On the Ceiling

No more of ceiling talk unless it's about Fred in Royal Wedding. (If you have Netflix Instant, it's available.)

The vote passed, there really was no choice. However, I am furious at the cuts that will be exacted upon the backs of those who can least afford it. My screech on that will be written next week when I have enough bandwidth to research properly.

(photograph via Fred Astaire Annex)

Shakespearean Insult Kit

Thou vain sheep-biting malt-worm!
Thou spleeny hell-hated puttock!
Thou dissembling rump-fed jolt-head!
Thou saucy ill-nurtured bum-bailey!

That will get you started. But then visit the Shakespearean Insulter for more taunts & disgusted (& amusingly disgusting) descriptives.

I've been using it on Twitter (along with virtual cream pies). Because truly I need to blow steam. I am ready to burst due to the insanity here in DC. (And really, elsewhere, it's not just here).

In a coffee shop. Yes, I'm still here.

(photograph probably by uncredited still photographer Bob Penn/The Taming of the Shrew)

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.

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)

The Real Dream/The Current Nightmare

I thought I'd be able to stand watching this but it's beyond anything I can possibly explain. I'm about to crack another tooth. It's like being in the middle of Being There & Network. Toss in Dr. Strangelovian bizarreness. Where are the new Paddy Chayefskys? Glenn Beck is now having a predictable meltdown & boohooing as the invited speakers (those he invited) spray blessings over him. He is being compared to Jesus, among great personages. He (Beck) is being called The Great One. (Jackie Gleason?) Oh, yeah, & toss in Elmer Gantry.

Also, as this nonsense is being held in the honor of veterans...as the sister of a veteran of Afghanistan, regular visitor to Walter Reed Medical Center, & the friend of many Vietnam veterans...I object to this cynical use of our veterans & their vulnerable families.

I am not being a reactionary. I'm reacting to a real threat. Ignore people like this at your own peril., in every country. Freedom of speech is here in my apartment, too. Below is a quote from Totally Mad, Man.

"...History demonstrates what a mistake it can be to treat a crazy fringe as merely that—particularly one with unfettered access to its audience and little sense of responsibility to distinguish between truth and fiction.

How else do you explain the fact that presently, according to a Research 2000 survey, nearly 60 percent of Republicans questioned were unsure if Barack Obama..".read the rest, here. And then weep.

Loony-palooza

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
I Have a Scheme
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Dear Glenn Beck:

Dude, seriously, get a grip.

I've had my virtual skirts over my head trying to ignore the impending spectacle (tomorrow) at the Lincoln Memorial. I feel like I can say this because you are (negatively) affecting me personally: stay the hell out of my neighborhood. Oh, I can calm down because some Tea Party websites/blogs advise those-of-you-who-come-to-restore our honor (?) to stay out of certain neighborhoods/areas. Mine is one of them. Phew.

Ciao-meow from Susan & Giulia Geranium (la gattina)

****************************

To international visitors who are thinking, "Wha?" Good people, this person is a troublemaker, most definitely not of the stylish variety, & is suspicious (or worse) of you, too. You must be un-American 'cause you weren't born here. What might be of interest to non-Americans is what comedian (& neighborhood native) Lewis Black calls Glenn Beck's "Nazi Tourette's."

These nincompoops have the right to be here, of course, but they do not have the right to hijack Martin Luther King's message. If I can, I'll be at another event honoring Dr. King. If I'm too tottery, I'll watch via Twitter & listen to music. Anti-Tea Party folk - do not take the bait. Listen, it's already happening; they want violence, do not give it to them. (Update: I feel I should say, "some people want violence." Not everyone.)

This post obviously can't stand as a week's end, even by my much lower-of-late standards. Something pretty or cheerful over the weekend. tt4n

Update (already): Whaddya know? There's a new blog, Loonypalooza, which is monitoring the weekend's activities. I don't know the blog owner (yet) & must read it before I link to it. But they have posted a link to a Eugene Robinson's Washington Post column today: Even Beck Can't Mar King's Legacy.

Top Hat

It's raining, the world is a mess (gee, thanks BP for making it so much worse), but I'm resisting one of my gloomy, moody umbrella photographs. Because of the now-dead-in-the-water "Top Hat" idea to contain the spill in the Gulf, I keep humming the song. From the Fred & Ginger movie. Which is massively irritating & ruining a re-viewing. Fume.

If you missed SNL's cold opening about LLPOF* BP's list o' let's try-it-maybe-it'll work, you should take a peek. The Dolphins with Mops idea -- it will take some time to find a suitable photograph. I'll stick with the stuff I'm writing off-line. But if I could draw...[photographs via brittanica.com & doctormacro.com]

*As in liar, liar + trousers a-lit, smokin', flaming, spontaneously combusting, etc.

Satellite Dishes

Phftt. Bombs in Moscow. "Tea parties." Listening to a favorite WAMU-FM (NPR) show & two Maryland /DC TP-ers. OK, bravo, for having them on to expose their lunacy. I can just predict it: I'll bite through my mouthguard tonight (again).

I have nothing (that I can write here). Please consider going to Giulia Geranium (Julie the Cat's blog) & clicking some do-gooder links over there.

These pix cracked me up a few weeks ago--LIFE Archives. It's not the era I'm researching, so I don't remember why these popped up. Probably because I love Nina Leen photographs. Did anyone's mother (or did you, do you?) wear these? My mother was more a pencil skirt person. She was a dish, though. (As we were always told. Endlessly. I'm not bitter.)

The Wind Blows

You don’t need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows...Subterranean Homesick Blues

It nearly blew me right off my feet. The wind is howling, though it could be the shrieks of villagers with pitchforks & torches.

Good night!

[Photograph via bohemea ]

Sunday Snow

Some nice shots (like those mischievous eyes in the top shot) by Max Cook via DCist. Click here for more..& here for the continuing brouhaha about an edgy DC detective "brandishing" his gun during a highly-advertised "guerilla" snowball fight. Wow. Calm down. Everyone. Nearly went, to watch the hijinks. Glad I did not...I get nervous when people brandish their weapons (especially without stating why-the-heck..). Hey, but that's just me.

Have a good rest of the weekend (& Monday to the Aussies & Kiwis)...

Week's End - Totally Mad, Man

Not since the dawn of time has America experienced a man like Howard Beale! - the tagline from Network.

Update, Saturday, 22 May 2010: Almost a year later, & the situation gets madder & madder: Rand Paul. Glenn Beck predicts that soon the President will pee on us, or is..I can't look too closely, but you can at The Political Carnival.

The good news is my hair looks better than Faye Dunaway's (above). The bad news is that CNN seems to be imploding. [see: Dobbs, Lou] It stuns me that people I knew/know are working there. They don't like it either but hey, a job is a job right now. As is pointed out below, the mainstream media (of which I was a modest part) allows this garbage spewing. I recommend the article below. Especially if you are GOP-inclined. Then I would go save my party if I were you.

Another more pleasant topic... if you're looking for a good read, try the late Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen. It's next on my re-reading list. A few days ago I recommended some cooking/memoir books & realized that I hadn't revisited Colwin or M.F.K. Fisher in a coon's age--as Julia C. would exclaim.

And now to the Totally Mad part...A few lines from Think Progress by Eric Alterman, The Mainstream Media Opens the Door to Hate & link...

"...History demonstrates what a mistake it can be to treat a crazy fringe as merely that—particularly one with unfettered access to its audience and little sense of responsibility to distinguish between truth and fiction.

How else do you explain the fact that presently, according to a Research 2000 survey, nearly 60 percent of Republicans questioned were unsure if Barack Obama..".read the rest, here. And then weep.

[photograph of Faye Dunaway & Steve McQueen by Bill Ray, LIFE archives; remaining photographs by Network still photographer, Michael Ginsburg]

On the way home, 16th Street Line

Just another day with-guns-on-display & play in Washington, DC. I love the 16th Street line. You see a lot--sometimes too much. I worry about all those children, elderly folks, pregnant ladies, I worry about everything. I see an email has just arrived from the White House email blast re: the H1N1.

E-mail late Wednesday evening to [most-excellent friend]. Just so Metro does not sue me, this has nothing to do with buses, the Red Line accident, etc. Sigh. Gina L. here has been locked out of her house by the cat-who-hid-the-keys. Even though she looks great in her bathing suit, come on gatto, knock it off & point-a-paw. [it's a scan from Hollywood Cats, link here to previous post until I can get independent bookstore link.] The shot is by genius Philippe Halsman. I still have the pamphlet from the Portrait Gallery's 1998 Philippe Galsman Retrospective exhibit. Here's a Magnum link to him. But he's so cool. He's the one who asked people to Jump! & they did.

Note: No, I haven't gone nuts. This long numbered thingy will only be up for a day or so & then pared down.:)

UPDATE: Sunday, 12 July 2009: I assure everyone that I am fine. But so busy (in a good way), that I cannot edit/rewrite below in a way that satisfies (even low standards) until late in the upcoming week. So I leave my mess out in the open. It's nothing I wouldn't say again. It really is an email I sent to a friend. I'll continue with pix-I-like & limit my sarcastic remarks to a few lines or so. I promise.

UPDATE: Wednesday, 21 July 2009. Took out tons & rewriting. Another day.

***********************

1. Julie hid my keys today & I couldn't find for hour. Late getting down to [deleted].

2. Great time talking to [deleted]. I am happy....Security has been massively upgraded from already-very-good. Relieved after HM shooting. Hang out with [deleted] about an hour & then head home for many errands.

3. Bus out front arrives in 5 minutes!

7. Someone insults someone (outside of bus) & manhood is apparently in question. Cellphones pulled out, backup dudes arrive quickly.

8. To prove that he is a wuss, guy pulls gun & starts to shoot. I think, here we go...*

9. Tell about-to-panic people, 'don't panic, scoot down, & don't worry because..."It's low-caliber. Not much of a shot unless it's direct..."

10. Strangely, it calms people. Disturbed at my coldness & choice of words.

14. ...Life is never dull as a full-time pedestrian.

17. Walking home, so tired.....there's a man in wheelchair in the road. People walking by, driving by. In the ROAD.

18. ...Doesn't want help. Too bad. He's trying to get hit. Perfectly obvious. Passerby who is preggers helps push him onto sidewalk. Neither concerned woman or self is surprised that people pass by. I recognize one as newish neighbor who has a 'we love everyone' welcome mat. He avoided my eyes. I'll think of that every morning when I dash down for the newspapers. Past his cute little mat. I'll spare you rest.

23. I thought of your maybe-wedding dress at Nordstrom. And the invitations. What did the printer say? Is the dress as great as it looks?

I shall gain wisdom from chocolate & DVD. And I'm back on the 16th Street line every day...to swim & save my life. Ha.

ciao bella!

*just realized I have (succinct) poem about being on bus in Jerusalem & something similar. Will find...published somewhere. I really don't remember.Forgot all about it.

On the phone, a perfectly wonderful evening...

I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it. Groucho Marx

I had to crack myself up after working on other difficult matters today. I thought of this quote & pix when the phone rang & after two years, I hear...but things were really not that bad....we could go....

No we aren't going anywhere together, buster. And they weren't that bad, they were worse. What a nerve!

I love this photograph; it reminds me of my mother in the late 1950s, early 1960s, when contrary to previous appearances (though they be slight), I was young. [via myvintagevogue in sidebar; from House & Garden, 1950.]

Hope you have a nice evening. I will have a perverse kind of fun: the third & final (for now) installment of Wallander with Kenneth Branagh as the mussed-up, messed-up Swedish inspector. Since the shows make me all jangly, it's fortunate that I don't have to be anywhere early tomorrow.

ciao & buona notte