Trump State of the Union (2026)

When Trump said "The first duty of the American Government is to protect American Citizens and not illegal aliens" and then asked Congress-people to stand if they agreed:
Not a single Democrat stood.
Trump: "You should be ashamed of yourselves."

Gavin Newsom: "I'm a 960 SAT guy" (aka: dumb just like you)

 "Greasy" Newsom is the smarmiest thing I've ever seen in my life.
Oh, and the state of California, under his governorship, has been utterly run into the ground.
This guy has the nerve to attempt to be a Presidential candidate?
By appearing at Black meetings and claiming to be "dumb just like them"?!

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As for his "960" SAT score: If that was indeed his extremely low score, 
then how did he get admitted to any college?
Could it be his nepo background:

A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Newsom comes from a prominent family. Gavin Christopher Newsom was born on October 10, 1967, in San Francisco, California, to Tessa Thomas (née Menzies) and William Alfred Newsom III, a state appeals court judge and attorney for Getty Oil. Gavin Newsom is a descendant of the Newsom family of architects active in early 20th century California, who originally came from Canada. William Newsom was a close friend of billionaire heir Gordon Getty, who repeatedly supported Gavin's career. William Newsom would also for a time help manage the Getty Trust.

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Anti-Trumpers might counter: "Well, Trump is a rich kid, too!" Not quite the same. 
Trump's father was a first-gen immigrant to America, 
and built a million-dollar empire from ZERO. 
He taught his son the rough construction business on-site. 
Donald Trump subsequently turned a million-dollar construction business 
into a billion-dollar real-estate business, branching out from Queens 
into the much-more-competitive Manhattan market.
And I've never heard Donald Trump put on a fake "black" accent, or any accent,
while trying to suck up to anyone. 
He's HIMSELF (obnoxious as you might find him, he's not a phony).
Donald Trump more-than-quadrupled his father's money, and earned it all himself.
Gavin Newsom---by his own account, a dummy---has done nothing/earned nothing in his life.
Newsom used family connections to get elected to the San Fran mayor position 
and then to the California governorship---
and then proceeded to run that rich state into the ground with his incompetence.
And now he wants to do the same for this country. 

NO THANKS, Greasy.
You're not "like" any of us. Not like ANY sane, competent person of ANY color.

George Jones: I Just Don't Give a Damn

One thing that Carrie Brownstein doesn't mention in her book...

Reading Carrie Brownstein's "Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl" (2015):

Brownstein's first serious relationship as a young woman was with her band-mate Corin Tucker, both of Sleater-Kinney.

Tucker later left Brownstein to marry minor video director Lance Bangs. 

Brownstein briefly mentions Tucker writing songs for both herself and Bangs during one album's recording.

That situation is not mentioned again. 

As of 2026, the two (Brownstein and Tucker) have continued to work together.

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No unpleasant thing about the Brownstein/Tucker relationship was covered in the book. Obviously because Brownstein has a continuing working relationship with Tucker. (Myself: I'd probably be very  pissed off if my lover left me for a lesser, sloppy dude, and then I had to work on an album amid all of this. Kudos to Brownstein for being mature!)

Portlandia: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Before Netflix-by-mail shut down, I actually had this same "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" experience: I ordered it because I knew I "should" see it, and then the DVD sat there for weeks... with me always finding excuses not to watch it! (This "Portlandia" skit probably helped get me hooked on the entire show----if these people knew about the "Caligari" dilemma, then they probably knew my very soul!) :)

Portlandia: Feminist Bookstore vs. The Police

Portlandia: Allergy Pride Parade

Portlandia: NPR Broadcast

"Rural Footprints"

Portlandia: Man without Bag

 

Portlandia: Outdoor Movie

"Come on movie, make it start!"

 

Portlandia: She's Making Jewelry Now

Your Family's Graveyard Dirt Is Used for "Spells" from a Creepy Etsy Seller

Just saw this listing tonight on Etsy:
175-Year-Old Graveyard Dirt – Ethically & Respectfully Harvested
Unearth the potent energy of the past with this rare and powerful graveyard dirt, collected with the utmost respect from an East Texas cemetery dating back to the mid-1800s. This sacred soil, gathered with permission from both the living and the spirits, serves as a versatile tool in various spiritual practices.
Quantity: One 15 mL vial of graveyard dirt
Origin: Collected from a historic East Texas cemetery established in the 1800s
Collection Method: Ethically and respectfully gathered with permissions
Materials: DIRT, DEATH, glass

I sent him a message:
Hey there---My family members are buried in an "old Piney Woods" cemetery near Tyler [where the seller is from]. Which cemetery, exactly, are you taking the dirt from? (I'd hate to think you're scooping dirt off my family's graves just to make a buck.)

He responded:
The dirt is collected in the upkeep and maintenance of graves.

Me:
Which cemetery exactly?

Him:
I understand the concern. I don’t disclose specific cemetery locations out of respect for the families connected to them and to avoid unwanted attention to those places. But I will tell you none of the cemeteries are what I would consider close to Tyler. 

Me:
OK, just tell me the COUNTY then. If you're not taking dirt from my own family members' graves, then fine. I won't report you. But RE "out of respect for the families connected to them"---I AM connected to my forebears, and I WOULD like to know if some random person is taking dirt from their graves for the purpose of "various spiritual practices" just to sell online. I'm more pagan than Christian, but my forebears buried in an East Texas cemetery were very much Christians, and nothing about your taking dirt from their graves to sell to random people online for rituals is either "ethical" or "respectful."

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He blocked me before he received the above post. I reported him to Etsy. (Etsy's not known for rational decisions.)

But if you think the above is disrespectful: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1407224407/175-year-old-graveyard-dirt-witchcraft
From this page, click "Report this item to Etsy" beneath the main photo at left. 

Heaven (for Anne Sexton)

In the light beyond the dim dashboard
Some small god awaits
Wreathed in blue, clouded like the sky you seek
The very heaven in his blinking eye....

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If there IS poetry in the upcoming decades, then the above will be part of it.

We've had a huge gap for the past 20 years, when only minorities and gay men were allowed to attend Yaddo and other poetry gatherings (see the site photos), and when only minorities and gay men were being published. 

When you see this utter discrepancy, you know that something has been wrong for a very long time. I/we can only wait for the insanity to disperse at some point.

"No Light Pollution" in Rich Lib Neighborhoods

The recent Nancy Guthrie case in Tucson, with no lights on the front porch and no lights on the streets, reminds me of something I experienced for the first time a few years ago: 

I was spending the night in West Austin with a friend of mine. Around 10pm, we needed to take her dog for a walk. Because of this West Austin's "no light pollution" ordinances, the streets were pitch black, and we couldn't see anything in front of us. The darkness was scary, and we ended up clutching hands while trying to make our way back home. 

(I'd never experienced such a thing before---I'd grown up in country places, where it was, of course, dark at night, but in the city places I'd lived in as an adult, there had always been street-lights. I had no idea about the "light pollution" ordinances.)

Perhaps the libs of Tucson (and other cities) need to revise said ordinances. You THINK no criminal will ever approach your place, but the Guthrie case just proved otherwise.

Fassbinder himself was an absolute mess, but his films are so tight and funny and interesting!

 

The Smiths: Vicar in a Tutu (1986)

 

I was minding my business
Lifting some lead off
The roof of the Holy Name church
It was worthwhile living a laughable life
To set my eyes on the blistering sight

Of a Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way

A scanty bit of a thing
With a decorative ring
That wouldn't cover the head of a goose
As Rose collects the money in a canister
Who comes sliding down the bannister?

A Vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way

The monkish monsignor
With a head full of plaster
Said "My man, get your vile soul dry-cleaned"
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again
My God!

The Vicar in a tutu
Oh yeah...

The next day in the pulpit
With freedom and ease
Combating ignorance, dust, and disease
As Rose counts the money in the canister
As natural as rain
He dances again and again and again

In the fabric of a tutu
Any man could get used to
And I am the living sign...

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When did we go from being (1) curious about, and then (2) tolerant of, the above to (3) pretending that  the above was normal? It's kind of like Michael Jackson and his nose: Stop after the second step.

The Housemartins: The World's On Fire (1987)

The late '80s, early '90s were a prime time for pop songs that were both catchy and lyrically smart (REM, Smiths, Robyn Hitchcock, Housemartins, for example).

Unfortunately, Nirvana hit big in 1991: THEY were both semi-catchy and semi-smart, but their grunge followers were neither. (The followers focused on the "I hate myself" aspect, but I don't think that was Kurt Cobain's main point. He tried to transcend his self-hatred, not wallow in it.) That subsequent talent void in rock led to the current domination of rap/hip-hop. But now, in 2026, that rap/hip-hop is itself extremely old and tired... What's next?

In 1995, when I had just arrived in San Francisco for grad school, I remember being bored to death with all the "riot grrrls" and other current mid-90s musical trends. (I think buying Courtney Love's "Live Through This" was the last straw----I WANTED to like it, but it just wasn't very good.)

Back then, there were mail-order "CD Clubs" where you could order 12 or so CDs for a penny (then agree to buy just 2 in the next year). 
Because of my disgust with the current state of "rock/alternative," I ordered a bunch of rap and a bunch of country (I'd never listened much to either of these genres before). 
I ended up hating most of the rap/hip-hop (gawd, Warren G was the generic worst!), and liking most of the hard-core country (I ultimately became a big George Jones fan).

 

There's a couple sunbathing on a freshly mown lawn in England
It's a house with a view and all you see is green and blue for miles
The local vicar has pretended that the church is well attended this morning
As he wanders without purpose to the Sunday service, he smiles
 

Oh-ho! What a beautiful morning

Oh-ho! What a beautiful day

Oh-ho! What a sickening feeling
It took this long to make it, now we're throwing it away

Now, I was told not to play with fire (the world's on fire)
I said, 'Look out, church, the flames grow higher' (the world's on fire)

I said, 'Watch those flames lick that spire' (the world's on fire)
I said, 'Look out, church, the flames grow higher' (the world's on fire)

There's a curtain closed early in an upstairs room in England
There's a couple misbehaving when they should've been praising Sunday
And there's a bounce in their walk and the neighbours stop to talk for hours
And when eyebrows are raised at the next song of praise come Monday...

O-ho! What a beautiful morning...

The Housemartins: I Can't Put My Finger On It (1987)

 

As Martin said to Xanthe
As they played with wooden toys
'You may have Wendy's playhouse
But where the hell's your boys?'
As Paul said to Fifi
As they eyed each other up
'You may have better plimsoles
But you can't pee standing up'

And I'd like to take the time to bite
Their neck and make it bleed
Or maybe I could cut holes in their
Daddy's Harris Tweed

(I can't put-put my finger on it, on it)
And I can't put my finger on it, finger on it
Maybe it's something in their food
(I can't put-put my finger on it, on it)
And I can't put my finger on it, finger on it
All I know is Christ would've sued

As Sharon said to Jamie
As they sat down for a chat
'If you think I'm cooking dinner
Well, prepare to eat dead rat'
As Debbie said to Alex
As they held hands in the park
'How come you wear Rupert check
When you think you're so hard?' 

And I should've done his Land Rover
To let him know I'd been
Instead I wrote 'F OFF'
On the dirt across his screen

(I can't put-put my finger on it, on it)
And I can't put my finger on it, finger on it
Maybe it's something in their food
(I can't put-put my finger on it, on it)
And I can't put my finger on it, finger on it
All I know is Christ would've sued

I wish I'd let them know that I was here
A drop of arsenic in the wine, sulphuric acid in the beer...

In Memory of Sylvia Plath: 10/27/32 -- 2/11/63

 I had this woman's "Collected Poems" by my bedside like a bible 

for maybe 7 or 8 years or so, would read it every day, and be astounded.

Tammy Wynette: Talking to Myself Again

 

Sleater-Kinney: Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

My baby loves me, I'm so happy
Happy makes me a modern girl
Took my money and bought a TV
TV brings me closer to the world

My whole life
Was like a picture of a sunny day
My whole life
Was like a picture of a sunny day

My baby loves me, I'm so hungry
Hunger makes me a modern girl
Took my money and bought a donut
The hole's the size of this entire world

My whole life
Looks like a picture of a sunny day
My whole life
Looked like a picture of a sunny day

My baby loves me, I'm so angry
Anger makes me a modern girl
Took my money, I couldn't buy nothin'
I'm sick of this brave new world

My whole life
Is like a picture of a sunny day
My whole life
Is like a picture of a sunny day...

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Y'all should have NEVER brought in St. Vincent (Carrie's gf at the time) to produce
 the 2019 album, losing Janet Weiss in the process. You fucked up. Bad album, bad decision.

Dumpster Diving

Today was taking out my trash to the apartment dumpsters (regular and recycling) around 5pm. While there, I had to ask a young, very good-looking black guy with face-tats to excuse me while I threw my regular bag o' trash into the bin he was in the process of looking in. (He looked just like "Rob" from "90 Day Fiance"!)

While I was apologizing for tossing my trash, I peered into the bin, and there was a lot of good stuff in there! Which me and the cute guy started talking about: 

(1) A nice-looking clothes rack (which he was in the process of piecing together). 
(2) A clean and wrapped-up VHS player, complete with remote. (I advised him: "You could probably get $8 for that at a pawn shop. People still want those.")
(3) Me: "Oh, look, there's a basket!"
(4) Him: "Here's something you might like"---He digs out a 2-ft tin vase and hands it to me, which I actually DID like! 

Me: "What else is in there? This stuff is great!"
Him: "You gotta get there when people are moving out."
Me: "I don't think Austin trash is that good. Back when I first moved to NYC..."

So I told him about "when I first moved to NYC" and didn't have any money, and would take a small TV or a small bookshelf or a small kitchen chair from things that I found for free, set out as trash on the street. (All of which were very heavy for me to tote home, BTW! But once I got them home, there was a great sense of accomplishment. I also found a lava lamp and many good books set out for free in various NYC apartment basement laundry rooms; plus, when I first arrived in 2007, someone had ditched a computer monitor---which I desperately needed, since all I'd brought with me was my tower! This was before laptops!) 

He smiled politely. I was an old woman telling tales!

But still---the big ol' tin vase he handed me from the dumpster: "Here's something you might like." What a gent! I do like it! Pictured here in my home! (Tag still on bottom: From Ross, $19.99.)

1975: Paul McCartney: Letting Go

A few days ago, YouTube stopped allowing any simple sharing of their videos to Blogspot. 

So now, any time I want to share a vid from YouTube, I have to do 10 steps to get something to appear here. And now the below is very, very small. (But you can still click on it to enlarge.)

I really dislike both Linda and Yoko, primarily because of their husbands' attempts to involve them in their music. Some very weird psychological shit going on with John and Paul. Years later, shortly before his murder, Lennon would tell an interviewer that he'd only had two artistic collaborators in his life---Paul and Yoko---and suggested that the two were equal. No. I'm a feminist, but I can recognize truth. The collaboration of John Lennon and Paul McCartney led to some of the most beautiful pop songs ever. While the collaboration between John Lennon and Yoko Ono led to some trendy public "bed-ins" and Yoko shriek-fests, and then minor songs about the break-up (1974) and the getting-back-together (1980). 

John should never have left Paul.

"The Eyes of Texas"

Stolen Land? (I know who won Texas! "Come and Take It"!) :)

Despite the idiotic Billie Eilish at the Grammys: 

I can't speak for other meeker, milder states, but as for Texas---we WON our land in battle! Remember the Alamo! (1835-1836 Texas battle for Independence)

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A few years later RE joining the United States (from Wikipedia):

The United States voted to annex Texas as the 28th state in March 1845. Two months later, Mexico agreed to recognize the Republic of Texas as long as there was no annexation to the United States. On July 4, 1845, Texians voted for annexation. This prompted the Mexican–American War, in which Mexico lost almost 55 percent of its territory to the United States and formally relinquished its claim on Texas.

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(For any young-uns: The whole history of the world is a history of people fighting over land. Before Europeans ever arrived on the North American continent, various Indian tribes were themselves fighting over territory. Despite your post-2016 Communist teachings, all humans have been fighting over land since the very beginning of recorded history.)

What Are You Reading?

A couple of years ago, I was on GoodReads, and the "What are you reading?" question was asked. I was mildly amused to see one person post her alleged bedside-books photo of the "Ruth Bader Ginsburg" bio atop other books equally PC. I'm sorry that I can't remember any of the other titles in her stack now (though almost certainly one was about MLK; there was probably also something about Cesar Chavez in there), but, trust me: They were all along the lines of the Ginsburg bio. (Ginsburg, back in her day, was, indeed, a forerunner of women in the legal profession. But in 2022 or so, on GoodReads, when you post a stack of "bedside books" with Ginsburg's 2018 bio at the top, you're doing nothing but virtue signalling.)

Here's the stack of books on my coffee table for the past 6 months or so that I've been working through. (None of it posed.)

Am currently almost finished with Carrie Brownstein's 2015 "Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl." There's also the bio of Obama's mother buried somewhere in there.