Thursday, April 30, 2009

Going to David Copperfield in Marin

This is MonkeyBoy, Nancy our hostess and our friend Sanchez on the way to David Copperfield. Berndt, Nancy's boyfriend and our other host was ill and did not get to come, we missed him.

We had a great time seeing something that might not have occurred to us. Copperfield was mostly charming, and accomplished. I of course found the mixed media aspects of the show interesting. But 2 best parts of the day. Seeing Nancy's house and having drinks on her patio in the forest, one of my favorite things in the world as y'all know. Then I spoke to my jewelry teacher, did a little consult on the phone and I think he solved a problem for me....

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

David Copperfield

Our friends are taking us to see "Grand Illusion" the David Copperfield show at the Marin Civic Center tomorrow night. I am really looking forward to it, and am touched that my sweet friends want to take us because we "create so much fun in their lives!"

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Zinfandelic

My friend and neighbor, Danny LeFrancois has a new wine - Zinfandelic - that is now available at wine.com.

It is a medium bodied Zinfandel from Amador County. Nice fruit with hints of spice.
http://www.wine.com/v6/search/?term=zinfandelic

He brought over a bottle to share recently and we liked it a lot, so check it out!

Wine.com has two promotion codes that can be used for free shipping or a discount:

VISAWINTER – free ship on $99
ZINFANDELIC – 15% off

Wine Label Designer: Grant Phelps

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Elizabeth Warren - My HERO


Elizabeth Warren is the Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel on Toxic Asset Relief Program (TARP.) She is smart and articulate.

In the earlier clip (part one) she said it was her job to to ensure Transparency, Accountablility and Clarity.

In this clip from the Daily Show she said that after the depression 3 protections were implemented.


  • FDIC - to ensure it was safe to put your money in the banks

  • Glass Steagall Act so banks won't do crazy things, i. e. it also put in place regulations allowing the Federal reserve to regulate interest savings rates

  • SEC Regulations

Those protected us somewhat for 50 years, and then the government began to pull the thread from the regulatory fabric and here we are in a financial crisis. First consequence was the S&L Crisis, 700 institutions failed. Then long term capital management issues and then Enron which told us the books were dirty. And we continued to pull the thread out of the regulatory fabric.


She summarizes by saying we need smart regulation that adapts to the fact that we have new products and what we will have going forward is stability and properity for the ordinary folk.

So wow, I am grateful that plain girls get to be smart and articulate. She may make the difference in our economy in the next year or two.



Susan Boyle


There has been a lot of buzz lately about Susan Boyle, a plain woman with grace and talent who had the courage to be radically self expressed.

I am and was pleased by her celebrity and bravery, although somewhat dismayed that there are people who do not think plain people have talents that they often don't show because the world is not really interested in plain people.

I am not able to embed the video but here is a link if you happen not to have seen it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcQ9A-5noM

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Valentino - The Last Emperor


This movie is a must see, it is charming, loving, beautiful, let me say that again, beautiful. Go out right now and see it on the big screen.

Friday, April 10, 2009

USPS Issues Simpsons Stamps




Kudos to Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Member, David Silverman!!

The US Postal Service issues Simpsons Postal Stamps

Thursday, April 2, 2009


Jennybird Alcantara:
Treacherous Gardens
'Treacherous Gardens' a solo show of her latest work opens April 3rd at Varnish Gallery in San Francisco.

Jennybird Alcantara's Treacherous Gardens solo exhibit of paintings explores "the garden of the mind" and its vast, beautiful landscape filled with inherent pitfalls. Duality, water themes, dreams and nightmares figure prominently in this series of detailed fantasies in oil and acrylic on panel.

"I have always been a daydreamer," says Jennybird, "and get many of my ideas during that state of semi-consciousness. My inspirations come from a wide variety of sources including fairytales and fables, mythology, the natural world and freaks of nature, melancholy...broken dolls and objects out of place." With a narrative at its core, Alcantara's minutely detailed paintings are filled with objects that possess un-borrowed symbolism contained within each piece and within the series. The artist's love of animals and their instincts is seen and felt in her use of folklore and metaphor. Dual natures addressing the veils between human-animal, internal-external, and life-death embody the characters central to each work of art. Treacherous Gardens draws the viewer deeper into a world both strange and beautiful, guided by a generous hand.


Opening Details
April 3rd
7PM till 10PM
Varnish Fine Art Gallery
77 Natoma st.
San Francisco CA
for directions please visit the Gallery website http://varnishfineart.com/artwork/