even been to see her, the rat. Said he was going to come by yesterday but didn't. Humph.

Am going to the Living Treasures induction ceremony in a couple of hours. This is an organization that honors Asheville folk who've had an impact on the community, and my surrogate parents, Hazel and John Robinson, are being feted today. They founded Montford Park Players about 30 years ago to perform Shakespeare in the Park and it's now the longest-running such troupe in the country.

Uh oh, the wind's picking up. Lovely weather to have to go out in.

Dog 1, Dog 2, and Me

Dog 1 is Mame (pronounced May-mee), Amy's 13 year old black lab. She was a wonderful dog, even to me, a cat person. She died two weeks ago and we buried her in the backyard. I miss her a lot.

Dog 2 is Freya, a mostly husky one year old. She's charming and bright and handsome, but she's also energetic and destructive. We're dog-sitting for a friend of a friend and we're not prepared for a juvenile delinquent. She's been with us for two days and has escaped the fenced-in yard three times. One time she got out after wiggling through a sloppily closed gate. So we kept her in and she chewed foam out of a chair seat, brought down the backdoor curtains and chewed them up, and spilled her food all over the floor. I got real tired of sweeping up the food and picking up pieces of things.

So today we kept her in the yard (after fixing the gate) and all went well for a long time. I checked on her every hour, sat on the porch for a while, etc. The last time I checked was 10:30 and she was gone. She could only have gotten out by jumping the fence. Amy had put a tag on her with phone number, so at 11:30 she got a phone call from some people up at Ingles that she'd pranced up to them and they'd hold her for pickup. The other two times people had caught her across the street and just up the street.

Tomorrow I'll be getting a long length of chain to put around the porch post and onto her harness to make sure she can't get loose and out EVER AGAIN.

I'm sure Freya will be great in about three years. I'm sure glad we aren't going to have her that long. And Sprout the cat will be glad, too; he's really pissed at this dog, rushes her hissing and spitting, and Freya cowers. Maybe that's why she's so desperate to leave us.

RIP

Alan Arbus, who played the psychiatrist Dr. Freedman on MASH. I didn't know that he'd been married to the renowned photographer Diane Arbus.

There've been some other deaths I noticed but none impelled me to blog them.

On a personal front, I didn't get the job as bookkeeper with Brother Wolf. I was one of six who were interviewed and I'm assuming I didn't get the job because I never heard from them.

I also decided not to take a job as manager of the Hotspot on Asheland Avenue, where the minumum work hours are 44 and expected is 55. I'm just too old and tired.

The new car is doing fine (yay).

RIPs

Jonathon Winters, great comedian and sketch artist.
Maria Tallchief, prima ballerina, first Native American ballerina, inspiration for Balachine.

Car Found

Last Thursday, after some negotiation and a test drive etc, I bought a 2005 Kia Spectra5 hatchback (so 5 doors), 4 cyl automatic, bright blue, new tires, new brakes, mechanic had just checked it over and said it was good. Gets 25-30 mpg in town. It's pretty high mileage (166700) but runs well. Of course, there are some dings and non-working things but they're all minor. I think it'll be just the thing to run around town in. I have to get it inspected and then go back to the DMV tag office to get the tag but I have 10 days to do it. It even has a rear window wiper. I  haven't figured out the window washer yet, and I haven't set the radio stations yet.

I'm pleased with it. It has a lot of pep and I have to have a light touch on the throttle or I suddenly discover I'm doing 20 miles over the limit. Amy says I'm a leadfoot anyhow.

Got rejected for another job. Usual thing -- great interview, then the email with the stock phrases . . . impressive credentials . . . would be asset . . . but we chose someone else. Sigh.

I was offered an opportunity with a transport outfit in Indiana that delivers RVs and small trucks (like UPS ones), but I'd have to get myself out there on my own dime, take the FCC medical and other tests and pay for them myself, pay my park expenses etc during the orientation (two days), and the pay is 80¢ a mile out of which I pay all my gas and meals and lodging and return expense. They advance half up front but, for example, if it were 1000 miles, that would be a $400 advance with the other $400 when you get back. It seemed pretty expensive out of hand and not very profitable over all. So I passed.

Car

I've acquired a little money so I'm now looking for a car. Used, of course, automatic, 4cyl. I'd like something that's a little boxy so I don't have to bend a lot to get in and out, which my knees will like. I'm going to look at a 98 Civic with this description:

Dark Green 1998 Civic LX Sedan
174K miles, in fair-to-good condition.
Automatic Transmission; New Tires & New Front Break Pads; A/C; Power Locks & Windows; CD/MP3 player; Moon Roof
$2,500

So, it's a sedan which means some bending. It's only about a half-mile from where I live so I can walk over to see it, assuming the weather's not too terrible.

There's another car not too far away, a Suzuki Sidekick, which is nice and boxy but is a manual 2-seater with an open back and a soft-top. Probably not too sensible (but cute).

Will let you know.

RIPs

Rick Hautala, horror writer
Chinua Achebe, fiction writer
Rise Stevens, opera singer

Moving Bruce

Bruce, who was Amy's roommate, has been moving a little over the past few weeks, but this Sunday (yesterday) was the big move. He's moving in with his girlfriend Emily so there was stuff coming from both places (and there's still stuff here for him to get). Amy, Tillman, and I helped, and her friend Simone helped, too. We had two pickups, an SUV, and a car, so a lot got done.

They found a really nice apartment at the bottom of King St. by Weaver Blvd. Emily can now walk to UNCA, if she wants to. Bruce will bicycle to his work as brewer at LAB.

Amy's not going to get another roommate right away because she's going to redo her kitchen. It'd be too bad to get someone in and then say "oops, no kitchen available for a while." It's going to be enough chaos for her and me to cope with. I don't cook over there but I do get water. And, of course, it's the main entrance to the house.

So big changes afoot.

I'm going to yet another interview on Friday, for a part-time accounting asst job at a business I know and a person who remembers my bookstore. I hope that's a good thing.

Fix Congress

So, I've been thinking for a long time that the electoral process is a mess. And, of course, I have an idea of how to fix it.

Lottery

All senators and representatives would be chosen by lottery. Nobody would "run" for office; all citizens would be eligible. Random selection. Two-term limit (after all, Congress voted to make the office of president two-term only [boy, did they hate FDR] so it's only fair they should be limited, too.

We'd have a democracy where all citizens serve (or could serve). We'd eliminate the constant electioneering. We'd eliminate the PACs and corporate money buying politicians. The states would still have two senators each. Representatives would be chosen by district, just as they are now, but it would be by lottery. And they'd get paid whatever they're making now, so the citizen doesn't lose out.

Of course, we'd need stringent oversight of the lottery process, but it certainly couldn't be any worse than what we have now. We'd need to set up a system for identifying all citizens so their names would be in the "hat." Registered voters isn't enough, nor is licensed drivers or property owners or even the census. We need a list of all adult citizens. It'd be national service and a way to keep everybody engaged in the process.

There.

Oh yeah. I think all high school graduates should have to spend the next two years in national service of some kind, like military service or the CCC or infrastructure restoration or whatever. Something to make them think beyond themselves.

Rejected dejected

Yep, another job down the drain. Last week, I interviewed for a part-time bookkeeper job at a medical office. The admin and I got along very well, but she needed someone with Expert knowledge of Quickbooks and I'm only Intermediate. However, she's decided to keep me on her list if the new person doesn't work out or something else comes up.

Other than that, very little has been going on. Will go get my hair cut in a couple of hours. Longtime hair cutter has moved to Tenn. so we are going to try Great Clips in Westgate. It's cheaper, too.

Went to Burgermeister the other night with Amy, Tillman, Nicole, and two guys N knows. One of those guys is a CPA and I said I needed a part-time job; he said he'd keep it in mind. Had the fish & chips. Yay for malt vingar on the fries. Boo for too much tarragon in the fish breading. Yay for a shot of gin in my glass of ginger ale. Pleasant evening. Amy, Tillman and I walked home and then played a game of Crazy Rummy (T won).

What else what else. Can't think of anything.

Oh yeah. My insurance just renewed and I got hit with a double premium to start the year, but no payment next month, then the regular monthly premium for the rest of the year. Does that make sense? No? I didn't think so either. But I've paid it and now my play money for the month is severely truncated. Humph.

I see that Dancing w/the Stars is about to begin. I'm excited that DL Hughley is in the cast as I've been a fan of his for many years. This is not so much a dance show but it'll do until So You Think You Can Dance starts up again.

That's all, folks.

RIP

Donald Richie

Age 88

Eminent film critic and scholar of Japanese cinema and life. I've read a lot of his work and always found it engaging, honest, and witty.

RIP

Barnaby Conrad.

When I was young, I read his books on bullfighting, an interest of mine at the time. He fought as El Nino de California. Turns out he was also secretary to Sinclair Lewis, a diplomat, and then wound up with an upscale saloon in San Francisco. Interesting guy.

Another Job Lost

Last Monday, I was one of five chosen to be interviewed for a part-time payroll/benefits admin job. It paid well and had excellent benefits. I thought the interview went very well, but yesterday I got notice they had chosen someone else.

Drat. Damn, even. Maybe even Shit! I really wanted that job -- it would have suited me perfectly.

Ah well.

Good thing I'm not a depressive personality 'cause the amount of rejection I've handled in the last two years would have put me into a "slough of despond."

I'll just try again.

Cool Russian RV

Is this not cool? Found on a Russian site with lots of other vehicles. Can't tell whether this is a model or full-size, but it's an interesting take on an RV/Camper. The guy's full website is at:

solifdesign.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

The Genius of Savion

Went to Western Carolina Univ. in Cullowhee tonight to see Savion Glover's "SoLe Sanctuary: a hoofer's meditation on the art of tap." The blurb says that his "reverence for the art of tap is put to the stage literally in the form of a living altar where he can pay his respects to the craft that he has perfected."

First of all, the man is a stone genius. His tap dancing belongs to the style called "improvography" created by Gregory Hines and is nothing like the upright style most of us were used to. If you've seen the movie "Tap," starring Hines, along with Sammy Davis jr, Jimmy Slyde, Honi Coles, Bayard Nicholas, and others, you know what I'm talking about. Glover uses his whole body as a percussion instrument and it becomes the orchestra, as he dances without music most of the time.

Just think about watching a tap dancer for two hours without pause. It was stunning.

He had a fellow hoofer with him as both back-up and collaborator, named Marshall Davis jr, who has performed in Glover's Broadway show "Bring in Da' Noise Bring in Da' Funk." While Davis is obviously very talented, he pales beside Glover. His best set was when the two of them created a "challenge" dance, a traditional competition of hoofers who try to out-dance each other.

I've been a fan of Hines since he showed up on the Johnny Carson show many years ago with his father and brother (Maurice) as Hines Hines and Dad. Sadly, he died very young (age 57). And I've been a fan of Glover's since the movie "Tap," when he was only 14. Glover also did the dancing for the lead penguin in the movie "Happy Feet," though his credit for it was buried. I went to see that movie solely because I knew Glover was dancing.

You can see the genetic line from Sammy Davis and vaudeville-style hoofers, to Hines and his improvography, to Glover and his craft. It's a wonderful thing to see, and I'm very very glad I got to see him in person.

Recent Events

I'm feeling very virtuous today because yesterday I went and helped out at a Habitat house build. It was in an enclave with about 20 Habitat houses down the street from me about 1/2 mile. So, even though we had to be there at the crack of damn dawn (8:30 am) and it was toe & finger numbing cold, I set my alarm and got there on time. It warmed up nicely, especially after the copious rain we'd had over the last two weeks. I nailed stuff and then wound up running the table saw (fun; hadn't ever done one before). Finished up about 1pm when the knees said they'd been good for long enough. Trudged my way home, ate, took aspirin and a shower, and fell into bed for a two-hour nap. Still feeling some residual creakiness but not too bad.

Have applied for the bookstore job at the Grand Canyon because I have some wonderful friends who've volunteered gas money to get me there. I'm so lucky. And thanks much to them (they know who they are).

Very excited because this coming Thursday, I'm driving off to WCU in Cullowhee to see Savion Glover. I mean SAVION GLOVER!! In Cullowhee, yet. He's the greatest and most avant garde tap dancer working today, a direct heir of Gregory Hines. He was in the movie "Tap" with Hines but the movie also had Sammy Davis jr, Sandman Slim, Jimmy Slyde, one of the Nicholas Brothers, and other fabulous and famous hoofers. One of my all-time favorite films. If any of you saw "Happy Feet," Savion did the dancing for the lead penguin and choreographed all the dancing, though his credit was small and hidden, which I consider an outrage. Anyhow, he and his troupe are going to be in Cullowhee, for an absurdly low price, and I'm going to be there with my copy of "Tap" in hope I can get a signature but definitely to have a wonderful time.

TTFN

Fighting the Tarp

For some reason, the tarp wanted to slither around today. Maybe the wind had something to do with it. It took twice as long as normal to get it back up but I finally did. Then I took two aspirin and a nap.

Did a bunch of window sealing, especially in the cabover. Finally took down the ancient curtains, original ones, so old they split when coming off their rail. Much cleaner look. Put up quilted foil after the sealing, so now have a nice cozy cave to sleep in.

Am beginning to feel the decoupage urge so I ordered some flats to work on. I do the art on what libraries call shelf files, and they'll hold magazines, file folders, papers, books, whatever, and when I'm done with  them, they look spiffy, too. Went through the images I've collected (though huge amounts got dumped when I went on the road) and am now letting a theme percolate up from the depths.

Still no job. Applied for one that sounded perfect: 3-day a week work in a green builder's home office, but haven't heard from them. They said a heartfelt email was as good as a resume, so I did my best.

There's a summer job opening at the Grand Canyon Bookstore, but it would cost me a month's pay to get there. Shucks.

TTFN

The New Year

Here's hoping this new year will be better than last year.
Here's hoping I get a job so I can buy a small used car and also pay off some small debts.
Here's hoping my health remains good.
Here's hoping everybody important to me (and you know who  you are) stays well and has their own wonderful year.
Here's hoping an epidemic of kindness breaks out worldwide.