Mnemosyne/November, 1967

"A previously unseen work by Dante Gabriel Rossetti is to go on show at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery next year." BBC

&

Dr. Zhivago was playing at the Paramount
Theater in St. Cloud. That afternoon,
we went into Russia,

and when we came out, the snow
was falling—the same snow
that fell in Moscow.

The sky had turned black velvet.
We'd been through the Revolution
and the frozen winters.--rest of November, 1967

If I seem overly-reliant on the BBC website lately--what can I say? Guilty. That it's about Mnemosyne (Memory) makes it even better. Here's a link to the Delaware Museum of Art's Pre-Raphaelite Collection where the Rossetti painting is currently on view. (It's in a private collection.) I would love to see the new exhibit in January titled The Poetry of Drawing. (Here's the Birmingham Pre-Raphaelite Collection link.)

The poem because no less than 4 people emailed to ask, did you hear/read that poem on Writer's Almanac? (It was a few days ago.)

That's not a photo of Mnemosyne. It appears to be Tim Walker's take on Ophelia. I like the pearlized gray folds in the gown. (I most certainly do not identify with Ophelia, so let's nip that one in the bud.)

(photograph via Vogue Italia)

O Gattina!

Fussing with the new Giulia Geranium header & colors took a great big bite out of the weekend. Please take a look. I hesitate to say it's finished because that would undermine my as-yet unwritten manifesto on 'things are never finished' (it can get you out of so many jams. And into them, too.). Besides, it's not as though I do this professionally. It's all given me a tremendous headache. Speaking of headaches, of the feline variety....

The carpet above could be mine (same pattern) but mine is currently flecked, nay strewn, with holly berries & bits of sage, rosemary, oregano, & basil from a friend's garden. There are also apples & pears on the carpet. Julie usually goes for all things sparkly so I'm not sure what is up with this vegetal vandalism. That must have been some wild rumpus while I was out walking in lovely autumnal gardens yesterday. The must-do list is woefully lacking "done" ticks & now I have cleaning to do. I'll answer comments & visit people soon. I hope tonight. (A clean carpet via audrey hepburn complex) Update - Tuesday - Or maybe I'll catch up tonight. Oh dear.

PS: Today is the last day to vote for your favorite dress - Shabby Apple Dare to Design Contest. I still haven't decided.

Update - because I can't stand for people not to get a good deal & it's a kitchen sink post: Holiday Vogue Knitting patterns (over 1,300 to choose from) are all $US 2.99/per. Zee email just arrived- here's the link.

Week's End - Hot Off The Press

The BBC has a slideshow featuring some past winners of the Hasselblad Masters competition.

I sifted through the fashion/beauty category on the Hasselblad site & there's not enough time & bandwith (I finally typed it - bandwith, grrrr) to see as much as I'd like. I did not espy a new Tim Walker (yet). Benedikt Ernst's newspaper lady reminded me of the paper tutu by talented Kelly Murry/Jolis Paon.

The competition is open until 31 December. (There's an Up & Coming section, too, so don't count yourself out.) Here's the link to see the rules. Scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the page, the pertinent stuff is there. Hasselblad web-peeps, you should know better.

Can you tell I'm in a hurry? Oof. Need to wrap things up. I have an impatient cat & an impatient human on my hands. I'm outnumbered.

Flowers on the Windowsill

Wouldn't you know that all the photographs I have for essay-drafts, poems, Venice & Strasbourg posts are b&w? Of course. Things are fairly dark/grim here lately. So...some flowers on windowsills by Christine Gill via Design*Sponge in November 2008. I ran two photos on Giulia Geranium back then. My family & friends laughed at me for doing exactly this. I'm off to read, write, figure out administrative matters (urgh), & swipe some rose hips that are about to be cruelly cut down before fulfilling their destiny. Christine sells 21 flower prints at Imagekind. (She also has a December 2008 photo set of her then-new cat's introduction to the household. He's a dignified gentleman in a tuxedo.)

Are we about to go nuclear? Right now WAMU-FM/NPR has gone off the air & the Naval Observatory Master Clock/Universal Time is repeating the universal time over & over in a computer-generated voice. [Five minutes later- Now a rattled sounded announcer has come on to say, oops, we do not know what the heck that was about. We'll look into it. You do that. It was way weird & disturbed my cat. Now, Kevin Spacey is making a joke about it. At the tone, the time will be...that made me laugh, so thank you, Kevin.]

Kristallnacht

Link to Giulia Geranium. Photograph by D Sharon Pruitt.

Still Life & Tabletop

No, I've not turned to drink. But I cannot see my tabletops right now & they are not "still life" in the classic sense. (Yes, I've tried squinting.)

Circumstances conspire to render me mostly silent (aren't you glad?) this week & post photographs & links & other people's giveaways. Circumstances do not involve my imminent capture by a butterfly-net wielding right wing lunatic (although, you never know). It's about the list of things I'm supposed to do/have said I will do. Many of them online.

There's a photography festival on here in DC (FotoWeek 2010). I'm trying to bite my tongue about the cutesy spelling...I've been guilty. More than once.

A couple of giveaways. Bleeding Espresso has one for a new cookbook (also reviewed), My Calabria. It's always fun to visit Michelle in Calabria, Italy.

The lovely & humorous Blue Gardenia has an exceptional giveaway that ends tomorrow (Tuesday, 9 November). It's a random generator winner, not an essay contest, & so can I just say something? Yeah, I can. Why do people shriek "I want I want" & the like on giveaways? It's so degrading. If the giveaway person gives instructions, I follow them. But I do not virtual-scream like a ninny. I'm sure you do not, either. The comments on this one, though, are tame compared to some sites I've seen. So no offense to BG readers. (photographs from Olga's Tabletop series)

Let's Bring Back...

Those of you who read The Huffington Post probably know Lesley Blume's column, Let's Bring Back. (It's a new book) Here is the latest slideshow of 30 Things That Need to Be Brought Back - Pronto! You can waste some time (you know you want to) by clicking on your favorites. Most of them are on my list. Lesley's related Icons of Style series includes Suzy Parker. Another is the Marchesa Casati, someone about whom Hazel at The Clever Pup & The Clever Pup's Paris Notebook knows a lot. Here's a 2009 post, The Muse That Blew a Fuse. (I can relate. Ahem.)

I'm trying to pull together posts/drafts on Venice & Strasbourg, but way behind. I'd like to do them justice. Possibly I have spent too much time today looking at cool men in hats, supper clubs, manual cameras, library indexes, pocketbooks, etc. A bit of a Sunday (or Monday - hi Aussies!) distraction. (Suzy via LIFE(dot)com via here)

Jill Clayburgh

I was just beginning to write about Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates, & An Unmarried Woman & was startled to see that she died today at her home in Connecticut . Condolences to her husband, playwright David Rabe, & daughter, actress Lily Rabe. The film was made at a difficult time in NYC (& indeed everywhere) but I recently told someone - while her character may be well-to-do, she meets many people who are not. I knew people who lived in Manhattan then & visited fairly often. They wouldn't be able to live there now under the same circumstances. You know what? We were more grown up back then, somehow.

I recall seeing it alone & then Pied Piperette-style, leading about a dozen friends & their friends to see it. I was the only one (if I recall correctly--they'll let me know) who argued vigorously on behalf of the ending. Watch the DVD again (or for the first time). Jill-as-Erica (& on her own, too) is utterly charming & touching.

Listen to Paul Mazursky's commentary about making it, New York then & when he was growing up, where he met his wife, etc. He's quite wry & amusing in his remembrances. (Also for Last Stop, Greenwich Village.)

(images via sfgate(dot)com & Saatchi Online), it pains me not to have a good solo photo -- the irony -- from the film but there aren't many good ones around--at short notice.)

Week's End - Walkies

I just watched a video taken while trying to figure out the web camera.* No, I did not know it was recording. I leave for a while, come back with braids undone, wearing a big scarf, coat, & red lipstick. Julie hops up & looks in the lens. Then more of me looking puzzled, biting my lip (stop it!), sighing & rolling my eyes (yes, at me). Score by Bach. No, I am not embedding it here. Julie neglected to take a photo of herself...she just fought me while I held her up to the camera...then proceeded to have an asthma attack. Guilt. I'm going for a walk.

*But, you say...that photo of you & Julie during the snowpocalypse in February, you knew how to take a web shot. Um. I recently realized that it's all fuzzled because I hadn't taken off the, um, protective film.

(plaid coat by laura trevey via rachel follet/lovely clusters)

Drawing Fashion

Early evening/overnight diversion. (Also I'm getting weird email.) A new exhibit at London's Design Museum on fashion illustration. Good slideshow on BBC. (Moving this to Thursday. Raining & running behind here.)

From the Design Museum website:

"Drawing Fashion celebrates a unique collection of some of the most remarkable fashion illustrations from the twentieth and twenty first centuries. These original works define the fine art of illustrating fashion, from the collections of Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garçons and Poiret as well as Viktor & Rolf, Lacroix and McQueen. This exhibition showcases fashion illustrators at their creative heights: Lepape at the beginning of the century, Gruau in the 40's and 50's, Antonio throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, to current artists Mats Gustafson, Aurore de la Morinerie and François Berthoud. Film-clips, news reels, music and photography will sit alongside the original illustrations to reflect not only the spirit and the style of the decades but also the wider social and cultural changes of the century.

It will be the first time this collection, which was put together over 30 years by Joelle Chariau of Galerie Bartsch & Chariau, has been displayed." (image by François Berthoud via artnet(dot)com)

American Idiot

Billie Joe Armstrong was inspired to write the song after hearing the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "That's How I Like It" on his car radio. Said Armstrong, "It was like, I'm proud to be a redneck and I was like, oh my God, why would you be proud of something like that? This is exactly what I'm against."

Here's the link to the Diane Rehm show. Andy Kohut offered up a detailed reading of the entrails, but after above I blew a fuse. While I was changing it, more people said more stuff. Check the transcript.

Amongst my fuming points: the press (particularly lazee teevee peeps) sat back & watched the Republicans take pot shots at Obama et al & did not follow up with hard, smart questions. The reason I know they're not so smart is because--as Stephen Fry wrote/said about government administrators in UK--"they are the people you sat next to in school..." BTW, the new Republican mantra is "The President still sets the agenda." You know what that means, right?

Some Mad Men Yourself images (I can't turn off the jazzy music. Your computer hasn't gone mad, just be forewarned). French FB group started posting some very nice photographs...there was my leetle self. When the world was in the midst of another awful economic upheaval. It never occurred to me not to vote, even if overseas. I registered before I left & made an absentee ballot request. No computers, no American expat groups (near me anyway), etc. No, I was not preternaturally prepared, either. I was 17. Apparently many younger people couldn't be bothered to haul their heinies to vote yesterday. Wow.

Back to regular programming of research effluvia soon...

Update - one thing that keeps me laughing lately is this cat adoption site in Washington State. The woman who writes/photographs these kittens she fosters, she's hilarious. Here's the latest "Tell Us How You Really Feel, Mimsey." I feel like Mimsey, today.

The Waiting...

...is the hardest part.

(via Artcyclopedia/photograph by Michael Weinstein)

"I Need You to Vote"

--President Barack Obama

Made4Aid Month

A bit of cross-pollination with Giulia Geranium & Made4Aid's new Etsy shop. I hope whether you buy anything or not, you'll check out the shop, the website, & also Sally's personal photography blog, Lettuce-Eating, from London. Many of her most popular photographs are available as cards. There's a nice badge that you can scoop up for your blogs & websites, too.

It's enough to prop up my faith in some humans (humanity? I don't know about that...) for the next several hours. This beautiful messenger bag is but one of many hand-made bags for sale. That color. (As always, I don't recommend anything that I have not already checked out. I purchased several things from Made4Aid last year via their auctions. Everything went smoothly. No drama. At all.)

Important: if you have something that you want to donate to Made4Aid, please read this guideline list from the Made4Aid organization site. Any questions after that, please contact them. (Of course, they take cash donations, too.)

(photograph via Made4Aid)

Guardian Gourds

Happy Hallowe'en, Samhain, Nos Calan Gaeaf

A Hallowe'en photograph of me-as-Twiggy via scan of a crinkled snap has failed to amuse or please. Worse, I look entirely annoyed in the picture & have no idea why. So sorry, B, one of my sisters who sent it with a sweet note ("I thought you looked so beautiful..."). Maybe we can find it on a slide for next year. Fairy-lighted pumpkins against a dark blue sky will have to do for now. Lots & lots of spooky & scary Hallowe'en posts all over the wah-wah-web. (photograph via Martha Stewart)

PS: Happy birthday to John Keats

Week's End - Off-Leash

You do have a leash, as a writer. You're holding a dog. The great excitement is to see what happens if you let the whole thing go. And the dog or the character really runs about, bites everyone in sight, jumps up trees, falls into lakes, gets wet, and you let that happen. That's the excitement of writing plays.--Harold Pinter

Before I let it fly (maybe, probably, next week) I have to clean up the blog templates, work on headers, get legal advice (kidding). I have to finalize plans to meet up with Ralliers for Sanity (not kidding). I...uh. I'll stop there. Back later.

OK, I'm back. For a minute. I have to post my vote. Have you voted if you're eligible? Oh dude,* if you don't & start complaining on 3 November about Teabaggery...I will so not be there/here for you. (*Pops out of my mouth with a disturbing naturalness.)

Some fun: Mad Men Yourself. Here's my beta-version with a little shout-down to naysayers about political satire rallies. (That newspaper in the hand is rolled up for a teeny light swat.) First they want to call the election before it's held (shrieking curses) & now all manner of pontification about Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert. What do these nincompoops (no, not S&C, I'll fix grammar later) not understand about political satire?

You know what? Tough. Here I go: I've lived here for um, a long time. The media-punditiocy w/knickers-a-twist? They weren't invited, those sniffy twits. And now, in the name of a bit of sympathy (only a bit)...

Once upon a time, a youngish editor stood outside her office door. She railed to her boss about the "media." Her boss kept trying to interrupt. They were both talented interrupters--they had to be. Finally the boss pointed at the younger woman who said What, what? Boss: "I'm pointing at your press pass."

Oh. Gulp. Slink away in manner of humiliated Snoopy.

(Tim Walker photograph via one million sites & counting; silly me via AMC)

Peek into la Pup's Paris Notebook

Hazel of The Clever Pup is writing about her recent Paris adventures (warts & all, what a relief) at The Clever Pup's Paris Notebook. I hope she's working on a badge because the little Pup who went to Paris is sporting a Breton shirt, beret, & ballerinas. Mignon. Please hop over & say bonjour. (Cartier-Bresson photograph via Christine Haynes, who, oh happy day, has a sewing blog. Which is sort of like saying Cartier-Bresson took snaps. The artist & cute little girl in Monmartre is by Eisenstaedt via LIFE Archives)

Damson & Slate - A Breath of Welsh Air

Looking at the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2010 magazine + Dylan Thomas birthday + hand-washing Laura Ashley Welsh knit scarves & lacy cardigan = Damson & Slate website gazing. (There's also a tornado watch until tonight & therefore madly hurrying to be ready for catastrophe. OK, a bit of Welsh-American drama, so sue me.) Just about everyone on US design blogs talks about Toast & I do like them. But here is a site that actually toots their Welsh horn. Things are far too shaky to buy anything from anyone at the moment, unless it's Julie the Cat necessaries. When I can, though, I will figure out how to replace some knits from D&S. Helping to support the Welsh economy is a good reason. (At this point, I would roll around like a feline in catnip if I had their Rosehip & Baobab w/Neroli face cream.)

Anything to put off cleaning the apartment & less-than pleasant reading, I've dragged out bags of needles, rolls of yarn, & am unravelling some half-done projects. I am not one of those "whip up a sweater in a day" people. I admire those who can though. My mother made some very cool stuff when I was little. My redheaded Barbie in her bottle green bouclé Chanel-inspired suit (yep) was the talk of the neighborhood Barbies.

Scarves, mittens, & a few other projects are enough to make me feel (undeservedly) accomplished. Yarn is expensive so choose something small if just starting out. There is (or was) some lovely yarn in the Made4Aid Etsy shop (the badge & site are on the right or at bottom. Template shifting continues). On the Pringle of Scotland site, there's even a little how-to-knit video. I'm not linking it for now because it won't teach anyone to knit, really. The point is that anyone (even me) can learn knit/purl & crank out a straight scarf.

(first 2 images via Damson & Slate, 3rd via Vogue Holiday 2010 Knitting magazine)

Vote Now - Shabby Apple Design Finalists

Vote for your favorite Shabby Apple's Dare to Design finalist dress. There is a tech error that zee blogeuse at Apple a Day is working to resolve, but you can vote in the comments for now. Voting ends 15 November 2010. Vote only once. (I have seen this photograph many places. This particular version is from audrey hepburn complex via daily bits of beauty)

Lily, Rosemary

and the Jack of Hearts. Man, I have to change the subject (sort of). It should be about the Rolling Stones because Keith just said "honey, you tried" to Terry Gross on Fresh Air. It was a fine interview, as always. (Link to listen, also expanded Jon Stewart interview) (Tim Walker photograph via Lori at automatism.)

La Luce della Luna {Moonstones}

Adularescence is an optical phenomenon, similar to labradorescence and aventurescence, produced most notably by moonstones. Adularescence is also commonly referred to as schiller or shiller. The effect is best described as a milky, bluish lustre or glow originating from below the surface of the gemstone. The schiller, appearing to move as the stone is turned (or as the light source is moved), gives the impression of lunar light floating on water (accounting for moonstone's name). Though white schiller is the most common, in rarer specimens, orange or blue lustres are produced. --quite by accident I happened upon this...it's punny, but not necessarily funny.--Wikipedia, moonstone gem

There's still a full moon. Looking at a pair of moonstone earrings--with the blue cast--on the desk.

Having a bit of a freak-out by the (to me) overwhelming interest on Facebook...I haven't known these people--save for one or two--in a million years. I lived a different life than they did in Strasbourg (& elsewhere, & since). Not better but so different. Or maybe it's just that I arrived in Strasbourg with a different background & future agenda. I was not innocent or naive, I was fleeing a very difficult family situation in America. Posted cassette tapes, bicycle-delivered telegrams, & even a few phone calls made it clear that I would not escape. I returned to try & fix it as requested. It did not work. I am so sorry that I moved back.

I cannot be the only one who feels this way. Yet, I do not want to offend & really, this could be a positive turn of events. A lot has happened to everyone, I know. I don't discount it. My list, though, elicits near disbelief in people who were here for it, one by one, incident by incident. Also, what kind of judgment will be made about me & my life.

I have looked--off & on for some years--for a person who would understand. It was my fault that we lost touch. By the time I responded to what turned out to be our last letter, it was too late. All the return addresses from a few years of correspondence (from Beirut, France, England, Spain, Costa Rica) were dead-ends & I cannot find her married surname. I'm not an obsessive but in the last 2-3 days this lost friend has become more important. She used to say 'old bean' & take me for tarte aux framboise near Place Kléber when I had no money & I do mean NO money. She was wise about these boy-men. She let me use her Fidji perfume. Pamela, I hope you are in good health, happy, & writing witty letters. Those lucky recipients.

Maybe my boundaries are too strict lately, but others' feel far too fluid--as things stand now. I am not rejecting people outright. Give me a little time please. [I will endeavor to make this more coherent but I needed to post it more quickly than I'd anticipated.]

Update Monday, 1.32pm - I should make it clear, I have some 'esplaining to do. I'm not anti-FB. Someone who means very well got very excited because he's new to it. If not for FB, I would not have reconnected with several people. We were looking for the other for years...& I have very good research skills.

Oh, maybe I'll scoop a bunch of this out & wait. Right now, I have a bunch of FB msgs to look at. I hope they're not mad at me. Let me also be clear that I contacted the person in question & sent him a msg about my distress--most of which has to do with me, not them--before I posted above. It was not a passive-aggressive act, which I loathe......

(photo via Rachel Follett on pinterest, via automatism)

Week's End - Leetle Feet

Am attempting to redo Giulia Geranium's template. That scream you hear might be me. Anyway, on GG there's a post on New York City Ballet's website, the children's section. Wow. I just printed out pages from the coloring book. (No, I'm not coloring them in myself, I'm sending them to a niece. Well, OK, I did color one. Zen.) If any of you want to entertain your children or yourself for nearly-free (using the printer means not totally free) this weekend, especially someone who might begin to pester you soon about The Nutcracker, give these a try. Meanwhile, aren't these the cutest little feet?

Back later....Update, nope. That's it for today.

(little Italian tootsies by Alfred Eisenstaedt/LIFE Archives)

What Would Oscar Do?

I like to think he'd wear purple anyway. That he would use his wit to punch holes in bullies. But the thing is, though he'd be an expert spoke-person for gay rights, we know what happened to him. So it isn't enough to leave it to our gay friends, family, & colleagues to counter this backward trend.

I freak out on behalf of friends in certain countries, especially in Africa & the Middle East about this issue. And then,whoa, there were anti-gay riots in Europe recently.

So it's up to everyone to help stop bullying. For those in other countries who might not know, here in the States bullying of all kids is an ongoing problem & statistics indicate that it's getting worse. The most vulnerable of all are self-identified (or other-people identified) LGBTQ youth. There have been several recent suicides connected to the heinous behavior of bullying.

I'm rushing to get this posted but I am wearing purple plaid pj bottoms (you don't want to know more, I assure you) & I hope that counts. Go to Bleeding Espresso for better links. (Or Change.org) Think of Oscar. Think of all the gay & lesbian icons we (straight) folks revere. The writers, the artists, poets, etc. More anon.

Fresh Flowers for Tough Times

For those of us residing in the State of Penury, here is an excellent idea by Sarah of Blossom and Branch, via Design*Sponge. It's a definite upgrade from our parsley-in-a-creamer. This is Sarah's second post in a twice-a-month series, Flowers A-Z. Take a look, you might be surprised by the ingredients.

That is from Julie's site today. I loved this idea so much that I scooped it up & placed over here. A relief from the gray & watery rumination chez nous.

I've looked on-line but not in the shops for prices per bunch/stem. I sniffed by them in the market in years past. My bad. It's very much bricolage in the French usage sense. Scent memories of cycling & walking past fields of decaying brassica on the outskirts of Strasbourg might have something to do with my aversion. I don't think that classy Design*Sponge would have anything on their site if that were the case. We shall see.

Reflections in the Water

Sally of Lettuce-eating posted these abstracts last January (2009) & there was much justified enthusiasm. She bowed to the will of the people: Voilà, they are cards. Yours are at Made4Aid's new Etsy shop. No shipping fee, no kidding. Even if you can't buy right now, it would do no small amount of good to "favorite" the shop (or some items you like). I loved Made4Aid auctions last year, but this will be easier for those who did not. (Wusses!)

I'm meandering about & muttering to the cat. About to go say hello to Hazel, who is back from Paris. Thinking about the Mad Men season finale (& whole series) & wondering why people use the term 'soap opera' about it. I had to bite my tongue overhearing people on the Metro. Apparently they grew up in a utopia starring Glinda the Good Witch as Queen. Many of these naifs have discovered Basket of Kisses (my preferred MM blog) recently. Man, I hope I didn't send them over there.

I'll take the "no comments" off of yesterday's post in case anyone wants to spill their guts about exciting exits. Extra points if you think it's funny now. You will receive much empathy if you do not think it funny--ever. (photograph by liquid sunny sky via deviantArt; collage made from Made4Aid images)

Making an Exit

Every exit is an entrance somewhere else.--Tom Stoppard

Making an exit, planned or not, is almost always an option. Hold your head high while doing so. If you are pulled together with flattering lipstick & comfortable (but pretty!) shoes, it really helps. Armor thyself. Do not run away as if on fire. (Unless being chased by a lunatic. If you are on fire, believe me, you have other things to worry about. Remember: stop, drop, & roll.)

I've slunk through bookshop & library shelves, wound around corridors, exiting through a catering area more than once. Yes, I was on the ground. Once I crawled out of a club on my hands & knees through the kitchen. (I no longer do these things.) This is in response to a friend who told me that he cannot attend an event because of someone's possible appearance. But I've done the same, so I can't wag my finger at him. (I did not advise him to wear lipstick, no.)

(I'm turning off comments for this post only to relieve people from feeling imposed upon to make them.) OK, pressure's on. Just opened the comments.

(photograph via AMC of Joan/Christina Hendricks because she's putting on her armor here; plus, I can't see the finale of Mad Men until it downloads on iTunes tomorrow - mimph)

Week's End - La Chanteuse in Black & White

Juliette Gréco, legendary bohemian queen of chanson française. Resisting urge to whine & complain because I just remembered that Juliette was in la Résistance with a capital 'R' & paid for it, too. This is the song that Carey Mulligan plays & sings to in An Education. When I saw it last year I couldn't believe it--I knew most of the words. Ah, because Mireille Mathieu's version played a lot when I lived in Strasbourg. Good old Jacques Brel.

Have a great weekend. I do hope someone will pay tribute to Oscar Wilde's natal day tomorrow. (Update - Carina in Copenhagen has an Oscar birthday post. Thanks, Carina!) Just not up to it this year. I'd let him down with some piffle. Oooh. I'm complaining again. Désolé.

(photographs by Gjon Mili via LIFE archives & art (dot) com. The photo with the yawning--or singing--dachsie also turned up on poetic & chic under 'bang envy'. It's a pretty blog & has lots more photographs.)

Jemima Puddle-Duck Waddles to Washington

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rally to Restore Sanity Announcement
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Mr. Fox, when did you first become interested in broadcast "news"?

Jemima talking to Fox + raining like mad = the Rally to Restore Sanity on Oct. 30, sponsored by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. What? Well, it's no more nonsensical than many things on television (& radio). Above is Jon Stewart explaining the what-for. The rally will raise money to help restore the National Mall. It's a mess & funds have been denied (sigh) by...oh, it's too idiotic to say more. Here is a link to Trust for the National Mall.

Very happy about the Chilean miner rescue of course. I watched far too much on-line. But if I hear one more time that it's a miracle with (very few people) asking why this miracle (of human ingenuity amongst other things) was necessary in the first place, I shall scream. People being exploited to mine in dangerous places with terrible safety records, etc. I did grow up in mining areas of the States, so I know something about it. But if I scream I would be behaving like foxes & their friends.

PS - If you are in New York (you socialists!) & need a ride to DC, The Huffington Post is sponsoring some buses. I have no inside knowledge about how many, etc. Follow the links & sign up. Update - hilarious music parody of President Obama defending himself as the Very Model of a Modern U.S. President. I'd embed it but my laptop will blow up 'cause there's too much html code goin' on. It's very funny & now I am humming G&S song (as warned).

Update - Oh fer Pete's sake. I've rec'd email asking if I'm making fun of people attending rally, ducks, chubby people. Etc. No. No. No. I'm going to it. I like alliteration. That's all. Oy.

(illustration via here)

Sweetness & Light

Many new bloggers have asked where/how to collect images if they don't have huge piles of magazines & books, etc. If you look at the beginnings of both blogs, you will see that I didn't know much. (OK, anything. It still looks clueless but lacking tech funds does not help.) The following is in no way all-inclusive. So many people I link to here & on Giulia Geranium (& on the back of blogger profile) are excellent resources.

Canadian illustrator Lori Langille's automatism blog is an excellent place to be inspired but also to see attribution etiquette in best practice mode. I turned to Lori in December 2008, a few months into Giulia Geranium, for permission to use a personal vintage Marie Claire Maison scan. Lori is also the brains & talent behind the Benevolent Postcard Society, of which I am a proud if not very imaginative member.

Sweetness and Light is a relatively new label on automatism. Lori kindly linked to bricolage a few weeks back. She did so through Pinterest (via Facebook). Before the usual outpouring of Facebook-hate, listen up. I'm not that active on Facebook & you don't need to be. Remember that about any social network. No one said you have to update constantly. In fact, unless you are hilarious (& it's not just your mother who thinks so), I beg you not to. Still, it's your right to do as you wish & I'll adjust my settings accordingly. I'm sure the few who follow me on Twitter are dismayed by my bummer re-tweets. C'est la guerre.

Tina Tarnoff's Thought Patterns is wonderful, just as you'd imagine any artist of her talent would be. Visit often. You'll see such a variety of images & Tina's thoughts about them, where she found them, etc. She's always helpful & generous.

Sarai of Colette Patterns posted a very clear & helpful tools on the web for cataloging. It's now my go-to link to send to folks asking for advice.

I just realized as I was to hit 'publish' that there's an important category of photography/images that I use. That has to do with humanitarian, animal welfare, & other goody-two shoes stuff of which I am rightly accused. That will have to be another post because it's more complicated (of course it is, sigh, why wouldn't it be?) But if you need something right now go to IRIN (humanitarian news & analysis via UN) & register for fair-use photographs.

(Photograph is by windswept ribbons via audrey hepburn complex)

To Bend with Apples

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless Conspiring Working together; literally, to conspire is “to breathe together” (OED)

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; thatch-eves Thatch-eaves, the edge of thatched roofs

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.-first stanza, To Autumn (John Keats)

I cannot help it (the Keats business). It's all Tina at the English Muse's fault because she mentioned yesterday's NYTimes Sunday travel section. I was perhaps unnaturally happy yesterday morning when I saw the Protestant Cemetery mentioned in a 36 Hours in Rome bit. But there you are. More To Autumn posts. Last night I was tossing about & thinking about Keats & his politics. His horror at the gap between rich & poor (about which he knew quite a lot first-hand). He would be agonized by today's lack of progress. So I'll leave it there & just pick up stanza by stanza. (I'm sort of kidding.) Someone else preoccupied today with autumn & poetry today is secret, fragile skies. Lovely photograph, too. (photograph via bohemea tumblr & on Julie's blog here)

PS: I've been fussing about to get the poem layout properly & Blogger is being defiant. So in it goes, unformatted. I'll try again later. Update - I hit publish on this yesterday with the wrong time on it & the feed stuck. So if you think, I saw that yesterday. Yes, you did. It's me, not you.

Carla Cohen RIP

Oh no. I can't write anything right now. Here's the Politics & Prose website. This is such a loss for our community that it's too much to really describe. If you want to know where so many of us have found refuge for many years, please visit. (Photograph via The Washington Post, Carla is on the left)