Sassistas! Our dish on the social soup.

Seaweed

Seaweed from Tell No One on Vimeo.

 

A simply unique video that Matissta

found interesting and wanted to share.

Edgewater Christmas

The Sassistas! would like to acknowledge and thank treesta

for dishing today's sass and providing ALL OF THE PHOTOS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On December 4, while walking Trixie, I noticed that there seemed to be more Christmas decorations than last year, so I decided to take a late-night drive through the community. While there were some Grinch streets, many streets were aglow in Christmas LEDs. Now, if I were to drive down the road to Davidsonville, a local upscale community, the houses would be decorated elegantly, in white lights, with carefully situated spotlights highlighting live greenery and red ribbons. But I live in Woodland Beach, what once was a summer beach community on the South River. Woodland Beach is a very eclectic community. No two houses sitting next to each other are identical. Home prices range from $150,000 to well over a million. A two-bedroom cottage often sits beside a three-story, well-manicured colonial. It's just a very different, quirky little community. The Christmas lights last night were no different. To be sure, there were more than a few tastefully decorated, I might even say elegantly decorated homes. Here in the Beach, though, styles seemed to lean toward any variety of Christmas yard art, often all in one postage-stamped size front yard. The yard art varied from the 60's & 70's style molded plastic Santas and Frostys and Rudolphs, all the way to the current style of air-blown nylon cloth decor. But to be sure, there was quite the variety. I kept a list to report back to the sassosphere: A half dozen Santas riding his Harley. At least as many Santas riding a John Deere tractor. 3 Santas riding ATVs, carrying reindeer in the back. One Santa landing his bi-plane (complete with moving propeller), with his 'runway' outlined in Christmas lights on the yard. Two Santas sailing yard-art sailboats. One Santa driving his yard-art motorboat. (It is an old beach community, after all.) One Santa driving his very real sailboat down at the dock, which was outlined in multi-colored lights. One Santa riding in his hot-air balloon, which was suspended from a large oak tree in the front yard. Dozens (I stopped counting) of Penguin elves in all possible sizes, one of whom was rowing a rowboat across the front yard, pulled by a reindeer. A Christmas dinosaur (a stegasaurus to be precise). A couple of Christmas pink flamingos (Minho-ho-hos?). Mickey Santas and Winnie-the-Pooh Santas. At least 3 Bart Simpson Santas. A Snoopy, attired in his pilot hat and goggles, flying his Christmas decorated dog house (no Red Baron, however). Lots of snowmen, toy soldiers, and 9-foot tall snowglobes. One snowglobe had lights flickering in the globe, with a kind of strobe-light thing going on.  It was quite the tacky Christmas decor extravaganza.   And oh, a Christmas Elmo and Cookie Monster are waiting out in my front yard for Julia to arrive on Christmas Eve.

Happy Pez Day!

TODAY IS CAROLYN'S BIRTHDAY!

The Sassistas! couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than by sharing images of

the Pez collection at the American Visionary Art Museum!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, C!

Same Time Next Year 2011

Hey sistas and mistas! It's that time of year . . . Matissta's Fall Foliage Fotos! Click here to view what she photographed last year. Flannista (who took the first photo and the last photo below) thinks she's getting better and better.  Thanks again, Matiss, for sharing your gifted eye with us.

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

Do You See What I See?

Last week, Kathleen Morris, one of the artists represented in Flannista's private art collection opened a show at my favorite gallery, the Box Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  One painting in the show called, "Dialog" (above, right) caught my eye because it reminded me of a painting already in my private collection by Anne St. John Hawley (above, left) called, "The Body in Mysterious Ceremony".  The Hawley painting is large (40" x 29.5") and the Morris is small (16" x 13"). 

Is Flannista crazy to see a similarity between these two paintings?  Do you see any?  If so, what similarities do you see?

 

 

Grace

Tim Lowly shared that his daughter, Temma, smiles "once every nine months or so." Last September, on their wedding anniversary, Tim and his wife, Sherrie, witnessed Temma laughing for the first time. Tim videotaped those moments, blew out the color, and then set the footage to music.  Although this video is posted on Youtube, Tim only shares it with close family and friends who know Temma. The Sassistas! are grateful for his permission to post it here.

Below is a painting in Flannista's collection done by Tim.  It is called, "Between" and captures the 24-hour period between Temma's birth and her shattering cardiac arrest.

 

Singing to You

On Tuesday evening and Wednesday, Flannista hosted Tim Lowly and one member of his band Baby Mountain -- Karima Walker -- in Flannista's home.  It was one of the most beautiful experiences of Flann's lifetime.  

But this is not a post about house concerts.

This is a post about finding beauty in unthinkable circumstances.

"Baby Mountain" is the nickname of Tim's daughter, Temma. Within 24 hours of her birth, Temma went into cardiac arrest and is now -- in Tim's words -- "profoundly other" (Tim prefers that phrase rather than "profoundly disabled"). The clinical term for Temma's condition is "spastic quadriplegia with seizure disorder and other complications."  Temma is deaf, blind and completely paralyzed. She is fed through a valve in her stomach.

She is now 25 years old and still lives with her parents. Her life is a source of great mystery to all her encounter her. Temma and her parents spent the night in my home about 15 years ago.  I remember what seemed like constant "electrical storms" in her head.  Her soft moaning. How she always responded to the touch of her mother and Tim's wife, Sherrie, now an ordained pastor.

Tim shared openly how much Temma is the subject and inspiration of both his art and his music.  Tim is a highly-respected and nationally-recognized artist with paintings in permanent collections such as the Metropolitan in New York City and the Chicago Art Institute.  Click here to visit the website that focuses on his art. Pictured above is a pencil drawing entitled, "Imago Dei" that Tim completed in 1991.

About 10 years ago, Tim began to seriously pursue his music as well as his art and two years ago, released his second (or third) CD, "Chasing Brother Angel".  To hear, "Sandro," what I consider to be the most beautiful song on that album (in an album of great beauty), click here.  

On Tuesday evening, Tim and Karima played a short and lovely set to about a dozen of my neighbors. My favorite song of the evening was, "Singing to You," a song accompanied by a painting of Temma as a baby lying in a desert among ashes and the broken pieces of ancient body armor.  Click here to listen to a recording of Tim and Karima singing it at another house concert (which explains why its quality it not as good as "Sandro"). Following are the words to "Singing to You":

Are we more than questions in the back of your eyes?

Is there more to living than this fight to survive?

Will the morning roll you out like the tide?

Where are you going tonight?

 

[CHORUS]

I am singing, I am singing, I am singing to you.

 

Which of these stories is best left untold?

What is dross?  What is gold?

In the face of fire, will we stand and be bold?

What is this treasure that I hold?

 

[CHORUS]

I am singing, I am singing, I am singing to you.

 

Each of these steps puts us back at the start --

We’re pulled together. We’re torn apart.

Though in this dark I cannot read all the cards,

I know you hold the answers in your heart.

 

[CHORUS]

I am singing, I am singing, I am singing to you.

 

"In the face of fire, will we stand and be bold?  What is this treasure that I hold?"  

So many of us are facing fire these days.  We are pulled together.  We're torn apart.

Let's keep singing.

Sassy Sally

 

The Sassistas! would like to acknowledge and thank Justista for dishing today's sass.

The Public Interest Law Students held a charity auction in March. They auctioned off luncheons with professors, designer purses and two-night stays at a spa. The first item up for auction was a picture of a neon sign that reads, "Sassy." I saw it and bid way too much money for it because the sassosphere had to have it. Flannista has it now (pictured above, leaning against Flann's piano).

Sassy Sally's is one of the original downtown casinos, a little worse for wear but very proud. Sassy Sally herself is a neon girl who sits above the "Girls of Glitter Gulch" across from "Vegas Vic."  (See photos left.)  Sassy Sally unfortunately was renamed Vegas Vicky when downtown was remodeled. I still think of her as Sassy Sally, though. Even though she is ancient and some of her bulbs are burnt out she kicks her leg up there with attitude.

That's my girl.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  The Sassistas! love this objet d'art and thank Justista not only for buying it to raise money for charity, but also for sending it to SassistaLand East. Now all we need to do is open our own casino/bar.  

Speaking of which, what are some your favorite bars and why?

Tattoo or No Tattoo?

The Sassistas! would like to acknowledge and thank Justista for dishing today's sass!

In June, I am retiring from a 35-year career in the law, and to prepare, I've been examining things, making lists, worrying and fretting. One of the things at the top of my retirement prep list is to get a tattoo of a lotus blossom on my right hand. I have no tattoos anywhere else but there is symbolic meaning to this one.

A child who called me "Granny Justista" was murdered in December, and I always thought of that child as a lotus blossom growing out of the muck. But even before that tragedy, I wanted to get an obvious tattoo to symbolize my retirement from the courtroom.  The lotus symbolizes the beauty that I found in my clients even though they grew in the murkiest of settings. So after much vacillation, I went to Sin City Tattoo, where Jeff -- who has lots of ink on him and several places where studs or rings have been pulled out and left shredded skin -- consulted with me. He tried to discourage me from getting my first tattoo on my hand where it was so obvious. But I was pleased when he said, "Just trying to make a statement, huh?" Together we discussed the design details. Color? Delicate or heavy?  Size?

Here's the thing: my partner Gruff and I have been together over 20 years. It is a strong relationship, and we both leave a lot of room for each other. Gruff hates tattoos. He thinks they are stupid and tacky. He has made it clear that he will be very unhappy if I go through with this plan. He threatens to grow his beard as long as ZZ Top. I actually thought this was kind of silly because I like ZZ Top, but it did show the strength of his feelings. 

So I have a dilemma. I've been thinking and dreaming about this tattoo for a year. I like "making a statement," but I'm not really sure that it is worth the above reaction from Gruff. I am weighing the importance of the tattoo against Gruff's feelings. 

So sassosphere: what compromises do we make for a relationship? Where do we draw the line (or perhaps the tattoo)?

Wonder

This is an actual birth announcement.

The Sassistas! discovered it taped to the mirror of their hair stylist last weekend.

What's the caption?  What's is dear Annabelle June thinking?