Faute de Mieux

Travel, trouble, music, art,

A kiss, a frock, a rhyme-
I never said they feed my heart,
But still they pass my time.--Faute de Mieux by Dorothy Parker

Sigh.

Lots of people who stop by here take terrific photographs. There's a contest held by J Peterman, here. Upload the ones you like the best by 15 April in the 3rd annual travel photo contest. Nothing to lose but a few minutes & you might win some cash or a gift card.

I'm trying to return & write something worth reading. Meanwhile...there's a person tweeting as the Bronx Zoo's missing cobra & it's more entertaining than I ought to admit. Sigh. Again.

Update - Beginning of May or bust. I'll be baaaack.

(photograph by Cristin Moritz, first seen on Cup of Jo)

Elizabeth

Arguably, she was the last of the great Hollywood stars.

Even I have an Elizabeth Taylor story. (She lived in Washington for awhile in that ill-advised marriage to a senator.) If you have Netflix Instant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is available, as is Giant. There will be a ton of great pictures of Elizabeth (please, not "Liz"!) in her va-voom mode all over the internets today & in future. So herewith one as a child, for she was a child star first. Here's a link to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. (via imdb)

Cherry Blossom Walk

I try to resist getting a two-fer with the Julie blog but peeps, I am under pressure. Most of which I cannot talk about at moment. Anyway, here's the vintage photograph I found for today's Giulia Geranium. Anyone who is in the area, there's a Stand with Japan walk on Saturday, the opening day of the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin (where this photo was taken but no date). Oof.

And because some have asked via email. Yes, I support the intervention in Libya. I'm getting so much grief from fellow liberals that my hair might spontaneously catch fire. My blood pressure is rising & I have a literal pain in my neck (as well as everywhere else). Here's the deal: I worked a long time on the passage of Responsibility to Protect. This mess fits the criteria. Therefore, I support it. It would be supremely idiotic to support the notion & then say I don't support action. That's the short version. Oof. Again. Back as soon as I can.

Update - BTW. It's absolutely fine if people don't agree w/me. It's the ad hominem nature of comments that offends.

Japan

As I was saying...um. What a way to come back & I don't know if I am back. But. Coming out of the mouths of creeps are loathsome remarks about why people should not contribute to help the Japanese recover. No, I am not kidding. I'd say go look it up but it will make ya sick.

Choose your organization wisely & if you can only manage $5.00 like me, it's something. The International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is one good place. I received an email this morning from the World Food Programme asking for help from their blogger pals to spread the word. (You can help on your blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, too.) It's a shock to see Japan on their list.

Julie the Cat's blog is back. I've enabled internetty-google-tubey share buttons at the bottom of each post on both blogs. I continue to try & improve them with free help & but half a brain. I'll post links to cool people who help bloggers for free (I know!) soon. To get you started: The Blog Guidebook.

Back to Al Jazeera - which has excellent coverage of Japan news. I'm fortunate to have it on the teevee machine here in the DC-area. I think it's only here, Vermont, & Ohio. Something like that. Very weird. You can demand it in your area (those in the States). Meanwhile, you can watch live online, here. Cheers!

Update Thursday, 17 March: I forgot to put in a link to a 20x200 print that will raise funds for the Japan Society. I'd recommend 20x200 for affordable art in any event, but especially now. People are buying things for their homes & for gifts anyway, so check it out. They just added another print & will probably keep it going.

(woodblock prints by the great Utagawa Hiroshige)