The Linking Life, or, My Feast With Frida
Here's how it goes: I link from my blog to RageBoy's current post. I link from that to his EGR uh...thing on "My Snack With Andre." From there I link from his reference to Diego to Diego Rivera. Oh yeah, I think, linking him in my head to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and finding a mention on Diego's site of the new movie about Kahlo, which stars Selma Hayak and is scheduled to open in October. Of course, there's no link to a Frida site, but I find one.

One of my woman friends is a great Kahlo fan. She even dresses as her for Halloween.

Frida Kahlo's story rivals any Shakespearean tragedy. She is said to have said I suffered two grave accidents in my life. One in which a streetcar knocked me down.....The other accident is Diego. As a result she was both physically and emotionally scarred and traumatized, but nevertheless she lived -- and died -- with incredible passion and creativity. Here is one report of her funeral:

Mourners gathered on July 13, 1954 to watch the cremation of the world's greatest and most shocking painter. Soon to be an international icon, Frida Kahlo knew how to give her fans one last frightening goodbye. As the cries of her admirers filled the room, the sudden blast of heat from the open incinerator doors blew her body bolt upright. Her hair, now on fire from the flames, blazed around her head like a halo. Frida's lips appeared to break into a seductive grin just as the doors closed shut. Her last diary entry read "I hope the leaving is joyful and I hope never to return". Frida was only 47 on the day she died. Her amazing, and many times bloody self-portrait paintings will live forever.

Ah, Frida. You would have made a great Blogsister.

OK. I Give Up
While b!X told me about Cluetrain Manifesto when it first came out, after my first few visits to RageBoy's site, I decided that he and his style were overwritten, overbearing, and overcomplicated. I wasn't going to read his book.

Tonight I had dinner with a married couple who have been close friends of mine for more than 20 years. In telling them about the fun and fancy of blogging, I also mentioned Cluetrain, and, much to my surprise, the female of the couple began to tell me how she had read it and loved it and underlined lines all over the place and thought it was brilliant etc. etc.

OK. I give up. Jeneane's words convinced me to buy Bombast. Now my good friend, who has shared wavelengths with me all of these years, pushes for Cluetrain. I give up, RageBoy. I'll read your damned books. And I sure better like 'em.