BLACK BRICK

We must revisit these bricks which are of course my favorites!

This is some seriously heady stuff. From a distance of twenty feet they look solid black. Getting closer reveals various values of black with plum and blue.

How were these created? It had to do with the oxidizing conditions in the kiln, and creating sudden temperature increases in a process known as flashing.

Common constituents were added to the clay mixture to produce colors. This brick may have had iron oxide with manganese oxide added. Vegetable materials were also added with a sudden temperature increase.

People wonder why I'm always happy.

REDBRICK

Perhaps this explains my fascination with face brick.

Enclosed in an email from Pat Fish:

From: Wordsmith
Date: January 21, 2008 9:02:24 PM PST
To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--redbrick

This week's theme: words with color as metaphors.

redbrick (RED-brik) adjective

Lacking prestige.

[The term usually describes universities. A redbrick university is one built
in the UK after WWII, as opposed to the older prestigious institutions such
as Oxford and Cambridge. The term is mostly used in the UK. A contrasting
term in the US is Ivy League. An Ivy League university is one of several in
the northeastern US that have high prestige and a reputation for scholastic
achievement. The term alludes to the age of the universities reflected in
the ivy that festoons the outside walls of the buildings on campus.]

GARAGE ON OAK HILL CALLED BY BAD TIM

Perplexed about the style of architecture with this garage, I emailed my crony Bad Tim the Architect with the query.

Me: What the hell is this?
Tim: It's post-modern. it's a cheap and lazy version of neo-classical, intended to seem whimsical or ironic, but now mostly looking ridiculous.

Oh thanks. I spent years as a child admiring it but now the deal is queered.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

Who's there?
DADDY!
Daddy who?
Leather queen.
Huh?
Land shark...

Ack! Fake shutters.

TOP TEN BRICK PICKS OF 2007

Accordion brick.
Best of Show.


Black pitted brick pix'd at dusk.
1st place.


Bordered brick with pink mortar and tiny pebbles.
Second place.


Mixed color drag face bricks.
Third Place.
Of the group of photos below the charcoal color brick takes first place.


Gold brick pitted with black.
Honorable mention:

Cross hatch face brick with crappy mortar job.
Best design element.

Distressed brick with charcoal color, Morgan Ford Road.
Most Creative presentation:

Chunky 3-D brick located on the column at Connecticut and Roger.
Most formidable.


Red and Green Glazed brick.
Best seasonal presentation.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE ONCOLOGIST'S OFFICE...

So I found another lump earlier this week while bathing and doing the self test business. Hell fire, I thought, this better not be cancer again. It's just so damned inconvenient. Further proof: the fact that my oncologist is on Ballas where I40 is no go.

My oncologist is shorter than me. She's also a hell of a lot more butch.
I swear she gets her hair hurt every two weeks; it's a perfect precision cut and it's expensive hair. I stare at her hair and her opulent eyeglasses while she studies my file. It's easy to stare at the top of her head since I'm perched on the table wearing a robe made from bleached paper that is silent when I open it. (While waiting for her to come into the micro room, I tossed it in the air like pizza dough and took photos. I get so bored with down time).


Everything about her is crisp. Her pressed button down shirt, the sharp cease in her pants, her hair cut and the brittle way she speaks. Strictly business, I've only seen her smile once when I congratulated her on her marriage (She married in Canada where same sex marriages are legal, imagine that)

Oh yeah, the lump.
I was sent to get an ultra sound today. I 'slipped into' another quiet paper robe and gazed at recessed incandescent light bulbs in the ceiling while tossing on the table. Dr Goodhope (that's her real name!) came in, looked at the screen the tech was working on and announced: Necrosis!

Benign?, I prompted as she watched the screen.
Yes benign, she answered distractedly.

(Thanks for answering I needed to inhale there.)

She excitedly asked the tech to remove my name from the images and make detailed photos so she could show her residents. I gazed at the light bulbs for another five minutes and took the time to tell them about using CFL and how I reduced my power bill from 70.00 monthly to 20.00.

I once explained to a man that breasts were nothing but fatty tissue, milk ducts and lymph nodes.
After a moment of silence he said, Thanks for ruining it for me.

From Google:
Fat necrosis is a benign breast condition whereby a firm lump forms in an area of fatty breast tissue that has been damaged (or, in my case, a tumor was removed along with half of my breast and the resulting surgery produced dead tissue). The nodules and plaques appear in the first several weeks of life. brownish color. This may be due to fat necrosis. The blood supply to fat is always poor and many events around the time of surgery can interfere with this.

CHRIS COMES TO VISIT

Chris visits from the NW and brings Gerber daisies.

We've all had definitive moments or events that have shaped our lives and made us who we are. Most of this happens prior to becoming a teenager.

If you're fortunate, you may encounter a few others in your adult life who contribute to your awe of being alive by their mere physical presence. Because of your history together, you enjoy a special friendship that is mutually celebrated.

And you know where ever that person is, you are always considered, revered, understood, and appreciated.

THE S. S. ADMIRAL - MY BRIEF GIG

Photo by Tom Kempland

When I was in college, I briefly worked on the S.S. Admiral.

I worked in a fairly large office that had a massive safe.
The first night on the job, I listened as other people answered the phone saying, "Purser's office." I thought they were saying first floor office.

Wouldn't you know, the phone rang while I was in the room alone. I answered, First floor office!

I was treated to a moment of silence then heard crabby Captain Streckfus bellow in my ear: This is a ship! There aren't floors on a ship, its a deck! You are in the First Deck Purser's Office!

My hair was standing up. Not knowing what else to do I hung up on him.
Oh, but it felt sweet.

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/admiral.htm
http://www.stlouistimeportal.com/postcard_floatingdancefloor.htm

CARVED WOOD CAPITALS - 38 HUMPHREY

Click to enlarge!

These carved wood capitals make me shudder with appreciation. It's seriously almost too rich to behold in person (if you can ignore the home depot storm doors).

When good buildings go bad OR more hoosier contracting

I experience both embarrassment and horror when I drive by this building on Roger Pl.

Obviously two doors existed in the spaces the cinder blocks currently occupy. Perhaps the wood frames has rotted. I don't know. I do know this was a hideous solution.

Photos of my old store RE:GENERATION

I was going through some old files today and found these photos of my store. It was located at 3196 S. Grand next to the post office on Wyoming.

I opened it in 1998 and was there business for 3.5 years. One year into I started selling on eBay. I was making more money on eBay in a day than the store was producing in a week. I had a three year lease and dreamed of the day I could close and work out of my home. No overhead, no special tax license, employee, etc.

The name of the store referenced recycling (or upcycling as I prefer to call it) and was a place where I could display and sell a lot of what I was making at the time.

I've never missed owning a retail store.
I did met Chris (The Red Diamond).

That's one of my paintings in the background and I made the feathered Go-Go girl dresses towards the bottom left of the photo.

That's Chris on the left hand side wearing a vintage sterling silver mesh bracelet that I gave him when we were going steady.


Check out those dressing rooms! I miss them.

I made those white furry pants that guy is wearig.

Update on MARTI FRUMHOFF Memorial Garden in TGS

The plans for Matri's memorial are moving along!
Here's a link to the new plans provided by the City:
http://fundraisers4marti.blogspot.com/

As everyone knows, Marti made a huge positive impact on our Tower Grove South neighborhood and the Rehabbing community by starting the Rehabber's yahoo group. But that's only one small example of the contributions she made and not just to the city but to each of us personally.

Because of the Marti's Rehabber's group, I spun off a Yahoo group for TGS/H residents and independent business owners, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TGSouth/ Marti was a TGH resident and hung out on our neighborhood group (she posted there much more than on Rehabber's)!

We currently have 298 members, have strengthened our Block Captains group as a result, organized the recent candle light vigil walk, and have become a stronger and more organized neighborhood because of Marti.

And, I simply must publicly thank Christopher Thiemet. Tim Klass and Peggy Hoelting for partnering on this memorial for Marti.

Christopher is the brain behind the web site.
Tim drew the original garden plans within seconds.
Peggy will be designing the garden.
Thanks to the many people who held mini fundraisers like Lynn Josse and Steve Wilke-Shaprio, state rep Mike Daus for making a contribution of 1,500.00 and everyone else who has contributed!

Please consider making a contribution to the memorial.
We accept donations via pay pal here: http://www.martifrumhoffmemorial.org/ and personal checks also!

More fundraisers are in the works for this project, I will update with info here as well as on the Rehabber's group

THE STAY WARM DRIVE - MANN SCHOOL

The Stay Warm Drive for the children of Mann School started a few years when I noticed children walking home from school on a cold day without hats, scarves, or gloves.

I posted a call for warm clothing to the Tower Grove South yahoo group and donations quickly arrived from neighbors in TGS.

I did a call again this year and was so proud of my neighbors! Over 12 large plastic bags stuffed full of new (store bought and still had the tags) clothing for the kids. Many of the bags were left anonymously on my porch.

I dropped off the bags this week and met the principal, Brian Zimerman.
He asked the kids for assistance unloading my car, I asked for photos and here's "Mr. Zimmerman" and the kids who arrived to help.

These are some seriously cute and studious children.
However, I am reminded of a quote from Fran Leibovitz: Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.

These girls get to bring their animals to school!


Entrance to the music room, leaded glass doors.

Music room

The students along with their music teacher, wrote and staged a play called RATS (with a nod to CATS).

As I was leaving I snapped this photo of shiny shoe worn by the school security guard.

CAR ELEVATORS

When I was but a wee lass, I listened as my grandfather talked abut a car elevator he saw while visiting Chicago. Its function was to make use of a small space to provide parking. It was difficult to visualize.

Recently I came across this photo in a book. In the lower right hand is a Burt's shoe store.
More on that later.



Do car elevators still exist?
I went to Google images and found this on an upscale NYC urban planning blog.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/05/high_line_cars_should_stay_on.html



And in Japan where space is at a premium, why waste space with a ramp when a turn table will suffice?

HEELS OVER HEAD IN LOVE

WOWSA!
My Christmas present from Bruk; hand knitted socks with a Southwestern color scheme (I loves me some turquoise).

Catch her here: http://bruk66.blogspot.com/

I'M A BRICK GEEK

Oh dear.

I dreamed about brick last night. I was walking along Gustine with Simon of Brick City (he's a stone mason and I've only met him once). I was very excited to show him some American Indian designs on the brick work of a house on 39 Potomac.

Not that such a house exists, I just dreamed it.
Sheesh.

Square 12 X 12 Paver Brick on Humphrey and Roger.

BEAU IN THE SNOW