Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Book Review: Land's End (a walk through Provincetown).

Michael Cunningham’s novel The hours was the connection of three women over different decades and how they manage with a day in their respective complex lives. It was well written and one of the few times that the film and the book were identical twins of one another. He writes in a style that is simple to read but it is not simple writing or subjects he is dealing with. Winning a Pulitzer prize is no simple feat.

In Land’s end, a non fiction work, his writing style is again apparent. He pieces together an array of stories, prose, history and his own experiences of Provincetown (or P town as it’s known – another example of simplification of a word - the laziness of today). The writer was blessed with being a ‘P town’ resident for more than just a summer on the cape (unlike most vistors there).

For those not in the know (or maybe I should say the ‘ho’) Provincetown is a gay (getaway) haven on the tip of the east coast of the USA. It’s a picturesque ex-fishing town full of salt box and cape cod cottages surrounded by the sea from all around as its at the end of a peninsula. Packed in summer and dead in winter, Michael literally writes about the town and its various incantations it takes on. Whether it is due to seasons, the remoteness, or just being the last stop at the (actual) end of the road this is not your average town.

Now the older I’m getting the more I want to know about the history. In this book some interesting facts emerge. For example the site of P town was actually where the pilgrims first landed before Plymouth Rock. However let me stress this to you that this book is not an historical record more so an overview of the town. Personally I would have liked to have read more of it's past but the author points out that it is merely another facet of the town uniqueness.

It is the accounts of the day to day running of the town that is the authors focus. From the A & P with gay cashiers (who double as drag queens at night) to the grand old town hall (the benches out the front used to be called the meat rack in the 70's), the old fishing wharf which was once the lifeblood of the town, the golden horde that is Marine Specialities (if you ever lost anything you’ll probably find it here) the ghost of art communes or simply the dunes, the sand and the sea, with all that interact with it.

It’s a lovely read with its never ending cast of its residents, or should I say all the driftwood that has managed to float in and out the bay itself, some staying more than a summer.

4 pilgrims out of 5

Thanks to the lovely Brigid lending me this copy.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Look what they done to my pet...ma

This has been troubling me for sometime. Pets dressed up like people.

Now I just want to make myself clear first...Dressing your pet up in clothes is a form of animal cruelty...however saying that... its one thing that make me laugh so much I wet myself. OK so its infantile but it looks so funny as its so ridiculous to dress up your cat/dog/ferret - and you can clearly see that the pet hates the whole moment - that dress up/make over scene from Pretty Woman it ain't.

The below are prime examples of the cruelty/hilarity

- here we see Fluffy is dressed as rag doll/Ginger Spice - probably the most sombre/prettiest Gerry has looked...

And here as the blue telly tubby...I think Fluffy is getting over it...The dog models don't seem to mind it as much...even when dressed as your favourite action heroes from Star Wars (Vader, Yoda & Leia) - the bodies clip on.
Back to Fluffy - now as duck - fluffy looking pretty pissed off and looks like she's about to attack her owner ( I especially like how the duck hides Fluffy ears)


Speaking of ears...Nothing says Easter like a cat in bunny ears ...

And finally - why not dress up Rex as Anne of Green Gables ...
IF you want more - click on the below link to a (very expensive) fashion & accessory site for your pet - my special category are the individual robes (more duck) & evening wear ( for making your pet sexy - however why is that needed is still a bit weird)

http://www.pamperedpetscatalog.com/index.html

Rabbit would scratch my eyes out even before I bought him an evening gown like the "Party Trim Tutu Dress"

Saturday, November 03, 2007

You Tube:House of 1000 Muppets

What do you get when you cross the trailer of a horror film with the muppet movie? This is very clever.