Sunday, April 20, 2008

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Me but Were Too Polite to Ask



This "Foursies" meme, aka assignment, is courtesy Lee, by way of Sandi. What are friends for, right? I'm turning in my work late so am providing photographs for extra credit.

4 Jobs I've held


1) Hardware/Home Improvements/Auto Accessories Sales Associate. My favorite duty was--surprise--mixing paints. I occasionally got to roam into the toy department and set up the Barbie and Hot Wheels displays. Middle management, sadly, determined I was overqualified for my life in screwdrivers and Turtle Wax, and so I was kicked up to:

2) Credit Department Associate. This was before the era of online credit reports and my days were spent in engaging phone conversations with a computer with Attitude: "I'm sorry, San, I'm not allowed to approve that." Of course it was I, not HAL, who had to report the disheartening rejections to the appliance and furniture salespeople. They always took the news poorly. After all, their livelihoods depended on hard-selling every soul who wandered into their department, and their departments magnetized the bankrupt, the jobless, and the convicted. This is the job that thickened my skin and prepared me for:

3) Weight Loss Counselor. Talk about the lean years.




4) Adjunct, Part-time College Instructor. Don't tell me you're unloved, unappreciated, and underpaid. Unless you happen to be a part-time, adjunct faculty member. Then we'll talk.


4 Movies I have/would watch over and over again

1) Enchanted April. Ennui-ridden Londoners retreat to the Italian countryside for a month. Become re-enchanted with life. I want to go there, do that sometime.

2) Chocolat. The chemistry on bodily and soul levels is as powerful as a red-pepper-infused cup of Mayan cacao.







3) Little Women. Sarandon, Ryder, Dunst, & Danes. Dazzling ensemble. And Christian Bale looking amazingly young. He was. That was 1994.

4) To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the few films that does justice to a remarkable book. From the beginning credits, which to this day almost bring me to tears--that kid opening the box--like a Pandora's box of nostalgia--to the last minutes when the fearful Boo Radley turns out to be a a life-saving hero, and an autistic one at that, and played by Robert Duvall at that. Yes, that was Robert Duvall. I love that.




4 places I've lived

1) Montgomery, Alabama. Home of The White House of the Confederacy and The Hank Williams Museum.

2) San Francisco, California. In 1982 I won a round-trip plane ticket to the U.S. city of my choice. I picked The City by the Bay, flew there, fell in love with it, flew back to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, packed my bags, and that time, purchased a one-way ticket. A fortuitous move.



3) Pacifica, California. Bennie and I bought a little "fixer" house set back in a grove of eucalyptus trees. The first home our family called our own. Eye-popping FLOWER POWER wallpaper from the sixties, avocado and orange shag from the seventies. The shag we carted off to the landfill, and thanks to Bennie's sanding skills, beautiful hardwood surfaced from underneath it all. And yes, lovely bare walls lurked beneath the wallpaper. The exterior of our house we painted to blend with the foliage of the eucalyptus, more specifically, the undersides of the foliage of the eucalyptus, a soft sage green with undertones of gray. My paint-mixing background came in handy here.

4) Currently, in Eldorado, a "planned, rural" subdivision several miles outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Affectionately known as The White Man's Rez. We've lived in this house for almost ten years. Not a dream house, but we can sit on the deck on summer evenings and gaze at the foothills. Such a view puts it all in perspective.




4 people I want to "Bitch Slap right into the middle of next week"


OK, the question asked for 4, the photo provided 5, so I erased the least despicable.

4 People who email me regularly

1) Lee

2) b2

3) blogger-help-troubleshoot group

4) the penis-enhancement product pusher (Goes by various aliases, such as Aubrey Cunningham and Horatio Kilt, and I don't really have the raw material to be enhanced, but we'll let him continue in his ignorance. His emails are a riot!)

4 TV shows I watch

1) House. The TV show with the delightfully misleading title. Tune in expecting home makeovers and you get more, so much more. For starters, a gimpy physician who's kind of cute in a walking, talking Bitch Slap kind of way. I mean Doc House takes bedside manner and disrespect in the workplace to unfathomable lows. And there's an ongoing subplot that suggests he himself is addicted to painkillers. Even so, you just gotta love him. He always figures out what freakishly improbable disease has taken over a patient's body, always at the eleventh hour, and always over the dead bodies of a clutch of colleagues who have proclaimed him nuts. He is. And that's why he intuits the disease of the week. He's down on the same sick level. The "wounded healer" incarnate.

1) EXtreme Makeovers (Home Edition). Admitted, the Queen for a Day slant cloys a bit and I did want to bitch-slap-into-the-middle-of-next-week that designer who put SIX TVs in a kid's room. And yes, sometimes the wallpapers chosen make me a bit seasick. But I'm a sucker for seeing, week after week, an army of decorators, armed with dynamite and color swatches, blow an unlivable hovel into smithereens only to bring it back as a particular family's idea of a dream house.

3) 60 Minutes. Andy Rooney's 5 makes the other 55 worth it.

4. Two and a Half Men. OK. Bennie dragged me in to see this one. Witness the heel marks from the computer to the TV room. But I have to admit: Gratuitous sex humor is all it's cracked up to be. I'm hooked.



4 Places I've visited

1) Graceland. Hey, that carpet in Elvis's Jungle Room looks like the stuff we carted out of the Pacifica house.




2) 1980 Picasso Retrospective, MOMA, New York. Last chance to see Guernica before it was crated and shipped back to Espana. Worth it? Yup. BIG YUP.

3) UFO Museum, Roswell, New Mexico. And I got the salt and pepper shakers to prove it.



4) The Louvre. Better than Two and a Half Men.

And I've made the Seine with real live Parisiennes. That too--all it's cracked-up to be.

But Versailles? Totally overrated. And oversized.



4 favorite foods

1) Blue corn enchiladas, smothered in smokin' hot green chile. Served with a side of posole and a basket of light-as-air sopapillas. The kind they used to serve at La Choza. That place, last time I checked, had slid backwards faster than a Baptist kid on spring break.

2) The cookies that Flannery and I make every Christmas. The Christmas skulls are an all-time favorite.



3. My grandmother's turnip greens. She would go, leaf by leaf, through a big pile of greens--she called it "a mess" of greens--remove the stems and the bigger veins, so as to maximize tenderness, place them in a large pot with water and a dollop of bacon fat and a pinch of sugar. The sugar was her secret ingredient, just a touch to do a little tango with the bitterness of the greens. She'd simmer this for the better part of a day. I could eat the whole pot of greens, and the liquid that was left in the bottom I could guzzle like a milk shake. In the south they call that left-over liquid where vegetables have simmered for hours pot liquor and they have their reasons. It's highly drinkable and will alter your senses straightaway.

4) My mother's cream-style corn. Not to be confused with that mucilaginous, sucrose-and-corn-starch-riddled mess sold in cans. Genuine cream corn is made from corn. Nothing else, except for a little water. You shuck some corn--what they call "roasting ears," remove the silk, turn each ear upright, and proceed to clip the tip off each kernel by sliding a big knife down each side. Then you scrape the husk thoroughly, getting all of the corn goo out of the crevices once occupied by the clipped kernels. That's the cream in cream-style corn. You put it all in a big skillet and cook it until it turns to this unbelievably delectable creamy concoction, chock-full of those little bits of corn you clipped so meticulously. You can add a little butter, but believe me, you don't even need that. And don't make me bitch slap you--you don't need sugar!

4 places I'd like to be right now

1) Gathering around a big table in some local-color-infused place in Tres Leches with the San Antonio Contingent.

2) Having coffee with Jo down the street from the gallery.

3) Standing in the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago's Millennium Park, alongside my partner in life. Looking up at our reflected selves repeating, getting smaller and smaller, all the way to the vanishing point. An experience that is both disquieting and somehow reassuring.




4) Sitting in La Basilique du Sacre Coeur, listening to the nuns/angels sing the evening into being, just like that evening four years ago. The deja vu would be good for this jaded soul.




4 things I'm looking forward to this year

1) The lavender and the Jupiter's beard coming into bloom outside my studio window. Should happen next month.



2. Summer sunsets, as seen from the balcony outside our bedroom.



3) Oakley moving home for the summer. The household conversations always ratchet up several notches in the stimulation quotient when Mister Mokes is around.



4) Christmas. Can't help myself. It's always fun to add another beast to our Nativity tableau. Did I mention I've been to the UFO Museum?



And now I'm to tag four other bloggers. In keeping with the spirit of this "extra credit" assignment, I tag five:

1. Paula. And I award you the BIG E for excellent blogging.
2. Kim. And I award you the BIG E for excellent blogging.
3. Sparkling Red. And I award you the BIG E for excellent blogging.
4. John-Michael. And I award you the BIG E for excellent blogging.
5. Lime. And I award you the BIG E for excellent blogging.

Note: You don't have to include photos. That was my "extra credit" part of the assignment. As a matter of fact, you don't even have to complete the assignment. But do feel free to pass on the BIG E to other worthy bloggers. And thank you for being the excellent bloggers you are.





120 comments:

Celebration of Life said...

San,
You are so funny! This was a great post and so informative!
Jo

San said...

Jo, if I ever run for office, somebody will have plenty of dirt on me.

p said...

i agree, that was quite the power post woman. i might have to rest up before attempting this one.
man i love those sunset photos...makes me miss the west so much i can't stand it!!!!
fascinating facts about you that make me admire and appreciate knowing you (even if it is just online) even more. thanks for sharing!

Celebration of Life said...

San,
Thanks for your recent comment on my blog. Yes, the day will come when we are going to drink a cup of coffee together! I am looking forward to it!
Jo

Celebration of Life said...

P.S. I have a new post today I think you might enjoy!

Carol said...

I loved learning these things about you, San. The extra credit photos added much - I loved the sunset, rainbows, FOOD, and seeing you at different times in your life. Your "favorite food" descriptions got me drooling all over my keyboard - and I've always thought that I hated turnip greens.

Happy spring to you!

lime said...

this was such a hoot!

the avocado and orange shag carpet...i took it to my college dorm room. i thought you should know.

the comparison of the louvre with 'two and half men' inspiried insanity. i LOVED that.

aliens in the nativity...cracked my butt up!

the picture by the golden gate bridge...just so lovely.

the award...so sweet of you and appreciated, thank you.

the tag...will be picked up. ;)

San said...

And Paula, I will be posting my Arte y Pico award. I'm way behind on my blogging to-do list and this meme came earlier on the list.

The west--I can understand why you miss it.

San said...

Jo, I'm about to head over to your place...

San said...

Carol, I now have a mental picture of you drooling over your keyboard. That's a new vision of Carol for me.

Anyone who didn't like my grandmother's turnip greens needed their taste buds examined.

San said...

Lime, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know our old shag enlivened your college space. Small world.

Patty said...

San, it was a great read. You have a way of 'painting with words'. Your favorite foods got me to thinking about my Mother's cooking. Being from the south, I can relate. There's nothing quite like REAL cream style corn. Oh how I miss her cooking. Loved the aliens in the nativity. You crack me up!
Bravo...on a job well done.

Ellie Creek Ellis said...

First time i've read one of these with such lovely illustrations! very interesting and very nice job.

my husband can totally relate with the part-time adjunct faculty feelings. he'll never teach again because of it.

i can completely concur with those you chose to bitch-slap! lol

you're awesome!

Katiejane said...

Nice montage! Very informative and entertaining. Great post.

david mcmahon said...

A-mazing reflection shot, San. Guess what - I agree entirely about the movie being a great relection of the book - and I'd forgotten it was Robert Duvall in the role.

And yep, I'm a big fan of Two and a Half Men!

RiverPoet said...

We have more in common than I ever suspected!

- I LOVE turnip greens and my mom, grandmothers, etc., all made it just as you describe. MMMMMM!

- My mom and I used to make creamed corn and "put it up" in the freezer for the winter. It's the only creamed corn I like.

- I did with Seattle what you did with San Francisco. I took a trip there for pleasure, then I found my way into a job there and lived there for a year, at which point I realized I needed more sun!

I really enjoyed this post! So nice to read something from you today!

Peace - D

Rhea said...

Of all you've posted, which was quite a lot, I have one thing to say...I LOVE HOUSE!!! The best TV show. :o)

Flannery said...

2 things:
-you were a weight-loss counselor? Please tell me all about this.

-I like how my "bedroom window" has become your "studio window." You should renovate. Pull out the carpet and paint the concrete floor. You should really make it a studio. You need it and you deserve it.

murat11 said...

Hot damn, viet ma'am: those 8 weeks you spent in solitary art refinement in the Flan-chamber clearly left you starved for blogging. Such cold turkey probably ain't good for your health, Ms San. You ever go on a full-fledged sabbatical, we all better duck and cover when you come back up to blog-breathe.

This were a masterpiece: akshully, this were many masterpieces. Gotta comment on a few things cuz, well, that’s what I do:

Thanks for reminding me of Enchanted April; it’s been re-watched many a time, as was, now I remember it, the hilarious and wonderful Mediterraneo. Chocolat is clearly a slam dunk. If I wuz to pick THE rewatchable Duvall, it would be The Apostle, hands down. “I always called you Jesus, you always called me Sonny.”

Less not forget the Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, and Zelda’s ghost ridin’ around on her bicycle somewhere, I’m sure.

Dig the eucalyptus paint at Casa Koala.

I’ve got a sophomore who tells me he’s headed for the old military school in Roswell next fall. Awesome writer, I hate to lose him, but we’re all excited about the possible souvenirs. Many of my seniors have been to the Roswell McDonald’s, which we all agree is light years ahead of its time: pure Jetsons.

Cookin’ a mess a greens (collards) as I write: ain’t no bacon fat, darlin’. Call it Texas risotto: it’s in with the jasmine rice.

Great lavender shot. Was there a cookie that said Evil?

murat11 said...

I am way too polite to ask about the sailor hat.

Patty said...

I was wondering about the sailor hat too. Anyone care to ask San about it?

Lee said...

Great post, San! Our taste in movies is similar yet different. I've seen All of those movies and enjoyed each of them.

How did Oakley get the nickname Mr. Mokes?

Love the captain's hat. Are you Toni? Or the Captain?

Hugs!

Jeff B said...

That was a fun read. Love the salt and pepper shakers. San Francisco is still my favorite big city. (lived an hour north in Santa Rosa for a number of years)And those desert sunsets are beautiful.

Mima said...

Brilliant post, love the sunset, if they are all that beautiful you are a very lucky girl. Totally with you on House, it is my fav show, we are just getting Season 4, so a little behind you, but well worth the wait!!

Unknown said...

Fabulous job, San. Your words and photos really brought “you” alive to me.

San said...

Patty, thanks. I thought you might relate to the southern cooking. I could tuck into some cream--style corn right now!

San said...

Lee, I just started calling Oakley Mister Mokes one day. I don't know why. He also answers to Monsieur Mokes.

I would be the Captain of course!

Hug.

San said...

Ellie, you're awesome. Thanks for sharing that about your beleaguered spouse. And I appreciate your concurrence on the choice of BSITMONW
objects!

San said...

Katie Jane, thanks for visiting. Love your profile image.

San said...

David, Bennie takes credit for the a-mazing shot in Cloud Gate. He and artist Anish Kapoor, its creator.

San said...

Oh Momma, thanks for reminding me of that term "put up." That brings back still more memories of those days when my own mother "put up" veggies.

And I loved reading your Seattle story.

Peace.

San said...

Rhea, I believe they moved House to Monday night? If so, we have something to look forward to...

;-)

San said...

Flan, I can't believe you haven't heard the NutriSystem saga. Soon. Maybe over Graduation Day dinner?

And regarding your bedroom/my studio--thank you for putting that in writing!

xoxoxo

San said...

Paschal, you are hilarious. You have made this viet ma'am smile broadly.

Duvall's Apostle--I concur. Highly watchable. And as to Montgomery's defense, I akshully enjoyed my time there. I neglected to mention the Bama Shakespeare Festival, because it still happened in Anniston back then. But you're dead on with regard to Zelda's ghost--that was negligence of the highest order. I 'pologize.

How did I miss a Jetsons McDonald's? Reminds me of the McD in San Fran in the Civic Center--its exterior looks like--at least it used to--another government institution.

Collards and jasmine rice. That'll work. And yes, of course one of those cookies said EVIL. Genius Flan takes credit for the gorgeous cookie art. I just help her mix and roll and shape and bake. Flan does the art part.

San said...

Paschal, I 'preciate your politeness. Your restraint is most gentlemanly.

San said...

Patty, I know I look a little strange in the sailor hat. But you should see what my companions were wearing on their heads. Maybe another post???

San said...

Jeff, I've been through Santa Rosa several times. Marin and Sonoma Counties--they are really beautiful.

San said...

Mima, we do have some awesome skies around here, but some of the pictures you've posted of your neck of the woods are just breathtaking.

House--another thumb up! YAY!

San said...

Nick, thanks, man. I need to check out the Monday jokes at your place...

Cath said...

San what a wonderful post! I just did one similar that was "5s". The way you added the photos is cool - love the one of you as a (young) family and the sunset and rainbow - wow! That sunset outside your bedroom!

Excellent choices of blogs too. Lovely to learn a bit more about you.

Sparkling Red said...

I love the extra-credit photos! They add a colourful dimension to your descriptions. I only wish I could have seen the blue corn chips with green salsa. The colour-wheel negative of traditional salsa and chips. :-)

I thank you very humbly for the award. And congratulations on receiving it yourself! Eeeeeeee!

I look forward to tackling that meme. :-)

San said...

Cath, I always enjoy your visits and your glowing comments.

You rock, woman! And I will be putting up my "Little Girl" award. Soon.

San said...

Red, you give me ideas for further photo posting opps. ;-)

EEEEEE is right. I can't wait to read your meme.

SandyCarlson said...

That was a fun read, San! You and I have the same exact taste in re-watchable movies.

I'll have to try Graceland some day and if I ever get to France see how it compares to that Louvre joint.

The penis people contact me regularly, too. I figure, hey, it's mail. Somebody out there's thinking me, even if they think I'm really Alexander!

Andrea and Kim said...

Wow San! These are some really great things. I suppose I didn't realize your were raised in the southern US! You always seemed like a flower child to me :)

Ohh, the creamed corn...yup, I grew up with that very recipe, too...actually we froze tons of it!

Ditto about Versailles!

What a lovely daughter you have, you clearly should take her advice!

And thank you so very much for your kind award! I am very honored to receive an award from you, San! Tomorrow, I will get back to a lot more serious art blogging! I promise! Life just has really gotten in the way over the last 5 days!

Thank You Again, San!

San said...

Sandy, I'm not surprised that we have similar taste in movies. I really like those with that spiritual depth. Unlike my TV shows!

And I hope you make it to that Louvre joint one of these days. You would be in your element, my friend.

San said...

Life takes precedence, Kim. And I'm glad you've been there for your dad.

I've been at the easel instead of the computer for a few days, but coming up on my to-do list is to get up that Arte y Pico Award.

Glad to hear you resonate with the cream corn and Versailles.

Sandi McBride said...

I'm so glad to see you back. I've been in day after day after...well you get the picture...pot liquor...oh man, I love me some pot liquor with fried cornbread to sop it with...and your granny must have taught my mama how to cook them greens, same exact receipt (as we say it in South Carolina...) Do the collards the same way...cook the turnip roots separately and put by the greens. Fried fatback...I did mention I had had a heart attack? It was the smoking...I don't do that anymore. I loved your meme so much, and it's no wonder you're Elinor, too...by heaven I've found more sisters in here...loved it L O V E D I T!!!
Sandi
Oh, and Vee thinks we need to name the young little guy Biscuit...whatcha think?

Stinking Billy said...

Your posts, complete with pics, etc. are everything I would love to produce but, alas, cannot. Where would the likes of me be without the likes of you? You are a star!

San said...

Sandi, speaking of turnips, my grandmother would sometimes put the roots in with the greens--I loved that too! She was also one for the fried fatback, but I never could get behind that with any enthusiasm

We could form the Elinor D Sisterhood and serve greens at our meetings. Hold the fatback.

Biscuit! YES. Or even Angel Biscuit.

San said...

Billy, you know how to make a girl blush.

Indigo said...

I like your answers! :) I might have to copy the MemMe this week, hee hee!

Indigo

San said...

Well, have fun with it, Indigo!

Jameil said...

enchiladas, house, sunsets. does it really get better?! Weight Loss Counselor? hmmm... i'd like to know more abt that one! didn't get to the louvre, but the musee d'orsay? yes. i really liked it. i'm also intrigued by the last 3 places you've lived. i've never been west of st. louis.

whimsical brainpan said...

Great answers!

LMAO and agreeing with the 4 people you want to "Bitch Slap right into the middle of next week"!

And House rocks. I can't wait until next week.

Jennifer S said...

This was so fantastic! Such interesting answers.

Also, I love Enchanted April! I watch it whenever it comes on.

Shrinky said...

well San, I do believe you've just earned yourself an A-star for this assignment. I especially loved the pics. A lovely little glimpse in to your life, and it certainly seems a good one (smile).

Stinking Billy said...

san, did I ever tell you that I love your writing? Okay, so I am telling you again. You are hot, baby!

San said...

Jameil--never west of St. Louis but to Paris, the musee d'orsay no less--you've been around, girl.

I will say this for the west--there's a certain openness, culturally and in much of the landscape--that I find very comforting.

San said...

Whim, last night I tuned into House and it was a re-run, and not the best of them. I fell asleep. Like you, I am waiting for the new episodes starting next week. But if they continue to put it opposite Two and a Half Men, my loyalties are going to be split. (House will probably win.)

San said...

Jennifer, I need to watch Enchanted April again myself. Especially since it's April.

San said...

Shrinky, I am beaming over my A-star status, especially as the designation comes from you.

San said...

Billy, you really don't stink that much. Compliment my sentence structure and I'll follow you anywhere.

Celebration of Life said...

The Alien salt and pepper shakers are too funny! I bet Ms. Creek doesn't have a set like that in her collection! LOL

Coffee time, clink clink.
Jo

San said...

Jo, I thought about Ms. Creek when I was putting that picture on the blog.

Cheers!

Meg Wolff said...

This was such a fun post. I really enjoyed getting to know you! Any more movie suggestions?? Since I'll be having surgery soon ... thought I'd make a list.

Celebration of Life said...

Morning San! Thanks for stopping by! I have a new post with pix and a fresh pot of coffee if you want to stop by!
Jo

San said...

Meg, I'll email a list.

And I'll be sending whatever healing vibes I can muster...

San said...

Jo, I'll be over while the coffee and the post are still fresh...

Anonymous said...

We have some things in common!

To Kill a Mockingbird, I own book and film. Love them both. Have you seen "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" I watched that one again recently.

Two and a Half Men, watch repeats all the time. I occasionally dress like Charlie Sheen's character. (chuckle)

Extreme Makeover Home Edition, one family's castle is another family's house. Destroy & Build!

I hate the Big Penis Pusher with a passion to kill.

1980 Picasso Retrospective, MOMA, New York, I was totally amazed! Spent as long as I could at that show. Bought the catalog.

Having coffee with Jo down the street from the gallery, I think I would enjoy that!

San said...

Chewy, I LOVE "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." I need to order that one from netflix and see it again.

Dressing like Charlie? You must have that two-tone thing going on. Cool!

1980, NYC. So YOU were the one that kept jostling me out of the way to gawk at "Guernica."

Coffee. Let's make it a threesome.

Preity Angel... said...

Wow...San

What a great post...We all have busy lives with very little time. Web surfing is fun but can take hours going to visit every single website and blog you enjoy.

Great explanations and pictures I love it.

You know what Its really nice to discover your blog..

You have done a great job everytime in a clear and simple way.

Catch you later...

Congratulations to all awarded bloggers...

Keep up the good work

Daryl said...

I love getting to know you .. we have several things in common.....

Daryl

San said...

Angel, thank you for your sweet comments. You are always so positive.

San said...

Daryl, one common denominator--a fondness for big earrings.

david mcmahon said...

San, your utterly hilarious comment on my bling picture for Project Green has brought the biggest smile to my face all morning!

San said...

Glad to be of assistance, man.

Michele B said...

You are so creative San.
I got this email and deleted it.
I should have had fun with it like you did.
I love your blog....I love your artwork...I was showing my husband your artwork and he loves it too.
I will for sure be back to this blog!!!
and thanks for visiting mine!!
Namaste,
Michele

San said...

Michele, you've gone and made my afternoon. Thanks, babe.

Namaste.

andrea said...

This is an awesome post. It must've taken you ages! I love your choices. As for Little Women, my uncle was in the ballroom dancing scene (he was a dancer back in the day). If you have the DVD, look for a skinny, bearded 50+ish redhead. I'm going to his Pilates class tomorrow. Pretty amazing fitness for a 73 year old, don't you think?

indicaspecies said...

San,

Loved knowing you better. Such posts help us to. Thank you for sharing. :)

PS: I've accepted a tag and revealed more of me. Please pass by sometime at your convenience.
2. You've analyzed my simple post on "Tranquil Tuesday" so beautifully. Thank you. :)

San said...

Andrea, now my curiosity's up. Yes, I own the DVD and I can't wait to fast-forward to the dance scene and look for the skinny red-haired man with a beard, 50-something.

Teaching Pilates at 71--he's magnificent! Gives this aging boomer hope in fact.

San said...

I look forward to stopping by and observing more facets of the many-sided, intriguing Celine.

LZ Blogger said...

San ~ Some VERY insightful stuff here. We have many things in common, but I can tell politically we are pretty far apart. I too loved the Louvre and thought that the La Basilique du Sacre Coeur was an awesome church. And (as you know) from my Chicago Post last month, I loved Cloud Gate too... but my favorite of all the things you stated here was "Weight Loss Counselor. Talk about the lean years." Now that is just down right FUNNY! THX for the chuckle! ~ jb///

San said...

JB, I'm glad you enjoyed the post and I appreciate your weighing in politically with courtesy and aplomb.

Sacre Coeur--such a special place, also Chartres. Cloudgate and the Gehry-designed concert pavilion and those awesome people fountains in Millennium Park. So many wonders to take in and only this small life. But it's a good life, no?

Celebration of Life said...

Chuck said that he would be happy to pick you up at the airport. Be sure and wear the bracelet so he can recognize you! What time does your plane land? I will have to hurry and make some fresh rolls for breakfast and coffee while he is out getting you... lol

Chuck fka: Meanie said...

Mee kinduh kawpeed u San doh go wook at me nu pozt on me bwog. Otay?
Wuv,
Chuck

San said...

Jo, I'll be coming in on the red eye. Tell Chuck to look for the one with brown beads and red eyes.

San said...

Chuck, u cawpeed me? I will go wook.

Cath said...

Don't worry yourself San. You're not the only one a tad behind!
Thanks for popping over again. Always good to see a friend. :0)

San said...

Cath: What? Me worry?

;-)

Great to see you here, babe.

Velvet Ginger said...

You have certainly lived an interesting life! WE have several things in common...2 of which are "To Kill a Mockingbird", my fav book & movie (i own the dvd & have my 5 yr old grandaughter hooked), and "Two & 1/2 Men", didn't care to see it & once I did I am addicted....I even watch the reruns on a different cahnnel every night!!!

Jeanne said...

I totally love the way you did this with pictures. Awesome. "Chocolat" is such an awesome movie. Did you hear she's writing a new novel that follows up on Viv and her daughter? And I totally agree with the bitch slap lol. Once again great job!

San said...

Rubye Jean: "Interesting"--that's a polite way to put it. ;-)

What a great thing to hook your granddaughter on. Get her addicted to quality right away. 2.5 Men? Maybe a little later.

San said...

Wow, Jeanne! A follow-up novel on Viv and her daughter? Thanks for letting me know. One for the to-read list.

Velvet Ginger said...

I was overwhelmed by how diverse your life has been and exciting...I didn't mean anything negative by "interesting" I couldn't quite grab the right words at the time...to me..."interesting" is a VERY good word! Rue likes Boo & Scout...oh & of course Jim! I got her hooked on Wizard of Oz before she could talk!

San said...

Rubye Jean, I was just joking with you! "Interesting" is a very good word for me too and I appreciated your comment very much.

Wizard of Oz--I loved that as a kid. It came on TV every Easter and was as much a part of the holiday as getting dressed up for church and eating chocolate bunnies. When my own kids were little, VHS came out and I could not believe the miracle of their being able to see Wizard of Oz any time they pleased.

virtualjourney said...

San, just stunning - look forward to coming back and dipping in again!

We never got to Versailles. Ended up taking a detour through a nearby army barracks instead....

San said...

Thanks, Julie. Sometimes those detours are the best parts of a trip.

virtualjourney said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
virtualjourney said...

San - re comment on mine - experiment first is the best idea if my experience is anything to go by.

Joe Friday said...

Ma'am, like Flannery, I'm a little curious about that weight counselor past. And remember. Bitch slapping is a felony.

sukipoet said...

Lovely post. I agree with whomever said it, it must have taken a long time to put together.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have looked at yours often but seldom comment.

I stayed in Santa Fe twice in the 90's. I do love it. Also stayed in Vallacitos for a month. The landscape, the sand, the dryness. All are wonderful. I wonder if you had your gallery then? I might have been in it if so as I walked through many.

Be well, Suki

jsd said...

gotta love the hat - made me think of the Love Boat...ALT has a pic just like the Chicago pic - very cool indeed.

d smith kaich jones said...

Now THIS is the way to start to know someone! Very funny, very cool, and lots of photos! Wow! I loved it! Like JB, I, too, am far apart from you politically, but it makes so little difference really. Thanks for a terrific read. I needed this today.

Debi (Smith Kaich Jones)

San said...

Julie, thanks for the tip.

San said...

OK, Joe, you and I will sit down some day and I will give you an earful.

And I always appreciate your little crimestopper tips. You keep me out of jail, man.

San said...

Hi Suki. Our gallery has been in Santa Fe since 1993. It's not at all impossible that we've occupied the same room at the same time. Isn't that a fun thought?

Take care. And please visit again.

San said...

JS--Love Boat! I like that association. And that ALT has the same kind of Cloud Gate view.

San said...

Debi, thanks for your enthusiasm. I needed THAT today.

See you around...

Heather said...

I always love reading your blog...you're fascinating!

Peter said...

Hi! This post just goes to show what a big heart you have, well done!

DILLY said...

Hewo San!!!!

HOUSE be fayvrit heer too!
Always watch House, an record, watch two times!

San like lissen nuns sing- San kno Dilly's Mummy yewst liv in convent? Trayne be nun! Yewst sing wiv nuns.

Mummy still sing in barth now. Not sownd like angel tho.

Fnarr!

¬"

Lynette said...

San, I enjoyed your latest post immensely! So many fascinating things you have done, places you have lived and ooh I enjoyed the photos too! You sure brought back memories talking about the southern cooking. I can still hear my Grandma saying she was going to cook a 'mess' of turnip greens and my started watering thinking about the fried okra in an iron skillet my mom used to make for us. I have been updating my blog and I am going to add your link to my sidebar today. San, thanks for a great post!

Lynette said...

oh, I'm going to have to proofread better before posting. I meant to say my mouth started watering, thinking of the fried okra. :)

San said...

Heather, you are fascinating, leaves and all.

San said...

Peter, you are too kind, man.

San said...

Oh wow, Dilly. You watch AND record House. That's a Houseful.

Yes, I did know your mum used to live in a convent, and I find that so interesting. And I'll bet her singing in the bath is really angelic.

San said...

Thanks, Lynette, for adding me to your sidebar.

With a name like Lynette, why am I not surprised to learn you too are from the South? OKRA. Another delicacy. And yes, my grandmother did that one right too.

The Moody Minstrel said...

Sold! I'll take three copies of your life.

Not that I'm all that disappointed with my own, mind you! :-)