personal chills

photo-montage by phD

Style: geo-political fashion redux

The high fashion industry artists are at it still...

...and the irony is that when the Taliban first started their devastation of Afghanistan, the same magazines alerted their readers to the situation of the invisible women in several insightful [no pun intended] articles.

--collage & comment by phd.

identity illusions.2

Seems to be a lot of "woman," or do we say "chick," themes going on here lately.
The old homestead, the white bride v. the colorful woman...stuff like that.
Don't understand why, but whenever phd sees pics of women in burkhas, articles on sexual harassment (is that still going on?), or babes showing boobs bigger than they were designed to drag around, bells start ringing. No, tolling...as in doleful.
Maybe it was the eye surgery that allowed clear vision, or the guy who failed to show up to deliver the visually impaired to said surgery. The life view in general is more sharp and yet more fuzzed and poignant.
But then, this time has been set aside for reflection and inner vision...that sight metaphor again. The inner vision has sharpened, also. The true and the false are more easily separated. Form and function are moving closer together.
The next phase may be the female version of curmudgeon, which was so elegantly described as Witch with a B.
Or maybe just Old. Well, it happens to the best of us.

visual editorial.2

art by phDilettante

signify.2

Depending on which study one reads, recent statistics show that 28 - 32% of "families" or households are women living without a man.
Much has been made of this.

Primarily much has been made of this by men who question, "Who is raising the children?" As far as phd can determine, the study did not detail whether these feminine living arrangements involved children, single women, divorced women, widowed women, lesbian women or women between 21 and 30 who may be students (who never have living arrangements at all or none anyone cares to know about.)

After exhausting the discussion of The Children, subtle inferences came into play: must be kept women; must be on welfare; must be mentally ill; or ugly. In other words, Something is Wrong with Women. C'mon now, let's all say it up front - if a woman doesn't live with a man, she is unnatural. She is fragmented; she doesn't fit in the box; she does not wear white but is a growing grey mold on the culture of America. Or is she so startling in her brilliant multicolored parts that she cannot be seen at all.

--art and comment by PhD.

Longing

Maybe they will return.

It will be in Spring at Dusk.

...it had been a long journey but it was still there as they remembered as only those from the South remember.

"Rivington" - because of course it was their home and of course all great houses are named.

This is the dream.

Reality is a bit different, but may become the dream of another person, another family in another time.

The entry light must have wiring;

the grounds could certainly be tidied by local help or helpful goats;

perhaps flowers again.

Horses.

But not in my lifetime.

visual editorial

provide the comment

of your choice.

Soy Hom Tip

...or if you prefer, skip the info below, and pick up the telephone.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

In China, this sign is called Wild Boar but since in America and Europe one doesn't meet up much with wild boars (except for the incident in PhD's neighborhood), this zodiac sign is usually called a Pig.

When wallowing contentedly along, Pigs are sensible, sensual and sensitive, sweetly naive, self-sacrificing, erudite, obliging and generous.

But when their elastic generosity has been stretched beyond its limit, out pops Piggy's darker side. He becomes hot-tempered, pessimistic, sardonic, snobbish, snide, authoritarian, know-it-all, and sometimes downright mad at the world.

The Chinese Year of the Pig begins this year on February 18.

It is a Fire Pig year. Other Fire Pigs include Arnold Schwarznegger, Carlos Santana and Steven Spielberg.

Source: The New Chinese Astrology, Suzanne White

Be mine

Since the day no valentine appeared on the desk in third grade, PhD has refused to recognize Valentine's Day.

It was the first recognition of hurt. Of course after that day, hurt appeared in the form of being too tall, too thin, glasses, braces and being chosen last for softball.

Valentine' Day, however, became the lifetime symbol of not being good enough for someone or something.

The end of innocence because of a missing red heart with a paper doily on a worn wooden desk.

How dumb is that?

identity illusions.1

Baby, don't you drive that.3

Cats gotta have fun

but even with

nine lives

their antique

toys

must be

updated

on

occasion

so that cool cats remain cool...

Might Ph.d. suggest Ducati's nuovo classico Sport Classic 1000, a retro rocket suited to wear well with grey and black for the days you simply must have 992 cubic centimeters of fuel injection with your espresso...

rock on, Raypod!

Siamese if you please?

There is a certain group of Oriental cats known as Fiends.

If you are an owner of one of these creatures, you know who you are, unfortunate soul.

Peace be with you.

Phd.

Don't Spray - Saute

Chocolate-covered ants? So totally sixties!

The true 21st Century foodie will join with others of similar interest to forage the wilds and share honest-to-really wine & nature pairings suitable for those in tune with Nature and the drums of their primitive selves. Check it out!

Baby, don't you drive that car.2

Do you drive a Freud or a Ferrari?

Incoming Nukes

The times they are unsettling.
Who will throw the first stone or, in modern lingo, launch the first bomb.

Will there be anyone left to have the last laugh?

Or perhaps being bombed back several centuries might put some things back into perspective.

"Life can neither be created nor destroyed."

--detail of collage of the same name by phdilettante.

Cats Don't Lie.

Yeah, yeah. We have all heard that cats are anti-intellectual -- sit on the book or the newspaper so it can't be read and all attention is claimed by the Cat.

Yeah, yeah, and we all know that every famous artist has painted, sketched or sculpted a cat.

Why bother? As critics, cats are just plain rude.

signify.1

Horoscope:

Your attitude towards others pushes you to meet people who could be considered by a large majority as eccentric persons. They might be thought to be a little bit strange. You will be happy to meet one of them today, but this person will look familiar and strangely enough, will most likely be yourself.

--December 5, 2002

After-fast Freedom

Hey, good idea to lie down and be counted with Ms. Butterfly and Al Sharpton (Reverend). Fast for Peace. We can do that. Just a "fast" fast for Independence Day and The Worthy Cause.


I can do that, sure. The cats can do that, especially the one who covers her ears when "weighty" is mentioned in her presence.

Growling tummy. Towards noon, an increasing decibel level of Oriental cat howling. Noises drowned out at sundown by fireworks' boom and scream over the screeching of the cats.

Midnight. We did it. Run to convenience store for sustenance. Forgot to buy cat food. Cat screeching drowned out by growling upset tummy. Hope the garbage pick-up is tomorrow.

--photo by the dilettante

signifying.1

Happy Birthday!

Freedom of the Blog, Truth, Justice,

and all that stuff...

--photo courtesy of LeMa