Sunny Morning!

Bring it, Cape!

First Full Day: Kinda Rainy

And yet, not so bad.

It's Called Chow-dah

First bowl! Cape Vacation 09 has begun!

In The Family Way

So at this moment I am at my parents' house for a few days before
embarking for the Cape. Among other adventures, I am looking through
old photo albums.

Mad About Ellie, or, The Real Leader Of The Pack

Now, yesterday was a big day in R.I.P. World. First Mr. Kennedy, then Mr. Dunne. Sad as this is, I had mixed feelings about both of them. The senator did a lot of great stuff for my home state, but there was the incident on the bridge. And Mr. Dunne was an interesting reporter, but he did at one point take an unseemly interest in a friend of mine.



But there was a third death yesterday about which I have no second thoughts - Ms. Ellie Greenwich. Greenwich was one of the original Brill Building writers - who, along with Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Jeff Barry, and her protege, Neil Diamond, wrote some of the greatest songs of the 1960s, mostly for the girl groups. Greenwich's credits include that awesome death song "Leader Of The Pack," "Be My Baby," "Da Do Ron Ron," and many, many others.

Here's a few of my favorites, in my favorite way of remembering them.


She co-wrote this one with Phil Spector, and here's the "River Deep" scene from What's Love Got To Do With It, one of my favorite bits.


Here's Ms. Elizabeth Shue bringing us "Then He Kissed Me," in what was probably my introduction to the song.

And here's Cyndi Lauper performing "Right Train Wrong Track," a B-side off of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.


Have a good time up in Heaven, Ellie. Have fun with all those choirs of angels!

Fame! FAME!

(click on picture to go to the site)

(Almost) Live Blogging! Amber Birthday Cocktail!

UPDATE! Now with ME!

Amber Alert!

Do you know who has a birthday today?

That's right! Ivan The Terrible!

Know who else? Hint: she has one thumb and a margarita.



That's right! AMBER.

Amber and I met back in 1996. However, the earliest digital evidence I have of our friendship is this photo here, taken (I think) in 2003. We seem to be in Grant's office and I am just noticing now that it looks like the cast of Six Feet Under is cascading out of my head, Russian Doll Style.


Back in those days, Amber and I would have many adventures together, like when we went to the "Museum" for "Culture."

But then on MY birthday one year Amber thought it would be fun to move out of town. She went to work at this store. I'm not sure what they did, but it was definitely a storefront. I think she was like a Walmart greeter, waving to passersby so they'd come in and sample the wares.

Then, she moved to a DIFFERENT city. I visited her there once or twice, but all she did was pass out on the couch with the kitty ears on. Whatever, Friendship.

BUT, now she's back, and we get to have Fun Times again, like at Awesome Club or Vegetable Club or Wedding Club or Birthday Fancy Feast Club. Sometimes, she embarrasses herself, but usually we're good.

I made this handy graph using Excel, one of the touchstones of our Friendship, to show our friendship using Science.

Here's hoping she stays put this time!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Well-Wishing

So on Saturday night, I found myself here:


This, my friends, is far from where I usually find myself. But, I was at a dinner party and it was a fun one, so it was a win. Our journey was a bit like that of Penelope's husband, with an A train excursion to the very tip of Manhattan, then a stroll down Broadway (it looked just like our Broadway! Well, not really), then a hop on to the 1 train for an elevated ride a few stops. We had to do this trek just so because of the incident at 180th Street, where Chicken Little proved herself right and the ceiling caved right in. I certainly amortized the heck out of my Unlimited Rides.

A few hours and miles later as I was recounting our journey to Paul, our discussion of the cave-in prompted him to recall the plight of Baby Jessica. A quick swipe of the smart phone later (Google IS making us stupid), we settled a bet and learned this particular event happened in 1987. We were in the presence of a foreigner, and pretty much fell over ourselves explaining to him this rather American tragedy of a baby falling into a well for a day and a half - complete with happy ending and made-for-TV movie.

It's the M-4-TV flick that got me the most excited, and sent me down the internet rabbit-hole. Patty Duke! Beau Bridges! And a young Will Oldham, a/k/a the dark prince of pop, Bonnie Prince Billy. I especially enjoyed the helpful warning on IMDB - "spoiler alert!" Unless you're foreign, you know what happened.

Here's the teaser:



Here's some other bits I learned from the internet. Turns out young Jessica is all growned up and married now. She still has some pain and effects from her little trip down the well, but then I saw this.


I'm ashamed to say it was someone else that pointed out the howler of the pun in there. Saucy wikipedians!

This bit here made me pause. I bet Beau B. won't be clamoring to star in the sequel.

Anyway, that's my little trip down memory lane. I can't quite believe that this all happened twenty years ago, or that I missed such a great pun, or really, that I was as far north as I was on Saturday night. And especially, that I haven't seen a musical adaption yet. Calling LuPone!

Live Blogging! GOD

Charleston Club! Now With Animated Violence Mild!

Phew! Now that I got the kitties and divas out of the way for the week, we can talk Charleston.

As always, I had a wicked mint time. The trip started with a three hour delay in Newark, but I had a new book with me which I enjoyed, and I passed the time by posting pictures of my surroundings on David's Facewall - mostly of boring things, like the ice cream I treated myself to while we were waiting to board.

But THEN I got to Charleston! And David picked me up from the airport and we had BEERS and went to his house. And who was there to welcome me? This little fella!


Old chums of David's will not be surprised to know he has lizards in his house.

One night we went to a bar with all of David's new chums, and among other things we taught his foreigner friend that the phrase "double-fisting" in the context of drinking was not in fact the frightful thing she thought it was.

Also, I got to play a video game where you shoot up deers. It was rated "Animated Violence Mild," which is just how I like my Animated Violence.

Some of the things we did were more outdoors, less indoors - but no less fun. Like how, in Charleston when you cross the street, you get to play Carry The Flag so the cars don't run you down.


On my last day we went to the beach - Scientist Style. This means getting there at 4pm after the most dangerous sunbeam rays have gone home for the day. That was mint too!


Charleston rocked. And I haven't even told you about the ALLIGATORS yet!

In Other News

Shelley, Also Known As Birthday

It's that day of the year again!

Happy Birthday, Miss Shelley Winters!

Now, maybe you think I should be blogging about my recently completed vacation to Charleston. However, August 18th only comes but once a year, so I'll write about my old pal Shelley, also known as Shirley. Besides, as my cohort in Carolina Club likes to say, my blog is mostly about kitties and divas.

So 89 years ago today, Miss Shelley Winters was born. Born Shirley Schrift, that is. And I know this partly because I have read both volumes of her memoirs: Shelley: Also Known As Shirley, and Shelley II: Still Also Known as Shirley.

I am very lucky to have received a "crazy copy" of Shelley I as a gift once. Glued to the title page is this note:


Here's the text, you can click on it to make it bigger:


What a lucky dickens this man was! And not just because of the $3.00 tip delivered by the "colored maid." As he was receiving this tip, my mother was 7 months pregnant with me.

Anyway, I really like the montage below this man made of Shelley from her movies, and I especially like the little song he sings along with it, which includes all her movie deaths. Be sure to listen to it with sound for the ditty, though note there are quite a few spoilers. She sure died a lot on film.

Much like Joan, she sure should have stayed away from the water, even if in it she was a very skinny lady. Happy Birthday up in Heaven, Shelley!

Charleston! Now With Serpents!

Charleston! Beer! ME!

Charleston! Beer! David!

Charleston! The Fun Is Just Beginning!

Also? A Family Resemblance

From my sister today...

Zachary has your tongue. He can reach UNDER his chin.

iPhone Auto Correct FAIL

So I am wicked Pissarro excited to go to Charleston in a few hours to stay with David this weekend! You can tell Apple is not based in Boston. Who doesn't know the word "Pissa?"

OMB it is gonna be MINT!

Oh, Betty!

A Wedding! California-Style

Looks like it's Wedding Week here at Internals Plural!

So yesterday I got home and sure was excited about what came in the mail. Was it that I received the Farrah Fawcett cover of Vanity Fair instead of the Michael Jackson one?

Yes, but there was something else too! The invitation to Dory's Wedding!


I'll be hopping on a plane to San Francisco the third week of October to bear witness to Dory and Dave tying their knots. Sarah will be my plus one, which makes this only the second wedding in the 21st century that I will not attend with Amber. The last time this happened I ate a bottom-feeder, threw up in Friendly's parking lot, and lost 15 lbs. Fingers crossed!

I first met Dory in 1997 when I replaced her as an assistant at the Book Barn. Over time our friendship blossomed, and we saw many movies together at the $3 theatre and ate a lot of Ollie's Chinese Food. Later, she moved to San Francisco and I visited her there quite a few times, sometimes just so I could watch Designing Women on her Cable TV. I haven't met this Dave fellow yet, but hopefully he's as nice as Dory says he is. If not, I will tell him so during the ceremony.

Once Dory and I took a road trip together through Tennessee. I think this was in 2001, but I'm not sure. I know it was before digital cameras were invented because I had to scan these in. It also may have been before camera timers were invented because we have no pictures of Dory and I together.

Here's me in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame:

Here's Dory at the entrance to Shelbyville, which everyone knows is the nemesis of Springfield.

Here's me in front of my favorite shop, Hatch Show Print.

I'm looking forward to my second wedding of the year, and I'm sure it'll be as lovely as the first one.

Live Blogging! Puss On My Shoulder

Life is Good.

Also? Baby Scares A Lot

I hope this isn't real. I really, really hope not.

Live Blogging! Bruce Willis Is Looking Good

Live Blogging! Morning Puss

A Wedding! Friendship-Style

How could a viewing of The Towering Inferno NOT be the highlight of a weekend? Why, if some chums got married!

I live-blogged yesterday just before the event started, but don't worry, those aren't the only photos I took. I can't pretend to take photos as well as James does, and it's not likely I can top this fun video of Amber dancing, but here's what I found in my camera when Zach and I plugged it in this morning while we drank our coffee.

First, here's some chums pre-ceremony. I think Amber is practicing her lovely blessing about one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Who are these three Chosen People, you may ask?


Surprise!
(as per Kevin's riddle, when there are three people they are ALWAYS in descending order of height)

These were the party favors that we used to identify our seats - little seats! We were at Table 11, the best table.

Here is Amber giving her second speech of the evening, a Toast. It was a sweet story about how she and James met.

One fun surprise was the Bagpipe Salute to the new bride and groom!

Even sweeter was James serenading Alisa with a little Mr. Elvis Presley on the old pipes.

It was a very special day, and I will always cherish the memory of how happy James and Alisa looked during the ceremony - there was no hiding their excitement and love.

Also, Ming Ming will always cherish our party favor - a little seat where she can finally rest her weary bones!
Happy Marriage, Buddies!