thanksgiving

11/26/04 5:35 p.m.

arkansas

this is not my cat, but if I had a cat, I would certainly share my popsicle with her (or him).

gogol night

having just returned from experiencing my first gogol bordello show, i am feeling a combination of elated and enraged. elated because the energy that group of people puts out is so alive and makes me have no problem jumping up and down continuously for 90 minutes in joy, but enraged because for some reason, the boston metro area is possessed by puritanical demons from hell that dump ice water on everyone all the time just when things get hot. to avoid dwelling on such things, i will not go into gory detail, but let's just say i may never patronize the middle east again (though i probably will due to the fact that it is one of the few very intimate venues in the area that hosts such fun and joy). their staff is uptight and unprepared to deal with anything: they can't deal with a tiny woman riding on a bass drum above the audience, but they are fine with someone taking a steel grinder to her guitar and shooting sparks everywhere, conjuring images of west warwick for a split second (i prefer not to think about that when i am in the fire trap that is the middle east). anyone glimpse any logic there? ANYWAY, it was an amazing show, and i am so ready to see them in new york, and elsewhere. again. my favorites i think are the ukranian peasant percussionistas, with their plethora of washboards, cymbals, and the aforementioned bass drum. and the brazen (can i call a man that) fiddler gnome, and hutz, of course... the music was fabulous, and reminded me of why eastern european and western russian music is so dear to my heart.

Purple America

how divided we really are...

11/14/04 5:13 p.m.

caracol

Floating in the wooden canoe at high tide, the reefs below them undulate close and dark turquoise not far beneath the water's surface. As they drift further from the dock, the reefs fall deeper and deeper until they can see nothing below them except iridescent cobalt blue, streaks of sunlight dissolving in crystalline sheets in the bay's density. Moments later, the reef again rises toward them, so close that they worry for a moment that it might collide with their boat; instead they find a calm spot in the water in the midst of the small group of islets and stop to gaze into the shallow water, rich with life. Brightly colored fish about the size of a human hand hover here and there, as schools of tiny black minnows dart in and out of holes in the coral. For now time has stopped, and they simply wait for twilight, when they will return to their stilt house to make dinner and rest for their dive early the next day.

ready or not

9:28 a.m. 11/13/04
Originally uploaded by elfchicken.

first day of snow and still 5+ weeks to go until the winter solstice. gorgeous, 6 inches accumulated so far...

joanna week!

joanna week ran this year from nov. 5-12, with the peak day being, of course, nov. 9. The festivities were held at the glorious homestead of delicious cuisine and rustic ambiance known as the night kitchen. it was a welcome festival with a lot of good food, music, conversation, dancing and, of course, poodles.