A trip to the library

Took a trip to my neighborhood library and came back with these little lovelies. I had just gone in to return one book and came out with three more and a DVD. I love Laurie King's books in particular the Mary Russell series. Has anyone seen the DVD? Is it any good?

And look at all the freebies I came home with! There were a TON of Martha Stewart Living mags (and others) to be had but I tried not to be piggy about it. I can't believe I even got a free book on tape, Mrs. deWinter, the sequel to Daphne de Maurier's Rebecca...Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. The freebies were courtesy of The Friends of the Library.

Here are a few snaps of the Mission Valley Library where I LOVE to hang out! I'm such a square!

View from the second floor balcony looking down

A trolley runs through it!

A shot of the San Diego trolley taken from the 2nd floor lanai.

A refreshing and cool courtyard off the children's section

And I’d like to wish Peace & Love and a happy birthday to Ringo Starr who turned 70 on July 7th.

Everybody have a great week!

St. Trinian's School for Girls

I recently saw a film and frankly I’m not sure how I came to be aware of it, I think I was googling something or other and it just appeared. I followed the YouTube link and before you could say Girl Power (!) I was riveted to my computer.

The movie left me in stitches though I have to tell you it’s not world class cinema, I never even heard of it before, the film is politically incorrect and I admit there were some parts I just didn’t get. But sometimes, you just go with it right? I loved it!


The film is St. Trinian’s School for Girls which came out in 2007. Ok, here’s a brief overview…St. Trinian’s is a boarding school for girls in the UK. There is a lot of free expression going on in that school of ungovernable young ladies (I use the term loosely) and the plot centers around getting the school out of bankruptcy.



Rupert Everett is hysterical to watch in drag as Miss Fritton the headmistress. The actor has said that he based his character’s look and manner on a certain member of the Royal Family named Camilla! Equally entertaining is Colin Firth who plays his role absolutely straight as the new education minister who makes it his goal to shutdown St. Trinian’s. As a side note it appears that the two have had a “thing” in the past as whenever they appear together on screen strains of Love is a Many Splendored thing can be heard in the background!

Rupert Everett as Miss Fritton and his inspiration...someone named Camilla!

Hmmmm, I think I see a resemblance.

I believe part of my attraction to this film comes from my stint at an all girl’s school and the uniforms that are a part of the culture. Unfortunately our uniforms were not nearly as hip as the girls from St. Trinian’s. Our outfits consisted of a white blouse, a blue plaid pleated wool skirt, oxfords (yes, the old black and white clunkers), oh and almost forgot…a full white slip. You better believe a slip was a part of the uniform because we had inspection every morning. If we were honest, and I admit to this, those of us who went to Star of the Sea were always a bit jealous of the girls from Sacred Heart’s as they had that cute white middy top with the navy tie and navy blue box pleated skirts as their uniform * BIG SIGH!*

Trust me, we would never have been allowed to dress like this at Star of the Sea!

Perhaps we would have gotten more dates if we dressed like this for sports!

Here is a clip from the sequel St. Trinian's 2

My love of school uniforms aside, I hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July holiday!

Have a great week!

Summertime memories

While out on an early morning walk yesterday with Sadie, I realized that it must certainly be summer. Everyone I came across was in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. The sun was out, the sky blue and it was scrumptiously warm.

Wouldn’t you just like to be a kid again and enjoy summer the way we used to? We could…

Go to the BEACH!

This is San Souci beach in Waikiki were I learned to swim!

Another favorite spot was Hanauma Bay both a nature preserve and marine life conservation district. It was also a favorite place to camp and I vividly remember an overnight trip with the Campfire Girls. We did a treasure hunt had a marshmallow roast and told ghost stories!


Is there anything more delicious that fresh fruit to munch on in the summer?


Or how about an awesome picnic in the park?


Ok, this was always fun, camping out in the backyard. These days it pays to do a staycation.

How about a BBQ with family and friends? I can't tell you how often we did this in the summer!

I saw numerous Disney movies at the drive in. We would all pile into the station wagon in our jammies, snacks in hand, for a fun family night out.

Remember these ads for the concession stand?

One of my absolute favorite things to do was to lay down in the backyard and look at the sky and try to see if I could see images in the clouds. Did I just see a dragon pass by?

How about finding a snug little corner in your world for a little summertime reading? I loved Nancy Drew books.

You know by the time the 4th of July rolls around there will be fireworks galore to enjoy!

Now, this is something I would absolutely love to do...go RVing! It looks like so much fun and I would love to up and down the West Coast and also discover all the state parks like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. Maybe in a tricked out behemoth like this one...

...or a cute little Airstream like this one!

So what are your favorite summer memories and what are your plans for the summer? Enquiring minds and all that! Have a great summer!

As you probably know, cats were once worshiped in ancient Egypt and they have never let us humans forget it!



I have tried to tell my cat, Kitty, that kitty worship went out in the 390 A.D.’s but he won’t have any of it. After years of living with me, he has trained me to be a slave to his habits and his exacting schedule. Woe am I if I refuse to get out of bed at 4 in the morning to let him out. He will take his claws to my overstuffed rocker and rip it to shreds and then go in the spare room to have a cigarette. I am not sure where he gets his ciggie supply as Sadie and I are non smokers and I really don’t allow smoking in the house. Somehow he manages.

Here he is, the boss of me!

But I have found a way to exact some revenge on my little Felis Catus. Wigs! Oh, yes, wigs for kitties! My niece gave me a book called Glamourpuss and that started the wheels in motion!

Kitties need glamour too!

My name is Madonna but you can call me Madge.

Dude, let's go Wild Hog and zip cross country this summer.

Maybe you remember me, I used to be on a show called Petticoat Junction!

What do you think? Conservative yet punky, perfect for the office, yes?

Pink is my signature color and I'll be going to Harvard Law this semester.

Don't be hatin'


My codename is Kittylicious.



I'm feeling brighter than a lucky penny!

Hold on, I'm channeling Cher.

Enjoy the video!

Kitty! You're next!

The Ballad of John & Yoko

I was driving home from a quick trip to the grocery store this morning when the WALRUS started playing The Ballad of John and Yoko. I started a quick psychedelic flashback to 1969 with John and Yoko doing their little bed-in espousing peace and love.

Drove from paris to the amsterdam hilton,

Talking in our beds for a week.

The newspapers said, say what you doing in bed?

I said, were only trying to get us some peace.

Christ you know it aint easy,You know how hard it can be.

The way things are going, They're going to crucify me.

John and Yoko's infamous ‘bed-in’ for world peace

Caught on film

While all this transpired, I was a teenager in high school whose love of the Beatles knew no bounds! Paul, by the way, was my favorite Beatle.

The Beatles in 1969

For me, there always seemed to be a bit of kookiness that surrounded John and Yoko. Yoko was an avant garde artist but today I think they would call what she did performance art.

Here is Cut Piece by Yoko back in 1964 in Tokyo. This was an interactive piece whereby audience members were requested to come on stage and begin cutting away her garments until….well. there wasn't anything left!


But at age 70, Yoko was still at it in Paris where she performed Cut Piece in 2003.

The audience was encouraged to Come and cut a piece of my clothing wherever you like, the size of less than a postcard, and send it to the one you love. She concluded by saying Cut Piece is my hope for world peace. I’m not sure how taking a scissors to a chic black evening dress will bring about world peace but the girl's got guts and is still living for her art!

John & Yoko

John and Yoko moved to New York in 1973 and John Lennon was only 40 years old when he was killed in 1980. It’s ironic that a man who promoted peace and love died in such a violent manner. When the city of New York erected Strawberry Fields in Central Park, Yoko donated $1million to maintain the site. Strawberry Fields opened on October 9, 1985, on what would have been John's 45th birthday.

Strawberry Fields Forever

The centerpiece of Strawberry Fields

Yoko and Sean Lennon 2009

Yoko is still rockin’ it and received a lifetime achievement award in 2009 at the Mojo Awards a British music publication.

A retrospective of Yoko's work

You guys, this is what 77 looks like. Not bad!

I think I'm going to start wearing a fedora!

A little tribute to dogs everywhere!

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent.
~Milan Kundera ~

The once popular dog name FIDO is from the Latin word meaning "fidelity."

He is my most sincere admirer; he loves me though he has never read my work!
~Rudyard Kipling on his cocker spaniel~

Ah, city life!

New York is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.

I am the philospher Diogenes, the DOG. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy, and bite scoundrels.
~Diogenes~

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.
~Gilda Radner~

Nobody can fully understand the meaning of love unless he's owned by a dog.
~Gene Hill~

To err is human. To forgive canine.
~Unknown~

Every dog must have his day.
~Jonathan Swift~

Be tuff ! The "dog days" of summer can be wuff !


My little dog...a heartbeat at my feet.
~Edith Wharton~

And speaking of a heartbeat at my feet, here's a recent photo of my darling Sadie. As you can see she has the dreaded e-collar framing her lovely face. Sadie Love had an ulcer on her cornea resulting in the need for a keratotomy. Apparently the condition is common in Boxers (Sadie is half Boxer) and older dogs (Sadie is 12 years old), a double whammy, I guess. In any event she is progressing nicely and sends her regards.

Sadielicious

PS - notice the stickers on the e-collar? It's sort of the equivalent of people signing your cast!