Everybody Saw the Sunshine

In my head this morning:

Everybody had a hard year
Everybody had a good time
Everybody had a wet dream
Everybody saw the sunshine
Oh yeah, (oh yeah) oh yeah, oh yeah
Everybody had a good year
Everybody let their hair down
Everybody pulled their socks up
Everybody put their foot down
Oh yeah
Yeah I've got a feeling
A feeling deep inside
Oh yeah

The Beatles — I've Got A Feeling

Jesus that's tremendous!

It’s been a good week here in Valhalla by the Sea. Warum?

• The weather’s not been insanely hot — neat trick for the end of July, n'est-ce pas?
• Rocco and Gus have been here at least once a day. With their more frequent appearances, can the beautiful chill nights of autumn be far behind?
• I hear tell that Gaston was spotted — wearing a collar!  I guess he’s found new digs, a new doormat to call his own. Whew! I was truly mega worried.
• At work I’ve had a nice amount of layout/design work to offset the less thrilling billing, filing and other general office functions.
• I’ve started not one but TWO new paintings. Yes indeedy, I AM on fire!
• My baby Helen and fam will be here for a quick visit tomorrow (YEA!).
• I leave Sunday for a few days in West Virginia with good friends. I wonder if there are cats down there?
  
  AND I found The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin at a yard sale. I first read this while in high school and was just utterly slain by it.

The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose -and change- their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

At that time, mind you, I was a stone Heinlein freak. Stranger in a Strange Land was my bible. Sort of.

Only Valentine Michael Smith, newborn, survived the first mission to Mars. Raised by Martians, he returns to Earth an innocent, rich heir, and "owner" of Mars. Protected by irascible popular author Jubal Harshaw, he explores human morality and free love, founds a church, and disseminates psychic talents taught by Martians.

It was the early ‘70s — did I mention that?

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

“A desire not to butt into other people's business is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom.”

“If you've got the truth you can demonstrate it. Talking doesn't prove it.”

“The slickest way in the world to lie is to tell the right amount of truth at the right time-and then shut up.”

“I grok in fullness.”

Yeah, I think I’m gonna have to hit the used book store and find this one. Hells, I’ve got a lot of airport time coming up — two brill books is a fine and extraordinarily dandy way to transport myself out of uncomfortable seats and into gloriously odd worlds.

'scuse me now — I'm off to the painting studio because, ya know, I've got a feeling.