What is decorative painting?

Decorative painting was news to me until I saw this web site www.patmcmahonartist.com.

The photos in the Portfolio section are semi-amazing and show how Pat McMahon uses her skills to restore objects, match designs from an earlier day and bestow a feeling of beauty and luxury to interior designs.

Well worth taking a look.

Music and Comedy - Timing is everything

Comedy and Music are closely related in many ways, none more important than the issue of timing.

As Mark Twain said, the difference between the right work and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. As I say, the difference between the right timing and almost the right timing in comedy is the difference between a thunder clap and a belch. (Okay, a belch is funnier than thunder, but you get my point.)

Think of the Marx Brothers, the Ritz Brothers, Mae West and Harry Lauder. Now think of how intimately their comedy was entangled in music. Think of Charlie Chaplin's dance with the globe in "The Great Dictator." (As W.C. Fields is reported to have complained, "He's not comic, he's a damn ballet dancer.)

Better yet, think of Laurel and Hardy, whose comedy at times borders on ballet.

This UTube video highlights the way Laurel's and especially Hardy's, talents bridge music and comedy. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOXYWEB7LgA

The Stations of Middle Aging

1. You're almost middle aged when you decide you need to find a doctor.

2. You're middle aged when decide you should schedule an annual check up.

3. You're really, really middle aged when you put your doctor on speed dial.

4. You know you're almost at the end of middle age when you have to write down a list of your medications before you see a new doctor.

5. You know you've left middle age behind when you have to write down a list of your doctors before you see a new new one.

When Sirens sing

When Sirens sing their voices shimmer
Like a mirage above the wine dark sea.

Do they attend their sisters' seductive song                                   
Or only the grunts and gasps of sailors
Belaboring the waves with frantic oars?

Are Sirens aroused by sounds of human lust
Or inflamed merely to engender death?

Do they pity or revel in men's mortal cries
As  sacrificial flotsam sinks like the sun
Beneath the surface of the sea.

What consummation do Sirens ache and strain for
As Ulysses tugs and strains against his chosen bonds?

An Apology to the People of Washington, D.C.

On February 1, I posted a satiric piece, “Ten Days and Counting,” castigating senator-elect Scott Brown on his lack of accomplishments in the Senate nearly 2 weeks after the election.

As I say, this piece was purely satiric since Brown had yet to be sworn in as Senator. Apparently, the newly elected senator took me seriously and hurriedly had himself sworn in shortly thereafter, just in time to cast a procedural vote stalling the confirmation of an Obama nominee.

Mother Nature failed to see the humor in this situation and slammed the Middle Atlantic states, and especially the District of Columbia, with record breaking snow storms. The district’s schools and most federal offices were closed down while the city tried to dig itself out.

I fear that my blog posting on February 1 was the trigger for this chain of events, like the proverbial butterfly in Mexico who beats its wings and causes a typhoon in the Pacific. Although shutting the federal government down for a few days is probably not the worst thing that could happen, the guilt of disrupting the lives of the good citizens of the District is a heavy burden.

I most humbly apologize.

February 19th Fund for Haiti Relief

Happy Birthday to me!

At my time of life, birthdays have lost some of their appeal. So I'm appealing to you to donate to Oxfam America to support Haiti Emergency relief.

I've set up the February 19th Fund on the Oxfam America site to make it easy for you to donate. And to make my birthday more meaningful.

Thanks.