now I get it

 

Today I was lingering in traffic. As the cars were standing to a desolating still, the pedestrians were crossing random.

 

Two guys passed right in front of my car. Moving like felines on prey. Gorgeous specimens.

 

Wide shoulders, buttocks like fresh apples and I could guess washboard abdomens under the shirts.

 

And it was for the first time I empathized with men honking their horns while passing a babe. It’s homage to beauty, it’s not irreverent or offending.

 

I felt like doing the same and it was so hard to curb my enthusiasm…

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.

 

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.

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!

 

 

Cheshire Cattitude

 

Can’t stop grinning like a Cheshire cat. Luckily the sun is shining bright enough so I don’t bother people with my GLOW.

 

Have you ever stop and wonder how many good things happen to you in just one day?

The more I enjoy my life, the better it gets.

 

Day by day. It’s really amazing.

 

My life is like a box of expensive gourmet chocolates.

 

blue eyes, blue eyes

 

Beside the dreadful traffic and holes in the pavement, Bucharest suffers from the most unpleasant salespersons ever.

 

They seem to be really annoyed by clients and they don’t hesitate to show it as plain as possible.

 

So nobody was more surprised than I was, as I had two lovely consecutive encounters with the sweetest smiles.

 

Two guys – salesmen in two different places. Both with piercing blue eyes and smiles to die for.

 

There’s nothing tinglier than a good looking guy that smiles looking directly at you. Smiles with his eyes. Blue eyes.

 

I’m a sucker for guys for blue eyes, always been my softspot. FKW.

 

God!

 

I’ll definitely visit both places more often.

 

u must really dig cats to love this one

 

insomnia therapy

 

Whoever thinks cats are no good, never gave a cat a chance!

 

Take Blondie. She’s not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. I would never differ on that.

However she has certain qualities.

 

When I grabbed her from the street, she was your average “I don’t give a damn” type of cat.

The usual cliché – I need a human to provide food, shelter and pet me only when I feel like it!

 

After years of constant pampering, she is the most loving and caring pet, a sweetheart.

 

One task she assumed – I have no idea why – is that she can cure insomnia.

Her technique is rather unorthodox, but, to my constant surprise very effective!

 

So, here it goes and I swear to God she repeats the ritual exactly the same, every time, without skipping any of the steps.

 

I lay on my back. She comes and spreads over my chest purring. It’s a low purr, almost mute, with a slight squeak.

 

I turn and sleep on my belly. She doesn’t fall though I twist 180°. She places herself on my right shoulder. Always on the right shoulder. Like a slightly mad and dusty angel.

 

She purrs louder. It’s not comforting, but annoying. Like someone trying to repair a bicycle chain. A rusted old chain. One that misses a few teeth.

 

I shake her off. I make sure she falls on the left side so I turn my face to the right.

This takes us to the climax of the therapy.

 

Though I check thoroughly every time that she stayed on the left, the moment my cheek touches the pillow, she’s right in my face. I have no idea how she performs this trick, because she doesn’t cross over me.

 

Terry Pratchett has a theory about cats being in two places at once… I don’t know.

 

Moving on. She starts staring at me. I get tired so I close my eyes. She feels it would be a good idea to caress her forehead against mine. Problem is… she’s a female. So she doesn’t approximate distances correctly. Like any woman.

 

So she’s too far and she smashes her head against mine. In the dark. Suddenly.

It’s exactly like taking a light punch in the face.

 

After I scrape myself from the ceiling and my heart goes back to beating regularly, I laugh. My entire body shakes with laughter. She’s puzzled.

 

I turn once more on the other side. NOW she steps over me. She lays on the pillow beside me. She takes my hand in her paws. Sweet little bundles of fur with warm cushions.

 

I smile.

 

So she feels encouraged to stick all her claws in my skin. Lovingly.

 

To my complete amazement, this is when I black out. I think is some acupuncture method or something. It works every time like a charm!

 

In your face, sleeping pills!

 

Not available for rent.

 

 

summer accordion

 

Probably I’m delayed, it might be an older piece & I just discovered it.

 

If fresh, I predict next summer’s hit:

 

after all… it reminds so much of other accordion summers:

 

1982

 

 

and…

 

1989

samsung 38 animals