Change in the Weather

This illustrates what happens when you haven't really done the seasonal clothes rotation. Yet. UK Tights is a good tight-site. If you order enough & get them on the right day, little to no delivery charge from UK to US. Wolford are gorgeous but out of my reach (for now).

Just about everyone I know in the States, Canada, & Europe is trudging around in the snow. Here it's been in the 50s/60s & now zooming to a freeze. The last 15 hours have brought torrential rain, winds, & who knows what this afternoon-into-evening. This is mainly to switch over to December. Strasbourg at Christmas holiday soon, I hope, but things are still rather tangled here. Oops, there flickers zee lights.

Everyone in my sidebar & also on the profile page if I've not linked yet, have some great suggestions for holidays. (Joanna's always-entertaining Cup of Jo Gift Guide has just begun.) Giulia Geranium has ideas for good gifts that help. (photograph via audrey hepburn complex)

The Waiting...

...is the hardest part.

(via Artcyclopedia/photograph by Michael Weinstein)

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.)

Chimes of Freedom

The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".

Note: It's not you, I've turned off comments on this post. Reason at bottom in italics.

Liu Xiaobo was sentenced on 25 December 2009, the day after a two-hour trial and more than a year after he was first detained. Articles he wrote about the June 1989 pro-democracy movement were also cited in his verdict as evidence of “inciting subversion”.

Amnesty International has campaigned for his release, along with that of other activists who signed Charter 08 including Liu Xianbin, who was arrested in June.

Several other signatories of Charter 08 have asked to share the responsibility with Liu Xiaobo and a group of senior Communist Party members have questioned the legality of Liu Xiaobo's sentence.

Former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Price Laureate the Dalai Lama were among those who supported the nomination of Liu Xiaobo for the 2010 award. Vaclav Havel co-wrote Charter 77, the 1977 document calling for respect of human rights in Czechoslovakia on which Charter 08 was modeled. (Amnesty International website)

Note: Comments are turned off for this post, as they are permanently on Julie's innocent leetle blog. The spam level reaches heights of absurdity whenever something like this appears. Yes, even on theese leetle blog. I'm still searching for photography attribution; I have had it in a file for months & did not save with info. It's just perfect, to me, though & so I dug it off a CD of pix. (Update - photograph by Ricardson Williams via flickr)

A Redheaded Woman

Maureen Dowd (a redhead) wrote a terrific column last week about the death of the grown-up romantic comedy. She has an email give & take with Sam Wasson, the 28-year-old author of Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M., the best seller about the making of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I agree that the stupid movies probably confuse younger people a lot. Too close an inspection of many cupcake & pink unicorn blogs is worrying. Infantilization--especially when you do it to yourself for cryin' out loud--ain't (grown-up) sexy. Here's a bit of what Sam has to say:

"I am not joking when I say that because there is nothing to see (especially, and tragically, in romantic comedy) my girlfriend and I have had to stay home and in some cases fight. If there were better movies out there, I am sure so many relationship disasters may have been averted. Also, romantic comedies, the good ones, taught me how to love, or at least instructed me on how to try. If I were falling in love now for the first time and going to see this garbage thinking this was real, I would be in deep [expletive]. It was only after I saw ‘Annie Hall’ as a wee Jew that I realized what it was to be a person in love. It has been a touchstone ever since." Really, you need to read the column, here.*

Today I thought good thoughts about all the (many) redheads in my family, friends, former colleagues, actresses, a great singer-song writer (who inspired the song), & a columnist for the NYTimes. If you choose to be a redhead, I salute you & welcome to the club. My hair hasn't been red-red in quite awhile, but most people still think of me as one. Here are a few for some Sunday fun. (Sadly none are of friends or family -- or me -- because I Have Yet To Scan, But I Promise To. Really.) ciao-for-now

*PS: And now, I'll add a redheaded man to the list; as much as he has peeved so many of us, Woody Allen did write & make Annie Hall.

Update - a few people have emailed, what the hell? So here's part of the song:

A red headed woman
It takes a red headed woman
To get a dirty job done -Mr. Springsteen

[photographs via verdoux, myvintagevogue, AMC. There were others I liked but wow, tumblrs that I won't name because they are not sexy, they are gross.Ooof. See? These people don't know the difference.]

Tales of the Islander

Got to feel it all/No time for sleep/No time at all...

The paintings of Walter Anderson, especially The Cottage Murals, inspired this beautiful song by Caroline Herring. Caroline gave a stunning performance on A Prairie Home Companion last Saturday night. As she sang, all I could think of was the ongoing BP-Gulf disaster (you'll see why). The David Byrne-directed video is terrific & interspersed with more Anderson images & information about him, a true eccentric & treasure. A huge part of me is relieved that he's not here to see this, it would surely kill him. Update two minutes later--the Gulf disaster; I doubt the video would kill him.

I hope you will visit your favorite music site & download Caroline's music. Here's her website; the songs change two at a time so you can sample them. If you need further recommendation, Julie is a huge fan & cat-gallops to the source upon hearing the opening of Tales of the Islander. (She really does.)

PS: There's some sort of trouble with the YouTube video--I dis-enabled cookies & now it doesn't seem to want to play. Pls click through to the link to Caroline's website. It's really worth it.

[Horn Island by Walter Anderson via Smithsonian American Art Museum; roseate spoonbills in flight by Kerri Oddeni via From the Bay to the Bayou; Caroline Herring by Jeffrey Fasano (on CH website)]

Outbound Plane

I don't wanna be standin' here/Don't wanna be talkin' here/And I don't really care who's to blame/'Cause if love won't fly on it's own/Free will/It's gonna catch that outbound plane.-Nanci Griffith & Tom Russell

I have to cool things down from last night. Do a search for "oasis" & most of what pops up quickly are those copycat, feuding Gallagher brothers. New-to-me-scanner/printer soon. Meanwhile...I wish I had my own environmentally-selfish plane this afternoon. This is via myvintagevogue, a terrific site. See you later.

Week's End - Beneath the Sun

When you see me
Fly away without you
Shadow on the things you know
Feathers fall around you
And show you the way to go
It's over, it's over.-Birds, After the Gold Rush

Yes, I will stop with the songs & photographs that don't seem to go at all. Soon. It's a self-imposed pressure. And another gust of wind (metaphorically) just about blew me over. Back with silliness (I hope) on the weekend.

[Beautiful photograph by English writer/photographer Susannah Conway. Visit her at Ink on My Fingers.]

Three Little Birds

I really do not spend all day & night on YouTube. I've finally rid myself of 300+ cassette tapes (!) with no clear time in sight to replace the music, so...mimph. I can accept only Bob Marley telling me "Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be all right, " since he knew how bad things can be. Anyone else? Like Oprah (sorry, Opster) & I can fly into a hissy. Usually on behalf of put-upon & suffering populations...anywhere. I think I'll have to download this song today. Health care vote tonight. Eep. [Update, early Monday, Hoorah. Now don't want to jinx Tuesday Senate vote, so back to bed. Still. Hoorah.]

Lovely birds; top two from Marrakesh by a fave only alice; the third with cool green sky is via Happy Up Here (trilla.blogg.se) via we heart it. I can't find it on the blog. So sorry, Swedish ladies who compile HUH. I tried. (I actually have some photographs of three white, Italian birds walking in front of me - a good omen in Roman times. But I posted it some time ago.)

(Note: The HD video here is superior in quality than the myriad of others available. Annoyingly, it has this dumb "flirt here" thingy that pops up. For this I am sincerely sorry. Ignore it or click it off. I have disabled the cookie.)

I'm Looking Through You

You don't look different, but you have changed...

I just typed a whole bunch of words & poof. All gone. I've decided to take it as a sign. Just don't want to keep seeing that glowing red poppy at the top of the page. It's reminding me of too many things (that are not good). Off to swim & perhaps to change. The cat photo business has got to stop; Julie has a blog of her own. Please visit it & find out about IKEA's Soft Toy Animal campaign.

There were words to go with necklaces, boots, dresses, & so forth. Leaving the photos in anyway. Still can't believe I did that...

[photographs via we heart it. Two of the feeds are messed up & give error messages when I tried to visit the original site. So the cat is by scarlipop/tumbler, the others are pearls & tea/tumblr, & Ped Shoes ]

Bird On The Wire

When I wrote don't-endanger-bloggers-in-Iran message to well-meaning FB/Twittering birdies, I did not mean/nor say 'cork it' when people have been arrested. I said 'be careful. It's so easy to feel brave & live vicariously from where most of us sit. You don't get medals of bravery for clicking 'pooh on [insert cause]' on FB, etc. Wow, nuance is a lost art. So in case any confusion...go to right sidebar, or to GG blog. Re: missing bloggers & assorted.

Like a bird on the wire,/
Like a drunk in a midnight choir/
I have tried in my way to be free.../-L. Cohen

Fume.

[Nina Leen photographs from LIFE archives; undated]

Week's End - You're the Top!

You're the top!
You're the Coliseum,
You're the top!
You're the Louvre Museum.
You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss...(see below)

If I were as cheeky as I seem, I would make a collage of images from Cole Porter's You're the Top & post it as a tribute to Hazel at The Clever Pup. It's her birthday. Time, copyright law, & the weather (storms, ack) prevent my descent--for now--into a life of crime. Phew. I think Hazel will let me off with this mini-tribute. Have a great evening with assorted Pups & Cool Cats.

A Skeleton Key to 'You're the Top' by Timothy Noah of Slate Magazine is amusing & must have been a lot of fun to research & write. His response, sort of, to feelings about Bloomsday. Intrigued? I was.

ciao, xo from Washington, DC

[hastily procured LIFE archival photos by David E. Scherman of 'lady at masked ball in Paris, July1946. Two of 'em. Hey, give me a break. I nearly chose a Communist Party rally in Paris. At least it looked like they had champagne.]

Back to work, sort of. A great weekend to all (& go pester the Mme. Pup). And yes, I'm sad about Farrah & Michael. Are you kidding? No matter the intervening years & academia, hey, I was growing up then, too. The first time I walked into Jersualem's Old City, the Damascus Gate entrance, you know what was playing somewhere-in-the-souk? No? I'll say anyway. Layla & then Billie Jean. Worlds collide. Weirdest damn day of my life (so far).