No video involved, how shocking!!

My current spate of video blogging hath multiple reasons my dears- I’ve been both tired and lazy. Life has been a wee bit intense here of late and sometimes the easy way out is really not such a bad thing. And yes, I probably could justify my way out of damn near anything, given a minute to think.. Look at it as a gift.

Daddy is still in rehab and is not doing his usual bounce back- whole lot of weird going on there that seems to have no viable answer. Perhaps old and tired is just the only answer one can give at this point. Baby Sister is pretty well melting down in a most alarming way, for multiple reasons. It’s like herding cats, therefore I give up trying.

Miss Thing turned 16 on the 20th and a good time was indeed had by all. She was offered any celebration within reason (and outside of reason, as all she’d have had to do would be to ask Daddy) She opted for dinner at home- peculiar child. But what the hell you want me to smoke ribs for you, and make you BBQ shrimp and grits; well that’s what you get kiddo..

I’ve had a little medical weird of my own going on that seems to be nibbling away at my spare moments. Being a human pincushion is really quite time consuming. I have however had a chance to catch up on some reading whilst sitting and waiting, and waiting and waiting.. Ironic how doctors genuinely irritate the shit out of me, given the number of years I was in medical practice management, huh?

And yes, I am still job hunting, and still unsuccessfully, in the midst of all this fun, thanks for asking. But spring has sprung and all things will resolve themselves in time.

The bears are out and about, and it appears we have a troublemaker in the bunch this year. A few nights ago (or mornings more precisely) I heard a noise around 2AM on my deck. Got up to investigate, flipped on the light and there’s a damn bear balanced on the railing giving me the “What??” look. Now in and of itself this wouldn’t be too peculiar except for the fact that said deck is surrounded by an 8 foot stockade fence, and is off the second floor; now that was a first I must say.. I shooed him off and went back to bed. And hour later, here we go again, I look out my bedroom window on the first floor and what do I see but 300 pounds or so of bear butt balancing on the fence trying another route up. Stubborn bear, I must say. Most especially since I go to great lengths to coexist with them by never leaving anything out they can consider a food source. Great, I get the crazy bear! Well the nice bear biologist guy came and investigated, seems the boy has been causing havoc all over the general vicinity so it looks like he may have to be relocated if he keeps up the mischief.

Well that’s all the news that fits at the moment folks, hope you’re all well, safe and happy!

So Hat won't fret..

All is well- wrong end of the state precious. It is however one hell of a mess down there and I'm thankful that the many friends we have in the vicinity weren't in the path of the tornado!

A very random Friday video

Well the "video" part kind of stinks, but it's the only full version of the song I found. TV show theme or not, you have to admit it's a great song! My kids think it's hysterical that I start with the dancing every time it comes on my iTunes mix-
Just ignore the screen and open your ears...




Y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Just for a smile-

The combination of the incomparable Emmylou Harris with Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson, what more can I say? From my favorite 'rockumentary" ever. "The Last Waltz"
Damn, I loved The Band..

Today's underappreciated artist-

I always felt Robert Palmer's few successful songs actually derailed his career. He was quite prolific and was recording almost to his untimely death. His depth was far greater than those couple of catchy songs. So picking one was pretty hard- so here you go with a few of my personal favorites. Sadly i couldn't find a decent recording of Every Kind of People.

This remix of Mercy Mercy Me/I Want You was always one of my favorites, it really is a brilliant arrangement-




And Sneaking Sally Through the Alley was a real classic-



Those four or so hits were truly not the sum of this very talented man. And what a shame he went so young, who knows what else he'd have accomplished.

it's been a really complicated day-

I needed a little beautiful- Nureyev in arguably one of his finest moments, and the incomparable Fonteyn. He was beyond magnificent, the one time I was blessed to have seen him live on stage my heart quite literally stopped.. and the one brief moment I met him in person was quite memorable- There may never be a partnership quite like that again.

It's OK, really!!

Well it was awfully sweet of y’all to worry. But no, I’m neither dead nor have I expatriated south with Antonio Banderas to start my blissful fantasy life in the tropics.

My love and thanks to Tate, Tony, Wills, Jeff and all you other dears that called or wrote to check in on me. I’ve just been rather preoccupied, and downright busy. Daddy went into the hospital. Things got bad, real bad. Then things got somewhat better. So now he’s in rehab and we’re trying to figure out what the hell to do next. Brother #1 is having some very hard times at the moment- and while there’s nothing I can do about it, I do fret nonetheless.. Baby Sister is losing her shit in a major way over the Daddy situation, and her personal life- lord don’t get me started on that. Find a nice lesbian to settle down with and quit being someone's experiment already! Oy.. OK after 10 years in a relationship and getting dumped, I can kind of see it- but seriously honey, find someone committed full time to your team, you know full well it is going to end badly. Need I remind you???

The boy has had a horrid bout of bronchitis again, and given his immune deficiency I tend to get a wee bit freaked out when something like this drags on. The girl is getting ready to turn 16 this weekend, trying to get her NHS application done and figure out what to do this summer, among other teenaged angst.. Just shoot me now, OK??

And I’m still looking for a damn job.. And I’m fairly sure I finally started my midlife crisis.. How come 46 year old moms don’t get to freak out, buy a sports car and date a hottie half their age??? The injustice!!!

Well if I make light of it I can’t go over the edge kids.. Hope all my dears are well, safe and happy. And I swear I’ll check in more often so I don’t worry y’all (yes Jeff, that means you)- really, I do promise.. It’s good to have my virtual posse, really! No jokes, all kidding aside it really is a comfort to know there are a few people out there that think of me =..

Next up-

On our list of under-appreciated artists we have the one and only Delbert McClinton. There are sadly not a lot of videos, as Delbert has always been a music festival or big ass bar with a stage kind of guy. But he is widely regarded by musicians as one of the best harmonica players alive, a fine guitar player and an all around good guy. And having shared "refreshments" after a show (get your minds out of the gutters there people) a couple of times, I have to agree. And I love, love, love that man's voice.. well that and he was one damn fine looking man in his prime, that didn't hurt.

First up, probably his one big hit- and yes Cowbell, this one REALLY has More Cowbell in it..



And just so you can hear the man play the harp.. And yes Granny, another Texas boy.



Oh yeah- Elvin Bishop and Paul Thorn rock out pretty hard in this one too.

Have a lovely evening dears..

Have you ever noticed..

That the most thunderous moments of self-realization, or the truest instances of being at the very edge of reason frequently occur in front of a bathroom mirror?

Rather curious, don’t you think?

Our mood meter for the day.

Crappy video, great song. No one could do it like Lowell.. I miss him still.



Carry on people.

I'm Tired..

So tired.. Not in the way the fabulous Madeline Kahn is I grant you, but still bloody tired.




Could be the weather, perhaps just life in general but I'm exhausted. Insomnia isn't helping, true enough. Time for a change I think. Perhaps working out of the house is the issue, lack of adult conversation isn't helping my humor. And Tate would no doubt like to get a word in edgewise once in a while. Whatever it is, feeling and looking like something the cat dragged in needs to stop.

Just because it happens to be what I'm in the mood for-

No need to explain it, now is there? Have a fabulous weekend dears..

Take it away Stevie-

My life in a series of four..

Dear Cousin Lorraine tagged me for the quadruplet meme.. Thanks darling.. So kids, numerous dull facts that you no doubt never wanted to know about me-

Four Jobs I have had in my life:

Office Manager

House wares Buyer

Line Bitch

Event planner/caterer



Four Movies I would watch/have watched over and over:

Fried Green Tomatoes

Escape from New York-
(Don’t care what you say it’s an absolute classic)

The Princess Bride

A River Runs Through It



Four Places I have lived:

Charlottesville, VA

Chapel Hill, NC

NY, NY

Arlington, VA


Four TV Shows that I watch:

Ugly Betty

Project Runway

No Reservations

*That caps it, all my real favs have been canceled- Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me, The Office (the real one, not the US version) , Stargate, The West Wing*


Four Places I have visited:

I shall only list my four favorite cities..

San Francisco

San Juan

Toronto

Savannah


Four People who email me regularly:

Gayl

Frank

Wills (sorta- but his always make me happy)

Boots



Four Favorite Foods:

Ham
(Actually pork in any form-)

Raspberries

Turnip Greens
(Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it)

Foie gras




Four Places I would like to be right now:

Tahiti

Cap d’ Antibes

San Francisco

Hatteras Island



Four Things I am looking forward to this year:

The big gay slumber party.
(I’m working on it boys- promise! You need at least one obligatory estrogen accessory)

A week in NOLA visiting Buddyboy in July.

Miss Thing getting her driver’s license.
(yes, really)

Finding a decent job (I’m trying to do the positive outlook thing here, work with me)




Four People who should post Four Things:

Jeff

Gavin

Red

Sling

This is just not right-

This angers me in such a visceral way I can't say much more other than to quote and link.. I just haven't the words. The US government is slaughtering one of the last herd of free buffalo. Is this not the people's land? Should we not have a say in this?? I've seen the herds in Yellowstone, and it is at once an awesome sight and a sad and heartrending moment to realize the range these creatures once had before we started the wholesale and useless slaughter..

This winter alone, more than 1,000 wild bison have been brutally killed by the National Park Service and the Montana Department of Livestock -- or shipped to slaughterhouses.

And come May, newborn calves are just as likely to be killed as their mothers.

We cannot stand by and let this massacre continue: Send a protest message now.

Right now, it's still winter in Yellowstone, and these unsuspecting buffalo are following historic migratory routes in search of food at lower elevations where there is less snow.

When the buffalo venture near or beyond the park's boundary, they will continue to be rounded up and killed -- unless we start a national outcry.

What makes this sacrifice so senseless is that it's all to protect 12 to 16 domestic cows and steers that graze near the park from the theoretical risk of a disease -- brucellosis -- that has never been transmitted from bison to cattle in a natural setting.

Yes, you read those numbers right: 1,000 wild bison slaughtered to protect a little more than a dozen cows outside the park that have most likely been vaccinated against the disease, or easily could be.

Please speak out and stop the slaughter. Yellowstone's buffalo are a national treasure: America's last, free-roaming herd. The National Park Service should be their guardian, not their executioner.

Take a moment if you're so inclined

Not to be sexist..

The thing I hate about spring is baseball. The boy loves baseball, really loves it- thus I deal with it. But there are some Dads I'd really love to bitch slap right on back into last week. Sorry gents, but I honestly have never heard a Mom type person ragging on their kid when they're playing- Not saying it doesn't happen mind you, I've just never witnessed it personally.





I would so love for a kid or two I know to turn around and do exactly that right in the middle of a game.

Friday Video

Well I was really in the mood for J.J. Cale doing Clyde.. love the hook on that song, I really do. But alas, I can't seem to find it, or I'm lazy whatever.

So this will do.

Friday Jukebox redux

Because Annie rules, and it's my second favorite version of the song. And pretty much just for the hell of it. I really want to be Annie if I ever grow up.

Friday Video

And there you have it.. Gail Ann Dorsey is absolutely amazing..








I really need a vacation.. and the pressure is really getting on my last raw nerve. Then I realize there are so many people out there with dire amounts of crazy in their lives, I realize I'm pretty much just whining.. Carry on.

To the fine citizens of Brattleboro Vermont-

You folks are true patriots! Wonder if we can all chip in and buy a couple of plane tickets for the Evil Twins for next January. "You have just won an all expense paid ski trip to Vermont!" Y'all think on it, we have some time to come up with a plan.


Brattleboro, Vermont passes indictment of Bush and Cheney
To be arrested in Brattleboro "if they are not duly impeached"




The courageous people of Brattleboro, Vermont have taken the lead! Frustrated that elected officials have refused to introduce articles of impeachment in defiance of their constituents' demands, the people of Brattelboro voted to direct town officials to draw up indictment papers against George Bush and Dick Cheney for violating their oath of office.

The Brattleboro vote took place during the Tuesday's Vermont primary election. Bush supporters launched a major campaign to discredit the referendum resolution and the organizers. Yet the resolution passed by a vote of 2012 in favor to 1795 against.

"Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution, and publish said indictments for consideration by other authorities and shall it be the law of the Town of Brattleboro that the Brattleboro Police, pursuant to the above-mentioned indictments, arrest and detain George Bush and Richard Cheney in Brattleboro if they are not duly impeached, and prosecute or extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them?" The people of Brattleboro answered, "yes!"

The indictment means that Bush and Cheney can be arrested for criminal acts should they ever enter Brattleboro. The indictment would go into effect after Bush and Cheney leave office.

There are times you just need some silly..

The Hurricane looked at me yesterday and said "Hey Mom, smile!" I gave him the what now look.. and he says "You haven't been smiling much lately, you need some silly" at which point he did a huge leap onto the couch and started tickling me. I really did need some silly in a bad way.

Then Hat sent me a hysterical post card..

So I declare this a little bit of silly morning-



Because I have been way too serious here of late.. I've been threatening to move to Maui and change my identity.



Or go on strike because they're all making me crazy..



Carry on people.. and go do something really silly for an hour, just for the hell of it.



Hah- see I can lighten up once in a while! Thanks Hat! I really needed that.