fame (fortune still missing)

Polly had every form of media covered last week. She was the lead interview on a Channel 3 TV spot, on WPLR radio, and in the Record-Journal newspaper today. I only wish Linda, the children's book illustrator, could get a fraction of this kind of publicity.


Jayne Bondage and I get interviewed by Diana Rocco of Channel 3 and Chaz from the Chaz & AJ Show.



Jayne and I are confused by unexpected questions. Neither of us are familiar with morning radio banter. And we stink from skating in the hot sun all morning in our smelly gear, as evidenced in Diana Rocco's face.


Us with News Channel 3's Scot Haney, who was as cool as his amazingly cool pants.

This picture makes me realize how much smaller I am then the others. I think of myself as a lot bigger. Maybe I shouldn't have seen this.

relic #3

Blue light.

beach skating

Roller girls skate, wrestle and flyer the West Haven beach at the Buried at the Beach festival.

Our charm gets us on tv and the radio, some excited new fans, and Elvis takes a liking to us.

relic #2

The Inspiration of Saint Matthew, Caravaggio, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

relic #1

"And Polo said: 'The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here.... There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure.' "

the studio 7-22-06

It's a disaster. Too much paperwork. Too many books. I'm trying to purge. Maybe I'll uncover a few buried relics of past inspiration.

ode

...to L.O.L.A., my car. That stands for Lap Of Luxury Automobile. She's a 98 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra. She has power windows, fabric seats, and rides like a dream. She is reliable and comfortable enough for sleeping. I love her. She enables all my adventures, like this trip to Vermont.

This is my mum's house, which was a dumpy little hunting cabin when she bought it. She's added the section on the left, the porches, the garage, and the steeped roof, and the gardens. She's also just clear cut trees all around so the place looks like a grand estate hidden in the shady woods of Vermont. I barely recognized it.


This is my mum, who I know will be mad at me for putting her picture up. But she is amazing. She's surveying her mother's clematis which she has revived.

This is also an ode to my mum. I love her too.

WaterFire

Fire, water and a good friend once again make for a night of mystery and magical occurrences.

An evening passagio at WaterFire in Providence, RI, which felt more like an imaginary Venezia with gondolas, chandeliers beneath bridges, a carnation-bearing commedia dell'arte clown, tango dancers in the street, and music from the canal echoing through the city.

And fire.

Miss Understood

Lots of people are unhappy with me right now. I count a dozen at least, probably more I'm not aware of.

I know it's hard to understand why I'm so set on roller derby which takes up a whole lot of time and seems to be a pointless risk to my health. Though I was led to it by synchronicity, in getting to know the other women I've discovered there are actually logical reasons behind it. And those with preconceptions from the past about what derby is now, cast them away, because the revival is not what you think.

And rollergirls are not what you think either. They are tattoo artists, biker chicks, stay at home moms, marketing executives, nurses, yoga instructors, chefs, therapists, veterinarians, elementary school teachers-- and a children's book illustrator, just in my league alone. All very different, all equally wonderful, and very many with a recurring theme in their background that I share, and which I'm now sure is the common denominator that has drawn us to this uncommon sport.

Good and unexpected things are coming from this. All will be revealed in time. Meanwhile, please have faith in me.

Photo: me, as Polly Sonic, in the silver helmet.

rabbits

Thanks to Grace and Alvina's blogs, I found this little quiz, What Book Are You? How flattering. Take the quiz and post what book you are in my comments!

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.