Holy Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor!

By the way....

Despite all appearances to the contrary:

I'm

NOT

DEAD!

(yet...)

She Amazes Me!

Oh what the hell...

It's not really too late to do this until the month is over, right?

Okay, so I've missed a few days...

Yes, I did it. I broke the Eddie-torial Pledge.

That means that you get your money back.

Just return this blog to the place you purchased it, with the original packaging and receipt.

Offer void in Albany, NY.

Here She Comes!

Back when I worked in AIDS services, the director of our agency had a holiday tradition--every year he would dance in the hallway and sing Here Comes Suzy Snowflake. He was always kind of surprised that none of the rest of us had ever heard of the song or Suzy.

I've kind of lost touch with him over the years, but through the magic of the internet, I've found Suzy. I'd like to dedicate this post to Steve, wherever he is.




And just because, I think he'd really get a kick out of it, here's Soul Coughing's slightly more disturbing version:



So, yes, Virginia, there is a Suzy Snowflake. I hope she hasn't been visiting your area already this winter!

Shouldn't he be called an oce-little?

Public Service Announcement to those readers I pretend to have: Cuteness Alert! Cat Alert!

This is the newest addition to the Louisville Zoo family:

So I was reading the story about it in the paper, and looking at the pics, when I something struck me as somewhat familiar: the derring-do, the exploits, the fearless attitude, and, above all, those ears!

Then, it hit me!




Chiquito's a little bit ocelot!

It's That Time Again!

I don't know about you all, but it's just not Christmas until these guys show up.

Some Notes About Bardstown Road Aglow

Last night was Bardstown Road Aglow, one of my favorite events of the year. Bardstown Road runs through the heart of what is considered the most “artsy” part of town. It’s not too far from our house and is a fun place to hang out and an even better place to shop. I think it’s probably got one of the greatest concentrations of locally-owned, independent-minded businesses in town. Our music shop is there. So is the best bookstore in town. And our coffee shop hang out. And my comic shop.

I admit that in recent years, there’s been an invasion of yuppie bars and trendy clothing shops that has displaced some of the antique stores, junk shops, and cooler spots, but there’s still a great selection of places to go.

Aglow was started twenty-some odd years ago as an effort to promote shopping in local businesses for the holidays. It’s a lot of fun. Musicians wander the streets. Stores run specials and give out refreshments. Everything stays open a little later than normal. It seems like Louisville is being overrun by the big boxes and huge commercial developers more and more these days, so with the economy faltering, the local guys need all the help they can get. This is a fun way to give them some support.

I took my camera with me, intent on doing a photo-commentary, but discovered that the battery was dead the first time I took it out. Curse you technology!

So, instead of a bunch of photos, here’s some quick bullet points. Follow the links to learn more about some of our cool local businesses.

We started out the evening with yummy sushi at Café Mimosa. At least I did. Keith had sesame tofu. Which was also yummy. They have the best vegetarian sushi in town, in my opinion.

The crowds were lighter than usual, although there were still a ton of people out. I think the forecast of rain later in the evening kept folks away. The smaller shops were still packed, but popular stops like Ear X-tacy were not nearly as full as usual.

Biggest disappointment: No demos and samples at the grocery. The manager told us that they had wrapped up before we got there, which meant they ended way early, because they were our first stop. And we hit the road right at the beginning of the event.

The scary conservative churches seem to have the best cookies. No Jesus, please! Just cookies!

Cider here. Hot chocolate there. I was awash in warm beverages! Still had room to end the evening with Huber’s cider at Heine Brothers, though.

Mmmmmm! Fresh cookies from Kizito. It just don’t get any better at all.

Was a little dismayed (in a good way) to find out that Josh Ritter, Tegan and Sara, and Digby all have new releases out. Looks like 2007 still has some musical treats left in it. Guess what I’ll be picking up come payday?

Lots of costumes out: Several solo Santas, plus a whole pack of Santas of various ages, size, and genders, the Grinch and all his co-stars, and a group of Victorian carolers.

Several buskers too: We watched one guy with a bagpipe get chased away from one store, while on another block there was a mandolin player and a saxophonist. And then there was the wandering harmonica player, who latched on to people and blew little tunes at them while walking in front of them or beside them, until they either gave him money or it became obvious they wouldn’t. Then he latched on to someone else. He was especially annoying because he didn’t say anything, just tooted on his harmonica. It was like being assailed by a noisy mime.

We took a smell test at one of the New Age healing places. I seemed to like the “Male Tonic” most. Hmmm…..

As usual, I spent the most money at All Booked Up, who started their December sale last night. Everything 30-50% off. I love used book stores, and they're one of the last good ones left in town. And for the third or fourth year in a row, I passed up the hardback collection of Barbarella strips to buy a small stack of other stuff. One of these days, it’s not going to be there, and I’m going to regret not buying it.

Instead, I indulged in one of my favorite sub-sub-sub-genres of reading: books by traditional Catholics decrying everything that’s changed in the Church since Vatican II. I got one about the “tragic unraveling” of the women’s religious orders and another that pretty much comes out and calls all the American bishops heretics. Fun stuff! (Okay, I admit. I’m a little weird.)

We never did see the Louisville Bagpipe Corps or Pokey Lafarge. Bummer.

Still, Pokey or not, it was a successful evening for us. Lots of fun. Lots of cookies. And a book about rebellious nuns. What more does one need?

Remember, support your local businesses when you go holiday shopping!

Hey Pokey! Sing us out!

Another Early Holiday Gift: TMBG New York City

I need happiness, perkiness, and joy today. It's been a loooong week at work--much motion and activity, but too little accomplished. I hate the week after a short week.

So, anyway, this isn't the official video for this song, but I like it. I stay away from the amateur attempts at song videos because they can be so lame, but this one has a real polish to it. Plus, I'm nuts about typography.




Tomorrow night is one of my favorite events of this or any other season.


What it's like to thrift in Omaha.

What to get Popeye for Christmas.

Ever get one of those songs stuck in your head for days?

A little while ago, I watched a documentary that used a song as the opening, and it ended up stuck in my head for several days afterwards. Since this is the season of giving, I thought I'd share it with you.

Here is the great Marlene Dietrich singing Where Have All the Flowers Gone.




The version I heard in the film was in German, but I couldn't find that one online.

Happy Thursday!

Have an early present on me!

It's been one of those days where I tried all day to accomplish one simple task--turning in my timesheet--but got sidetracked every single time I set out to do it. I feel like I ran, ran, ran all day without actually getting anything done. I hate days like this, and they leave me too braindead to actually contemplate anything remotely approaching coherent.

So, here, have an early holiday gift:




Because, who doesn't like the Go Go's singing the Beach Boys?

How I Spent My Thanksgiving Break

Being part two of a few more, each just a bit more stupefying than the last...
(At least this installment includes a video!)

By Michael Edward Mitchell, Age 43


Black Friday was really different for us this year. We’re the typical get up early, hit the stores as soon as they open types. I draw the line at standing outside places before they open, and of course we don’t frequent the evil empire.

Keith usually wants to hit a Staples or the like and a Radio Shack for their early bird deals. By the time Black Friday rolls around, we generally have 90-95% of our holiday shopping done, so we’re looking for deals and stuff for US!!!!

There’s one strip mall in town that has a Staples and Radio Shack side-by-side (it’s also got a you-know-what there, but we just ignore them). While Keith is entertaining himself, I’m a few doors down at Michael’s, finishing off my baking and candy-making supply needs. They always have an early bird deal where you get 25% off your entire purchase before 9.

Sometime between 7:30 and 8:00, we’re both finished and we meet at the car to head across the road to Shoney’s. We’ll fuel up on the breakfast bar and watch the sun come up and plot our next moves. There might be one or two more stores we want to hit, but most of the rest of the day for us will be spent in Barnes and Noble or Half-Price Books. We'll also make a point to hit some local businesses along the way too.

From start to finish, though, this year was completely different. First off, the Shoney’s closed, causing much consternation about where we would watch the sun come up. Then, Keith got an email about a special advance online sale Best Buy was having that happened to include the one item he was going to Staples to get. After he ordered that, he eliminated one of his major stops in our strip mall starting point.

Since we didn’t have to be at Staples when they opened, he decided to hit the Radio Shack in our part of town. Lo and behold, they are so off the beaten path that he was the only one in the store and was able to get all of the special sale items he was interested in. (That never happens.)

Well, the Radio Shack happens to be across from the Shoney’s in our hood, so I chowed down, while he shopped. Then we headed over to Michael’s. (Unfortunately, there’s not one in our part of town.) I only needed a few things there, so it was a quick stop. I did get a new candy thermometer, which I really needed.

After that we hit Target, for a jacket I wanted that was on sale. Then we went to the new Half-Price books, which is quite large, and quite nice. Lots of room to spread out and look and lots of comfy chairs to relax in while you browse. Good selection of graphic novels and trades, plus lots of other interesting stuff to look at. Just the kind of place we could spend several hours in, which, of course we did.

I ended up getting the first Nextwave hb, plus some CD’s, including The Age of Consent from Bronski Beat, which was really weird, because I’d been looking up BB videos on YouTube the other day. Like this one:



How's that for a little bit of holiday cheer?

After this, things took a real left turn.

Our Pledge To You!

For what it's worth, anyway...

From now until the end of the year, expect a blog post every day here at the old Eddie-torial hangout. I'm not guaranteeing that every day will be content-rich, mind you, but at some point during the day, I will spit in the face of the status quo and throw something up here.

In the meantime, if you're a Neko Case fan (and if you're not, I don't want to know about it), Bloodshot Records has her first three CD's on sale from now until the end of the year! Details here.
In my book, it's always okay to pick up a little something for yourself while you're buying presents for everyone else.

How I Spent My Thanksgiving Break

Being a long and somewhat boring attempt at a timely blog post.

By Michael Edward Mitchell, Age 43

Last Wednesday was pretty uneventful at work. With most folks in the building off, it seemed like it was a nice, quiet day. I only learned later that appearances can be deceiving.

Our regularly scheduled payday would have been Friday, when everyone is off. So, we got paid yesterday instead, but with actual checks instead of pay advices—no direct deposit. I went to the bank at lunch and put my check in and got out enough cash for the weekend.

Keith was off all last week, so he picked me up after work. We celebrated the holiday eve by going to Shoney’s for the breakfast bar, where we also finalized our plans for the next day.

We were invited to go to my mother’s house for Thanksgiving, so we stopped at the grocery to pick up the ingredients for the dishes we were bringing. My mom had also advised us to bring whatever beverages we might want, so we got some store-brand diet cola with lime. As an impulse, I grabbed a cheap bouquet of flowers to take as well.

Thursday, I got up very early to fix our corn and pepper surprise, which was the side dish I volunteered to bring. Since I’m not a fan of pumpkin pie, I also whipped up a honey bun cake as a desert alternative.

Then I got ready to do my traditional volunteer stint. Our agency operates the Meals on Wheels program for our area, and every Thanksgiving, they do a special meal delivery. For the past several years, I’ve volunteered to help out at their “command central”—getting the meals and the delivery routes together for the delivery volunteers to come pick up.

This year, the program manager asked me to also ride along with one of the delivery folks and take some pictures for them. Since she lives two streets over from me, she offered to pick me up in the morning. I got everything for our trip finished up and loaded in the car, then woke Keith up. The plan was for him to pick me up at command central after the deliveries were done. Then we’d head south to my mother’s.

I was ready at 8:40, and sat down to wait for my ride. At 9:15, I decided something was wrong, since she’s not one to be that late without calling first. I called her house and found out from her brother that she had fallen and broken her arm at the office Wednesday afternoon and would not be going to the meal delivery. Guess it wasn’t such a quiet day at the office on Wednesday after all! I was a little perturbed that this had taken place right down the hall from me, and no one had bothered to say anything about it. Even worse, I was completely oblivious to the whole thing.

So it was time for Plan B. Keith dropped me off at command central, where I discovered that two of the workers had been dispatched to pick me up. They showed back up a few minutes after I got there. Turns out they had gone to the wrong street looking for our house.

After that kind of rough start, the meal pick up went really smoothly. It was about 11 when the person I was going to ride with showed up to pick up the meals she was delivering. After we got out to the area she was delivering in, I realized that we were almost to the southwestern edge of the county—practically halfway to my mother’s house!

We delivered the meals, and I took some pictures of some very appreciative senior citizens. It was hard not to feel awkward and intrusive about doing it, but the meal recipients were all very gracious about it.

After the last delivery, I called Keith and told him where I was and told him to head on down the highway. I figured if he grabbed me where I was, then I wouldn’t be making half the trip twice! I convinced the delivery volunteers (a former co-worker and good friend) to drop me off at an open McDonalds. A little while later, Keith picked me up and we were off!

We had forgotten to put the flowers in the car, so we stopped at a roadside vendor and got another bunch. I wanted a more interesting drive, so we eschewed the interstate for the cross-country route. Several little towns and state roads later, we were pulling up into my mom’s.

She had fixed Morningstar Farms vegetarian chix patties for us, but otherwise we had the traditional meal. She also left the meat seasonings out of most of the dishes, so we could eat them as well. And it was a grand feast!

We stayed and talked for a few hours after the meal. Mom showed me some new stuff in her backyard, and we played with her dogs. When it started getting close to dark, we left.

I was so tired that I pretty much crashed out as soon as we got home. Had to get some rest before the big Black Friday extravaganza!

Theory: Low Content Mode is better than No Content Mode.

Corollary: When you don’t contribute that much to whatever sense of collective exchange the blogosphere-thingy is supposed to foster, then it doesn’t matter what you post.

Related Axiom: Sometimes, it’s good to do stuff for your own purposes, even if no one else really understands it.

In other words, thanks for your indulgence of my YouTube abuse this week. I feel better now. And, so far, the only casualty seems to be Roger’s respect for me, which I’m hoping got a bit of a boost from some music recommendations I made for him.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I admire folks like Mike, Roger, Kevin and Bully, who can consistently put out such amazing content day after day in their blogs. I’m just not made of that kind of stuff.

Some updates from my last pissy post:

The never-ending work project might actually be wrapping up. At least for now. I haven’t done any new drafts since number 13, several days ago. The presentations are nearly planned, and the powers that be are talking about what I’ll be working on next.

The interview was for the wrong position at the wrong time. I think I’ll be staying put for now and hoping that isn’t a mistake.

The surprise return thing at work turned out okay, with no major catastrophes. Several people told me that it was obvious I hadn’t worked done a lot of major work on the project, because it lacked the little touches my stuff usually has—the kinds of things you don’t notice when they’re there but that make the whole thing work so smoothly that you notice when they’re not. It’s nice to know my work is appreciated.

Collectively, we made 500 dollars at the yard sale. Our friend Sharron was top dog with 150. Keith and I were next with 90, which went up to 124 when we made a run to Half-Price Books with the leftover books and CD’s. All told we sold probably 75% of the stuff that was in the yard when we started, which is a pretty good sell through, considering the place was PACKED! Keith and I only brought four things back home, which thrills me to no end. I did spend 23 dollars at the sale buying other people’s stuff, but it was worth it. I got a two-albums-in-one Smurf hardcover book, every CD from the Donnas that I didn’t have, a couple of sweaters, some containers for Christmas goodies, an old Nativity set, and a bizarre cow-pig thing that I’m going to give to my mother.

Every year, I take my camera, and end up being too busy to take pics. This year was no exception. Sigh!

Fall has finally fallen here, thank god! It was still in the 90’s last week. Ugh! Today, I wore a jacket for the first time, which is awesome!

We’re going camping this weekend, so I’ll be offline until Sunday evening.

Hopefully to come: a couple more yard sale stories from the summer, a couple of concert reviews, and some other stuff.

The Library book sale is in two weeks! Yay! It’s one of my favorite sales of the year. For the past couple of years, I’ve found several graphic novels there—some of them brand new, non-circulated, with no library markings on them. And they’ve dropped their prices some this year. Should be fun!

And one last bit of YouTubery--John Eddie:

What about those lights?

Woke up with this stuck in my head.

Oh why the hell not?

Look! No real content! Wheeee!

Actually, this is Bully's fault. After watching the Julie Brown video in this post, I ended up doing some stream of consciousness searching on the old YouTube, resulting in this excessively self-indulgent bit of blog abuse. You have been warned.

Belinda Carlisle



Leads to Go-Gos doing the Ramones.



Leads to Kasey Chambers because there is no music post without some Americana content in these parts.



Leads to Tracey Ullman doing a song I find myself humming at all kinds of odd moments.



Leads to one of the wilder kd lang moments. I remember watching this performance with the first guy I was ever head-over-heels in love with. He didn't get it or her. I should have taken that as a sign.



Leads to my favorite lesbian folksinger Phranc singing about her favorite lesbian tennis star. The second guy I was ever head-over-heels in love with introduced me to Phranc. He talked me into buying one of her albums (Folksinger) on the spontaneous, wildly romantic adventure we took to Chicago, which oddly enough spelled the end for our relationship.



Leads back to Julie Brown. (Hi, Bully!)



Leads to the Runaways.



Leads to the Divinyls doing that song.



Leads to the Indigo Girls, a group that I introduced to the man I've been head-over-heels in love with for the past fifteen or so years. Now, I'm wondering why it's the lesbian acts that are my relationship benchmarks. You all should be glad I resisted the urge to go for the overwrought, over-blown Melissa Etheridge stuff that I used to get over guy #1.



Leads to Shivaree.



Leads to Rilo Kiley like the talking leads to touching. Soon there is no mystery left and we're all just portions for foxes.



Leads to the Ditty Bops.



Leads to Corday (and something for the super-hero fans)



And ends up with Sam Phillips, which is where I usually end up when I'm in a mood like this.



And with that, Good Night!

Life Stinks and So Do I...

...at blogging, that is. At least right now.

I've been saddled with one of those work projects that in theory should be really simple and should have been wrapped up weeks ago, but in reality drones on and on endlessly as the people I'm submitting the work to keep changing their minds on what they want. This morning I turned in Draft 11 and this afternoon, Draft 12. Yet despite their inability to finalize anything, they want me to schedule roll out meetings and create the presentations for said meetings. The scheduling part is easy, but it's really difficult to out together a presentation about something that isn't finalized yet!

The whole thing is really getting me down and sucking the life right out of me.

I have another interview next week, but I've had so many this year that haven't panned out that I don't have much hope at all for this one.

And then, something that I thought I had gotten out from under at work popped back up in my life with a vengeance and I haven't been able to give it enough attention, which is going to make next week really difficult for me.

And since no one wants to read about me droning on about shit like this, it's probably for the better that I'm just coming home and vegging out on the couch, instead of trying to blog.

On the bright side, our yard sale is this weekend. If you're in the Louisville area, drop by. We've got tons of cool stuff. I'll try to get some pictures.

Oh yeah, and I got linked by the fine folks at Yard Sale Bloodbath, which totally made my day!

More later when I can write without whining.