Riverboat on the Mississippi

The Big Easy!

Old Man River statue by Robert Schoen.
The inscription reads: A Man with a Past / Arms reach empty handed / God to a city in Love / with Water

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Duran DURAN!

Yep, that's Simon Le Bon performing with the boys at Epic in Minneapolis. I was THAT close!

Mural Monsters: 22nd & Hennepin

I need this T-shirt.
Anyone...? Anyone...?

Yes, I do need it.
I really do.

Found on a St. Paul sidewalk.

Cut me some slack--it was 4:00am.

Me on BBC Radio 5 interview yesterday.

The link will only be live for a few more days, so if you're interested in hearing it check it out NOW!

Here's a second link in case the first one doesn't work. The interview is listed under 1/4/11, which may look like January 4, 2011 to us Yanks, but it's actually April 1. You know how the Brits are.

;-)

Ready for some META?

This blog post helped to bring Simon Reid to justice. I wrote that angry rant about discovering Simon's deception nearly three years ago, in August of 2008. This was at the tail end of a bout of crippling depression where I could barely be arsed to get out of bed. And I didn't know this at the time, but Simon had fled to England and was already at work on a new relationship with an Englishwoman called Jo. After feeding her some of the same lies and then running for the hills--taking with him thousands of pounds he'd "borrowed" from her--Jo googled Simon's name and found my blog, then contacted me. I offered her my condolences and told her I'd be willing to help however I could. I didn't hear anything more about his UK exploits until last summer, when Nicola and Laura--two of Simon's latest conquests--also found my blog. They were understandably concerned, as they were both currently in a relationship with the bastard.

And then the women decided to do something AWESOME.

Jo, Nicola, Laura, and a fourth woman (who has declined to be interviewed in the press) invited Simon over to Laura's house, where they were all waiting to question him...along with a journalist friend brandishing a video camera. They gave him a wicked little "surprise" party, then sat him down so they could grill him for four hours (God I'd LOVE to see that entire video!). At the end of it all the women called the police, and--long story short, Simon Reid is in jail in the UK for 30 months after pleading guilty to two counts of fraud.

The week that Simon was carted off to the slammer, the story absolutely BLEW UP in the British tabloids. Jo, Nicola, and Laura gave interviews and appeared on the UK breakfast television show This Morning before flying out to NYC to appear on The Today Show with Yours Truly so we could all tell our story.


I know--crazy, right?

Anyhoo, I had a fabulous time in NYC, and it was awesome to meet the three of them. We hit it off right away (Jo, Laura, Nicola, and Kate, who was along for the ride) and we had a blast shopping and sight-seeing in Manhattan. The moral of this story? Simon Reid still sucks, but I've met some lovely new friends because of him. I guess every cloud does have a silver lining, even a dark, toxic, polluted cloud of a human being like Simon Reid.

I posted the Today Show video shortly after returning from my trip (it's no longer available online--BOO!) but here are some other links to the story that are still live.

Article from The Daily Mail (Alan Partridge's favorite newspaper!):

Shout-out to Maggie Flecknoe, pop culture commentator, stage and voice actress (and fierce Texas chick!). This is Maggie's take on our story:

Damn, what a whirlwind! SO yeah...things have been happening. It's all good though!

In spite of it all...
Thanks, That Was Fun

Maine Monument, Central Park.

And coming soon...a REAL blog post! With words and everything!

At the John Lennon memorial in Central Park.

Laura gets her portrait sketched in Central Park.

In the lobby of the ridiculously glamorous Essex House NYC (our hotel!).

Sexy face!



Stuck in an elevator at The Essex House. It was awesome, especially the free dinner the hotel paid for to placate us after our ordeal. Score!

About 10 minutes before our live segment. Do I look nervous?

Another image from backstage. What a wonderful scary surreal exhilarating fantastic whirlwind of a day!


I'm still on an adrenaline high.

Girl Power!

Backstage at the Today Show. Left to right: Me, Laura, Nicola and Jo.

Me and the girls on the Today Show, 17 March 2011 discussing Simon Reid!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Me on the TODAY SHOW on 3/17/11

That's me (far left), and (l-r) Nicola,

WOW

I can't divulge many details at this time but suffice it to say that things are blowing up in a BIG way over the Simon Reid debacle from a few years back. We're talking international coverage kids!

Thank you, dear readers, for all of your support.

Stay tuned. This revolution WILL be televised.

Peace. x

Self portrait 3/13/11

This one is for Juliette...

Sweetest video EVER! I luvs Charley xx

The view outside my office.

Winning!

Is this the manliest 'stache ever?

A few words about the 365 Photo Project...

Well, I haven't kept up with this every day like I planned. It's amazing how complicated even a seemingly simple project can become. But even if I don't post every day, I'm determined to take this project through 365 days--a year's worth at least--even if those 365 days take longer than a year to get through. And yes, I will be adding a genuine post (with words!) here and there, cause words are my thing.

Good advice.

Gorgeous Emilio, porcelain lovecat model.

Moon over Minneapolis.

It's a full moon kids! Time to do some howling.

Bookends

Audrey and Alice, holding down the windowsill.

Third verse, same as the first.

And we wait for spring to come...

Pawwwwws!

I could do a series of photos featuring nothing but kitten paws. I love cute kitten paws!

Collage and Decoupage

A table top I decorated last summer. It was a project I did to celebrate turning 37.

Lolita (age 37)


A record breaking--ehrm, CD breaking--photo.

Playing catch-up since I've missed the last few days. My bad.
Without further ado, get ready for...

Head Trip!


See monkey.


This is your brain.

The snow actually melted about a 1/2 centimeter today. Can Spring be far behind?



Dare I dream?

And a white porcelain lovecat watches over us all.

It's a miracle!



I think I can make out a faint image of Jude Law in this here candle.
All hail St. Jude!

Every girl feels a little dirty sometimes...

Posting once a day is HARD sometimes, y'all!

Ask Adam. He'll tell you how it is.



Mystery lady says good night for now...


'Night lovelies!

Project 365 -- Yesterday's and Today's



There's a little anatomical rubber man in my office. I gave him a crystal to hold, because he needed some bling.




Dog walker outside my office on a snowy afternoon.

I was fascinated by the story of Vivian Maier, the unknown Chicago street photographer whose work was "discovered" just a scant few days after her death. While I'm not as serious (or as good) a photographer as Maier obviously was, I do enjoy taking photographs and her story inspired me to start a photo project of my own.

For the next 365 days, my goal is to take one photograph a day and post it here. I'm not cataloging anything earth-shattering, just things I happen to see and capture with my Kodak digital camera (bought in 2005 for $100, now hopelessly out of date).

Here is the first image of Project 365.

This photo was in no way posed or set up; it just happened. (As anyone who knows cats can testify, it's damn near impossible to "pose" a cat.) My cat Audrey this morning; she happened to be draped across a copy of Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. I thought it was amusing.



By the way, I'm halfway through Cat's Cradle and I'm loving it.

I'm gearing up for a more substantial post, but in the meantime I need to share this little nugget of CUTE.

While I love almost anyone who loves cats, men who genuinely love cats are a bit harder to come by than female feline fanatics like myself. That makes this Wisconsinite even more adorable.

Thank you Ron Venden. You and your sweet little Almond make me smile.

Awwwww YEAH!!!!

Had to post this in honor of my most favorite-est band in the whole entire universe. Yes, these men have the power to turn a 37-year-old woman into a squealing hysterical 13-year-old. Can I say how much I love this song? They sound better than they have in 20+ years. They sound like themselves again, and I'm sooooo glad they've stopped trying to force hip-hop and R&B elements into their songs in order to appeal to the youngsters. Everyone who loves Duran Duran (youngsters, oldsters, etc.) love them because of their unique sound--as heard on Rio, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Notorious, etc.--and NOT evidenced since 1990. (Okay, The Wedding Album was successful but not one of their stronger efforts, IMHO.)

Whatever. These are the men I know and love. I'm glad they're back.

Here they are.

A joyfully obligatory post to celebrate 01.01.11

Instead of making resolutions for the New Year, I've come up with a ritual.

Try this:

- Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the center, length-wise.

- In the first column, make a list of of negative things in your life that you are ready to let go of.

- In the second column, make a list of new, positive things that you seek to welcome into your life this new year.

- Take a pair of scissors and cut the list along the dividing line.

- In a (fire-proof!) ceramic bowl, carefully burn the first list--the one itemizing the negative things you're ready to let go of.

- Dispose of the ashes in the trash or scatter them outside and let the wind take them away.

- Take the second list --the one itemizing the positive things you want to welcome into your life--and place a red candle on top of it.

-Light the red candle once a day for seven days, til it burns out. (I'm probably legally required to say this: never leave a burning candle unattended, natch.)

The last step:

LET THE SUNSHINE IN!



Happy New Year To ALL!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!



I predict these two will have no problem getting pussy now that this video is a hit. Men who like cats are HOT!

Received this cheerful little news item in my inbox today:

Man accused of conning two girlfriends out of £18,000



A man has appeared in court accused of swindling two girlfriends out of £18,000.

Simon Reid, aged 44, allegedly borrowed money from women claiming he could pay them back using his business interests in the US.

But prosecutors claim that he had no such assets.

Reid is charged with two counts of fraud by false representation.

He allegedly obtained £17,000 from one woman between August 31, 2008, and August 1 this year, and another £1,000 from a second woman between December 31 last year and August 1.

Reid, of Embankment Lane North, Prince Rock, Plymouth, indicated "no plea" to both charges.

Soo Jackaman-Hall, prosecuting, said: "The defendant entered a relationship with four women and told them that he had businesses and assets in the US. He obtained money from them, saying he would pay them back with the proceeds of the assets. The sum total of what he obtained was £18,000."

But she claimed that there were in fact no assets abroad.

Magistrates ruled that the case was so serious that it would have to be heard at Plymouth Crown Court.

Reid was released on unconditional bail to appear back before magistrates again on January 19 next year.

Don't drop the soap, asshole!

Got a Simon Reid tip/sighting? Email simonreidtips@gmail.com

Found the following note, carefully printed in my handwriting on an index card and stuck between the pages of a long-forgotten book. It was obviously a quote I'd copied from somewhere, but I don't know the source. It's rather beautiful, though.

A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between her work and her play, her labor and her leisure, her mind and her body, her education and her recreation. She hardly knows which is which. She simply pursues her vision of excellence through whatever she is doing and leaves others to determine whether she is working or playing. To herself she always seems to be doing both.

An excellent thought, no matter where you are on your creative path.

Oh, good Lord.



There are a several dozen things about this video that make me stabby. Somehow, I've managed to narrow them down a bit:

1.) The sheer hypocrisy of "Do as I say, not as I do" -- a disorder that I think we can safely call The Palin Syndrome. In fact, I'm all for campaigning to get it listed in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

2.) "B-Palin"

3.) "Sitch"

4.) "Oh snap!" (Did I fall asleep and wake up in 1998, and no one bothered to tell me?)

5.) These two will not be fading into obscurity anytime soon, will they?

Oy.

Post-election day blues, and I find this sentiment extremely apropo:



More updates later, my sweets. Love to you all.

IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS

It's weird how the public, the media, and most of the free world seem to have just "discovered" that bullying--particularly the bullying of LGBT youths--is a problem. Bullying has been around for thousands upon thousands of years: at least since ruthless, insecure assholes became bipeds, and perhaps even before. It's always been a problem, it's always sucked, and it's always been minimized or virtually ignored by most school officials and other adults in positions of authority over children.

The rash of recent suicides of kids who were bullied relentlessly for being gay or "perceived" as being gay is truly horrifying; it is equally horrifying to realize that their tormentors, in part because of their status as minors, will likely face zero consequences for their actions, despite the fact that they were at least partially responsible for another person's death. Another sickening thought? As of this writing, Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei--the gruesome twosome who secretly recorded and publicly outed Rutgers student Tyler Clementi--haven't even been expelled for the crimes they committed. I sincerely hope that they do hard time for this, instead of a light tap on the wrist and some bullshit probation and/or community service.

Along with other measures, like teaching--actually, make that ENFORCING tolerance in schools (policing and punishing children who engage in ANY sort of bullying behavior, etc.)--I would like to posit that we use a little creativity in making examples of nasty little bullies like the ones mentioned above. Below are two of my best ideas.

Yes, I am totally going to go there.

1.) "The Running of the Bullies"

Round up a healthy cross-section of bullies from schoolyards across the country, (including the tormentors of Asher Brown, Billy Lucas, Seth Walsh, and other evil little fascists who've caused needless pain and misery to their peers). Rescue all the bulls used in the cruel annual Pamplona "festival." Turn the bullies loose on a city street (any city with narrow, treacherous roads will do). Give them a 20 second headstart. Release the bulls. Watch the fun!

Bonus idea: Line the streets with a healthy cross-section of bullying victims from across the country. Give the victims bags of fresh bull manure to hurl at the fleeing bullies, thus giving the bullies a taste of their own bullshit--literally! True poetic justice.

*Note: The bulls will then be taken to live out the rest of their years in a cow sanctuary. Any surviving bullies will be sent off to work camps to live out the rest of their years.

2.) For Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei

Strip them both naked and stick them in a dank prison cell. Force them to have awkward sex with one another and broadcast it live on pay-per-view. Donate the pay-per-view proceeds to GLAAD.

Afterwards, just keep them in the prison cell (but sterilize them both, so they don't breed any noxious offspring).

If you have any suggestions about creative ways to punish bullies, send them to daizycakes at gmail dot com.

Posting this in honor of John Lennon's 70th birthday.



Poet, artist, lover, dreamer, rebel.

Well my instincts are fine
I had to learn to use them in order to survive
And time after time confirmed an old suspicion
It's good to be alive
And when I'm deep down and out and lose communication
With nothing left to say
It's then I realize it's only a condition
Of seeing things that way

God, I fucking loved this magazine.

From 1985 to 1989, Star Hits magazine was my BIBLE. It was a music mag aimed at teens, but it was far from a typical teen magazine. You wouldn't find Menudo pin-ups or Jack Wagner Q&A's lurking between the pages of Star Hits. No, Star Hits was way cooler than that. They ran stories on artists like The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Siouxsie Sioux, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, the Eurythmics, and (my beloved) Duran Duran. They did contests like "Win an interview with Howard Jones." The writing was intelligent, snarky, and often very funny. It was a brilliant magazine that defined everything I loved about the '80s.

Of course, it was too good to last.

Somewhere around 1988, Star Hits changed its name to Smash Hits. That's when things started to go downhill. In an effort to diversify and attract mainstream music fans, they started running stories on Top 40 American bands like Bon Jovi and Whitesnake, which greatly pissed off their core audience. The beginning of the end was when they featured an in-depth interview with generic mall-touring pop star Tiffany, a move that predictably outraged its loyal, new wave-worshipping readership. In 1989 the magazine folded, and--although a lesser version of it has resurfaced in England (Avril Lavigne, blechhh!)--there has never been another magazine like it.

In a way, it's good thing Star Hits died when it did, instead of going the Rolling Stone route and championing tripe like Britney Spears, Jonas Brothers, Gossip Girl, et al. To quote the famous lyric, it's better to burn out than to fade away.

Here are some covers I was able to unearth through the miracle of the internet.