OSI: “Thinking” (Poetikat in the Hat)

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Thoughts on Thinking

Kat Morten's Podcast

Thoughts on Thinking

I’m thinking in the shower;

I’m thinking as I eat;

I’m thinking while my head

Is on my pillow in retreat.

I’m thinking going up the stairs,

And when I’m coming down;

I’m thinking when I cross the street,

Or driving into town.

I’m thinking while I’m cooking,

And laundering my threads;

I’m thinking, what’s for dinner?

As I’m making up the beds.

I’m thinking, always thinking

When I shut my eyes at night;

Sometimes I really wish my thoughts

Were dimmer, not so bright.

I’m thinking, while I’m thinking

What I thought about before;

I’m thinking that this poem’s all done,

Yet still I’m thinking more.

I’m thinking when I’m singing songs;

I’m thinking while I speak;

I’m thinking that you’re thinking,

That Poetikat’s a freak!

I see no signs of stopping,

This thinking night and day,

Until my brain-cells burn out,

Or I’m taken far away,

So if you find me thinking,

You’ll have to let me be,

‘Cause thinking is what I do best;

I’m thinking you’ll agree.

Kathleen Mortensen©2009

Unfinished Business (again)

It’s about time I got around to passing on these (fairly) recent awards. First I would like to thank the generous folks who saw fit to give this blog the awards in the first place:

(From right to left):

Sarah @ Circles of Rain – Sarah’s blog is such a fun place to be! She makes the most fantastic dolls by hand and they are quirky and not scary at all (I am terrified of some dolls). She’s also an animal-lover, a cat-person and British – just my kind of gal!

Brian @ Waystation One - I met Brian through the Theme Thursday prompt-site. His is a thoughtful, imaginative and well-written blog that emanates warmth, faith and family. His stories and anecdotes are always captivating and satisfying. I’m pleased to think of him as a blog-friend.

Lizabee @ Lizabee & Co. – Another Theme Thursday participant, I’m just getting to know Liza, but I am always entertained and intrigued by her blog. She’s a talented photographer and writer. You’ll enjoy getting to know her too.

Fortunately, 2 of these awards only require me to post and pass along, so I’m happy to do that. The “F-ing Fabulous” Award, is keen on knowing my latest obsessions, so here they are:

1) the website GoodReads - I’m a little obsessed with this site, not only because I can connect with people and exchange ideas about what to read, or what we are reading, but also because it has this feature where I can explore thumbnails of book-covers and recall all those great books I read in the past. With my addictive personality (you folks on Facebook know what I’m talking about), I can get totally wrapped up in digging up book titles and adding them to my “read” list. I can also add to my “currently reading” or “to read” list. This is a good obsession. I’m sure I’ll tire of it soon enough, but right now, I’m hooked. So, if you’re curious (or have that little chip in your brain that gets locked onto things and can’t let go, like mine), check it out and sign up to be my friend! Look for me under “Kat Mortensen”.

2) Fred Astaire movies – Since my husband has recently found himself entertained by some of the dance musicals that I grew up with, we’re exploring the career of Fred Astaire. Last night we watched “Flying Down to Rio”, the first movie that Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in together.

I’ll be honest, we found it a tad dull and the story pretty unexciting, but when it came to Rogers and Astaire dancing the big number, “The Carioca”, we were entranced! Oh, and for a hilarious, outrageous finish, the Busby-Berkeley gals are all strapped to the tops of planes to do their dance routine. At one point a woman appears to fall from the wing of one plane and land, “splat!” on the one below. It is a real eye-popper and surreal in the true sense of the word.

As well, on this dvd we rented, there was an extra feature called, “Beer and Pretzels”with “Ted Healey and his Stooges”. If you were thinking “The Three Stooges” just now, you were right! This was probably the first appearance of the Three Stooges on film and this little Depression-Era flick is absolutely bizarre! Not only does it feature the comic pratfalls and characteristic smacking around of the Stooges, it also has a number by a female with enormous, puffed organza sleeves who really can’t dance or sing very well. It’s rather like a bad “American Idol” audition. As well, there’s a number with three young lads, about beer steins on the table, and then a trio of fellows in Harlequin satin pants dance atop three beer-kegs. You won’t believe your eyes!

Next up: “The Gay Divorcee”.

3) “Law and Order U.K.” – We’re very fortunate that one of our local Toronto stations has picked up this excellent and erudite spin-off of the “Law and Order” series. We’re not ones to get caught up in graphically violent television, but we were both fans of the original series and love almost anything British, so we were eagerly anticipating the first episode. I’m pleased to report that we have not been disappointed. We’ve seen every episode so far and are delighted with the calibre of the stories, the acting and the apparent effort to refrain from unnecessary scenes of gore or gratuitous sex.

One of the main actors on the police end of things is someone with whom we were already familiar since he had a significant role in “Coronation Street”, the British soap opera we’ve been following for many years. Bradley Walsh, played the somewhat dodgy son of Mike Baldwin, the small-time, rag-trade magnate. Walsh has put on a few pounds which lends nicely to this character of a divorced, quip-happy character (think Lenny Briscoe’s equivalent on the streets of London.)

The legal eagles of the series are headed by well-known Scottish actor, Bill Patterson. If you ever saw the original series of “Traffik”, he was the M.P. whose daughter was on drugs. Ben Daniels, plays the top lawyer for the Criminal Prosecution Service, James Steele. He is brilliant, as his younger associate, Aleesha Phillips. The entire cast is excellent. Look for the series on your networks. You won’t be disappointed.

4) Cycling on my stationary Schwinn Airdyne bike. Since we got the buffet/sideboard, my bike had to be moved upstairs. Originally, I thought this was not going to work out for me, since the bike would have to be moved in order to be near a t.v., but this has not been the case. The bike has small wheels at the front, so I just have to lift it and roll it into our bedroom where the 27 inch t.v. is on a dresser. I need the mental stimulation to keep cycling, so this works well. This leads me to my 5th obsession:

5) "Style by Jury" - Repeats of this 2004 Canadian reality show are ideal motivation for me to keep spinning my wheels.

A hapless, ill-dressed, apparently lost person is placed in front of a hidden jury behind a two-way mirror. The jury is filmed as they make scathing comments which the person is then allowed to view. Sounds nasty, right? It isn’t! The poor person is taken on as a candidate for a sweeping makeover involving anything from Lasik eye-surgery to porcelain tooth-veneers, hair-extensions and a brand new wardrobe. What makes this show so captivating is the stories behind why these people have stopped caring about their appearance to the outside world. The host, Bruce Turner is a truly warm and emotional person who is at the make0ver candidate's side the whole time of their transformation, encouraging them to not only try on new clothes, but helping to develop their confidence and sense of self.

I’m hooked!

Now to business:

I would like to pass on the I love your blog, dahling! award to:

The Blue Kimono

Life, Work, and Pleasure

One Pink Goose

The I love this blog award goes to:

A Room of One’s Own

Ann’s Photo Blog

Easy For Me To Say

Fruit of the Carolyn

The Road Less Traveled

And the Your blog is F-ing Fabulous! award goes to:

(List your 5 obsessions please and pass the award along.)

Jane’s Writing

Totalfeckineejit

Mad Aunt Bernard

The Weather in the Streets

Ta Da!

Kat

You’ll NEVER guess what I did on Wednesday!

(Click the pictures to see us up close.)

You may have gleaned that Kevin and I are sort of health nuts. It’s amazing that we turned out this way since both of us came from the “I can get a bag of chips, a chocolate bar and a pop for $0.25 era.” It’s not that we still don’t occasionally indulge, but we do try to eat without overdoing it on fats, sugars, and processed foods.

We’re not really meat eaters. I know most of you out there love your meat – steaks, nearly raw, burgers on the barbie, roasts on the Sunday dinner table and a big ham or turkey at Christmas and Easter. I understand. I used to do that too, but for about 10 years now, Kevin and I have not been eating anything that has 4 legs. We have been what you call “Pesco-Pollo” vegetarians. This means that we eat chicken and fish, only.

I do not wish to change anybody’s views. I certainly don’t want to ram my ideals down anybody’s throat (so-to-speak). I just wanted you to understand our rationale for where we were the other day.

One of the things we do as part of our diet, is to eat as much organic and local food as we can (without going to too much trouble.) I have a poem, “Miles To Go Before I Eat” on this blog, that pretty much sums up my lazy, qualified attitude about certain aspects of eating locally. However, we do drink organic milk all the time, unless all the stores are shut and we can only get the regular stuff at a convenience store.

We started drinking “Harmony Organic” milk about a year ago when our favourite health food store began carrying it. It comes in lovely, glass bottles, reminiscent of the old horse and milk-wagon days, or at least, the milk-trucks that would drive down your street, leaving milk on your doorstep. Yes, I’m old enough to have had that experience.

For a 2 dollar deposit, you can get your milk in these bottles, drink it and then take the bottle back for your refund. (I’ll be honest, I’ve kept a few bottles because I just love them, with their cow logo on the side and flip-off lid. They somehow give my fridge the appearance of being cleaner.)

On Wednesday, we went on a tour of the Harmony Organic Dairy at the “Organic Oasis” farm. It was a splendid day. The weather was ideal—sunny with a lovely temperature. There was a cool breeze, but when you were in the sun, it was warm and comfortable. It was perfect for a tractor-pulled hayride through the amazing farm at Organic Oasis.

The best part is, I got to check something off of my “Bucket List” (which is quite short and simple, if I’m honest). I got to get close to a cow; well, actually not just one, a whole bunch of them in all shapes and sizes. We also saw pigs, chickens, roosters and dogs. For animal lovers like Kevin and me, it was the most amazing day!

Guess what? Now we’re even reconsidering eating chicken!

Cock of the Walk; Dozing hogs; Free-range eggers,

Proud Farmer Tour Guide; Harmony Organic Tour Guide

Comin’ Thru the Rye; I got licked!

Sniffing me out; Pair of heifers,

Milkers in the field; Galloway bulls

Our buddy, Winston (a forever friend).

A Driving Lesson Memory

At long last, I've got a new post for you Blasts From the Past fans.

Check it out here:

Poetikat's Blasts From the Past: Drive, He said.

Please scroll down for the Theme Thursday: "Ghost" post.

Thanks,

Kat

Theme Thursday: “Ghost”

 

Ghost Stories

 

Who knew

when you were shooting

Super 8

that we’d be resurrecting

ghosts one day?

All those

special times

everyone shared--

dates of birth

and sacraments

at altars

to the blow

of a pompous horn,

watching years pan by

through snow

and rain, falling

as we marked

each holiday

and anniversary

toasting and roasting

and hamming it up--

the flickering film

catching the jarring sound

of our own cacophany

as we laughed

and yelled,

cussed and kissed

our way through

those ancient lives.

 

Who knew,

we would finish up

as data

on a versatile disc?

 

Kathleen Mortensen©2009

Original Poetry Sunday (on Saturday)

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Cherries, Ripe

Kat Morten's Podcast

Cherries, Ripe (a recipe)

pluck one from the bowl

put it to your lips

feel the cool

smooth surface

snap the strand

that once drew life

from the branch

pierce the skin

with a cuspid

striking to its heart

of stone

mash the flesh

with molars

or wisdom--

if you’ve got it

drain the pulp

of its scarlet hue

the sweetness

and the sharp

at its core

incise the remnants

from the pit

and spit out

the carnage.

repeat.

Kathleen Mortensen©2009

Friday Film Festival: Repeat Performances

I have some family obligations at the moment (which is why I've been somewhat scarce), but since I promised you a Friday Film post LAST week, I feel it necessary to at least come up with something. The following is what I put together as a draft last week. I can't expand too much on these except to say that at various times they had me so captivated that I went back to theatre and saw them again. That doesn't happen very often. In fact, these days, it takes quite a lot to get me into a movie theatre, between the mad decibel-levels (I wear ear-plugs - really!), the endless trailers with nothing but superheroes, CGI effects and witless comedians,people who bring their toddlers to PG-plus films, or some slob sitting behind me with the keg of popcorn and the big-gulp sized drink with the straw that he must keep drawing on, or the frigid temperatures in the theatre, I prefer to wait and watch at home.

There was a time however, in the long-distant 70s and 80s when I would not only go to the movies all the time, but I would happily return to the theatre to see a good movie again, and again, and even again! Here are a few that had that sort of pull.

THE STING



The Sting dir. George Roy Hill (1973)

First of all, the music, featuring Scott Joplin's ragtime piano, It truly is just amazing. Marvin Hamlisch's adaptations are brilliant. Second, the story which is unforgettable, fun, sad, surprising and just one of the best things on film.


MURDER BY DEATH



Murder By Death dir. Robert Moore (1976)

Hilarious spoof of the locked room mystery with a terrific ensemble cast of classic and familiar faces. This is not to be missed!


SERGEANT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND



Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band dir. Michael Schultz (1978)

I know. It's not the greatest movie, but I adored Peter Frampton! I played "Frampton Comes Alive" until the grooves wore out. I also loved Andy Gibb (God rest him). The Bee Gees, not so much, but a whole movie with PF and I was in heaven. I just picked this up on dvd for (pardon the pun) a song.


SILVERADO



Silverado dir. Lawrence Kasdan (1985)

Kevin Kostner, in his glory days was quite the young buck (think "No Way Out") but this movie was a blast from start to finish. Probably my favourite genre in film, the western has always appealed to me. This was part classic western, but also had loads of comedy. I mean, John Cleese is in it!. I haven't seen it in years ... maybe it's time to saddle up again?

OUT OF AFRICA



Out of Africa dir. Stanley Pollock (1985)

I know I've said this before. Yes. Redford as Dennys Finch-Hatton is gorgeous, hunky, sexy, suave - the lot, but my real preference was for Michael Kitchen's character, Berkeley Cole. He's aged really well too. Have you seen "Foyle's War"?

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES



Fried Green Tomatoes dir. Jon Avnet (1991)

I saw this film with a friend and right after it ended, I went home and said to my mother, "Mom, you and I have got to see this movie together. When do you want to go?" We saw it a couple of days later. It is a wonderful film full of warmth, humour, strong characters and a fantastic story. If you missed it, you've got to remedy that as soon as possible.

Kathleen Mortensen©2009

Theme Thursday: “Funky”

Click for source. (The poem came first.)

Mista Funk-y

Kat Morten's Podcast

Mista Funk-y

There he goes a-steppin’ in his high-soled shoes,

loves to disco-dance, but he lives t0 blow the Blues.

Mista Funk-y.

He’s jes free-wheelin’, no monkey on his back,

Slippin’ on his shades, keep the Ladies on his track.

Mista Funk-y.

He got some feather boas wrappin’ round his neck,

Stacksa LP records in the groove on deck.

Mista Funk-y.

He blows smoke-circles from Gitanes, up high

Drinkin’ Veuve Cliquot, says, it bubbles with a sigh.

Mista Funk-y

One sad day, he’ll be wakin’ up to find

This ol’ world’s gone crazy-- it’ll blow his mind!

Mista Funk-y.

Then he’ll pack away his duds, find a stool up at the bar

Stub his ciggy in the tray … sink another jar.

Mista Funk-y.

In his low-slung Lincoln with the hula on the dash,

He’ll ease on down to N’Orleans, and blow out all his cash.

Mista Funk-y.

There he’ll end his days by a Bourbon Street lamp-post,

Jammin’ to the echoes of an old jazz-ghost.

Mista Funk-y.

Kathleen Mortensen©2009

Please see the Podcaster in my sidebar to hear a reading of this poem. Technical difficulties have been resolved. Thank you!

Snow in July!!! (Just pullin' your leg!)

One of my favourite shows on Canadian television is The Rick Mercer Report. Rick Mercer is one of the funniest guys alive today. Certainly he is one of the funniest in my country.
Whether it's hanging out with Olympic athletes, coming face-to-face with nature or interviewing our politicians, Rick is fearless, funny and always right on the money.

As this is Canada Day, I thought I'd share a hilarious bit taken from one of the episodes of RMR (Rick Mercer Report). For those of you outside of Canada you need to know that the city of Toronto is ALWAYS hit with bad snowstorms every single winter. We are the Buffalo of Canada.

Enjoy! And thank your lucky stars you're south of the border (I guess).

Kat

p.s. Rick is the guy in the black turtleneck and Montessori is a private school.

p.p.s. If you have not seen this link in my sidebar, check it out! I can't decide whether it's hilarious or humiliating, or both. One thing I do know, it's hard not to look!

Awkward Family Photos

How to reach Poetikat

Image courtesy of Flickr

Hi Everyone!

This is just to advise you that I will no longer be using the e-mail services of Myway.com. I've been having a great deal of trouble with loading and managing my e-mails on the site and have decided to move everything to Yahoo.

If you wish to be on my contacts list, please send a quick e-mail to me at:

poetikat46@yahoo.ca

Hope to hear from you!

Thanks,

Kat

By request: a piece (and by suggestion: a podcast)

I was interrupted by a thunderstorm earlier as I was posting this, so I didn’t have the opportunity to explain the request portion of this title. In an e-mail exchange with my friend Jeannelle of Midlife by Farmlight, she asked if I could post a photo of the item you see in the photos above. I was happy to comply, since I am proud to show it to you! I also did not get the chance to edit, so I apologize to my first readers of this post!

Friday night we went for a fantastic dinner at Vijay’s Indian restaurant. We started with cocktails (I’m on a Cosmopolitan kick since I had my first one on my birthday. I had my very first martini in Stratford on our anniversary. Fittingly, it was called “The Taming of the Shrew”.) Kevin had a Beck’s beer.

We selected two separate dinners for one from the extensive menu and the meal began with a crisp, spicy papadum – rather like a very thin tortilla, it snaps into crunchy pieces and sets off the taste buds in preparation for the meal to come. These came with a lovely homemade mango chutney.

Next were the samosas – a fried pastry triangle filled with potatoes and other vegetables and spiced to perfection with cardamom and ginger and curry spices such as garam masala and turmeric. These were huge! One samosa was equal to two of the ones we usually eat if we buy them for home.

This was followed by silver dishes filled with Aloo Gobi (a dry potato and cauliflower dish spiced to a deep yellow colour) Saag Aloo (a spicy cooked spinach and potato dish) pulao rice ( fragrant basmati rice with peas) and our main dish of chicken curry (we thought the butter chicken might be too heavy with the rest) spiced to a “medium-plus’ level which was perfect. We also had two huge pieces of buttered, toasted naan bread. Yum!

We had a half-liter of a lovely Chardonnay to accompany the meal and mango ice cream to finish off . I had a black coffee.

Finally, our waiter, Zack - a most pleasant and friendly young man, brought us a small dish of candy-coated fennel seeds to cleanse our palates.

The entire meal came to only $70 with the tip (quite a deal considering all the food, don't you agree?). We had plenty of leftovers which we took home and enjoyed the next day.

After dinner, we wandered downtown and went into one of our favourite stores, “Orbit” – a unique flea-market type store with rooms running deep into the old main-street shop, filled to capacity with everything under the sun. You can find books, clothing, dishes, records, jewelry, artwork, and even the odd piece of furniture.

A $2.00 rack outside the shop was holding my attention (I bought 3 items) while inside, Kevin had discovered a fantastic original oil painting. When I went inside the store, he called me back to see it and I immediately gave my approval. (See photo above.)

I was having a wander around in one of my favourite rooms which houses a shelf of old children’s books when I happened upon the piece of furniture you see in the picture. I have long been seeking a piece such as this one for my dining room. The Hyggehus is quite small and storage is at a premium (always). When I caught sight of this beauty, I was resolved to own it – especially when I saw the price tag of (ready for this?) $85!

The store owner was willing to deliver for a nominal fee and so we walked out of “Orbit” with a painting, some clothing and the promise of a new, painted buffet. We actually prefer the painted look as it has a Scandinavian feel, but the top is solid oak (?), I believe and it is an extremely well-made piece. While shifting dishes and other things into it yesterday, I discovered an insignia on the inside that reads “Bell’s Furniture, Southampton”. It turns out that this is a Bruce County company from the late 1800s to early 1900s that no longer exists. We originally thought it might be from Southampton in England, but were not surprised to learn it came from just an hour or so north of us in the Ontario town of Southampton. Either way, we are thrilled with the piece since it looks fantastic, is very sturdy and has freed up a ton of space elsewhere.

Now to the suggestion: My good friend, John Hayes of Robert Frost’s Banjo (I haven’t said this in a while, so I will repeat myself; if you have not visited his blog yet, you really must check it out. John’s blog is a cornucopia of things of interest from poetry to music to food to photography. A visit to John’s blog is a sensory trip that will leave you desirous of more).

John read my Original Poetry Sunday poem from yesterday (see post below) and he suggested that it might make a good podcast. Not being one to let the grass grow (as they say), I got on that right away, so you are welcome to have a listen to my reading of the poem: Percale: A Sunday Poem. Please see my sidebar (top left) and click on the title to hear it.

That’s all for today!

Kat