Of Rain, Rain and hopefully more Rain~~~~

Hello Darklings,

I LOVE the Rain, its so moody, gothic and noir, even the wet streets at night reflecting the neon adds to the "Gotham" feeling, the dark corners, and slithery sounds of tires squashing though puddles.

Ahhh yes I had to work late last night, rain and rain, fortunately Doyle came to pick me up so I would not have to depend upon public transportation, not that I'd mind but of late Doyle is becoming more protective, if the traffic of San Francisco wasn't so congested and people driving like idiots I would enjoy going though this city, but stupid drivers and pedestrians make it difficult to seek the simple pleasures of just enjoying the city at night, in the rain, in the dark.

Driving back over the Bay Bridge (I'm sorry Darklings but I refuse to call it the Willy Brown Bridge it is the Bay Bridge and that is that), but driving over the Bridge I love the grittyness of the older part of the span, I keep hearing that song so often associated with a Mickey Spillane movie, I think it's called "Harlem Nocturn",  as we drive over it,  and then we go through the Tunnel at Treasure Island and bam we are on a bridge that is something out of a Star Trek Movie----Oh Darklings the aspects and designs of the 21st Century hold no charm for me.  I find them boring, a sterile sameness that just kills the soul.

Oh for the designs of the old Chrysler and Empire State buildings of New York, or the Gothicness of old New Orleans,  it's like that song "little houses, made of ticky-tacky, little houses all the same", then it becomes such a relief to walk into my own home, away from all the 21st century "stuff".

Oh well if people are blind to such early 20th century beauty then they are truely blind. 

My Gardener was able to take care of the trees that needed to be trimmed and he is soaking the severly damaged rose bushes in buckets of water with lots of plant vitamin B to help with the transplanting into the cemetery area, hopefully they will take and come back.   I'm going to the nursery Saturday, rain or no rain to select some new bushes to put into that area along with seeing if there are some annuals that can be planted to take care of the squashed plantings, until I can put in something more "permanet".  Louise my cousin will be coming with me, she has in front of her cottage apartment two cement planters so she needs soil and some plantings for it to help cheer up her entrance way.  I know how plebian, how mundane, but not everyone can live a totally gothic/noir life although I'd like to try. 

It sort of makes me wonder about evil characters like the evil queen in Snow White or Malifacent in Sleeping Beauty, who does their laundry?  Do they have to put on makeup each morning?  Do they suffer from headaches?  They can't always be scheming on doing evil deeds all the time, I would think it would be tiring.

Oh well,  and my contractor came by while there was a break in the weather, to look over the damage to the fence and give me an estimate, not as bad as I feared and I'll see if my home owners insurance can cover it, I know my neighbor can't, poor thing,  she still is in a state over it but I've been reassuring her to not worry,  as a matter of fact I'm inviting her over for dinner again tonight,  I am concerned about her health and I want to do everything to relax her,  Belladonna and Weiner Dog have been amusing her which is good, but still since her family lives so far away Sacramento I think, I want her to be in a "good place and frame of mind".

The arborist will be coming next week to see about her tree, I do hope we don't have to have it cut down, it is still a magnficent tree.

And the weather man is saying more rain is coming, more and more---oh that means people will be in the rain during the opening of the Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale this weekend, and I do so want to go,  well I guess it will be rain coats and umbrella's or something.  I love the white elephant sale, you never know what one will find.  The only problem is parking, such a bear, completely horrible, but we'll see.

One of my co-workers said the only way we can break the drought is if it rains at least every other day for March, April and May,  we can hope.   I'd hate to think of manditory water rationing,  at least my cisterns are catching as much of the rain water as possible so that should help the garden and greenhouse, I have to thank my late Great-Aunt for thinking so far ahead on that.

Ahh but now I think I'll go ahead and prepare the salad,  and bake the pie for dessert, it's all put together apples and cranberries, I came across the receipe in one of those little cook books, the pie crust is pre-made but I did have to peel and cut the apples.  I think it will be a good warm yet refreshing thing to have.

Later Darklings 

Of "static on the line", old musty book stores and BART is at it again~~~

Hello Darklings,

Oh yes Rebecca, that book on the Victorian House by Flanders is at the top of my list,  I'll have to see what is offered on Amazon.  

I know I would prefer to go to a local book store, but sometimes they have it and sometimes they don't, and my favorite book store has been closed for a few years, the owner was very up there in years and advertised that he was closing everything 50 to 75% off.  Of course we took advantage of it, it has always been my first place to shop for books, but when I saw how fraile he looked I realized he was doing the right thing.  His son and daughter in law was helping him box and bag books as they sold.  I could see how they were concerned about him,  the daughter in law told me, that ever since the Cat died, its name was Queen Elizabeth, her father in law was not the same afterwards and the Cat was nearly 20 years old.  Very old for a cat.

Then he was selling his book shelves and I put in a bid for 4 of them, so wonderfully old and victorian and got them too,  of course I had to borrow a truck and a friend to help me haul them, and put them into my apartment, now they are in different parts of the house still displaying speical treasures.

I miss Mr. Manning, he reminded me of a faded version of the actor Peter Cushing,  and his book store, it was crowded with books, and delightful things and his cat perched on a speical book shelf on a faded red cushion watching her kingdom, and what made it so speical was the wonderful scents of tea's and such, near his mystery section he also sold teas and tea cups and cozies and tea pots and all kinds of tea things.  I could never leave without buying a tea to try. 

I cannot forget how close to Thanksgiving and Christmas the scent of cinnamon and cloves filled the air, and his huge apolicary jar of ginger candies, "Good for a sore throat or cold" he would say and wrap a few of them in wax paper for me to take, always free.  The spice cookies Phiffin...something, such a treat spicy and sweet with a dusting of powdered sugar to get all over your clothes. 

And Tiffany style lamps to light a dark corner to reveal its treasures.  I would stop there at least once a week especially on my way to work to buy a mystery or informative book,  Mr. Manning knew what bus I had to catch and would warn me so I wouldn't miss it.  If I didn't have time to pay for the book he would hold it for me for next time.     

I miss places like that, if I ever come across a place like that again I would cherish it and support it, but alas, they are disappearing from the scene and will only exist in memory, hidden from view, like Harry Potter's Diagon Alley, a speical memory to go down and re-visit when I open a book, drink a cup of tea and have a ginger candy for a scratchy throat.

***Sigh***

Well now I must deal with the here and now,  I'm glad I only worked a half day today, it gave me a chance to deal with a problem I thought was developing on my phone line and with the rain I was right, the static is painful to the ears and impossible to talk to someone espeically in dealing with business. 

Even Brian at my Sister's house was having the same problem so we knew it had to be a major line across the street where there are trees and branches rubbing, rubbing and wearing out the phone lines, so both he and I put in a "Trouble on the Line" call and I just hate the automatic telephone tree, but at least they have one for static on the line selection, BUT now I have to take tomorrow off because the phone man will be here between 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. HOW DELIGHTFUL!!   Oh well as long as its fixed, that is my concern.

So far though doing e-mail and posting on my blog doesn't seem to be a problem, in the long run I still do preferr a hard wire land line, to me cell phones are not user friendly, the voice keeps breaking up and people have a tendency to wander around their home or office which affects the quality of communication as they fade in and out---I have to keep saying to them that they are fading in and out and breaking up, do they have a spot where the signal is good.  Well of course they do but then they start wandering around again.
I Give Up!!

And its not 'romantic' for me, people do not know how to hold a telephone conversation, or even to say good-bye, or hello,  I had a wrong number call me one time and the man on the other end said to me "Hey Bro!!  Wassup!!  Man I've gotta ...."  and I interrupted him and said, "Excuse me but I do not think I'm your Bro or Brother,  I'm not even transgender..."  and he says "Wha.., What???  Hey ain't youse (insert name here)?"  "No" said I "and I don't even know the person"  and instead of saying "I'm sorry I dialed the wrong number" being apologetic they just hang up.  How Rude!!   Ettiquete decrees that you should aplogize for mis-dialing and bid the person a good day. 

Now I do have to say I have been given a number incorrectly, when I call and its not the right person I always say "I'm sorry but the number I was dialing is (blah, blah) to reach (so and so) have I mis-dialed?"  now usually because I'm so polite the response is either "well you've dial the right number but no such person is here"  or it will be "I'm sorry but you've dialed the wrong number" either way I'll apologize for having bothered them and hang up.  And I have never had a rude response either.   I think because I'm so polite it startles them......

Or maybe they think that a phone call from the past has traverse time and space only to interrupt their lives and leave a puzzelment....I like that idea...sort of shake them up out of their complacentcy.  Considered that's there's been a movie or two about that...Hmmmmm, such fun when you think about it.

And BART...it seems that the BART Directors are saying that there was an error in the already signed contract giving 6 weeks family leave and the Directors are saying that the costs for that will be too high, hmmm why wasn't that caught when they signed off on it, espeically considering that it was signed too by the original negotiator that no one liked...was that revenge on his part??

Now there is really no talk of strike but the possiblity of it is there, but the public is like "I'm so over this, I'm not on the Union's side."   I have to agree, it would be very harmful to strike right at the Holiday Season,  I can just see the public now, storming the BART stations with pitch fokes and torches and the BART offices as well.    O.K. who is going to pour down the boiling oil on the peasant rabble?

And for a while we had a wonderful feel good moment with Bat Kid, and another with a little two year old napping with his 9 week old puppy buddy, kids and puppies and kittens, even I can't resist that.

But the Typhoon in the Phillipines and Tornado's in the Mid-West, a harsh dose of reality to be reminded that life and material things are fragile.

And I just got a phone call from Doyle, I could hear him over the static, he's buying Chinese tonight with lots of Soup, no cooking for Sis and I,  he asked me to check to see if Brian and Louise want to join us,  I think tonight deserves to be with good people.  Don't you?

Later Darklings



I just hate waiting for them to fix the phone lines.



Of Meeting “interesting people”~~~

Hello Darklings,




If there is one thing I’ve discovered is that a question or a remark can lead to a posting of my thoughts and experiences on this blog.



Dear Rebecca, yes I do meet interesting people, not all the time, but enough, we all do in some way or form, sometimes whether we want to or not.



I think because of Doyle’s, my sister’s and my line of work, it does make for meeting interesting people, because through them and their associates we network to other people and further on.



Because I commute by either BART, Bus, Ferry, Muni etc. to San Francisco, one cannot help but “meet” interesting people, although some people prefer to remain with their own thoughts, but eventually if one travels at the same time as others eventually one strikes up a conversation. Although at some BART stations in the City sometimes I wish I didn’t.



Our “naked acrobat” for one; those are just passing happenstance, to be taken in, observed, mentally commented upon, and talked about to family and friends.



One’s own preferences, likes, hobbies, etc. can help one meet interesting people. It is good to get out into the world, either by just being involved in life, or joining an organization or discovering an interest or hobby. Sometimes one thing can lead to another avenue.



If we remain just focused on our job or just family it can narrow our outlook on life, I remember when I was part of a jury for a murder trial, we had one juror who was a housewife, but her focus was so narrow based only upon her interaction with her in-laws (especially a sister-in-law) that she refused to take in a key prosecutions’ witnesses testimony, especially since that person was present and saw completely the event. The rest of us had to come up with the Wisdom of Solomon to finally get this person to admit why she didn’t believe this person, so we found other testimony from another disinterested party that she could believe and then she admitted that we 11 were correct.



Later after the trial was over, I had a chance to speak to the prosecuting attorney, and was told that in the long run they prefer working housewives, that not only raise a family but also work outside the home and have outside interests. Even a housewife who does not hold down even a part time job, if they are members of a club or hobby society where they interact with people outside the family is preferable, jury selection is a delicate matter. The prosecuting attorney suspected the reason we were taking so long was because of that one juror. He was right.



So having outside interests is very important in ways one cannot imagine.



Doyle loves to do photography, and we are going to convert an old potting shed that has electricity and water in the back part of the deep lot into a dark room for him. Doyle is also a member of a photography club, although there are times he can’t go to the meetings or competitions as often as he would like. But he meets interesting people and those that are just lonely, needy, mean, over gregarious, or fascinating.



My sister because of her work meets many interesting people and has quite a network of colleagues whose company both she and I enjoy, and there are also the same types of people including those that are pompous, self important, self centered, and those that are giving of their time.



A long time ago I took up painting, not that I’m good at it, but I did have a chance to meet other artists and one thing led to another, that is why I go to art show openings recommended to me, it helps me network a bit in the art community.



Music was and is another avenue that has led me to interesting places and things, our interest in old films has also led me down a fascinating path. Those three led me to the Goth Society as well, but I knew that in some ways I was/am too old for the more modern mainstream but it had led to many interesting connections and encounters.



In talking to people I find out about good places to travel to, to eat, drink and enjoy the ambience.



Also because of the way I dress, my vintage car, my interest in dark and funeral things has cause interaction, created new contacts and new experiences.



Sometimes because of unusual events one can meet interesting people, such as Jury Duty, I was on a jury twice, once for a Slander suit and once for a murder trial, I made two good friends at the murder trial, after we finally were able to clear our minds once we had discharged our duties, most people just go their own way, but because we could not discuss the trial except when it was turned over to us finally and only in the jury room, we tended to band together trying to find a good place to eat or car pool, and because of the rules it limited our paths of conversation. So we focused on each other, our work, family, likes, dislikes etc.



After 20 years we still are friends, even though one is now in Nevada and the other is in Seattle, Washington, but it gives me an excellent excuse to travel and they know when they come to the Bay Area they have a place to rest their heads.



I think because my sister’s and Doyle’s’ children are grown and with children of their own and I never had children, it has left us free to explore things.



I am not saying that children can hold us back, no, it is important that one’s focus should be with the child but also through one’s child one can rediscover things that we use to do, never had a chance to do or it is something that has been developed for children’s wonder that a parent can also enjoy. But it also gives a chance for the parent to teach a child to be discerning in their choices as well.



I use to go as a child with my parents and siblings to Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland and allow my imagination to enjoy the wonders there, but like the song “Toyland” once you cross the border into adulthood you can never go back again. But if you have a child to enjoy it with you can briefly see it again through their eyes, everything is geared for a small child, not an adult; because of that it reminds you that you have crossed that border and have different responsibilities



Only with Coralline as she is growing up can I go back with her and her brother’s, although her brothers are too sports oriented to be transported by the imagination of Fairyland, unless it had scary rides. So in time it was just she and I sharing the wonders of this place that was the inspiration for Walt Disney to create Disneyland. In time that avenue will be gone from me, but I don’t despair.



Even now I donate to preserving Children’s Fairyland, so it can continue forever as long as there are children to enjoy it. Its simplicity is perfect for a small child, it does not overwhelm them like Great American, 6 Flags, Disneyland or Resort, etc would. It is perfect for the small child and something I want to see preserved.



I mean Darklings, picture the Wicked Witch Queen of Snow White, and Maleficent of Sleeping Beauty contributing to the preservation of children’s imagination and wonder. That is sometimes how I think of myself, darkly laughing as I write out my check.



We meet many people, through many means, some do not give us that spark that will create interest, some are just dull, some you really want to run away from, and some well one cannot enjoy their company enough, but there are some that puzzle you and you have this double instinct that tells you run away, yet you are fascinated, hypnotize, until you can make up your mind.



And then there are those few, that seem to draw you in but yet you feel off balance, you enjoy their company, their thoughts and yet only a little goes a long way. If one takes in too much one senses it can be like an overdose of some kind. I’m not sure I can explain it any further.



And then sometime as an unexpected gift or treat can make things so pleasurable, like my co-worker, a charming young man who brings me coffee, yesterday he gave me several CD’s, he said he was weeding his collection and had what he felt was a better rendition of Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite. Now I have a copy on CD but I felt it would be rude to refuse his gift, and then was even more surprised because it included Grofe’s “Mississippi Suite” and his “Death Valley Suite” as well as a bonus recording of him conducting “Cloudburst” from his Grand Canyon. I did not have these in my collection and knew they were not well known or frequently recorded.



Because of his gift it led to us having a lovely conversation during our afternoon break about classical music. And we maybe going to a few concerts as well if our schedules permit, I know Doyle won’t mind, he always worries about me being home all the time when he’s gone.



And even now, late yesterday afternoon, I just stepped out onto my front porch and was treated to my neighbors 3 year old son, dancing in the water sprinklers completely naked and enjoying it. His older sisters 5 and 7 were there dressed in their play clothes but wet. I saw that the young master’s clothes were in a pile getting soaked, I knew my neighbors slightly but didn’t know if they knew what their child was doing, went over and rang the door bell. The look of shock on the Mother’s face was especially interesting, they were suppose to be in the back yard. If nothing else I got to know my neighbors better, it just took a little naked boy to do it.



So Darklings, we all meet interesting people, it just takes time to discover them, some are for lifetimes, some will be as “ships passing in the night”, each an experience to add to one’s life.



And may all of you always meet “interesting people”.



Later Darklings