A Deadbeat's Week in Brief

I DONT SEE NO DEADBEATZ?!

STILL LOOKINZ...

OH! THERE U IZ!!!

Days are a whisking by at the moment.

Thursday: 7 Days photo shoot with Jordan Silverman
Friday: Stuck vlog at an art opening
Sat: more Stuck filming at the skate park
Sunday: Cabaret photo shoot in a basement
Monday: LNS video shoot
Tuesday: Another Stuck shoot
Thursday: Current TV shoot/interview

Is this a whiff of what it feels like to be a Spice Girl?!?!!?

I EATZ SPICE GIRLS!

In other news, I have begun a love affair with brussel sprouts thanks to the Easter feast at Molly's parent's house. I ate them 3 times this week along with lots of delicious ham! Thanks Fred, Marlene, Molly and Chris! Yummy.

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOMA! You iz man catz now! NO MORE POOPY PAWS! Crawdads wants to know when you two are going out carousing on the town next. He has a yowl and he is NOT afraid to use it.
And I have been quite enjoying the Earl Gray drinking, cat loving, underwater scene over at Miss P's blog lately. If only I was allowed to leave a comment to tell her so! ;)

Lately I have been walking the dog by the frigid, ice-chunky lake and then pigging out at The Skinny Pancake (mmm, crepes and sweet potato fries). Despite the cold, death defying winds, this truly is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Especially if your adorable family comes along!

WE IZ FAMILY!

Thanks Ever Generous Universe!

Strike a pose!

PS More importantly, did you hear about Matt?!?!?

It's Tracy Martin!

Well, a weird computer version of her! I love you Tracy you shiny diamond you!


Get a Voki now!



Who is next....?

Crawford the Weird Computer Cat

Told you. No one is safe.


Get a Voki now!

Lucy the Weird Computer Dog!

Goma is almost 1 years old and Sachie has all sorts of fun planned at My Cat Goma. I hope Goma remembers us little people when he is as big as Tom Cruise (and hopefully less creepy).

I am copying Sachie and making a Voki character for my Lucy. If I have enough time I am making one for everyone I know!

YAY!


Get a Voki now!

Dummys are Stuck in VT

Dummy Big Air [72]

Well, they can't all be good and here is PROOF! Please do not watch this video, it is bad. There is no meat to it.

I shoulda known when Lucy puked in the car driving up to Sugarbush. Bad omens, always listen!

This event was sponsored by Red Bull as was my also sucky video about the Soap Box Cars. Note to self: Keep away from events sponsored by Red Bull. Sigh/.

Little Lucy

Lately I have been marveling at Lucy and how grown up she has been acting. This weekend we went on a walk up a desolate dirt road in Warren and she stuck close by us and did not chase any cars!

And even though she barfed on the twisty drive up to Sugarbush, she was a good girl and waited in the barfy car for me while I shot my video. What a trooper!

And at the dog park she is always so much fun to watch as she turns her wiggle butt into high gear and says hello to every person and dog at the park.

How could you not love such an adorable WIGGLE BUTT!??!

And check this out, she is even writing me email?!?

Dear Mom, Grandma is teaching me how to use the computer, to keep me busy. She took me for a walk today to Shelburne Farms. Unfortunately, she left me outside when she went to the bakery. It smelled great. I hope you've had a good time with Molly, but I had a good time, too, and I was good. Can't wait until you get home to see Crawdy and me!! Much love, Lucy

Goma, Crawford and Sisters!

Sachie and her sister Satomi are just the sweetest, smartest and the coolest EVER - and did I mention Sachie's new FIERCE NYC haircut?!

The girls invited us (Crawford and I) over for yummy Japanese cabbage pancakes decorated with fish flakes and seaweed powder (so pretty and tasty) and bubbly. After all, any time we are not working is cause for celebration!

I wish Satomi lived closer to Sachie. It is hard on sisters to be so far away from each other. Made me glad to live so close to my sister finally. This is the first time since I was 11 that we are even in the same state!!

My comics are no where near as good as Sachie's or Satomi's but here is my recreation of the lovely evening! Crawford explored Sachie's place and Goma kept a close eye on Crawdads. In the end, they were the best of pals!

Come visit again real soon Satomi!
Fly home safe and have wonderful new adventures!

Bingo is Stuck in VT

Broadacres Charity Bingo [71]

Go visit my girl Kassiah at the Friendly's in Williston and leave a BIG tip!
BEWARE the Bitter Bingo Gods!
Not sure why the place was decked out in an Egyptian theme but I dig it!

What can I say, bingo is alternately boring (snore, zzzzzz) and anxiety-packed. So why do I have this urge to go BACK AGAIN?! Probably because I almost won $150 - they had the money in front of my nose and everything!! But I didn't say BINGO at the right moment (you got a 20 second window). NOW I KNOW.

I will beat you yet BINGO!

PS This video was really hard to make because bingo types are apparently quite skitterish. People were freaked out by the camera so I got hardly any b-roll. Was afraid to film people for fear of retribution! But I lucked out and met some very swell bingo experts thanks to the friendly folks in the snack bar.

I Love Lucy, and her Jaws of Steel

It began with my action figures, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Baby Spice and then Scary. Incriminating legs, heads and glittery body bits sprawled across my living room floor.

OK I figured, I am an adult, what do I need plastic action figures for? I pried the left over hunks of plastic from her jaws and got a good laugh a few days later when I found Leia's disembodied head rolling under the couch.

I did not think my favorite orange Woolen Mills hat was as funny. Or my brand new pair of Keds, or the striped socks my mother brought me from Sweden. But when I came home to discover a chewed up ink pen, an ink-splotched beloved chair and a floor full of smudgy black paw prints, well, that was the last straw.

Not only does Lucy have dozens of fresh yummy bones to chew on, she has dozens of yummy chew toys. I try to rotate them so each one is new and exciting. She gets a long walk every day, dog park action, and loads of backyard time.

Not that any of this ever tires her out, she is like the Duracell Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil rolled into one. This girl's battery just never slows down.

Is she bored, resentful, petulant or do her jaws have a life of their own? Since I can't afford a dog psychic, I will just have to continue teeth-proofing my house and arriving home with baited breath:

"Lucy, you got some 'xplaining to do."

Who is Nick Garza?

I spoke to Nick Garza's family and friends about who he is and they very compassionately told me about this very special person:

Space Tiger is Stuck in VT

Space Tiger [70]

Eva, Aram and the Oscars

Me and Aram blabbing about the Oscars on WCAX a while back.

Ice Storm

Last night Burlington was consumed by a ferocious ice storm that made me want to stay home and hide under the covers.

This morning Lucy and I ventured out to Centennial Woods for a walk through the damaged forest. Above us trees swayed, creaked and moaned. The paths were littered with massacred tree body parts and I expected a branch to come thudding down on my head at any moment.

Then Lucy had a lovely play date with her very best friend Trooper. Trooper is like a teddy bear on legs and unlike many dogs at the park, he always comes over to say hello. I love him.

The first video is Lucy racing around the woods and the 2nd is Trooper coming over to say hello. You can see more pics of the ice storm on Facebook.

Meanwhile, JT was texting me pics of the Golden Gate Bridge and telling me how sunny it was in SF. No fair.

What is next VT?

The Cabaret's Casino Night

Let that be a lesson to you sonny jim: not an ice storm or even widespread power outages can stop the cabaret.

Seriously, these people blow me away. Town was transformed into an icy slush puddle last night but the cabaret folk shouldered forward and put on a lovely Casino Night party/fundraiser. When the lights were out, they mustered up candles and the atmosphere was ever so cozy.

And amazingly, brave souls not only ventured out into the treacherous gook, but they dressed up all swanky to play blackjack, roulette and poker. Thank you brave souls!

The highlight of the evening was Phinn and Teresa's playful striptease (above). Who knew how far they would go and how much we would see? Well, you had to be there but it was a treat. And the cockfight earlier in the evening was also highly entertaining.

You can see pictures at Flickr or Facebook. Viva la cabaret!

Winter Soldiers are Stuck in VT

Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan

I learned a lot making this video about the war. I discovered that testosterone and guns can be a destructive "Lord of the Flies" combination and that I have physical limits which I need to start respecting.

Lately, my video content has strayed off the chirpy arts & culture path which is refreshing but also a bit weighty. It is difficult to strike a healthy balance betwixt the good and evil that runs rampant and unchecked in this world.

Like my good friend Undead Molly, I am "rooting for good and betting on evil." Sigh, I need a Crawford cuddle!

These pictures were all (except the top) taken by Jon Michael Turner who is the vet heavily featured in the video. His video footage and stills are haunting. So much so that I stayed up all night Monday perusing them.

JT was kind enough to hold my hand when I almost collapsed/fainted while filming Thursday. What a sweet boy, breaks your heart to think of his war-inspired inner demons.

Nick Garza and YouTube

Middlebury College student Nicholas Garza has been missing since February 5th and police have found NO LEADS as to where he may be. How can a healthy, well adjusted, highly intelligent 19 year old disappear into thin air?! And what can we do to help find him?

After weeks of scanning local news stories for updates and feeling totally helpless, I decided to make a video about Nick for Seven Days to post on YouTube. It is not my usual arts and culture fare and I was worried it might be ill received or possibly hurtful in some way to his already suffering family and the Middlebury College community.

Midd Blog writer Sarah Franco, the main person interviewed, spoke eloquently and compassionately about Nick and the current mood on campus as well as covering the basic facts of his disappearance. Thankfully, the family has been supportive of the video and are working very hard to get information about Nick into the national media.

YouTube was kind enough to feature the video on the main News and Politics page and in 4 days it has been seen 28,000 times by people all over the world. YouTube attention is always a mixed blessing, hits are good as it means Nick's picture is being seen by many, but there are always the occasionally creepy comments.

Most of these centered on whether or not the video is a hoax, a Blair Witch Project. Granted, it is not your standard news story but I am not a TV news reporter and I rarely do stories like this. My goal was to get Nick a presence on YouTube and to that end, I am satisfied.

As dark and dire as the world seems at times like this as the days tick by and no news about Nick's whereabouts surface, it gives me hope to read all the loving and supportive comments on his family's website (click Guest Book), his Facebook page and the Midd Blog.

Friends, family members, parents, college students, high school students, VTers, strangers - all take a moment to write a thoughtful, loving message, share a memory, pledge support and promise to never give up hope.

In this heightened technological age when people complain that we have lost the human touch and communicate only via computers, it gives me heart to see how tools like Facebook, YouTube and the internet can help us connect and lean on each other when we feel lost and helpless in the face of tragedy.

Reading these distant messages from all over the world gives me hope. At the very least, Nick is being thought of and prayed for and loved by thousands of people, some of whom have never met him but hope to one day.

Come home safe Nick.