The Moving Finger Writes...

Santucci: Greg's Project for Known World.

Barriera (sic) is a dance of fighting at the barrier, with patticakes. Man and woman face, R patticake, L patticake, Both. In Santucci, it is different: feign to kiss both hands, touch with woman's hands on top. Feign to kiss both hands, touch with man's hands on top. (Kiss) R and touch, (kiss) L and touch... [all mistakes mine] More subtle. Before or after chronologically? Greg shrugs.

"Santucci has an excellent intro by the Doyenne of Academic Renaissance Dance, Barbara Sparti." Jeffie Matt and Vincent and Isabel and others transcribed the Italian text, and Gregory Spew-ed it, and is translating the dances and [difficult] commentary line by line.

Santucci has explicit step descriptions. Earlier, Greg described an out-of-the-ordinario: L little hop (saltarello), R little hop, L hop with toe up, and lower toe. But Greg doesn't remember that, now.

Hugs to Dance Researchers Geeks.

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Santucci, Ercole Santucci, Ercole. Maestro da Ballo. 474 pp. 1614.
Andrew Draskoy: A manuscript apparently intended for publication, written in Perugia by Maestro di Ballo. 474pp.

Posted by Goddess at 05:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember That fork incident? Did not happen to Lisa. Each time I tell a story, I come to grips with a sad truth. I can not remember things.

My views veer from reality.

I was in Zimbabwe during the 2001 Total Eclipse. Even then, the economy was in the toilet; thanks to Mumbabwe (sic) forcibly possessing farms and placing inexperienced men at their helms. The Zimbabwe currency didn't, and doesn't, float on the world market. And that means Zimbabwe can't buy supplies from outside.

Signs everywhere forbid tourists from exchanging money with locals. But the bank exchange rate was far lower than the locals would give; they wanted the inflation hedge, they wanted to have US dollars.

A young woman, school age, fell in love with my pen. My pen! I gave her the pen. She was happy. The school books were tatters, literally tattered and torn. Paper was rare. People lived without electricity. They carried grain to the mill on their heads, or on overloaded donkeys.

The economy of Zimbabwe has only gone downhill. Inflation is staggering; hundreds of percent every few months. I weep sadly for the kind people of Zimbabwe.

Posted by Goddess at 06:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My house is the most beautiful place in the world! Windows in every room. I love my house. A koi pond, one black and white like a moo cow. Two baby fish!!
Look at these gorgeous pictures.

But don't get too excited. It needs a second bath, and closet space is minimal. It is expensive to add on a master bath (though that will also double two bedrooms' closets.) I super-want to build a porched back exit into the garden, new stairs beneath, which will cost as much as the 5" house extension.

But It's on a 7,000 square foot lot! So there's room for a hot tub, but where? Perhaps a small dance floor out back, in the most darling garage you ever saw! I have the world's tallest maple (though I suspect it doesn't turn red) and a street canopy of healty trees!
I love my garden.

There's also a side porch, the prettiest place, it demands a a late breakfast; I feel compelled to have a weekly Sunday brunch on that dear patio.

But... there are bees, and it's hot, and the price is astronomical. It's far from Papa, an hour from Berkeley. I will leave my heart in the Berkeley hills.

OTOH I can always move back.

Meanwhile, neighbors welcome me to the Rose Garden, saying, "I moved here 17 years ago from Rockridge, and never left," and, "people leave here feet first" (which gave me pause. "How soon?") Kathy is two blocks away, Cin, six. I met the "Holy Toledo" couple by chance; they live in the Spanish house behind the Rosicrusian Museum.

And there's Renaissance dance fifteen minutes either direction, TechShop twenty minutes away, and not far to Friday Night Waltz and Contra and so forth.

Location, Neighbors, Craftsman.

Eee! I still have three days to back out.

Posted by Goddess at 02:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First Silly Thing.
Background: I frequently toss change away, being of the opinion that pennies were obsolete last century, and nickels are hardly better. Besides, change is HEAVY while paper is ephemeral.

Papa scrambles to pick it up, so I can't throw change away near Papa. It hurts his back to bend. Greg, who used to shuck coins into my purse, picked up a whole handful of quarters I tossed onto the sidewalk. Some people cannot stand idle while change lies loose.

Key point: I don't do change.

So I'm walking to Fellini's for coffee, bend down, and... pick up a quarter!

Second Silly Thing.
Background: Lisa has a friend who steals her dinner fork. The amusement value of fork theft is low, at best, and she has had occasion to learn over years of friendship that, with repetition, the value changes polarity.

Last night we ate at Spengers to (as it turned out, not) consider her fabulous future job. I had hidden many large and small forks in my purse, and every so often, another fork would appear by Lisa's plate.

Warning to others who attempt this diversion. Do not use favorite forks from home. I'm on my way to Spenger's this morning to sort through forks en masse (pronounced "on masz" says Greg.)

Enjoy Beltane and Beltane Coronation.

- - -

Further news on forks: I was let in Ms. Spenger's private entrance. The kitchen supervisor was hand-sorting silverware. I couldn't help because "it's in the kitchen." Soon, out comes a handful, and it's all there: three big forks, two medium, one gigantic fork, a knife, and a spoon. Cahryn even photocopied the pieces, so the kitchen can better spot strays.

I love Spenger's.

Posted by Goddess at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You know the drop-down box where you type your state, online forms? I pity the people who ilve in states that aren't "first" when you type the first letter.

I love California! Mmm. South facing terraces.
Wish me well in my house hunt.

Posted by Goddess at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)