-Anonymous
And ended with a rainbow.
-Henry David Thoreau
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Double Rainbows
My day started with a rainbow.
We may run, walk, stumble, drive, or fly, but let us never lost sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way.
-Anonymous
And ended with a rainbow.
The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched.
-Henry David Thoreau
-Anonymous
And ended with a rainbow.
-Henry David Thoreau
Friday, July 30, 2010
"Calcium Supplements Linked To Heart Attacks"
That is the headline on this article in the L.A. Times. Researchers in New Zealand say the results of a study done by them in 2008 indicate that calcium supplements cause a 31%* increase in heart attacks for women who take them, do not lessen the chance of getting osteoporosis, and do not lessen the the risk of bone fractures. Scary news, isn't it? But..
But the study did not test calcium supplements that contain Vitamin D, the results do not apply to calcium that is found in food, calcium supplement do increase bone density, and , well , let's see what the researchers say in their conclusions (italics mine).
* How does 31% equal a modest increase? Does a 31% increase become smaller the larger the numbers are? Anyone out there from Mathnet?
But the study did not test calcium supplements that contain Vitamin D, the results do not apply to calcium that is found in food, calcium supplement do increase bone density, and , well , let's see what the researchers say in their conclusions (italics mine).
Conclusions Calcium supplements (without coadministered vitamin D) are associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction. As calcium supplements are widely used these modest* increases in risk of cardiovascular disease might translate into a large burden of disease in the population. A reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in the management of osteoporosis is warranted.I don't think too many people take calcium supplements without also taking vitamin D (I know I don't) so that makes this study and the fact that calcium supplements do increase bone density less meaningful for me. I've also heard that calcium can be toxic and should be taken with Magnesium. I also know that Magnesium is in the multivitamin that I take now so, again, I don't find this study that meaningful. Another example of the media hyping something that is not really newsworthy.
* How does 31% equal a modest increase? Does a 31% increase become smaller the larger the numbers are? Anyone out there from Mathnet?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Come To Me My Melancholy Baby
Man could not live if he were entirely impervious to sadness. Many sorrows can be endured only by being embraced, and the pleasure taken in them naturally has a somewhat melancholy character. So, melancholy is morbid only when it occupies too much place in life; but it is equally morbid for it to be wholly excluded from life.
- Emile Durkheim
I have been running a low grade emotional fever for about a month now which has made me feel listless, sleepy and blue. Part of this is caused by my allergies but the other part I know is plain old melancholy. I usually slip into melancholy during the winter months due to the lack of sunlight but I think the hot weather keeping me inside has brought on a summer melancholy. If I'm not careful I can easily slip into depression.
The other day I woke up feeling as if my emotions were being shredded. The anguish I felt bordered on painful. As the day progressed the anguish seemed to weigh on me more and more and I paced around the house like a caged lion. Finally I could not stand any more roaming from room to room staring out the windows and went outside. The heat and humidity were almost oppressive but I wheeled my bicycle out of the garage and into the alley. As I begin pedaling around town I felt my mood lighten. Whenever I get on a bicycle I am instantly transported back to the joy I felt when riding a bike as a child. A bicycle was speed. A bicycle was effortless movement through time and space. A bicycle was flying while still attached to the ground. A bicycle was freedom.
On this day I knew I needed more than the joy of bike riding so I headed in a direction that was mostly uphill. I needed to work my muscles, I needed to raise my heart rate, I needed to focus my brain, I needed to sweat. By the time I reached the high point of my route my muscle were warm and loose, my heart was pounding and a thin film of moisture covered my body. My mind felt calm, relaxed and settled. I pointed my bicycle down the street that I would return home on. My chosen path dropped between 10 and 15 degrees for about a quarter of a mile. I pushed off the ground and petaled furiously for about a block and then coasted the rest of the way. I was speeding effortlessly through time and space. I was flying while still attached to the ground. I was free.
- Emile Durkheim
I have been running a low grade emotional fever for about a month now which has made me feel listless, sleepy and blue. Part of this is caused by my allergies but the other part I know is plain old melancholy. I usually slip into melancholy during the winter months due to the lack of sunlight but I think the hot weather keeping me inside has brought on a summer melancholy. If I'm not careful I can easily slip into depression.
The other day I woke up feeling as if my emotions were being shredded. The anguish I felt bordered on painful. As the day progressed the anguish seemed to weigh on me more and more and I paced around the house like a caged lion. Finally I could not stand any more roaming from room to room staring out the windows and went outside. The heat and humidity were almost oppressive but I wheeled my bicycle out of the garage and into the alley. As I begin pedaling around town I felt my mood lighten. Whenever I get on a bicycle I am instantly transported back to the joy I felt when riding a bike as a child. A bicycle was speed. A bicycle was effortless movement through time and space. A bicycle was flying while still attached to the ground. A bicycle was freedom.
On this day I knew I needed more than the joy of bike riding so I headed in a direction that was mostly uphill. I needed to work my muscles, I needed to raise my heart rate, I needed to focus my brain, I needed to sweat. By the time I reached the high point of my route my muscle were warm and loose, my heart was pounding and a thin film of moisture covered my body. My mind felt calm, relaxed and settled. I pointed my bicycle down the street that I would return home on. My chosen path dropped between 10 and 15 degrees for about a quarter of a mile. I pushed off the ground and petaled furiously for about a block and then coasted the rest of the way. I was speeding effortlessly through time and space. I was flying while still attached to the ground. I was free.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Kitchen Update
The kitchen update is creeping alone. The counter tops are here and my husband installed the small one next to the stove but our contractor will not able to do install the larger one until sometime this week. The big storm set him back as emergency repair jobs created by falling branches has taken up almost all his time. We have been doing other things though, including replacing the new sink. It was guaranteed to last a lifetime and to never chip, crack, or burn but within days after we installed it a crack appeared. Fortunately, we bought it from a company who stands behind its products. We received a replacement sink about a week after we made our complaint.
I have not spray-painted the porch chairs yet but I have spray-painted the wrought iron stair railings on the porch a beautiful glossy black. It turned out to be one those "now why didn't I do this sooner" kind of projects. Our other project, repainting the house stucco, is still on hold but we did pick out a new color. Third time's the charm, hopefully.
Now, since you have been waiting so patiently for kitchen remodel photos and since it taking longer than any of use expected, I've decided it is time to show at least one section of the remodel that is almost completed. The only thing left to do on this section is to put the trim around the bottom of the new cabinet. So, what do you think?
I have not spray-painted the porch chairs yet but I have spray-painted the wrought iron stair railings on the porch a beautiful glossy black. It turned out to be one those "now why didn't I do this sooner" kind of projects. Our other project, repainting the house stucco, is still on hold but we did pick out a new color. Third time's the charm, hopefully.
Now, since you have been waiting so patiently for kitchen remodel photos and since it taking longer than any of use expected, I've decided it is time to show at least one section of the remodel that is almost completed. The only thing left to do on this section is to put the trim around the bottom of the new cabinet. So, what do you think?
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Body Found At Local House
By C. A. Shannon
A SMALL TOWN IN KANSAS- The body of Mr. Nylon Rope Man (Know to his associates as Mr. Chewy) was found dead and lying in a small puddle of water yesterday.
Mr.Chewy is the 6,000th son of the ubiquitous Mr. Nylon Rope Man Sr. to die under suspicious circumstances. Five thousand of Mr. Chewy's brothers have been found ripped or chewed to pieces in places such as Portland, Oregon; Dallas, Texas; Howell, Michigan; Pompano Beach, Florida; and Belleville, New Jersey.
The remaining 1,000 were found with their faces mutilated by forces unknown. All survived what had been done to them but since their mouths were destroyed when they were attacked, not one is able to speak about the horror that was visited upon them.
Below are exclusive Santiago Dreaming photos of the body before and after the police arrived.
At first police treated the death as a homicide due to the mysterious deaths of Mr. Chewy's brothers and the discovery of this startling photo of Mr. Chewy with one Little Sally Pumpkinhead on the day of his death.
When interviewed Ms. Pumpkinhead said (through an interpreter) that Mr. Chewy and she were just playing when the photo was taken. She also stated that she is not sure what happened to Mr. Chewy as she was drawn away from their play when a big truck drove by her house and she went to bark at it. The police held Ms. Pumpkinhead under a charge of suspicion of murder until the results of Mr. Chewy's autopsy revealed he had died by drowning.
Although local District Attorney Merle Deemster did not have enough evidence to charge Ms. Pumpkinhead with murder, he thought he would be able to hold her on a charge of accidental death but stated that unfortunately there was not enough evidence for that charge either and so she was released into the custody of her owners.
Friday, July 23, 2010
I'm Looking For A Book
The Huffington Post has an article listed in today's post called Bookstore Bingo:13 Of The Most Ridiculous Things Overheard In A Bookstores. The examples are taken from a Tweeter hashtag (a grouping of tweets on the same subject) called Bookstore Bingo. The women who started this hashtag got the idea after her husband worked at her bookstore in Hood River, Oregon for two weeks while she was ill and then wrote an article, Notes from an ER Bookseller, which listed all the foolish questions people had asked him.
After reading the tweets I was surprised to learn that the words, "I'm looking for a book. I don't remember the title but the cover was blue," are said more frequently than I expected. I heard those words myself when I was working in a bookstore but that is not really what this post is about. It's about something else that happened to me while I worked there.
One afternoon I was behind the counter when a women walked up and ask if we had a certain book. I had just been asked the same question earlier so I told her we did not. She took offense at this and said in a loud, sneering voice, "Oh, so you know every book you have in the store?"
Before she made this statement the store had been filled with the of the sound of conversations going on between the other booksellers and customers. Now I only heard the silence of people listening to what was going on at my end of the counter. Instead of explaining that she was the second person to ask me about that title, I firmly replied, "No, I only know the books we don't have."
I can't tell you why I said that, it didn't even make any sense but I could not take it back. I waited, mentally bracing myself for the explosion that was going to occur once she figured out that what I had said was really an affirmation of what she had asked me. I could tell by the tense silence surrounding me that everyone else in the store was waiting for the explosion too. There was a short pause and then she said brightly, "Oh...OK," and walked out the store. I watched her until she stepped out the doors and then turned to find everyone in the store staring at me with a "What the hell was that?" expression on their faces. I shrugged my shoulders and gave them a little smile. The next instant everyone was roaring with laughter.
Working with the public can be so challenging.
After reading the tweets I was surprised to learn that the words, "I'm looking for a book. I don't remember the title but the cover was blue," are said more frequently than I expected. I heard those words myself when I was working in a bookstore but that is not really what this post is about. It's about something else that happened to me while I worked there.
One afternoon I was behind the counter when a women walked up and ask if we had a certain book. I had just been asked the same question earlier so I told her we did not. She took offense at this and said in a loud, sneering voice, "Oh, so you know every book you have in the store?"
Before she made this statement the store had been filled with the of the sound of conversations going on between the other booksellers and customers. Now I only heard the silence of people listening to what was going on at my end of the counter. Instead of explaining that she was the second person to ask me about that title, I firmly replied, "No, I only know the books we don't have."
I can't tell you why I said that, it didn't even make any sense but I could not take it back. I waited, mentally bracing myself for the explosion that was going to occur once she figured out that what I had said was really an affirmation of what she had asked me. I could tell by the tense silence surrounding me that everyone else in the store was waiting for the explosion too. There was a short pause and then she said brightly, "Oh...OK," and walked out the store. I watched her until she stepped out the doors and then turned to find everyone in the store staring at me with a "What the hell was that?" expression on their faces. I shrugged my shoulders and gave them a little smile. The next instant everyone was roaring with laughter.
Working with the public can be so challenging.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Wacko Inside Me
I just finished re-reading Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me. All the hype about the new movie renewed my interest in the book and it has been such a long time since I first read it. I didn't really remember the plot, only the fact that the main character and narrator is a vicious, misogynist, psychopath. It is a brutal book about a brutal man.
The book begins with two revenge killings and other killings follow in an attempt to cover-up those first two. When I read the book the first time I read it as a straight story with a kicker of an ending. This time I remembered that what I reading were the words of a killer. How do we know what he is saying is true? He presents himself as an intellectually superior man surrounded by idiots but he makes quite a few mistakes and is finally locked up in the local jail and then a mental institution. According to him "they" have a key piece of evidence that will convict him but "they" want him to confess voluntarily and pull some psychological tricks in an attempt to make him to do so. What is really happening is that he is breaking down without any outside help. The kicker of an ending is all inside his head. The clues are there if you read carefully.
The book begins with two revenge killings and other killings follow in an attempt to cover-up those first two. When I read the book the first time I read it as a straight story with a kicker of an ending. This time I remembered that what I reading were the words of a killer. How do we know what he is saying is true? He presents himself as an intellectually superior man surrounded by idiots but he makes quite a few mistakes and is finally locked up in the local jail and then a mental institution. According to him "they" have a key piece of evidence that will convict him but "they" want him to confess voluntarily and pull some psychological tricks in an attempt to make him to do so. What is really happening is that he is breaking down without any outside help. The kicker of an ending is all inside his head. The clues are there if you read carefully.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
When Death Comes
Death is terrifying because it is so ordinary. It happens all the time.
-Susan Cheever
The sound woke me up. One sharp dog bark in the early morning quiet. I thought, "Are the dogs back?" But I knew this could not be since my husband would not be returning with them for at least another half hour. Was it Greg coming to play with Duke and Little Sally Pumpkinhead? I got out of bed and walked to the living room to look out the front window. No dog there. I walked into the kitchen and looked out of that window. There in the alley was my neighbor's little Jack Russell attacking something that lay on the ground. I did not have my glasses on so I could only see what looked like a dark mass whipping around on the ground as the dog charged it and then either leaped backward or jumped over it, quickly rotating her body in the air so she could land facing it. I was afraid it was a snake and rushed out the back door.
When I got outside and close enough to make out was on the ground I was horrified to discover that what she was attacking was a bird. I called to her and opened the back gate. She instantly lost interest in the wounded bird and trotted into the backyard. I ran back into the house to put on my glasses, a sweater and my slippers and then hurried back outside. The bird was lying face down on the ground and as it flailed its body around in agony I glimpsed its yellow breast and recognized that it was a young Yellow-breasted Chat. I froze knowing the bird was dying but not sure what to do.
As I watched, the bird's movements became more agitated. He tried using his wings to lift himself up off the ground but did not have the strength. His body jerked in what seem like unending spasms of pain. He twisted his neck to the side and raised his head to the sky- bill open in a silent scream of pain. His mouth opened so widely I could clearly see the egg yolk yellow/orange color interior and the bright yellow crayon mark that lined the inside edge of his bill.
I wanted to pick him up so he would know someone was there with him while he died but at the same time I was afraid to touch him. I wanted to turn around and go back in the house because I could not bear to watch his death throes but at the same time I could not bear the thought of him dying alone. Then, while I stood rooted to the ground in indecision, his body slowly relaxed and his spirit left him. I felt both guilt and relief. Relief because he was no longer in pain and guilt because I had given into my fear. I though I was a better person than that.
-Susan Cheever
The sound woke me up. One sharp dog bark in the early morning quiet. I thought, "Are the dogs back?" But I knew this could not be since my husband would not be returning with them for at least another half hour. Was it Greg coming to play with Duke and Little Sally Pumpkinhead? I got out of bed and walked to the living room to look out the front window. No dog there. I walked into the kitchen and looked out of that window. There in the alley was my neighbor's little Jack Russell attacking something that lay on the ground. I did not have my glasses on so I could only see what looked like a dark mass whipping around on the ground as the dog charged it and then either leaped backward or jumped over it, quickly rotating her body in the air so she could land facing it. I was afraid it was a snake and rushed out the back door.
When I got outside and close enough to make out was on the ground I was horrified to discover that what she was attacking was a bird. I called to her and opened the back gate. She instantly lost interest in the wounded bird and trotted into the backyard. I ran back into the house to put on my glasses, a sweater and my slippers and then hurried back outside. The bird was lying face down on the ground and as it flailed its body around in agony I glimpsed its yellow breast and recognized that it was a young Yellow-breasted Chat. I froze knowing the bird was dying but not sure what to do.
As I watched, the bird's movements became more agitated. He tried using his wings to lift himself up off the ground but did not have the strength. His body jerked in what seem like unending spasms of pain. He twisted his neck to the side and raised his head to the sky- bill open in a silent scream of pain. His mouth opened so widely I could clearly see the egg yolk yellow/orange color interior and the bright yellow crayon mark that lined the inside edge of his bill.
I wanted to pick him up so he would know someone was there with him while he died but at the same time I was afraid to touch him. I wanted to turn around and go back in the house because I could not bear to watch his death throes but at the same time I could not bear the thought of him dying alone. Then, while I stood rooted to the ground in indecision, his body slowly relaxed and his spirit left him. I felt both guilt and relief. Relief because he was no longer in pain and guilt because I had given into my fear. I though I was a better person than that.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Wayward Wind
We had a storm roar through town last night with winds clocked up to 81 mph. It knocked out electrical power for about an hour. A friend who was driving home from Denver followed the storm across the eastern plains said that by the time he made it to town all the lights were off and it felt as if he was driving into a ghost town. This morning my husband and I drove around town looking at the damage.
Tree branches on corner of Main Street near the bank.
Tree in someone's backyard.
Damaged tree on Main Street.
Tar paper torn off roof of Main Street building.
Another view of damage to building. Phone wires on ground at bottom left of photo, piece of roofing material pushed up against the chimney, basketball hoop pole tilted, and something in the tree. That roof frame behind the tree is not damage. It has been that way for years.
Considering what might have happened we got off lightly.
Considering what might have happened we got off lightly.
Monday, July 19, 2010
I Look Up When I Walk
I was playing around on YouTube yesterday when I came across a video of Kyu Sakamoto singing his hit song Sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is the only Japanese language song to become a hit in the United States- it reached number one on the Billboard charts in the summer of 1963 and was one of my favorite songs (still is) as a child. As I listened I wondered just what the lyrics to the the song were and did a quick Google search. It turns out that the song's original title is Ue o Muite Aruko (I Look Up When I Walk) and the words to this bouncy little tune describe a young man's grief over the loss of his love.
Fast forward to 1995 when I first hear 4 P.M. singing a song that I think at the time is titled You Took Your Love Away From Me on the radio. As I listen I realize the melody is from Sukiyaki. It quickly becomes a favorite of mine.
I've always wondered about the lyrics to 4 P.M.'s Sukiyaki and discovered that their version of the song was not a cover of Kyu Sakamoto's Sukiyaki but a cover of a recording by the band A Taste of Honey. The new lyrics were written by the band's bassist/guitarist Janice Marie Johnson and sung by her and the group's other guitarist Hazel Payne. In Spring 1981 the song reached number one on Billboard's R&B chart and number three on the Pop chart. Why I cannot remember this version of Sukiyaki, I'll never know.
I must say that I love all three versions of Sukiyaki. There is something haunting about the melody that grabs me and won't let go.
I look up when I walk
So the tears won't fall
Remembering those happy spring days
But tonight I'm all alone
I look up when I walk
Counting the stars with tearful eyes
Remembering those happy summer days
But tonight I'm all alone
Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky
I look up when I walk
So the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
(whistling)
Remembering those happy autumn days
But tonight I'm all alone
Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon
I look up when I walk
So the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
(whistling)
Fast forward to 1995 when I first hear 4 P.M. singing a song that I think at the time is titled You Took Your Love Away From Me on the radio. As I listen I realize the melody is from Sukiyaki. It quickly becomes a favorite of mine.
It's all because of you
I'm feelin' sad and blue
You went away
Now my life is just a rainy day
And I love you so
How much you'll never know
You've gone away and left me lonely
Untouchable memories
Seem to keep haunting me
Another love so true
That once turned all my gray skies blue
But you disappeared (you disappeared)
Now my eyes are filled with tears
And I'm wishing you were here with me
Soaked with love all my thoughts of you
Now that you're gone I just don't know what to
If only you were here
You'd wash away my tears
The sun would shine
And once again you'll be me mine oh mine
But in reality (re-al-i-ty)
You and I will never be
'Cause you took your love away from me
(spoken: Girl,
I don't know what I did to make you leave me,
But what I do know,
Is that since you've been gone,
There's such an emptiness inside me,
I'm wishin' you would come back to me)
If only you were here
You'd wash away my tears
The sun would shine and once again
You'd me mine oh mine
But in reality (re-al-i-ty)
You and I will never be
'Cause you took your love away from me, ah baby
You took your love away from me
I've always wondered about the lyrics to 4 P.M.'s Sukiyaki and discovered that their version of the song was not a cover of Kyu Sakamoto's Sukiyaki but a cover of a recording by the band A Taste of Honey. The new lyrics were written by the band's bassist/guitarist Janice Marie Johnson and sung by her and the group's other guitarist Hazel Payne. In Spring 1981 the song reached number one on Billboard's R&B chart and number three on the Pop chart. Why I cannot remember this version of Sukiyaki, I'll never know.
It's all because of you
I'm feeling sad and blue
You went away
Now my life is just a rainy day
I love you so
How much you'll never know
You've gone away and left me lonely
Untouchable memories
Seem to keep haunting me
Of love so true
That once turned all my gray skies blue
But you've disappeared
Now my eyes are filled with tears
I'm wishin' you were here with me
Soft with love are my thoughts of you
Now that you're gone I don't know what to do
If only you were here
You'd wash away my tears
The sun would shine
And once again you'd be mine, all mine
But in reality
You and I will never be
'Cause you took your love away from me, ooooooh
(music bridge)
If only you were here
You'd wash away my tears
The sun would shine
Once again you'd be mine, all mine
But in reality
You and I will never be
'Cause you took your love away from me, ooooh, baby
You took your love away from me
(spoken: Sayonara)
I must say that I love all three versions of Sukiyaki. There is something haunting about the melody that grabs me and won't let go.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Kitchen Update
I know you have been wondering why I have been completely silent about the kitchen remodel but there has been nothing to report. We have been waiting on the counter top. Our remodel has been done with the help and expertise of our across-the-alley neighbor. He is a very busy contractor and has been kind enough to fit us into his work schedule. Two weeks ago he left for Colorado Springs to re-shingle his sister's roof and the plan was for him to head up to Denver on his way home to pick up the new counter top. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, he discovered that whoever built the roof on his sister's house used non-code plywood that was so thin it made the roof unsafe to walk on.What started out as a few days of laying new shingles turned into a whole roof rebuild.
We have been busy doing other things while waiting on the counter top including painting the stucco around the base of the house twice. The first time we painted it the color turned out yellow when it was supposed to be a kind of sand color. The second time we painted I switched to a green color that went well with the forest green color of the house trim and again it did not come out the way we expected. Instead of the light grass green color shown on the paint chip we got the same florescent lime green color now used on school crossing signs. Why aren't paint chip samples true to the actual color? When I looked at them I made sure to take them outside to see them in sunlight but what was on the chip still did not match what ended up on the walls. Since the days have been so hot we are going to wait until the end of Summer before we try painting again. I've reached the point were I don't give a damn how it looks.
Not only have we painted the house two times I have discovered the joy of spray paints. I have been using an old microwave stand to set my stereo and CD player on and bought two small wooden stools for my speakers but I've never liked how the stools looked since they are totally different from the microwave stand. This is were the magic of spray paint comes in. I painted the microwave stand and the tops of the wooden stools the same color and, "Voila!," they now look as if they belong together. I liked the way that project turned out and the ease of the process so much I decided to paint an old wooden end table/lamp a new color too. That turned out even better. I've looked around the house trying to find something else to spray paint and have decided my next project will be the two Adirondack style chairs on my front porch. I just need a color that will go well with the florescent lime green stucco.
We have been busy doing other things while waiting on the counter top including painting the stucco around the base of the house twice. The first time we painted it the color turned out yellow when it was supposed to be a kind of sand color. The second time we painted I switched to a green color that went well with the forest green color of the house trim and again it did not come out the way we expected. Instead of the light grass green color shown on the paint chip we got the same florescent lime green color now used on school crossing signs. Why aren't paint chip samples true to the actual color? When I looked at them I made sure to take them outside to see them in sunlight but what was on the chip still did not match what ended up on the walls. Since the days have been so hot we are going to wait until the end of Summer before we try painting again. I've reached the point were I don't give a damn how it looks.
Not only have we painted the house two times I have discovered the joy of spray paints. I have been using an old microwave stand to set my stereo and CD player on and bought two small wooden stools for my speakers but I've never liked how the stools looked since they are totally different from the microwave stand. This is were the magic of spray paint comes in. I painted the microwave stand and the tops of the wooden stools the same color and, "Voila!," they now look as if they belong together. I liked the way that project turned out and the ease of the process so much I decided to paint an old wooden end table/lamp a new color too. That turned out even better. I've looked around the house trying to find something else to spray paint and have decided my next project will be the two Adirondack style chairs on my front porch. I just need a color that will go well with the florescent lime green stucco.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
It's Too Darn Hot
Our thermometer is reading 109.8F/43.2C right now.
And that's in the shade. Maybe this will cool me down.
And that's in the shade. Maybe this will cool me down.
It's too darn hot,
It's too darn hot.
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight,
Refill the cup with my baby tonight.
I'd like to sup with my baby tonight,
Refill the cup with my baby tonight.
But I ain't up to my baby tonight,
'Cause it's too darn hot.
It's too darn hot,
It's too darn hot.
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight,
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight.
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight,
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight.
But, brother, you fight my baby tonight
'Cause it's too darn hot.
According to the Kinsey Report,
Ev'ry average man you know,
Much prefers his lovey-dovey to court
When the temperature is low.
But when the thermometer goes 'way up
And the weather is sizzling hot,
Mister pants, for romance,
Is not.
'Cause it's too, too, too darn hot,
It's too darn hot,
It's too darn hot,
It's too, too darn hot.
(musical bridge)
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight,
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight.
I'd like to coo with my baby tonight,
And pitch the woo with my baby tonight.
But brother, you fight my baby tonight,
'Cause it's too darn hot.
According to the Kinsey Report,
Ev'ry average man you know,
Much prefer his lovey-dovey to court,
When the temperature is low.
But when the thermometer goes 'way up
And the weather is sizzling hot,
Mister Gob,
For his squab.
A marine,
For his queen.
A G.I.,
For his cutie-pie,
Is not.
'Cause it's too, too, too darn hot,
It's too darn hot,
It's too, darn hot,
It's too, darn hot,
It's too, darn hot
It's too, darn, hot.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Friday, July 09, 2010
Thursday, July 08, 2010
1959 Pall Mall Cigarettes Ad
Update 8:04 AM: I just noticed that a lot is going on in this painting word-wise. On the shield are the words "Per aspera ad astra" ("Through hardships to the stars"), on the banner beneath the shield, "In hoc signo vinces" ("With this as your standard you shall have victory"), and almost totally covered by the book of matches the Pall Mall slogan, "Wherever Particular People Congregate." Right under the two cigarettes the American Tobacco Company excitedly informs those of you who are serious nicotine junkies that, "You can light either end!"
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Monday, July 05, 2010
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