from a charles bukowski poem

air and light and time and space

"–you know, I’ve either had a family, a job,
something has always been in the
way
but now
I’ve sold my house, I’ve found this
place, a large studio, you should see the space and
the light.
for the first time in my life I’m going to have
a place and the time to
create."

no baby, if you’re going to create
you’re going to create whether you work
16 hours a day in a coal mine
or
you’re going to create in a small room with 3 children
while you’re on
welfare,
you’re going to create with part of your mind and your body blown
away,
you’re going to create blind
crippled
demented,
you’re going to create with a cat crawling up your
back while
the whole city trembles in earthquake, bombardment,
flood and fire.

baby, air and light and time and space
have nothing to do with it
and don’t create anything
except maybe a longer life to find
new excuses
for.

© Charles Bukowski, Black Sparrow Press

[posted on this blog: http://www.christinefletcherbooks.com/blog.html]

Squeegy for President!

Speaking of monkeys. I thought of this song today. When I was little we had a couple albums of funny country songs, and this was my favourite. My favourite stuffed animal was a monkey named Squeegy Alamonzo--he was very expressive looking, and was voiced by my brother in a baby-lolcat-voice that drove my mother insane.

This was Squeegy's theme song. He used to act it out.

"Nobody dared to meet him in an open press debate
He was nominated by the folks from every state
Yes a monkey was the president, though maybe not the first
And there was peace and harmony throughout the universe."

Now someone needs to make a good video for the song.

I pity the sock!

My brother posted this Mr T Sock Monkey as his facebook profile pic, and is determined to make one. And so here, withOUT his permission, I paste for you his last email to me:


I'm positive if I bought one I'd just need a vest and some hair and some bling.

And maybe some angry eyes.

I may have to give this a go.

Maybe I have discovered a new hobby. I could make a whole collection of odd-ball sock monkeys!

There's a distinct possibility that I'll die a bachelor.

[I just found this posting which I never posted.]

One of the facebook applications I enjoy is the one that asks you for "lists of 5 things". The one I did today was 5 songs that remind you people, but I could have done more than 5! I could probably think of a song for almost everyone I know.

I chose...

Theme to Jeeves & Wooster
(1) Because my sister-in-law was the first person I knew who loved the Jeeves and Wooster series as much as me, including the music.

Paradise By the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
(2) Because my brother and I loved this album as children and knew all the words to the baseball scene, so it reminds me of him.

Jennifer by the Eurythmics
(3) My childhood best friend (M) had this album so it reminds me of her, listening to "Jennifer" in her kitchen.

Free Love on the Freelove Highway by David Brent
(4) Gilby sang this alllll through Oxford when we visited.

Au Bal Masqué de La Compagnie Créole
(5) My step-mother: We used to listen to La Compagnie Créole when on road trips.

I could add...

This Land is Your Land - Peter, Paul and Mary
Any of the early PPM I enjoyed makes me think of my dad, cause they were his albums.

Bootylicious - Destiny's Child
Friend Mae, since she was into the song when it came out, and we started exchanging Stevie Nicks music as a result.

Take a Chance on Me - Abba
Friend Swiss, since she pointed out the "take a chance take a chance take a chic-a chance chance" line of the male background singer, which I'd never noticed.

Love (Over and Over) - Kate and Anna McGarrigle
My mum intro'd me to a lot of the bands I love. This was an early example. She had to who "Emily, Anne and Charlotte" were.

Do What You Have to Do - Sarah McLachlan
Friend Cher, ever since she told me it was on her post-Fuckwit-breakup tape.

He's So Shy - Pointer Sisters
One of my ex-coworkers. His hated ex-girlfriend used to reference this song and say how cute and shy he was.

Strangers in the Night - Sinatra
My boss has been doo-bee-doo-bee-dooing since I met him 11 years ago.

Mandy - Barry Manilow
One of my ex-coworkers used to sing: "Oh [insert my real name] you came and you told me a story." And it wasn't until I heard Mandy on the radio, years later, that I realized what he was riffing off of!

The Girl from Ipanema - various
Friend Alfonse, since he's the first person I've met who loved the song. (The only version I ever really knew was the Rick Moranis.)

Okay I'll stop now.