Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Something/Someone Old
222old.jpg

I'm re-reading one of my favorite books ever: Charles De Lint's Memory and Dream.

delint.jpg

It's part of Charles De Lint's Newford series. De Lint is a practitioner of urban fantasy, a genre where faerie intrudes into the modern post-industrial world. It's a bit like magical realism, but more approachable. Newford is a fictional city in which he sets many of his novels and short stories, much like Ursula Le Guin's Ekumen. It's a bit like Ottawa, but larger and with an American legal system.

In Memory and Dream, De Lint's protagonist, Isabelle Copley, is a painter who has given up making representational art. Why she has done this is the meat of the story, which ends up being a fascinating examination of mentorship, friendship, creativity and ambition--as well as examining the power of memory to reconstruct the past.

delint2.jpg

If you can find it in your local library or used book store, do so. It's well worth a read, and probably De Lint's best.

Something New
Try_Something_New_for_30_Days.jpg

So. For once in my life, I bought stuff on Black Friday. This is a pretty big break from tradition for me, as I usually don't even buy groceries on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving. I'm a contrarian, for one thing; for another, I don't appreciate the effect Black Friday has had on Thanksgiving. I've rarely seen a more insidious way of taking away people's time off.

But like everybody else, I'd like to have furniture in my house if I can. I prefer buying used off craigslist and ebay, and I prefer buying things built before the late 70s, because you have a better chance of getting a solid, well-made piece that will last. However, I draw the line at upholstered furniture. I neither want bugs nor mold nor mildew inside my furniture, and I don't want pesticide all over it either. So new it is--and new furniture is seriously expensive.

Thus, I sacrificed my principles to convenience, and was rewarded by a thousand dollars off the purchase I made. I ain't proud of it--but I am glad to have this task finally done after two years or more.

Here's what I got for the great room, the first room you see when you come in my front door, which has been standing empty except for my piano and some unpacked boxes for two years. Soon it will be a place I can invite people into, which is great.

It's an enormous room, so I got two of these, and two small chairs. A coffee table and one or two side tables and some lamps are next on the list, and then I'll be able to have a whole writing group or sewing circle over. I hope sometime I will have made enough friends to have some big parties.

sofa.jpeg

I don't have pictures of the two small chairs. They were obviously made for short people, and thus are a profound relief to Kate and I. Furniture seems mostly made for tall people, or at least people 5'6 and over. As a 5'4 woman, being able to have my feet firmly on the ground and my back supported is like heaven.

When I feel guilty or anxious about spending so much money--and believe me, I do--I remember that I'm in more or less constant pain in my patookis, and sitting is difficult; so sitting on furniture that's been worn out for more than five years is not good for me.

The sciatica has led people to comment that it seems like something is always a pain in my ass.

I have a fantasy that one time or another, I'll be able to invite a lot of y'all over to sit on these couches.

Something Borrowed
student_handing_book_2.JPG

I've been getting frustrated with the endless covers of the 70s and 80s tunes of my childhood (I'm more than frustrated by the endless remakes of TV shows and movies from the same period, which I actually view as a fairly sinister project--but that's a story for another time.) For instance, nobody should cover ABBA. Really. Unless it's their song "Fernando," the problem with covering ABBA is that the Swedish superband had an uncanny ability to sing songs that weren't very good, using lyrics that they didn't even understand, and still make them fun to listen to. Except for "Fernando" and possibly "Dancing Queen," none of ABBA's hits stands up very well once you separate it from its original singers and moment in time. So a cover of "SOS" playing at my gym while I'm doing bicep curls is likely to make me wince and resolve to get moving on my Analog Music Project, which will end with me having a Sony walkman attached to my pants and earphones mercifully blocking out such misguided efforts.

So it's with great pleasure that I introduce a cover that I do like. It's so wonderful watching millenials covering Thin Lizzy. Thanks guys!

I note that some people in the YouTube comments think they sound like a bad cover band in a bar. Not my opinion, obviously--the only thing I think is bad is the sound quality, and since it was probably recorded by somebody in the audience at a Japanese music festival, I'm not going to be persnickety.

Something Blue
39ff6df17a10ac5479324d59bbd75453.jpg

Here's one of my favorite blues singers. I tried to search the site for him, because I'm sure Joe has featured him sometime or other, but unfortunately the words "son" and "house" turn up an awful lot. I find it sad that he gave up his music, and incredibly grateful that Alan Lomax recorded him so that the generation of white kids before me could discover him and ask him to relearn his repertoire and tour. Of course, I was too late to see any of that, and I found him through a battered cassette. Don't even remember where I got it.

So here's Son House, one of my earliest exposures to the blues:

This one is absolutely top-notch. What a singer:

How are you all today?

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

enhydra lutris's picture

much younger the reference work "Architectural Graphic Standards" pegged the "average" human at 5 foot 8 inches. This was, accordingly, the basis for furniture, furnishings and built ins. This misbegotten piece of information seemed to have been adopted by others too, such as automobile designers. A long ago friend had his whole house and especially the kitchen custom built for his significantly shorter self and spouse. At 6'4" (back then) this has been a lifelong irritant to me too. I was over 6'4" in high school and have now shrunk to about 6"3" or so, but the average furniture is, for me, as much as a PITA as it must be for you. Standard kitchen sinks, especially, seem intended to be torture devices for my damaged back.

Thanks for the Son House. I remember the first copy of "Dead Letter Blues" that I managed to dig up and the audio was so bad that I couldn't finish listening to it.

Curiosity forces me to ask, how exactly do you personally "search" this site?

EDIT -Forgot to mention that new standard is 5 foot 9 inches, good for neither of us.

up
0 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@enhydra lutris

probably anybody who's shorter than 5'6" or taller than 6' is pretty much constantly uncomfortable.

As for searching this site, go to the right-hand margin where JtC keeps the column of links. Go to the very top of it and you'll see a search bar. Type your search term there, and you'll be searching the site.

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Azazello's picture

@enhydra lutris
If you go to a museum and look at a suit of armor you'll see that the knights of old were little guys by modern standards and these were the big studs of their time. I've had this argument with pool players, and cue-makers, a billion times. Why is the standard pool cue still 57 inches ? When I was a kid we were taught to hold the cue with the right hand 6 or 8 inches back from the balance point. It was in all the instructional books and it's good advice. It makes for a better stroke. Thing is, nobody over 6 feet can hold a 57 inch cue near the balance point and still have an orthodox pendulum stroke. Look at Corey Deuel. He's a fairly tall guy and most of the time he's holding his cue way back by the butt.

Things are changing now and 60 inch cues are becoming more common but, like counter heights, change is slow.

up
0 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

@Azazello
lots of dairy = big skeletons. The vitamin D that we add to our milk also contributes -- but Americans and Canadians were already bigger than Europeans by the time of the First World War. European soldiers were astonished at the size of our soldiers.

within 2 generations of immigrating, "short people" from "short countries" (asians and central americans, for example) mostly normalize up to a size comparable with other Americans.

it's not at all certain that this is healthy, mind you.

up
0 users have voted.

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@UntimelyRippd

Don't you believe what the American Dairy Council tells you?

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

enhydra lutris's picture

@Azazello
Yep, my dad, who was something of a runt at 5'5" marveled at how so much of the medieval armor was his size, with some exceptions, like Henry VIII who was over 6' and occasional "giants".

Pool cues, like everything else artificial and formalized, need to evolve along with the species. Bicycle frames certainly have.

up
0 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Azazello

but standardization still doesn't really make sense. And as much as I sympathize with enhydra lutris' kitchen sink problem, if they ARE going to standardize kitchens, they should standardize them to the average female height, not the average male height. Not that guys don't work in the kitchen--but a lot more women work in the kitchen a lot more often than the guys, so why are all the cabinets and counters and sinks set for some putative average of male height?

Truth is that standardization, while providing some benefits to the consumer/user, also provides myriad drawbacks. Whereas to the producer, it provides lots of benefits and only two drawbacks I can think of: boredom and repetitive stress injuries. And to the owner/investors, it provides all benefits and no drawbacks.

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
homes and studios to himself, which was a bit of a problem for guests and associates, because he was rather short.

up
0 users have voted.

The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

TheOtherMaven's picture

@UntimelyRippd

and built a house in Chappaqua, NY, scaled to his proportions. Funny thing is, my grandparents bought that house and raised a son who was...6'3"....

up
0 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@UntimelyRippd The last house we lived in had been inhabited for forty years by a Sicilian-American couple, both named Francis/Frances. I'm pretty sure both of them were shorter than me, given the height of the dangling overhead lights and the built-in kitchen table.

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Are you familiar with Ida Rolf?

The standard course of 10-15 treatments could make a big difference.
In Phoenix cost is at $150/ session.

Dr. Rolf did great work. Check Rolf Institute for information

http://www.rolfusa.com/faq.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_Rolf

elmore james!

up
0 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@irishking

And I used to do a lot more for this problem than I do now. Back when I couldn't bend over to tie my shoes, I went through pretty much every option short of orthopaedic surgery, which may have gotten me into the mess in the first place. Craniosacral therapy helped, as did (for no clear rational reason) Continuum, a breath and sound technique which seemed to supercharge the effects of all the other therapies I did. And you know what? My base health actually improved. It wasn't just managing symptoms; I had actual real improvement. And it was a weird story: my bodyworker went to a conference and learned a technique for working with scar tissue in the extremities. She worked on my ankle (which was where I had the orthopaedic surgery). I went home. I got a fever, and for two days I felt like hell. When I came out of it, my lowest low was considerably higher than it had been. I didn't have problems bending over, nor problems sitting for more than fifteen minutes, etc.

Of course, when I moved, I lost my bodyworker, and, since it was no longer acute, I basically didn't do much for it beyond pain relievers and ice. And that's been going on for about three or four years now. I *am* back in acupuncture now, which helps a lot. And I will check out rolfing, which is one I've never tried.

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@irishking

What a sweet sound.

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

mhagle's picture

. . . and the chairs that fit you.

At 5' 9", long legs = 33" . . . probably most furniture was made for me I guess. However, a couple of years ago we bought a recliner where my feet don't touch the ground. Terrible!

It's a righteous purchase to be able to be comfortable and invite guests!

Have a great day!

up
0 users have voted.

Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@mhagle

Being 5'8 or 5'9 would be right in the sweet spot.

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Anja Geitz's picture

The last time I bought new furniture it was from Ikea years ago. Won't do that again. Terribly wobbly. Although I would recommend their goose down comforters. Glad to hear you managed to buy furniture the both of you agreed on. There is something very satisfying in creating a beautiful sanctuary inside your home. We all need that. I was lucky to get some of my Sister's things when I moved to California. My studio is cosy so I didn't need a lot. I'm very happy here.

Great blues selection, btw. Heard Son House on a blues compilation CD my local Starbucks used to play years ago. Of all places, right? His singing stayed with me even after I gave up overpriced coffee. Here's another voice from that CD that is not only very distinctive but the emotion Odetta puts into the subject matter never failed to choke me up a little.

[video:https://youtu.be/nL2gCsNEaIU]

Always enjoying reading your open threads Smile

Have a great Sunday with your new furniture!

up
0 users have voted.

There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Anja Geitz

And I really dislike the way the economy tries to maneuver me into false thrift and planned obsolescence. So far, the only time I've tapped out and bought Ikea was a couple of bookshelves. It's really hard to get used bookshelves that are worth a damn, because bookshelves were the first widely marketed things made out of sawdust.

Always nice to "see" you, Zoe.

up
0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Anja Geitz's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

And I really dislike the way the economy tries to maneuver me into false thrift and planned obsolescence

I still have my iPhone 4, which I get teased about relentlessly from young crew members at work. My response to them thus far has been, why change? It does what I need it too.

But now I'm going to have to breakdown and get a newer model because out of all apps I can't download on my "obsolete" phone, I find not being able to download Uber prohibitively inconvenient when planning a night out drinking with friends.

I hate being financially manipulated in that way.

up
0 users have voted.

There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier