SPRING HAS SPRUNG…and then it recoiled for about a week AND now it’s back, ready to spring again. I am going to make my weather prediction for Derby 2009 and I do hope I am incorrect…I believe there will be snow flurries on May 2, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky as the crowds stand and sing MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME. Here’s hoping I am soooo wrong.

In other none important, extremely trivial news: I am beginning to like this being off from work. These three day weekends are actually rather pleasant to say the least. However, as usual I am not feeling the lack of money BUT hey that’s life and yes I have heard a rumor that there may be more unpaid furlough days in the new fiscal year which does not start till July 2009. Hey what do I know…once again here’s hoping that I am proven beyond incorrect on this notion as well. ......

Since last I was here at my drivel spot I have enjoyed the latest Vin Diesel flick. Watched a Swedish vampire film that turns the concept on it’s ear AND located my Kadin.

FAST AND FURIOUS is the fourth film in the F&F franchise. I had always enjoyed the first one which I own on DVD and I probably will buy the fourth one when it’s released on DVD…yes I liked the flick that much. The second and third films in the franchise had to make due with little to no Vin Diesel and I definitely feel they suffer for that. Let’s make this clear these F&F films are not high quality drama…you will not see displays of human emotions never before committed to film…they are about fast cars, half naked women AND some type of vice being chased by the cops….this time it’s heroin from Mexico. The core old cast from the first one is back and once again the the centerpiece is Vin Diesel. Much is being made of the box office…$72 million on opening weekend…that’s good actually that’s DAMN GOOD. However, I am worried that Mr. Diesel’s notorious big ego will derail his career momentum again…my suggestion to Mr. Diesel is to be happy with his niche, his limited talent AND quit trying to be the next Robert De Niro. Just a suggestion.

I love vampires. I love vampire lore. You can make a bad vampire movie but fortunately I have not seen very many of those. This past month I rented LET THE RIGHT ONE IN…and man was I blown away. I had seen it mentioned in various articles back in 2008 when it was making the rounds of the film festival circuit. Everything I read was praise for the story and the two young actors BUT I must say nothing really prepares you for the emotional pull of the film. Oskar is a 12 year old boy who lives in an apartment with his mother. He’s blonde, pale, bony and bullied. It seems to always be snow on the ground and little to no sun. In the middle of the night a girl, Eli and an old man move in next door. And from there starts a story of death, need, loneliness, friendship, loss AND love. The part of the story that I liked the most was that instead of Oskar saving Eli, Eli saves Oskar and in doing so makes one question who are the real monsters….humans or vampires?  Highly recommend LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.

Back in the summer, back in the early part of the 80s I was a committed reader of romance novels. Recently the New York Times ran an article talking about how romance readers are still buying books in spite of  the faltering economy. Well I could have told them that--I mean who doesn’t want to escape? Most romance novels are full of love, desire, wealth, sexual pleasure AND most of the time a happy ending. I don’t know about you BUT I like happy endings. Yeah call me silly BUT I do. So back in my early teens I started reading Bertrice Small novels and was always swayed to a realm of mental euphoria over stories of captive women enslaved in some sultan’s harem. Please keep in mind this was before 9/11…when jihad and Islamic militancy were something overseas that had nothing to do with the lives of the average American person. Now after 9/11 there is not a lot of love for the culture of the Arab world. Still I have enough sense to know that while I may not have any interest in being a Muslim or living the life of a Muslim woman I can appreciate and revel in the slightly misguided concepts put forth in romance novels about Arab men and the women that fall under their powerful sway while housed in harems. ..............

That’s where Mr. Milind Soman comes into play. So I had saw a pic of him years ago. Loved the pic enough that I have it somewhere on one of the many jump drives I own. BUT then last year he did a spread in VOGUE ....INDIA.... for MEN. I almost fall out of my chair when I was flipping through the mag and came across his photo spread. I do not have access to a scanner BUT if I did I would share these pics because they are high quality erotic visual stimuli…of the most potent kind. Then I recently looked him up on IMDB and discovered he had starred in a Bollywood flick last year, BHRAM. I immediately went to eBay and bought a copy. So I get it shipped from ....India...., hurry home and popped it into the DVD player and am shook to the core of my being…no…really. As soon as he showed up on the screen I was like…There’s my kadin…there’s my dealer of drugged sweetmeats!!!! Finally!! I mean there are plenty of dusky skinned, long haired dudes in the medias eye…Oded Fehr of THE MUMMY series, Naveen Andrews of the tv series LOST and the film THE ENGLISH PATIENT…but they don’t hold a candle to Mr. Soman…I mean it’s not often I see my fantasy…I often see what pleases me…Daniel Craig is pleasing, as is Clive Owen. BUT they are not the embodiment of a fantasy…of an archetype…in this case a sultan…a kadin.

In the end it’s just a fantasy…a very sweet fantasy. Heck Mr. Soman is not even Arab…he’s a desi born in ....Scotland..... Studied to be an engineer, has been a successful model and a champion swimmer. AND he looks better with long hair and a beard. :SIGH:

Before I head out to the realm of the real world I shall ponder on the fact that it’s been 8 years since my mother came home from the ....University.. of ..Louisville.... hospital an invalid. During which time we have had a few set backs BUT nothing like what we experienced when she was laying in a coma for two weeks. I can still remember standing in the ICU asking the doctor if we needed to be thinking of pulling the plug. AND the relief of hearing her say no we did not need to head that way…just yet. So it’s with a heavy heart I watch as a dear friend and co-worker has to accept the fate of her only son. James aka Grandpa Squeaky had a heart attack a few days ago and now he’s in a vegetative state. His brain stem was damaged, he can’t hear or see, he’s bad off. He’s a newlywed, just got married less than two weeks ago. He’s a grandfather with a second grandbaby on the way. He’s 39. He’s my age. It’s all very very humbling and sad.
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I have a tendency to grade the goodness of my life on small things: am I living indoors? Do I have food? Can I afford my medicine? Are the ones I love and care about okay? Will my ID drive me to Wild & Woolly after work on Wednesday? Is season 2 of PUSHING DAISIES coming out on DVD and when will the last three episodes be shown?  I try not to tie my happiness, my sense of well being to large concepts…small…tidy…obtainable is what I go for…for after all…as you lay dying…it begs to be asked ‘Is that all there is?’
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Until next time…may your horse win and win in the sunshine with a light breeze blowing by. ....

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Spring has Sprung….YAHOO & YIPPEE too. Man oh man do I like Spring. Sunny, breezy days with blue skies full of plump white clouds. Showers and yes thunderstorms blazing across the landscape. In the end this is why I endure winter…so I can revel in spring.

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Life at the homestead is staying steady…our next door neighbor died in her sleep. She was 41 and left behind two teenage sons. She had no health insurance and no job. In the end the first few days were rough her brother…a very nice and sweet hearted dude called the morning it happened to let my mother know. He doesn’t know it BUT he’s the son my mother never had…and fortunately he’s as helpful and considerate as they come. When the lights were out for almost a whole week and we had to rely on a generator it was he who kept check on it during the night…coming out in the cold to see if it needed anymore gas…and when the effects of The Great Ice Storm of ’09 passed he cleaned up the generator and put it back in the box.  I have said it in passing…just joking but speaking real truth inside the joke…I have had to rely on the kindness of strangers…me and Blanche DuBois. ....

While I was at the laundromat washing 8 loads of laundry…most of which was underwear, pajamas and towels, I pondered on the concept of a charmed life. ....

What does it mean to have a charmed life…what are the scales on which this is weighed/judged? I mean I have debt, a raggedy house, a sickly mother, a dead end job and yet I know I am far better off than many of the people I encounter on any given day.

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When I was watching DUPLICITY this past Saturday I was mesmerized by the charmed life of the lead characters. They meet cute at a 4^th of July party in Dubai, meet up again in Rome where they spend 3 days holed up in a 5 star hotel making love…then they decide to get out of 'the Game' of being spies all together and in doing so pledge to be there for each other. Keep in mind the leads are being played by Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. Now let me explain I do not hate Julia Roberts but I have never been impressed with her. However, Clive Owen…sweet holy goodness that dude is sexy…and when you dress him in Armani and give him a chance to be something besides being sullen, deadly or brutal its even better. In the end DUPLICITY was fun and funny…the plot has a twist that I did not see coming and the last four minutes of Clive and Julia sorting out how it ended the way it did for them is just too funny. ....

You may or may not know this but I have a weakness for powerful men…men who seem to be magical…who have a tight rein on their surroundings. I guess that’s why I love watching movies dealing with magicians or assassins…powerful, wicked, intelligent…yeah I like that. I watch THE ILLUSIONIST not just to see magic but to see Edward Norton perform feats of amazing wonder. I watch and drool over THE BOURNE series because Jason Bourne is fierce even while he’s being chased by the CIA, the FBI and a hazy grasp on what has happened in the past. Heck most of the men I meet seem to get lost while waiting for an elevator…just imagine if they had to know how to drive any vehicle, shot any weapon and figure out codes on locked doors. So when I went to see WATCHMEN I was expecting an intelligent, mind bending cinematic experience…which I got along with a lot of naked blue weenie. Man it’s morning in America again. I mean the day after the opening I went online and was amazed at the number of women who seemed to be able to appreciate the physical attributes of Dr. Manhattan and the number of dudes basically crying ‘Why did they show that much dick…that ain’t fair.’ I mean really as a woman who watches a lot of movies I have to accept that any sexual behavior will usually involve a certain amount of naked FEMALE flesh…it’s just the way it is. So to all the guys who were irked by the sight of Dr. Manhattan's firm, well endowed body…OH GET OVER IT!!!  I mean this is a being that can multiply himself so he can sexually satisfy his woman while tinkering with a nuclear reactor…three Dr. Manhattan’s in the bedroom beats a vibrator in the hand...that's simple cosmic logic.

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Random thoughts far afield: Life is precious and not promised…the death of Natasha Richardson certainly proves that. Season 2 of THE TUDORS was great…season one had left me going..’meh’--BUT Season 2 definitely redeemed the series…and Jonathan Rhys Meyers is great as King Henry VIII…yes they are definitely taking liberties with history BUT oh what fun wicked liberties they are.  Glad I have access to digital television so now I can enjoy shows on NBC…which means I am watching KINGS….I’d watch Ian McShane read the phone book and then you add in Eamonn Walker and it just gets better…however, I get the feeling KINGS will be cancelled…it’s not either stupid enough or trashy enough to attract a wide audience. ....

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Finally this past week has been all about the evil that is corporate America i.e. AIG and those damn bonuses. It’s an insult to all Americans that a company would be so reckless as to hand over money to people who have helped to create a failure as big as the American economy is right now. This is pure greed. This is selfishness on a level that can only boggle the mind…as a society this greed has been spreading like a cancer for sometime. Why do people stand out on corners peddling drugs i.e. death and destruction?? For personal gain…because while McDonald’s may be hiring is it going to pay as good as selling drugs? Maybe once upon a time factory jobs would have paid as good but guess what…somewhere in corporate America some one decided to send that job overseas…cause while it may have taken money off the streets and out of the communities of this nation it also lined the pockets of a section the American population. This brings to mind a quote from an article located at the Los Angeles Times…they did an interview with the screenwriter of WATCHMEN David Hayter who had this to say about what WATCHMEN the movie is trying to say: ....

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Unchecked power, Hayter says, has rarely been as much of  an issue: "How do we know that people making all of the decisions are not woefully human, which is what they are?"

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The ultimate point of "Watchmen," he says, is that people need to "look past their own egos, their own fears, and see what’s truly positive — what’s going to benefit the world and the people around them, and not exclusively themselves."

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As much as I appreciate Obama as president I feel that all people in power need to be checked…often and thoroughly…which is something this country has not been doing for a number of decades and now…the day of reckoning has arrived. Lord help us all.

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Until next time…go out and enjoy the day that the Lord has made and rejoice in it and be glad…who knows what tomorrow will bring.....

I’m in love with love….l’amour…l’amour….l’amour.   This slightly chilly winter day is also Valentine’s Day. I am of course at work…and of course par for the course I have no loverman to give me sweet nuttins’. For the record I have never ever had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day…never ever and probably never will. However, it has been and remains my favorite holiday…I enjoy it and all the commercial trappings far better than I do Christmas, Halloween or the Fourth of July. The only other holiday I can think of that makes me stand in stores and sigh with joy is Easter…bunnies and baby chicks do that to me. 

So the past month has been an overload of happy aesthetics for me…every window, every store display…even walking down the aisles smelling the bags of chocolate has been a joy…because for some reason I love Valentine’s Day. I always make it a point to celebrate by buying a box (or boxes)  of valentines-the kind they handout at school and bags of chocolates. Then I pile it all in a big o’bag and walk around the building handing out valentines and chocolates to one and all of my fellow library workers. This year my Valentine’s Day mojo was curtailed by fiscal responsibilities and the fact that it falls on a Saturday. So…I only bought two nice big cards one for my mother, the other for a dear sweet friend of mine whose mother just passed away less than a week ago. However, I did buy enough small valentines to handout CHRONICLES OF NARINA: Prince Caspian on Thursday and SNOOPY & WOODSTOCK today.  AND of course bags of Hershey’s Bliss squares and Kisses…I like to give out the next to the best. Last year when my finances were better I was handing out Ghirardelli

squares.   Chocolate and love…what a blessing.




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Over the years I have come to appreciate what it means to be loved. I have met people who have suffered from a lack of love…from feeling that even their parents truly did not love them. I am loved even with all my flaws and that is an immense blessing.  My mother knows me and yet she still loves me…you cannot beat that. I know in this couplistic society we are compelled to believe that as one becomes an adult only romantic love is true and really the gold standard.  There are many types of love:  the love a parent has for a child is a social pillar, a belief system that is considered a given in spite evidence to the contrary. However, the one we are all lead to believe has to be attained and maintained at all cost is romantic love…the stuff of fairy tales, romance novels AND rom-com films.  But again I have met many who had never been loved…or so they believe. They did not feel it from their parents  and when they got older and began to date and mate they still felt it was an elusive prize…something just at the horizons edge.

When I say I am a spinster I say this not with sadness or need or shame. I say it cause I do not believe it is a negative reflection upon my existence on this Earth.  I am in a peculiar place in history….currently 46.5% of Black women will never be married. And yes that number does include plump, brown, funny, smart, curious, easy-going, God-fearing, hard working women such as myself. It is what it is…and that’s okay cause in the end things could be so much worse and I know that. ....

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However, this year I did a little something different. My ID, I have spoken of my ID in previous posts, is working today so I left him a pile of chocolates and a valentine AND today my all-time favorite TARC driver was driving the bus that bought me to work. Yes, my goateed shade wearing bus driver with the easy smile was sitting in the drivers seat AND so as I left the bus at 2^nd and Broadway I slipped him a valentine too…alas no chocolate since it was at work in a bag waiting to be handed out to my co-workers.  Yeah I love this holiday…just paint me pink, white, red AND happy all over. ....

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Have only went to see two movies since last I was here at my drivel spot. Went to see ....DEFIANCE.... with my bud Sue Ann…it’s nice to have someone to drool alongside. ....DEFIANCE.... is the only Daniel Craig fix for the rest of 2009 .  And thank you sweet king Jesus for it too. ..DEFIANCE.. is based on a little known part of the Holocaust and Jewish resistance to the evil that swept over ..Europe... DC plays the older brother of a group of brothers who lead 1200 fellow Jews into the woods in ....Poland..... For almost four years this group survived.  The story is harrowing and also inspiring…when your back is up against the wall…you can either become a savage or tap into your humanity and stay human and decent.  Liev Schreiber stars as the hot headed brother who bands with the Russians to fight against the Nazis but eventually he realizes that he needs to return to the woods and his people…overall a very well made story that needed to be made. So often stories dealing with the Holocaust basically paint the Jews as docile almost complacent victims…very rarely are they presented as fighters…this shows another side of the many stories that form the history of the Jewish people.
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Made my way on opening weekend to see CORALINE. Stop-action is soooo cool…over the years I have seen two other stop-action films--CORPSE BRIDE and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH—and I enjoyed both very much. The thing about stop-action is the story has to be interesting…the technique is cool enough BUT can come off as being empty style if the story is weak. However,  CORALINE does not suffer from that at all…the Other Mother, the Scottish Terriers that play cards, the circus made of mice, even the cat who can talk are all really cool. I enjoyed the movie and the 3-D effects were pretty cool...however I must say the 3-D effects were not as impressive as the ones seen in BEOWULF.
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Finally, the winter has been rough. I mean windstorms, ice storms, snow AND the loss of electricity for three days. Yeah sitting in a cold, dark house is just about the bottom of the shitty diaper of life…AND to think this is just the half way mark…winter still has 6 more weeks.  
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Well I am not looking forward to much. I am waiting for something good to come my way financially. Life with no Sundays is odd. I enjoy going to church…I enjoy having an extra day to rest…AND I enjoy having more time to watch DVDs. However, the loss of income for someone such as myself who is head of household…well let’s just say I’ll be more than happy to sign up for Sundays…I never complained before about working them AND I shall never complain when and if they return.
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The only fly-in-my-pot-of-oh-well is the switch over to digital. I went yesterday and bought TWO converter boxes at Radio Shack…got them home, hooked it up to my tv…had a digital connection for a few moments and then poof…gone. Needless to say I am not a happy camper right now about this whole new world of wonder that awaits all us late 20^th century tv watchers. DAMN DIGITAL DAMN IT!!!
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However, tax time has came and went. I got my W-2s before 9AM and had my taxes filed by 7PM the same day. Life is gooooood. Federal and state both deposited into my checking account within a week. AND of course ALL the loot is gone. Paid the house note, paid other money grabbing rascals AND then I treated myself to some eBay shopping.  Got some new jeans…with a cool ass butterfly embroidered on the left thigh, a 8GB flash drive AND three new movies on DVD.  I also went to Wally World and got a pair of purple metallic flats.   The DVDs have bought much joy…finally got a chance to see Lee Byung-Hun’s work from 2008, the Korean Western THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD. A fantastic piece of pop culture from overseas…and the best part is of course LBH…I adore this dude he’s soooo sexy AND when he’s playing bad its like…Clint Eastwood meets Alain Delon with a dash of Johnny Depp. I am always amazed when women tell me they don’t find Asian men sexy…watching LBH makes me realize they just maybe ain’t seen the right ones. ....

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Also got a chance to obtain a copy of a very cool, very funny but melancholy geisha story titled SAKURAN.  SAKURAN is a piece of manga from ....Japan.... that is totally an anti-MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA film. The lead character Kiyoha is spunky, foolish BUT strong…she endures just as much suffering and disappointment as Sayuri BUT she does not just roll over and take it. I enjoyed both stories [I am a geisha-ophile] BUT was pleased more by the final outcome for Kiyoha…and I liked the fact that unlike MOAG, SAKURAN used Japanese actresses instead of Chinese ones. For while I am a devoted fan of Gong Li…I still found it odd that almost ALL the major parts in MOAG where handed over to non-Japanese actors….in the end I guess one should be thankful they did not just hire White actors  and cover them with body paint.  ....

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Now to make it through the rest of the winter…to make it through to my next vacation…8 days off starting April 26 thru May 3. No plans--nuttin but just a week away from the plantation. Hopefully the weather will be brilliant…and may the movie gods smile down upon me…until next time…I encourage all to keep it together with the help of ‘grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.’....

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OMG!!! 2009. I mean really…another year gone…one more to face down. So 2008…kinda sucked [the economy imploded]…was kinda glorious[we elected President Barack Obama]…such is the way of Life. As for the suck part…well the financial world as we knew it imploded and basically took me with it. It's all the circle of life…a big old circle jerk of bad debts and shiesty folks doing dirty deeds not necessarily done dirt cheap…and since I work for the local government…when the tax base starts to erode there goes my sense of security. Czar Jer, the mayor of The Ville, cancelled Sundays at the LFPL, a subsidiary of ACME Corp. So…there goes 16% of my yearly income…needless to say I am facing some serious fiscal issues. BUT then again this is life. Been here, got the t-shirt.

My mother, the Duck, worked two jobs everyday for over 20 years. My earliest memories are of my mother heading out to work. When I was 7 ½ she got a job working at the Louisville Police Department. This started a life of getting up before 6AM Monday through Friday and heading out to the east side of Louisville to clean houses. She would then get done and head back to our home, shower, change clothes and be at her dispatcher desk by 2PM…where she would work till 10PM. Then she'd get in her car, head home, be in bed by 11:30 and get back up and do it all over again the following day. Her job at the police department required she work Sundays and holidays. There were very few days when she was not working at least one job.

So, I am used to work. I come from a working class background and I am proud of it. I have sat on the cusp of middle class hood for most of my existence. With the Sundays I had retained a certain amount of financial success even if I did not necessarily manage  it very well. Now I have slide down the economic ladder a few rungs. BUT I still make more money then my mother did working her two jobs or what my maternal grandmother made cleaning houses or picking cotton in the fields of segregated Alabama. However, I don't make as much as my father made working as a printer at a company here in Louisville.

Once again…I am facing uncertain times…but it could be much worse so I shall not complain too much. In lieu of less income I have been blessed with being able to refinance my mortgage. The original rate was at 10.5% AND it was an ARM(Adjustable Rate Mortgage)…well since everything and everyone has went tits up I was able to get into a locked rate of 6.1% and it's no longer an ARM. Blessings come great and small AND I am always thankful one way or another.

As an over-worked spinster my weekends and holidays used to be one big blur…sleep, eat, sleep some more, eat a little more …rinse & repeat. But thanks to the wonders of less work, less money I have more time to ponder how I am going to pay all the bills…but at least I will be well rested :insert sarcasm here:

I ended the year off from work. Normally I would have been working…but due to the unpaid furlough day on Friday January 2 I was given Wednesday December 31 as a regular off day. AND decided to indulge one last time.

I woke up, dressed, caught the 27 to Wal-Mart on Poplar Level, wrote a check for some cash, caught the 43 downtown, went into Border's and bought the cd/dvd release BEST SO FAR by D'Angelo, caught the 17 to Bardstown Road, went into WILD & WOOLLY and rented Robin Hood season 2—DEATH RACE—LA FEMME NIKITA and WALL-E, walked over to Wendy's had some lunch, caught the 55 out to Tinseltown, saw SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, left there, went to BOOKS-A-MILLION, bought a pair of cool ass earrings, went to Meijer's and bought a ball of sharp cheddar cheese, a plastic container for my office and a bottle of body wash, walked across the parking lot to Target, bought another purple maternity top AND a strawberry smoothie…got back on the 55 to head home, got off at Grinstead & Bardstown Road, went into Arby's and ate, then got on the 25 and finished the journey home. The kinda day I enjoy…my time, my agenda, at my leisure.

Had planned to attend Night Watch services at Canaan. Alas it was so cold and the Duck was so tired we stayed home.  Got a chance to 'enjoy' hearing gunshots at 10PM instead of midnight. As I laid there in my bed could not help but wonder…where does all the bullets land?

With all this time on my hands…I started de-cluttering my room…one spot at a time. Came across all my WILD & WOOLLY receipts and decided to add up what I had spent over the course of 2008. I spent $250 renting 61 movies and 13 tv shows…I figured I got a pretty good deal…all total I viewed about 150 discs over 12 months. Comparatively if I was using Netflix even at their highest rate of 3 disc at a time…at a cost of $17 a month…that works out to $204 a year…keeping in mind the $250 does include late fees..and the inconvenience of not having to wait for sets to arrive at your door 3 at a time…however, I will probably be spending less time at W&W.

The best film of 2008 for me was THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. From the first time I saw the trailer I was in love with the film. That rarely happens…I usually am interested in seeing a movie after viewing a trailer BUT never have I fell in love with a movie based solely on the trailer. The music, the cinematography, the dialogue I was hooked. SO on Christmas Day I headed out to see it at Baxter. I am always amazed at how sacred Christmas is for some…especially the whole concept CHRISTMAS is ALL about family…well every day is Christmas for me since me and my mother live together. That said I was pleasantly surprised when I got over to Baxter and the theater was packed.

BENJAMIN BUTTON is poetic, melancholy, beautiful, funny, wistful, visually inspiring AND hopeful. The saga of a man born old, who the longer he lives the younger he will get is amazing to try and comprehend. The acting is solid and the story strong...that said it will be a movie that either you will hate or you will revel in and enjoy. It is long…2 hours and 47 minutes. There is only one point in the film that flopped and it was a piece of dialogue spoken by Cate Blanchett's character Daisy…something about needing death in order to appreciate the one's we love. It felt stilted and very contrived. But other than that THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENAJIMIN BUTTON definitely deserves it's place in IMDB top 250 films…as of today it sits at 61 after 15, 720 votes…and  I do not contest that at all.

I ended the year with SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. And it too has been getting a lot of praise and rightly so. The story is beautiful, heartbreaking AND very very joyous. I am feening to one day travel to India and this film did not do anything more than feed the need. I like happy endings and after BENJAMIN BUTTONS sorrowful end SLUMDOG was a pleasant way to end my 2008 cinematic journey.

Oh yeah I saw QUANTUM OF SOLACE in the theater 3 times--thanks to gift cards I got for my birthday and a stroke of luck involving a cancelled sneak preview. Enjoyed TWILIGHT well enough as well as TRANSPORTER 3. Was slightly peeved by TRANSPORTER 3 due to the tackhead female lead…she was whinny and silly and did not deserve to be rode around anywhere by Jason Statham's The Transporter. If anything he should have ran her over. However, a review over at Salon.com nailed what makes Statham appealing: 'his voice alone is delectable: It sounds like a cat's tongue feels'. I could not agree more.

2009 has me looking forward to NEW IN TOWN; re: Harry Connick Jr. love him in romantic comedies, can take or leave Renee Zellweger. CORALINE; re: most adaptations of Neil Gaiman's works i.e. MirrorMask and Neverwhere come to mind, usual are good, this should be no different. Two Clive Owen films THE INTERNATIONAL and DUPLICITY—I am not too hyped about either of them BUT anytime spent looking at Clive is fine by me. THE UGLY TRUTH re: it's all about Gerard Butler--Katherine Heigl grinds on my nerves…she's the pissiest thing on GREY'S ANATOMY and may I add that's saying something. FAST & FURIOUS re: Vin Diesel, yeah his expiration date has long came and went but I have enjoyed the franchise before and now that he's returning to it once again…well here's hoping it can jumpstart his career. WOLVERINE re: OMFlamingGoodness!!! Hugh Jackman wet and flexing!!! Yeah baby Yeah! STAR TREK re: the trailer. If the movie can live up to the trailer it will be great. PUBLIC ENEMIES re; a clean shaven Johnny Depp starring along side Christian Bale….brings to mind a regional ad that used to run on tv selling sausage…the slogan was 'It's Goooood!' which pretty much sums up how I feel about these two actors working together. Finally getting excited for UP! re: it's a PIXAR animated film…it's pretty much guaranteed to be good—and the trailer makes it look too marvelous for words.

While I was away from my blog-spot I came across this cool question over at ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What character [in a movie] has a life that you'd like to slip into, even for just a little while? Man o' man was this a hard one to answer.   Do you go for the thrill of the financially rich life or a life full of experiences or do you go for both?  I sat and pondered for quite a while…I went by actresses that I admire i.e. Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Jeanne Moreau…then I moved on to decades in movie history…the Dirty Flirty 20s before the Hays Code took hold or how about the 1950s during the reign of Sirk? Then on to the 1960s and the way things were changing both in the streets and on the screens…but time and again I came back to one actress who I think was absolutely the most beautiful woman doing the height of her career: Elizabeth Taylor. I have seen her in 7 movies: Cleopatra, Suddenly Last Summer, Giant, Ivanhoe, The VIPS, Butterfield 8 and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. I instantly knew which two I would love to live out either BUTTERFIELD 8 or CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. The thing is Taylor's Gloria Wandrous does not end up in a good way by the end of BUTTERFIELD 8…in fact she dies…in a high speed car chase…but at least it's in a red two-seater roadster…I mean if you are going to flame out...flame out in style. However, while the passion that flares between her character and Laurence Harvey's poor rich man character Weston Liggett is pretty potent…I don't want no sad endings. So I move on to CAT…which featured Taylor opposite Paul Newman--Newman at the apex of his physical perfection--the body, the voice, the eyes…yeah I'd like to be Maggie the Cat to Newman's Brick. AND while the original play by Tennessee Williams does not end on an upbeat note—Brick is basically a closeted gay man…I shall stick with the Hollywood ending and embrace the concept of Maggie the Cat finally getting her man Brick back…into her life and her bed. Great film…and definitely one I could stand to live.

I shall end this spot of drivel with a prayer that 2009 does not disintegrate into more mass upheaval and failure and that if there are not to be any gains that I at least will be able to maintain what I have.

AMEN.

Okay before you read any further I feel compelled to warn you that this blog entry may contain spoilers. I shall first rant about the pissy reviews I have read on QUANTUM OF SOLACE and the pissy notions I have read in regards to the James Bond film series. Then I shall discuss the movie itself which opened this week across the United States.

I can honestly say I am amazed at the stupidity of the average adult moviegoer. Even with all that was written about the making of QUANTUM OF SOLACE people still are acting like they had no idea about the issues the character Bond is facing in the latest installment of the series. For those who may or may not know, CASINO ROYALE was Daniel Craig's first time out as James Bond. Basically he remade the character and in doing so I shall refer to him as JB 2.0.  Now in  CASINO ROYALE…JB 2.0 falls in love…with Vesper. He falls in love with her so deeply he decides to leave the Queen's service. Now it does not take a genius to realize this is some serious love…this is no easily amazed/push over type of man…JB 2.0 is no babe in the woods but a man of the world and any woman who can claim his heart is something to say the least. SO. CASINO ROYALE introduces the moviegoer to JB 2.0, in love and going full throttle in his pursuit of the latest bad guys out to ruin the world. However, like all things there is a catch and in the end Vesper turns out to be the victim of a secret organization…and the man who loves her…JB 2.0…takes one on the chin as he realizes too late that all is not what it seems and that his happiness and his woman are going to be destroyed thanks to this secret organization. When CASINO ROYALE ends J.B. 2.0 is closing himself away, he's hurt, grieving and bewildered. He believes Vesper betrayed him and that she deliberately tried to comprise his life's work.

Now this is where I am getting pissy because everyone who is posting stuff from film critics, to society columnists, to the average Joe Blow on the web they are all acting like this film just comes out of thin air. Yet, the film makers have said all along that QUANTUM OF SOLACE was going to be a sequel to CASINO ROYALE…that the start of QOS picks up an hour after you last see JB 2.0 standing over Mr. White with a big ass gun in his hand and enough anger and wrath to go medieval for several months. Now if you did not see CASINO ROYALE or you have forgotten it then maybe you should take the time out to watch it…it's on DVD for God's sakes. Instead plenty of lukewarm silly reviews abound. Most claiming that QOS is cold, short, bombastic, edited poorly. QOS comes in under 2 hours and nothing is wasted. You are supposed to want JB 2.0 to get revenge for Vesper…not wait for him to be given silly ass gadgets to play with or get a chance to hear him utter some silly shit like 'Bond. James Bond'. I mean really what's with all the 'it ain't the same boo-hoo' bullshit…the WORLD HAS CHANGED. It would look rather stupid to see 1960s Sean Connery James Bond in a 2008 world. Which is one of my beefs with so called James Bond fans…you claim to want the old stuff BUT I bet if the filmmakers gave you the old Bond you'd complain about how outdated it looks especially next to Jason Bourne. And speaking of Mr. Bourne.

I love the Bourne series. Before The Bourne Trilogy I had never thought Matt Damon was cute let alone fuckable BUT after the first one I totally got the appeal of Damon and the character Jason Bourne. However, I believe it's very silly to try and compare the two characters….it's like trying to compare the sweetness of chocolate vs. caramel. Bourne is an American, younger and most importantly he's got no history…only in the final movie do you realize what he went though to become Jason Bourne.  James Bond is Queen and Country. He's class, he has the backing of 300 years of colonizer might, he's unchecked machismo…he's all the old shit good and bad. Which is why you have to let go of the 'shaken, not stirred' rhetoric AND Pussy Galore fantasies of the old James Bond. The world just does not exist in that fashion anymore.

But before I forget I am humbled by the mental arrogance of some people. I was over at Salon and plenty of letters where posted after Stephanie Zacharek's review of QOS. Most where of the 'I have never watched a Bond film and after this review I don't plan to.' Might I add a similar vein of thought could be found over at the hip chick site POPSUGAR. Which leads me to this: 'Bitch please!'. I mean really…I have never seen an Indiana Jones film BUT I would not use that as an excuse to not give them a try. This is not a test to see how urbane or highly intelligent you are…it's a film not a test for membership to MENSA.

In the end QOS was great. It tightened up CR and made the end of CR even more bittersweet. When JB 2.0 finally makes it to Kazan, Russia and confronts the man that lead to Vesper's turmoil and death you realize what it takes and will take for JB 2.0 to keep going. Also the issues of revenge and trust are front and center in QOS. As Mathis, JB 2.0's frenemy, lies dying in his arms, Mathis asks him to forgive himself and Vesper. It's a deep moment that they do not linger over…and there is no need…by that point you should realize that JB 2.0 has no time for reflection…he has a list of people to put away and a short amount of time to do it in. His actions speak for him. If he did not care or had nothing invested in a situation he would not be involved. Period.

I have noticed that some people seem to be fixiated on the absence of Moneypenny and Q. Which is odd since I have been enjoying the presence of M and Felix Leiter, JB 2.0's CIA equivalent.  I don't need all the other bells and whistles since I am more than entertained watching Daniel Craig.

How big of a Daniel Craig fan am I? Out of the 51 or so projects listed under his name at IMDB I have seen and/or own on DVD the following: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, The Ice House[a PBS Mystery], Obsession, Love and Rage, Elizabeth, Sword of Honour, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider[first time he show's up on the big screen wet and hot], Road to Perdition, Copenhagen, The Mother. Sylvia, Layer Cake, Archangel, Munich, Infamous, Casino Royale, The Invasion, The Golden Compass, Flashbacks of a Fool and of course Quantum of Solace. From this I have learned that Daniel Craig is a serious actor. He takes chances and he's not just for show. Pretty much all these parts carried with them some type of serious emotional range…and he hits all the right notes all the time. His talent has bought a certain amount of emotional integrity to the character James Bond. Still it cannot be denied that part of his star power is his looks…the man is sex on a stick. He's a fuck god for sure…thanks in part to those blue eyes and that 'brooding-dangerous-to-know' personae Daniel Craig's allure is hard to deny. Better still are the words of Lainey over at LaineyGossip, Lainey works for the E! network, she knows the entertainment industry inside and out and her observances on Daniel are delicious-- here are a few:

From Fri 11/07:

• Bond, James Bond. And everything that comes with
• The film will be released November 14, perfectly timed for the SMA announcement
• He rejuvenated the franchise, has retained an irresistible air of mystery, and looks f-cking ridiculous sick in a suit

From Fri 10/31:

For those of you asking about my friend Laura yesterday – she had a rough morning. When I told her that Daniel declared his love for Sats in front of Hot Harry on a Horse… it was a fatal blow. Because while Sats in person is certainly attractive, Sats is definitely no Gisele Bundchen. Sats is a good looking regular person. Which means Daniel Craig gets down with good looking regular people. Laura is a good looking regular person. She could have had Daniel Craig.

From Thu 7/10:

The man behind the Bond is so rarely sighted, we must take advantage when we can.

Daniel Craig and fiancée Satsuki Mitchelle arrived at LAX yesterday. As usual, he is pure sex. And as usual, she looks much worse in photos than she does in person. But Satsuki does have the best hair, non?

My friend Laura is obsessed with him. Laura is Italian. I always tease her, since I'm Asian and Sats is half, that I have a better chance. She told me she would push me into the ocean with my broken arm for a chance at Daniel Craig.

Can you blame her?

From Mon 4/14:

This is for my producer Laura who sends me on the best assignments. Thank you for Twilight. Now here's a little Bond.

Daniel Craig and fiancée (or perhaps wife) on Sunday at the London premiere of Flashbacks of a Fool. These photos have not been enhanced. Those really are his eyes. The true colour of his eyes. Are you quivering?

His pout, his suit, his apparent impatience at the spectacle of the red carpet… can't wait for the new Bond. Even if the title is all kinds of silly.

And now the one that produced a bucket of panty pudding from me

…..From Wed 5/23:

Bond & Bonded

New Line anniversary party for The Golden Compass up in some house, only not a house, more of a mansion but when you think mansion the French architecture doesn't quite come across and this was very much a modern chateau.

Only marquee attendees were Daniel Craig and Eva Green. Everyone else worth an A+ was on the boat with Clooney. And there was another bash for models and hangers-on at Eden Roc really not worth talking about.

So let me just explain, just in case – sorry to bore you if you already know – you've never seen how a red carpet works at one of these events.

Still photos first. Photographers camp out in their own section. Next it's the tv crews. If it's a civilised party, and it was last night, they will mark off spots. Reuters and the AP usually first and so on and so on. The stars will walk the line, usually do 2 questions max, if you're lucky 3, and move to the next outlet. Always accompanied by a publicist hovering directly behind.

When he or she has a date or a spouse who isn't famous, usually one of two options: publicists leads date into party first to wait at the end of press line to be rejoined later, or the date hovers in the back also with publicist. Usually.

Unless you're Daniel Craig.

Daniel Craig's girlfriend is Satsuki Mitchell. In photos she looks a bit…hard. In person, she's gorgeous. So unique looking, so striking… I can't stop staring at her. Dylan says she needs to eat a bit but whatever… he's all about the junk in the trunk anyway.

When we ran into them at the du Cap the other night, Satsuki was at Daniel's side, wearing a black shift, chatting comfortably with everyone else. At one point she walked by us and said to her friend F&CK OFF, and we all turned around because it was quite loud. Turns out she was taking the piss.

Anyway, back to last night.

First the Hotness. This is a man who fills a suit. He doesn't just wear it, he fills it. Every inch of it. And in a good way. A man's man. A real man's man. The kind who can throw back straight vodka, turn on the chain saw but also pull out the chair for you and read when he's bored. Virile yet intellectual, smoldering but smart, and not altogether comfortable with the attention. Very squirmy with fame. Which might be why he is so attached to his woman.

They arrived on the carpet and it would be easy to say, like all celebrity "significant others", that she was clingy. But she's not clingy. HE is the one who is clingy. But not in a limp dick kind of way either. He posed with her, he would not let go of her. Then they made their way over to the tv media, all the while she is glued to his side, primarily because he kept her hand clasped in his and held it behind his back.

It was incredibly sexy. Kinda possessive but in a respectful way, you know? So she was not wavering in the background like some worthless tart but an important part of his life that deserved more than the shadow. You can't even imagine how attractive that is.

In the end Lainey may or may not be on the mark but it's write ups like that that keeps this spinster nice and roasting under her quilt on long winter nights.

Until next time…

WOW…it's over…and it happened. I did not truly embrace the end of the journey till President-Elect Barack Obama stepped out onto the stage at Grant Park in Chicago on the night of November 4, 2008…I did not really fall apart till they showed 'Messy' Jesse Jackson crying and the streets in several major cities filled with people rejoicing. I have been humbled and honored. I too believed that this election would be stolen. That just like 2000 and 2004 crooked things would go down in and outside the voting booths. I believed that yes many people would continue to be disenfranchised…especially those who have served time in prison and incorrectly believe they cannot vote because of their past misdeeds. But mostly I did not believe enough White Americans would co-sign on a Black American man as president. I am enjoying being surprised. I am enjoying looking forward to the future once again. They are definitely more harsh times ahead…but at least the President of the United States will not be some malicious uninformed warmonger. Barack Obama is not perfect BUT he is going to be a blessing to this country I really and truly believe that.

So after all that I have been creating something. You know I do not drive. I catch the bus to about 90% of my destinations…whether it be work, home or just out trolling for cinema thrills or more clothes I am usually on public transit. I walk briskly and with purpose…I have been cursed with the inability to 'stroll'.  That is why my portable music players have always been so important to me…music is the soundtrack to the landscape I find myself existing in…going to and fro not wrecking havoc BUT just trying to get to my appointed destination. I feel blessed to live where I do since I basically live in the center of Louisville. I am 15 minutes away from most things of any substance…I have not one BUT 5 major bus lines within walking distance of my front door. There's a reason why I would never really want to move from where I live at…my house is raggedy BUT my location is divine.

For a long time I did not have a mp3 player…I was using Sony Walkmans…packing CDs and batteries everywhere I went…again not wanting to be caught with out my security blanket, my shield and sword, my mental armor. Then I finally took the plunge and bought a mp3 player and realized that I had been mistreating myself…how long could I have gone on doing this selfish and heinous crime against my spirit…2 GB of glory wrapped up in tough orange plastic thrilled me to no end…it did not vibrate…or glow but it certainly made up for that in other ways. So I have gotten rid of the RCA 2GB player…gave it to a former supervisor of mine named Dustin…who I noticed one day on the bus manhandling his Walkman and basically said…'Get thee to my office where I shall clear out a mp3 player and give it to you.' He's been very happy with it. Now I have three black Sony mp3 players….all total 10 GBs…I am as close to being at one with the universe as one can be when in debt, tired and working 6 days a week year round.

I know by now you may be asking yourself why not just get a iPod. Well because I not like to follow the herd. I mean iPods are pretty. And they are pretty cool…but do they really do a better job that any other product on the market? I have asked and gotten mixed reviews…then some say iPods are all hype..it's not bad but no it's not the best on the market just the most popular…other's swear by the greatness of the iPod. Either way I am for now through buying mp3 players. I am set…for the long winter ahead. The leaves are turning colors, falling and covering the ground with wonder…fall is always amazing…and brings back memories of days in my childhood running around parks and fields screaming and falling…getting on merry-go-rounds and spinning till I was made sick…and then sitting down for a while till someone or something would come along and I'd head headlong into the joy of the moment all over again.

But fall precedes winter and winter means cold days and nights…high heating bills AND fighting off the various forms of the Crud that seems to engulf the community when winter sets in. The cold helps to kill the germs of the Crud BUT then you have to bundle up against the chills and my right knee is raggedy so those winds can make time outside not so pleasant sometimes.

However, that's where music comes into play. I have made myself an aural quilt. I love house music and the more mixes I find online the more I weep with joy. So the two 4GBs I own contain mixes…from various sources and various lengths…recently came across one dedicated to our President-Elect that runs 3 hours and 3 minutes long…once again making me no better than a pig in slop. But the 2GB is the quilt…Linus has his blue blanket…I have my aural quilt. At first I tried burning playlist onto the 2 GB player…playlist of nothing but disco, then nothing but 70s soul and at one point nothing but Jamiroquai. Then by hook and crook I finally let go of the plan and just let the music take me where it wanted to…so now 150 songs have been synced,molded into a quilt befitting a woman of my attributes. I don't do playlist I just let the songs play in alphabetical order…in some parts of the world A is for apple AND B is for bees but as you can tell from the following list that's not even the half of it.

Chele Belle's Alphabet:

 is 9 tracks, A is American Boy[Estaw American Grill Fix] Estelle feat. Kanye West: First time I heard this song it made me smile. It's uptempo…it's cheeky BUT most important it has a global feel to it…the London town girl singing to the Chi-Town rapper…Black Brit meets Black American and the results are pretty solid.

 is 3 tracks, B is Brown Sugar by D'Angelo: I miss this man. Last I heard from Entertainment Weekly of all sources D'Angelo is in LA working out and working on a new album. Can you believe it's been 8 years since VOODOO.  Eight years of nothing but reports of him becoming a drug addicted recluse with a tendency to drive while intoxicated. However, no matter how he looks … his musical talent will always reign supreme…and the song Brown Sugar is the song that got it all started…neo-soul-- Black music with something more to offer than product endorsements, Badu & Baduizm. Granted Brown Sugar is about a product…D's singing about marijuana not Black women BUT hey it's still got a killer groove.

 is 6 tracks, C is Choke [feat. John Graham] by Hybrid and Communication by Power Station:  Heard Choke in the trailer for THE SPIRIT…was hooked by the end of the 2 minute trailer…hurried up and went looking for the song online and hit pay dirt. Communication is an oldie…my generation oldie…back in the day when Duran Duran was the shyte and anything any of the members did got attention John Taylor and Andy Taylor took a break from Duran Duran and started Power Station. The cool thing was these two Brit pop stars getting it on with Black R&B royalty Nile Rodgers, founder of CHIC and blue eyed soul meister Robert Palmer…just the right amount of funk, rock and just plain old pop-rock flim-flam…it's one of those songs that always transports me back to the mid-80s and being a Duranie.

 is 10 tracks, D is Do You Wanna Boogie Huh? by Weather Girls AND Dark & Long [Dark Train Mix] by Underworld: The Weather Girls…also was known as Two Tons of Fun. Yeah they were big physically but their voices were even bigger. How much musical chops did they have…they song back up for Sylvester…their biggest song was the cheese-fest IT'S RAINING MEN. Dark & Long is one of the best tracks off of a sho-nuff awesome soundtrack for the movie Trainspotting. So the movie Trainspotting is sacred shyte…Ewan McGregor, the worst toilet in Scotland and Kevin McKidd in his pre-Grey's Anatomy period. I am not a big fun of techno…but songs like Dark & Long and Choke bring out the tech head in me.

 is 2 tracks, E is Escape [The Pina Colada Song] by Rupert Holmes: This song is my childhood. Listening to it in various cars, on various radio stations…it was the soundtrack of my existence circa 1978-1980. I always liked the melody but in the end for a writer it's the words and Holmes writes a great song about being disconnected/disenchanted lovers. I still laugh when I hear how he arrives at the meet up point and realizes the woman whose ad he's answered is his current girlfriend…and they both had no idea that the other one liked Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain bahahahahahahahahahaha.

 is 4 tracks, F is Fantasy [Def Club Mix] by Mariah Carey: Mariah Carey can sing. She may have the closet of a two-bit hooker with a glitter gun and daddy issues BUT no matter how trashy she dresses her voice remains—all 6 octave ranges. This track is a remix and does not feature the epically wonderful but bizarre words of Old Dirty Bastard but it does have the great dance club feel that Def Jam remixer Kenny Dope is notorious for.

 is 7 tracks, G is Golden by jill scott AND Glad to be Unhappy [DJ Logic Remix] by Billie Holiday: jill scott is sacred. She's fierce in her ability to represent Black women as better than the sum of all those rap video hoochies. The interior spiritual landscape of Black womanhood is definitely far more interesting and emotionally developed than that which is displayed when you see half-naked, fat buttcheek video vixens on BET. Golden is positive and full of purpose…I like positive and if nothing else Obama's campaign showed the goodness of living a life full of purpose.  Billie Holiday was not a good singer…as drugs took their toll on her body and voice there was not much left but her personality. However, Glad to be Unhappy is a bittersweet love song…loving someone inspite of  all the obvious obstacles…being glad to be able to love. Amazingly enough there are a lot of people who's capacity to love is very very limited.

 is 12 tracks, H is all heart whether it's Heart of Glass by Blondie, Heartbeat[remixed by Larry Levan] by Taana Gardner AND Heartache No. 9 by Delegation.  However, the best track in H is Happiness Is Just Around the Bend by Brian Auger from 1973: heart=love, romance, hope, feelings, faith. Out of all the h's Happiness is Just Around the Bend is my most preferred track. It's a 7 minute track of jazz-funk…with a positive message…whether it's sunny or cold, rainy or breezy I step along thinking maybe happiness or more happiness is just around the bend…and if it ain't well just keep on keeping on.

 is 11 tracks, I is Is Your Love Strong Enough by Bryan Ferry, India by Roxy Music or I am the Black Gold of the Sun by Rotary Connection: First time I heard IS YOUR LOVE STRONG ENOUGH was when the 1985 fantasy movie LEGEND was released. It bombed at the box office but the song and video for the song hypnotized me. AND Tim Curry's Lord of Darkness was pretty cool to say the least.

 is 4 tracks, J is Just Like You Imagined by Nine Inch Nails: I had heard about NIN. Had various friends who listened to NIN. Did not feel the greatness of NIN till the first time I downloaded a trailer for 300. From that moment onward I was hooked on the movie and the song. And neither  has disappointed me. I am still not a huge fan of NIN but I am most certainly feeling the metal force of JUST LIKE YOU IMAGINED.

 is 1 track, K is K-Jee[Original Full Length Version] by MFSB: Do ya wanna dance? Do ya wanna get down on a glass dance floor with a man in a white flare-legged suit? No? Too bad cause the soundtrack to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER is fucking righteous. Many talk about the Bee Gees and what they offered up BUT for me two tracks stand out: Kool and the Gang's OPEN SESAME and this track K-JEE. Four minutes of what salsa and disco have to offer. No words, no vocals, no chants…just the groove.

 is 7 tracks, L is Lakme[excerpt] by Leo Delibes AND Love to Love you Baby [Illicit Mix] by Donna Summer: I am not a big classical music fan. I get the feeling sometimes people listen to classical music to show themselves and the world how highly evolved their minds are. Look at me…I can tell the difference between the works of Beethoven and Mozart...have sat for hours 'absorbing' Concerto WHATEVER!!! Yeah yeah so you don't listen to tripe like pop or rock…good for you dearie. That said I have to say when a classical music track connects with me it's usually due to a movie. LAKME has been used in various movies and commercials however, the movie that best utilized it was the vampire flick THE HUNGER.  The song was infamously used in the seduction scene that took place between Catherine Deneuve AND Susan Sarandon…I am not a lesbian and watching women caress and kiss is not my type of thrill. However, the power of the vampire story and musical bliss of the aria cannot be denied.

 is 7 tracks, M is Magic by Olivia Newton-John AND Musical Prayer by E-Man: Remember when Olivia was the It Girl of her day. She was Beyonce & Britney Spears. She could basically do no wrong…she had it covered in movies as well as on the music charts. I like magic. Watching men pull rabbits out of hats and saw women in two and put them back together is my thing. Basically everyday  porn for me is watching Edward Norton play Eisenheim the Illusionist in the movie THE ILLUSIONIST. And the best part of the film is the magic he performs to be able to once and for all be with the woman he loves…amazing story.

 is 3 tracks, N is Namhla Niyabizwa by S.A.C. Choir: I don't understand a word they are singing but I know the spirit. Was raised to believe you try the spirit by the spirit. The song uses the melody of What A Friend We Have in Jesus however the song is titled Today Christ is Calling. It is being song in Zulu by South African Church Choir and it is a joy to hear.

 is 3 tracks, O is Our Lips are Sealed by Fun Boy Three AND Over and Over by Sylvester: The 80s rocked. Yeah the 90s were okay and the 00s are what they are BUT the 80s rocked and one of the main reasons was because MTV played nothing but videos. No CRIBS or REAL WORLD or any other reality tripe…just music. And the Brits were sending over some pretty cool music. OUR LIPS ARE SEALED was co-written by one the band members from The Go-Gos who recorded it first. The Go-Gos version is all sunny LA rock BUT Fun Boy Three definitely gave it a more ominous vibe. Which is why I like their version better….people will talk BUT will we will not…so keep ya mouth shut!

 is 6 tracks, P is Paid in Full- 7 Minutes of Madness[Coldcut Remix] by Eric B. & Rakim AND Priye-A (The Prayer) by Jephte Guillaume: The best rap song besides Rapper's Delight by The Sugar Hill Gang. Paid in Full is a great mix…the words and flow of Eric B. & Rakim and the sacredness of Ofra Haza's voice. I remember the afternoon the song came on my tv—I was standing there in the den fighting the urge to pass out from the sheer brilliance of the track: the scratching, the bass, the vocals it just works.  I own a few works by Ofra Haza including the soundtracks to WILD ORCHID and GOVERNESS but her best work is PAID IN FULL simply because the dudes from New York City and the singer from Israel melded together so well.

 is NONE: Go figure.

 is 3 tracks, Rise by Herb Alpert AND Running Away by Roy Ayers Ubiquity:  Both tracks are the best of what was going on in R&B music back in the early 80s. They make me wanna dance.

 is 17 tracks, S is Steppin' Out [Costes Re-Edit] by Fantastic Plastic Machine AND Save it Later by The English Beat: I love remakes. NO song is so sacred it cannot be redone and sometimes the remake does the original one better. Steppin' Out is a Joe Jackson song from the mid-80s. However, the Japanese artist Fantastic Plastic Machine  took away the swanky NYC vibe and replaced it with a warm glowing bossa nova feel…instead of being in some NYC hotel you are on the beach basking in the sunlight.  Love.It.

 is 16 tracks, T is Trouble by Lindsey Buckingham, The Politics of Dancing by Re-Flex AND The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron remixed by The Soul Rebels: My basic nature, my instinct is to run with the wolves, use my outdoor voice indoors, run with the scissors and more often than not to not play well with others…sorry it's just how I am. That said I like going against the status quo…unending the apple cart. The context and strength of THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED cannot go unnoticed…especially after what took place here in America on the night of November 4. Power to the people…take it to the streets. YEAH!

 is 3 tracks, U is Une Very Stylish Fille by Dimitri from Paris: Another bossa nova kissed dance track. If and when I die I want this song played at my memorial. No open coffin, just a nice tasteful urn full of me and this song.  Another great example of sampling…in this case dialogue from the movie BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S.

 is 3 tracks, V is Voyage to Atlantis by The Isley Brothers: Love the Isley Brothers. Remember sitting in many an apartment back in the 70s. The smell of incense burning and LPs leaning up against stereos…and the image of the group decked out in their flare legged pantsuits and capes.  I'd take that over baggy, droopy pants any day. At the time a lot of soul groups were taking a fantasy-mythical take on life…life out on the street corners may be harsh BUT the music you listened to in your home was smooth.

 is 7 tracks, W is Worrisome Heart by Melody Gardot AND Wade In the Water by Ramsey Lewis Trio: Have I said how much I love LIPSTICK JUNGLE. I know it probably will get cancelled and that's too bad because it's a great chick sitcom. That said this season when Victory had spilt with Joe the Billionaire she ended up in the arms of a contractor played by the super sexy Latin actor Carlos Ponce.  The scene was pretty hot, their first time making love together and this song WORRISOME HEART was playing in the background. Had never heard the song or the singer BUT I immediately liked.  Love love these lyrics, can completely relate:

I need a hand with my worrisome heart
I need a hand with my worrisome heart
I would be lucky to find me a man
Who could love me the way that I am
With this here worrisome heart
I need a break from my troubling ways
I need a break from my troubling ways
I would be lucky to find me a man
Who could love me the way that I am
With all my troubling ways
I need a man who got no baggage to claim
I need a man who got no baggage to claim
I would be lucky to find me a man
Who could love me the way that I am
A worrisome troubling baggage free modern day dame,
Said a worrisome troubling baggage free modern day dame
Ain't no body the same

 is none. Go figure.

 is 3 tracks, Y is Yes We Can Can by The Pointer Sisters: YES WE CAN. YES WE DID. This track is an oldie…from the early 80s. One more sing of positive affirmation.

 is 1 track, not a particularly spectacular track. Bryan Ferry's Zamba: I need another Z track. Love Bryan Ferry. Cannot get enough of his rico suave vibe…still I need another Z track.

Instead of yarn, thread, cloth or cotton filler my quilt is beats, grooves, files AND words.  I troll the highways and byways of the net looking for mp3 files. I hear songs in mixes and read the track listing and then hunt down the song in solitary format. Heard a song back in January of this year that almost made me weep. Someone had remixed I CAN'T HELP IT by Michael Jackson. The song originally appeared on his 1979 album OFF THE WALL. As a blogger stated a good song was made great. I am forever on the prowl checking out various blogs and podcasts posted on various sites…the music takes me far afield and if I am lucky I always strike gold in some form or fashion.

As usually while I was out and about I read up on a few things: From Vanity Fair's December issue an article on the phenomenon known as TWILIGHT. I am Team Edward all the way and this line pretty much summed up why: 'who falls under the spell of a black swan of a man and, after much sparring, melts his Rochester/ Mr. Darcy reserve.' SIGH.

On this past season of MAD MEN one of the characters uttered the line: 'I like to offer a nice bouquet of my thoughts.' As opposed to a garden…and do they have to be nice…how about naughty and nice?  Just saying. Have not seen TRUE BLOOD but did read a blogger's response to the show from the website THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: 'a bath of velvety love with worship bubbles'. Umm okay I'll take one of those please. Thanks and can I bring my yellow duckie along for the experience.

November is Thanksgiving/Holiday Kick-Off month. The stores are already full of Christmas paraphernalia…can barely see anything brown and orange for all the red and green on the shelves. That said I am hankering down to endure this season by going to the movies…my time is at a premium so I have to be careful what I use what little free time I have watching. This Saturday QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Two Fridays from now TWILIGHT and sometime or another AUSTRALIA or THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Out of all the flicks listed I am most gagging for QOS. Not because I am a big Bond fan. I have only seen a handful of the 24 that have been made. No it's not the gadgets or the cars honey it's the man. Bond is always been a seductive caricature of manhood. Sorta a modernization of pirates and highwaymen. However while the shell was always pleasing the insides seemed to be too hollow to really be dreamed about.  I mean you may wanna spend a few hours with Bond but would you really want him as a husband or long-term companion. That said Daniel Craig owns the Bond concept front and center as far as I am concerned. What Connery did with it was good, solid BUT in no way was it as romantic or potent as what Craig has done. The fact remains some men make good fuck buddies and that's all. Some men make good husbands. And no your love cannot make a fuck buddy into husband material…contrary to what you may read in romance novels.

Until the next time…may my dreams continue to be enough to get me through…recently had one involving Daniel Craig, a tent AND a tub…which when I woke up from it I laughed because it was a visual affirmation of the saying, 'Strip him, bathe him and bring him to my tent.' I actually have that on a button.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

IT'S HERE!!!!!! FALL. Kraft caramels are on sale just in time so ya'll can make caramel apples and I can eat them by the handfuls, caramels that is. The temps are already falling below 70 and the trees, what few are left standing after the SLOPPY SECONDS IKE WINDSTORM of last month, are already turning colors. The St. James Court Art Show is this weekend and the old raggedy homestead is making the sounds of a house settling in for cooler weather. Most days I am content with my lot in life…I see where I made a wrong or stupid turn and accept my fate for what it is…however, there are moments when I just am not amused. My mother, The Duck, is a hoarder. She finds a reason to hold on, to keep just about any and every thing. This makes for a junky old house. She recently acquired ONE MORE piece of furniture and after making our way through a very over crowded house to her room with the object I snapped.  I know, I know I shouldn't have but I did. And I exclaimed: 'This is it…I need to move…this place is overrunning with junk and I really need to get away from all this stuff.' Well I believe I spooked the old girl. With what small amounts of energy she has in reserve she has been moving her clutter around and dare I say even getting rid of some stuff…but even with all that the place still looks like a feminine version of Fred Sanford's junk yard. Lord help me.

India is booming. The country's gross national product is growing by leaps and bounds and with it disposable income. So it makes sense that a year after launching VOGUE INDIA, Conde Nast is launching GQ INDIA…and featured on the front cover is one of my favorite Bollywood actor's Saif Ali Khan. On the inside flap my second favorite Bollywood sweet--Arjun Rampal. As soon as I read the cover story I thought of the following quote from German photographer Chris von Wangenheim---'A good fashion photograph makes a promise it can never keep.'—ahhh to be in India instead of in an office at LFPL, a subsidiary of ACME Corp.  I need a fairy godmother…I need magic.

Speaking of which…it's the little things that keep me going and tonight is premiere night. PUSHING DAISIES is returning…time for pie, love, bittersweet silly mysteries, a song or two AND Ned & Chuck. This show makes me smile, makes me laugh AND makes me wish for more every episode. The first season was so amazing because there is really nothing like it on television--broadcast, cable or otherwise. I got my copy of the first season on DVD last week and I have devoured it all over again. Will Chuck forgive Ned for accidently killing her father when he bought his mother back to life? Will Ned & Chuck ever be able to touch each other? And how will Olive keep Lily's secret from Chuck…that Lily is not her aunt BUT her mother!!!!??? Add to that a dog I actually wish I had…I mean I do not hate dogs BUT Digby has got to be the sweetest, smartest, most loveable dog around…he's like Lassie, Benji and Eddie all rolled into one. I tell you he almost makes me want a dog….almost.  Was recently reading an article over at LATIMES.com dealing with the graphic novelist Alan Moore. Moore has written some pretty serious shit in his day WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA, FROM HELL and a slew of other works. Anyway he was talking about his various interests including the realm of magic:

'Magic is a state of mind. It is often portrayed as very black and gothic and that is because certain practitioners played that up for a sense of power and prestige. That is a disservice. Magic is very colorful. Of this, I am sure.'

And that's basically why PUSHING DAISIES  is so wonderful--it's magical and who couldn't use a bit more magic when you consider all that is going on. Speaking of which…got money? Cause if you don't and have need of some may I suggest a journey to this land conjured up in the following passage--I came across this while reading a diary posted by georgia10 over at the politically progressive blog DailyKos.com: 'Money must grow on trees. Somewhere, in some tucked away valley in some remote corner of this world, there must be an entire orchard of Money Trees, where hundred dollar bills hang oh-so-delicately from dainty branches in the summer, and where cool winds cause gold coins to crisply jingle to the ground in the fall.'---man o' man what a vision…a valley of money…plenty to go around. No worries. No needs. Just money and sunshine. ::SIGH:::

I believe I have spoken about how few romantic comedies I bother with. Usual if I watch one it's because the male lead makes the pink zing. Well I watched PENELOPE because it has James McAvoy and Richard E. Grant and in the end the best part was the story. PENELOPE stars Christina Ricci as a young woman born with a curse…instead of a nose she has a snort. I will not tell you the rest except to say it was fun and sweet and cute…in a PUSHING DAISIES sort of way.

Was recently talking to my ID…his mother has been pressuring him about actively practicing the faith more so he has been putting in more time at the synagogue. I can relate to his plight…having a parent who is actively serving God and having to contend with their disappointment, their belief that you have fallen by the wayside and needs to be guided back to the altar, back closer to side of God. Poor dear he seems to understand what he needs to do to get along and keep the peace.  Anyway, we have similar music taste BUT alas I do not believe we quite match this quote from a review of NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST featured in the October 2008 issue of VOGUE: 'discover that love lies in a marriage of true minds—like, when you have all the same songs on your iPods.'  Now that would be soooo weird…too magically to be real…a dude who has Bryan Ferry, Olivia Newton-John, The Isley Brothers AND Nine Inch Nails on his iPod just like I have on my Sony mp3 player…whoa.

Thinking of something else that is whoa: ED WESTWICK from GOSSIP GIRL. You know I had been fighting the hype…I mean how good could a show about rich prep school kids in NYC be…OMG!!! I am here to tell you GG is like DYNASTY meets 90210[the old one not that new piece of shyte]  meets MELROSE PLACE…and then some. I am sooo hooked. Unfortunately I cannot get the CW channel in on my TV so I have to watch at work on the Net…but it's all good. I went to WILD & WOOLLY the day after season 1 was released on DVD…got it home and spent the whole evening and most of the night gorging on the episodes. It's wicked, it's funny, it has got two sexy dudes in the form of Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick BUT mostly it's wicked. Blake Lively is so overrated…she's just your average run of the mill 'bony blonde chick'. The really pretty one is Leighton Meester who plays Blair. Blair and Chuck[played by Ed Westwick] have this hate-lust tango going on that has to be seen to be believed. Either way between PUSHING DAISIES, LIPSTICK JUNGLE and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES my fall is half complete.  On the movie front I am feening for AUSTRALIA because Hugh Jackman. Word is Baz Luhrmann's AUSTRALIA is like GONE WITH THE WIND…only set in Australia which means it should be great. Also looking forward to seeing the cinematic results of YA writer Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT which has the built in allure of vampires AND a character so romantic as Edward Cullen. ROCKNROLLA which has Gerard Butler directed by Guy Richie which means it is lots of London gangsta fun AND finally a movie that has absorbed me completely within the last three days since the release of the second trailer---THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L6K3fkwr-Y

The music, the story, Brad Pitt in the water giving off a look that makes me swoon and quiver…man Christmas Day I am so there. And I already downloaded the song onto my singles mp3 player. I have a 2 GB song mp3 player full of nothing but songs I like, love, adore—it's the one that has Bryan Ferry, Olivia Newton-John, The Isley Brothers AND Nine Inch Nails. The 4 GB mp3 player holds all the various house music mixes that I run across from various sites. The song featured in the trailer I posted was composed by Camille Saint-Saens. It's from a suite titled CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS. The track featured in the trailer is titled AQUARIUM.  It's pure aural magic.

Finally, Publisher's Weekly blogger Barbara Vey recently posted an article on the malfunctioning of the world's largest particle collider:

The world's largest particle collider malfunctioned within hours of its launch to great fanfare, but its operator didn't report the problem for a week.

In a statement Thursday, the European Organization for Nuclear Research reported for the first time that a 30-ton transformer that cools part of the collider broke, forcing physicists to stop using the atom smasher just a day after starting it up last week.

In response to the news that the world could be sucked into a black hole any moment Vey created a twin to the Bucket List….called of course The Black Hole List. So here are a few things I'd like to do/experience before being sucked into a black hole---in no particular order, of course.

1. Visit India. The colors, the sites, the men, Bollywood, the sound of a sitar…it has always made my mind's eye go into overdrive…I really wish I could begin to save money to take a trip there.
2. Create a nook, a space just for reading that does not include my bed or bedroom. I usually do not get much reading done because as soon as I see my bed I crawl up in it to sleep…I have tons of books and no place to read.
3. Meet and get hugged by Daniel Craig, Blair Underwood, Arjun Rampal, Saif Ali Khan, Clive Owen, Ed Westwick or Barack Obama.
4. I hate reality shows however, the foolish crazed side of my personae thinks it would be kinda fun to be the bachelorette of ABC reality series THE BACHELORETTE…of course I would hand pick the dudes who would be vying for my 'affections'. Nice to have a chance to uproot and overturn some of the stereotypes of what it means to be fat, single and Black.
5. Win the lottery. I have won on scratch offs…I even won once $178 on a $.50 pull tab BUT never hit it big with the PowerBall. Man that would be nice.
6. Have my unfinished body of poetry used to inspire a musician to write a song or two.
7. Actually live out a scene from one my favorite books…any of Susan Johnson's Russian series..especially LOVE STORM or maybe something from the works of Roberta Latow.
8. Eat bing cherries from a crystal bowl while shopping at Tiffany's after hours.
9. Travel by vintage Airstream with my ID.
10. Take my mother home to Alabama for a long visit.

Until next time…may this land, this country of ours not be totally swallowed up by ongoing fiscal black hole that seems to be lingering just over the horizon.

38. 38 years on this fat overburdened Earth. And so what do I have to show for it? Well… a seriously obscene amount of clothing and tasteful accessories, a mortgage, a raggedy  house, a sickly BUT devoted and loving mother, a bundle of smutty poems, a small

but steady posse of friends and cohorts AND my ID. My ID is not really my dude… he's just my Ideal Dude….which means on certain days he's like a mirage come into  being. If all goes as planned he and a few assorted friends will be eating with

me on the Saturday before my birthday.  I am mostly excited because while things are not going well however, I shall preserve try, to remain rock steady.

As I get ready to head out the door for a week long vacation I thought I'd leave these few thoughts laying around…sorta like stale breadcrumbs for a not too discerning palate.

And so July is sliding away, slipping into August where upon which I shall embrace my 38^th year on the face of this congested, discombobulated Earth. I have no plans other than to take off the week leading up to my birthday and in doing so taking time to just chill. I never travel… I hate to travel…no matter if it's by air, bus or car…I don't usually enjoy the journey to the destination. That said if I could just click the heels of my plum satin Mary Janes and say, 'There's no place like Chicago.' and magically end up there…well I'd travel all the time.

Have been taking it easy since the last posting of drivel…nuttin' much happening--just the usual slow moving chaos coupled with dubious standards of what is normal and fair. The ACME  Plantation where I work at seems to be embracing an ethos conjured up in the mind of  a Klingon Confederation Jamboree. A department is about to be dismantled, folks are so spooked by all they hear and fear that they are rushing to retire AND those left behind are starting to realize that there will probably not be any one hired to replace those who have left due to illness, death or retirement. Yep. The Plantation is becoming harder and harder to hoe.

Speaking of hoeing,I recently came across a pretty neat quote from the play THE HISTORY BOYS written by Alan Bennett---it was made into a movie in 2006. Anyway, it's the story of a group of young men studying to get into Oxford or Cambridge. The  teacher Hector is caught touching someone inappropriately and his justification for what he was doing is sorta outrageous to say the least: 'the transmission of knowledge is in itself an erotic act.'  I had no idea…I work in the area of information….giving, receiving, retaining for future use---knowledge transmission is the hallmark of my job…which means I am a practitioner of sorts in the art of the erotic….go figure….and here I was thinking I was just your average run of the mill civil servant…aka benevolent volunteer slave.  Now if I could get clearance to lounge on a chaise, dressed in purple, with my ID peeling me grapes and some lower minion rubbing my feet….I mean if I am going to be doing an erotic job surely I should be working in an erotic environment.

Speaking of the erotic.  I came across an article in The Times of London about marrying the wrong man.  By the time the chick got through with her story, her testimony she made my spinsterly heart sigh with relief…I mean it's one thing to never be married…and it's quite another to be unhappily married wishing that you had never married…which I must admit is one of my greatest fears. Anyway, in the article she quoted William Wharton, a Missouri poet and writer, trade magazine editor, book reviewer, and lecturer. When Wharton's daughter asked him what was love his response was  'What is love? As far as I can tell, is passion, admiration, and respect. If you have two, you have enough. If you have all three, you don't have to die to go to heaven.'  People have asked me what am I looking for in a mate and I usually say, 'I don't know but I'll know it when I see it.' I believe Mr. Wharton's quote has clearly stated what my heart may or may not be actively seeking.

Carrie : Honey, if it hurts so much, why are we going shopping?
Samantha : I have a broken toe, not a broken spirit.

AMEN.

And so just like that I shall stand here and confess:

My name is Chele Belle and I am a clothes-a-holic.

:::The multitudes sitting in the dark respond::: Hello Chele.

I have been taking off from work on Wednesdays to wash clothes. Five loads a Wednesday and I am far from finished. Have off the week after the Fourth of July and guess what I'll be spending a certain

amount of time doing…but at least I can finally get some stuff bagged up and maybe take it over to the DAV or Goodwill. :::SIGH:::

Anyway, this past month has been a nerve racking, gut wrenching free for all.  I am having one of those times in my existence when I am realizing I have made some silly ass choices and now a whole damn squadron of chickens have come home to roost.

Debt and responsibilities and less time to myself. Starting in two weeks I will spend more time getting to and from work than being at home. I will start working a 40 hour week AND thankfully because of the union I will at least get paid for it.  

Then there's the fuel crunch…I have been convinced for years that the letters in   LG&E stand for Louisville Greed and Extortion. I stand by that statement fully.

I mean think about it…why work with people and give people a break if you are the only game in town…there is no other utility company to go to if you want to  get gas or electricity. LG&E is the only game in town and they know it.

Recently over at Salon.com someone was asking a question about what was the best way to travel this summer, flying or driving. The response was rather in genius: 'But are you sure you really have to travel? Consider taking what is being called a "staycation." Visit your local museums, go camping at a local state or national park, or stay at a local bed-and-breakfast. Not only will you have a relaxing escape from your daily routine, but you will also support your local economy and reduce your impact on the environment.' So that's what I have been doing for the  past 15 years…I have been taking 'staycations' while on vacation…and here I was thinking  I was just being a cheap ass lay about….I was ahead of my time…go figure.

But seriously, finally after decades of reckless misuse of this country's resources people are realizing that nothing is free AND no not everything is settled to always be at your beck and call.  Learn to walk, to conserve and maybe even give a little thought to the world around you.  TARC is full of folks these days, people come into the Library to buy bus tokens and you hear them standing in line talking about how high gas is and how they are just going to park their car and start taking the bus. And of course everything is inter-related…so you don't drive, you stay home more, you eat out less, food and materials are going up BUT you have to continue to buy BUT now you purchase more economically. I am eating out less, I have been to fewer movies and have even pulled back from going to Wild & Woolly so much even though their new rental pricing system is the best by far. Still cuts have to be made and so much seems to continue to come due.

At the beginning of the year, back when winter was still the season and LG&E was pimping big time I made a fiscally irresponsible decision…I received a gas bill totaling close to $500 dollars for a 31 day run AND I panicked. Needless to say I am learning from all these fiscal fucks ups…and yeah the worst probably has not come yet.

The good things I shall try and dwell on…the lights in my room are back on…and it cost me only $55 to get the lights back on, my ceiling fan fixed and the washers over my tub replaced.  No I did not have $55 to spare BUT at least it did not cost more. I finished TWILIGHT and am now making my way through NEW MOON. I figured out the potent secret of  the TWILIGHT series…Edward is Bella's older dude lover…you know Bella's basically jailbait…who has pulled in a much older, wiser, attractive suitor…he's sophisticated, sensual, caring AND yet he's not crossing any lines, it's not actually statutory rape BUT it is a social and romantic dynamic that is as old as time.  One thing that also makes Edward so attractive is his ability to communicate what he feels and what he is thinking. Because of his communication skills Edward is definitely the ideal lover. Was recently reading an article titled 'Are Men Boring?' from Intelligent Life magazine, found this part spot on:

The American neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine goes further. "Connecting through talking", she wrote in her book "The Female Brain [3]" (2006), "activates the pleasure centres in a girl's brain. We're not talking about a small amount of pleasure. This is huge. It's a major dopamine and oxytocin rush, which is the biggest, fattest neurological reward you can get outside of an orgasm."

Some of the dialogue between Edward and Bella reminds me what a friend told me in college about penises and the importance of size: The 1^st three inches is all that counts, everything else is just a mind game.  Bella and Edward are living and loving through that adage.

Still am not getting a positive feel off of Jacob…maybe when Edward leaves the  picture then I will be able to get a better feel of Jacob…however, generally speaking I find the werewolf concept rather dull. The only story I have ever read that featured werewolves that I enjoyed was a series written by Anne Rice's sister Alice Borchardt.

Ms. Borchardt died last year BUT she was a hell of a writer and her Legends of the Wolves series was great…highly recommend if you like reading stories set in during the time of Ancient Rome and books featuring shapeshifters.

Finally, today as I was looking at the wedding photo of Michelle and Barack Obama out of the blue I thought of one of the best lines from Sex and the City: The Movie. When Carrie is in the office of Vogue editor Enid Frick and she's just announced her upcoming wedding plans Frick shots out: 'Forty is the last age a woman can be photographed in a wedding dress without the unintended Diane Arbus subtext.'  Now my white-wedding-princess-for-a-day clock is ticking—2 years and one month to go before my expiration date hits…DAMN!!! Oh well. At least I like the work of Diane Arbus.

But alas I shall make no desperate moves. I try not to do desperate.  My mother used to say all the time DESPERATE does not live here. I used to click my heels and salute as she barked that homespun wisdom.  That memory makes me think of one of my favorite Adam Ant songs, 'DESPERATE BUT NOT SERIOUS'…my sentiments exactly.

Shall end this latest spot of roaming mental sludge with a few words  from the latest essay by Garrison Keillor: 'So when gas passes $5 and heads for $8 and $10, we will learn to sit in dim light with our loved ones and talk about hunting and fishing adventures, about war and romance and times of consummate foolishness when we threw caution to the wind and flung ourselves over the Cliffs of Desire and did not land on the Sharp Rocks of Regret.'

Until next time try not to get to close to the edge or accidently trip over the

cliffs of desire…and if you do so may you land in a meadow of perpetual delights.

It came. It conquered. It was…a dose of good splendorous fun.

Sex and the City: The Movie that is. I went with a former library worker and the joint was packed. Even saw another former library worker who had lost at least 30 to 40 pounds since his retirement…way to go Robert!  Anyway, the movie. The good: the return of familiar characters, the one-liners, the men AND of course the modern day equivalent of a 'happily ever after' ending. I had been reading various reviews…everyone made a good effort to not offer up any spoilers. SO I went in knowing a little bit about the plot BUT not enough to see what was coming. The relationship between Carrie and Mr. Big has always been a well dressed train wreck…and half way through the movie when it appears to have derailed one last time…it was not so much Carrie's hurt that registered but the loss of a walk-in closet which Big had had built in their penthouse apartment. There are many luxuries in the world…ceiling to floor windows AND walk-in closets are on that list.