Saturday, February 21, 2015

Idiosyncrasies


 "Trendy is the last stage before tacky."
 ~Karl Lagerfeld

 WTF?

No seriously, what the FUCK?

What was Sarah Palin thinking, wearing her daughter's dress, right out of the closet, to the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary celebration? My first thought was that perhaps she was trying to follow in the footsteps of another tacky reality star, Kris Jenner, of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Kris has been seen many times in "borrowed" clothes that belong to her daughters. Sometimes the clothes have worked well for the Kardashian "Momager," but more often than not, it just comes off sad. It makes me want to say... Kris, Kris, Kris... get your own style! And by the way, there is no disgrace in not only acting your age, but dressing your age as well! Stop making yourself a punchline, and set a style example for other women your age! Go ahead... be the style setter, not a style joke! And that is what I find so frustrating about both Kris Jenner, and Sarah Palin in general, they have all kinds of rare opportunities in the palm of their hands, and they will throw them away every single time!

When Sarah Palin hit the national stage, I admired her style, as far as her clothing was concerned. I had no idea until sometime later that, in fact, she was being dressed by her political handlers and not by her own personal style choices. Never mind who chose the clothes, she looked good in them, and she was beginning to not just be recognized strong self assured politician, but a strong style example for women our age group. It wasn't meant to be however, because like with everything else she touches, she brought a distasteful spin to it, for no other reason than to give a voice to her inner bitter middle-age political wanna-be. To admit style is to apparently have all your values mixed up, and we can't have down home Sarah doing that! So... style sense be gone... simple Sarah is on the case!

Of course true style doesn't have to mean expensive labels. A pair of jeans, a cozy sweater, just the right pair of boots, I would avoid American flag shit kickers, but that's just me, and you are good to go. Again, dressing your age is a good idea, pick up a Vogue, or consult wonderful websites like Rachel Zoe, In-Style, Stylist or even Pure Wow, as they can give a lot of guidance on what will make you shine, and be at your best when it most matters. Hey, there are plently of blogs where all you have to do is put the event that your are going to, into the search engine, and out will pop several examples of what to wear. I have been reading Vogue since I got my first job, and now I know the difference between what I like, verses, what actually looks good on me, and what will make the proper statement.

If my mother would have taken a cocktail dress out of my closet when I was 25, and wore it to a media event, I would have been mortified! I feel a bit sorry for the Kardashian girls, and Bristol in particular when it comes to that dynamic. While the Karhashian girls may have become numb to the idiosyncrasies of mom Kris, this must have been a new hell for Bristol. It couldn't have felt good to see her mom in that dress, but on the other hand, maybe she got a secret jolly out of seeing her mother look ridiculous... who knows? Sarah has kinda stolen some of Bristol's thunder over the years, although I am sure Bristol wouldn't admit that. Shrug. Again, who knows? What I do know is that the choice of dress was bizarre, and for the life of me I can't understand why Sarah wouldn't have wanted to make her own style statement that night.

White Dress
+
Black Dominatrix Boots
+
Brown Fur Purse

= Disaster!

"Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak."

PS... Don't forget to comeback tomorrow to see my picks for the Oscars, to see my fantasy outfit! Fair is fair, if you hate my style choices for my Academy Awards look, feel free to chime in! You will be welcome to play Fashion Police, and share your picks for the Oscars!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)



Friday, February 20, 2015

Send Me No Flowers...

"The bad news is, the butcher is dead. 
The good news is, there will be no need for a funeral, 
and there will be meat for weeks."

~Jerod Kintz

Send Me No Flowers

Okay, my morbid sense of humor has kicked in big time. It all started with the ever changing tragic story of Tammy Meyers, the mother of 4 from Las Vegas, who was gunned down last week, after what was originally called an act of road-rage. Here is the thing, since last week, the story of what actually happened has changed, and even now, with at least one suspect in custody, things seemed muddled. Was she protecting her kids that night, by going home, and summoning her son who owned a gun legally, and then going back out? No, no matter which version I have heard up to this point, there is nothing in that situation that common sense would dictate going back out for, once she arrived home safely. So, was she trying to do a good deed by chasing down the suspect, who as it comes to light, she knew... very well? Again... nope... the police could have should still have been called, if she felt she was in danger or he was in high risk company. But I am sure there will be more twists and turns in this story, perhaps before the end of this coming weekend. In the end, it's not the point of this post. The situation is merely the catalyst for explaining what I would like my life to look like, postmortem. You know, how I would like my friends and Alan to remember me to the press, interested onlookers and concerned parties.

1. Do NOT hold a press conference detailing my qualifications for sainthood. 
(I am a human, who had made many human mistakes)

2. Do NOT hold a vigil, should I go missing!
(Have you ever noticed that when folks hold vigils for missing people, they never come back?)

3. If I am found dead, please DON'T drop off flowers, stuffed animals, balloons, candles or any other such nonsense. It makes a mess. Send it to me now, while I am alive, so I can enjoy it!

4. Assuming I am killed while out with my camera taking pictures, please don't use the phrase... 
"She died doing what she loved to do." That makes me sound like a moron.

5. If I am murdered, no matter how, please remember me 
by asking the District Attorney to NOT ask for the death penalty.
 I am vehemently against it. It wouldn't honor me if someone were executed for my murder.

6. NO LIFETIME MOVIES

7. NO SPECIAL MUSICAL TRIBUTES

8. NO enlarged DMV photos issued to the press. Just use the one on my blog and Twitter.

9. I would like to be cremated, rather than buried. 
But please wait a week or so, I sleep deeply sometimes.

10. NO, I REPEAT, NO "GO FUND ME" ACCOUNTS. Unless you just happen to want to buy Alan a cup of Starbuck's coffee or a Subway sandwich so he doesn't have to cook while he is busy making arrangements.

 11. No need for tears, not if you really love me.
 Laugh and know it was my time.


SHIT HAPPENS

I would like to think my death will come as the result of old age, but sometimes one is just at the wrong place at the wrong time. You know? In 2012, in October, Alan and I went and did all kinds of amazing things for our anniversary month, but the biggest of those activities was a flight over San Francisco Bay in a single engine Cessna. It was the experience of a lifetime. I got to take pictures that I would have never gotten to take otherwise, and the whole reason I said YES to that outing was because I kinda thought that the world might just end on December 21st of that year, and I figured... WHY NOT LIVE TILL I DIE?

LOL. 

The world didn't end, and I conquered a lifelong fear of small planes. Now, not only am I NOT afraid of them, it is my belief that twin engine planes are for pussys. LOL. I loved it up in the sky, flying around the bay like a Snowy Egret. Up above the clouds, and all the pain on earth. I wouldn't trade that day, or the fun we had, for anything. It was... life affirming! And isn't that everything? Life is meant to be lived, but sometimes your life continues after your death through other people and their good intentions.

 I just want to be remembered accurately, while I am being,
 you know, remembered. Make sense?


One last thing, if you just have to do something to honor me, visit New York City for me. Especially in Autumn. That's where my spirit longs to go one day, hopefully a little of me will be there.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Late Winter Music

The old tree shook
White blossoms slowly float down
Dancers in the wind

~Alexandra Kim

Winter is definitely coming to an end. The trees are just beginning to blossom, and everything is taking on a very cheerful light. When it comes to photography, I love the winter sun, almost as much as the autumn sun. Sunny winter days take on such a lovely soft, warm golden glow. It makes one hear wind chimes, even when none are around. It's lovely to photograph, and spend a little time daydreaming in. Little Farm in Tilden Park, in Berkeley, is a wonderful place to sit and sketch, or photograph the beautiful natural surroundings. I have found inspiration there in all four seasons.

Blossoms Of Tilden Park
Berkeley, California


Silently a flower blooms,
In silence it falls away;
Yet here now, at this moment, at this place, 
The world of the flower, the whole of the world of blooming.
This is the talk of the flower, the truth of the blossom: The glory of eternal life is fully shining here.

~Zenkei Shibayama


The air smelled so sweet today, spicy with a soft smell of citrus. 

Intoxicating

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The Joey

"One day I was counting the cats and I absentmindedly counted myself."

~Bobbie Ann Mason
Shiloh And Other Stories

His name is Joey. Sometimes The Joey. Occasionally... The Little Brother. But never EVER The Baby.

Dylan is The Baby

Mostly he is just... Joey.

He is loved.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)
 


Monday, February 16, 2015

Who Knows?

"Maybe there's a whole other universe where a square moon roses in the sky, and the stars laugh in cold voices, and some of the triangles have four sides, and some have five, and some have five raised to the fifth power of sides. In this universe there might grow roses which sing.
 Everything leads to everything."

~Stephen King

Do you ever consider the possibility of alternate universes? Or is the here and now all that there is? Sometimes, especially when I experience deja vu, I think that perhaps I am taping into an experience I lived through in a different dimension. But then, if you think about it, if I lived through it in another dimension, how could I be aware of it in the here and now? So perhaps rather than it being a memory of a different dimension, maybe reincarnation might just be the answer! But if that's true, why am I living the same life over and over again? Isn't that closer to the theory of multiple dimensions? All I know is, sometimes life takes on an eerily familiar tone. I have met people for the first time, and somehow felt like I had known them forever. The shake of a hand. The glance of an eye. It's instantaneous, and familiar. I know I probably will never have the answers to all the questions I have on this plane of existence, and frankly, I am not sure I want to know. I kinda like the mystery, and the way it encourages me to keep asking the questions, no one has the answers to.It's another of life's gifts, like roses, cat whiskers, or time moving us ever forward, whether we want to go, or not.

Mood: Curious

~Me :)



Sunday, February 15, 2015

October Dust Jackets In February

"Two guys, a goat and a ghost: A love story based on true events that may or may not be false.
 Who doesn't love a good goat story?"

~Jarod Kintz
This Book Is Not FOR SALE

I went out the other night to do an errand, and happened upon this scene. It's the wall of a store I frequent, that also happens to be covered in a vine, which is bright colored with autumn leaves, when it is autumn, but when it's winter, takes on a dull, deep brown/green deathly color. The tree to the right is a Liquid Amber, but under the street lamp, it appears to have a rather ghostly look and presence. It's so pale that one would expect to see a ghost sitting in it, if your imagination is anything like mine. But really, I ask you, how many ghosts sit in trees? That's not very likely is it? No, probably not. But when I finished editing this photo, I thought maybe I would see what it would look like if a ghost were to sit on one of the pale branches. I mean, maybe that is a whole untapped area of ghost fiction. Tree sitting ghosts! Just imagine. You move into a dream home, which you purchase off the Internet, of course, and everything is fine, except for the fact that the Liquid Amber tree in the front yard is HAUNTED!

Here is how the dust jacket might look...


Now, if I could just figure out why the ghost is sitting in the tree!

1. Does the ghost have a better view of something?
2. Does the ghost long for October as much as I do?
3. Does the ghost miss the color of autumn leaves, 
when all the trees look so pale?
4. Is the ghost an actual haunting, or is she a residual haunting?
5. Is it really a ghost? Or is it just a bit of wispy fog that got stuck between some branches?
6. Does the tree sitting specter scream or moan?
7. Does the ghost ever venture forth into the house?
8. Does the ghost ever stare, with it's spooky dead eyes, into the windows of the Internet house?
 
 Am I really the ghost, because of my haunting
 of my favorite trees?

As with most ghost stories, there are more questions than answers. 

 
 One more, just for fun, for the sequel.

Care to share? If you were to write a ghost story,
 based on these two dust jackets, what would the story be?
 Why is there a ghost in the trees?

 Please feel free to share your thoughts on this.

Mood: Happy But Curious

~Me :)