Talk about Cosmic...

This one is for you Jojo.  For some reason, I began watching reruns of "Cosmos" on Netflix last night.  In doing so I realized I was fascinated with Pulsars....  So, in doing some random research, I came across this short video.  Whoa!  Check it out!


The Universe: Pulsars & Quasars from Darryl Rehr on Vimeo.

Pump up the volume

This is Harley's new favorite song.

He sings it throughout the day and when we are driving, I'm instructed to please put "Way UP" on repeat...  Who is this kid?  I mean, yes we expose him to what we believe to be good music, art, ideas, etc... but it doesn't mean he has to like it, or to respond to it as he does.  He is as obsessed or more with this song as I was the first time I heard it.

One day this week, I was instructed to please take out the "Steve Songs" CD (Mr. Steve is a PBS kid's star)and put in the Dean Martin CD.... Oh LORD!  He used to also do this with his compilation CD:  featuring Dylan, the Beatles, Cake,  Keb Mo, Harry Conick, etc...  so this is not entirely new.  However, by instructing me to take out the kid icon CD, Mr. Steve, and replace it with the Dean Martin CD was unprecedented! (He adores Mr. Steve~)

Yesterday, we spent the whole day swimming at a public pool.  Griffin went from singing an old Dean Martin standard, "Dance with me"  to "Way UP!"   Nobody around us knew what he/we were singing, but we did. And our glee was uncontainable.   We finally cooled off (it's been rather hot in these parts) and were able to do it OUTside!   The only way it could have been better is if they sold ice cream.  They do not.

.If you have a few minutes, watch this clip.  It's the ending to the Divine Ya Ya movie, and it's precious.

I sometimes get a little wistful wondering how many other kids would love these kinds of songs and keep them alive, and sew a thread from  our shared artistic/cultural history to our present... and future.  And if it will happen..?  I hope so.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.

The Richie BrothersBottoms Up!More one liners and insults than you can shake a schtick at...

The Evil Pain Clown review:

Here's a record i picked up in edmonton this month, at a goodwill, it's kind of like a dirty version of laugh it up with ray and rick...now it's not really really dirty, more double entendres then anything, and some great oneliners, there are three brothers but two of them do all the talking, of course one is the straight man, while the other is the brother from hell...really really funny, now since this albums is from the early sixties, the comedy is topical for the time, there are some moments of "political incorrectness", and lots of "commie" talk but all in all a pretty funny disk...enjoy!  

Ok, I'm back.  Me, PF.  This album is one of my dad and his brothers'.  I found this post one night while Googling "The Richie Brothers", never thinking I'd find anything.  (Thanks to White Rabbit for reminding  me to "borrow" this post this and Thanks to the  Evil Pain Clown for actually posting it!)

This music, the humor and the outrageousness is what I grew up with.  It was all normal, and it still comforts me to listen to it.  I really miss the music and the food, the laughing, the booze, the coffee and pastries...and even the fighting and making up.  All three of them, my dad and his brothers are all gone now, and they took a good chunk of magic with them.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch...

Cher has Nuttin' on Hedwig baby!

How the HELL did this movie slip under the radar?? It's one of the best musicals ever, and while it's not totally serious, it's not total fluff either, like most musicals. And, have I said, the music is unbelievably great.

Wicked Little Town...This may be one of the most simple and beautiful songs ever written. No matter how many times I hear it, it still makes me weep. I believe among other things, it tells the story of the origin of art.

If this song isn't pure fun, then I DON'T KNOW what IS...


Music that takes you for a ride to the far reaches of the soul.

I love this girl... she makes me laugh out loud!

Now that I know how to do this video upload thing.... watch out! It's important, if you watch, to watch the whole thing, you'll see why.

Enjoy.

My son sings to tigers... and they sing back!

This is Casanova. As you can see, he is an incredibly magnificent creature. A Siberian White Tiger, visually stunning, with the personality of a goofball lover. On the outside, he's all Carry Grant, Johnny Depp and Fred Astaire... On the inside... some oddball cross between the original Casanova, Toulouse Lautrec and Chevy Case. How can a tiger be a goofball? That's another post for another time. But I did want to mention that my almost 4 year old, Harley, took the above photo himself. First try! In fact it was the one and only pic he took of his friend yesterday. Good eye, eh?

This is Harley. He is an incredibly magnificent creature as well. He makes up songs constantly. He also likes to make up words and kind of has his very own language, which he wields at will. He likes balloon parties, singing, playing guitar, toads, lizards, more toads, anything train oriented and digging in the dirt. (Both with a shovel and with hands). He loves all creatures large and small, but his most favorite-ist one of all is a Casanova.

Casanova lives at Cougar Ridge Educational Center, http://www.cougar-ridge.org/ which is owned and operated by our dear friend Gloria. Harley first met Ms Gloria and her furry family: Ashukalee (Sugar for short) and Lakota, (the two cougars who also live at Cougar Ridge... hence the name) and Casanova, one year ago on Sugar's birthday. Ms Sugar, being the Queen of the Ridge, had an elaborate party which felt more like a low key gala if that makes sense. The gala included decorations, cake, human refreshments, well wishers of all ages and backgrounds, (I think one of our state representatives was in attendance), and of course big kitty treats/presents/refreshments... The only one I really remember was a new ball, but I'm sure some kind of fresh venison was probably involved as well.

I wanted so badly to get her one of those big ass bones you see sometimes in Publix, but that would involve getting bones for the other two cats as well. Believe me, you really don't want beasts of that size picking bones with one another, literally. And, truth be told, these sized bones are pretty expensive if you get more than one. I was sad that we could not afford a round of bones and did not know what else to get a cougar diva for her birthday. But luckily Harley had his own gift idea. He suggested we bring his guitar so that he could sing and play Happy Birthday to Sugar. Great idea! So, that is what we did. Unfortunately, Sugar is a bit shy, so there is no telling what she really thought about this... however, there was no mistaking what Casanova thought of it. He LOVED it! It was the cutest most amazing thing ever. Cass immediately met Harley as he approached his enclosure, guitar in hand. He greeted him with a friendly "Chuff-Chuff" (That is happy tiger talk), and it was love at first sight... Then Harley began to serenade him, and it got even more comical and heartwarming. Harley often has to stroll or move about when he's playing, so he paced up and down the length of Cas's enclosure. Cas trotted beside him following his every move, and sort of springing about like a graceful goofy dancer, chuffing and occasionally just gazing at Harley, or rubbing up against his fence in pleasure while listening intently. I even caught him making biscuits one time! (It is the way house cats show effection by pressing their paws into something as though they are kneeding dough). It was a grand time indeed.

Unfortunately, we have not seen a lot of Gloria or her furry family since.then We have kept in touch by phone and email along the way, but we both got caught up in life's chaotic pace, which can dull our connections. So, out of the blue lasts week, I got possessed with catching up with those folks who I have lost contact with, and called her. Turns out it was HER birthday this past weekend. So all Harley could talk about was making Ms Gloria, who he now refers to as "Aunt Gloria", a birthday cake and singing to her, and her kitties, naturally. There are very few people I've seen Harley take to that were not family or people we see regularly like he has with Gloria. (Personally, I think he's got a massive crush on her!) As much as an almost 4 year old can. This is not surprising as she is gorgeous, exuberant, kind and when she speaks to you, it's as though you are the only person in the universe. Plus she loves kids or at least mine, so there you go~ The fact that she is the mommy of his favorite tiger friend is just icing on the cake. (Really, no pun intended. I swear.) So, we sang to Ms Gloria, Harley helped her blow out candles and she and I got to catch up some. Harley got to flirt a bit and ask all sorts of questions about big kitties. He astutely observed that "Casanova doesn't even know how BIG he is"!! (So true, much like the St Bernard who thinks he's a lap dog). We had to explain to him that while the kitties are sweet from a safe distance, they are wild creatures also. That's when he announced his observation.

Here is Harley signing to Cas. These pictures don't really do either of them justice, just as words do not, but it will give you an idea. In some of these, it looks like Cas is singing along, but he is actually chuffing and panting, which I guess in tiger talk, is really one in the same.

Nevermind Hank... I REMEMBERED!!!!!

If you have not heard these chicas rock, you really really must. They are HOT! That's all I got. Ah PS. You have to read yesterday's post to sort of get this one. Sorry!

Funtabulouso!

This post is dedicated to all my bloggy friends who love to wear black. And you know who you are dahlings!

I googled "pretty pictures" and so many oddball things came up. This is one of them. It's obviously an album cover, but it's done in the syle of a movie poster. Clever, no? And so glaaaaaamorous~ I came across it and just thought it was marvelous. I really like the old style of it, and the kitschy thing too. Are those two the same? I mean many kitschy things are old, but I don't think it's a requirement. Yes, I'm going with old is a subset of kitschy. Anyway, I like it. A lot. Oh, and I'm pretty sure they are foreign. They are cutting and a new album in Copenhagen.

Even their name is hip and groovy, The RAVEONETTES! And yet it also reminds me of eating Raisonettes at the movies, which I love~ but is not necessarily hip and groovy.... For all these reasons, I suspected that I would also like their music And I do~ I really do! It's sort of beachy, 50's rock and sort of Hillbilly Frankenstein/Roxy Music sound mixed in with another band that I like (an all chick band), but I can't remember the name of it. This is what getting old looks like ya'll. When you can't remember the name of one of your favorite chick bands, you've arrived. DOH! It's a super cool name too by the way. (Hank, knower of many many things, can you help me out here?)

So, there you go and there you have it. I was restless and uninspired, so I played around in GOOGLE, looking for pretty pictures. This led to numerous hilarious and strange viewings and now I have a new band to check out. Besides the striking pink cover, the words "Pretty in Black" stood out. It made me think of all my bloggy friends who like me, like to wear black. Although I'm not goth and I suspect they aren't either. But I'm digressing. What I mean to say, is that you, my cyber-bloggy friends, help color my world. And today it was black and pink... and musical. Thanks ya'll!