Bad Luck or No Luck At All!

Computers are such grand inventions and also, at times, the bane of my existence.
Please bear with me as I make things right. I am missing you all, and should be back to normal (if ever I was!) in a day or two.

"For the rain it raineth every day"

The above quote is from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew".We know scarcely anything of the playwright's life, down to and including actual authorship of his plays. I will never bring myself to believe that the violent,beautiful-tongued Christopher Marlowe or any other Elizabethan but great William penned and coined the most interesting,riveting and varied works and words in all of the English language. Perhaps I am romantic that way but it is a system of belief I will never give a thought of such falsity to,ever.
Shakespeare was believed to have been born and died on the same day, 52 years apart: the 23rd of April.Even that barest of facts is not entirely reliable or verifiable but we'll stick with it for these purposes:celebrating Will Shakespeare on the tiniest of stages,through a handful of his witty,wry and insightful quotes. Enjoy!!

"The common curse of mankind,-folly and ignorance."-Act II, Scene III (Troilus and Cressida)

"Thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges."-Act V, Scene I (Taming of the Shrew)

"My love's more richer than my tongue."-Act I,Scene I (King Lear)

"Cry "Havoc", and let slip the dogs of war."-Act III,Scene I (Julius Caesar)

"Wisely and slow;they stumble that run fast."-Act II,Scene III (Romeo and Juliet)

A Few Humble Expressions with Which He Garnished the English Language.....

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be" (Hamlet)

"To thine own self be true" (Hamlet)

"Though this be madness,yet there is method in 't" (Hamlet)

"In my mind's eye" (Hamlet)

"The play's the thing" (Hamlet)

"Brevity is the soul of wit" (Hamlet)

"All the world's a stage" (As You Like It)

"Can one desire too much of a good thing?" (As You Like It)

"Out of the jaws of death" (Taming of the Shrew)

"The course of true love never did run smooth" (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

"I have not slept one wink" (Cymbeline)

"My salad days" (Antony and Cleopatra)

"T'is neither here nor there" (Othello)

"what's done is done" (Macbeth)

"I'll not budge an inch" (Taming of the Shrew)

Strummer:Coma Girl

Strummmer:Redemption Song

PUNK ROCK SUNDAY-Street Core by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros

'Street Core', the album that Joe Strummer was working on at the time of his December 2002 death,will always be imbued with a slight, bittersweet sadness.It is not just a reminder that a man of such unforgettably hopeful,gritty and determined humanity was taken too soon.It is because it is radiant,undeniable proof that his risk-taking, compelling artistry was still in the ascendant.

The Clash was no ordinary punk band.As pioneers of the genre, they helped to define and transcend the movement,experimenting with and solidifying aspects that we take for granted today. They brought politics,activism and equality to their music, something that is still closely associated with contemporary punk.The Clash also incorporated their love and respect for world music--especially Reggae--into their songs.

Even at 50--long past the age when most rock stars have settled comfortably into their niche-sound--Strummer was still experimenting, still forging his way down multiple,unexpected paths. 'Street Core' is the result of his endless, varied and mature curiosity.Put together by his wife and band-mates, and released less than a year after his death,it is brilliantly tight.There is no sentimental or greedy padding out of material,nothing extraneous.

It is made up mostly of Strummer originals, adventurous and unique compositions by an artist sure of his voice and confident in his ability to change direction musically,while remaining faithful to himself.The 2 covers (Redemption Song and Silver and Gold) are restrained and bare. They are evidence of his incredible artistic judgment:he knew exactly how to harness his voice to others' songs,while doing both justice.

While there are myriad reasons to miss Strummer,both the man and the creator, the obvious joy,satisfaction and originality he brought to artistic experimentation has to be toward the top of the list.You never knew what he would do next.There will be no more waiting excitedly for his current project to reach fruition.This makes 'Street Core' even more of a prize. The fact that it is, arguably, the best thing he did after The Clash makes it easier to bear, and even more wonderful to listen to, time and again.

A Small Press Life-of Horny Appliances and Comic Books Well-Done

A few years ago, I had my first exposure to a small-press and comics convention. It is called SPACE, it is held in my hometown and is well-thought of and attended.While it was far from the aesthetic and performance freak-show that a typical Sci-Fi Con is, SPACE was, in its smaller,marginally saner way, a touching and determined triumph of independent artistry and spirit.
It takes all sorts, to populate the earth and to create art.SPACE was full of a strange,arresting and engaging crew of creators,fans and those striving to move from the latter to the former.Some were already accomplished in their artistry, with viable and identifiable oeuvres;others were in the floundering,awakening stages of finding their voice, their line or their milieu.
For most, these weekend gatherings represent not just a venue to showcase wares and services;they act as a wellspring of strength and camaraderie.Art is famously and accurately pursued solo. Mingling with others is usually reserved for the after-product pastimes of networking and selling, begging and whoring.When,whether by passionate choice or practical necessity, one pursues their artistic path through the Small Press World, that sense of supportive community attains deeper importance.
During that particular SPACE weekend, a young woman from Michigan occupied the table across from ours. We were giving away copies of our arts magazine, as part of a wider promotional campaign. She was trying, with a talkative desperation, to interest anyone in her little self-produced comic book.It could, with charity, be classified as the crudest kind of zine--a primitive kitchen table affair, copied on a public machine and held together with staples.The asking price,early on, was fifty cents. Mid-way through, she was giving copies away.
She had, after paying the set-up fee, traveled a few hundred miles for the privilege of handing out,gratis,her artistic product to mostly uninterested strangers.Attendant upon accepting her comic zine was the awkward requirement of hearing a shred or two of her uncomfortably sad life story.Bluntly, all that the 20-something had of value was her art,which was the most awkward subject of all.I still have my copy tucked away in a box somewhere yet consultation is unnecessary: I remember it well.
Her tiny comic told the painfully unfunny story of the sex lives of a group of kitchen appliances (a toaster, a coffee pot and, I believe, a blender). Further elucidation would be pointless.I initially felt sorry for the sad girl,whose bewildered,loving father had made the trip with her.Upon deeper reflection, I saw it from a different angle;an angle that has, along with many other varied experiences, including my own, helped to inform and shape my life's mission.
Creators must,at any cost,however lonely or painful, create.That is what the Michigan girl was doing. Her zine was obviously self-medication as well as self-expression.Yet, instead of crafting her art in secret, and keeping it there, she chose the bold and liberating step of placing it in the world, however fragile the task.Art is art by the very act of creation--slim talent and poor reception do not make it less important.Taste,ability and fame wildly vary from one artist to the next;passion and dedication are much more constant.
In contrast to the now-nameless girl, there were many independent artists of acclaim, respectability and esteem in attendance.To the right of us sat a comic book artist of brilliance,originality and, evidently, poor time management,as he showed up hours into the affair.No matter. There was a small band of fans waiting for his arrival.Word quickly spread--he was soon mobbed by followers of his very specific artistic cult.The average American would not recognize his name or know of his existence but his rabid readers and,likely, bank balance show a very different story.
A surprising number of artists and writers showing at that edition of SPACE were able to, with hard-wrought freedom, earn their living by brush or pen.They did so in true Small Press fashion, by avidly disseminating their art, and that of others, through old-fashion leg work:by personally attending trade shows and conventions, selling their product on the Internet, and publishing in Indie and self-produced periodicals.
The Michigan girl and the brilliant artist are on opposite ends of the spectrum but they, and many other artists who share the poles or exist somewhere in between the extremes,tread the same road of artistic sovereignty,fulfillment and destiny.

Vintage Lovelies-Vanity Fair Camisole

I purchased this a few weeks ago because of its lovely, sherbet-esque colour and edging of lace.It is delectable yet with an ever-so bad girl aura, something that you could picture the sultry Dorothy Malone donning--then doffing,off camera,of course--in a late 'fifties film.

Although the cami itself dates to that period, its condition is perfect.I love the recycled aspect of vintage clothing but only when they are of well-preserved quality:snagged,soiled or otherwise damaged pieces are simply junk.ETSY is a great place for discovering vintage and upcycled/repurposed treasures if you are in solid command of your clothing size and body type.

I also have no great love or patience for sorting through disorganized racks of tacky clothing, which is the bane of many a vintage store.Last weekend, my mom and I hit a few such places in our downtown walk.Housewares,books, albums, artwork and all manner of knickknacks always seem well-organized in second hand establishments. There is, unfortunately, rarely a guiding hand to be found in the laying out of the clothes-racks.It is a true treat indeed to happen upon a vintage retailer who has the keenness and sensibility to merchandise clothing in an attractive and accommodating manner.

On the above shopping frolic with my mom, I would have been deliriously happy if I had needed to fill up a suitcase to start my new life on a Fundie Compound (floor-length, Peter Pan-collared dresses, anyone?).Instead, it was ridiculous sans sublimity.Time-wasting excursions like this--minus the appreciated bonding time with my mother--make me turn to Etsy more and more for vintage clothing needs and wants.

CAMISOLE: Vintage 1950's by Vanity Fair-from STELMADESIGNS

Banned From Books:Return to Villette, and Myself

I am ,again, a reader: avid, avowed and unapologetic.I have been back in the literary fold for these 17 days past.I have waited to write on my return to words, to a joy that is so much more than passive indulgence in others' creativity,in an effort to horde the experience before sending it out into the world.

I returned, Day 1, to Charlotte Bronte's VILLETTE. I was famished for words, and the worlds they enable in our imagination,slightly beyond,perhaps, what is reasonable.I picked up where I left off with Miss Lucy. I had scant time to push further than a few pages but felt,instantly,a symbiotic welcome back to my favourite pastime.

I have tried to keep my reading on an even keel. I know too well how easy it would be to spend hours lost in the wilds and civilizations of alternate paradises and societies,playgrounds and prisons. So, in lieu of causing an intellectual avalanche, I have eased back between the pages, of this and another book or two.

I have a veritable army of books lined up at the ready. I am not a slow reader and do not possess the self-control or patience to become one.These books will doubtless be ingested ,rather faster than intention dictates, with immediate replacements in the wings.Yet, my book fast instilled in me an understanding,however slight,that to read a few pages at a sitting is its own kind of pleasure,with its own rewards.

I will ever be following my soul's quest to devour as many books as possible in this brief life.After a month away from reading, I have a renewed appreciation for the small,slowed-down intimacies that the written word creates. Pace and volume are,perhaps,also-rans in the act of the intellectual and artistic grace of good literature.Perhaps the only thing that truly matters is the engulfing feeling of having,finally,returned home to myself.

PHOTO: A LETTER WRITTEN BY CHARLOTTE BRONTE.

Arming Myself for Summer Through Fashion

Craving a new bag is one of my reliable indicators that a fresh season is here. For a few weeks, I have been dreaming of lovely bags in all manner of colours vivid and patterns exquisite.While I enjoy skimming through magazines and boutique racks, I am a girl lucky enough to possess a sewing Grandmother.

My Grandmother quilts.I have been gifted with four of these creations over the years. She also sews dishcloths,tote bags, purses, hot pads and pretty much anything we request.My Mother, who works for an Interior Design business, is blessed with access to amazing fabric samples that are no longer needed.

She crafted this chic bag just for me. It is upcycled from a rich, luxe fabric originally used to fashion drapery for a sweet confection of a baby girl's room.I am in love with the pattern. It would be ideal for a boudoir or dressing room if, alas, I had such a space!I also adore the purple that makes up the base and the striking contrast of the striped lining.

I will carry this bag for the next 6 months. Only the call to Autumn will wrench it from my shoulder. Until then, it will truly be the only accessory necessary to make a statement chic, bohemian and daring. Thanks, Grandma!!

If I Were a Beat Poet.....(Circa 1957)

I would:

1-Wear skinny, black clothes--the more wrinkles, the better.
2-Own a stunning collection of berets and loafers, also black.
3-Paint my short nails bloody-red. Keep the polish studiedly, carelessly chipped through incessant nail biting.
4-Always wear my long, straight hair in a pony tail.
5-Smoke. A lot. Never be seen without a cigarette, lit or unlit, between my fingers or lips.
6-Drink nearly as much as I smoke.
7-Use my carefully crafted smoky-whisky voice to my advantage while giving readings of my poetry to the wasted,indifferent masses.
8-Change residences--and cities--with impressive alacrity. You cannot pin down a free spirit.
9-When at all possible, sleep on friends' couches and floors or, when pressed,rent the smallest place available.I will not spend much time there, anyway.
10-Write eloquent, pissed-off poetry that very few people will read, until I am good and old or long dead.Fame is for untalented,grubby whores.
11-Sleep around with fellow poets, professors or drifters.
12-Put off eating in favour of other pursuits: poetry,readings,booze and men take up a lot of time. Enjoy the resultant thin figure.
13-Travel to places like Mexico and San Francisco, spur of the moment, at the invitation of twin spirits.See 8.
14-Dabble in all aspects of art:film, publishing,painting, performance art.It is all connected,man.
15-Spend my nights in smoky,hazy jazz clubs in "the bad" part of town where good girls do not go, and are not welcomed.
16-Feign utter indifference to the growing acclaim of the male Beats, who still consider women to be their satellites and playthings. You will regret this when I expose you in my memoirs forty years later.In the meantime, I will continue to craft my poetry and refuse to sew on your buttons.

Series:Moods #5-Tired and Cranky, Dreaming of Serenity

Tired and Cranky, Dreaming of Serenity by amisslis featuring Fendi heels

Bessie Smith

Austen Family Cooks/Recipe:Individual Ham Loaves

This was my first Easter as a carnivore in nearly a decade.As always, I spent the day at my Grandparents' house, amongst family.The spread, what less lucky folk would call a meal, was sinfully amazing:I savored its every facet. The centerpiece was my Grandmother's Individual Ham Loaves. If you have never experienced ham loaf, don't be scared off by the mundane name. It is a true delight.I suggest that you rectify this oversight as soon as practicable by preparing the below recipe. Enjoy!!

INDIVIDUAL HAM LOAVES

2 POUNDS GROUND HAM
2 POUNDS GROUND PORK
2 EGGS
1 CUP CORNFLAKE CRUMBS
1 8-OUNCE CAN CRUSHED PINEAPPLE
1 TABLESPOON CHOPPED ONION
1/3 CUP BROWN SUGAR, PACKED
3/4 CUP MILK
SALT AND PEPPER

FOR COATING:
1/2 CUP CORNFLAKE CRUMBS
1/2 CUP GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS

Combine all ingredients and form into 12-15 small loaves. Roll loaves in a combination of 1/2 cup cornflake crumbs and 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Forget Tax Day...Remember Greta Garbo, Instead

Too many words have been devoted and expended on the elusive Swedish Sphinx for the meagre words that I write to illuminate or deepen the discourse.Is there really anything new to be said, by anyone, that will enhance our understanding of the tight-lipped, late legend? Yet fans, writers, and critics by the millions remain entranced, enamored and intrigued by the star and her secretive ways, nearly seventy years after she last appeared on movie screens.

Acting-wise,she was competent and distinct, with a handful of memorable performances.She famously made the transition to sound late in the change-over, her cold mystery enhanced by her thick accent:she was no foreign-throated casualty.Yet her greatest roles were in silents,where her innate mystery was bound tightly to her muteness.Her strength as a performer shone through in her incandescent expressiveness.The ability to convey the universe with a single look--in the dart of an eye or twitch of the lips--was the true victim of the sound era.It took with it subtleties and nuances, and broad sweeps of emotion, that have not been witnessed since.

Garbo's appeal also resided in a shocking, pulsating sexiness that was entirely absent from her sound films. Watching her burn across the screen--especially in tandem with her brief, real-life lover John Gilbert--must come as an unexpected gift to anyone who has only seen her Depression-era historical films, mild and tamped down stuff in comparison.She was effective and restrained in the latter yet entirely without the emotive,pliant passion found in even her crudest silent.

The legend that is Garbo has been swallowed whole, without consideration of nuances, and spit back out in a few small yet readily identifiable pieces. Most of those remaining pieces are concerned with her private, post-film life rather than the work and craft that made us interested in her in the first place.Her personal choices,while certainly iconoclastic,remain separate from her real legacy:it would be an act of beauty and rebellion to remember her for her occasionally accomplished artistry and always magnificent presence.

Back With a Bang....A Sneak Preview

I am finally recovering from my lovely weekend up North. Things will be back to normal, starting tomorrow. I promise. I have been feeling like such a slacker this last week but I have been busy cooking up some great new ideas, so fear not.
The rest of the week, 1000 Follies will be full of the tasty and unique goodness that you have come to expect. CLASSIC CINEMA, PUNK, WRITERS, BOOKS, READING, COOKING, AND ALL MANNER OF ODD LITTLE ARTICLES will be represented. Check back, starting late Wednesday evening. I dare you!

Beauvoir/Beckett-Quotes to Make You Think

"Change your life today.Don't gamble on the future,act now,without delay."
"Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself;if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying."
"The writer of originality,unless dead,is always shocking,scandalous;novelty disturbs and repels."
Simone de Beauvoir

"Ever tried. Ever failed.No matter.Try again.Fail again.Fail better."
"Habit is a great deadener."
"I have my faults,but changing my tune is not one of them."
Samuel Beckett

Home Safe

I got in late last night. I have decided to take off today in order to recuperate from my mini holiday. I will be back tomorrow with at least 3 posts, I promise! My goal for this week is to write at least 20 pieces....hold me to that, if you can!

Have a lovely evening and I will see you tomorrow!

Madonna+Fun-Seriousness=HOLIDAY

HOLIDAY

I am heading up North for the holiday weekend. I am super-excited about seeing the family. Posting will definitely be light until Monday but fear not, don't fret: I will be chronicling my adventures, with one eye towards future post ideas. Have a lovely weekend!

CANNOT WAIT TO READ:A LIST EVER-GROWING

I enjoyed doing the mini series "A Reading List a Mile Long" so much that I have decided to make it a regular feature.I am always coming across new books, old books, all kinds of books that instantly catch my fancy.I enter them into my beloved moleskin, where they remain until, one day,I am able to cross them off my list.

Many sources help feed my bookish desire. I am inspired by random meanderings through stalls of all persuasion and origin, be they at library, book store or flea market, as well as catalogues and, occasionally, recommendations from others.Through these means, I am always being exposed to new wonders, and reacquainted with old favourites.

This space will be home to some of those finds, as I add them to my anticipatory "Cannot Wait to Read Log".

Today, I am really digging the following:

1-Life in a 17th-Century Coffee Shop by David Brandon (SUTTON) I would love to flow back in time so that I could sit, a mug of that exotic new beverage coffee at my elbow, and observe some of the great literary talents chat, argue and engage in the polarizing topics of the day. Oh, to be at a table near that strange genius, Samuel Johnson! Unfortunately, barring some fabulous scientific discovery, this book is as close as I will ever come to such an experience as that.

2-Murderers' Row An International Murderers' Who's Who by Robin Odell & Wilfred Gregg (SUTTON) File this under: Mae, Morbid Curiosity

3-Dietrich by Malen Sheppard Skaerved (HAUS PUBLISHING) Dietrich is one of those enigmatic phenoms whose lives I will never cease to find fascinating, puzzling and engrossing.I could read a volume dedicated to the German goddess every six months for the rest of my life, and never read my fill.

4-The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston (NORTON) A novel that appears to have one of the most vivid, memorable heroines in the annals of literature. It is set in WWII Newfoundland, a place that I came very near to visiting 5 years ago.This book will surely resurrect those plans.

5-I Celebrate Myself The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg by Bill Morgan (VIKING)Beat poet, intellectual renegade and legend: Ginsberg's life was meant to be chronicled in a vast, encompassing fashion. This books, at 700 pages, at least aspires to accomplish that.

6-Women Who Write by Stefan Bollmann. Francine Prose, forward. (MERRELL)One of the abiding obsessions of my life as writer and woman.

ARTWORK: SAMUEL JOHNSON by EVERT A. DUYCKNICK, 1873

Finally, the Recipe is Revealed....with Awkward Photos

By the time that I finished preparing and consuming my yummy family recipe Monday night, I was, alas, too tired to write about the meal.I made one of my all-time favourite dishes, Potato Soup with Riffles. My Great-Grandmother was the Queen of the Riffle, which is a teensy, flour-and-egg dumpling. Riffles make an excellent, simple and hearty milk-based soup by themselves. They are also an interesting texture and flavour addition to potato soup.

Monday's cold inspired me to a brief period of retreat and hibernation. I wanted nothing more than to cozy up, with a bowl of warm goodness.This filling yet basic dish, which is a long-standing family tradition, really filled that need.

POTATO SOUP WITH RIFFLES

You will need

5 MEDIUM POTATOES, DICED

1 TABLESPOON SALT

1/2 TEASPOON PEPPER

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

3 TABLESPOONS ONION, CHOPPED

2 CUPS MILK

FOR THE RIFFLES

3/4 CUP FLOUR

1 EGG

PLACE POTATOES IN A SAUCEPAN, WITH SALT, PEPPER, BUTTER AND ONION. ADD WATER TO BARELY COVER THE POTATOES; COOK UNTIL TENDER. MEANWHILE, TO MAKE RIFFLES: PLACE FLOUR IN BOWL AND ADD EGG TO THE CENTER OF THE FLOUR MOUND. MIX LIGHTLY WITH FINGERS UNTIL CRUMBLY. DRAIN POTATOES AND ADD MILK. WHEN MIXTURE COMES TO A BOIL, ADD RIFFLES AND SIMMER, COVERED, UNTIL DONE--ABOUT 5 MINUTES.

YOU MAY ALSO ADD ANOTHER TABLESPOON OF BUTTER AFTER THE POTATOES ARE DRAINED.

To Tide You Over.....

Pesky Computer Issues

GRRRRR!!!! I am having some slight computer issues. I am hoping to get them worked out tonight. Posting will re-commence tomorrow evening, when I will engage in a writing-frenzy. Have a lovely evening.

Capsule Review-"MAIN STREET" by SINCLAIR LEWIS

This article originally appeared in December 2004 issue of The Atomic Tomorrow. I am reprinting it here for Kate Gabrielle of 'Silents and Talkies', who loves Sinclair Lewis. Enjoy!!

Set largely in small town America in the second decade of the twentieth century, "Main Street" is a bold and unvarnished appeal on behalf of non-subversive individuality and practical feminism. Viewing marriage as something of a lark, and men as beings to be conquered, Carol Kennecott leaves her urban life behind to settle in the wilds of Minnesota, with her new husband, a doctor.

Artistic but insensitive, she sets out with a near-missionary zeal to bring culture to the inhabitants of Gopher Prairie. Initially tolerant of her odd ways, and her proud otherness, they are confident that she will soon soften her sharp individuality and learn to blend in, while she is arrogantly blind to the small yet genuinely artistic efforts of her neighbors.

We follow Carol, and her kindly ponderous husband, through a shifting mosaic of defiance, submission, flight, and compromise. She is not a heroine as such but a richly flawed woman; not always likable, she is deeply human. She grows and matures in the ways real people do, by starts and fits, with a sometimes imperfect understanding of what it is she is striving for, and working against.

The society that author Sinclair Lewis rails against,as opposed to that of Ayn Rand,his ideological opposite in the fight for personal sovereignty, is markedly our own. His ideals of individuality and freedom are attainable, though conditionally and at great cost, in this world. In Rand's novels, the only characters capable of achieving severance from the expectations of the world-at-large are such intellectually and physically superior specimens as to defy categorization as human. They are god-like inhabitants of a sordid, corrupt version of America; denizens of a fantasy universe of extreme and unthinking conformity.

Carol eventually finds a limited but hopeful place in the context of her chosen milieu, within the workings of fast-changing, modern society, where even the flawed, the weak, and the impotent can find ways to assert their uniqueness. That this is ultimately not enough to satisfy the spirit of humanity is the deeper truth that is hidden behind this story of one woman's struggle to adapt and thrive in an environment, and amongst people, she doesn't understand.

PHOTO: SINCLAIR LEWIS

"The Damned"

(A SLIGHTLY TARDY) PUNK ROCK SUNDAY-Wendy O. Williams

It has been exactly 11 years since Wendy O. Williams went into the woods near her house and shot herself to death. She was just shy of 49. In a genre that is highly polarizing, Wendy O. Williams was phenomenally off the grid in the get-her-or-don't ,love-her-or-hate her department. To call her original, enthralling, frightening, offensive or entertaining is like shooting a spitball at the moon: it doesn't come anywhere near its target.
Part punk-rocker, part performance artist, everything about her was overgrown: her voice, her physicality, her persona, her attitude. As the front woman for the Plasmatics and as a solo artist, she was worshipped and reviled for her semi-naked, suggestive onstage antics, which inspired the moniker "The Queen of Shock Rock."
Like so many artists throughout the existence of punk, she was an outspoken activist. Her passions were animal rights and healthy eating. Yes, the woman behind the sexy, violent facade was a vegetarian, and coupled with the same man for 2 decades. She was passionate and variable, with a mottled and controversial life. The thing she hated above all else was homogeneity; it is fitting that her life is a symbol of daring, controversial originality.
The video for "The Damned" is legendary, and unforgettable. I first saw it as a kid and, while it can be slightly terrifying for one so young, its apocalyptic aura is breathtaking.
The fierceness, the blonde mohawk, the guttural screech of her voice, and the ripe sexual button-pushing are all part of Wendy O. Williams, artist and woman; they are inseparable,one from the other. When she killed herself, she did so on her own terms, as she believed should be everyone's right. Whether one agrees or disagrees with that choice, she died as she lived, with controversy and freedom of action.

SHHHH......Cooking in Progress

I have been unexpectedly inspired by the weather's current nasty turn. It is mid-Winter chilly, just in time for the start of America's favourite warm-weather sport,baseball.Peering through the windows today, at various times, one could find freezing rain, snow or hail.
My flat was a brisk 61 degrees when I walked through the door a couple of hours ago: the result of the heat being, ever so optimistically, turned off. Clad in pajamas, I cozied up in my favourite reading chair, family cookbook on my lap, with the intention of finding a yummy and warm family favourite to write about. I had no plans to actually, well, cook. I have already had a long, crammed day. Relaxation was, I thought, my ideal.
However, luck of the highest order smiled on me when I saw the recipe. One mental scan of the contents of my larder and, ten minutes later, I am about to hit the kitchen in my fuzzy Eeyores and dice and crumble my way to an Austen family classic. Stay tuned!!

Plaything

I bought a nifty new office machine a few weeks ago. I finally installed it this afternoon. I have been trying it out ever since. I must say, it is glorious! 1000 Follies will definitely be the better for it....in the long run. Because of my reckless glee in figuring out all of the bells and whistles TODAY,"PUNK ROCK SUNDAY" will post tomorrow. Please forgive me!

REVIEWING MY COLLECTION: LIVING AUTHORS Edited by DILLY TANTE

I have a nerdy, abiding mania for several things. The one that has been with me the longest is my passion for reference books: dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs. Anything with the express purpose of imparting information and wisdom of a linguistic, geographic or historic nature sets my heart to twirling. As a writer, I also swear by all manner of odd and informative fact, trivia, date and biographical books. 'Living Authors'is the latter.

I picked it up around five years ago, from the discount purveyor Edward R. Hamilton Bookseller. I have scored some amazing finds from that catalogue but this has been the most used, appreciated and enjoyed.

It is a thick book, chock-a-block full of enticing, informative and brief biographies of, yes, living authors. The catch, which is exactly what made the tome so alluring to me in the first place, is that it was initially published in 1931.So, if you were hoping to read tasty tidbits about Dan Brown or Anne Rice, then this is not your volume. However, if you enjoy the works of some of the greatest writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, or want to discover lesser-remembered lights of that era, then it is well worth finding a copy. Mine is a 2001 reprint.

The book profiles nearly 400 authors, including a photo or illustration of each, as well as a description of their looks. You learn about their backgrounds, careers, and personal lives. While there is no gossip, there is trivia both odd and insightful to be found.

It has proven to be a handy, one-of-a-kind data resource for my columns and reviews, much-thumbed,and infinitely inspirational.'Living Authors' is the perfect book to flip open randomly, while sipping a cup of tea or lazing on the sofa. It takes you back to a time when the world was fertile with wordsmiths of every ilk who, even after separating the talent and the person, were bewitching, engaging and unique individuals in their own right.

Even if I had to eviscerate my collection, 'Living Authors' is one of the last volumes I would part with:it has a charm, approach and immediacy impossible to duplicate.

PHOTOGRAPH: Then-Living Author LOUISE BOGAN.

SUNDAY RITUAL

I am unashamed to say that my Sunday morning ritual has absolutely nothing to do with incense, robed gentlemen or The Good Book.It does, however, revolve around a troupe of witty, chic and outrageous boys. Yes, that is correct: I spend a slow, sacred, inspiring and hilarious hour touring around the planet known as FABULON.
All that is required is a huge mug of tea, milk please, a comfy chair and a need to be entertained. Anything else gets in the way of what is always a, well, yes, fabulous time.
My happy little habit evolved over time, as the result of a too-busy schedule. When I happened most accidentally onto the site, I was beguiled by their honest love of shiny things, nonpareil ladies ( the deader or more outrageous the better, most naturally)and first-class kitsch. I traipsed ridiculously far back into their archives--I almost wrote annals but that just didn't seem right. I think it was a Saturday afternoon (it must have been),it was skin-chafingly cold, and I had time to kill.
Then, sad to say--slap my wrist,please--I lost touch with them in the whirring madness of my own most stylish life. Fortunately for my future enlightenment and delight, I had the good sense to heart them into my favourites, where they were rediscovered during a later spate of boredom. They have remained, since then, on the radar of all things glittering, wacky, and witty.
The time crunch is ever an issue, becoming worse and perpetual with each passing week. Thus, I found, and find, myself catching up on some of my favoured web spaces on the weekends. FABULON is too tasty to miss, and too tempting to stay away from for long. For months, I have played catch-up with its contents--a week at a time's worth-on Sunday's shortly after rising. Which is to say some time between 10:00 and 11:00 AM.--there is no need to picture me squinting in front of my laptop screen in the dark, like some crazed morning person.
After a few weeks , I realized that I looked forward to this time spent in that oasis of delightful madness. I am a retro-loving girl (yes, really, ,I AM a girl,biologically-speaking, thanks ever so)who likes to kick-it-back old-school on the fashion and movie front. Yet, in this modern world, I am what you might call edgy with a side of crazy,pop-culture kitsch thrown in just for the added confusion. Kind of like those boys over on FABULON.
Which is why I treasure the laziness, the raw over-the-top-ness,and the sheer beauty of the weekly hour I spend on their planet. I also adore the cheeky-tacky and sometimes utterly unself-aware YouTube clips they dig up and the scads of old ads, photos and ephemera which, quite often, act as fashion inspiration for yours truly. There is nothing to not love about the heady decor, positive attitude and dashing vibe of Planet FABULON.Check it out!

SIMPLE PLEASURES: THINGS TO ACTUALLY DO THIS SPRING

I spend all winter pining for warm weather, for sunshine, for leafy and lush greenness. I spend the arduously long, cold nights sketching out the details of the legion of fabulous things I plan on doing once the weather turns, when the days are endless and temperate.

Without fail, come warm weather, most of those things, however simple, remain but a dream and are still undone once the leaves start falling.I am determined, this time around, to actually do those exuberant,joyous little things that pop into my mind. This year, as nature cycles from Spring to Summer, and then to Autumn, nothing that I yearn to do will be left behind.

Each season, and our experience of it, is entirely unique: it will pass, taking with it all but fleeting and liquid sensory memory. The next version will be the same in name only, the contents will be different. I have vowed to embrace this Spring and all it has to offer. I will follow wishes and whims--when Autumn emerges, slowly and colourfully,I will have no regrets.

SOME LITTLE THINGS TO DO THIS SPRING

1-FLY A KITE. YOU CAN STILL FIND THEM AT DOLLAR AND TOY STORES AND, OF COURSE, ON LINE. BUY AN ENTIRE SEASON'S WORTH, PLUS EXTRAS. WHEN THE STRING BECOME TANGLED OR THE KITE PUNCTURED, YOU DON'T HAVE TO MISS A BEAT. IF YOU ARE AMBITIOUS YOU COULD EVEN MAKE YOUR OWN.

2-DINE AT A DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT, EVEN IF IT IS JUST A SONIC. PUT YOUR SEAT BACK AND KICK OFF YOUR SHOES.

3-SAVOR A CONEY AND A ROOT BEER FLOAT WITH ALL OF THE GUSTO OF YOUR INNER 8-YEAR-OLD.

4-GROW SOMETHING. FROM SEEDS.EVEN IF YOU ARE IN THE CITY WITH NO PERSONAL INCH OF EARTH, ALL YOU NEED IS A SMALL POT AND A PATCH OF SUNSHINE.

5-BUY A HANDFUL OF PINWHEELS AND STICK THEM IN A LARGE CONTAINER,DIRT AND ALL, OR IN A VASE. OPEN A WINDOW AND LET THE BREEZE PROPEL THEM. SMILING IS INEVITABLE.

6-WEAR LOTS OF WHITE.

7-MAKE FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMONADE.DEVELOP YOUR OWN SPECIAL BLEND.

8-IF YOU HAVE A DOG, WALK THEM FOR THE JOY OF COMPANIONSHIP AND THE CHANCE TO BE OUTSIDE, NOT AS A CHORE TO SPRINT THROUGH.

9-WHEN LATE AFTERNOON SUN INTRUDES INTO YOUR SPACE,OBSCURING THE TV OR COMPUTER SCREEN, BASK IN THE WARMTH OF ITS RAYS INSTEAD OF BEING ANNOYED BY THE PERCEIVED INCONVENIENCE.

10-SCAMPER THROUGH A PARK BLOWING BUBBLES. YES, LIKE YOU DID AS A 5-YEAR-OLD.

11-GO ON A REAL PICNIC, THE KIND THAT INVOLVES LOADING YOUR CAR WITH A BASKET, A BLANKET , PLASTIC CUTLERY AND A COOLER. IT IS WORTH IT.

12-PICK ENOUGH DANDELIONS FOR A BOUQUET.

13-EAT FOOD AS IT COMES INTO SEASON. BAKE FRUIT-BASED DESSERTS WHEN THE FRUIT IS FRESH, RIPE AND LOCAL. IT WILL TASTE DIFFERENT.

14-BUY ARMFULS OF VINTAGE SUNDRESSES AND SUNGLASSES. WEAR THEM EVERYWHERE WHILE PRETENDING THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: BRIGITTE BARDOT, SOPHIA LOREN, AUDREY HEPBURN, ANN-MARGRET, LESLIE CARON.

15-RIDE A BICYCLE.

16-HIKE AT STATE OR NATIONAL PARKS. THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE THERE FOR, AFTER ALL.

17-SLEEP WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN.

18-RISE EARLY, WITHOUT COMPLAINT. ANTICIPATE THE LOVELY THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO WITH A FEW EXTRA MINUTES A DAY.

19-WATCH FIREWORKS IN PERSON, NOT ON TELEVISION.

20-WALK ACROSS A BRIDGE--APPRECIATE THE GRACEFUL, UTILITARIAN MERGING OF MAN AND NATURE.

21-EAT OUTSIDE AT RESTAURANTS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. COLD DRINKS TASTE BETTER WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING DOWN THAN THEY DO WHEN YOU ARE BEING SUFFOCATED BY ARTIFICIALLY COOLED AIR.

22-SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS YOU CAN WATERSIDE.

ILLUSTRATION:"A June Afternoon" (1898) by A.B. Frost

Modern Day Doris (Happy 85th, Ms. Day)

Modern Day Doris by amisslis on Polyvore.com

AN INTELLECTUAL TOOL KIT:BOOKS I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT

The Chef thinks that I own too many books, an opinion he does nothing to contain. He is, in all fairness, a recreational reader of erudition, adventure and taste, when time allows. He has insisted on making some introductions that I was hell-bent on avoiding. I am now three novels acquainted with Robert Heinlein, a state that I far from regret. Yet, we differ in our approach to living with books.

I prefer immersion; he prefers minimal intrusion. Had he his way, I would be limited to a case, maybe two. Had I mine, I would keep adding to my collection for the rest of my life, with editing of the ranks but seldom.We have come to a detente. I try to borrow and re-read books whenever I can, and occasionally purge myself of things not wildly enjoyed. He has ceased to complain in as loud a voice.

My book collection is a symbol of comfort and contentment as much as a tool kit of knowledge, growth and entertainment. I have lovingly packed up my 1000 or so volumes numerous times over the last decade. The number of boxes has increased with each relocation.My family and friends happily aid me in my moves, going out of their way to help in any way necessary. Except for the books.They take no pity on me as I lug,heave and haul my lode up and down stairs, and I cannot say that I harbor blame.

If The Chef and I were to make a major move--away from this city--then the book standoff would certainly begin anew. He would insist on a thinning of the herd; I would fiercely maintain my right to keep them all. We already know how this thing will go down.Yet, it has set me to thinking. If I am ever faced with the horror of whittling them down, what would stay? What would make up the criteria? Of all my books, which ones are most precious or useful?

That is what I am going to do, in this space: Review the books that already have a home on my shelves, to remember or determine why they are there and, if pressed to it, whether they deserve to remain. People change over time, and our attitudes and tastes are often altered by degrees too incalculable to detect without deeper investigation.

The investigation begins later this weekend with 'Living Authors', Edited by Dilly Tante.

Post-a-Rama

Take note: I intend to go on a posting frenzy this weekend. Friday through Sunday, 1000 Follies will be chock full of goodness. Until then, enjoy the below quotes.

5 Quotes

"Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something."-Henry David Thoreau

"To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead."-Bertrand Russell

"Tradition is a guide and not a jailer."-W. Somerset Maugham

"There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval."-George Santayana

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."-Helen Keller

Finally Convinced that Spring is Really Here