I Dream of Cats Eyes

                                                                    Sassy yet Pragmatic

                                                       Only the most stylish wear them

                                                 Utilitarian for a medieval costume party

                                           A lady with her ritzy Cats Eyes and a snazzy hat

                                                A swank Cats Eye ring, exhilarating!

                                               Cats Eyes with your afternoon cup of tea

                          A lovely Life Cover Model displaying her chic by wearing Cats Eyes

                                                          Even a cat wearing Cats Eyes

Oh NO!!  They are multiplying!!

There is nothing comparable to the sleek, urbane, modernistic yet practical Cats Eye glasses.  I have been contemplating their importance to modern society.  If they had not been invented we may still be living like we did in the fifties with Donna Reed, Make Room for Daddy, Leave It to Beaver, The Lone Ranger etc.  Thanks to Cats Eye glasses things changed in the 60's.  If it wasn't for Cat's Eye glasses there would be no women's liberation and there would have been no Civil Rights movement.  Because of Cats Eyes there was a Woodstock and man landed on the moon.  Cats Eye glasses fueled the flower power generation.  Cats Eye glasses initiated the invention of computers and the internet (not Al Gore).  So every time you see an individual wearing Cats Eye glasses you should get down on your knees and thank them because if it wasn't for their continuing the in vogue fashion statement and tradition of Cats Eyes, we would all be stuck back in the Fifties never advancing, always on rinse and repeat.  Long Live Cats Eyes!! 

Life in Dark Water

Hello, Hello, Hello, Is there anybody out there?  I am writing this from the galley of the Marie Celeste.  Seems awful lonely here in a sunken ship.  Wait, am I alive?  The ship is sunk about 1000 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean so how can I possibly be writing this?  Maybe I'm not really here and I'm trapped in another dimension.  I could be one of the crewmen that disappeared from Marie Celeste, as she was found drifting empty in the Atlantic ocean on December 5, 1872.  I must be stuck in another plane of existence.  Its 2014, its not possible for me to be alive, yet here I am sitting in a sunken ship at the bottom of the Atlantic writing this.  I am so lonely, I have the whole ocean and yet there is no one to talk to.  Could I be in a hypnotic trance?  Could I actually be living a parallel life and this is a temporary side journey.  I know what it is.....  This is actually a dream.  Ok then, wake up, wake up, wake up, its not working, I'm still here.  I guess I'll just have to make the best of it.  I must find my way out of here.  You know the mind is a maze.  I am trapped in the recesses of my own mind.

Art

I ask myself, what does the word Art mean to me?  Art has always been paintings, music, theatre etc.  Is there more to the word Art than those human endeavors?  Am I intelligent enough to think there may be more to Art than "The Arts"?  One of my problems is always 2 dimensional thinking.  I am such a product of my upbringing and education.  I wish I could think on another plane or dimension or be creative enough to think outside this box I have placed myself in.

The lovely Astraea tweeted this today on Twitter:

Astraea‏@FadingGoldLeaf43m

@OdysseyNumber5 Art is what elevates you to a place where no one can touch your thoughts anymore, where you finally feel yourself come alive.

 

I think to myself after reading that, what a lofty goal.  How many people have ever achieved that?  Only the true greats, intellects and very special individuals have ever lifted themselves to that level.  I know I am not one of those amazing souls who can achieve those heights.  It makes me a little sad and a tiny bit jealous.  The conventional thinking is always --- "Know your limits", a good motto to live by.  Thank god for the incredible people who didn't stay with in the norm and achieved greatness.  Art truly is more than just painting, singing etc.  Art can be a concept that encompasses a life and for those special few, their Life is Art.

Morrissey / The Smiths

Recently I have been contemplating my love and adoration of the music of Morrissey and The Smiths.
Of course the common bond is Morrissey.  The Smiths were an amazing band.  A true phenomenon of the 80's.  Their music is timeless.  Its as relevant today as it was in the 80's.  A friend of mine told me about The Smiths.  When I first heard the opening guitar lines and Morrissey's vocals and lyrics on "How Soon is Now"  I was hooked.  They will always be my favorite band.

Morrissey decided to go on as a solo artist and thank God for that.  He has made absolutely outstanding music.  From "Viva Hate" through "Years of Refusal"  he has an impressive catalogue of music which no other artist can match.  He is a true icon and creative genius.  He has a new album coming out in June/July called "World Peace is None of Your Business" and that will only add to his greatness.

My dilemma has been who do I like better Morrissey or The Smiths.  Now of course I love them both!!
I have to admit I liked The Smiths just the tiniest bit more than Morrissey's solo work.  That is not the case any more though.  Over the last several years I have changed my thinking.  I love Morrissey's solo material much more than The Smiths.  I'm not really sure of why I changed.  Morrissey's solo material seems more personal to me at this time of my life.  Its very deep, rich and makes one think.  The songs are powerful yet subtle and always heartfelt.

I will always love The Smiths and the music of The Smiths but I do like Morrissey's solo material better.  Every time I listen to a Moz song I feel like its taking me on a journey which is quite moving.
We are so lucky to have Morrissey and may he continue to make music and tour and challenge the boundaries.

Not Taking a Bow

The grime of this world has been booting me in the crotch lately.

Wasted Talent

is a Terrible shame.

Children dying young is horrid.

Cancer is a scourge.

War is worse than hell.

Phony religious leaders are evil.

Mysogyny is obnoxious.

Work is pointless.

Senility is atrocious.

Bullying is unacceptable.

Hate is looking in the mirror.

Anger is exhaustion.

Superficiality is popular.

The soul is decaying.

Life is a slow march to death.

The State of Harrison

The state of Harrison is weak and getting weaker by the minute.  Things are so bad a lady came up to me the other day and said I look like Andy Warhol.  Now don't get me wrong I love Andy Warhol.  He was a true innovator and icon.  I have even been to the Andy Warhol museum.  I do not think I resemble Andy at all.  I'm sure the look of horror on my face was obvious to the lady.  She said that it was a compliment and she adored him.  Strangers never talk to me, so naturally I was taken aback by the entire incident.  Now I certainly wish that I had the talent and creativity of Andy Warhol, even if I don't look at all like him.

I suffered a MCL sprain to my left knee playing hockey 2 weeks ago and have still not been cleared to play.  I am going out of my mind.  I don't have much of a life, so one of the small pleasures I get out of life is playing hockey.  I can't play tennis or go running either.  So what is left for me to do?
Why of course go online and watch YouTube videos of my favorite music (mainly Morrissey)  and then post them to Twitter.  There are some lovely folks on twitter to interact with.  They are all Morrissey aficionados and music lovers.  Such nice people they are.  I wish I had nice folks like that in my real life.  They are Willow, Astraea, Fifi, Bunnygal, Rat, Heather to name a few.

One piece of good new is Morrissey will be releasing a new album called World Peace is None of Your Business.  I am certainly looking forward to some spanking new Moz tunes for the summer.

It feels like my knee will never get better, its still sore when I walk but not as bad as last week.  I have to do all this Physical therapy every day.  It sure doesn't feel like its helping.  Oh well of course it could always be worse so I shouldn't complain.

This past winter was brutal. The temperatures dipped to some of the lowest around here in the past 30 years.  We seemingly had snow every day.  Frozen water lines, car problems and all of the other things that go along with extremely cold temps.  You just want to stay under the covers and never leave the bed.

Then there is the neighbor lady who constantly watches out the window on the orders of the guy she lives with.  I came home the other night at 2:30 am and that woman was sitting there watching.  I think she writes down the times when I leave and when I come home.  I feel like I'm under surveillance from the Police!

I go visit my elderly neighbor lady a couple times a week.  Her mind is getting weaker and weaker.  Last week she didn't know what my name was.  I feel bad for her.  She has a really nice dog so I think that helps her to have a companion.  It just makes me feel so sad inside to see her declining.  What can one do about aging?  Nothing at all, its part of life.  Of course that doesn't mean you cant rage against the dying of the light.

In conclusion from The Fortress of Solitude,  this has not been the greatest last couple of months for me.   I must bravely soldier on because there is no other alternative.  If the weather warms up and my knee heals up, there is some hope for a bright summer.  Sometimes it would be nice to have a bridge over troubled waters but I guess that might be to much to ask for.  I guess I'll just have to rely on me.