I Don't Need No Stinkin' Cake

All I need is Myles Kennedy for my birthday, and Cornell friend Denise Fitz delivered with this fan video she found. It was made by Danish Superfan Sascha Andersen who, I suspect, has met Myles Kennedy more than his poor wife has ;)



Thanks, Sascha!!



It opens with my favorite moment from the 2009 Amsterdam show, shots of him playing Travelin' Riverside Blues, Hallelujah, and playing something shirtless (I sort of blacked out). Shows his fan devotion and inherent geekiness, and even his course of forgetting his own lyrics, God bless him. Lucky for him, with his voice and looks, we don't care what the hell he's singing, as long as he is.

So happy fucking birthday to me. A toast to Myles Kennedy, who makes rockin' 45 a whole helluva lot easier.

Go watch it again. I won't tell anyone. Read more!

Alter Bridge Rocks Luxembourg

Myles Kennedy with Alter Bridge

Alter Bridge in Luxembourg on June 15, 2011. Link leads to some more pro shots from Cedric Letsch.

Myles was subjected to a virtual avalanche of tweets before and after the show, our attempt to draw his attention to a 10 y.o. fan in attendance with her mother, Ritam. The gal has a good set of lungs because she got his attention and got herself a couple of autographs. Probably not concentrating on much else today at school!

This was one small venue--about 600 capacity--and you can get an idea from the German fan group that was on hand before the show, @Metalingusde:

Setlist after the jump...


Setlist from Luxembourg.

Read more!

Sedona by Helicopter

Sedona by Helicopter

This link is SUPPOSED to let anyone go see my heli photos of Sedona at Facebook, but we'll see if it works... Let me know!

John, Jayne (MWI employees), me and Sarah post-flight

Another taste of that which awaits you..
Read more!

Just because...

My man Myles Kennedy...

You're welcome.

Read more!

I Miss & Love You So

And I'll never forget. Thank you for still visiting all my dreams.

Cocoa Bean and Mubarak in Seattle, 1995

Read more!

Pure Imagination

Willy Wonka and Charlie

Sometimes a song comes back into your life just when you need to hear it. There are many wonderful songs from this movie--the original--that are worth treasuring for a lifetime. This is just one.

Pure Imagination, Willy Wonka

Come with me and you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination

We'll begin with a spin
Trav'ling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy
Explanation

{Refrain}
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there's nothing to it

There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be

Read more!

My Published Stories/Novel Excerpts

Christmas in Cairo, 1993 (Photo by Kacey Dewing)

I am intensifying my search for an agent and/or publisher, and am using this as a place to list the links for my stories (excerpts from two novels) which have been published.

The genre is creative non-fiction (a.k.a. true stories). These were all published in a handful of issues of Mused--Bellaonline Literary Review.

[Following are excerpts from Below Sea Level, novel about 10 years with husband suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder]

Shadow of the Mountains

Dog Day Afternoon*

Goodyear

Cycles

*Personal favorite

[Excerpt from The Agoraphobic's Guide to Cairo, about my year abroad in Cairo, Egypt in 1993-94]

Al-Abyaad - The White One (About the horse who did not kill me.)
-----------------------------------

Interview:
Nancy Dietrich: In Her Own Words


Further unpublished excerpts can be found on this blog:

Kickback from Below Sea Level

Painting the Town Blue from Below Sea Level


Al-Qitta (The Kitten) from The Agoraphobic's Guide to Cairo


Bustan al-Hayawanat (The Zoo) from The Agoraphobic's Guide to Cairo


Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you. Read more!

Jordan turns 5 years old today!!

Jordan with her buddy, Taylor

Happy birthday to my favorite 5 year-old in the entire world!! (And that includes a whole lot of 5 year-olds!) You have brought us all great joy and unbelievable tales in the last 5 years and we all promise to re-tell the best ones to you over and over again once you grow up! I could not love you more, Jordan.

Have a wonderful birthday, and save me some cake tonight!

And here's a toast to many, many more birthday cakes! Read more!

Goodnight, Elizabeth

National Velvet, 1944

Elizabeth Taylor, 1932-2011

And let us not forget her lifelong love of dogs, mostly Maltese.

Read more!

Long Live Madison's Orpheum Theatre

SO good to see The Orpheum in Madison is still run by trouble-making Leftists!

I spent the summer of 1989 selling tickets, eating popcorn, and enjoying my beginning of first serious romance at Madison's iconic Orpheum Theatre. It was built in 1926 and has more nooks and crannies, back alleys and catwalks than any building I have ever encountered. It was more of a playground than a place of work. It is one of the few buildings for which I actually have romantic feelings.

Per Wiki:
Built in 1926 by Rapp and Rapp, the Limestone, Art Deco exterior and French Renaissance interior made the building an icon, with the "Orpheum" sign towering over State Street. There have been limited changes to the structure of the building over the years. The terrazzo floors, chandeliers, grand staircase, and statue of Orpheus overlooking the entryway are still intact. Partially financed by dentist William Beecroft, also known as "Mr. Theater," The Orpheum cost $750,000 to build and originally featured vaudeville shows and a movie theater, later featuring contemporary artists and film. The Orpheum sponsors the yearly Madison Independent Film Festival and serves food daily from its Lobby Lounge restaurant.

The Orpheum Theatre was the first building in Wisconsin to have air conditioning; the air conditioner itself takes up an entire room in the basement. Furthermore, it was the first building on its block between Johnson Street and State Street.

The Orpheum Theatre originally seated 2,400 people. After renovations in the 1960s to add "The Stage Door" Theatre, only six feet of the original stage was left, and 700 seats were lost, making the capacity 1700.

The Orpheum nearly burned down on December 19, 2004. It was the third attempted arson on the building. Several other Madison landmark music establishments such as O'Cayz Corral and the Club deWash had burned down mysteriously in previous years.

The Orpheum Theatre in Madison is on The National Register of Historic Places listings in Wisconsin

*****************************************

Back in the 80's, we showed standard fare, such as Platoon, all those Lethal Weapon movies, and numerous other "classics." These days the popcorn and candy counter has been redesigned as a state-of-the-art kitchen and they serve lunch and dinner in the spacious lobby between the matching grand staircases that lead to balconies no longer coded to bear the weight of occupants.

They show mostly Indie films, and host musicians (Sevendust is a regular) and there has been a project underway for several years to try and save the building and its marquee.

But I have never been more proud of her than I am right now.

Keep up the good work!!
Read more!