Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent

yes she makes that audience rock.

"i dreamed a dream" from les miserables

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

And still
I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather...

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
so different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.

tailfoot

tailfoot, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

tulip

tulip, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

if i were i bee i'd be attracted to this too

My Vacation (4th grade)

My Vacation (4th grade), originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i guess i never liked that first "r" in febuary.

UNCA - walking the labyrinth

walking the labyrinth, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

graffiti on top of the sign reads:
Meditation = listening to your mind and not a sign

the road ends here

the road ends here, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

it wasn't the most exciting championship game, but the good guys won. frasor makes me nervous, the heels fall on the floor drawing charges too often, and hansbrough may be a robot in a family of robots, but other than that, they were the perfect team. ellington and danny green and and ed davis and ty lawson with his low center of gravity were so much fun to watch all season.

Fish Dinners Sale flyer in the mailbox

Fish Dinners Sale flyer in the mailbox, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i'm sad to say i didn't order anything.

also wondering what the health department would think of this.

broken toes

broken toes, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

people are funny.

this photo i took of someone's toes in a cast is the second-most clicked-on of all 3000 of my flickr photos by a mile. (the first most clicked-on is this of unc-asheville's giant basketball player kenny george last year).

last week i got email from mike52fun about it:

Leg Cast

Hi,

Was that your foot in the cast? If so, did you enjoy the attention you received while wearing it?

Have a GREAT day,
Mike

to which i replied:

Re: Leg Cast
hi MIke, no it wasn't my foot, i was at an outdoor concert & it was the foot of a woman sitting in front of me. i'm very glad to have never broken my foot or ankle or leg.

then he wrote back:

Re: Leg Cast


Thank-you!

Would you like to wear a cast for fun for a couple of days and see how much attention you would receive?

Have a GREAT Weekend,
Mike

i countered:

Re: Leg Cast
i don't think so, since i do all i can to AVOID attention. i'm more of an observer than a performer. and i like to walk instead of hobble.

and finally:

Re: Leg Cast


Thank-you for your reply!

I wish you much success!

Mike

so i got that going for me.

The Sound of Singing (3rd Grade)

The Sound of Singing (3rd Grade), originally uploaded by skippy haha.

newark

newark , originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i took this photo sunday morning at newark airport thinking about all the sensory overload presented there, and just noticed the woman in the vest is the very same woman who sneezed on me twice after our flight landed in asheville and we were waiting at the gate to retrieve luggage.

i guess the new thing with sneezing is to NOT contain your germs with your hands, thinking you'll soon touch things with your germy fingers and spread your sick. instead you're supposed to sneeze into your elbow and contain the germs there, since you hardly touch the inside of your elbow to anything or anyone else.

there were about a dozen other passengers tightly clustered at the gate waiting for the bag cart to meet us. she was less than a foot away from me. when she sneezed, she turned her head toward me and sort of raised her bent arm to shoulder level and sneezed, containing none of her germs in her elbow, instead spraying me with them.

i sighed loudly and rolled my eyes and turned my head away and covered my mouth with my scarf to breathe.

within 20 seconds she did it again.

i said, 'are you kidding me?!?' and walked out of the room. she mumbled something like 'oh i'm sorry.'

if you're going to sneeze into your elbow, please put your elbow up to your mouth, not 6 inches in front of your face as you sneeze all over people around you.

i now have swollen glands and blame her.

orange peel update

i got a sincere, thoughtful response from Dana, manager at the orange peel, after my bitching about the recent invasive bag search i encountered there at the ozomatli show:

Hi Heather,

I'm sorry to hear that you had an uncomfortable experience with our door staff at the Ozomatli show. I actually took the night off to attend the show and, you're right, it was great. We really try to encourage the staff to be considerate of both the customer's experience at a show and the security of the club. It is not an easy job and sometimes, in efforts to protect the club, a staff member can go overboard. We have reminded all of the staff that the thoroughness of pat downs/searches, unless otherwise dictated by the band's management, do not need to be quite so extreme and we think we have come up with a policy that is clear and noninvasive.
... I appreciate you emailing us as we are always trying to improve and constructive criticism is always welcome.

Sincerely,
Dana Redfield
The Orange Peel, Manager

i am happy with this response and plan to go back in the next couple months, and will bring my bag like i normally do and report back on the depth of search.

henry at the bank

henry at the bank, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

the people at the bank love my little brother henry. they give him treats so he loves them, too.

look homeward angel

look homeward angel, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

taking a trip to the northeast. hooray public transportation! hooray for no snow! hooray for blueberry muffins! hooray for furry brothers!

silent letters be gone

to make spelling match pronunciation, i think it should be changed to wensday instead of Wednesday and febuary instead of February.

the best of friends

brothers, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

Please do not mix olives. and wings.

do not mix olives and wings, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

it's been a few months since i changed my brita water filter and there are carbon bits floating around the inside, so i went to ingles to get some more.

i checked the hardware aisle.

no filters.

i checked the bottled water aisle.

no filters.

i checked the baking aisle.

no filters.

i checked the jewish food aisle where i swear i'd bought them before.

no filters.

fine, you win, i'll ask a manager stocking shelves. i knew he was a manager from his white button down shirt and tie. he told me they no longer stock water filters.

he said there wasn't enough room for water filters anymore after the last 'reset.'

this store is huge. tens of thousands of square feet. it has a full pharmacy inside the store. it has a full deli inside the store. it has a freestanding starbucks inside the store. it has a full movie rental store inside the store.

they must've had to make room for this disgusting salad wing and olive bar and could no longer spare 1 square foot of shelf space for brita filters.

LAME.

APPALACHIA sung to the tune of LOCHLOOSA written by JJ Grey

this girl is 11 years old. 11 YEARS OLD! are you fucking kidding me?


http://www.almirafawn.com/

happy spring

from your neighborhood rodent

hellos and goodbyes

badminton yoga, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

it's now been 2 years since nacho, holden and i moved to asheville from sun diego. i had high expectations and they've been exceeded. it's a most accepting, creative place, aesthetically pleasing, with plenty of opportunity for recreation, full of relatively aware unfake people. i love living here.

yesterday was a goodbye party for friends who are moving to tennessee.
in the words of billy joel:
so many faces in and out of my life,
some will last, some will just be now and then.
life is a series of hellos and goodbyes,
i'm afraid it's time for goodbye again.

facedown on the sidewalk

facedown on sidewalk, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

it looked like a white rectangle, but was really the world's cutest baby picture

ozomatli + chali 2na

ozomatli + chali 2na, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i went to the orange peel last night and the show was great.

we got there about 10 minutes before the band went on and the place was already pretty full. i showed my ticket to the guy at the door. i showed my license to the guy on the stool inside the door. then a girl behind him about my age said she had to look in my bag. it was sideways across my body so i started to open it up to show her the insides. she said no take it off and put it on the table. so i did. she asked if i needed to go put anything back in the car, any drugs or alcohol. i said no. she proceeded to open, unzip and unvelcro every pocket, took out my wallet, opened it, opened the change purse inside my wallet, pulled out my chapstick, tampons, keys, physically handled every single thing in the bag. i felt completely violated, especially since she asked if there was anything in there and i said no. i have been to many festivals and rock and jamband shows at big arenas with tight security and have never been searched so invasively as at the orange peel last night. it left a rancid impression and in this recession where i'm already cutting way back on shows i see, to avoid further hassle, privacy violations, and excessive searches, i will not be back to the orange peel unless it's a dire emergency (ie tea leaf green is playing).

heart

heart, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

you can chop down the tree but can't break its heart

snowstorm preschool 1980

snowstorm 1983, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

The snow is blowing
all the stars to pieces
in the snowstorm.
The house has snow
all over it!

smiling thumbs up

smiling thumbs up, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

when i look at this door i see a smiley face giving me the thumbs up.
spring has sprung in north carolina, at least for the last few days. daffodils and crocuses are out. i went for a walk in flip flops for the first time since probably august and halfway through the skin on the top of my feet was ripped so badly i walked the last mile and a half barefoot. every single person i passed on the way said 'nice day for going barefoot.' which is true, but it's not too nice walking on asphalt and concrete barefoot. the skin on the bottom of my feet is also ripped now. but a week ago there were 4 inches of snow on the ground and i was wearing eskimo boots, so i am not complaining.

common sense

an arachnophobic with a basement full of black widow spiders should not leave the tops of cherry tomatoes laying on the counter.

really

if a chimp eats my face do not resuscitate.

Roy Head - Treat Her Right!

you never see rockstars of today doing tumblesaults off the stage.

brilliant invention

this guy in nebraska made a bong out of a duct taped shoebox and put his cat in there to try to calm it down. i see he has scratches on his neck in the mugshot that could be evidence the cat needed to chill.

"This cat was just dazed," Sgt. Andy Stebbing said. "She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the humane society."

full story here.

ici

ici, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

ici, very ici

snowdog

snowdog, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

we got a couple of inches of snow yesterday. the world's friendliest polar bear cub seems to like this.

buddies

buddies, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

we should all be so lucky

medical ethical dilemma

i know i'm relatively anti-social to begin with, but i don't enjoy talking to people who are sick with highly communicable diseases. am i alone in this? does everybody else just go out and socialize while they're sick? do they feel guilty for spreading their germs? do they worry that other sick people will germ over them while their immune system is suppressed? i feel a cold coming on with swollen glands and itchy ears and have a party i really want to go to tonight. i cleaned my ears with qtips dipped in rubbing alcohol & i'm drinking hot lemon water and have not been sick yet this year and really, really want to keep up the streak. is it rude to go to a party wearing a bandana around your face? or a surgical mask?

.

neville brothers

neville brothers, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i saw the neville brothers and dr. john play this week. after dr. john opened, they put the curtain down & when the nevilles came out they put the curtain up and lead falsetto singer aaron neville's microphone stand was stuck to the curtain so it went flying up about 25 feet to the ceiling and came crashing down and broke on stage. he just played the tambourine and danced around for the first song 'fire on the bayou' until the roadie could bring him out another one. the show was mardi grasalicious.

golden scorpion honey

golden scorpion honey, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

there was a small golden scorpion on the honey jar today. i tried to drown it with rubbing alcohol but it tried to escape so i popped it with a teaspoon.
click the photo for a closeup of the mythical golden scorpion.

(anybody know what it really is? mini carolina wolf spider?)

get it quick

things that look so minor and cute at first can turn into crusty stubborn messes if you let them sit there. for instance tomato seeds. they're simple to clean when they spill but an ugly bitch to scrape off once they're dried on.

nothing's perfect

nothing's perfect, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

i hate goodbyes

goodbye, originally uploaded by vintagevantage.

mateo is leaving vintage vantage today after running thangs for five years. here he is during his weekend of fun with the inimitable kid D. there's a tribute to him on the site today here. i made a tribute for him when i started this blog 3 years ago here. he and his lady are traveling the world for the next three months, and i wish them nothing but the best of everything.

pets must be leashed

pets must be leashed, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

or else nothing

max patch

max patch, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

360 views of the blue ridge and great smoky mountains from up there. they keep it tree-free by mowing and controlled burns. it's phenomenal.

sky heart

sky heart, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

have a lucky friday 13 and a loveful valentine's day, if you pay attention to those kinds of things. i'm going to a cabin in hot springs, where i hear the springs are not really hot. they're calling for rain all weekend, but hopefully will be nice enough to hike around up there. i'm going to try to make shrimp pierre for the first time. i've enjoyed the hell out of it many times over the years but never attempted to make it. looks easy enough.

Autistic Basketball Manager's 20 Point Game

this is 3 years old but still tear-inducing

just be enthusiastic

way to go jason mcelway

go heels

i love this man




and these men

broadway nest

in terms of bird real estate, this is an exciting spot. you have to deal with the gas fumes, but every night there's a headlight/taillight laser show going on.

makes a great funeral gift

got a request through eBay today from a girl whose dad just died to make 5 Jif honey peanut butter stash safes for her siblings and her because their dad loved honey peanut butter so much and she wants to give them all a memorial present. i said absolutely no problem.

torched christmas trees

brian fire, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

went to a party in the woods where we burned a couple hundred christmas trees. the heat was beautiful.

1 love

1 love, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

irie bob marley day everybody.

let's get together and feel alright! free michael phelps!

snow dogs!

snow dogs!, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

we finally got a little more than a dusting in asheville. on the one morning of the winter that i needed to be at the doctor. the office was open and less than a mile away and i made it driving there and back with no trouble, and everything is fine. it's pretty amazing how there are no sanding or salting trucks going by, the streets are a big frozen mess. hot chocolate time!

thanks Dgold

http://dgold.info/radio/webcast2009/music409


in the first few seconds of Obama Inauguration Tunes Hour 4 my friend Dgold says hello to skippy haha and vintage vantage and proceeds to play an outright incredibly eclectic mix of music picked thoughtfully and specially to commemorate obama's inauguration day.


SET FOUR: Yes We Can Can, For What It’s Worth, Being A President Is Like Riding A Tiger, Blue Hawaiian, Changes > Without Hope You Cannot Start The Day, Chicago, Change Of Pace, Done Change My Way Of Living, Already Free, Grandma’s Hands, This Land Is Your Land, Funky President, Big Brother, All The Black And White Children, Change Gonna Come, Change My Ways Part 2


Artists "Obama Inauguration Tunes Hour 4"
The Pointer Sisters, Mavis Staples, Maserati, Pavement, Yes, Sufjan Stevens, Albert King, Taj Mahal, The Derek Trucks Band, Bill Withers, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Bettye LaVette, Otis Redding, Galactic


in his words,

This is not a political radio show, it is a music radio show that is current with culture and news events around the world.

As an American music radio show based on the campus of the University Of Arkansas, I am broadcasting a collection of songs of hope for the world, music of change for the listeners, as Barack Obama becomes President of the United States on this historic day.

thanks for all the honest tunes, Dgold.

this would suck

SC skydive instructor dies; 1st-timer lands safely
The Associated Press
Posted: Sunday, Feb. 01, 2009

CHESTER, S.C. Authorities say a skydive instructor who was sharing a parachute with a first-time jumper apparently died of a heart attack in the air.

Officials say the instructor was identified as George C. "Chip" Steele of Sumter, S.C.

The first-time jumper was able to parachute to the ground safely Saturday in Chester County. He tried to revive the 49-year-old instructor after they had landed, but the coroner's office says it was too late.

They were skydiving in a tandem jump, where instructors are strapped to the backs of their students.

The first-time jumper was described as an active member of the military in his 30s, but his name was not immediately released.

Steele worked for Skydive Carolina and had made thousands of jumps over a lengthy career.

i jumped out of a plane in henderson north carolina in 1996. it was weird. it was a tandem jump like this one, with a guy wearing sweatpants strapped to my back. you do the math. as miserable as it was i'm glad he didn't have a heart attack.

orange peel

orange peel, originally uploaded by skippy haha.

does this appeal to your prurient interest?