Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Bunny The Vampire Slayer



All Hallows Eve
October 1960

Parents, if you're going to do this to your children, consider leaving the camera at home. Isn't the fact that you're going to eat all of their candy (I mean c'mon, it's a 1 year old!), and get a real good laugh, enough?

Breeders: Theme from Buffy The Vampire Slayer
(Buy: Breeders: Son of Three)

Bruce Lenkei: Moonlight Zombie Dance
(Download Free: Two Zombies Later: Volume 2)

Diablo Swing Orchestra: Balrog Boogie
(Buy: Diablo Swing Orchestra: The Butcher's Ballroom)

Monday, October 30, 2006

Well, Blow Me Down



Windy Old Weather
The Rock
October 29, 2006

At least it's not raining (like it was last night). Windy old weather aside, today could not have been a more beautiful day. I hope tomorrow is just as sunny — the last boat to run off The Rock left at 8:45 yesterday morning — and from the looks of it, tomorrow may be a (gale) forced (wind) holiday. At least that's what the marine forecast says.

COASTAL WATERS FROM EASTPORT ME TO STONINGTON ME OUT 25 NM-
835 PM EST SUN OCT 29 2006

... GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON ...

OVERNIGHT... W WINDS 30 TO 35 KT WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 45 KT...DECREASING TO 25 TO 35 KT LATE. SEAS 17 TO 22 FT...SUBSIDING TO 12 TO 17 FT BY DAYBREAK. VSBY LOCALLY 1 TO 3 NM IN BLOWING SPRAY.

MON... W WINDS 25 TO 35 KT WITH A FEW GUSTS UP TO 45 KT. SEAS 10 TO 15 FT...SUBSIDING TO 7 TO 10 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.

MON NIGHT... NW WINDS 25 TO 30 KT...DECREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT...SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT AFTER MIDNIGHT.

(Information via MaineHarbors.com)

Oh, well, hopefully Tuesday's seas will still have a little punch to them too — because, quite honestly, it adds a little more excitement to the morning commute.

Dan Zanes: Windy Old Weather (Buy Dan Zanes: Sea Music)

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Down On The Farm



Fall Fowl
Aldermere Farm
October 23, 2006

The geese are getting ready for the 'Big Dance', and Goose has got the goods to send them off. Turn it on and dance around the room (or the field).

Goose: Black Gloves (Buy It!)

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Deerhoof Season



'World Premiere' of Deerhoof's Milk Man: A Ballet
Waterman's Community Center, North Haven, Maine
October 23, 2006

'I'll take you to my dream land
Now you're mine
I'll take you to our dream land'

'Milk Man' lyrics, ©Deerhoof

The final performance of 'Milk Man: A Ballet' takes place tonight (October 24 at 7:30 PM) at Waterman's Community Center. Tickets are $5 adults/$3 students and seniors, and can be reserved by calling 207.867.2100 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The event is sponsored by North Haven Community School and North Haven Arts & Enrichment. The last ferry for North Haven leaves the Rockland Ferry Terminal at 5:15 PM. Be on it. You will never again be so entertained and awestruck for 5 dollars. (And, I'm telling you, you'll regret it if you miss it.)

Deerhoof: Milking (Buy It!)

Monday, October 23, 2006

Down With O.B.P*

\

*Old Back Porch (R.I.P)
October 21, 2005

The porch and the following song have little in common (other than the fact that a Rock Island friend of ours has been on Spruce's European Tour for about 20 days now). Oh, yeah, and our porch is now 'blown away' (hopefully to return, new and improved, next Spring!).

Bruce Springsteen: My Oklahoma Home (Buy It!)

Thursday, October 19, 2006

The Answer, My Friend, Is Littered In The Sand



State (of Confusion) Beach, The Rock
Columbus Day Weekend, 2006

The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is an annual event 'all over the world to remove trash and debris—on land and under the water.' Each year, the children and, (almost no) volunteers of The Rock take a day (off from school) to head out around the island, clearing trash from the coastline, roads and trails—recording every piece of trash collected. This year, Cleanup was held on September 16, 2006.

Three weeks later, on a walk along the beach, I picked up 3 Clorox bottles, 4 Twisted Tea cardboard packages, 1 Miller High Life (nobody said people that throw their trash to the wind ain't got no class) package, 6 blue plastic cups, and 1 plastic ring holder (do they still make those effin' things?), along with an armload full of other choice left-behinds.

I was once told, a few years ago, that there were a few mothers on the island that would throw their blue glass into the ocean, so that their children would be able to find more of it in the future (Mothers of Inventiveness. Freak Out!). Our weekend drinkers, as you can see from the photograph above, helped support that cause, too.

Thank You, to all the students, volunteers, and coordinators who worked hard and helped to really make this year's clean-up on The Rock a success. And, to those that followed behind them to do their part—making sure that next year's International Coastal Cleanup will still be needed—Fuck You.

Nouvelle Vague: Too Drunk To Fuck (Buy It!)
Dead Kennedys: Too Drunk To Fuck (Buy It!)

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Thanks Dawg!



DQ Napkin
October 2006

We watch out for our own. This Dairy Queen napkin was tucked into the seat of my motorcycle when I got off the ferry one day. No tickets. No hassle. And still, no registration. (I work on the mainland. The town offices are closed by the time I get back. I've got more excuses, but even I don't want to hear them any more.) And DQ Dawgy Dawg's just keepin' it real.

Richard Thompson: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Buy It!)

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Blowin' A Gale



And the weather of Fall approaches.
October 1, 2006

First two boats got cancelled today due to gusting winds. That would be another advantage to the morning commute—working at home, by surprise.

EasyStar All*Stars: Exit Music (For A Film) (Buy It!)

Polly Is A Crackhead



Lutino (Buttercup yellow) Indian Ringneck Parakeet (Really, a parrot.)
Psittacula krameri manillensis
September 24, 2006

This bird should not be here, but, sat in the maple tree out in the front yard for over an hour, with something to say.

Coldplay: Yellow (Buy It!)
They Might Be Giants: Birdhouse In Your Soul (Buy It!)

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Happiness Is A Warm Day. Bang, Bang. Shoot, Shoot.



Hunting Season
October 9, 2006

A Rock, Tuesday and Thursday night law enforcement, and guns.

Something's gotta' give.

The Matadors: Shotgun (Buy It!)
The Breeders: Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Buy It!)

Sunday, October 08, 2006

It's A Bluebird Day!



The Harbor. The Rock.
October 2006

As much as I enjoy writing and posting, it's too nice to do more than this today. Get outside, while the gettin's good!

Emiliana Torrini: Sunny Road (Buy It!)
Talking Heads: This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) (Buy It!)

Saturday, October 07, 2006

When The Moon Is In The Sixth House



Harvest Moon
October 6, 2006

Need I say anything else? I think not.

But The Old Farmer's Almanac does:

'This is the year's worst month for planets. Mars finally reaches conjunction and slips behind the Sun on the 23rd. By month's end, Jupiter will be difficult to view as it vanishes into the Sun's glare, as does Venus. Mercury is barely visible above the horizon, making its meeting with Venus from the 20th through the 31st challenging to view. The Moon is so far south that, when one day old on the 23rd, it sets before the Sun; the two-day-old Moon is equally impossible to see. These are the lowest, hardest-to-see crescent Moons in 18 years. Only Saturn is easily visible, but it doesn't rise until 2:30 a.m. The medium-intensity Orionid meteors add some sparkle to the sky on the 21st. Moon phase times are based on Eastern Time.'

(What the hell? The 6th wasn't too shabby.)

Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto : Fly Me To The Moon (Buy It!)

Friday, October 06, 2006

Bullie, For Me



Bullie.
Part of my life since 1961.

Bullie (if you can picture a little heart over the 'i' here) is perfect. This black fur beauty has a molded plastic face, pair of button-up high heels, lipstick, utters and horns. You wonder what kind of relative would give such a gift to a child. Whoever it was—I love them—and Bullie.

Her tag reads: 'A Jewel of a Toy by Bijou. Bijou Toys, New York, N.Y.' I can't find anything about them anywhere. If you have any information, drop me a line.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Good Luck (With Your Future)



Uncle Gordon's Barn
Westport, NY
September 2004

September has flown by me with little consistancy in keeping up with my daily posting duties. I'm hoping that I'll have better luck in the future (it's coming on). Or at least in October.

Gorillaz: Clint Eastwood (Buy It!)
Leonard Cohen: The Future (Buy It!)

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Monarch(y) in the USA



Danaus plexippus (which, literally, translated in Greek means 'sleepy transformation').
September 27, 2006

Ahhh, the lovely Danaus plexippus. I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods, but here, the monarchs are wide awake and have transformed the woods and gardens of the Rock into a magical place.

"Adult Monarchs possess two pair of brilliant orange-reddish wings, featuring black veins and white spots along the edges. Their wingspan is about four inches, and they weigh less than half an ounce. Males, who possess distinguishing black dot (stigmata) along the veins of their wings, are slightly bigger than the females.

Each adult butterfly lives only about four to five weeks. But one of the many wonders of the Monarchs is the annual creation of a unique "Methuselah generation." As autumn approaches in their sites of migratory origin, a very special generation of butterflies is born. Unlike their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents -- all of whom had ephemeral lives measured only in weeks -- these migratory butterflies survive seven or eight months. In human terms, given our average life span of 75 years, this would be like having children who lived to be 525 years old!

This generation performs the incredible feat of flying from Canada and the United States to the center of Mexico -- after which they begin the northward journey again. Once they reach the United States, a kind of relay race begins: their short-lived offspring, with only four or five weeks to live, continue making the trek northward over several generations."


Enjoy 'em why you got 'em, for these beauties are on their way to a sweet little vacation spot down south.

And, if you dig the bugs, you have to get up to Montreal and check into the Insectarium. You will not be disappointed.

Booth and the Bad Angel: Butterfly Dreams (Buy It!)

Friday, September 22, 2006

Summer Is Ready When You Are


Photo © Scott L. Robertson/slrobertson.com

At The Gwinnett County Fair, Georgia, USA
Summer 2006

Ahhh, Fair food! (Not to be confused with Fair Food.)

I like all the different people.
I like every kind of fair.
In the crowd, you bet I'll be there!
Walkin' around,
Going nowhere.
Seeing sooey and saints, at the fair.
'Saints'—The Breeders

The Breeders: Saints (Buy It!)
Masters Of Reality: Tilt-A-Whirl (Buy It!)

Enjoy more of Scott L. Robertson's Fair photographs (and a large selection of other subjects) at his web site.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Wood4Sale



Wood4Sale Sign
September 2006

I'm not sure what it is that makes me most happy about this sign. Is it the 'Guy Formally Name Prince, then that Symbol, and then Prince Again' use of the number 4 for the word 'For'? (Yes.) Is it the fact that—even though your cord of wood will consist of 'Mostly Oak'—the sampler you will receive, may also include some 'maple' and 'Birtch'? (Of course.) Could it be that it looks like Danny, who I assume scripted and executed this wonderful bit of advertising, actually wrote $200 backwards first? (Yes, Yes! Okay, that one was definitely what first drew me to this sign.) Or, is it the fact that, even if I was considering buying wood for the advertised price, I'd have to find a way to get the wood to my house (since the price includes cutting and splitting, but it's 'Not Delivered'?

Yes, it was all of those things. 'Wood4Sale' Bonus Enjoyment: The fact that I got to pixelate (just like the music videos on the TV!) out Danny's number, just in case you got any bright ideas about going to pick up your own cord of wood.

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood: Little Walter Rides Again (Buy It!)
Nat Couty & the Braves: Woodpecker Rock (Buy It!)