More Images for Ultimate Search-Engine Optimization

Here at Captive Wild Woman dot blogspot dot com, it's all about the content. Why, I started out as a content provider back in 1997 when the Internet was a young whippersnapper, and I never stopped providing it. Even though the title "content provider" is but a quaint memory on the abandoned business cards of days past, that doesn't mean I have to stifle my content-providing soul. And although most every Internet job I've ever had is now obsolete, blowing down the silicon-valley memory lanes like so many wadded-up-paper tumbleweeds, I like to keep a fresh perspective.

Where was I? Oh yes, search-engine optimization. It's still going strong, keeping the Internet vital, dynamic, "grabby," and lucrative, if you know all the correct statistical analysis and buzzwords. Some things will never change. Let's open the image vault and see what pounces out at us. Your content will shine with the right image for ultimate search optimization!

It's a...potholder loom & loops! Sorry, let's try again. Let me just rummage about here a little more...

A divorce cake! You never know when you might need this. Looks tasty too.

Brangelina! This was my favorite Photoshopped image of 2012 because it actually improves upon the original in a fresh, new, and exciting way. And although I can't properly credit the maker, I tip my hat to the ingenuity, focus and drive that went into creating this top-notch celebrity portrait.

Suggestive cactus is just what the name implies: suggestive.

This mid-century Del Monte ad is like Mad Men on acid, which coincidentally did feature an acid trip or two during its current season. Hey, do you think this ad was originally inspired by...NAH!

Do you remember what this is? Click "like" if you know what this image—wait, this isn't Facebook. Sorry, what nonsense. Who would fill their Facebook wall with such a thing? Would YOU?

John Waters is posing with a Bratz doll. What would entice him to do this? We all know he's more of a Monster High kind of guy.

Toddlers & Tiaras featuring Honey Boo Boo Chile and her mom. Look, I'm sorry. I need the hits. The fact that this will give me hits is on YOU, world. Not me.

Joan Rivers and Bret Michaels throwing gang signs because winning Celebrity Apprentice is so freaking awesome.

Kim Kardashian is crying. There there, Kim. It will be all right. Do not cry. It is too hard for your face to move in that way.

Look! I has a corm! Life is beautiful.

Vagina - It's not a clown car. I want to keep it classy around here. And I like to use the word vagina once in a while.

DAMN GURL...YOU OKAY? will never not be relevant in some way. Eminem is such an artist in this shot. Look at his expression, his body language. Sensitive.

Rush Limbaugh hobnobbing with his fat-cat friends is what life is all about.

Yes indeedy, this is Internet. 

Young Romance Comics - Funny Bunny - No. 141 April-May 1966

I finally found a reliable and affordable source of old romance comics and so we shall all now reap the rewards! This one grabbed my attention right out of the ol' comics discount bin. With the headline: She'll do anything to attract a man's attention! Read what happens to the girl they called... FUNNY BUNNY!, you know it's a good one. And Funny Bunny does not disappoint.

Funny Bunny - super freakin' on the outside; completely freaking out on the inside

The original manic pixie dream girl of 1966, Funny Bunny is a shy wallflower until she discovers the wild clothes of the sixties, and like, WOW!, suddenly no one can take their eyes off her. Especially the menfolk. But before we delve into the complex emotional soup that is Funny Bunny, let's explore what attracts me to old romance comics in the first place.

Drama!

Classic pop-art composition!

Delusional thinking verging on insanity!

And fonts!

Back to our story. But first a word from our sponsor: Heavy Legs.

Heavy legs—them's the breaks, kid

Parties are "dull as dishwater" until Funny Bunny makes an appearance. This is contingent on her wild, way-out womenswear and kooky hijinks, as evidenced here. Wearing a pale orange half-apron with big hand-pockets and posing like an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph is the secret to her social success.

But it wasn't always thus. Until Bunny found her inner fierce fashion diva, she was just a social misfit in sweater and slacks.

After donning her fashion-forward duds, she's able to attract the "one" true love of her life—this guy. Sixties-era romance comics tend to make the men bland and interchangeable. They often have forgettable one-syllable names and perfectly coiffed hair. Emotions are conveyed through eyebrows alone. This guy distinguishes himself by having a two-syllable name, Richy, but otherwise, he doesn't stand out as an actual human being in any "real" sense—that would be too scary! Anyway, Bunny comes across as extremely manic, or perhaps coke-addled, in the early stages of their budding romance. Richy's kind of like, "Huh, whatever," but things are going OK. At first.

Alas! Funny Bunny senses Richy is pulling away. No amount of picket-fence hopping or twirling tent dresses can recapture the magic they once shared!

And heartbreak is just around the corner.

Don't worry! It all comes out all right in the end. As Bunny puts on a plain lilac dress and quietly admits how phony she's been, Richy tells her she was trying too hard to hide the person he truly loves. They kiss in tremendous close-up. SWOON! But what about all those clothes? And what about all those parties?! It's going to be dullsville around here. I will miss you, Funny Bunny.

Yes—yippee!

Modern Mythological Creatures

I've been reading John Connolly's YA novels, The Gates, and its new sequel, The Infernals. Both are very clever takes on science, the underworld, demonic forces, and an intrepid child hero who saves the world with his faithful dachshund, Boswell, at his side. Connolly's wit is Dublin-honed and his ability to conjure up creatures is very macabre and refreshing. I suppose it must be inspiring, because I came up with a few modern mythological creatures during one of my chronic insomniac fits. See if you can think of some of your own for a lite brain workout.

Barkomnibus - Barks and barks, night and day, yet you can never find the source of its massive sound. Occasionally a house will appear to have a Barkomnibus within its confines, but when you knock on the door to inquire, the owner looks at you like you're crazy and insists, "There's no barking coming from this house."

The mysterious and disruptive Barkomnibus

Weighticon invades your thoughts with ideas of your mythological ideal weight. Try to avoid this creature or you will never learn to love and appreciate your fabulous body temple.

The parasitic Weighticon

The Creeping Crud lives in the refrigerator, expanding. A good wipe with baking soda solution will (temporarily) dispel of this unpleasant entity.

Beware the Creeping Crud!

Plasticus breeds plastic items until your house is full of them. Especially prevalent in households with children and pets. Don't let Plasticus get the upper hand!

Plasticus makes hoarding a way of life

The Internet Troll - now that so many of us are using social media, this creature has no doubt made an unwelcome appearance. During an election year, the Internet Troll is especially pesky, disrupting the peaceful discussion of polite social discourse wherever he posts his fanatical opinions. When he can't win enough converts to his side, he will resort to insults to get his way. Red flags include the terms, "ignorant," "puppet-master Obama," "media plot," "gay agenda," "reefer-smoking hippies," and "shut up and get a job!"

I based this creature on my own personal Facebook troll—I hope he's flattered!

A Dancing Chicken Post

This blog has existed for seven years and yet no dancing chicken post. Until now. I love chickens. I love the dance. Dancing chickens are almost too incredibly wonderful to contemplate. Dancing chicken free-for-all follows. Bless them, one and all.

The dancing chicken from Werner Herzog's "Stroszek." Perhaps the most famous dancing chicken of them all.



Chicken Techno by Oli Chang—from the original Australian Domino's Pizza commercial. Look, I don't make these; I just embed them.



National Dance Like a Chicken Day is May 14. Did you forget to enter the video contest?



"Dance of The Cock and Hens" by the Bavarian State Ballet from La Fille Mal Gardée, because it's all about the (chicken) dance.



The Glaum Egg Ranch of Aptos, California, has a 24-hour vending machine. For three dollars you get two dozen cage-free eggs and get to watch animatronic chickens dance to Glen Miller's In the Mood, as sung by chickens. I'm really glad I grew up in California. It's my kind of state-of-mind.



The Famous Chicken and "Barney" in a most violent dance off.

Kardashian Haiku

For years my way of dealing with the Kardashian media juggernaut was to completely ignore everything about it. Or at least attempt to. I've seen maybe a total of 30 minutes of any given Kardashian reality show in total. The bits and pieces of their lives don't add up to much for me. As soon as one of their cell phones ring, or they get a text, that's the cue for drama. Otherwise, it's Kardashian konversation and that is not engrossing to say the least.

Everything about the Kardahsians seems scripted, at least to my ears. They just love being in front of the camera TOO MUCH. They are very boring people without a lot of thought processes going on, but they must manufacture some kind of interpersonal drama for every episode of their show(s). Perhaps that's what their audience finds appealing—I DON'T KNOW. Someone must be buying their shows, klothes, lingerie, perfume and nail polish. Or is it all a tremendous kosmic joke on all of us?

I do know that the time for ignoring the Kardashians is over. They are too ubiquitous, proactive, and in my face for that strategy to work anymore. I'm going to saturate this post with Kardashian fever, embracing their desire to infiltrate every pore of our consciousness. I present: Kardashian Haiku.

You might find these haiku edgy with what appears to be underlying rage on my part. That passion, that loathing of everything Kardashian, I hope will carry me to the big time. That's right: the Nobel Prize for Literature for reality-television poetry. Let the haiku commence.



Kim, quite alluring
yet so incredibly dull
a kontradiction





Khloe and Lamar
taking a break from TV
just keep doing that

Who is Khloe's dad?
Who would start such a rumor?
probably her mom





Kim and Kris Humphries
marriage of the century
blinked and I missed it





Scott is a funny
sociopath, perfect for
this korporate klan





Kris Kardashian
gives the public what they want
empire-building pimp





Bruce Jenner must still
be punishing himself for
Can't Stop The Music





More Kardashians
waiting in the TV wings
that's purgatory!

A Johnny Guitar Post

I admit I've never seen "Johnny Guitar," but I've always been a fan of middle-aged crazed Joan Crawford. Now that I'm middle-aged and somewhat crazed, I think anyone celebrating that stage of life should be honored from time to time. When I was younger and flipping TV channels, middle-aged crazed Joan Crawford films were on a lot. I guess they were inexpensive filler for network off-hours. But let me tell you: those films gave me the template for my own impending middle age, and it looked badass.

Don't mess with this woman—what, are you crazy?

Martin Scorsese introduces "Johnny Guitar," directed by Nicholas Ray, 1954. Scorsese knows pretty much everything about classic films. Sterling Hayden costars, so there really isn't any reason for me not to see this.




The posse comes to Vienna's place, which isn't your typical Hollywood Western stage-set, I think you'll agree. Mercedes McCambridge has some words with Ms. Crawford, causing her to get all indignant. You never want to make Joan Crawford indignant.




Hell yeah, Johnny Guitar sung by Peggy Lee haunts my reverie. Stereo version here.




The Spotnicks play Johnny Guitar, 1962. Truly cool space-age instrumentalists from Sweden, The Spotnicks make today's hipsters look like the useless trust-fund babies that they basically are. Hail, Spotnicks.

Dot Racing at the Oakland Coliseum

Keith tells me that Oakland was the first baseball stadium to feature "dot racing" with the computer-generated dots racing across the video-tron screen in an exciting pre-Internet between-inning experiment in family entertainment. Now they just do it live, which is much, much better.

Happy July 4th. A's swept the Red Sox and I believe the blue dot won.

Weber Grill Design Timeline for Barbecue Nostalgists

It's summer and our new hobby is grilling. When we first moved to suburbia I had absolutely no interest in joining the legions of outdoor cooks around here. What the hell is so great about cooking outdoors, I wondered. There's fire, smoke, propane, charcoal, wind, bird droppings, screaming children next door and so on. Plus I'm married to a vegetarian who only eats five vegetables. And my son is so disinterested in food that sometimes I think he may have been fathered in the middle of the night by a visiting alien bearing an in-vitro probe.

I don't know what happened to me this year. I think I've been indoctrinated into some kind of Smokey-Joe cult. Maybe it's just one more gadget to get my son interested in dinner (that works for him for short periods of time). Whatever happened, I'm fascinated by the whole process of grilled cuisine. And Jackson ate an entire turkey burger the other night, I think solely based on the beautiful grill marks I managed to cook up. This is a kind of triumph around here.

We picked up Weber's 2012 catalog at the hardware store yesterday and the Weber Grill Timeline is one of my favorite public-relations layouts ever. I wish it was poster-sized to hang over my mantel. I isolated the standouts for nostalgic bbq reminiscing. Back in the 70s, we had the standard black kettle with the wheels on the stand. I had no idea the Weber Grill had such funky design specs over the years.

This is the grill that started it all. Designed by George Stephen of Weber Brothers Metal Works outside of Chicago. Still a thing of beauty.

 

The Westerner—don't you want a throw a steer on here? I know I do.

 

The Flamenco has some backyard patio attitude, I think you'll agree. Cocktail wieners anyone?

The Wishing Well is wishing it was a lawn ornament—a lawn ornament that can cook up some tasty pork loin that is.

 

Madame, your rib-eye steak is cooked to perfection on the Seville. So very fancy!

 

Hey, it's the 70s and I'm getting back to basics. I found this barrel by the side of the road—what should I do with it? 

 

Some might not think of the 80s as the pinnacle of industrial design, but I think this red-top Genesis gas grill is spiffy looking. Plus it's named Genesis so turn it on, turn it on again.

What do I dream of when I dream of my dream barbecue grill? The One-Touch® Platinum with it's little side tables, charcoal fuel holders and high-capacity ash catcher, of course. *salivate*

Elizabeth Karmel's big barbecue bible Taming the Flame is helping me not be such an ignoramous around the grill. And this book has encouraged me to not only try grilling vegetables (which are divine), but fruit as well. Grilled fruit is the sweetest thing you will ever taste. You'll get a sugar rush, I promise.

You can get the same results on a tiny Smokey Joe, which is what we've been using (a gift from our neighbors), or on one of the big hulking gas grills that are so popular now. Barbecue is pretty much in most people's grasp, so don't be like me. Don't shut yourself off from primitive-based smoky cooking experiences. You'll have to deal with ash aftermath, but it's worth it.

This adorable Weber logo brought to you by the year 1954

Ulysses sings "Secret Agent Man" on America's Got Talent

My man Ulysses sang "Secret Agent Man" on America's Got Talent last night and will be heading to New York for the big show. He had made it to the Las Vegas round on the strength of his faithful rendition of the theme from "Love Boat" in Tampa. As in the first round, Howard Stern is not convinced that Ulysses is a million-dollar act, while Howie Mandel and Sharon Osbourne are sold. Sharon in particular seems to love the concept of a guy who comes out on stage "like Yogi Bear with that great voice." Here's why Ulysses should win America's Got Talent:

• He is mellow.
• He seems really sweet.
• He plays hand bells.
• He made it in Tampa on the strength of "The Love Boat."
• He is nicely chubby.
• C'mon, "Secret Agent Man"! This guy's a genius.

Always remember Tampa. "The Love Boat." Ulysses.



I would also be happy if 10-year-old Sebastian and the El Charro de Oro Mariachi Band made it all the way. They're heading to New York so chances are good. I've got family from Jalisco and I lived in Guadalajara for a few months, so you know I've been listening to some mariachi music over the years. Individuals who are not situated in Western Mexico can find mariachi bands throughout urban areas in the southwestern United States. And now on network television.

Get on board the funky train ride!

That's right. Funk music and trains—no one knows for sure what the connection is, but it's a strong one, or as we say in Spanglish: muy fuerte. If you're funky, if you like trains, you're in luck because you're going on a funky train ride RIGHT NOW.

Gap Band - Party Train. Is this the greatest music video of all time? Featuring a Gap Band heavy down beat and a Venice Beach dance-off of epic proportions, with muscle men, little kids, Boogaloo Shrimp, dancing cop, endless popping and breaking, and Charlie Wilson in a Speedo. It is truly a party, but no train.




Heatwave - The Groove Line. This is one of the best songs of the disco era. When I was a youngster, Heatwave was one of my faves. They still are. They had Dayton, Ohio-bred soul, a ridiculously strong work ethic, and secret-weapon songwriter Rod Temperton on board. Heatwave disbanded under tragic circumstances, but their spirit never wavered.




Did this start it all? The Soul Train theme from 1973 with its animated chugga-chugga train streaming soulful vibes from its steam funnel. RIP, Don Cornelius. Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doooo!




James Brown - Yes, I am ready for the Night Train. Damn!




Of course, I can't leave out Little Eva's Locomotion. A little bit of rhythm and a lot of soul.

Job - a short film featuring Supreme Dicks and my lunatic mind

Back in the early 90s, I made short films and this is one of them. The strangely haunting experimental band, Supreme Dicks, were open to me using one of their songs "The Language You Learnt" from their cool album Working Man's Dick and so here it is. (And now I'm going to get lots of porn-y spam, but what can you do? Supreme Dicks were named pre-Internet usage.)

The title character is played by my husband. And I have a cameo as a middle-manager, but don't read anything into our relationship based on this film. It was truly the result of my many temp jobs over the years and was filmed at an actual temp-job site. But know this: Reader, I married him.

This is a loquat post

Welcome to the second installment of cooking with Captive Wild Woman. Last time we learned how to make popcorn. Today, something a bit more exotic: brandied loquats. Trying to keep it interesting around here. Let's take a look inside the CWW kitchen and see what's happening with loquats!

Oh my! This year's loquats are a lovely apricot color and I try to pick as many as possible before the birds and squirrels (and probably rats—yecch) get them all. I've been eating loquats like gangbusters, but the abundance this year (thanks to less rain? more compost? I don't know?) has been overwhelming. Over at Cafe Liz is a recipe for brandied loquats. Alcoholic loquats, swimming in their own self-made sugary liquor-juice. I'll give that a try.

Peel a bunch of loquats. Put them in a glass container and cover them with sugar. Put in a dark, cool storage area for 2-3 months. The sugars and loquat juice ferment (I guess), creating alcoholic fruits. I'll take a look in several weeks and see what I've wrought. Hopefully this IKEA glass jar will be sufficiently sealed for the process. Ever notice how IKEA products are not exactly lock-tight?

I know what the majority of you are thinking: what the hell is a loquat? It's a fruit that is most likely native to Japan, although it grows extensively throughout China and in Mediterranean climates as well. Here's our loquat tree in the back yard. I lived in our rental for more than a year before a helpful person on the Internet helped me identify it.

Look at all these dreamy loquats! Here's the best way to eat one: pluck, wash, peel, slice in half to get rid of the weird multiple pits in the middle (four to five pits sometimes), then devour. Tastes like a cross between an apricot and a plum. Really delish. High in fiber, vitamin A, and apparently has sedative qualities if you eat enough of them. Chinese herbalists use the leaves for medicinal tea. Apparently the fruit makes a damn fine crumble as well. But don't eat a pit. It contains cyanide! That makes the loquat an exciting culinary experience, I think you'll agree. More loquat recipes here.

After 30 minutes, things started liquefying. My Mom's bringing over another big glass jar tomorrow so I'll start a new batch. This is like home-brewing for very lazy people. I'll report back in a few months, hopefully while in a sedated, alcoholic stupor.

Update: I waited three months and sure enough, my IKEA jar was not sealed tight enough and those loquats looked brown and yucky. Out they went! Luckily my Mom had lent me a better jar so the second batch, I let sit a while longer in the cupboard.

At four months, I gave them a try. The top layer of fruit browned and was mushy—out they went! The second layer was attractive and definitely brandied. The whole thing smelled like a dessert bar. The loquats were kind of on the squishy side. I still had to eat around the multiple pits too, so that got kind of messy. Resealing the jar and waiting another month resulted in another browned top layer that had to be tossed. And ultimately, I decided the texture of my loquats was not to my liking. I just like 'em fresh I guess. And sweet liquors aren't my favorites either.

So, if you ever find yourself with hundreds of loquats and you like sugary alcoholic treats, give this a try, but try to weigh down your top layer with something, like a metal weight (which I didn't have), because the air will get to them and ruin their firmness. This year my tree hardly produced any fruit and what was there got eaten by creatures, so I'll just be snacking. If I get a bumper crop again, I'll try a crumble. Until then...keep on loquating.

Barbara Manning's long-lost music videos - found

Long, long ago, back in the early 90s, I was making films for fun and very little profit. Well, I don't think I ever made a profit, but I definitely broke even on these two, thanks to Matador Records' big-time budgets of $300 each (thanks to the record label public-relations model of old). These were a lot of fun to make and I had much help from friends who have stuck with filmmaking, some of whom are so legit, their film jobs come with health plans.

Barbara Manning is a singer/songwriter, who graced the streets of San Francisco for many years, making it an even better city than ever before. She lives in another part of California now, but her presence is still felt in the foggy byways of the City by the Bay. And she could really play baseball too, while wearing a dress and smiling the whole time. I miss you Barbara.

Dock Ellis is from the EP "Baseball Trilogy." Barbara's band, The S.F. Seals, were named after the old-timey minor-league team. Dock Ellis was a unique player who pitched a no-hitter while tripping on acid. He later co-authored with poet-laureate, Donald Hall, the book In the Country of Baseball, about his time in the Major League. After retiring from baseball, he worked as a drug counselor. Sadly, he died in 2008 at age 63.



Barbara's song Still? is a haunting tune from the S.F. Seals album "Nowhere." Featuring scenes from the Manning Manor as well as from the long-gone Master Links miniature golf course in my hometown of Concord, California. I think every music video should focus on either a baseball player on acid or a game of miniature golf. That's my winning combination.

Adventure Time animated gif extravaganza

Cartoons set in post-apocalyptic worlds full of magic, wizardry, surrealism, humor, heroism and imaginative excess are not exactly a dime a dozen. That's why Cartoon Network's Adventure Time is such a welcome addition to children's programming. Excellent voice casting, character development and bizarre storylines give adults the entertainment they crave while providing kids with the fairytale adventure elements they need to develop into sound citizens. It's not for everyone, but if you've read anything on this blog and enjoyed it, you will most likely be a fan of Adventure Time.

And now: Adventure Time animated gifs.

Finn doing his "I'm a buff baby" song and dance.



There's lots of dancing on Adventure Time. Especially when Jake the magically stretchy dog and his video game playing unit, Beemo, get going.



A dancing bug.



A group shot featuring Lumpy Space Princess (LSP) and Cinnamon Bun. LSP is voiced by Adventure Time creator Pen Ward in a guttural valley-girl accent and she is probably the brattiest, most selfish teen in the history of television. Yes, even worse than Julie of Friday Night Lights. Actually, she's kind of like Julie if Julie had a guttural valley-girl accent.



There's also a lot of excitement in this show. Look at the excitement.



It's hard to pick, but I think my favorite character is Jake. Being magical and mellow, he's rarely upset by the peculiar goings-on in the Land of Ooo. But occasionally even Jake gets overwhelmed.



But not for long.



Princess Bubblegum rules the Candy Kingdom and she's made of gum. She's a force of good but her scientific experiments have led to...problems, like zombiefication and mind-reading would-be totalitarian creatures.



Everyone's favorite 1000-year-old vampire queen, Marceline.



Finn is a 13-year-old boy who lives for heroic adventures. And sparkles.



Finn explains the general rule of thumb when dealing with the Candy Kingdom citizens.



A clip entitled Stomachs are Weird. They sure are.