they look so familiar

Message from Belle to Barbara, 30 June 2009

Hi Barbara - I love True Blood!!!! I can't wait for season 2 to come out on dvd. Sookie & Bill remind me of when I was 16, head over heels with my first boyfriend. That was 33 years ago. Ironically (and to my disappointment), I recently came to learn that he's been a serial philanderer all his adult life, and all through his marriage - a predatory narcissist, a/k/a vampire. But that's a whole 'nother story. [Ed: wild guess.]

I love the vampire theme (in fiction) when it's very well done. Have you watched the Buffy series? I tore through all 7 or 8 seasons - one of the best series ever, I think. Incredibly well-written (engrossing, witty), psychologically perceptive, and beautifully acted.

Speaking of vampires, last week I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. I should be fine - I got treatment early. Yes, & oh gross, unbeknownst to me a tick sucked my blood and infected me (turns out only about 30% of victims ever know that they had a tick). I'm now on antibiotics, which should eradicate it (left untreated it's very bad news). Funnily enough, like a vampire I've been cautioned to avoid direct sunlight - that I'll burn more easily now and must use sunscreen!

To pile things on further (I'm not making this up!) the day after my doctor's visit I picked up a couple of novels that I had reserved days before. I learned from Salon last week that there's a subgenre of supernatural fiction by women, on vampire & werewolf themes, and a couple of the titles sounded intriguing. But they have now taken on a wholly different significance for me - Bitten, and Sunshine!

That's all for now. We just had a humongous thunderstorm roll through - wind and rain was blowing in from all the exposures, so I had to race around shutting all the windows. We get some doozies here.

I'd love to keep in touch. Please tell me what's been going on in your life, work and your life outside of work.

I'll let you know how I like Saving Grace! Love, Belle

***
image via language is a virus dot com, I kid you not

Bug

Because Keats and Camus just didn't go far enough for me.

Checked out 33 years ago - seems like yesterday...







Mahopac Library
668 Route 6
Mahopac, NY 10541

02-17-10

Belle, Did you forget?
Our records indicate that the following item(s) are overdue.
Please return them as soon as you can in order to minimize
the fines which you may owe. If item(s) are not returned you
may be billed for the replacement cost(s). Please disregard
this message if the item(s) have already been returned.

AUTHOR: Haskell, Molly.
Love and other infectious diseases
CALL NO: 920 HAS
BARCODE: 3 2916 00036 8315
Mahopac Adult DUE: 02-03-10
DATE CHECKED OUT: 01-13-10 03:38PM

Sleeping Beauty

beautiful small city

Recorded 18 April 2007
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
at the City of Hudson LWRP meeting

Good evening, you good and most attractive citizens of Hudson.

Tonight we meet to discuss the future of the City of Hudson’s waterfront.

I see from looking around this room that there is no shortage of concerned citizens.

I am a newcomer to your beautiful city. But even when I was a young boy in Austria I had heard of this river. It is true, the mouth of this river is at the great City of New York, and I did not contemplate the fact that the river runs for so many miles northward, at the 110 mile mark at your beautiful city of Hudson, and miles northward still, at the Port of Albany.

So you have asked me to make a speech here, at your City of Hudson draft LWRP meeting. I understand it is contentious… People disagree. I love this place and they have strong ideas about it and a lot of experience.

I have met with some of your stakeholders here and I have taken a look at some of the incredible topological maps. I understand that there was a pitched battle to prevent the construction of a cement plant.

I am a newcomer to your city. But I have seen the realities of other inner cities, including in California. The City of Hudson has its own reality...

America Retold

Loaded Gun

Bah.

Belle to some troll on Hudson 12534 "voyboard" [factcheck date later]

“You can’t handle the truth” – Jack Nicholson

"America Love it or Leave It" = rightwing morally lazy battle cry. It means that you disagree with my politics. It’s yet another cheap slogan that means Shut Up/Don't Criticize. Ironically, this is the single most unAmerican sentiment you can have. Our nation was founded on the idea that we have the freedom to openly express disapproval of the government. Why should *I* leave? I want the Bush/McSame administration to leave!!! Why should I cut and run? I love my country, I’m sticking with it, and I’m working for change!!

"Why are you so obsessed? Wow.” = unflattering conclusion about me because you can’t handle what I wrote but are unable to say why.

"Sad to be you." – your bogus verdict. Dismissive and patronizing. Tactic to divert attention away from the substance of what I wrote.

"Go find a puddle to jump or a puppy to pet. Maybe even a flower to smell. Try to smile and have a cold glass of lemonade." - I'm a grown woman, not 6. What you're saying is, Shut up/don't criticize, stay in your place.

Glad I'm not you. Glad I'm not you.

(Pouring myself a cold glass of lemonade while I wait for some more flies to swat.)

Allegro

My camera's busted - gone baby gone. I would have preferred to photograph the image of the yellow (not yellowed) lined paper the following was ever so legibly scrawled on.

Opera while eating vanilla ice cream & kahlua (translated from the original Italian)

by Waldo Sealarezzia

Fig Fig Fig Figaro
I write so fast though
because I don't want-o
my ice cream to melto.

This stuff tastes (almost) as good as my
Jola la la la-la-la la-la
la's Kissessessessesses do-la

(Allegro II)
She-o getsa not much a mail-uh
in the mailboxa
A leg grows are too long rows
(over)

Its a tasty like she's a tasty.
Itsa smooth like-a her skin
It's - beginning to melt -- There-a-fore
It's getting warm like her

I'm-a eating it in the privacy
of my own room like I
love to see her in private - far
from other eyes

I can't stop with half a pint when
there's another half pint in front of
my greedy eyes --
Just like I can't stop with just
one kiss when her red lips are in
front of me.
Ice cream is sweet but only nearly
half as sweet as Jola (not even nearly)
Jola satisfies my psychological transcen-
dent sweet tooth in away that ice cream

[arrow drawn to] spot where kahlua dropped from spoon

fails to do for my physiological
sweet-tooth.

(Allegro)

Now I can write slow
because my ice cream no
longer exists
as a separate entity.
My stomach, however, now
does exist as a separate entity
(a fat entity, at that).
My bowl is empty and I am fat.

I can write ramblings like this because
I have no school!

Bear with me, please. Fat W. (grizzly)

Jola, I hope my next letter
better.