R.I.P. Davy Jones

He was my first crush and my first bit of inspiration regarding singing, dancing, and all-around grooviness.  But besides all that, he inspired the haircut that, basically, has carried me well into my forties.  Davy had bangs and straight hair, so naturally I begged to have them as well.

Davy Jones passed away today, and with his passing, a part of my childhood has faded.  And that sucks, because childhoods should last and last.  They should have no date stamp or expiration date (or, as Davy might have said, an "expiry date").

Davy did musical theatre and brought that flair to his work on "The Monkees".  But he also had this great groovy dance step he'd use in a lot of the videos the group did for the show.  I emulate that step every time I'm required to be "groovy" for whatever reason.  Here's Davy dancing up a storm in my first memory of him, "Cuddly Toy":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0emLj0d66DQ

It's Leap Day - and I was going to post a long rant about leaping and what leaping means and how one should leap and why might you not want to leap.  I probably would've included a picture of The Fool tarot card, the little guy who's ready to take a blind leap of faith, urged on (or celebrated?) by his little dog.

Instead, I'm a little misty today about one of my childhood heroes.

Davy - thank you for your charm and humor.  And that indefatigable grooviness.

Because every day is better with a little Blair

Mary Blair, that is.

http://animationresources.org/?p=597

Please check out this great post from Animation Resources, featuring a rare, out-of-print book that Mary did the illustrations for: "Baby's House".  It seems any time I need a little pick-me-up to my day, I either find out about a new Blair item at one of the Disney parks, or encounter a super blog post like this one.  I'm heartened by the fact that so many people admire and appreciate her whimsical, wonderful style.

Enjoy!

Image found at animationresources.org, from the collection of Mike Fontanelli.



Monday is Tarot Day! (Yawwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn...)

and after last night's Oscar party at our place, I could very well post about the Devil card, and too much booze and chocolate pie.

But my Monday tarot blogging isn't about repeats just yet.  So, what to write about today? (and can you tell I had minimal sleep and am still punchy, even after a long nap?  Yes, I am...)

Okay then - the Four of Swords.  This card is about needing to take a step back and rest.  And it's less about quiet contemplation (that's more The Hermit) than simply knowing your body needs rest.  But the cautionary aspect of the card is that if you don't take the initiative and get your rest, it will be imposed upon you, oftentimes in the form of illness that will slow you down in order to heal you.

So, on this day after our big annual Oscar party, I'm grateful that I had the time to snuggle up in my lounging pajamas and nap for hours on the couch.  It was much-needed and well-deserved, after planning and decorating and assembling our party to the nines.

Modernism Week, Classic Cocktails, and Splendor in Palm Springs

http://www.mydesert.com/VideoNetwork/1463262519001/Midcentury-modern-inspired-cocktails-served-during-Modernism-Week

Oh, to be in Palm Springs right now, enjoying Modernism Week, sipping one of these fantabulous concoctions.  Ironically, later today I'll be taking a five-hour bartending course, just to learn the basics of mixy-mixy, shaky-shaky for my own edification.  See, my dad was a bartender, owned his own bar back in the 40s-50s.  It was only a matter of time before I followed suit in one way or another.

Classic cocktails fascinate me.  It's not just the drink itself, but the aura of sophistication that surrounds it.  Back when these beauties were first created, their names and ingredients evoked exotic locales, faraway fragrances, and hypnotic tastes.  To sip a Mai Tai was to be transported to a tropical island, where the beautiful, enigmatic locals would gladly fan you with palm leaves and peel you a guava while serving you drink after intoxicating drink.

Cheers to Modernism Week.  We visited last year, only for a tad.  At some point in the future, we'll definitely be back...

Monday is Tarot Day! And this is my dad's card.

Looking through the past few posts on this blog, I realized that it's been tarot-heavy.  That's just how it's worked out; I didn't plan it that way. Part of the busy-ness as of late has revloved around my dad.  He's still in the hospital, on the mend but far from the sturdy man he was days before a nasty bug attacked his lungs.

Dad's experiencing delerium these days.  I read about it and, in this case, it's not life-threatening.  But it makes for a difficult time with feeding and doing most things, even focusing on the TV.  Or us.  He said he's also experiencing double vision.  He's quite tired and will have bouts of zippyness mixed with a lot of sleepiness.

Dad's the King of Cups (or Hearts.  In my dad's case, it's definitely hearts) He always has been.  Notice the water surrounding the king on his throne; that's emotion.  For my Dad, that's made even more so by the fact that he's a Cancer, a Water sign.  Sincere, sweet and loving, this King loves to love, gives the best hugs, and cares so much about others he sometimes forgets about himself. 

Dad, please remember yourself, especially right now.  Please know that so many people love you and are looking forward to learning more about love merely from being in the same room with you.

Love you, Dad.

Dad update

Remember how I wrote yesterday that he was better?  Well, I spoke too soon.  His congestive heart failure is waging a battle.  Thing is, Dad's a fighter.  And ornery.  And stubborn.

The doc said his condition is "guarded", which means things are serious, and they need to keep an eye on him.  At the same time, the Lasix is working, but slowly.  And he has a slight fever.

Anyone reading this is urged to send prayers, and healing white light to this wonderful, wonderful man.  Thanks.

My heart of hearts...

It feels odd writing this on Valentine's Day, but it really isn't.  In fact, it's perfect in a way.  No, I'm not posting pictures of vintage cards and such.  No links to Tom Jones singing "My Funny Valentine".  So you're not worried: Ben and I will have a lovely evening at home, putting together a romantic dinner, enjoying some nice red wine.  It's all good.

But what's also all good now (but wasn't last night and into the early morning), was my Dad's health.  What appeared to be a really bad cold, ratcheting up into a respiratory infection, turned out to be a cog in the works regarding his congestive heart failure.  Trust me, we're now well-schooled in the differences between the two maladies.  One can make you feel rotten for a few days.  The other can ostensibly pull you out of this world and into another one most of us have yet to view.

With congestive heart failure, one's lungs fill up with fluid.  My poor dad had a horrible rasp, almost a gurgling or gargling sound when he breathed deep.  And his voice was like an even deeper version of Froggy from "The Little Rascals".  When I mentioned Froggy, he perked up a little and gave me a look like I had beanstalks growing outta my ears.

So I'm posting this today about one of my heart of hearts, my daddy, Dan Turlow.  Because he's on the upswing now, out of that scary place where he kept nodding off, couldn't breathe well, didn't know where he was.

He's blessed to have an excellent caregiver who alerted me via a phone call of what was taking place.  Dad's now resting at the hospital, probably flirting with every single gal who comes in to take his temperature.

Ben and I are off to the VA hospital now to visit him.  I'll first swing by the Jewel and get him a big helium balloon, because it's Valentine's Day.  I'll hug him as best I can (since he'll be lying and resting) and make sure he knows I love him.  From the bottom of my heart.

Monday is Tarot Day: Climbing Up On Solsbury Hill

"Climbing up on Solsbury Hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
Had to listen had no choice
I did not believe the information
(I) just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom boom boom
"Son," he said "Grab your things,
I've come to take you home." - "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel

I took a look at the calendar today and realized that not only is it the day before Valentine's Day (which, most often, is when Ben and I go out for  Valentine's Day dinner, rather than V-Day proper, which always costs a butt load more and is so very crowded and nasty), but it's also the 62nd birthday of the amazing Peter Gabriel, one of the most creative, inspiring artists to share the planet with the rest of us.  I get all cocky when I realize we're both Aquarians, feeling that some of the same magical starshine that gave him such gifts has dusted off on me, due to our shared astrology.  Well, one can only wish I got even an ant's eyedropper's worth.

As Monday is Tarot Day on the blog, I took a look at Peter's work and said, "Come to me, oh song to inspire some tarot imagery" - and "Solsbury Hill" immediately popped into my brain screen.  After reading the lyrics, I knew I could break it down into a variety of cards, actually. The first verse is a perfect textbook snapshot of a full reading, where the question might be, "What step do I take next?"  The first few lines remind me of the "Hermit": someone seeking some seclusion in order to gain enlightenment.  But then we shift into 4 of Cups energy, where the querrent (imagine Peter Gabriel as a querrent!!) is faced with the need to be attentive, given valuable information he might otherwise be too self-involved or introspective to see.  Following the lyric, the Page of Swords would not trust the information.  But The Fool would trust imagination.

However, to sum up the energy and message of this particular song in a big-picture sense, what comes to mind most strongly is the 8 of Cups, where something that no longer is of benefit is being left behind.  If you take a look at the journeyman in the the image, he's got his walking stick and is clearly on his way somewhere. The moon seems to be waxing; it's a fruitful time, a time to plant seeds for new ventures and worlds.

Gabriel wrote the song about the time when he knew he needed to move on from Genesis and follow his own path.  Notice the red cloak the character in the card is wearing.  I consider that the color of power and forward movement.  Although Cups refer to emotion, heartfelt and deep, the red offsets any sort of sense of melancholy.  This man is on a mission, following the inner strength that comes with knowing yourself enough to trust you can take that next step (do note that he even appears to be aimed at a hill that he would ostensibly climb up...).

Happy Birthday, Peter.  May you continue to seek and learn and share your wisdom with the rest of us, so eager and hungry to gain the wisdom to follow our own True North.

Just writing about coffee.

I'm whiling some time here are Cafe La Spiaza in Wheaton, IL before I throw my whole self into a voice-over session, wherein I'll portray a hippo, two ostriches, and a sheep.  I've added to my waning  Health Points by consuming a great little cup of chicken noodle soup.  And now I'm onto the main event: the skim-decaf latte with a soupcon of caramel syrup.  It's just sweet enough, definitely frothy, nicely warming, and possessing just a tad of caffeine for making my brain a little more zippy.  Cuz I'll need that to portray those ostriches.

But it got me thinking:  I developed my love of coffee perhaps in the last ten years or so.  Growing up, coffee was that brown stuff that stained my Mom's coffee cup, no matter how hard I tried to clean it out.  It was the stuff that created that coffee breath on her that I was never a fan of.  But most of all, it provided that zip that she needed every morning.  And throughout the day.  I questioned it, was wary of it.  Didn't trust it.

I've learned that the espresso shot I consume today has less caffeine than my Mom's Folger's Cup.  And that's really an eye-opener, because the espresso has enough caffeine for me.  So the lighter roasts have more caffeine - huh.  How about that?

My mom passed in 2001, so she wasn't around to see the current cafe craze.  Mom wouldn't know what a mochachino was to save her life; she might even wonder if it was an odd animal at the zoo .  She'd know mocha meant coffee and chocolate, two of her favorite things, but as far as walking into a Starbucks and ordering a coffee beverage that consists of a coffee, a flavoring, has foam or no foam, comes in a variety of sizes, has an option for whipped cream,  and a request for hot or extra hot - my Mom would probably just laugh and wonder what all the fuss was about.

You see, my Mom's morning coffee was made in one of these jobbies in the photo to the right:  a percolator.  This one's from the 60s - once the model she had that looked like this burned out, we went in search of another one.  And another.  And one after that.

Coffee meant just that: coffee.  The closest thing my Mom got to schnazzy was combining the half cup of coffee with a half cup of milk.  Mom was taking down a daily cafe au lait.  But did she know it was called that, and that it was French to boot?  Nah.  To her, it was just a way to make the coffee a little creamier, less harsh.

I remember at one point buying a small package of French Vanilla coffee and making it for her.  She took one sip, shoved it away and absolutely wouldn't touch it, wondering if I was crazy.  "This isn't coffee!  It's an air freshener!"

So, the next time you order a fancy coffee beverage, adjusting how much syrup goes in, the right amount of caffeine, just remember that back in the day, there was coffee and there was tea.  And that was that.

Monday is Tarot Day! Which card is your significator?

Full disclosure - I don't put much weight into the use of the significator card in the traditional sense.  Some tarot readers will put it at the hub of the Celtic cross "wheel", removing it from action for the rest of the reading, a practice which I find to be counter-producitve.  But, if/when my significator does show up while I'm laying out cards, I know it's there to remind me to play full-out and to psychically nudge me that, when I'm vibrating to my highest power, I'm unstoppable, majestic, and just a real treat to be around.

I give you my significator, the Queen of Wands.  The image at the left is from The Enchanted Tarot by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber, one of my very first decks.  I fell in love with it's use of collage mixed media and gentle, romantic pastels.  And I adore the visage of this particular Queen; she's mostly vintage, but there's a classic, timeless quality to her that's absolutely spell-binding.  Plus, I love this image of the Q of W because this is the one that helped me have a eureka about my personal significator.  She takes me back to a time of hige discovery and learning.

How do you pick a significator?  There are various schools of thought on this topic, but I simply say that it's the card that speaks to you most strongly about the real you, the you that shows up when all cylinders are firing, when you're strong of spirit, happy and purposeful.

The Queen of Wands is about creativity, eccentricity, action and "making it so".  She's the card of great female writers, actors, tarot readers, and those who enjoy dressing up in wacky ways, not giving a tinker's cuss what others think.  She absolutely rocks a bowler hat while wearing a "Mad Men"-inspired dress, while writing her book about vintage amusement parks, and preparing to lead a querrant through a tarot reading, helping that eprson to fly as high as they can and achieve their life's dreams.

Mighty tall order for a tarot card, huh?  Nah - just a day in the life of the Queen of Wands, Mastress of All She Surveys.  Which reminds me - as it's my birthday month, I keep her image in close proximity.  I've got the Sun in my First House and everyday during Aquarius time is full of brilliant, juicy whimsy.

If you're curious about which court card is your significator, don't hesitate to contact me and set up a reading to determine just that.  It's a delightful journey into self-discovery that will boost you and nourish you.