Month: February 2007

This oven came from the apartment next door to me, which had been empty for decades. The story goes, a young cop who was killed in the line of duty had lived there with his wife and baby daughter in the 50’s. When he was killed his wife took their baby and left and never came back, leaving the furniture and a lot of their possessions behind. They continued to pay rent, though, so the apartment stayed empty.

I moved in next door around 1981 or 1982, I forget. One night there was a radiator leak in the apartment and the super had to break in to fix it. I was home so I went inside with him. At least part of the story was true. It was like going back in time. There was old furniture there that had been sitting unused for decades. Wallpaper was peeling off the walls in great big chunks. A desk full of someone’s papers sat dusty and cobweb-y.

And there was also this stove, which I thought was beautiful. The super said I could have it and it now sits in my bedroom. This picture doesn’t do it justice, it really is a lovely thing.

Which was a long lead in to this website. Michael who reads this blog sent it to me. It’s called the Baby Boomer Death Counter. Good freaking lord. Prepare yourselves fellow boomers.

Someday someone else will have my beautiful stove. They will tell their own story about how they came to own it. Maybe they will talk about how they got it from the cat lady’s apartment on the top floor. (Except, technically, I am NOT a cat lady. Two cats do not count as “cat lady,” right??)

WAIT. Have I told the stove story before? Am I repeating myself?? Has it come to this?? (Forgive me.)

There is no connection between what I’m going to say and this picture. But, God. Will you look at those claw marks? These cats are ruining the place. One of them was sick on my lovely sofa, and I had my upholstry cleaner guys out yesterday but no-go. There’s a faint outline. So now I have to resort to the cover-up. I’ll find some pretty lace thing.

In fact, here’s a shot of my current cover-up solution:

I’m uploading these pictures of the slow destruction of my apartment by cats because future historians from other planets who will chart and write about the fall of our civilization will need proof.

Future Alien Historian: No really, look. There were wars and genocide all over the place, the debate on global warming was over, they knew it was coming and this is what she concerned herself with. I’m not making this up, I swear. Look. I have proof.

Still to see Before the Oscars

Babel
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Queen
Letters from Iwo Jima

Seen

Dreamgirls – not recommended.
Children of Men – recommended.
The Painted Veil – highly recommended.
Catch and Release – a nice diversion.

This is Joe Tozzi, the Nassau County detective who was assigned to the 1958 poltergeist case I’m writing about.

I am having so much fun with the poltergeist chapter. I’m really surprised, because for whatever reason, I’ve never really found the subject of poltergeists interesting. I’m dying to post some of what I’ve written to show why it’s fun, but my publisher would not be pleased.

Bottomline, no one who investigated the case came away thinking it was some sort of fraud or hoax, even if that’s what they initially thought. Not the police, the reporters, the neighbors, the Duke guys. That made me look at it differently. When I go through the police reports that describe every occurrence, I imagine it differently. What would it be like to be there, and see something go flying through the air and there really wasn’t anyone around who could have thrown it. You’re sitting there, a grown person, you don’t believe in ghosts, where do you put that?

Even if there’s a natural explanation for it, one that we just don’t know yet, the unknown of it is fun. Not for the family though. The mother was completely freaked out by the whole thing.

I’m still trying to find James Herrmann, the son of the house who was 12 at the time. Most of the events centered about him. He’d be 61 or 62-ish now. Or his sister Lucille, who was 13.

This was painted by Raymond Bayless, a parapsychologist I wrote about in my book. Here’s the description of the painting, which is owned by the United States Air Force.

“Scene In The Asteroid Left Showing Trapped Inter Stellar Ships Caught In Web Like Structures Woven By An Version Of Other Dimensioned Spider Like Beings. An Air Force Vessel Is Counter Attacking.”

I love this sad painting.

The question I just put to Buddy: Who is the most magnificent cat of all time?? His answer: [He left the room. I have no idea how to interpret that. He’s bored?] Look at the gorgeousness of him, though. I mean come on.

I saw Children of Men yesterday. I must say, I love a good end-of-the-world movie. Worse, I think people would behave this badly. Even though I genuinely believe in the good of many, I can’t deny the bad. Still, I’m glad the movie ended on a hopeful note. I don’t think I could have taken it otherwise.

Except … you know how in the movies when bad things are about to happen they always want to keep the news from getting out in order to avoid a panic? Well, look at 9/11. That first day, for all we knew anything could happen next. An even bigger attack could follow. But no one panicked. Instead, they rallied. They pulled it together and did what had to be done, and behaved decently.

The end of the world is a little different. If it’s truly the end of the world, there’s an absence of hope. But is there ever really a complete absence of hope? There’s always denial. So maybe, at the end of the world, we’d rally then too.