Thirteen Things about Miss Meliss
13 Things that Begin with K
- Kajagoogoo: It’s not so much that I love their music, especially since, like most of us in the US, I’m really only familiar with their one song from the 80’s, “Too Shy,” but their name is so much fun to say.
- Kaleidoscope: I’ve always loved these little tubes made of cardboard and magic. Turn the dial for different designs.
- Kali: One of my favorite BPAL scents. Here’s their description:
Kali, the Black One, is the fearless Goddess of Destruction, Creation, Energy [in her Shakti aspect] and Dissolution. Also named Kaliratri [Black Night] and Kalikamata [Black Earth-Mother], she is the fiercest aspect of Devi, the supreme mother goddess. Kali is a protector Goddess, the destroyer of evil spirits and guardian of the faithful. She, along with her consort Shiva, represent the unending cycle of death and birth, sexual union, creation and destruction. Kali annihilates ignorance, maintains the natural order of the world, and blesses those who strive for spiritual awareness and knowledge of true holiness with infinite tenderness and motherly love. The constant, unending Work of Creation is called the “The Play of Kali”. This perfume is a blend of the sacred blooms of cassia, hibiscus, musk rose, Himalayan wild tulip, lotus and osmanthus swirled with offertory dark chocolate, red wine, tobacco, balsam and honey.
- Keaton, Michael: A recent mini-marathon of his films gave me new respect for the man who is not only Beetlejuice but also my favorite Batman. I caught one of his gentler movies, My Life, on cable the other day, and had to ask myself, “Why isn’t he doing more?” Myself refused to answer.
- Kelp: Northern California beaches are littered with kelp fronds, and while at first they seem just like any other sea-weed, a closer look reveals these wonderful oval pods that are quite satisfying to pop. They burst with a wonderful wet squelchy sound.
- Keys: Old keys, the large ones with the pretty details, are the most intriguing, but so are mystery keys – the ones we have on our rings, but don’t know why, or what they might unlock. I like the satisfying jingle of keys, as well. And there are other keys to consider: piano keys, for example, and the keys beneath my fingertips right now. Whether they open doors, make music, or combine letters and symbols into thoughts and stories, keys are magical.
- Khaki: It might be the staple of the techy’s wardrobe, but it’s also one of my staples. Khaki pants and a simple black t-shirt can take you from work to dinner with just a touch-up of lipstick required, and khaki shorts and skirts always look crisp and cool, and make my skin look tanner than it is. While I’m NOT a military brat, I used to spend summers hanging Fort Monmouth with my grandparents when I was a small child, and I remember being surrounded by men in khaki and OD whenever we were on post. My grandmother told me once that when I was a newborn, the soldiers returning from Vietnam used to take turns holding me (and all the babies on the ward), so I think my appreciation of khaki and olive drab was instilled as long ago as that. For more about khaki, go here.
- Kilts: There’s something about a man in a kilt that’s just completely sexy, and yet, a stylized kilt on a little girl can be completely precious. And of course, if you’ve ever been to a Renaissance Faire you’re familiar with the song “The Sleeping Scotsman” – here’s the full version (most recordings have the final two verses omitted.)
Oh a Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair
And one could tell by how he walked he’d drunk more than his share
He fumbled round til he could no longer keep his feet
Then he stumbled off unto the grass to sleep beside street.
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh, ring dye diddly-aye oh,
Oh he stumbled off unto the grass to sleep beside the street.
Well about that time two young and lovely ladies happened by
And one said to the other, with a twinkle in her eye
“Oh see yon sleepy Scotsman, so strong and handsome built?”
“Well I wonder if it’s true what they don’t wear beneath their kilts.”
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh, ring dye diddly-aye oh,
“Oh I wonder if it’s true what they don’t wear beneath their kilts.”
Well they snuck up to that sleeping Scotsman, quiet as could be
And they lifted up his kilt a little bit so they might see
And there before their startled eyes, beneath that Scottish skirt,
Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh, ring dye diddly-aye oh,
Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.
Well they marvelled for a moment, then one said, “We must be gone.”
Let’s leave a present for our friend before we move along.”
As a gift, they left a blue silk ribbon tied into a bow
Around the bonnie star the Scotsman’s kilt did lift and show.
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh, ring dye diddly-aye oh,
Around the bonnie star the Scotsman’s kilt beneath did show.
Well the Scotsman woke to nature’s call and stumbled towards a tree,
And as he lifted up his kilt, he gawks at what he sees,
And in a strangled voice, he says to what’s before his eyes,
“I don’t know where ye been, me lad, but I see ye took first prize!”
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh, ring dye diddly-aye oh,
“I don’t know where ye been, me lad, but I see ye took first prize!”
Our Scottish friend still dressed in kilt continued down the street,
He hadn’t gone ten yards or more, when a girl he chanced to meet.
She said, “I’ve heard what’s ‘neath that kilt, tell me is it so.”
He said, “Just put your hand up miss, if you’d really like to know.”
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh, ring dye diddly-aye oh,
He said, “Just put your hand up miss, if you’d really like to know.”
She put her hand right up his kilt and much to her surprise,
The Scotsman smiled and a very strange look came into his eyes.
She said, “Why sir that’s gruesome,” and then she heard him roar,
“If you put your hand up once again you’ll find it grew some more.”
Ring-ding diddle diddle aye-dee-oh, ring dye diddly-aye oh,
“If you put your hand up once again you’ll find it grew some more.”
- Kissing: There are as many reasons to like kissing as there are kinds of kisses. Further explanation isn’t required.
- Kites: I love kites. I love the way tissue paper, glue, string and sticks can become a toy or a piece of art, or both. I also love the innocent joy that kites and kite-flying represent.
- Knapsacks: Having never been a briefcase person, I’ve had to come up with an alternative for carrying stuff. Purses are great for essentials, and messenger bags are handy, but it’s the knapsack that I love. Truly, and knapsack and a backpack are not the same thing. The first is for daily carrying, you sling it nonchalantly over one shoulder. It likely has patches or stickers or inked-on doodles, and is the accessory equivalent of a denim jacket. Backpacks, on the other hand, are square and meant for camping, and you use both straps. Also, knapsack is one of those words like “satchel” that sort of implies well-worn canvas or leather, and a life of adventure, even if the adventure might be entirely internal.
- Knots: In my deepest fantasies, I take a year off and spend it on a sailboat, and have to know how to tie knots. In reality, I suck at this, but I learned a few knots when I was about ten, and my grandfather was teaching me macrame. Other people knit, I do macrame and crewel embroidery. The cruelest part of crewel, by the way? French knots.
- Koalas: I know they’re not pets, not tame, not friendly, but they’re so adorable with their big eyes and funny noses. I had a life-sized plush Koala when I was a kid – don’t know what happened to it, but I loved that bear.
- BONUS: Keeshan, Bob: No k-list is complete without mentioning Bob Keeshan, whom most people my age knew as Captain Kangaroo. A gentle soul with a mischievous spirit, I always liked him better than Mr. Rogers. Really.
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