Dolly Parton: My Tennessee Mountain Home

 

Dolly Parton: Mule Skinner Blues

 

9/11 Nat Geo Doc

Watched all 6 hour-long episodes on 9/11, which I'd never seen before. In the 6th episode, was struck by the interview with "Chuck Sereika," a self-confessed messed-up, drug-addled dude---and a former paramedic---who only went to the site because his estranged sister had left a phone message, saying that she knew that he was down there helping. (He hadn't planned on helping, but her message inspired him to go. He ended up being a rescuer for a buried fire-fighter.)

#4 UT Longhorns vs #1 Ohio State (Sept 12)

This was THE highest-ranked team we (Longhorns) 
were scheduled to play this year.
We HAD to win this game to maintain national playoff hopes.
It looked very, very bad for more than 3 quarters (23 - 3 at the end of the 3rd).
FINAL SCORE (in dramatic fashion): UT 24, Ohio State 23!

Where I Was on 9/11/2001

I was working from home in Austin, had been doing so for the past year or so. 

When I woke up on that morning, a Tuesday, my first online check was to see what people on my "Joan Crawford" Yahoo message board had been posting. Specifically, I had been in an ongoing feud with "Julie/Geir" and wanted to see what she/he had posted overnight.

How real-life trauma interferes with your minor personal beefs.

Sinners & Saints (George Jones, 1999)

 This song, and the two below:
My god, what great vocals and great playing!

The Lone Ranger (George Jones, 1996)

 

Ain't Love a Lot Like That (George Jones, 1999)

 

Return to Weehawken?

I MIGHT be going back to NYC in October!

If so, I look forward to seeing both NYC and Weehawken, NJ, again after 16 years. I thought both were beautiful and amazing back in 2007-2010----but will I still think so today? (When I was there, Bloomberg was still in charge of NYC. How badly have deBlasio and Mamdani junked it up?)

And in Weehawken: For one thing, the nearby big grocery store---Pathmark-- that I used to walk to is now gone. I want to see if any of the local shops are left, also: My sandwich place, my pizza place, my beer store. And where I used to live: The Kimmeys (Art and Carol) owned the building; lived in the bottom part, rented out the top part. They're probably dead by now (they were in their 70s at the time). But I will never forget the time I brought home a window-unit air-conditioner via cart that I'd bought at the Pathmark, and then couldn't manage to get it up the stairs to my apartment. It sat there at the foot of the stairs for a day or two, and then Korean War-vet Art Kimmey, in his 70s, asked me if I needed help with that! He then tossed the big, heavy box on his shoulder and marched up the stairs with it! THAT is a real man!

 

(And his wife was equally nice: They had laundry machines in their basement that they had not allowed previous upstairs tenants to use. But I think they saw me hauling my laundry in a cart to the laundromat next to the Pathmark a few times, and then after a month or so, invited me to use their personal machines----for which I was very grateful for the next 2 years.) 

Another fond memory of my time living above them: At one point, it was Art's 70th birthday, and they had family over, and were cranking up the 1950s tunes! The next day, they---the owners of the place---apologized to ME for being so loud! :)

At the end of my time there, they knew that I was packing up big boxes full of my stuff and shipping them home to my mother in San Antonio. And Art Kimmey offered to drive me to the post office (also in the same Pathmark complex) with all of those boxes. That offer, I refused, since I had a cart, and the post office was pretty close. 

Very nice people. I wonder, since they owned the building, if their kids now live there. I plan on visiting that beautiful neighborhood, only a couple of minutes' walk to the Hudson, and the view of the NYC skyline. The most physically gorgeous place I've ever lived. Oh, and just a 15-minute bus trip to Weehawken from the Times Square Port Authority bus station. Are there still the NYC "Gypsy" buses for a couple of dollars that stop on Boulevard East in Weehawken?

Viva Les Amis (2005 doc)

 Brief doc of Austin's "Les Amis" cafe (featured in the 1990 movie "Slacker").
This Austin cafe existed from 1970 to 1997. 
(My time spent there: In the early '90s, 
I was in love with a girl at the library where I worked. 
She had a group of friends that went there every Friday after work, 
and I was invited---Gee, thanks!)

While this short touts Les Amis as THE place to hang out for artsy UT students:
In actuality, most of us English/Art majors in the '80s went to the Union, 
and to the Cactus Cafe, both located on campus.
The Union offered cheap pitchers of beer, and you could smoke there at that time. 
This is where groups of us would go after a poetry class to hang out and discuss.
The Cactus Cafe, just adjacent to the Union, was a bit more chi-chi---
more suited during the day for sitting by yourself and reading/writing.
(At night, a singer/songwriter forum.)

Lindsay Clancy Drugs Prescribed

Here are the various medications Clancy was prescribed leading up to her murders of her three children on Jan. 24, 2023, according to a medication list shown in court by the Defense on July 27:

• Sept. 15, 2022: Sertraline (25 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Oct. 21, 2022: Lorazepam (0.5 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Oct. 26, 2022: Hydroxyzine (25 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Oct. 26, 2022: Lorazepam (1 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Oct. 26, 2022: Buspirone (5 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Nov. 2, 2022: Lorazepam (0.5 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Nov. 9, 2022: Buspirone (5 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Nov. 16, 2022: Trazodone (50 mg) – Kayvon Izadpanah, MD
• Nov. 21, 2022: Fluoxetine (10 mg) – Julie Paul, RN, CNP
• Nov. 25, 2022: Zolpidem (5 mg) – Julie Paul, RN, CNP
• Nov. 25, 2022: Mirtazapine (7.5 mg) – Julie Paul, RN, CNP
• Nov. 25, 2022: Clonazepam (0.5 mg) – Julie Paul, RN, CNP
• Nov. 30, 2022: Quetiapine (25 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 6, 2022: Diazepam (5 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 7, 2022: Diazepam (5 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 7, 2022: Quetiapine (100 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 9, 2022: Diazepam (5 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 13, 2022: Diazepam (2 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 16, 2022: Lamotrigine (25 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Dec. 19, 2022: Diazepam (2 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 19, 2022: Quetiapine ER (300 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 21, 2022: Quetiapine (100 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Dec. 22, 2022: Quetiapine (25 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Jan. 5, 2023: Trazodone (50 mg) – Alia Goodheart, MD
• Jan. 5, 2023: Lorazepam (1 mg) – Alia Goodheart, MD
• Jan. 9, 2023: Diazepam (5 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Jan. 12, 2023: Trazodone (150 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Jan. 13, 2023: Diazepam (2 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Jan. 16, 2023: Diazepam (2 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Jan. 16, 2023: Amitriptyline (10 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
• Jan. 19, 2023: Diazepam (2 mg) – Rebecca Jollatta, NP
• Jan. 23, 2023: Diazepam (2 mg) – Jennifer Tufts, MD
  
  ------------------------------------------
  
  The above drugging is insane.
  
  Clancy is on record as having sought help for her post-partum depression. 
  She sought to be admitted to treatment centers on two occasions.
  Rather than admitting her, she was given a cornucopia of drugs instead. 
  
  I think the utterly incompetent doctors should be prosecuted. 
  And, yes, I think they're young, female DEI doctors---admitted into practice since 2016---and not actual doctors. (All standards pre-2016 were a lot tougher; post-2016, a joke.)
  
  

Delta Dawn (Tanya Tucker, 1972)

This was the 14-year-old Tanya Tucker's first hit single on the Country charts.

When I was an obnoxious little kid, I insisted on performing this in front of family members. 
I think the grandparents liked it, because I remember singing it 
several times in front of people at various family gatherings.

"She's 41, and her daddy still calls her Baby... 

Folks around Brownsville say that she is crazy"

What in the hell was I singing about?!

In other song news: My mother is German, and had German albums around the house. 
And to this day, I remember also belting out some Marlene Dietrich song 
as a 6-year-old and then being mad when neither of my parents 
agreed that MY version was better! 
(I've since looked up various Marlene songs, and can't at all recall 
what I might have been singing!)

 

Not Waving, But Drowning

I saw this sticker online recently, and it made me laugh.
Reminded me of the 1957 Stevie Smith poem:

Nobody heard him, the dead man,   

But still he lay moaning:

I was much further out than you thought   

And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking

And now he’s dead

It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,   

They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always   

(Still the dead one lay moaning)   

I was much too far out all my life   

And not waving but drowning.

Dolly Parton: Light of a Clear Blue Morning (1977)

 

(written by Dolly Parton)

It's been a long dark night
And I've been a waitin' for the morning
It's been a long hard fight
But I see a brand new day a dawning
I've been looking for the sunshine
You know, I ain't seen it in so long
And everything's gonna work out just fine
And everything's gonna be all right
That's been all wrong

'Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning
I can see the light of a brand new day
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
And everything's gonna be all right
It's gonna be okay

It's been a long, long time
Since I've known the taste of freedom
Those clinging vines
That had me bound, well I don't need 'em

I've been like a captured eagle,
You know, an eagle's born to fly
Now that I, I've won my freedom
Like an eagle, I am eager for the sky

'Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning
I can see the light of a brand new day
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
Oh, and everything's gonna be all right
It's gonna be okay...

Dolly Parton on The Midnight Special: We Used To (1975)

 

(written by Dolly Parton)

We used to walk through fields of green
We used to sit by clear blue streams
We used to be so happy
Me and you

We used to do such silly things
We used to make love in the rain
We used to
Yes, we used to

Then you went away
Leaving me with the memories we made
Memories of those sweet yesterdays
Spent with you
Spent with you

And even though you're gone
I still think so often of you
And the things that we no longer do
Like we used to
Oh we used to

We used to be so much in love
We used to kiss and hold and touch
We used to find so many things to do

We used to laugh and plan and dream
We used to own the world it seemed
We used to
Yes we used to

Then you went away
Leaving me with the memories we made
Memories of those sweet yesterdays
Spent with you
Spent with you

Oh and even though you're gone
I still think so often of you
And the things that we no longer do
Like we used to
Oh we used to

Dolly Parton: The Seeker (1975)

(written by Dolly Parton for Jesus)

 I am a seeker, a poor sinful creature
There is no weaker than I am
I am a seeker and you are a teacher
You are a reacher, so reach down
Reach out and lead me, guide me and keep me
In the shelter of your care each day

'Cause I am a seeker and you are a keeper
You are a leader, won't you show me the way?

I am a vessel that's empty and useless
I am a bad seed that fell by the way
I am a loser that wants to be a winner
And you are my last hope, don't turn me away

I am a seeker, a poor sinful creature
There is no weaker than I am
I am a seeker and you are a teacher
You are a reacher, so reach down
Reach out and lead me, guide me and keep me
In the shelter of your care each day

'Cause I am a seeker and you are a keeper
You are a leader, won't you show me the way?

Oh, and you are a mountain
From which there flows a fountain
So let its water wash my sins away
'Cause I am a seeker, and you are a keeper
You are a teacher, won't you teach me the way?
Reach out and lead me, guide me and keep me
In the shelter of your care each day

Dolly Parton: The Bargain Store (1975)

(written by Dolly Parton)

My life is like unto a bargain store
And I may have just what you're lookin' for
If you don't mind the fact that all the merchandise is used
But with a little mending it could be as good as new
Why you take for instance this old broken heart
If you will just replace the missing parts
You would be surprised to find how good it really is
Take it and you never will be sorry that you did

The bargain store is open come inside
You can easily afford the price
Love is all you need to purchase all the merchandise
And I will guarantee you'll be completely satisfied

Take these old used memories from the past
And these broken dreams and plans that didn't last
I'll trade them for a future, I can't use them anymore
I've wasted love but I still have some more

The bargain store is open come inside
You can easily afford the price
Love is all you need to purchase all the merchandise
And I can guarantee you'll be completely satisfied

My life is like unto a bargain store
And I may have just what you're lookin' for
If you don't mind the fact that all the merchandise is used
With a little mendin' it could be as good as new

The bargain store is open, come inside
The bargain store is open, come inside

"Letty Lynton" in Austin (8/28/26)

Just got back from seeing Letty Lynton on the big screen at Austin's State Theatre!

(State sits next-door to the more-famous Paramount---which is currently closed for renovations. Paramount was built in 1915 as a 1000-seat vaudeville house; State, which holds about 350, was built in 1935 specifically as a movie-house. The two theaters merged as one entity in 2000.)

The 350-seat theater was seemingly completely sold out. (I'd sat in the back row, hoping to have a seat on either side of me free, but by the time the show started, people were filling in all the empty seats.)

Big Joan dramatic moments were applauded throughout (as were comedic moments, like the intentionally funny/stunned shipboard look on Letty's face in the newspaper photo with Jerry, shown twice in the film). And the audience especially liked the line "This isn't the early '90s," which a couple of characters said at various points (referring to the "old-fashioned morality" of the 1890s). Another crowd favorite was Louise Closser Hale as Letty's maid/assistant Miranda.

And, while people initially laughed a bit when Letty first opened a bathroom cabinet and dramatically took out a bottle blatantly labeled "POISON," they got very quiet during her final scene with Emil, and during the subsequent interview with the police. I'd seen the movie on a bootleg disc years ago, but if you hadn't seen it before, you weren't quite sure what was going to happen when the police interviewed her at the end (with Jerry and her previously disdainful mother in attendance). Big round of applause at the end. The respect for Joan was palpable.

Letty was on a double-bill with ex-husband Franchot's Phantom Lady from 1944, but by the time Letty was over, I had to escape! Claustrophobia (though I knew the theater would clear out a lot after Letty was over), plus REALLY uncomfortable seats! Oh, and I'd taken a bus downtown since I didn't want to deal with parking. From previous experience on Austin buses 10 years ago, I knew there would be weirdos at 5:30pm and at 9:00pm; didn't want to gamble on who I'd encounter after 10:30pm!

p.s. 
The 5:30pm folks on the way there were mainly mildly agitated, sometimes addressing their verbal grievances toward me and others. The bus-driver knew no English at all: When I asked him which stop to take on the way home, he had no idea what I was asking him.
Among the 9pm folks on the way home: 
A shaved-head white guy wearing a "Recovery" T-shirt who had a pit-bull stuck underneath his bus seat. The dog kept HOWLING. The man wasn't being particularly mean to the dog, but he did keep "adjusting" the dog, trying to make him shut up.
A 40-something Hispanic guy who was blasting his "tunes" for all of us to hear.
Bus rules state: No animals, no music. If you want public transportation to catch on with the general public, then you do need to enforce stuff like: No verbal abuse toward fellow riders, no howling animals, no blasting music.
Oh, and perhaps your drivers should know rudimentary English.

Dolly Parton: Dumb Blonde (1967)

 

Dolly Parton: Jolene (1974)

Silver Threads and Golden Needles (1993): Loretta, Tammy, Dolly

 I'm sorry, but... I just want to see George Jones bust in here!