Thursday, October 18, 2007

Wrote to Literal Harold moments ago to state that Bien sur Yours Truly would like to head deep down south on a Wrestlemania junket to shoot images of faux tans/teeth/tits/bods, wrapped in satiny and baby-oiled goodness, for the sake of goodness and VH1 veracity.
Last night experienced an all-girl extravaganza for the birthday of YT, a blend of old and new pals, chez Cheryl and Ed and Flora.
Platters of dreamy cheeses, sushi, Liz's Greentinis (in honour of the favoured and life-infused green palette of choice), Veuve Cliquot, and white wines.
The girls outdid themselves with generous gifts, and bon vivantness.

The parents have officially relocated to Amherst, that Middling City suburb of surly cops in silver cars, strip malls, and a few neighborhoods sinking into wetlands asserting their wetness.
There was a little mix-up of information and so arrived at the home of yore a day after they'd moved, sitting in car in driveway of childhood, phoning the old number to hear the troubling, three-note tone that something is amiss and changed.
My parents have a new phone number, house, quadrant to call home.
Not one that features reclaiming wetlands.
Called the new number from memory and got a recorded message of a Steve (+ Polish last name) so left the following message: Mom, Dad, this is Nancy, is this your new number.
You see, the new house in Amherst was owned by a Polish fam and the man who did live in the house died. So, YT posits, this is the number of that man, the parents have not changed message on machine or on answering service. Who knows, perhaps that fancy-schmancy M.C. suburb offers its residents free answering service all the livelong day.
YT's father called minutes later.
Said Hey, did you just get my message.
He did not.
You did NOT just receive a message on answering machine from me.
Nope.
My sister also did not know that the parents had a new phone number already.
Or what that number is.
And now Steve the Polish man knows that my parents, in their Big Move, forgot a few details.
Add Yourself to that list.

Always trying to remember all the details, Love.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007








Completely, utterly minding the business of Yours Truly for really Yours is too much extra-super-bonus business to mind, saw black smoke.
Thick, uh-oh-this-spells-disaster black smoke, pluming over Hamburg Street.
Slowing, nearly stopping, at the 190 overpass saw FLAMES.
So, did what any good photog worth their sweet pixels would do, cranked a left turn and headed toward the danger-center.
Ditched the car on S.Park Ave. @ Sidway and walked to the fire, cam on neck.
Met up with a wizened neighborhood granny who accompanied YT to the fire hoses.
Spotting the cam she asked You a reporter.
Yeah, I'm a reporter, YT replied.
You with t.v. granny asked.
No.
After a puff of her all-white cig she told me some big fam news:
My daughter is going to New York to meet Harry Potter, she won that contest.
On the radio, YT queried.
Yes, the radio, and that R.K. Rollins is going to sign her book.
That's exciting, YT gushed with zeal, happy for granny's daughter's big op.
Onwards.
Fire hoses already on the side street and a little boy's companions stated to me and all the adults in proximity that he was upset because his yard was on fire.
No, another girl corrected her, part of his house is on fire.
He had on a smudged white undershirt and did look anxious.
Others were anxious as well, all their stuff going up in flames as the neighborhood watched silently, all grieving for what was normal a few moments ago.
The air was wretched with the fumes of vinyl siding melting away, assuredly more toxic than whatever molecules float away from asbestos siding when that is scraped.
YT had an exterior painting gig aeons ago that involved scraping and painting siding which much into the job was discovered to be the a-word.
During the flameshoot noted the NASCAR Zubaz, pictured above, and was compelled to document this neighborly fashion.


Up in flames, Love.