"Cut"
While attempting to calmly pit an avocado recently, Ms. Car accidently lanced her finger instead. She was using a conveniently brand new, therefore obviously sharp, knife. Pressing firmly into the center of the pit with the knife, while holding the fruit in the opposing hand, the pit suddenly split in half. The knife plunged through the avocado and Ms. Car barely got out with her tendons and nerves intact. We're very glad she did as she'd have a hard time playing keyboard.
"Elvis Week"
If we had our druthers it would have been Elvis Month. Memphis was scattered and crazy, but a helluva time and very kind to us. As stated in the news, Ms. Car was flown into Memphis by Strater Records to experience Elvis Week for a number of reasons. What an assemblage of events. What a spectacle. What a crossroads of people.
If you missed it, you missed a lot and unfortunately, although this was the biggest one yet, it may be the last of its kind. This 30th anniversary year of Elvis' passing saw too the passing of such greats as Boots Randolph and Elvis' close friend/backup vocalist Charlie Hodge, the very last live performance of the legendary Scotty Moore, as well as the final performance of "Elvis The Concert," consisting of the incomparable Jordanaires, Sweet Inspirations, DJ Fontana, James Burton with the TCB Band, Joe Guercio with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra - the list goes on.
Ms. Car stayed in the historic Peabody Memphis (pictured above), known as the living room of the south. Elvis also attended prom here. She attended the two-day insiders conference, his nurse Marion Cocke's charity dinner event, took a VIP tour of the mansion and stood in-line for over 7 hours along will thousands and thousands of others there to pay respects at the vigil.
The description of these events could go on and on. Many of these people will not be there next year. Those associated with Elvis are leaving musical history for us to remember without them. Get out there and see them while you can.
"Food Enthusiast"
Ms. Car has been cooking for herself and others for years. Not on an occasional basis mind you, but nearly nightly.
She enjoys making and dining on all kinds of foods, from the exotic to the classics. Anything is game except for two dreaded particulars that must be avoided at all cost - raisins and water chestnuts.
"Long Lost Relative"
Mary C. Orr is the name of Ms. Car's maternal grandmother. This photo, however, is not of her. It is a picture of Mary's first cousin, Miss Sylvia Sydney.
You may recognize her as the face of Juno from Beetlejuice or Grandma Florence Norris from Mars Attacks. However, these films were hardly where she got her start, as her career in acting began in 1929. She held roles in no less than 101 films and television specials ranging from Madame Butterfly to Starsky and Hutch to the Tim Burton films she became known for near the end of her life.
What the first cousin of Rachel's grandmother makes Sylvia Sidney to her, we don't know. Who's any good at genealogy?
"Hot Chip"
Rachel's discovered she has somewhat of an affinity for the electronic act Hot Chip, who happen to be swinging through Hollywood this week.
Ms. Car will be checking out the show with a few chums and is looking forward to seeing them live.
"Accountant"
Surprise. Rachel's got a day job too. She's been accounting since the age of 17 and has hated virtually every fuckin moment.
"Skating Champ"
Ms. Car began at skating competitively at the age of twelve. If you know nothing of performance skating, this is a complicated mess of events.
Rachel performed pattern dance, free dance and figure skating. Both pattern and free dance were performed with and without a male partner. She competed in Junior Olympics monthly and also qualified each year for the regional competition held in Bakersfield.
She, of course, wore those oh so thrilling, skin-clinging skating dresses, complete with patterns and ruffles. She had two pair of skates. One pair for dance and figure skating, the other pair for freestyle. Both pair were white, as is standard, and were outrageously expensive. The dance skates were $700 and the freestyle skates $300. She payed for both pair herself and wore boot covers during practice to keep them gleaming white for competition.
The atmosphere was very serious and intense. Rachel found it challenging and consistently excelled at skating so she continued to compete all the way to the age of seventeen. At this point, Ms. Car brought home an unacceptable C- in Trig and was forced to give up the thrill of the rink.
"Ginger Ale"
Ginger Ale is the name a five-year old Ms. Car gifted her beloved first and only teddy bear.
"The Coasters"
While frequenting Las Vegas in the fall of 2005, Ms. Car and friend attended a show featuring The Platters, Coasters, and Drifters at the historic Sahara.
During The Coasters set, one of the vocalists wandered into the audience to find a willing participate. Ms. Car stood enjoying the music and without drawing deliberate attention to herself, but out of the masses, there he came. He took her hand and without a word, guided her backstage.
Of course, not knowing Ms. Car's singing background, he had asked her to speak the line "Why is everybody always picking on me." She stood small amongst the large male singers on stage, but when they all quieted for her line, she blasted her powerful voice.
Needless to say, she won over the three groups and the audience. For the rest of the evening, people cheerfully called out to her at slots and tables.
"Preferences"
Ms. Car has definite brand preferences regarding her daily intake of drink and smoke. She enjoys Djarum cloves and Stoli vodka tonics.
"The Ride"
Ms. Car gets around town in, and loves, her 1995 buttercream colored Lincoln Mark VIII. The Lincoln was a much needed and appreciated replacement to its predecessor.
The interior, also buttercream in color, has leather seating, power everything, ashtrays for each passenger, a 10-disc cd player, lighted vanity mirrors, and tells her what direction she's pointed in. Thank god.
These features may be fairly common or old hat with everyone's new whatever model, but Rachel regards this boat of a vehicle, as a classic.
"Lady of Assumption"
Ms. Car started Lady of Assumption Catholic school in the first grade at age six. She wore a red plaid uniform, white starched shirt, saddle shoes, and little frilly white socks - all of which she hated, claiming the outfit looked "frumpy."
When it came time for the children to take communion, Rachel refused to participate because she didn't understand what the process represented. Her mother was informed of the incident, but backed up her daughter's decision.
Consequently, that first year was the only one she spent at Lady of Assumption.
"Cassette Murderer"
At the age of 14, Ms. Car ganged up two dual cassette decks, borrowing one from her younger sister, and set out to dissect and destroy her tapes.
Instead of using a screw driver and opening the cassette casing, Rachel would cue up the lyrics and pull tape straight from the bottom opening. She would then snip out her selection, scotch tape the cassette tape back together and continue this process until she had omitted all the lyrical content. The only exception being if the song was a remix, in which case she would loop the breakdown.
She would then sit on her bed and place the sections of cut tape on a book and piece them together. One of her most elated discoveries occurred when she accidentally taped a section in upside-down and backwards. Zzzzzrrrrp. New sound.
In the ganging, she would play back tracks simultaneously from both sides of the dual cassette deck and bring them into the other deck to record.
Today we have computers and oh, the endless possibilities they present for young creative minds. Instant gratification upon demand. Cutting a few sounds and inserting them into a sequence inverted is a few short keyboard shortcuts.
Although, in all the time and meticulous attention needed to make a twenty second section of originally re-mixed music, Ms. Car might have learned something more definite and lasting. In her old analog experiments she likely realized patience and undoubtedly influenced her sound today.
"No Bees Please"
Ms. Car is deathly terrified of bees. Sweet little bumble bees. They send her into a shrieking frenzy. She regularly researches methods of avoiding them, but unfortunately, her brand of smokes lures them to her.
Some of her recent experiments include jamming dryer sheets in crevices outside her home and hanging air-filled brown paper bags. The smell of the sheets is said to be unappealing to the bees. As for the paper bags, they apparently fear the bag, believing it to be a foreign hive.
