the lights go out in vienna when it rains

I got those old india blues

2009-01-07T10:09:00.002-06:00

I simply must share this with you. These are clips from Nina Paley's upcoming film "Sita Sings the Blues." It is based on The Ramayana, the Indian epic about the love between the god Rama and his wife Sita. I think the animation is the most gorgeous I have ever seen and I will be first in line to see the entire film. Unfortunately. I may have to wait awhile. Apparently Paley is having a rather rough go of getting the rights to use the old American 20's tunes she uses in the film. Sigh. Let's all wish her luck, no? In the meantime, feast your eyes...

(By the way, the music at the very beginning of this first clip is performed by my favorite Rajastahni group, Musafir)

thank god it's not christmas

2008-12-22T10:15:00.002-06:00

I'm not a Christmas-y type of gal... and the omni-presence of Christmas music this time of year comes just short of infuriating me. But in my usual trolling of YouTube I did find three tunes of a Christmas-y flavour that I actually enjoy. So I thought I would step outside of my comfort zone and share them with you now.

Bowie & Bing... an unlikely match made in heaven, no? I find Bowie's voice particularly resplendent in that song. And their banter at the beginning is just precious.

SLADE! I adore Slade... Noddy Holder is one of my favorite rock singers ever (and dig those CHOPS!). This song is an absolute classic in the UK but of course... we know nothing of it here. Oh, if only all Christmas songs rocked this hard.

Oh yes! My beloved Sparks! This clip contains two tracks, This Town and Thank God It's Not Christmas (one of my top three Sparks tunes). Christmas starts around the three minute mark but This Town is definitely worth watching as well.

For the sake of honesty, there are two additional Christmas songs I enjoy. The first is The Bells. It is a glorious thing indeed to hear in person a good choir blend their voices together to weave the tapestry of this song. And I simply adore the song What Child Is This. This has always been my favourite Christmas song, since the days when I was a child attending candle-lit Midnight Masses with my mother. This song, to this day, always causes me to erupt in chills. It is so very dark & gentle... midnight blue punctuated by stars... just the way I wanted to picture the Nativity.

Dear friends, I wish to end this Yule-tide post by saying how very thankful I am for you all. As far as friendships go, I am the richest person in the world. I am constantly amazed at the talented, creative, compassionate and down-right amazing folks the Universe has placed in my life. Know that I do not take you for granted. Have a wonderful Yule and come over to my house for some mulled wine!

BLESSED BE!

flotsam & jetsam

2008-12-07T08:58:00.005-06:00

Here I am again under lock-down in drug study, which allows me plenty of time to lurk about on the internet. I have found many interesting bits in the last couple of days... shall I share them with you?

Ahhhh.... beautiful, glorious David Tennant. Who is David Tennant? In addition to being one of many of my future ex-husbands, he is also the Tenth Doctor. So what is he doing in the photograph? Apparently Polish pianist André Tchaíkowsky donated his body to science under one condition, that his skull be used in a Royal Shakespeare Company of Hamlet. The trouble came when all potential Hamlets refused to use the real human skull in the Yorick scene... that is until the baddest of bad ass Time Lords stepped up to plate. If you've seen what this man can do to a Dalek, it should be no wonder that a wee little skull didn't scare him.

I've been listening to a heap of George Jones lately, so I quite enjoyed the music, haircuts and awesome awesome outfits in this clip:

Here's another one of my favorite ol' timey country tunes:

Click here for a lovely optical illusion. Hint: the slower you go, the better it works!

As usual, I have been obsessively watching Sparks clips. I was delighted to find this one, Big Surprise. I love Russell Mael's precious little outfit, but Ron Mael trumps it with a surprise of his own towards the end of the clip. Dig. It.

Here's an amazing poem written by an amazing man, my dear brother Mr Jack Meriwether.

Lesson from a Walk Signal

almost stumbled off the curb
again
only three PM, still i squint
to make out the constellation of the humanoid hieroglyph
saying 'it's ok to walk now,
you will not be barrelled over
by the intricately forged pieces of metal that
left so many other, more ignorant creatures with just 2 dimensions.

'they will leave you alone, look, this is how you walk, like this
it's ok to walk like this or any way you choose, or to stay where you are
for awhile longer, but make up your mind child
or i will flash you a red hand and you shouldn't walk
but if you do, you must hurry
and if you don't i will stay like this,
a red hand,
and offer no protection as one of your
dimensions is taken from you
for good.
but now it's okay to walk
and my professional opinion is
you should do it now.'

i step tentatively
off the curb
before i realise i've not been on the other side of this street
since 1999 or so and
will i remember my way around?
but i don't even wait for the warning hand
i've too much to lose by standing still
on a street corner
even at 3 pm
even if i might run into somebody over there i'd rather not see
even if i trip over the curb,
there is too much fire,
too much fire behind me to stand still now

I certainly wouldn't mind hanging about on a beach wearing fancy necklaces with these fellows:

One last thing... get an eyeful and earful of what I am in store for on New Years Eve:

Auto Club, dust off your cowboy suits & best hats because we're a-comin' !

photolog: comanche

2008-12-01T12:36:00.008-06:00

A few images from a wonderful, beautiful, and entirely necesary weekend in Comanche...

An axe-wielding maniac...

and he knows how to use it.

Getting The Beast stuck in the mud up to its frame sure was some fun.

Even a man-made lake offers up many treasures.

A message in a bottle without a message.

The Garfish's mummy.

My favourite brothers.

Much thanks to Tim, Dennis & Jared for a weekend that allowed me to release much and gain so much more.

rags of light

2008-11-27T11:30:00.001-06:00

So much loveliness... I am quite overcome.

If it be your will
That I speak no more
And my voice be still
As it was before
I will speak no more
I shall abide until
I am spoken for
If it be your will
If it be your will
That a voice be true
From this broken hill
I will sing to you
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing

If it be your will
If there is a choice
Let the rivers fill
Let the hills rejoice
Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell
If it be your will
To make us well

And draw us near
And bind us tight
All your children here
In their rags of light
In our rags of light
All dressed to kill
And end this night
If it be your will

If it be your will.

new art: ~sparks~

2008-11-25T20:21:00.002-06:00

Here is my latest drawing... I am rather pleased with it. It's done using a red Prismacolor pen (a true god-send to my drawings), a silver paint pen and bits cut out of a silly fashion magazine. I gotta say, that paint pen is an AWFUL lot of fun... and quite useful for penning improptu missives on the walls of bar restrooms. Anyway, this piece is called ~sparks~ and here's why. I've been bat-shit CRAZY over the band Sparks for the past few months and that obsession is only deepening. When I was working on this piece, I tore the piece that lines the bottom from one of the many trendy, glossy magazines about Austin "culture" that seem to be laying about everywhere. I noticed on the left side of the torn portion the word "sparks" showing thru from the other side! It was to glaring of an omen to be ignored, so I traced the word backwards and the drawing was christened.

And just for fun, here is a Sparks video:

the thrill of having nothing

2008-10-09T09:33:00.002-05:00

I thought I might wile away a portion of my morning sharing some bits that have been of interest to me lately.

First, after many seeking years, I was FINALLY able to see Tony Gatlif's spectacular film Latcho Drom. The form of the film is very similar to another one of my favourite films, Baraka, in that there is no "plot" in the traditional sense... image and sound combine to tell the larger, greater story of the human experience as a whole. Latcho Drom tells the story of the Rom (Gypsy) diaspora and uses traditional gypsy musicians to trace its linage from its ancient roots in Rajasthan (northern India), through Turkey, Romania (where we encounter my beloved Taraf de Haidouks) and onward till we end with flamenco (a decidedly gypsy art form) in España. On a personal level, there is no music I adore (and devour) more on this planet than traditional gypsy music, therefore finally seeing Latcho Drom after years of pining for it was an incredibly emotional & fulfilling experience for me. So here I share a couple of clips with you. First, I have a special love of the music of the gypsies of Rajasthan. The music, like Sufi qawwali singing, has a tendency to put me in a trance. And the dancing, costumes, moustaches and showmanship are second to none. Here's a small taste:

But do have a look at this absolutely amazing clip. That is my idea of paradise.

One more from Latcho Drom. Here is one of my favorite pieces of film ever, the incomparable Taraf de Haidouks in their home village of Clejani, Romania:

While on the subject of gypsies, here are two more. First the fabulous Hungarian group Parno Graszt:

And the equally fabulous Peter Sellers:

Since I've moved to Texas, I have gained a real appreciation for traditional Mexican Mariachi & Ranchero music. Especially Ranchero... my favourite Ranchero song is this one, Cucurrucucú Paloma sung here by Pedro Infante:

On a more personal level, I have been going through a period of acute heartbreak. It is not necessary to share the details here, but it has been a most trying time. Whenever I find myself deep in the sweet melancholy of heartbreak, I am only able to listen to the Tindersticks. I have been leaning on them heavily in the past week and they continue to keep me upright. I was delighted to stumble upon this amazing video for No More Affairs:

As far as raw passion goes, I feel that the No More Affairs video surpasses even the great Nick Cave/Polly Jean Harvey epic Henry Lee. And you should know that I am hopelessly in love with the singer from Tindersticks, Stuart Staples (however he is not the cause of my current heartbreak). I have a fantasy of running into him in some dark, hidden bar in Prague, having a magickal night over cobblestone streets, one kiss at dawn, then never seeing him again.

Now for something completely different, here are the Brothers Mael aka Sparks:

I've been familiar with them for years, but since I had the distinct fortune of finding three Sparks records at the Totalfest Record Swap this year, I have been obsessed. Hell, here's another one:

I can't resist sharing this one... dear, beloved Beirut in Paris:

As someone who has actually spent some time contemplating the mechanics of morning glory vines, I found this video quite wonderful:

And, dear friends, I leave you with this gem, a clip from Werner Herzog's Auch Zwerge Haben Klein Angefangen:

quod superius est sicut quod inferius

2008-09-14T16:40:00.003-05:00

Do you ever "remember" things from your childhood, but cannot be exactly sure if they actually existed? I had an active imagination as a child so this happens to me quite frequently. My prime example is this:

I remembered seeing it as a child (in Catholic School, no less) and it having a profound effect on the way I viewed the Universe (and later, spirituality). But I started to have my doubts on its actual existence when, years later I would describe it almost everyone I met and *no one* recalled ever seeing it. So imagine my joy when I stumbled across it on the internets yesterday! And it still absolutely thrills me. I am certain that this must be one of the major reasons that I am a dyed-in-the-wool, "As Above So Below" Pagan.

a wee bit of fun

2008-08-23T08:53:00.001-05:00

1. Put your iTunes/ music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must put down the song name no matter what.

What would best describe your personality?
Lonesome, On’ry & Mean (Waylon... how uncanny!)

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Unknown Blues (Pretty Things)

How do you feel today?
Champagne Like a Lady (Slim Cessna’s Auto Club)

What is your life's purpose?
Picture In A Frame (Tom Waits)

What is your motto?
When My Love Comes Down (Grinderman)

What do your friends think of you?
Bulgar Cigany Horo (Kalman Balogh.... opre!)

What do you think of your parents?
Over You (Echo & the Bunnymen... ha!)

What do you think about very often?
One Line (Polly Jean Harvey)

What do you think of your best friend?
Funny How Time Slips Away (Willie... :( :( :( )

What do you think of your crush?
Sheep (Tiger Lillies... this system is not infalliable)

What is your life story?
Casts A Great Light (Angelus... :) :) :) )

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Feast of Silence (Vas)

What do you think when you see your crush?
Goodbye Desolate Railyard (Thee Silver Mt Zion... wow, my poor “crush”)

What do your parents think of you?
An Introduction to Indian Music (Ravi Shankar.... that’s about right)

What do strangers think of you?
Single Girl (Kossoy Sisters)

How's your love life?
Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow (Joni Mitchell)

What will they play at your funeral?
You Can’t Mistreat Me (Leadbelly)

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Toujours Aimer (Edith Piaf.... surely you mean the wedding I don’t want)

What is your hobby/interest?
Oh You Devil, You (Oliver Brown.... 93 93/93!)

What's your biggest secret?
Rainy Day Woman (Waylon)

What do you think of your friends?
Sons of the Silent Age (Bowie)

What song do you listen to when you are sad?
She Cut Off Her Long Silken Hair (Richard Thompson... true enough)

In love?
C’mon, Let’s Spawn (Make-Up..... a HAHAHAHAHAHA!)

What song do you air guitar to?
Fire Dread Dub (King Tubby)

What should be your signature karaoke song?
Mutiny in Heaven (Birthday Party.... DEFINITELY!)

What is your greatest desire?
Waiting For The Moon (Tindersticks)

What does next year have in store for you?
Do Not Go Quietly Unto Your Grave (Morphine... geez, hope I don’t die of a heart attack on-stage)

What's your outlook on life?
The Farmer’s Curst Wife (Pete Seeger)

How will you die?
One For Hope (Akron/Family & Angels of Light)

Do people secretly lust after you?
Over You (Tiger Lillies)

The best advice you will ever get?
Will You Surrender (Mick Harvey)

Photolog: meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2008-08-05T15:26:00.020-05:00

I hadn't seen my old pal Kinky Friedman since he left on his European tour in May, so he insisted that I come up to the ranch before I went to Montana. So yesterday I grabbed a bottle of Jameson & hit the road...

Johnson City... home of LBJ & the world's best chicken fried steak. The numbers don't lie!

Outside the Sawmill Tavern in Johnson City:

A beautiful old facade in Fredricksburg:

I finally arrive at Kink's place!

He lives outside of Kerrville, up the craziest, twisty-est road I've ever traveled (and that's including Montana). His house lies within Echo Hill, a beautiful valley where his parents established a summer camp 56 years ago. Here's a view of the camper cabins & the hills beyond:

On the other side of the valley lies Utopia, an animal rescue ranch established by Kinky and Cousin Nancy. It is a Utopia indeed for animals in danger... everyone has a large pen with plenty of runnin' room, food, fresh air & love. If you're thinking of adopting a dog (or the occasional cat, chicken, or gigantic, lazy pig), do consider one of Utopia's.

Kinky has his own pack of dogs... collectively known as the Friedmans, who rule the roost with big loving hearts...

There's little Perky, the matriarch of a venerable age and Chumley, her sweet, quiet son...

...Brownie, who puts on quite a show if you stop petting him, and the famous Mr Magoo.

And Kaw-liga rules them all (until the indian maid returns)

I love staying at Kinky's house...

...where there's copious wood paneling & Jameson, dogs & a pool table and lots of interesting stuff where ever you turn. A collection of masks stemming from Kink's tenure in the Peace Corps in Borneo...

... artifacts of by-gone mystery novels...

...reliable rack storage...

...and a beautiful painting of Kink's father.

I was fortunate enough to witness the blooming of this gorgeous flower...

Kink says that these flowers only bloom once and always at night. The scent of the flower was amazing.

It was another lovely trip up the ranch. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the Governor himself... stay tuned, Kink's got a lot of interesting things brewing in that feverish brain of his (including things of a political nature). And do check out his latest book, What Would Kinky Do?

beauty most absolute

2008-07-27T18:02:00.002-05:00

beauty... beauty in it's purest form...

The Little Girl Giant & the Sultan's Elephant...

... and the finale...

...and kinetic wonderment...

These things make me quiver... make tears spring to my eyes... GIVE ME HOPE. Magick is ours... always...

bigger than klaus kinski

2008-07-20T09:12:00.003-05:00

I found some interesting bits yesterday...

* "Oh! Swish!"

*Roll your own...

*This world is not set up to birth many true originals. So let us rejoice in the absolutely singular Klaus Kinski...

*Word on the street is that Idiot Flesh is conducting pre-coital talks to re-form. Excellent, excellent. If I'm not mistaken, this video is from the late-ish 90s. That being true, Idiot Flesh was ahead of it's time... considering the myriad bands I've seen today that attempting to do the same thing (but not as effectively).

*I finally found a playable copy of this Boomtown Rats song I love. And, you guessed, it, I have bit of a thing for Bob Geldof. He's just so damn good at smashing things...

And I leave you with this to brighten your day:

(Thanks to Coilhouse for effectively & enjoyably wasting half my day.)

this memory is just a dead man making trouble

2008-07-18T18:20:00.006-05:00

I miss these things...

* the Sick Angels
* snow
* coats & scarves & hats & seeing my breath in the morning
* the brother I never really knew
* my witches
* Jays Upstairs
* the hot springs
* the Blackfoot
* the one & only truly magickal night I've had in Texas
* forest fires in the summer instead of oppressive heat
* Luciano Pavarotti
* my broken trombone that some ner'do-well stole out of the school bus.
* Butterfly Herbs
* walking across the bridge... seeing the water & the sunset & the Wilma & the damn kayakers & the drunks stumbling home drunk at 3 am
* RNK, my beloved partner in crime & ridiculousness
* my two hours of radio therapy every week
* him & him & especially him
* the Montange
* the Aurora Borealis
* Echo Hill
* my favorite long, sparkly skirt that I lost when I broke up with that utter asshole
* karaoke-singing & sticker making with Anna
* a million rock shows with Cassandra
* my two favourite movies that he never gave back
* the Fauxs
* Bowie's hair circa Low
* watching the clouds roll down the mountains
* the Cerentana & the adventures it held
* the cobblestone & ghosts & fried calamari sandwiches & labyrinthine towns & Depeche Mode tribute bars & haunted flats of Spain
* the Union Club
* VSM & his artful, stylish insanity
* Roxy Music with Brian Eno

*And especially this...

dear Missoula, I am coming

pictures at an exhibition

2008-07-18T09:21:00.003-05:00

In a truly awesome move, the Smithsonian recently began a flickr stream of 2000 high quality, copyright-free photographs from their vast archives. Three cheers for one of the very few government organizations that makes me not swear off paying taxes all together. Here are some images I found whilst poking around the stream:

The first four are cyanotypes, taken by Thomas Smillie, the Smithsonian's first staff photographer:

Portrait of Felix Nadar (1820-1910), Photographer and Aeronautical Scientist:

The Smithsonian says, "Artists in costume at the Sherwood Studio Building. Identification on front (handwritten): Sherwood Studio Bldg. 58 W 57th St. 1889. (from left to right): Wm. Allen, Sullivant, Robt. Reid, Robt. Van Boskerck, Willard Metcalf, Sam Isham, Harry W. Watrous, Carleton Chapman, Herbert Denman."

Portrait of marine painter Edward Moran:

A beautiful photograph (from photographer R.A. Whiteside) from one of my favourite things, powwow. I can't wait for this year's Crow Fair:

dream baby dream

2008-07-16T11:22:00.001-05:00

I love Suicide. They are so very fucking fearless...

to be played at maximum volume

2008-07-11T10:52:00.006-05:00

If I meet someone new and they look at my 42 tattoo and cry, "The Answer!", that's a pretty clear indication that this is someone that I will get along with. This goes even double when I tell someone that I love glam rock and they think of this:

and not this:

So imagine my utter joy at finally, after years of pining, making a friend of the ultimate 70's british glitter rock kind. So in honour of my new glam friend Peter Scorcher, I present a programme of glitter rock videos for your pleasure.

To start things off properly, here is the penultimate fantasy of every glam girl (and many a glam boy), Ooo la la Bolan...

The first Roxy record is an excellent primer into the joys of glitter rock:

I love this song. Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel...

Another thoroughly amazing song. Slade...

Always a fun group, The Sweet...

I would be remiss not to include a lovely little bit from Velvet Goldmine. This movie is a certifiable obsession for me. This clip is of the fictional Brian Slade singing one of my fave Roxy Music tunes, 2HB. Extra points to you if you know who is doing the vocals (and I don't mean Jonathan Rhys Meyers)...

In case you were wondering...

2008-07-08T16:19:00.001-05:00

... I really really really love the new Portishead record.

Musical tom-foolery

2008-07-05T19:08:00.003-05:00

Here is some YouTube tom-foolery of a musical nature... beginning with the best video ever, courtesy the immortal Jan Teri:

Some Swedish wackiness:

From the absolutely epic film Streets of Fire (if you've ever wondered what Willem DeFoe looks like in pleather over-alls, it's the film for you):

This one is actually pretty awesome. In the 80s, Ricky Gervais (of the BBC series The Office and Extras) had a band called Seona Dancing. And, amazingly enough, they were not terrible...

Good ol' Ernie Kovacs:

This one is comedic genius. And watch for the monkey falling off the donkey...

I whole-heartedly love this song. It's Dean & the Weenies from the film Mondo New York:

And I leave you with a special treat. The next two videos comprise the full recording of my beloved Cramps performing live at Napa Valley Mental Hospital. Seriously. PS~ I have a major crush on the guitar player Bryan Gregory (RIP)...

I already have my own TARDIS key...

2008-07-03T00:14:00.002-05:00

Oh sweet Jesus, someone please build me one of these:

One day my Doctor will come. I do hope it's David Tennant...

intelligent questions

2008-07-02T10:28:00.007-05:00

As I don't yet feel like getting out of bed, I have decided to do this thing I found floating around the internets (I like this one because it was not obviously written by a 14 year old girl and/or a sociopath):

*What inspires your creativity?
boredom, the unexpected and Islamic mosaics

*What is your favorite luxury in life?
swimming in nature (preferably naked, under the stars) & live music

*What is your most prized possession?
I found it on the Oregon coast... a beautiful jet-black stone about the size of a grapefruit with many holes bored thru it from thousands of years of water erosion.

*Who are your style icons?

Greta Garbo

Dolores Costello

Mata Hari

Salomé

and Bolan

*Who would you most like to meet and how would you send the day?
Tom Waits... and it would end up an awful lot like that dream I had last night...

*How would you describe your personal style?
Witch-y but not Goth-y, gypsy but not Stevie Nicks nor Neo-Gypsy-Hipster, tribal but not Burning Man

*What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Being self-sufficient and sustainable.... with a nice view of the mountains.

*What books are currently on your bedside table?
The People's Almanac by David Wallechinsky & Irving Wallace, Houdini!!! by Ken Silverman, The Rum Diary by Hunter S., and Gandhi: An Autobiography.

*What is the one thing in life you can't live without?
music, magick & friends

el diablo en el ojo

2008-07-01T10:26:00.002-05:00

People are always saying to me "Do you wear contacts?"... never "You have very pretty eyes." Actually yes, I do wear contacts but this is the natural colour of my eyes. It strikes me as a shame that little bits of plastic have trumped Mother Nature. The compliment is lost.

we sail tonight for singapore

2008-06-30T09:57:00.002-05:00

As I'm sure most of you reading this know, I had the distinct & utterly mind-blowing honour of seeing my own personal saviour, Tom Waits, at the Plaza Theatre in El Paso. I'm not going to elaborate on the experience here, as my words are proving far too meager for the task. If you'd really like to know about it, do ask me in person. But I did want to share the set-list:

Lucinda
Way Down in the Hole
Falling Down
Chocolate Jesus
Singapore
Fannin Street
Get Behind the Mule
Trampled Rose
Metropolitan Glide
The Other Side of the World
God's Away on Busines
Hoist That Rag
Lucky Day [TW on reed organ piano]
House Where Nobody Lives [TW on reed organ piano]
Lost in the Harbour [TW on piano reed organ]
Lie to Me
Goin' Out West
Jesus Gonna Be Here

Make it Rain
Dirt in the Ground

And here's a picture of Tom getting the key to the City of El Paso.

He said, "You know, these keys open every lock in the city. If you find me in your living room in my underwear, we have an understanding." (Picture from Anti )

While the show is still hard for me to speak of (and I still can't quite believe it actually happened), know this... it was worth every second of the 18 hours total I drove and worth every damn penny of the ticket price. Now, Mr Cave and your alleged "Bad Seeds," you're next on my hit list...

ALIVE!!!

2008-06-27T17:10:00.003-05:00

This blurry, camera-phone picture is the only evidence (outside of my own fevered brain) of the most bizarre movie-screening I've ever had the pleasure of attending. Last Sunday, my dear pal and future room-mate Barbara & I climbed 45 minutes thru canyons, gorges, agave & cacti to a spot high up in the mountains of El Paso. Overlooking the vast sprawl of El Paso, Juarez & New Mexico was a movie screen fastened to a lone power-pole. Now, which film could possibly have urged us & 450 other Texans out of their comfortable homes and thru dangerous (and beautiful) trails? Why, of course...

I swear to you... never has that movie been funnier or wine out of a glass jar tasted better than it did high on that mountainside.

lizard in my backyard

2008-06-26T19:58:00.002-05:00

Today I made friends with this fellow:

... the anolis corolinensis. I was embroiled in reading of the celebrated 19th century medium Daniel Dunglas Home ("...a luminous vapour gathered above the table, and, as they watched, slowly formed itself into a child's hand... the room shook, the crystal pendants of the chandelier clashed together; the Empress's lace handkerchief climbed into space...") when I noticed a flash of pink out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was a leaf with a pink-ish underbelly flapping in the breeze... as I watched it formed itself into a small lizard that was extending and retracting a sac beneath its head. The way it moved (positively cat-like), the thoughtful movements of its head, the way its eye followed me struck me as much more sentient, more knowing then other reptiles I have encountered. We had an understanding, dig?