Mind Ooh sha

The mind is fickle and it's weird what memories it decides to keep or purge. As a kid we'd travel by train to Mexico. On these trips I remember loving the dining car. It was always spacious (for a kid) and well lit with natural light from windows on both sides. It was exciting heading over to the dining car because we had to cross cars and I found that adventurous. As I hopped across the walkways I would catch a quick look at the blurry ground below.

There was always that diner smell, sort of a mixture of ham and toast or something. What really stands out in my mind was the appreciation I had, already as a kid of five or so, for the heavy, well made, railroad china. The dishes were an off white and had maroon trim. I also remember dark green and cobalt blue trim on the different trips over the years. My mother would get a tiny little ceramic creamer for her milk. I always wanted to take it, it was so cute. The butter would come on tiny little plates. I did managed to swipe one of these at one point. I remember taking it and putting it in a white, cardboard lined, toy purse. I felt incredibly guilty and I remember being very paranoid about the whole thing. I still have it! I even buried it once, along with a few other treasures.

My brother and I were really into putting a few treasured items into cigar and jewelry boxes, wrapping them in plastic or foil then burying them. We'd make little maps and then dig everything up months later. It gave us something to think about when it would finally rain. We'd wonder if our little boxes were getting wet and what about the items in them.... It was hard not to dig up things after a rain to check and see. There was a feeling of success and achievement to find our items intact.

But I digress... Some sites on railroad china:
The Railroad Commissary
Cabin Class

I also remember being on a trip once and seeing a girl running around with this cute little plastic purse with a doll. I really wanted one. Never forgot it. I now know they are Remco Pocketbook Dolls.

Remember this guy?

Yuk! When I was a kid I thought he was so gross, I think he still is. First caught Slim Goodbody on Captain Kangaroo. My little brother and I also got grossed out by the Zoom opening (here's an earlier version but similar to what they did later). It had these kids all dressed the same with their striped shirts and jeans but barefooted. That icked us to death for some reason. Once I happened to wear a similar shirt and jeans and ran after him barefooted saying I was a ZoomaZZZZZZZZZZZZooma kid out to get him. Chased him but we both stopped cause we were laughing too hard. We liked Zoom but something about the intro that season they had striped shirts.

Zoom and Sesame Street, all those PBS shows had kids from the East Coast and I was always fascinated by them. I'd ask my mom why they were so different, never met kids around me who spoke like they did, I really dug their accents. My friend Rodney and his brother came to Del Rio, Tx from Pennsylvania in 1979 or so and I remember they had those accents. Later he told me they thought we all spoke like we were out of a Deputy Dawg cartoon and couldn't stop laughing at us.

Oh yeah, The Letter People! In kindergarten we had the blow up dolls and the record. After nap time the record was played and Mrs Wall, who assisted Mrs Eckles, would come in dancing with the new letter person. After those 26 days of fun the Letter People were strung from the ceiling and soon after that, kindergarten was over.

Did anyone ever learn to read from Theodore Clymer's books? I can only recall:
One Potato, Two
Helicopters and Gingerbread
Duck Is a Duck
The Dog Next Door and Other Stories
Fish and Not Fish
May I Come In?
Seven Is Magic
How It Is Nowadays

And what set off this nostalgic minutiae? We watched Swingtown last night and I saw Tupperware. Vintage Tupperware always catapults me back to the 70s and my childhood.

Minutiae here, minutiae there

Hearing all the news about air travel makes me just not want to fly but I have destinations planned. UGH! There is LA and Chateau Marmont, NYC to see family and meet up with new friends, then there are returns to Philadelphia for record stores, hoagies and to see friends, then always Vegas and I've been hearing about Nova Scotia and how it's cool this time of year.... I hope to make it to at least three of these places soon. In the meantime, it's very hot here.

Neckties and pantyhose are becoming extinct I heard. The problem here is comfort and aesthetics. Those thin, silk mid-century neckties are awesome. I think they look great on a man and personally, I can't trust a man who doesn't own at least five neckties. They make a guy look dashing. Whenever I come across a thin, vintage necktie, I buy it, take it to the cleaners then give it to my husband. My Sweetie wears them well. Because they are thin and made from silk, they aren't uncomfortable. Yes, per him.

Pantyhose, what a disgusting image that conjures up, seamed stockings or nylons are much better. To see women wearing pumps without anything between their feet and the closed toe shoe, it looks icky to me. Flats are different but I have a mental block when it comes to those closed toe shoes on a 2 inch heel. At the same time, pantyhose (YUK) have become such unattractive contraptions. Totally not sexy. Hanging out of their packaging at the store they look so gross, then advertise having tummy control and binding stuff like that. I can't imagine how anyone can feel normal wearing them. Still, I think there is a need, so why not keep the bring back the seamed stocking or the nylon. The Cuban heel seam was especially cool. Nylons and garters
Vintage Nylons

Watched Lost in America...man, that's a funny film. Reminds me:
Surfwise

Overheard minutiae:
1. Swingtown is a fun show
2. Flying sux right now
3. RSL is getting married in August

IN, in my world:
Pavement's early tunes
Butterscotch Custard: Yummmm
Silkies: Six of them I joined the urban hen movement
A 1970's childhood
Writing
Teaching Callanetics: Finally
The Paramount


OUT:
Driving before 8pm
Driving.

I think this is the best costume for the day

I love that part in Grey Gardens. Today my costume was Serious and Sullen Missionary Girl from the 1930s. UGH! Did not mean for it to look that way but that is what I looked like when I caught my reflection in the library window. The costume consisted of brown leather Mary Janes,a chocolate colored linen skirt,a white cotton camp shirt (fitted with darts) with a peter pan collar and a cotton khaki sweater with 3/4 sleeves. What really made the look was the way I had my hair clipped back. All I needed was a bible and a vintage bike and I could have been an extra in one of those linen drenched epics. Oh well, it was too late I was already at work. Walking in 98 degrees made me feel that in the end it was the best costume for the day..

Interests Du Jour
Books on vintage textiles: Joy Shih (Schiffer Design Book) has many of these out. Pages and pages of just prints from different eras

Fashions and fads in America during The Great Depression: This was mostly inspired by watching Paper Moon again. I *heart* that film. The simple print dress with a waist line and longer hem length was the staple.

Seeking out Malia Hawaiian dresses again, wanting the wraps.

Busybusybusy

The days are flying by and I find myself needing more hours in the day to start books, finish books, try out a recipe, watch some new DVDs, workout,see friends,work on projects,upload finished projects...what the hell am I doing? I'm seemingly always busy yet nothing gets done.

This is how it always seems to be after Daylight Savings Time-Spring forward. I don't quite get a handle on things until August. Don't know if it's just that I am more ambitious this time of year or if it is some perception that time is just whizzing by because I lost an hour weeks ago. One accomplishment that didn't drag on for weeks was the changing of the seasonal wardrobe. I will say, I am proud of how efficiently my new system worked this year.

I'm too busy to do anything really new. Aside from falling in love with the Turkey Reuben at Billy's, nothing really new is up, yet nothing old is hanging around either.

Updates:
Since my posting of the filthy buses the #5 has really shaped up. Bravo. (Hope I didn't jinx it by updating you on this). It's really spiffy, no odors and clean windows. Even the floor looks like it had a scrubbing. I must add there are some awesome drivers: Randy on the #5 is the best bus driver in Austin! Professional, courteous, takes pride in his job, I've known him for almost six years now and everyone misses him when they switch the drivers around.

The heirloom roses did arrive blooming and are in the backyard! I did wrap up the whole rose rustler research/interest and returned six books to the library. Now the obsession du jour is vintage kitchen textiles. Plenty of books out there on aprons, dish towels etc...Amazing what I will geek out on.

The garden is coming along. I'm still holding my breath.

Quite a few have emailed me regarding my opinion on VMUgreenurbandesnsity, I was pleasantly surprised with the response. For one, I had no idea I had that many readers who weren't friends or family, two: Everyone was in agreement. Really?! That's awesome. Thanks for tuning in and dropping a line.

Yes, I will come up with a cooler and more interesting recipe for the sidebar soon. I also received an email asking why I typed out the recipe for Chicken Burgandy and not something more Playboyish like Steak Diane. I will stay with this cookbook's recipes for awhile and try and choose more interesting dishes or at least something more "Bunny Dip" worthy. We are coming into drinks-by-the-pool season.

I put down the Schulz biography. After the first few chapters I found myself browsing and scanning it. I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Schulz was brilliant with huge emotional issues. Reading the book, you felt like this man was living next door and you wanted to avoid eye contact when you saw him. This is to say Michaelis did an excellent job at making him all too real with all his baggage and issues, just tooooooooo real. As it turned out, I just would rather not know so much. Also, as someone who can relate to Charlie Brown, I just didn't want to keep going down that road and learning more about the man behind Failure Face.

3707 Red River

I lived at this garage apartment twice. Once in 1992 or 93 and again for only a month in 1998. I always thought it was cute. Built in 1929 it had cute details like original glass door knobs with skeleton key locks, brass hardware, hardwood floors, one of those ironing boards that folded back into a little closet in the wall and that really cool telephone nook in the hallway near a cute linen closet across from the bathroom. It was the typical square design, enter to living room, door to kitchen, door to hallway with bathroom on the side then into another room. A lot of doors. It had cute original bathroom tile and I could always picture a clawfoot tub there but it didn't have one of those.

I always daydreamed about restoring it and how cute it would look. In the Spring I enjoyed the place thoroughly. The trees around it made it feel like a tree house. It was peaceful. The Summers were another story. I'd curse the place in the Summer. Basically the same wood walls on the outside were the same wood walls on the inside. No insulation, it was like living in a shed, in a very hot shack. There were two window ac units but the air would escape not far from the vent because the walls...you could see daylight through them when you stood back. Winter was more tolerable because there were gas heaters that worked but you didn't want to get to far from them or you'd freeze.

Both times I rented the place it was in the hands of Austin's meanest landlady. She collected tons of homes through the years and rented them out. Her properties were dumps. Some, like 3707 were always uber cheap and nothing more than shacks. She did nothing to keep them up and she was just terrible to her tenants. She was, I heard, quite the sweetie at her church. Anyway, her sister-in-law was a real sweetheart and I ended up renting a lovely garage apartment from her down the street from 3707 when I moved out the first time.

Thinking back, the place never brought me good luck. In retrospect, the two times I lived there were not my best years in Austin. At the time though, the place inspired many thoughts and ideas about restoration, home ownership, gardens, and I can see now thinking about the place was an escape from my life as a student struggling with everything. I'd wonder who first lived there because I had found old metal toy cars buried in the yard. I had wondered if anyone had a cute iron bed in the bedroom or had a child's birthday party in the yard or if anyone planted anything near the fence and how many people had called the place home, if anyone ever did. What was it like in the 40s, 50s and 60s. What sort of wallpaper had been up in 1929 when it was built. I could see faded remnants in the closets. The garage was filled with vintage lamps, furniture, old fabrics and hundreds of mattresses. I wondered if they were belongings left behind or if the landlady put everything there. I also feared that at any moment the whole place could go up in flames with all the old mattresses ad wood furniture stuffed into the garage and the poorly rigged electrical wiring box right next to the tinder. On the one hand, I liked those mattresses in there because I figured if the old posts that were barely holding it up ever failed, I'd have something to cushion the fall. I also thought maybe the mattresses piled up high were holding the place up, and maybe the posts weren't even touching the ground. That would explain how the whole place moved from side to side when you'd walk around.

After I moved out the first time I saw so many tenants come and go as I'd drive by through the years. The U-Hauls and For Rent signs always seemed to be there, probably because no one could stand Judy. Now and then I'd drive by and catch a party with a band playing in the garage. I wondered if they were taking care of the place, if they saw what I saw in it. It had a lot of potential but it was aging fast and I figured one day I'd drive by to find it destroyed.

In 1998 it was still standing, even had the same pink mailbox hanging from a wire on a nail. I needed a place to live fast. I already knew what sort of situation I was getting into with that landlady and figured I could handle it. She was much worse though. It seems she had grown more angry with life and really didn't like being in the business of renting. She had installed a motion light at the place and one night came by for some reason. She never made it up the stairs because the light kept going on and off, as broken motion lights do. She thought I was turning the light on and off and called me the next day screaming about the treatment she had received. I calmly told her it was the motion light, explained how it worked, how it was broken and how I had no access to it, it had no switch. She started muttering all sorts of crazy talk and I realized she was not well, on top of everything else, she probably had dementia. I moved out. The real estate agent who "managed" the property said Judy was going senile and to forget the lease.

The floors had started to dip and a room lost a door. I thought I'd be the last renter and it would soon be condemned but I was wrong. It went on. In fact, a few years later, I was at Austin Books and found this little comic book, handmade, Xeroxed copied and stapled together. It was all about this guy living at the garage apartment and the thoughts the place inspired while his life sort of reached a point of inertia. It was not funny but it was interesting.

I eventually moved to another part of town and rarely went down Red River. With all the changes in Austin I thought for sure this place would fall in on itself. It was a pleasant surprise to find that it had changed hands and the new owners were lovingly and patiently restoring it. I saw that a huge central ac unit had been installed. Later new windows, the garage was cleaned up and looked great, new exterior wood siding. I try to drive by there every now and then. The work is slow but coming along and it looks great! Yay! What a life 3707 has had. I want to know: Who are these amazing guys restoring the place themselves? Can I shake their hand? Thank you for not tearing it down or doing it like a cheap flip. The place has restored dignity.

Revisiting the tape box

1989 and 1990 was awesome to me music wise. My best friend and I were into The Stone Roses and Pussy Galore (Dial 'M' for Motherfucker was my fave). I was remembering all the new music I was finding at the time like Braniac and Opal (and then Mazzy Star). Claude was way into Pavement and introduced me to Morphine and Galaxie 500. Then there were the Pixies and the last of Camper Van Beethoven. This is what we listened too shopping for vintage 50's shirt dresses (found everywhere for $5 or less once upon a time in Austin) to wear with our leggings and Chinese Mary Jane's. It's what we listened to when we were at St Ed's and new to this town. Good years.

Aprons

I love that aprons are the thing du jour but who is wearing them? I wear them, I own several and always have room for more! I'd love to give some cute aprons I find away to friends but I don't seem to know anyone who is really wanting an apron, uses an apron or into aprons. I'd like to make some from vintage patterns to give away but once again...girlfriend wear an apron? Let me know!

min+oosha

1. The house will be getting some work and becoming more solid. Decided to take the plunge. It's phase one of project restoration and preservation. Found out that even though it was built in 1949, it's innards, roof and floor plan are all consistent with homes built in the 1930's.

2. I work with great women and one in particular really amazes me. Mary is 85 and still works out at the gym. She looks great! I thought she was barely in her late 60's. She told me this story that I thought was really interesting. If you are a Hyde Park home owner or renter, is is just one of the stories your house could tell if walls could talk:

When Mary's husband returned from the war there was no place to live in town, Austin had a housing shortage. She had been renting a room in an old house in Hyde Park that was divided into small apartments. Mary and her husband lived there for only a short time before they had to move because the house had been sold and would be restored.

Rentals were equally difficult to come by after WWII so when Mary's best friend told her there was a small home for rent in the neighborhood, they both went to see it. Mary's friend was a new mother and had been married the year before. They were both newlyweds. The house was a perfect little 2/1 with living room, kitchen and bathroom. One house, two couples desperately needing a place to live. They thought about maybe sharing the rental. When Mary told me this I had to ask how large the house was. She replied," It wasn't large at all, in fact it was very, very tiny". I thought of our house, a vintage 2/1 housing two couples and a newborn. HOW?

Mary said it worked out fine for three years. (THREE YEARS?!)Each couple had their own bedroom that doubled as a private living room. After work they'd each go into their own rooms. Mary and her husband showered in the mornings and left for work very early. She said they were both working to save enough money to buy a new home. She said they ate dinner out everyday and just used the kitchen for coffee, toast and sandwich making. She said this way there was no need for pots and pans, dishes, dish washing etc... They split all utility expenses. I was amazed at how this worked out. I really can't see an arrangement like this working out. One bathroom?!

So when Mary and her husband bought their own home, they remained best friends with the couple that shared their old rental. They would get together once a week to make Mexican dinners at home, took trips to Mexico often and had their children grow up together. I just thought if walls could talk... nothing lurid or juicy about the story just that it happened and worked out is why I feel compelled to type it out.

3. Spring is fast approaching and looking forward to tackling the backyard, heirloom roses, fig trees and tomatoes. We'll see how much pans out. I do have a windowsill herb garden that seems pretty successful, so far.

4. Went to lok at a $364K home in the hood. Wow! It looked cute from the outside but I didn't find what was inside very appealing. It lost all it's vintage charm. Not even the floors were original. Wm fell in love with the screened in porch. He really wants a screened in porch. I noticed how the wall separated from the floor in some areas a good 1/2 an inch. YIKES! I can't imagine flips being very solid. I imagine a lot of rigged operations going on in crawl spaces, attics and between walls. I did like the screened in porch. 500sqft of it! But then again, that did seem like a bit much. Room for cartwheels and a patio bistro set is all I could see.

Interests Du Jour

1. Vintage Pachuca fashions
2. Doilies
3. Chris Marker
4. Backyard sanctuary
5. Hello, Fenderstrat! Where have you been? AAmDEF never sounded better! But would like to play C7 F Dm Am C C7
6. 2008 Presidential Election
7. Mel Torme on cozy evenings
8. Hello, sewing machine, the time is NOW!
9. Playboy After Dark episodes, Old Grey Whistle Test episodes, TV Party episodes
10. Miss Hitty
11. The movement in this video is awesome

These last few days

Sorry, I couldn't hear you because I'm listening to Christmas music.
I will be posting the playlist with MP3's soon: Jimmy McGriff, The Ventures, Tijuana Brass.....Merry Christmas!

I have such an egg nog buzz. Half egg nog and half rum in an 8oz glass...bad idea to try and hang those big, red, glass, Christmas lights over the door in this condition. Too late, sweep later.

Saturday: My new, vintage repro, Noel Candle, outdoor lights arrived!Yay!
Today: BOOOOOOO the bulb in one of my new, vintage repro, Noel Candle, outdoor lights burned a hole right through the plastic flame.

Making snowflakes in the cubicle is a pleasant way to spend my 30 minute break at work but loses all excitement at home.

Is the tree losing too many needles?

It's too hot to think of Christmas. Poop.

Thoughts Du Jour

Thinking about televisions a lot. There are a lot of free vintage television sets floating around if you know where to look. Basically anything tube, black and white made after 1955 is nearly worthless and after 1960, worthless. Of course, no taking into account aesthetic and emotional value to the prospective buyer.

Oatmeal raisin cookies, funnel cake kits, pecan praline making, bread pudding at Mimi's, Dart Bowl restaurant. This place is so cool and yummy!

The Dangerous Book for Boys-I dig this book, it's on my list of books I want.

Pecan trees, fig trees, heirloom roses, Jasmine, and the Treefolks

Taking walks after dinner in this great weather!

Sewing

Analog People in a Digital World, analog watches,

Minoooshiah

Got a cute vintage movie screen in mint condition to match my newly acquired 8mm film projector (with gorgeous bakelite details). All were part of the Lori "16mm" Surfer collection. She is parting with things and moving out of town. That sux. I never got to see her installations either. Well, maybe in the mid 90's I happened upon a show at Emo's she projected.

I had an old 8mm projector that sputtered out carcinogenic fumes last I tried to use it at a party. I peaked into it's belly and it had sparks. I asked Lori to take a look at it and she did and confirmed that it was dangerous and a fire hazard. She also saw the sparks. Lori said it had parts from other projectors. I never caught that but it all made sense, things were always shaking and it was tres noisy. She was kind enough to dispose of it for me at the metal recycling scrap yard. Thanks, Lori!!!It is rare for me to find some relic that is completely useless and cannot be repaired. I was pretty lucky the thing didn't go up in flames the few times I used it.

Mail order: I have purchased a dress and tried on three different sizes, sent it back three times. I am awaiting a 4th size, we'll see how it goes. I'm bigger and smaller than I thought. Mail order gets old when you have to play ping-pong with the vendor. Still, it's a perfect dress so...I do what I gotta do.

Website finds:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this website: Vintage Homes
These are all manufactured homes but you can find plans very close to your own vintage home.

Lustrons

Museum of Television

When I can't make it to the border this website keeps me happy: All Pop

Pattern Bee Is a website I have used to fuel inspiration and for free patterns but don't think I have ever mentioned it?

Folk Art in a bottle, anyone?

Old Machines

Home Movie Day: Finally those home movies are getting the preservation and attention they needed. I always thought they were tres valuable.

some fashion minutiae

I'm like a one note Johnny about the Audrey Hepburn sewing pattern collection but could someone out there in cyberspace create the series? I guess there are copyright hurdles to cross. It would be cool to be able to make the exact outfits she wore in her films:
The fitted Sabrina "Back from France" wool suit or the fitted Sabrina jumper

The pink Breakfast at Tiffany's cocktail dress (seen on the right in black and white)

A knitting pattern for the sweater from Breakfast at Tiffany's
(cropped with wide collar)

Then there is the cute tailored number from her movie Paris When It Sizzles.
Why stop there?! Mia Farrow's dresses in Rosemary's Baby, Faye Dunaway's outfits in Bonnie and Clyde, Anna Karina's film wardrobe and on and on and so on. Do send me free patterns.

Not many men look as good in their pants as Dick Van Dyke did in his while starring in his show. So much attention is placed on how women look in clothing but not many men can look great in a pair of slacks (teehee) or even jeans. They often wear ill fitting pants. Attention should be placed on men and their pants, it's been ignored for forty or so years. Isn't there a way to make men look good in pants without a tailor? Whatever. It can be done. It was awesome when men wore hats, sweaters, cuff links, ties, nice shoes and looked great in pants. It would be cool if the DVD look came back, teehee. I'm not talking that business class look that is so generic and boring and not at all stylish and often not even a clean look these days. Many guys have ill fitting suits:pants need to be hemmed an inch, sides of jackets taken in, shoulders taken in. I'm talking that cool Italian 60's look, with a nice tapered, tailored silhouette and sharkskin. Stop with the blue, chambray shirt and khaki chinos. Ick! Mix it up a little.


PERSONAL INS
1. Tailored style wool dress suits for women, boxy cut, cropped tops, big belts and pencil skirts. Lots of detail in the tops. Not in grey, navy and black but in various shades of green.
2. Tailored looking Dick Van Dyke pants. Throw out the ill fitting pants!
3. Vintage repro, vintage originals
PERSONAL OUTS
1. Imported synthetic tops

Would be cool if tailors were all the rage and got really competitive with their prices so you could get cool outfits, custom made and all at a reasonable price. Would be cool to see tailors back in business. Would be cool to see tailor shops opening up all over the town instead of the same ole big box shit.

BTW, you can learn to make your own shoes.
Here in Austin you can learn to make your own clothes

A Year Without Made in China....?

Currently reading the book and taking inventory. So far, I have some shirts made in Mexico, USA and India, not so much China. All my vintage stuff is made in the USA: coffee peculator, a few skirts and coats and jackets, sweaters some old Doc Martins I still wear. Our dinnerware is new and USA made...hmmmmm didn't realize that.

I did become frustrated with the book because Sara Bongiorni totally lacked creativity when trying to procure items NOT made in China. Her coffeemaker broke and she never thought to look for an older USA made peculator with a lot of life left in it on Ebay or Goodwill? The time she spent looking for kids tennis shoes and never five minutes spent checking Ebay for some older Chuck Taylor's that were not used or only slightly used. A lamp? Ummm many an old USA lamp can be found but I got the impression she wants brand spanking new always. Well, I'm of the type who wants clean and works or can clean up anything pretty darn good and so if it works, it's good,it doesn't have to be brand new. By the end of the book I didn't like the author. I found her to be trite and her attempt at this project seemed to be one of the deepest undertakings of her life. Her epiphanies were thin. I didn't like page 128. The more status quo you want to be, chasing the Joneses the more Made in China stickers you will find: cell phones, IPods etc.... I encourage going against the grain, live without a cell phone, people did for years and were fine.She has no email address published for feedback on the book either.

But there are many a practical treasure still around not made in China at thrift stores. I have been successful at purchasing USA at those venues. As for big box, last Christmas I avoided them. I purchased from crafty and d.i.y. sites who may or may not have used supplies from China but there was no big box store revenue coming from me.

We still have a lot of Made in China stickers about the house, but when there is an alternative, we take it. It's easy to do in a place like Austin when you have no children. It's a difficult endeavour otherwise per Bongiorni and I believe that however I also feel she made things a bit harder than they could have been.

Incidentally, I have been using only Lion Brand yarn to make the stuff for my website. It's all Made in the USA and Turkey. Also been using wool yarn from Australia and Norway. My crocheting hooks are from Mexico. I didn't even realize this.

Interupting the minutiae for Minutiae

I've been driving to work tres early and can smell tinges of Fall. Sort of? It's so nice and cool, no need for ac. The sun is still asleep. Been listening to Velvet Underground, Roxy Music and Iggy. It doesn't pierce and collide with the morning either, fits right in and results in pure elation. Same elation I experience with my favorite operas like La Boheme* and favorite jazz pieces.

Watched Wassup Rockers tonight. We thought it was funny. Its good! They have a scene (deleted?) with those Homies toys in it, dug that. I never saw Kids, didn't appeal to me and everyone who has seen it tells me to pass, so I do.

Watched a David Cassidy documentary. Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis guy............he's a guy with a lot of..... I love this guy!! Catching him in Vegas next. In all seriousiteeeeeeee, I do dig his voice.

02%20I%20Woke%20up%20in%20Love%20This%20Morning.mp3

Going to get RxWayfarers. Actually they are just about the only Rx sunglasses you can get these days-the lenses on all the others curve too much. I was actually wanting a pair for a long time, tres vintage, but I heard this is the year they brought back the "original" with all the old style hardware even?! Hm. I also heard they are "IN" again. Really? They were out? The lady at the store emphatically assured me that Wayfarers were indeed out but the young starlets are bringing them back. Starlets? We still have starlets? I always think of a young Ginger Rogers or Lana Turner when I hear the word starlet. Anyway, I'll be so "IN" {insert sarcastic squeal here}. Great.

Hamilton Camp!

*Pagliacci, Gianni Schicchi,Cavalleria Rusticana and La Traviata

Happy Father's Day

I bought a Fender in 1993 and did little with it until I met Ron, my father-in-law. Ron taught me a few chords: A D E and for Christmas one year set me up with a Pignose, capo, guitar strap and a stand so I could keep the guitar out and have easy access to it for practicing. I have not practiced in a few weeks but it is something I do and enjoy doing when I get a chance too. Being able to finally play something on the guitar in addition to the cool gear was the coolest gift ever!

I have seen the cool, vintage Martin he learned to play on. The guitar is well cared for and breathtaking, I love a vintage Martin. Ron was born and raised in The Magic Circle, taught guitar by Tillman Franks , got to see many perform on the Louisina Hayride, can tell you first hand stories about Webb Pierce. He got to witness rockabilly history in the making and had his own part in it performing on KRUS as part of the Hogback Mountain Boys as a teen. He had fun with music and still does to this day, it's a big part of his life. You should see him play the banjo, yeah, he does that too.

My father-in-law is so cool and I feel uber lucky being able to have him teach me and have his encouragement with learning to play my guitar. His understanding and appreciation for music and the guitar are contagious. It's no wonder Wm is a tres talented guitar player himself. Happy Father's Day Ron!

Distractions

1. The Belmont-midweek only, don't care for the weekends
2. This place
3. This site: Never wanted an office until now
4. Vintage work
5. Thank you Heidi for the awesome retro ephemera!
6. Michelle from NYC said to stop messing with the tapioca and try Galaktoboureko . I love it! Okay, calling all the best Galaktoboureko recipes. I have never made it myself, always had it at restaurants.
7. Drakula's: This place is calling but haven't had the time
8. This book! and this book and this book are all on my wishlist. I never got enough of PAD.
9. Movies (aside from the Paramount):
Away from Her
La Vie En Rose
Crazy Love 6/15
Broken English 7/13
10. Don't forget this
11. Art-O-Mats: Very addictive, I didn't want to even look at one again because I feared going broke in fives. (Procured my first Aldo Valdes Bohm piece! YAY! It's teeny tiny but tres,tres awesome)
12. TVZ : All I ever hear referenced is Pancho and Lefty and I really don't like that song. I do like these two though:

06%20Come%20Tomorrow.mp3

Turnstyled%2CJunkpiled.mp3
13. Guarda Che Luna

Lists

In
Tokyo Flash watches (neat looking but pricey)
Vintage Scarab Bracelets
Toast-The innest thing in the world is to have your vintage toaster on your table so you can have toast anytime with real butter,honey,yummy homemade jellies and jams or just yummy jellies and jams
Fresh peaches from the farm-or so the sign says-sold by people in my hood
Yard work and planting flowers
Painting and being artsy with wood
Cake-with or without frosting
Sidewalks
Casseroles to match the cupcakes
Hazel-The TV Show, I know, but whatever , it's like comfort food and I gotta be me

New Tapioca Recipes-C. from Nebraska, that was uber delicioso!
Here it is printed with his permission:

1/3 c. lg. size pearl tapioca (not instant)
2 1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Soak tapioca in water for 4 to 12 hours. Add milk and salt. Heat and stir until boiling. Simmer at low heat, uncovered, for 50 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar gradually. Beat eggs. Mix with some of hot tapioca. Return slowly to rest of mixture. Bring to boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes to achieve pudding consistency. Cook 15 minutes. Add vanilla.

Mexican Food: From my new cookbook
Full moon dining outdoors
Olives
The Paramount: I totally dig it this year!
St Benedict

Out
The 200,000 sqft WalMart-Heard Northcross will house the smallest Wal-Mart in Central TX? Sort of Yay !
Staying in and letting the yard get ugly
Chocolate-just haven't been in the mood, it's been weeks, crazy, huh
Amtrak-UGH! why do they depart in the wee hours every time?!
Soy-It's so, uber,ugly, bad for you!!!!!!
Flipping houses: It's tres unethical and indecent in my opinion. I watched episodes of that cable show and what I saw was sad. What I have seen firsthand in the hood is sad, some spakle, pressed wood, caulking and paint and for that you are paying what?! Just so Flipper can buy a new set of tires for his Hummer? Besides, the market is cooling, even in Austin (re-sell fell in March and with subprimers, who we all know were helping to fuel the rush and pump the numbers, falling into foreclosure nationwide....I don't know, I'd buckle down and invest my money somewheres else if I were you muchomoneybucks Austinite)
Republicans and their stinkin war

Wanted:
Working 16mm Projector
More days off so I can work on projects
More Tapioca Recipes
Impatiens in the backyard
Yoga class
The Champions on DVD-UGH! Cannot get this show anywhere right now

Found:
Cool vintage scarab bracelet
**NEW** Julie Christie Film-Thanks, Paul!

Still no work at work!

Yep, we still have no software installed and so, we can't do our work. I have to remember that the ideas I may get during this time are best left ignored. BUT! maybe Ebay will have a bubble machine I could buy. I thought, why not a bubble machine? Would be neat in the backyard. Though, it could scare away Sal Mineo, my skittish, adopted stray and I wouldn't want to do that.

Looking up "vintage coin operated" on Ebay, some interesting gadgets. Actually, just "coin operated" (adding vintage is redundant). Just type in "ugly vintage" or "ugly heavy" and you also get ineteresting things. How bored am I?

Bored! I can't think of a worse way to spend 8 hours. Darn, I should have saved 120 hours of vacation, I could be doing something really productive right now had I held on to 120 hours of vacation. That's a year, btw.

In search of cool useless things

I have always wanted but have no practical use for the following:

1.Vintage Stock Ticker Machine: I could watch one of those things for hours. I find it relaxing to hear it tick and spit out the numbers. But where do you get the ticker tape and what to do with it aside from using it in an art project. At least it would force me to create. Oh the pressure. Still, Cool thing to have lying around.

2.In keeping with the glass dome theme, however not nearly as "useless" is a small, glass dome weather station. It looks like a ticker machine but isn't as dynamic.

3. A really complex antique music box. In the age of Ipods and things being smaller,taking up less space but holding the max a big music box is pretty useless. Even one that plays several tunes is "useless" but I dig them. I like the sound, I admire the mechanics of it all. As if you haven't noticed, I'm wowed by somewhat primitive (comparatively) mechanics.

4. A HAM radio. With the internet it's now "useless" to a point and it's a hassles with the whole radio operators lisence and it does take up a significant amount of space but it's so uber cool.
BTW I saw a truck driver using a cell and he looked silly, even stupid. I'm used to truckdrivers = CB radios. I don't care, truckdrivers should use CB radios or a cell that looks like a CB radio.

5. My own radio station and frequency on AM. Yeah, I would totally dig my very own lil radio station, again, I know this is possible with a computer and a service but it's not the same. To have records (78's 45's, 33's) from floor to ceiling, tapes, cds and the entire set up to transmit on XTER (should it be in Mexico) or KWNT from the US and be able to play whatever and broadcast all over all entirely on the level with the FCC, not pirate (ugh! the worry and the fines and the loss of equipment). Have friends do their own shows, spend weekends working the station. Wowsers, the power of broadcasting in this manner still appeals to me. Ever since I was a kid working with walkie talkies, a Fisher Price turntable and a small but powerful transistor radio. Working for Voice of America still appeals to me too. UGH the voices on the radio these days-something revolutionary can still happen there.

6. More useless would be a telegraph unless you want to practice Morse code for no good reason. I used to own a straight key but that was lost,stolen,taken, what have you. I learned Morse Code as a kid from a library book. I still know some,um, well acquainted that is, it ties in with the whole HAM radio thing.
..-. ..- -. -.- / ... --- ..- .-.. / -... .-. --- - .... . .-.

It also ties in with a facination with code in general. When I was a kid I was always wanting to return from Summer vacation with some cool skill (cool in my book, not yours or theirs)and learning Morse Code was one of them but there was a Summer I tried to learn Navajo. All pretty useless when you consider I could of learned Latin or Greek?

Du Jour, Du Jour

Interests Du Jour:
1. Attempting, exquisite, intricate crochet and pulled thread work
2. Creating new scarves and scarflettes and hats
3. Katherine Anne Porter and Antonieta Rivas Mercado
4. Cantinflas and his films
5. Vintage Mexican Items (not just dresses)
6. Reading, sewing and sorting all weekend
7. Casa Chapala
8. Fried Green Tomatoes from Billy's!
9. The Tiki Lamp comeback
10. Take a Chile y Limon rimmed glass and squeeze half a lime into it, then add a shot of tequila (or two), Fresca (the real stuff) and ice= Frescazit-O!
Have it with cold jicama drizzled with lime and sprinkles with Guajillo Chile.
11. Baybel Cheese! It's sooooooooo good!!!!!
12. Small , older homes are "IN" . Apparently the mansions of the future are less than 1000sqft!
13. Loquats are ready for picking in West Campus!
14. Did you know in England basil was expected to bring good luck to a new home?
15. The Green Ray

What's got me Miffed:
1. My favorite Oaxacan Restaurant moved far, far away. Not just out of my comfort zone, practically out of town. It's too far to drive for a flan, even if it was the best flan in the whole town. UGH!

2. I no longer have easy, three minute access to my favorite flan.

3. I'm sick of bicycle riders and their costumes darting out in front of cars. Happened to a car in front of me. You guys aren't cute or inspiring or even cyclist, you are just annoying.

4. I loathe Hummers. Ridiculous vehicles, no decent person owns one. You have to be an asshole to want one, a moron to buy one and Lucipher's own child to put a personalized licence plate on it. Wonder if any of these costumed bicycle riders own Hummers. Wouldn't surprise me.

5. UGH! I had a latte a few hours ago and UGH, It was actually 4 oz or less of latte and I feel awful for it. How can you coffee people do it? What gene or organ mutation do you have that I don't?

Wowsers!

Ages ago I worked for a vintage store in town. The owner noticed the hats I made and said she'd sell them for me so she did. One day, waaaaay out of season she did a show and one of my hats was at her booth. The rest is how the story was told to me:

This cute little boy, I think he was two or three, pointed and said bowling. He was really excited about the hat with the bowling pin. His mother said he liked all things bowling. They bought your hat. He was really excited.

I had always wondered about that kid and his mom maybe because the hat was bought in town, out of season or maybe the way the story was told or maybe because the hat managed to appeal to this kid and made him happy at first site. I never forgot the story, it was flattering. So years go by and I meet this cool girl and we talk and then I ask her if she'd be interested in doing some work for my site. I send her the link and she is like OMG! and then tells me of how her and her son both spotted this hat a long time ago at some open market in town. OMG! I say, I know this story!!!

Pretty freaky? Cool? Serendipity of some kind? It's pretty cool and she's cool!

End of March Minutiae

In
Vintage embroidered Mexican dresses and shirts
Watching old Bewitched shows
Exercise
Itunes(Yay! Finally music at work. The Cd player gave out long ago)
Uploading trip photos and video
My House

Out
Inertia
Infarto (watching this show once was enuff): Had nightmares after watching this and eating spicy Thai food after midnight.

The weather this weekend sucked. I missed Little Richard because it was crowded beyond belief. Oh well. I appreciate cloudy, grey days during cooler months otherwise it works to make me nervous. Those sort of days during the Spring and Summer have always ushered in bad news or bad times. In Del Rio it used to mean a tornado was brewing. If it's raining that's different. It's those stagnate, grey, muggy days with low barometric pressure that are perfect for all that is dismal. However, nothing too terrible managed to happen, it was quite social. Mental note, leave past anxieties about grey Spring days in the past.

EEEEEEEW Austin Modern Smells Bad!

I can't exactly articulate what about this rubs me the wrong way but something does. Maybe it's because there is something forced and not quite genuine about this. Maybe it seems a lil too desparate but read:

10 ways to make friends with your local Vintage dealer
Do:
Stop by often, even if it isn't to buy. Most dealers get new stock in weekly if not daily, a regular customer will eventually be steered towards the newest arrivals and best deals.
Let your dealer know what types of things you are looking for.
Educate yourself, learn styles and prices, if you like Hey-Wake, learn what prices are reasonable. An educated buyer is a favored customer.
Be friendly but do not monopolize a store owner's time -- a five minute conversation is usually welcome but be sure not to prevent a store owner from helping other customers.
Let your dealer know when you are looking for something in particular. If that item does turn up, your dealer will be sure to let you know first.
If your taste changes, let your dealer know -- theirs may be changing also!
If you've asked for a specific item and the dealer calls to let you know they've located one, be sure to go in and look it over. You are NEVER obligated to purchase an item, but it's always nice to come by or at least return the courtesy with a phone call.
Get Real and be realistic! One of the fun things about collecting and decorating with original Mid Century furnishings is the joy of having unique items unavailable to just anyone with a catalog! Keep it in mind that anything more than even 5 years old will show some wear. Don't place unrealistic expectations on your collection, especially on rare items. If you'd like only mint condition items, let your dealer know so they can steer you in the right direction.
Keep it Real. If you're on a budget, let your dealer know! There are really incredible vintage items out there that are not stamped or marked but are still very worthy design icons. These usually cost much less than something similar that IS marked. As I always tell my own customers, "Are you really expecting your friends to flip that over and look for the makers tag?"
Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Don't:
Come up with a story about how you're redoing your entire home, are an interior designer, will send in wealthy friends etc. in order to get a discount. Whether it's true or not, dealers have heard this a zillion times before and usually already work with most designers in town. Instead establish yourself as a steady customer first, if a discount is available it will come to you.
Ask for an over-the-top discount on an already well priced (or worse, already on sale!) item. If you really want an item but cannot afford it, consider layaway or ask if something with a similar 'look' is available for less.
Be insulting. If you think something is priced too high, keep it to yourself. If you think something is overpriced, ask why it costs so much. It may be rare, or from a particular designer... you may learn something you didn't know already.
Never play the Ebay game; i.e., "Oh I'll just find it on Ebay for less". Most dealers supplement their store income with Ebay sales and are well aware of what an item is selling for on Ebay. Usually the item in question sells for more than what it is priced at in the store. And don't forget those shipping costs!
~ From Austin Modern Website


How about,just have fun hunting for vintage and retro items.
~ Sez Me

Spring Cleaning

Last year, around this time, I took everything I owned, boxed it up and into storage it went. Since last year I have managed to dispose of a few odd treasures. One step forward, 100 steps back:I gave a pair of shoes to Savers and then one week later happened upon them again at Savers and bought them back. Seeing them on the shelf, they looked better than I thought. I thought of the ensembles I would not longer be able to wear because my shoes were gone. The shame. I parted with shoes again, tonight. This time I thought hard, searched my feelings, appraised the wardrobe, the closet,listened to my heart and then into the garage sale box they went, they all went.

This evening I have downsized the storage space by 5 square feet. It's a huge difference in price and possessions. I no longer own the largest vintage, stereo console in Texas. I breathe better and sleep better knowing it is no longer my possession. I gave up new storage racks for 45's, even some 45's (hey maybe I should hold on to them for an art project .....ARGH! there I go)

As I moved from one storage space to the next I felt happy about the chance to organize everything again. This time, straight towers of boxes, straight rows, everything cataloged, boxes numbered with a notebook detailing the contents of every numbered box. A book corner, out of season clothing corner, Xmas decor, furniture here and then.... I have a large collection of weird sized and shaped casings. My Underwood, my vintage record player, my Echoplex, and other such things. They are all encased in ugly, luggage looking, black and grey containers made from what feels like lead. UGH, they got their own lopsided corner as I tried to stack them neatly in the unit (they weren't made with flat sides). This ruined my perfect storage space attempt. It is destined to be in the order I recognize but to you...just a pile of junk that leans to the left a bit too much. Mind you, nothing I have packed and stored has ever broken. I have a system.

Meanwhile, back in the jungle, my garage sale goodies are looking good. I'd buy them from me again, I'd take home again(proved that with the Savers shoes incident) all smiles thinking I have the best garage sale find ever:
Dear Garage Sale Forum,
I was on the hunt as usual expecting the usual when in the early morning sun, there stood, in all it's exotic glory, and yet so indescribably coy, seducing me aggressively with bits and pieces of Depression glass, a tinge of the Art Deco and oh,oh the Atomic Era with it's kitsch. Quivers. The Garage Sale of my dreams! A retro swag lamp all gold and rhinestones. As I explored it with my eyes only, I have never seen such unique and delicate characteristics in a swag. I paused to gather my poise but I was immediately mesmerized by the sensuous shapely retro Donut Phone, so voluptuous and a tease as it was not quite white but a creamy ivory and able to bring any room together.......................................
Yeah that's what my garage sale is shaping up to be.

It's all what I have bought and held on to through most of my 11 apartment moves. I am much too sentimental to part with anything I was ever given. From now on, I collect nothing, I just take whatever comes my way. When I return from Mexico, my neighbors and I shall post on Craigslist.

I know you from somewhere

I have lived in Austin long enough to know you if I saw you before when I see you again. I have a good memory for faces but not always good in placing them or their names.
I may not know your name but I used to see you at Emo's in the early 90's. Maybe I saw you at parties when Austin had tons of parties and you could go to seven in one night or you hung with friends of friends or worked at Quacks when it was on Guadalupe or that book store where Denim Edge was or I would see you at the UT gym, hmmm by the way, remember Les Amis and their onion soup and black beans, anyway, or maybe you were part of the University Grotto or maybe you just came into that vintage store I worked at or hung out with those people I ended up not liking too much but hung out with for awhile anyway because they knew my roommate or maybe you came to my big party in 1996 or lived across from my apartment or maybe we had a class together or we could have been in that student film in the mid 90's or hey maybe you were at that audition for Snake Tails, maybe we'd wait at the same bus stop waiting for a shuttle or a bus or you could have been in the group interview to work at Central Market that one time or maybe you worked at that fast food place in the Union and I saw you when I went to see the John Cassavetes movie series and Seymour Cassel was there live and in person or maybe you sat in front of me, next to me or we met while walking out of Husbands or maybe you were at that swimming hole or record store before it went out of business, maybe it was in the bathroom at Liberty Lunch or maybe at Magnolia's after a show or at a Mr Fab show or during one of those first SXSWs when Crust would play at the Ritz or darest I suggest I saw you at a Retarded Elf show or hey you may have come to see a rental I was trying to sublet or maybe I saw a rental you were trying to sublet or maybe it was when I worked at that bookstore or at Ego's or maybe just walking down South Congress before it was SoCo and there wasn't much there so I'd know I seen you or maybe you used to go to that park near Elizabet Ney's or maybe just on campus when I started working there or maybe it was just at Starseeds, Tamale House those few times I went or maybe a hike at the greenbelt or was it Mt Bonnell or maybe it was at Enchanted Rock with a group or once coming out from the backyard of that house on 37th St around Christmas time and you were going in, or at 21st St Co-op or Family Thrift or maybe you were in a line at the Paramount (vague recollection), or was that line at Basics or were you there when that guy was dancing with a lizard crawling all over him to a Depeche Mode song or was it Fiesta at 2am or when I worked for that telemarketer downtown,maybe it was Emo's but I have seen you before and keep running into you from time to time, but I know you, sort of.

Lists

Recent movies I have seen and LOVED!
Pan's Labyrinth
Summer(Rohmer)
The Painted Veil
A Summer Tale (Rohmer)

Interests Du Jour:
Vintage house supply and salvage
Linen
Lenny Bruce
Spring
Florida: Mythical and Vintage Florida as well as The Keys(Cuban food and music, proximity to Cuba), Tampa, South West Florida beaches
Limrick,Ireland and their cute, roofless and gutted stone cottages for $55K...Euros of course
Ruth Orkin

Missing or can't find:
Music from the early to mid 90's
Squished penny from Hemingway House
Box of vintage glass door knobs and hardware(ce la vie)
Vintage St Theresa triptech

Found:
A marathon outside my door Sunday morning
$8.10 in my purse
Vintage red Pendleton coat at Savers
Cool exercise regimen
Brand new bird's nest
My lucky, jeweled wishbone charm
J.P.S. Brown!

Wanted:
Bangs to grow out
Outdoor cat to be more tame, less skittish and to stop crossing the street
To know the future of Koenig Lane
A good pair of linen capris
Embroidered Mexican shirt

Pet Peeves:
Drivers who never signal
SNAFUS
Insincerity
The fair weathered

Always In:
Sparky Marcus
Luddites
Genuine people, the real deal
Anyone with real convictions
Natural fibers
A good pair of pants

To Bill

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day but we already celebrated with a dinner out. We don't eat out often, I love cooking and I loathe most of the service industry in Austin. If we are return customers it's because the food was yummy but the waitstaff was even better.

The best Valentine I ever received was a mix cd from my husband, at the time, boyfriend. It began with the Ramones-I wanna be your boyfriend. We had met at a vintage store, he bought Freedom Suite and had a twinkle in his eye and I followed him out the store to see if I could catch any more clues to who this guy was. I had his autograph on the Visa receipt and studied it for my remaining hours at work. I couldn't help but replay the way he acted in the store over and over in my head because I had noticed him when he walked in and he had been the only customer I had that morning so I was not distracted. I noted how he carried himself. I notice how a person moves more than anything and noted his gait as he walked out the door. Not much was said, we introduced each other, I got his name but I wanted to know more. He looked familiar, I figured I would see him again and I hoped I was right. Back at home I Googled his name and found his address, a few days later I drove by his house. Feeling like a creepy stalker kept me from doing this again.

One day, months later, at the bus stop he came walking by. Hey! We spoke and I felt a buzz from our short conversation. We said we'd get coffee but it didn't happen. I found out he worked just down the street from me. Finally, after a few failed attempts to get together for art openings, coffee dates and just office drop bys, it was on a lonely bus ride home a year and half later that we finally connected. It was one of those days where so much was the same and I spent most of the day lost in thought and had not spoken much at the office. I planned on a nap when I got home, I thought maybe I should move out of state, missed that book I had been reading...

It was then I looked away from my window and noticed across from me sat a guy reading a book. I glanced over again and noticed it was the guy from the store. Wow, it had been awhile, I didn't think he'd recognize me but I had to say hi. Yay that I did because he did recognize me and conversation was about missed attempts at contact in the past and some catch up. He had been trying to find me at the store and I was no longer working there. We were now living in the same hood. His stop came first and I rode home with happy butterflies in my tummy and didn't need that nap.

Valentine's Day arrived October 2003. Happiness to me has been the feeling of not needing much of the tangible and separating from it. It is feeling everything is taken care of and looking forward to dinner with the guy who walked into the store that day with a twinkle in his eye who totally changed my life. You know The One when you feel like you're home when you hug. Heart be still!

Viva Las Vegas 2007 and other minutiae

Yet another year that I have not been able to make it to VLV. I'd go to wear gorgeous numbers by Whirlingturban and Stop Staring and for the car show. I really don't mind not going this year what with the Stardust implosion in March (car show would take place in their parking lot) and the Riviera and Sahara not being long for the world(c'mon, we know that Freemont is the best they can do as far as preservation and even then, one day, poof). Maybe as long as the Peppermill and Carluccio's are there, I'll be fine visiting and maybe next year.

The Today Show has declared sewing is in again. Several articles in late 2006 and early, early this month already declared it a trend, hop and ever so in. So, here's hoping someone out there will create an exclusive series of patterns based on the outfits in all the Audrey Hepburn movies. Another thing that was mentioned in some of these articles was a return to older styles and retro.

I just realized it isn't long before I go to Los Mochis,woohoo! I am excited about that. I won't be there long but five days with my Abuelita is gold, pure bliss. Topolabampo Bay with my Granny, frijoles con crema, the papaya trees, the palm trees, the Spring (just before hurricane season)!

Still very much in love with Rohmer's films! Would like to visit France soon.

Also, anyone got a Subbuteo game lying aorund? I want to play, looks like fun. I have been in a board game mood as of late. I didn't realize that LIFE had changed so much. BLEHK! I need to find a 70's or 80's version, the graphics are what I am used too. I don't want to spin the wheel and get a Hummer.

I am parting with many of my possessions this year. The 1960 Silvertone Stereo Console in a minimalist design. Why? Well, it's procurement was sort of by default, never been happy about that. It is tube, not solid state. I could fix it, all it needs is a new idler wheel and those are easy to get online but it's over 5 feet long and I have no place to put it! I could even send the old idler wheel to this place and they'll refurbish it for under $30 but still, no room. I don't want to make room for it either, this is in every sense of the word...baggage. I am selling it for $40 but contemplating a donation to a local church store by the end of next week. I'd like it to go some lovely Luddite who will replace the wheel and love it, love it, love it.

I was going to sell my retro television but after finding a guy in town who can fix it so that it no longer overheats on top, I decided to keep it. I remember waking up at 6am and calling Claudia on a Sunday morning to wait in line with me to enter the estate sale to buy it. She was the only one who would do that for me back then. I was anxious, I really wanted it and if it was sold I'd be pissed because the price on Saturday was CHEAP but at the time I needed to watch my money. Doors opened and there it was 50% off, so we loaded up and drove to my place pleased!

I found an authentic Predicta at Hog Wild for $350. It's a nice tabletop console for anyone wanting a vintage television. That's 150 times what I paid for my television. I will still purchase a Predicta, but uh.....not until this televison goes kerplunk, kerpluey. In fact a visit to a few vintage stores this weekend made me want to sell less and just hold on more.

Mule Skinner Blues-The Fendermen

If you ever want to embarrass that hipster friend of yours or just humble up an old buddy who is getting to big for his britches just do the following:

Drive through a hip, posh neighborhood at 5 miles an hour with the windows rolled down and without warning, crank up Mule Skinner Blues by the Fendermen and watch the terror hit their face! It's amazing how this song can really bug someone and make them feel uncool or unhip. At the very least, it can really bug a person.
You cannot do this in some old vintage car, while drunk (you or your friend), must be the Fendermen version and five miles an hour and preferably during the day. It's a riot!

Personally I dig the song, I think it's pretty awesome and don't mind cranking it up but uh...it embarrasses the hell out of some people. It has it's own Myspace.com account! Found this out while searching for an mp3 to post. Buy the cd and keep it on hand, or upload the tune to your Ipod. I have it on cassette.

I dig the guitar, almost sunds like an 80's synth for a second.

Are they peeking?

Ever get the feeling you are being watched? Ever feel like you just have your finger on the pulse of things or maybe you are just too hip because you are way ahead?
Whatever is going on is sort of spooky. So a magazine published all the websites I have listed on one of my blogs having to do with retro stoves and such. They are now trying to sell the rest of America on this:
"Produced between 1900 - 1920, the antique kitchen stoves from this era are styled with crisp, clean castings and sleek nickeled highlights. These stoves are sophisticated and discrete and offer a caliber of quality and construction unrivaled by today's modern stoves and reproductions."

I'm glad the word is getting out there. I did read in a trade journal that large corporations do pay for the search keywords used on such sites as Ebay. This info helps them decide what to sell you. Target is one of those companies. I don't mind repros. Mid Century Classics Re-Issued the next article. Hmmmm yep, they must be following all you retro and vintage lovers out there!

Are capes in because I kept searching for a decent wool, plaid Pendleton cape last year on Ebay? I am starting to wonder how many of our searches for the specific and seemingly obscure end up on lists with merchandisers and buyers. For Spring I am searching for the gaudiest, flowered, terry cloth robe with zipper and hood. Thought it would be cool to wear around after a dip in the pool. Yeah you can do this in the Spring in Texas. Wonder if this search will make it into the pages of Lucky. Be fun if it did...you heard it hear first, gaudy, big flowered, colorful, hooded terry robes w/zippers!

Repro Wish List:
1. Waffle iron without non-stick coating
2. Avocado green, brocade, pleated curtains
3. Two tiered,solid wood, sleek end tables (not so Modernist more late 40's, early50's)
4. Statue Lamps, you know the dancing Sanish lady, the ballerinas and exotics (not PC)
5. Said it once, say it again, re-issue Jackie O dress patterns en masse and /or put out an Audrey/Givenchy series based on what she wore in her films, EXACTLY what she wore in her films.
6. Dresses based on waitress and stewardess uniforms
7. Jacque Brel will be in the next Target commercial (heard it here first)Okay lets cover ourselves by predicting Scott Walker too, just in case. All bets on the table.

Actually, a dream job would be a one woman think tank where I just spout off the newest, hippest trends to come for ya. It could all be scientifically done or if you prefer the more esoteric, I can go by gut feelings and dreams or something.

Upscale Wal-Mart? No such thing!

So the evil Wal-Mart corporation is moving into my hood (that is their plan). It is supposed to be unlike any Wal-Mart in Texas! Bigger(2 stories) and fancier (?) There is nothing upscale about Wal Marts and never will be. They are the Mecca of Crap, a retail weed that kills all other forms of retail life around it, especially local and small business. No small business can compete with a store that offers everything under the sun at all hours.
How will local and small stores like Zingers and Terra Toys fare when the customer sleep walks into Wal Mart at 2am or 3am to satisfy that desire for gift wrap paper or a switchplate or a Hello Kitty trinket? The small store will wake up at 9am to a fewer customers.

The talk on the listserve is of the pros and mostly cons of a Wal Mart in the area. 25-30 years ago some smart developer (sarcasm) thought the area would be great for apartments, a strip mall and a mall. All three failed pretty early in the game. Chelsea Creekside apartments is a poorly built complex tucked away near Shoal Creek. Part of it is on a 100 year flood plain! The rest is on the 500 year. It is a tenement, I know, I lived there. All apartment building wind up passing hands and become difficult to manage and maintain and become dilapidated then get razed and it starts all over.
This complex should be razed and new, well built affordable units put in.

No one even sees the Northcross strip mall because it is not seen from the major streets and all those businesses have struggles. Did you know there was a Northcross strip mall? Many of the suites remain empty eyesores.
So who's brilliant idea was it to tuck away retail? Should have never been built and maybe extend the tiny park that is near this area. No one was that advanced in vision back then or now.

Northcross mall now houses Bealls, the Guitar Center , a sports store and various other businesses(spa,ceramic hobby place, nail salon, convention hall) that have been there for several years. It is not empty and could use a update and a new anchor store (Jerry's Art O Rama? or a book store?) but Wal Mart is not the answer.

Retail is always transient, it's fad and trendy and always results in an eyesore. What does have lasting power on many levels are libraries, parks and community centers. I'd say museums but in our society unless they are supported by the city or state or a university, sadly, they do not last. We are not that advanced yet. Money is in the hands of the creatively constipated, the greedy and ignorant, those that lack vision and can only bring in Wal Marts.

Try and take a stand and oppose this Wal Mart, Brentwood, Allandale and Crestview! To everyone else: avoid corporate franchises this year as much as possible. There really is no pure of heart corporation. Whatever good they do pales compared to the bad they do everyday all over the world. Buy local, buy thrift, buy vintage, buy DIY and Crafty (all over cyberspace) for all you need this holiday season from wrapping paper to gifts, it's all out there and not at all pricey and you'll be helping out the world a bit. And when/if you make something don't buy the supplies from Wal Mart!


Buy,rent or screen this film

Nostalgic Minutiae

This time of year conjures up tons of nostalgia. In fact I just read a book called Retro by Peter Laugesen, about what Retro is and why it is. To summarize, it's escape and the author uses the 60's as a starting point to illustrate the first retro movement (it was in art: Art Nouveau). The book states retro is popular when people find their own times unromantic and complex.

I LOVE old vintage cookbooks with their color saturated photos of strange food compositions. I actually read cookbooks from start to finish, reading all the ingredients and preparation instructions, thinking about the measurements etc... The recipes hit me later when I'm thinking of what to prepare with just cabbage,celery and turkey. It will just come to me, flashback to The Farmers Cookbook (circa 1948). Old, vintage cookbooks are a welcomed gift.
~Note: In search of cookie recipes for Xmas.

Recently I've been reading a book called The House (circa 1939). It is an old "domestic science" book for college. It is awesome! Filled with info on ow things were done back then, what was eaten, used in the home, how the homes were built (cool photos of 30's Modernist homes), prices of things, how to set up the kitchen, living room a real find for those interested in the past. You know things are moving uber fast and have been when you look back at this sort of thing and it's like a nother world. As if the 30's were another planet. In the 80's I'd look back at the 30's and think wow, 50 years ago. Now "50 years ago" puts me in the 50's which was an ear and could almost reach out and touch in the 70's.
~Note: I enjoy reading non-fiction tremendously

To be able to pick and choose what you want from any era from the begininning of time until now is awesome. As I patiently try to procure a take up reel for my 16mm projector, I can hardly wait to watch a few old home movies I have. Not my family, a stranger's, some unknown family that lived on the East Coast years ago. Time keeps marching on.

What I've done, been thinking, been doing

1. This weekend we had great weather (cooler and sunny) so we went on a picnic to the Elizabet Ney Museum grounds. It was quiet, secluded and with a transistor radio softly piping out the Graveside Service Show while we ate yummy sandwiches from Phoenicia, couldn't ask for a better moment in life.

2.I don't do the Black Friday thing, instead I clean and bring out Christmas decor. I detest those awful corporations that want your hard earned cash at Christmastime. NO WAY! Not going to be a part of their numbers and stats and I encourage you not too either this season. In fact...(see below)

3. This year I completed my Christmas shopping online: I'm Smitten, Boy Girl Party, Greater Good, Chia Hats and Etsy! Check out Etsy and find unique gifts and check out the webstores belonging to those who sell on Etsy.

4. I scored cute Christmas decor at thrift stores. I like the vintage look. So this 11/24 I will be sleeping in, setting up the Christmas decor.

5. Been filling my own Christmas orders. Thanks for the business Canada! I am tempted to set up there :> Thank you to those who have placed orders and chose me over the big box stores and corps.

Personal Fashion Ins and outs

Well my wish came true and the Audrey trend is out in full force or was that someone reading my blog and making it happen :>

My personal Ins are:
1. The beatnik girl look. This trend has never stopped but I have just joined it with bangs and growing my hair out. Also called the Bettie Page look, sometime Chelsea Girl hair...

2. Ponytails, tiny ones with cutsie, crocheted flowered ponytail holders with designs bigger than the ponytail. Perfect for when I don't want to straighten or product the hair. Perfect for humid days. Perfect for growing out your hair.

3. Lucha Libre colored tights: Bright blues, oranges, cherry reds and sparkly gold and silver opaque tights! Worn under tight fitting (think 80's) Black lycra dresses or short black minis(and turtlenecks). Teehee

4. The 49er! Belted over pencil tweeds and wools

5. The Mary Tyler Moore hat with a huge pompom on top

6. Vintage Alpaca sweaters!

7. Plain,calfskin soft, brown leather flats worn with floor skimming vintage, wool, navy uniform pants.

8. The grey sweatshirt worn one size small or baggy sweater over the pencil skirt with an interesting medium pump.

9. Rosie the Riveter styled Do Rag on head, preferably leopard printed worn with a black shirt, jeans and flats


Personal Outs are:
1. Low rise

2. Polyester made to look like silk. Doesn't work in Texas.

3. Leggings for me-I can't do this style again and all those cute 50's shirt dresses I used to wear over them are gone. Cotton can only last so long in rotation.

4. Bleached lines and designs added to denim. Just give me pure un messed with denim.

5. Taking vintage clothing that is still wearable and destroying it to make something asymmetrical and weird. I am having a hard time finding things. Went to Blue Velvet and found most mens 50's ties made to form headbands. Why? Brings me to this:

Bring back the late 50's and 60's thin tie for men in those same awesome and sharp designs. NOT the 80's thin tie either!

Cri-Cri

Cri Cri (Cricket) was Francisco Gabilondo Soler a Mexican composer of children's songs. These songs are not considered PC by today's standards. I grew up with these songs though never had a notion of the racist stereotypes in some of them. From wikipedia:

Some of his songs have been considered racist, mostly by English speakers and recently by the North American media. The most famous examples of such songs being: "Negrito Sandía" (Little Watermelon Black Boy); "Negrita Cucurumbé" and "Negrito Bailarín" (Little Dancing Black Boy). However, the words "Negro" and "Negrito" in Spanish simply mean "Black Boy" and "Little Black Boy" respectively and thus carry no offensive connotations. The songs lack any sort of degrading of Black people.

I loved his voice and the music. Even as a tiny kid I could appreciate the sounds of these vintage recordings. Most were done in the 30's and reflect those times in every way. My favorite song when I was 5 or so was actually El Raton Vaquero because I thought a song in Spanish with some English lyrics was so neat. Those lyrics were:

What the heck is this house
for a manly Cowboy Mouse?
Hello you! Let me out!
and don't catch me like a trout.

La Patita was another favorite. La Negrita Cucurumbé was always a sad song to me. I wouldn't call this song racist, if anything it is completely the opposite.

Teen Years

Wow, I keep forgetting I am not 30. Keep thinking I am only 30. I'm well passed that. So hard to believe. Anything past 28 was never planned. Leggings and minis are already back. Do I dare? I still fit into my high school skirts. I just can't bring myself to do it because it went with my teen years. It goes way back, back, back.

When I first heard I Melt with You it was 1983 or 1984. I swooned. It was the song that single handedly catapulted me into my teens.
Sadly at the time,there was no romantic I Melt with you moment back then. Our fun was had sweating out the non-air conditioned used clothing warehouses where you tripped, fell over and drowned in huge heaps of vintage clothing. Nothing but 40 year old vintage clothing, some deadstock with tags still hanging on them. Scattered on the floor and coming in constantly, in barrels delivered by moving trucks, were beautiful 40 year old leather purses and shoes, wool suits, cotton dresses... all sold by the pound: 25 cents on the weekdays, 10 cents on the weekends. It was a dream that lasted a wonderful 4 years.

We'd take our cheap treasures home, wash and mend then go to the mall and swoon over John Hughes' movies at the triplex. There wasn't much else to do except make things, lots of things, some acrylic painting, crocheting, knitting, paper mache, a lot of visits to the library for their foreign films in addition to books and bios on Warhol and Edie, dancing and doing cartwheels with friends on Friday and Saturday nights in their backyard to the Pogues, Clash and Sex Pistols,REM,The Cure and everything else that was there and came along, eating crap every weekend and still getting a kid's sugar high, sitting on Claudia's roof at night drinking sugary drinks and talking about what we'd be like when we were old, like 28 or so, 30 was never mentioned, that was so far away and so very old. And that, my friends, is basically what I did for four long years. It was fun.

Blue Star Cafeteria, Austin, TX

So I got all excited when I heard about this Blue Star Cafeteria on Burnet Road. The name conjured up images of those thick, white, vintage, restaurant plates with yummy wholesome pancakes, a place with character. I look it up and they have a website. They say they feature uptown comfort-cuisine, what the hell is that?! It goes on:set inside a cool modern interior that offers a casual yet stylish dining atmosphere. But I was looking for a cafeteria! Is this a sterile, Yupperia for the vacant and those afraid of the greeeeezy spoonzes? EEEEW! I want to eat down home cooking not posture next to food under designer lights. I mean look at their website, looks like some sort of uptight, well lit, mess hall in a huge corporate building..OHHHHHHHHHHHH (lightbulb moment) That is what they are trying to be. Not catering to the likes of the regular working Joe who just wants pancakes and syrup and lots of butter and berries on a lazy Saturday morning.

Okay...well the ever loyal Frisco is calling my name. Like I said, I want to have yummy, delicious pancakes at a place with some character and on a big heavy platter and have that diner smell in my hair for the rest of the day. Now if Blue Star isn't this at all...then they need new photos on their website and yeah....just regular comfort food: uptown,cuisine together with comfort=oxymoran. It's one of those new made up concepts. You want "comfort" food look to the Frisco. You want uptown and cuisine then you don't want comfort food.

PS: What do they do to fried chicken and macaroni and cheese and pancakes, I wonder, to make it uptown and cuisine like? I don't want to know.

Note: They are hiring:
Super fun restaurant concept seeks fun, witty, smart and experienced waitstaff and hostesses for open positions. Great job opportunity for you! Contact our managers for more information.

It's not just a restaurant, it's also a concept. Fun, witty and smart. I like smart, efficient and experienced.

My Blog.

Yeah I know, sort of themeless and unfocused, that's it's theme. I do have a lot of interests but I get a little political, get a little bored, get a little whiney, get a little nostalgic and repetative when I blog.

Interests Du Jour:
1. Upcoming Fall weather. FINALLY! Fall baking, Fall walking, I can finally hang outdoors without the need for a beach.
2. Week one of no prepackaged food and fresh eating. It's been a few days now. Rough start but it's all I want now.
3. Working on new items for One Tough MOnkey to debut by the 22nd. No MUST be by the 22nd so tune in! Scrflettes and scarves, hat, some decor. This has kept me really busy and away from my other interests.
4. It's all about the Health-O-Meter and making those numbers change.
5. House getting exterior cosmetic overhaul! YAY!
6. Vintage patterns-back on that again
7. This site

Minutiae

1. Hawaii Five-O Has the best edited montage to music EVER!
1a.Hearing the Ventures do it is pretty awesome! Mel Taylor's drums....dreamy. It's the best version of the theme. Well, that's instrumental version, Sammy Davis Jr rocks it.

1b.Don't buy Swamp Rock

2.Q.If you could sit down to the dinner table with any three people, past or present, who would you invite?
A.Sinatra, Cassavetes and Kerouac. It seems like it could get uncomfortable.

3. Donuts

4.

5. AWESOME! Vintage Toasters Yet another site to use for my 1949 ktchen reassembly. Just to review:
Toasters
Neo Vintage Don't forget SMEG
Refurbished Vintage Appliances

make those walls shut up!

In my twenties I attended many a party at some home in Hyde Park and various hoods around town. I would always notice the house and sometimes feel sorry for it especially the ones that had empty, imported beer bottles lining the window sills or some hideous "found art" piece scratching up the wood floors. But I always remembered the houses. It's funny to see those homes listed with MLS numbers all cleaned up and freshly painted with "renovations" or descriptions like, "Open floor plan, great for family" when you knew it when it was a junky party house. I always love to see the renovations and I love that they finally got TLC but can't help but wonder how funny it would be if the new owners from out of town with two babies knew that their floor was once caked with dried beer,dirt and general funk, that there was a line of people once all wanting to get into that bathroom to vomit, piss, make out and do drugs, and lets not even get into the bedrooms. Even with renovations...Unless the house is gutted the carnal stains, transparent as they may seem, are still there.

I lived in a home in Hyde Park for a year and a half. It was cute place, built in 1929. The woman across the street had told me it once had a lovely lot of roses growing next to it but the family that owned it was not nice. The lady of the home had become ill in the 50's and called the pharmacy to ask a few questions about her medication. It was winter time and all the gas heaters were running. She had left him on hold to go fetch her prescription bottle and had not returned. This became a problem because it was tying up the pharmacist's line (phone lines not the way they are now) so he sent someone over to see what was up. The clerk arrived to find the place locked tight and smoke slipping under the door. He quickly alerted neighbors and fire trucks were called while he broke a window to find the lady of the house slumped over the gas heater roasting. She was dead. It was not clear whether she had a heart attack and fell over or had tripped and unable to get up had died a tortured death.

That same house became home to one of the biggest pot dealers in town in the 60's. Later in the 70's the backyard had been filled with old cars because a mechanic was living there. The oil from those cars did damage to the soil and when it would rain, the water would not seep through in parts. In the 80's it was home to the owner of some restaurant until the 90's when I moved in with a few others. All this time it had been passed along informally, without a lease and without much of a rent increase, my share was $80.33. There were boxes in the front room, loads of things in every drawer in the kitchen, cool lps on the floor...I thought these all belonged to the guy who was living there. Tired of the junk I asked if there was some way we could clean up. He said only what was in his room what his. WHAT?!

Apparently everything in the house was a leftover from previous tenants. The junk had turned into a smorgasborg of treasures: A numbered White Album (The Clash, Ramones, KISS, Elvis, Beach Boys I could go on and on but it made up half my record collection at the time), tons of early 60's and 70's lps all mine, cool art books all mine, neat vintage kitchen items, all mine...And what I didn't want like $200 worth of beads and jewelry making supplies went to friends. Within months though, the landlord who had not been there since 1983 came by and was surprised to see that so-so had longed moved out and there were six people in a four bedroom home paying only $485 a month. Changes came fast, hoards of old junk in the shed and backyard was hauled out, holes in walls patched, latches on windows put in, new wiring etc... When the carpet was lifted in one of the rooms, underneath was an old piece of linoleum and old Weekly Readers from the 30's, an old report card and newspapers from the 40's all smelling of mildew but otherwise somewhat intact. WWII headlines, first run Dick Tracy Sunday comics in color print and the pages of an entire old Sears catlogue circa 1940. Why they were there , who knows but they managed to stay readable and nearly unharmed for over fifty years. To this day I get creeped out when I think of the time I picked up a bottle of bleach to do my whites and opened it to find needles swimming in it. I was told it was a leftover and had been there since 1987 when our "head renter" had moved in. Possibly older than 11 years. There was a bong shaped like a peace sign that was also a leftover/hand me down our "head renter" had procured from a previous tenant along with the house and it's stories and it was supposedly an authentic 60's relic. It was a drug party house for years and that explained why out of nowhere some derilict would show up knocking at the door.

The house collected stories until recently when it was renovated and sold. I drove past the place a few weeks ago en route and saw pretty little flowers in the front yard, a porch void of old sofas and junk, and through the front picture window I could see, for an instant, that it was a family home, clean,warm, nice paint, kids.
It was nice to know it had, hopefully, found a forever owner and would never again be trashed. It even seem to have shed it's icky past completely. It was not one of my favorite places to live in at all. In fact, I hated that rental and I wasn't fond of all the roommates or that entire situation. It is a good thing when a house can finally shut up about it's past and start over.

Disclaimer: This gets real mushy so skip it!

In state jobs you have 90 days to prove your aptitude for the job.

Back in the Summer of 2001 I met an interesting guy in the vintage store I worked at. A few years later, after just casual hellos around town, we found ourselves on a bus headed in the same direction. We had a great conversation in only fifteen minutes and everything clicked. Best friends ever since.

I never thought I'd meet a guy who liked almost everything I liked or even came close to it but I lucked out because I met someone who not only loves what I love but takes it all to the next level. They say opposites attract but that has never been true in my case. My personality doesn't call out for a complete opposite, not in a relationship. Friends, oh sure, they are all opposites and all great friends.

So just when I thought I was out of Beat writings or 60's music or had seen all the cool movies along came Bill. Just when I thought I'd never find someone to watch a beach movie with or someone who likes both, the Mod and the Rocker, and Roxy Music and the Sex Pistols and Jazz and Tropicalia too, or would love the Summer Paramount movie series (and actually attend) or knew about AIP films....there's Wm. He's a genuine person with an eclectic mix of interests, trivia, knowledge and experiences and it makes for cool times. Uber talented, intelligent and has real opinions and a fresh point of view on things-Wm. Lots to talk about-Wm. Someone else who like Rocky and Bullwinkle as much as I do-Wm.

Into my life came new appreciations for MF Doom, The Superfriends, donuts, lazy Saturdays, Spring of 1971, photo-me booths and smooth vocals with an intricately strummed guitar, to name a few. Happy 90 Days!