Sunday Afternoon At The Salon

Forget that I read from But This Is Different at the Ellouise Salon this afternoon.  Well, no.  Wait a second.  Don't forget that at all.  Hold onto that event and invite me to read again at other places.  But while you're doing that, consider this.
The Ellouise Salon in Pasadena believes in art -- music, painting, and the spoken word.  One Sunday afternoon each month the salon hosts an 'event'.  Last month the event featured music.  This month -- today in fact -- the salon featured the spoken word.  Writers came and read their stuff.  I came, read my stuff, and sold a few books.
It's a powerful way to spend a couple of hours once a month.  There's no competition.  Everyone reads, sings, or otherwise presents and all are equal, embraced and welcomed.
Once a month Sandra Cruze and colleagues transform and upscale hair salon into a salon of a different nature.  Why?  Because they believe that artists need and deserve a place to share their souls.
Thanks, Sandy.
By the way --
Ellouise Hair Salon & Gallery
55 Waverly Drive
Pasadena CA 91105
626.793.0037
http://ellouisehairsalon.com
Oh, yeah.  They also cut hair.

A New Reason to Celebrate Gay Pride in NY

On June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn gay bar on Christopher Street in New York's Greenwich Village. This was not an uncommon event. Every so often the New York City police, like many of their compatriots across the country, enjoyed watching gay men cringe at the prospect of losing their jobs, their homes or their children by being arrested and having their names appear in the newspaper or their faces on the television, all for the crime of having a drink, a dance or some conversation in a place where men who loved other men gathered. But the night of June 28th was different. The police raid sparked a riot. First the patrons of the Stonewall and then neighbors and then gay and lesbian people from around the city threw rocks, set police cars on fire and demonstrated the unfairness of their treatment. It is considered to be the touchstone of the gay and lesbian liberation movement. There are now Gay Pride marches all over the world, but in New York the march is always held on the weekend closest to June 28, and it is named the Christopher Street Liberation parade. The parade begins at Washington Square Park, passes the Stonewall Inn and proceeds up Fifth Avenue.

This year's march will take place tomorrow, on June 26th, and there will be a new reason for pride. Last night, the legislature and governor signed into law a bill which will allows same-sex couples to marry in New York State. The bill will take effect in 30 days. The newspaper said that when news of the bill's passage was televised at the Stonewall Inn, the patrons burst into cheers, tears and marriage proposals. All those in New York who now have the right to marry, all the best to you. May we in California get that privilege back soon.

Mork and other headaches

I'm in love with Mindy Black.

That's the name of the ENT specialist I saw today, about the severe headaches I've had, intermittently, for several weeks.

When I think of the name "Mindy," I think of the old TV show, "Mork and Mindy." Nanu-nanu, as Robin Williams used to say. Dr. Mindy Black isn't a situation comedy kind of person at all, though; just very serious and professional and very good.

Thank God for that.

Turns out these headaches are caused by a severe infection in my upper sinuses, which manifests itself by making it seem that an alien creature is about to burst through my forehead and go skittering off across the floor.

A CT-Scan helped pinpoint the trouble, along with the scope that Dr. Black ran up my nostrils. And then she got right to work treating it aggressively, with antibiotics, nose sprays, and even a serious painkiller for the headaches.

Did I mention that I'm in love with Mindy Black?

Dr. Black said the smoke from the Arizona wildfires that have burned over 700,000 acres in recent weeks undoubtedly contributed to my sinus problems. So knock it off, all you wildfires, and all you border crossers that Sen. John McCain says are setting the fires. You're not making any friends on this side of the border, I can tell you that.

Meanwhile, a good friend who lives in Tucson during the winter and has a summer home in Minot, N.D., is getting flooded out of her home. In fact, the entire city of Minot is being drowned by the Souris River.

It's another border-crosser kind of problem. The headwaters of the Souris are in Canada. It then flows south across the border and makes a U-turn near Minot before heading back north into Canada again. Because of heavy rains and snowmelt in Canada, the river is at historic flood levels, and most of Minot -- including my friend's house -- is underwater.

Just seems like nature hates us this year.

Special Services For The Visually Impaired

Life compelled me to visit the Glendale Social Security office.  I took my number.  It was 24 and wasn't a bad number considering the next number was twelve not counting the in between numbers such as A12H which didn't appear to come up on the board in any particular order.  I was there to ask a question.  More about that later.
Forgetting that I was waiting at a government agency providing services to millions, I brought nothing to read with me.  Not a problem.  The walls were covered with pamphlets in several different languages.
One particular pamphlet caught my eye:  Special Social Security Services For The Visually Impaired.
And elderly family member is significantly impaired visually so coming across this information while waiting to ask a question seemed providential.
I returned to my seat ready to learn all about the special social security services for the visually impaired.
After a couple of pages of information about why the visually impaired need special services the pamphlet got to the purpose of the pamphlet and described the special social security services provided for the visually impaired.
Here, in summary, are those special services.
Many printed materials can be provided in large print.
Except, apparently, the pamphlet I held in my hands.  It was provided in print almost too small for me to read.
Our tax dollars at work.

Now On Kindle

My novel, But This Is Different, is now available on Kindle.  You can get there from here by clicking the book cover on the right hand side of the witsend page.  Steel Cut Press is plugging along and the publishing industry is amazing.
Ten days is a long time to go without posting on this magazine.  On the other hand, a lot of life can happen in ten days.
Back at it now, though.

Goodbye Also To Shrek The Sheep

In a week of animal losses we must make room in our hearts to mourn the death of Shrek the Sheep.  Why?  I don't know except that Shrek did what a lot of us would like to do.  He left the farm, hid in a cave, never got a haircut or did any of the other expected sheep activities and wasn't found until 2004.  He had been on the lam for six years.  First of all, you gotta wonder how in New Zealand, where most of the living things are sheep, the disappearance of one or even of a hundred would be noticed at all let alone attract national attention.  I guess that just shows that Shrek was one amazing sheep.
At any rate and for whatever reason, he became a New Zealand celebrity.  He was flown to the national parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, to meet Prime Minister Helen Clark.  When he finally got his hair cut he immediately lost sixty pounds.  Sixty pounds of fleece.  I know how he must have felt because that's how I feel about a week before I finally get around to calling Linda Baker at CCC Hair Company for my irregular fleecing.  Except that Shrek's fleecing was televised throughout New Zealand and it's rumored that the number of people who watched it almost matched the number who, in New Zealand, watched the funeral of Princess Diana.

The wool was auctioned off at high prices for charity and pictures of the event were worth about a hundred million dollars of publicity for New Zealand.  Luckily no one seems to care about my haircuts.  Lucky for me.  Not so lucky for Linda  Baker.
And in this week of animal losses, Shrek died of old age.  His funeral will be held in Takapo, New Zealand.  The date has yet to be announced.
John Perriam, the guy who owned Shrek and from who Shrek apparently ran away, says that Shrek was just an ordinary sheep who happened to run away and hide for six years.  He does add that Shrek had an unbelievable personality, that he loved children, and that he was really good with the elderly in retirement homes.  A sheep in a retirement home.  Okay.
Josie Spillane, whose charity 'Cure Kids' benefited from the sale of Shrek's wool, said that the lives of dozens of children were better because of Shrek.
That's about all any of us can hope for -- years of doing just what we please and in the end being remembered for good.
And if a sheep can pull that off perhaps the rest of us can also.

RIP Molly

Thank you, Dr. Ann Campbell and her assistant, Sergio, for ending the pain and suffering of our sweet dog Molly. She's with Barney, Ed, Bonnie, Matt, Oreo, She-She, Rudy, Scraps and all the other dogs and cats who've greatly enriched our lives and kept us company over the years.