Just thinking over some summer plans.. such as which events, activities, foods, drinks, and so on that I feel more motivated to pursue. My schedule has changed a bit, and I feel like I am reacquainting myself among the living. Over nights.. sucked (for lack of better word). Anyway, it is now July and the time can slow way down.

Speaking of down.. I'm down for some sushi.

almost anywhere..

but have any of you been to Ichiban?

It is on Sheridan, I believe.

I rarely remember the name as it is supposed to be said as I usually call it, "itchy bum" whenever I hear it.

I was there once, sort of recently. (e:pyrcedgrrl) took me there at the conclusion of a long thought out decision. 'Sushi Therapy'' is always a welcome gesture. Of course, I would like to go back under more relaxed conditions.

I used to go to Kunis (of course) and some others whose names allude me. Oh, and Koi, at the Casino (good friends, good times, damn, so much time has passed). Havent been there in a few years though.

Last several months had left me grabbing food when and where I could. Not a whole lot of dining out at interesting and yummy places. Overall, I prefer to cook or cook with someone, or have someone have me over for dinner.. but finding somewhere to eat is always welcome too.

ok, enough about food!

So summer stuff planned so far:

• I've got a camp out that I am attending at the end of the month at a friends country property. I need to double check my camping supplies!

• There are some TAT concerts I'd like to go to, along with ones at Art Park and Molsen Canal Series (is that the name?), that is now in Lockport. I think Our Lady Peace is this Friday. I need to write this stuff down.

• There are a few movies.. not a fan of going to the theater, but heading to the drive-in once or twice will be fun, along with a couple if IMAX flicks (Harry Potter- finally!) (NOT Transformers!) I have an Ice Age movie ticket that I hope to use soon.

• Dali &, Bodyworld.. and getting reacquainted with area museums and galleries. Especially free ones :)

• swimming, hiking, biking, long walks, the usual active fare- preferably a few planned outings with friends, but I often head out solo due to my spontaneous & adventurous nature.

• photography jaunts

• chilled out good times with friends, old and new.

• camping again.. but somewhere such as Green Lake out in Syracuse (and maybe Allegany, Letchworth, or Stoney Brook come late summer, early fall- love camping in the fall, but lets not think that far ahead!).

• visit my families country home in Esopus then head to the city home for a couple of days. Need some H&H bagels!

• maybe a spontaneous jaunt for bagels (or whatever-i'm not bagel obsessed, just fun to go some distance for something kind of random- doesn't have to be food, either. mmm) before then. I enjoy destination-less drives more than a pre determined one, but I am open to anything.

• might have a garage sale.. but only one day, two at the most. I keep saying this, but it is not something I am enthusiastic to organize.

What else should be on my list?

der.. (e:ladycroft) and (e:rory) shindig! WOOOO can't wait!

Ed McMahon 6-23-09

Farrah Fawcet 6-25-09

Michael Jackson 6-25-09

I totally want to watch some Rugby games this summer & fall.

Some of you do too, right? :)

between all the men and women's games going on, we should all be able to find something fun to watch!

whose in?

I'm checking the schedule and seeing what is going on and where.

It will be fun!*nods*

isn't is nice?!!


My garden/yard is a mess, having been fully neglected last year..

My aim is to keep it simple, otherwise it can become a huge project. Although I love gardening, landscaping and getting all sorts of dirty, I'm just way behind and don't want to start all that now. Just clean up the area of weeds, do some edging, trim the bushes and fuss a little with my porch planter box, and that is about it. Create a little nice spot to relax-read-eat-drinks-have friends over- in the evening. Time can slow way down now..

Since I had to/have to/want to do something, I finally got my tomatoes, green peppers, basil, mint and parsley planted. Basil smells so insanely good to me. I put them all in containers. That is a very small fraction of what I originally wanted to plant, but at least I will have that, right? I entered this season rather disorganized, with so many changes that have taken place over the past few months. I suppose it wouldn't take much to get everything I want, even if not how I want (I had some grand over enthusiastic planting plans) and just spend some time getting up to speed, so to speak. Either way, I hope everything takes- being a little behind on planting and all.

I usually have dill regrowth each year, I have to poke through the weeds to see if there are any stragglers. Hope so.. if not, maybe I can still find some to plant, if it isn't too late to do so?

Where can I still find some big/fat headed marigolds?


I poked my head into Lowes and Home Depot, but didn't see any. I just want a simple low maintenance flower for my porch window box this year. And as low on the desirable totem pole these flowers tend to be, I love them. And I love how easy they are to reseed and start new growth.

I aim to use the mint in some fabulous drink I concoct. I don't know what it will be yet, but it needs to be something I can make a pitcher of and enjoy immensely during these hot days. Maybe something with green tea? add some lavender syrup? I don't know! any ideas?
As always, much of the mint will be used at some point for mojitos- mMmmmmm. I planted catnip too, hopefully I wont mistakenly use that again, haha. woops!

and if anyone is desiring some spearmint, I have a jungle of it. Seriously, the stuff is insane. I HIGHLY recommend growing it in a container, to keep it, well.. contained.


I've also been obsessed with the color orange. Ever obsess over a color? I used to be that way with purple, many years ago but have gotten away from it a lot. Red (blue based- like cranberry) is a constant. I think this orange obsession is fairly new. Maybe orange is the new red? I don't know what it is, but I am very attracted to it lately- like I have to have it. Does that make sense?
It doesn't seem to matter what it is --not clothing, though- at least not yet. Or hair. Or make up. Or fake tans. haha. No..more like in other little ways. A recent pedicure nail color selection lead me to orange-y toes. I'm actively looking for a perfect bright orange bag/purse- seen a couple that I have liked, but don't want to lay down much money on one as I tend to get bored of my bags very very quickly. And flowers.. I had seen a gorgeous selection of orange dahlias at Niagara Produce a month ago or so, and I was tempted to buy some- but didn't as I was spending my money on Moms day flowers and such. I still think about them, and might need to see where I can find some again.

see? so pretty!




Now it is time for a walk! enjoy the evening, peeps! :)


(all pics snagged from google images)

I had read yesterday about the dermatologist (Edmund Klein) who was "paid" in drawings by his patient, surrealist artist, Salvadore Dali. Klein passed ten years ago, and recently his wife has allowed these drawings to emerge. They have been well taken care of- been housed in a downtown safe. It is hard not to be intrigued by Dalis work and the artist himself. I'm really excited about this. How cool that the drawings will be viewable by the public come the end of this month?! This is a nice thing for Buffalo, a pleasant surprise to say the least. Benjamins Art Gallery on Elmwood had the honor of framing the pieces. wow!

From the Buffalo News:

A darkened bank vault is no place for Salvador Dali's exuberant, surreal art. So art lovers were happy last August when 15 sketches by the celebrated Spanish artist were brought to light by the widow of Dr. Edmund Klein after they had been locked away in downtown safe deposit boxes for more than 30 years.

But they've remained out of the public eye.

Now, after framing at Benjaman's Art Gallery on Elmwood Avenue, the drawings are being readied for their first showing, from June 27 to Aug. 27 in the University at Buffalo's Anderson Gallery, along with four other Dali works owned by Martha Klein - two lithographs, a watercolor and a silver statuette.

All were given to Klein's late husband, a renowned Buffalo dermatologist, in return for his treatment of Dali's skin cancer over nearly a decade, starting in 1972.

Klein, whose patients also included actors John Wayne and Zero Mostel, got along famously with the highly imaginative artist and hesitated to bill him for the visits to his winter residence in a New York City hotel or homes in France and Spain.

So Dali "gave him a drawing each time," Martha Klein recalled in the Williamsville home of her daughter, Rene Rubino, as a team from UB Galleries boxed the collection for the trip to Anderson Gallery on Martha Jackson Place in University Heights.

The largest pieces - the lithographs and watercolor, also gifts from the artist - were hung in the Kleins' home, but there was no room for the drawings, so they went into deposit boxes for safekeeping.

Avoiding exposure to sunlight in a temperature-controlled room for all those years wasn't the worst fate for the delicate drawings - including several angels - executed in Dali books, sketch pads and a photography catalog and dedicated to "mon ami Klein" or "mon Angel le Doctor Klein," said Paul Chimera, a Dali specialist from Amherst and the family's consultant on the collection.

On balance, the vault is "probably a pretty good place for them," Chimera said.

The Klein collection will be exhibited with two Dali paintings owned by UB and four from Niagara University's Castellani Art Museum.

Martha Klein, whose husband died 10 years ago, a decade after Dali, hopes the exhibition will attract a buyer or buyers. Though the family's collection has not been appraised, she is confident it would fetch at least enough to pay for the education of her nine grandchildren.

She would prefer to sell the set intact, she said, because breaking it up "would spoil the story."

The when and where of it all:
[box]Salvador Dali Exhibition Slated for UB's Anderson Gallery, June-August

Release Date: June 18, 2009

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- "Salvador Dali," an exhibition of works by the Spanish surrealist that coincides with the 20th anniversary of his death, will be presented June 27 to Aug. 27 by the University at Buffalo Anderson Gallery.

It will feature 15 original drawings, two lithographs, a poster and a silver sculpture from the Edmund Klein Collection; two paintings from the UB Collection, and a sculpture and several drypoint etchings from the collection of Niagara University's Castellani Art Museum.

The exhibition will take place in the second floor gallery of the Anderson, 1 Martha Jackson Place (off Englewood Avenue between Main Street and Kenmore Avenue).

It will be free of charge and open to the public. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Further information and directions can be obtained from the gallery at (716) 829-3754.

The 15 sketches and the silver sculpture in the Klein Collection belong to the family of the late Edmund Klein, M.D., a world-renowned skin cancer researcher who was a research professor in UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and who served as chief of dermatology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

For nearly a decade, beginning in 1972, the year he won the coveted Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research for his outstanding contributions to the treatment of skin cancer, Klein treated Dali for skin cancer in New York City, France and on Spain's Costa Brava.

Paul Chimera, a spokesperson for the Klein family and a Dali aficionado, says that over the years, the doctor and the artist became close friends and that Dali paid Klein unconventionally for his medical treatment by executing, personalizing and dedicating to Klein, the original drawings to be shown in the UB exhibit.

"The drawings were sequestered for more than 30 years in a bank vault in downtown Buffalo," says Chimera, resident of Amherst, "and have never before been exhibited."

According to Chimera, the drawings were executed on the frontispieces or other blank pages of certain Dali books, on sketchpads, a photography catalogue and the back of a technical paper written by Klein.

Another piece is included as well: a poster of a Dali watercolor featuring the U.S. Capitol building topped by the Winged Victory of Samothrace, dedicated to Klein from Mary Lasker.

A catalog of the Klein Collection will be available at the exhibition.

Sandra Olsen, director of the UB Galleries, says the exhibition also will feature two Dali paintings from the UB Collection: Portrait of Katharine Cornell (oil and mixed media); and Labyrinth (oil on panel), as well as several works of art on loan from Niagara University's Castellani Art Museum.

The Niagara University holdings include a suite of five drypoint etchings with stencil, including King David, King Solomon, Noah's Ark and Joseph, from the 1975 Dali portfolio, "Our Historical Heritage;" The Curse Overthrown, a 1974 drypoint etching with stencil from the series "After 50 Years of Surrealism," and Crucifixion (not dated), a marble sculpture with gold details and inlaid gemstones.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.[/box]

Dali and his wife, Gala, just fascinate me.





wiki on Dali:

wiki on his wife, Gala:

I would enjoy a conversation with either of them.

See some Dali at "virtual Dali":

a few examples of work that likely look familiar to you, snagged from google images: