The Life
January 2006
01/31/06Blogging, 1805 style"Captain Clark thought himself somewhat bilious and had not had a passage for several days. I prevailed on him to take a dose of Rush's pills, which I have always found sovereign in such cases, and to bathe his feet in warm water and rest himself."—Captain Lewis, 27 July 1805, The Journals of Lewis and Clark, Chapter 15. |
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01/31/06The moon--a 4 billion year old desertFrom The Smell of Moondust, third installment [1] [2] of Science@NASA's Apollo Chronicles: How do you sniff moondust? Every Apollo astronaut did it. They couldn't touch their noses to the lunar surface. But, after every moonwalk (or "EVA"), they would tramp the stuff back inside the lander. Moondust was incredibly clingy, sticking to boots, gloves and other exposed surfaces. No matter how hard they tried to brush their suits before re-entering the cabin, some dust (and sometimes a lot of dust) made its way inside. Once their helmets and gloves were off, the astronauts could feel, smell and even taste the moon. |
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01/31/06Gay cowboys ride roughshodBrokeback Mountain leads the herd, with eight Oscar® nominations... as announced this morning in Beverly Hills. |
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01/30/06Wendy Wasserstein: 18 October 1950 - 30 January 2006[New York Times article] Sad news indeed. In 1989, Wasserstein became the first woman in history to win both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for the same play, "The Heidi Chronicles": "You look so bored, you must be very bright." The play also provided an important breakthrough in the careers of Glenn Close and Meryl Streep. |
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01/30/06Inbox: a difference of opinionA reader identified only as "Somebody" from Palm Springs extracted several quotes from some of my postings, and commented upon them: "By the time John Guthrie McCallum settled his family here in 1884, it was called Palm Springs." Wrong. McCallum called his settlement Palm City. It was only later deemed Palm Springs. "In the early 1800s, the Spanish named it Agua Caliente ('hot water')." Wrong. The Spanish arrived in 1769. "The traditional Cahuilla Indian name for this area was Se-Khi ('boiling water')." Wrong. The term "sekhi" applies only to the hot springs, not the general vicinity. "Section 14 is also one square mile of the ancestral lands of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians." Wrong. The Band is an artificial... |
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01/30/06Yesterday was Ma's birthdayMy mom used to prep me for spelling bee competitions, many years ago. She was pretty good, too: we made it to the national finals twice in a row. Since then, we've had our ups and downs, but... well, y'know. So please join me in a toast: "Happy belated birthday, Bev!" |
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01/27/06Year of the PoochSunday marks the beginning of Chinese Lunar Year 4704. But I just know I'll be writing 4703 on my checks all next week. <rimshot>It's the Year of the Dog. But which dog? Poodle? Chow Chow? Shih Tzu? Pekingese? (Or is it Beijingese these days?) Since nobody has specified, I'm arbitrarily declaring 4704 to be the Year of the Inscrutable Chihuahua.Rowf.I had a bizarre dream last night. Half a billion Chinese people were crowded into Tiananmen Square, waiting for a jewel-encrusted ball to drop. When the ball reached the bottom, a huge sign lit up with the numbers "4704." At that point, everyone broke into a touching rendition of Auwd Wang Syne.I think I need psychiatric help. |
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01/27/06Path of the BighornThe Path of the Bighorn® public art project was launched in February 2003 to raise public awareness for the endangered Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. There are now over 100 Bighorn sculptures placed at various locations throughout the Coachella Valley. Some of them were hand-painted by such celebrities as Chevy Chase, Cher, Tony Curtis, Phyllis Diller and Sidney Sheldon. How many have you seen? |
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01/27/06SnowbirdsSeasonal residents. Winter wanderers. Sun seekers.Snowbirds are people who move from cold places to warm places during the winter. Our valley's population temporarily increases by almost half, due to Snowbirds.But the Snowbirds are also Canada's precision aerobatic team. They're headquartered in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.So be careful not to mix up your "Snowbirds" references.What's your favorite formation? Mine's Canada Goose to Grande flèche (everything sounds sexier in French). |
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01/26/06Internet (and blogs) supposedly invented by Russian in 1837References: 1, 2, 3, 4:"Houses are connected by means of magnetic telegraphs that allow people who live far from each other to communicate. [...] The thing is that many households here publish such journals that replace common correspondence. Such journals usually provide information about the hosts' good or bad health, family news, different thoughts and comments, small inventions, invitations to receptions. [...] The job of publishing such a journal daily or weekly is carried out by the butler." —from Prince Vladimir Odoevsky's novel, Year 4338Hey, wait a minute. You mean Al Gore didn't invent the Internet?! |
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01/26/06Whatchawannadothisweekend? (26Jan06)Tonight: don't forget Villagefest, 6pm-10! Friday: Paul Anka performs at the McCallum, 8pm. I just took a look at some of his song titles: Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Tell Me That You Love Me, Tonight My Love Tonight, I Don't Like to Sleep Alone, Love Me Warm and Tender, You're Having My Baby, Say Goodbye. What a sweet talker. Saturday morning: At 10am, the PS Art Museum opens their Jack Lenor Larsen show. Let's scan the article... "textile design," "practicing weaver," "tactile appeal." Hm. How much you wanna bet they won't let me touch any of his stuff? Saturday afternoon: Coda Gallery in Palm Desert is holding an artist reception for Kent Wallis, 2pm-6. White wine, please. And keep 'em coming. Saturday evening: At sundown (approximately 6pm), the... |
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01/26/06Welcome home, Mr. President!Former President Ford returned to his Rancho Mirage home yesterday, after a 12-day hospitalization for pneumonia. Ford is 92, born on July 14, 1913. The only other Presidents who survived into their nineties were John Adams (90), Herbert Hoover (90) and Ronald Reagan, who lived to the age of 93 years and 4 months. Here's hoping Gerry starts feeling well enough to go for the record! |
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01/25/06Wall-To-Wall ShagHave you read last week's Shag (a/k/a Josh Agle) interview?We're all getting really excited, because the February Palm Springs Life magazine will contain a whole bunch of new Shag illustrations. This talented artist is surfing the crest of a retro lounge/tiki revival that's inundating our pop culture like a tidal wave.As you might imagine, the ol' CD carousel now has Martin Denny, Yma Sumac and Juan Garcia Esquivel on heavy rotation... |
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01/25/06Saturn at oppositionAccording to SpaceWeather.com, it might be worthwhile to point your telescope or binoculars toward the east on Friday evening a few hours after sunset, at about 8pm. Saturn will be at opposition then, and the view should be spectacular.Space (and Saturn) wallpapers: NASA/JPL, Hubble, ESA, Scaled, Space.com. |
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01/25/06Signs of Life: HumpWednesday is Hump Day... ...and we've got the street sign to prove it. [more signs] |
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01/24/06Palm Springs Writers GuildThe Guild is a nonprofit corporation supporting published and unpublished writers of the Coachella Valley.At their next regular meeting, on Sunday, February 5, Author-Humorist Larry Wilde will lecture on "When You're Up To Your Eyeballs in Alligators." Wilde has written 53 books that have sold over 12 million copies. The monthly Guild meetings are open to the general public.To hone your writing skills—and help develop the skills of others—various critique groups meet once a week. And there's even a short story contest ($15 to enter, $850 in prizes), to boot! Posted at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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01/24/06Inbox: charm and intelligenceWell, it's not technically the ol' Inbox, but Lynda Keeler at Palm Springs Swings recently noticed TDQ and said nice things about us, so... well, you know how it goes: if someone compliments your cologne, that person naturally seems more charming and intelligent. And that's why we're recommending that you go visit the charming and intelligent Lynda Keeler and her fellow group bloggers. Don't forget to say "good doggie" to Bozo, Lynda's beagle. |
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01/24/06Blooker PrizeThis coming Monday is the contest entry deadline for the first $2,000 Blooker Prize (by contrast, Britain's £50,000 Booker Prize is in its thirty-seventh year).According to the Blooker website: A blook is a book with content that was developed in a significant way from material originally presented on a blog, web-comic or other website. This material includes the website's characters, themes, ideas or outline that ends up getting published as a printed book. |
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01/23/06Still feisty after all these yearsFormer mayor Frank Bogert (PSL covers: 1963, 1983) is a cowboy through and through. He's on a book tour these days, so you might be able to catch up with this active nonagenarian at the FOPSL event on Sunday, February 12 at 2pm. Yesterday, I had the rare privilege of speaking with him for a few minutes:You've hobnobbed with the rich and famous. Did you ever look forward to meeting a celebrity, and end up disappointed?Gary Cooper was a great movie star [High Noon, The Plainsman], and I had always wanted to meet him. Well, he finally came to the El Mirador, where I ran the stables, and he wanted to go riding. But when he came out wearing jodhpurs and a beret, all dressed up like an Englishman, it nearly broke my heart. I thought he was a cowboy, and here he turned out to be a damned... |
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01/23/06Pete Townshend, rock-star bloggerThe Who's Pete Townshend is blogging a serialized novella, The Boy Who Heard Music. He says the serial will run for 23 episodes, ending on February 25. He's also uploading song demos onto the blog, in mp3 files. According to his bio, Pete's 60. It's nice that he's taken up a hobby and is staying out of trouble. |
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01/23/06PS: the early yearsThe traditional Cahuilla Indian name for this area was Se-Khi ("boiling water").In the early 1800s, the Spanish named it Agua Caliente ("hot water").By the time John Guthrie McCallum settled his family here in 1884, it was called Palm Springs. There were 76 Native Americans living in town at that point.McCallum started buying up land and later organized "The Great Auction," on November 1, 1887. 137 parcels were sold, and the Village's growth seemed well on its way. But in 1893, disaster struck. First, it rained for 21 days straight, resulting in the Big Flood.And when it stopped raining, it really stopped raining... for eleven long years of drought.Less than a dozen of the new settlers stuck it out.***"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy... |
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01/20/06Milton's opus reduced 2 txt msgThe Daily Telegraph (UK) recently reported that Paradise Lost has been successfully shoehorned into a mobile-phone text message: "Devl kikd outa hevn coz jelus of jesus&strts war.p'd off wiv god so corupts man (md by god) wiv apel.devl stays serpnt 4hole life&man ruind.woe un2mnkind." The translation, approved by Prof. John Sutherland, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, reads: "The devil is kicked out of heaven because he is jealous of Jesus and starts a war. He is angry with God and so corrupts man (who is made by God) with an apple. The devil remains as a serpent for the whole of his life and man is ruined. Woe unto mankind." Put that in your Nokia and smoke it. |
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01/20/06Tim Berners-Lee started blogging. Finally.Yes, the Web's creator now has a blog... and 455 comments in response to his first posting!If you keep adding salt to a glass of water, the saline mixture is eventually unable to hold any more crystals. But when you heat up that solution, more salt can dissolve into the liquid. After removing the heat and dropping in one last grain of salt, the supersaturated concoction quickly deposits its burden onto the newly-added seed crystal, which magically grows before your very eyes.In the blogosphere, concepts frequently germinate in a similar way, expanding by accretion around certain kernels. Irresistible memes beget more and more bright ideas, often forming powerful chain reactions. A free think tank which serves the entire planet has finally opened for business, and its seed crystal can be... |
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01/20/06Krassner keeps 'em (and himself) in stitchesDesert Hot Springs resident Paul Krassner co-founded the Yippies, along with Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. From 1958 to 1974 (and 1985-2001), he published The Realist, which led People magazine to call him the "father of the underground press." He immediately demanded a paternity test. After Krassner edited How to Talk Dirty and Influence People, author/comedian Lenny Bruce encouraged him to become a stand-up comic; he opened at NYC's Village Gate in 1961. He dropped acid with Timothy Leary and Ken Kesey, and later accompanied Groucho Marx on his first LSD trip. Krassner was inducted into the Counterculture Hall of Fame at the 14th annual Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. He claims it was "my ambition since I was three years old." For the past decade, he's been cranking... |
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01/19/06Joseph Wambaugh's cake, and eat it tooAuthor Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh, Jr. and his wife Dee live in Rancho Mirage. Joseph was born on January 22, 1937, so he'll be turning 69 on Sunday. Happy birthday, Detective! Wambaugh was an LAPD officer for several years before becoming a full-time writer. In fact, he was still on the force when two of his books, The New Centurions and The Blue Knight, were released. He decided to quit police work because too many people recognized him when he was on duty. I eagerly look forward to dealing with the same problem. Also born on January 22: 1967 Olivia d'Abo 1965 Diane Lane 1960 Michael Hutchence 1959 Linda Blair 1953 Jim Jarmusch 1940 John Hurt 1935 Sam Cooke 1934 Bill Bixby 1932 Piper Laurie 1788 Lord Byron 1561 Sir Francis Bacon |
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01/19/06TahquitzTahquitz Canyon was closed for nearly 30 years. Since it has now been reopened to visitors (entrance at 500 West Mesquite Avenue), this might be a good time to reexamine the ancient Cahuilla Indian legend:According to stories that have been told and retold for generations, a shaman named Tahquitz ("TAH-kwish") once developed supernatural capabilities and practiced them with good intent. However, he was eventually corrupted by his own power, until he became downright dangerous. He was subsequently banished to this canyon, where he remains to this day. In fact, some members of the local Agua Caliente tribe still refuse to enter the canyon, because they believe that Tahquitz devours the souls of the unwary. It is said that he can suddenly manifest himself as an earthquake or... |
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01/19/06Whatchawannadothisweekend? (19Jan06)Tonight: don't forget Villagefest! Friday: At 4pm, Kitty Carlisle Hart celebrates her 95th birthday by performing at the Annenberg. Her website claims that she's "the oldest working woman in show business." Sounds about right. Saturday morning: the Desert Film Society is screening Pure at 9am. The Society serves complimentary coffee & pastries, and Keira Knightley costars in the flick. Yum to both. Saturday afternoon: Try a 2pm matinee of Cirque Dreams at the Palm Springs Pavilion Theatre: "An international cast of acrobats, contortionists and aerialists perform under a multi-million dollar ultra violet stage set that ignites them into some of the most amazing feats and performances ever witnessed on stage and in the air." Mom always threatened to ignite a... |
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01/19/06Life in a retirement community is a lot like being back in high schoolThe Boston Globe recently published an article entitled Fast Times at Brooksby High, and it sparked a debate at the local coffee shop. Some folks who are contemplating retirement think it's healthier to continue living in age-integrated communities, alongside young families with babies and people past ninety.But I argued that age-restricted communities are a great idea. In fact, I can't believe it took this long for the wife and me to discover 'em. We snuck into a "55-or-better, active adult" development awhile back, circumventing the minimum age requirement by getting my 57-year-old buddy to co-sign the lease. We decided to buy one of those houses a year later, claiming that my mom had come to live with us.As if. (Her broom is barred from the "no-fly" zone, which... |
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01/18/06Section 14...is at the heart of Palm Springs.It is the source of the mineral hot springs for which this town was named.It is also one square mile of the ancestral lands of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.During the 1800s, the odd-numbered square-mile parcels were given as incentives to Southern Pacific Railroad, while the Cahuilla got the even-numbered parcels.Section 14 was also unofficially used as a post-WWII African-American and Latino squatters' reservation until the city bulldozed it in 1966.It is bordered by Alejo Road on the north, Ramon on the south, Indian Canyon on the west and Sunrise Way on the east.Understanding the dynamics of this mysterious resort town may hinge on solving the puzzle of Section 14's use (and non-use).Don't worry. I'm on the case. |
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01/18/06Frank Bogert's back in the saddleLocal luminary Frank M. Bogert, former mayor of Palm Springs, was born on January 1, 1910, in Mesa, Colorado. And according to Peppertree Bookstore, he's "a raw-boned piece of the past who rode into this desert in 1927 and fast became a legend. Bogert's inimitable straight-talking, unpretentious manner helped create Palm Springs, shaping events that led to the town's evolution from main street village to cosmopolitan desert resort. Beneath his ten-gallon hat, rugged facade and salty humor is a thoughtful man with a breadth of knowledge and the kind of character and charisma that itself becomes history."On Sunday at 3pm, Frank will discuss his new book at Peppertree's southernmost branch. |
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01/18/06A boy and his trousersBy now, you've surely read about the eBay leather pants listing (scroll down when you arrive) which has generated so much interest during the past few months (3,173,568 is the current counter total). But you may not know about the seller's blog, which details the amount of attention he attracted. Here are some excerpts from his eBay description:You are bidding on a mistake.We all make mistakes. We date the wrong people for too long. We chew gum with our mouths open. We say inappropriate things in front of grandma.And we buy leather pants.[...] I have not worn these leather pants for the following reasons:I am not a member of Queen.I do not like motorcycles.I am not Rod Stewart.I am not French.I do not cruise for transvestites in an expensive sports car. |
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01/18/06Moon under Indian Canyon, 7:59amThe moon was peeking out from over the mountains behind Indian Canyon Drive a few minutes ago (click thumbnail to enlarge). It was WAY too charming; I couldn't resist snapping a pic.Today's high temperature is expected to be 73°F/23°C.Yes, it's true: on Groundhog Day, we pray for six more weeks of winter. |
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01/17/06Inbox: a certain social eventGeez Louise, we've been hearing a lot of gossip about... well, let's just call it "a certain social event" held over the long weekend. Frankly, I'm surprised that such lowbrow shenanigans could take place at such a high-class affair. The next time you people decide to act up like that, please make sure I get an invitation. *grin* And if anybody out there wants to dish some serious dirt, I've been authorized to offer complete anonymity and—as a very special bonus—total immunity from prosecution! |
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01/17/06Now it can be told: the Shag interviewI caught up with Josh Agle (a/k/a Shag) at m modern last Saturday night. He was in town for only a short time, between his fourth gallery show in Tokyo and an upcoming one in Australia. His book signing event was about to start, and the circumstances seemed very hectic to me: many people chattered excitedly while looking at his paintings, and a camera crew rushed everywhere, setting up their equipment to film him for a documentary to be aired on the Bravo channel. But Shag was very cool, casually lounging around, and he graciously consented to spend a few minutes answering my questions: You like to emphasize humor in your images. Do you often go for the joke? It's not always a joke, but there's usually some kind of twist, often macabre. There's a sense of irony in almost every piece I... |
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01/17/06Namaste, reduxRamesh Avadhani from Bangalore just sent this lovely note: "Do you know the feeling, while watching a movie, that this man or woman is really nice, even though you haven't met him or her? That's what I felt about Kashmera when I saw her movie Yes Boss. I would say Brad did the right thing by marrying her within two days of meeting her! Alan, you seem to have the gift of covering the unusual and the enchanting. I look forward to reading more of your reports." |
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01/17/06The Legend of Al CaponePalm Springs Life recently threw a launch party at Two Bunch Palms for the new Art+Culture magazine. The gathering was a lovely catered affair, with live music, and some of the artwork was on display in the Al Capone Suite.That's where I first learned about the connection between Al Capone and TBP. Some of their staff even claimed that Big Al had built a secret underground automobile tunnel for quick escapes, but I guess nobody's been able to find it.Great tale, though. Read the legend and judge for yourself. |
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01/17/06Uptown Palm Springs, 7:57amThis was the view on Palm Canyon Drive a few minutes ago, near the end of my commute (click thumbnail to enlarge). As you drive to the west, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains loom larger and larger until they enfold you. Spectacular.Today's high is predicted to be 72°F/22°C.Winter is not too bad out here. |
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01/16/06Blogging for all agesBloggers are young. Everyone knows that. It's a truism.Then how do we explain AARP's Blogosphere 101 - Older Bloggers List? Well, I guess we could say it's a collection of musings from people in the 50- to 80-year-old bracket, who discuss their RV travels, or age discrimination, or coping with the inevitable loss of loved ones, or what it's really like to get older.Sometimes they write, in clear, ringing tones, about experiences from their younger days. And there's nothing quite as textured as a teenybopper story, told from the perspective of someone who has already experienced several decades of ever-after.Oh yeah life goes onLong after the thrill of livin' is gone.--John Mellencamp, "Jack & Diane" |
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01/16/06Who doesn't love a good scandale littéraire?!Q: What do these "authors" have in common: James Frey, JT Leroy, Thomas Chatterton, James Macpherson, Ern Malley, Clifford Irving, Forrest Carter, Beatrice Sparks, Gerd Heidemann, Crad Kilodney, Anthony Godby Johnson, Andreas Karavis, Lynne Cheney and Scooter Libby?A: Most of them are enshrined in Writing Wrongs - a history of literary hoaxes at the CBC:Writers with a hard-luck memoir in the works may want to wait until the dust settles before approaching a publisher. With both of these swindles [James Frey and JT Leroy], industry insiders have spent the week alternately claiming they "suspected all along" that something was up and nervously defending their fact-checking processes. As for the rest of us, we can sit back and relish the juicy details of the latest... |
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01/16/06Namaste!Palm Springs investment banker Brad Listermann met Indian film star Kashmera Shah on the Internet, and the couple eventually turned their unusual love story into a screenplay. They were kind enough to spend a few minutes with me on Saturday night, just before the world premiere of their movie, My Bollywood Bride:How did you two find each other online?Kashmera: I found him! My friend was looking at some dating websites, and Brad had just listed himself. So I wrote to him.Brad: And when she contacted me, I was absolutely shocked that this beautiful Indian actress had written. But I thought she was only half-serious, and that it could never work, her being on the other side of the world. So I didn't respond as soon as some other people. Usually, guys were chasing her.Kashmera: Three of... |
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01/16/06King holidayMartin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929.At age 19, he was ordained as a Baptist minister in Atlanta on February 25, 1948.At age 34, he delivered the "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963.At age 35, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 1964.At age 39, he was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.Today is the 20th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Congress established the third Monday of January as a national holiday in 1986. |
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01/14/06Mumbai (Bombay) to Palm SpringsI spoke with the wife-and-husband creative duo Kashmera and Brad (later: the photo has been moved to the interview), just minutes before tonight's world premiere of their film.[Details--and a sound clip--will be posted on Monday morning, but here's the advance buzz: My Bollywood Bride was so enthusiastically received that it's been added to Best of Fest, with an encore screening on Monday afternoon!]Twenty minutes earlier, Shag (a/k/a Josh Agle) told me some juicy secrets about the festival poster. Stay tuned for the full interview, later this week. |
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01/13/06Wallpaper/highlightsBored with the background wallpaper image on your computer's desktop? Then try one of ours! First, left-click one of these links: Palm Springs 1965 aerial view or P.S. desert flowers or El Mirador or Thousand Palms Oasis. After the photo appears in a second window, just right-click on that image and choose: "Set as Background." [more wallpaper: a/b/c]Later - if you don't have time to sift through the archives, here are some highlights: celebrity encounters, grave matters, historic plaques, public art, TV pilot, thumb, fireworks, temp spike, palm reading, roadrunner, deserts, signs, ostrich brains, dances, overheard, recipes, memewatch, countdown, DST, Beckett, down&out, dogcrap, pooch, snowbirds, gambling, retirement, dummies, Botts, UFO@Integratron, volcanoes, CV blogs.... |
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01/13/06Inbox: samplerDavid from Fair Oaks writes: "Nice blog - interesting stuff!" Anne from Montana writes: "Love your blog! It's like having a hip friend in Palm Springs -- I'll never have to worry about picking a bad restaurant while in town." Fran (Yada Feast) from Connecticut writes: "Do you think they hire out for that potty training miracle? I have a dog I'd love to introduce to them. But then the poor girl would never get out of the house while I pitter-patter away at the keyboard. I would, however, be sure to call out a thank you to her, if she remembered to flush! Awesome blog, Alan!" |
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01/13/06Inbox: Doris from Rancho MirageThe lovely and talented Doris took the time to send us a message from her lovely and talented computer in Rancho Mirage. She definitely deserves our gratitude. Okay, all together now: "Thank you, Doris!" Doris thinks we should offer desktop wallpaper background images with Coachella Valley themes. Wow, that's an excellent idea, Doris. Why didn't *I* come up with it? In fact, my boss is now very likely to be wondering the same thing. So watch this page for further developments. We should be able to upload some pix by late afternoon. And the lovely and talented Doris will probably take over my job on Monday. |
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01/13/06El MiradorIn 1928 the El Mirador Hotel was built for $750,000, providing accommodations for 300 guests. The rich and famous often vacationed here and many celebrities considered the hotel to be their second home. During World War II, it was transformed into Torney General Hospital, serving wounded soldiers. The El Mirador made a hotel-biz comeback, starting in the 1950s, but it's now the Desert Regional Medical Center. DRMC's Byzantine Spanish Colonial tower, rising majestically over a cluster of other buildings in the north end of town, has become a familiar landmark and symbol of this desert resort. |
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01/13/06Triskaidekaphobia...first appeared in 1911, formed from the Greek "treiskaideka" (thirteen) and "phobos" (fear). Eight decades later, some fear-obsessed shrink coined "paraskevidekatriaphobia" (although Word Spy implies that it might have been stolen from an earlier usage) using the Greek "paraskevi" (Friday), "dekatria" (thirteen? again? those wacky Greeks need two words for 13?) and the standard workhorse "phobos." Then there's "friggatriskaidekaphobia" ("Friday" comes from "Frigga," the ancient Scandinavian fertility and love goddess).But why do these people want to pretend their new words have instant credibility, by using obscure foreign roots? Let's just get rid of those weird un-American terms, and rely on... |
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01/12/06Whatchawannadothisweekend? (12Jan06)Friday: listen to the sublime Budapest Festival Orchestra play Wagner, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky over at the McCallum.Saturday AM: run 5K for the Desert Paws charity (DesertPaws.org)... but we'd better not hear that you were doggin' it. ;-)Saturday PM: relax, cool down, and get Shag to sign his new book for you!Saturday night: an offer you can't refuse - the wacky family fest with a "Godfather" ambiance - Joey & Maria's Comedy Italian Wedding. Or you might be able to score last-minute tix for the world premiere of My Bollywood Bride.Sunday: attend a matinee of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. Founder Riff Markowitz sez: "What does Grandma do every day? Well, she goes to a theater, takes all her clothes off, puts on 32 pounds of feathers and jewels, wears 5-inch... |
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01/12/06Elbert D. Botts saved my life. Again.I was just cruising back to the office along P.C.D. on this summery winter's day, trying hard not to succumb to the temporary blindness engendered by all those beautiful women sashaying down the sidewalks while insouciantly flashing their highbeams at unsuspecting passersby. That's when I felt the familiar "thump-thump-thump" of my tires, running over the raised pavement markers that divide the lanes, reminding me not to wink and drive. [Click small thumbnail photo to enlarge.] Elbert D. Botts (1893-1962), a chemist at Caltrans, developed the raised-dome plastic lane markers which we now know fondly as Botts' Dots. There are an estimated 20 million Dots currently in place on California roads, and the cute buttons have been adopted around the world. Most Dots are white, but... |
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01/12/06VillagefestIn case you haven't heard: each Thursday night between 6pm and 10pm, Palm Canyon Drive is blocked off to cars, from Baristo to Amado. The boulevard turns into an open-air market, and a venue for street entertainment. Food and handcrafted items are sold in booths, while stores and restaurants stay open late. Palm Springs Art Museum offers free admission on Thursday evening, too. If you had been here a few weeks ago, the Holiday Banner Program prizewinners were also flapping gaily on the light posts! Started more than fifteen years ago, Villagefest is consistently voted the best event in the area, attracting thousands of visitors each week. |
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01/12/06Inbox: somewhere outside the Palm Springs city limitsEven though the feedback below is not really related to the Palm Springs area per se, it's our first reaction to this blog, so... here goes. Anikó from Indio writes: "I think your TDQ readers might enjoy visiting this Hungarian news web page. It tells about a private zoo in northern Thailand which built a special toilet for their elephant, and then taught him how to use it." [Click small thumbnail photo below to see the larger version.] Since nobody here speaks Magyar, it looks like we'll have to accept her word for it. Thanks, Anikó! Update: this translation site confirms the story. I should have never doubted you, Anikó. I hope you can forgive me... |
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01/12/06Blogging for dummiesA "blog" (short for "weblog") is a website containing dated entries in reverse chronological order, most recent first, authored by an individual or group. Adding material to an existing blog is called "blogging," which is performed by a "blogger." Individual articles on a blog are called "posts" or "entries." "Blogosphere" refers to the total universe of blogs. Blogs took off in the summer of 1999, when automatic blogging software opened up the process of creating websites to those who lacked a knowledge of the codes which make clickable links on webpages. The Reporters Without Frontiers organization has written: Blogs get people excited. Or else they disturb and worry them. Some people distrust them. Others see... |
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01/11/06Close to the vestDuring today's lunch break, I sauntered two blocks from the office, entered a fancy casino, and plunked two bucks down on a blackjack table. Thirty seconds later, I walked out with five whole dollars clutched in my sweaty little fist. But it hasn't always been so easy to gamble in this town. When Riverside County's casinos were outlawed in the 1930s, private gaming clubs like the Dunes and One Thirty Nine sprung up, partly to keep Palm Springs hotels filled during the Depression. Since there was no city authority, with only one deputy sheriff who rarely visited from the county seat, townsfolk turned a blind eye toward these establishments. Everything ran smoothly as long as club owners kept the wagering out in the sparsely-inhabited desert, away from the Village, and prevented local... |
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01/11/06Romance blossoms online"They met on the Internet—a Palm Springs, Calif., investment banker and a Mumbai-based Indian film star. They fell in love, they married. Their first child—a screenplay."Aww. How cute. And their movie actually got made! Brad Listermann's the moneyman, and Kashmira Shah is the star. If you hurry, you might just catch them at the Film Fest.Sigh. What a romantic story.PS: WE ♥ U... |
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01/10/06Voices Of The Monument[This is a new HD DVD—compatible with all players and televisions—about the first national monument created by Congressional, rather than Presidential, action. Proceeds go to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. A shorter version of this 45-minute documentary was shown once, at midnight, on a TV station in Orange County and earned five Emmy® nominations, winning four statuettes.] "The mountains are not just brown blobs, or snow-capped summits, they're a unique resource," says producer Frank Jones. "In fact, these two-mile-high peaks contain five separate climate zones. To find the same range of biological and geological features represented in this sixty-mile stretch of land, you'd have to travel from the tip of Mexico's Baja California to the... |
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01/10/06Skating on thin ice at the Los Angeles TimesNoted on latimes.com (Styles & Scenes): "[...] Wanna hold a film festival that will draw scads of A-list stars? Simple. Just give everyone awards! [...] At the Palm Springs Gala, [David] Cronenberg's nabbing the Sonny Bono Visionary Award. But don't expect any jokes about Bono's vision not being good enough to avoid that tree on the ski slopes. [...]" |
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01/10/06Desert blogger jumps out of perfectly good airplanesMaggie Downs is a skydiver who recently relocated to the desert. She has uploaded some amazing photos of her parachuting experiences, and she also blogs about them:At 6,000 feet, about the same altitude at which the accident occurred, I turned and flew away from the group. I shoved my hands down by my sides, pointed my toes, and curled my shoulders forward until I shaped my body into a wing. I could feel my limbs cup the air, and I shot through the sky faster than I ever have before. Behind me, the group had kept my space open to recognize the missing man on the jump.I deployed. After a few more seconds, I heard the snap of the other parachutes opening up in the sky around me.It was a gorgeous jump. So stark and so simple and so beautiful. I wish the world could have seen it. |
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01/09/06Palm Springs International Film FestivalThe longform festival runs through Monday, the 16th (accompanied by the usual top-quality blog from Julie Varnau's crew). Last summer, I attended their short-film festival and scribbled some notes on the backs of bar napkins from the Sweaty Palms Motel: So there I am, in the Sweaty Palms cocktail lounge, knocking back my 5th or 8th Fat Weasel, when a VP of Acquisitions from the Blueberry Pie Channel ("HD pie, 24/7"™) comes rolling in. He's been locked in a cubicle all day, watching tapes and DVDs of short films, and he's starved for human contact. So Mr. Piehole straddles the stool next to me and begins yammering about the lack of decent Pie cinema: "Where are the flaky crust auteurs? Where are the angst-filled dramas on the rolling of the dough?" After he... |
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01/09/06CompetitionDo you have an eye-popping Palm-Springs-related photo lying around? It's sure to be better than this example, of PSL's HQ (click thumbnail to enlarge). Send your contest entry photo (JPEG format, under 100Kb, *and* longest side less than 500 pixels) by eMail to AlanB@PalmSpringsLifeQ.com (just remove the anti-spam "Q"), and we'll publish the best ones. We'll even give you a cool PSL poster, suitable for framing! Plus, your name (and city) will appear here—on your photo's very own webpage—as a "prizewinner" (we'll call you other, less flattering, things behind your back). Then you can show Aunt Mildred that you're a "prizewinning photographer." Just imagine yourself saying: "Look at the d*mn computer, Mildred. See my photo? SEE?! I did amount to... |
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01/09/06Soonja Oh Kim: A New World ViewCATHEDRAL CITY It seduces like the sea -- a field of blue, its values changing to mimic the water’s darkest depths, undulating movement, mercurial nature. A sensual yet calculated translucency also prevails -- characteristics that also describe the artist, her gesture, and her process. I'm in the studio of Soonja Oh Kim, who invited me to see (and ultimately write about) the abstract wall constructions she made for her solo exhibition this January at BGH Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. In this series, "Earth and Water," Soonja takes her inspiration from land and sea. Works in rich greens and earthy browns augment the blue panels -- some single, others paired, joined by dramatically contrasting, black-painted wooden beams, which deepen the dimension of the... |
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01/09/06FeedbackWe want to hear from you!: (A) What do you think of the new site design at PalmSpringsLife.com? Do you have any suggestions about content or usability? (B) What do you think of Palm Springs Life magazine? Do you have any ideas for new features? (C) What do you think of this blog? By using the feedback form, we won't know your eMail address unless you reveal it to us. If you DO send it, we promise to keep it confidential (unless you say otherwise), and we won't put it on any mailing lists. However, we might want to excerpt parts of your message on this blog (or in the magazine), along with your first name and city location - so if you don't want any of your feedback to appear publicly, just let us know. Update: Inbox |