Anne, Frank.

I have long been a fan of Anne Sexton.

Plath, Hughes - I like them OK, but I never felt a connection, perhaps because I have no Daddy Issues nor am I a cranky old British man. But Sexton, she's great.

I like that she comes from Boston, that she came to poetry through therapy when she was already an adult, and that her confessional tales of love, lust, motherhood, marriage, divorce, all have tight rhyme schemes that reward reading aloud.

I also very much like that she fronted a band at one point, who backed her up as she read from and other poems - how very 70s of her!


So anyway, here's my favorite poem of hers. I love the way she interprets the story of Icarus, how she celebrates his triumph and spirit of creativity, how the only thing important is trying and doing something new and exciting, even while his sensible daddy walked straight into town.

To A Friend Whose Work Has Come To Triumph

Consider Icarus, pasting those sticky wings on,
testing that strange little tug at his shoulder blade,
and think of that first flawless moment over the lawn
of the labyrinth. Think of the difference it made!
There below are the trees, as awkward as camels;
and here are the shocked starlings pumping past
and think of innocent Icarus who is doing quite well:
larger than a sail, over the fog and the blast
of the plushy ocean, he goes. Admire his wings!
Feel the fire at his neck and see how casually
he glances up and is caught, wondrously tunneling
into that hot eye. Who cares that he fell back to the sea?
See him acclaiming the sun and come plunging down
while his sensible daddy goes straight into town.

And here's Anne herself, reading from "Her Kind."

The Rocky Road To Love

I have to agree with Brenda, this DOES sound like the perfect man.

Boy Meets Bed (and also Cat Meets Bed)

Pretty Young Things

Poor Farrah. I mean, she leaves Charlie's Angels at its height, thinking she can do better in the movies. Nope. And then the cancer is sad, and she dies, and she isn't even the biggest celeb death of the day, let alone month.

Anyway, here's Michael on the Carol Burnett Show. Because you really can never get enough Carol Burnett.



A (minor) earthquake occurs about halfway through. Everyone on stage thinks a prop dropped or something and they ignore it. Trivia!

Rus in Urbe Club

If you are looking for me tonight, you can find me on the Lower East Side picking up all my vegetables at Rus In Urbe Club. What is Rus In Urbe, you say?


It's Foreign for "Eating Vegetables From Upstate While In Manhattan."

Kevin taught us all about Rus In Urbe Club a few Sundays ago, but I was mostly focused on his cool new sneakers and didn't pay as much attention as maybe I should have.

Basically I know that I show up in the park tonight with a bunch of empty bags, and then I leave with a bunch of vegetables. And then I put on my most attractive outfit and cook them up yum.

Bring it on, Rus!

Also? Here's Seven Inches For You

Really, Burger King?

Dolls Parts

Wow. If you know anything about me, you know I have a fear of dolls.

Part of it definitely stems from that episode of Webster where there was the creepy doll on the little rocker upstairs in their new house...after their old house burned down because of his memento box, another terrifying ep.

Anyway, this inventive person has created some pretty amazing replicas, which I can't tear my eyes away from, like those car crash pervs in a J.G. Ballard story, or a Grace Jones / Roxy Music song.

I'm glad I finally get to see Bette Davis in her red dress for the Olympus Ball...in color!

Speaking of Little Miss BD, these are the most horrifying things I have ever seen.

Oh wait, here's something just as scary - and what a treat to see old chum Agnes Moorehead in doll form! Watch where you stand, buddies!

I love Rosemary's Baby, and not just because the movie theatre in my home town was named after Ruth Gordon.

This one cheers me up. Kinda.

Barbara, God Bless you.

Amber's favorite, Miss Carmen Miranda. I don't understand the technology involved in the "real" Carmen Miranda, I definitely don't understand it here.

Anyway, that's all I got for now. Be sure to visit the website to order your copies today!

Also? Wow

Shot from space of erupting volcano - here's the article.

Zach vs. Zach - Plus Shorty

So this weekend my little buddy Zach came to stay with me for a spell. And yet, the weekend before, I was visited by a different Zach - my nephew.

He seemed to like my new place just fine, and unlike his mom and pop, he didn't mind all the stairs. Mostly he wanted to be on the floor, where he kind of pushed himself around on his belly. Whatever, Baby.

He did have something in common with his elder namesake though - they both seem to like Shorty an awful lot.

I'd bet if you asked people which Zach tried to eat Shorty, they'd guess the wrong one.

Kitty Zach mostly likes to curl up with Shorty for naps.


Which Zach does Shorty prefer? Maybe he'll tell Kevin next time he gets a Shoulder Ride.

Me? I like all my Zachs. And Shorty. And Kevin.

Old Broads, New Tricks

One thing I always like to do on Sundays is catch up with my Golden Girls and Mary Tyler Moore alumni.


First, I read the "Night Out With" column in the Times with Betty - she had a nice zinger about Bob Redford.

“Is there anything left that you would really like to do?”

“Robert Redford,” Ms. White answered instantaneously.

Then I read a bit with her old pal & costar Cloris Leachman in New York Magazine. She didn't have all the one-liners that Betty did, but I enjoyed the bit anyway. More than I enjoyed her memoir, frankly.

Anyway, here's Betty White on Chelsea Handler.



Oh, and here she is playing beer pong with Mr. Jimmy Fallon, if that's not enough BW for you.



Let's see if that's enough to get us through Monday.

New Place, Meet Zach. Zach, Meet New Place

One thing I like about Zach is everything. Another, is when he visits me at the new place.

Last night we had a good two hours of exploring, going back and forth through rooms he had just visited, mumbling in kitty speak the whole time. Paul and Ty came over for Chinese food, so he had good company the whole time.

Then, he perched on the window sill as if that's all he'd ever known.


This is the current view as I drink my morning coffee and tippy-tappy on the keyboard.


Oh, and one thing I learned? I had feared he would try to climb up the chimney and it'd end in tears like poor Phoebe Cates' dad in Gremlins. He did no climbing, but his poking around in there (and looking up to the heavens) sure produced some dirty paws.



The solution?


Thanks again, Fresh Direct!

Bedroom Dancing

Well, I've done it. I bought the Parsons bed. There were many contenders, but I chose it for its minimal design / simplicity, height, and really I just like it. It gets delivered this Friday.

Soon I will stop sleeping like this:

and start sleeping like this:

Amber & Canadian Dangers

Oh hai. It's me, ALH from Amber & guest blogging for your regular host, CRD, while he is Away. And what a bad time for a journey northward for poor CRD! Canadian gorillas have rebelled... with knives!
That is a real photo from the Calgary Herald and a real knife in the hands of a real dangerous gorilla! It seems like a keeper dropped the knife in the enclosure while cleaning the cage. My guess is that they were using it to open bags of food or cut the string on bales of hay. This was something my keepers during my zoo time warned me about extensively.

The article goes on to lament the horrors of bad zoo keeping and attribute the incident to poor training. I think that's a bit harsh. Yes, the gorillas could have been hurt. But, in this case, the gorilla returned the knife to its keepers on request. It seems like human error-- a simple oversight. It was a really horrible oversight, but I doubt the keeper didn't know that she wasn' supposed to drop the knife. Taking care of gorillas is super hard work and doesn't pay very well. I'd like to see these watchdogs clean a gorilla cage.

Meanwhile, I hope CRD is okay. I don't think he said his meetings were at a zoo, but I can't really remember him saying at all. If he doesn't come back, it will sure be hard to update two blogs every day.

Also? Otterly Hilarious

The Big B.M.

Happy Birthday, Barry Manilow!

It's always fun to mock Barry, but I think he's terrific, and have thought so ever since I was a wee lad.

There are many reasons I like him so much, notably "Mandy" (which I can sing in perfect pitch), "A Linda Song," and many others. I used to play his records over and over at my Nana's house and sing along to the lyrics that were printed on the LP sleeve.

About the time I was born, Barry was playing piano in the Continental Bath House for Miss Bette Midler - which I think is just about the coolest thing one could do.

Also cool? What this Danish person did to put a video together for Mandy.



And now, I'm off to Canada. See ya, America!

The Divine Misses M & G

So last night I watched Miss Kathy Griffin's latest program, which I liked a lot. She's funny, sassy, irreverent, and apparently channeling my good self. Last night she had dinner with Bette Midler, at which they called Stevie Nicks, then later they went for a stroll and Griffin referenced Cybill Shepherd breaking the fourth wall on Moonlighting. I ask you, could I have done any better?






Probably not, and I sure couldn't have done better than the clip below. Griffin asked Midler about a lot of things, one of them was the time that she, Flip Wilson, and Elton John guested on the premiere episode of the Cher show. Now, as an avid corporate member of the "Museum" of Television and Radio I have spent a good amount of time searching through their library, and I actually watched this episode a few years back. You watch the programs while sitting in a little cubicle with headphones on, library-style; as I recall my laughter was so loud I was afraid I'd get kicked out.

Herewith, a musical number.



I sure do wish someone good would bring back the variety hour.

Dot, Line, Love

This one is a little long, but is absolutely worth it.


The Dot And The Line won the 1965 Academy Award for animated short, deservedly so. Amber and I saw this as a Bonus Feature with a Doris Day movie once. The movie itself was fun, Doris wore a mermaid costume and Dom DeLuise was up to all his old tricks, but this little coda was perhaps my favorite part.



Enjoy.

Cats! Dogs!

Really, America? MORE rain?

I sure wish I still had this slicker.

Bea In The Middle

So as some of you may have heard, Dame Bea Arthur put on her golden wings and went up to Heaven a few weeks back.

In honor of her passing, Amber and I dutifully downloaded her guest-starring role on Malcolm In The Middle and watched it on that Traffic Cone Application on the laptop.

Turns out we could have just taken advantage of the work this buddy did - herewith the highlights.



I'm surprised by how sweet it is, particular the Abba bit at the end. Thanks, Bea!

False In Advertising

This blog here collected some unfortunately named products - in some cases the names make sense in the products' home countries, in some cases not. Here are my favorites:

Rarely would I mix the concepts of this product's title and its purported use.

Personally, if this meant Giant Cat I'd sure buy a bag.

This is Australian, and one more reason to enjoy their culture. Who doesn't like Gay Ice Cream?

I actually had a packet of this at one point, but it didn't make some move or another. David brought it back for me from Jamaica after his whole Peace Corps thing.

Thanks again, Internet! A lazy bloggers dream!

Two Great Tastes, Or, How Kermit Begat Liz

So on Saturday at Taco Club (follow the link to see photographic evidence of mirth) we watched The Muppets Take Manhattan, a delightful addition to the Muppet oeuvre. Ever since then I've had Muppets on the brain, but not as much as this guy, who purports that 30 Rock, another favorite of mine, is a direct descendent of The Muppet Show - much like Man is maybe, maybe not descended from Apes, or Kitty Cats from Dinosaurs.

I won't JD his entire post since you can read it yourself, but his photographic evidence is pretty danging, including the above snap of the main characters, and below of two of the key supporting ones.
He also helpfully reminds us of this great bit, which is pretty Muppet-friendly.

Thanks, Stranger, for pointing this out! And, for providing me with Content.

Also? A Gay Old Time

These are all over the web now anyway, but just for fun, herewith the opening and closing numbers from last night's Tony's. Me, I went to bed after Dame Angela won and Jane Fonda lost, so I'm sure glad someone taped Mr. Patrick Harris' closing bit.

The opener is just how I like 'em, big and bold. And can you get gayer than Elton, Liza, and Dolly sharing a stage? Plus Stockard C dueting with that Hair hottie?

The opener:



& the closer:



Thanks, Broadway

Elements of Surprise

This weekend Kevin asked me what asked me what surprised me most about my new apartment.

Was there a flightpath overhead? A ghost in the walls? Flash flooding?

No, it was that when it rained really hard all day on Friday, the elements crept into my place.

And then, when you look up? You can see the Heavens.


I think it's going to be REALLY easy for Santa to come in this year!

While I was searching the internet for ways to have this fixed, I came across this youtube video of a Hummel figurine of a chimney sweep rescuing a cat. The internet, apparently, has everything.

Balloon Man

I sure haven't done the best job of blogging the past few days. Partly that's due to the spotty (yet free!) Internet I'm getting at my new place, and partly that's due to me watching that Bonnie Tyler video over and over again.

I thought I'd update everyone on my sleeping situation. Due to a Sears Mishap, I have moved in to my new place but my bed has not yet moved in with me. Keep everything crossed for me that the Simmons Diani Plus Queen Mattress arrives this Saturday, as most recently promised.

In the meantime, I'm surprisingly comfortable on my temporary bed, despite any objections my dear friend Phyllis might have made.

Literal Eclipse of the Heart

I really would be all unpacked by now if I wasn't watching this over, and over, and over...