Perfect songs

Music captivates me. I am so enthralled by music. Here's five great songs (in no order, seriously):

1. Redemption Song: Bob Marley

2. Where Is My Mind: Pixies

3. The Dock of The Bay: Otis Redding

4. Slip Slidin' Away: Paul Simon

5. Houses On The Hill: Whiskeytown 

Sad things and happy things

In no particular order, here is a list of five random things I encountered recently:

1. Happy thing turned sad: A baby female Cardinal was on the sidewalk by my garden a few days ago. She seemed lost, and cold, and I checked on her for several hours. She was really beautiful; I love all animals and have a soft spot especially for Cardinals. On the fourth hour of "Cardinal watch," she was dead. Charlie and I held a little funeral service and buried her in a handkerchief under our tree. 

2. Happy thing turned sad: I found this photo on my phone today. It is from the Ryan Adams and the Cardinals concert in Memphis. It was the band's third-to-last gig on the tour, and the sound was bad at the venue, so the MFC played a pretty short show. This is the only photo I kept of the show--that's Ryan's silhouette in front of the neon blue rose.

3. Happy thing: Today is Charlie's birthday!!!

4. Happy thing: Earlier I blogged about my houseplants and attached a photo. Now look at what the crazy plant's flower looks like...a giant red phallus! Ha!  

5. Happy thing: Tomorrow my class takes its final, which I wrote today.

New art!!!

Yesterday we went to Makanda Fest, and the whimsical mutli-textile sculpture I bought at the store Dayshift inspired my latest list (art purchases in southern Illinois from most to least recent):

1. "Free and Easy" by (I forgot the artist's name)

*5X7 sculpture hangs by string from a nail, its beak is made out of a slice of a book, its ostrich feathers tempt my cats, and its compass offers direction

 

2. "Blunder 09" by Edie Overturf

*Alice in Wonderland scene with Alice being dragged by the Queen of Hearts

3. "New York scene" by Edyta Blaszczyk

*After I bought this picture for a donation to the Ryan Rendleman scholarship fund, Jessie helped me pick the matting and frame. Thanks Edyta for making this eccentric NYC street scene!

4. "Crazy Cat Lady Mug Shot" by Tracey Weiersmueller

* Me and Whimsy just a few months before she died. Tracey chose our mug shot for her postcards to announce the show, and it was such a lovely surprise to see Whimsy all over the place. When the show was censored by SIUC Chancellor Sam Goldman, Charlie and I led a protest that helped bring attention to the show. You can read more about it here: http://www.uwire.com/Article.aspx?id=1098510.

5. "Ampersand" by Kevin Curry

 

* This ampersand was made from leftover neon signage. Because it's hard to see the rich texture, here are two angles. The multiple meanings of the & have always inspired me.