meanderings along the path of nothing in particular... 7.22.05
when reading over that online review of C. McCarthy's latest novel we pointed to yesterday, something we'd read on the plane ride home recently came to mind, so we quickly searched thru the pile of detritus hauled back to EPTx and located Fiction Issue 2005 of The Atlantic Magazine wherein we recalled essay by Mary Gordon, Moral Fiction, that link leads ye to very brief excerpt, maybe (if you're at all interested of course...) you can find the issue at your local library, if you're not willing/able/inclined to subscribe. Definitely looking forward to reading No Country for Old Men and see for ourowndarnedself whether or not C.M. has jumped the shark.
(well, whaddayaknow; NYT Books section review of C. McCarthy's latest)
Yourstruly was up late last evening and watching D. Letterman, caught brief bit broadcast of pointed jibe at GWB, et al, that ended with photo/logo & tagline (hope we got this right) "Bush & Co. Lying our asses off since 2000." Searched a bit for it earlier unsuccessfully and there's naught to be found on the CBS/D.Letterman show page, too bad as we'd really like to hang that image there in the sidebar. Some of ye have noticed the Patriot Act is back in business, some news buried amongst the commotion of late (in this country) re the Supreme Court nominee and Karl "the traitor" Rove stories, along with the very disquieting news of the most recent news from London. Those of ye who've been visiting us hereabouts for a while might wonder why we not appearing as pissed off and ready to squawk about it as we had been oncet upon a time, let l'Marquis reassure you that he & his loyal staff of minions are still paying attention, quite aware of the distressing state of affairs we are currently enmeshed in, thanks to the the cad-ministration currently manning the helm of ship-of-state and that fucking idiot we have elected as president. Yah, we realize this is "old news", but perhaps one of those occasional visitors here, you know the kind, the ones seaching for nekkid pictures of Jude Law's nanny or somesuch, maybe it be good to open their eyes to this kind of chewy, linky goodness: WhiteHouse.org
(check out the related forums there, too...); BushLies.net (ahh hell, just google Bush Lies); fairly comprehensive look at Bush & Co.'s penchant for modifying the truth via Failure is Impossible. Okay, mebbe enough of that for now, something else that has had us shaking our shaggy visage in disgust is all that business of late re game Grand Theft Auto (right?) and that super secret porno encoded and only available via special key from online source. Can you imagine anything more pathetic than the loser whose prime motivator is accessing the hot porno in his (really & truly doubt there be many females who are likely as obsessed with this crap...) stupidly violent vid-game and spend hours fingerfumbling his way thru some vapid variety of cybersexual hi-jinks. Pathetic and revolting, jeeez dude, get a fucking life, will ya?
praying for rain, some surcease from the heat... 7.21.05
that's what a good many folk throughout the southwest are doing of late. Locals hereabouts are counting on moisture shoved this way from the hurricane developing into some relief-laden thundershowers, but that immense high pressure system that has squatted over much of the west will have something to say 'bout that. In the meantime, relief is provided to yourstruly via the pool in the backyard and plenty of beer on ice (well, in the 'fridge actually, to be truthful...)
so the New Yorker has a look at C. McCarthy's new novel, long anticipated in some parts. Ourowndamnedself recently indulged in immersion of C. McCarthy's novels, having passed over them for many years, something to do with unpleasant boyhood memories, wethinks, of always having to be an Indian in those childhood games of Cowboys and Indians, something of that experience planting the seed of disdain for westerns/horse operas in general, thanks to those goddamned Crumley boys next door. Passed along one of McCarthy's novels (All the Pretty Horses) to young nephew Miguelito a few months back, who happened to have his nose buried in the newest H. Potter tome whilst visiting this weekend, and upon my inquiry of whether he'd read the McCarthy his negative response centered on the difficulty of reading something without punctuation. Oh we had to laffLaffLAFF. Plenty of punctuation in McCarthy's work, likely it had more to do with the absence of quotation marks and how accustomed some folks are to reliance upon them, that "comfort factor" provided via those little symbols designating someone's speaking. Left us wondering if he'd read any of the Dark Materialstrilogy l'Marquis had passed along to him a year or so ago, kind of doubt it, goshdarnitall. Oh, but he and his Popz were at Walmart at Midnight to buy the H. Potter.
'you don't need a weathervane to know which way the wind blows...' 7.12.05
that was a certain blockhead by the name of Tomlinson quoting Bobby Dylan during his tete-a-tete with Senator Durbin during Monday's hearings. Yourstruly was listening to some interesting stuff courtesy of Democracy Now on KPFA this morning. Gosh, what with the news re Strep Throat AKA Karl Rove, isn't it lovely to see some of the cad-ministration's chickens coming home to roost.
color us entirely unsurprised by the news... 7.10.05
(and mind you, the primary source we're aware of at present is Newsweek story, & after that defiled Koran story, well, mebbe oughtta keep ourselves reined in) that a certain Mr. Rove, mover and shaker in High Government circles, is, well, maybe we could call him "Strep Throat", eh Binky? Wanna lay odds on the chance he'll resign? l'Marquis is betting he won't, bastard'll probably get a raise and the Presidential Freedom Medal (Special George W. Booosh edition). We are in one helluva mess, chicos y chicas...
Credit where credit's due, muchas gracias to the fine mind behind the Big Brass Alliance email updates, better known as Shakespeare's Sister (AKA Melissa), her post on the Rove revelation is right here.
alright now, verra' quickly, toute suite & all that: the remainder of that Top Ten Reasons One Might be Glad to be Back in Albany/Berkeley/East Bay, and in no particular order and forgive us if there ends up being more than 10 in toto. Pizza from the Cheese Board Collective, and yes-in-deedee, Binky, it is worth waiting in line for; Best Cappucino (and perhaps best espresso baristas in Berkeley), the French Hotel; Bookstores, yessss, let's see, on Solano we've got Pegasus and Half Price Books to choose from, down the road past the tunnel there's Black Oak Books, and over on Telegraph, Shakespeare's, Cody's (let's not forget the slicker, fancier Cody's on Fourth St. where you will also find the Builder's Booksource), and we know we forgettin' somebody, sorry. Did someone say "Fresh Produce?" Well, some folks prefer the Berkeley Bowl but it is always too crowded for yourstruly and we like the feel of the neighborhood around the Monterey Market much mo' bettah plus it also be much closer to Chez d'Monquis. Public transportation ain't bad 'round here, you can pretty much get whereever you want to go in the Albany/Berkeley area via AC Transit, further afield with the Trans-Bay buses to the city and (of course) BART. Thinking we going to stop and contemplate upon all this, maybe put something together with some of the fotos we've taken here and there during this visit, but gonna leave with one really good reason/s to be back in these East Bay Environs: The City across the Bay awaits thee, alongside Marvelous Marin County, the wonders of Sonoma & Napa counties, oh, babee, it be all good. Leave ye with this last bit of linky goodness, courtesy those SF Gate/S.F. Chronicle folks, East Bay Neighborhoods
thou shouldst be careful of what ye wish for... 7.08.05
indeed, here's yourstruly back in the familiar environs of the East Bay/S.F. Bay area and occasionally freezing his toochus off, goshdarnitall. Somehow we know we'll not avoid complaining about the hundred degree plus temps when we're re-experiencing them, but ourowndamnedself will endeavor to temper them with the knowledge that the respite that may await us back in Albany-ville, well, maybe next time we'll plan better & bring along our longies, just in case.
yessss, katz und kitteez, it is a familiar sight, this version of el chango tonto, just something intended to mark our presence back in Kalifa; perhaps we'll think of something different upon the return to the desert S.W. Access to the web and regular updates hereabouts have been hampered by a number of things but mostly not having a computer or connection available (short of the Albany Public Library) to us. No biggie 'tho, knowing that our dedicated dozen readers remain ever faithful, ever constant; nevertheless, you pretty things you, we appreciate your hanging in there patiently. Big concern for a bit of time yesterday had us visiting the Albany library to send out quick note to esteemed S.J. Green, he of the marvel that is Plep, as he works in London and is often on the tube that time of day. Oh man, we wuz worried, but we did get note back later in the PM wherein he clued us in on his personal experience of a grim morning in London-town, his good fortune not to be included in those hundreds of casualties.
Last month, that local fishwrap in EPTx did a story on the Top Ten Reasons for returning to EPTx and such a thing has lingered in our consciousness here of late over the last week, although we'd be referring to ourowndarned Top Ten Reasons for returning to the Albany/Berkeley environs. l'Marquis also has some photos to share, but our online set-up here has some limitations, perhaps at some future post we'll get to those. Mind thee, these come in no particular order as on one day, it is perfectly feasible that item number nine could easily be item number one, depending on the mood of the day and the need requiring being addressed. Reason Numero Uno- KPFA and KALX radio; KPFA, the flagship of Pacifica radio; could be considered required listening for anyone imagining themselves seriously left of center politically. Yesterday heard fine interview with Matthew Lasar speaking at comfortable length regarding his book relating the history of KPFA/Pacifica radio. This morning Don Asmussen and Ward Sutton were both guests on the morning show, much insight into their respective work as cartoonists and the issues of the day. Asmussen's work usually found in the S.F. Chronicle, online via SFGate; Sutton's work in the Village Voice, Sutton Impact Studio located here. KALX, hey, s'pretty damned fine college radio station. Numero Dos- (egads, this might take way too long. perhaps it'll be just five today and five, uhhhhhh, some time next time...) Solano Avenue. Imagine thyself a guest of l'Marquis and leaving the manor for a stroll through the neighborhood, perhaps inclined to walk the length of Solano up the gentle slope east to Berkeley, then returning west to see what the Albany end has to offer. Only one block from the front door of chez d'Monquis, and plenty of diversion to be discovered. Numero Tres- Urban Ore. Great resource for anyone aspiring to a lifestyle incorporating re-use & recycling. Always one of the first places we check out when faced with manor related labour. Sure, plenty of junk, Junk, JUNK, nevertheless, a fine resource. Looking for "better" stuff, maybe something antique, truly hard to find? You got to try Ohmega Salvage. (btw, nice, albeit brief, interview with Steve Drobinsky, oncet upon a time co-founder of Urban Ore & now the proprietor of Ohmega Salvage, in the June issue of The East Bay Monthly (oncet upon a time known as The Berkeley Monthly). Numero Quatro- again, a two for one kinda thing: Amoeba Records/Telegraph and Down Home Records/El Cerrito. Yessssss, Binky, you right, the Haight St. Amoeba records be bigger (damn, forgot they opened up in Hollywood...), and if yourstruly had folks from out of town visiting, very likely he'd squire them to the City, to the Haight and Amoeba would definitely be on the list of places to stop and visit, but as far as the local environs are concerned, well, you really needn't go much farther than Telegraph in Berkeley or north on San Pablo St. into El Cerrito to put you within arm's reach of more recorded music than either of us would know what to do with, but then again, wouldn't take long for us to figger 'dat out, huh Binky?
Goshdarnitall, l'Marquis has work to do, and here he be just futzing around with that damn computer and internet bullshite again, and For What!? he don't never get paid! he don't ever get nuttin' free! (well, sometimes, is true, sometimes we do, and thanks to those of you who send us cool, free stuff, we luvz ya, yesssss we do...), so for now, boyz and gurlz, it will have to be only four, and we try really, really hard to come back and fill ye in on the rest of those reasons we enjoy life hereabouts...
it's old home week (and a half)... 7.04.05
hey dere katz und kitteez, yourstruly's back on the auld sod, so to speak, San Francisco Bay Area East Bay Environs and man, it there a BIG difference between a daily high in the low seventies as opposed to one hundred and five, six or seven (or more) degrees, well, ye can imagine our relief...
Not yet certain if we're going to be able to add some peekchoors to the entries whilst on the road, our technical capabilities are hampered a wee bit by our Luddite ways, be nice to share the sight we enjoyed yesterday, after clambering to the top of Indian Rock and enjoying view of the city by the bay still wrapped in foggy mistyness, as well as the sight of the Golden Gate hidden in the silvery grey fog. T'was a wake up call to make additional effort at taking care of ourowndamnedself as the discovery of how cardiovascularly challenged el chango tonto has become was not an entirely pleasant experience. It's only a few short blocks, four or five, to Indian Rock from where the path begins at the corner of Solano and The Alameda, a few stairs here & there, a gently winding pathway for the most part, but it's all uphill, Binky. Worth it though.
thank goodness for the pool in the backyard and plenty of cold beer, lest we'd not survived the overheated & largely uncomfortable month of June...
to be an Indian in those childhood games of Cowboys and Indians, something of that experience planting the seed of disdain for westerns/horse operas in general, thanks to those goddamned Crumley boys next door. Passed along one of McCarthy's novels (All the Pretty Horses) to young nephew Miguelito a few months back, who happened to have his nose buried in the newest H. Potter tome whilst visiting this weekend, and upon my inquiry of whether he'd read the McCarthy his negative response centered on the difficulty of reading something without punctuation. Oh we had to laffLaffLAFF. Plenty of punctuation in McCarthy's work, likely it had more to do with the absence of quotation marks and how accustomed some folks are to reliance upon them, that "comfort factor" provided via those little symbols designating someone's speaking. Left us wondering if he'd read any of the 
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