Room 101

Screengrab from
The Curse of Frank Black
— Twentieth Century Fox
Home Entertainment, Inc.

There is a Room in Frank Black’s head.

We all have rooms in our heads; it’s where we keep the things we don’t really want to think about. We go about our lives without giving much thought to what might be hiding in there. For most of us, it only adds a faint patina to our core being, an extra dimension, nothing more.

Frank, however, is different. Frank’s Room once waited for purpose with a sense of equal parts anticipation and dread, its edges intangible, fading into darkness. Now, on Hallowe’en night of Frank’s fifth year, it finds its first occupant.

Frank’s family had always whispered about him, that he might have inherited his mother’s ways. He’s so quiet, they said. So intense. And perhaps this intensity, this silence, has turned his gifts inward as well, because, while Mr. Crocell has not yet passed in the outside world, here, in the Room, he emerges fully formed.

Frank’s first ghost.

Tarot: a current list

Photo by Sergi Viladesau
on Unsplash

I figured I’d better make a central list, as it’s getting a bit out of hand. Some of these descriptions are ones I wrote on this blog previously.

Oracle sets: a current list

For my own edification, here's a central list of all the oracle sets I have. As with my Tarot list, some of these descriptions are ones I wrote on this blog previously.

Pull yourself together, they’re just curtains.

In which I dive, possibly too deeply, into the world of drapery.

When I moved into my condo 11 years ago (I can't believe it’s been that long!), there were ugly, half-detached track rods across the windows, which I promptly removed.

Let me paint the picture: I have a West-facing unit (never the sunrise, but always the sunset, which I’m fine with), with one of those L-shaped living/dining rooms. As I’m on the top floor, I have extra-high structural ceilings (121.5" to be precise), but with dropped-ceiling tiles that bring it down to 93" (and no, I can’t remove the dropped ceilings as they cover lots of wiring and piping coming from the roof — that’s the drawback to ‘penthouse living’), which means I can’t really hang things heavier than paper from the ceiling unless I want to put a hole in a tile and hang an extra long pole/hook contraption from the concrete 28.5" farther up.

The windows along the wall go from the dropped ceiling to a windowsill a third of the way up the wall, and they span more than half of the width of wall. They’re broken into six separate panes, with three larger, almost square, panes above three smaller, rectangular, panes (the centre of which opens). All told (including framing), it’s over 472ft of light coming in — and that’s DIRECT sunlight from about 1pm until sundown, as there are no significant obstructions to the horizon for almost 5.5 kilometers (that’s over 3.3 miles*).

Los Angeles is melting in the dark

Screengrab from
Judgement - Mutant Enemy
Productions / 20th Century
Fox Television

(The Host steps up to the mike)

Hey kids, I’m so glad you could join us this evening at Caritas. You know, this city is a madhouse, and it seems like everyone’s out to get you. A quick judgement call is sometimes the only choice we have. But things aren’t always as they seem at first, are they? It’s like the heroes and the villains all melt into each other sometimes.

(Orchestral music starts to play)

Love it: TaoTronics Humidifier

The heating element on my old humidifier failed last week so I bought a new one! Meet my new baby from TaoTronics:

Tarot/divination 'want it' list

Just a central list so I can get at it when I need to. Not sure I actually WANT all of these, but I find them interesting anyway.

Lockdown plumbing achievement unlocked!

I've lived in my condo for over 10 years. I had big plans to do so much before moving in, but besides having the balcony enclosure replaced I have not got around to any of it. (A raging case of executive dysfunction doesn't help!)

I'm not young, I live alone, and I have had no previous experience with plumbing or building, but I like to be as independent as possible. As my Dad's only daughter, he's always surprised by my wish to do this stuff myself and that I have my own actual tools.

Now, being here all the time, I'm finding I'm finally more inclined to make this place liveable. I've started with the smallest room, the bathroom.

Since mid-March, I have repaired a leaky toilet tank, installed a bidet attachment, swapped out the shower handles, and fixed a broken flush chain. And now...

Pass the Popcorn

Original from Clipartlord

A little while back I decided to make a Lifesongs-style list, only on the films I’ve loved the most over the years. I found it difficult, so to help me out in the meantime I instead made a list of every movie I’ve ever seen in a theatre or drive-in. Not easy, of course, my brain being what it is. Luckily I had Wikipedia to help me.

The things you learn.

Today I learned Flat Foot Floogie (aka Flat Fleet Floogie) is actually about a syphilitic prostitute.

The floogie part originally was "floozie" or maybe "floosie," American slang for a prostitute. It was changed to floogie to make it fit for the delicate sensibilities of radio audiences.

And "floy, floy" was slang for a sexually transmitted disease, probably syphilis. One effect of end-stage syphilis, which may not show up for many years after the infection, is called proprioception. It causes the sufferer to walk with a high-stepping gait, sort of slapping their feet flat on the floor.

Hence "flat foot floogie."

I'm listening to Fats Waller's version of the 1938 Slim & Slam dance hit now, it's a joyous song and I'll never hear it the same way again.

The Resolution will not be televised

Screengrab from
Half A Life - Paramount

Personal Log, Lwaxana Troi Stardate 44805.3

Entry 4:

Well, this trip is turning out a bit differently than I had expected.

Eleven bags

I've finished my second go-of my clothes and I've filled 11 big recycling bags. I still have too many shirts, pants, dresses, sweaters, etc. but if I don't move on I'll be on clothing forever. I have yet to tackle outerwear, undergarments, pyjamas, jewelry, handbags, shoes, swimwear, and everything waiting to be washed, but I think of that stuff separately anyway. I think I will revisit the clothing in six months.

The farther I get on this path, the more daunting it seems. I really do have soooo much stuff, and I work a lot and I am out of town a lot. I think it could easily be Summer before I see a light at the end of the tunnel.

But The Boy helped me take the 11 bags to a donation Centre today, and the difference is palpable. It's as if I’d been physically carrying it all around with me, and the load has been lifted.

And this is just the main clothing - no socks, pyjamas, outerwear, scarves, jewelry, bags, shoes... but it was the bulk of the problem for sure!

Love it: Call of the West

This weekend, I had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding significant albums (for his podcast Deeper Cuts). He wanted me to tell him about an album that held a special place in my heart, and it took me a while to narrow it down to just one, as there are so many for so many different reasons. I decided on Wall of Voodoo’s Call of the West from 1982.

More bags

I have finished my first go-through of all of my clothes, and I have 8-½ bags to donate. I still have enough clothing for two or three more people, and I haven’t even touched socks, bras, tights, etc. so starting tomorrow I am going to take a second run at it and tackle the "maybe" pile, and be really firm.

Seriously, I have probably twice the pairs of pants, skirts, and dresses I should at this point, and maybe three times the pairs of jeans and tops.

It is getting a little easier now to make decisions on what is going, but I am still not having the "sparks joy" moments with the clothing. I also find that I want to keep one or two “emergency outfits” but I’m fighting it. Today I put four of my vintage dresses into a donation bag, and that would have been unheard of before. Well, they'll make someone else happy.

Emergency alert in the night

There was an amber alert lastnight at 11:36pm regarding the abduction of an 11 year old girl by her father. Woke me up. Not complaining about that, that's how it works.

A second emergency alert came in at 12:21am to cancel the amber alert saying 'child has been located.' Oh good, I thought, the little girl is safe. Not sure I needed to be woken up again, but then again it's good to know the emergency is over, and it meant anyone actively involved in searching for her could stand down, so it makes sense.

Emergency clothes

Darts was cancelled tonight due to the crap weather we're having, so I came home and went through the jeans I have left after going through them lastnight. Put another five pair in the donation bag, folded the rest and put them away. I still think I have twice as many as I should though.

And I discovered a stash of another five pair.

All in the jeans

I've been slowly going through the clothes, but I had to move away from tops for now as I was putting too many aside as 'maybes.' Wednesday last week was the only day I could work on it and I didn't make very much progress, and I was away all weekend.

Ah, there it is

I had plans after work tonight, so I was unable to make any progress with the clothing. However, given the absolute agony my back was in after two nights spent on the couch, combined with galavanting around Casa Loma on Sunday, a decision had to be made.

Where did my bed go?

So yesterday I started the KonMari in earnest, by pulling out all of the clothing in the drawers, hanging on rods, and piled up clean in the laundry baskets, and I stacked them all on the bed - separated by pants, skirts, tops, dresses, and cardigans. It’s rather daunting to see it all at once, I knew I had far more clothing then I needed but it really does make a difference seeing it all together like this.

Detritus

Conversation we had on vacation last week: what word were you pronouncing wrong in your head for years before finally hearing someone else say it?