Summer Breezes

Emily and Mary, originally uploaded by MonkeyPantaloons.

Wherein we spend a lovely day by a lovely lake with lovely people. You go there now. Click click!

Elly is going to Japan in a few days!!

AND she also rescued a bird! Who didn't really need rescuing, as it turned out, so they shared a nice car ride together. As depicted below.

She also rocked out this weekend to The Police AND DURAN DURAN.

But in a few days SHE'S GOING TO JAPAN!!!

LAVERNE, I MADE A RHYME!

Almost Paradise

This '80s fashion revival has brought us some really horrid things: hideously striped Flashdance skirts, I'm looking at you.

But it has also brought us this, the Veritable Essence of Cree '89 (which I wear much better, of course: floor-length and sweeping).


If Cree had a signature perfume, it would be a long white linen skirt.

I have always had a deep love for white linen from India. There's a smell and a softness to it that evoke verandas with ceiling fans and languid summer heat and lush greenery. Also love the soft linen wedding dresses of the turn of the century (think Room With a View). Which maybe I'm imagining because I can't find any to illustrate my point, besides maybe this one, and I'm just guessing at its linen-ness.

Mrs. Effie Crafts nee Malum,
clearly leaning forward to make sure people have not
eaten all the cake
(thanks, Kent State University Museum)

We had a whole awesome soldier/safari thing going on in the '80s too that has, of course, reared its head again of late. Even a little sailor peeked in around 1982. That stuff was cool. It was Adam Ant. It was a different Banana Republic altogether, a little catalog filled with illustrations of cool stuff acquired in lots, available for purchase via post.

But see, I rock!

I just sent my application in to a job at Roswell Park that I know has long since closed. At this point I had a point to prove to someone. They'll probably think I'm a giant loser, but at least my cover letter is pretty well written, so I've got that going for me.

Or maybe they'll think I'm a giant toaster, which I'm so tired, I thought that said up there.

Ah yes, we have an UPDATE:
Thanks Cree-- Our search has been completed and we are completing the hire this week for the position. If you are seeking potential freelance writing I can pass your samples on to our Director of Public Affairs. Again, thank you for your interest.

Grumble.

I do not get the evolutionary, biological, or otherwise survival-of-the-species-y value of feeling like utter crap once a month. Twelve times a year. Just to teach men, children, friends a lesson? Appreciate the other 25ish days? Give women an unpleasant rest? WTF?

If any creator out there is feminine, she must've lost a bet here.

Anyway, I've given it a new euphemism that I hope you will enjoy: "The moon is in [insert own name here]." Thusly: The moon is in Cree. Or, if you prefer, "The moon is in my uterus."

Say this 5 times fast

Laundry
Litter
Brita filter


Laundry, litter, Brita filter. Laundry, litter, Brita filter.

Ratings?

Since when do I have RATINGS on my blog?

Oh you people had better step up the chatter now. Or I will find you and I will make you listen to me, one by one! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!

UPDATE: And now they're NOT there. Uh.

Or other poorly chosen words to that effect ...

"Unlike the tsunami of 2004, Myanmar's military government is asking for help," said Steve Inskeep moments ago on Morning Edition.

Yeah, that tsunami was a stubborn old coot that didn't know what was good for it! It NEVER asked ANYONE for help! Loser!

In This Theater I Call My Soul

Saw the Police again the other night, with Elvis Costello. We were on the floor this time, in the back on the left. Deep thanks to my Dad for footing the bill for both Karla and me. Elvis started at EXACTLY 7:30, which I thought was unheard of in rock circles. He played till 8:15 or 8:20, ending while I was off peeing/acquiring water. Of course, he was awesome; he's Elvis. He did everything I wanted and expected to hear except Veronica: Alison, Radio Radio, Pump It Up, What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding, I Write the Book ...*

The Police opened with Bring On the Night, Sting singing it an octave lower than the original. "I hope his voice isn't broken," I said to Karla.

It wasn't.

Nice light show this time. At Madison Square Garden it kind of looked like they just showed up and started playing. Here there was some nice stuff happening around the stage and a better jumbo screen. During Roxanne the lights all went red (clever), including this band of lights above and in front of the stage in the shape of Geordi's visor. Nice of them to bring in the Cylon.

ITEMS OF NOTE:

• Andy Summers had a South Park guitar strap. He also took a Buffalo wings hat from someone in the crowd, which made him smiley like a little wizard in Honeydukes!
• Sting sung Wrapped Around Your Finger in a lower key/a little slower; sounds like maybe he can't hit the notes like he used to. It's nice like that, though.
• Sting announced that they hadn't been to Buffalo since 1979. He later had to correct himself; I think about 2/3 of the audience (those old enough) knew it had been 1983/84. (And he himself was there in 1996, sez Karla.) It's OK. He's too pretty for us to care.

Your May 3/HSBC Arena Set List:
Bring On the Night
Demolition Man
Walking on [yes I know, editrixes] the Moon/jazz odyssey
Synchronicity II
Voices Inside My Head merging into When the World Is Running Down, featuring an awesome guitar jam
Don't Stand So Close to Me
Driven to Tears
There's a Hole in My Life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**
Wrapper Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Invisible Sun**
Message in a Bottle
Can't Stand Losing You (this time with a little ee-yo, ee-yay, but no call and response, which is too bad), with a little "This ain't no Albany/This ain't no Poughkeepsie" thrown in for good measure

ENCORE #1
Roxanne (with a little jazz odyssey)
King of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take

ENCORE #2/FINALE
Next to You

In general, they were WAY better musically, really tight and together and TOGETHER. Yet there was a sense of Just-Doing-This-Every-Nightness. They still did lot of cool call-and-response, but not the Regatta de Blanc/Can't Stand Losing You mishmash that sent me to the moon last August. The show overall was GREAT, but not quite the awesome event MSG was. Which I kind of expected. That night was once in a lifetime. Electricity in the air. A different kind of synchronicity.



*I know I probably don't have the titles exactly right, but I don't feel like looking them all up, so you'll just have to live with it.
**Cree favorites

Who names a master of darkness "Ani" anyway #@%^*%$#

Last night I was crashed on the couch and saw that Episode III was on. I've been thinking lately that maybe I should check it out again after all, so hey, good timing, maybe, at least if I got tired of What Not to Wear. But as soon as I saw the first word of the opening scroll -- War! -- I knew the endeavor was doomed. I barely made it through 5 minutes of horrid "Flying is for droids!" dialogue before I forfeited.

George Lucas does not deserve another Indy movie.

Which I saw the trailer for, and what a crappy trailer it is. It's like they just stopped the movie every 5 minutes, took 2 seconds of film and strung that all together, so you're treated to teasers like people getting out of cars and sometimes tying their shoes.

IN OTHER NEWS, I saw Iron Man, and it is good! I'd even see it again if others were going. Though there was this gem toward the beginning: a Rolling Stone cover saying "Tony Stark Takes the Reigns" [sic]. Gaaaaa. I had to remind myself sometimes that it was a movie about a flying man and thus I needed to suspend disbelief, but it was good. RDJ was great and is looking better than ever.