We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet...

Not only is it a full moon on New Year's Eve tonight, but it is also a blue moon, (which won't happen again for another 18 years) and a lunar eclipse! (We in the western hemisphere won't be able to see it though).

I am going to believe with all my heart that these are the signs of a wonderful and happy 2010 and the closing of a less than stellar 2009. And in that light I wish you all nothing but joy, health, love, and prosperity. May the Moon Maiden shine her light on us!

My father died yesterday very suddenly and unexpectedly. It's left my family completely stunned and numb. I'm still in a state of shock and disbelief and haven't really processed it all. That's going to take some time. I have the flu so my visit to my mother's was limited to mask-wearing and just for the day. On our drive back to Santa Barbara I sat in the passenger seat feeling groggy and half asleep. A flood of thoughts, emotions , and memories raced through my head and one of those was surprising and unexpected: gratefulness. I was so thankful that I had no regrets or unspoken words with him.

Our relationship throughout my life was a strained one for the most p

art but in the last five years we had really gotten close and I have many memories of our laughing together. He had a wicked sense of humor and the quickest wit around. He was also a meticulous dresser and self-groomer. He would take 45 minutes each morning to ready himself for the day. We all giggled at the amount of product my parents have in their bathroom - 95% of it his. He prided himself on the fact that though he was 75 he looked 15 years younger.

He loved to show off his legs, beautifully and effortlessly toned and smooth and cited his secret as avocado oil. I remember in the eighties when he first started applying it. We thought he was nuts. Now, after seeing how great he looked, we're not so sure.

My brother and I talked yesterday about how our dad seemed to get cooler and more in touch in fashion and music after his fifties. He wore clothes we liked and loved the music we listened to as much as we did. Though I made him mixed cds alot, he would regularly 'borrow' the ones I'd make for my brother. He loved his tangos first and foremost, but opera came in a close second and everything else was welcome. I've been listening to tangos all day and while most associate it with the sexiness of the dance, it is mostly a melancholy and aching music. It's incredibly comforting today as I regularly just break down crying at the thought of not being able to see him again. Here are some of our favorites, very very old and very new too.

Mi Noche Triste- Anibal Troilo.mp3 Corazón-Federico Aubele.mp3 Época- Gotan Project.mp3

My grandfather, dad and me- Christmas 1974. I got a reel-to-reel tape recorder and that was the beginning of an obsession I still have.

Things That Scared Me!

As children my sister, brother, and I looked forward to the TV viewing of The Wizard of Oz and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They were televised every year and we would watch with excitement and joy. I'll never forget how much the Wicked Witch and the Child Catcher scared me though. Whenever they were on screen I sat as close as possible to my mom, sometimes hiding my face on her shoulder when the fear was too much. They were both so sinister and evil, though the Child Catcher scared me the most. The idea that a horrible little man could smell children even from hiding places and take them away from their parents was nightmare inducing.

Today's tune is an oldie from Neko Case's 2002 Blacklisted CD- perfect title! Enjoy.

Things that Scare Me-NC.mp3

Amazing Grace Coddinton

We went to see R.J. Cutler's doc The September Issue last night and I loved it. Anna Wintour is fantastic at her job and gets things done. The power she has in such a cutthroat industry is astounding and the fact that she let cameras follow her around is admirable considering her reputation for avoiding any and all unnecessary scrutiny from the public. I did like and respect her more by end of the movie, no doubt. She is a brilliant business person.

BUT, the standout genius in the film is undoubtedly Grace Coddington, Vogue's creative director. I'm sure all artists who see the movie will feel an instant connection with her. She is a true artist who does an incredible job with passion and a sense of wonder and discovery, which is all the more impressive given that she has been doing it for about forty years.

She is an inspiration and my newest hero. Batgirl, lookout!

Here are Grace-related tunes- Elbow's lovely Grace Under Pressure and The Pretenders' sweet song of redemption and regret Saving Grace. Enjoy and see The September Issue!

Grace Under Pressure- E.mp3 Saving Grace- P.mp3

Holy Bat Family

Maybe it's my take on a alternate universe Saint Barbara (Gordon)- or maybe I just felt like playing around in Photoshop. Either way I love the beards on Robin/Jesus and Batman/God. Robin wants to pet and touch, Batman wants to punch. He hates it when Robin doesn't give him all his attention. He is an angry and jealous Batman/God!

Here is a track from Feist's 1999 debut Monarch, It's Cool to Love Your Family. Enjoy!

It's Cool to Love Your Family- Feist.mp3

This Soldier Knows

I've been listening to the same song on repeat for the last 4 hours. I tend to do that when a song really touches me. The song in question is Soldier, from Ingrid Michaelson's new CD Everybody. I've been a fan of hers since her 2007 CD Boys and Girls.

This song in particular sticks with me because it touches on a theme that I've tried to make a part of my everyday life, which is to open oneself to love, be it religious, spiritual, romantic, charitable, or platonic. She likens that act to being a warrior of love, knowing fully that it is a sometime tough battle, but the alternative is being a lonely and isolated coward. She speaks of the leap of faith needed in giving oneself to love with no guarantee that love will reciprocate. I believe that being a part of that 'battle' is already a reward and a triumph, the mere act of loving a nourishment for growth.

I especially like how she begins the song repeating:

I don't believe in anything but myself

which seems like a pervasive attitude these days, and suddenly:

You opened up a door and now I start to believe in something else.

A lover, a friend, a new baby, Buddha, Jesus... whatever. I love those open doors!

Listen for yourself- I dare you to not be moved too.

Soldier- IM.mp3

There's a new girl in town...sort of.

DC Comics has had Batgirl fans on pins and needles for the last few months as they teased us with previews of upcoming covers for the new Batgirl series. The last Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, is quitting her job as a Gotham vigilante, at least until the dead Batman is resuscitated. So the big mystery has been who will wear the cowl? Turns out it's not such a big surprise: former Gotham vigilante Spoiler, aka Stephanie Brown. And she was batman's sidekick Robin for awhile too. She's had a tough life: daughter of a criminal mastermind (not so mastermind really), a once pregnant teen who gave up her baby, ex-girlfiend of Robin, torture victim of Black Mask, and the person who started a huge riot and gang war in Gotham.

I guess she'll get to redeem herself now. The saving grace here is that Barbara Gordon, the original and true Batgirl, will mentor her. Fingers crossed.

Here are some girl songs for you- Patty Griffin's One More Girl, from her unreleased bootleg Silver Bell, Feist with When I Was a Young Girl, and a fun mashup of Madonna's What it Feels Like for a Girl. Enjoy!

One More Girl-PG.mp3 When I Was a Young Girl-F.mp3 What it Feels Like remix-M.mp3