Planet Nilknarf

December 2014

Welcome to Planet Nilknarf

As another year gradually comes to an end, it is yet again a time of reflection of all we've survived and
accomplished and all the wonderful and exciting things the future holds in the new year yet to come.
Here at Planet Nilknarf, we have come to acknowledge a unique demographic; the aging person on
the autism spectrum. Everywhere you'll see tons of examples of programs to help children who are
diagnosed early in life. But what about those of us who didn't discover what made us different until we
were at least 40? And even if we were diagnosed sooner, what does the future hold for us?
In most situations in the autistic community I am usually the oldest client in the room. At least I know
I'm not the oldest client at Kerry's Place. At last weeks' meeting Kristine mentioned a man who didn't
find out he had Asperger's Syndrome until he was 65! He had been institutionalized throughout his life
and subjected to brutal treatment such as electroshock therapy and needles in his eyeballs!
I am probably the oldest person who regularly attends my ASD support group and that in itself
presents its unique share of challenges. I am also the only one, excluding our group leader, who is
married. I have been married for over 12 years now. I am also menopausal and I've never had kids.
I've never really wanted them either. Some people can't understand not wanting kids. But babies are
SOOOOO CUUUUUUTE!!! Not to me! My visceral reaction is one of repulsion, and that makes me an
evil person in some peoples' eyes. It's the noise and smell and tendency to spew nasty substances
from each end that turns me off. Other people have visceral reactions and aversions to other things.
Kristine is creeped out by chickens and my friend Allan is terrified of FISH!!! It's easier to avoid those
things and besides nobody tries to make you feel guilty about having BEEN one! I've never
understood the logic of that argument. Maybe I was a centipede in my previous life but that doesn't
mean I automatically find them irresistibly adorable either.
In fact I don't even BELIEVE in reincarnation. Who'd want to come back HERE? This world isn't
getting any nicer...!
Anyway, I LOVE being 50. The baby boat has sailed away years ago. I've gladly embraced
menopause! I've made it clear I don't want to be a parent. I can barely take care of myself! In fact
Dave and I are both kind of useless when it comes to taking care of each other if either one of us gets
sick!! When I get sick it always ends up costing us a fortune because it never fails; it always happens
when we have no medicine around the house or what we DO have we have to throw away because
it's EXPIRED! And Dave goes into enough of a panic when I cry!!
Being 50 has its drawbacks though. Along with the onset of menopause comes other hormone-related
issues, one of the worst being facial hair. I know married couples start to look alike when they've been

together long enough but this is ridiculous! Actually, I've had to start dealing with facial hair since my
late 30's shortly after I started going on the Pill, which I actually had to start taking to keep Mother
Nature from being so overly-generous with her annoying gift. You could say my monthly visitor was
pushing for full-time residence. I went off the Pill about a year or two after Dave and I were married.
NOT because we were trying for a baby! He had a vasectomy before we were married. I went off it for
a variety of other reasons, but the facial hair continued to grow.
And since I've been home from New York I've been unable to tweeze because my tweezers are in my
shave kit and I can't find it anywhere. And I am living proof that the No-No DOES NOT work! All it does
for me is flash blue light and make my face smell like burned hair.
So I've basically gone through life these days not exactly thinking that nobody would notice, but at
least not expecting that anyone would say anything. At least not until this evening as I was leaving my
meeting. I know what happens at these meetings is supposed to stay at these meetings but at least I
am not mentioning any names. Just I was getting ready to leave one of the guys made a comment to
one of the other guys who has a problem with stuttering. This created a bit of a kerfuffle for the next
few minutes and he had to apologize.
Anyway, just as I was on my way out the door this same fellow who had commented on that guy's
stuttering comes up to me and says I have to tell you something. I like your hair, it looks nice but that
beard makes you look like a boy!

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!!!!!!!!

HELLO!!! A man should NEVER comment like that on a woman's facial hair!! I was horrified!!! I kind of
gave him heck and our group leader heard the commotion and took him aside to talk to him once
again as I left the building with two of the other people, including the lad who'd been spoken to about
his stuttering.
It could be worse. At least I wasn't being pointed out for being FAT!!! The last thing I need is anymore
well-meaning but nevertheless still insulting, advice or lectures about weight loss. I've never lost
weight in my life. I only ever TEMPROARILY MISPLACE it! With my metabolism, diet and exercise
might as well be total starvation and perpetual motion. If I want to be lazy and enjoy eating real food
that's my own business. At least I'm glad nobody WENT THERE!!!
Oh well, aren't the flowers lovely for this time of year!
Flowers. What flowers?! This is the December issue!! Oh well, maybe poinsettias. Fasten your seat
belt. We're in for one wild and crazy ride!!!
In the meantime, here's an article about a woman who wasn't diagnosed with ASD until she was 55!!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2805241/I-ve-felt-like-outsider-Caroline-Hearst-s-autismdiagnosed-age-55.html
I was almost 40 when I learned that I had Asperger's Syndrome. Imagine what it must have been like
for her!!
Anyway, while this situation was still fresh in my mind, I made a video to express my feelings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5jb_XMrCmM&feature=youtu.be

On Transitions
At our recent meeting, our topic of discussions was transitions. Like I said before, what happens at
these meetings is supposed to stay at these meetings. But I see nothing wrong with sharing my own
stories and experiences from my own life. Being the oldest person in our group, I've probably
experienced the most transitions. Transition can mean different things to different people. Nobody's life
story is the same. The first thing that came to my mind was moving. But it can also mean going to
school or starting a new job. Or becoming a parent. Believe me, that's the one transition I do NOT
want to experience! Another change can be welcoming a new sibling into the family. Again, not me. I'm
an only child and I always have been or will be. Unless you count Janette. She is like a sister to me.
We have been best friends for 30 years.
The first time my family moved I was three years old. Because I was so young I barely remember it. In
fact I barely remember the first place we lived on Lakeside in Scarborough. But it did make enough of
an impact on me that when my parents and I had to stay at a motel in Flesherton, I was afraid that we
were moving AGAIN! AND I was all upset because I couldn't understand why I couldnt bring my
favorite doll, Nancy, with me. Nancy was more than a doll. She was like a member of the family. We
were both the same size when I was that age and we could wear each other's clothes. I barely
remember that excursion and neither my parents nor I could remember why we were there but the
neighbours must have hated me. I cried the whole time we were there!
And my first day of kindergarten. I can sum it up in one word; HELL!!! My teacher was mean to me
and so were all the other kids. I thought kindergarten was going to be a happy place and looked
forward to having other kids to play with but until then I had no idea I was different from anyone. My
teacher couldn't figure out why I cried all the time. HELLO?!! I cried all the time because she was
always yelling and screaming at me! How was I supposed to know what she wanted?
My parents and I lived at Forest Manor from the time that I was three years old until my dad retired
and I graduated from high school. We had bought the house in Bobcaygeon around the end of 1978,
shortly after Della and her family moved back to England.
Imagine what a change that must have been for her. Della and her parents moved to Canada when
she was only three years old and moved back to England when she was about 11 or 12, along with a
new baby sister. Hayley was barely a year old.
Anyway, from the time we bought that house in '78 until June of 1983, that house was our cottage
where we went for weekends and summer vacations. In June of '83, we moved to that house to stay
permanently. Even though I was already familiar with the place, it was a strange feeling leaving our old
townhouse and staying at the cottage for good. We tried to move as much of our stuff from the old
place to the new one gradually so there'd be less stuff to have to take with us on the official day, but of
course we still needed a moving van for all the furniture. For the next few weeks, whenever I wanted
something and had to ask mom where it was I would always get the same annoying answer; In a
box! Half my life was STILL in a box!!!
And I was accepted at Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough that fall, so that involved having
to find a new place to live there too. It was my first time living away from my parents. I wasn't a party
animal like most of my classmates. Most of the time I didn't fit in. And Creative Arts Administration has
NOTHING creative or artsy about it!!! Maybe I'd understand it better if I went back now. That is if I
didn't have to take accounting. That was the bane of my existence. I flunked out and had to withdraw.
But it wasn't a total loss. If Janette and I hadn't been standing next to each other in line and decided to
share a locker I can't imagine how my life would have turned out. Despite the fact we shared a locker,
we didn't see much of each other until second semester. That's when our friendship really started to

blossom. We had some fun times in college, going to the mall together, going out for pizza and
watching movies. She had a basement apartment at her uncle's house while she was in college. She
passed and still had another year but we kept in touch and still saw each other often. During the
summer we visited each other at our homes. Neither of us drove so our dads had to bring us back and
forth. She doesn't remember this but one of the first times she was at our place we were taking a walk
and we saw a huge woodpecker hacking away at a tree stump!
In November of 1984, we went to our first concert together. Boy George and Culture Club! It was
awesome! :)
In October of 1985 I was accepted into the Katimavik program and flown off to Prince Edward Island. It
was backbreaking physical labour and I was thoroughly miserable but I desperately tried to fit in. This
was where I had my first romantic relationship. Will Hobbs. The less said about him the better. I should
have just forgotten about him and everything else in that place instead of staying in touch and trying to
maintain that relationship. But sexual desire has a way of making people stupid.
In April of 1986, it was time to move again. I started my job at Victoria Laundry and needed a place to
live in town. So I followed an ad in the paper and that's where I met Jan Walton, a teacher at the time.
She and I shared the hose with another young lady, Tammy, who worked at the Binney & Smith crayon
factory, where Crayolas were made. Jan and I have been friends ever since and I have been there
through the incredible changes in her life too.
While I worked at Victoria Laundry I lived in a few different places. In January of 1988 we all had to
move because our landlady sold the house. I lived in a rooming house for about a month and a half
and then I lived at Alpha Flight for a few months. Alpha Flight was the name of the Christian coffee
house where I hung out with a whole bunch of amazing new friends. It was an exciting season for me
having all these new people in my life. However, I had to share the house with annoying college
students who delighted in making my life miserable.
Then Jim's parents sold the building. Besides Alpha Flight, they also had their family business, Taylor
Insurance, downstairs. I went to live in yet another rooming house and I was there for only a month
until the landlady had to kick me out because her son needed that room. Despite this experience, Kay
and I were still friends and we went out for lunch together a few times.
However I moved TWICE in ONE DAY!!! I'll spare you the sketchy details of the house I nearly moved
into before I found Joyce's place. Joyce was an older, divorced woman who lived in an apartment
above the Grand Experience restaurant. I rented a room in that apartment with no windows. I lived in
that place from August of 1988 until September 1st of 1990!
That was when I found my FIRST OWN APARTMENT!! A bachelor pad at 40 Peel Street. The location
was perfect. Everything was located in the same block. The library was across the parking lot from
me, the police and art gallery were around the corner. And the bus garage was right across the street.
I didn't have to go downtown to catch the bus, I could get on at the garage. And they new me well
enough that they actually trusted me enough to let me run up a tab, which I faithfully paid back
whenever possible.
Having my own place was great. One of the first things I did was get a colour TV and a VCR. I never
bothered with cable, but for me there was nothing better than having parties every weekend where I
would invite as many people as possible and cram into my tiny room where we would all gather
together over pizza and/or nachos and watch movies.
However, shortly after my first National Carousel Association convention in 1991, most of my social
circle started pairing off like Noah's Ark and I was left all alone. I even managed to cram in going to a

wedding on the day I moved into that apartment, and my friends Mike and Bonnie got married in 1992.
It was a rich time for being creative though. If I wasn't painting, I would be drawing my cartoons for
Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends. My friendship with Richard and regular travel to the States made for an
exciting part of my life to fill the void.
But doors were closing all around us. Janette's mother lost her battle with cancer in 1993 and the
place where Janette worked had closed down. We became interested in songwriting and on July 8th of
1994 looked at each other and blurted out LET'S MOVE TO TORONTO!
We made that move on August 13th of that year, but it was not an easy path. On August 26th, our
favorite rock band made it abundantly clear that we had no future working with them. An unscrupulous
talent agency scammed us out of every cent we had and for many months we had no idea where our
next meal was coming from. How on earth did we manage to pay the rent every month?
We finally got jobs in January of 1995. I was a short-order cook at an industrial cafeteria at a factory at
the corner of Victoria Park and McNicholl. I had to be there at 6:00 in the morning and there was no
bus service that early so I used to have to leave the house at 4:00 in the morning to walk there. I did
this for three weeks. It was the three longest weeks of my life. I hated it, but I was a good cook and I
was allowed to bring home leftovers to feed us during this season. Janette got her job at Construction
Distribution but it was only a trial basis and she got laid off so she had to look for work again.
It was during this search she found the doll-making job. At the time my soon-to-be-boss was looking
for TWO workers, so Janette recommended me and I brought in the Boy George doll I'd made for her
when she was still in college and showed Maggie what I could do. She half jokingly would say that I'd
hired myself. I quit the cafeteria job and worked as a doll-maker from January 26th of 1995 until
January 29th of 2003.
The first year was the hardest. Janette was hired back at CDS, but laid off again. AND she became
very sick with pneumonia. It was around then I saw my boss' true colours too. So I was exhausted
being nursemaid for both poor, sick Janette and my inebriated boss. This was the first of many nearlyannual benders I had to deal with while working for her. These drunken binges usually lasted between
one and three weeks. While my former boss was in this condition she would sometimes leave food on
the stove to cook and then go back to bed and forget about it. If I hadn't been there, I'm sure there
were several times over the years that the house would have burnt down.
It was a love-hate relationship. My former boss could be quite nice but her anger was a force to be
reckoned with. She was the quintessential drama queen. And on that fateful day in January of 2003, I
decided that enough was enough.
It was six months after Dave and I had gotten married. Yet another season of transition. I have already
shared this story several times of the way Dave and I met.
Dave and I started corresponding in late February of 2001, when he was one of only two people who
had ordered my CD after seeing me on Speaker's Corner. At the time I was living in that gronky
basement apartment at Ruth's. The less said about that place the better. I lived there from the end of
January, 1996 until October of 2001. It was in the spring of 2001 I received an eviction notice from that
place. At least Maggie helped me fight my case with the housing tribunal so I could buy more time, but
Ruth was trying to sabotage my plans to prevent me from finding a new place even though her brother
wanted me out!! He wanted me out so he could sell the place and put her in a nursing home!
Meanwhile I wasn't getting anywhere because she had been telling all potential landpersons that I was
the tenant from hell!!!
I finally DID find that apartment on the day that 9-11 happened. I remember t like it was yesterday.

Ruth-Anne, our parish nurse, would take me out house-hunting every week and buy me breakfast. It
was after one of these breakfast house-hunts I arrived at the store where I was working at the time
and painting an autumn tree in the front window when it came on the news that the first tower had
been hit. And then the second tower. My first thought was Richard. I hoped that he was okay. When
my former boss heard the news she started freaking out and shouting F**** AMERICA!!! F***
AMERICA! My blood ran cold. It was surreal. And there was no more happy music on the radio for at
least the next week or two.
It was that afternoon I saw the apartment I actually ended up living in. And I almost didn't get it
because of Ruth badmouthing me. Perhaps I should have sued her for defamation of character. But
my former boss managed to pull a few strings for me so I ended up there after all. Unfortunately, that
whole summer I had to put up with her lecturing me every chance she got about how I blew it! No
wonder I had a bit of a nervous breakdown shortly after I moved into that place and had to collect
welfare for a month.
It was during that time Dave and I went on our first date. We went to see Mandy Patinken at the
Hummingbird Centre and that day we just knew that we belonged together. From that day on we were
inseparable. We would spend alternating weekends with either me staying at his place into Oshawa or
Dave staying with me in that tiny apartment.
It's funny, when I moved into that place, I just had this FEELING that I wasn't going to be living there
that long. I half-jokingly refer to that place as the womb because it was a small place where I only
lived for about nine months until breaking out for yet another exciting new season.
I also had to chuckle because my old place had been this gronky basement apartment and the new
place was on the third floor above a falofel restaurant and the view outside my kitchen window was
that of a cemetery! As Gene Simmons' mother always says Every day above the ground is a good
one!

That building looks so old and crumbly it's a wonder it's still standing. And the place downstairs is no

longer a falofel restaurant. It's already been at least a year or two since I've seen the old stomping
grounds and at that time it was replaced by a highfaluting fancy Italian bistro.
Dave and I were married on July 13th, 2002.

Little did I know that this was also the last day I would ever see my dad. Here he is giving me away in
the picture on the right.
On July 17th, Dave and I were on our honeymoon at Niagara Falls and it was on the day we were in
the States visiting the Allan Herschell carousel museum when the police were looking for us. We found
the note on the door of our motel room. A note on the door is almost NEVER good news. No details.
Just that the police were looking for us. We phoned the police. The constable who left the message
was already gone for the day. Dave found out from his dad. I had to phone my mom. I also had to
phone Janette. She and Mark were supposed to join us for a couple days but that ended up not
happening. Dave's dad and his Aunt Kathy came to drive us back to Bobcaygeon the next day. We
went to my favorite breakfast buffet place but everything tasted like cardboard. I battled a multitude of
feelings, including that this had to be a mistake, that it was all a bad dream but I couldn't wake up from
it. It was surreal. The same people who had been happily congratulating us just a few short days ago
were now offering their condolences.
I lasted six months of commuting back and forth between Oshawa and Toronto before I quit my job. I
do not feel like repeating the horrendous details of that day. All I can say is that enough was enough.
The commuting was taking its toll on my health and I could no longer tolerate my boss' verbal abuse
and on that day she crossed a line or two.
I'd posted this story in my Scribd account before, only to end up deleting it a few minutes later, but
now I don't really care what anyone thinks anymore so here is the account of the Niagara Trip Janette
and I took just after I quit my job!
https://www.scribd.com/Margaret%20Franklin

Then in July of 2004 I discovered that I had Asperger's Syndrome. It's a story I've shared before. It
was after a series of unsuccessful sales and a visit to Aunt Kathy's psychologist, Marlene. But it was
not Marlene who diagnosed me. It was through an email from my friend Lisa. She mentioned that she
had Asperger's Syndrome. I asked her what it was and she sent me a couple links and the rest is
history.
Knowing this about myself changed my life. I was relieved and excited. For once my feelings felt
validated. It was liberating to finally understand why I was different. I felt like I had discovered my
home planet. The rest is history! (I use that phrase a lot, don't I?)
In coming to terms with this aspect of my identity, I came into contact with Kerry's Place Autism
services and that was the start of a whole new world for me.
However, it was after my first Geneva Autism Symposium in 2006, my world began to crumble around
me! It was an exciting and very crowded event and I was battling one of the first headaches I'd ever
had in my life. I was euphoric because I had my BEST SALE EVER to this day. I made over $300
during that first Symposium and have never done that well again since then. Unfortunately, I also had
to deal with the last day of the Symposium being the first day of the Baby and Toddler expo so I had to
deal with Wall-to-Wall screamers on my way out of the building.
By then my personal hard drive was starting to crash and fray around the edges and within the week
to follow I had entered into a full-blown manic episode! I was giddy and euphoric, talkative and full of
what I thought were tons of scathingly brilliant ideas. I'll spare you the details of all the crazy things
leading up to it but I ended up being hospitalized for at least two weeks and diagnosed with Bipolar
Disorder. My life has never been the same and from then on I have been on medication to make sure
this never happens to me again.
In the months to follow I started going to the clubhouse at the Canadian Mental Health Association
where I've made some new friends over the years and had a few jobs here and there. I did the Coffee
Cart for about a year and I did Cards & Coffee at the hospital, usually with Scott Glover, on Saturdays
from May of 2007 until around the summer of 2011.
The next big season of change started to unwind from the day Michael Jackson died until around the
time my mom died. Michael Jackson died on June 25th, 2009 and that was the day I was attacked by
the Two Month Period from Hell. When that period finally stopped I had the Bartholin Cyst. Then
ANOTHER long period the following spring. It went on for nearly a month, then it stopped for a few
days and then it came back with a VENGEANCE for about a week, stopped for a few more days and
came back again for ANOTHER entire month. If I hadn't already wanted to tear my uterus out with my
bare hands already back in 2009 I sure as hell felt like doing it NOW!!! The worst thing about it is that
there was nothing the doctors could do. They just kept wasting my time with more annoying, painful,
squicky tests. Ultrasounds and biopsies! Ugh! I swear these tests are invented by misogynists! And I
couldn't get surgery until the end of February of 2011. In the meantime I never thought I'd see the day
when a needle in the butt was the best thing that could ever happen to me. A shot of Lupron kept me
from bleeding anymore for the last few months leading up to my surgery.
While this was going on I was also dealing with losing my mom. That all started in mid-January of
2011. Mom was telling me she wanted to talk to Dave. I guess she figured the bad news was easier to
take coming from him. She had cancer in her liver. In the months to follow it became more and more
difficult to communicate with her. She became more and more tired and incoherent. I know it wasn't
her fault but part of me wished I could shake her and yell at her to snap out of it! Whenever I tried to
talk to her she always had to go too soon because she was just too tired. She was having more and
more trouble trying to understand what I was trying to tell her.

One of the scariest things I had to deal with in the days leading up to both my surgery and my mom's
death was the loss of my hair! I had a huge bald spot the size of a golf ball!! Alopecia Aereata it was
called. And what DOESN'T cause it. I was lucky that the hair started to grow back when I used the
cream that the doctor prescribed. In some cases, it NEVER grows back. Or the patient needs a bunch
of needles in the scalp.
It was bad enough losing dad just a few days after our wedding but life without mom has been even
harder to adjust to. The only good thing about it is that in her will my husband and I get regular money
every month. But it's only $370 for each of us and already it doesn't go as far as it used to and it stops
as soon as I turn 65. I often worry what will become of us by then.
It is a season of transition we are embarking on at the moment. Something is in the air. Changes are
afoot. I know Janette has been struggling with same old same old and wants out. She's been working
at the same place for almost 20 years now and she's sick of the rat race. She's tired of having to
support herself. She wants to move. She wants to live closer to me. We need a miracle. Something's
got to happen sooner or later.
We were feeling restless like this 20 years ago before we decided to pull up stakes and move to
Toronto. She was staying at my little apartment on Peel Street, only going home to her parents' house
to do laundry and grab us some food, and holding fort to answer the phone when I'd call her from the
Laundry to touch base at break time. Now I call her during her breaks at her work place.
When we first moved to Toronto 20 years ago, we went on our trip to Denver, Colorado for the
carousel convention in 1994. Now in 2001 we have been to the one in New York together. It's been the
seventh consecutive convention for me, but Janette's first in 20 years.

That second picture was taken only moments before I had my second horrendous fall that day! :(

PBS Niagara Daredevil Film Coming:

http://learni.st/users/58/boards/42950-going-over-niagara-falls-in-a-barrel-do-not-try-this-at-homeI will probably order the DVD if it becomes available and I happen to be watching. It'll give me an
excuse to renew my membership. I'm terrible. I tell them I can't afford to renew my membership when
they hound me for it, but I break down and make an exception whenever they've had a good video I
can't resist. This is how I got my Buffalo/Niagara Frontier ABC DVD that shows the Allan Herschell
carousel museum, and my Crystal Beach Memories DVD!

Adventures of the Travelling Dolls and Friends!

Due to the frenetic nature of our New York trip, we didn't get to take advantage of as many photo
opportunities of our dolls as we would have wanted to. The following shots were taken at Rye
Playland.

This was probably my favorite stop on this trip because we felt the least rushed.

No wonder poor Waddle looks so exhausted!!!

Reoccurring Themes
It would appear that at nearly every Endangered Species zoo carousel I've visited, it's been a tradition
to photograph my doll sitting in the elephant's trunk:

This has happened at the St. Louis Zoo in 2008, the Denver Zoo in 2011 and the Brookfield Zoo in
2012.
Janette and I have also had favorite places to take pictures of our dolls at Niagara year after year.
How many times have they ridden the Sky Wheel?

These pix were taken on our 2007 and 2010 trips, and our last trip back in January when we were
there for Janette's birthday. I can't believe we didn't go on the Sky Wheel in 2012!!
And here's something else that's become a running gag for me...

You've probably seen the one on the left many times before. It was taken at the Three Rivers carousel
in 2010. The second one was taken at Rye Playland during our recent New York convention.
I wish I had video footage from the Canadian National Exhibition back in 1996 when a REAL horse

was slobbering all over me!

I can tell you one kind of running gag I can do WITHOUT though!!!!!

What do the Nunley's and Hempstead Lake carousels have in common?

They are TWO consecutive carousels that I fell from getting off BOTH times! It kind of made me
paranoid about enjoying the rest of my tour! :( I wouldn't be surprised if the reason I kept falling was
because I was weak and clumsy from being so sick the night before!!!
And here are two different pictures of our dolls with the Tree Frog at the Niagara Rainforest Cafe:

The first one was taken on our 2010 trip and the more recent one was taken for Janette's birthday trip.
Speaking of dolls...

Jem and the Holograms Movie to come out Next October..

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/16/showbiz/jem-movie-date/

Invasion of the Baby-Stalkers

Don't get me wrong. I don't have any kind of agenda. I don't have any kind of vendetta either. I just
identify with several other people in the various Childfree forums on Facebook who have been noticing
this phenomena. Baby-Stalking!
What IS Baby-Stalking? First of all I can tell you what it is NOT. At least in this case anyway. BabyStalkers do not literally stalk babies. They are not to be confused with pedophiles. Baby-Stalking in
this case is done by people who use their kids to get attention. It can be done deliberately or
coincidentally. It can be done by people who follow you everywhere with their babies, or when parents
let their kids run wild and keep bugging you.
It can even be done without the presence of kids at all, by freeloaders who use the fact that they have
kids to beg for free handouts. One such example was a woman who used to keep coming into the
store where I used to work, begging for a free doll for her baby! Hello? If I gave away anything for free,
I would have to reimburse my boss out of my own pocket-money. But she's SOOO small! she would
plead,looking at me with her saddest eyes. Sure, my heart went out to her but if I gave her a free doll,
pretty soon every freeloader would be in our store begging me to do likewise for them! END OF
PAYCHEQUE!!!
Another thing I don't understand is people who keep having kids when they CAN'T AFFORD to buy
anything for them anyway, but that's another topic!
As for the coincidental variety, one such example happened to me on the College streetcar when I
was an extra in Detroit Rock City. I entered wearing Gene Simmons KISS makeup and the first thing
I see is a baby sitting in a stroller. Well, the kid takes one look at me and is absolutely terrified and
starts bawling her eyes out! So I high-tail it to the back of the streetcar to get away from her
caterwauling. Of course, a few short minutes later the clueless mother wheels her to the back of the
streetcar and of course she looks at me and starts screaming again! HELLO? I moved so your
frightened kid wouldn't have to LOOK at me!!!
Baby-Stalkers often lurk near parks and restaurants waiting for somebody else to sit down. The whole
park or restaurant can be TOTALLY EMPTY! Not another person around for miles. But the moment
you and/or whoever you're with sits down, they have to come up and wheel their pram RIGHT NEXT
TO YOU!!! A lot of proud parents expect everyone else to be as enamoured and enchanted with their
little bundle of joy as they are and just can't wait to show it off whether you're interested or not. It just
doesn't occur to them that the person on the next bench is not only SO NOT INTERESTED but
doesn't want to be anywhere within earshot if your little bugger starts crying!!
More often than not it's coincidental. It happened to me at least three or four times in a row about a
year ago, EVERY freaking time I had to stand in line at the bank! I'm NEXT in line. The person in front
of me is taking FOREVER! And sure enough along comes a mother with a baby stroller at the back of
the line. And sure enough when it's finally MY turn, the little bugger just HAS to start screaming!!
Or I'm in the supermarket. It's not even that busy. But one of the only other customers is a woman
pushing a baby stroller and she seems to appear in front of me EVERYWHERE I need to go!!
Go figure, North Bay is practically a GHOST TOWN, but Janette and I were baby-stalked at least
TWICE. First when we were on our way to the Nutty Choclatier for ice cream. There was a couple up
the road ahead of us, pushing a stroller. Just keep right on walking we quietly thought out loud. But
sure enough, right in they went. We reluctantly entered the store and lurked near the back with our
listening devices on so we wouldn't hear if it started to cry, while the family dawdled around endlessly.
Every time we thought they were leaving they would pause and linger for a few more minutes. Finally

when they left the store, we went up to the counter to order our sundaes.
And then there was that pub where we went for dinner that one night. We were the only customers.
But lo and behold, a family with two little girls came in. The oldest one must have been five or six. The
youngest was around two. Although they sat at the other side of the room, their two-year-old kept
getting out of her seat and running up to our table to bug us. And, of course, whenever the parents
tried to drag her away she'd start screaming and crying. It got to the point where the parents started
ignoring her and let her older sister do the dirty work. Neither my MP3 player nor Janette's iPod were
loud enough to block out all the screaming and we were deprived of any buzz from our Margaritas.
Part of me was just tempted to storm out without paying and let them pay for our meal!!
Back when I lived in Toronto I used to do most of my laundry at the local laundromat. Once a mother
let her toddler crawl all over me while she just sat there and did nothing. The kid even kept unzipping
my purse!
And when Janette and I were at the airport on our way to New York there was a certain family we
seemed to keep bumping into around every corner. And of course, whenever we were near them, the
youngest, who was in the stroller, would start screaming. We were so relieved when Cranky Pants, as
we privately referred to him, and his family, got on ANOTHER plane!
In 2011, one of the people on our bus at that year's convention had a very nasty fall when a small child
darted out in front of him, causing him to stumble. HELLO? Where were the PARENTS?
And this year in Central Park we saw a kid go hurtling up a rocky slope and we just KNEW she was
going to fall and start crying.
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate kids, per se, but I seriously think toddlers should be on a LEASH!!!
Our parents kept us on a leash when we were young and we turned out all right. (Then again, that's
debatable! Come, on, I know what some people are thinking!) People may have given our parents
dirty looks, but we were SAFE! Mom tells me the moment she let me off my leash for the first time, the
first thing I did was go running and fall flat on my face and got my tooth through my lip! There was
BLOOD EVERYWHERE! No doubt I was probably freaking out because it was probably the first time
I'd ever seen so much of it. And if people were giving her dirty looks before, they were probably giving
her even MORE dirty looks at that moment!!!
And no doubt, it wouldnt surprise me if there was somebody in the crowd who, just like me now, was
probably thinking FOR FUCK'S SAKE CAN'T I GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT HEARING SCREAMING
BABIES?!!!
Maybe not. The population has TRIPLED since then. Annoying little screamers are even harder to get
away from. The world was a quieter place a generation or two ago. Kids are crankier now than they
were back then and there are more OF them, not to mention more clueless parents who JUST DON'T
GET it and know how to tune it out so they expect everyone else to do likewise!
I like to think that there are still decent parents out there who actually know how to control their kids,
but even if they're in the majority, sadly, it's the clueless ones who are always making themselves
noticed!
You've already heard enough about the little ogre that was on our plane!!!!
Oh well, aren't the flowers lovely for this time of year....

New Pee Wee Herman Movie!!!

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/10/30/pee-wee-herman-movie-judd-apatow/
It's funny, Dave and I just happened to be talking about this about a week ago. Wouldn't it be great if
Pee Wee Herman made another movie? Well, according to this interview on Jimmy Fallon's show,
filming starts in February!
We've also been saying we wish Weird Al Yankovic would make another movie. UHF came out in
1989, but it wasn't as well-received as it deserved to be. Weird Al actually turned down the chance to
open for Michael Jackson in order to make this movie but it was up against too much competition from
other blockbusters such as Batman, Indiana Jones and Ghostbusters.
We've also fantasized about the idea of Weird Al and Pee Wee making a movie TOGETHER!!!
Wouldn't that be fun? What kind of wild and wacky adventures would they encounter? We picture
them ending up on some kind of a road trip together. (Yeah, I know Pee Wee's first movie was a road
trip adventure) Surely at some point they would HAVE to end up at the Biggest Ball of Twine in
Minnesota. And it IS a real place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKeHQpT5wVE
I'd like to add this place to my Bucket List and if they have a gift shop I want a PATCH if they have
them!
In the meantime, I'm happy to say our dolls met Pee Wee the penultimate time Janette and I went to
Niagara together!!

And Dave and I were also thinking, that if Pee Wee and Weird Al did make a movie together, what if
they had a THIRD person along for the adventure? WHO would it be? I suggested an unknown
person. Probably female...What about ME? How would I end up on an adventure with two of the
funniest guys in the world? What kind of crazy things would happen?
For one, I have a vision of myself being chased by that Big Ball of Twine, like Indiana Jones!
Speaking of interesting road-side attractions, I know Halloween will be long over by the time this gets
published but I thought you would enjoy seeing this SKELETON CAROUSEL!!!

http://midnightsocietytales.com/2014/09/22/los-angeles-haunted-hayride/
Perfect because I refuse to keep the skeletons in my closet anymore! Planet Nilknarf is the place
where we MARCH THEM OUT ON PARADE!!!!

An Interesting Link...
http://www.ascensionsymptoms.com/#ascension-signs-and-symptoms
More about this topic later...now it's time for...

Carousel of the Month:

Corona Park, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York, 1903-1908 Illions.
I chose this carousel because, rather than going in chronological order, I thought this would tie in with
a couple other features I will be sharing in this month's issue.
The Flushing Meadows carousel has been in Corona Park since 1964 when it was a part of the New
York World's Fair. It contains horses from two different Illions carousels from Coney Island, the
Feltman and the Stubbmann's.
I have had the pleasure of riding this carousel over 20 years ago when I visited New York on the
Easter Weekend with my friends Richard and Lisa in 1992 and 93. The place really seemed different
back then. Probably because we were there in the off season when it wasn't open to the general
public. Richard knew the operator so we got to ride for free. Until this year's New York trip I'd never
been there when the carousel was open to the general public and this time it was surrounded by other
carnival rides and games of chance.

This was the last of four carousels we had ridden on Friday. September 19th, the first two from which I
had nasty falls. Those were Nunley's and Hempstead Lake. Then we went to Forest Park and then
this one. I hate to say it but by then I was feeling somewhat carouselled-out. But I made myself take a
ride anyway, on a sad, humble little second-row stander. After having fallen twice that day I stuck to
standers in order to remain closer to the ground.
This carousel is surprisingly photogenic but in dire need of restoration in real life. It is a fast, smooth
ride, but it desperately cries out for a much-needed paint job, preferably to its original colours. My
humble little steed would look absolutely stunning if she could be restored to her former glory. The flat,
flowing sections of mane that sweep across her face are just begging for shiny, gold leaf!!

As you can see, it's a pretty big carousel, four rows. When I was there back in the early 90's, a
screechy, out-of tune band organ played. This time there was recorded music.

This Whip-like racing car ride was one of a handful of kiddie rides adjacent to the carousel and Janette
won a cute little pink elephant trying her hand at the games of chance. These observation towers on
the right are among the few structures still remaining from the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, and no,
they are not UFO's as shown in Men in Black!
Here's some of the video footage we shot while we were there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbTtNaHbTSY

And, of course, this is one of my all-time favorite Travelling Dolls pictures, Trevor at the Unisphere. It is
still, to date, the largest man-made representation of Earth and one of the few remaining structures left
from the 1964-65 World's Fair.
While we're on the subject of this year's NCA convention, here's the link:
http://carousels.org/2014Convention/2014ConventionRecap.html

Stranger Danger
I just HAD to share this link! There's nothing more meltdown-inducing, at least in my opinion, than
bumbling strangers with good intentions!!!!
http://www.robot-hugs.com/angry/

Ferris Wheels: A Different Way of Making the Rounds

For those of you who have been following Planet Nilknarf through the years, it's been more than
obvious that carousels have always been my all-time favorite subject. In fact I've always loved
amusement rides in general.
It is fascinating to learn that in recent years, not only carousels, but Ferris Wheels have become
community status symbols, each one bigger than the one before. Earlier in this issue, there have been
pictures of the Travelling Dolls and their friends riding the Niagara Sky Wheel on three different
occasions.
When Janette brought me an article from the Toronto Star about Ferris Wheels, I knew I had to do my
research and make comparisons because I knew that Myrtle Beach and Manchester England also
have Sky Wheels, identical to our Wheel at the Falls. But they are not completely identical. Each one
is slightly different in size.
The Manchester Sky Wheel is 173 feet high (52meters) And unfortunately it was dismantled in April of
2012.
The Myrtle Beach Sky Wheel 187 feet tall (I don't know what that is in meters, my math sucks and it

doesn't say)
The Niagara Sky Wheel is in the middle at 175 feet (53 meters).
Next year at around this time, Janette and I are hoping we can go to Las Vegas and ride the High
Roller!!!
In that book about the New York World's Fair, the Firestone Tire Ferris Wheel was a mere 80 feet tall.

And, of course, since we're on the subject of comparing sizes, here is the chart that came with that
article...

While I was looking for pictures of the Firestone Tire Wheel, I came across pictures of this beautiful
Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago!!

It is 150 feet high and inspired by the original Ferris Wheel from the Chicago World's Fair, which was
80 meters, however tall that is. I want to go there so badly! But also because of THIS:

Here are a few pix of our beloved Sky Wheel at Niagara:

And an assortment of impressive views we've taken from it over the years:

The same view in 2007 and 2010! The hotels and Loch Ness Monster swimming pool were
demolished to make way for the Dinosaur Mini Golf. This volcano is one of the first things they built.

And that's about all you can really see of it in the winter. Here's some video footage from at least the
last two times we were up there. I didn't have a video camera in 2007.
The 2010 trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM-n1K8m7x0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSzF24sMHMU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y1gAIAkq-I
The 2014 trip (Janette's Birthday)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cRua3DZk10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUJoaqU-s58
Because of the changing seasons and surroundings, it's amazing how a ride on the same Ferris
Wheel a year or two later is definitely not the same ride twice!!!
Jim and I rode this one at Crossroads Village during the Michigan convention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSEWYoo2-w8
And perhaps one of the most unique Ferris wheels I've ever seen is the indoor one at the Toys R Us
flagship store near Times Square when Janette and I were on our recent New York trip!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJc2UPC9Y78
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLONBnWqLz8
They have souvenir photos available of your ride but we didn't get one because they couldn't get our
attention to take our picture!!!
I also consider myself lucky to have ridden the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island but that was over 20
years ago and the only video footage I have of that experience is on VHS tape. I hope I can still find it
somewhere. When we visited Coney Island during this year's convention, the Wonder Wheel was
closed for the season. It is no ordinary Ferris Wheel. There are ordinary seats in white, but the red and
blue seats go plummeting along a track for an even more amazing experience!
This is the one that was near my neighbourhood back in the spring:

I could kick myself for not riding it. Unfortunately, at the time I was too broke and depressed. If it
comes back next year I'll take a ride for sure and treat myself to a corn dog!
While we have been following the theme of making comparisons, here's how the Travelling Dolls I've
Been Everywhere dresses have changed over the years:

Funny, I thought there would be more than just three pictures.

Dear Mom and Dad

Monday, November 10th, 2014
Dear Mom and Dad
How's everything up there? It's been a busy and exciting time around here. The weather is getting
colder and less sunny but we are doing well. I enjoyed a good party at Mel's place on Saturday night.
We spent most of the evening singing along with assorted karaoke videos on YouTube. Could not use
a microphone though. Too much feedback.
When I came home, the power was off, just as we'd been informed. Dave and I were prepared. We'd
made sure our portable DVD players were fully charged. This was the first time I actually used mine to
watch full movie. Up until then I'd only used it to look at the slide presentations I have of my artwork on
memory cards and flash drives. Fully charged it only lasts just over two hours though. Enough time for
exactly ONE movie. I chose Enchanted. I know I've complained before about how people spend too
much time vegging out in front of screens but this tie it was different. I know years ago it made me feel
sad to see a Canadian Tire commercial that showed a family on a camping trip watching a movie on a
portable DVD player. Camping is a time for the family to bond with one another, not stare at a screen.
And previous power outages have been times when Dave and I have caught up on conversation. Still,
there's something kind of decadent and exciting about watching a movie in the comfort of my own bed
while the electricity is off in our neighbourhood. And since it's too dark to see what I'm doing, since I
couldn't figure out how to pause it, it was a kick to be able to carry my movie into the bathroom with
me and put it on the edge of the tub so I could keep watching.
Dave and I are planning to get together with Mark and Janette over the Christmas holidays. This will
be the first time in AGES all FOUR of us have done something together, like a double date! Last time
was either our 2007 Niagara trip or that awful dinner at the Mandarin. Don't get me wrong, the food
was delicious, but we had to be in the same room with a stinking screaming toddler!!!
The original plan was that we were all going to go to the Distillery District together, but the Christmas
Marketplace actually ENDS on December 21st. We still want to see the Stanley Kubric exhibit at the
Light Box, though. That goes on until sometime in January.

Janette and I have actually decided to meet up and do the Distillery District thing on our own. There is
actually a carousel AND a Ferris Wheel there this time!
We're going on the 13th. Just want to make sure I have enough money to have some fun while we're
there.
My appointment with Dr. Mistry is the day before. It was supposed to be today but I had to postpone it
because I have my ceramics group this evening and I wouldnt have been able to settle if my
appointment ran late. The last few times I've been to Dr. Mistry's office he's been at least an hour
behind schedule.
Before I started this message I'd been thinking about tons of things I wanted to say but now my mind
is blank!
As usual, I have multiple creative projects on the go. I wish I could get Joey's project done before the
New Year but I'm afraid it will take longer than that. Jean's project only took two years. This is turning
into FOUR!!!
Gotta go for now,
Hugs,
Margaret
Thursday, November 13th, 2014
Dear Mom and Dad
Hello once again. Can you believe it was 21 years ago that Janette and I first met KIDEO at South
Common Mall in Mississauga. And just over THIRTY since we went to see Culture Club!! No wonder
I've been feeling nostalgic lately. Dad, do you remember driving me all the way to Toronto where I
waited in line for hours to buy tickets? All that was left were GRAY seats so I didn't bother to buy any. I
knew that according to the fan club brochure they would be adding a second date. So we ordered
tickets by phone and managed to get GREENS for that second show. And then Janette's uncle had
connections and got us GOLD!! It was an amazing show. Unfortunately, I had my camera confiscated.
It figures. All these other people all around me taking pictures with their expensive Nikons, etc. and I
get called aside for taking pictures with my crummy Agfa 126 and its Magicubes! Still it was a magical
evening and I was able to get my camera back at the end of the show.
And now here it is 30 years later and Culture Club had scheduled a reunion tour and they were going
to play in Toronto on the 24th! At the Sony Centre. Same place Dave and I went on our first date. I'd go
in a heartbeat except for two things A. It's on a MONDAY night and B. I'm basically broke.
However, things have changed yet again. The upcoming tour has been CANCELED because Boy
George has been suffering from a nasty polyp in his throat that requires surgery. After being clean and
sober for these past couple years. I hope he takes better care of himself and feels better soon. Maybe
it's a blessing in disguise because when he's feeling better maybe if we're lucky when they'll
reschedule the tour the Toronto show will be on a Friday or Saturday. We can always hope. But what
about my debts...oh well...maybe between now and then SOMEONE will buy one of my FABULOUS
quilts!!!
Went into town today to pay off $300 on my Visa bill. Dave splurged on his share of the monthly
annuity and bought that Batman DVD set he's been wanting along with at least four of those hockey
player books. I have no idea WHAT to get him for Christmas now! Probably gift certificates from
Chapters and/or HMV. That way we KNOW we won't buy each other the SAME thing! He's already got
me my Christmas presents. He says that two of them are things I've mentioned wanting and one of

them is a total surprise. I wonder what it will be. I do remember mentioning that I wanted both
Despicable Me movies, and all three Men in Black films. Janette brought both Despicable Me
movies when she came to visit and we watched them. We especially like the Minions!! Its their antics
that make these movies so hilarious and now there is a MINIONS MOVIE coming out! Sort of a
PREQUEL about their lives before they met Gru!! I can hardly wait but it won't be out until NEXT
SUMMER!! Sigh!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eisKxhjBnZ0
Here's a picture of me and Janette with a giant minion at the Toys R us in New York and a picture of
me and Dave in the KISS T-shirts I bought us for his birthday and my night shirt:

Yesterday morning we both had to forgo our showers because we had no hot water. Rob was finally
able to fix it last night.
Well, that's all for now,
Love,
Margaret

Carousel of Friendship

This pair of Dentzel lions were inspired by and named after the lion statues at the New York City
library.
I have finished three out of four panels of the little quilt I am making for Jan and Fede. It is sort of a
combination housewarming/thank you gift for helping me with my upcoming book:

The butterfly fabric that frames their special Housewarming Horse came from the Micheals store
Janette and I visited when we were in Guelph. The last square will have the carousel that was in the
middle of my last Big Quilt.
I have a few surprises up my sleeve which shant be revealed until the time is right...stay tuned!!!

Beetlebomb's Book Nook

All the books I've chosen this month are, at least to me, interconnected in one way or another!
In keeping with the theme of carousels and Ferris Wheels and the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, I
have here The 1964-1964 New York World's Fair, written by Bill Cotter and Bill Young. It is an
amazing collection of pictures and descriptions about this great event which happened the same year I
was born and when my friend Richard Concepcion was a kid. Earlier in this issue I shared pictures of
the Carousel of the Month, which is one of the few remaining landmarks at Flushing Meadows in
Queens, where this fair took place. Besides the carousel, all that remains are those towers as seen at
the end of Men in Black, the Unisphere, and maybe a few other buildings. It makes me sad how most
of it was dismantled in the years following the end of the fair. However, two attractions It's a Small
World and the Carousel of Progress, were not only created by Disney, but relocated to Disneyland in
California after the fair closed. It is interesting to know that back in its day, the New York World's Fair
was FOUR TIMES the size of Disneyland!!! And both these attractions featured state-of-the-art robotic
animated figures now known as audioanamatronics. These creations have become a standard at
Disneyland and other theme parks.
The New York World's Fair featured all the latest and predicted future technologies of the time,
including a Family Phone Booth, where groups of people could talk to their loved ones on a speaker
phone in a small room where they could sit and gather with their hands free. Sadly, this invention didn't
always work properly and was discontinued the following season. It's nothing nowadays, however,
compared to the cell phones and Skype we use to communicate and show people where we are with
our laptops and tablets!
The book provides us with a useful link where you can order more books and merchandise:
www.worldsfairphotos.com
Unfortunately, if you want to see more pictures, they want you to order CD's full of slides. And, of
course MORE BOOKS! I found the pictures I wanted to use of the Tire Ferris Wheel by going to
Google images! I have also tried to order a PATCH from this site. I'll let you know whether or not my
endeavour was successful. I'll spare you the gory details...
BTW, my hubby just bought the DVD box set of the entire Batman series and the first thing you see at
the beginning of the very first episode is video footage of the New York World's Fair!!!
I'd like to thank Janette for Ripley's Believe It or Not Amusement Park Oddities and Trivia! Back in
the summer she bought herself a copy and it was so good she bought one for me too! This also ties in
with what I've been talking about in this month's issue and even mentions some of the places we've

visited and long to go to someday!

There is an ENTIRE CHAPTER all about Ferris Wheels, mentioning some of the statistics I've
reflected upon, the Tire Ferris Wheel at the World's Fair AND the one we visited at Toys R Us in New
York.
And, of course there is a chapter on carousels too. Nothing I didn't know before, however it says that
the World's Largest carousel at House on the Rock is 35 feet high. I just wish I knew how WIDE it was.
It does, however, have 269 animals, none of them horses...
Which segues into our next literary pick for this month, American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I've been
wanting to read this one ever since I knew that part of it actually takes place at the House on the Rock
carousel! American Gods tells the story of Shadow, a prison inmate who is released on parole early
because his wife is killed in a car accident. With nothing left to come home to, he meets a mysterious
stranger on the plane who calls himself Mr. Wednesday and Shadow's life is changed forever working
for him as a grifter for the gods! It has taken me over a month to read this. I found it to be a book to be
savored slowly, a magical journey through all kinds of strange and wondrous places and scenarios.
The part about the carousel was my favorite, of course. It made me want to visit House on the Rock all
the more!!! Spoiler alert; mere mortals aren't allowed to ride this carousel. It is a portal to another
dimension where celestial beings dwell....!!!
And last but not least Acanthus Carving and Design by Bob Yorburg is the latest treasure in my
collection of carousel-related how-to books! He spoke at the tech conference at this year's convention
and it opened up a whole new world to me! The acanthus motif has been around for thousands of
years, dating back to ancient Roman and even Egyptian times. Its history is chronicled in this book
along with many beautiful how-to projects for wood carvers of all levels and abilities. It is amazing how
ubiquitous the acanthus motif is. The acanthus plant grows in nature in Africa, Asia, the middle east,
Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. The image of acanthus vines and leaves appears just about
everywhere! Especially in carousel art! Band organ facades, chariots, rounding boards, some of the
horses' trappings...and everyday objects as well. I noticed them in the architecture everywhere we
went. Wall paper, furniture. Even the toilet paper at our hotel was wrapped in acanthus-motif
packaging! I hope the day comes along when I can someday take wood carving lessons and have a
work shop where I can make this sort of thing.
In the meantime you can see some of Bob Yorburg's amazing creations at his website:
http://bobyorburg.com
That carousel horse is absolutely gorgeous!! The head is based on the famous Muller ghost horse. In
the book it hadn't been painted yet, but you can see the completed horse on the website.
Another one of my favorite things on his website is that amazing Tree Staircase! If I ever win the
lottery I want one in my house!
I wish I had pictures of the bathroom mirror at Forest Manor where my parents and I lived when I was
a kid. That was an acanthus motif! The medicine cabinet was in three panels which I'd always adored
because the frames reminded me of gilded carousel mirrors. I used to like to open them so they were
facing each other so I could stick my head in and peer at the infinite reflections...

Interesting link on Art Therapy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/art-therapy-techniques_n_6103092.html

Long-Lost Blast From the Past!

OMG! OMG! OMG!! I FREAKING LOVE THIS SONG!!!! While I was looking for something else totally
but not quite unrelated I came across this wonderful old gem!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb04G1rbR84
When I was a kid this song was always on the radio by Barbara Streisand, yet when I have tried to
look up her version (or any other until now!) it seemed to have sadly faded into obscurity!!

Too Good Not to Share...!!!

OMG! OMG! OMG! THIS IS FREAKING BRILLIANT!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWHngcC2jn4
While we've been talking about Boy George this month I just HAVE to share this link I came across
from his heyday back in the 80'S! Back in those days I also made a Boy George doll for Janette while
she was still in college!

She still has him after all these years. What next? A Boy George carousel horse? Why not? One with
braids and colourful eye makeup with trappings that resemble one of his classic costumes to give to
him at his concert.
George, if you're reading this WE LOVE YOU!!! Take care of yourself! We hope you're feeling better

soon!!! Even if Culture Club's Toronto concert isn't on a weekend, we might still be able to swing it if
it's in the New Year. Janette's used up all her holidays for 2014!
I got a real kick out of this too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hYkv06iCuw
George, if I ever do my own talk show would you be willing to endure an invasion of Margaret Franklin
lookalikes?
Seriously I love the red hair from this time period and feel tempted to copy although my purple is
outrageous enough!

Looking Ahead to 2015

Okay, so I've mentioned wanting to see Culture Club. Janette can't book holidays for the new year
until AFTER January so we hope that George will be fully recovered sometime in the spring and will
have had plenty of time to rest by then.
The next National Carousel Association convention will be in Hampton, Virginia from September 16th to
20th and will include the following carousels: The Hampton carousel: PTC #50, the 1919 Allan
Herschell at Busch Gardens in Williamsburgh, Kings Dominion's PTC #44 in Virginia, the 1920-1925
Allan Herschell at Chavis Park in Raliegh, North Carolina, the 1902 Herschell Spillman and Mangels
kiddie carousels at Trimpers Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland and Dentzel #106 at Pullen
Park in Raleigh. That's SIX for us to ride on this year and I will probably take a picture of my doll on
the kiddie carousel. I'm a little surprised and disappointed that Glen Echo, Maryland isn't on the
itinerary. Is it just that bit too far away from the rest of them? Or are we going to do an optional bonus
day? I will find out soon enough.
In the meantime there is another Bobcaygeon Quilt show coming up in early September and next year
at around this time Janette and I are hoping to go to LAS VEGAS!!!!
We are also hoping to squeeze in a NIAGARA TRIP for my BIRTHDAY IF finances will permit!! Come
on folks! Buy yourselves one of my FABULOUS quilts!! (nudge, nudge, wink, wink! You know you
WANT to!!!)
School starts at the end of January for me and I am looking forward to a class called Be Your Own
Boss. I am also taking Grade 11 computers for the last term. I want to learn everything I can about
this miserable and cantankerous Windows 07!
Contrary to popular myth, not all Aspies are as tech-savvy as we're made out to be!!! Those of us who
are usually grew up with computers and have been using them since childhood. I know enough about
computers to put together this newsletter every month, loaderize, edit and publish my pictures and
videos and communicate on Facebook and in various blogs I've had over the years but when I've gone
on sites to create my own website I pretty much open my account and then I freeze like a deer in the
headlights as to what to do next! I just get so overwhelmed. That's why there's such a delay with my
book too.
Back in 1993 when I took my first computer class I found it frustrating and figured I was totally
hopeless at it. That was when everything was DOS and most screens were monochromatic.
Computers weren't as user-friendly as they are now. I am thankful that our local library hosts classes
to show people who have never used a computer before how to surf the Internet and even open our
own email account. Once we know how to navigate the Web everything else should be easy. But it
isn't always. That's why I'm glad that there are classes. The problem is, I still haven't found a good
Website Design class that I'm comfortable with. A few years ago there was one at the John Howard

Society but there were at least a dozen people packed into a room about the size of this kitchen and
the two women sitting next to me wouldn't shut up! HELLO? I'm AUTISITC! I can't FILTER things out! I
can't hear the teacher when other people are talking next to me!!!!! I barely lasted ten minutes in that
environment!!!

A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

While we've touched upon the subject of the 1964 World's Fair in this month's issue the subject of the
Carousel of Progress came up on a Disney Facebook Page I'm subscribed to so I decided to check it
out on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKz6qdexetY
And now the other Disney attraction that made its debut there too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tbm4Au3dZ0
WhIle I was looking for that I had to share THIS!!! The Electric Light Parade!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HTH8oDyNh4

Send In the Clowns

On Wednesday, November 19th, Janette phoned me in hysterics! On her way home from work she was
bullied by a group of obnoxious teenagers on the TTC bus and NOPBODY, not even the DRIVER lifted
a finger to help her! She was so traumatized she did not go to work the next day! It's not fair! When
she's hurting I'm hurting! I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest and being stomped on! That's
how she felt in New York when I was sick to my stomach and had those two nasty falls the next day!
And to top it off I started having flashbacks too because I had a similar incident myself on the Go train
back in 2004.
Anyway, just after I got off the phone with her I had this overwhelming urge to create a drawing of a
two-headed clown playing an accordion!! Interpret that how you will. Just before she phoned I was
watching music videos on YouTube, Culture Club to be exact. Both their hats are similar to the one
Boy George often wore in his heyday and the yellow shoes are like those worn by the clown at the
beginning of their video for I'll Tumble 4 Ya! Anyway, something just deeply resonated with me so
much about this image that I had to do SOMETHING more with it. Sure, maybe one of these days real
soon I'd like to make a two-headed clown DOLL, but in the meantime I printed off a copy of the picture
on my computer to mail to Janette and today I just packed up my sketch diary in my backpack, popped
that letter into the mailbox and kept right on walking until I ended up downtown at Lost Anchor!!

At that point I didn't care that I'm already in debt, nor that I've broken what I call the 5-Year Rule!
My artist was Travis, a.k.a Bones, and I'm happy to say this made his day! Before I came along he
was feeling discouraged because he'd just had a cancellation at the last minute. This was his first
clown tattoo and it was as much fun for him as it was for me. I hardly felt any pain at all!!
It was around 6:30 when I was finally finished so I ate super downtown at my favorite burrito place.
When I came home there was a message on the phone from Janette. She must have called just
moments after I left the house, so I was glad to still be able to reach her when I called back. I'm happy
to say she filed a complaint with the TTC. The lady on the phone was super nice and sympathetic
towards her. And she had a nice long chat with Cathy too.
Getting a tattoo usually seems to symbolize the start of a new season. Let's hope what happened
yesterday is the end of all the bullshit we've had to encounter for this last while...!

Closing Notes
Well, it's the end of another issue! Stay tuned for next month's mayhem! Hard to believe Christmas is
only a month away already. In the meantime, Janette and I plan on an adventurous time in Toronto at
the Distillery District for their Christmas Village and a few days after Christmas we hope that the four
of us can do something in Toronto too. The four of us meaning us and the men in our lives, Dave and
Mark. It's been literally YEARS since we double-dated. The last time either had to be our 2007
Niagara Trip or that awful visit to the Mandarin when that horrible toddler wouldn't stop screaming!
Seriously, I've said it before and I'll say it again; babies and toddlers don't belong in a restaurant
unless they're part of the DISH!! I'd be filthy stinking rich if I could be reimbursed for every restaurant
meal and every airline flight that's been RUINED by screaming babies and toddlers!!
I've also gotten into the habit of recently posting video blogs. Sometimes it's easier to just talk to the
camera than it is to post a written blog...
This was my first one, shortly after the Introduction to Autism workshop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PulYDZUgt8
This was my rant after the facial hair incident...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5jb_XMrCmM
There seems to be a bit of a war between two of my favorite FaceBook group topics..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV21CbEQSIw
My rant about what happened to Janette on her way home from work last Thursday...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko4yNyurEXc
Special Interests Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z0HlDEZx80
And last, but not least, my audition for Culture Club! You know the old saying...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D85_ed7q9tU
Seriously, if you follow me on FaceBook, you've probably already seen these.
It's probably too soon but here goes, wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year...WHATEVER!!!!