celebrate His life, don’t mourn His death

 

long live the KING, says the Queen

RIP

in good spirits

True, some things happen only to me. Surreal. Yesterday I felt like trimming my hair. Some of you know that when I decide to have a haircut it has to be NOW. Otherwise, it might be 6 months before I do it.

 

So I went to the closest hairdresser. And here begins the weird trip.

 

There was a single hairdresser. She looked funny. Ageless, average everything, with a tuft of pink grapefruit hair (a color nobody gets on purpose) and some eyeglasses thicker that the bottom of champagne bottles.

 

At first, I thought she has a speech impediment. Something wrong with the palate, maybe.

I tried to explain what I was looking for. She said she understood. I asked for a cup of water.

Several times.

 

I didn’t know why she doesn’t react. Why is she leaving the room every time she negotiates something with her coworkers?

 

She began cutting my locks. My beautiful shiny elastic locks. Without washing my hair first, or at least moist it a little.

 

Fine, I was in a hurry, anyway I don’t believe in all this fuss just for some trimming.

 

I noticed she was handling clumsily those sharp cutting utensils. Obviously, she interrupted cutting for a while because she pinched her own finger and she applied a bandage.

 

I don’t think it was the first time, because it looked like routine. Stop, pull out a bandage from the curlers drawer and move on without the slightest flinch.

 

I felt so sorry for her, so I didn’t snap as I would usually do.

 

Instead, I was biting my lips and my eyes were in tears, my face was purple so I don’t burst into incontrollable laughter.

 

Anyway, she finished, it looked decent, I rose from the chair.

 

I felt like complimenting her. I started chirping a shower of good words while she was gathering her stuff.

 

She had no reaction. Another lady grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around speaking very clearly: “she says she likes the haircut a lot”.

 

I froze. The hairdresser was stone deaf.

I applaud my restrain – as I would have felt horrible if I wasn’t so nice to her.

 

***

 

I wanted to give Alf a birthday gift. I knew his godson has a very nice fountain. So I bought one.

 

My brilliant sweet love started drinking the moment I finished building the damn contraption.

 

Blondie and Wes were cautious. How would I approach something that growls at me?!

 

Only after I stopped the pump, they enjoyed the fresh water.

 

But they were supposed to ENJOY the running water! That’s the entire purpose of the gadget! To replace drinking from the faucet or worse, the toilet!

 

I showed them the picture to no avail.

 

***

 Yesterday I bet that I could beat the storm home. Afterword, I received a rainbow, a sunset and fresh air intensely scented by the revived linden trees.

 

my lovely lovely works of art

For me, these are the best Ghica works and best gift ever.

I wonder if other famous painters had masterpieces that we never ever saw, because they were private gifts for friends so we didn’t have the privilege to enjoy them…

1969 – a year that matters in history

 

The United States, USSR, and about 100 other countries sign the nuclear nonproliferation treaty (NPT).

 

Stonewall riot in New York City marks beginning of gay rights movement (June 28).

 

In August, more than half a million people gather in the small, upstate New York town of Bethel (near Woodstock, N.Y.) for four days of rain, sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

Performers include Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Joan Baez, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jefferson Airplane and Sly and the Family Stone.

 

 

Led Zeppelin I, an album considered by many to be one of the first in the heavy metal genre, is released.

 

The Beatles give their last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records. The impromptu concert was broken up by the police.

 

 

 

Movies

Oscar for best actor – Cliff Robertson, Charly

Special Visual Effects Stanley Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey

Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Easy Rider, Anne of the Thousand Days, They Shoot Horses Don’t They, Romeo and Juliet, Hello Dolly.

 

Books

 

Mario Puzo – The Godfather

Michael Crichton – The Andromeda Strain

Irwin Shaw – Rich Man, Poor Man

Graham Greene – Travels with My Aunt

TV

Monty Python’s Flying Circus first airs in the UK.

Sesame Street known for its Muppet characters, makes its debut:

 

Soccer great Pelé scores his 1,000th goal.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon.

The first in vitro fertilization of a human egg is performed in Cambridge, England.

First transplant of human eye.

 

The first Gap store opens, in San Francisco.

 

Walt Disney World construction begins.

 

The Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight. In Toulouse, France the first Concorde test flight is conducted.

 

The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am the epitome of the American muscle car is introduced.

 

Members of a cult led by Charles Manson murder 8 months pregnant Sharon Tate, and her friends.

 

And the event of utmost importance – I was born today, in the year 1969.

reach the unreachable star

My birthday is drawing close. So a friend of mine asked me what I whish for.

And it struck me like lightning: NOTHING!

It’s not a lack of drive, I’m not bitter or anything… I just feel like I have everything! No shitting!

At least no material things.

I discovered I can achieve anything I set my mind to do. I have friends to rely on and thank God, enough money to pay for problems to be solved.

My health is quite good, my wardrobe is spectacular.

A few physical improvements that I’ll take care by the end of the year…

In time, I’m sure I’ll have the home of my dreams, I believe I’ll see all the places I fantasize about, I’ll enjoy the holidays I want, and anything I can’t even imagine now.

Because by now I know my life is more spectacular than I could ever picture or plan.

Cheers!

 

harmony exercise

I thought of gathering a few lovely versions of one of my favorite songs.

In 1965, the musical Roar of the Greasepaint – the Smell of the Crowd opened.

The voice belongs to Mr. Price, just 23 at the time, and turning one song immortal!

 

 

 

First, my God and a Godess

Muse

Michael Buble

Wax Tailor

Nina Simone

The friars SBC 07

Jean DuShon

little everyday pleasures

 

There’s a blog that gave me the idea. Some of the following are ripped off directly from the source of inspiration, some are my own personal little treats.

 

I never get enough of pampering myself, however there are little things that make me smile. Not once I said I thank God for giving me the gift to enjoy so many things…

 

No surprise, some of them involve my cats, some smells, colors, tastes.

 

I open my eyes and very often I start laughing because at least one of my cats looks funny. It’s a privilege to begin the day with a burst of laughter or a tender smile.

 

I don’t even have to look for them, usually they are very close, staring at me or sleeping in impossible stances.

 

The first sip of espresso. First drag. The joy of having HOT water. Who lived in communism understands.

 

The joy of slipping in my shoes. They make me happy – with bright colors or exquisite design. 

 

Unexpectedly, George Michael or Freddie on the radio… Any of their tunes…

 

Green lights all the way or inviting free lanes…

 

A parking space close to the office, just right for my parking skills and my small vehicle.

 

Discovering a new idea, a new place, a new band, a new friend… 

 

Biting from a peach, crushing raspberry with my tongue.

 

The scent of my pajamas, the cool embrace from my cover and my pillow. The two seconds I wait for my cats to surround me in bed.

 

And more, expected or unexpected, in my rich beautiful life.

 

end of the world as we know it

 

I always favored Terry Pratchett vision on the Apocalypse:

 

War as a cold lady in red, Famine as a famous nutritionist, Pestilence being replaced by Pollution due to the discovery of penicillin, and Death, the cat loving, dark humor character that features in every Discworld book.

 

And I try not to lose my patience with catastrophic scenarios about the world ending.

 

I was enthralled by the Obama campaign – more than daring, irreverent I would say – inducing the feeling he’s the Savior’s returning to Earth.

 

Americans need superheroes – is the only mythology they have. They don’t have Gods (well, according to Neil Gaiman, they do, but what does he know? He’s British), they have Superman and Green Lantern and Hellboy…

 

And now they have Obama, young, handsome, velvet voice, magnetic oration…

 

He has to protect America against the financial crisis. He will fight it and vanquish it like a true superhero. So there goes Famine, Obama is on it.

 

OK, now here comes Pestilence, in the shape of Swine flu. A continent lower, but still the New World.  And it began conquering territories at a faster rate than poverty.

 

11 people died in the point of origin and hundreds are under treatment. Airplanes stopped flying and news reporters have a lot to report.

 

World, you just relaxed a little ‘cause the Superhero gets the money.

Now you get to wonder what reaches you first? The disease or the vaccine?

 

And I have in mind that fabulous movie – Wag the Dog – and I wonder who the fuck is the screenwriter and the producer of all this perpetual panic we live in?

 

‘Cause I choose Terry instead any time!

 

high school with perks

 

the ones of you who were good pupils with high grades and very good behavior will not get this.

 

For all the others it goes like this:

 

Life is a perpetual high school. You get grades, you get teachers and objects that you like or you hate.

 

You choose to play sports or not.

 

Every girl envies your dress, your hair, your boyfriend. Or at least you’d like that.

 

You have a crush for that guy, you are friends with that girl, you want to be invited to that party or to play with those kids. The cool kids. You want to be popular.

 

You skip some classes, you cheat on that test.

 

But the best thing in being an adult? Your parents never ever ever ever get a phone call from the headmaster to rat you!

 

You clean up your own messes! They never get to be involved.

 

You don’t twitch every time the phone rings. There’s no note they have to sign.

 

“No TV for you tonight” has completely no relevance!

 

Now, for the rest, it’s up to you. Make your life a dream or a nightmare. Your call.

 

Oh! And no curfew too!