Sunday, August 30, 2020

Aug. 23, 2020: A DECENT MAN FOR PRESIDENT

 

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After I wrote the above, I went to my local post office on 24th St. in Noe Valley, to protest Trump's unbelievable attempts to destroy the United States Postal Service. Similar protests were happening from 11-noon in front of every P.O. in the country! I'm a great writer of postcards. The idea that someday I could not send a postcard on a whim is so upsetting. How lovely it was to be at a nice little demonstration -- and so close to my house!
Above is a beautiful graphic work made of cut paper.
Above is Martha, the organizer of our protest. When I arrived, she said "Hello, Terry!" Me: "And you're....?" "I'm Martha." "Oh, hi! Thanks for sending me the email." After standing for a while, I went back to her. "Martha, how did you know it was ME?" Really, without my poodles, how could she recognize me?!? Martha: "Oh Terry, it was obvious." I remain mystified.
Well, Bloggelinis, Election Day is a-comin', and it's time for all of us to start thinking about what we're going to do to pull this thing out of the fire. You do know that Blogmistress considers voting necessary but not sufficient, don't you? On an emotional level, working to elect Biden is the right thing to do! If (please please please) we win, your rejoicing will be greater. And if...I can't say it.... It helps me feel less GUILTY if I've really put in some effort. I'm going to do more of the Vote Forward project, writing letters to lackadaisical Dem voters. How about YOU? Terry
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Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Aug 18, 2020 LET IT GO!

 

resilient happiness." Some examples: "See Good Intentions," "Embrace Fragility," "Feel the support." Quite frequently, his topic seems to be absolutely the PERFECT advice that I need at that moment. THIS week, he affirmed an action I'd just taken and I was THRILLED, I tell you THRILLED to have his support to ,,,
LET IT GO!
In Rick's words:
"The hard things to let go of are the ones that make sense, that have good things about them, that would be good for you and likely others if they could work out -- like longing for love from someone, or wishing more people would come to your store, or hoping that you're free of cancer -- but, alas, are either not worth the price or it's sadly clear that you just can't make them happen. You've watered the tree, fertilized it, protected it, even danced around it at midnight under a full moon... and it's still not bearing any fruit.

Now what do you do?

Sometimes you just have to let go."

We're talking surrender here, folks. And that's what I've done. After five looong years, I have surrendered my living room couch to Nikki. It was hard because it would have been GOOD for Nikki to learn to stay off the couch. It would have been GOOD for me to be more in control of him, and it certainly would have been GOOD for the couch. It just made so much sense.

Let me clarify that the choice was never betweem the couch OR the floor. Goddess forbid! In the living room, there are two dog beds AND an old armchair available. But Nikki was absolutely obsessed with he COUCH! Loulou never cared about it that much.

Now, I'm not a person who strives for a pristine environment. But the couch is the only really good piece of new furniture that I have ever bought.

I could never have made the purchase without the support of dear Cecelia, who met me at the store in Berkeley and then called me periodically to say, "This is the furniture police! Have you made a decision yet?"

Well, I finally chose a really cool almost psychedelic black&white upholstery. Why didn't somebody stop me? What was I thinking when I chose a fabric with a WHITE background???

Obviously I was thinking I would train my big dirty dogs to stay off the couch! And I tried, oh how I tried. Believe me, just yelling at Nikki when I caught him on the couch made very little impression on him. In my experience, standard poodles do not do that adorable doggy thing of skulking with a guilty smirk when you catch them being naughty. Nikki and Loulou's response is always "What? What? What's the problem?!? Oh, alRIGHT! If you insist..."

So I was reduced to creating barriers. I tried:
CHAIRS

CARDBOARD

ART

and PICKET SIGNS

Somehow Nikki could manage them all. He'd push things aside, knock them off the couch, squeeze next to them...

Plus it's kind of a drag to have to take furniture or sculptures off your goddam couch in order to sit on it!

Ultimately, I bought a strip that would give him an electric shock if he touched it. But I could never bring myself to use it.

Hey! I haven't tried dancing around the couch at midnight under a full moon! Maybe...

NO. I'm done.
This all reminds me of my struggle decades ago with Maeve, my rescue Great Dane. Maeve, like Nikki, was obsessed with the couch. She had a lovely homemade dog bed, a plywood platform covered with very thick foam rubber and a blanket. But no.

Margo and I could not sleep in the same room with Maeve because she howled and barked in her dreams, which were frequent. So she had to be in the living room.

Well. Margo moved in with some very nice furniture, including a couch. She did not want Maeve on it. I supported
her in this, although I probably wouldn't have chosen it myself. I mean, the couch was dark brown so who can even see the dirt? That's kinda my housekeeping standard. But I loved Margo and I took on her battle as my own. I was DETERMINED.

I found a spray at the pet store that promised to keep pets off the furniture, or my money back. I'm not saying it didn't work. But let me tell you, a redwood tree would pull up its roots and somehow walk away in an effort to distance itself from that smell. Not only did the spray keep Maeve off the couch, it kept Margo and me out of the living room for two weeks.

Maeve would always sneak up on the couch after we went to bed. So I decided to set my alarm for 2am, catch her on the couch and make her spend the rest of the night on the back porch. THAT would teach her to stay off the couch!

The first night, I woke up at 2am, caught her, put her on the back porch. Next night, same thing. Third night -- there she was asleep in her very own bed! Fourth night: Again in her platform bed! I had succeeded in training Maeve to stay off the couch! I was so proud of myself. Margo was very happy.

Then a few nights later, I had to go to the bathroom around 3am, and there Maeve was on the couch. Obviously, she had learned to wait LONGER before she made her way to her preferred sleeping accomodations.

That's when I gave up. What made me give up this time? I could not face my future of devising different couch obstacles -- a table? How about a swing set? -- and always yelling at couch-lounging Nikki.

Rick counsels: "Make space for the grieving that's natural when you let go of something that's been important to you." I'll tell you, two seconds of grief and then RELIEF. I am HAPPY to stop thinking about the fucking couch and chastising Nikki to no avail!

Rick again: "Let good things come into the space that's been opened up by whatever you let go." And I HAVE! I let a nice padded couch cover come into the space that was opened up. Admittedly, it's not as visually stunning as the original upholstery, but IT'S A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE! The truth is, I never enjoyed lying on the wonderful-looking upholstery because it was TOO SCRATCHY! I don't even know how Nikki could stand it. So he's gotta be more comfortable too.
Rick, one last time:
"Let yourself be surprised -- both by what might replace what you've released, and by the power of letting go in general. As the great Thai Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah, once said:
If you let go a little, you will have a little happiness.
If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of happiness.
If you let go completely, you will be completely happy."

Sitting on my suddenly comfy couch with Nikki makes me very happy.

Well, Bloggelinis, you didn't know I was so wise, did you?
Click here to subscribe to Just One Thing. Also, Rick has written a good book, Buddha's Brain. I've read it twice.
All for now. Terry
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August 15, 2020: KAMALAKAMALAKAMALAKAMALAKAMALA (+ STUFF)

 

Oh, and by the way.....

KAMALA!!

I feel so much better about Biden for President when he's standing in the background behind Kamala Harris. Don't you?

I've gotten a major lift of spirits with Harris becoming the VP nominee. I wasn't enthusiastic about her in the primaries because she seemed to be trying to please everyone. She blew it with me when she turned away from Medicare for All.

But it turns out, according to some commentators, the fact that she has taken positions all over the political map makes her a stronger candidate NOW. Who knew?!?

Whatever Trump accuses Harris of, she's also done something on the opposite side. Accuse her of being soft on crime? Not according to her record as California's attorney general! Accuse her of being a harsh prosecutor of people of color? Here's a photo of her marching in a Black Lives Matter protest!

And it says something good about Biden that he chose as his running mate the primary opponent who atttacked him most forcefully.

Pardon my euphoria, but she is the most qualified to be President, of all the women Biden considered -- except of course Warren. But you know, I'm sorry, since Biden will be the oldest President ever, Warren's age worried me. Biden needs a significantly younger VP.

And I'm just giddy about Biden declaring himself a "transitional" President, pretty much saying he won't run for re-election and implying that he very seriously intends his VP choice to succeed him.

As a San Franciscan, I remember Harris's courageous stand against the death penalty when a policeman was killed. Senator Feinstein called a meeting where she howled for blood before a huge audience in a big cathedral. It was so disgusting. I was sure Harris would buckle. It was the political thing to do. But she had compaigned for DA on an anti-death penalty platform. And she stood by her promise.

Now, don't tell me Harris will disappoint me sooner or later. I know that, silly. I'm hoping for later rather than sooner.

Right now I want to savor the lovely feeling that maybe maybe at last the universe is behind us, that even our weaknesses turn out to be our strengths, and that we will squash that bug big time.

SQUASH HIM!

This is not to say that we can just relax and coast. Remember how that worked out four years ago? Let's not go THERE again. I cannot count the number of conversations I had with people who assured me that Trump was digging his own grave, and all we had to do was sit back and watch.

ALSO, an observation: Nobody has mentioned that Kamala Harris is fucking beautiful. I think that's just great. BOTH things are great: The fact that she's drop-dead gorgeous and the fact that it's considered inappropriate to remark upon it. Perhaps we HAVE come a long way, baby!


STUFF

  • I don't know if you're familiar with the Lincoln Project, an elite group of Republicans who are intent on electing Biden. Their television commercials are pretty great and FUNNY. This one is special.


  • My friend, Joel Pomerantz, is looking for a housemate. Please spread the word. It looks like a good deal to me, and I myself would be very willing to live with Joel. He is a fine and interesting fellow. Here's the info.


Well, Bloggelinis, nice to have an easy optimistic blog once in a while, eh? I'm gonna savor this as long as I can. Terry

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Aug. 10, 2020: CLARIFICATION & VERY SPECIAL PHOTO

 


I did not make it crystal clear that one does not throw out the white wash cloths as one would with paper towels. One launders the wash cloths, with or without bleach, and re-uses them. Very sorry about that. Mostly I don't run the blogs by anyone. I just send them off. So there are often islands of confusion in the ocean of brilliance.

***************************************************************************************

Now I want to share a photo with you because I cannot stop looking at it.
This moment happened. The emotion in John Lewis's face, the tenderness and delicacy with which the old civil rights warrior and the first black President hold each other ...

The history contained in this image seems to shimmer, resonate endlessly.

Okay, we're in big trouble now and it's been building for a long time. But this moment did happen.

All for now.
Terry
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Monday, August 10, 2020

BAUMBLOG: 'DEMIC DOs & DON'Ts


experiencing the Pandemic in a deep, blogmistressy way that might not be available to you. I want to share my wisdom with you. Therefore, I present...

'DEMIC DO's & Don't's
(can anyone assist me with the proper punctuation of "Don't's????!?)



ONE A: DO...
Do wash that dish drainer that you've had for a decade when you suddenly notice that it could use a scrub-a-dub-dub.

I have an unusual wire dish drainer from Israel that accommodates a shitload of dishes, since I don't have a dishwasher. I scorn dishwashers. I SCORN them. I love to get my hands all soapy and wet and play in the water. And please don't tell me that doing it by hand uses more water than the machine. Nonsense! I am very thrifty water-wise.

ONE B: DON'T...
Do NOT under any circumstances ponder how your dish drainer could have gotten so disgustingly icky when you ONLY put perfectly clean dishes in it! There's no way to go with this thought except down down down....

Is it possible that the dishes were not pristine when you placed them in the rack? Is that because your eyesight has gotten so bad that you can't tell the difference between a clean and a dirty dish -- even AFTER your cataract surgery???

If the dishes WERE sparkly clean when they left your hands, is dirt just falling from the ceiling and
clinging to the dish drainer? Are mice running over it while you sleep? What about the ants?? You thought ants were clean, didn't you?

As you can see, it's best not to explore the "How and Why" of this situation. Just rejoice in your clean dish drainer.


TWO A: DO...
Do wear your favorite shirt even if it has stains on it --- IF the stains cannot be seen from six feet away. Wearing your beloved shirt perks you up AND has the added benefit of giving you an extra-strong incentive to socially distance yourself appropriately. I mean it is so UNNATURAL to stay six feet away from people --- but not when you're wearing a dirty shirt!

TWO B: DON'T...
And, yes, a nice politically uplifting t-shirt is an excellent choice. It might inspire great dreams.
Do not under any circumstances go to bed with the clothes you wore during the day. It is absolutely required for good mental health that you change into night time attire.


THREE A: DO...
Do cut off all the labels on your towels, sheets and pillow cases. They have suddenly become UNBEARABLE, haven't they? How have you survived all these years with these grubby, faded labels hanging everywhere?


THREE B: DON'T...
Do not EVER post the cut-off labels up so that you can look at them and feel that you've accomplished something.

You've accomplished so much MORE than removing labels. And your life's not over yet! Who KNOWS what you'll do, what will happen to you when you can get closer than six feet to people? Do not set the bar so low!


FOUR A: DO...
Oh, you so must do this: Order 100 white washcloths for $19 from the fabulously named U.S. Wiping Company. Then you can put them EVERYWHERE you wash your hands and you have eliminated all those paper towels. When you're done with it, just throw it in a little whatever -- my Mickey Mouse bucket from Daiso (upper right) is devoutly to be desired --
-- and then you throw them all in the wash. Ecological! Cheap! So very sanitary! Spill a little coffee? Grab a washcloth. Pups track in some mud? Do the same. You will never run out because you have ONE HUNDRED of them! Once you've lived with 100 washcloths, you will not be able to understand how you survived before. There is no "DON'T" for this one. If you want 200 washcloths -- GO FOR IT!

Well, Bloggelinis, don't say I never did nothin' fer ya.
Terry

 

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Friday, August 7, 2020

BAUMBLOG: Mission Ramble #2

 

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This must have been after a performance of HICK, because I'm wearing make-up.

Elizabeth is a serious jock. She was doing triathlons into her 60s. So she can outwalk me any day, which is great. Because as I continue my wandering ways, I have fewer friends to wander with me.
Just a sign of hope, like all the other signs of hope. But somehow this one got to me -- simple, graphically strong. Also, I am myself seeing signs of hope everywhere. So many people, especially young people, seem very clear that they're not interested in the restoration of what we had, with all its injustices.

I am hearing different voices speaking on the radio -- young women, who know what's wrong and have ideas about how to transform our society. It's exciting. I heard a conference on KPOO Radio ... I didn't write down anything about it... but a woman was speaking who was so brilliant and radical, tearing off one veil after another to reveal the truth about our world. It was mind-blowing. And other women were speaking who were just as brilliant!

This is not 2016, folks. Since the election of Trump, many new organizations have arisen: Indivisible (Dec. 2016), Swing Left (Jan. 2017), the Sunrise Movement (2017). Our Revolution was founded in August 2016. All these groups are focussed on electing people to political office who share their ideals. They have had MANY SUCCESSES so far!

Oh yeah. We're walking. The Mission is an art gallery.
I'm praying Dance Mission Theater survives. This is the fulfilled dream of Krissy Keefer, who in the 70s was a member of the Wallflower Dance Brigade, an outrageous, funny and feminist dance troupe. Krissy is devoted to the alchemy of art and politics. I have had many special moments in that theater.
Mission & 24th Street BART Plaza is jumping, 'demic or no.


This house is out of a dream.
Elizabeth pointed out the sneakers on the torch-bearing girl on the right, AND that someone had taken the time to carefully paint the WIRING on the outside of the building. Elizabeth is an artist herself and she notices details that I miss. So she is a perfect companion for a photo walk. Below is one of her watercolors, which graces my living room.
Back to the Mission.


Above is a particularly wonderful visual statement. Both "No Justice No Peace" AND "Know Justice, Know Peace." Wow. And what a POWERFUL face George Floyd has.

The Mission has many little alleys with one garage door after another, that have become fabulous mural museums. Balmy is the famous one. I believe this is Lucky Alley. But it might be Cypress.

Left, Loulou & Paisley try to make a friend.
"Grow Always." Lovely


Nice that Prodigy got a mural when he died. He looks like he's pretty sad that he's gone.
This one of Amiri Baraka really bugs me. "Poet Activist Teacher." Wait a minute, he was a PLAYWRIGHT before he was any of those other things. He was a FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHT! THEN he was a poet, an activist and a teacher. Sheesh!
This a mural in memory of Chata Gutierrez. Above right is the list of credits. Directly right is a Go Fund Me page that was obviously successful in raising the money to create this beautiful tribute. Below is text about Chata:
"Help us raise money to paint
a mural of legendary SanFrancisco DJ Chata Gutierrez in the Mission! Chata was a child of the Mission who gifted us with her salsa show “Con Clave” on radio station KPOO for over 40 years. She influenced our community and the entire Bay Area with her love of music and she stuck with us through thick and thin, battling her own illness to bring us music from the heart. Mission native and muralist Carlos Kookie Gonzalez painted the beautiful poster for Chata’s fundraiser in 2009 – now we want to turn it into a public tribute and a landmark."

What a transformation from that poster into the gorgeous mural!

Two mentions of KPOO in this blog without even trying!


This mural is very hard to get at and so has remained un-graffittied for many years.


Images on top of images on top of images, with a box covered with images in front. I took lots of piks of the different parts, but then decided the overwhelming mish-mash was better.

X-Ray visions of dogs --- and why not?




Just in case you're wondering, this is:
151
Lucky Alley!

Images of lesbians are surprisingly rare. Left is part of a big scene in a grocery store.

I wonder if Chata was a dyke. This is the photo from her obituary.
I would say a Friend of Dorothy's
And on that note, Bloggelinis, I shall say fare thee well and get this bloggy sent on its way. That's about one-third of the photos I took.... no, 1/5.... no, 1/10..... Suffice it to say there's a LOT to see in the Mission. I'm very excited to have discovered Chata Gutierrez from writing this blog! Terry
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