May 17 th
May 18 Th
I think I look better,
with hair,
but,
I kind of like,
the new ‘Do’
It feels amazing,
soft,
and,
it was extreemly liberating.
I feel good about it,
the young lady,
who did the shave,
did a great job,
worked hard,
non scissors,
all clipper.
So tell me girls,
what do you think???
Do I look ok??
Later girls,
BB
It’s a beautiful,
sunny morning,
here,
in my part of,
La Belle Province.
I’m taking,
the morning,
off,
and so is Mom,
because,
today is the day,
the Great Shave!!!
I’m nervous,
very nervous,
what if I look funny?
what if people look at me funny?
My hair,
well, actually,
I think,
anyone’s hair is a big,
part of our physical look,
but,
I think it goes beyond that,
and,
it’s about identity,
how the world sees you,
how you see yourself,
it’s about fashion,
it’s about codes,
it’s about gender,
it’s about femininity,
it’s about butch,
it’s about health.
One of the reasons,
I decided to do this,
is that,
I can,
I control this,
my hair,
will grow back,
because,
it does,
it’s healthy and thick,
I’m healthy and thick:-)
I’m doing this,
in solidarity.
People who are ill,
don’t have a choice,
I do,
and sometimes,
I need to acknowledge,
how lucky,
I am,
in so many ways,
family,
friends,
love,
and health
Also,
I think,
it’s going to look,
Badass!!!
Later girls
I will be posting before and after pictures, soon
The weather is weird,
damp,
hot,
looks like rain,
but,
it doesn’t come,
strange,
and,
well,
frustrating.
Customers?
Not too many,
of those,
today,
or,
yesterday in fact,
oh well,
it should pick up,
tommorrow,
or Friday,
right??
I had a chance to finish,
my Helene Hanff,
it was fun,
like visiting,
New York,
in the seventies,
with someone who lives there,
and,
loves her city deeply,
these are the hard,
New York years,
of near brankruptcy,
and ‘Death Wish’* like,
violence
some parts,
are disconcerting,
as when she writes about,
the World Trade Towers,
Hanff,
wasn’t a fan,
she wasn’t the only one,
like all gigantic building projects,
The World Trade Towers,
had their critics,
and,
when you consider,
what happened,
the unthinkable,
the day the world went mad,
yeah,
disturbing.
So, yesterday,
was my birthday,
it was ok.
I got a really cool present,
a five cd set,
a sort of retrospective,
of Quebecois music,
from 1936-2011,
which corresponds,
to the time,
seventy-five years,
that Radio-Canada,
the French arm of the CBC,
has been on the airwaves.
It’s amazing to hear,
some of these songs,
the ones,
my Grandparents,
met and married to,
the ones my parents,
peace and loved to,
the ones that nursed,
my childhood,
my early years.
Some long cherished,
some long snickered at,
and,
yet,
the nostalgia,
of sitting,
in my grandmother’s kitchen,
always the kitchen,
listening to,
our national,
nationalistic,
poets,
and,
our silly pop music,
pop music is always silly,
nothing wrong with silly.
Songs that speak to my roots,
to the life of my people,
to the lives of my family,
some of them,
these songs,
about our history,
about our land,
remind me how,
profoundly,
Quebecois I feel,
I am,
the pride in those,
who came before me,
and,
how much I miss them.
Birthdays make me,
setimental,
and,
nostalgic.
Later girls,
BB
***Death Wish is a Charles Bronson movie from the seventies, a man becomes a vigilante after the muder of his wife and rape of his daughter, and cleans up New York, or part of it anyway, horribly violent, expressed the climate of New York in those hard violent days**
In a little less than,
thirty minutes,
it will be my birthday.
Will I feel any different?
Probably not:-)
But,
the truth is,
I like birthdays,
I like people to remember,
to make a little bit,
of a fuss,
not much,
you know,
a card,
a call,
rolex,
fishing rod,
you know,
little things
I got you good, huh? Rolex, indeed:-P
Today,
I went shopping,
mostly for Summer pants,
but,
also for a hat,
I figure,
I’m gonna need a few,
to rock,
the Do:-)
I have tons of baseball caps,
also tuques,
I am Canadian after all,
but,
hats for warm to hot weather?
Not so much.
My girl sent me some cute,
bandanas,
don’t know,
what that will look like,
but,
I’ll find out
soon enough.
The reason I’m babbling on,
about my birthday,
is,
I’ve read a lot of stuff,
about,
people turning thirty,
and,
stuff,
worried they’re getting old.
I’m here to tell you,
thirty ain’t old,
fact is:
neither is forty-seven,
think about it,
if life begins at forty,
I’m in second grade!!!
But,
seriously:-)
your forties,
are good,
you know yourself better,
and,
you’re a better,
more considerate,
lover,
hard to top that!!!
Later girls,
BB
p.s I never would have shaved my hair for Cancer in my twenties or thirties, too vain, too selfish, too chicken shit, not everyone, just me:-)
It’s kind of a grey morning,
so far,
but,
it’s bound to clear up,
it’s,
Mother’s Day!!!
Happy Mother’s Day,
to all of you,
be you,
mothers,
or not,
I know and have known,
many mothers,
in my time,
some exceptional,
some,
not so much.
I have the great privilege,
of having mine,
still,
and I hope for a long time.
She’s far from perfect,
as am I,
but,
she loves me for who I am,
always has,
not everyone can say that,
unfortunately.
For today,
let us be grateful,
for mothers,
ours,
each others,
and that the world is full,
of them,
biological or not,
adoptive,
by marriage or alliance,
spiritually,
real, imagined, remembered,
Mothers.
Have a lovely Sunday,
collective group hug?
Later girls,
BB
What a glorious morning it is,
sunny, cool, blue blue sky.
I’m at home,
Thursday morning,
mom’s in charge,
at the bookstore.
I’ve had breakfast,
Great grains cereal with extra raisins and soy milk, I’m so middle aged- the Dude looks hopefully at the bowl and when I let him have the dregs , he looks at me, disappointed, puzzled and, I think, a little grossed out. He doesn’t speak human, but, if he did, I’m pretty sure he’s be saying “you like this shit?”- In point of fact- I do, a Franciscan monk breakfast, for the twenty-first century:-)
It’s my birthday next week,
I’ll be forty-seven,
and,
three days later,
I’m getting my,
buzz cut for Cancer:-)
Should be an interesting week,
if you factor in the fact,
that mom has picked that week,
to have the kitchen painted,
busy, busy, bald:-)
I got my new John Irving,
yesterday,
hot of the press.
I ordered something else,
in order to avoid,
the shipping charges,
a Helene Hanff book
(she of 84 Charing Cross Road fame)
it’s called,
Apple Of My Eye,
all about Helene’s New York,
a sort of a guide book,
it’s delightful,
as all her books are,
feel like you are right there with her,
sharing a Martini and a cigarette,
nice.
The thing is,
I don’t travel,
never have,
it’s not in my,
temperament,
not part of my lifestyle,
I have no objections,
per se,
I just don’t.
Many people think that’s,
close minded?
reductive?
lacking an adventurous spirit?
all this might be true,
I don’t think it is,
but still,
what do I know?
I know,
that I like to travel in books,
with interesting people,
I used to like,
historical novels,
read tons of them,
not so much anymore.
Now, I like my fiction,
and,
memoirs,
not biography so much,
as,
memoir,
slices of lives,
traveling to New York,
with Helene,
watching Paris from my window,
with Colette,
and her cats,
having and raising a baby,
in France,
with Adam Gopnik,
drinks with Janet and Hem,
walking through the 1930′s garden at Sissinghurst,
with Vita and Virginia,
that’s what I like.
But,
since I now eat my cereal,
with soy milk,
maybe,
I’ll experience Shakespeare and Company,
for myself,
live,
with the sights and sounds.
If I can have my head shaved,
change my eating habits,
maybe I can learn to travel,
maybe,
you can teach a middle aged butch,
new tricks
WinK!!!
Later girls,
BB
Pussy Riot,
Russian all women,
balaclaved,
punk rock band,
members arrested,
for denouncing Putin,
and,
his repression,
homophobia,
his patriarchy.
They face,
a possible seven years,
in jail.
Sure, Russia has,
Democracy!!!
***In Montreal, a law recently passed outlawing the wearing of masks in demonstrations, hmm, masks, balaclavas, kind of the same, hmm, food for thought, no? Thank you CBC for stimulating thought***
and…
finally…
Hockey,
remember,
I said recently,
I didn’t care who won the cup?
Ok, well, now I really don’t care!!!
I wonder who will?
The two teams in the western final?
Phoenix and L.A.
I know..!!??!!
I’m predicting,
low ratings,
I wish them luck,
but,
wow,
Arizona and California,
brings to mind,
snow,
ice,
no?
It’s weird,
exporting our game,
to places,
that don’t really want it,
and,
having,
mostly Canadian players,
win!!
Like I said weird.
Stream of consciousness:-)
later girls,
BB
Well it’s,
Tuesday morning,
and,
for me,
it’s like Monday,
for most.
My shop is closed,
on Sundays and Mondays.
The weekend was lovely,
weather good,
business brisk,
good weekend,
in spite of the insane moon.
This morning,
it’s raining,
should make for a quiet day,
but,
who knows,
and,
hope does spring eternal.
I read a very enjoyable,
dyke novel,
on the weekend,
gift from my lady:-)
The novel is,
Butch by Jay Rayn
Apparently,
was quite a success,
in the nineties.
I had never heard of it,
I enjoyed it immensely,
and,
now I’m looking to track down,
Butch II,
so I can read what happened,
to Mike and all.
As you may have guessed,
by the title,
this is the story,
of a butch
coming of age.
Entertaining,
engaging,
sweet,
tough,
sexy,
you know butch:-)
and well paced.
Mike knows who,
she is,
right from the start,
and,
this isn’t all that,
well accepted,
in her family,
and in her,
working class town,
and yet,
Mike thrives,
because she is strong and smart,
and,
knows who she is,
really knows.
A book worth reading,
butch positive,
not rosy in any way,
but,
nice,
empowering.
I could relate,
it’s from another time,
to be sure,
and yet,
much of the homophobia depicted,
still exists,
this isn’t,
Stone Butch Blues,
not as strong,
or raw,
but,
a good read,
nonetheless.
BB recommended<wink>
You may have noticed,
on the home page,
a pinterest button,
I’ve started a page,
on a lark,
could be fun,
check it out.
Later girls,
BB
Ok, now tell me this isn’t,
one of the best names,
you’ve ever heard,
or rather ‘seen’,
for a bookstore,
In Chicago.
Good one,
got a chuckle and a laugh from me:-)
John Irving,
has a new novel coming out,
on May 8Th!!!!
How cool is that?
a week before,
my birthday,
I know what I’m getting myself,
for my birthday:-)
The ‘old’ man is looking good,
seems to be in fine form,
for someone who will soon,
be turning,
seventy!!!
Way to rock the shirt, he’s so butch:-)
His new novel,
In One Person,
is the story of a bisexual man,
Billy Abbott,
through the 50′s, 60′s, 70′s
and into the AIDS crisis of the 80′s.
Abbott is a writer,
in New England,
who wrestles.
Sounds familiar to Irving fans, that bugs some people, familiarity, I’m not one of those people.
Also present are,
quintessential,
Irvingesque elements,
Vienna,
sexual suspect-ness,
etc.
I don’t want to,
read too much about it,
spoil the punch,
it will be great,
coming right after,
my re-reading of,
Cider House Rules,
which I’m still,
working my way through.
Smells like,
a John Irving Summer,
complex,
woodsy,
with a touch of citrus,
and,
danger.
Hmm authors as cologne,
could be a fun game,
Hemingway?
Bay rum,
all the way:-)
Later girls,
BB
