The most upsetting news today is that next fall, Veronica Mars (UPN) will be airing in the same time slot as Lost (ABC), Alias (ABC) will be on during the O.C. (Fox), and the West Wing is on during Cold Case (CBS). O what am I to do?? The O.C. will be the first one to go - that's just something I watch if I'm home and remember. I'm too poor to get a TiVO so Marshall and I will have all summer to plan our carefully honed VCR gymnastics skills.
I am not interested in any new shows except for Commander in Chief, starring Geena Davis as the president!! Much kick-ass potential here. Let's hope they don't fuck it up.
This summer, Bravo is showing a second season of the hair salon reality show "Blowout," which was soooo juicy good. That Jonathan guy is such a condescending ass and he knows it! And he charges like $600 for a haircut! Last season they showed him trying to open up a new salon in Beverly Hills and all the drama between the stylists and him. And they showed him cutting Margaret Cho's hair. This is good T.V.
And check out this handy season finale cliffhanger review!
Tuesday
Everything's pink in Miami
Whoo-wee. Where to start. In the last couple of weeks I've been to Miami, where the weather was lovely and cool but the drivers are fast and mean and there are a lot of 'em, and Missoula. But first Miami. First of all, let me say that I do enjoy all the pink and orange houses in this city. These paint colors would probably look very weird anywhere else but how fun! The fam and I went on a tour of the bay and looked at all the homes of the rich and famous, including Rosie O' Donnell, Shaquille O'Neal (who had a foot-high figurine likeness of himself perched on his dock to greet the passing tour boats), and the homes formerly occupied by Vanilla Ice and Don Johnson. Rad. It's actually sickening that middle america pays to go see these unimaginably expensive homes of celebrities that THEY MADE RICH in the first place!! I was well aware of the absurdity and just tried to enjoy being out on the water. There's just something weird about the tourist activity of viewing things that you will never in a million years ever come close to having yourself. Is it marketing for the american dream? - or the capitalist's wet dream, more like.
We also visited Miami Beach, which is mainly known as the place where Versace was murdered, and I found the actual beach to be kind of gross with people in various stages of undress and a couple that I can verify was engaged in unabashed foreplay involving "private parts" in public. Tacky! Mom still wanted to take pictures and apparently hadn't noticed anything untoward so I tried my best to not look horrified as we snapped some family photos looking very out of place amidst the tan languid bodies laying about.
After the beach we wandered down the street to an open-air cafe (the third one we tried that my mom was convinced we'd all be satisfied with) where I proceeded to order a huge alcoholic drink (it was called a "Bahama Mama," ugh) served in a cheap plastic "hurricane"-style cup like you get in New Orleans. It tasted crappy but the four different kinds of alcohol gave me a nice buzz about halfway through, which played a key role in my ability to maintain a pleasant and blissfully oblivious demeanor around the folks.
My bro got all graduated and stuff (D.M.A., not a Ph.D., mind you) and we went to a swanky dinner at the swanky old Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Super vintage-glam so I was right at home. It had a gargantuan pool, in fact the largest hotel pool in the continental united states, how 'bout that. The food was awesome, too - pan-seared and oven-roasted scallops, even the vegetable sides were incredibly perfect. You know, if you're ever in Miami. Good luck to Pete as he tries to find a college who wants to hire a trumpet professor.
Next up: the Montana report.
We also visited Miami Beach, which is mainly known as the place where Versace was murdered, and I found the actual beach to be kind of gross with people in various stages of undress and a couple that I can verify was engaged in unabashed foreplay involving "private parts" in public. Tacky! Mom still wanted to take pictures and apparently hadn't noticed anything untoward so I tried my best to not look horrified as we snapped some family photos looking very out of place amidst the tan languid bodies laying about.
After the beach we wandered down the street to an open-air cafe (the third one we tried that my mom was convinced we'd all be satisfied with) where I proceeded to order a huge alcoholic drink (it was called a "Bahama Mama," ugh) served in a cheap plastic "hurricane"-style cup like you get in New Orleans. It tasted crappy but the four different kinds of alcohol gave me a nice buzz about halfway through, which played a key role in my ability to maintain a pleasant and blissfully oblivious demeanor around the folks.
My bro got all graduated and stuff (D.M.A., not a Ph.D., mind you) and we went to a swanky dinner at the swanky old Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Super vintage-glam so I was right at home. It had a gargantuan pool, in fact the largest hotel pool in the continental united states, how 'bout that. The food was awesome, too - pan-seared and oven-roasted scallops, even the vegetable sides were incredibly perfect. You know, if you're ever in Miami. Good luck to Pete as he tries to find a college who wants to hire a trumpet professor.
Next up: the Montana report.
Monday
Spot on
I really like finding out people's stories. You know, where they've been, what they've done, what experiences have shaped them into who they are today. It's especially fun when a person's history is prolific but not talked about much, and he or she shows up day after day at his or her job minding their own business while all the youngsters mill about self-importantly oblivious to the royalty in their midst. Such a person is Spot. He currently works the door at Lovejoy's, and has a standing happy hour gig at Beerland on Tuesdays with Charlie (of Charlie's Holy Happy Hour).
Marshall had always told me that Spot was heavily involved in the punk rock scene years ago, but the details ended there. Recently I was looking up Lovejoys' street address on the internet and Spot's website came up in the search; I ended up searching out more little tidbits that pieced together Spot's former life as producer and engineer of some of the most important punk underground records of the 1980s, including Black Flag, Husker Du (he co-produced Zen Arcade), Meat Puppets, Minutemen, the Descendants, and the Misfits.
A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, he does his own thing now and apparently doesn't like to talk about his place in the punk rock canon. So if you are a punk rock history buff or just curious about people here are some links where you can surreptitiously do your own investigation. Oh - and go see him on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 at Beerland.
"X Marks the Spot" (article in the Denver Westword)
Excerpt from the book "Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981 - 1991" by Michael Azerrad (a historical primer on Black Flag)
Spot's website
Marshall had always told me that Spot was heavily involved in the punk rock scene years ago, but the details ended there. Recently I was looking up Lovejoys' street address on the internet and Spot's website came up in the search; I ended up searching out more little tidbits that pieced together Spot's former life as producer and engineer of some of the most important punk underground records of the 1980s, including Black Flag, Husker Du (he co-produced Zen Arcade), Meat Puppets, Minutemen, the Descendants, and the Misfits.
A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, he does his own thing now and apparently doesn't like to talk about his place in the punk rock canon. So if you are a punk rock history buff or just curious about people here are some links where you can surreptitiously do your own investigation. Oh - and go see him on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 at Beerland.
"X Marks the Spot" (article in the Denver Westword)
Excerpt from the book "Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981 - 1991" by Michael Azerrad (a historical primer on Black Flag)
Spot's website
Stories to read of a bittersweet nature
There was a feature story written about my grandmother in The Missoulian, on May 6:
Life of Cornelia Francis Spoke Volumes
This is a story my grandmother would have appreciated:
Judge Awards $45,480 in Cat's Death
Life of Cornelia Francis Spoke Volumes
This is a story my grandmother would have appreciated:
Judge Awards $45,480 in Cat's Death
The New Asylums
On the show "Frontline," PBS, Tuesday May 10:
PBS explores the question, Are America's jails and prisons the new asylums? Nearly 500,000 mentally ill persons are currently incarcerated and corrections personnel are typically unprepared to handle the unique needs of this population. Frontline took cameras inside Ohio's prison system for what they promise is a rare look at the mental health-criminal justice issue. Should be very interesting.
The New Asylums - on Frontline
PBS explores the question, Are America's jails and prisons the new asylums? Nearly 500,000 mentally ill persons are currently incarcerated and corrections personnel are typically unprepared to handle the unique needs of this population. Frontline took cameras inside Ohio's prison system for what they promise is a rare look at the mental health-criminal justice issue. Should be very interesting.
The New Asylums - on Frontline
Friday
Thursday
Random musings
Today I am wearing a pair of linen pants I've had for several years and I realized that they are high-waters. The question is, have they always been high-waters or are they just high-waters by today's standards?
I am hooked on this sandwich that Whole Foods makes called the "Barton Springs." It has in-house roasted turkey, brie, fig spread, and spring mix greens on a big hoagie. It's that fig-spread - totally addictive.
Bill Clinton was in town today - I saw a bunch of people wandering around Whole Foods clutching their copies of "My Life." Sigh. Gotta love Bill.
Next week I am going to Miami to watch my older brother get his Doctorate of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from University of Miami. Then the following week the family meets up again in Missoula, Montana for my grandmother's memorial. I'm staying a whole week since I haven't visited in like four years. Missoula's this great hippie town, kind of like Boulder used to be before it got hijacked by rich people.
I am hooked on this sandwich that Whole Foods makes called the "Barton Springs." It has in-house roasted turkey, brie, fig spread, and spring mix greens on a big hoagie. It's that fig-spread - totally addictive.
Bill Clinton was in town today - I saw a bunch of people wandering around Whole Foods clutching their copies of "My Life." Sigh. Gotta love Bill.
Next week I am going to Miami to watch my older brother get his Doctorate of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from University of Miami. Then the following week the family meets up again in Missoula, Montana for my grandmother's memorial. I'm staying a whole week since I haven't visited in like four years. Missoula's this great hippie town, kind of like Boulder used to be before it got hijacked by rich people.
Monday
Obituary from The Missoulian, May 2, 2005:
ARLEE - Cornelia Hawkins Klittke Francis, a dedicated teacher, influential community member and longtime ranch woman, passed away at the family ranch in the Jocko Valley on Saturday, April 30, 2005. She was 96.
Cornelia was born to Herman and Cora Klittke on Jan. 18, 1909, in Williams Bridge, N.Y.
When Cornelia was 10 months old, her family left the comforts of their home and boarded a freight car with their belongings to travel to the prairies of Saskatchewan where they homesteaded 640 acres. Home there would be a rudimentary but weatherproof house built by her father. Cornelia drove workhorses with her father and was home-schooled by her mother. She remembered visits to the homestead from red-uniformed Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Christmases celebrated with a homemade tree made of lath.
At age 13, her parents decided that Cornelia should return to Jamaica, N.Y., to live with family friends and pursue a formal education. She entered eighth grade in public school. It was her first time in a classroom, and she recalled this experience with fond memories, true to Cornelia's sense of adventure and her desire to learn.
Cornelia graduated from Jamaica High School in January 1928. She worked briefly for McGraw Hill Publishing House in New York City before returning to the West to enroll at the University of Montana to study under Dean A.L. Stone, the first dean of the journalism school, and the prominent English professor H.G. Merriam. She pursued degrees in journalism and creative writing, graduating in June 1932.
That same year, Cornelia married Hiram Francis and moved to his ranch in the Jocko Valley. It was here that their three children were born and reared. Cornelia energetically participated in ranch life. She cherished memories of riding the cattle range in LaMoose Canyon. She created a warm, wholesome environment for her family and those who came to visit.
In 1959 after additional study at UM, Cornelia accepted a teaching position at Arlee High School, where she taught English, journalism and drama for 13 years.
A tireless and energetic teacher, she shared with her students her love of language, literature and writing. In 1966 she was named the Montana Journalism Teacher of the Year.
During her years of teaching and following her retirement in 1972, she was a feature writer for the Missoulian and Lake County Leader.
After the death of her husband in l966, Cornelia spent the next 39 years managing the ranch. Her life abounded with family, friendships, her pets and her love for nature and the beauty of her rural environs. Her ranch was a welcome respite for visitors of all ages.
She was active in the founding and lifetime member of the Arlee Jocko Museum and was a charter member of the Fort Connah Restoration Society. She was a member of Eastern Star, Alpha Alta Kappa and the Arlee Methodist Church.
Cornelia is remembered for her independent spirit, her sense of humor, commitment to land stewardship and to the betterment of her community. Her love of life and hospitality were apparent throughout her life.
Her family extends gratitude to the loving caregivers, community of friends and Partners in Home Care Hospice. All made it possible for her to remain in the home where she had lived for 73 years.
Cornelia was preceded in death by her husband Hiram, her sister Constance and her son Howard.
Survivors include her son Perry (Maria) Francis of Missoula; her daughter Emily (Mark) Lennon of Polson; daughter-in-law Betty Francis of Cape Canaveral, Fla.; one nephew; nine grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
An outdoor memorial service will be held Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. at the family ranch on 434 Hi Francis Road, Arlee.
In Cornelia's remembrance, donations may be made to Partners in Home Care Hospice, 2687 Palmer St., Missoula, MT 59808; Arlee Senior Citizens, 106 Wessinger St., Arlee, MT 59821; or Arlee Jocko Museum, Box 512, Arlee, MT 59821.
Cornelia was born to Herman and Cora Klittke on Jan. 18, 1909, in Williams Bridge, N.Y.
When Cornelia was 10 months old, her family left the comforts of their home and boarded a freight car with their belongings to travel to the prairies of Saskatchewan where they homesteaded 640 acres. Home there would be a rudimentary but weatherproof house built by her father. Cornelia drove workhorses with her father and was home-schooled by her mother. She remembered visits to the homestead from red-uniformed Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Christmases celebrated with a homemade tree made of lath.
At age 13, her parents decided that Cornelia should return to Jamaica, N.Y., to live with family friends and pursue a formal education. She entered eighth grade in public school. It was her first time in a classroom, and she recalled this experience with fond memories, true to Cornelia's sense of adventure and her desire to learn.
Cornelia graduated from Jamaica High School in January 1928. She worked briefly for McGraw Hill Publishing House in New York City before returning to the West to enroll at the University of Montana to study under Dean A.L. Stone, the first dean of the journalism school, and the prominent English professor H.G. Merriam. She pursued degrees in journalism and creative writing, graduating in June 1932.
That same year, Cornelia married Hiram Francis and moved to his ranch in the Jocko Valley. It was here that their three children were born and reared. Cornelia energetically participated in ranch life. She cherished memories of riding the cattle range in LaMoose Canyon. She created a warm, wholesome environment for her family and those who came to visit.
In 1959 after additional study at UM, Cornelia accepted a teaching position at Arlee High School, where she taught English, journalism and drama for 13 years.
A tireless and energetic teacher, she shared with her students her love of language, literature and writing. In 1966 she was named the Montana Journalism Teacher of the Year.
During her years of teaching and following her retirement in 1972, she was a feature writer for the Missoulian and Lake County Leader.
After the death of her husband in l966, Cornelia spent the next 39 years managing the ranch. Her life abounded with family, friendships, her pets and her love for nature and the beauty of her rural environs. Her ranch was a welcome respite for visitors of all ages.
She was active in the founding and lifetime member of the Arlee Jocko Museum and was a charter member of the Fort Connah Restoration Society. She was a member of Eastern Star, Alpha Alta Kappa and the Arlee Methodist Church.
Cornelia is remembered for her independent spirit, her sense of humor, commitment to land stewardship and to the betterment of her community. Her love of life and hospitality were apparent throughout her life.
Her family extends gratitude to the loving caregivers, community of friends and Partners in Home Care Hospice. All made it possible for her to remain in the home where she had lived for 73 years.
Cornelia was preceded in death by her husband Hiram, her sister Constance and her son Howard.
Survivors include her son Perry (Maria) Francis of Missoula; her daughter Emily (Mark) Lennon of Polson; daughter-in-law Betty Francis of Cape Canaveral, Fla.; one nephew; nine grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
An outdoor memorial service will be held Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m. at the family ranch on 434 Hi Francis Road, Arlee.
In Cornelia's remembrance, donations may be made to Partners in Home Care Hospice, 2687 Palmer St., Missoula, MT 59808; Arlee Senior Citizens, 106 Wessinger St., Arlee, MT 59821; or Arlee Jocko Museum, Box 512, Arlee, MT 59821.
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