And yet now and then on the left there are surprising voices of reason on this, for example Shaun King on X:

I actually think it’s a great idea to build a big ballroom on the White House grounds.

It’s virtually impossible to hold events of any size there and they are always wasting millions on tents and heaters and chairs and lights and everything else.

Stop acting like you have some emotional attachment to the East Wing. You don’t.

Ah, but “acting like” when it’s politically expedient is one of the main tools of the left these days – and although it’s certainly not limited to the left, it is pretty much their stock in trade.

Although no, Obama wasn’t worse, at least not in terms of White House renovations.

Here’s a history of previous White House renovations. Some of them were before my time – actually, most of them were. But did anybody gave a rat’s patootie at the time?

NOTE: I do remember Jackie Kennedy’s renovations of White House decor, and the televised tour she gave. And I remember the intense shock I felt at the time, young though I was, on hearing her breathy almost Marilyn Monroe-ish voice. Here’s an article on her White House changes, and here’s a short clip from the tour:

The post Trump is building a ballroom in the East Wing appeared first on The New Neo.

But what really caught my eye was another spool of blueish thread. This was just as large and even cheaper, selling for $1.94. But what fascinated me was that it was labeled as thread for mending denim. Now, I’ve mended plenty of denim in my time, but I’ve always used blue thread, which is good enough but not completely great for the purpose. But then again, I had never in my life thought, “Oh, if only they made denim thread!” And yet here it was, and I couldn’t resist.

Reader, I purchased it:

I may have to rip some jeans in order to try it out.

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Anyway, the point is that I’m close to finished with it. I also believe that fewer people will be interested in a poetry book than in the essay book, simply because fewer people are interested in poetry in general. Do you agree?

I was going through some very old photos on my computer, and found this one of Gerard from around 2008 or so. I took it in an airport parking lot; I think he was leaving for home but from where I don’t know. We went on quite a few trips. My cellphone camera was a rather primitive one compared to today’s, so it’s somewhat blurry. But I’m quite fond of it because it captures Gerard in the first couple of years of when I first knew him. He had left New York City in 2002, after living there for many decades, and he still had his city clothes and looked quite dapper; he used to say that in New York when he lived there, your overcoat was like your car in California in that it was the way you presented yourself to the world.

All those New York clothes were lost in the Paradise fire, of course. But Gerard continued to believe it was a good idea not to look like a slob when you went out.

Anyway, here’s the airport photo:

Have a great weekend!

ADDENDUM:

Commenter “RigelDog” suggested I try using a program to blur the photo’s background. And so I did. Here’s the result:

Once I got going with that, I started playing around with programs that make photos look like artwork, such as this effect called “pastel”:

And this, which is high contrast and looks like an Edward Hopper painting to me:

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Ten seconds of that video and I’m back to 1977, sitting in a packed theater beside my sweetheart. I have on my brand new Christmas boots – black, high heels. My black and cream plaid midi-skirt and cream cowl neck sweater. It’s cold outside but pretty sure my coat’s in the car. I wanted to look thin and cute for my date. Nineteen-year-old girls would rather be cold than wear a coat. We’ve been married now for 42 years…..

Is this kind of recall a woman-thing? Genetic??

I share that kind of recall. For whatever reason, I remember what I wore on many many occasions, both good and bad. I keenly recall what I wore when I first met my husband-to-be. It was a nifty white-and-navy print A-line dress with a front zipper, and it was from Marimekko. Late 60s. I even remember how I wore my hair that day.

One of the things that strikes me, reading Ruth’s reminiscence and thinking of my own, is how spiffy and dressed-up we ordinarily were, even in the 60s. Sometimes we wore hippie garb, but often we donned trendy and sharp-looking clothes, especially segueing into the 70s. Photos confirm it, too.

Yes, I think it’s a woman thing. Men’s fashions tend to vary much less, but that’s not the only reason. I also think it may be a genetic thing – my grandmother had the same snapshot-type memory for what she and everyone else in the room wore.

The post Fashionable memory appeared first on The New Neo.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In general the Royals adopt a look and stick with it. I don’t think Queen Elizabeth changed her hairdo during her entire reign.

Anyway, here’s the newly-coiffed Anne. The clickbait title given the video is “Princess Anne’s hair change STUNS the internet.” I suppose it depends on what the meaning of “stun” is:

The post This is one of the most STUNNING videos I’ve ever seen appeared first on The New Neo.

Some actress I’ve never heard of wore what looks like a jacket, panties (as in “underwear”), and pantihose as her ensemble. But that’s not quite it – as if that weren’t enough. The real news – and what created controversy even among many people who ordinarily wouldn’t be shocked by that sort of thing – was a portrait embedded in the lower part (see how delicately I put that?) of the panties.

Here:

Why does Lisa have Rosa Parks in her pants? ?? one of the historic women who fought against racism https://t.co/r4koVZvERr pic.twitter.com/ZFr0LgeU84

— . (@BLACKPINK_FFLOP) May 6, 2025

That’s what it’s come down to, although I must admit I might have looked at that outfit and completely missed the Rosa Parks reference if it hadn’t been the talk of “X”.

The theme of the entire Gala was this:

In support of this year’s exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the Met Gala 2025’s dress code was Tailored for You, a concept inspired by the show’s focus on menswear and suiting.

Follow that link and scroll down and you’ll find lots of photos. A few of the outfits are even quite attractive, such as Zendaya all in white (it’s very hard to duplicate the photos here, so you’ll have to go there). Demi Moore resembles a leftover extra from the Ascot scene in the movie My Fair Lady, Al Sharpton (so thin now!) seems to be sporting a vaguely Captain Hook-ish ruffled cuff look, Jeff Goldblum channels Count Dracula, someone named Colman Domingo resembles a royal blue lampshade with an antimacassar on top, and Diana Ross is – well – Diana Ross.

The post Met Gala fashion appeared first on The New Neo.

Funny bit with their eldest son trying to find his mom’s hand:

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I occasionally point this out to my wife as we’re driving along. Why have car colors become soooooooo boring?

The rest of the essay explores ideas about what the reasons might be, and why it also is true in architecture and clothing.

But you heard it here first: fourteen years ago, to be exact. The following was the entire 2011 post of mine on the subject:

Whatever happened to car colors?

It seems these days that gray’s the thing, in every possible shade and tone: silver, metallic, charcoal, light, dark, middling, and every type of gray in between. Much more gray than I care to look at.

I ask you: whose decree is this, and why?

The comments there are quite interesting as well.

But here’s an update: it’s only gotten worse. And yes, clothing is involved too. I know many people – and we’re talking women here, not men in gray flannel suits – who only wear neutrals like black and beige. My closet is very colorful, but maybe that marks me as a dinosaur, fashion-wise.

But perhaps the worst offender in recent years has been interior decoration. For quite a while everything was gray – except for kitchens, which were white. I used to sometimes put a house remodeling channel on TV while I was working, as a sort of background babble, and it featured young couple after young couple looking at perfectly lovely kitchens and saying they of course had to be totally remodeled, with everything white except for silver appliances.

I know some of it has to do with the idea of resale value, and that blandness is inoffensive to most people. Well, it’s pretty offensive to me.

I’ve been looking for a new couch. My old one is uncomfortable (and when I write “old” I mean about 25 years old) and it wasn’t much to begin with. It is a pretty color green, though, and that’s what I want for my new one, too. It can be done, because fortunately there are usually many fabrics from which to choose.

But the salesroom of the store I entered? Everything was beige or gray. And I mean everything. It was uncanny and unsettling, and I even mentioned it to one of the salespeople. She said they were going to be getting a new decorator and more color. Perhaps a trend? If so, it’s one I’d welcome.

The post The increasingly colorless world appeared first on The New Neo.

I couldn’t help but notice, too.

When I was a kid, I used to go to ballet classes in some very seedy Manhattan neighborhoods, and I learned what a real prostitute looked like – that is, streetwalkers.

They were easy to spot, even for a child, because of the way they dressed. Very short tight skirts – before miniskirts were a thing. Lots of makeup and big big big hair. Thigh-high boots. Fishnet stockings. Much cleavage. Standing around on the street.

And then, some years later – I don’t recall exactly when – it occurred to me that I could no longer invariably tell the prostitutes from the non-prostitutes.

The post Just between us girls appeared first on The New Neo.

Melania’s been choosing more subdued neutrals lately. I first noticed it on Election Night, when she wore a gray double-breasted suit. Today’s outfit was navy blue. It was also double-breasted, which is a difficult look to wear for many women because it’s usually broadening. But for Melania, no such problems. Both outfits also had a longer midi hem length.

And of course the hat, which shielded her eyes. Guarded and almost armored, and who can blame her? You can get a good look at the hat in this video. And that tall, grownup-looking guy standing behind Trump? Barron, of course. Makes one very aware of the passage of time:

Melania also has extraordinarily good posture. And how does she walk in these stilettos? I can’t copy the photos, but go here to see what I mean. There you can also see how stunning Ivanka looked. There are also photos of Jill Biden and Usha Vance.

I wonder whether the fashion establishment will treat the beauteous Melania with more respect this time around? At this point, I doubt she much cares. She’s been through a lot in the past eight years, and there’s going to be another go-round.

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