Here's another photo from a memory card found in my old camera bag. This was taken in the very beige kitchen of our former flat in Notting Hill, on Sept. 30, 2013. What possessed me to photograph an onion on the cutting board, I have no idea. Kind of a nice still life, though. Very Cézanne: "Still Life with iPhone Charging Cord."
There was also a photo of the awful gelatin shooters Dave made for a dinner party. They were supposed to look like the blue methamphetamine from "Breaking Bad," which we were watching at the time:
As I recall, they were made with plain gelatin dyed blue, and lots of vodka. They were meant to be cut into cubes and swallowed. They were disgusting. What's weird is, I mentioned them on the blog at the time, but I said I was unable to take a picture because I'd left my camera at work. And yet, obviously I took a picture, using my other camera. Why didn't I blog it? I have no idea.
I had the strangest dream yesterday morning. I dreamed I was in Miami Beach on spring break with my friend Sue, and I was going to appear on stage as a drag queen. My drag name was Violet Star. Where this came from, I have no idea -- I have never done drag in my life (well, except) and I suspect I would be a really homely drag queen.
I suppose all the recent news about crazy spring break antics in Miami Beach prompted the dream. I spent several three-day weekends in Miami Beach with friends back in the late '80s, but they weren't anything like what we're seeing there now. The wildest thing we ever did was get drunk at "The Melting Pot" and have to leave dinner early. Oh, and we had a shaving cream fight in our hotel room at the Eden Roc.
Dave left work before I did yesterday, and when he got home he texted me that the scaffold had been removed. Hurray! So it lasted slightly longer than a day, but not much longer. The workmen have to come back today and remove some equipment and that derelict TV antenna, and then we're done with them.
We also had repairmen come around yesterday to fiddle with our fuse box in the kitchen. I don't even know what they did -- something that our recent electrical inspection demanded. They may have just changed the fuses. Whatever happened, it didn't take long. And they left behind a hand-held power drill, so now I have to try to call them back and arrange for them to come and collect it.
I had the strangest dream yesterday morning. I dreamed I was in Miami Beach on spring break with my friend Sue, and I was going to appear on stage as a drag queen. My drag name was Violet Star. Where this came from, I have no idea -- I have never done drag in my life (well, except) and I suspect I would be a really homely drag queen.
I suppose all the recent news about crazy spring break antics in Miami Beach prompted the dream. I spent several three-day weekends in Miami Beach with friends back in the late '80s, but they weren't anything like what we're seeing there now. The wildest thing we ever did was get drunk at "The Melting Pot" and have to leave dinner early. Oh, and we had a shaving cream fight in our hotel room at the Eden Roc.
Dave left work before I did yesterday, and when he got home he texted me that the scaffold had been removed. Hurray! So it lasted slightly longer than a day, but not much longer. The workmen have to come back today and remove some equipment and that derelict TV antenna, and then we're done with them.
We also had repairmen come around yesterday to fiddle with our fuse box in the kitchen. I don't even know what they did -- something that our recent electrical inspection demanded. They may have just changed the fuses. Whatever happened, it didn't take long. And they left behind a hand-held power drill, so now I have to try to call them back and arrange for them to come and collect it.
The other day, I promised a cat picture. Here you go.
My brother sent me this last November. It has something to do with this guy, who ran his cat for political office down in Kent. I've heard no more about it, and we have since Brexited, so I'm assuming the cat didn't win. I consider that this fulfills my obligation.
Sorry to say this Steve but the link to the picture taken on October 5th 1991 made me retch. Not the kind of thing I need to see at 6.30 in the morning. Glad and amazed to learn that the scaffolding has already gone. I thought it would be there till Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI am the first person to admit I'm not a particularly fetching drag queen, but retching seems like a rather extreme reaction!
DeleteI am amazed by the fact that your scaffolding is down and gone. I thought for sure it would be there until the kittens came home.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed too.
DeleteI have never in my life had a Jello shooter, and if I were ever to try one, it wouldn't be that colour. By the way, you made an adorable drag queen, Violet!
ReplyDeleteI think these are the only ones I've ever had, and they're surely not representative of the best examples. Re. the drag, thank you! My friends had matching outfits and we were quite proud of our look at the time. :)
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ReplyDeleteWell, yes, there's "good" drag and "bad" drag. Mine was a deliberate attempt at bad drag. The earrings were chosen more for their potential to be funny than for any attempt at elegance!
DeleteBeware of strange workmen who show up with vague explanations. CIA or MI5 may be recording your every conversation.
ReplyDeleteOr have I been watching too many spy movies lately?
CIA and MI5 would be VERY bored.
DeleteThose Jello shots look like some kind of industrial cleaner!
ReplyDeleteAnd, maybe it's just me, but I like Still Life Onion and Charging Cord.
At least the blue breaks the otherwise monochromatic look of our then-kitchen!
DeleteViolet star
ReplyDeleteHow quaint !
Right? I would love to know where I got that name.
DeleteViolet Star? Maybe at Halloween?
ReplyDeleteHalloween was the only time I ever did drag, but never as Violet. LOL
DeleteViolet Star! Now see? This is the sort of thing that fascinates me. Despite the fact that I have NO DOUBT you have never truly consciously contemplated becoming a drag queen, your brain had the name at the ready. Dreams. Last night I dreamed that three very handsome men were trying to pull a scam on me. Which is quite odd as I was living in a very small apartment and what they thought they could get from my obviously modest means was a question I had. But oh, they were adorable!
ReplyDeleteAs were you in your waitress outfit. It WAS a waitress outfit, right?
It fascinates me too. Clearly I am living some degree of fantasy life in my head! Meanwhile, you are clearly distrusting handsome men. (Probably with good reason.)
DeleteYes, it was a waitress uniform, purchased at a local Goodwill, which back in those days had a whole rack of uniforms. (Maybe they still do?)
I like the old photos. Makes me wonder what I might find on an old camera from ten years ago.
ReplyDeleteViolet Star! That's a great name.
Search all those old memory cards! Who knows what you'll find?
DeleteOld photos can bring back some interesting parts of your life.
ReplyDeleteI love old pictures, particularly ones I've completely forgotten about!
Deletenow, Steve, you can do much better than that paltry attempt. Violet Star is a great name.
ReplyDeletemaybe the still life was all about being beige with the onion, cutting board et al.
Could be! It definitely has a monochromatic thing going on.
DeleteI think your onion photo is rather interesting. Hubby and I used to spend a couple weeks every summer in P-Town. The salt water was good for my legs (arthritis) and we loved the shows and the entertainers. They always had some of the best impersonators. I like that name Violet Star too. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteI've only been to P-Town once, in March 2010, and we were there for a legendary rainstorm that flooded parts of New England. What timing!
Deletehttps://shadowsteve.blogspot.com/2010/04/provincetown.html
Perhaps the color and cubes were so revolting that you didn't want to immortalize them on your blog? I dislike jello anyway(sick food) and can't imagine how vile it would be with liquor in it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it could be I just didn't want to publish the picture. But then why did I lie about it? LOL
DeleteHave you ever seen RuPaul's Drag Race on TV? I am always amazed at the talent these drag queens have - from make-up to outfits; being funny or dramatic while looking glamorous; they are really talented entertainers with their own style. I have enjoyed that show for a long time and RuPaul is always terrific!
ReplyDeleteI like going back to look at your old photos and posts - I found your wedding in 2015! Nice!
I've seen bits and pieces of it, and RuPaul is definitely a drag master. He revolutionized drag and brought it to the masses.
DeleteI love your "still life" shot. What a crazy dream but I bet you are right about being influenced by all the news we've heard lately about the crazy activities in Miami. I was afraid I'd have strange dreams last night after watching the movie "The Trial of the Chicago 7". That was a very disturbing story that I knew bits of but not the whole story.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen that yet but I need to put it on my watchlist. It sounds like something we'd love.
DeleteThat's a pretty cute cat, with an interesting story attached, so you're off the hook :)
ReplyDeleteThe link to your other post was fun too.
Whew! Gotta keep those cat-lovers happy. :)
DeleteThe blue concoction looks like it could be used as wallpaper paste. I was going to say everyone can do good drag but after looking at your photo, perhaps not.
ReplyDeleteHa! Well, I wasn't really trying to do GOOD drag, but I'm not sure I'd be capable of it either! I think the shooters look more like automotive fluid or some kind of solvent -- in any case, definitely not like something you'd want to ingest.
DeleteI checked out your waitress outfit & saw that I commented on that post. Wow - can’t believe I’ve been reading blogs for 10 years! (Now that I think about it I’ve been blogging myself since 2009 - so what’s really crazy is that so much time has passed!)
ReplyDelete