A place for fellow ne'er do wells to converge in an orgy of laziness
and mindful mindlessness....oh, and watch cool videos
Like Madonna and her infectious single "Hung Up" last year, Mika is my summer album of choice. Tasty, bubbly and so damn silky. Yums. We loves it.
Just try to keep yourself from dancing and bopping about once you press play - I dare you.
PS Props to Sweet Nikolaas, my pal in Belgium, who gave me the Mika heads up.
Tonight was the Art Hop media kick off party at Quatorze Bistro which is down by the water. I was also at Quatorze Monday for the first 7 Nights Bite Club event (video above - check out hot HOT 7 Days staffer Don doing the on camera intro - va va vaoom!).
This means I got to eat their jumbo shrimp, spring rolls and bacon quiche two times this week. Who needs to cook?
The funny thing about living in a small town is that you start to recognize everyone. You might not know their name right off the bat but you know that you used to take a dance class together or she dated that guy you used to date or maybe it is the guy who taught you the difference between hot water and hot air heat. Or you used to work together or you still do work together or she was your director in a community theater show or they are your new neighbors.
This is why I moved back to VT. I got tired of going to art openings and seeing seas of unfamiliar faces. I lovermont. See you at the Art Hop.
And here are the UVM videos to show-n-tell:
Andy Jordan at the Wall Street Journal is making super duper cool videos! He is my new media vlogging hero superstar! And these steampunk technical doodads are pretty damn cool too...
And also of interest, Craig Stoltz's UsabilityTube Review of Jordan's videos with some biting commentary on vlogs like Stuck in VT as well - ouch:
But the Tech Diary videos illustrate one of the perils of doing “multi”media journalism when you have just one device around your neck. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you have a video camera, everything looks like “a cool visual story.” As the tapes inevitably show, looks can be deceiving.
As journalists begin to enter the next stage of multimedia maturity, a good question emerges: How do you get the right tool in the hands of the right journalist at the right time for the right story?
When I think of the fair, I always think of an upset stomach. That is because I usually gorge myself on fried foods and fair rides and by the end of the day I am sticky, shaken, belly achin', coated in a layer of dust and grease, adorned with cow poop on my shoe and a new skull ring on my finger. These are just a few of the reasons why, I LOVE THE FAIR!
This year was no different only I added some vlogging and minor whiplash to the fun (thanks Tornado - see above!). Additionally, there is my yearly favorite photo op, the contest for Best Cock.
Molly cast her vote for the handsome cock featured below - such lovely three-tone plumage.
My vote is for the fellow below, our own Rusty Dewees, AKA The Logger who, in case you did not know, has published a book AND sells onesies and thongs as well.
Rusty said he would be happy to enter the Best Cock contest and the Poultry Experts, who assured me that they are not foul-mouthed but using the correct terminology, welcomed Rusty to come on down and enter the contest. I have no doubt that he could give those cocks a run for their cockadoodledoos.
In other news, the first day of the Champlain Valley Fair was a smashing, only slightly soaking, success and you can get a whiff of fair folly this week on Stuck in Vermont and find out WHO is the Supreme Grand Champion Cow - and no, it is NOT me!
The good news is, there are brand new copper pipes running all over my new house. And the 1100 pound asbestos-filled steam boiler has been replaced with a 99% energy efficient boiler. And the ancient oil tank and the 60 lbs of oil festering inside it are gone, baby gone.
The bad news is the "junk tree" is my backyard is making a hideous screeching noise and my mother thinks it is about to fall over. Does it plan on hitting my house on its suicide mission?
The good news is I managed to overcome my hatred of cleaning long enough to scrub out the oven and tub. And one bath later, I can safely say that I love my over-sized tub.
The bad news is that the tomato plants didn't survive the summer but the parsley is flourishing.
On the up side, I am in love with my new drill. I wish I could use it all day long and drill screws all over the house. It feels so satisfying to adhere things permanently to the wall.
Down side being that I will be house-poor for the next 30 years of my life - no new shoes for a long, long time. Thank god for my big, big tub and old-fashioned radiators which will keep me warm through the lean years.
It was mighty fitting that I spent my morning in Bennington diving into the 18th century (see vlog) and my evening at a Burlington High School 50 year reunion at the Elk's Club.
As Tom Whitney, editor of "The Book of Years" pointed out, when you think of history in 50 year increments, it is not too long ago that the state of Vermont was being formed and the American Revolution was being fought.
We think of history as so ancient and dusty but we are living it every day, documenting it in our own way, telling our stories to anyone who will listen. History is a living, breathing, ever-changing entity, impossible to nail down and examine too closely.
To that end, I made FIVE videos documenting the 50 year reunion which accompany a story Cathy Resmer is writing for Seven Days that comes out tomorrow.
Below is the main video and if you feel like bathing in some history, you can watch the rest here:
PS Can you tell which 69 yr old deer hunter I have a crush on?
There is nothing as yummy as the scent of this flower. It reminds me of sunshine, dirt and summer.
Want to hear MORE about the Battle of Bennington? Listen to the Major General (why do I always have an urge to sing that?) HIMSELF tell you all the minuscule historical details!
Note to self, DO NOT give someone your card BEFORE you do an interview because then you have to look at your card the entire interview! Sort of kills the 18th century vibe...
It was windy and weird that day but the drive was worth it. I want to be a history reenactor when I grow up. Pretty please.
The thing about home remodeling is, well, it sucks. Yep. No really, it is ok, except for the random piles of rubble and mounting piles of bills.
I did not even realize I was "remodeling" until the word started coming up with the many contractors that tromp through my house regularly these days.
So many people advised me not to buy my house because it is old and would need work.
"Buy a condo," they kindly smiled. "This house is going to need a lot of help."
The term "money pit" was thrown around so often that I nicknamed the house "mon petite moola pit."
And what did I do? Did I heed their sage advice? Of course not! I laughed in their faces with impish glee and wild abandon! The simple fact that I felt "right" standing in the kitchen and my fate was sealed.
Oh well, at least me and my house centipede GiGi get along. She still lives in my bathtub and I have warned the contractors not to harm her cause she might bite back. In fact, Bruce and David even like her although she does not appreciate their blow torches and the frequency with which they set off the smoke alarms. Awww, friends...
Well, we aren't really Siskel and Ebert quite yet but we're working on it. So far we got the I-hate-you-chemistry down pat but that is the easy part.
Aram Lecis, the manager of the Roxy and I are going to start doing movie review bits on Late Night Saturday with Tim Kavanagh (AKA VT's Homer Simpson) which will start fresh episodes this September on WCAX.
We threw together some promos which are here. Each review was shot in one take and we were rushing against time as the battery was about to die - D'OH!
This bug is inhabiting my new bathtub. He is over an inch long and has many legs. I think the activity in the basement (asbestos removal) has forced him from his dank abode. This bug and I will have to do some serious negotiating because I love baths.
Yesterday was my 34th birthday. The morning was dark and stormy but soon the sun was poking through the clouds.
Suzanne brought sushi and a cake. Molly brought a baseball bat and a swell card. My family brought themselves and good times.
I wish the mini-break would never end. Having no internet access, cell reception or DVD burners felt awfully good. Me and Harry Potty got real close.
I soaked up as much atmosphere (see pics here) as I could and then...POP...back to reality....and big scary bugs.
Still, there are nice butterflies who follow me down shady wooded paths so I guess it'll work out in the end...
Undead Molly can do it all. She blogs, draws intricate and thoughtful cards, is kind to animals and bugs alike, helps people whether they are nice or not, writes letters to the editor, gets gussied up all purty, kills zombies on a regular basis AND she is now gracing a t-shirt!
That's right, she is SO special (duh) that she now has her very own t-shirt (above) so everyone can wear a little piece of Molly as they go about their mundane day awaiting the BIG zombie invasion.
And let me tell you, a little bit of Molly goes a long way. Molly is the sort of special person who brings over a crowbar, machete, sparklers, Bud Light and green beans to brighten up your mood and fill up your new house with good vibes.
Buy your Molly t-shirt soon and if you are smart, decorate it with blood splatters to attest to your zombie killing abilities.
YouTube in their benevolence has given a shout out to another Stuck in Vermont video. There are a million different ways to give hollers on YouTube and although Stuck has never been featured on the main page, it has gotten all sorts of love in other little odd YouTube nooks and crannies.
Today STVT39: Mud Volleyball is the Pick of the Day on the featured videos by channel page and the hits shot from 500 to 11,000 in an afternoon. Thanks YouTube!
I wonder if there will be another nasty comment backlash like there was with Rosie's Girls? So far there is mainly SPAM, a lovely side effect of YouTube luvin'.
Yes, it is a minor accomplishment but it has been exactly one week since I quit smoking. The initial bad moods, unexplained anger and feelings of helplessness seem to have abated.
However, I still don't think I can sit next to a smoker without feeling the manic urge to pry the cigarette out of their fingers and suck on it.
I still get into my car thinking, "Oh goodie, time for a smoke break."
And it is still next to impossible for me to hold a drink without a cigarette in my other hand but I am managing - I have to numb the urge with something!
I miss watching old films or foreign films where sexy people are sucking on ciggies.
And most of all, I miss my late night, star gazing smoke breaks. Those were the best times of all. Sigh.
On the plus side, I am saving money that I can apply to old fashioned door knobs and I no longer harbor a filthy habit that embarrassed me to no end. Hip hip horray.
