Feisty Therapy

Burlington Book Festival [96]

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9/14/08: Authors, illustrators, cartoonists and readers spent the weekend reveling in the written word.  

What does the future hold for books in our increasingly technologically-driven society?  Is the written word dying a terrible death or is it merely adapting into video games and text messaging?  You be the judge.

Featuring:
http://www.burlingtonbookfestival.com/
http://www.americanelf.com/
http://www.archermayor.com/
http://www.harrybliss.com/
http://www.gregorymaguire.com/
http://www.phoenixbooks.biz/

Music: James Kochalka Superstar, "Monkey Vs Robot," Monkey Vs Robot
http://www.americanelf.com/

Location: Lake and College Performing Arts Center, Burlington, Vermont

Don't Give Up Until, True Love Will Find You in the End

Some Would Try for Fame and Glory, Others Aren't So Bold

Parisa's Fro Attack

"Bonjour mademoiselles.
Voulez-vous avec un afro vos cocktails?"

I love Miss P. Not just because her blog is dreamy and delicious.

Not only because she keeps Fridays special and has love for all creatures great and small (this does not include fur-wearing tourists but it most certainly DOES include NYC pigeons) and can talk a mile a minute without blinking and has a stunning sense of fashion.

But because she breaks down important facts of life like the Jewfros for me. And she makes the most lovely scented pillows that keep my room smelling sweet. And her necklaces are magic and protect you from evil. And did I neglect to mention our shared love of mysteries and Klimt?

She also has quite a talent for fro-ing. Watch in awe, as master Fro-er Parisa works magic on the heads of your unsuspecting animal companions:

Undead Molly's family got magically transformed.

And my strange posse also underwent the Parisa Fro-ing Magic Wand.

You are a whiz Miss P. VT sends you piles of Fall goodness.

Un jour nous promener dans les rues du Vermont comme les morts-vivants.

A Foggy Day

I was a stranger in the city
Out of town were the people I knew
I had that feeling of self-pity
What to do, what to do, what to do
The outlook was decidedly blue

But as I walked through the foggy streets alone
It turned out to be the luckiest day I've known

Crooked spin can't come to rest
I'm damaged bad at best
****

Got bitten fingernails and a head full of the past
And everybody's gone at last
Sweet, sweet smile that's fading fast
'Cos everybody's gone at last
Don't get upset about it
No not anymore
There's nothing wrong that wasn't wrong before
Had a second alone with a chance let pass
And everybody's gone at last

Art Hop 2008 [95]

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P9/5/08: The South End heats up for the 16th Annual Art Hop.  600 artists throw open their studio doors and over 100 venues display their quirky paintings, sculptures, and performances.

Even if you spend more time socializing than looking at art, the Art Hop is one Burlington event you just can't miss.

Featured:
http://www.seaba.com/

Music:
My First Days on Junk, No Order, "Try Hard," "Little Distraction"
http://www.myspace.com/myfirstdaysonjunk

Location:; South End, Burlington, Vermont

I LOVE MOLLY HODGDON

"There is nothing--absolutely nothing -
half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, Ch. 1

Even when I am in a bad mood and smarting from negative feedback, my friend Molly always makes me glad.

Even if we are just lovingly touching every single rainbow/heart item in Claire's teen boutique, imagining brightly colored Halloween costumes, cutting a rug in Payless, marvelling at the consumer potpourri, and gawking at freaks and geeks in the local mall, I always have a good time with my friend Undead Molly.

I hope our next trip to the mall is soon. I need me some underpants. And yes, I am very gay.

Amadis at the Fair [94]

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PLEASE WATCH IN HIGH QUALITY!

8/28/08: The metal band Amadis set the Champlain Valley Fair on fire, dunk the clown, ride the carousel and challenge the Best Cock for his title.

Amadis play Higher Ground September 18th.  Prepare your hand over mouth stare, wear your leather and prepare to kick ass.

Featured:
http://cvexpo.org/default.aspx
http://www.myspace.com/amadismetal  

Music: Amadis, "To the Teeth"
http://www.myspace.com/amadismetal  

Location: 242 Main St in Burlington, VT
Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Jct, VT

Brought to you by:
http://www.7dvt.com/

"To The Teeth" by Amadis

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8/28/08: The metal band Amadis performing "To the Teeth" and rocking out the Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Junction Vermont.

Featured:
http://cvexpo.org/default.aspx
http://www.myspace.com/amadismetal  

Music: Amadis, "To the Teeth"
http://www.myspace.com/amadismetal  

Location: 242 Main St in Burlington, VT
Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Jct, VT

Brought to you by:
http://www.7dvt.com/

Birthday Loot

I am not worthy. Not worthy.
I am very lucky. Very lucky.
I know some very sweet and creative folk.

Above is a lovely necklace made by the talented Sachie and featuring Crawford the Cat. Plus Sachie treated me to a delicious 55 course lunch at Single Pebble that left me bloated and satiated like Marlon Brando!
This is a beautiful handbag made by the super sweet Craft God Nikolaas in Belgium! Must make VT care package for Digibudi real soon! Where to take my fancy magic purse first!?!
And finally, the mega talented Giver of Crap (we are engaged in an ongoing Crap War which shows no signs of abating anytime soon) and amazingly sweet and thoughtful artist Undead Molly made this magnet of sexy Crawford the Cat. He is unsure how he feels about his new found celebrity.
Oh and THANK YOU sweet Miss Parisa for the bestest and the sweetest blog birthday card evah! I blush! La Sollberger is so pleased to know you!

I am a very lucky girl. These goodies will keep me satiated as I patiently await August of 2009 when I can hopefully score MORE birthday LOOT!

Birthday Good Times

It was fun. It was swell.
And now it is back to the grind I go,
with the taste of vacation still on my lips.

VACATION

VACATION TO DO LIST
Must not check email.
Must eat tomatoes.
Must sharpen pool skills.
Must go to yoga.
Must listen to the lake.

Procrastination Queen

I realized why I work late at night (besides the fact that it is genetic, thanks Dad). No one is around to call, email, Facebook, Twitter or contact me.

Sure, if I had a stronger will I could just ignore all these ways to be distracted but the truth if, I LOVE DISTRACTION. It is amazing I can accomplish anything, so great is my tendency toward procrastination.

Take now for instance. I am on a deadline. I should be editing. What am I doing instead? Blogging. Watching a "So You Think You Can Dance" Bollywood number on YouTube. Google image searching what John Edward's former mistress looked like. Tricking out my iGoogle homepage. Playing PacMan on new iGoogle page. Emailing pet pictures to Parisa.

ARGH! Must get back to work. Time to bribe myself with a cookie. Oh wait, I ate that bag of cookies during my last crunch. Craps. I will never be done.

Europe or Bust

In case I forget, I am going to Europe sometime in the next year. If I write that here, maybe it will force me to hold myself to my word. It is officially on my TO DO list.

Must visit family in Switzerland (there are even new babies to meet), friends in Barcelona and Belgium and MUST finally go to Venice and Florence.

MUST GO TO EUROPE. And in the meantime, perhaps a birthday jaunt to Montreal?

TO DO lists, Gardens, and Winooski

I recently reread an old journal from the days when I moved back to VT from CA. That was in 2004 and I was experiencing severe culture shock and loneliness. I missed my friends, the sun and the ocean.

As is my usual MO, I made many TO DO lists in an attempt to turn my sad sack situation around. I have been keeping TO DO lists for most of my life. Tasks here and there are slowly crossed off while others are forgotten.

What was so pleasant about this particular far fetched TO DO list is that I HAVE DONE almost every damn thing on it, even the weird shot in the dark suggestions!?

So here it is (sandwiched between comics, doodles and ramblings) replicated for posterity in my 4th year of [happily] living in VT:

COMIC - get comic in 7 Days! [ok, I did not get a comic in 7 Days but I DID get my videos on their website - close?]

MAKE website [ok, bunnyspice.com is a thing of the past now but I DID do it!!]

GET PUBLIC ACCESS SHOW [this is underlined with 4 wavy lines]

Do sketch comedy with Margot and animals

BE IN MUSICAL - try out for Grease [yes, I was Cha Cha]

GET FREELANCE VIDEO WORK - for public access - local commercials - producing/directing/editing [if only I knew how real all this would become!!??]

This journal is particularly special to me as the pages after this TO DO list contain my possible titles for the cable access show which eventually became The Deadbeat Club. And then there are notes, doodles, scripts and stop mo animation for my first couple of episodes. Aww, memories.

Friday is my birthday. If I work hard enough, I can cross some things off my current TO DO list and then have a week off?!?! Here are some recent pics of my garden and my hood.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

YOU ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY Meryl! I have been singing this damn song all weekend because you BLEW IT OUT OF THE WATER you amazing, wonderfully talented 59 year old lady YOU.

Too bad Pierce Brosnan is such a limp fish despite his once fun role as Remmington Steele. He could have easily been replaced by a cardboard cut out, I wish Ewan was available.

Seriously, GET OUT OF MY HEAD song, my voice is HOARSE and my neighbors all want to kill me!

Balloon Assassins

"Hee, hee, don't mind us, we mean you no harm. We are not filled with poison gas that will slay you when your back is turned..."

"We come in peace, we are ambassadors of birthday joy! We would never EVER tangle you up in our colorful rainbow tentacles and strangle the life out of you, OH NO!"
"Don't we fit in nicely? We are colorful and crazy like the rest of this kooky house! We have no immediate plans to explode into a fireball that will destroy the entire block, not today at least..."
"Why hello little furry creature, bonjour, ca va?"
"Do not look at us like that! We can see you polishing your razor sharp claws and licking your lips! Our soft bosoms tremble in fear! We are delicate flowers monsieur, be gentle with us!"

"Perhaps YOU will be more reasonable? Do you speak Balloon? Are you hearing what we are laying down canine creature? Wait, STOP JUMPING ON US, your wiggle butt will destroy our delicate balance!"

"STOP LOOKING AT US LIKE THAT!!? WE CANNOT TAKE THE PRESSURE! Our armpits are sweaty and our vision is blurring...YES, YES, IF YOU MUST KNOW, SINCE YOU ARE DRAGGING IT OUT OF US! We did come here to assassinate you with love and affection. THERE, are you happy!?!""There, there silly balloons, take your pills and float off to la la land. The wild flowers will make it all better, hush now...shhhhh..."

".....aodbaf,mnafzm....."

Thank you sweet Undead Molly (and her lovely parents too!) for the balloons and flowers and cards and ELEPHANT POO. My birthday month has officially begun and it is two weeks and counting til I turn 30 fucking 5. Man, how did I get so old so fast? Is it just me or does time fly like a bat out of hell with balloons up its butt???

And more importantly, WHAT ARE YOU GETTING ME!??

Video Memories

During mini-editing breaks, I uploaded some old Deadbeat Club content to Blip. Man, this brings me back. Makes me miss Travis and Keith and Mountain View Cemetery VERY much. Makes me ache a bit:



Oh and it also makes me miss Jake and Margaret, who are both dead now.

Also uploaded:

DBC Villain MOntage
Tortured Artists 1
Tortured Artists 2 (the MOntage)
Running Wild

While we were shooting Running Wild, a crowd gathered to watch us dancing around the Merritt tomb. They applauded when we were done and we felt like movie stars...in a cemetery.

Despite all my procrastinating, I managed to get a solid first draft of the ad I have been slaving away at. Will they like it? Time will tell.

I miss you Keith and Travis!!! No one dances in cemeteries with me anymore!

Marilyn Moment

We never get sick of you, especially when procrastinating and surfing YouTube for distraction:

Marilyn from childhood to her death
Marilyn's last photo shoot (as imitated by Lindsay Lohan)
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend - my favorite musical number of all time from one of my favorite movies, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" where men only exist to get ladies ciggies, drinks and tiaras
My Heart Belongs to Daddy - my 2nd favorite musical # from an amazingly good movie, "Let's Make Love"
Lady impersonating Marilyn's last photo shoot
Marilyn impersonating film stars
Thank you Celine Dion
Arty montage
Her rubber faces - no wonder I like her so



OK, my procrastination is done.

But before I go, you know that famous subway grate photo op from the 7 Year Itch (also a very good film)? I heard that her husband Henry Miller was in the crowd while they were shooting it and he was so pissed that she was flaunting her legs for all of NY to see that they went home afterwards and had a blow up fight which lead to their divorce.

There she was being adored by millions and immortalized as the personification of SEX and she was not loved by the ONE man she wanted. Heartbreaking.